Fanon Canon: Harbinger

The Mouth

 * Osaka Bay, 50 km offshore

The sea was unusually calm that night. As always, a stiff breeze was pushing against the stern of the sturdy fishing craft, but they cut through the waves without much resistance. The water was glassy and deep, and dull black as they made their way out of the bay and towards the open sea.

Kabuto, the ship’s navigator, drank deeply from his thermos of coffee as he stared bleary-eyed out the window. It was well past sundown, and not a shred of light could be seen on the horizon. Only the charcoal smudges of clouds were visible, barely caught in the illumination of an emaciated sliver of moon. Kabuto took another sip of coffee as he readjusted a dial on the panel. The lights in the dim, closed room shone off his skin eerily, casting a strange orange pallor over his face. He was not one for night fishing, but the fish were, and catches were always larger after midnight. That is how he found himself here, in the middle of the sea, and as usual, he would have preferred to stay on shore.

No one on the ship noticed it, but 1,770 meters above the surface of the water, the high winds were beginning to coalesce into a tight knot, followed by the crushing together of some unnamable force.

It was as if the sky itself was folding in on itself.

Without warning, without a single precipitous tremor, the sky burst outwards at that singular point of pressure. A black line cut across the canopy of dark blue, and from it a wave of unknown mass slammed down on the barge, pushing it further into the water and causing the navigation panel to scream. But Kabuto was no longer there to monitor the dials. Like everyone he saw it, and like everyone he rushed out onto the deck to stare up at the sky with open eyes and mouth.

Whatever calm there had been before was now completely forgotten as the wind screeched and howled all around them: its origin the rift above. Light poured from the fissure in strange, linear patterns. The colors of bright blue and purple and green mimicked the most spectral beauty in the natural world, but this was obviously not natural. Whatever it was there was something sinister to it, and an inexplicable primordial unease settled in the pit of Kabuto’s stomach. Narrowing his eyes, he thought he could see black movement against the light. A writhing of cephalopodic limbs reaching out to touch the sky.

“What the hell is that?” someone shouted above the noise of the wind, the groaning of the ship under pressure. Like the blotting of black ink, dark figures dropped from the sky. Kabuto watched their descent, and observed rather distantly as one of them crashed into the deck of the ship. The impact sent the entire craft reeling side to side, far enough where water spilled over the tall steel sides of the ship.

But none of that mattered now.

Kabuto’s eyes had locked with those of the monster. They appraised him evenly for a moment, glowing dots of red set within the amorphous black shape of its head. It seemed to Kabuto as though there was a flash of blue as it split open its jaw, in the toothy grin of a predator. And in that instant, he knew he was going to die.

Vaguely, he was aware of the other sailors screams as another monster appeared, this time emerging from the water to wrap serpentine steel coils around the body of the ship. The entire craft was pulled against its will, slowly, painfully, it was dragged beneath the water, offering little resistance as the hull began to buckle and fold.

Kabuto himself was rooted to the bridge, and he could only stare as the red eyes of the monster rushed towards him to pull him in...

To drown him in teeth and blood.

Only a few minutes later, the sea had returned to its former state, only one spot of black darker than the rest of the water to mark where the ship had even existed.

But 1,770 meters above the surface of the water, light and pressure still emanated from the black rift. For an instant the split seemed to draw its own forces back into itself, and the sky became still for a brief moment, in the stillness that came before death. Then there was an explosion, a violent outpouring of power, and its keen shockwave could no doubt be felt even in Osaka, some 50 kilometers away...

Premonitions
Michiyo tossed and turned in her sheets, unable to sleep. It could have been nothing more than the complaining of old bones, but she did not feel as though that were the case. At last she turned over onto her back, and staring at the ceiling thought: Perhaps some fresh air will do me good. With that resolved, she got up and went down the stairs to the kitchen, which was located at the back of the shop. There was a deep silence over the place that sent chills running down her spine. A few, soft blue lights shone over delicate flower sprouts, and the faint glow cast strange, dark shadows on the wall. Michiyo first poured herself a glass of cool water— her throat had suddenly gone dry, and then stepped out the backdoor to breathe in the fresh night air.

Salt from the sea was on the breeze that night, and the atmosphere was warm, calm, and almost balmy. Still, for whatever reason, she felt slightly ill at ease. Looking south towards the horizon, she drew in her breath suddenly, and the glass she was holding slipped and shattered on the concrete below.

Like the Garganta that heralded the arrival of demons from a hollow world, a black split had appeared in the sky. Strange lights were pouring from the fissure, and it was clear that the rift was miles away, and yet it was large enough to be seen clearly even from here, on the back patio of the Ikebana Shop. But what had startled her the most was the sudden wave of pressure that had slammed into her, throwing her back against the side of the building.

“What on earth?” she murmured.

Now fully alert, she could hear snatches of sinister howling above the wind. They were not the sounds of Hollows, of that she was certain, and yet they were no doubt similar. Narrowing her eyes, which were still sharp even after seventy-two years, she scanned the sky for signs of movement. Sure enough, black dots had appeared, making steady progress towards the shore— gaining steadily closer.

“Hmph,” she frowned deeply as she mused to herself.

It seemed a storm was coming.

There was a heavy sigh as the glass door rattled, its frame shuddering under a less than gentle closure. Kōhaku looked in at the darkened lobby of the building he'd just left. Dim lighting fed a shady and uneasy atmosphere over the vacant halls and desks, though it was a power saving measure, it always gave the young man a feeling of ominousness. A hand pressed against the muscles in his neck, lightly massaging at what had become stiff and sore after a long day of discussing statistics and marketing tactics all the while looking at poorly made PowerPoint slideshows.

"Long day Morimoto-san?", asked a guard that had stepped into view, likely on his route around the perimeter of the building. "Hehehe, yeah", he replied. "If I close my eyes I can still see the pie-charts".

"Best hope you don't dream of them too, unless its normal pie, mm?", the guard joked in response.

"I think I'd settle for some onigiri instead, I'm starving", as if right on cue Kōhaku's stomach grumbled fiercely. He hadn't eaten anything all day, apart from a couple of bites of an omelette that morning. "Ah, we got some rice bowls and a few strips of eel cookin' in the guard station, feel free to dip in and have some".

"Oh, thanks, you have a good night Kamiki-san", Kōhaku, delighted by the offer was quick to start making his way towards the guard station which sat at the edge of the large skyscraper his company occupied in Ikeda. "You too, sir", said the guard just within earshot of the white haired businessman.

It was thirty minutes later, not too long after midnight, that Kōhaku was walking the streets, he lazily counted the street lights as he passed under them, as he did every night in order to pass the time. Dancing around the area, his eyes saw only the splotches of white made up by the numerous lampposts and the surrounding darkness of a rather thick night. The street was empty aside from the occasional passerby. It was quiet, and dull. That was until he felt a palpable twist in the air around him. What was previously calm and breezy had rapidly become incredibly dry, the atmosphere twinged with a sense of impending dread. Something called his attention upward and his eyes widened in shock when he saw it.

There was a hole in the sky. As if God himself had lanced the world.

What followed were twinkles of sinister lights that Kōhaku could barely make out. "Good job, Kōhaku, forget your glasses today of all days, right?", he complained to himself. The streets weren't so dull after that, the air was positively alive with the howls of beings unnatural. "Oh... shit", he muttered, suddenly bringing his voice down to a dull roar.

He could feel the eyes of whatever was out there were already on him though.

-

Kalyn may have appeared to be a pretty gem straight out of a noble household at a first glance, but she was a tomboy at heart. In the garage of her small, two story house near one of Ikeda's larger neighborhoods, she was kneeling next to a rather large red and black motorcycle, her face and clothing dotted with black oil marks as she tightened a bolt on one of the bike's inner rods. Tools ranging from handheld size to table sized were littered about her in a disorganized fashion, indicating that this had occupied most all of her evening. The bike's design was sleek and nearly futuristic, but appeared to be made with nothing but speed in mind.

"Phew, almost done." she muttered lowly to herself as she finished tightening the bolt and setting the wrench down next to her. She stood up and stretched her back briefly, yawning at the same time. "Well, that certainly didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would." she said as she turned around to grab a mirror from the desk behind her. Upon seeing her numerous marks she acquired while working on the bike, she sighed, her lips forming into a pout as she set it back down. "Great, now I have to spend all night trying to get this crap off of me..."

Slipping her boots off, she stepped towards the door of the garage that led to the rest of her house and went inside. Her house was plain and clean, a stark contrast to her own appearance. The lower floor appeared to consist of just a kitchen and a living room with a front door leading out into the street and a back door which led to the yard behind her house. Heading upstairs, which held two bedrooms and a bathroom, she made her way towards the later, yawning again as she did so. The bathroom contained a window that gave her a nice view of the city and partially the ocean beyond, and it was here that her evening would take a dark shift in mood.

She stepped into the bathroom only to slide and stop, groaning slightly. "Ugh, I forgot to get some towels from the drier." she mumbled, turning around to descend back down to the ground floor, but she had to stop once again. Her eyes briefly sparked green as she turned back around to look out the window of her bathroom. Upon seeing the hellish maw that had opened in the sky, she seemed to freeze in place for several seconds, but was able to quickly snap back to reality. Immediately, she ran back down the stairs and into the garage, frantically putting her boots on and throwing on a leather jacket that was on her work desk, before opening the garage door and hopping into her maroon colored car. The screech of her tires would wake up the entire neighborhood as she sped out of her driveway and towards the shorefront, more specifically, the gaping hole in the sky.

"Those assholes won't be able to reject this story..." she smirked as she flew down the streets, towards her new late-night destination.

-

The night had brought such a nice evening; soft winds blowing through the houses of many while the darkness tucked everyone to their restful sleeps. Almost everyone. Not all are enjoying the nice evening where the breeze blows through the windows and fills the entire room with cold and nice air. Some may be busy with their respective businesses, some may be busy with their work, some may be busy finishing up their jobs for the night. And one particular person was enjoying the silence of the road that was bathed with such fresh and chilling breeze.

Footsteps were heard throughout the night ever since the sun sets and darkness falls. They were still, bringing the essence of clarity as the soles touch the ground. Smooth, yet elegant, and they were set to an even pace, where the footsteps continuously roam around the roads, suggesting the one exercising possessed enough stamina to keep up the entire pace without stopping, for hours at that. The girl kept on jogging, passing each house with clarity and silence, well, without the footsteps, anyway. Still, the footsteps themselves were soft and clear unlike many whose footsteps are heavy and intimidating with every step they take, suggesting the girl possessed a humble and gentle persona as well. Her messed up purple hair jiggles by every step she takes.

Ran enjoyed the night with such a soft and excellent jogging exercise; it is what she cherished, after all. Her prominent leg muscles pop up with her veins constantly appearing around her calves with every step she takes, her shoes being the pair that she loved the most. The beauty of her features were rather fresh and kept well, without any signs of sweat dripping or sliding down her features.

The beauty of the night soon came to an end, however, as Ran expressed both fear and surprise as her warm brown eyes focused upon the sudden appearance of a ginormous maw ripping through the skies of the city that left her open-mouthed for quite some time. Her reaction was exactly the same when she encountered the beast that killed off both her parents a long time ago. All soon came back into reality when her eyes blinked once.

Her peaceful jogging was abruptly interrupted, though in exchange, she is now running in danger, her heart thumping as if it was ready to jump out and run as well. Sweats now drip over her clothes and covered her sideburns, her leg muscles popping up constantly without any signs of end any time soon, and her hands were shaking.

"Ooh, brother," she said with a steady tone. "This late?"

-

Juro Kageyama gazed out the window. He had never been the best at concentrating, and at the moment the idea of finishing his maths homework didn’t really appeal to him. He sighed. He was so bored lately. It was a strange thought for a member of a secret organisation, who also possessed supernatural powers to have, but it was true. He fiddled with the bracelet on his left arm. Where he really wanted to be was at Xstence HQ. He liked the feeling of being around people who, he felt at least, understood him. He'd even felt distant from his sister and his parents lately. But he was doing this for them, so they could be safe, not just his family, but for the entire human race. Sighing again, he resigned himself to doing his homework, when something caught his eye. He got up from his desk and went to the window. He stared outside from behind the pane of glass, before opening it to make sure it wasn't a trick of the light. There was no mistaking it. There, in the middle of the sky, was a crack. It bore a resemblance to the Garganta used by Hollows, but somehow Juro could tell it was different. It didn’t seem as deep, and he couldn’t hear any Hollows, though this made his situation no less threatening. Suddenly, from nowhere, a shockwave blasted into him, knocking him flat on his back. Getting up painfully, he heard his parents shouting up to him, “Juro? What are you doing up there?” Scanning his mind for an excuse, he shouted back down, “Oh, that. Yeah sorry, I just fell off my chair.” After this incursion, his parents apparently lost interest as they pursued the matter no further. For Juro however, his mind was racing. What was that rift? And the shockwave? If it wasn’t Hollows then what was it? All these questions passed his mind. Five minutes later, his mind having been made up, he shouted, “Mum, Dad, I’m going out!” Without even waiting for a response, Juro grabbed his hoodie and jumped out the window.

He scouted the entire town, but he found nothing. He stopped in a down own area of Osaka. Although he felt alone, and the streets were empty, he felt as though someone was watching him. Putting his hood up, he quickly checked his pager. Nothing. Quickly turning on his heel, he took to the roof tops, leaving a flicker of green light in his wake. He was going to get to the bottom of this.

"Five, Six, Seven, Eight!" A youthful voice shouted in a very spacious room to herself. She first brought her hands over her head holding them high into the air, then dropped them to her side and allowed them to hit her thighs. Kicking her leg very high into the air, the held her left hand out and her foot made connection. Bringing her foot back down to the floor she leaped into the air with her legs spread out kicking the air. As she headed back to the ground instead of landing to her feet she landed in a perfect executed split. Standing back to her feet she clapped her hands together, and a large smile emerged across her face.

This young blonde-haired girl was none other than Sterling High School's varisty cheerleader, Amaka Yoshida. Amaka was the most popular student in her school and liked by nearly all, especially the young men attending the school. While such fame would probably lead most people of her status to follow the "status quo" Amaka instead distanced herself away from them while outside the walls of her school. It wasn't the fact that she didn't like the people, because in actuality she did. Frequently Amaka would help out with many of the things around the school need it be; picking up trash, painting the school walls, serving lunch in the afternoon. Whatever the situation called for, she was there. However, she bore a somewhat dark secret that she didn't want those within the school to necessarily discover without her being ready to tell them.

Now down with her nightly routine, Amaka walked over to her desk which was filled with stacks and stacks of paper. Picking up a very unique writing "pen" she continued to write on an existing sheet of paper. As the continued writing, a chill flash throughout her entire body. She quickly looked around her entire room searching for intruders. Though there was nothing. Stepping from her desk and hustling over to her window she stared into the sky. It seemed blank, as if it were gone or something. It was. In the sky sat a crack. Reaching to the speaker like object on her desk she pressed the gray button on it. Talking directly through it she states, "Mother, Father, I'm heading over to Xavier's!" A masculine voiced shouted back, "Be safe." Amaka reached for her cheerleaders jacket, and swing it around her shoulders swiftly putting it on. Heading to her room door she shot down the stairs of her very large home and out the front door. Getting into her corvette like car, she sped off.

Dipping the brush in the quivering blob of paint resting on her palette, Saki carefully began filling out the canvas in front of her with seasoned practice, biting her lower lip as she watched the sketched image come to life.

Stretching her lips in a large smile as she watched the painting in front of her gain all the colors of the rainbow, Saki took a few seconds to look out through the window in her atelier and down onto the buzzing city of Kyoto. She sighed in content as the warmth from the evening sun bathed the entire room, letting the temperatures rise. Small smudges of paint littered her face and the front of her dress, slowly drying up and cracking as she continued working on the canvas, with even a few splotches drying in her hair and making the dark strands stick together.

Suddenly a wave of ice-cold air swept over the atelier, despite all windows being closed, and immediately Saki froze, her brush barely hovering an inch over a blank spot on her canvas.

The sensation that something was wrong hovered in the air around her, making the young woman shudder for a few seconds, before she abruptly stood up quick enough for her chair to fall backwards.

Even over 55 kilometers away she could feel it spread, the horrible sensation of something being wrong just creep its way through the atmosphere and Saki shuddered inwardly.

Quickly washing off her palette and brushes she opened a window to let the room air out before hurrying out in her hallway. She fumbled with the shoelaces on her sneakers for a brief moment, her finger clumsy and awkward in her hurried state of mind, before finally succeeding in making a small, neat bow on both shoes. She grabbed her trench-coat and made her way out of her door, locking it behind her with quick, motioned movements, before practically flying down the stairs in her apartment-block.

Summons
Tetsuo did not leave the dojo until ten-thirty that night. It was the last Friday in May, with only a thin crescent moon in the sky, and a light breeze was pushing against his face as he walked down the deserted streets back towards home. Hikari was already asleep, no doubt, and Tetsuo wished he was as well. He had a splitting headache, the result of an accidental fall on the dojo’s hard wooden floor, and felt chilled despite the fact that he was wearing a light jacket. It was ironic. Most of his colleagues would probably experience the same symptoms in the morning, but from an entirely different cause. Tetsuo swung his knapsack to his other shoulder and buried his stiff hands in his pockets. Although the night was pleasant enough, he kept feeling tiny electric shivers run down his spine. Perhaps he had landed harder than he thought.

But no, something was off.

The air suddenly felt thick around him, a sticky pressure pushing down on his shoulders, and without warning a blast of wind slammed into him. It was accompanied by a spiritual pressure so intense it threatened to suffocate him. He looked to the horizon for an explanation. Fortunately he stood on a hill slightly elevated above the surrounding the streets, and could catch a glimpse of the harbor. What he saw there caused his pulse to quicken, he could feel as the blood began to rush through his veins. There was a rift in the sky, and an aurora of light poured from its depths. But what was the most threatening was the myriad of silhouettes moving across the sky—black shapes that were headed straight for Osaka. Although he could not determine exactly what they were, he could determine that they were not here with peaceful intentions. The threat was tangible.

Without another moment’s hesitation Tetsuo took off at a fast pace, heading north-west and away from the main mass of buildings that was Ikeda. The small town of Hōnara was located a short distance from the city proper, and that was where the old, abandoned school building that served as Xstence headquarters resided. He increased his speed as he neared Hōnara. There was a base modulator there at the school and if he could reach that he could alert the other members of the group, at least the ones within reach of Hōnara. They needed to regroup and form a plan of action as quickly as possible. An emergency meeting was in order.

A half-hour after the rift had appeared a message was paged to all local Xstence members:

"Emergency. Meet at HQ ASAP. Do not engage unidentified beings. Repeat. Do not engage."

With that, he hoped urgently that the other members of Xstence would receive the page. They too had most likely seen the hole in the sky, and would want answers. Tetsuo did not have those answers, but Michiyo probably did, and at any rate, he could venture a fairly accurate guess as to just what had emerged from the sky.

Speeding through the streets going about sixty miles per hour, Amaka rushed to the hole in the sky. When just a few miles away she heard a beeping sound coming from her glove department. Reaching to the handle of the glove department while also trying to watch the road, she grabbed a small beeper that had been blinking. Looking at the screen of the beeper she read the message to herself. "I can sense a few of the others as well. If I pass them by, I guess I'll give them a lift." Smashing her feet on the break, she drift turning her small corvette all the way around, and headed towards the Xstence HQ.

Juro gazed out over Osaka Bay. The rift was still hanging in the air over the sea, a blemish on the otherwise unmarked sky. As far as Juro could see, nothing was happening to the rift and he was happy so long as it stayed that way. The problem was, how did it get there? And how could he get rid of it? He was contemplating this, when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of several black figures flying at high speed emerge from the vortex, before heading straight towards Osaka town. "Shit...." he thought to himself. The figures had not spotted him, and hadn't done anything yet, but he could tell that they sure as hell weren't friendly. Raising his suddenly armored left arm, he gathered shadows to his fingertips, ready to release the darkness as a razor sharp spear. Just as he was about to fire at one of the figures, his pager finally pinged. Checking it with his free right hand, he read the message three times. Muttering under his breath, he discharged the shadows harmlessly. ''"Do not engage". ''Sighing he turned his gauntlet to a nearby corner. Shadows bubbled and swirled, until they rose up from the ground, forming a humanoid shape. Next, it took on a physical appearance, until it was almost indistinguishable from Juro himself. The shadow copy understood immediately what to do. Nodding to its creator, it ran off back towards the direction of his house. The last thing he needed was his parents worrying about him at a time like this.

When the clone had disappeared from sight, he himself began to run in the direction of the Xstence HQ.

In one of Ikeda’s deserted streets, empty due to the late hour, there was a faint, humming vibration in the air and, without warning, a sphere of energy phased into existence. It was Michiyo, who had teleported to that location using her Fullbring. Stepping out of the faintly glowing orb, she made her way quickly to the back of a small apartment building. Emi was probably asleep, but then again she was young and wild, so Michiyo could not be too sure. She paused when she came to the door and thought for a moment. Tetsuo had just sent out a message, and they needed to reach headquarters as soon as possible. That boy. She shook her head. Overreacting as usual. But the fact that spiritual beings were streaming towards the city put her on edge. She did not have time to dilly-dally. By pulling on the soul of the air beneath her feet Michiyo was able to rise up to the level of the window of Emi’s apartment, and she tapped gently on the pane of glass, waiting for the young woman to respond. If she did not, more drastic measures would have to be taken.

“Hmph.” Michiyo exclaimed irritably as she waited.

Saki stepped out of her small Honda as the moon shined down high above her, clicking the 'lock'-function as she absentmindedly walked over the edge of the water and stared out over Osaka Bay.

"The feeling's stronger down here by the water," she mused, her fingers playing with her car keys in her left pocket as she continued staring out over the water.

A soft buzzing in her right pocket caught her attention. Quickly pulling out her phone, Saki frowned as she stared down at the message displayed on the glowing screen.

"Do not engage? WHat the Hell?" Saki muttered before she skimmed over the rest of the words, "Well, if it's HQ where he wants us to go, HQ it is then..."

Saki turned around on her heel and swiftly made her way back to the small, white Honda, unlocking and starting the car before she sped off into the night.

It took only a moment for the quiet ominousness to transition into a tempest of tensions, the air rippled with the powerful trampling of foot steps as Kōhaku found himself in the charging path of what he could only describe as a monstrous rhino. A shadowy bipedal mass with several serrated horns on the front of its face stormed towards him.

It took a few moments for the shock to wear off before the young man could throw a hand into his pocket in order to withdraw his e-cigarette, but by then the danger had already passed. There was a glass shattering screech of a pulse as Emi Tenka appeared from seemingly nowhere. Her arm encased in an alien steel, and her fist embedded into the face of the rhinoceros-like creature, veering it off course and sending it careening into a wall.

"Your hero has arrived", she said confidently, pride welling up in her chest at the successful maneuver she had just pulled off. "W-wha-, well then, a-alright", Kōhaku was further taken aback but decided not to question it. They looked onward to find the beast emerging from the rubble it had been thrown into looking no worse for wear, either.

Kōhaku manifested his Fullbring with a nonchalant flash of light, and took to clasping the dynamite that manifested between his fingers, ready to throw them at a moment's notice. Both of the young Fullbringers and their opponent entered a brief stare down before the rhinoceros gave off a derisive snarl and faded away into the air.

"Aww, I was lookin' forward to dukin' it out with a rhino", Emi complained in jest, while Kōhaku took to evening out his breath instead. He never liked horror, and he certainly didn't like it when Lovecraft started to bleed into the real world. The scares weren't over yet though, as a pair of beeps began emerging from the pockets of both individuals suddenly, causing Kōhaku to briefly jump.

"Damn it, why does this have to happen to me?", he cried.

"Oh, boss-man wants us to meet up at the school", said Emi taking to ignoring Kōhaku's whining.

Kōhaku stared at her for a moment, a half-angered look on his face as he hoped to garner some form of sympathy from her. But minutes began to pass and all he'd gotten was an amused look in response. "L-let's go, maybe Momo-kun knows what's going on", with his attempts failing, the poor young business man decided to simply change topic.

"Agh, what's to know? We punch 'em, they die", Fiona responded though she had clearly began walking in the direction of the school, and Kōhaku wasn't long behind.

The Meeting
Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

The echoing of footsteps through silent halls was the only sound that could be heard as Tetsuo made his way through the abandoned school. He held his flashlight out in front of him, but still the faint pool of light did little to chase away the dark. He had just come from the control room where he had checked to make sure all the cameras were in working order, as well as disabling the electric fence. Now, the darkness closed around him, constricted him. He stepped around the debris and rubble that filled the floor, moving carefully around the wreckage. How the school had managed to avoid the destruction its condemnation had warranted for so long, he still did not know. But for now it was home, as dead and shadowy as it may be.

On the fourth level of the main building was the meeting room, and when Tetsuo entered the room he immediately went to the window to wait for the other members, who should have been arriving by then. He frowned and, pulling out a small notepad, began to draw up graphs and calculations.

Then he sensed as the first member arrived, and felt somewhat relieved. At least someone was here. Although it might have been unrealistic to expect a response in the middle of the night, what Tetsuo had in mind required more than few people, and he began to grow anxious.