Zenkichi stared at the screen, exhaling a long, tired sigh as he leaned back in his chair. The room was dimly lit, the only light coming from the glow of his communicator. He scrubbed a hand over his face, his hat kept away as he found himself lounging at the front desk of a hotel, and muttered, "Teenagers, man. Why are they all like this? The edge, the drama—it's like watching bad theater."
Still, he couldn’t help but smirk.
"That’s my girl," he muttered under his breath- not directly addressing her yet, pride swelling despite himself. Akane’s snarky takedown had been a sight to behold. She didn’t take crap from anyone, not even overcompensating hacker kids who thought they could rewrite the rules of reality. If he didn’t already feel like he was out of his depth in this crazy multiverse, he might’ve laughed out loud.
"Akane, you’ve got some fire in you," he said out loud, glancing at the digital interface which was his phone where her avatar glowed.
"Yeah, yeah," Akane replied, her holographic figure smiling- though the smile itself was stationery. "You gonna lecture me about making enemies or something? Because I wasn’t about to let that guy get away with trash-talking you."
Zenkichi chuckled, shaking his head. "Nah, you handled it pretty well. But maybe dial it back next time? Just a bit? We kinda need that guy to not blow us off entirely."
Akane scoffed. "Fine.. But you know he deserved it. I mean, who brags about hacking the world and then acts like they’re too cool to care?"
"Teenagers," Zenkichi said again, his tone half amused, half exasperated. "Still, thanks, Akane. For sticking up for me. Not that I need it, of course." He puffed up his chest jokingly, earning an eye-roll from the AI.
"Oh, please," Akane said, smirking. "Someone’s gotta keep you in check, old man."
They shared a laugh, the tension easing just a bit before Akane’s expression turned more serious.
"Alright, back to work," Akane said, pulling up a projection of the data Rook had sent. "This app? It’s an early alpha build. Like, super alpha. So it’s not an immediate threat, but there are some concerning things about it."
Zenkichi frowned, leaning forward. "How concerning are we talking? Spill it."
"Well," Akane said, her tone shifting to a more analytical one, "first of all, the developers listed in the metadata? Dr. Kuon Ichinose and Dr. Takuto Maruki."
Zenkichi stared at the projection, Akane’s voice filtering through his earpiece as she explained the details. His expression hardened, a storm brewing behind his eyes.
"Akane," he said, his tone uncharacteristically low. "You’re saying... Takuto Maruki worked on this app? On EMMA?"
Akane hesitated. "Yeah. His name’s all over the metadata alongside Ichinose. I double-checked—this isn’t some fake signature or forgery. It’s him."
Zenkichi leaned back, his fists clenching. Nights where they exchanged drinks, the first line of scientists who constantly spearheaded that Zenkichi didn't have to choose to be an augmented soldier and...a distant friend until the ex-officer was stabbed in the back by the corporation. Still, Zenkichi couldn't blame Takuto for that, could he?
"No," Zenkichi muttered, shaking his head. "That doesn’t make sense. Maruki wasn’t like that. He cared about people. He was the only person worth tolerating in that god-forsaken company. He wouldn’t... he couldn’t team up with someone like Ichinose."
Akane’s holographic avatar flickered, her expression softening. "I know this is a lot to take in. And for what it’s worth, this doesn’t match the guy you’ve told me about. But… the data doesn’t lie. At some point, Maruki and Ichinose collaborated. Maybe it wasn’t by choice, but it happened."
Zenkichi ran a hand through his hair, his mind racing.
His mind went back to the argument on the community board. People weren't fond of him here.
"This is some multiverse bullshit again, isn't it?"
Why?
"In some timeline, yeah. At least, that’s what this app’s data suggests. It’s weird, though. Maruki’s earlier work doesn’t scream ‘world domination’ to me. He was all about creating an livable reality for people, not... whatever this is."
"That’s what makes it worse," Zenkichi muttered, rubbing his temples. "If someone like Maruki was willing to team up with someone like Ichinose, either he didn’t know what he was getting into, or..." He trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought.
"Or he got desperate," Akane said quietly, her voice unusually soft.
Zenkichi sighed, his shoulders heavy. "I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. Desperation makes people do stupid things. But we need to find out more—how this alpha build connects to EMMA’s endgame, and if it’s tied to our EMMA at all."
Akane’s hologram brightened, her determination shining through."Don’t worry, old man. I’ve already started dissecting the code. If there’s a way to stop this thing—or at least understand what we’re up against—I’ll find it."
Zenkichi smiled faintly, leaning back in his chair. "I know you will, Akane."
"Now that's what I am talking about," she said with a wink. "Let’s get to work...but I am hoping we don't have to prevent an apocalypse— again."
only a seperate reaction
Still, he couldn’t help but smirk.
"That’s my girl," he muttered under his breath- not directly addressing her yet, pride swelling despite himself. Akane’s snarky takedown had been a sight to behold. She didn’t take crap from anyone, not even overcompensating hacker kids who thought they could rewrite the rules of reality. If he didn’t already feel like he was out of his depth in this crazy multiverse, he might’ve laughed out loud.
"Akane, you’ve got some fire in you," he said out loud, glancing at the digital interface which was his phone where her avatar glowed.
"Yeah, yeah," Akane replied, her holographic figure smiling- though the smile itself was stationery. "You gonna lecture me about making enemies or something? Because I wasn’t about to let that guy get away with trash-talking you."
Zenkichi chuckled, shaking his head. "Nah, you handled it pretty well. But maybe dial it back next time? Just a bit? We kinda need that guy to not blow us off entirely."
Akane scoffed. "Fine.. But you know he deserved it. I mean, who brags about hacking the world and then acts like they’re too cool to care?"
"Teenagers," Zenkichi said again, his tone half amused, half exasperated. "Still, thanks, Akane. For sticking up for me. Not that I need it, of course." He puffed up his chest jokingly, earning an eye-roll from the AI.
"Oh, please," Akane said, smirking. "Someone’s gotta keep you in check, old man."
They shared a laugh, the tension easing just a bit before Akane’s expression turned more serious.
"Alright, back to work," Akane said, pulling up a projection of the data Rook had sent. "This app? It’s an early alpha build. Like, super alpha. So it’s not an immediate threat, but there are some concerning things about it."
Zenkichi frowned, leaning forward. "How concerning are we talking? Spill it."
"Well," Akane said, her tone shifting to a more analytical one, "first of all, the developers listed in the metadata? Dr. Kuon Ichinose and Dr. Takuto Maruki."
Zenkichi stared at the projection, Akane’s voice filtering through his earpiece as she explained the details. His expression hardened, a storm brewing behind his eyes.
"Akane," he said, his tone uncharacteristically low. "You’re saying... Takuto Maruki worked on this app? On EMMA?"
Akane hesitated. "Yeah. His name’s all over the metadata alongside Ichinose. I double-checked—this isn’t some fake signature or forgery. It’s him."
Zenkichi leaned back, his fists clenching. Nights where they exchanged drinks, the first line of scientists who constantly spearheaded that Zenkichi didn't have to choose to be an augmented soldier and...a distant friend until the ex-officer was stabbed in the back by the corporation. Still, Zenkichi couldn't blame Takuto for that, could he?
"No," Zenkichi muttered, shaking his head. "That doesn’t make sense. Maruki wasn’t like that. He cared about people. He was the only person worth tolerating in that god-forsaken company. He wouldn’t... he couldn’t team up with someone like Ichinose."
Akane’s holographic avatar flickered, her expression softening. "I know this is a lot to take in. And for what it’s worth, this doesn’t match the guy you’ve told me about. But… the data doesn’t lie. At some point, Maruki and Ichinose collaborated. Maybe it wasn’t by choice, but it happened."
Zenkichi ran a hand through his hair, his mind racing.
His mind went back to the argument on the community board.
People weren't fond of him here.
"This is some multiverse bullshit again, isn't it?"
Why?
"In some timeline, yeah. At least, that’s what this app’s data suggests. It’s weird, though. Maruki’s earlier work doesn’t scream ‘world domination’ to me. He was all about creating an livable reality for people, not... whatever this is."
"That’s what makes it worse," Zenkichi muttered, rubbing his temples. "If someone like Maruki was willing to team up with someone like Ichinose, either he didn’t know what he was getting into, or..." He trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought.
"Or he got desperate," Akane said quietly, her voice unusually soft.
Zenkichi sighed, his shoulders heavy. "I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. Desperation makes people do stupid things. But we need to find out more—how this alpha build connects to EMMA’s endgame, and if it’s tied to our EMMA at all."
Akane’s hologram brightened, her determination shining through."Don’t worry, old man. I’ve already started dissecting the code. If there’s a way to stop this thing—or at least understand what we’re up against—I’ll find it."
Zenkichi smiled faintly, leaning back in his chair. "I know you will, Akane."
"Now that's what I am talking about," she said with a wink. "Let’s get to work...but I am hoping we don't have to prevent an apocalypse— again."