There were many descriptions for their current profession. It basically came down to two old friends who signed up for a job for the usual reasons, with a skill set that included following orders and try to look threatening.
They'd gone by the names "Biggs" and "Wedge" for years. Biggs because he was big, standing nearly 6'4" but fairly thin in build. Wedge was also large, but thicker built. A little portly actually.
Now they were in the service of MBI. Basically rent-a-cops with a little better equipment than usual.
Biggs was trying to figure out what situation they were in now. Too many things just didn't make sense.
Wedge was just hoping they could stick around and draw a steady paycheck.
Right now, Wedge was giving the fuzzy photograph in one hand a look, and then looking up at the guy standing a few yards off who was looking at them.
"If you guys were trying to sneak, you might consider not arguing," said the bemused-looking large guy who'd just appeared there without a sound.
"Uhm," said Biggs. "Would you believe we're just here to deliver a phone?"
"A phone?" asked Jiraiya.
"Yes," said Biggs, reaching VERY slowly and carefully into a pouch and withdrawing the cellphone that had been provided. "MBI paid for it. Your friend there is an Ashikabi and we just need to give you this so our boss can contact you when he needs to contact you. Okay?"
"Akitsu? What do you think?" said the man.
"Ah," said Akitsu, coming out from behind a tree and regarding them. "You don't have a phone?"
"No," said the man. "You know how to use one?"
The tension level seemed to drop a bit as Biggs put the phone on the ground and backed away from it.
"So, do you guys know what's going on?" asked a blonde kid who had a Sekirei hanging near him.
"Nope. All that stuff is 'need-to-know' and the pay-tee-bee have decided we don't need to know," answered Wedge.
"'Pay-tee-bee'?" asked the blonde kid.
"Powers That Be," answered Wedge. "We're mainly guards to help contain stuff, keep the civilians from getting caught up in potentially dangerous stuff. That sorta thing."
"So basically they're genin like you," said the big guy as Akitsu retrieved the phone.
"Oh," said the blonde kid. "Naruto Uzumaki."
"Katsuragi, number 86," said the short-haired Sekirei with a slight bow towards the soldiers.
"Private Biggs. This is my associate, Private Wedge."
"Since we've delivered the phone, we'll just be going," said Wedge.
"You say you don't know anything about the Sekirei and this Sekirei Plan, but surely you must have some theories," said the big guy who still hadn't identified himself.
"Oh, theories," said Biggs. "Got a LOT of those. The Sekirei are pokemon, the Sekirei are pokegirls, the Sekirei are bioengineered supersoldiers, and so on. Problem is, none of it makes a whole lot of sense."
"I see," said the big guy. "How'd you find us anyway?"
"Word came down you'd stopped here," said Biggs. "You want my current theory?"
"Sure," said the big guy.
"They got to have some way of tracking Sekirei," said Biggs. "When a Sekirei is beaten, and it's already happened a couple of times, they immediately send word and a helicopter is dispatched. So they got to know immediately when and where. So I figure there's tracking chips or something inside the Sekirei."
"You're just being paranoid," said Wedge to his associate. "Most likely they just use cameras and spy satellites."
"We're still trying to figure out some of this. Like why 'Sekirei' - which is a species of bird. Why name 'em something like that? Because of their crests? A bird over a yin-yang with two tomoe on either side?" Biggs removed his helmet to scratch his head. "Looks more like someone's corporate logo or something, don't ya think?"
"You should keep crazy conspiracy theories to yourself," Wedge advised his companion.
"You're just letting them go, Pervy-sage?"
"Yes, it seems likely they don't know anything as they claimed," admitted Jiraiya. "Often genin are sent on missions and the full details are concealed from them. In war or other complicated situations, the lowest troops have little idea of the strategies of the higher ranked. That's just common sense."
"I suppose," said Naruto.
"Besides, even if they didn't know anything - we still got some useful information from them," said Jiraiya cheerfully. "Now, back to experimenting."
"I don't get it," said Naruto. "And are you sure this isn't something pervy?"
"This involves sealwork, which is another passion of mine," admitted Jiraiya. "The 'Sekirei Crest' is some sort of seal - I'm sure of it. A complicated one too. As complicated as a summoning contract at the very least."
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(Posted Thu, 24 Jan 2013 16:22)
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