Resistance (7 page)

“You broke us out, Tia, and we’ll always be grateful for that,” says Rowena. “And I’ve never seen Ulrik happier. But I need more subjects for my tests.”

“Your tests can wait for a bit,” says Aman. “Let things settle down. You already have the world’s biggest corporation and its most powerful superteam hunting you. Hang out with your boyfriend, help him clone mammoths and stuff. We also have many different kinds of fish.”

Rowena smiles. “Thank you,” she says. “For the first time in years, I feel safe.”

“And you can feel that way for years,” says Tia Prime. “We’re off the map, Rowena. No one will ever find us.”

On cue, an alarm rings out, and red lights flash through the base. Several screens pop up, showing, from several angles, the approach of an enemy vessel. And then another. And then more.

And then there are five.

Demon-shaped mechas approach Late Island. Aman waves his hand, and a rotating 3D hologram of the island and the base fills the middle of the chamber. The mechas are spaced out evenly around the island, surrounded in turn by swirling schools of curious fish.

“They’ll be here in two minutes,” says Aman. He casts a searching glance at Tia. “Another lucky guess, you think?”

“Shit,” says Tia.

* * *

“Why are we here again?” asks Baku.

“Silence,” snaps Amabie. “They could be listening.”

“Funny how we never worry about that with the giant monsters we seem to have misplaced during our last two fun outings,” says Oni. “It’s really far, and I’ve missed a whole bunch of clients, and I’m thirsty. I’d forget all of this if there was a monster to kill. Is there a monster to kill?”

“Patience, Oni,” says Norio.

“I don’t do patience,” says Oni. “Why are we here?”

“We’re on the trail of the Kaiju King,” says Norio. “Now all I ask is that you follow my lead. And trust me.”

“And
obey
me,” mutters Oni.

“This isn’t the mission, Goryo,” says Raiju. “You need to tell us these things in advance.”

“Noted,” says Norio.

“Now quiet,” says Amabie. “Initiate simultaneous charge on my mark.”

“Initiate my sweet brown ass,” says Oni. “We rescued Goryo. We chose not to see his face when you brought him in. He sounds ugly anyway. But this is all very sinister, Amabie. This is supervillain ground. Just tell us… are we terrorists now? Are we fighting for the government? What’s going on?”

“We’re changing the world,” says Norio. “Now shut up, and trust me.”

He hears muttering on the radio, but Team ARMOR holds its ground.

“We are with you, Goryo,” says Raiju after a while. “But we signed up to be heroes. Just remember that.”

“I will,” says Norio. “Get ready now. Their defences will be strong.”

* * *

“Okay, so now might not be the best time to bring this up, but we have no real defences,” says Tia.

Rowena’s eyes widen, and she turns in panic to Aman. But Aman is smiling.

“I know you think he’s cute,” he says, “but we still have enough of an arsenal to blast Bruce Sokko and his Flying Robot to little cute bits.”

“Yes, but face it, Aman, we’re not going to kill him,” says Tia. “But we can’t let them on the island,” says Aman.

“Isn’t this the Japanese billionaire you wanted to work with?” asks Rowena.

“Yes,” says Aman. “But his response to being kidnapped is really not what we wanted.”

“What should we do?” asks Rowena.

“Maybe you and Ulrik should take the sub out for a spin,” says Tia.

“No, we’re surrounded,” says Aman.

“I want to stay,” says Rowena. “I’m a part of your team now.”

“Sorry about that,” says Aman. “Tia. Options.”

“Well, they’re knocking very hard. We might have to let them in. We’ll show them our gardens and science labs and hopefully they’ll go back to fighting sea creatures,” says Tia. “I don’t know why they’re pushing it so far, but they know we know who they really are. And that we can tell the world in a second.”

Aman looks troubled. “I knew we should have found more fighters.”

Tia Prime walks up to him and clasps his shoulders.

“Relax,” she says, and kisses him.

“Can you make them go away quickly?” asks Aman. “I’ve missed you.”

“You go and hide behind a curtain or something,” says Captain Tia. “I’ll deal with this.”

* * *

Tia hails Norio, and they link. The underwater signal is weak, and Norio’s helmet-covered head flickers as it materialises in the control chamber. Norio sees Captain Tia clearly enough, though, with ARMOR’s signal amplifier. She looks extremely annoyed.

“Stalker,” she says.

“Sorry,” says Norio. “But if I’d asked you to bring me here, you’d have said no.”

“What do you want?”

“Aren’t you going to ask me how I found you?”

“You’ll just say Azusa’s a really good detective.”

Norio smiles, and Tia wonders whether he looked this wolfish when they’d spoken last.

“Let me in,” he says.

“No.”

“Then I’ll huff and I’ll puff,” says Norio, as his mecha comes up close to the side of the lair.

“We have missiles, you know. Lots of them.”

“Pacifists with missiles. Inconvenient. We can threaten each other as long as you like, Tia. But one of my team needs to use a toilet. So let me in.”

“Ask him to step outside. It’s only the bloody ocean. What do you want, Norio?”

“I want to meet Aman Sen.”

Tia sighs and crosses her arms.

“You have more trouble accepting his death than I do, Norio,” she says. “And we were really close.”

“Let’s run a little test,” says Norio. “I’m putting you on mute, so you can’t tell my teammates my name.”

He switches on the mecha’s primary communicator.

“Raiju? Your phone is on, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” comes the abashed reply a few seconds later.

“Could you tell all your followers where you are and what you’re doing, please? Let them know who lives here.”

“I don’t know who lives here.”

“Aman Sen.”

“Really?”

“Just do it, please?”

Tia gestures angrily on the holo-screen.

“Okay. Done,” says Raiju.

“Now check whether you can see your update.”

“I can’t.”

Norio’s smile is cold.

“Network, probably. I’ll keep trying,” says Raiju.

“Don’t bother,” says Norio. He switches off the com, turns to Tia, and moves her volume up with a gesture.

“Aman’s alive,” he says. “I want to meet him.”

“He left behind online protocols that would—”

“Don’t bother. Let me in.”

“No.”

They glare at each other in silence for a few seconds.

“I have bigger guns than you do,” says Tia. “I don’t want to use them. I’m sorry, but there are secrets on this island that are important to the world. Please, Norio. You don’t know what you’re asking. Just trust that I only want good things for you. I’m no danger to you. Go away. Please.”

“I wish I could,” says Norio. “I hate this conflict. But there’s something I have to do, something that will save the world, and I can’t do it without Aman.”

Tia frowns and studies his face, but cannot read it.

“Tell me,” she says.

“You know how all the psychics say the world’s ending soon?”

“They always do.”

“Well, it’s true this time. And only I – we – can stop it.”

“I’m bored,” says Tia. “And since you’re not going away, I’m telling all the world’s journalists everything there is to know about ARMOR.”

“I honestly don’t care any more,” says Norio, his voice strangely fervent. “I’m too close now to go back.”

“Oh, and I’m taking all your money. I hope you have spare cash.”

“None of this matters to me, Tia,” says Norio. “I may not even survive this mission. But I have everything I need to finish it, except Aman. There’s nothing you can say that will make me turn back. Fire at me if you have to, but I’m coming in. If I die, so be it.”

“All right then,” says Tia.

An alarm beeps in Norio’s control sphere. His mecha’s sensors tell him that missiles in the base have locked on.

“You’d really kill me?” he asks.

“I’ve killed before,” says Tia.

“Sundar dies if I die,” says Norio.

Tia’s gaze wavers. “Sundar built your mechas,” she says. “I knew it.”

“Well, he designed them,” says Norio. “I had them built. But yes, it’s his work. His last work, as it turns out. Goodbye.” He waves his hand, and the holo-screen disappears. Goryo’s demon-mecha powers up, plasma cannons emerging, ready for a desperate charge at Aman’s base.

Overriding Norio’s communication systems, a holo-screen pops up in front of his face.

“Let’s talk,” says Aman.

* * *

Goryo, Amabie and Oni dock into the submarine bay. A squadron of grim, rifle-toting Tias escort them out of their mechas. Oni staggers off with a Tia. Norio attempts casual banter, but these Tias do not respond. They wait until Norio and Azusa have taken off their armour-suits, and then frogmarch them through stalactite caverns and metal corridors until they reach Aman’s war room. Three Tias stay in the room, guns casually pointed at Norio and Azusa.

* * *

Norio’s face lights up when he sees Aman, and all the threatening things Aman had planned to say disappear in a barrage of compliments. Aman had quickly looked up appropriate formal bows, but Norio is almost American in his greetings. Thankfully, he stops short of being European. It is only when a Tia tells Norio firmly to shut it, that this effusiveness stops. Norio sits down at the head of the long conference table, three chairs away from Aman, and grins ruefully. Azusa stands beside him, staring coldly at the security Tias.

“I have behaved terribly so far,” Norio says. “From the bottom of my heart, I apologise.”

“Well, I suppose we started it,” says Aman. “Tell us, then. What’s the plan?”

“I want you to come back with me to Tokyo,” says Norio. “There’s a new armour waiting there that’s just your size. It’s like the one Jai Mathur wears – he stole it from you, didn’t he?”

“That was a long time ago,” says Aman. “And I don’t know if I want more armour. I’m no fighter.”

“The armour is just a gift. So you will be safe in the world outside, and will have no reason to hide any more,” says Norio. He stands up, his eyes shining. “I don’t expect you to offer your unique services for nothing. As for whatever you’re building here, whatever you’re planning to do, the Hisatomi zaibatsu has considerable resources that are now at your disposal. Do you build machines here? We specialise in rare metals, you know. Indium, neodymium, gallium, whatever you want. You obviously have all the money you need, but believe me, I have systems. All yours. No obligations.”

“That’s very generous,” says Aman. “But I don’t need to run an industrial empire.”

“Yes, but you do need an offline presence to match—”

“Secondary,” says Aman firmly. “What do you want from me?”

“Many things. But I do not come to you empty-handed. I come to you with hospitals, a fleet, a—”

“Stop,” says Aman.

“No, don’t,” says a voice from the door.

Rowena slides in. “Rowena, go back to your room,” says a Tia behind Azusa. “We’ll talk later.”

“I want to know more about the hospitals,” Rowena says. “I’m sorry for butting in, but I need patients.”

Norio surveys Rowena with great interest. “What do you do?” he asks.

“She’s not a super,” says Aman. “She’s our base doctor, and she’s leaving.”

But Rowena stays where she is.

Norio shuffles a chair closer to Aman and a Tia comes up behind them.

“I’ve noticed bad things happen when you move around,” she says.

Norio waves apologetically and leans closer.

“Do you know how my father died?” he asks.

“Yes,” says Aman. “And I thought you’d refused to work with supers after that.”

“I had,” says Norio. “But a man can change. Sometimes a man has to, when the whole world is at stake.”

He moves another chair closer, but Tia stops him with a poke of her rifle.

“Sorry, sorry, I’m just overexcited,” says Norio, raising his visibly shaking hands and placing them, palms down, on the table. “This is just too big for me. I have this plan. It’s all clear in my head, but now that I’m actually here, my tongue is tied in knots. I cannot believe I’m about to embark on this glorious adventure with Aman Sen.
The
Aman Sen.”

Aman grins. “Relax. I’m much less impressive in person,” he says.

“Not at all,” says Norio. “You’re exactly what I expected. Azusa?”

“Yes,” she says.

And then, in one incredibly swift motion, Norio lunges forward, snake-like, and jabs two fingers into Aman’s throat.

As Aman falls, unconscious, Norio rises, turns, and snatches the rifle from the Tia standing open-mouthed nearest him. Behind him, Azusa dives to the floor. Aman drops heavily and stays down.

Rowena screams.

The two other Tias in the room point their rifles, yelling, but Norio already has his gun pointed at Aman’s head.

“Stay calm,” he says.

“What the hell are you doing?” roars Tia.

“Drop your weapons,” says Norio.

The Tias glare at him, but obey.

Azusa springs to her feet and stares at Norio, unable to conceal her complete bafflement.

“Norio. Listen,” says Tia. “I know you hate supers, but Aman’s the best of them all. He’s Jai’s greatest enemy too. He’s the last person you could have anything against.”

“Get the guns, Azusa,” says Norio. “Rowena, I’m glad you stayed. You’re coming with us. We’re definitely going to need a doctor.”

“Stop this. Stop it now,” says Tia. “We can make things right. We can work together.”

“I don’t think that’s going to work out,” says Norio. “Because, you know, this whole ‘your world is ending’ thing you’ve been hearing about? That’s me, I’m afraid.”

“You’re supposed to be one of the good guys.”

“I’m really not,” says Norio. “Sorry.”

He fires, three times. The Tias turn to dust.

Rowena screams again.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” says Azusa.

“Are you with me or not?” asks Norio.

“I am with you… Master,” says Azusa. “Always.”