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[IC][Story] Full Metal Boogie
[IC][Story] Full Metal Boogie
#1
Star 
OOC: I should have had this thing out a long time ago, but I'm just that bad at procrastination.  Didn't help matters that I'd forgotten all about it.  Plus there was the fact that it needed something more at the end - something that hooked into the larger story line of my character's struggle against anxiety, depression, and loneliness.



September 19, 2016, 9:25 AM
The Westwoods Apartments
San Antonio, TX, USA

Benjamin sighed as he puttered about in the maintenance shed that held the swimming pool’s filtration and heating equipment.  He was performing the daily chemical test so he could forecast how much of what chemicals the pool needed for its regular maintenance.

It wasn’t an unhappy sigh.  Far from it.  It was one of contentment.  Ben had a regular routine now, and he was quite happy about that.  The dark clouds wouldn’t settle over his mind until he was in his bed.

Alone.

No, can’t think about that, he thought to himself vehemently.  Things are good now.  I have positive cashflow.  My bills are settled.  My credit score is improving.  Things are gonna be fine.  I can start looking for a date... later.

Just as he was finishing up the tests, though, a piercing scream cut through the morning air and Ben bolted out of the shed, listening for the source.

The laundromat.

Dashing across the parking lot, Ben was there in just under five seconds, poking his head in to see what was wrong.

Inside, he found Mihoshi, teary-eyed and blubbering.  With her was Aeka, her face ashen and her gaze vacant as she held up what look like a pair of panties...

...if a pair of panties had been attacked by voracious moths.  And noxious chlorine fumes wafted out of the space.

“Ah crap,” said Ben.

“What happened?” asked a voice behind him.  Ben turned around to find Noike looking deathly concerned.

“You asked Mihoshi to handle the laundry, didn’t you?”

“I did, why?”

“She washed all of your underwear.  And with waaayyyyy too much bleach.”

Noike swallowed.  “How... how bad?”

Ben shook his head.  “I think it’s better to ask, how many clean changes of underwear do you ladies have left in your closets?”

Noike sighed.  “Not enough for regular use.”

Ben nodded.  “Right.  Well, I was going to go pick up the van today.  Might as well break it in by taking everyone shopping.”



It only took Ben about a half-hour to get to the dealership using the Clockwise Looper bus.  From there, he signed off on the final paperwork, and then drove back to the apartment complex to pick up the girls.  And then they were off to the Rivercenter Mall in the downtown area.

The Ford Transit XL had been something that Ben had splurged on somewhat, citing the liquid asset savings brought on by Washu in upgrading and fitting out the apartment units.  Lord Phantomhive grudgingly accepted the proposal, with the quid pro quo that any further vehicle purchases be on Ben’s own dime unless Ben could cite a valid need for such a thing.

Lord Phanthomhive added that he had faith in Ben’s ability to keep things running smoothly, but at the same time he had better not mess up.

That said, the transit van had a number of amenities, such as an onboard video entertainment system, lane-keeping warning system, fifteen passenger seating, powered running board, a complete road side assistance and first aid kit, and the towing package with the five cylinder Powerstroke turbo diesel engine.

It was a bit cramped because Ben had opted for the low roof line, but this was mainly so that he could park it in San Antonio’s at-times claustrophobically small parking garages.

Though with everyone not being taller than Ben, there were no real issues in that department, and the ride was declared to be a smooth and comfortable one.



September 19, 2016, 11:15 AM
VIA Route 75
Buena Vista Street at Cattleman's Square
San Antonio, TX, USA

“FREQUENT. ROUTE. SEVENTY. FIVE. FOR. WEST. COMMERCE. DOWNTOWN.”

Kaname’s eyes fluttered as the mechanical voice echoed in her head.  Why was the bus’s announcement system working in English?  Suddenly, the features all began to register.

This was not one of the buses from her home.

Panic began to rise in her stomach and she forced it back down, because Kaname was a level-headed young lady and there was no way in hell she was about to make a scene and attract undue attention.

“Please remain calm,” said a familiar voice next to her that suddenly made the entire world seem safe once again.

“Sousuke!?” said Kaname, barely keeping it at more than a whisper.  “What is going on?  How long have I been out?”

“Twenty-two minutes from the time I regained consciousness myself.  From what I can understand, we’re somehow in America.  The City of San Antonio, Texas to be exact.”

“... How did this happen?  Was it Amalgam?  Was it... Leonard?”

“My brother had nothing to do with it,” came a familiar soprano voice.

“Tessa!?” Kaname said in surprise.  “You too!?”

“Indeed.  And I can assure you, Kaname, this is very much real.”

“... So what do we do now?”

“I think it would be best if we pretended to be tourists,” said Teletha Testarossa.  “At the very least we’re not wearing our uniforms, so we won’t stand out.  Though your hair may present an issue.  The only person I’ve seen with your color of hair was an obvious dye job.”

“If anyone asks about it, we’ll just say that I’m that good.”

“That should work.”

“NOW APPROACHING. SOUTH. FLORES...  SOUTH. FLORES STREET. PLEASE EXIT THROUGH THE REAR DOOR.”

“This seems a good place to get off,” said Sousuke.  “Let’s go.”

Kaname and Teletha both nodded and the left through rear door, coming face to face with a small memorial.  Kaname blinked as she found herself reading it.

“‘Dedicated to those that are still on patrol...’  What?”

“It’s a memorial for submariners,” said Teletha with reverence in her voice.  “Whenever a submarine is lost, the custom dictates that they be forever regarded as being out on patrol, never to return home.”

“How...  how sad...” said Kaname softly as she began reading the plaque in greater detail, taking in the names of the vessels lost during World War II.  It stung her patriotic pride somewhat to know that these people had all died fighting against her own country, but she had never been party to the “Hirohito Did Nothing Wrong” crowd.

But then, Kaname noticed something strange.

“Wait a minute.”

“What’s wrong?” asked Teletha.

“This is in English.  And I’m reading it with no trouble.  And right now, I’m speaking English like as if I spoke it my entire life.”

Teletha sucked in a breath.  “How did I not notice!?”

“We’ll worry about it later,” said Sousuke.  “Across the street.”  Sousuke pointed with his head to a plaza across the street.  “There is a cathedral over there.  It appears to be a popular tourist destination.  There are also tables over there.  We can probably get a better idea of how we stand if we sit down.  There are also signs saying that there is a WiFi hotspot in the area.  You can use your phone to gather information.”

Kaname nodded and soon they were seated at one of the metal mesh tables while Kaname made some queries online.

“Good news,” she said.  “There’s a currency exchange in the shopping mall about a kilometer up the road from here.  I’ve got about five-thousand Yen on me, so we should be able to get at least forty US Dollars.  That will be better than nothing.”

“Understood.  I have twenty-thousand myself.”

“Why do you have so much on you!?” said Teletha in shock.

“I never saw any reason why not.  There is very little crime in Miss Chidori’s town, and I can deal with most pick-pockets with ease.  Besides, cash transactions cannot be tracked.  Let’s move on.  I would also suggest we find some inexpensive food afterward.  We are going to need our energy but we’ll need to make our money last.”

“Fine by me,” said Kaname.  “I was getting a bit hungry anyhow.  Except just this once I want a good burger from a real restaurant.”

“Why is this important?” asked Sousuke.

Teletha giggled.  “Sergeant, have you forgotten?  Kaname lived in America for a few years with her father.  It wouldn’t surprise me if she’s been missing the taste of a good American hamburger.”

“You got that right,” replied Kaname.  “The stuff they serve back home never compared to it.”

“Understood,” said Sousuke.  “Let’s get moving.  We’ll want to get there before the currency exchange closes.”



September 19, 2016, 10:10 AM
The Rivercenter Mall
San Antonio, TX, USA

“So, why did we come all the way downtown just for underwear?” asked Noike as they exited the elevators and entered the shopping mall proper.

“Mainly so that you ladies would have a good selection to choose from.  We’re gonna go to the Victoria’s Secret store.”

“That place!?” exclaimed Aeka.  “But... those undergarments seem so...  so...”

“Aeka, it’s fine,” said Ben consolingly.  “Look, I admit, they do have some pretty racy stuff in there.  But they also have a lot of very attractive and perfectly normal undergarments in there of all sorts.  Also, I have it on good authority that their undergarments are of excellent quality.  So long as you let the ladies inside properly fit you, then you should be very comfortable with your purchases today.”

“How do you know such things?” asked Aeka in surprise.

Ben shrugged.  “I had a good lady friend that was very open with me.  As in she didn’t care too much for her modesty.  Living with a friend like that, you tend to learn a few things that most men don’t.”

“Ah, I see.  Ah, if I may ask, how open with you was this one friend?”

Ben chuckled.  “Well, not quite THAT open if that’s what you’re thinking.  She did tell me a lot about her past that she never told most others.  And she didn’t care if I caught a look at what her mother gave her.”

“Wha... really?”

Ben nodded gravely.  “Let’s just say that she was a very well assembled woman.”

Noike chuckled at that.  “It’s alright, Aeka.  Ben is just... a rather worldly sort.”

“My experiences have been rather interesting,” he agreed.  “Okay, here it is.  You ladies go ahead, shop to your heart’s content.  When you’re ready, give me a call and I’ll handle the transaction.  But you lot are on your own for carrying everything back to the van!”  Benjamin winked at them, bringing about a few titters.

“What are you two going to be doing?” asked Noike.

“I’m gonna take Tenchi over to The Express and get him properly outfitted with a couple of suits and a few other outfits.  Same for me for that matter.  Now g’wan.  Scoot!”



12:35 PM

Later, as Benjamin and Tenchi were making their way back to the Victoria’s Secret, Ben stopped as he saw something odd.

A girl with blue hair.

That in and of itself may not have been odd, but then he noticed that the tiny girl next to her had platinum-blonde hair that was so light that just ‘platinum’ by itself suited her better.  And then there was the boy - a bit exotic looking for being Afghani-Asian.  But the cross-shaped scar on his jawline was a dead giveaway.

“Holy shit.  Tenchi?  See those three over there?”

“Yeah?”

“Trail them at a discreet distance.  Those are characters from an anime, and I am 100% sure they’re not cosplaying.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because they’re not wearing uniforms.”

“Huh?”

“Normally they’re in uniforms.  So that would be what a cosplayer would wear, because that’s what’s most visually distinctive right after their physical characteristics.  But they’re in regular street clothes instead.”

“Oh, I get it!” said Tenchi as the light went on upstairs.

“...Looks like they’re heading for the currency exchange.  Find a bench nearby there, sit down, and look like you’re waiting for me.”

“Got it.  And if they leave?”

“Watch which way they go without being obvious about it and let me know.”

“Okay, will do.  Are they dangerous?”

“It depends on how they’re approached.  It needs to be handled carefully.  Hurry up and go.”

“Right.”



12:45 PM, September 19, 2016
Corner of Presa St. and E. Commerce
San Antonio, Texas, USA

Their money was exchanged and they looked around.  McDonald’s was deemed too cheap and Hardrock Cafe a bit too expensive and pretnetious.  In the end, they settled on a place that seemed to be a local favorite.

“Whataburger?” said Sousuke suspiciously.  “That almost sounds like a name you make up for a work of fiction.”

“Well, it’s real, it seems popular, and if the brand name directly implies they have great burgers, then I’m sold,” said Kaname.  “C’mon.  Even if it’s not the best, it’s still food.”

AS they stood in the back of the line, looking at the menu board, something came back to haunt Kaname.

“So... how come I’m suddenly fluent in English?”

“That’s...  That’s troubling,” replied Sousuke.

“Yeah, no kidding,” Kaname shot back.

“Captain, what do you suggest we do?  I have no frame of reference for a situation like this.”

“First of all, don’t call me Captain here.  Secondly, it’d be best if we just accepted it for now, or else we’ll draw attention to ourselves.”

“I think it may be too late for that,” said Sousuke.

“What?”

“Don’t look.  Male, medium build, about 25 years old.  Waist-length black hair with beard and mustache.  He’s been following us ever since the shopping mall.”

“... is he alone?” asked Teletha.

“I can’t tell for sure.  I thought he was with a group before.”

“Are you armed?”

“Yes.”

“Well, stay calm.  It may just be a coincidence.  The last thing we need is for innocent people to get hurt in a misunderstanding.”

“Understood.”

The three placed their orders, were given a numbered table tent, and went to find a seat.

At this point, Kaname and Teletha were able to get a look at him.  Sousuke’s description of him was accurate, but it did little justice to him.

He was handsome.

Not that Sousuke wasn’t, but Kaname and Teletha weren’t blind.  Idly Kaname wondered what he might have looked like at her age.  With a face like that?  He could only have looked like an elf or something!

They both tensed, though, when after placing his own order, he turned to lock eyes on them...

...and then smiled kindly as he made his way towards them - it was almost as if he knew they were in a bad situation and wanted to make them feel better.

“I hope you guys don’t mind, but I wanted to chat with you.  You’re here for the convention, right?  San Japan Sinister Six?”

“Ah... Yeah!  Sinister Six!” said Kaname, trying to keep calm.  “We heard all about it so we had to come and see for ourselves.”

The man nodded.  “Except that Sinister Six was two years ago.  After that was Samurai Seven, and this year it’s Eight-Bit.  And that Convention happened two weeks ago.”

Sousuke, Teletha, and Kaname sat utterly still in their seats.

“Howdy guys.  I’m Benjamin, and I’m gonna need you three to stay frosty here for a few minutes because the shit has hit the fan in a most profound manner, and everyone’s getting covered.”

“What do you mean?” said Sousuke right away.  “What have you done?”

“I’m as much of a victim as you guys are,” said Ben firmly, holding up a hand to forestall further commentary.  “Like I said, the shit has hit the fan and everyone’s getting covered by it.  The only difference between me and you is that I’ve been empowered to help people like you.”

“By who?” asked Teletha.

“Let's just say that I'm on a mission from God.”

“... Okay guys,” said Kaname nervously, “I think we should get going...”

“Okay,” said Ben placatingly, "maybe reference to The Blues Brothers was a little too much.  Let’s try this.”  He then turned and waved at a group standing outside.  A Japanese boy about Sousuke’s age, and two women and two girls with bizarely colored hair.  They all came inside and the boy introduced himself.

In flawless Japanese.

“Hi.  I’m Masaki Tenchi.  I know things are kinda scary right now, but Rodes’-san is only trying to help.  Oh, and these are my friends, Aeka, Ryoko, Sasami, and Washu-chan.”

Kaname blinked.  “You’re really from Japan?  Not American-Japanese?”

Tenchi rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.  “Ah yeah.  It’s a very strange situation.  Maybe we should sit at one of the bigger tables and talk?”



Everyone else placed their orders while Kaname, Sousuke, and Benjamin began to sort through things.

“That is really Tenchi Masaki from Tenchi Muyo?” said Kaname in shock as she watched the boy not much older than her placing his order.  “This isn’t some put on, is it?”

“I’m afraid not,” Ben replied soberly.  “The short version is that the Multi-verse broke down and a lot of realities have been getting mashed up together.”

“Multi-verse?” asked Sousuke.

“Argh,” grumbled Ben.  “Okay, you know the basic premise about Alternate Realities, right?  Like what could have been if you made a different choice at a critical point in time, right?”

“Yes,” said Teletha, “this is familiar to me.”

“Well, imagine that applied to everyone in the entire universe all at once.  With that, it’s possible that if you could go from one to another that you could very well wind up in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.”

“Are you saying we’re in Tenchi Muyo right now!?” cried out Kaname, just barely managing to keep her voice down.

“Were it so simple,” sighed Ben, rolling his eyes.  “No, what’s going on instead is that we’re in something called the Meta-Continuity.  Skuld explained it to me once - and yes, I do mean THAT Skuld who’s an adorable little tech-head with an attitude.

“Anyhow, the thing is that this is usually sort of a testing grounds - a completely self-contained machine networked into the Yggdrasil-Nidhogg system that is capable of operating independently of the rest of the system.

“When the system crashed completely, a failsafe mechanism kicked in that froze the entire multiverse, and it’s steadily bringing up backups of the most important bits of each universe here - that is, people like you guys and Tenchi.”

“Wait, let me get this straight,” said Kaname.  “We’re the important ones?  Like Tenchi?  Then...”

“Yep.  Hate to say it, but it’s true.  To most people you’re fictional characters, just as Tenchi is.

Teletha was thoughtful.  Sousuke didn’t seem to know what to think and Kaname looked like she was about to need a paper bag to hyperventilate into.  Fortunately, Tenchi came to Ben's rescue.

“Hey guys.  I guess he dumped it on you, huh?” he said sheepishly.  But then he sobered, seeing that Kaname was about to have a panic attack.  “Look, guys?  It’s okay.  Just because we’re fictional to some people doesn’t make us any less real.  It just means that someone happened to make a story about our lives.”

“HOW!?” cried out Kaname.  “By peeping on us!?”

An amused snort came from Washu as she sauntered over.  “As if.  Really, it’s more like the idea behind Infinite Monkeys on Infinite Typewriters - eventually, one of them is gonna accidentally type up all of Shakespeare’s plays, and maybe even a few he was going to do, but never did.”

“So who the hell is this guy in all this mess then?” said Kaname hotly as she gestured to me.

Washu shrugged.  “Think of him as sort of a caretaker.  He’s familiar with quite a number of works of fiction, so he knows what to expect from people like you and me, and how to make our lives easier.”

“Alright,” said Teletha, cutting off Kaname, “say for the sake of argument that you’re right - and I must admit, it’s sounding very much that way, as strange as it seems - why should we go with you?”

“Well, let me count the ways,” said Ben.  “First of all, we can provide you with passports and identification; get you enrolled into one of the local schools or just have you test-out for a General Equivalency Diploma; maybe get you into one of the MANY local colleges here; provide you with a place to live - one that’s even Japanese style to ease the homesickness, get you Japanese style food as well; and generally help you out however we can so you don’t go stir-crazy.”

Kaname’s eyes narrowed at me.  “What -kind- of colleges?”

Ben smiled back.  “What kind of degree do you want?  Medical?  Engineering?  Literature?  Law?  Biology?  We got schools for just about everything here except for a handful of highly specialized fields like Aerospace Engineering.  For stuff like that, you’d have to go to one of the BIG schools like University of Texas’s main school up in Austin.”

“And you’d set us up?” said Teletha with a raised eyebrow.  “Just like that?”

Ben shrugged.  “More or less.  I have some financial backing to help open the way.  And anyhow, it’s kinda my thing.  I like to help people out of the kindness of my own heart - mainly because I’ve been dealt a real shitty deal for most of my life, so I know how it feels to have the rug yanked out from under you.”

“What happened to you?” asked Teletha with mild concern.

“Physical and psychological childhood abuse.  Makes it real hard to cope with the world in general - there’s been a few times I’ve nearly crossed the line into dissociation.  Bad enough I was a serious day-dreamer to begin with.”

Teletha winced empathetically, but Kaname was not placated.

“Why are you telling us that you’re a crazy person?”

“Did I say I was?”

“You said you have issues.”

Benjamin sighed.  “‘But I don’t want to go among mad people,’ said Alice.

‘Oh you can’t help that,’ said the Cat.  ‘We’re all mad here.  I’m mad.  You’re mad.’ 

‘How do you know I’m mad?’

‘You must be,’ said the Cat, ‘or you wouldn’t have come.’”

“I didn’t come here of my own free will!” hissed Kaname.

Ben inclined his head.  “No.  But you’ve stuck things out with Sagara.”

Kaname winced as though someone just whacked her head with a paper fan and Teletha giggled.

“He’s got you dead to rights, Kaname!”

“Shut up.”

Sousuke stepped in at this point.  “What of the others?” he asked.  “If we’re here, then perhaps the crew is as well.”

Ben nodded at that.  “Reasonable.  Very very reasonable.  So far, you’re the first we’ve found, and only by pure dumb luck - I’d brought the others here out so they can do a bit of shopping and sight seeing - you know, get to know the place a bit better.  San Antonio is rife with history in a way that only places like Boston and Chicago are.

“But getting back to your question...  Honestly, we’d have to go looking.  And I think we’d better get to it quickly.”

“Why’s that?” asked Kaname, having just recovered her composure.

“Sousuke and Teletha should know already.  San Antonio is also a huge military town.  We have four major installations here, along with a few lesser ones, and the NSA even has a signals intelligence center here.  If anyone so much as glimpses an M9, then we’re in serious trouble.”

Teletha nodded.  “He’s right, though the NSA facility is new to me.”

“It’s the year 2016.  A lot has happened lately.  I’ll try and get you guys caught up as we go, but I think Tenchi’s gonna be doing the majority of that.  He can best frame it for you guys.”

Tenchi nodded at that.  “I’ll try my best.”

“Regardless,” said Sousuke, “we must move right away.  As he said, there are a lot of military installations in this city, and the presence of an Arm Slave - even one using an ECS system - will not go unnoticed for long.”

“But first,” said Kaname as she noticed a woman with two trays coming over.

“Okay, you had a Whataburger all the way, with medium fries, and a Double Whatburger, also with fries, and a Junior Whataburger with onion rings.  Any ketchup or other sauces?”

“Try the Spicy Ketchup,” said Ben.  “It’s a favorite of a lot of people here.”

“How hot is it?” asked Kaname.

“Just a little,” said the lady.  “He’s right about it being popular, though.  We even sell it at the local grocery stores.”

“Okay, if it’s that popular, then it’s gotta be good,” said Kaname.  “Let me try one.”

Kaname opened up the wrapping on her burger with an eager smile on her face, and with an ‘Itadakimase!’ she bit in.

Her eyes nearly rolled into the back of her head.

“Oh.  Oh yes.  This.  I have missed this so much.  Thank you, Whataburger!”



1:15 PM

Before they went back to the apartment complex, Benjamin did a quick round of what he called ‘The Box’ - the convergence of highways that boxed in the Downtown area - and kept to the upper-decks where the highways became bi-level.

Kaname declared San Antonio to be rather small for a major metropolitan, but pleasant.

On the way home, though, Ben noticed one of San Antonio’s more interesting quirks was at play as they approached the Highway 90 and State Route 151 Interchange.

“Hey, everyone!  Eye’s up!  The fighter pilot trainees are out and about in their T-38 Talons!”

Indeed, there they were up ahead, on approach to practice their touch-and-goes, passing over the express way.

“Those are trainers?” said Kaname.  “But they look so much like actual fighter jets.”

“That’s the idea,” said Teletha.  “Only something that is built like a fighter jet is going to have the flight characteristics of one.  The T-38’s are good at what they do.  Simple, uncomplicated, but very much capable.  They were the first super-sonic trainers in the world.”

Benjamin nodded.  “That they are.  In fact, they’re so good that the Air Force is looking into a modernization program to extend their lifespans.”

Sousuke made a noise of approval.  “Indeed.  In the world of Arm Slaves, the main concerns are not only other Arm Slaves, but ground attack air craft.  It’s interesting to see them training for once.”

“They even train on the F-16’s out here as well,” said Ben.

“Indeed.  That’s not a particularly fast fighter, but its agility makes it formidable, even in a ground attack role.”

“Even I must admit,” said Washu from the back, “despite the relatively primitive technology, those are some very well engineered machines.  It’s interesting to see them in action.

“They are rather graceful, aren’t they?” said Aeka.

“I think the word you’re looking for is ‘cool’,” countered Ryouko playfully, “but I guess that works, too.”



“Ah, Ben?”

“Yes Miss Chidori?”

“Just Kaname is fine.  This neighborhood looks pretty... rough.”

“It’s getting better.  When everything got started, the apartment complex I’m running had a bunch of squatters there.  Mostly local thugs and homeless people.  But now that we’re in there and the place is fixed up, it’s slowly getting better.  I also hear they’re gonna demolish all those empty and dilapidated store fronts out there and put in something nice.”

“That’s a relief then.”

Ben easily navigated his way through the back roads of the neighborhood, and soon drove the van in through the back entrance of the apartment complex, pausing only to allow the security gate to open.

“Oh, it’s so beautiful here!” said Teletha in surprise as everyone took in the pristine courtyard full of palm trees, flower beds, song birds, and the glimmering swimming pool.

“We certainly couldn’t have done it without Belldandy’s help,” said Ben with a smile.  “Let’s go ahead and let you guys pick out a unit...  Uhm, would you three be alright with sharing a unit?”

“Whhaaaa?” said Kaname in surprise.

“Easy, easy,” said Ben placatingly.  “It will be a two-bedroom unit, and the bedrooms are big and well insulated.”

“Why only two?” asked Kaname.  “Don’t you have any three bedroom units?”

“We do,” said Ben, “but while the master bedroom is decently sized, the second bedroom is an odd shape and the third...  is tiny.”

“How tiny?” asked Kaname.

“Barely more than four tatami by your reckoning.”

“Yeeeeeee,” said Kaname in surprise.

“It’s alright, Kaname,” said Teletha, trying to comfort her fellow Whispered.  “I know that you and I can share a bedroom with no problem.”

Kaname sighed.  “Well, I might as well look.  They better be nice.”

“Oh, they are,” said Ben with a smile as he led them to an apartment, leaving Tenchi and the others to get their shopping bags from the van.

He unlocked a door and led the two inside.

“It... feels nice in here!” said Kaname in surprise.

“How can you afford to keep the air conditioning running like this?” asked Teletha.

“We’re using an absorption-chiller system with evacuated solar collector tubes for the heat source.  The absorption process isn’t the most efficient way to do things, but we’re using the evacuated tube solar collectors to fire the system  Those will generate heat even on a cloudy day in the middle of winter.  So with that, there’s no issue.  It helps that sunny days here tend to be the rule.  Besides, it’s when it’s sunny outside that you need the air conditioning the most.  And for cooling in the night time, the system builds an ice-bank to use when the sun isn’t out.”

“That’s remarkable!” said Teletha happily.  “So we can make it as cold as we want to in here?  And it won’t affect anything?”

“Not a thing!” replied Ben with a smile.

“It’s pretty big in here,” said Kaname as she took in the space.  “I can’t imagine how much something like this might have gone for back home.  And you said this is a two-bedroom unit?”

“Yep.  Let’s show you the kitchen first.  So, first off, you guys have a gas-fired convection double-oven with a gas range top.  All very clean and efficient.  The vent hood works - actually vents to the outside - and above it you have a high efficiency microwave oven.

“The refrigerator is a bottom pull-out freezer chest, with a double-door refrigerator on top.  There’s also a door-within-door feature for quick access the the in-door shelves, and there’s an ice and chilled water dispenser on the other door.

“You have a trash compactor for the recyclables.  There’s no presort requirement, and there’s a list of what is considered recyclable here.  It’s actually a pretty broad list - you can even recycle plastic bags and Styrofoam containers.

“We also have a composting program here in San Antonio, so anything organic that breaks down quickly can be dumped in this little green garbage can under the sink,” said Ben as he opened the cabinet door to show two small trash bins inside.  “The black one is for all other trash.  You can empty the compost into the large green trash can outside.  The small blue dumpster out there is for the recyclables, and the black one is for all other trash.

“We do have a hazardous waste program for things like batteries and fluorescent lamps with mercury, but there is no pick-up for those items.  But I’ll handle that part.  You can safely put stuff like that in the yellow trash can outside.

“You also have an in-sink disposal unit.  You can us that for organics that you don’t usually compost, like fat trimmings.  There’s also a dishwasher machine that will help you make short work of the dishes.”

“Hey, what’s this?” said Kaname.  “Is this...  A LAUNDRY MACHINE!?”

“Yup.  It’s a two-in-one unit with a condensing drier function.  You can throw a load of laundry in there, set the program, and it will automatically kick over from the wash cycle to the dry cycle.  It’s heated using gas, so it does the job real quickly.”

“You said it was a condensing drier though,” said Teletha.  “How much water does it use for the heat exchanger?”

“None.  It uses an externally vented air-to-air heat exchanger.”

“Isn’t that a little over-complicated?” asked Kaname.

“A bit.  But the thing is that the condenser also works as a heat reclamation system, so it uses a lot less gas than a typical gas dryer will.  It also keeps lint buildup in the vent pipe from being an issue.  Instead, you just remove the condenser unit and clean it with water.”

“Oh, how wonderful!” replied Teletha.  “But it is a bit small.”

“We have a little laundromat with bigger machines - two of them are even big enough to handle a single futon if you ever need to get one deep-cleaned.”

Kaname’s eyes widened.  “That’s...  That’s really nice!”

“Ain’t it?” said Ben with a smile.  “Next up, bathroom.”

“You said it’s a Japanese style?” asked Teletha.

“Yeah,” replied Ben as he led them over to that part of the apartment.  “Now, don’t wig out over this, but I had some very pleasant experiences with love hotels in Japan and how nice the bathrooms were there.  So, I felt that the residents here deserve nothing less.”

Kaname and Teletha were agog when he showed them the space.  All nice marble tile with sleek modern fixtures.  The remote shower head could be mounted high or low so it could be used while sitting or standing, and the bathtub facet was one of the nicer ones with a timer mechanism that automatically shuts off the water.

“All this for us!?  What the hell, are you made of money or something?”

“Nah,” said Ben with a smile.  “I just have some very powerful backers.  Remember I mentioned the Goddesses and Demons?  This thing is so big that they’re setting their differences aside.”

“Ah, right,” said Kaname sheepishly.  “So, what about these bedrooms?”

Ben smiled and led them into one of them.

“Wow, not bad at all!  This looks like it’s just a bit bigger than my bedroom back home.”

“And you even got plenty of closet space here,” said Ben, showing her the wide closet, and then the built-in drawers and storage cabinet.

“Okay,” said Kaname.  “And you said they’re well insulated?”

“Yeah, Belldandy went a little overboard when I asked for soundproofing and blast resistance charms.  You can literally set off a pipebomb in the next bedroom and you’ll hardly hear a thing.

“Okay, I’m sold.  But...” she then looked around.  There was a futon and a desk.  And the dining area had a table and chairs.  But other than that, there was nothing else.

“It’s alright,” said Ben.  “Part of the backing that I get is for getting you guys set up.  If you two are up for it, I we can head on out now to take care of that.”

Teletha nodded.  “That’d be great and it’d give us something to do.  You up for it, Sousuke?”

“That would be very agreeable to me.”

“Alright,” said Ben with a clap of his hands.  “We’ll take the Super Beast - we’re gonna need it for the bigger things.  But before we go there’s just one other thing I need to show you folks.”



“Okay guys, this is probably gonna wig you out a bit, but keep in mind that it was Washu-chan and Ryouko that built it.”

Benjamin then opened the door to what had been the old manager’s office in the middle of the courtyard...

...And led them into what was unmistakably the lobby area for an onsen.

“YOU HAVE AN ONSEN HERE!?” cried out Kaname in shock.

“But how?” said Teletha.  “This lobby by itself is bigger than the building... unless... You said that Washu-chan did it?”

Ben shrugged.  “It was more of Ryouko’s doing.  Say what you will about her, she definitely knows what’s needed to kick back and relax.  NOW, Features!  You will notice that there are three bathing areas and they are clearly labeled.  There’s even indicators to show that they occupied, so you know before hand that there’s someone there.  I also had Washu-chan make sure that system was relatively fool proof - you’d have to actively tamper with the system, and at that point we’d know about it because malfunctions trigger an alarm to go off.”

“Why the mixed-gender family bath?” asked Kaname.

“We don’t know who we’re gonna get in the future, so I felt it was better to be safe than sorry.”  He then sighed.  “Or, you know, maybe I might find someone special.  Once pigs learn to fly, anyways.”

Kaname gave me a somewhat sympathetic look.  “Things for you can’t be that bad, can it?”

Ben gave her a flat look.  “The last time I had a girlfriend was back in February 2011.  It’s October 2016 now.”

Kaname cringed as she reared back.  “HOW!?”

Ben sighed at that.  “Like I’ve said before, life’s been real shitty to me.  But enough about my problems, that’s not something I want you guys to be burdened with.  Let’s go ahead and talk to Washu-chan about scouting around some to see if anyone else might have arrived.  Then we’ll see about getting everything you need so you guys can get settled in.”



They quickly made deed to word, and by the time they got to Washu’s lab (further wowing Kaname, Teletha, and Sousuke) she already had several drones up in the air looking for heat signatures that would imply a mecha of some kind.

“It’s kinda tricky working around the airfields here,” said Washu as she typed command lines into a console session.  “Fortunately, though, most of those are in highly urbanized areas of town.  But even so, San Antonio is certainly not Japan - the roads here may be wider, but they carry far more traffic since they don’t even have light rail here.  So that’s a lot more prying eyes I need to avoid.”

“How do you guys manage without trains?” asked Kaname.

Ben shrugged.  “Everyone that can afford it just drives cars.  Aside from the downtown area, the traffic is usually only really heinous in the areas where they’re working on the highway upgrades.  But once those are finished up, things should flow a lot more smoothly.

“Oh, by the way, once things settle in a bit more around here I’m going to be teaching people how to drive.  Sousuke, can you manage a stick shift?”

“Affirmative.”

“Good.  Just to be safe, though, I’ll show you the methodology my stepdad used to teach me, then there will be two of us that can teach others to drive.”

“How many vehicles do you have that use an automatic transmission?”

“Just the passenger van so far.  I got lucky with Super Beast being Manual everything through and through.  Soon enough I’m gonna go on a spree buying up old cars and fixing them up, and I want most of them to be stick shift.  The only automatics I’ll take are the ones that are metaphorically bullet proof.”

“Understandable.  That is part of why I have always appreciated the first generation Savage.  A well thought out machine for its time, though the cooling system left something to be desired.”

“You guys don’t need to hang around,” said Washu.  “Even with my network of drones, it’s going to take a while.  I’m not only searching the city, but also all the surrounding counties up to fifty miles out.  But if they’re out there, I’ll find them, and you guys will be the first to know right after me.”

“Thanks Washu-chan,” said Ben.  “Well, you heard the pint-sized super-genius.  No need to crowd her.  Let’s go and get you guys kitted out.”



From there, it was more of the same.  Kaname was shocked that there was a legitimate Japanese grocery store, and at Ben’s urging stocked up on everything she’d need for the kitchen, because Kaname actually liked to cook.  Along with basic staples like rice and soba noodles, Kaname even picked out a good selection of snack foods, seasoning, sauces, teas, and even a few calpis drinks.

Then it was off to Walmart for electronics, lamps, furnishings, and basic clothes.  Superbeast’s cargo bed was quickly filled.  Though Ben had to drag Sousuke away from the sporting goods section.

“We have much better places to shop for those kinds of things,” he said as he tugged the young soldier away from the fishing tackle.

Lastly, there was HEB for the food, toiletries, and household cleaning supplies.  The three were duly impressed by the wide array of food - between that and Minano’s, Kaname stated that she would be hard pressed to get homesick over the food.

And then it was back home where Ben would help them get everything moved into their unit.



7:25 PM
Washu's Lab

“Got ‘em!” cried out Washu gleefully, though only to follow it up quickly with “Uh-oh.”

“What’s wrong?” asked Ben.

“Sousuke’s friends?  They’re up in Camp Bullis.”

“..... FUCK!” cried out Ben in alarm, setting the others on edge.  “Have they been captured or anything yet?”

“No, according the to the drone’s feed, they’re keeping pretty well hidden.  But that isn’t going to last long.  The Army knows something is up and they’re sending out scouting parties.  Looks like they’re trying to figure out what’s going on before someone goes off half-cocked.”

“Okay, enough dilly dallying then.  Washu-chan, we’ll need a radio set that-”

“Already ahead of you,” she said as she handed over a walkie-talkie.

“Encryption?”

“Same algorithm and key Sousuke’s friends are using.”

“How did you do that?” asked Sousuke.

“When you have five planets worth of quantum computing power, breaking even 256-bit encryption keys is a piece of cake.  Now, get going.  Ben knows the area better than you do.”

“Understood.  Mr. Rhodes, let’s not waste time.”

“Right.  We’ll take Superbeast again.  Just in case there's sundries that need to be moved.  Washu-chan, get Ryouko for us, would you please?  I think it’d be a good idea to have her along in case we need support.”

“Right.  She’s on her way down and will meet you at the truck.”



“This is the plan,” said Ryouko as she rode in the back seat with Sousuke while Teletha had shotgun next to Ben.  “Washu gave me a portal device.  It’s one-time use only, though.”

“Only one time?” said Telehta in surprise.

“Washu’s good,” said Ryouko, “but even she can only cram so much power into a device this small and keep it stable.  Save the unstable shit for things that are supposed to go boom, ya know?”

“Understood,” said Sousuke.  “What do we do?”

“Get to your friends.  Pop the portal.  Get everything through the portal, including Ben’s truck, because we’re pretty sure they’re gonna try and follow us.”

“And you’re damn straight about them following us,” said Ben.  “Listen to this.”  He then turned the volume on the radio up so everyone could hear.

“...has been no word yet on the reason for the lockdown, but the authorities at this time say that there is no cause for alarm at this moment.    If you’re just joining us now, Joint Base San Antonio has been in lockdown ever since 2pm today.  Initial reports are of armed intruders in the vicinity of Camp Bullis...”

“Okay, that does it,” said Ryouko, causing Ben to lower the volume on the radio.  “Sousuke, you ‘fraid of heights?”

“No, why?”

“Cause you and I are gonna take a little hop.  Ben, you gonna be good with just The Gal?”

“We’ll be good,” said Ben with a smile.  “Just don’t freak out Sousuke too badly.”

“Why, what’s going to happen?” said Sousuke.

“She’s probably gonna teleport outside with you and carry you overland to your friends.”

“Got it in one,” said Ryouko.  “Okay, soldier boy, hang on tight!”  And with that, Sousuke and Ryouko disappeared.

“Okay, so that happened,” said Ben, more or less at a loss.  “Well, I guess I better pull all the stops.”  With that, he reached down to the propane system control panel mounted forward of the transmission and transfer case shifters.  There was a faint hissing sound as he opened the valve full, and the pressure gauge quickly shot into the green zone.  A final flick of a toggle turned on the injector itself.

He then turned on the radar detector on the dashboard, and then turned on the stereo.

“Hope you don’t mind if I jam out here.  It helps with the driving.”

“Not at all,” replied Teletha.

The stereo’s Blue Tooth radio connected to Ben’s phone, mounted to the dashboard, and automatically the music started.  It was Pink Floyd’s On the Run.

“Perfect,” said Ben with a grin as he gave the engine more fuel, making the turbocharger whine as it spun up.

“Can you talk right now?” asked Teletha suddenly.

“Sure.  Traffic’s not too bad.  What’s on your mind?”

“I wish to know just how much you know about us.”

“Hrm,” said Ben thoughtfully as he frowned.  “Bit of a Pandora’s Box there, but I think that at least you can handle it.  Let’s get the worst out of the way.  I know you prefer white cotton underwear, and that you’ve got a figure that some women would kill for.  I haven’t seen anything more than that, though.”

“Okay,” said Teletha slowly.  “That’s disconcerting... but better than I thought.”  She then said impishly, “And what about Kaname?”

Ben scoffed in amusement at Teletha’s sudden one-eighty.  “Same deal.  But for her to be so well-endowed at her age, I don’t envy the back pain she’s gonna have when she’s in her late-twenties.  But she’s a pretty smart girl, though, so I’m sure she works out to keep her core muscles in tip-top shape.”

“A very astute observation.  If, that is, you never saw it in the anime series you mentioned.”

“Not really.  It was shown that she’s athletic, but they never really dug into it.”

“Tell me more about what you know about me.”

“Okay, anything in particular?”

“Pick something.”

Ben sighed.  “I know about your thing for Sosuke....  Okay, look, I’m gonna have a very Aspie moment here and just give it to you straight up.”

“‘Aspie?’” asked Teletha.

“Asperger’s Syndrome.  Very high-functioning autism.  Not diagnosed, but I’ve got all the classic signs, including a tendency to hyperfocus, bad at reading moods, and a teller of the blunt and hard truths.”

Teletha nodded.  “So what is it then?”

Ben sighed again.  “Sosuke doesn’t know how to handle your more... non-professional attentions.  In fact, it probably confuses the hell out of the poor guy, you being a commissioned line officer and he a Non-Com frontline soldier.  Kaname confuses him too, but he can process that more easily.  While she’s under his protection, she’s not in his chain of command, so while there is a sort of lack of professionalism in having a personal relationship with her, it actually makes it easier for him to keep her safe.

“Granted, he has no idea of how to proceed, but he does know this much: he very much would like to move forward with Kaname.”

Teletha sighed heavily.  “I thought as much myself.  Are you certain, though, that he has no real feelings for me?”

“Not one-hundred percent,” said Ben thoughtfully.  “You could have a bit of a chance, but that might mean having to accept an... unusual relationship.”

“What do you mean?”

“Polyamory.”

“With Sousuke AND Kaname!?”

“Yes, but I don’t mean that you have to have sexual relations with her.  But all the same, were I you, I’d look into it - that is, a domestic situation that you’d all be comfortable with.  It’s just something that has too much potential to simply pass up.”

“That.... That does sound sensible.  Though I worry that Kaname may be too conservative to go with something like that.”

Ben shrugged helplessly.  “If you never try, then you’ll never know.”

“Yes, that is true.  What about you?”

“Yes?”

The ending crescendo of the instrumental piece came with a crash and the phone switched over to the next track, an unusual electronic piece with a chill-hop beat called B777 by the Utah Saints.  At that moment, they were coming up on the interchange between Loop I-410 and Interstate 10, which momentarily distracted Teletha.

“Uhm, shouldn’t you be going a bit slower here?” asked Teletha nervously as they began the long climb on the ramp.

“We’re good,” said Ben confidently.  “This connector is a big sweeping curve you can take at full highway speeds as long as your careful with the bit at the end.”

“Alright then, I guess you’d know it well, this being your town and all...  So, what about your feelings for me?”

Ben sighed.  “I must be like an open book to you.”

“Not quite.  I have no idea for certain what you are thinking.  But I have noticed that you always strive to maintain a polite distance, even at the cost of being awkward.  You cannot possibly have no feelings of affection towards me.”

Ben was silent for a moment while he gathered his thoughts and tried to order them into some kind of coherent package.

“I think you’re beautiful,” he said at last with the voice of a beaten man.  “Not just in appearance, though that too.  I think you have a good heart and a strong spirit.  You’re someone who wants to make the world a better place so people don’t need to live in fear.  You have a courage and a strength in you that I wish that I had myself.”

Ben couldn’t see the positively radioactive blush on Teletha’s face as he was focused on the road and looking for police.  However, that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to seize on the dangling thread he left in the conversation.

“What do you mean by that?  I mean, I think you are incredibly brave to do what you’re doing now, playing host to people who can kill you with an off-hand gesture.”

“Not the same,” said Ben in mild exasperation.  “When I was your age, I was so wrapped up in apathy and worthlessness that if I had to deal with even a tenth of what you had, then I’d have folded like a wet cardboard box and just let the whole world trample me to death.”

Teletha looked at Benjamin in shock.  “I don’t understand.  Did something bad happen to you?”

“You could say that.  Remember that abuse I mentioned before?  It’s a known thing: a human being can only hear so much about their perceived faults before they become reality.  And me being wired the way I am?  It’s a miracle that I’m here today.”

“...Oh,” was all that Teletha could say on the matter, eyes wide as she contemplated his words.  She was, unfortunately, all too familiar with the terrible things people can do to each other.  Especially where there is a vast difference in power.

Ben sighed, knowing exactly where Teletha was getting hit by this.

“You can’t save the entire world, Teletha.  At least, not by yourself.  And no matter how hard you try, there’s always going to be some evil in the world.  Not that I think it isn’t important to try.  Much like the boy throwing starfish back into the ocean.  When a man came to him and said, ‘Why are you doing that?  Don’t you know that you can’t save them all?  You’re not going to make a difference.’  The boy then threw another back into the ocean and replied, ‘I made a difference to that one.’

“So don’t worry about me, Teletha.  You could never have done anything for me, even with the vast powers of Mithril at your back.  I was in an entirely different world from yours.  Instead, it’s better to worry about the ones you can help right now.”

Teletha sighed as well and said, “You’re right.  I really do need to focus on the people that I can help.  And don’t worry about your feelings for me, Benjamin.  While I don’t think I can reciprocate, I am actually flattered about what you think of me.”

Benjamin sighed.  What the hell was I expecting anyways? he thought to himself somewhat bitterly.  But he didn’t let that show on the surface, merely the mild disappointment.

“Ah well.  I am literally just old enough to be your father anyhow.”

Teletha actually scoffed at that.  “Please don’t.  I’d much rather you treat me as an adult.  Even though I am a Whispered I still had to work unbelievably hard to earn my chops.”

Ben rolled his eyes.  “Not what I meant and you know it.  Let’s get something straight here, Captain.  I’m fine with treating you as a grown-ass woman in all areas except one: my even admitting that I find you physically attractive is in the danger zone.  There’s a lot of hypocritical conservative types out there - even here in Texas - that would love nothing more than to throw someone like me under the bus for even perceived notions of pedophilia.  And all just because I’m a little too brown for their liking or that I’m a co-called liberal.”

Teletha nearly snapped back at Benjamin for the rebuke, but then his words sunk in.  All personal jabs aside, he was absolutely right in that assessment.

“... I see your point, Mr. Rhodes,” said Teletha, shifting to a professional demeanor.  “In that case, I’ll keep this in the strictest confidence between us.”

“Thank you.  We’re coming up on Loop Sixteen-Oh-Four, which means we’re getting close.  You may wanna get on the horn to your people.”

“Right.”  Teletha picked up the radio and keyed the PTT button.  “This is Tuatha de Danaan Actual to any friendly units.  Please report in.”

“TDD Actual, Urzu Squadron Actual - DAMN HAPPY TO HEAR YOU MA’AM!”

“Oh MAO!  Thank goodness! What’s your situation?”

“It’s just myself and Sergeant Webber, Ma’am.  We have two M9’s, The ARX-7... and, for some reason, we have an M6 Bushnell, too.”

“How odd,” murmured Teletha to herself.  She pushed the PTT again and went on, “Mao, I’m sure you understand that our situation is a strange one.  Unfortunately, it’s about to get even stranger.  Sergeant Sagara is inbound with some... Help.”

“Help?  What kind of help?”

“Trust me, Sergeant.  You’ll need to see it to believe it.  Just please don’t shoot at her.”

“Shoot her?  Why on Earth would I GYYYAAAAHHH!!!”

“And that would be the 'Help',” snarked Ben.

Teletha couldn’t help but giggle at that.  After a brief moment, Mao’s voice came back over the radio.

“Okay, I see what you mean now.  How is she supposed to help us?”

“She’s supposed to have a device with her...”

“...She says you have it still!”

“WHAT!?” cried out both Ben and Teletha together.

Ben spared a quick look at the back seat, and sure enough the portal device was there, as innocent as can be.

“Shit!” hissed Ben.  “Ma’am, hand me the radio, would you?  Thanks.  Washu-chan, it’s Ben.  I know you’re listening.”

“And I know what you’re gonna ask for,” she replied over the radio.  “Get ready because I’m gonna give you some latitude-longitude coordinates to put into your GPS.”

“Got it, wait one.”  Ben quickly set the radio aside and pulled up the Google Maps app on his phone, then handed it to Teletha and picked up the radio again.  “Okay, ready!”

“Latitude.  Two.  Nine.  Point.  Six.  Six.  Zero.  Three.  Two.  Eight.  North.  Longitude.  Nine.  Eight.  Point.  Five.  One.  Five.  Five.  Seven.  Six,  West.”

Ben hit the PTT and aimed the radio at Teletha, who said, “I have latitude 29.660328 North, longitude 98.515576 West.  Is that correct?”

“Correct!  That should get you to a good rendezvous point just outside the base.”

Ben traded Teletha back the radio for his phone and started the GPS guidance, changing lanes to take the exit for north-bound Loop 1604.

“Mao, did you get all that?” said Teletha into the radio.

“We’re already getting ready to move.  But ma’am?  What do we do about the M6?”

“Leave it!  It’s the least sophisticated unit.  Don’t even bother with trying to destroy it - you won’t have time.”

“Aye aye, Ma’am.  Leaving the M6.  We will be at the rendezvous point in ten mikes.”



7:58 PM

The coordinates turned out to be a small, run-down ranch off of Blanco Road.  Ben wasn’t subtle about anything at this point.  He simply drove the truck straight through the flimsy old gate.

And not a moment too soon.  Because of their silent paladium reactors, they felt rather than heard the AS’s coming.  But what was more concerning was the sound of approaching helicopters.

Ben didn’t waste any time.  He thumbed the button on the portal device and threw it into the middle of a clearing, and a wide, dark hole opened, just big enough for an AS to duck through.

“C’MON! C’MON,” called out Ben as the AS’s appeared, directing them at the portal.  “LET’S GO GODAMMIT!”

“No need to tell us twice!” cried out one of the M9’s in the voice of Kurtz Weber.

Ben resisted the urge to cover his ears as Mao and Sosuke fired their weapons, filling the air with chaff and flares to obscure their profiles from the massive Marine Corps CH-53 Helicopter Gunships.

“HURRY UP!” screeched Washu’s voice on the radio.  “You only have fifteen seconds of power left!”

“SHIT!” cried out Ben as he dashed for the truck.  He didn’t even bother with the seat belt as he threw it in gear, released the parking brake, gunned the engine, and dropped the clutch like a hot potato.

Teletha noted that, from the moment the driver side door slammed shut, it only took him a two seconds to do all that - most of that was spent revving the engine up to speed.  To Ben it almost felt like an eternity, especially as the rear wheels spun, shooting loose soil and gravel behind them in a terrific spray, making the truck fish-tail as Ben aimed it for the portal.

But then the portal collapsed and there was suddenly much yelling over the radio channel.

“Fuck!” cried out Ben.  “I knew I should have put this bastard into four-wheel-HI before we left!”

“What now!?” cried out Teletha in alarm.

“We get the hell out of here and hope that they just think we’re the guy that lives here bugging out!”

Ben said that as he swung the truck around again, shooting down the driveway like a startled cougar, and hooking the turn out onto Blanco road, rear tires screaming in protest.

“Okay,” said Ben as they raced down the road at break-neck speed.  “Just stay cool for now.  Don’t look up.  Don’t look back.  We’re some home owners that just saw some seriously scary shit and got the hell out of dodge.”

“BEN!  TELETHA!  ARE YOU GUYS ALRIGHT!?” cried out Washu’s voice on the radio.  Ben had to keep his attention on the road as he navigated the twists and turns at highly inadvisable speeds, so Teletha picked up the radio.

“We’re okay, Washu-chan.  We’re trying to act like we were the people living there.”

“That won’t hold up for long,” replied Washu.  “You guys sit tight while I work on some divine intervention.”

Ben eased up on the throttle when they got close to Loop 1604, but only enough to manage a left turn onto the frontage road that still sent the rear wheels into a squealing protest as they lost traction. Once the tires bit down on the pavement again, though, Ben set the turbocharger to screaming as he throttled up again.  “Damn, I bet we’re rolling coal like a motherfucker here,” grumbled Ben.

“You guys?” came Washu’s voice on the radio.  “I think I can make a portal to bring you back, but if I do this I’m going to need an exact location, and it’s best if it’s something secluded so my drones can work without being noticed.”

“We copy, Washu-chan,” replied Teletha.  “I can tell Ben is working it out already.”

Ben nodded at that.  “Okay...  Think...  Place where we can duck through...  dark, enclosed...”

“A tunnel?” asked Teletha.

“Nah, not much of that here in San Antonio.  The aquifer isn’t that deep in some areas - some places you don’t even need to drill more than forty-five feet down until you got yourself an artesian well.  I think I got something, though.  Radio, please?”

Teletha handed Ben the radio and he hit the PTT.

“Washu-chan, it’s Ben.  I think I got a spot, but I’m a bit fuzzy on the location.  There are two overpasses where Interstate 10 crosses over some thoroughfares.  One is Fresno Road, the other is West Avenue.  One of them has solid wall segments between the load-bearing pillars under the bridge.  If you set the drone up in the turn around that loops me back onto the west-bound frontage road, that should do the trick.”

“Got it.  Wait a minute while I check on that.”

While Washu worked, Teletha put a hand to Ben’s shoulder.  “Thank you for doing this, Ben.”

“S’my job, ma’am.”

“Yes.  It is.  But even so, for being an ordinary man, you are being very courageous right now.”

“That, or very stupid,” said Ben with a shrug.

Teletha chuckled.  “No.  Definitely courageous.”  She then sighed.  “In a ways, you’re a lot like Sergeant Sagara.”

“Am I?”

“More than you can imagine.”

Ben sighed at that, then jabbed at his phone to get the music app playing again.

Random Number Jesus struck and VNV Nation’s “Rubicon” began to play, filling the cab with the staccato, yet sorrowful sounding synth tones before the inimitable voice of Ronan Harris started up.  Unable to help himself, Benjamin sung along, adding his own voice to the song.


Praying for myself
These thoughts I try to hide
I have faith in me
And hope this will survive
But it's tearing me apart
I can't hear the words by which I guide
So I must ask again
Who will carry me?

I can not deny
That nothing can defend
From the helplessness
That's cutting deep inside
And I can't prevent
The thought that nothings real
It seems I've waited years
For this day to end

The strength I need to feel
The pride inside of me
Are not there behind the face
Thats staring back at me
The anger and the pain
Of knowing where I am
I have come so far
That I cannot return

Nothing I can do
That I have not done
No words I can say
No truth left that I can see
So must I let this end?
Let everything fall apart?
Before I live my life
As I have always done

Tell me what to do
So I do nothing wrong
Something I can hope for
Something real that I can see
So nothing falls apart
So this does not end
I cannot return
I can't start again

Nothing to deny
Nothing to defend
From the helplessness
That's cutting me so deep inside
And I can't prevent
The thought that nothings real
It seems I'm waiting years
For this day to end

Praying for myself
These thoughts I try to hide
I have faith in me
And hope this will survive
But it's tearing me apart
I can't hear the words by which I guide
So I must ask again
Who will carry me?

Nothing I can do
That I have not done
No words I can say
No truth left that I can see
So must I let this end?
Let everything fall apart?
Before I live my life
As I have always done

Tell me what to do
So I do nothing wrong
Something I can hope for
Something real that I can see
So nothing falls apart
So this does not end
I cannot return
I can't start again

Teletha had to bite her tongue and hold her breathe for fear of losing her composure.  Coming from anyone else, Teletha might not have paid much mind to such a synth-heavy piece of music.  But after what she had learned about Benjamin?

Hearing the lyrics struck a chord in her because they were exactly what her life was like as a commanding officer in MITHRIL.  The anxiety and uncertainty, fearing the worst possible outcomes.  She wished that she could go back and do everything all over again and fix the mistakes she had made - mistakes that had cost people their lives.

And then there was Benjamin.

The way he sung the song, she knew without a doubt that this was his song as well.  The helplessness, the pain, the sense of being trapped by circumstance, and of being caught out in it all alone with no one to lean on for support.  It was all there, so clearly in his voice and in his eyes

“What is that?  It’s beautiful, but…”  Her voice caught and she had to stop for a second to keep it from cracking.  It was almost a fight to get the words out.  “It’s so sad.”

“VNV Nation.  The acronym stands for Victory, Not Vengeance.  Their music speaks to me on a very profound level.”

“I can tell,” she said quietly.

“Guys?” came Washu’s voice on the radio again, breaking the moment.  Ben paused the music right away.  “I got it.  You want the overpass for West Avenue.  The drones are standing by.”

Ben grabbed the radio.  “Got it.  Just a couple more minutes.”  He then handed the radio back to Teletha.  “There’s some big turns ahead and I’m gonna need to concentrate.”

“Right,” replied Teletha.

As they passed the I-410/I-10 Interchange, the curves Ben was talking about came - a series of wide, S-curve turns.  It wasn’t so much the turns themselves, but the traffic present at the time - even in this evening hour, the freeway was fairly well packed.  Not enough for traffic to slow down, but enough that Teletha gripped the edge of her seat as Ben wove through it.  But to Ben’s credit, they stayed firmly planted on the road and hit the exit for West Avenue in record time.  In just a few more seconds, they barreled through the sharp turn leading into the turnaround, and suddenly a dark hole sprang up and swallowed them.  Ben buried the clutch pedal and the brakes, sending the truck skidding across the floor, not far from where everyone else stood by their Arm Slaves.

Ben shut off the engine, applied the parking brake, and jumped out of the truck.

“How’d we do?” he asked.

“You were being followed the whole way,” said Washu as she approached.

“Police?” asked Ben.

Washu shook her head.  “No, one of those gunships.  I already went through the Texas DPS database and scrambled all the details for your truck.  We’ll need to change its VIN number, color, inspection tags, and license plate to fit.  We dodged a bullet today, kids, but for now? We’re on their radar, and we won’t be able to get away with something like this again.

“Part of this was my fault.  I kept the portal device’s window of operation small to lessen the chance of anyone uninvited coming through.”

“You’re not the only one, Washu-chan,” said Ben.  “Like I told Teletha, I should have had the foresight to put the truck into four-wheel drive before we took off.”

“What I’m primarily concerned about is that M6 we had to leave behind,” said Teletha.  “From what I’ve been able to glean so far, you don’t have Arm Slave’s in this version of Earth.  Otherwise the Army would have deployed its own Arm Slaves to counter ours.  I worry about what this might do to the balance of power here.”

Ben sighed.  “We’ll worry about it later.  I just hope that Clinton wins the election.  She’ll be far more level-headed than Trump.”

“So, can someone PLEASE explain what’s going on here?” said Kurtz Webber with an aggrieved tone.

“Sorry about that,” said Ben. “You know how these things go.  My name’s Benjamin Rhodes,” he said, offering his hand to Kurtz.  “I’m pretty much in charge of this operation here, but Washu-chan will give you guys the breakdown.  Let’s get you two briefed, and then we can go ahead and debrief this whole fiasco.”



September 19, 2016, 10:22 PM
The Westwoods Apartments
San Antonio, TX, USA

Once everyone was brought up to speed, Benjamin set up Kurtz and Mao with a two-bedroom American-style unit.  They’d leave the outfitting for later, but for the moment it had the essentials.  In a last-minute change, Sousuke opted to bunk with Kurtz, leaving Teletha and Kaname with their two-bedroom unit to themselves.

In his own apartment, Benjamin was trying to relax and not having much luck.  He’d bathed, brewed some mint tea, played soft music in the background, dimmed the lights, and fiddled with his spread sheets.  All to no avail.  The tension from earlier simply wouldn’t leave him, and his sleep disorder only made it worse.

A knock on his front door made him look up and blink.  Tenchi and the others hardly ever bothered him at this hour - they were usually all asleep by this time, except for Washu.  Ben knew already that she altered her own neurochemistry so she didn’t need sleep.

Opening his door, he was mildly surprised to see Teletha there wearing some flannel pajamas that she’d chosen for herself earlier.

“I thought you might be awake still,” she said without any preamble.  “I can hardly sleep myself after a major action.  May I come in, Mister Rhodes?”

“Of course,” replied Benjamin, nonplussed at this sudden turn.  “Ah, anything to drink?”

Teletha sniffed the air and smiled.  “That tea would be wonderful, if you don’t mind sharing it.”

“Of course not,” he said as he went to the kitchen to get a mug for Teletha.  “So, what’s on your mind, Captain?”

“A number of things,” replied the gray-eyed girl as she made herself comfortable on his sectional sofa, curling her legs underneath her.  “Chiefly amongst them, I feel it would be a good idea if we discussed emergency responses.  Because if today is a sign of things to come, I feel we should be prepared instead of getting caught flat-footed like we were earlier.”

“A valid concern,” said Ben, nodding his head as he presented Teletha with the mug of tea, and scooting the tray with the milk and sugar across his coffee table towards her.

“Thank you,” she said absently as she accepted the mug, as well as the unvoiced offer of milk and sugar.

“Well, we have two M9’s and the Arbelest now,” said Benjamin as Teletha doctored her tea.  “We also have Tenchi’s family.  Really, we should have Noike up here if we’re going to seriously talk about this.  She was a Galaxy Police officer with a highly distinguished record.”

Teletha hmmm’ed contently as she sampled her tea, then gazed off into the distance as she listened to Ben.

“That’s good to know,” she replied.  “Having Mao around is good, but if Noike really has lived for several hundred years like you said during our indoctrination, then her experience and seniority is even better than Mao’s.  We’ll table that for later, then, when she is able to join us.”

Silence fell as Teletha placidly sipped her tea.  Ben would have let it go at that, but the tension in the air told him that would not be possible.  One way or another, someone was going to start.

“I take it there’s something else on your mind, Captain?”

“Yes,” replied Teletha without looking at Ben.  “I have a confession to make.”

Ben wasn’t sure what she was about to say.  Reading moods is one thing, but discerning someone’s thoughts was entirely another.  So he stayed silent, patiently, if tensely, awaiting her next words.

“Like I said before, I don’t believe I could be in an intimate relationship with you.  But for some reason… that rings false to me.  Even though I know it to be true because facts are facts: I still have… feelings for Sagara.  But I also feel that I should like you.  Despite whatever faults you may have, you also have all of the qualities that appeal to me.  One would think that with Sagara declaring his feelings for Kaname alone that I would be able to let go… but I cannot for some reason.  And whatever that reason is, it is why I cannot pursue such a relationship with you.

“Please forgive me, Mister Rhodes.  I should never have pushed you like I did when we were alone.  And because I did, I’ve hurt you in a terrible way.”

Ben sighed and nodded his head.  “It’s alright, Captain.  Like I said before, I should know what to expect.  Just…”  Ben sighed once more, only with a bit of vehemence this time.  “I just wish life would quit kicking the ever-loving shit out of me just because it can.  But… that’s not really something you should be concerned about.”

“Is it?” she asked, finally looking Benjamin in the eyes.  “It’s only been one day, and you’ve already done so much for us.”

Ben shrugged.  “That’s what I’m supposed to be doing here.”

“Yes.  But that’s something anyone can do so long as they know what they’re dealing with.  But you’re different, Benjamin.  You don’t really say it, but we feel it.  You actually do care about us.”

Ben sighed heavily as he steepled his fingers and rest his chin on his thumbs, turning away from Teletha in the process.

“That is exactly why I need to be careful,” said Ben quietly.  “I know all of you far too well for my own good.  And I need to see to your welfare, and not my own desires.”

“And what is it that you want the most?” asked Teletha, even though she knew the answer already.

“A partner.  Someone who wants to start a family with me.  Who can love me without reservation because she doesn’t care how messed up I am.  Too bad so many people out there are so jaded.”

“You shouldn’t be so dismissive of yourself, Benjamin,” said Teletha in an effort to comfort him.

“Kinda hard for me to not do that.  Especially when I’ve spent the most important years of my life hearing all about what a fuck-up I am.”

“Did he ever say any good things about you?”

“Only to magnify how badly I was screwing up.”

Teletha was absolutely repulsed by the thought.  “God, how horrible!  I would have expected something like that from my brother!  How on Earth could you live with that?”

“Some would say that it wasn’t living at all.  I simply gave up.  Even though I was still just a kid, I felt like a tired old man just waiting out his life.”

Teletha knew exactly where that was going, but she didn’t have it in her to follow that particular thread, to ask him about how he managed to survive such a state of mind.  More to the point, she suspected that she did not want to know.

She wanted to say something.  Anything to make him feel better.  But the only way she could do that was to accept and love Benjamin in a way that would lead her to cross certain lines in the future.

And she simply could not do that.  All she could do was leave him to his solitude, even as much as it pained her to do so.  She got up, setting her mug on the table and moved to leave, but not before pausing to lay a tentative hand on his shoulder.

“Please try to get some rest, Benjamin.  We will both need it if we are to make any long term plans.”

He didn’t move, even as she went quietly to the door and let herself out, taking one last look at him as she shut the door gently.

As she walked back towards her apartment, she did so with a heavy heart.  It was true that she couldn’t love him, but somehow she still felt broken-hearted over him.

What on earth is wrong with me? She thought to herself.  I should like him.  And I do… but no matter what, I can’t get my mind off of Sagara.  I’m a Whispered, I should be better than this!

What is wrong with me!?

It was a good thing that Sousuke had opted to bunk with Kurtz in the other unit, leaving the second bedroom in the unit Teletha shared with Kaname all to herself.  This way, Kaname was not around to see the look on Teletha’s face and further complicate things by asking the Captain why she was so troubled.

It was a conversation she could not have that night.

For Ben’s part, back in his own unit, he took as much diphenhydramine as he felt safe in taking, and went to bed, hoping for a dreamless night.  But he suspected that he wouldn’t be granted that wish.

He rarely ever gets what he wants, after all.



OOC: The fact of the matter will come out eventually that it was fully expected by the Celestials that Teletha would settle with Benjamin.  However, the meddling of Drosselmyer got in the way, as he felt that it wasn't a juicy enough story.  No, let us have the taboo of children falling in love with a grown man.  Even among the Ancient Greeks, The Taboo has always been a far more interesting story.
RE: [IC][Story] Full Metal Boogie
#2
Oh, this is great, BA. Can't wait to see more.
-- Bob

I have been Roland, Beowulf, Achilles, Gilgamesh, Clark Kent, Mary Sue, DJ Croft, Skysaber.  I have been 
called a hundred names and will be called a thousand more before the sun grows dim and cold....
RE: [IC][Story] Full Metal Boogie
#3
I've got other stuff coming on down the pipeline, and it's gonna be more of the hard-hitting stuff you know and love me for.

Lemme put it this way.  That one-two punch I have with Oasis and then Sia in Homura's Soundtrack?  I ain't screwin' around there.  The feels are gonna mess you up.

But before that, I got this thing that happens with Misaka Mikoto.  And booooyyyy howdy, she is never gonna see the world in the same light ever again.  She knew shit was fucked up in Academy City.  But she never knew how fucked up shit on that level can linger and hide in every day life.
RE: [IC][Story] Full Metal Boogie
#4
(04-07-2021, 08:45 AM)Bob Schroeck Wrote: Oh, this is great, BA.  Can't wait to see more.

Seconded.

That was really nice.  When I go back and write Sakura's arrival, I'm going to have to do the "introduce the rooms" thing too.

Quote:Longitude.  Nine.
Don't you mean niner?

Quote:“This is the plan,” said Ryouko as she rode in the back seat with Sousuke while Teletha had shotgun next to Ben.  “Washu gave me a portal device.  It’s one-time use only, though.”

“Only one time?” said Telehta in surprise.

“Washu’s good,” said Ryouko, “but even she can only cram so much power into a device this small and keep it stable.  Save the unstable shit for things that are supposed to go boom, ya know?”

Now you're thinking with port... wait a minute!  Hasn't... yep.  GLaDOS has been our setting since, well, before I joined.  Maybe Washu needs to have a little chat.

And now that I went back to find that section, I see Teletha is misspelled.

Quote:“Yeah, Belldandy went a little overboard when I asked for soundproofing and blast resistance charms.  You can literally set off a pipebomb in the next bedroom and you’ll hardly hear a thing.
I'm sure with Sagara staying here that will never come up, right?

And now that I went back to find that line, I notice it needs an ending quote mark.  Gosh, I didn't see anything when I was actually reading the thing.  I'm going to end this comment before I introduce any more errors retroactively.
"Kitto daijoubu da yo." - Sakura Kinomoto
RE: [IC][Story] Full Metal Boogie
#5
(04-09-2021, 02:25 AM)Labster Wrote:
Quote:Longitude.  Nine.
Don't you mean niner?

We have a trope for this.

I can't speak for the US military, but I do know how pilots in Canada talk. "Nine", not "Niner".
--
Rob Kelk

Sticks and stones can break your bones,
But words can break your heart.
- unknown
RE: [IC][Story] Full Metal Boogie
#6
Actually, Brent's got the right of it.  I was just being a bit lazy.

For the proof, how the numbers are pronounced from an image I snipped off of Wikipedia.
   

Sauce: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO_phonetic_alphabet
RE: [IC][Story] Full Metal Boogie
#7
This is now on the wiki, with some typos fixed. Including "Niner".

(Note to self: Do not blindly accept all suggested fixes, unless you want Ben talking about a Cartesian well.)
--
Rob Kelk

Sticks and stones can break your bones,
But words can break your heart.
- unknown
RE: [IC][Story] Full Metal Boogie
#8
(04-07-2021, 12:16 AM)Black Aeronaut Wrote: “We’ll worry about it later,” said Sousuke.  “Across the street.”  Sousuke pointed with his head to a plaza across the street.  “There is a cathedral over there.  It appears to be a popular tourist destination.  There are also tables over there.  We can probably get a better idea of how we stand if we sit down.

"You can't stand and sit down at the same time..."

"Thank you, Osaka."


(04-07-2021, 12:16 AM)Black Aeronaut Wrote: September 19, 2016, 10:10 AM
The Rivercenter Mall
San Antonio, TX, USA

Figured I might as well pin that mall to the local map on Westwoods' wiki page. So I did.

It's up to you to add more locations, BA.


(04-07-2021, 12:16 AM)Black Aeronaut Wrote: Random Number Jesus struck and VNV Nation’s “Rubicon” began to play,

Lyrics from "Rubicon", from the album Empires, © 1999 VNV Nation.

Also attributed on the wiki.
--
Rob Kelk

Sticks and stones can break your bones,
But words can break your heart.
- unknown
RE: [IC][Story] Full Metal Boogie
#9
Thank you, Rob.  Leave it to me to forget about all the small details.

Anyhow, came across a bit of music I think would make for a good ending theme for this story: My Life, by FM Attack, from their album, New World.  Given Teletha's rejection, it's just another day in Benjamin's life as she runs away from not only him, but herself as well.  She never has been all that good at dealing with her personal demons, though I can hardly blame her.

Video courtesy of FM Attack from their Youtube channel.  Their music is available to purchase here at Bandcamp.



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