Aberrant: Children of Quantum Fire - [Fiction] The Guardian of Jimbocho [5.12] [FIN]

[Sailor OOC]

Morning

Kamiko sleeps in her room, surrounded by her three favorite things. Her books, her cloak, and a little kitten stuffed animal she got from a UFO Catcher. Light begins to clear over her books from a crack in her window shades. Stirring her from her slumber on a air mattress on the floor. She never wanted a bed. Or anything else. She sometimes wondered why her adoptive parents don't insist on a normal room.

Just means more room for her collections.

She gets up, rubbing the sleepers and book dust from her eyes before putting her glasses and slippers on.

It's a modern hardwood floor, very western in design, if you look past the halls that look more like the insides of some science fiction starship. White paneled with data screens, storage... The design of someone who was looking for utility, not architectural asthetics.

She smells a massive breakfast being cooked from the kitchen of the estate.

"Good morning dear!" A woman says from her position behind a stainless steel stove. "I've been setting up to make your spam and egg sandwiches like you like them."

Her pink hair looks very discombobulated. Like she had been working at it. Particularly with her husband already sitting at the table. A 8-foot, half ton humanoid tiger, his bluish white fir bristling with hunger pangs. "Hurry it up... I got a meeting with the JGSDF in an hour. We're discussing that contingency plan today."

"Oh that one? Surely China wouldn't be stupid enough as to attack now."

"I wouldn't put it past them, Doryoku."

"So, Kami... How was your sleep today?" The tiger looks over at his adopted daughter. Being sterile as the sahara bothered him so, and was happy to have adopted Kamiko from his best friends after their untimely deaths 8 years ago.

"Well... it was restful." She sits down, her pajamas not fitting right, as if bought for a full grown woman than a girl of her age and stature. "Had nightmares later on though."

"Regarding?" Doryoku asked.

"Regarding Tokyo... burning..."

The tiger-man grunts. "As if... no one could even touch Tokyo with my protection, Kami."

"It's Kamiko, father. Or should I start calling you Long?"

"Touche..." Long says. "Alright, you start doing your chores without complaining and I'll start calling you by your name, alright?"

She scratches her head. "...WITH no paper familiars."

Kamiko pouts. "Alright... Kami it is."

Long grins. "See... the power of negotiation."

Kamiko watches as Doryoku places Long's dinner at the table. "Your sandwiches are coming up. I got to get to Osaka and talk with Kou regarding an adjustment of disaster response. I left your at-will allowance on the front table. You also have access to the supply debit card today. I would have made some omlettes, but I got to go in like... 10 minutes and we need to get new Spam for the disaster supplies. Restock what you see we need."

"Expecting something?" Kamiko asks, observing Doryoku's movements carefully for any tells of impending doom.

"No... the expiration date is in 5 days."

Kamiko grunts... as if salmonella would fell a mighty nova like Long or even her.

"Mother, don't ever do that to me again." She says as her breakfast is placed on the table. "Sorry, dear."

Kamiko eats slowly as Sakurako and Long eat at a speed that would be called gluttonous by baseline standards and clean their table placements with professional eater timings.

Also she is thinking of what she'll get with her at-will allowance. She pulls out a old map from a dresser drawer in a hallway cabinet and brings it back to the kitchen. She starts looking at some marked locations on it. "Sweet... no survival lessons, no naginata sparing... no homeschooling today... today... Jimbocho is my objective."

She calls up a couple of numbers on the map. "Hello, Mr. Nakamura, I'm Kamiko Hideyoshi... Yes... I still have my customer reward card."

She smiles, looking at the map. "So... what is new in your store today?"

She looks at her at-will allowance and frowns. "For sale... and still purchasable with the reward points."

...To be continued.

[Sailor OOC]

11 am...

Kamiko is walking down the main throughfare of Jimbocho. Traffic was busier than normal. With the hybercombustion cars and hybrids all choking the street. Luckily the sidewalks were just busy, but manageable. The rows of bookstores of the late 20th century have slowly dissapeared, but only by a little. This was a book town, a town that Kamiko could deal with. Datapads while useful for their purpose just didn't feel like the leaves of a book. The smell, the texture... it was a multi-sensory experience, and that was before actually reading the material.

She finally makes it to Mr. Nakamura's store. A small little store, well small to some standards for it took up an old 4-story office building. Mr. Nakamura collected all sorts of books from new releases hardcopied from digital material all the way to ancient 15th century scrolls. He was more into the world of the written word than she was. And his talent and gift for finding even the sole extant volume of a tome was on the level of a Nova's perception and wisdom.

She walks in after taking off the light grey cloak she always wore, hanging it up on a coathook. She saw Mr. Makamura's signature straw hat and somewhat gaudy overcoat sitting on his usual hook.

"Mr. Nakamura? Are you in?"

Silence began to fill the building like a ship taking on water. It usually wasn't this quiet.

She walks in to the new books floor and is almost physically thrust back form the site of shelves knocked over. She sees Mr. Nakamura being gloated over by a knife weilding assailant. He turns to Kamiko after sending his knife into the gut of Kamiko's associate, then grins a long-toothed grin before moving at a rate of speed that suggested to her it was Mite. But... Mite only enhanced Stregnth...

That moment of thought was all he needed to get away. He slams Kamiko against a wall and bolts, leaving Mr. Nakamura to his fate.

"Nakamura-san!!!" She shouts, taking her bag off her shoulder and setting it next to him as she kneels down and puts on a pair of latex gloves. "Don't move. I'll see what I can do while I call for help."

She looks him over, assessing the damage. She knows where the blow struck... into his right kidney. Probably nicked an artery. She had to move fast.

She pulls out an emergency surgery kit she takes with her just incase she's needed on the front-line of a triage. Her mother encouraged her to know as much as she could about field surgery and disaster response since she may be needed if a disaster occured. Little did she know this skill was going to come to the aid of a friend of the community.

"Ka... Kami..."

"Shh, don't speak. I have no other choice in the matter, I have to stem the bleeding."

She takes a scalpel and opens the outer wound ever so slightly wider, so she can insert a forceps in to clamp off a gushing artery. Mr. Nakamura groans in pain. She pulls out a rolled up cloth and hands it to him. "Bite on this... this isn't over by a long shot but I want you to stay with me."

She pulls out a large stick from her vest pocket and pulls out a flexible eufiber screen from it and hits a red dot on it. She puts a earbud in that deploys a small microphone. "Yes... this is Miss Hideyoshi. I need a paramedic team at the Nakamura Books and Antiquities shop. I'm uploading GPS coordinates now. I'm currently starting emergency field surgery on the victim of a stab wound. Arterial wound, clamped currently. Yes the kidney. Right one. The subject is in pain and he is concious. But he won't be for long if he goes into shock from this. He is a man of 80 years."

She continues to put gauze into the wound around the forceps clamp. "Right... 5 minutes."

After that time passed the paramedic team arrives. Flanked by her Mother. "I came as fast as I could when I heard on the comlinks..."

"I know. We should clear the scene and I'm going to need a favor."

"Of what kind?"

"What do you know of a drug that enhances the reflexes instead strength of a baseline?"

Sakruako scratches her chin. "Well... I am not an expert on that." She says as she walks out with her adoptive daughter. "I would have to talk to Denshi and see what he knows. Why?"

"I saw the man who did this... he was high off of some drug and as fast as I could see he bolted out."

"Hmm. This is disturbing. Thanks for telling me I'll see what I can move with local law enforcement."

As Sakurako walks away, the head of the paramedic team walks over after Mr. Nakamura is loaded into a waiting ambulance. "You're lucky you got to him. He would have bled out if you were 5 minutes later in arriving."

Kamiko scratches her chin. "What I'm wondering is why that crazy man attacked."

"I don't know... I'm not a detective."

She scratches her chin and sits on the curb. That's when she spots a sheet of paper. She picks it up and starts reading. The paper itself was wet and most of the ink was smudged and illegible by the time it was found.

...Mer...Sh.. gr... "Dammit I can't make heads or tails of this..." Who knows if this note was on the attacker, as far as she knows, it could have been a shopping list.

She flops back to the sidewalk as the police arrive. "Ma'am... can I have that sheet please."

Kamiko hads it over, Mr. Nakamura's blood now slightly on the sheet. "Dammit... why did you touch evidence?"

"Umm... I..."

The look of the detective stopped any further conversation. "Not that it matters if it is or not... you should be more careful. Doryoku would have known this, she should have taught you the same."

His stern tone and dissapoinited look almost shames her on the spot. "Go home before I have you arrested."

She gets up and tosses her rubber gloves in the biohazard bucket in the ambulance before starting to walk away, her head down.

"I was only trying to help..."

...To be continued

[Sailor OOC]

11:45 am

Kamiko wandered the streets of Jimbocho. She had to get out of her head the violence she had paid participant in. Or at least an observer followed by someone trying to do combat medic-like activity on the victim. She couldn't get Mr. Nakamura out of her mind. It seemed her old friends, the books about her, were no solace. A man could die today that was more important than the written word. More important than anything.

12:10 pm

Kamiko starts having lunch at a local cafe in the area, when her comlink rings. She puts her earpiece in her ear and pulls out a small stick again, pulling out of it a thin, flexible OLED screen out of a rigid eufiber tube.

"Kamiko..."

"Kami... it's Mother... I did some analysis on something I found at the scene and am running that evidence over to Inspector Akagi. I'll be heading by to drop off your raincloak. There's some squalls coming in and you forgot it at Mr. Nakamura's."

"Oh... alright... How is he?"

"Grave... He's in a coma and fading fast..."

Kamiko clutches the bio-foam container of soba noodles, crushing it slowly as her hand shakes.

"I'm... sorry I broke that to you like this..."

"That's.... that's alright. It's your job and the police to find this man and bring him to justice... but..."

"If you want to be of use... when I show up I have a plot of a couple of surveillance areas. Perhaps a bird;s eye view that's quiet..."

"No need to say more, Mother. I'll help find him."

12:30 pm

Doryoku arrives, in full Nippontai regalia with Kamiko's cloak.

"Here you go. I reccomend though... no street clothes." Sakurako whispers into Kamiko's ear.

"Why's that?"

"Your cover, remember? The best attention is none at all."

"Oh, like uncle Shen says."

Sakurako giggles. "Yeah. Can your PAper Airplane hold up in the rain? It shouldn't be too much of a rainstorm."

"Did you bring my parachute and other gear?"

"Oh... suprised I thought ahead."

"You intended me to get in on this all along huh?"

Kamiko takes the large dufflebag and heads to a back alley bookstore where she knows a young owner who has similar intereests in literature, popular culture, and has had a amorous fling or two on the side. She steps in back and starts changing clothes.

"Kamiko! What's going on?"

"Mom needs help on a job. Needs me to play tattle-tail if you will."

"Surveillance, huh?"

"Yeah..." She says with a sigh, walking out with a dark shiny grey waterproofed flight suit made of her eufiber colony, with which she has a load bearing vest like a fighter jet pilot and a parachute designed for BASE jumping. She pulls the helmet out she got from a JASDF pilot and puts it on. "...how do I look?"

"Like you're about to pilot a giant robot."

Kamiko giggles as she puts her cloak on. "Hopefully I won't need one of those." She retorts before walking out with multiple stacks of old newspapers under arm. The rain's started so she's got to focus quickly. With a thought she forms a rideable paper airplane underneath a bank's awning nearby before taking off into the gray skies.

"I'd better sweep these areas fast... If I get too distracted... all that needs to happen is for a few sheets to get too soggy and disintegrate... I'd better keep at a openable altitude while close enough to see..." She thinks to herself as she starts her orbit of the first location on the map waypoint on her comlink.

[Sailor OOC]

12:45 pm

"Kamiko... see anything yet?"

Kamiko circles above the first area marked on the map, looking down as best she can at the streets below. She's needed corrective lenses since birth because of her odd eyes, and she thanks god she remembered her glasses this time. She has the visor down to keep rain off her glasses and to reduce the steam, but the darker plastic of the thing is making it a bit harder to spot things down below. Then again, someone as hopped up on a nova-age version of crystal meth is a pretty easy stand-out. Particularly a asian man in a asian country wearing a body-tight blue suit.

What she observes is the behavior of the crowds below...

"Well... I think that's our quarry. Activating camera." She says, clipping on the front of her paper airplane a opnet-enabled camera and interfacing it through her comlink to her Mother. She zooms in a bit closer as she circles.

"See him?"

"Yeah. I got 4 squads heading there now... HE IS MOVING FAST... good god."

"You tell me. Moves quicker than Mercury. I see the police cars... sirens off, smart. Might need them two intersections south of my position, the traffic is bad."

"Damn... I'm sending in a helicopter and flying over as well. Clever... He's bloody clever."

"So... why you think this druggie attacked?" She says, re focussing on her flying as she starts to see a police helicopter approaching.

"Unclear. I looked at Mr. Nakamura's financial records on his computer. He's not doing too well and he owed a loan. Funny thing is there's no collection notices or even reposession threats in his op-mail."

"I think I know where this is going."

"Agreed. Remember, give the police a wide berth on this. It could get messy."

Kamiko does another orbit as the panicked stabber retreats to the Tokyo Bay docks. He knocks a few fishermen out of a long-distance trawler and rushes to the bridge.

"Oh god... he's stealing a boat."

"I see it. I can toss down a EMP grenade, but that would risk the assets inbound. I'm sending a message to the Coast Guard now."

As Kamiko does another pass, a dagger is thrown at her head, hitting her helmet and knocking her off her concentration. The Paper Airplane starts to lose cohesion almost instantly. "DAMMIT I'm hit! I can't recover too much got lost before I could recover I'm going to ditch."

"Kamiko! Steer from the ship!"

Kamiko pulls the ripcord on her parachute after tossing her cloak away and uses the momentum she still had from flying and the fall to open it. "Looks like they'll be fishing me out..."

"Yeah... we can take this from here. Thanks. We got a sniper team about to..."

"I... don't think you need to tell me what happens next."

Kamiko drifts down as she sees gunfire suddenly erupt followed by a few pink flashes. She knows that was her adoptive mother's real attack.

"Everything okay?"

She hears labored breathing. "This.... isn't my... strong suit... but I'm fine... thanks. Oh, did you remember your life vest on that harness?"

Typical Mother... Even for an adoptive one who's practically a brainiac superheroine. "Trust me... I got the best when you allowed me."

"Ah.. good. Meet you out there then. I'll save you the indignity of a coast guard rescue."

"It's fine. They could use the training."

1:50 pm

Kamiko is dropped off at the main docks, her Mother anxiously waiting. "Kamiko!" She shouts, running over and hugging her. "Hehe... I'm glad you're alright."

"Hey... same here."

Inspector Akagi walks up to the two. "Kid... I thought I told you..."

Kamiko cringes, but his next words are... suprising. "Your Mother should teach you better... and she does. Good work. Ever thought of joining the force when you reach legal age?"

Kamiko smiles. "Well... that's still a long time off... 3 years... that's a long time in this era."

"Tell me about it... I'm not one to usually offer this... but if you ever need help... let me know. Mr. Nakamura was a friend of mine too."

"Wait... you just said 'was'... don't tell me..."

All Doryoku could do is turn and start walking away as Kamiko starts to sob.

The inspector holds her. "Sorry... at least... we got the guy that got him... I swear to you we'll find whoever he owed and make them pay for this."

All Kamiko could do is cry.

4:45 pm

Kamiko's disheveled form slowly slogs into the house. Bags in her hands from the grocery and a few books she bought from Mr. Nakamura's store in absentia. His Grandson was understanding... although the store would have to close with the debts it's currently under.

Kamiko's not even had time to change when she sees Long and Doryoku sitting around their Kitchen coffee table. "Friday... that's his service, Kamiko."

"Two days... alright."

"Oh, and we got a message from the Den... they want you to meet with them afterward... on Saturday." Doryoku says as she pats Kamiko on the head. "I think it's time we make our greatest contribution to their cause... You."

"You... mean it?"

"You need more training, that's for sure." Long says. "But... I think we gave you a good foundation. don't get us wrong you can still call us if you need anything. After all, your ours, and our friend's daughter. We're here for you."

Kamiko smiles before Doryoku grabs her by the ear. "Miss Hideyoshi!"

Kamiko blushes.

"How many times have I told you not to wear that suit in public, even if it's hidden!"

"Umm.. it was raining!"

Doryoku sees the eufiber suit covering the black shiny suit underneath, and it looked a bit more padded than normal...

"Kamiko... I won't say this again... what you do in your bedroom isn't my business, and it shouldn't be the public's either! Control, Kamiko. You got to learn to control youself!"

"Sorry..."

Doryoku sighs. "Now get out of those soggy clothes and dry off, you're leaving a mess behind you. In fact, I'm not leaving you to the rest of your day untill you mop all the floors."

Doryoku scracthes her head. Figuring with her helpers... it'd take no more than an hour... enough time for the scene she was going to that night.

"NO POWERS." Long shouts.

Kamiko sighs. "...busted."

Doryoku smiles. "That's right. Dont' do the crime if you don't intend to do the time. Now march young lady."

"Yes, Mother."

"There goes that plan..."

-fin

[Quantum Fire]

End of Thread

XP: 2 Standard, 2 Baseline, 2 Nova