Magical Lyrical G-Squad

Chapter 7: Cat Out of the Bag

Xx~~*~~xX

Arisa's eyes flicked between the large, flat-screen TV, and her purple-haired friend who had just taken her customary place on the other side of the cafeteria table. As Suzuka began to mindlessly pick at her late breakfast, Arisa tried to appear nonchalant while surreptitiously studying her old companion. It might have been her imagination or a trick of light and shadow, but Arisa almost detected small bags forming under Suzuka's eyes. Even without that particular clue, it wasn't hard to deduce that the Golem Squad tech wasn't getting enough sleep.

"Another late night?" she casually questioned, to which she received just a nod from Suzuka. "And you still won't say what you're doing in there?"

A half-smile graced Suzuka's face. "Not yet, but soon."

"Okay..." Arisa said, but her hidden suspicions weren't sated in the least. She tried a change of tactic. "Sailor Neko appeared again last night." She didn't add that Sailor Neko had disappeared for a few days, during and immediately following the North Korean incident, and Arisa was beginning to have a certain gut feeling.

Suzuka merely shrugged and continued eating, turning to the TV as if to change the subject. "Admiral Lindy is on that American talk show?"

Arisa nodded. "Yes, they just arrived there yesterday for their brief tour around the world, visiting countries and their people."

What she didn't need to say, since Suzuka already knew, was that the expedition had changed routes and decided to visit the North and South American continents, after South Korea. This was mostly due to having to appear at the UN for discussion on the North Korean incident. But on this leg of the trip, Arisa and Suzuka were technically on vacation; Adams, Vice, Arf, and Otto were handling the security, along with Miyuki. Kyoya still hadn't been heard from, since his departure to go back under cover. Well, Arisa herself wasn't totally on vacation, so much as she was responsible for the security of the embassy. In the next leg of the trip, she would be rotated in for Vice. In that way, each member could get some downtime while ensuring the security of the diplomatic delegation.

But currently, Arisa's attention was on the conversation taking place on the big screen TV.

"And I think another big question our viewers are eager to hear an answer to," the female interviewer was saying, "is why you decided to approach Earth now?"

Lindy smiled knowingly, as if anticipating the question. "The timing of first contact is a matter of some debate, but the ultimate reasons are generally unique to each planet. In this case, Earth has recently made a scientific advancement with the discover of what you call the Higgs-Boson. Again, to use your terms, the Higgs field is one of the basic building blocks of the universe, and the ability to manipulate this field leads to many important scientific advancements, such as the massless propulsion of our spaceships. But it can also do a lot of harm if handled incorrectly, leading to what we call 'dimensional quakes.' In the past history of our Belkan wars, we lost several planets to such weapons, and thus we have no desire to see such a promising culture as yours be wiped out like that."

"So, you would prevent us from developing this important technology?" the interviewer questioned, which made Arisa wince slightly. Then again, she realized that the interviewer wouldn't be doing her job if she went soft on the questions.

"On the contrary, we've found it helpful to offer hints and tips, and provide a bit of a safety net so that doesn't happen," Lindy answered smoothly. "You have already mastered the atom, and developed great weapons based off that, so I'm sure you can see the danger. And there is one other reason: within 50 years, we see the humans of your world beginning to venture further into space. We find it a bit easier to establish relations just prior to that point, to prepare your people for the realities of what is out there."

"But as you have said before, you don't plan on offering us spaceflight technology?"

Lindy politely shook her head. "That is correct. The Bureau generally likes to see a planet develop on it's own, using their own technology. So while we'll assist with very minor things like clean water development, that will only be things within, or slightly above, your technology level. Our primary existence, as we've stated before, is the containment of dangerous, ancient technologies. The very creation of our Bureau, was in response to civilizations that wiped themselves out when they misused the high technology they developed. We have no desire to see that happen to any other planets, especially as it can engulf multiple worlds."

The interviewers eyes narrowed slightly, even as she leaned forward. "So, you offer us the barest hints of carrots, in order to get us to play along with you?"

Arisa couldn't help but wince again. It was another example of a fair question, but Arisa felt Lindy could have been better served with a different talk show.

"As we have explained to all at your United Nations, each country can choose their level of involvement, and terminate any treaties at their convenience," Lindy stated, impressing Arisa with the way the woman easily maintained her cool demeanor. "Our main concern is letting Earth know the dangers of what is out there, and offer our assistance in joining the intergalactic neighborhood, so to speak. But generally speaking, we tend to stay as hands-off as possible, concerning ourselves mainly with intergalactic security and humanitarian efforts where possible."

The interviewer seemed to accept that, which made Arisa let loose a slow breath and glance over at Suzuka, who was still mindlessly finishing off her scrambled eggs. Were her secret nightly activities that tiring?

"According to the information I have been given, you have so far denied the requests from our officials to personally see these other worlds."

Lindy appeared apologetic, but Arisa knew the question was uncomfortable to the admiral. "Yes, unfortunately. We only have one ship to spare at the moment, and it must remain in orbit to support our diplomatic efforts here." Arisa noted that Lindy didn't mention the teleportation angle, but also realized that was being kept quiet due to the magic involved. "We have many video records of life out there which we have provided, so for now, that will have to be enough." The interviewer opened her mouth to ask another question, but Lindy plowed ahead, as if anticipating it. "Understand that our mission here is one of friendship and mutual benefit. We only seek to inform, but not hinder. Our own estimates are that Earth will have spacefaring technology of their own within 50 to 100 years that will enable them to leave their solar system and then they can see for themselves. We hope we can provide some measure of protection and assistance until that point."

Perhaps it was Lindy's famous disarming smile, or that the interviewer realized she would get nowhere in that line of questioning, but said interviewer begin to direct her inquiries elsewhere, to less contentious avenues. However, Arisa found the particular talk about agricultural products rather boring, and so tuned it out. And that's when she noticed Suzuka still robotically picking at her meal, whereas Arisa had finished hers. Arisa considered questioning her old friend one more time, but instead settled for pursing her lips while settling into deep thought.

x~~*~~x

"Have you decided on our next move?" Yukoshi inquired casually, leaning back in his desk chair as he took a break from the paperwork in the Golden Dragon's main office located on the top floor of one of the taller Tokyo buildings. Ever since his mysterious benefactor and presumed master Amaterasu had returned, she had been unusually quiet, which was usually fine by him. With her gone, he had been able to give his attention more fully to the Golden Dragons and their various enterprises. He had also been able to make some discreet investigations.

For instance, the Yakuza boss knew that she didn't return right away, but detoured off to the coast of Japan. Somewhere out there in the Pacific Ocean, she disappeared for almost a full day. It wasn't to any other island or even across the sea, so where did she go? Via messages from some of his agents aboard various Japanese fishing vessels, he had charted her course to an area somewhere off the east coast of Japan near Tokyo, somewhere along the Pacific Rim. There was nothing out there except sea... which meant only one thing: a secret base. But under the water? Yukoshi didn't know, and was unsure how to proceed with the information, so he just mentally filed it away for now.

"Possibly, but it still needs some time, so I'll have to focus on preparation in the meantime," she replied absently from her laptop off to the side. It was strange to catch her with so unguarded of a response, but again, Yukoshi attributed it to her concerning herself with him much the way an elephant concerns itself with an ant. "I'll require the Golden Dragons begin spreading some rumors for me, as well as preparing all these items."

Yukoshi raised his eyebrow as she turned the laptop screen around to face him. "That will take some doing; many of those things are internationally banned parts, and may bring unwanted attention on us from foreign agencies like the CIA. I'm not sure-"

"Your role is not to question, but to carry out Hae-soon's wishes!" the third and last individual in the lavish office nearly snapped from one of the lounge chairs.

Yukoshi fixed the man with a harsh stare, trying to remind him of his place in things. Being a Yakuza boss, Yukoshi had files on everyone of importance in the world, and knew most of them by sight. So he was aware of the North Korean General Yong-ho; he just didn't know why Amaterasu had brought him back with her, or why the man kept insisting her name was Hae-soon instead of Amatersu. Hae-soon was the Goddess of the sun in Korean culture, while the Japanese called her Amaterasu, so it was very possible the same woman was occupying the same niche in both cultures. Still, whether that was because she was literally some type of goddess, or merely assuming the names for authority, he still didn't know.

"You two are not to fight or question my orders," Amaterasu stated in an icy tone that sent shivers down the spines of both men. "Yong-Ho, be grateful that I saved your life. I only did so because you may still have some use. Yukoshi, do not worry about those foreign agencies; just focus on the task I have assigned you."

The yakuza boss debated asking more, but decided things had been pushed far enough for now and nodded his head in a short bow that indicated he understood.

x~~*~~x

A few days later, Arisa's deep thought finally lost the battle to the frustration of not knowing. She formulated a plan and bided her time, and almost a week later, she had her moment. The news was just reporting on a Sailor Neko sighting in downtown Tokyo. Several hours ago, Suzuka had headed into her lab and put the "Do Not Disturb" sign up, as part of her nightly activities.

[And if I'm right, Suzuka is Sailor Neko, and thus her lab should actually be empty!] Arisa concluded quite triumphantly as she sauntered through the darkened hallway to the door. Her master code easily unlocked the door, and she slipped into the darkened lab, her heartbeat heightening as she surveyed the dusky room, her night vision spell giving the room a slight green tint. [Ah ha! She isn't here after all!]

Grinning, Arisa, prowled around the central table to the computer console on the other end. Briefly, she debated checking it out for information, but concluded that if she didn't find what she was looking for, Suzuka would know. At best, Arisa knew she could only tamper with the security video footage to make it look like she was never here. No, Arisa reasoned that if there was proof here, it would be elsewhere... perhaps in the door that led to a larger laboratory off to the side. It was more of a work area for objects that were too big for the initial lab area, and it had been one of those places that Suzuka had forbidden everyone but Lindy from visiting.

Arisa licked her lips as she unlocked the door and pushed it open. [Time to show me what you've been hiding.] She could feel her heartbeat quickening even more in anticipation as the door silently creaked open...

...and nothing.

Arisa blinked at the large, empty room, double-checking that she hadn't missed anything. There were no crates or barrels or spare parts or machinery of any kind. Not even a computer console. Just plain metal walls, and a stair case that led down into an approximately 15 meter high room.

"There has to be a secret entrance somewhere around here," Arisa reasoned in a whispered voice while stepping out onto the landing atop the stairs and silently beginning her descent. As the stairs creaked under her, she felt sure that the small noise would give her away, but then reminded herself that Suzuka had to be away at the moment, so she was safe. "And you can't hide it forever, Suzuka-chan!"

"Hide what?" came a familiar voice from below and behind.

Arisa froze and realized she had miscalculated, not expecting someone to be under the staircase. Whoever was there, had managed to escape her gaze by hiding in the only blind spot. Or had they just come out of a secret door directly under the one Arisa herself had entered? Figuring the jig was up anyway, Arisa leapt down off the stairs to confront the individual who seemed to shift a bit in the shadows that not even her night vision spell could penetrate.

And then the lights came on, and the astonished invader came face-to-face with Suzuka, replete in her white frock, staring at Arisa curiously who immediately blurted out, "What are you doing here?!"

Suzuka shifted her tablet to her left hand and planted her knuckles on her hips. "I could ask you the same thing. Didn't I tell you I didn't want anyone to disturb my work here?"

Arisa experienced a quick moment of feeling embarrassment, but quickly recovered. [Suzuka can't do any teleportation spells, so if there is no way she could have returned from Tokyo so quickly. The embassy security didn't register anyone teleporting in, either. So maybe she isn't...] She decided a change in tactic was in order.

"Um, okay, you got me," Arisa replied with a sigh, tossing her hands up in surrender. "You had me curious as to what you were doing in here, and I couldn't stand it any longer. I just had to know. After all, it could affect embassy security!"

Suzuka shook her head. "You know very well Admiral Lindy exempted my work here from that, and you'll find out at the same time as everyone else." She purposely strode up to Arisa and turned the other woman around, gently pushing her back to the stairs. "Honestly... Come on, out you go, and leave me to my work!"

Aris found herself propelled back up the metal stair case by a surprisingly energetic Suzuka that was ignoring all the former's protestations. "H-hey! Come on! You can't blame me for this!"

"I can very well blame you for this!" Suzuka stated more forcefully than Arisa thought the other woman was capable of while continuing to push the barely-resistant blonde-hair girl toward the lab exit in the first room. "Out!"

"But-"

"OUT!" Suzuka commanded with a last push that left Arisa back out in the darkened, empty hallway.

Arisa blinked, somewhat startled at how fast that had all happened, and then let out a defeated sigh while she allowed her shoulders to droop. [And here I thought I was right. I guess she really is just working on a secret project in there. Still, I wouldn't expected her to act so forceful and determined. So different than this morning.]

She took a few steps down the hallway resigned to being kept in the dark, when something made her pause. [Wait a minute, if I didn't know Suzuka better, and I should after all these years... she was tired this morning, and that was a lot of energy for her...] She also didn't recall seeing any shadow under Suzuka's eyes, either, which had been a slightly new development on the Suzuka of this morning.

Curiosity surging once more, she turned around and took two big steps back to the door, straining her ears, barely managing to hear voices. Wasting no time with subtly or secrecy this time around, she eased open the door and leapt across the center table to the big door once more, springing through it and flipping over the railing to land at the base of the stairs where she had encountered Suzuka just before.

"Aha! ...eh?!"

Arisa rubbed her eyes, confirming indeed that there were two Suzukas. One in the white frock looking a bit nonplussed, and one looking a bit red-faced and shocked... and wearing a white-and-purple-colored sailor fuku.

Of the three, Arisa recovered first, planting fists on her hips as she eyed the two lookalikes. "So... you want to tell me what's really going on here?"

x~~*~~x

Two shadowy figures darted across the rooftops of houses and small businesses, hidden by night's cloak. Their footsteps were light, nearly silent, giving the town residents below no clue that a pair of travelers were crossing just overhead. As Arisa glanced down at the quickly passing houses and streets, she couldn't help but think to herself,that if anyone did happen to glance out their window or look up, they might think they saw a couple of ninja in the darkness of the new moon. And they'd probably dismiss it for an illusion just as quickly.

Her eyes moved back up while she continued to follow Suzuka's lead, wondering where they were headed. The pair had moved rapidly from their embassy in Yoshigawa, to the southwest, skirting the northeast edge of Tokyo proper. Where exactly were they headed? And why?

After some cajoling and threats to reveal Suzuka's secret identity and activities as Sailor Neko, Arisa had managed to secure a position as the mysterious magical girl's new partner in their quest to fight crime. Arisa was surprised that Suzuka had gone ahead and taken Arisa's initial idea to help clean up the streets, using a secret identity to do so. But the bigger surprise was to discover that Suzuka's "duplicate" that was used to make everyone else think she was still at the embassy, turned out to be a robot. Or more particularly, that shape-shifting android, Juyo.

Arisa's gaze darkened a bit as she took another leap, reminded of the embarrassment that kissing robot caused last time. Apparently, Shari had sent it along to Suzuka to tinker with, and now it was play acting at being human, covering for when Suzuka was out. How long had she been at this secret game? Suzuka didn't want to spill everything just yet, but had promised she would. Still, there was one thing bothering Arisa most at the moment...

"I don't see how you can stand using such a short skirt in these conditions," Arisa remarked with a sigh as the pair came to rest upon a tall eight story building. "Are you worried someone below will glance up at the wrong moment? Or that it will flip up during combat?"

Suzuka smiled softly with a light blush, but also with a knowing twinkle in her eye. "It's not like the outfit is using panties underneath. Besides, I wove a special spell into the material, that ensures it won't flap up." She spun in place for emphasis, the skirt rising somewhat, but never quite passing too far up her thighs. "See? I just like wearing girly clothes." She raised an eyebrow and glanced up and down Arisa's own outfit. "Unlike you, who had to make that modification."

While Suzuka's sailor fuku had a white top and purple gloves, with purple chest bow and skirt (along with cat ears and a tail) and a simple cat mask covering her eyes and nose, Arisa's was almost the same but with a few differences. She had a yellow bow and skirt, and a small dog mask (with ears) with Terra's amber jewel now placed firmly at the bow's centerpiece. But the most striking difference was the "modification;" the pair of black spandex bicycle shorts under the skirt that stretched down to just above her knees.

Arisa made a high kick for emphasis. "My combat style is a bit more physical, and I don't give free shows. Anyway, so what's the deal? What have you been up to, and where are we going?"

Suzuka turned and pointed to a location several building down, across the street. "That's our destination. I haven't just been stopping random bad guys on the street. They were all low level yazkua gang members, and I've been trying to squeeze information out of each of them and move up the chain. There has been strange yakuza activity lately, as most of the crime families have stopped fighting with each other over territory."

"That is strange," Arisa murmured, beginning to understand. She had read the reports, of course; as head of security for Lindy's diplomatic entourage and the embassy, she had to know what the criminal element was up to. And lately, it seemed, it hadn't been much. At least, much quieter than normal. "So what have you found?"

"Several months ago, I heard about some special cargo that had been shipped out," Suzuka answered. "I wasn't able to figure out what, but I found out where when I used the Ventek's sensors to track the ship. It stopped just south of North Korea, and several smaller boats took repeated trips between it and the shore."

"Deliveries," Arisa deduced, tapping her lips with a finger. "Or pickups. Or both. But with the embargo in place, why didn't the Americans stop it?"

Suzuka shook her head. "I wondered that myself, and so switched to regular radar and other tracing methods Americans would have. It didn't appear on radar or sonar, and there was heavy cloud cover that day so spy satellites wouldn't have seen it. In fact, the clouds seem to continuously cover it during its trip."

Arisa understood; it was highly suspicious from the Bureau's angle, but Earth agency would have any indication of something going on. Suzuka had a possible link between the yakuza and North Korea, that happened days before the North Korea incident, but she needed more solid proof. Arisa glanced down, recognizing where they were: Kabukicho, the "sleepless town." It was one of the biggest and most well-known red-light districts in Japan. Arisa's cheeks reddened quite a bit upon realizing just what kind of place she was now in.

"So, um, why are we here again?"

"There is one small yakuza family that runs a lot of the shipping out of Tokyo bay," Sailor Neko stated, bringing her visor down to scan the building down the street. "They do shipping for other yazkua families, and in return, they are left mostly alone. I've learned that the man who runs it, spends a lot of his time here. And lately, I've heard rumors of other shipments coming into Japan that I can't locate. Something super secret."

"And so you're going to get answers to your questions straight from the horse's mouth," Arisa finished. But inwardly, she was impressed; Suzuka had been doing a lot more than just stopping random crime. She had started her own secret investigation that had generated many interesting leads.

Arisa made a fist and grinned. "Well, shall we pay him a visit?"

x~~*~~x

Girlish giggles wafted through the air, mingling with the cigar smoke, while one of the bathing beauties splashed sudsy water towards her benefactor. "Oh, Susu-chan, you're such a liar!"

The sole male in the hot tub somehow managed to save his cigar from the water somehow, and chomphed back down on it while replacing his arm around the slightly older woman on his right side. "No no, it's true, Saya-chan! If you stay with me, I can show you mystical wonders you never dreamed of. Things that would blow the mind of a young, intelligent, curious, and beautiful woman like yourself!"

The younger one, Saya, blushed a bit as she gazed around at the huge, ornate bathroom, but snuggled up to his left while gazing out at the lit-up town just outside the large windows of the 14th floor. "You do know how to make a modest girl feel good, I'll give you that much. But... marriage? What about Naoko?"

Naoko, the slightly older woman on Susu's other side, smiled softly. "I knew my being with him would be temporary - no single woman can ever satisfy his wandering eye after all - and you're smarter than you let on. You're perfect for what we need. But you should decide soon, as there is much you will need to know."

Her eyes lit up with the aforementioned curiousity. "Such as...?"

One of the wall-sized windows of the 14th floor chose that moment to shatter inwards, admitting a pair of sailor-fuku-clad individuals into the huge bathroom. They immediately pointed what looked like weapons at them; a staff from one and wrist guns from the other.

"Such as that," Susu declared, totally unshaken and seemingly unsurprised. He removed his cigar and set it down in a nearby tray. "Sailor Neko, I presume. I figured you'd show up sooner or later; you've been sniffing around my territory for weeks. I see the rumors of your cuteness don't do you justice." His smile turned very playboyish and admiring as his eyes traveled up and down her body. "Did I mention how much I love cat ears?"

Suzuka didn't bat an eye, but kept her right wrist blaster trained on him. "And you're Mr. O, the leader of the Yakuza group that handles shipping in the Tokyo Bay. We have a few questions for you."

Susu, also known as Mr. O, cocked his head and took in the other intruder, maintaining his suave attitude. "And I see you have a new friend, just as cute. Puppy dog ears? Might I ask your name, lovely lady?"

"It's... Sailor Inu," the yellow-skirted sailor girl replied in a low, embarrassed voice while reddening slightly. Then she turned on her partner. "I told you about this!"

Suzuka smiled sweetly. "You wanted in, and it keeps a good theme. Like Cure Black and White, we're cat and dog!" As if realizing she was getting off track, she shook her head and focused her studied glare back on her original target. "Ahem, as I was saying, about your secret shipments coming into Japan; what are they and where are they?"

"You can't expect me to just tell you my secrets like that," Mr. O stated, feigning shock. Then he grinned and gestured to the bubbling hot tub. "However, if you two would care to join me for awhile, and we get to know each other and become friends, then I might be persuaded to share some secrets."

"Hell no," Arisa stated flatly. While Mr. O was certainly attractive (his visible top half was fairly muscular, she could admit that much), his attitude and playboy vibes really turned him off. She raised her staff, the tip now glowing a brilliant yellow, a clear threat of her intention to shoot. "Instead, if you tell us, we won't blast you, nor will we dismantle your entire organization."

Mr. O sighed. "I so dislike violence, especially when we are having such a good time. Would be a pity to ruin it." He clapped his hands as if an idea had just come to him. "I know! How about you search the entirety of the docks, and I'll tell you if you're getting warmer."

"That would take weeks, if not months," Arisa pointed out. "And in the meantime, you could move your stuff around to places we've already searched. No dice." She glanced around, and noticed something sitting on a stool in the corner, indicating it with a nod of her head to her partner. "Su... Sailor Neko, how about that laptop over there? Might tell us what we want to know."

Suzuka moved in that direction, letting Arisa cover the trio in the tub, while pulling out of her headset and plugging it into the USB port. "Good idea. Shouldn't take me long..."

"And now you're going through all my personal things," Mr. O said with mock depression. "I'll have you know, I'm feeling so violated right now. I'll have to ask you to stop."

"You're not in a position to ask anyone to do anything at the moment," Arisa told him flatly, gesturing with her staff.

"You know, you're right."

Before Arisa could respond to that, the water in the tub exploded, shooting up in a geyser that blocked her view of the trio. The unexpected event stunned her, but she recovered quickly and unleashed a stun blast that parted the water, revealing that the tub was now empty. She had only a moment to wonder where they had gone, when a voice tickled her right ear.

"Are you sure I couldn't interest you in a job under me?" Mr. O's asked in a low, playful, seductive tone.

Arisa immediately reddened and jammed her elbow back in reflex, catching his gut while wondering how he had managed to sneak up on her like that. She managed to get a bit of an "oomph" out of him, before he leapt back and started firing a handgun. Arisa sprung and rolled, momentarily puzzling where the bathrobe and gun had come from, and then belatedly realizing that he wasn't aiming at her, but the laptop.

Suzuka was also on the move, inwardly cursing as the laptop was destroyed with several well-placed shots. She realized she should have probably tried to shield it, while firing back at Mr. O with her wrist-mounted magical blasters. And was surprised yet again as he managed to almost-effortlessly dodge her shots. She didn't have more time to ponder it, though, as several men burst into the room from the door, firing their own guns. Realizing that the huge, almost-floor-sized bathroom was quickly becoming a war zone and that it was unlikely they'd get anything more from this, Suzuka nodded towards Arisa, and the pair darted for the broken window, leaping out into the darkness.

"Are you alright, sir?" one of the men asked, and then gestured to the rest. "What are you waiting for? Go after them!"

"Yes, I'm fine," he told them in good humor, unable to help the smile on his face. "But I don't think you'll find them so easily. Still, that was more fun than I've had in awhile." The two women took that moment to emerge from what was left of the water in the tub, exhaling as if starved for air, and he was immediately there to help them out. "I apologize for the fuss, my dears. Are you two alright?"

"Yes, we're fine," Naoko stated. "But if they got enough information off the laptop, they'll know where our secret warehouse is. We should move the latest shipment now."

"You mean on the corner of 14th and E street?" he questioned aloud. "She wasn't on the laptop long, and the information was heavily encrypted. I don't think she had time to discover that."

Naoko raised an eyebrow at his unconcerned grin.

x~~*~~x

"...on the corner of 14th and E Street?" came the voice in Suzuka's ear, and she smiled.

"Did you get it?" Arisa asked, realizing by the look on her friend's face that the question hardly needed to be asked.

Suzuka grinned. "Yes, thanks to the bug you planted, I heard every word. Let's go!"

x~~*~~x

The pair alighted on the roof of the warehouse and silently padded across the wooden canopy until they came to the end of the building. While Arisa laid down and peeked over the edge, Suzuka activated her visor and scanned the inside, data very visibly playing across her hi-tech magical spectacles.

"Odd, my visor is being partially jammed. I can see many crates, but no data on what's inside," the cat-visored girl remarked curiously.

Arisa glanced up. "If they can jam the magic sensors in your visor, then we're definitely at the right place. Only one way to find out; let's go!"

"Arisa-chan, wait!" Suzuka protested, but the latter had already swung below the eave of the roof and in through a window she had opened.

Suzuka landed beside her new partner-in-crime, and the duo paused, looking for any movement or any sign they had been detected, before moving next to a waist-high crate. Arisa wasted no time in prying it open while Suzuka kept a look out.

Arisa inhaled sharply. "What the... is this what I think it is?"

Suzuka's eyes widened as more data played across her HUD, now that she was past the jamming. "Plasma rifles! This should be beyond Earth's technology... wait, no wonder. These were manufactured by the Vandein corporation on Trilethia. Normally they are sold to security forces on world's without much magic, but it would be forbidden to sell to Earth."

"Suzuka, this is beginning to stretch a bit beyond us," Arisa stated hesitantly. "We'll need Chrono's help to investigate where these came from and... Suzuka?"

The other girl was pulling off a different crate on the other side of the aisle, an scanning the insides. "More weapons. This whole warehouse must be weapons. Someone here has connections offworld, and is smuggling them in."

"That's not the only issue," Arisa realized, coming up beside her friend and glancing down at the container of anti-matter mines. "Where is the security for this building? There are no guards, and no alarms of any kind, magical or non-magical. The lock on that window was purely mechanical. It's like this place was made to be broken into. And if this kind of advanced weaponry gets out now, just as the Bureau shows up on Earth, who do you think will get the blame?"

Suzuka lifted her head and stared, the implications beginning to weigh on her. "But-"

She never got to finish her thought as explosions began to rip through the warehouse. The two girls only spared a moment to glance at each other before leaping back towards the open window. A split second later, the entire warehouse went up in a large ball of fire.

x~~*~~x

"I admit, it took me a few minutes to realize what you were up to," Naoko stated, coming to sit down her lover and master's right on the couch, as Mr. O flipped to a news channel covering the dockside explosion. She put the tea set down on the small table in front of them, and began to pour the tea. "You used them as a scapegoat to destroy the warehouse."

Mr. O merely smiled and shrugged, while putting an arm around her. "I also admit I came up with it on the fly, but I did expect them to show up sooner or later. I was right about being able to use them."

"But won't she be extremely upset about this?" Naoko questioned.

Susu shrugged again. "My sister is always mad about something or other. But that's why I used those two; I can blame the destruction on them, and there is nothing she can do about it."

Naoko seemed to accept that, and then glanced at the younger girl on Susu's left side. "I know your geisha training probably tells you to remain silent at this point, but if you still want in, you will need to learn to ask questions. There is much for you to know. Of course, you can still back out now."

Saya turned and slowly smiled, and it took her just a few short moments to ask, "Might I ask who your sister is? I gather she is an important person, in more ways then one."

Susu grinned and winked at Naoko. "See? I told you she was good. Asking the most important question right away. Would you be so kind as to get her up to speed?"

Naoko nodded, handing Saya her cup of tea. "You could say this is a very old story, as it started long ago..."

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

I seem to need to take breaks between writing much more nowadays, or maybe it's just that I find distractions easily. At any rate, hopefully I'll be able to spit out more chapters at a decent rate before my next break.