[scikaiju]

16


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OP - Downstait - I Came To Play
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"You know," the Andorian said as they sat at a back table under a pair of heavy cloaks. He looked around every so often looking for trouble. Galgamayde sat there calmly drinking the contents of the glass.

"I have an idea," he told him.

"Then I think you should tell me," he leaned in ans demanded. "I risked my neck getting you there and showing you those bunch of freaks. Now I'm smuggling you back into that mess. And pretty sure the target on my back is almost as big as yours is now. You owe me."

"Which is why I'm not currently aiming my pistol at you to calm you down.

"This isn't a joke," he said through his teeth unless he screamed it. Still he looked at the crowd trying to see if anybody was paying a bit too much attention to what they were saying. "Frak it Galga..."

"No names," he said darkly, making sure he saw him reach for his pistol.

"You are being extremely frustrating right now."

Galgamayde smirked, "I know all about frustration. And right now it feels like an asteroid has been lifted from my shoulders." He glanced his electronic eye around the room himself. Partly because the boss did have eyes just about everywhere in his territory, partly because his companion was acting suspicious enough to draw the unwanted attention. Maybe to calm him down, "Alright I'll share my suspicions with you."

"Finally," the Andorian leaned in with interest. Galgamayde leaned in as well. Then he held up a finger, "But first you need to know how I arrived at this particular conclusion."

***
"You talked Steve out of giving Alex an intervention?", Sam asked Ryan. They had met up for lunch, then he had dropped this particular bombshell on her.

"Yeah he wanted to do it about a month ago," he said like he just told her it was raining. "Yeah those things are only good if you think there's a chance he'll recover. No offence Sam but your brother is too far gone."

Sam just stared at him. She wanted to yell at him that it was all an act. That Alex was one of the bravest people she knows right now. But Ryan was still but was still trying to profit on who was the guy in the armor. So she went with her usual line, "That's assuming there's anything wrong to begin with."

"Sam would you open your eyes for once," Ryan told her. "Alex is so far gone it's not even funny. He's just lucky me or somebody else hasn't called the police on him yet."

"I have an appointment I need to get too," she said getting up and leaving the table. It was either that or do or say something she, or Alex, might regret.

"Sam come on now," Ryan said but she kept on going. ALex may not need a whole new set of friends but he could probably cut out Ryan and not really change anything at all. Granted Alex didn't really need , or deserve, an intervention. But to actually stop somebody who actually cared enough to at least consider it?

And she had to admit that she was more pissed at the idea he thought Alex was a lost cause. She looked back to see Ryan working on his laptop, and quickly realized he was messing with some pictures of Steve and an armor clad Alex. At least she assumed it was her twin brother, it could have pictures of Orion before his injury for all she knew. Dashing into the restroom she pulled out her keypad,

"Ah Dez, if I gave you somebodies address and e-mail could you delete some information from his computer?"

"Samantha, I'm sure you realize what you are asking is slightly illegal," she answered.

"I know," she said. "Look, our friend Ryan is trying is trying to figure out who's in the armor and I want to try and set him back a bit."

"Alex told me about him. I was under the impression he was convinced some one named Steve was the person he was looking for. Has something changed?"

"No," she struggled to explain. "Alright fine, thanks to Alex's act Ryan just told me he's too far gone and not worth saving. I want to get back at him a little bit. And in all honesty this is the best way I can think to do it."

Dez was quiet for a moment. Sam almost convinced herself she was going to tell that this was an inappropriate response. Then she said, "Given your and Alex's situation this a potential security risk we should take care of. The information you going to give me well help me target his ISP. But it's going to have to be when he logs in at home, which will take some time to narrow down, especially if he lives in an apartment building. And then if somebody is leeching off of him or he's leeching off somebody. Then there's the possibility he changes his ISP somehow..."

"Thank you Dez," Sam said feeling a little bit of triumph.

Then Dez said, "You do realize this is something Alex would do?"

"Just because I'm the good twin doesn't mean I can't pull the occasional evil act."

***
"I'm telling you boss speed is the thing," the brash gray skinned youth in front of him said. A few of the older participants in the crowd around him moaned in disbelief. He looked back at them and smirked before continuing, "Me and my current crew have never been netted by the local authorities or those Galactic strong arms. Nobody is faster than us, we're warp levels above everybody."

The boss made some noises that the droid translated, "With your, so far, small record of achievement has indicated." That response got a small chuckle from the crowd. The youth in front of them was part of a new generation of criminals on the rise. A somewhat impatient group if this one was going to be an example. "So why petition to target Earth?"

"I heard through the comm waves that the pretend Sheriff was something else," he grinned the cocky grin of youth. "And I want to show him there's somebody better." Now the crowd did laugh. "What's so frelling funny."

The droid translated again, "When he was first gammaed most, if not all those present, might have agreed with you. Now they look at him with the same level of respect they would give one who had gone through the official training process."

"Why give respect when you can take it."

The crowd watched as the boss remained silent. "I will grant your request. Let us see if your skills are as large as your boasts."

"Like there was any doubt," the youth said. Making the crowd part as he left before being dismissed. As he reached the door he called out, "The human is about to meet his number one rival."

After he left some said a little too loudly, "I can think of one slime trail that would think otherwise." More than a few glanced at the boss when they realized who he was talking about. The and the speaker visually relaxed when the boss didn't react negatively.

But somebody did feel it was unnecessary to change subjects to something safer, "I hope I wasn't that dumb when I was that young."

"You're that dumb now," somebody else called out getting a laugh.

Now that things were more relaxed one stepped forward, still a bit timid, "I don't mean to question yer call boss, but why did you let the kid go?"

After several grunts and whines the droid said, "Because sometimes youth needs to be reminded they are not invincible. He and his group have yet to commit an offence that would require a zero. After his capture he will have time to think about his mistake and hopefully learn from his mistakes." The one who spoke and the rest nodded in agreement. "If not," he continued, "I have other ways to show him he is not invincible."

***
"So why are going to mud ball of a planet again Zazz?", a similar grey female with frizzy orange hair asked as she spun around in a chair. He was hunched over working on their equipment, specially designed jet packs. "Outside of out dazzling the human sheriff?"

The lighter grey third one of the trio leaned against the far wall as he answered, "What else diamonds."

"Pfft," she snorted, "you can get sparkly rocks anywhere."

"And everywhere else Dia," Zazz said as he looked up to examining a piece in the light, "have modern security and weapons not to mention one of those armor head Sheriffs. And while there is a lone human playing at being a Sheriff the rest of the planet if thousands of mecacycles behind the rest of the universe. Their personal vehicles don't even get off the ground."

"Totally prehistoric!", Dia exclaimed as she spun around faster.

"And those prehistoric cavemen," the third one said as he got off the wall, "also have weapons that fire metal slugs too, you receive?"

"For real?" Dia stopped spinning and looked at Zazz, "I vote earth as a no go. Those things do more damage than modern weapons."

"Got to get a clean lock on us first my shooting star," Zazz told her as he got her spinning again. And we utrun modern strong arms what chances are the cavemen have to pluck us down. Especially if we make it more interesting."

Here we go with the interesting again," Dia said. zazz spun her around harder, "Hey."

"Maz," he said ignoring her, "you ready to send that message when we get there?"

"Ready transmit set," he answered, "but I still say this is stupid."

"Hey I just want the hottest rising sun on that side of the rules to know the hottest one on this side is going to leave him in my exhaust."

***
"We received another warning ahead of time?", Alex asked the image of Dez. She had already pulled up this Zazz's file on the computer hidden away in his apartment wall. "I don't suppose you know if this one came from the same source as the last one."

"No," she began, "I know who sent this one. It was Zazz himself."

"No way."

"I've studied his profile and reports of his of his criminal activities," she explained. "It shows a somewhat steady, if not steep, incline in his boldness the more he gets away so this seems to be a natural progression of his behavior."

"Meaning he currently has an ego the size of a small moon at this point," Alex commented.

Dez looked at him, slightly impressed, "I believe that is the most accurate assessment I have ever heard you say."

"What can I say," he shrugged, "you're rubbing off on me."

"And here I was expecting you would be corrupting me instead," she smirked.

"You've had you moments so don't get too cocky. Besides it sounds like this guy has enough ego to spare."

she started to respond but got that look that indicated she just received some sort of information. Alex was tempted to head for the door to save some time. Then again that could cause her to wonder where he was. Soon enough she refocused her attention back on him, "Zazz and his group have acted on their threat sooner than I anticipated."

"Give me their location," he said heading for the door.

"I'm already programming it into the helmet display of the armor."

"Get Sam out there too," he said as the door closed behind him.

***
"What did tell you?", Zazz triumphantly said as all three filled their bags with all the diamonds in their reach. Although Zazz was going at a more casual pace than the other two. "Easier than skimming ice off a comet."

"Beam like that once the metal slugs start zooming," Maz said as he sealed his bag. "Let's burn out of here!"

"Go for that idea," Dia said doing the same.

"Bunch of amoebae," Zazz muttered as continued to fill his bag.

"Zazz don't go spacey on us," Maz said as he stepped out of the broken store front window.

-CAPTURE-

-CAPTURE-

"Wha..?", he got out before two energy bands wrapped around him from either side.

"Maz!", Dia shouted out.

Zazz held her back, "Burn out!" Activating their packs they shot out the window. Alex and Sam both fired energy bands at them but they were able to avoid them.

"They're jetting!", Sam said as she quickly ran in and placed a chip on Maz.

Literally," Alex commented as he hit two keys on his pad. -SKYBOARD- -GALACTIC CYCLE- "Let's see how fast they are."

"This better end better than I think it will," she said to herself as he jumped on the board and she got on the cycle. They where after them a second later.

"I got this!" Alex shouted as he raced ahead when he noticed Sam was trying to weave through traffic to keep up.

Ahead of them Dia shouted, "We should split!"

"They can't catch us!" Zazz shouted back. "Now let's show that caveman how to really fly."

"Damn their fast," Alex muttered as he struggled to keep up. Then they started maneuvering around buildings like it was nothing. "Shit," he grunted as he took a turn and came way too close to a building corner.

"We can't keep up," Sam said into her keypad as she was so far back she could barely keep her twin in sight.

"You can't I can," he said through his teeth. Although she could tell he was struggling to do so.

So she tried a different track, "Dez can you track those two?"

"Barely," she said as she went through the sensor readings she was receiving. "Their flight pattern is too erratic, it's like they don't even have a plan. I can't predict a potential flight path."

"Fu...!", Alex said suddenly then they both heard a crash.

"Alex!", Sam cried out.

Dez quickly said, "I'm sending you his location."

"I got it", she tried to speed up despite the traffic in front of her. She quickly found him by spotting the small dent made into the side of the building. Then she saw him through a crowd slowly trying to get off the ground. And the police trying to cover him. "Great."

"I said stay on the ground!" one of them demanded as he got to a knee.

"I... ugh... I survived a building jumping in my way," he told then as he got to his feet. "Do you really think those pea shooters are going to do anything?"

"I said..."

"I heard you the first time," he snapped while holding his head. "Hope I didn't get another concussion that would suck." He got a glimpse of something in armor coming through an opening in the crowd and smirked beneath his helmet. "Ta ta." He grabbed an outstretched hand as she passed and jumped on back of the cycle.

"What happened?" she asked as she got back on the road.

"Lost control of the board," he told her. "Dez do you have a bead on them?"

"I lost whatever tracking information I had once you hit the wall. I'm patching into the police channels now but I'm seeing hundreds of live call ins. It will take time to locate the ones that deal with Zazz."

"And we got problems of our we we have to outrun," Sam told him. He looked back to see several squad cars hollowing them. He let out a quick curse as she said, "Hang on bro." Alex kept mumbling something long after they lost the police.

***
"We just hit core breach," Dia said as the reached their ship and entered. Throwing her bag down she continued, "No we hit nova of the super variety. we got to burn off this planet."

"That wasn't even turbulence," Zazz told her. She started to get infuriated as she watched him start to inspect each diamond. "Ugh, how did this hunk of crystal get in here. Humans know nothing."

"Maz got tractored in case you didn't register!"

"He was sludge on the trigger."

"We are getting netted!", she slapped a diamond out of his hands.

"Your brain warp out on you!", he snapped and got in her face. "We did not get netted! Don't start going blackhole on me!"

"The frell with you!", she started to leave. He grabbed her roughly by the arm. "Let me go or I'll wreck you! You frelling hear me!"

He held on tight slowly getting her close until his arms were around her. "I didn't mean to call you a blackhole," he told her as she stopped struggling. "Mez getting tractored messed my systems up too."

"It did?", she sounded unsure.

"He was my best wingman of course it did." Dia finally calmed down enough for him to let her go.

"Now what's the plan? Do we warp out of here?"

"The human got lucky but he still can't stop our plans."

"I viewed the human as he tracked us," Dia told him. "He may be slower but he flies just like us. We need to burn out of here before he gets lucky again."

"Fine," he eventually agreed. "But we need one more hit to make up for Maz's loss." She started to argue but he held up a finger. "One last job then we warp, transmission received?"

"Perfectly clear."

"How about I make up my system failure the usual way."

She grinned, "I'll go warm up the bunk."

Once she was out of the room he stopped hiding the disgust he was feeling, "I should space her and start recruiting again."

***
Above Earth Dez, Sam and the image of a cane wielding Orion captured jetpack of the culprit they had in stasis. "This design makes no sense," Dez said as she stepped back from it and threw her hands into the air. "This patchwork of electronics shouldn't work in any way shape or form. But some how it does."

"Zazz's design have stumped everybody who has looked at them," Orion assured her. "Rumors have it several computer banks at home station have about burn themselves out trying to work out the design."

Sam took a peek at the insides of the contraption, "Did the guy we snag say anything about how it works?"

"He claimed he didn't know," she answered. "At least that's what I'm assuming he said. The translators don't have setting for gibberish."

"Then how do you understand Alex?", Sam smirked. Dez smirked back.

"Speaking of," Orion asked, glancing at his cane, "where is he?"

Sam looked in the general direction of the training area, "Working out a little frustration at the moment."

"Ah," he said, "I've heard that excuse a few times from friends who have dealt with him."

"Hopefully the loss of one of his gang will affect him in some way," Sam commented.

"I doubt it," Orion told her. "In his short career that young man has gone through colleagues but he's never the one caught. And apparently he has no problem getting replacements because he's gained a bit of a cult following." He sighed then continued, "Even Xain was surprised at boldness. He's gotten to the point he'll actually lead his pursuers in the general direction of his ship."

Dez went back to the contraption, "Well he;s either a genius on a level we don't know of or he's crazy on a level the medics haven't labeled yet."

"Is there any way to get that board to go any faster?", Alex demanded as he finally came into the room.

"I've heard that before too," Orion said. Alex acknowledged him with a nod.

"It's possible," Dez said thinking it over. "But I don't think going faster is the answer."

"What am I supposed to do? Go Slower?"

"I think I have an idea of what Dez is talking about," Sam spoke up. To her she said, "Can you pull up an overhead map of the city and show the route all three of them took?"

"Of course." In moments they all saw the multicolored lines zig zagging across the city. And like Orion said it seemed to be going in a general direction for the most part.

Sam went over to Alex and said, "You didn't hear this part but lately he's been going straight to his ship on these chases. And as the question goes what's the fastest way between two points?"

They all watched as the light bulb went off in his eyes, "Ah."

"So we wait then?", Dez asked "Or since we have a general direction to go in we do a search for his ship?"

"I can get a rough estimate on where he usually places it from the others who have dealt with him to help narrow down the search area," Orion offered. But he glanced over at the current welder of his armor.

"Or," Alex spoke up, "you can find out how close his targets are to each other."

Orion nodded with approval, "Perhaps how soon afterwards as well."

"Narrow down the potential target area," Dez said. "It would be easier than trying to locate his ship."

"Good idea Bro," Sam told him.

"It was either that or try and draw them out," he told her. "And I got no idea how in the hell to do that."

***
It only took Zazz a day to pick a pick a new target. And it wasn't one any of them was expecting. "Alex, some one matching Zazz and the girl's descriptions and methods are attacking an armored truck in the middle of traffic."

"Boy got some balls, I'll give him that."

"I'll send you and Samantha his location."

"Wait," I got a better idea," he said suddenly. "But it might be slightly illegal."

"I am officially frightened," Dez told him.

"So am I. How accurate is that transporter again?"

"Very frightened."

After buzzing and shooting at the armored car for the third time Dia looked over at Zazz, "Those diamonds have better be worth this hassle,"

"Diamonds and gold," he corrected. "Earth gold gets astronomical prices."

"Until the humans armor heads shows up," she looked over her shoulder nervously.

"They know they can't run with us!" Zazz buzzed the vehicle one more time this time hitting a tire. "Frelling finally," he grunted as the driver almost lost control but was able to get the vehicle to come to a stop. Zazz and Dia quickly landed and he shot the lock on the back door. "Cover the driver," he told her.

"Received," she said as he opened the door.

-CAPTURE-

He looked up to see a brief flash of metal as he grabbed Dia and pulled her in his place. An energy band wrapped around her and she fell to the ground."Frell!" Zazz ducked another energy band as it wrapped around a light pole. "Too slow caveman!", he said over his engines as he flew out of there.

"You frelling blackhole!", Dia shouted as she saw him leave her there. "Frelling free me!"

As Alex and Sam jumped out of the back of the vehicle they watched where he was going. "Just like we thought," she said.

"Dez please tell me you have him on sensors," Alex said into his pad.

"As of right now I do," she answered.

"Try to get out of here after you deal with her," he told his twin. -SKYBOARD- -GALACTIC CYCLE-

He jumped on the board as she turned toward Dia. "You won't catch the frelling slug! he's warp speed right now." Sam could see she was holding back the tears.

She felt a little sorry for her but she still had a job to do. "He's still young and dumb," and placed a chip on her. After Dez transported her away Sam sealed the back of the armored car and hopped on the cycle to get herself out of there.

Zazz was already several miles ahead not seeing a tail behind him. He smiled smugly, "Didn't even try." Although he still zigged and zagged around the city as he went to his ship. He looked behind but he didn't look above. Alex was above the skyline knowing the general way he was going, but still kept an eye on Zazz in case he suddenly smartened up.

"He's still hard to keep an eye on," he commented.

In the satellite above Dez was using the data she was getting now and the previous data to try and predict where his ship would be. "The aerial view should make this easier so stay up in the air."

"But I can't stay too high or I'll run into the same problem."

"I know...wait." she told him, "I think I have it."

"You sure?"

"If I had more than two flight paths I'd be more certain."

"Give me it any way," and he aimed his board lower near the ground.

"Free spaceway from here," Zazz told himself as he headed in more of a straight line. Then the shot nearly hit him, "What?" A few more almost made him crash and burn but he got a look at who was firing at him. "Impossible!", and he poured on the speed.

"I was afraid he was going to do that," Alex grunted as he leaned forward to increase his speed. -RAPID FIRE- Only using one gun he tried to force the kid near the ground.

"Slag off caveman!", he shouted back as he tried to lose him. But the corners were tighter and the spaces were more cluttered with things like fire escapes that slowed him down. "Frell this," ass he shot up at an angle.

"Shit," Alex muttered as he did the same. A straight up race was not going to go in his favor. He leaned forward as low as he could and still be on the control panel but he still had to lower his wind profile as much as possible. But he watched as he slowly pulled ahead of him. "Sam find that ship now!"

"Dez already already gave me the general location," she told him. "I'll try and head him off, if I'm lucky that is."

Alex gritted his teeth as he tried to lean even more by grabbing the front of the board, "Come on come on..."

While he was trying to keep an eye on the slowly decreasing size of the person in front of him Dez was keeping an eye on their altitude. "You're approaching five thousand feet."

"I'll add it to my flyer miles!"

"Alex at this speed..."

"Don't tell me," he snapped.

She was silent for awhile. Then every few mimutes she would give an update, "Five thousand feet." Then a another moment of silence, "Seventy-five, Zazz is getting close to nine thousand."

"Go faster!", he yelled at the board as he had to use his helmet sensors to see Zazz at this point. His only response was Dez giving him their height every so often. Around fifteen thousand and Zazz was just about a dot the armor made a hissing noise he wasn't familiar with. "What did this suit just do?"

"The armor just sealed itself," Dez answered. "It's maintaining internal pressure and oxygen supply at this height."

"Wait, what's happening with Zazz then?"

At that moment he was going at speeds and heights he's never approached before. Trying to ignore the g-forces pressing down on him and the difficulty to breath. He tried to press through the blackness creeping at the edge of his vision as he passed the clouds. Then he felt and saw nothing as he lost. A few moments later something in his pack burned out. Alex wondered what the smoke coming from is was right before he realized he stopped flying and started falling.

"Oh shit!", he exclaimed as he changed directions to follow. "Dez!"

"I'm calculating an interception angle now," she told him. Alex at the speed he was previously traveling..."

"Trying not to think about that!"

After what seemed like hours supplied him with a few intercept points to nab Zazz. Most of them straight down. Going into a near vertical dive he chased after the smoke. Almost achingly slow Zazz's figure started to get bigger. Knee practically on the board he gripped both sides of the board to stay on. He also tried not to think about the ground that was quickly approaching. After what felt like an eternity he was close enough to grab Zazz. Carefully reaching out with a hand he grabbed onto Zazz and pulled him in. "Got 'im! Now how to I pull out of this without breaking both our necks?!"

Dez had an answer ready, "Alex I'm sending you a flight path and directions now. I need you to follow them as close as possible."

"Understood." Seeing it he understood the basics of what she sent. The idea was to slow down in a circular pattern until they were back at a safe speed and low enough that Zazz could breath easier. It took awhile but at a thousand feet he leveled out and held on to a Zazz that practically limp against his side. "Hey," he patted his face a few times, "anybody home?"

Zazz started coming too, "Huh? Wha...?"

"You're still with us, good," Alex said. "Oh, by the way. Got ya," and he slapped a chip on his chest. As soon as he disappeared Alex headed for the rooftops, "I never want to do that again."

"Can't be harder then explaining why we transported into an armored truck," Sam said over the line. "And I found the ship."

"Excellent Samantha," Dez spoke up. "And I told Orion the plan ahead of time. he's already explaining our reasoning to command."

"Good thing for Orion then," Sam said.

"You got that right," Alex agreed.

***
A couple of days later, after command agreed with their course of action, Alex and Sam where having dinner with their friends. In his act Alex almost fell asleep a couple of times. In fact he almost nodded off for good when Ryan barged to their table, "How could you do that to me Steve?!"

"What are you talking about Ryan?", Steve asked, Sam being the only one at the table who had a clue what he was talking about.

"My computer," he told him. "All that information I had on that armored guy and it's gone!"

"Why are you suspecting me then?"

"Because you're my number one suspect that's why!"

"I had just about enough of you and this crap," Steve said as he got up and left the table.

"Don't you walk away from me," Ryan told him whiled he followed. A few others from the table went along to try and calm the two of them down.

Sam looked satisfied as she said, "Took her long enough," just a little too loud. Although his head was down Alex tilted it just enough to give her a questioning look. She smiled innocently at him.

"Do I...?", he started to ask.

She quickly answered, "No you don't."

"Fair enough," and fell back into his act.


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ED - Divide the Day - Let It Roll
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