[BITPR2] Extra Episode 7: Colors Unseen

[Dorizzit]

[Ikari]
High School

More than 24 hours have passed since the rogue Quincy AI took control of Tetsuhiko Naito. Within the school, however, life goes on. Naito's absence has been noted, whispers flooding through the school with impressive alacrity. Naito was well known, and an eternal presence; never sick, never late, and ever responsible. And now, gone, without a word. Surprise, as it must, eventually gives way to indifference. Midway through the day, however, an announcement is given over the PA system:

"Charles Anderson, please come to the principle's office."


Chuck can either be in the school or not, I have a plan either way.

[KnightDisciple]

It turned out that Chuck was at school that day, but he'd been extremely distracted the whole time, and sullenly quiet.

When he got the call over the PA to come into the office, he sighed, shoved everything into his bookbag, and left the classroom to head down the hall.

When he got to the office, he walked in crisply and stopped, looking around to see if someone was waiting for him.

[Dorizzit]

There is, in fact, someone waiting for Chuck. In addition to the expected sight of the principal, another man is in the room. He looks to be on the older end of his life, but discerning an exact age beyond "older than 30" quickly proves to be all but impossible. His appearance is immaculate, without even a single hair out of place, and he is dressed in a dark suit. The man speaks while the principle remains silent.

"Ah, you must be Mr. Anderson. Hello. My name is Osamu Yamaguchi. Your principle has been kind enough to permit me to borrow you for the rest of the day, and I would greatly appreciate it if you would accompany me for a little while. It's about your friend, Tetsuhiko Naito."

[KnightDisciple]

There is, in fact, someone waiting for Chuck. In addition to the expected sight of the principal, another man is in the room. He looks to be on the older end of his life, but discerning an exact age beyond "older than 30" quickly proves to be all but impossible. His appearance is immaculate, without even a single hair out of place, and he is dressed in a dark suit. The man speaks while the principle remains silent.

"Ah, you must be Mr. Anderson. Hello. My name is Osamu Yamaguchi. Your principle has been kind enough to permit me to borrow you for the rest of the day, and I would greatly appreciate it if you would accompany me for a little while. It's about your friend, Tetsuhiko Naito."

Chuck is immediately cautious, but not quit hostile.

"I see. I suppose we should get going, then. We can talk as we walk."

He shifted his bag a bit, which incidentally made sure his pistol in the bag would be within easy reach.

[Dorizzit]

Osamu leads Chuck out of the office and down towards the parking lot.

"I am afraid that I'm not going to be the one doing the talking. That falls to my employer."

Outside, Osamu moves towards a car. If Chuck is decently knowledgeable about automobiles, he can tell the car is of very high quality, but also practical design. Otherwise, he can tell that it's black. Osamu holds the door open for him.

[KnightDisciple]

Chuck stops at the curb, giving a narrow-eyed glance to both Osamu and the car.

"Yeah, this totally isn't creepy or anything."

Palming a Ginto in one hand, Chuck slipped into the car and looked around, trying to make himself comfortable.

[Dorizzit]

The man chuckles.

"I'm glad you don't find it creepy. I certainly would, were our positions reversed."

His words imply more of a sense of humor than complete cluelessness. Osamu moves around to the drivers seat, starting the car up and pulling out of the parking space. Chuck won't have any trouble at all getting comfortable; the car interior is very nice. Osamu is silent during the drive itself, although he will answer any questions Chuck might have.

[KnightDisciple]

The man chuckles.

"I'm glad you don't find it creepy. I certainly would, were our positions reversed."

His words imply more of a sense of humor than complete cluelessness. Osamu moves around to the drivers seat, starting the car up and pulling out of the parking space. Chuck won't have any trouble at all getting comfortable; the car interior is very nice. Osamu is silent during the drive itself, although he will answer any questions Chuck might have.

Chuck doesn't buckle his seatbelt at first, but finally decides he'll play along.

"Only two questions. Where exactly are we going, and how long until we get there?"

After that, Chuck would go silent, occasionally checking his phone to ensure it still had signal (and thus in the worst case could be used to call for help).

[Dorizzit]

"We're going to the Naito family estate. It will take approximately fifteen minutes to arrive."

Chuck's phone won't have any trouble getting reception throughout the trip.

[KnightDisciple]

"We're going to the Naito family estate. It will take approximately fifteen minutes to arrive."

Chuck's phone won't have any trouble getting reception throughout the trip.

Chuck raises an eyebrow at the word "estate", but otherwise stays silent for the rest of the ride.

OOC: 1.) I for some reason thought Naito was the first name of the character!
2.) Just fast-forward us to the destination.

[Dorizzit]

The drive quickly brings the two to a...well, estate is actually a pretty good word for it. An impressively large area of grass and rolling hills gives way to a large mansion overseeing the surroundings. Osamu parks the car and leads Chuck in through a massive foyer, up to a door on the second floor. The door leads into a study where a man and a woman, probably in their mid-forties, are in the middle of a discussion. The man tall but slender, dressed in a business suit. His hair is greying, and he looks like the archetypical Japanese businessman. The woman, conversely, looks to be all hard edges. She, too, is dressed in a suit, but it looks to be less expensive and more practical than her counterpart's. As soon as the door opens, both of them turn to look at Chuck, but it's the woman who speaks first.

"You are...Charles Anderson?"


1. Nope!
2. Already planning on it.

[KnightDisciple]

The drive quickly brings the two to a...well, estate is actually a pretty good word for it. An impressively large area of grass and rolling hills gives way to a large mansion overseeing the surroundings. Osamu parks the car and leads Chuck in through a massive foyer, up to a door on the second floor. The door leads into a study where a man and a woman, probably in their mid-forties, are in the middle of a discussion. The man tall but slender, dressed in a business suit. His hair is greying, and he looks like the archetypical Japanese businessman. The woman, conversely, looks to be all hard edges. She, too, is dressed in a suit, but it looks to be less expensive and more practical than her counterpart's. As soon as the door opens, both of them turn to look at Chuck, but it's the woman who speaks first.

"You are...Charles Anderson?"


1. Nope!
2. Already planning on it.

chuck is decidedly impressed by the estate. He doesn't openly gawk; his family has a couple of decent "casual" living places, and the official Clan Castle is an abandoned opal mine converted into a veritable fortress.

Still, it's definitely a nice place.

When the woman asks him, Chuck gives a polite bow as he speaks.

"Yes ma'am, I am. I'm afraid I don't know who I have the pleasure of speaking with, though."

His eyes bounce between the two older people as he speaks with complete respect.

[Dorizzit]

"Sanae Naito."
"Kazuo Naito."

Kazuo mirrors the bow, while Sanae extends one hand.

"We understand that you're friends with our...son. Tetsuhiko."

[KnightDisciple]

"Sanae Naito."
"Kazuo Naito."

Kazuo mirrors the bow, while Sanae extends one hand.

"We understand that you're friends with our...son. Tetsuhiko."

Chuck gives them both nods and a slight smile, taking Sanae's hand and giving a quick, gentle shake.

"Yes. I am friends with Nai-er, Tetsuhiko. Sorry. Usually just went by Naito. Naito was, is, one of my best friends. I, ah, am aware of the somewhat unique circumstances regarding, ah, well."

Chuck, not being a diplomatic expert, struggles for how to express it.

"Backing up, I guess I need to ask, were the two of you aware of Tetsuhiko's unique nature? Not just origins, but...abilities?"

[Dorizzit]

Kazuo chuckles at Chuck's mentioning of Naito's name preferences.

"That sounds about right. Always hated the name...said it was too long."

Sanae, conversely, focuses on Chuck's knowledge of some of Naito's secrets.

"He told you? That's...surprising."

"Backing up, I guess I need to ask, were the two of you aware of Tetsuhiko's unique nature? Not just origins, but...abilities?"

"We knew nothing about Tetsuhiko's origins. A genetic test indicated that his ancestry was primarily a mix of German and Japanese, but there was no sign of matching parents, either from that or any official record of the foster system."

There is a moment of silence.

"Tetsuhiko hasn't always been the...easiest person to deal with. By the time she was in middle school, he was already picking fights with entire gangs of high school punks...and winning. When we tried to stop him, he just took it as a challenge. Tetsuhiko has always been exceptional, but..."
"...difficult. Especially since Sanae's infertility was cured."
"Quite. Regardless, we digress. A few weeks ago, Tetsuhiko spoke with us when he was able to, said only that he was involved in 'something a bit serious,' and then destroyed one of the trees in our yard with his mind. For each of us. I've been a police officer for a long goddamned time, and I've seen a few things that I still can't explain. That was easily the most terrifying thing I've ever seen. At the same time, though, he gave us a name, 'in case something happened,' and..."

She trails off. Despite her ferociously held composure, it may become clear to Chuck that she is also beside herself with worry.

"Please. Do you know what's happened to our child?"

[KnightDisciple]

Chuck sighs and closes his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Before I answer any of your questions, it would be best if you were sitting down. Some of the answers are going to be shocking.

I, on the other hand, am going to need to pace like no tomorrow."

The joke falls flat in the room, and Chuck waits for them to be seated before he begins talking. He really does begin to pace, his eyes not focused on a particular spot.

"Your child possesses spiritual power. Many people in this world do, though proportionally it's an insanely small number. This town is...strange...and the proportion is distorted here.

This is important, because it ties into things.

I am what is called a Quincy. A human with a specific powerset that allows us to, well, fight what many might call demons."

Chuck will proceed to give a brief overview of the spiritual world. Quincy, Shinigami, Hollow, other powered humans. He will demonstrate air-walking, and pull out one of his weapons for Sanae to examine.

"Why I am in this town is not relevant to this discussion...

Anyways. Your child displayed great spiritual potential, and after a couple of discussions, Tetsuhiko determined that her powers most closely resembled those of a Quincy. Thus, I began work with her to help shape and refine thoe powers.
Part of this work meant that I filed official paperwork to have Tetsuhiko classes as a Hunter-in-Training with my Clan. I, uh, can get the copies of that sent to you if you'd like."

He seems suddenly nervous about the idea, but presses on.

"Things continued, we occasionally took down Hollows, life went on as normally as it can for people like us.

Yesterday, it changed. Tetsuhiko, myself, and our friend Shinji went to an old quarry outside of town. It turns out that quarry had a bunker in it.

One belonging to a splinter group of Akiyama Quincy. They had conducted...I don't know if "experiments" is the right word for what happened there."

Chuck gave them a brief overview of what they'd found, up through the trap door and the strange black cube.

"She picked the cube up and started talking, like she was accessing an entry on Wikipedia or something. Then at the end it mentioned it was a back door for another program and...

Another mind took over. An...artificial intelligence, I suppose. An alternate personality. A secondary soul. I don't know, I'm not a science type.

But this...Alpha-1...well, uh, the first thing it did was...well, a costume change."

Here Chuck has the grace to blush furiously. And also not be right next to the Naitos.

"After that, it got ugly, fast. At first we ran, but then Shinji insisted on trying to restrain Alpha-1 then and there.

We failed. We pulled out virtually everything we could that wouldn't run a high risk of straight-up killing the murderous AI with huge amounts of power and high-speed regeneration, and we failed. I've got it all on video, if you care to see."

A high-capacity USB drive is tossed through the air to land on Kazuo's lap.

"So instead of being annihilated, we ran. And now, that...thing...is in charge. I don't know where to find it, but I will. And so help me I will do everything in my power to make Alpha-1 give back Tetsuhiko Naito."

This last part he spoke with conviction, looking Kazuo and Sanae in the eyes as he did so.

[Dorizzit]

When Chuck advises taking a seat, Kazuo sits down at the chair behind the desk, while Sanae merely leans against the desk itself. While Chuck provides his explanation, Kazuo seems to have trouble making eye contact, while Sanae focuses a piercing gaze directly on Chuck throughout. By the end, her mouth has been pressed into a thin line, and her knuckles are white. Before either of them say anything, they take a look at the contents of the USB drive. Kazuo seems shocked, but Sanae actively blanches at the implications. Once they finish, there is another minute or so of silence.

"So that...that thing wearing my child's skin is out there. And capable of...all that? Is it a threat to civilians?"
"Sanae!"
"We can't stop it, Kazuo. I'm trying to figure out if I need to call for an evacuation of the city."

[KnightDisciple]

Chuck seems to ponder the question a bit, rolling it around in his head.

"I do not believe it intends to wantonly target civilians. It may be vicious enough to not care about collateral damage, but it stated two goals.

First, to "cleanse" the Quincy of traitors. That would be folks like me, who believe in working with non-Quincy to deal with threats to the mortal world.

Second, to destroy the Shinigami. Likely to get vengeance for the time when they struck so many of us down centuries ago.

I don't think an evacuation is wise just yet. But keep your eyes open. I have a feeling more than just Alpha-1 are going to make trouble.

You know the city and its people better than I do, so don't hesitate to call for an evacuation if the situation changes.

That drive has contact information for my family, the Akiyamas, the Kuzonohas, a couple of friends of Tetsuhiko and myself. It has a basic history outline.

It's as much useful information as I can give you. I'm not sure what else I can do right now."

[Dorizzit]

Naito's parents nod along with everything Chuck says.

"I see. If there is anything you need that we can provide...money, resources, manpower...anything at all, let us know."

They give Chuck contact information.

"Please...help Tetsuhiko."

[KnightDisciple]

Naito's parents nod along with everything Chuck says.

"I see. If there is anything you need that we can provide...money, resources, manpower...anything at all, let us know."

They give Chuck contact information.

"Please...help Tetsuhiko."

Chuck considers the offer seriously.

"Money and resources aren't really an issue, beyond as much information about this city, especially troublesome nooks and crannies, as you can get me.
The only manpower I think you could provide without increasing the danger to yourselves is that of intelligence and observation. Keep your eyes open, watch for large, unusual groups of people moving around.

There's only one other thing you can give me, and I'll understand if it takes time."

He gives them a sad look.

"Your forgiveness for not stopping this in time."

[Dorizzit]

Sanae nods at Chuck's request for information about the city.

"I'll send you my personal files. Anything you could possibly need to know about the city is contained in them. And I'll have the force keep an eye out for suspicious people."

Chuck's mention of forgiveness seems to strike a raw nerve with both of them, however. Neither is quite willing to meet his gaze.

"Save your concerns for Tetsuhiko. If we had been better parents, maybe it wouldn't have come to this."

[KnightDisciple]

Chuck gives both of them a serious look.

"If the two of you weren't the good people you were, it's quite probable things may have gone worse. Tetsuhiko is a good person, and that's your doing. Never, ever blame yourself for what's happened."

After final goodbyes are exchanged, Chuck would leave, having had, if nothing else, an informative exchange of information.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Two Days After Unseelie Accords Conference]

Sanae and Kazuo would receive an email from Chuck a few days after their meeting.

It gave a brief outline of the conference that had occured, the parties involved, the best guess of the Andersons as to what may have gone down at the Akiyama residence...
And a brief, un-detailed telling of the confrontation between Chuck and Alpha-1.


In closing, I must fervently request that you do two things.
First, try to contact, and stay in contact, with the Kuzonohas, mainly through Shinji. They can help you determine if evacuation becomes necessary. You can pass on the warning for the "trigger" of Alpha-1 to him, and through him, the others.
Second, know that I am sorry I did not succeed, but that I will return. This will be set right, this I swear upon my life and my honor as an Anderson.