Starlight, dyed lavender from the gas clouds above, filtered down from the midnight sky. The moon was a gray smudge in the clouds, a white corpse in a tattered shroud. There was little brightness from the sky that had been studded with diamonds so many years ago. But just for a moment, there was a flash of silver. Miles above the earth, the great shining satellite GENOM drifted through an eternal quiet. Sunlight, untainted, shimmered across its steel skin and solar arms. The light of stars twinkled off its body in a beautiful aura. It orbited slowly, twisting gracefully like an atomic ballerina. The red lights on it blinked on and off, unconcerned. Below, on the twisted wreck of the world, people fought and died for control of GENOM. But still it orbited, a machine without care about who would die for it. All it knew is what it is was commanded. That which it was commanded, it did. Down on earth, a hovercraft raced across a worn mountain path, sending mud and water spitting out of its back. On the surface of the hovercraft, seven orange balls stood out through the rain and mist. The Rurouni was very concerned at the moment as to what happened on earth. Its participants more so. Inside, hiro finished typing the last words of his mail. He pressed the enter key, and folded his computer in half. The thin case slid easily back into a small pouch at his side. It weighed less than a pound, and could be easily concealed. It was also the only link he had to Otakuland West at the moment, and he used it quite sparingly. If the Windows Cult was involved, then each transmission was at risk. Even K1bo's security had been compromised in the past. hiro stared out the side window of the Rurouni into gloom. What would be waiting back at Otakuland West for him when he returned? He was the last of the Jinruigakusha, last of the explorers of this ravaged world. Last to uncover the secrets of the last golden age of man among the Otaku. For a moment, he glanced back at the black motorcycle in the unloading bay of the Rurouni. His eyes then turned to the book in his hands. Half the cover was torn off, but one could still make out half of the title: "Snowcr...". hiro wore a lopsided smile. Life imitated art in his world, and why should he not prove some comparison to an entirely fictional character? Irony was one of his greater pleasures. Opening the book up at a marked page, he read. In the cockpit of the Rurouni, Kenishi was focused entirely on driving. His forehead was creased with concentration as he kept the hovercraft from either flying off a cliff, or splitting the air cushion open. There was even greater tension than that of driving this vehicle. He was driving it to a place that was completely unknown to him. hiro would aid with navigation when they reached California, but Kenishi still had no ideas as to what Otakuland West was like. Whenever he asked, hiro merely shook his head. Kenishi was beginning to tire of secrets. The hiro he used to know had been far more open. He felt like he was being played for a baka. If this Otakuland West was just another smoke screen he would be forced to get.... FAQing Hostile SubCultural Mutant Otaku versus the Mundanes Chapter 32 By Assassin (FAQing Hostile spawned by Twoflower) "Everything you know about the Otaku is a lie." -- the Jinruigakusha, to a new recruit. Underneath the gray moon, miles away, a giant tank rumbled into Arizona. There was a slight bump, as it rolled over the strange man with the "THE END IS NIGH" sign, who so suddenly ran in front of Sherman. Aboard, Vixen gave a slight shrug. "Guess he was right on that count," she said to no one in particular. Vixen kicked her feet up on the panels, allowing her legs to stretch. "Pin-pon. Heatseeking missiles fired," Sherman reported. Vixen quickly took her feet off the panel, and looked around, blushing. She waited for thirty seconds, and all was quiet. It was late at night, and everyone else was asleep. Panic subsiding, she pressed a couple buttons on a panel. She easily pulled up the guided missile tracking systems. The two that were fired were headed for what seemed to be a small town less than a kilometer away. "Sherman," Vixen ordered, "research all files, and compare location of known tribes to the outpost where the two missiles are headed." "With current processing time, ma'am, that will take approximately two hours, fortyeight minutes, and three point sixty five seconds." Vixen frowned. "Alright... turn off the, um, automatic coffee machine then." Vixen looked around the bridge quickly, checking to see that no one had heard her. "Data processing now sped up to point three seconds." Data began filling Vixen's screen. She wondered for a moment whether she should tell anyone what the "automatic coffee machine" really was. The thought flitted out of her mind as she leaned forward to examine the data. But someone in her subconscious caught the passing thought, and gave a kawaii giggle. For some reason, the hairs on Vixen's neck began to tingle. It was her project damnit, and no one really had to know about it. It was only a fully posable 3D computer modeled Ryo Saeba, not some.. blow up doll or something. Sure, it could be used to make a blowup doll, but only someone like her hentai brother would think of that. Right? Right. The outpost was unknown. Vixen frowned for a moment. After those missiles hit it, it would probably stay that way. But best to go check. At best, they could find some supplies among the dead. "They" referred to Dave and B1FF of course. At worst... well, they still had 3 more missiles in stock. "Sherman, change course. Follow the missiles, but remain out of the explosion radius." Vixen checked her pistols and got up to awaken Dave and her brother. ______________________ The black sedan blended in perfectly with the night. Especially since its lights had not been turned on. *CRASH* "Sir?" asked the disembodied voice of Agent Boy. "What is it, Boy?" replied the disembodied voice of Agent Doe. "Perhaps we should turn the headlights on, so we can see where we are going?" Boy suggested. "Then we wouldn't have the edge!" Agent Doe declared this in a firm voice. "Now let's get the car flipped back over. And here, Boy, take these waterballoons, and this merrywidow." "What are they fo.." Agent Boy began, but then realization dawned. He managed a sweatdrop. _______________________ ROMMEL encountered a small village. The giant tank paused outside the encampment, hovering slightly off the ground. Inside, Directoress Richards grinned fiercely, her red eye burning. Five video arrays flickered on, showing the inhabitants. Several large bonfires were lit around the village, providing enough light to see well. Most of the villagers had long hair, brightly colored shirts, and several were smoking. The rest were either sitting around the fires playing acoustic instruments, or writhing on the ground for no apparent reason. "ROMMEL," Richards commanded, "tell me who these people are." "DATA PROCESSING," ROMMEL said with a voice like the end of the world. "ARCHIVES ACCESSED. SETTLEMENT OF HIPPIES. PROGNOSIS: NO THREAT. SUGGESTED COURSE OF ACTION: DESTROY." Jenine's hands nearly trembled as she ran them over control panels, bringing missile arrays and laser turrets online. Her fingertips prickled from the amount of power she knew lay spread out before her. Bill, behind her, peeked at a display, and realized what she was about to do. He frowned quickly. The thought of all the violence and blood spilled turned his stomach so that he couldn't even focus on his game of Quake 2XXX Outside, a small crowd of hippies had begun mulling around ROMMEL, scoping it out. Several were in various stages of hallucination, and had begun believing it was the giant rat god. One had stuck a small peace button on it. A couple of them struck up a brief conversation about it. "Hey man, lookit that.. it's like.... big, man..." The hippie took a drag off its joint. "Seriously.. whoa..." the other hippie concurred. "Hey, ya think its got people inside it.. or somethin?" The first hippie shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno man... let's find out." He rapped lightly on ROMMEL's hull. And was instantly electrocuted. As the small pile of hippie ash settled to the ground, the second hippie bent down and picked up the still whole joint, and brushed some dirt off it. With mil d chagrin, the hippie, (who could not be distinguished as male or female due to bulky wool sweater, and very long hair it wore), noticed that the joint had gone out. "Whoaah.... Like bad karma," the hippie reflected. The hippie turned to look up at the tank, and then looked back at the joint. "Hey man...you got a light?" the hippie asked. ROMMEL did. ______________________________ Inside, Jenine howled with laughter as missiles and bullets streamed out of ROMMEL like the Fourth of July. The small cob and straw huts of the village erupted with bodies and hemp. An acoustic guitar flew from one, breaking across ROMMEL's armor. The ground before them was ripped to shreds. A blue beam shot across the village, trailing a line of fire. A couple of really tripped out hippies watched the scene with fascination, before they were ripped to bloody shreds by wire lines. Behind ROMMEL, several companies of the army were becoming violently sick. As the devastation came to a close, Jenine's remaining eye gleamed. She leaned forward on the control panel, bringing her face closer to the display. She took in each ravaged form with interest. The smoking ground was ripe with death. All was silent. Except for a distant sound. "ROMMEL! What is that damned noise!" Jenine demanded. "ASSESSING... SOUND IS THE CRY OF A HUMAN CHILD." ROMMEL thundered. "Cease it," Jenine smiled wickedly. ____________________________ ROMMEL began to move out of the remains of the hippie village. It drifted over the dead, hovering just above them. Behind it, the horde of extras and other troops began to move, many of them in the opposite direction. A single blast from ROMMEL's main gun ground any thoughts of desertion into dust. Resignedly, the army followed the tank through the burnt village. The only thing left standing was a half-burnt sign at the entrance that read "G.e.tful D..d". Inside the tank, Jenine was still smiling. She knew where that bitch was going to be. And she was going to be there too. _____________________________ Back inside Sherman, Vixen was approaching a scene much like the one had Jenine had just left. Behind her, a groggy B1FF and Dave were rubbing their heads and yawning. Phreakachu lit up a cigarette at her feet, and took a long drag. "D4mn 5i5, why'd U h4ve t0 wak3 m3 up? I wuz h4v1ng th1s gr34t dre4m ab0ut N4mik0-ch4n..." Vixen ignored her brother. "We're going into an unknown outpost that was just hit by missiles," she summed up, avoiding all references about who used the missiles. "We will scout out the camp for life forms. If it is hostile, we raid them, and take whatever supplies are left. If it is friendly, we aid them. If it is neutral, we have a good chance of making allies." Vixen nodded to her crew. Dave looked like his head was clear for a change, but his eyes were slightly glassy. He looked up at Vixen without any noticeble emotion. He nodded after Vixen finished, and chose a seat by a control panel. He seemed strangely... competent. More so to Vixen than he usually did. B1FF sat down in his usual chair and poked at a few buttons. Sherman kept traveling through the gloom of night towards the approaching glow of fire. ________________________ They arrived ten minutes later. What remained of the town was burning. Vixen cast a grim gaze at the monitors, which showed a 360 view of the area. Many of the buildings had already burned down or collapsed. The town was silent, save for the slow crackle of fire, and the occasional collapse of a building. There were no people. Vixen's eyes sharpened. As Sherman entered the town, and progressed down the main road, Vixen could see not a soul, live or dead. "A ghost town," she breathed. She ran Sherman's scanners through the town, and found no further life forms. What could be the trap here? What was the catch? What the hell. "Break up and search the place," she ordered. "Ch3ck 515." "Ok." "Chu!" The group of Otaku exited Sherman, split up in four directions, and began their search. Dave took north. He took a pistol with him, even though he had been clean for a couple days. He did not feel as if he were in any danger of berserking at the moment. His head was clear, and he was not nervous. Live or die, he had no particular preference. It wasn't that he was suicidal. But all the drugs had saturated him with something, a foggy emptiness that coalesced into deep depression. He was off of them now, and that emptiness had left. He felt clean somehow. He still remembered Rachael. He took each house that was still intact with the same pattern. Kick the door, go in with gun ready. And each house was completely empty. There was some furniture: make shift drawers, pallets covered with blankets, and even a closet. But all had been stripped clean. House after house was like this. As he stepped to the next door, he prepared to kick it in, then paused. He could hear a faint buzzing sound from inside. He tensed, and sidled up beside the door, gun held up by his shoulder. He paused there for a moment, waiting for any other sound. The soft buzzing continued, with no other interruptions. Preparing himself, Dave spun to face the door, and gave it a solid kick, bringing his gun up to bear. He found computers. Dozens of them were scattered on the floor, smashed and ruined. Towers of all types littered the room. In the center, on a single pedestal, one sat untouched, and running. The screen was black. Dave took a step towards it, then hesitated. Bringing up his com handset to his face, he reported in. "Guys, I think I've found something here." Static followed. "KSHHHHHKKK-Copy Dave. We'll be there as soon as-KKSSH-an make it, over." Vixen's voice came through, but barely. A few minutes more, and the rest of the group filed through the door. Dave thought he saw B1FF brush aside a small tear at the sight of the room. "K4m1... wh4tta w4ste 0f g00d equ1p," B1FF sighed. "What happened here?" Vixen queried. B1FF began scrounging around through the remains of the computers. After a moment, he picked up the remains of one beige case, and paused, studying its markings. "$|-|17!" He snapped back up from his crouch suddenly. "515, 7h15 pl4c3 w4z 4 R15k st4t10n!!" "R1- er, Risk station?" Dave looked back and forth between the two siblings. "A Rogue Internet Service Keeper station," Vixen answered. "Someone providing local service through K1bo, he who greps." She shook her head. "Who could have done this?" B1FF looked at the only computer still in one piece. It had an icon he had never seen before stamped upon its side. The icon was of a small rectangle, divided up into four colors. Cautiously he pressed a key. The screen lit up, filling the room with a dim blue glow. The screen was completely blue, save for a small skull and crossbones in one corner. The hard drive spun up, and a small window came up on the screen. [ UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS....CONNECTING TO MAIN SERVER FOR TRACKING....] A small bar popped up, and began filling. B1FF backed away from the computer. The status bar was already half full. *BANG* Vixen lowered the smoking pistol. The bullet had shattered the tower case, and caused severe fragmentation to the hard drive. The screen blacked out. "Wh4t th3 ph0ck w4s th4t?" B1FF wondered aloud. Vixen shrugged. "Do you guys smell that?" Dave asked. Vixen and B1FF paused. "Pika pi-chu!" Added Phreakachu, gesturing to part of the floor. All of them gathered around the pokemon, and the trapdoor that it had found. Vixen knelt down, and swung it open. The scent nearly knocked Dave back. Below lay the bodies. Vixen choked, and ran outside. B1FF let out a small whistle. Dave stared, rigid with shock. Phreakachu took one look and pulled out a hit of acid. They lay on top of each other, days old, and crawling with rats and insects. The decay was beginning to set in, but the devouring had been going on for some time. Eyeless sockets and half-eaten faces stared up at them. Breaking out of his shock, Dave reached out to close the door, and lost his balance, falling forward into the dead. ___________________________ Outside, Vixen fell to her knees, panting for breath. The stench was overpowering inside, and she felt suffocated. She forced air into her lungs. So many dead covered the floor of the basement. Vixen fought back sobs of terror. Unbidden, a scene flashed back through her mind. ________________________ She was young, the new captain of Strike Team Theta, and loving every minute of it. She was at the spearhead of every assault, whether she was assigned there or not. With her in command, Sherman crushed the towering wave of enemies under his treads like rice crackers. One day, on a raid, she had driven deep within the enemy ranks, alone in Sherman, and been swallowed up. The raid was on the Ears, and a failure. Her allies retreated, but she did not. Surrounded, the Ears incapacitated the tank, and managed to drag her outside of it. She was kicked and dragged back to a small outpost, and Sherman left behind, as they could not pilot it. She was thrown into a small cell, beaten, and starved. She wouldn't betray Otakuland, so each of their shouted demands for information was met by a snarling curse in the little Japanese that she knew. After she had run out of curses, she began making things up in Japanese. One time, she had told them "This is Greenwood. Ranma is stupid." They didn't understand, so she was beaten anyway, but it was her one amusement. After half a week of this, they took her downstairs. They put her in chains, and tossed her into a cell. Inside the cell were bodies. Some were days old, and some were months old. When she was thrown in, she landed on one. She would never forget the feel of the leathery skin cracking and popping as she crushed the body beneath her weight. She stayed there for two more days without a single Ear coming down to visit her. For two straight days, her only companions were cadavers and her fading sanity. On the third day, Sherman broke down the outpost. It had taken a while for the autorepairs to finish, but it had finally arrived to rescue her with Strike Team Gamma. They found her sitting up against a wall, eyes blank, and had to carry her out. For the next few weeks she said nothing, and went through life as a robot. Finally, she recovered. But not totally. Never totally. _________________________ Dave dangled over the bodies, suspended in midair by B1FF's iron grip on his pants. Dave's mouth hung open, staring down at what lay just a foot below him. Slowly B1FF hauled him back up, and shut the trap door. "Pika pika, kachu..." Phreakachu managed. "Y3ah, th4t w4z cl05e, sp0r7," B1FF nodded. Dave managed to nod weakly. "Thanks.." he said. "I owe you one." "N0 pr0b d00d," B1FF said, still looking down at the trap door. "Is Vixen ok?" Dave looked concernedly at B1FF. B1FF shrugged weakly. They headed outside, to where Vixen was kneeling on the earth, one hand on the ground for support. Phreakachu ran over to her, and pulled out a glass bottle with a transparent fluid inside. Vixen took it from the pokemon, and took a brief swig of it. She handed it back, and brought her head up slightly. Dave, standing in front of her, offered her a hand. She looked up at his face for a moment. Her hand came up, and grasped his. The Otaku headed back to Sherman, Vixen a few steps ahead of the other three. The trip was made in silence. Once inside, Vixen said two words. "Sherman. Phoenix." She left to her personal quarters. Outside, the deep indigo sky began fading into the lavender that would be dawn. ___________________________________ The Rurouni arrived in Seattle, the pale sun blocked out by an eternal canopy of gray. Buildings jutted up like hypodermic needles into the sky. The ruins of skyscrapers had been replaced by glistening new towers, bright and oily in the morning sky. The few parking lots were full of half-fixed cars and motorcycles. The streets were dumping grounds for the desperate and the poor. Trash littered the sidewalks, and suspicious characters wandered from place to place. It was known as one of the only cities where nothing much had changed. Kenishi and Arashi looked out from the top of the Rurouni, surveying the area. hiro crouched outside the hatch, hanging on to the Rurouni carefully. He peered around the area, looking for anyone who would meet his contact's description. Many heads were turned toward the hovercraft as it slowly roved down the street. None were the head hiro searched for. The Rurouni jarred to a halt. hiro stood up to see what was the matter. In front of the hovercraft stood a strange looking figure. hiro strode across the top of the Rurouni to get a better look. It was almost not a man. The figure stood around five feet tall, and three feet wide. His face was scarred, and half-covered by a steel plate riveted to his skull. His right arm ended with a stump, where a buzz saw had been grafted on poorly. His expression was of a wharf rat, and hiro guessed that his personality probably matched. "Wh're ya, ch'mmer?" The man growled at hiro, who frowned at the wave of halitosis. "We are agents from the Otaku," hiro answered civilly. His gaze swept over the man, taking in quickly how he might fight with his sawblade attatchment." "'ere, you fragfaces Œre those guys who watch th' cartoons, eh?" The man chuckled noisily, coughing slightly. hiro's eyes narrowed slightly. "Yes. Yes we are. And what, exactly are you?" The question had a very sharp point to it. "Har... I'm a dwarf r'nner, what'ja think," he coughed up a chuckle again. " I thought you were in my way." hiro stated coldly. "L'sten ch'mmer, I kin make you slag, null sweat," the self-proclaimed dwarf threatened. "I come here ta tell ya that this is Rakk's turf, pay up s'me creds, or get out," the grizzled man frowned. hiro leapt forward off the tank, and landed behind the dwarf, before it could turn around. He whipped his sword out of its scabbard, and brought it in an arc up across his body. The dwarf paled, and brought his good hand up feebly, already falling forward. hiro sliced through the air, sending the blood flying off his sword. He then sheathed it again, and climbed onto the Rurouni. Kenishi looked at him from the hatch of the hovercraft. "I've never liked this place," he said. "An overdose of attitude and drugs was never my favorite atmosphere. " He rested his hand on his pistol. hiro looked at Kenishi. "You have been here before, then?" hiro's face looked curious. "You never told me." "You never asked," Kenishi replied coolly. "I was here trying to get inside the subculture, and see how many I could turn to our side." He shook his head slightly, his eye downcast. "But this place is corrupt to the concrete. Demon City Shinjuku couldn't hold a candle to what Seattle has in terms of alteration, mutations and general freaks." hiro looked more intrigued as Kenishi continued. "I'm glad that I made it out the first time without having something like that saw put on me.." "Perhaps we should make this a short detour," hiro stated. Kenishi just looked past him. Turning his head, hiro saw three more ruffians coming toward them, each packing guns. "I think so," Kenishi said. Still a good fifty feet away, the first one raised an assault rifle of some sort, and began to fire. Bullets ricocheted off the Rurouni's hull, sending hiro diving to the side, and Kenishi ducking back inside. hiro rolled to cover behind a dumpster. The other two punks pulled out pistols and knives, and headed toward where they had seen him vanish. Under the cover fire, they ran towards the dumpster, where hiro had been waiting. When he heard their footsteps approaching, he tensed. He ducked, lashing out low with his katana. It sliced through the first punk's calves, giving hiro brief satisfaction. He jumped up, and pounced forward to deal with the next one. Who was behind him. He felt the gun's handle crack against the base of his skull, and hiro tripped forward, falling on his face. There was a brief "heh" behind him. Kenishi popped up out of the Rurouni, and squeezed off two shots from his pistol, then dove back inside. The rattle of gunfire came from outside. Kenishi waited, senses trained. The gunfire ceased for a moment, and then Kenishi heard what he was waiting for, as the thug's first clip hit the ground. Kenishi jumped back up, and immediately trained his sight on the thug. He focused for the briefest moment, and then fired. The bullet slid into the gunner's right eye, and blew the rest of his head out the back. Kenishi's one eye narrowed to a slit, and he spun to the side where hiro lay. As hiro managed to look back over his shoulder, his vision swam for several seconds. When it came back into focus, he saw that the punk had dropped his gun, an inch of Arashi's kodachi poking out the front of his chest. The sword slid back inside, and then was freed from the body. The body hit the ground hard next to hiro, and there stood Arashi, a smile on her face. hiro graciously accepted the hand she presented to him, and got back to his feet, a trifle unsteady. He made his way back to the hovercraft, where Kenishi had his gun to the head of another native. This one had short hair that lay flat on his head, and was dyed a brilliant blue. hiro paused. This one fit the description he had been given. "Corgan?" hiro asked. At the name, the blue-haired man turned, and smiled at hiro. "|-|1r0-/00/>!" B1FF exclaimed, elated. "L00k 4t th3 s1z3 0f th0s3-" B1FF's eyes focused through the heat waves. He triplesweated. Dave couldn't begin to imagine how to react. "Pika...." Phreakachu's eyes doubled in size. "Greetings, loyal citiz- I mean, brother otaku," Agent Hancock started. "At last we have caught up with you! We are your brothers, lost as you, but alas, we have lost the one thing that is most treasured among our kind!" "Your sanity?" Dave mumbled to himself. "Indeed, I speak of the mighty FAQ! We must obtain a copy, so that we may further the cause of the mighty legacy of Japan!" Agent Hancock powerposed, and threw his hat into the air, allowing the wind to blow through his blonde wig dramatically. "nippon ichi." Agent Boy added, lamely. B1FF, Dave, and Phreakachu continued to stare. ______________________ "Owwww..." Agent Boy moaned, as the tank rolled away. He still smoked under the combined attack of grenades and electrocution. He lifted his head, and tried to remove his smoldering wig. "What could have we done wrong?" Agent Hancock, equally beaten, managed to stand up. "Next time we'll have to make sure we're perfect!" "Next time?" Agent Boy was puzzled. "But they've already seen who we are..." Agent Hancock nodded. "But they still haven't seen Agent Doe." Agent Doe was currently trying to sneak away. Agent Hancock threw a small rock at his head, knocking him out. "Come on Boy," Hancock said. "For the glory of America!" _________________________ "What was that?" Dave asked, bewildered. "1 dUnn0 d00d. Bu7 wh03v3r 1t w4s, w3'r3 g3tt1ng th3 h3ll 4w4y fr0m th3m." Sherman sped on. ______________________________ Inside ROMMEL, Jenine plotted silently. They were catching up. They broke through the remains of the missile-ravaged town. Jenine stared intently ahead, mumbling through a litany of the pains she would inflict Vixen. Bill did his best to look directly at his monitor, and nowhere else. __________________________ The Rurouni was making its way south the coast. hiro had just finished sending out another mail on his thin computer, and stashed it again in its pouch. He gazed out the window again. They had gained some knowledge in Seattle that disconcerted him. A war in cyberspace. The Cult of the Wares was overturning K1bo's rogue Internet systems, the RISKs, and replacing them with it's own. Even AOL had turned defensive. No one knew where the cult was located, or who the Lord of the Wares really was. But he had begun to make himself known. Total control over the Internet. Perhaps he could find a way into GENOM through this. hiro slammed his fist into an open palm. It could never be. With GENOM and the Internet, the Lord of the Warez could take control of all other tribes, and conquer the continent again. The LARGO project had to be fulfilled, and it was up to Strike Team Theta to complete it. "hiro," Kenishi said, "is there anything you'd like to tell Arashi and I about where we are going, or about anything that is going on that has changed our life so much?" His voice contained an edge, like a fine wire. "Soon..." hiro promised. "Very soon." Kenishi turned, and left the room. Soon. But maybe not soon enough. ___________________________ It took days more, but Sherman finally arrived in Los Angeles. It was easy to tell when they had entered the city, because of the sounds of gunfire and explosions. Sherman's standard visuals revealed broken buildings, teeming with snipers, small armored gangs roving around with small and large firearms, and the occasional grenade launcher. Vixen emerged on the bridge, to the surprise of Dave and B1FF. She stormed to her seat, and immediately took control. "What is going on," she demanded. "W3'r3 1n L4, 515. Ju5t g07 1n," B1FF explained. Before he had a chance to go further, Vixen grabbed the loudspeaker microphone. "LISTEN UP," Her voice rang out from Sherman. "WE'RE THE OTAKU, AND WE'VE COME HERE FOR A BLACK BOX! NOW GIVE IT UP, OR YOU'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!" The gunfire paused momentarily. "Yo, bi-atch," a voice called from somewhere. "We ain't playin. Dat box is our turf, yo? Ain't no one gonna give it to some foo' from no squinty-eyed cartoon-watching club. So why doncha go back to your kiddy-ass Japanimation." Inside, Vixen began squeezing the microphone very hard. "Miss Hiroshima," said Sherman, meekly, "that hurts." "What... did... you... say?" Vixen hissed into the microphone. "I said, go back to yo little kiddie corn pop eatin', crack smokin', red headed stepchild beatin', lame ass JAPANIME!" "Sherman," Vixen said. "Fire all guns." ________________________________ After fifteen minutes of barraging, Vixen let the dust, smoke and fire clear. A small, tattered white flag popped up over a wall, and waved halfheartedly. A black box was scooted around a corner. "Right then, " Vixen said. "Dave, go get the box." "Yes'm," Dave said promptly, and scurried outside to get the black box. _________________________________ "We've got all of them," Vixen said, satisfied. The highest honor of all Otakuland. For her. Very soon. "What is inside them I wonder," Dave puzzled, as B1FF placed the last one with the others. With a click, the boxes slid toward each other, like magnets. "D4mn1t," B1FF complained. "Th3y w0n't 0p3n 4nym0re." He tugged fruitlessly at a lid. "That's fine!" Vixen snapped. "It's not our mission. Sherman, set a direct course to Otakuland West, now!" "Course set," Sherman reported. "It will take approximately one day, three hours, and twenty-six minutes to reach Otakuland West traveling at average high speed nonstop." Vixen smiled to herself. One day left, and this quest would be behind her. She would be a hero, as she had always deserved. ______________________________________ All three of the Otaku veterans sat in the front cockpit of the Rurouni, as it crossed what was once the California state border. "We're in," Arashi noted. "So what do you know about this place, hiro," Kenishi said grimly. He had never dared to set foot in California. Most tribes shunned it as a corrupting place, filled with the waste and experiments of an age of apocalyptic science. "Hell," answered hiro. "It is the most dangerous places in the country. No tribe has managed to find it hospitable. Giant mutants roam the areas, shadowy horrors roam the nights, and almost everything about it is unknown." "So how is it that Otakuland West exists here?" Arashi looked at him. She was currently piloting, while Kenishi and hiro manned two gun turrets. hiro frowned, and said nothing. Kenishi scowled. The driving was silent for about an hour. While hiro and Kenishi quietly waited for signs of life, something grabbed the Rurouni from behind, and threw it into the air. The shock jarred all three of them, and Kenishi spilled out of his chair, slipping out of the safety belt. Immediately he was on his feet. The Rurouni tilted at a 45-degree angle towards the left. Clambering up the incline back to his chair, Kenishi swiveled his turret around in all directions, looking for the enemy. He turned to hiro to see if he had detected it. But hiro was already unstrapping himself, and heading towards the escape. "Stay here," Kenishi told Arashi, and kissed her quickly. Both men grabbed assault rifles they had taken from Seattle, and made their way out the hatch. They pounced out, onto the hull of the Rurouni, which had been thrown into a river. Something had caught it, and the front of the ship stayed firmly stuck to the ground.. Swiveling around behind them, Kenishi and hiro discovered their enemy. It towered above them, three times the size of a human. Its skin was knotted and gray, covering a number of muscles that stood out like those of a boomer. It drew itself up, covering them in its shoulder, and howled. Kenishi and hiro leapt separate directions, and began firing on it. They dodged and weaved as the monster began raining blows down. One landed close to Kenishi, splitting one of the trees that dotted the area. Kenishi growled a curse, and sent two more bursts its way. The bullets burrowed into its skin, but no further than that, and it did not seem to be bleeding. hiro was having as much luck as he, but seemed to be working his way closer to the monster. "Watch out!" Kenishi called, and hiro glimpsed briefly toward his friend. A mistake. The giant's gnarled hand swept up hiro, catching him by the legs, and pulling him toward it. Kenishi reacted immediately, coming in close, and peppering it with bullets, trying to make it drop his companion. His plan did not work, as hiro was brought in dangerously close to the monster. In a flash, hiro had drawn his wakizashi, the only sword short enough to use, and plunged it into the beast's skin. The monster shrieked in pain, and flung hiro away. He soared through the air, and hit a tree with a horrible crunch. hiro's body hit the ground, and lay there, limply. Kenishi cried out with anger, and rushed the monster directly. The creature was already beginning to recover, and thrust a huge fist at Kenishi. With a quick leap, Kenishi barely dodged the blow. The earth beneath him shook as the monster hit the ground solidly. Kenishi lost his balanced, and tucked into a roll, dropping the rifle. He managed to roll into a crouch, and jumped to his feet. With a swift movement, he drew a long knife from his coat, and sent it flying. The knife cut through the air, and buried itself in the right eye of the creature, whose hands came up too late to protect them. It screamed again as black ichors coursed out of its wound. With a cry of rage, Kenishi thrust his hand into a pocket, took three running steps toward the beast, and threw an armed grenade down its throat. He skidded to a halt, and crossed his forearms in front of his face. Closing his eye, and looking away, he braced himself for the explosion. The force of it threw him back, and he landed on his rear, some feet away. He got up as soon as he regained his balance, and sprinted over to the prone body of hiro. Running his hands over his friend's body, he checked the damage done. hiro was still alive. But he had a broken shoulder, arms, and several ribs, and possible internal bleeding. Kenishi may have learned some first aid, but he was not going to be able to stop that, if it was occurring. They would have to get him to Otakuland West fast. And it was still almost an hour away. "Arashiiiiiiiiii!" He shouted, his voice turning hoarse. _____________________________________ Half a day passed. Sherman had entered California. "5i5, th3r3 R s0me g1an7 d3m0n g33s3 bl0ck1ng R w4y th3r3... th3y l00k5\ pr3tty b4da5-" "BLOW IT UP!" "0k." _______________________________________ "Otakuland West detected," Sherman's voice reported. " Putting onscreen now." All aboard crowded around the central viewscreen. Each was tense, unknowing of what they had come so far for, and been through so much for. The viewscreen shimmered, and came on. For a moment, they saw only the black of dusk. But then it emerged. It was outlined in white lights, like a curtain of stars had been draped over it. Giant colorful spotlights shone out from deep within it. Even from where they were, they saw the giant main gate, wickedly spiked, and the huge letters spelling out OTAKULAND above the main entrance. A multicolored glow spread out from inside, dying the night sky in a dozen colors. The city itself spread over much of the horizon. Overarching the city, a gigantic form, seemingly miles high, could be made out by the array of lights that outlined it. "The... Macross...?" Dave breathed. "I thought it was just a small research station," Vixen said. "Chu, pi kapika?" "N0, Phr34k, th4t 1s n0 fl45hb4ck." "By all the Kami in heaven," Vixen and Dave murmured simultaneously, not noticing each other. "ETA is in 20 minutes," Sherman said. "I am glad that we have arrived." Silence. "WHOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" B1FF yelled out first. Then they all began celebrating: singing, jumping around, and dancing with each other. Dave grabbed Phreakachu, and threw him up in the air. Phreakachu electrocuted Dave. B1FF pumped his fist in the air. And Vixen smiled. The arrival was a blur. The Rurouni had arrived first, and they were expected. They were immediately greeted by Kenishi and Arashi, who rushed them all to the infirmary. The lights and people passed in a blur. Dave caught a glimpse of a rainbow of hair colors flashing by. People mounted on yellow birds rushed out in front of him. He had to duck under at least a dozen swords more than six feet in length. They ran through the hospital, disturbing busty nurses in white, and rushing past people in automated wheelchairs designed after Kaneda's bike. Finally, they arrived in the room where hiro lay. He managed a weak grin. He was mostly covered with a cast, leaving only his right arm, neck, and his legs free. He lifted his head for a moment, to stare at the newcomers. "It is complete," he sighed, and his head slumped back to his pillow. Arashi sniffed, and a tear ran down her cheek. Kenishi, whose eye was a little watery too, pulled her close. Dave was pure adrenaline. He was in Otakuland! The place he had dreamed of since he was a lowly pop rocker, listening to J-pop, and dreaming of sweet Megamis. He jittered and his hands shook. He kept looking around, amazed that he was here. He pinched himself twice, trying to wake up. Vixen and B1FF seemed to glow with their surroundings. Phreakachu was perched on Vixen's shoulder, and if she didn't swear it was impossible, it sounded like he was purring. A great load had lifted off her from inside. She had done it. She was a hero. "Rachael," Dave whispered, "we made it. We made it." A single tear appeared in his smiling face. A nurse entered the room, and bent over hiro, giving him an injection. She finished, and smiled at them. "Irrashaimase," she smiled in a cute voice. It struck Dave's eyes as wrong. For a moment, his eyes wrestled to get the signal through to his brain. Then two more men entered, dress ed in what looked like official uniforms, covered with medals. Then he realized it. Black hair, tan skin, almond-shaped eyes. Vixen saluted sharply, on instinct. Dave looked at her, and knew she saw it too, when her eyes widened. B1FF was saluting also, but not as sharply, and he was still eyeing the nurse. Dave looked around for a moment, confused. From his bed, hiro gave a weak chuckle. "I see you've noticed. Well, I find no reason anymore not to tell you. This is Otakuland. I am Japanese." Dave felt woozy, and slumped against the wall. The world faded for a moment, and then he was being carried by Vixen and the nurse to the bed next to hiro's. His vision grayed, then came back. A wave of sickness passed over him, and he slumped forward, clutching at his stomach. "Give him some air," the nurse said to Vixen. Vixen glared at the nurse, but did as she was told. He was her newbie, by Saeba, and her responsibility. But Dave seemed to be recovering. "Japanese...?" He asked in a weak voice. "But.. the change.." hiro shook his head slowly. "No such thing. It was a lie. I knew if I told you the full truth, you might not be able to accept it. You might question your life, your mission, and even your duty as Otaku. Doubt could not be sown. So I told you something you could accept, so I could be sure you would complete your mission. You were the only ones who could do it, and we could take no risks. Forgive me." He coughed violently, and a line of blood ran down his chin. The nurse hurried over, bouncing slightly, to his side, and wiped the blood off. In Vixen, a rising tide of anger fought with the elation she had. She was the only one who could do it? He lied to them all? She clenched her fists tightly. What the hell? B1FF was starting to work at the problem, ignoring the nurse. "0k," he commented quietly. "S0 wh4t 1s th1s pl4c3 r34lly? 4nd wh4t 1s 1n th05e b0x3s?" He looked expectantly at hiro. hiro nodded again, softly. "This place is the original Otakuland, constructed by the first terrible mighty Otakings, whose names are lost to history. They constructed it before Japan sunk. It was forged with unbelievable resources to be the fortress for all Otaku in Japan. Then Japan was destroyed. We, the Otaku of Japan, learned in advance of Japan's eminent destruction, and evacuated Otakuland. We came here, and built the second Otakuland, your home. We built followers from the American Otaku, and disguised our own heritage, fearing we would be found and destroyed like the rest of our race." hiro wheezed, and reached for a glass of water at the side of his bed. Drinking half of the glass, he paused for a moment, then took a breath, and continued. "After our home sunk to the ocean bottom, we sent undersea expeditions to recover anything we could from it. About twelve years, a team of us, including myself, found a secret chamber in Otakuland. We discovered that the original Otakings made it fully mobile. Over the course of a full year, we learned all about the mechanisms that drove it. Then, one day, we brought it across the ocean. We had our home again. Many of us returned here, filling it with the generations born since the apocalypse. Some stayed at the second Otakuland, watching over it and our American brethren." He frowned a moment. "No, not our American brethren. Our fellow Otaku." Kenishi smiled slightly, and Dave felt a little prouder. hiro closed his eyes for a moment, and Dave wondered if he had fallen asleep. Then they opened again, just a sliver. "As for the boxes.. they contain the one thing that will allow us to live again.. they contain.." hiro was cut off, when a sound like Raiden's own thunder erupted from outside. Screams were heard. The three men in military dress ran out the door. After a second, Vixen ran after them. The rest, save hiro, followed her. ROMMEL had arrived. _____________________________________ Standing astride the might war vehicle, Jenine watched as the pitiful people inside swarmed like ants. She had followed that bitch right to her own lair. At her back, the legions of followers were prepared for battle. With a single command, she would break down the gates, and burn this place down faster than a newsier in a flame war. She reached her megaphone to her scarlet lips. "Give me the girl known as Vixen, and I will leave you all in peace," Jenine lied. If they were half as weak willed as that Asiatown was, this would be no problem." Inside, Vixen and crew had reached the gates, and saw the lines of troops arranged outside. "Its her," Vixen snarled. One of the uniformed men from before ran up beside her. "It's me she wants," Vixen told him. "I can take her." The man shook his head. "Not alone," he said. "That tank out there is the most powerful weapon known to mankind. The Otaku have faced it before, and the records were classified. We're mobilizing our own army against theirs. You are probably the best person to deal with the main threat of that tank however." Vixen opened her mouth to say something, but she caught what he had just meant, and was struck wordless. He thrust a large hypodermic needle at her. She looked at a moment, and took it. It was filled with a strange fluid. "This is the virus we created to fight ROMMEL. It contains nanomachines, which will break into its system, and temporarily disable it. From there on, you must find a way to be rid of it. You must find a spot in ROMMEL's armor where you can inject this. If you do not, then there is nothing we can do. It is up to Strike Team Theta." He gave her a quick bow, and then ran several yards back to the town. He gave many quick hand signals, and the ground rumbled. Behind them, large bipedal shadows rose out of the town. All knew what they were before even the word "mecha" came into their mouths. The mecha began walking forward towards the gates, pulling out large weapons. Teams of lightly armored infantry began forming up. A handful of tanks pulled into formation, their engines growling hungrily. Sherman and Vixen's team were at the head. Beside them, Kenishi and Arashi strode up. They both assessed the situation in front of them. "We'll provide support to Sherman," Arashi said. "We'll try to distract that monster to see if you can do it any damage." Kenishi nodded. "The Rurouni is lighter, and will be able to move faster. We'll try to draw its fire. You get it taken care of. Good luck." Kenishi shook the hands of the crew. "Remember, this is the big one. We take care of this, and we can all be heroes." The pair returned to the Rurouni, and got inside. Vixen took a deep breath, and assessed her crew. B1FF, Dave, and Phreakachu looked up expectantly at her. "Ok," she said. "We have our orders. Time to move out." __________________________________ Outside, Jenine was getting impatient. They thought they could take her on? Let them try. She turned to clamber back inside ROMMEL when the gates burst open, and the Otaku army came pouring out. Cursing, she fired off a flare that signaled her army to engage, and entered the tank again. Armies, one headed by Sherman and the Rurouni, the second by ROMMEL, marched towards each other. The three tanks rushed to meet in the center of the field, surrounded by the different forces. The first shots were fired, and the battlefield erupted. ___________________________________ Back inside Otakuland, teams of scientists swarmed around the black boxes that had been unloaded from Sherman. Pushing and pulling, they began to rearrange the configuration, like a large rubix cube. After about three minutes of this, the boxes shimmered indigo around their edges, and detached. With trepidation, one scientist opened a box, and placed her hand in. She brought it back out, seemingly holding nothing. Until a shape faded into existence in her hand. It was an arm. __________________________________ The Rurouni skidded, and slid around ROMMEL, which chased it with missiles and bullet fire. Sherman approached it, Vixen trying to get up to its side. She had almost no idea of how she was going to accomplish this. Inside ROMMEL, Jenine took advantage of the tank's propulsion, stopping and spinning on its axis to unleash high-speed lead fury at it. The main guns caught the Rurouni's tail end, shredding part of its back. Inside, Jenine laughed maniacally, guiding her new toy into blissful victory. Bill had retreated to his own quarters. "Chikusho," Kenishi swore. "That thing is at least as maneuverable as us. I don't know how long we'll last here dear." He glanced at Arashi with concern. "Don't worry about me," she said. "If I die, I've lived a beautiful life, with an amazing husband, and will die serving all my companions." She smiled a trifle grimly. Kenishi smiled back, as the Rurouni whipped around ROMMEL's turrets. Another spray of gunfire brushed them, perforating the roof slightly. Sherman slammed against the side of ROMMEL, tipping it slightly. B1FF and Dave hit it with the weapons systems, but they did only minor damage against ROMMEL's armor. Vixen glared at it through the screen. How was she going to do this? As Sherman twisted around and headed the opposite way, ROMMEL righted itself and fired a pair of missiles at Sherman. Sherman rocked as each missile hit, and Vixen had to grab the main panel with all her strength to keep from falling down. "Sherman, damage report," she snapped. "54% damage to right rear missile array. Rendered inoperable through risk of missiles not ejecting properly. 23% right rear hull damage. 3% damage to main turret swivel, still fully functional." Vixen nodded. "Target ROMMEL with main gun," She commanded. "Lets see if it can take it." The main cannon swiveled and fired on ROMMEL. The round hit ROMMEL's flank, breaking off a couple pieces of minor equipment, and making a tiny dent in the armor, but doing very little damage. ROMMEL rocked from the blow. Vixen looked at the blow it received. She was beginning to have a plan. Around them, the mecha were blasting with their cannons, and the infantry had taken their lines. Here and there, small lightweight bikes tangled the mecha's legs with wire, and brought theme down, crushing many of their own troops in the process. The mecha in turn, had already grabbed some of the bikes, and heaved them at the opposite side. ________________________ Pillars of smoke rose from the plain outside Otakuland. Inside, a figure was taking shape. The scientists working at the black boxes now had a torso and one leg to put on the figure. Its skin was a silvery blue, and jointed. Instead of muscles, it had thick cables made of smaller fibers wrapped together. A scientist pulled out another arm, and began fixing it to the torso. __________________________________ The Rurouni spun in place as ROMMEL hit it, smashing its flank. Kenishi and Arashi gripped the steering mechanisms hard, prepared not to be thrown around again this day. They forced control of the hovercraft back into their hands. Jenine smiled, and braced herself for the next attack from the bitch's tank. ROMMEL hadn't even exceeded 3% damage, and already was tearing through the opposition. One missile rack had emptied itself, but the others still had plenty more where that came from. Inside Sherman, Vixen tapped on the com unit. "Rurouni, do you copy? Over." She pressed her hands together and hoped. "Theta, this is Rurouni, we copy, over," Kenishi's voice came over the radio." "Rurouni, I have a plan..." ______________________________________ Inside Otakuland, the scientists had fitted a head onto the torso. It had deep red eyes, and lavender hair. They gave the head three turns, and it attached with a small click. The eyes began to glow. _______________________________________ "Sherman," Vixen called out on the bridge. "I need some powerful magnets. Dave! Take control." Dave's eyes widened, and he got up from his chair hesitantly. "Me?" His voice quavered slightly. "Yes!" Vixen snapped. "You. B1FF needs to operate the weapons system, and Phreakachu is coming with me." "Pikapika!" Phreakachu bounded to Vixen's feet. Dave quickly moved over to her chair. "Just do what Sherman tells you to," Vixen called to Dave, and left to the supplies room. In another moment, she returned with a pair of discs and some wire. Going to the exit, she strapped each disk to her boots, and climbed up the ladder outside. Dave gulped hard, and looked down at the controls. "Ok Sherman... what is the plan?" "Simple, Dave," Sherman replied. "We are going to ram them." __________________________________ Attached to Sherman's hull by magnet, Vixen ducked low to keep her balance. She gripped Phreakachu close to her, and could feel the slight electric charge that he had already begun to generate. For a moment she wondered what could get him that excited, but then her concentration turned back to the task at hand. Sherman swerved, exactly as planned. It was headed straight at the left side of ROMMEL, and the Rurouni was already plunging toward ROMMEL's back. The two vehicles flew toward their enemy. Sherman hit it first. Sherman lowered it's front treads, slipping part of the tank below the altitude at which ROMMEL levitated over the ground, bringing ROMMEL up more. Then the Rurouni hit it from behind. Vixen prepared to jump. The Rurouni slid under the already tilted ROMMEL, and went completely underneath it, raising ROMMEL up more, and tearing apart the Rurouni's top. Just as the Rurouni was almost totally underneath ROMMEL, it turned a sharp left, tilting it toward the right. Sherman then gave a strong push against the tank, rolling ROMMEL over completely. Vixen stood up, and chucked Phreakachu towards ROMMEL. Phreakachu had begun glowing in psychedelic colors, and emitting small lightning bolts. There was a cry of "Phreakachuuuuuuuuuuuuu..." as the electric rat struck directly at ROMMEL. The world exploded in light for Vixen. All of Phreakachu's energy had just struck ROMMEL. She hoped it would buy her enough time. Behind her, the Rurouni tilted and flipped over, rolling several times. The crash and screaming of bent metal was all she heard, but Vixen put it out of her mind. It was time. She slipped out of the wires tying her to the tank, and leapt towards ROMMEL, off of a still moving Sherman. She crouched, and prepared to roll when she hit ground. Vixen landed hard on her shoulder, and her neck was pressed hard, but it is of no concern . She sprang to her feet, and ran towards ROMMEL, needle in hand. Until Jenine smashed into Vixen's stomach with a shoulder, knocking her over backwards, and sending the needle flying from her hands. Flying back, Vixen grabbed Jenine, and dragged her down with. They both tumbled to a stop, and began to tear into each other. Clawing out blindly, Vixen felt her right shoulder pop, and pain lanced down her arm. Jenine struck back, tearing open Vixen's cheek. ROMMEL began to right itself. With an evil grin, Jenine produced a gleaming dagger, and buries into the ground where Vixen's head had lay a second before. They rolled over each other a couple more times, Jenine keeping the blade in her control. Vixen lashed out with a kick, but only caught her opponent in the calf. Jenine flinched briefly, but continued. "VIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!" At the sound of the battle cry, both Vixen and Jenine swiveled their heads to see the source. Dave, ran toward ROMMEL, screaming with all his might. In his right hand, he held the needle. Vixen shouted in triumph as he plunged it deep within ROMMEL. But Jenine had already turned back to her opponent. She headbutted Vixen twice, sending blood running into Vixen's eyes. Smiling evilly, Jenine raised the dagger, and plunged it down towards Vixen's neck. There was a slight trembling between Jenine's legs as Vixen shifted. As Jenine's blade entered the earth once more, Sailor Vixy slipped out. Inside Sherman, B1FF grinned with glee. He finally got to do it! "L1st3n d00dz," he called over the radio, "w3'r3 g0nn4 unl34sh 4ll w3 g0t!" "Yokai," replied four voices in unison. 1 "R34dy t0 f0rm 5h3rmtr0n!" "Activate interlock!" "Dynatherms connected!" "InfraCells up!" "MegaThrusters are go!" "Let's go, Shermtron Force!" "F0rm f33t 4nd l3gs, d00d!" Underneath B1FF, he could feel the tank shifting. Behind him, two more tanks flanked Sherman. They sent out small mechanical arms, which attached to Sherman. The tanks began locking together with various devices, and the treads of the flanking ones bent upwards. "F0rm 4rms and t0rs0!" Two more tanks came up beside Sherman and locked up with them. The whole conglomeration stopped, and the two tanks at the side sprouted fingers out of their backs, and became jointed in their center. "4nd 1'll f0rm the h3ad!". The control bridge of Sherman slid forward, poking out the front. There were a few rearrangements, and it emerged from the tank completely. It had a giant yellow bandanna. Shermtron stood up. "Th1s R0KKS!" Sherman grabbed the incapacitated ROMMEL, and began spinning. The tank span faster and faster, and finally, B1FF let go. Letting physics take their course, ROMMEL spun off, past Otakuland, and far out into the ocean, where the was no wind, no light, and no gas. Shermtron powerposed. Meanwhile, Sailor Vixy brushed herself off, and made sure her hair was properly bouncy. She chuckled, cutely, while Jenine backed away, horrified of what had happened to Vixen. Vixy took one look at Jenine, and giggled. She raised the microphone to her lips. Sailor Vixy started to sing. o/~I am Sailor Vixy!o/~ o/~The cutest of them all!o/~ o/~I live inside of Vixen!o/~ o/~Who likes to kill and maul!o/~ The air began to shimmer. Jenine stared around herself with horror. o/~I jump around and sing!o/~ o/~I have to let it out!o/~ o/~I don't like bad stuff!o/~ o/~It makes me want to pout!o/~ Small chocolate mints began to rain down, littering the battlefield, and smearing chocolate against helmets and into weapons. o/~My life is very happy!!o/~ o/~Of this I am quite sure!o/~ o/~Vixen does not like me!o/~ o/~But I have control of her!o/~ The candy got larger. Jenine Richards barely had time to scream before a large coffee candy crushed her. o/~I am super cute!o/~ o/~I should be a star!o/~ o/~I will wear pink dresses!o/~ o/~And have a great big car!o/~ Indiscriminately, the candy rain began to fall on friend and foe. The Army of the Warez, completely taken, began to break. The Otaku fought on, well aware that this happened quite often, and somewhat accustomed to it. o/~I am Sailor Vixy! (wai!)o/~ o/~Some say that I wail!o/~ o/~But I am full of energy!o/~ o/~And glomp anything male!o/~ o/~Wai! Waiwaiwai!!!! Wai~~~~~~ WaIwAiWAiAiAIIIIIII!!o/~ With this, she leapt over to glomp Dave, who collapsed due to exhaustion. Vixy shimmers out, and Vixen lies with her head across Dave's chest, her hand clutching at his shoulder. Nearby, the Rurouni smoked. Shermtron was in the process of returning. The Otaku did not chase after the routing army. ____________________________________________ Inside Otakuland, the final part, a round black sphere, was placed within the chest of the figure. The chest compartment closed. And LARGO stood up. "Bwaahahahaha.... once again, you humans have awakened me. I shall be the doom of your world. All shall die under the power of GENOM that I wield!" LARGO raised its arms into the sky dramatically. "Here," it cried, "you see your doom!" "LARGO," one of the scientists said. "Please destroy the opposing army." "Yes'm," LARGO instantly replied FAQing Hostile ­ Chapter Thirty Two: Owari. Author's notes: One more chapter to go, and this thing will be closed. Seems kind of strange. Sure, it was the "black sheep" of the starters, but it was fun. It entertained many, and for those who shunned it, YOU WILL MEET BLACK DEATH! CTHULU! CTHULU! WerweataaaaaaaaarghhŠŠŠ.. (Assassin composes himself) Anyway, this was a nice long chapter. I hope it was good as the before final chapter. I strove to get as many plotlines done as I could, and be nice and dramatic. It was more of a serious dark humor chapter, as opposed to the next one, which I intend to make more humorous. Anyway, I have no idea who reads this besides the ML, but I hope you enjoyed it, whoever you are. Thanks go to my prereaders, Ian Ton and Isawa Noshinto. Without them, this thing would still be riddled with all the tense errors I made while typing away at 6 am, trying to control myself enough to not start spewing complete nonsense across the screen. Thanks to Isawa Noshinto, Clint Milton, and esp. Ian Heafer for when we sat down and thought out about what we would like for the story, creating the whole Otakuland West angle. Thanks to all the FAQing people for putting up with hiro. If anyone is curious, I actually read Snowcrash after the idea I had for him. So don't sue. Please. Thanks also go to the FAQing ML for ideas like MechaSherman, (from Mark Poa, I think), and the opening, (Sharyna Tran's idea, which I just had to use). Also thanks to the ML for many scene ideas, some of which are still to be used. And thanks, of course, to Twoflower for starting this whole thing. Kiete yuku, Assassin