[PSP] Guardian Sentai Roboman #2

[utsukushuu.dreamer]

>From PSP:
http://www.night-jaeger.net/

---

GUARDIAN SENTAI ROBOMAN
#2 - "Attack on Blizzard Base Zero"
Component 01.2
February 27th, 2010
by Adrian J. Watts


"Miss Sato," Dr. Nagura looked at the young woman standing in front of
him. He was impressed by what he saw - a short and fragile frame, with
long black hair (dyed brown, with obvious black roots), put up into a
failed and messy attempt at a 'bun'. Individual strands of hair fell
across the woman's face and down her back. She smiled
enthusiastically, happy merely to be in the presence of her idol - the
bonus fact that she would soon be working with him was what made her
bounce up and down.

Nagura Ian "Ikku" was impressed with what he saw as well, but not in
the same way as his father. He could tell that his father saw Sato
Kiko as something more than just a talented underling and member of
his team; he was more than twice her age, but Ikku knew he would make
a move if he ever got the chance. But Ikku saw Kiko as a potential
friend, someone who could help him to better understand the bright red
jumpsuit he wore but also, as someone close to his own age, a
companion with whom he could discuss things that his father - or the
constantly aloof Sei - would not understand.

"Miss Sato," Dr. Nagura repeated. "Allow me to introdue you... to Dr.
Smith."

Kiko turned around and saw a man approaching the chamber. He wore a
white lab coat and carried a black clipboard. He was older than anyone
else present, and had plenty of evidence of that fact - white hair, a
weathered, wrinkly face and a minor stoop to his posture.

Ikku had never liked Dr. Smith. He was just plain creepy - like 'The
Hunchback of Notre Dame: The Golden Years.'

Dr. Smith came to an abrupt stop precisely one foot in front of Kiko.
He did not offer any sort of welcoming gesture; no smile, no
handshake, not even a nod of acknowledgment. Instead he stood as
upright as he could and peered at her with stern eyes.

"You must be Sato," he said. He spoke perfect Japanese, but Kiko could
tell from his features and accent that it was not his native language.
"I was wondering when you would arrive. You are early. That is better
than being late, but do not expect me to entertain you. You will
arrive on time, for as long as you work for me. Not early, not late.
Do you understand?"

Kiko looked from Dr. Smith to Dr. Nagura and back again. She swallowed
loudly before speaking. "Y-yes, sir," she stammered.

"Good."

Dr. Smith turned with exceptional precision and walked in a perfectly
straight line to a nearby computer terminal. He placed his clipboard
beside it - its edges aligned parallel to those of the computer - and
began to examine the data it displayed.

"Sei has failed again," he said simply.

"We did not... expect him to... henshin today," Dr. Nagura told him.
"He has still displayed... exceptional control... over phase one."

"We should have completed phase one weeks ago," Dr. Smith said without
turning away from the computer. "If Ian had simply - " He paused for a
moment. "We should have finished our analysis of phase one. We should
be focussing all of our attention on the henshin."

Kiko glanced at Ikku for a moment and saw him staring at the ground.
It was not the first time she had heard him criticised by staff at
Blizzard Base Zero, and she could not help but wonder why.

"Excuse me," she said. "I know I don't know much about the project - "

"That is correct," Dr. Smith interrupted.

" - but," Kiko continued, "if the suit relies on an interface between
the robotics components and human biology, the 'henshin' process would
be different for every user, wouldn't it? Maybe if I could see Ikku
attempt it alongside Sei, I might - "

Dr. Smith rose suddenly. His face was bright red with rage, and as he
whirled to face Kiko every ounce of the precision that had marked his
behaviour since arriving in the chamber was gone. "You might what?
Find something that my men and I have missed?"

Kiko's eyes narrowed as she stared back at the doctor. She leaned
forward, just a few inches, but neither Dr. Nagura nor Ikku missed the
gesture and the subtle aggression that prompted it.

"I wouldn't have put it like that," Kiko said, "but yes. Maybe a fresh
pair of eyes wouldn't hurt."

"You insolent little - !"

Dr. Nagura quickly stepped between them and raised his right hand.

"If I may... speak?" he smiled. "Dr. Smith is a very... experienced...
scientist, Miss Sato. You would do well... to listen to him." He
paused for a moment. "Still... perhaps experience can... close and
open mind... just a little. I agree... with Miss Sato... but Ian is
not ready... for phase two."

"I - " Ikku began.

"No, Ian," Dr. Nagura told him. "I will not... allow it." He faced
Kiko directly. "Miss Sato... would you like to meet... Sei?"


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Several kilometers outside of Blizzard Base Zero

"Are they prepared?"

The heavily armed American soldier turned to his deputy. Behind them
stood dozens of armed soldiers, each clad in thick armour designed
more to keep them warm as they crossed the Antarctic wasteland than to
protect them from attack. With any luck, their target would be
defenceless by the time they arrived, but just in case, the battalion
was supported by heavy artillery in the form of tanks specially-
equipped for crossing the icy terrain.

The deputy nodded, and the American looked at his men. They
represented the best soldiers of the nations governed by the Earth
Leadership/Defence Directorate and had been gathered for the sole
purpose of protecting the EDD's interests around the world. At the
slightest hint of danger or betrayal, the Black Battalion, based on
the futuristic Science Island, was called in - and the upcoming
assault on Blizzard Base Zero was their second mission in as many
days.

His mind wandered back to their last mission, which had seemed simple
enough at the time: Sorceress Miko, a woman who claimed to possess
magickal abilities had threatened Science Island directly. If they did
not evacuate and scuttle the artificial island, she said, she would
destroy EDD bases around the world. Aside from a distaste for
technology in general, Miko had claimed that there were forces within
the EDD focussed not on protecting and enriching life, but on
controlling it.

The Black Battalion had been sent out to bring her in. It was not a
full-scale assault by any means - only five of the battalion's
greatest, the 'best of the best'. Equipped with their standard
tranquiliser gas, handguns and rifles, they tracked Miko down to an
abandoned apartment building in New Orleans and easily ambushed her.

After trying to break through a wall, sending plaster dust scattering
over the men, Miko surrendered. Several hours later she was handed
over to the Science Island security forces - and the Black Battalion
did not know or care what happened to their targets after that. They
simply waited for their next mission.

"Okay, guys!" he addressed his forces. "Arm up - we're moving out!"


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blizzard Base Zero

The 'pit' beneath the chamber's viewing bay seemed a lot bigger to
Kiko once she actually stood inside it. In the centre of the room, Sei
stood at attention, waiting to be addressed by Dr. Nagura. He did not
speak or move as Kiko, Ikku, Dr. Nagura and Dr. Smith approached - and
that disturbed Kiko more than she wanted to admit.

"Sei..." Dr. Nagura said. "You may stand... down."

Sei's pose did not change, but his facial features seemed to relax as
he did as he was told. He turned and bowed slightly to each of the
men, then offered a hand to Kiko, which she took. His grip was firm
and even, almost the complete opposite of Ikku's energetic shaking
earlier that day.

"This is... Miss Sato," Dr. Nagura told him. "She will be... joining
Dr. Smith's team."

Sei nodded. "It is nice to meet you."

Kiko smiled back at him.

"I was watching you before. You were amazing! It's a pity phase two
didn't work!"

Sei bowed his head again. "The interface system rejects my physiology.
My technique is perfect, but henshin will remain untenable until the
interface design is completed."

"Excuse me? Could you explain that again?"

Dr. Nagura smiled. "Sei has dedicated... a lot of time... to
understanding the project."

Sei smiled, and Kiko took a step back. She had not noticed until he
showed his teeth, but Sei's features were almost perfectly
symmetrical. His eyes were the same size and evenly spaced; his
eyebrows, too, seemed like mirror images. His nose was unnaturally
straight, and his teeth were aligned so well that they could have been
individually measured.

Kiko caught herself staring and could not keep herself from blushing -
but the redness in her cheeks went unnoticed as bright red flights
flashed around the pit and a woman's voice spoke loudly through
speakers in the walls:

"Blizzard Base Zero is under attack," the voice said calmly.
"Initiating automatic defence systems... initialisation failed.
Manually deploying guards... guards deployed. Securing internal
systems - "

Kiko cringed as the voice continued to coolly outline what it was
doing to keep the base safe. Its emotionless voice did nothing to keep
Kiko calm - and the whole 'initialisation failed' comment did exactly
the opposite. She turned to Dr. Nagura, but he did not speak.

"Should we be hiding? Or at least doing something?" she asked.

"No, no..." Dr. Nagura replied. "This chamber is the... most secure
area... of the base. The guards will... take care of things..."

"Can I - " Ikku began to ask.

"The suit... does not leave... the chamber," Dr. Nagura said.

"But - "

Ikku looked at the ground. He did not want to disobey his father, but
at the same time he knew he could make a difference if he tried to
help the base guards. He examined the other faces around him: Dr.
Smith looked at his black clipboard, seemingly oblivious to the chaos
around him; Sei stood still, waiting for further orders from Dr.
Nagura; and Kiko looked worried and almost frightened.

Kiko was more than a little surprised when Ikku took her hand in his
and stared directly into her eyes.

"Don't worry, Miss Sato!" he said, grinning. "I will make sure you're
safe!"

He dropped her hand and ran out of the pit. Through the transparent
window of the viewing bay he could be seen rushing out of the chamber.

"Ian - !" Dr. Nagura called after him, but Ikku was long gone.

He raced along the upward-spiralling corridor and through the main
areas of the base. He was not surprised that many of the doors he
passed were locked shut, and those that could be opened did so with
ease as the guards that normally protected them rushed outside to
protect whatever threat the base was facing.

What did surprise him were the easily-recognisable Black Battalion
forces firing at and incapacitating the base guards at the entrance to
the complex. Ikku picked up a dropped rifle and rushed to the side of
one of the guards trying to defend the base.

"Black Battalion?" he asked the guard. "Here? Why?"

"Don't know!" the guard growled back as he ducked gunfire from a
Battalion soldier. "They haven't said a word! But it looks like
they're opening their mouths now, though!"

The guard was right. As Ikku watched, the Silver Battalion stopped
moving and formed into straight rows. They dropped their weapons, the
the base guards stopped firing as they stared in astonishment. Slowly,
all at once, the Black Battalion's jaws dropped and their face began
to twist and contort in ways that, Ikku guessed, had to be painful.

Suddenly, they dropped to the ground - and floating above each
soldier, precisely where his head had been, was a six-inch tall female
figure. Each was wearing a pink-and-white skintight jumpsuit and had
four translucent wings attached to their backs. They looked at one
another then, in unison, flew directly at the base.

The sides of the robot head rippled as the figures passed through
them, and Ikku froze. If they could pass through the outer walls, they
could pass through the inner walls. They could reach the chamber. They
could reach his father.

He gripped his rifle tightly, turned, and ran back inside the base.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Chamber

"I g-guess," Kiko said, trying but failing to imitate the calm
demeanour of the men around her, "if we're waiting, I m-may as well
ask some questions."

"Good... idea," Dr. Nagura said.

I'll learn, Kiko thought, and you won't have to worry about your son.
Works well, doesn't it?

"What is 'phase one'?" she asked.

"Ah," Dr. Nagura rubbed his chin. He had worked on the project for so
long that everything seemed like common sense to him, and he had to
think hard to find a way to explain it to someone new to the base.
"You know that... Project: Roboman... is designed to synthesise...
robotics and human biology?"

Kiko nodded.

"The suit Sei wears," Dr. Nagura explained, and Kiko noticed that he
did not mention Ian, "contains circuitry... which embeds itself...
beneath the skin... and sends impulses into... the user's system. This
allows... for greater strength and agility. You... have already
seen... Sei demonstrate this."

Kiko nodded again.

"That is... phase one. Phase two... involves deploying mechanical
armour... across the body... for increased endurance and... power
manipulation."

"Power manipulation?" Kiko asked.

"In good time... Miss Sato..." he said. "That is... top-secret, for
now."

Kiko opened her mouth to ask another question, but was distracted by
the sight of Ikku rushing back into the chamber. Behind him were
dozens of swarming, insect-like creatures passed through all the walls
and barriers in their way - but somehow, possibly thanks to the suit
he wore, Ikku managed to keep just a few inches ahead of them.

"Dr. Nagura!" he shouted as he entered the pit. "Our defences are
broken!"

"Impossible!" Dr. Smith snapped. "The automated defence system would
have reported an intrusion!"

"Can't you see them?" Ikku asked. He gestured at the rapidly-
approaching winged women.

"They must be an illusion," Dr. Smith said.

Dr. Nagura shook his head. "Sei... force-field."

Sei nodded and clapped his hands together. A field of green energy
expanded from his wrists and stretched to every surface of the pit,
enclosing it in a semi-transparent green barrier. The flying figures,
which had been able to penetrate thick steel, pressed against it but
could not pass through.

Kiko fell to her knees.

This is too much, she thought.

"This is too much!" Dr. Smith yelled. Kiko turned her head and saw the
doctor had produced a small handgun, which he pointed directly at Dr.
Nagura's head. "Sei, remove this force-field."

The field flickered momentarily, but remained. Sei's eyes fell closed
and his features tightened, as if he was concentrating... or confused.

"Put down the gun!" Ikku shouted. He had raised his rifle, and pointed
it at Smith's chest.

"No," Dr. Smith replied. "I have the upperhand. They know the
frequency of the force-field. They will soon nullify its energy."

"They know... the... oh," Dr. Nagura said. "You have... betrayed us."

"Wrong again," Smith responded. "I was never loyal to you to begin
with."

Dr. Smith was right. Dozens of the winged creatures had pressed
themselves against the force-field, and it was clearly weakeningly.
Eventually, small openings formed - and although they resealed
themselves quickly, there was enough of a delay for one creature to
get through at a time. They entered so slowly that Ikku had no problem
shooting them down... but soon, they entered in pairs... then three-at-
a-time...

"Miss Sato," Dr. Nagura said. "Behind me... in the wall..."

"Stop speaking!" Dr. Smith said. "Do not move, Sato!"

Kiko returned to her feet and began to cross the room.

"Sato!" Smith shouted.

"Shoot at me," Kiko said, "but the second you aim away from Dr.
Nagura, you know Ikku will take you down." She kept walking. On the
wall behind Dr. Nagura was a small, almost invisible panel. She felt
it for any sign of a crease or opening as Ikku continued to fire on
the intruders.

Finally, a single creature made its way past Ikku and landed on Dr.
Nagura's shoulder. Ikku whirled and readied his rifle, but he was not
fast enough. The white-garbed woman emitted a brief blue glow and it,
Dr. Nagura and Dr. Smith seemed to dissolve into a blue mist and
vanish.

Ikku fired, and his blast struck where the creature had been a moment
before - and kept moving. It narrowly missed Kiko and hit the small
panel she had been examining, causing it to fall away from the wall.

"You almost shot me!" Kiko shouted.

Ikku shrugged and turned his attention back to the flying women while
Kiko examined the area behind the panel and found that it contained a
small box. She pulled it free and opened it, and what she found caused
her to gasp in shock.

Inside the box was a suit identical to those worn by Ikku and Sei,
only yellow and much larger. She realised, slowly, that the suit must
have been intended for a third member of the project - perhaps even
Dr. Nagura himself.

Okay, what now? she thought. If I can wear this, then maybe, with
Sei's help, I can help get us out of here. But it is too big...!

She decided to try anyway, and after making sure the boys' attention
was directed elsewhere, she quickly removed her clothes. She gently
slipped into the one-piece bodysuit, which seemed to stretch to allow
her to enter most easily. Once inside, it began to contract and
tightly grip her body. She felt an unusual tingling sensation as
something penetrated her skin, and she remembered what Dr. Nagura had
told her - the suit's circuitry embeds itself beneath the skin. The
suit had interfaced with her.

Kiko hurried back to stand beside Sei and asked him what she could do
to help.

"You are not an active specimen of the project," he told her. "I
cannot assist you in the operation of the robosuit."

Kiko sighed. "Ikku?"

"Yeah?" Ikkue replied.

"Do you know how to do any of this weird energy stuff?"

"No."

"Do you have much ammunition left?"

"No."

Kiko sighed again. "Then I think you know what we have to do."

Ikku grinned. He dropped his rifle and stood beside Kiko.
Simultaneously, as the winged women flooded the inside of the energy
dome, they stuck their arms out to the side, raised them above their
heads, and shouted: "Let's go, Robo!"


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NEXT: Roboman!