For any of the Gobusters crew

[yellow_buster]

Ryuu-san and Mr. Sister-Complex are keeping secrets and I don't like it. I wouldn't care if they were only keeping them from the boss but they're keeping me out as well.

Well, not for much longer because I'm going to find out, once and for all, what they're hiding from me.

Comments

[yellow_buster]

"No," I say impatiently, "But it's not hard to figure out, the way he was talking."

Then he continues talking and now I'm confused.

"If we're not talking about him, who are we talking about?"

[blue_pleather]

We can't drag this out forever. She appreciates honesty, and I think it's the least we can do.

"Enter."

I give that a moment to add, then sink in "We have evidence that he's a human being controlled by Vaglass."

[yellow_buster]

"EN-" I almost shriek it but tone it down before I can announce it to the entire room. "Enter?" I hiss instead. "Are you out of your mind, Ryuu-san? How can he be human?"

[blue_pleather]

At least she's keeping the volume down.

"There were two other kids in the building with us. One of them was French. And the first thing Enter remembers is being sent to the subspace thirteen years ago. It's a very strong possibility they're one and the same."

[yellow_buster]

"French?" Well, I suppose that would fit, Enter does use all that when he's talking. "I think you're clutching at straws, Ryuu-san."

I was three. I remember a couple of things but not much. I don't remember any French kids offhand.

[blue_pleather]

"That's what I told Hiromu when he first mentioned it," I admit. It's becoming increasingly difficult to look at her, "but it would fit with Enter's memories of the subspace. And he's showed real concern for Hiromu, and- and me. I don't believe Messiah could program him to do that."

That's as far down that route as we will go.

[yellow_buster]

...I really don't like the sound of this at all.

"How much contact have you had?" I demand. "Even if you think he's this French kid you remember, Enter is still our enemy. He sends out the Metaloids, remember?"

[blue_pleather]

"Didn't you wonder where they'd gone?" It's a simple answer, but the most honest one without directly answering her question.

[yellow_buster]

"I don't remember anyone else!" I protest. "Only you and Mr Sister Complex." Well, and the Buddyroids, of course.

If he's right about there being others - which he probably is, he was much older than I was - then maybe I wondered at the time. But I was three.

[blue_pleather]

"I meant the Metalloids. Why we haven't been seeing so much of them. It's because Enter doesn't want to hurt us. I don't know if he will betray Messiah, but Hiromu and I are hoping he will." Maybe that's looking a little too far ahead.

[yellow_buster]

Well, when he puts it that way... "I thought they were saving up for something," I say sulkily. "Attacking at random hasn't been doing them any good because we've always kicked their ass."

Do they really think Enter will betray Messiah? That's not possible.

[blue_pleather]

She's taken it all quite well so far. That gives me the confidence to go into a little more depth, "we have to act fast before Messiah works out what's happening. That's why we need to get to Enter first. We have to do something to protect him from MetaVirus influence." I don't know quite yet what we're going to do, but we'll think of something.

[yellow_buster]

Sounds like he's put a lot of thought into this. This has to be what they've been hiding from me all this time, this wild theory about Enter being human.

"What're you planning to do?"

Because he has a plan. He wouldn't be talking this way if he didn't.

[blue_pleather]

"We need to find out how his connection to Messiah works. Then we can somehow rewrite his source code or install something to protect him. Hiromu's trying to get that information out of him now." Or should be. I'll ask about it when Hiromu gets back.

[yellow_buster]

I can't believe I'm still sitting here listening to this, this is ridiculous.

They can't both have been brainwashed without me noticing, right? Usada and the others should have seen something as well.

[blue_pleather]

"We haven't told anyone else. Not even the Buddyroids." This is a subtle request for her to please, please not tell Usada or Gorisaki.

[yellow_buster]

"You haven't told Gorisaki?" I stare at him in surprise. If they haven't even told Nick or Gorisaki then they really want this kept quiet.

[blue_pleather]

"I don't want to cause him that kind of worry." I don't even know what the news would do to him. He's liable to panic over much smaller things than this.

[yellow_buster]

"Well, that's true." He's not like Usada, accepting everything with snark instead of panic.

[blue_pleather]

"Youko-chan." I slowly, cautiously try to put an arm around her lest she fight it off. She's probably going through exactly what I did when I first found out about Hiromu and Enter, "I was the same way when Hiromu told me ... but if we can save a human, don't we have a duty to do that?"

[yellow_buster]

He's going all big brother on me. I swat at his arm: I'm not a child that needs reassuring anymore.

"How do you know this isn't some really obscure trap?" I counter. "Make you feel sorry for him, bring him somewhere safe he can infiltrate from."

[blue_pleather]

... That's a good question. We haven't taken him anywhere near our base (yet), "He's been alone with me and with Hiromu several times. He could have just killed us and taken all our equipment, but he didn't."

[yellow_buster]

"Well if he wants to make you think he's being used, he wouldn't," I say in exasperation. Really, I don't think they've thought this through as well as they think they have.

If Hiromu's even thought about it at all.

[blue_pleather]

I'm losing her. Worse, she's making me less and less sure of what to believe. I had all the same questions, why did I squash them down so easily?"

"We're not going to bring him here or anywhere else connected with us." I'm making that decision here and now. "Not until we disconnect him from Messiah. If he's really working against us, he won't let that happen."

[yellow_buster]

"Damn right you're not," I tell him, leaning back in my seat and glowering at him. "Look, fine, you want to keep this quiet, I'll do that. I won't even tell Usada. But make sure he's disconnected from Messiah before you even think about bringing him here."

I'm going to have to watch them, make sure Enter's not manipulating them into doing something they shouldn't. Aside from helping him in the first place.