In Gods' Good Time: Chapter Five of an Angel Beats Fan Fiction Story

In God's Good Time: Chapter Five of an Angel Beats Fan Fiction Story

by

C V Ford


Chapter 5: One Step Beyond the Outer Limits of the Twilight Zone


As Battlefront members filtered in, Yuri sat at the desk examining Takayamas' supplied printout. On either side, Hinata and Takamatsu reading over her shoulder.

"Wow! I knew this guy was old but ... 1954? He's gotta be in his 60s! I thought late 20s, early 30s."

"Keep in mind Yuri," Hinata interjected. "Some of us were in our early 20s before coming here ... college or workforce. Cha was even married, remember?"

"It MIGHT be something of a stretch for a much older person to arrive younger," Takamatsu speculated, "but not inconsistent."

"Uh ... Why THIS guy?" Asked Oyama from a center couch.

"And why non-Asian? ... An American at that!" Noda asked from across the room.

Glances went their way. Good questions.

"Let's see ...," Yuri continued. "James B. Duffy, age 62 (Geez!), born August 8, 1954, Mt. Vernon, Ohayo-"

"That's Ohio," Takamatsu corrected, "-OUCH!"

"I knew that," Yuri replied giving a sharp kick to the ankle. "August ... 8 ... what's ... oh ..."

Her face darkened somewhat on noting the date then she went on, "race Caucasian, height 5'9", hair grey to dk brown, eyes hazel ... weight ... This photo's misleading. This guy's nowhere this old looking-"

"Maybe he doesn't photograph well ..."

Yuri looked at Oyama with a disapproving look. Desk and distance in the way so a boot to the head was out. She looked back at the sheet.

"Previous residence, 24 Darlington Blvd., Westerville, Ohay- ... Ohio. Previous occupation, Building and Grounds Maintenance, Otterbein College, Westerville, Ohio. No military experience."

"Says here," Hinata chimed in. "Hobbies include reading, history, shortwave radio listening, hunting, fishing, hiking, movie collecting, shooting sports."

"Hunting, fishing, hiking ... shooting sports," Takamatsu emphasized.

"Might mean trouble Yuri," cautioned Hinata.

"Or a help," countered Yuri.

"Maybe."

"In any event," Takamatsu continued, "help or hindrance, he should be starting off as 'naked' as we did."

"Go on," prodded Yuri.

"Though he seems to be taking investigative action he also seems somewhat confused. It's obvious he's just as much in the dark as any of us were on getting here."

"You'd think Angel would have tried to contact him by now," Yuri thought aloud. "Why hasn't she?"

"Maybe it's because he's moving around so much?"

The three looked up at Oyama.

"You actually DO have a brain!" The Battlefront leader exclaimed. "Very good! Don't try too hard though."

Oyama didn't know wether to be pleased or chagrined so kept quiet.

"He certainly HAS been on the move. Whenever we have seen him, he's been taking notes, observing. Asking questions ... or trying to, " Hinata stated.

"Since the NPCs are purposefully vague, and the word out to our own people and the non-aligned to avoid him," Takamatsu paused, "then there's our own native insularity in regard to foreigners ..."

Yusa, who had been quiet all this time said, "the only ones I've seen trying to talk with him was Sakaki and a couple of the other girls."

"Oh?"

"They hadn't gotten the word yet but Matsushita called them over and clued them in."

"Why not actually talk to him?" Oyama again. "I mean, he's confused ... yet probably knows someone's watching yet avoiding him. He hasn't tried talking with US yet ... maybe we should try first."

Everyone in the room stared at the diminutive one as if he pulled a mortal faux pas. He got more nervous than usual.

"I ... I mean ... We all know how scared and confused each of us were when we got here ... Hinata had trouble deciding wether I was real or not ..."

"I know. I still have my doubts about you-OW!"

As Yuri still was not close enough to whack Oyama, Hinatas' ankle would do.

"All the same," she thought, "he does have a point."

"Maybe it WAS a mistake to hold off," Yuri speculated. "At the moment we have something else to attend to before deciding on this guy."

"Meaning ... our meal ticket situation?" Hinata asked.

"Meaning exactly that ... He would have to come at such an inconvenient time ..."

An uttered "No god, no buddhas, no angels" was heard as Shiina, Matsushita, and Fujimaki entered.

"Good news!" Exclaimed Matsushita. "Shiina got the goods on the gaijin."

"She tracked him where he lives!" Fujimaki chimed in.

"Where exactly?" Yuri asked.

"Residential apartments, building 4," Shiina answered. "Spotted him crossing the south creek bridge and followed him back to the apartments."

"What was he doing?"

"Looking around, taking notes  ... was really intent on staying inside the forests' edge ... like he didn't want to be seen."

"Probably looking for a nonexistent main entrance or any road out," speculated Takamatsu.

"He even climbed that metal tower back of the dorms. Had ... ," the ninja pointed to an object on the desk, "... one of those things ... only smaller."

"Binoculars?" Yuri glanced at the 57 mm pair on the desk. "Notepads, pens, etc. can be gotten here easily enough but ... binoculars?"

"He couldn't have arrived with those," said Hinata. "If He's to be working for Building and Grounds he must have gotten them from that department."

"That has to be it," said Yuri, others nodding in agreement. "None of us got here with anything but empty pockets. In school uniform at that.

"You did a great job Shiina," Yuri continued. "We know a little more about him than before. He may have pulled a fast one on you though-"

"Oh!?" The ninja girls' face darkened. She KNEW she had been utmost in concealing herself. She was more than certain he didn't see her trailing him.

"He knows something's going on. Maybe thinks it's us, someone anyway. How did you see him enter Res. 4. Did he use a key card?"

"Key card? One of those ... Oh! No he ... Another worker was using his and he went in as the door was opened. Damn! ... He knew I was following!"

"Possibly not," said Takamatsu. "The way he's been acting, he probably did it as a precaution ... a routine he's figuring out."

"It says here," the Battlefront leader held up the hacked personnel papers, "he lives in Res. 2."

"You were right Shiina," Fujimaki suppressed a sheepish grin as he said it. "We did just miss him. If Matsushita and I'd been a little quicker getting there we'd might have seen him go in Res. 2"

Shiina only glared.

"All the same," declared Yuri, "you did good."

"So," said Matsushita. "What DO we do about him? Try to talk to him, or-"

"Something else!" Noda took an enthused practice swing with his halberd for emphasis.

"We do NOTHING ... for now," the leader declared sternly looking at Noda then scanning the room."... except what we've been doing-"

"But Yurippe!"

"... Keep observing, have little to do with him as possible ... for the time being. We've other fish to fry for the moment."

"The meal ticket situation again," Takamatsu stated.

"Exactly. One thing at a time. After tomorrow nights' operation ... THEN we decide about Duffy-san."

xxxxx

Jack stayed in the rest of the day. He checked and loaded the rest of the handguns, the 870 with #6 and placed them in various accessable places in the apartment.

Searching for more info, he checked out the blogs on the school website. A quick look through several showed them to be rather bland in the goings on of the school. He had little to no interest in the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of teenagers.

One strangely titled blog did however catch his attention: Christ of the Front's Diary. There were quite a few photos of students wearing the "off" uniform. If these were indeed of those watching him, the blog would prove to be useful.

And useful it did. He immediately recognized several from the pictures. A few from the cafeteria but definitely two of the three seen outside his apartment building. He couldn't find any of the girl who was with them.

"Matsushita, Fujimaki ...," he made his list, "... hmmm ... Yusa the ponytails kid, and ... This ... Yuri Nakamura ... Ring leader?

"I dub thee ... THE DRAGON LADY!" He declared aloud and chuckled wryly to himself. He was a little too young to have really remembered Terry and the Pirates.

The printer rattled off as many of the blog pics he thought would be useful. Study the faces ... Friend or foe?

"CHRIST? ... of the Fronts' Diary?" Duffy pondered. This Takayama kid was rather full of himself about his computer skills but probably definitely good enough. Calling himself ... Christ?

"Yeah ... well ... Whatever you say  ...  "Hey-Seus."

From what he could gather from the blog text, browser translator helping somewhat, the kids seemed to have some kind of beef with ... God (?) ... and a certain "fellow" student. The allusions to death and afterlife were perplexing, creepy and unintelligible. He was beginning to think the Battlefront to be a cult of "emoness" of some kind.

"Great!" He thought. "Just ... Great! Trapped One Step Beyond the Outer Limits of the Twilight Zone with a pack of possibly mentally ill, delusional kids scoping me out ..."

Almost mid-night, Jack shut down his machine and did something he hadn't done in quite a long time.

He prayed ... Long and hard.

To be continued ...

xxxxx

"The Dragon Lady" was a somewhat less than lawful protagonist/antagonist in the old comic strip, Terry and the Pirates by Milton Caniff (Who also did Steve Canyon and the more adult oriented Cannon and original Sally Forth.). "Dragon Lady" later came into American slang in reference to any assertive/capable Asian woman.

Storyline and original characters (only) copyright © 5-1-14 C V Ford


Go to chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 6.

Go to C V Fords profile page and anime fan fiction stories list at fanfiction dot net here.


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Disclaimer: The preceding is a NON-PROFIT work of fan fiction for entertainment purposes only. I make no claim to ownership of the names/characters, places, & events mentioned in this work that are the intellectual properties of others. They are the sole properties of their respective owners. Please, by all means support the owners of such properties in the purchase & enjoyment of their works.