Dimension X (or is it Y)

Sorry to disappoint you people. We will move to the interesting part after I give a quick announcement. You see Davy just make one of the serious mistake that nobody could fault him. He contacts Sunkian Yuu and reports Ivory's activity.

Like how one speeding snooker-ball sets another three going, Davy's action causes couple of disastrous ingredients to blend together in a spectacularly dangerous way.

The first place to get hit is Yuu Tower.

...

Guangzhou, Yuu tower

Sunkian Yuu slams the phone down so hard it rocks the table. On his right, Leodon Maximus looks away from his coffee, startled. An invisible tension is born and it can only develop.

Max takes another zip from the flowery etches pocelyne cup and asks. "Did something bad happen?"

Sunkian turns to him. This time he is wearing a pink tint sunglass with dull green lens. Unfortunately he still has that yellow bowler hat and walking stick lacquered in neon shade. Now he resemble a guadian entrepreneur of the forest in a pair blazing green shoes...a style that even a circus crown gag at.

As Sunkian speaks the sunglass dances on his nose like it is experiencing a minor earthquake.

"Of course something breaks; Davy played a game of chess with Ivory Haiter." Sunkian yells.

Max is so electrified he drops the china saucer, which chatters into tiny pieces all over the pearly tile. Sunkian can only glance sadly at the pieces. It's from one of his favorite set.

"You break my favorite tea set." He says in the teary tone.

"Mind the tea set!" Max screams like an insane football cultist during world cup. "Who won?"

Sunkian sighs. He fears it might come to this. "It's a draw."

Max jumps on the table and performs the international dance of victories. Singing world cup's tune that sound so bad it might actually anger a mildly obsess sport nerd. Sunkian watches the show with the expression that is a mixture of embarrassment and wonder. His head is deciding whether he made the correct choice by knowing this guy.

"What are you so excited about?" Sunkian tries and fails to enforce a serious commanding tone. That pink sunglasses doesn't help with the serious impression at all.

"Shut up." says Max in mid Scottish dance's move "Do you know that nobody had managed to scratch a draw with Ivory. That guy is the next Genghis Khan but now a Napoleon has risen to defeat him. Way to go Davy-boy! That kid is a genius!"

"Max," says Sunkian, desperately trying to squeeze past the wall of stupidity in front of him.

"We should build a monument and call it 'Rickson Chess Center.'"

"Max..." Sunkian puts more pressure into his voice box.

"Sunkian, can you buy that place and made it into chess club. I feel a good omen."

"Max!" bursts Sunkian in full anger.

Max stops dead in a mid-disco.

"What?" Max asks.

"Can you please grow-up? Ivory is in Gray Town" Sunkian yells. "Davy guessed he is targeting the only witness we have"

"Is she the physic teacher from Melosov Academy?" Max frowns. "Is it Belinda, Cella or something?"

"Her name is Agatha Bell." says Sunkian who has a better practice at recalling name than a certain victories dancer.

"Nah," Sunkian waves the name issue aside. "We already have her witness account. So she's worth, tactically nothing. Ivory would either kidnap her or drive her insane...again. Personally, I think she is already unstable."

Sunkian gives him a really good glare.

But Max already has a bargaining ammo, "hey look, she's a Melosov's worshipper. We wouldn't be particularly sad if she spends another few days in mental hospital.

Sunkian glares at him harder.

"Okay. Okay, stop staring at me like that." says Max, exhausted. "I'll go and save her but I doubt she'll be worth saving."

"No" says Sunkian. That single word contain the entire command he could utilize from the thirty years' experience in the cooperate world.

Max exhales a deep sigh "What's it?"

"Don't try to fake it," Sunkian states. "You have been hiding that grimace since yesterday."

Max's reaction tell Sunkian everything he needs to know

"Why Max?" Sunkian moans. "You know full well that the Galaxia prototype is incomplete, it fuels by draining your life force. Your cells have been destabilizing ever since yesterday. But why? Why don't you share the burden with Davy? His life forces combine with yours could have minimize the side effect."

Ignoring all those questions, Max walks to the window and looks down. He absorbs the image of landscape of Guangzhou, scanning every hint of beauty. All the trace of modern achitecture, the traffic and the ant-like cars running up and down on the road. From up high in the tower, everything looks so small, so phony... so flimsy. But looking down at the world below him, Max feels the certain sense creeping toward him, the sense that he never experience for such a long time.

Pride... pride that for the last few days of his life he have done the right thing.

Touching his old coat for the last time, Max undoes the seal.

The originally shabby and brownish color melts away like a layer of dust during the rain. The brown illusion dribbles out to reveal a gleaming blue. The ordinary plastic button turn into the golden clasps, the tail of the trench coat is now decorated with gleaming flames. Up on the neck, positioned on the topmost part of the chest, is a golden E the size of the saucer. The filament of the coat gleams with surreal energy.

Sunkian glares at the transformation with awe. His ability to speak has been decapitated by the coat brilliance.

"All this time..." gawps Sunkian in wonder. "All this time, right under my nose, the Elemental Aegis...you have it all the time."

"Yes" Max lets the Aegis slides down from his shoulder. Gently catching it in his hand, he holds it out to Sunkian.

If brain explosion is possible, Sunkian's brain probably goes nuclear.

"My final gift to you," Max says "Sunkian, you're the man I trust to modify the Aegis for Davy. You always want to explore the coat potential and, if possible, improves it. Now it's your chances"

"Why Max? Why?" Facing this godly generosity, Sunkian speaking power has been reduced into a mere squeak.

"I have learned a long time ago that the best thing we often do in life is repaying our friend's friendship and loyalty."

...

L the creator

The problem is it didn't end there.

In the next three minute after Max lefts, Sunkian phones in on an emergency briefing and assemble all surviving commander to help defend Gray Town...

The reason the word 'surviving' had been included because some SEAD's commander have been severely injure or kill during the Ivory's crime spree. However the causes of death and injuries are completely separated from the original incident, so it isn't in the death toll.

Anyway, let look at Scott's desperation as he try to unite the ununitable through the modern technology of video conference

Even with a god like technology, namely the Jinny's Video Interceptor V0.1, I can only manage to extract the voice.

....

Scott: Hello. Hello. Test, one, two, three. I like sushi.

Rosaria: What does this have to do with Sushi, you buffoon?

Scott: Nah, just checking. Okay, register time...please state your code and rank.

Rosaria: Do we have to do this?

Scott: Yes.

Rosaria. Fine, Rosaria Green, Code: SEADSA2, head of Scientific and Analytic department.

Scott: Next.

Chuck: Chuck Burmington, Code: SEADAT3, head of Data and Transport Control.

Carfte: Stuart Cafte, Code: SEADIS4, Head of Intelligence Unit.

Carella: Carellla Alexandra, SEADHM5, Head of Human Resource Management.

Scott: Where are Roshad and Emily?

Carfte: Come on, Commander, Roshad have been severely wounded by a plane clash a few weeks ago. And Emily died from head trauma after falling down the stair. We just attend the cremation ceremony last week. I at least expect our beloved commander to at least remember.

Scott: ...

Carella: Stuart just gives Scott some slack. We all know that he have been under a lot of strain from the Council. You cannot blame him for forgetting something like a colleague's death.

Carfte: Yes and what a disappointment ,neglecting three months of resources the Council put into taking down Ivory Haiter, we still fail to even record a sight of him in a video tape. May I ask how am I going to justify this to my superior?

Rosaria: Hey stop pushing Scott, Carfte. He has been under more strain than any of us. You golden-boy should be helping justify him. Moreover, is it your job to intercept the intelligence on Ivory, so where're you when you're most need.

Cafte: It is true that my main duty it to revise all our intelligence and set the plan accordingly but I am also an internal affair's agent. This means that evaluating the personal creditability and efficiency of our forces take priority over my role intelligence unit. I suspect that the Council's patient have ran out and axe are about to fall. I believe we all know who head will be chopped right.

Scott: ...

Carella: We're not here to discuss Scott's performance Stuart but we're here to stop Ivory Haiter. Scott, please pull yourself together. If this goes well you might be able to redeem yourself.

Scott: Councilor Sunkian wants us to mobilize a force to defend the only surviving witness from Ivory's last attack as well as increase the troop deployment in Gray Town, in the next six hours.

Chuck: That's impossible. Ivory spreads us all over the globe. Sorry mate, but I already have my hand full. Remove the search in Monte Carlo and come to rural England in six hours is impossible. I just don't know how did that guy do it.

Rosaria: Speaking of William Rickson, I just me his step brother. I have a feeling that kid knows something that we don't know.

Scott: That is a problem for tomorrow. Today, I need backup.

Carella: I'll go. I am positioned in France. I can probably make it to England in the sub-sonic carrier jet.

Carfe: I could probably make it. After all I need to monitor your performances in this operation.

....

L the creator

But, well... news travel fast.

Al Sores, by Ivory's request, have planted a spy within the SEAD's command just as Davy and Sunkian had predicted. Naturally, when words reach spies, those words often flow like a river of pain into a dangerous and fatal basin that could result in someone's arm getting bend in a painfully odd angle.

In this case the 'fatal basin' is call Al Sores

....

Undisclosed Location

Al Sores is having his beer when an underling comes through the door without knocking.

"Boss, Ms. Cane has..." says the underling, but the loud bang ranging from his right stops him dead on track.

The steel-enforced wall of the hideout that can withstand a truck loaded to the maximum weight with brick slamming in at maximum velocity is now a broke pieces of burning metal. Something, some awfully dangerous thing, had punched a man-size burning hole in an unbreakable wall.

"Interrupt me the next time and I open another hole in your head," says Al as he crumples the beer can like an aluminum foil.

The poor man steals a quick glance at the gaping fissure and swallows his bile.

"Report!" Al barks.

"Sir, Ms. Caine has reported that SEAD have moved their force to Gray Town. Richard Scott will also take the field command over the defending troops.

"Good, thing just get better and better. This time SEAD and their pathetic squabbling democrats will finally know what a real war look like."

Al points his fingers at the solider. "Tell every captain that I want those little cops crunch under our feet. Tell them to burn that stupid town to rubble. Tomorrow we'll deal the finishing blow to their ailing pride. I want Richard Scott bought to my feet alive. I want him to beg in mercy while I hang him as a reminder that no one can stop me."

The soldier, upon hearing the last melodrama, raises a very fair point.

"Umm...sir, but what about the Teleblade, I mean...that town is like his family home? Don't you think he might turn up to...?"

Al glares at the puny human "to what?" he asks. Al's body ripples with red aura. A shiver ran down the soldier's spine. Every electrical appliance in the room explodes from energy wave.

The solider goes rigid with fear. The next word might decide his actual lifespan. "No sir, I mean, I know nothing about Teleblade so...it's better to take some precautions."

"Yes, you know nothing boy. The Teleblade is too busily running the game of cat and mouse with Scott's Boy Scout. By the time he caught the wind about his home's destruction, it'll be too late to stop me. Isn't it hilarious? The SEAD is dying by defending the home of the man they are hunting, the very same man who could save them if they are not hunting him. Gotta love that logic. Fate truly have humor don't you think?"

Al's eyes flash with insane malice.

"Tell them that I, myself, will walk us right at victories."

...

L the Imaginary

In normal circumstance, Scott and his two hundreds frayed comrades won't have 5% of winning chances against EGM's army equipped with Melosov-grade weapon and superior war machines, especially not, when Al Sores is involved.

Of course, there're an exception to every hypnosis and percentage often proven wrong, mostly in a weather forecast.

For example, if the Teleblade happens to drop by on Gray Town for a cup of coffee while Al is stomping around with his troops of hardnosed bird-brain, then it is safe to say that Al would be pretty lucky to get out of Gray Town with all his body part.

However, since the chance of that happening is lower than the chances that Al will be stop by a mechanical grizzly bear from Stone Age, we have to focus on another probability...namely a particular Davy Jones.

However, Mr. Rickson is busily standing for his crime in the courtroom to give that point a thought.