Episode 14: A More Formal Introduction

[Noland Hardy]

Following the rough battle that took place in Washington's streets, the terrorists fled to an isolated location where they could interact with each other outside of anyone else's eyes. The three criminals were getting more comfortable in each other's presence the more they battled together. This feeling grew to be mutual as they began to realize their own individual faults when facing The Resistors; they agreed that they each compliment each other's strengths and weaknesses, making them a strong force to be reckoned with. They continued to speak about the events that led up to this point until nightfall, which was around the time they should report back to base unless stated otherwise. The trio decided to steal food from a local restaurant and level the building before heading back. In the process of doing so, Akane's curiosity got the best of her and began questioning Daniel and Makoto about their so-called boss, Nero. 

Daniel and Makoto did not have any in-depth thought about the matter since they were only focused on their own primary objectives rather than Nero's. While they thought about this, Akane reflected on what brought her here in the first place. She spoke about Nero saving her from a rather tragic situation when Akane was nearly hunted down by the FBI because she was suspected to be apart of a conspiracy that involved the development of a particular bomb within the Washington D.C. area, and Nero rescued her before she was able to be snatched away. Makoto revealed that he was sentenced to death after an attack on the White House, and was saved by Nero seconds before the authorities were able to administer the injection. Daniel discussed his encounter with Belphenoid when he escaped from a life sentence, and Nero's eventual appearance after nearly being killed by "The Resistors" when they decided to attack Noland. Despite all of them telling their stories, none of them were able to come to a concise conclusion as to who this man really was other than being a commander and the one who saved their lives. They wanted to know more about him.

Upon returning to Nero's base, the terrorists immediately requested to speak with him. Montai informed them that he was currently busy and they would have to wait for a few minutes. They waited for five minutes until Nero was ready for company. Daniel and his accomplices walked to Nero's office and looked at him as if they were prepared to interrogate the man. Nero, completely unaware of their curiosity, welcomes them in and asks what they wished to discuss. 

[Daniel Andersen]

Three terrorists were walking through the dark, cold and mute corridor towards Nero's office.
They were certain that their knowledge about Nero was too insufficient and decided to have a discussion with him. After waiting for a few minutes Nero called them in and sat in the nearby.

His office could be just "an office" you can see in any building wherever you would go. Still, it was more like a room with lots of mysterious pictures, items and documents that were obviously projects of Nero's work. Daniel stepped forward a little bit and broke the veil of silence.

"I apologize for interrupting your work, Nero, but we have something to discuss about" said Daniel with a seriously dark tone, but with respect towards Nero. He gave Nero a cold gaze and told him quietly: "We tend to know more about all of this; you and this whole place ...After all, it is hard to fulfill the quest when you don't know what to fulfill"

[Nero Bullock]

Nero tapped his desk with his finger before finally responding to Daniel's gesture of wanting to get information out of him. "In a way, you already know what to fulfill in this so-called 'quest'; as a matter of fact, the three of you already know what needs to be done." He placed his hands on the desk and leaned forward as he began to assert his next line with more aggression. "This place is a shelter to the three of you hooligans. You use this place as a refuge; you are not eligible for guaranteed safety outside of these walls due to your high notoriety. In exchange for extending your welcome here, I send you three out in the field to do my work in my stead, which is the purpose of your quest. You do what I tell you to do, and you remain hidden. You understand both the significance of this location and the purpose for your acceptance of the missions."

Nero leaned back in his chair and began to lighten up a little as they did serve him well the past month. He smiled a little as he was about to cough up some secrets that they don't already know, but have kept hidden until there was a good reason for such information to be disclosed. "The look in your eyes tells me you want to know information beyond the general classification that I've made in conjunction with our terms and service. It is expected for you to be so curious at this stage in the game, but I was not prepared for it to happen right now." He then thought about the situation quickly in his head before he made an attempt to respond with any words. He didn't want them to know too much, but some information should quell their interests. "Very well, then." Nero stated. "You will get you asked for, Andersen. My only request for you is that what I tell either of you does not escape this room neither verbally or in writing. What do you want to know specifically?"

[Daniel Andersen]

Nero was ready to answer their questions, but of course, he did not want it to leak out. "You know that none of us would be such a fool to do that..." Daniel said while looking at one picture on the wall. Then he looked at Nero and continued the conversation.

"I believe you are strong. Maybe the strongest brawler I have ever encountered. You proved me that when you battled us three using your Belphenoid. His skills were not so sharp and accurate when he was with me. You have proven that you are not one of those show-offs I meet every day" said Daniel slowly and then continued in dark tone.

"I want you to tell me and to be honest...If you have so much power how come you need us? You are capable of turning every single one of our opponents to dust and yet you recruited three of us...Compared to you we are dust when it comes to battle. If you have such power why don't you simply destroy Noland and his comrades?"

Daniel was asking this question with another question flying through his head.
He knew Nero would probably think of this question as a stupid one, but Daniel had doubts that Nero was not strong as he claimed to be. Why would he need three terrorists if he had a power that is bigger than their powers combined?

[Nero Bullock]

Nero agreed with Daniel when the latter commended him on his own prowess, but he found it interesting when the terrorist implied that the three of them weren't viable competitors in comparison to himself. He broke the question down in his head before coming up with an answer while still questioning himself on why they were beginning to ask him these kind of questions at this moment. "Daniel, there are two reasons why I did not do all of this by myself since I 'don't need you' as you claim," Nero began. He took a deep breath before he gave his reasons as if he had something to hide; there was no way he was going to tell the terrorists his entire plan, so he had to say it in a way that would at least give him the ability to stretch the truth a little.

"Number one...I am the opposite of a Terrorist in the field," Nero started off. "...You three are superior to me when it comes to the tasks you perform regardless of how strong you think I am. That isn't to say that I am unable to do those things myself; I won't ask you to do anything I wasn't willing to do. As fellow leaders, we should be able to understand the value in performing a job in the best way. I'm always asking myself if the people I assign to a certain task will be able to do it better than anyone else. When you led, you must have said, 'If you're going to do it, do it right'." Nero pointed at the three terrorists as he said his next statement. "That is why you're here, Daniel, Makoto, and Akane. You three are the best in what you do, and there is no one else in the country that have as much experience terrorizing. Secondly, it is more difficult to bring you three down since they won't just be after one person. It is a strategic reason as to why I need you."

Nero decided to save the least important reason for last since he found it quite obvious as to why he hasn't done so already. "I have no reason to kill Noland or any of his comrades; therefore, I did not do so. Him and I are identical in many ways. The one that I'm going to tell you is that both of us have control of a power that has a deep meaning within Bakugan lore according to the slabs from nearby ruins. The Dragonoid is a key figure within their society as well as Belphenoid, or whoever it came from. Their power didn't just manifest by accident. That is why they are still living so I can figure out why that is, but they are on my level of power, which makes it difficult."

[Makoto Nakashima]

Makoto tried to stay back and let Daniel do all of the talking. He wanted answers, but at the same time he didn't. Makoto was just one of those people who would just do what seemed smart at the time, and right now, this man before us seemed like the right guy to be listening to. 

The way his office look made you just know that this man knows what he is doing. He has documents and files, each sorted out accordingly witch seemed to be in categories that allowed them to be found with ease. His test was neat, papers were stacked up properly for easy access and even a nice tin at the end of his desk to hold his pens and pencils. Just something about this guy makes him seem like a guy we would be able to trust.

But, this power that Nero speaks of, would Noland know about this? If not why wouldn't Nero use such knowledge to his advantage?
"This power, Does Noland know of this?"
Makoto said very powerfully from the back of the room near the door. Makoto was leaning against the frame of the timber door. He had one foot up placed firmly on the wall with his arms crossed. 

[Nero Bullock]

Nero legitimately did not know if Noland knew the same things that he did. The only reason why Nero is aware of their powers is due to the ruins he encountered during the creation of his base. He wasn't sure if this was some untold mystery or if someone else out there is keeping it a secret. Nevertheless, he attempted to answer Makoto's question the best way he could. "Noland knows of its existence," Nero responded. "He knows enough about it to be able to tap into the Dragonoid's potential, which is something that not even his father was able to do. When it is released, it pushes the Bakugan's power to unparalleled levels. He says he gains the power from absorbing attribute powers and whatnot; I really don't know for sure where it is coming from. From what I've seen during you three's encounters with him and what he did on September 11, it's safe to say that it is a risky proposition to engage him one-on-one unless there is an effective means to combat what he's using."

Nero then proceeded to think about if Noland would know anything about the lore entry he has. "In regards to Noland being aware of the significance of it, I honestly have no idea," Nero said as he threw his hands up in frustration. "I don't know if Vince was ever aware of anything like that nor do I know if he told his son anything about it if he was. At this point, I don't know if the Dragonoid knows anything about it himself, but he would be the probable candidate for extracting that information since he is a Bakugan. There are so many variables in determining that answer. That is why my eyes were especially set on those two; they hold the answers that I want."

[Daniel Andersen]

So, Dragonoid and Noland have answers that Nero wants. That was interesting fact for Daniel who also wanted to find out more about Dragonoid despite it was not on the list of his goals.
Still, Daniel did not understand why Nero was not taking any serious actions about Dragonoid's secret power knowing that if Noland revealed such power completely would be a disaster.

"Then, what if Hardy becomes fully aware of the secret power and manages to tame it? He would have access to Dragonoid's full power and there would be no chance of defeating him." said Daniel quietly to Nero as his eyes glared in red.
"With every new battle he becomes stronger and comes closer to taming this power. If we want to prevent him from taming it we must act quickly and flawlessly. Defeating Noland and taking away Dragonoid could be an option if we plan a strategy, but his comrades are always with him, so it's impossible...especially with those fools Stryker and Silva."

Daniel was walking around the room slowly as he was thinking of an idea to strike Noland and take Dragon away. "We would have to eliminate his comrades out of the way...one...by...one. And we would have only Hardy left in our way. Alone...he would not stand a chance when would bring our powers to the maximum..."

"Nero, is there any weakness of this Dragonoid or his secret power? Any information like that could give us a head advantage in battle against that lizard." 

[Nero Bullock]

Nero nodded his head in agreement to Noland's defeat being impossible as long as the rest of the Resistors have his back. He couldn't plan on getting one of them alone as easily since situations like what happened at the studio is impossible to anticipate. He decided to reveal another part of his strategy. "If you're searching for a viable counter to the Dragonoid's power or some kind of weakness in the ability, do not even bother. Such a thing does not exist," Nero explained. "It's the same scenario for Belphenoid's power; however, if one comes prepared to deal with the army, then it is at least manageable. This is what we must do to provide a solid resistance against the Dragonoid. We must understand it enough to have control over what it does. Reckless attacking will not help our case, which is why I am not desperate to do anything drastic."

Nero pressed a button on his phone that allowed someone to come into the building. This is what he wanted to introduce to them so they can see what he was talking about in person. "I have been researching their battle potential and activity as you've continued battling them. All of this information comes from a mole within their group. She has observed them for quite some time, and seeing it from up close is more beneficial to me than it is to encounter it in battle all the time." Nero pointed towards the door as his associate arrived. "Behold our little spy and self-proclaimed 'beauty queen', Karen Valentine."

[Karen Valentine]

A girl was standing at the entrance of his office as soon as Nero announced her arrival. Her appearance struck both Makoto and Daniel as they were struck in awe by her looks. Karen noticed them looking at her and was flattered at the attention she was getting, but wasn't interested in returning the eye contact. "It seems like they've already caught on to that nickname," Karen playfully said with an annoyed look on her face. She approached the Terrorists and hugged all three of them individually. "Good evening, troublemakers. It's nice to meet you."

After the brief introduction, Karen quickly joined the discussion that they were currently having. "As Nero just said, I've been observing the Resistors from within their inner circle," Karen began. "From what I've seen, Nero's argument is accurate since they are pretty much together all the time regardless if one is separated from the group for a short period of time. I'm sure Daniel knows that perfectly after Allen interfered out of nowhere in his battle with Seiki. Attacking one of them is risky at this point since there is always that chance of someone appearing, and they could easily deplete Nero's resources by then." Karen then placed a few photographs on Nero's desk and began to explain them by saying, "There's also another issue: the cops. They haven't been this active since two years ago..."

[Daniel Andersen]

"Despite of the cops we need to think of something quickly. Cops are the least problem to us when it comes to power they have. Noland and his lizard are what bugs me. Whenever you plan something they appear and take away every chance of success." Daniel said with an irritated tone as he was griping a white Bakugan ball in his left hand and suddenly looked at Nero.
"We could always make a diversion or something...we could start chaos all over the place...on several different locations...that would make them separate in their foolish attempts to save others' lives. That could give us a chance to take out several of them..."
He then put the white Bakugan on his shoulder and continued the talk: "It is not like we are rich on ideas...Those ruins you mentioned before still bother me...If you Nero want answers that Dragonoid could provide why don't you send Makoto and Akane to make his comrades busy while you and me attack Noland? With out combined powers I am sure we could take him out before he could use his secret power."
Daniel closed his eyes and crossed his arms as he was thinking of something very hard. He was quite irritated by the fact that he could do nothing about Noland and Dragonoid. He knew that Nero probably had a solution, but was waiting to see them thinking.

[Akane Huomoto]

Akane was leaning on the  nearby wall, her red eyes drawn to her shoes, in thought with all this information she was getting through this whole conversation in silence. So boss and that Noland guy are related in some way with power? Then this other information which wasn't exactly registering through her mind correctly right now... It was getting rather confusing to her, but she would remember it and think about it in her free time. Her attention moved from her shoes to the person who walked in. "Finally, another girl," she silently huffs, "At least I'm not the only one dealing with these two egoistic males..." she glances at Makoto and Daniel for a moment before averting her attention to her shoes, not fazed by any contact strangely, which was rare for she enjoyed her personal space bubble and barely allowed anyone to touch her, other than her bakugan of course. She was then listening to what Daniel had to say, and gritted her teeth slightly. Why did she have to deal with the flies of the Noland guy's group? Well, besides that Iron Juggernaut guy. She wanted to at least try to fight him and examine his moves, for he was a pyrus brawler like her after all.

[Makoto Nakashima]

Well, this was something unexpected. So much just happened in a matter of seconds and Makoto needed to take a quick second to register the bundles of information that was just thrown at him.
'So, we have a mole in Noland's group witch is who this Karen girl is. But why did Nero choose her, was their something special about this girl? Was it just cause of her looks, he couldn't blame him for that. But, as bad as Daniel's plan is he seems to be in the right state of mind about all this. We need to get rid of him fast.'

Makoto stood up from the wall, he let out a great sigh as he looked up and gave a slight nod over to his comrade Daniel. "I agree with Daniel on this one. We need to do something about Noland and his dragonoid before they Figure this whole thing out. Your plan almost seems flawless, having someone on the inside and all. But, at this point all you are doing is giving Noland time to work with the power instead of making it harder for him to master."

Makoto had a very serious look on his face, he wouldn't say he was battle hungry but he was in need for one. As much as his Bakugan would disagree with his battle hungry attitude most of the time he didn't care, it was in his nature after all, even if all he was doing was taking out the little runts.
Makoto knows that Daniel alone will not be able to take out Noland with the power that he has. Even if Noland hasn't mastered it, Makoto is sure that the power is still pretty monstrous. 

[Karen Valentine]

Karen noticed that Daniel and Makoto were adamant on attacking Noland directly. She didn't want to say much, but she understood Nero's decision to not push him as hard as the Terrorists want to. Neither plan had to be perfect, but she believed there had to be a safe way to execute it. "Awww. You two want to beat Noland so bad," Karen mocked. "The same people who failed to beat him on more than one occasion is now telling Nero what should be done. Some guys are just the brightest of the bunch." She smiled at them while indirectly telling cold-blooded killers that they were stupid. It almost seemed like she wanted them to get angry.

Tossing the mocking aside, Karen got to the point of what she was trying to say without trying to sound as harsh as she was with her last comment. "Let's stop for a moment and think about what you're proposing. You want to form a full-scale attack on a brawler that even your leader, Daniel Andersen, deemed impossible to take down completely. If you follow through with that plan and don't win, wouldn't you be doing the exact thing you're accusing Nero of right now?" Karen asked. "It's common sense really. The more you lose equates to more time for Noland to get more acquainted with that power. You three are doing him a favor more than anyone in this building right now."

[Makoto Nakashima]

Makoto's serious look was drawn straight from his face as karen had a point, we have lost more then once and rushing in there probably would come out with a better outcome then all of the other times we have attempted to face him. But Makoto just didn't want to stand back and do absolutely nothing while their is all this power just waiting to be released in a matter of time. 

"Ok, so we can't just run in there like mad men and get beaten down yet another time. But their has to be something that we can do. Like, what exactly are you trying to achieve from being on the inside of this little group?" 
Makoto said as he looked at the beautiful Karen.

This thought had only occurred to Makoto in mid sentence and he kind of just said it. Because we know that she is behind enemy lines but what exactly is she planning to do behind their, and why hasn't she already done something? Makoto just had so many questions floating around in his head that he could almost not even keep up with himself.