From: coram@ed.ecn.purdue.edu (Chaosmage)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.anime
Subject: Angels in Paradise Chapter Eight
Date: 30 Sep 92 16:10:19 GMT
Organization: Shadow Walker's Anonymous


                           Angels in Paradise
                        Chapter Eight: Now what?

     All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and
     then Success is sure.
          -- S. L. Clemens

==================================================================
     Officer Sidhelam arrived at the Lovely Angels' table just
after Chaos had left.  "Who was that?  I didn't think you had a
brother," he said to Yuri.
     A crash, followed by cursing, distracted Yuri as she started
to answer.  She looked up, to see Chaos slinking away under a
table.  It seemed that he had sidestepped a chair, pushed in his
way as an older man stood up, only to collide with a waitress, who
spilled hot coffee all over one of the other guests.  Yuri,
embarrassed for him, blushed.
     Kei came to her partner's rescue.  "That was an old friend of
ours from school.  He was a pretty hopeless freshman that Yuri took
pity on, for some reason.  He sorta adopted us."
     Chuck looked a little confused, but accepted the explanation.
     Kei continued, "Randy ran into him last night, literally. 
Chaos there found Randy's wallet which fell out of his pocket when
they collided.  He looked us up to give it to us."  She handed the
wallet to Chuck.
     "That's great," Chuck replied.  "I've got some information
from the interrogation, but it's not much."
     "Why don't you tell us what you found out, while we look
through this thing?" Yuri suggested, taking back the wallet.
     "Okay.  Whoever is behind these terrorists knows how to
organize to protect himself.  It seems that they are broken into
gangs of about 20 people.  Other than the gang leader, who reports
to higher-ups, no one in any one gang knows anything about
another."
     "So, unless we do catch a leader, there's no way to stop more
than a handful of them," Kei guessed.
     "Sure looks like it.  Now, there *is* some kind of central base,
where novices get trained, but our 'friends' were drugged
unconscious so they have no idea where it is.  However, all the
loot that gets stolen supposedly winds up at the base for 'equal
distribution.'"
     "Huh?"
     "The terrorists see themselves as Robin Hood types -- they
steal from the 'rich oppressors' and spread the wealth among
themselves.  Their goal is some kind of 'economic equality.'  I
figure that the poor, either because they are unlucky or lazy, are
being drawn in with the promise of getting some of the wealth for
themselves."
     "Sounds like a good way to attract more people.  Promise them
everything they've never had, plus revenge."  Yuri looked
thoughtful.  "I bet whoever is in charge has other motives though. 
Certainly not altruism."
     "Your guess is as good as mine.  Well, our friend Randy is the
leader of the gang that jumped you two, and maybe others.  Too bad
he's bound to lay low for a while."
     "Nothing in this thing," Yuri muttered, tossing the wallet
onto the table.  "You say that the stolen items are taken to the
central base?" Yuri asked.
     "That's what our guests believe."
     "Then, if we knew where they plan to strike next, we might be
able to plant a tracer on them in the loot, right?"
     "Probably, if we knew.  Which we don't"
     "Maybe we can find out.  Kei?"  Yuri stretched out her hand
toward her partner.  Kei, thinking along the same lines, interlaced
her fingers with Yuri's.  Back during their school days, the Lovely
Angels had discovered that they had psychic abilities.  The WWWA
found out, and enlisted them.  During their TC training, they
learned to better control their abilities.  Although not always
accurate, they could often get psychic impressions from places or
objects.  They could only use their gifts while in physical contact
and they had to be in the proper emotional state.  Fortunately,
that state happened to be one of righteous anger; they could easily
attain *that* state thinking about the criminals they were trying to
stop.
     Chuck looked on confused, as both of the girls' expressions
went blank.  Their gazes became very remote, as if they were in
some sort of trance.  They were.  Moments later, they released
their grip, and slumped to the table, obviously drained.
     Kei spoke first.   "A truck?"
     "Maybe a really big car.  There was something on the side,"
Yuri responded.
     "It wasn't very clear.  Zig zag lines, I think."
     "A big Z inside a circle?"
     "Yeah, I think so.  I also got an impression of lots of
money."
     Chuck, unable to hold his curiosity back any longer,
interjected, "What are you talking about?  What happened?"
     Kei smiled.  "Didn't you know?  We're clairvoyant.  You didn't
think we got our job on looks alone, did you?"
     "Sometimes we can turn up a clue that can't be found by the
more mundane methods," Yuri added.
     "So, you got some kind of image from Randy's wallet?" Chuck
asked, confused but willing to go along with things.
     "Yes.  A truck . . ." Kei started.
     "Or maybe an armored car," Yuri added.
     "With a green logo on the side.  Something like a Z inside a
circle," Kei continued.
     Chuck looked thoughtful.  "It sounds familiar.  Wait . . .
That sounds like the logo for the Zantalos bank.  And if memory
serves, they move their weekly receipts to a central vault every
Friday."
     "There's a good chance they are planning to hijack the
shipment this week," Kei stated.
     "We could get Mughi to whip up some bugs to place in the cash
bags that normal scans couldn't detect . . ." began Yuri.
     "And locate their base once they take the loot there!"
finished Kei.
     Chuck thought about it.  "It's the only clue we have, I guess. 
Our prisoners don't know anything helpful.  I'll have to make an
excuse for the Chief; he'll never buy it if we tell him you're
psychic.  He doesn't believe in that sort of thing."  Suddenly,
Chuck's eyes opened wide.  "Shit!  *Today* is Friday!"
     Kei jumped up.  "Then we'd better get a move on," she said
excitedly.

                        *        *        *

     "I wish we were at the bank.  It's boring waiting here."  Kei
grumbled.
     "So do I, but remember, we *want* them to get away."  Yuri
replied.
     "Can't we go chase them a bit?"
     "Be real.  You think they'd get away from us?"
     "Of course not."  Kei thought for a moment.  "Oh, I see your
point."
     "Not alive anyway," an unidentifiable voice muttered at the
same time, from across the Police Headquarters' war room.  Kei and
Yuri looked angry but, not spying the culprit, soon settled down.
     "What time is it now," Kei asked, for the tenth time.
     "Five minutes later than the last time," Yuri answered.
     "Don't be smart.  I'm not in the mood."
     "Poor baby.  It's 1614."  Yuri ducked a pencil which Kei threw
at her.  It continued its arc, just missing the Police Chief, who
fortunately didn't notice.  He was in a bad enough mood.  He hated
anonymous tips, which was where Chuck told him they had gotten
their clue.
     "The armored car left 15 minutes ago.  What if they don't
show?" Kei asked, worried.
     "Then we're no worse off than we were before," Chuck answered,
not realizing that it would be safer to keep quiet.
     "I wish they'd hurry up and do it.  I *hate* waiting." Kei was
starting to sound extremely frustrated.
     "Shhh.  You're not supposed to admit that," Yuri smirked. 
This time she caught the pencil Kei threw.  "Careful, you'll run
out of ammo," she said as she tossed it back.
     "Baka," Kei muttered.  She sat back to sulk.
     "Don't look now gang, but something is going down," Chuck
suddenly spoke up.  Kei, excited to finally have something to do,
leapt over the desk.  Yuri, equally excited, but less willing to
show it, followed more slowly.  By the time she reached them, Kei
was standing on tip-toe with her head on Chuck's shoulder, looking
at the screen in front of him.  The report was coming in at that
moment; the terrorists had hijacked the armored car and the police
were in pursuit.
     "If things go they usually do, it'll disappear pretty soon. 
We think they are using tunnels, but haven't been able to trace
them yet," Chuck commented.
     Kei reached up and activated her earring communicator. 
"Mughi?  Wake up!  What's the reading on the tracers?"  Indistinct
mrowpts were heard, of which Kei and Yuri somehow could make sense. 
"He's picking the signal up loud and clear."
     "The pursuit lost them by the underpass, as usual.  They never
came back out," Chuck commented.
     "Mughi is mapping their progress.  We got 'em!" Kei chuckled
smugly.
     Kei and Yuri looked at each other.  "Yes!" they exclaimed
together, giving each other a high-five.


--
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| Kevin C. Coram | INTERNET: coram@ecn.purdue.edu | CompuServe: 72567,2201 |
| "Don't tell me I'm nuts.  I know.  It keeps me sane."                    |
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