Aberrant: Infinite Earth - Cosmos Nova - [FIN] [CN Japan] The Cat and the Mecha

[Naomi Minami]

Naomi didn't need the ride in his hand... for long.

Her cat-like grace and agility allowed her to use a combination of climbing, parkour-like moves, and simple momentum to get up to where she needed to be.

"Ready for flight, Supreme. Neko 1 ready for takeoff."

She smiled, knowing that this would be her first true adventure. And her first true sense she was going to pay her hometown back for everything. Even if she served as Minami-Sensei. The Great Cat Detective on the other hand will become the heroine of Ukedo. And today, she is potentially going to win over new fans with Connor as well. That is for whoever is still there.

She pulled out a re-enforced data tablet after putting her helmet on. "Okay, I got a map of our destination. It is near the main docks. There was some damage to the outer walls used for storm-surge mitigation during typhoons. There is some heavy wreckage of concrete on that artificial island. They haven't been able to get a ship over since most are tied up elsewhere, and until Department 0 gives the all-clear, no one can stay in my hometown for very long incase the radiation containment measures Director Nakamura and the science department put in place fail at Fukushima Dai-ichi."

She sits down so Connor could properly cradle her in his huge hands. "All set."

[Mech]

The flight was uneventful as he cradled her in his hands, moving quickly but not so much that it would be horribly uncomfortable. Certainly nowhere close to his maximum speed. When he finally uncupped his massive hands he knelt down and set his hand down so she could climb off. "Is anyone going to meet us here? Someone with specific knowledge of what is going to be required?"

He could figure it out, but still better to be official.

[Naomi Minami]

"I was sending texts via our sattelite internet to the disaster response teams."

She hops of with a series of smaller jumps before getting to the ground. "They should be arriving in a few minutes. We... we're sort of quicker than ground vehicles, but we beat them to the punch."

They were by the main marina and docks... or what were. There was nothing left. The obviously damaged typhoon wall out in the bay looked like a jagged mess. There was still some debris hanging on it as well.

Naomi's com-tablet chirped. "Naomi."

"Ah, good, are you with Connor?"

"Yes, Director. Do you need to speak with..."

"Negative. I have already made sure you have command of whatever it is you are endeavoring to do there."

"Thank you, Ma'am."

"Just be sure to be as close to completion before Mr. Fontenot has to come back for his meetings."

"Understood Director."

Her com-channel closes. She takes off her helmet and sets it inside her bag, and pulls out a bright yellow sleeve and puts it on around the panel, and starts blowing into a valve on it. "Oh... this is a extra cushion that also doubles as a waterproof sleeve that keeps the tablet afloat. Pretty simple and slick I think."

She connects it back to it's usual loop on the backside of the harness. The sound of trucks a couple miles down the road was plain to hear. And see since the area was pretty much scoured clean.

"Alright... they'll be a few minutes."

[Mech]

Connor nodded. "I tend to carry very little like that, when I shift forms, sometimes it ends up crushed." He nodded. "So where would you like to begin Naomi?"

[Naomi Minami]

"Well, the primary objective is that jetty over there. It needs to actually be removed, with the material taken to that location over there..." She points to the old marina location of the docks. "Those trucks inbound will be carting away the debris. Since you're well... the strongest here, you can handle moving cement blocks, right?"

She adjusts her suit. "Once you've moved the material I will have to dive in and inspect the jetty's foundations to see how much repairs will be required in the re-construction process. The trucks inbound will be providing an air tank I can hook into my suit, and I do know a few things about SCUBA diving. Although I won't need it with my adaptability, so I can extend my total time underwater pretty far if I wanted, but regulations demand I don't take any risks unless I have more than just us two Novas on site."

"Quite frankly I feel comfortable that you're here... you seem a able lifeguard."

One of the construction trucks involved in the refuse collection process finally arrives at the docks. "Minami-Sensei! Are we late? I brought the air tank like requisitioned by Department 0!"

Naomi nods and when she sees it's one of her former students she smiles. "Good work, Taro!" She shouts in Japanese.

She grabs the air tank and slings it over her shoulders, then grabs her helmet from her bag and starts hooking the air-hose up.

"And again, thanks for the help, Connor." She says in English.

[Mech]

Connor nodded, and suddenly there were half a dozen Gundams, each as powerful as the others, setting to work removing the debris. Each one capable of moving a hundred tons at a time. Soon progress was readily avaiable as they cleared the debris. Connor smiled thinking how this would be good press, and how good it felt to finally be making a tangible difference here.

[Naomi Minami]

Naomi smiled, but she also saw all of the civilians that were part of the reconstruction effort watching on, actually cheering Connor's team onward. This wasn't her world... of fame... and for some reason she loved it that way. She was a Detective. A lone cat. She puts her helmet on snugly. Before she closed her visor, the daughter of one of the workers who went to school as one of Naomi's students runs up.

"You're going to help Connor, Minami-Sensei?"

"No... he has things in order. I'm going to investigate the foundations."

The child, dressed in her school uniform to greet her former teacher cried a little. She couldn't find her dad's extra construction vest but she had a hard hat on. She wouldn't be doing any moving, but everyone liked seeing her as a bright spot in everyone's day. As a reminder of what they were working towards.

"Don't cry. I will make sure everything will be alright again. The boats will sail, the parks will be full of people, and you'll have a home again."

"But... I won't have you..."

She put her hand on the child's shoulder. "No... I belong to Nippon now... I belong to the world."

The child smiled. "Be a hero, Sensei!"

Naomi nodded, closing the visor on her helmet, and standing up. "Right!"

She turns on a loudspeaker on her helmet. "Everyone! I will need all our drivers on standby! As Superior and his team delivers the wreckage back to shore, be ready to set up a disposal chain!"

She adjusts her suit as a Zodiac style boat gets delivered to her location and deposited in the water off of a hoist. "Good, I'll use this to head out to the jetty and begin my investigation."

The child near her looks with a question on her mind. "Can I come along?"

"No, child... I will be doing something dangerous... and I can't place any civilians in danger."

Naomi hops on the boat with her cat-like grace.

"You... don't have a life vest?"

"Don't need one, I'm diving, and if I get in trouble I got a life preserver built into the suit."

"Just... be careful, okay, Sensei?"

Naomi nods and starts heading out to the jetty. Connor's team started getting about half-way done when she arrives.

"Connor? Status?"

[Mech]

"I am about halfway done, and the within the hour, the debris will be cleared. How about you?" The team of copies worked seamlessly and Connor himself led the way, marching the rubble and keeping the pile stable.

[Naomi Minami]

"About to get wet..." She says, putting flippers on. "...sort of ironic, a cat that loves water."

She adjusts the load bearing harness that is part of her gear. "Okay, This gear and everything makes me slightly negatively buoyant. So don't freak when I sink. I will be down for approximately 10 minutes as I take photos." She pulls out her tablet, and lets the air out of it's waterproofed sleeve. "Now, Once I am done I need to take a sample of the foundation, bring it up by float-bag for analysis, to check the stability of the overall foundation."

"Then I just hook it up to the boat, and bring it back in like a buoy." She pats the harness. "The life preserver built into this will bring me up just fine."

"Back shortly!" She shouts as hops in after grabbing a float bag from a red canister stored on the boat.

Over those ten minutes, she takes pictures, and then finds chunk she can easily dislodge. She gets the float bag's tether connected around a bag that she pulls from one of the pouches on her harness, then pulls a lanyard on the bag sending it up. She then inflates the life preserver on her suit and comes back to the surface herself, and swims over to the boat.

When she climbs in, she pulls out her tablet again, to upload her pictures. Director Nakamura answers her over an encrypted channel.

"Excellent. We can use this to study how the foundation was constructed to find better ways to engineer such structures. You really knew where to look. Did you get the sample I requested, Naomi?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good."

"Just a question, getting that sample couldn't provide any structural analysis of the construction."

"Actually it can with my people on it."

Naomi nodded. "I see..."

She waves over to shore and starts navigating in. "Okay, I see the D0 Operative on the dock."

"Naomi out."

Director Nakamura closes her channel to Naomi, and Naomi switches back to her loudspeaker.

"Connor! I'll be on shore in a couple moments!"

[Mech]

Connor continued working until the final piece of rubble was removed, then he waited for Naomi to return, wondering if this was all she had in mind. Granted he didn't have but about half his power left, but he would be good for a little while longer.

"Understood, when you get done, you can show me what else I need to do."

[Naomi Minami]

Naomi nodded, as the rest of the rubble is moved out.

The Department 0 Operatives took the chunk away in their black SUV heading off on the approved roads for civilian vehicles.

Naomi walks up to Connor, opening the visor of her helmet again with a slight hiss.

"Thanks... that was one of the impedance to our reconstruction efforts. There were some navigation hazards being caused by that jagged cement. We have pretty much taken care of the rest of the clearing process over the course of the past year... But... I was thinking..."

She would be blushing if her face wasn't covered. "...Would you like to..."

She bowed, it almost seemed like she was begging... "Would you like to just stay here with me for a couple hours before we got to head back?"

She digged through her bag. "I brought some fishing gear and I wanted to catch some fish in the area to prove our fish are safe... In fact it will be served at your meeting tonight. If you want, you can return to your human form to conserve energy and we can enjoy a few hours... we earned it."

The look on her cute cat-face wrote it all. She was lonely in the world and was looking for someone to share one of her loves. "I know we... don't have much in hospitality here... but... This will always be my home town. And we will rebuild her to be stronger, safer, and better than before."

"Thank you."

[Mech]

It would be my pleasure. I'm almost going to have to, Need to rest abit to regain the power I used moving the rubble."

He smiled, looking for somewhere he could change. "I need somewhere I can change though, and that bag I had you hold earlier."

He smiled "Fishing has lone been one of my favoritie pasttimes."

[Naomi Minami]

She gets Connor's bag from the little girl who dutifully held on to it. "Thank you."

The girl smiles and runs off.

"I should change clothes as well. I won't need the suit for this."

"There is a temporary shelter for the workers over there we can change at. It has a few privacy screens so we can change in peace."

She leads the way after handing Connor's bag over. She takes her bag as well. The Department 0 agents were more than happy to let Naomi use their Zodiac and left it at the docks for her.

"Let's go get changed, Connor."

[Mech]

Connor found the room he'd need and taking his bag went in in a blur of shifting features, He emerged fully clothed, looking happy and sharp as ever. He smiled and waited for Kei to change herself, thinking about how good it had felt to be here this morning. It wasn't for the press, it was for the people, a distinction that was important to Connor.

[Naomi Minami]

Naomi steps out of her stall, sporting a dark navy-blue blazer and pencil-skirt, a pair of deck shoes, and the white blouse under her blazer sported a red bowtie. Her blazer had a bit of a nautical edge to it, with white trim on the collar of the blazer, and the collar itself suggested a sailor collar. The buttons had a gold tone to them, and had anchors engraved into them.

She brushes off her outfit with a smile. "There we go. A proper outfit for a marina excursion." She said with a smile.

She offers her arm to Connor, her bag over her other shoulder. "So, coming my way?"

Naomi didn't care for the press. The flashbulbs annoyed her eyes. But she loved the people of her country. Of her hometown.

"I still have a lot of fuel left in the Zodiac. We'll head out a couple miles and enjoy our day."

[Mech]

Connor nodded, and joined her in the zodiac, knowing it wouldn't be long before others followed them out. "What can we expect to catch?"

[Naomi Minami]

Naomi pulls a life vest form storage on the Zodiac, nodding to the kid still hanging around the docks. She liked setting a good example. "Well... That is what I would like to find out... I've not fished often, but I heard romors of a spot where the Tuna population is..."

She licks her lips and lets loose a predatory meow. "Very much high."

She adjusts her blazer. "Now if I recall correctly we have to head Directly East. 2 or 3 miles. I got the fishing pole collapsed in my bag on the floor there..." She looks over to the bag. "I'll take care of the driving of the boat for now. You... just relax."

She smiles. "Hey... and perhaps we might actually catch something!"

Starting the engine she heads off.

[Mech]

He smiled, and relaxed, rigging up the pole while she drove enjoying the calm seas. By the time they arrived he had it fully rigged out, and set up.

"One fishing rod, kitted up and ready to go."

[Naomi Minami]

Naomi parks the Department 0 marked zodiac in position, letting it drift on it's own.

"Okay, Excellent." Naomi says, sitting down on the side of the rubber boat.

Some of the wind wafts through her hair, and to Connor, he could see the human with in her.

"Connor? Do you think that... I've lost more than I have gained?"

[Mech]

"No I don't." He smiled as he set about the buisness of fishing. "You're a brilliant and hyperperceptive nova, you are capable of doing far more good for more people now than as a simple teacher."

He nodded. "Teaching is easily among the most important professions, for without them the others would be nearly impossible to maintain. Still helping as you do now, doing the things others cannot do, that is a personal calling for you. You feel fulfilled when using your gifts for the betterment of the greatest good. I know I do myself. That's not to say I don't enjoy private moments like this, using my abilities or not, just living in the moment."

"Do you think you've lost more?"

"Sure you look abit different now, but that just makes you unique."

[Naomi Minami]

"No... I love being me... I may change what I look like but I am Naomi Minami."

She adjusts her blazer. "I... I meant my town... my home... my real home. You... You have a home to return to. My home was in Ukedo."

She sighed. "I lost that and my future husband... The only thing I didn't lose was Shiro-kun. And he... is in me."

Her ears lowered and her tail drooped. "I don't know... If probability and things were different I wouldn't be sitting on this rubber boat with you right now. I'd be another casualty."

"You can... understand my mixed feelings in regard to this, no?"

[Mech]

"I do, though I've no experience to personally draw upon there."

"Ukedo will rise again, the people will return.You have your health, your life, Your future still, what you do with those are solely your choice."

"I believe that you are not alone, I'm here at any rate."

[Naomi Minami]

Naomi smiled. "No... we are not alone."

She smiled. "It's interesting. I am the only person on Earth that truly understands cats... Sometimes at night I want to join in the conversation. I've had to resist in the city, but when looking for cats that were lost in town... my ability to be a Cat speaker, is useful."

Her tail moves in a joyful motion, playing with the water with it's tip. "I guess... my gift I shouldn't feel guilty over. I can save lives now."

"I'm not the heroine Japan needs, I'm the heroine Japan deserves."

"Catch anything yet?"

[Mech]

Connor nodded, and set the hook "Yes." After about ten minutes it was a small Bluefin, roughly thirty pounds, and hardly legal.

"We gotta throw him back, but if you got a camera we can snap a quick picture."

[Naomi Minami]

Naomi takes a picture with her tablet. "And thanks for tossing it back in. Bluefin populations are still down."

Remembering she's not diving, she blows the waterproof sleeve back up, then between catches, release or not she takes pictures.

"You know, my Folks loved to get together on scholastic breaks to do stuff like this. The beach near the marina was the most fun. Although I will admit I spent some times there just floating on a swim ring and letting the sea have it's way with me. After the first couple of times I went really far out and my Dad had to rent a jet-ski to reel me back to shore... well that ended that awfully quick."

She bounces a little on the side of the Zodiac. "I've always loved boats to be honest... Ironic... with me being a cat and we're supposed to be afraid of water, right?"

[Mech]

"That would be for Southern Bluefin, these guys are fine."

"My dad taught me how to swimp when I was three by picking me up and dropping me in the water."

"traumatic as that sounds, I've been a swimmer ever since, that and fishing. I haven't worn a lifejacket most of my life, My dad and I always joked that if he or I died it would prbably be on the water during a storm fishing....."

[Naomi Minami]

Naomi adjusts her vest's straps and moves a lock of her hair. "I do this more to set a good example. That... and a vest has saved my life three times before my eruption. One in a said storm that you mention. Well that and a life raft. That was something for the family to remember. Luckily a JMSDF ship was nearby when we activated the distress beacon."

She smiled, moving over next to Connor. "It's become habit since, honestly. Like putting on a seat belt or wearing a helmet."

She scratches her head. "I will be honest though... I can breathe water, sit in orbit without a space suit... hell I've been to the bottom of the Marianas trench... I don't wanna go back, by the way... it was so dark..."

She held herself like she was cold. It was a intense memory when she decided to see how deep she could go. "I'm not an adventurer like your colleague, Kei Nakano."

"But I love being a detective none the less."

She sits, leaning back a little to look at the water. "So... outside of acting and public relations, what do you feel your purpose is, Connor? If I may be so bold to ask?"

[Mech]

"To be myself." He smiled. "It sounds easy, but sometimes it can be hard. Unlike most people I can look however I wish, I can do so many things be so many things at once, something my father told me holds very true. It's important to be yourself. It might sound selfish, but I cannot be "me" then I'm just acting, and it's gone from being a fun occupation, to my entire life."

He smiled. "I enjoy helping people, I did before, and I do now as well. I am in a position where I can help more, and trust me It lets me sleep well at night knowing I help as many as I can. But at the core of it all, I'm being myself, and staying true to what I believe. Whether that's my real purpose in life, I don't know, but it's what I'm going to keep doing."

[Naomi Minami]

"I think... that is what we should all remember I wager."

She looks down at the water again and she sees a fish hanging around at the surface. She lets loose a predatory meow as she jumps in. She recognized the species... it was very much catchable and by the time she bobbed up due to the auto-trigger on her vest she had it in her mouth. She smiled as the fish struggled to get out of her mouth and hands.

After about a minute of growling and struggle she manages to get it back on the boat. She grinned ear-to-ear.

"Got one!" Her instincts were uncannily feline, but with a human bend. "Got my outfit wet though... but it was worth it! Mackerel!"

She almost wanted to eat it there... but she promised to send everything back... but now...

"I don't think though we can cook with this one... I bit it a few times. I'll give this a good eating..."

She starts going to town on it. And she seemed perfectly happy eating it in the freshest condition possible.

"I've noticed my tastes for raw fish demands the freshest possible." She says between chews.

[Mech]

Connor was abit taken aback, he'd not realized she was that feline in mannerism. He waited for her tofinish eating. "Just really fresh sushi I guess." He smiled. "Abit too fresh for my tastes, but sstill if you enjoy it, more power to ya."

[Naomi Minami]

"Well... I don't like doing this all the time. Just felt comfortable to do it with you..."

She realized that perhaps she indulged Shiro's side too much.

"I... I'm sorry if I insulted your sensibilities. I... sometimes I don't know what comes over me."

She sighs after getting the meat she wanted, she tosses the rest overboard. Which wasn't much. Her ears droop again.

[Mech]

"Your feline side Naomi. "It's fine, I just wouldn't do that in front of people you don't trust." He reached over, curious, and scrtched behind her ears. "I just have to see."

[Naomi Minami]

Naomi blinked, then started to purr in delight. She didn't care. She loved it. Her smile was radiant.

"Yeah... that does feel good. I've scratched myself behind the ears a few times and it never feels like this... I think it's psyshosomatic... I do it, it's matter-of-fact. You or anyone else... It's like heaven."

She scoots closer to Connor. "We should head back in to shore in a little while. You got a meeting and I... well... depends on what we wish to do tonight."

[Mech]

Connor nodded. "I've got to go change and get my suit from the hotel. "Eperhaps tonight, Dinner?"

[Naomi Minami]

Naomi nodded. "I'll get something a bit more dry then from home."

She gets up and starts to head back in. "Although I love being on a boat... can't stay out here forever. Once we park this overgrown dinghy, we can fly back. Plus I will have to speak to Director Nakamura and Head Director Nishimura before your meetings, and get filled on on when Ukedo will be placed in higher priority on the reconstruction list."

Connor nodded.

A hour later, Naomi and Connor have arrived back where Naomi parked her car. They decided to split up and allow themselves time to get ready. Naomi was happy to change from her wet clothing, switching to a spare version of the suit she wore, except black with a grey trim, and headed back to the hotel at the meeting spot they agreed to. She had conversed with the two directors to get their take on things. She didn't mind the fact that priorities had to be taken, but her negotiating and proving the worth of Ukedo's location as a fishing and commerical assset was convincing.

She sat in her car, happily listening to Mozart.

[Mech]

He came down in his buisness suit and they headed off for Department Zero HQ. The meeting itself was nothing out of the ordinary, just formalizing the jurisdictional abilities of visiting DSA operatives, hammering out their rights, and operational authority. Connor knew there'd be give and take, and there was. The entire agreement was two way, with cooperation established between DSA and D0. agreements in place he left the room and smiled to Naomi who'd escorted him. They head back to her car downstairs and he smiled.

"Well buisness is done today, now all that remains is liesure."

[Naomi Minami]

Naomi smiled. "Since I showed you someplace for breakfast and you paid, would only be fair to have me cover dinner at a location of your choosing. Unless... you wish to eat at my residence tonight? I'm sure you get bored of Hotel food."

She adjusts her blazer. "I also hope that dealing with the two highest-level directors in Department Zero wasn't a harrowing experience."

"Trust me, even I feel intimidated around them"

[Mech]

He smiled. "Not so intimidated, I just hope i didn't make too many social mistakes." He in fact had a gift for not making social mistakes, but he still worried. "Everything worked out quite well, they agreed to everything, in the end and I didn't have to negotiate beyond paramaters."

He smiled. "We can eat at your home if you want, though nothing so raw as in the boat I would hope." his tone was playfully teasing.

[Naomi Minami]

"Oh no, of course not. My indulgence has concluded."

She smiled. Finally she can cook for someone not a co-worker, colleague, or a former student and their family...

She walked to her car and put her hand on the roof in thought. "You know... I think as of today I've had a taste of a larger world. If you ever need my help, any at all, I will come without any hesitation."

She steps into the driver's side. "I can't wait to be honest. Any requests?"

[Mech]

He smiled. "I'll remember that, who knows maybe we can work together on a film, or I can come back and help with Ukedo. Or just hang out."

He looked out the window. "Something with shirmp or chicken, and plenty of rice would be nice."