In Gods' Good Time: Chapter Eleven of an Angel Beats Fan Fiction Story
by
C V Ford
Chapter 11: Observation
The next several weeks had Jack settling in to his new job. The work itself was not especially hard as it was more or less the same when among the living at Otterbien College as a landscaper and maintenance. His assignment was groundswork in general as well as some cleaning inside the various structures. He was pleasantly surprised to find that the classroom cleanup duties as portrayed in anime and Japanese film were not fiction. The kids really did clean and tidy the rooms and halls at days end!
His tasks about the school pretty much made him a known fixture on campus. After the break-in incident things pretty much came down to the students (Real and otherwise.) accepting/getting used to the foreigner in their midst.
With possible heat off from the Battlefront, Jack could get his mind on his work. All the same, he took no chances. Extra nailboards, along with dowels between window sills and frames, reinforced the apartment. He discretely replaced the door and window locks with ones of a heavier utility, the dead bolt being paid particular care installing.
Further contact the first couple weeks consisted of the mostly curious asking about him and the States. He complied as best he could revealing as little about himself and as much of his country.
Settling into a routine, he found time for further exploration. As he had the school grounds laid down in his mind and mapped out, he furthered his knowledge of the surrounding area by weekend backpacking trips in the hills and forest about. Wending his way through hill and valley, he got to know the expanse several miles in any direction.
Local animal and plant life at once familiar and some strange, on looking up in the school library convinced him the place to be located in Japan, albeit a parallel one. Digging out an old freeware astronomy/navigation program, he entered data from his observances of the night sky (And relief knowing it the same view from the northern hemisphere he was familiar with when alive, constellations, moon and all.) coming up with the schools' approximate latitude/longitude. If this was the "actual" Japan, Heavens' Academy was located at the center of a "square" that would have been formed by the cities of Osaka, Kobe, Kara and Kyoto. Right smack dab in the center of the original Yamato.
Phoning Yuri with the info, she informed him they already knew. They had a ready little scientist in "Christo".
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"Next order of business," Yuri turned from the review of their next tornado hit, "is our gaijin 'friend'."
Though no more of an active observation program, Yuri nonetheless instructed one and all to keep a casual eye out for him.
"Saitou saw him come back from a hiking trip late Saturday," said Takamatsu.
"Had to be the creek if it's Saitou," Yuri replied. "Saitou fishing I take it?"
"Couldn't be anything but. And I keep catching a glimpse of Duffy-san working out in the gym after hours every other night."
"Does two jogging circuits of the campus every other day, just a walk on alternate ones." Shiina.
"Our semi-active front members and the non-aligned see him going about his work every day," stated Hinata. "Talk to him ... he's pleasant enough."
Additional comments from Oyama, Matsushita, Sakaki, Fujimaki and TK confirmed: He was being quite open with his exploration/adjustment.
"All the same," Yuri paused, "Shiina?"
The ninjas' only perceptible movement was her eyes as they widened oh so slightly at the sound of her name.
"I'd like you to keep an eye on Duffy-san tonight." The leader could feel if not see Shiinas' disappointment.
"Same as last time. Shadow him from now til after tonights' operation. If he shows up to observe, fine ..."
The pause made Shiina straighten up.
"... but if he so much as points a gun in our general direction ... You know what to do."
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| Since he had been informed of Duffys' concern over his previous "demise", he had been strangely quiet about the foreigner. |
"OK then! ... Commencing 2030 hours ... It's operation start!
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Taking the binoculars from his eyes, Jack shook his head. It was the first battle he would witness between the Battlefront and the seemingly other-worldly Angel.
It wasn't too hard to guess what would happen that night. Hushed whispers about a "guerilla concert" by Girls Dead Monster with anyone clamming up when he was near. Hastily printed posters about the same. The furtive tenseness of the front members themselves. Then there was the fact it had been several weeks since the last raid. It added up. They had to be running out of meal tickets sooner or later.
And just what was it with their having to pull off raids for meal tickets anyway? They already had their own school accounts to pay for meals. He knew from observation that one could gain or lose weight here with none of the Battlefront but for Matsushita looking to be on the hefty side. The tickets had to be going to someone else. Probably the ones Yuris' bunch were getting their guns, ammo and other "sundrys" from. Though he had quite a bit of "goodies" himself, he knew he might one day run out if he kept to a regular schedule of practice. If he could find out about the ins and outs of their mode of supply he might work out trade now and then ...
He picked the northeast corner atop the third tier of Class A just before sundown and waited. If it was to be held any place other than the cafeteria he could easily change position. If the cafeteria, it was as good a place as any to observe.
"You'd think they'd change their MO," he thought.
It was as Yuri told him. They went to great pains keeping non-aligned students, real or otherwise, from the action while relieving them of some of their meal tickets.
True to form, they did, the fighting on the outside of the building with concert taking place within.
And, also true to form, Ms. Tachibana was more than a force to be reckoned with. Once the tickets were falling from the cafeteria windows with a goodly number snatched up, the Battlefront this time scattered in all directions, taking their wounded with them.
While he wasn't about to go into a war zone under-armed, Duffy took the precaution of having the Garand along but stayed slung across his back. If Shiina was nearby as her abscence from the skirmish seemed to indicate, there would be no misunderstanding as to his intent, thus no knife in the dark.
Walking back to faculty housing, he entered the apartment crossing the living room over to an eastward facing window. Gingerly stepping over a nail board, he opened the window.
Calling out, "It's OK Shiina! You can go home now!"
Ten yards into the trees, the ninja chuckled inwardly.
"How ... Ludicrous!"
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"You're kidding ... Right?" Yuri laughing. "He actually SAID that?"
Seated about the office, the rest of the Battlefront hooted and cackled over Shiinas' account. Though she too found it amusing, Shiina kept an impassive face, refraining from laughing. She had a rep of serious professionalism to maintain.
"Makes sense," said Takamatsu smiling. "He didn't see you in the fight so it's logical for him to assume you were close by."
"No hostile moves ... of any kind?" Yuri further inquired.
"Just watched from Class As' roof. Rifle stayed on his back. He had a pistol but I doubt he could hit anything at those distances with it. After you, Noda and Takamatsu slipped into B, he left.
"With that," the leader concluded, "we can assume he's not hostile ... for now. All the same, we keep up a casual watch. Might need a talk with him though ... "
To be continued ...
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| Credit: Depresionist |
Storyline and original characters (only) copyright © 5-1-14 C V Ford
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In Gods' Good Time chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.
C V Fords' profile page and list of his anime fanfiction stories on fanfiction dot net here.
Fanfiction dot net here.
Go to Jays' Tee Vee blog main page here. Ifn' dere be a buncha' articles under this 'un, yer already there.
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.
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