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Sera watched the show from the shadows of a building, secretly wishing she could be in it. Of course, being an ex-marine spy turned pirate, there was no way they'd let her in. She laughed silently to herself as she turned toward the wall behind her. She glanced behind her to make sure no one was watching, and, seeing no one, walked forward through the wall. She emerged from the wall in a solid brick room with no doors or windows. The room was completely empty, save for a plane that sat in the center. Sera's plane. The small black spyplane was heavily damaged from the fight with a marine antiaircraft battery that cost her crew their lives, and nearly hers as well.

Eventually I'll find a mechanic to fix this... she thought as she slipped through the wall opposite teh one she had entered. Once outside, she picked up the black cloak hanging on a railing and quickly threw it on, pulling the hood down low to conceal her face. A drop of water caused her to look up. Rain? There wasn't supposed to be a storm today... oh well, at least it will keep me from being recognized...

"Hey, Miss! Stop!" a voice called as Sera started to walk off.

Sera turned her head towards the voice. A marine.

"You're Sera Cross!" the marine cried as he recognized her.

S***, too late... Sera thought. "Who?" she asked.

The marine wasn't buying her act. "Shut up. You're wanted dead."

Sera laughed. "I know. What's your point, buddy? You're gonna do it?"

"Yes." The marine drew a rifle. "Not like a lone girl can stop me."

"I could... but I'm in a good mood. I'll just leave now, and you can't do anything about it," Sera grinned.

"What are you talking about? You try to escape, you're dead."

"Apparently, you don't know who I am," Sera laughed. "Good bye." She began to sink into the ground, leaving the stunned marine staring at a black cloak laying on the ground.

What the heck was that!? the marine wondered as he stared at the cloak. He walked over and picked it up, and finding nothing under it, he scowled and walked back to his post.

Last edited by SilentEcho (2007-06-04 15:16:09)

- "Yes Grandpa.... I know what I'm doing. .... Of course I have enough money... Yes Grandpa, the plane works fine... Of course I checked the engine! I'm not some two-bit mechanic! ... Alright, alright... I'm sorry. I know you just want to make sure I'm alright... OK, I'll be safe. Tell Zeke and Grandma that I said "Hi." ... Bye, Grandpa. Have a good night." After hanging up the receiver and stepping out of the Den Den Mushi booth, an exasperated mechanic in a set of blue coveralls leaned against the booth and let out a deep breath. Taking a pouch out of his sleeve, he rolls a cigarette and lights it with a match. "Sheesh, I love talking to you, Grandpa, but I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself." After taking a hit from his cigarette, he rolled back his head and breathed out a large cloud of smoke. "I need a drink."

- Finding the bar and opening its doors, Glenn gazed around until he found an open stool at the bar. Upon sitting down, he found himself next to a moustacheod fellow who was right in the middle of a whiskey daquiri. The assortment of empty glasses puzzled glenn for a second, but he dismissed it. "Barkeep! Give me an Alabastan Oasis with a highball to chase it!" The bartender looked at Glenn for a second and prepared the drinks, muttering under his breath about a waste of clean glasses. After being served, the bartender shot the short man in the flight jacket a dirty look, then returned to serving drinks. "What's his problem?" Glenn downed his drink and asked the man. "Hmph. That clown can't understand the subtleties of a good drink." Glenn just shrugged and downed his chaser. The man laughed. "I see you know your way around the booze, though." Glenn shrugged. "So? I like to drink. Big deal." The man only had one glass left. "What's your name?" Glenn cracked his neck. "Glenn Voltaire. I'm the best damn mechanic you'll ever lay eyes on." The man raised his glass. "Jackie Teeger. Pilot Captain." With that, the alcohol disappeared down Jackie's throat, and both men ordered more.

Kaito wiped a greasy hand across his brow, staring up into the mass of wires that represented the underbelly of a gutted plane, while listening to the anxious voice of the man who owned it.
'Can you fix it?' asked the customer nervously, wringing his hat in his hands as he asked.
Sighing, Kaito slid himself out from under the plane and stood up, wiping his hands on a rag and pocketing it.
'I could probably fix it...' he began, but was quickly interrupted by a cry of relief.
'Oh thank God! This plane means the world to me, which is why I had it toed to here for you to look at it Mr. Shun!'
Kaito frowned, turning away from the man and staring at a rack of tools on the wall.
'I said I COULD fix it. Not that I would. I'm an engineer, not a mechanic. Your problem could be sorted out by anyone who really knew what they were doing. This bird is a piece of junk anyway.'
The man's face fell, and he went back to wringing his hat. Kaito sighed, his eyes glancing around the hangar, wondering what to do. He had intended to leave and chase his father months ago, but new orders kept coming in, and Kaito had a reputation to keep. He had built his airstrip on a remote string of islets, which made it impossible for big freighters to navigate on. Kaito had started business here for several reasons, but the main one had been to stop people bringing him planes to repair. He didn't advertise his company, because if you were important or rich enough, you already knew it. He'd always stressed that he made aircraft to order, and did NOT repair them, but there were always a few who tried...
He sighed, knowing that is he turned this man away, it wouldn't be regarded kindly. Kaito didn't need the money, but he wanted the experience, so had established this haven for talented engineers several months ago, pouring money into it to get it done quickly. every piece of land in these island chains were connected by overhead suspension bridges, and even the largest of them was barely long enough for the airstrip and hangars that Kaito was working in now. The weather was tropical, and the heat was making the boy sweat, the droplets of water rolling down his forehead formed strange patterns as the oil he was coated in repelled them. Enough reminiscing, it was time to deal with this problem. catching the eye of one of his many employees, he took his customer by the shoulders and marched him over to the mechanic, who wore an unfriendly scowl as he saw Kaito coming.
'I may not fix it for you Mr.Aziez, but Gordon here is my very best mechanic, and he'd be happy to do it.'
The mechanic's expression darkened even further, and with a pat on the shoulders, Kaito ran for it, hoping the situation would sort itself out. As he sauntered off, he took in everything that was happening in his hangar, reveling at the cathedral of metal and steel that he owned. All over the floor, various projects were being carried out, all of which Kaito took a personal interest in. In one corner, a team of artists were finishing off the paint work on a plane ordered by someone who wanted it to "look and sound exactly like a bee." Kaito got some strange and difficult requests at times, but he was proud to say that he'd dealt with all of them. In another area,  an experimental turbo fan engine was suspended on chains, with teams of metallurgists clustered around it. One was holding a remote, and began to flick various switches, beginning to rotate the fans in the engine. For a moment the hangar seemed to go quiet, everyone gathering around to watch as an intense jet of flame roared out of the engine, lasting only seconds before the whole engine began to melt and mould out of shape. It looked like Kaito's latest attempt at creating an alloy that could withstand the temperatures of turbo fan had failed as well. Finally, just outside the hangar, another group of engineers were arguing over the best way to calibrate the mobile anti air cannon set up on the runway. This project wasn't Kaito's idea, but the brainchild of one of his deputies, who insisted that being able to unpack and arm an anti air cannon in under an hour would be a valuable asset to the marines.
Kaito watched the argument go on for some minutes, walking out into the sun and leaning against the entrance to the hangar as he watched the engineers bicker. He watched and waited, growing more and more impatient at their indecision, before finally throwing up his arms and walking over to them. In one smooth movement, he pushed through the group and found himself at the control panel for the cannon. he looked at the calibration sliders for a few seconds, tongue stuck out in concentration, and began to flick them left and right, using different to slide the plastic indicators back and forth. After a few moments of adjustment, Kaito turn to his subordinates,who were all watching intently.
'Gentlemen... and lady, THIS is how you calibrate a cannon.'
With a flourish, Kaito turned and slammed a fist on the firing pin, watching as the cannon rocked backwards, the artillery shell launched into the sky. ONe of the engineers raised a pair of binoculars and looked to the sky.
'Well? How did I do?' asked Kaito, twiddling his fingers as he waited for an answer.
The engineer lowered his binoculars slowly, looking pale as he turned to Kaito.
'Well... it certainly hit some thing. I think you may actually have just hit someone's plane.'
Kaito remained perfectly still for a few moments, forgetting to exhale. After a second or two, he began to speak.
'In that case, I believe we should all very calmly, very quietly, disassemble all evidence of this weapon, and prepare for an emergency landing. If the pilot lands here, we'll just look at the plane, pretend to discuss what could have caused it, and all agree that a bird flew into the propellers.'

Last edited by toenails (2007-06-04 11:02:57)

Not so much as 500 kilometers away from Lemon Isle now, according to the map in his head. That's what he guessed anyway. The visual of the small string of islets below was confirmation enough. He flicked a lever and adjusted the wheel, barely glancing at his altitude. He had been in the skies long enough to know how high he was without help from a gauge. He wasn't moving that fast however. In fact, he was more or less putting along with an embarassing plume of smoke pouring out of the left engine accompanied by a sputter of engine sounds. Not to mention the multitude of bullet holes and deep body scratches. It was a tough, old plane- having been with him for many years now; a splendid DHI A-H5 Buccaneer with personal modifications. But he guessed one couldn't outrun a Marine Unit without SOME casualty.

He leaned back in his seat and placed a knee on the steering wheel to keep his direction straight, having accidentally broken the function that did that automatically for him. He slid a hand under the ridiculously large belt that hung on his waist and brought a pack of cigarettes out with him. Lucky Star brand. Placing a butt between his lips, his hand disappeared into his belt again, this time retrieving a small, metal lighter. He flicked it a few times under his cigarette only to produce minor sparks. Again, he tried, this time with more flicks of the thumb. Nothing. He looked at the lighter as if it were his rival, rolling the butt in his mouth from side to side. His stare remained strong as if he were expecting something from this piece of metal. And then, he just tossed it behind him.
     "Oh well. Looks like it's not Kichi's lucky day."

This young man with the soothing voice was Kichiro Rakki, a not-so notorious Sky Pirate. He was fairly well-known on a minor scale in the West Blue and parts of the South, but his escapes were always as mysterious as his entrances, more times than not having the authority on his tail. His past was an enigma to everyone as well, and people wondered how a 24-year-old managed such a life of sky piracy alone. This was Kichiro's life though, no matter which way you looked at it, and he wouldn't trade its freedom for all the belli in the world.

Kichiro puffed the bangs out of his eyes and retook control of the wheel. The string of islets were coming to an end and Lemon Isle was on the horizon now. It just so happened that his next stop was holding a rather famous Racing Event. Whether or not Kichiro had planned that, one could never tell, but he did plan on making a few extra belli to at least get someone to repair his baby.
     "Aye! Destination straight ahead Cap'n. Good, good... steady as she goes." he mimicked in a quiet tone, rolling the cig back and forth in his mouth. It was apparent he had been travelling a long time now.

His trip was going as smooth as it could be with a damaged engine and Kichiro preferred it that way. However, luck comes in cycles and this pirate had just expended it with his rather insane escape from the Marines. A high-pitched whistle struck the young man's ears, perking them for a moment. It didn't take long for his experience to remind him what that sound was. He peered out the starboard side only to witness a speeding shell zoom right through his wing with a crashing sound, perhaps inches from striking the engine. The shell didn't explode on contact miraculously, hinting that Kichi's luck wasn't spent yet. Chunks of the wing began to shake loose and the engine struggled to support the plane, erupting black smoke into the sky.
     "This isn't good..." Kichiro said rather calmly as he pulled any levers and flipped any switches that may keep him in the sky. However, when he looked at the damaged wing next, was was surprised with how the engine became disconnected from the wing and eventually removed from it, shooting off into the unknown blue. Kichi looked at the spot where his engine once was with unbelieving eyes as the plane really began to shake. The cigarette dropped from his mouth. "Oi..."

His ship suddenly caught up with physics and took a sharp turn. Kichiro struggled with the wheel as he flipped a number of exhaust switches, doing anything to straighten out his plane. If anything, he had to make sure he hit the ground, for landing in the ocean would mean his plane would be lost. One of the larger islets wasn't far off but in the chaos of his spinning, it would be quite difficult to land there. As he became closer and closer aquainted with the sea he, still rather composed, removed the heavy starter key in one last ditch effort. The remaining engine began to shut down and his spinning was slowing. With some flying skill, and a plane-full of luck, Kichiro caught some wind under his wings and evened himself out. But now was the worst part. As he came hurdling down into what looked like some tropical wooding, he swiftly buckled his safety belt and braced for impact.
     "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit." he panicked rather quietly as his plane crashlanded hard into the trees below.

He had somehow survived and his plane had surprisingly seen worse. He supposed a quick pit stop wouldn't be so bad before the big race. Especially on a nice island like this. He sat there a moment, enjoying the fact that he was alright despite him being upside-down in a turned over aircraft stuck in the tropical brush. The laid-back pirate decided he would wait and see if anyone from the islet would come to help him down, as not to hurt himself. A small flame caught his eye, caught on a hanging piece of the plane's interior, not far off, which probably caught during the crash. He grinned and pulled out another cigarette.
     "Care for a light, Cap'n? Aye, mate. I would." But just before the butt could touch fire, something snapped and Kichiro's safety belt came loose, sending him hurdling down to the forest floor below with a nasty thud. If the captain's head was any less thick, he may have been rendered more than just unconscious.

Last edited by Cap'n Jefu (2007-06-04 22:19:12)

His eyes would barely open, taking in a blur of vision. It took a few moments for everything to register and his head to start hurting. He didn't move quite yet, outside of a forearm to cover his eyes. Something provided enough shelter from the sun but his sensitivity to any light seemed intensified. He rolled over a bit, to help push himself up, and managed to at least sit up.
     "Oi..." he groaned. "feels like the rum got to you, Cap'n." Kichiro rubbed temples with thumb and forefinger, his eyes shut tight. This was one hell of a hangover, possibly one of the worse yet. That and the heat was unbearable, or rather the immense humidity that caused Kichiro to feel sticky and damp was. Sweat practically lubricated his body by this point. He must've been out for a while.

Kichiro finally managed to stand up, another groan escaping his lips. He struggled to keep his balance as his vision was clearing. A voice caught him by surprise, not enough to jump, that was younger sounding... definately a kid. Perhaps he had passed out in his yard after he left the bar? It wasn't totally impossible and, in fact, had happened a few times before.
     "Hey. You alright?" Kichi looked down at the speaker, who was much shorter than he, through still adjusting eyes. The pirate thought he should at apologize and continue on his way. He didn't need any trouble.
     "Yeah, yeah I am. Sorry for troubling you, mate." Kichi said while digging around under his belt, pulling out his pack of cigarettes and holding them before the boy, who upon further observation looked rather odd... and very dirty. "Accept my apologies with a good smoke, hm?" They were waved off with an oversized wrench and Kichi sighed, hoping that he could maybe produce a lighter from him.
     "No, I'm fine. But--" The boy with the oil-stained face was cut off with a hand to the shoulder which the pirate patted as he walked past him.
     "Aye, that's too bad. I'll be seeing ya then," he smirked at the boy just as he went past. "got things to do, people to see. Again, my apologies for sleeping in yer yard or what-not, mate." The boy watched the stranger as he slowly staggered off into the wood with an unbelieving look on his face. Where did he think he was going?

It wasn't more than fifteen seconds before the disorientated man came stamping back to the clearing that he awoke from. He lurched his head forward while leaning against a sturdy palm tree. Carefully, he looked around, taking in his environment. The boy with the large wrench looked at him oddly again, crossing his arms and tapping his foot. Kichiro stared at the boy for a few moments before finally producing some words.
     "This isn't Haddock Town, is it mate?" The boy raised a brow at this. Haddock Town was on an island far to the south of here. It seemed that this stranger was unaware of his current situation. "Fact is... this is no town at all." The sky pirate continued as he took a few steps towards his acquaintance. Looking around a bit, he finally acknowledged that he was in a tropical forest of some kind. He flashed the boy an embarassed grin as he rubbed his neck.

     "...Where is it that we are, actually?"

Last edited by Cap'n Jefu (2007-06-05 22:30:18)

When the fight was called... and everyone, including the keep hurried out... Jackie immediately noticed that his new friend didn't leave.

"Alright friend. This may be the alcohol talkin', but you're trustworthy for this. But... in a moment." And the man went through all the tables... drinking all the left over drinks. When he came back... he let out a belch. "Excuse me. Now..." he reached into his coat... and pulled out a tattered, yellowed, old map.

He cleared off the bar, unfolded the map and placed it on the bar... placed a shot glass in each corner... reached behind and grabbed a bottle of whiskey from behind the counter and filled up each shot glass. "For extra weight." He assured the mechanic. He got a highball... filled that with vodka half way and placed it on the map.

"So... it's a map."

"Not just any map. You're looking at the single, most complete map of the Grand Line that I've ever seen from the Old Era. I'm willing to be the Lucky Lady that this was made by the Pirate King's navigator. But that's not important right now. What is... is that... well. Look." He motioned to the highball with vodka. When Glenn looked through, it had the effect of a magnifying glass.

What he saw... were faded writings at certain places.

"Okay. So it's a treasure map as well. So what?"

"Not just any treasure map. The map to the treasure." Jackie was still whispering... for... who knew.

"The City of Gold? But... no... this is a map of the Grand Line. You're not talking about the One Piece, are you?"

"I am. And the City of Gold. Not many know this... but the Milky Road and the Grand Line sync up. With this, some up to date air charts, and some pluck, you and me, friend, we can get not just the One Piece, but the city of gold itself! We'll become legends in our own lifetime!" Jackie says, jumping up. Really... this was either the ramblings of a drunk racer... or there was some worth to this map.

"I dunno. It just doesn't look like it leads to either of those. There's branches to the path." Glenn says, peering through the highball one more time. "What's up with that?"

"Those? Probably lesser treasurs or markers or something of worth. We'll burn those bridges when we get there, pal." Jackie says. "So... are you in... or are you out?"

Kaito waved a hand to dismiss all of the newcomer’s questions, walking through the undergrowth hastily, breaking the branches away with his wrench. Behind him, the man who had crash landed seemed to have found his lighter.
‘Don’t smoke near me.’ Said Kaito bluntly, turning and threatening the man with his wrench.
‘Why not? Are you one of those stupid activists who think that smoking is bad for you?’
Kaito pointed at his face and scowled.
‘See this stuff? One stray ember and me and you will find ourselves getting along like we’re in a house on fire.’
‘Don’t you mean we’ll get along like a house on fire?’ asked the pilot, putting the cigarette back behind his ear.
‘I know what I meant.’  Muttered Kaito, swiping at a thicket with his wrench, and watching sunlight break through.  Pushing through the undergrowth, he found himself back on the airstrip, no worse for wear.

Kichiro sighed, feeling faintly irritated by this boy, and very irritated by not knowing where on earth he was. Grabbing the boy by shoulders, he span him around to face him, pulling out his lighter again, he started waving it front of the boy, only to feel even more irked when the swung around and splintered the cheap plastic of the lighter. Kichiro gave a derisive snort, and scanned the area. Further along the airstrip were a bunch of hangars clustered together. Giving Kaito a mocking salute, and began to jog off towards them.

What an idiot. Kaito felt peeved that someone who had barely been conscious for five minutes had upstaged him. It would probably be best if Kaito went after him nonetheless. Strolling towards the hangars, he gave a groan as he saw the silhouettes of two bulky technicians, who appeared to be threatening someone with guns. Kaito didn’t know why, but those two men, Norris and Edgar, had got it into their heads that they were the security force in a top secret base, and had taken to holding up every customer that came their way. If they weren’t such good mechanics, Kaito would have fired them long ago. The pair didn’t even have guns- it was a welding tool each man was brandishing, and were far more likely to do damage to themselves if they tried using it as a weapon.
All things considered, Kaito felt this might be the shock that rude pilot deserved. He’d look even more awesome when the man found out who he’d just snubbed. Unfortunately, as Kaito drew even closer, he realised that the technicians weren’t just holding up one person, but two- most likely a customer. This wouldn’t do at all, and it looked like that damn pilot was trying to reason with them, which was a bad idea. Neither mechanic was particularly intelligent, and any sort of charm from their victims just confused them, which made them angry and their fingers twitchy.
  Licking a finger, Kaito checked the strength and direction of the wind. Years of experience in judging winds had let him determine it was going North-North-East, at a speed of twelve knots. Bringing up a thumb, he measured the distance by eye- one hundred and fifty one metres and thirty two centimetres. This wouldn’t be a particularly difficult shot, so he wouldn’t bother factoring atmospheric pressure gravity in, or even writing his workings down. For a moment Kaito’s eyes shifted upwards, and his lips began moving, silently carrying the numbers and running them through the various formulae for working out the trajectory of a heavy, wrench shaped object. After a few seconds, Kaito’s eyes darted back down to his targets, and his mouth remained firmly shut. The optimum course of action would be to throw his wrench at an angle of 72 degrees, with a four of 83 Newton’s, but would roatate his wrist 34 degrees while throwing.  This would send the wrench high in the air and allow it to arc down and boomerang around, knocking out the welding tools in the technicians’ hands on the return. If he started running  at 3m/s exactly 0.5 seconds after the wrench had been thrown,  he would reach an optimum point where the wrench would return perfectly to his hand at 15 seconds. Not only that but he’d be close enough for everyone to see what had happened. It would be unbearably cool.
Kaito closed his eyes, remembering how hard he’d had to throw something to produce a single Newton of force. He multiplied it, and tilted his arm at the natural angle. In a single smooth motion, the wrench left his hand, spinning like a boomerang. Even as he felt the metal slip away, the engineer opened his eyes and counted.
Now.
He began to sprint down the tarmac airstrip counting down the seconds, keeping his eyes on what was happening outside the hangar. At the eighth second, the wrench began it’s downwards arc; at the tenth second, it had looped around, and by the eleventh, it had snatched the welding tools out the men’s hands, sending them clattering to the ground. At the thirteenth second, Kaito stretched his arm out, ready to receive the wrench, at the fourteenth second, he stumbled forward on a stone, and at the fifteenth second, the wrench hit him in the face.

Things were looking bad for Cameron. That bouncer was one tough cookie, and Cameron wasn’t sure whether or not he could take him out. Most of his doubts were coming from the fact that he had just been picked up and thrown into a row of trash cans, but to be fair, this could damage the morale of even the hardiest of fighters. Cameron rose to his feet, picking a banana peel off of his head as he did so. The bouncer spat. “Kid, you’re the unluckiest man in town tonight. Just take your beating quietly and we can be done in a minute.” Cameron sighed, rolling his eyes. If there was one thing that really annoyed him, it was people like this bouncer who asked for fights. Wasn’t there enough violence already, without-

His train of thought was derailed by a swift kick to the groin from the bouncer. Cameron fell to his knees, clutching his crotch. The bouncer sneered, and aimed another kick, this time at the incapacitated man’s chest. Just in the nick of time, however, Cameron rolled off to the side, dodging the blow. Again, he rose to his, this time more unsteadily. “Guess I’ll play for keeps now.” Cameron gave a wide grin. The bouncer raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Whatever you say, kid. Get ready for the pounding of a lifetime!” The bouncer charged at Cameron, fists swinging.

The bouncer’s fists never even had a chance to connect with Cameron.
The first punch was a clean hit to the torso, and stopped the bouncer’s forward motion entirely. The second punch was another hit to the torso, this time in the stomach. The bouncer’s mouth opened and sprayed spittle. The third hit was a right hook, and hit the man in the side. The final blow was an uppercut, powerful enough to snap the bouncer’s neck back. He silently slumped to the ground, obviously unconscious. Cameron wiped the sweat from his forehead. He then removed his aviator’s hat, turned it upside down, and said with a flourish: “Any and all tips for the show are welcomed and appreciated, and have a nice night, gentlemen.”

The pirate scoffed, folding his arms and looking down on the short kid both literally and metaphorically.
     "HA! You? Kaito Shun? No way a snotty kid could be such a legend, mate."
     "It's true. Not a chance." Erica waved a hand in front of her face as if brushing off such a crazy notion.
     "It's true! IT'S TRUE!!" Kaito persisted, now jumping up and down, only furthering the pirate's 'he's just a kid' theory. Kichiro's mouth curled into a grin, brow raising suspiciously.
     "Now if one were to say he were such a great man, he could provide some sort of identification, aye?"
     "The idiot's right... providing you are who you say you are." Erica added. Kaito fumed.
     "You don' need'a see his identifa'cation..." the chubby mechanic whispered with an arcing arm.
     "Shudd'it, Edgar!" Norris nudged his partner with a solid elbow.

Kaito lit up, obvious due to the enlightened face and "eureka!" finger point. He dug around in one of his dirty overall pockets for something, Kichi and Erica watching anxiously. After a few seconds of searching, the boy pulled out a small plastic card with an "Aha!"
     "There! A valid form of identification for you fools!" he said, satisfied with his results. Kichiro pulled the card from his grimey fingertips and thoroughly examined it. Erica poked up beside him to get a look as well. As it was studied, Kaito went into a dignified pose for them to gaze upon him once they realized the truth.
     "Gotta be a fake." the pirate commented and bit into the thin piece of plastic as if to test it's realness. Kaito exploded.
     "IT'S NOT A COUNTERFEIT COIN!!!!" The boy went to take his ID Card back but Kichiro lifted it out of reach. Kaito went for another grab but Kichiro only lifted it higher this time. This continued for a bit as Kaito only got angrier and Kichi more amused. Erica raised a hand at them, not pleased with the current situation.
     "Oi..."

The shenanigans were stopped, however, when an older man with a refined look about him, dressed in a lab coat, thick glasses and full white beard, approached them.
     "Ah, Master Shun, there you are. I trust the pilot's excavation was a success?" Kichiro became distracted giving the short engineer the chance to take his ID back. Quickly pocketing it, he sighed and regained his composure.
     "Unfortunately..." he said with a nasty glance at Kichiro who was too busy picking his teeth to notice. "but what did you need me for, Harold?"
     "Well, the big business entrepenuers from Silver City have arrived looking for the experimental--" he stopped and looked over at the two guests. "...looking for you, Master Shun." Kaito looked at his old friend and top scientist, outside of himself of course, and nodded.
     "Right." He turned to his two moronic mechanics, a sly look upon his face. "Norris, Edgar. Please escort our guests off of the premises." With that, he and the older one in the lab coat started off towards what seemed to be the main building on the islet.

Kichiro and Erica stood in silence a few moments, a strong gust blowing past them.
     "Off the premises...?" Kichiro wondered out loud.
     "...Into the ocean?" Erica added. She recalled seeing nothing else on this small islet outside this faculty. Norris and Edgar moved up behind the two began to push them along, this time holding a power drill to Kichi's neck. This wasn't good at all. Was this snotty brat really THE Kaito Shun? He thought a second as he was nudged along.
     "You wouldn't do this to yer old friend, Kichiro now, would ya mate?" he shouted causing both parties to stop. Erica looked at the pirate, confused on what he was trying to do. Kaito considered the time it would take before the Silver City group would become impatient with waiting and decided he would have a least a few minutes to spare.
     "Old friend, you say?" the engineer turned around, shaking a finger at the pirate. "Now correct me if I'm wrong, which I certainly am never, but we've not met even once before, agreed?" Kichiro smiled.
     "Nah, mate. Ya just don't remember me! We met when you were just a little kid. Swear it on me mother's grave." He brought a fist to his chest and nodded. Kaito stared quizically at the stranger. Why hadn't he mentioned it before? Well he DID not believe who he was when told... No. This was one of those games. This man was not to be trusted.
     "Don't take me for a fool. From you, it's rather degrading. As you were, Norris. Edgar." The boy turned again as the mechanics continued their duty but Kichiro wasn't done yet.

     "You're father wouldn't be too proud of this, now would he?" Kaito stopped mid-step, taking in every word. He knew his father? It was entirely possible... Father did have numerous aquaintances. Could this scoundral be one of them perhaps? If only he had the time to...
     "Norris, Edgar? New orders."
     "Yes'ir?"
     "Take our guests on a tour of the faculty with Birchun, will you? I've decided I'd like to speak with them after I finish my important business." Kaito didn't turn towards the other group as he spoke and simply continued onward when he was finished. Kichiro sighed in relief as he wiped his brow. The guards requested they follow them and began off to one of the hangar bays.
     "T'is a close one, eh miss?" he said with a half-glance at Erica and a smile on his face. She didn't respond. "Miss... miss... I never caught yer name, by the way." he stated as he turned to her fully. She began walking and passed right by the pirate.
     "Miss is fine." Kichiro rubbed the back of his head, making a sound as if he was recoving from a light burn to the hand. Not wanting to fall behind, Kichi quickly ran up to join the group.

When they reached the hangar, the pirate noticed that the girl's expression had changed dramatically. She really had some sort of fascination with this planes here. He wasn't too sure why though... they just looked odd to him.
     "Welcome!" boomed a voice from above them. The group looked up to see another scientist, with long, dark hair, standing on the catwalk with arms wide-open. "I trust you are here for the grand tour, yes?"
     "Something like that..." Kichiro muttered as Erica spoke up.
     "Were all these really designed by Mister Shun himself?" Her voice seemed to hold a special shimmer when speaking about this sort of thing.
     "Yes, yes. Kaito Shun is an amazing boy. Shall you join me before I tell you more? It would do my voice good, that's for certain." Norris and Edgar lead Erica up a flight of stairs. Kichiro groaned and itched his head, wondering if being thrown into the ocean was all that bad after all.

Last edited by Cap'n Jefu (2007-06-06 11:55:07)

Jackie watched as the folks filed into back into the bar.

"C'mon... why don't you and me head to another establishment?" Jackie says to Glenn.

"Whatever for?"

"Because... A lot of people are going to find empty glasses and if I know heavy drinkers, they don't like finding empty glasses." He nodded. "Let's go. You and me, we gotta find a cipher for the map. Fame and riches my friend. Fame and riches awaits the two of us. We just have to reach out and grab it!" With that.. he stopped. "Where the hell are we gonna find a cipher though? You think checking the Marine Base and see if one of them knows any ciphering?"

- To get the alcoholic pilot to keep moving, Glenn patted Jackie on the back as he headed for the door. "I suggest that we make haste for the exit, and leave the thinking for later!" Jackie shrugged. "I can't argue with that logic!" The pair exited the bar and soon after, the fight watchers herded back into the pub like trained sheep. As Glenn passed by an unconscious bouncer, he noticed two men, one of them VERY intoxicated, and the other counting chump change in his hat. The mechanic stopped, and approached the pair, while Jackie stopped and uttered a slight protest. "What're you doing? I thought we were leaving!" Glenn looked over his shoulder. "Keep your goggles on, flyboy. I'm improving my karma." Jackie looked around as if someone were about to jump out of the shadows and give chase at any second and muttered. "Well, just be quick about it."

- As the comparably sober brother was counting his earnings, an oil stained hand caught his attention out of the corner of his eye, and when he turned to see who it was attached to, Glenn offered to help him to his feet. "Haha. Well, at least someone in this damn town is friendly." Cameron took the hand and stood up, making sure Joshua wasn't passed out, while Glenn motioned for him to follow him. "Come on. I've got a place where your brother can sleep it off." Cameron hoisted his brother on his arm and looked to the man in front of him. "Why help us?" Glenn grinned. "Call me a bleeding heart, but I hate to see drunk people get into fights and drag their friends along." Jackie slapped his forehead. "Great, where are we headed?" Looking to his new friend, Glenn pointed across town. I've got a garage I'm renting out. We can stay there. Now, let's go."

Kaito rubbed his chin thoughtfully before replying.
'Actually, there IS something I want.'
'What's that?' asked Kichiro eagerly.
'For you to get the fuck away from my plane.' spat Kaito, before looking back at Erica.
'I'm the world's greatest engineer girlie, and you have the gall to think you know what you're talking about when it comes to a jet engine? This is the first working jet plane on the planet, so forgive me if I'm skeptical of your credentials to tell me what the compressor does. You're still thinking like this is a run of the mill turboprop crop duster. I don't care what you think a compressor is for in a regular plane, but in MY plane, it's the bread and butter of the jet's power plant. The compressor is much further down the fuselage, and the air gets pushed to either of the engines, depending on whether I'm using the main thermojet engine, or the turbojet auxiliary. That compressed air then gets injected with one of two fuels, depending on which engine it's being pumped to. It's that combusted air, run through the turbines which powers the jet. Cooling is a whole other matter, one which is so unbelievably complex even trying to explain the rudiments of it to you would take weeks.'
Kaito paused for a second, as though struggling to contain himself, before speaking again.
'ALL RIGHT! If you really want to know how I keep it all cool, take a look at the underside of the plane. The whole thing is one giant vent, and it's that air which is compressed. It's the air filtered through there which the compressor uses, helping to keep the metal cool. I've also got a fan driven convection system set up to diffuse built up heat in any area. If there are any heat problems with a specific part, I can close of parts of the tubes to concentrate air flow down that section. It's pretty ingenious, even for me.'

Both Erica and Kichiro (who had yet to move) stood staring at Kaito, wondering who exactly it had been who wanted to know how the cooling system worked. As the two glanced at each other, Kaito thought about what Harold had said earlier. He HAD shot down Kichiro's plane.
'All right Sky Pirate- I can't let you borrow this plane, but I can give you a lift in it. Where do you want to go and when do you need to be there?'
Kichiro looked up, eyes glimmering with hope.
'I need to go to Lemon Island, and I need to be there my five pm today!'
Kaito began to do some calculations on his fingers, muttering under his breath as he did so.
'We'll leave at four thirty then.'
'Are you insane? We need to leave at least two hours before that!'
Kaito laughed, gesturing at his engine.
'It's a real petrol guzzler, but it's speed is unmatched. Have you ever broken the sound barrier Kichiro?'
'Of course not, no one ha-'
'I have. It's fun, but I haven't been able to justify doing it twice to the financial team... at least not on fuel paid for by my own company. I think they just want to stop me doing cool stuff. If I pretend we've left it too late, I'll get clearance to go for the top speed!'
Kichiro began to grin madly. 'What's your top speed Kiddo?'
'If I use the auxiliary, I'm cruising at Mach 1.2 near sea level, and a cool 1.0 at 16,000 feet. Even if I don't punch it like that, we'll still be going at a cool 700 kilometres per hour.  It has a horrible specific impulse, but when you're going that fast, you just don't care how much fuel you're burning. If I could just get my hands on a better fuel, and MUCH better materials,  I reckon I could push this plane to some serious speeds... But enough about the Hermes- Why are you going to Lemon island?'
Kichiro looked up at the hangar roof and mumbled something.
'Pardon?'
'I said I'm going to... er.... watch an air race.'
Kaito shrugged. 'Watching is boring, I'd much rather be participating. Maybe I WILL participate!'
Kaito turned away,  running over to one wall and picking up a fuel pump, beginning to busy himself with prelinary preparations, while Kichiro began to think about how he'd steal this plane and win the race himself.