The Bossman

Mamoru stood up and slapped his cheeks. He shook his head and looked around the room, then at the pod. He strapped his sister back to the inside and closed the lid. A swift cut to the bottom severed it from the database and Mako helped lower the heavy object gently to the floor.

“Then thou wishes to carry her our?” Mako asked.

“For now. We will make it work.”

To his surprise, the fox girl easily hoisted the pod over her shoulder. She winked.

Don’t get on her bad side.

The high school boy shook his head, and they headed back to the elevator, which failed to light up as he pressed the buttons. A familiar man’s voice came from overhead.

“Did you think I would just let you leave?” The man laughed. “You didn’t realize I could turn off the elevator access from here, did you? Oh, but don’t even think about taking the stairs down either, I have my Senior Managers marching up to meet you as we speak, and it’s much harder to clean the steps than that floor.”

Mamoru kicked the door and tried slashing it. The slash severed the doors, and they made a long drop down an elevator-less shaft.

“Mamoru!” Mirai’s voice came from his phone. He pulled it from his pocket to the look at the sapphire-haired girl. “Good, I wasn’t sure you would hear me with all the commotion. That was incredibly reckless charging in like that,” she sighed, “We have successfully claimed the flying bus, but Suba has increased security for Strength Tower, so I can’t overwrite anything to help you. If you can get to the top of the tower, we can pick you up at the helicopter pad.”

“Up then.” Mamoru looked at the stairwell and kicked open the door. It would be a long climb, but at least he could give the man mocking them over the speaker a good kick on the way.

He began his ascent with Mako just behind.

Little was said as the floors passed by. Mamoru’s breath grew heavier with each step, but he kept his pace steady to avoid burning too much energy. He didn’t know what was left to face before he could escape, but he would take it head on. Eventually, the stairwell ended, and he pushed into the hallway of what must have been the top floor.

“You doing okay Mako?”

It was not lost on him how heavy carrying the pod must have been, but the fox girl only beamed at his question.

“I appreciate thy concern, young master, but I am very well.”

“Alright, we still need to find the access to the roof, and I have a feeling that guy we heard is up here too.”

Mamoru crept forward, sword griped tightly and held in position for a quick upward slash. Mako walked behind and made the occasional sound that indicated she saw something curious looking. Though, modern as the hallways of the top floor looked, they still felt off.

It was as if the space were distorting in on itself, bending and twisting so that the hallway would twist and corkscrew even though Mamoru was always able to keep his feet firmly on the floor. He kept his eyes trained just before his feet to keep from the twisting effect making him feel motion sick.

I can’t feel where anything is supposed to be up here, it’s like we are in a dead space. I’m not sure what this is.

Hikari shivered like she was cold.

“We hath entered a barrier. In the same manner in how mine temple was cut off, this place is as well,” Mako added. “However, our foe hath little creativity for how to fill it.”

The magic talk was a little beyond Mamoru, but if it was just a space of magic, he didn’t see any reason to continue wandering. He lifted his blade, ignited it with fire, and made a hefty slash into the walls of the twisting hallway. At once they seemed to fall into a new, open room. Mamoru stumbled down to his knees, and Mako stood firm with Mae’s heavy pod still hoisted on her shoulder.

The room was grey and open, offering little in the way of décor. In the middle sat a large, overly complex desk. A triple monitor setup with large box of PC took up the space. Next to the desk was a round table with some chairs.

Behind the desk, along the far wall, was what really caught Mamoru’s eye. A large machine, made up of pipes, valves, computers, and things the high school boy didn’t recognize. The array was built in a messy fashion, as if there was no thought to how it was all going together, but it all lead to the center where a severed head was hooked up.

A black-haired man fiddled with a panel next to the head, and the eyes on the head opened. The man turned to the newcomers and grinned. At once Hikari gasped and Mamoru gripped his blade tightly.

It was the same Advisor Abe from the princesses’ memories, still looking as young as he did back then, who grinned at them.

“Welcome. I do apologize our CEO was sleeping, but I have woken him up to greet you fully.”

The head’s eyes looked around the room, then directly at Mamoru. He shivered and pointed his blade at the man.

“What is that thing supposed to be?”

“Ah, you have a curious sense I see, that is good for life but will make you a bad salaryman in the future—a little life advice from someone older. What you see here is the magnum opus of our biocomputing research, the first step to incorporate the human body with computer processing power.

“We are using our D.A.E.M.O.N. system currently, which has full control, but in future implementations we expect the system to be as small as box which can replace the frontal cortex. Sadly, our engineers are having trouble meeting the simplest of timelines. The head here is one of them. We let them pick who would get used by vote a couple months ago, you see.”

“Young Master, I believe he is talking to waste time, I sense foes approaching.”

Mamoru launched a wind slash at the contraption. Sparks flew and the head wailed.

“Tsk. Tsk. Being action oriented is good in most cases, but only when you are in line with the company.” Abe pulled off his suit top and tie, revealing a large muscular build. “Mr. CEO, I’d like to seek your approval to take care of these intruders.”

The head’s eyes spasmed before locking onto the advisor. Machine bits hissed and whined, and the shirtless man’s body glowed in brief flashes several times.

That thing is casting spells! It just used strength and speed enhancement.

“Our foes hast a cruel, perverted way of using magic. Allow me to assist.”

Mamoru’s body flashed in a similar manner to the black-haired man’s he at once felt lighter and tougher, and when the man came charging at him, he was at a speed that seemed manageable.

Mamoru held his blade at the ready and answered the man’s charge with his own.