The apartment was quiet, with only the soft whir of the air conditioner and the gentle bubbling of the fish tank serving as evidence that it was even occupied.
From outside the sigh of traffic could be faintly heard, along with voices from neighboring apartments, muffled and indistinct but serving to highlight the
emptiness of this home.
The phone rang, shattering the silence. After a time, the ringing stopped, and the counter next to the handset went up a digit to seventeen. Silence resumed,
broken only by a harsh, wet, grinding noise from the aquarium as a large batch of scum was sucked in by the filter. The fish bobbing gently on the surface of
the water appeared to take no notice. Soon enough the grinding ceased and all was quiet again.
The lock clicked, followed by the door opening slowly. As it swung, it shoved aside a minor avalanche of envelopes, flyers, a magazine, and a polite reminder
from the landlord about overdue rent, all piled beneath the mail slot.
Two men entered the apartment, moving with surprising speed and stealth. They wore dark business attire and sunglasses, which they did not remove even in the
dim shadows of the apartment. A third figure came through the door, this one female, but dressed in the same sort of clothing as the first two. They shut the
door and stood silently for a moment, examining the particulars of the room they stood in. Then they shared a glance and a silent nod and set to work.
One of the men vanished into the bedroom, where faint rustling noises served to mark his activity. The other produced a large garbage sack from his pockets
and began scooping up the accumulated bits of mail, rifling through them as he worked and setting aside a select few. The woman, for her part, crossed the
room to the fish tank and scooped out the dead fish, dropping them into a ziplock baggie. From the small pack hanging off her shoulder she produced a similar
bag, this one filled with water and living fish that were a perfect match for the ones she'd just removed from the tank.
They swept through the apartment, not speaking, not missing a single detail. The phone messages were listened to, erased, and two of them re-recorded; the
fridge was emptied of perished items, which were replaced by not-quite-fresh duplicates. They cleaned, then applied a carefully-measured layer of dust -- just
a couple days worth -- to all exposed surfaces. They responded to some of the mail, threw some in the trash, and left a couple on the coffee table, as if
opened and read and tossed aside.
Then, as if by prearranged signal, they all reached the end of their tasks at the same time. Sharing one final glance, they nodded and left. The lock clicked
softly behind them as they shut the door.
The apartment was silent, except for the gentle sigh of the air conditioner, and the quiet bubble of the aquarium, where brightly-colored fish nibbled on
floating flakes of food and ignored the outside world.
* * * * *
"Welcome back, miss Naoko!"
Startled by the effusive greeting, Naoko jumped, whanging her head lightly against the inside of the trunk. "Ow!" she commented, rubbing the back of
her skull and wincing. She turned and regarded the speaker fondly.
The landlord, an older man with a bushy mustache and eyebrows that challenged it for size, beamed at her. "And how did your vacation go?" he
continued, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet. He noticed what she was doing and bounded forward. "Here, now, let me help you with that."
Naoko smiled and nodded. "Thank you!" She watched as he manhandled her luggage -- what would have been called a steamer trunk, in older days,
except this one was sleek and modern -- out of the back of the cab and set it on the curb. As the cab pulled away, she turned to the older man.
"I -think- it went pretty well," she remarked wryly, putting one hand to her forehead. "I don't remember much past the third -- or was it
fourth? -- Long Island."
He laughed, a big hearty chuckle. "Oh, that sounds like it was a perfect vacation, then!" He winked. "Let me carry this up for you, hmm?
After a vacation like that, sounds like you could use -- a vacation!" He laughed again at his own wit.
Naoko grinned. "No argument here! I had to lug it through the airport." She winced in remembered effort, and he chuckled. She nodded at the
stairs. "I'll just go up and unlock the door."
As he puffed his way up the short flight, trunk balanced on his shoulder, the landlord commented, "Must've picked up a load of souvenirs, huh? Ye
only left with one suitcase! Hah!"
A mischevious grin flitted across Naoko's features before she composed herself. "You could say that, yes." She unlocked the door and flung it
wide, stepping back to let her landlord deposit his burden in the middle of the living room.
"Now then, miss Naoko," he wheezed, straightening up after unshouldering the load. "Your friend was a little late on rent, but when he did make
the payment for you, he paid for next month too." He smiled at her. "Nice looking guy, very professional. The missus wants to know if you
two..." he trailed off, looking sheepish. "Well! None of my business, and none of hers either, come to that. I'll be off now. Just come knock
if you need anything, understand?"
Naoko smiled and nodded. "I will. Thank you so much."
He grinned, white teeth flashing amidst the mustache. "A pleasure." He left, whistling a cheerful tune to himself, and Naoko smiled fondly at his
departing back before closing the door.
The smile changed to a fierce grin as soon as the door latched shut. Naoko whirled and picked up the trunk, easily lifting the weight that had staggered the
landlord -- a big, strong man used to handling heavy loads. She carried it into her bedroom and set it on end in the wardrobe, which stood conveniently open
and empty. As it settled, something clicked underneath, a sound so faint that anyone else would never have noticed it..
Naoko stepped back and held her breath, watching.
The trunk, to all outside observation merely a metallic case with handles meant for transporting large quantities of luggage, shivered. Hairline cracks formed
and expanded as the trunk telescoped outwards in both height and width, rapidly growing to fill the wardrobe. A series of clicks sounded as hidden catches
locked into place. In the space of ten seconds, it was over.
Naoko let out a long breath, and smiled. She stepped forward slowly and laid her palm against the smooth metal surface. For a moment, nothing happened. Then
a faint glow outlined her hand, and a soft chime sounded. Without further noise, the metal wall divided smoothly down the center and opened outwards,
revealing a set of armor nestled in a support cradle.
Naoko laughed delightedly. With quick motions she shed her clothing and stepped nude into the wardrobe, sliding first one leg, then the other, into the armor.
She leaned back and felt the smooth, padded interior mold itself around her as the suit snapped shut. The helmet descended over her head, sealing itself into
place at her neck before the pads inflated to hold it steady on her head. The semi-transparent faceplate was blank, revealing only her bedroom. She took a
deep breath.
"Blaze Sabre... activate!"
Light flooded her eyes, both startling and soothing at the same time, as the suit came alive. Readouts flickered and stabilized as the diagnostics checked
out. The faceplate shimmered and became reflective on the outside, while on the inside it became more clear as the holographic display began enhancing her
already-excellent vision. Cool jets of air bathed her skin as the power cells warmed up and activated the environmental systems. With a clunk that she felt
more than heard, the support arms released her and withdrew, leaving her standing steady on her own -- her armor's -- two feet.
Letters marched across her display.
>> INITIAL ACTIVATION SEQUENCE COMPLETE
>> OPERATOR RECOGNIZED: CI-12-N 'NAOKO'
>>
>> PRIMARY TARGET: McNICHOL, LEON A.
>>
>> DIRECTIVES:
>> - MAINTAIN COVER IDENTITY
>> - ASSESS SUITABILITY INDEX OF TARGET FOR ACQUISITION
>> - UPON SIGNAL 'PROMETHEUS', ACQUIRE OR TERMINATE TARGET AS NECESSARY
>>
>> SECONDARY DIRECTIVES:
>> - INFILTRATE AND MONITOR RIOT FORCE/KNIGHT SABRES -- TAKE NO ACTION UNLESS OTHERWISE DIRECTED
>> - IDENTIFY AND REPORT TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
Naoko read through her instructions three times with cool and calculating eyes. In the background, through her neuro-link to the suit, a data transfer sent
detailed information directly to her mind; she was aware of it in the same way a driver of a car is aware of traffic around them without directly seeing it.
She nodded and cleared the display, then ejected a tiny data solid from the interface port. She caught it as it fell in one armored hand and held it up. It
contained everything she'd just been given, all her instructions and datafiles and photos of her target and everything needed to decrypt them. Without
this chip, her suit was just a suit -- sophisticated and cutting-edge, but in no way any more incriminating than any other high-tech suit of armor.
With a slight smile on her face under the visor, Blaze Sabre ignited her flame projectors and reduced the data solid to ashes in an instant.
* * * * *
"Naoko!"
"Hmm?" Naoko looked up from her desk, where it appeared she'd spent most of the morning organizing the clutter that had cropped up in her
absence. Her inquisitive look changed to one of surprise and delight as she recognized her friend and coworker Nene Romanova. "Nene!" she chirped
happily.
"Where have you BEEN?" Nene demanded, a scowl and a smile competing for dominance on her face. "You just -- POOF -- vanished!"
Naoko frowned. "Nene Romanova, did you forget about my vacation?" She put one hand on her hip and shook a finger at Nene. "I told you that
time off tracker thingy of yours was going to cause a problem someday." She looked at her desk in something approaching despair. "Looks like you
weren't the only one," she added morosely. "Someone's been using my desk as a dumping ground for old files while I was gone."
Nene frowned. "I don't remember any vacation request..." she said slowly. "Nobody else did either."
Naoko shrugged. "I filled out all the paperwork and had it approved." She rummaged around in a drawer, tried a second, and finally found what she
was looking for in a third. "Here!"
Nene took the proferred slip and looked at it. A vacation request, signed and approved by the department head over six months ago. All legit. Except she
didn't remember a single bit of it, and hadn't Naoko been talking about how she wouldn't be able to afford a vacation this year not that long ago?
She brushed it aside as she realized her friend was still talking. "What was that?" she asked. "I was, um, thinking."
"I -said-," Naoko replied with a hint of annoyance in her voice, "would you like to go get some lunch today? My treat this time." She
smiled. "I know this great Italian place nearby."
Nene brightened. "Lunch? Sure!"
"Okay then! Bye for now, Nene!" As Nene continued on her way, still puzzling over Naoko's sudden reappearance, she passed Detective Watanabe
going the other way. The man walked as though there was background music to his life, a sort of personal soundtrack, his Afro bobbing gently to the beat only
he could hear. He nodded cordially at her as he passed, and she suppressed a grin, stopping just outside the office to listen.
"Heyyy! Babe! You're back! How's my favorite dispatcher?"
"Beat it, Watanabe."
Nene giggled and ducked into the elevator. Naoko was back!
--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs
From outside the sigh of traffic could be faintly heard, along with voices from neighboring apartments, muffled and indistinct but serving to highlight the
emptiness of this home.
The phone rang, shattering the silence. After a time, the ringing stopped, and the counter next to the handset went up a digit to seventeen. Silence resumed,
broken only by a harsh, wet, grinding noise from the aquarium as a large batch of scum was sucked in by the filter. The fish bobbing gently on the surface of
the water appeared to take no notice. Soon enough the grinding ceased and all was quiet again.
The lock clicked, followed by the door opening slowly. As it swung, it shoved aside a minor avalanche of envelopes, flyers, a magazine, and a polite reminder
from the landlord about overdue rent, all piled beneath the mail slot.
Two men entered the apartment, moving with surprising speed and stealth. They wore dark business attire and sunglasses, which they did not remove even in the
dim shadows of the apartment. A third figure came through the door, this one female, but dressed in the same sort of clothing as the first two. They shut the
door and stood silently for a moment, examining the particulars of the room they stood in. Then they shared a glance and a silent nod and set to work.
One of the men vanished into the bedroom, where faint rustling noises served to mark his activity. The other produced a large garbage sack from his pockets
and began scooping up the accumulated bits of mail, rifling through them as he worked and setting aside a select few. The woman, for her part, crossed the
room to the fish tank and scooped out the dead fish, dropping them into a ziplock baggie. From the small pack hanging off her shoulder she produced a similar
bag, this one filled with water and living fish that were a perfect match for the ones she'd just removed from the tank.
They swept through the apartment, not speaking, not missing a single detail. The phone messages were listened to, erased, and two of them re-recorded; the
fridge was emptied of perished items, which were replaced by not-quite-fresh duplicates. They cleaned, then applied a carefully-measured layer of dust -- just
a couple days worth -- to all exposed surfaces. They responded to some of the mail, threw some in the trash, and left a couple on the coffee table, as if
opened and read and tossed aside.
Then, as if by prearranged signal, they all reached the end of their tasks at the same time. Sharing one final glance, they nodded and left. The lock clicked
softly behind them as they shut the door.
The apartment was silent, except for the gentle sigh of the air conditioner, and the quiet bubble of the aquarium, where brightly-colored fish nibbled on
floating flakes of food and ignored the outside world.
* * * * *
"Welcome back, miss Naoko!"
Startled by the effusive greeting, Naoko jumped, whanging her head lightly against the inside of the trunk. "Ow!" she commented, rubbing the back of
her skull and wincing. She turned and regarded the speaker fondly.
The landlord, an older man with a bushy mustache and eyebrows that challenged it for size, beamed at her. "And how did your vacation go?" he
continued, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet. He noticed what she was doing and bounded forward. "Here, now, let me help you with that."
Naoko smiled and nodded. "Thank you!" She watched as he manhandled her luggage -- what would have been called a steamer trunk, in older days,
except this one was sleek and modern -- out of the back of the cab and set it on the curb. As the cab pulled away, she turned to the older man.
"I -think- it went pretty well," she remarked wryly, putting one hand to her forehead. "I don't remember much past the third -- or was it
fourth? -- Long Island."
He laughed, a big hearty chuckle. "Oh, that sounds like it was a perfect vacation, then!" He winked. "Let me carry this up for you, hmm?
After a vacation like that, sounds like you could use -- a vacation!" He laughed again at his own wit.
Naoko grinned. "No argument here! I had to lug it through the airport." She winced in remembered effort, and he chuckled. She nodded at the
stairs. "I'll just go up and unlock the door."
As he puffed his way up the short flight, trunk balanced on his shoulder, the landlord commented, "Must've picked up a load of souvenirs, huh? Ye
only left with one suitcase! Hah!"
A mischevious grin flitted across Naoko's features before she composed herself. "You could say that, yes." She unlocked the door and flung it
wide, stepping back to let her landlord deposit his burden in the middle of the living room.
"Now then, miss Naoko," he wheezed, straightening up after unshouldering the load. "Your friend was a little late on rent, but when he did make
the payment for you, he paid for next month too." He smiled at her. "Nice looking guy, very professional. The missus wants to know if you
two..." he trailed off, looking sheepish. "Well! None of my business, and none of hers either, come to that. I'll be off now. Just come knock
if you need anything, understand?"
Naoko smiled and nodded. "I will. Thank you so much."
He grinned, white teeth flashing amidst the mustache. "A pleasure." He left, whistling a cheerful tune to himself, and Naoko smiled fondly at his
departing back before closing the door.
The smile changed to a fierce grin as soon as the door latched shut. Naoko whirled and picked up the trunk, easily lifting the weight that had staggered the
landlord -- a big, strong man used to handling heavy loads. She carried it into her bedroom and set it on end in the wardrobe, which stood conveniently open
and empty. As it settled, something clicked underneath, a sound so faint that anyone else would never have noticed it..
Naoko stepped back and held her breath, watching.
The trunk, to all outside observation merely a metallic case with handles meant for transporting large quantities of luggage, shivered. Hairline cracks formed
and expanded as the trunk telescoped outwards in both height and width, rapidly growing to fill the wardrobe. A series of clicks sounded as hidden catches
locked into place. In the space of ten seconds, it was over.
Naoko let out a long breath, and smiled. She stepped forward slowly and laid her palm against the smooth metal surface. For a moment, nothing happened. Then
a faint glow outlined her hand, and a soft chime sounded. Without further noise, the metal wall divided smoothly down the center and opened outwards,
revealing a set of armor nestled in a support cradle.
Naoko laughed delightedly. With quick motions she shed her clothing and stepped nude into the wardrobe, sliding first one leg, then the other, into the armor.
She leaned back and felt the smooth, padded interior mold itself around her as the suit snapped shut. The helmet descended over her head, sealing itself into
place at her neck before the pads inflated to hold it steady on her head. The semi-transparent faceplate was blank, revealing only her bedroom. She took a
deep breath.
"Blaze Sabre... activate!"
Light flooded her eyes, both startling and soothing at the same time, as the suit came alive. Readouts flickered and stabilized as the diagnostics checked
out. The faceplate shimmered and became reflective on the outside, while on the inside it became more clear as the holographic display began enhancing her
already-excellent vision. Cool jets of air bathed her skin as the power cells warmed up and activated the environmental systems. With a clunk that she felt
more than heard, the support arms released her and withdrew, leaving her standing steady on her own -- her armor's -- two feet.
Letters marched across her display.
>> INITIAL ACTIVATION SEQUENCE COMPLETE
>> OPERATOR RECOGNIZED: CI-12-N 'NAOKO'
>>
>> PRIMARY TARGET: McNICHOL, LEON A.
>>
>> DIRECTIVES:
>> - MAINTAIN COVER IDENTITY
>> - ASSESS SUITABILITY INDEX OF TARGET FOR ACQUISITION
>> - UPON SIGNAL 'PROMETHEUS', ACQUIRE OR TERMINATE TARGET AS NECESSARY
>>
>> SECONDARY DIRECTIVES:
>> - INFILTRATE AND MONITOR RIOT FORCE/KNIGHT SABRES -- TAKE NO ACTION UNLESS OTHERWISE DIRECTED
>> - IDENTIFY AND REPORT TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
Naoko read through her instructions three times with cool and calculating eyes. In the background, through her neuro-link to the suit, a data transfer sent
detailed information directly to her mind; she was aware of it in the same way a driver of a car is aware of traffic around them without directly seeing it.
She nodded and cleared the display, then ejected a tiny data solid from the interface port. She caught it as it fell in one armored hand and held it up. It
contained everything she'd just been given, all her instructions and datafiles and photos of her target and everything needed to decrypt them. Without
this chip, her suit was just a suit -- sophisticated and cutting-edge, but in no way any more incriminating than any other high-tech suit of armor.
With a slight smile on her face under the visor, Blaze Sabre ignited her flame projectors and reduced the data solid to ashes in an instant.
* * * * *
"Naoko!"
"Hmm?" Naoko looked up from her desk, where it appeared she'd spent most of the morning organizing the clutter that had cropped up in her
absence. Her inquisitive look changed to one of surprise and delight as she recognized her friend and coworker Nene Romanova. "Nene!" she chirped
happily.
"Where have you BEEN?" Nene demanded, a scowl and a smile competing for dominance on her face. "You just -- POOF -- vanished!"
Naoko frowned. "Nene Romanova, did you forget about my vacation?" She put one hand on her hip and shook a finger at Nene. "I told you that
time off tracker thingy of yours was going to cause a problem someday." She looked at her desk in something approaching despair. "Looks like you
weren't the only one," she added morosely. "Someone's been using my desk as a dumping ground for old files while I was gone."
Nene frowned. "I don't remember any vacation request..." she said slowly. "Nobody else did either."
Naoko shrugged. "I filled out all the paperwork and had it approved." She rummaged around in a drawer, tried a second, and finally found what she
was looking for in a third. "Here!"
Nene took the proferred slip and looked at it. A vacation request, signed and approved by the department head over six months ago. All legit. Except she
didn't remember a single bit of it, and hadn't Naoko been talking about how she wouldn't be able to afford a vacation this year not that long ago?
She brushed it aside as she realized her friend was still talking. "What was that?" she asked. "I was, um, thinking."
"I -said-," Naoko replied with a hint of annoyance in her voice, "would you like to go get some lunch today? My treat this time." She
smiled. "I know this great Italian place nearby."
Nene brightened. "Lunch? Sure!"
"Okay then! Bye for now, Nene!" As Nene continued on her way, still puzzling over Naoko's sudden reappearance, she passed Detective Watanabe
going the other way. The man walked as though there was background music to his life, a sort of personal soundtrack, his Afro bobbing gently to the beat only
he could hear. He nodded cordially at her as he passed, and she suppressed a grin, stopping just outside the office to listen.
"Heyyy! Babe! You're back! How's my favorite dispatcher?"
"Beat it, Watanabe."
Nene giggled and ducked into the elevator. Naoko was back!
--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs