[LNH2] LNH Asia: 2 Slow 2 Serious Part 2 (of 4)

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        LNH Asia: 2 Slow 2 Serious Part 2 (of 4)

2020.  The future.  TaipA:, Tai1.

  "So I take it you know your way around this city?"
Acraphobe asked.
  "Actually, no," Intuition Girl admitted.  "I've only
been to Tai1 once before and then I stayed with my
maternal grandparents in Tai.lan."
  "But you speak the local language, right?"
  "Um, sorry," Intuition Girl said sadly.  "My mom
usually spoke to me in English.  I know a few words
and phrases.  That's about it."
  "Oh dear," Acraphobe said.
  "Don't worry,"Intuition Girl said reassuringly.  "I
can use my intuition powers to get around."
  "Fine," Acraphobe said, "but I thought the whole
idea was that the net.villain was supposed to find
_us_."
  "I wouldn't worry," Intuition Girl said.  "We'll
have plenty of time to fight the net.vilain and get
him or her to help us deactivate the nuclear bomb
before it destroys the city."
  "Do we though?" Acraphobe asked.
  "What do you mean?"
  "I mean what if my power make reality more serious
actually ends up jeopardizing the mission?"
  "How?"
  "Well, think about it.  What would happen if this
were an acraphobe story?"
  "Well then TaipA: would be destroyed."
  "Exactly."
  "But I don't think your powers work like that,"
Intuition Girl reasoned.  "They effect the mood of the
story, not the outcome."
  "What good are my powers then?"
  "Well, let's see," Intuition Girl.  "It depends on
your point of view, I suppose.  A more serious story
might be perceived as better written than a relatively
silly one and that, in turn, might attract more
readers which, in turn, might arguably be good for us
because they'd never be any reason to kill any of us
off."
  "I see," Acraphobe said.  "So our short term angst actually helps us
in the long run?"
  "Exactly!"
  "So why don't I feel reassured?"
  "Hmm," Intuition Girl mused.  "I would suppose that your powers
preclude your from ever experiencing a light, happy mood,
unfortunately."
  "You're probably right," Acraphobe said, sadly.  "So are you having
any luck figuring out where we are?"
  "Well," she said, pointing to the tallest building she could see, "I
would guess that would be the TaipA: 101 building."
  "What makes you say that?"
  "The TaipA: 101 building is the tallest building in the world, so
given that that building would appear to be the tallest building in the
city, I would guess that that is it."
  "Fine," Acraphobe said.  "We'll head that way and then, when we get
there, we'll know where we are."
  "Um... except there's a problem."
  "What?"
  "It's gone."
  "Gone?"
  "Yes."
  "How can a whole building just disappear?"
  "I don't know," Intuition Girl said.  "I was looking right at it."
  "That would be my doing," said a Chinese man who appeared from out of
nowhere.
  "Who are you?"
  "Call me Kan Bujian.  I have the power to turn things invisible.  You
must now admit defeat.  My power has rendered you helpless because you
no longer know where you are!  Hahahaha!"
  "That's just silly," Intuition Girl said.
  "You know the rules!" Kan Bujian said.  "You must defeat me if you
want me to help you disable the bomb!"
  Acraphobe concentrated for a moment and the TaipA: 101 building
reappeared!
  "What?" Kan Bujian said.  "What did you do?"
  "As Intuition Girl said, your powers are silly," Acraphobe said with
a slight smile, "so my ability to make reality more serious has caused
your powers to be temporarily suspended.  Thus we can go ahead and deal
with the issue of deactivating the bomb.  You are, after all, defeated,
aren't you?"
  Kan Bujian cringed.  "But then later my powers will return, right?  I
mean, my powers may seem silly to you, but they're all I've got."
  "No invisible force fields?" Intuition Girl asked.
  "No," Kan Bujian said, sadly.
  "My powers only work when I am physically present," Acraphobe told
him.  "You help us deactivate the bomb and we'll go away and your
powers will return."
  "Alright," Kan Bujian said.  "You've got a deal."

Meanwhile, in Kua.lan Lan.pur, M at laysia,

  "Had any luck?" Yang asked.
  "No," Yin said sadly.  "I've been all around the city but I haven't
found the net.villain or the bomb."
  Suddenly, Yin and Yang were thrown back by a sudden, unidentified,
force.
  "I think the net.villain just found us," Yang said.
  "You may be right," Yin said.
  A Chinese woman appeared in front of them.  "I am called Su Nami,"
she said.
  "Tsunami?" Yang asked.
  "Like a tidal wave?" Yin asked.
  "No," Su Nami said.  "My family name is Su.  My parents named me
Nami.  My family name comes first.  So I am Su Nami.  Get it?  And it's
pronounced 'Su', not 'Tsu'."
  "Fair enough," Yang said.  "Yin, this net.villain needs to be brought
down quickly.  Catch my drift?"
  "Understood," Yin said, and then started running at superspeed.  But
she found herself unable to get through Su Nami's force field.
  "Alright," Yang said.  "I guess my super strength will have to
succeed where my sister's super speed failed."  He stood up and started
moving towards Su Nami.  Su Nami used her power to try to push him back
but Yang dug his feet into the ground and continued to move forward.
  "Impossible!" Su Nami said.  "Nobody is that strong!"
  "I am!" Yang said as he reached and grabbed Su Nami by the neck.  "So
are you going to admit defeat or do I have to break your neck?"
  "No!  Don't!" Su Nami said.  "You win!"
  <<Brother, she was scared you were going to kill her!>> Yin observed,
speaking to her brother in Thai.
  <<So she was.>>
  <<But if the bomb explodes then wouldn't it also kill her?  If she is
afraid to die then why stay in this city?  Wouldn't she have wanted to
get away from the bomb?  It doesn't make sense.>>
  Yang nodded.  <<We'll worry about that later,>> he said.  <<Right
now, our priority is finding that bomb!>>

                   TO BE CONTINUED!

Credits: Everybody is mine.