The boy sat in the dim lit room helplessly, or at least appear to be. His brain work at it’s fullest, trying to find a way to solve this problem of his.
At the very least, he felt neither fear nor confusion; he knew something about him lure them. The closest answer for that is his beloved sister. The next one is more or less just as important: he was a male capable of piloting an I.S.
He knew he’ll survive this and return home.
Let’s see, three people, no, zero people are watching over him. This room is heavily enclosed anyway, thick steel door he assumed; the vents are absurdly high too.
Nothing else could help him, the pipes are intact, no such thing as glass or bottle fragment, nothing. It’s just an empty 10x6x5 meter storage room.
Dang it… what should I do? Think, Ichika, think. He tried to prevent his emotion resurface, being somewhat normal 12 years old boy, that’s not easy.
His hand was free, but freeing his leg, which is tied, is near impossible. Does that mean hopping is the only way to move?
He raised his eyebrow seeing the door actually left open, albeit slightly; did they try to test me? He thought.
His attention was pulled by a blinding light several feet form his place, ended with a poof of thin smoke, actually, more resembles mist or steam than anything else.
He could see a humanoid figure.
Scratch that, it’s really a naked humanoid female. Her pink hair waved around by the aftereffect of small explosion, and her jade-colored eyes glittering.
He blinked in response, though he’s confused, he quickly crosses his hand to prevent her from talking. At first, she tilted her head, but then nodded.
“What are you doing?” he asked very silently “Oh wait, let me guess, teleportation gone wrong?”
She nodded in response and grins.
“And what about clothes?”
Three years later, he would punch himself in the face had he did the same stupidity, but for now, it’s really an innocent, if blunt question.
“Due to the fault in the system, Warp-kun was unable to transport clothes… it hasn’t passed prototype stage yet” she stick her tongue in guilt.
He wondered if she’s not ashamed about the situation at all, he is, but his mind occupied by more important things, namely, their safety.
He doubt about her helping him sans tool, and sighed.
“Dang, I wish I can remove this rope”
She blinked, and then, nonchalantly, pull the rope as hard as she could, took effort for doing so, but apparently, she managed to snap it.
Read that right.
He gawked in disbelief, is she for real? He assumed she was around his own age. There’s no way a girl like her possess such strength.
At least… normal human is. He then noticed about black tail with heart-shaped tip.
She’s not a human, or rather, not a human from earth. Aliens, as people popularly christened. Maybe that’s why she’s rather inhumanly beautiful, and he’s a little creped by that.
“Phew, all done!” wiped a little sweat off her forehead “Now, next problem is…”
Politely, he offered her his blazer, driven by both logic and instinct.
She accepts without any problem.
“Well, at least until I met Peke…” she mumbled.
He can read her expression. Carefree, innocent (in a way), seriously not understanding the whole situation and lacking focus too.
“Hey, just so you now, I’m kidnapped here. And the people who do that is outside, so you’re in considerable danger”
He is stating the obvious, but better than having her misunderstood. While commons sense dictates his situation is truly honest, there are chances that his message will be misinterpreted.
“Eh?”
She doesn’t get it.
“Can’t you teleport two of us outside”
“Ah, no, Warp-kun still has yet to recover from the last jump”
Which translates to lack of needed energy, probably massive amount of it.
“Crap” Footsteps echoing through the room, from the sound, there’s about two or three people at most. Ichika gulped, and preparing for the worst.
However, what he saw was not his kidnapper, but a pair of men dressed in black suit, typical agent stereotype, complete with glasses.
In spite of this room having poor source of light, at that.
Amazingly, they managed to bend the steel door as if it’s thin piece of metal.
“Finally we found you, Lala-sama…”
“Let’s return”
She clenched her hand; Ichika can see she’s not afraid, but nonetheless displeased about the whole deal.
Split second later, Ichika already passed them with the mysterious girl in tow, acting purely on intuition, he knew this will open another can of worms, but alas, he always been an archetypical knight as long as he could remember.
Her slightly surprised look was answered by his small grin “Returning a favor”
Spoiler for TLR Stratos Prolodue - Blue Part 4:
“[LALA-SAMA!]”
High pitched robotic voice following them. What Ichika see was a small, doll-like creature with rounded face and swirly ‘eyes’
“Peke!” She happily hugged it.
“[I humbly apologize, Lala-sama. Seems like they followed me]”
“It’s okay, just like the usual”
The ‘doll’ so to speak, turned into a small, round hairpin which attached itself to the girl’s hair, and then materialize pink clothes with exotic design, particularly a large hat. Ichika assume it’s similar to technology applied to Infinite Stratos since the processes look so similar, but then again it could be just weird alien technology.
Ichika got his blazer back, and wonder where the hell his kidnapper is –not that he miss them or something. Does these MIB-wannabes knock them out? Ichika don’t care, all he need is to leave this place.
He could see a bright light at the end of corridor, and greeted by police forming an ambush outside.
“Holy crap” Ichika mumbles, and waved his hand in response “Its okay, we’re safe”.
“Confirmed, it was Orimura Ichika” a police gently but quickly hurried them for quick medical check, of which Ichika assured is perfectly okay.
The sound of jet engine caught their attention, a black exoskeleton machine float above the sea and moving toward them at extreme speed. Ichika recognized that figure.
It was his sister.
“Chifuyu… nee…”
Making a slow landing maneuver, it was elegant so to speak. The pilot only wore something could be described as Japanese standard swimming uniform when it comes to shape, even if the material is different.
Without needing to squint, anyone can tell the resemblance between them. Though unlike him, she has hazel-colored eyes.
“….how about the tournament?”
“It doesn’t matter anymore” she answered coldly, or rather; matter-of-factly.
He clenched his hand, disappointed in himself. Becoming yet another burden, that’s what his existence is.
He is truly ashamed.
Even though his heart was covered in despair, he could hear the chaotic situation where the two alien MIB forcibly breaking through the police formation easily, with intention of detaining the girl. At inhuman speed, Ichika dashed, jump and delivered an extremely strong roundhouse kick to one of them, precisely, on the neck.
Normally, that would at least, break their neck badly, if not outright lethal, seeing as that man, probably around 1.9 meter tall, thrown several meters away. His face corrodes through the pavement before tumbled and hit a rusty fuel tank.
During that short time, Ichika concluded that they have strong enough physique that such attack would create a small dislocation.
And he was right; the blond man cracked his neck angrily, unabashedly wonder how a squishy earthling can hurt him to that extent.
Ichika wasn’t afraid.
As another one tried to catch him, he delivered a somersault that well enough launching the target to a nearby window.
“Now, it’s time for you to run” he said, with a bright smile.
The girl can feel strange, hot feeling rose through her cheek, but nodded and left the place.
“Seriously, Ichika, playing the white knight again? You’re supposed to be the hostage here” his sister grunted in response to his action, to which he never denies.
Ichika however, is caught off guard when he was embraced tightly by her. For reputably cold-blooded Orimura Chifuyu to act mellow like this feels weird to the witnesses, but seeing the circumstances, it only prove that she’s just like everyone else.
“You shall never forget your greatest strength and virtue, okay?”
“Yes, Chifuyu-neesan”
Special Forces don’t take too long to secure the place, caught several suspect in process.
Saruyama burst out of the airlock, all the while carrying a small camcorder.
“Eh? Saruyama?” Ichika asked incredulously.
“Why? Peeping of course” he replied, waving the evidence. Which is quickly confiscated by the official much to his chagrin. And those police wonder how the hell they missed a 12 year old boy inside the vent.
2012-06-24, 09:18
Artist
