The Circa also charged with what they have. They activated the chips and inserted it in their watches where they generated weapons to defend themselves. Jayson stood as their tactician (as always) and the Circa followed him without a single doubt, even the uncontrollable Alex obeyed his orders. They've set up a barricade and hid themselves to initiate a long-range attack. They fire ammo to the Androids that made the enemy fall one after the other. They manage to hold their ground.
"You're doing great Circa.." Louige announced. "I guess our previous training didn't go to waste..."
"Yeah right.." Alex charged and brought 2 Androids with his mere fists, he was a close combat fighter. "I wonder where Mr. Louige could be hiding now.."
"I wonder as well.. it seems he can see us anywhere."
An Android came rushing on Alex's back and got his shoulder. Unfortunately, the Android was blasted by a 45-caliber pistol shot by Tori.
"Thanks, Tori.." Alex exclaimed.
"No worries. Charge in front!"
"Hai!"
They continued the warfare and they were standing on their ground. A huge explosion was heard from afar. Soon the number of enemies dried out and the street where they're in became a street piled with dead Androids. They went out from their barricade to scan the area but found no more enemies.
"This weapon looks great..." Sandra muttered.
"You bet... this might actually work in the field," Andra exclaimed. "But I still don't want to risk my life though.. haha." She smirked.
"You did great Circa. Now, you can fight on their ground. I hope you fight this well in the real thing, though." Louige said. He walked out of the café holding a cup of tea.
"You've been staying there all the time?" Alex muttered. "If I should have known I should have blasted that building," he smirked.
"Yes, I like to see the battle up close..." he replied, sipping his tea. "You could have tried." he raised an eyebrow.
"By the way, where is Hachiro?" Sandra asked.
"I dunno. I haven't seen him since the Androids came running." Jayson said, "...he could have been a big help in defeating those Androids immediately. With his skills in gaming and experience in AR, he might actually be better than us.."
"Yeah.... He's way better because he uses cheats.." Alex exclaimed. "And I guess he chickened out that he ran and hid his ass from the battle."
Hearing those words of insult, Shichiro, taking over Hachiro's body, said in reply, "That's quite rude though... but I tell you, I didn't use cheat this time." Wearing a grin.
"Oh really, then tell me where did you go?" Alex said provokingly.
"You realized why the Androids did not come your way anymore?" Shichiro said, still grinning.
"Because we've slaughtered them all, idiot!" he exclaimed, "...see for yourself."
"No, that's not it. I've just blocked their way and throw a building on their herd." Shichiro boastfully replied.
"What do you mean?" Tori's brows thought they could meet.
"He destroyed the foundation of the building on the other street flattening the Androids on their way here.." Louige explained.
"That explains the explosion a while ago.." Jayson exclaimed.
"But, how did you know that?" Andra asked, "You're inside that café all the time, right?"
"Yeah, but I got this little friend of mine to see all that is happening outside." He showed them the flies hovering in their midst. "...they got Nano cameras that send data on my watch."
Alex turned his evil grin on Hachiro making him more pissed on him. "Showy brat!!" he thought. The others fell silent trying to understand their underestimation of the president's son, thought forming on their minds.
Louige swiped his hand in the air and hit several keys and in an instant, chairs and a table appeared in front of them. "Saaa, take a seat and I will tell you about the location of the Convention."
"Yeah, we need to know about the location. We need to set up our ground." Jayson said. "It might be our only edge to fulfill our mission. Besides, I don't think that the other schools are aware of what is going to happen there."
"Some might expect the worst scenario, but most of them are unaware of the possibility that the hacker might attack there. It was confidential only for the use of ORION and GSTech." Louige indicated.
"Then why don't we just tell them? Can't we just warn them about it?" Tori said.
"No, we can't let anyone know about it," Louige replied.
"But why?"
"It was for their own safety. We'll arrange an evacuation route for those who are not part of the mission. It was your job to secure a route through. All other else will be a gamble."
"A gamble..." Hachiro muttered with his blank expression. "A gamble was it? They really like this kind of stuff, ne, Ha-chan?" Shichiro mumbled. He stood leaning on the broken glass wall of the café, away from the group, listening to the conversation.
"A gamble? Is that necessary?" Jayson asked.
"Yes, we made sure that the participants' ignorance will be one of the variables in order to achieve our goal. The hacker might notice a stage play if we are to warn others about this." Louige explained.
"Seriously?" Andra muttered. "But that's insane, not to mention dangerous."
"Ahh, seriously. That is why we want you to work at your best. The success of this operation with minimal casualties lies on your hands, Circa." Louige added.
"And that's the real thing. We're left to carry other's loads..." Alex exclaimed.
"Sorry about that...but it was for your own good as well."
"I have my own reasons for taking that hacker out. Don't lump me with your lame excuses as saving mankind and all."
"I know, but make sure not to underestimate the hacker. He's a demon on the move. You have to keep your cool in facing him, especially you, Alex." Louige said.
"ME? Oh, c'mon... I'm gonna do my best to kick that bastard's ass and skin him using a nail cutter."
"I bet,,, and you too, Hachiro. Keep your cool and do what you are asked." Louige gave him a cold stare.
"I doubt it.." Alex mumbled, crossing his arms like a boss.
Shichiro nodded in agreement. He didn't respond to Alex's provocation, he just turned a deaf ear on the matter. He chose to distance himself from others. He did not join them in eating the breakfast, nor plan with them about what they have to do.
"Why don't you join them, Ha-chan?" Shichiro asked in his head.
"No need. We have settled our plans, right. We don't need their help." He replied.
"But, we still have to consider their support. I know—"
"Shut up, Shi-chan. We don't need them, PERIOD." He mumbled.
Tori and Michiyo found him talking to himself. They thought he was weird but now they thought he's dangerous.
"Did you see that, Michi?" Tori asked.
"Ahh, I'm scared... we have to distance ourselves from him starting now."
"Ahh,, we should or else we'll be in trouble. We should tell the others as well."
Shichiro found them staring at him. He immediately knew that they were talking about him because he heard them whispering. Now he thinks untrusting towards his companions like what Hachiro always says to him.
Louige paused for a moment as he take the call from the Real-world.
"Sorry about that.... Where did we leave?" he said, his consciousness came back to the AR.
"You are about to give us the data about the location," Andra replied.
"Oh, well..." Louige inputs a key, and a map shows up.
The map showed a crescent-shaped island with a mountainous center with a few red dots inside it. Both ends had a building identical to the other shaped like pincers with a huge satellite dish on its roof. The port in the middle directly opens the entrance to the city with huge buildings and modern city highlights. On top of the mountain, sitting on the plateau, was a scorpion head-like building with huge other buildings surrounding it and a tail hanging on top of them. A huge LCD signboard flashing a huge cursive M with an arrow tail stood in the middle of the compound.
"They seem to uphold their name being a Scorpion, huh.." Andra commented.
"They took pride in themselves that they are called the Knights of the Orient," Louige replied. "They have different systems than what's in ORION. Though they are part of the GSTech, they have autonomy of their own. They just send the most important files in the GSTech system but not all the secrets that lie behind their walls." He adjusted his glasses. "Even Reiko-sama have to have a pass just to roam around the facility."
"Ehh,, even the owner is restricted, huh.." Alex muttered.
"Yeah,,, unfortunately, they have this kind of policy because of their Autonomy. Basing on its history, they are not really part of the pioneer companies of the GSTech, Reiko-sama bought the Scorpion from its previous owner to save it from bankruptcy but retained the facility policies and the workers."
"So they have their own rules... can't it be revised or something?"
"Ahh, Reiko-sama cannot change it immediately due to the risk of system malfunctions. Anyway..." Louige said. "The city is the same as the Aurum but with more specs. Being in the AR for some time, you might get the gist of it already. The towers you see are named Phobos and Deimos. They have their own purposes in the internet highway and most importantly, they hold the keys of the Stonehenge."
"The Stonehenge? What was that?" Andi asked
"If ORION had Aegis, the Scorpio had the Stonehenge and it serves the same purpose."
"So, if we want to hack the Scorpio, we need to pass through the Stonehenge?" Jayson mentioned. "That's a trouble, we can't easily enter the system from outside, huh.."
"Yes, definitely. As you said it will not be easy, that is why we're sending you there to maneuver it there hands-on if needed."
"That's a big trouble then..." Michiyo stated.
"Yeah,, and dangerous... what if the employees will spot us?" Sandra asked.
"If they are not part of the hacker's faction, then they will support your cause.. unless it turns out to be the other way.."
"So, you're suspecting them to be the hacker's backer?"
"We can't erase that possibility. But it's better to find it out yourself when you get there. The data about the Argon was sent to your emails, just try to check it out. Any questions?"
"None so far..." they replied.
Louige deactivated the AR and they found themselves sitting on the same couch they had a while back. The ship honked and it got all their attention. They gazed outside the glass wall and saw the Scorpio sign, blinking in LCD screen, getting closer and closer.
"So I guess we're really here, huh." Alex exclaimed.