Chapter 0 - The SparkTwo Weeks Ago
The
lady stood calmly behind the podium, carefully adjusting the tie on her business suit. A mass of journalists from Touto-based news outfits and all over Japan (some Tokyo journalists, some foreign correspondents) gathered in front of her. Behind her, the tower they planned to use as their building stood, a futuristic white edifice overlooking the Touto skyline, a sentinel to watch the citizens of the city.
It was the inauguration of the new Eden Foundation Headquarters in Touto, and Ursula Richards, Executive Officer of Operations, was opening the first headquarters of the Foundation in Japan proper. The Foundation had been established months before, in the wake of the first Zoanthrope attack in Chiba. Only a mobilization of the Self-Defense Force and half a day of cordoning off portions of the city had stopped what had become classified as the Musca Zoanthrope; in its wake, an initiative called the Eden Foundation, dedicated to amassing a force capable of locking down Zoanthropes quicker than the governmental forces had. Their first successful operation was widely reported; the Pyxis Zoanthrope attack in Sendai was successfully repelled using Eden Foundation troops with no reported casualties.
Despite limited success in later operations, the government had permitted the Foundation to expand their forces into four other cities, an issue that had become of import to the larger world at hand. The Eden Foundation had become well-known for their effectiveness against the Zoanthropes; they were in talks to potentially expand operations out from Japan and Australia towards other regions where unusual activity had been detected and the government had difficulty putting down what the media as a whole were dubbing 'monsters'.
"Miss Richards, do you think that the Zoanthrope attacks are going to be a problem for the people of Touto?"
"You've dealt well with the Zoanthropes in Tokyo, Kobe and Kyoto without a base in Japan, is there any reason this might change now?"
"Can you confirm the rumours that the Zoanthropes are actually another product of the terrorist organisation we know as Destron?"
Ursula remained calm in the face of the barrage of questions. She briefly gazed over to her aides, a row of well-dressed men and women in business suits standing behind her in a row, a
blonde man with a pair of sunglasses obscuring his eyes standing out in particular. He gives her a brief nod.
She turns back to the crowd, raising her gloved hands to calm the crowd of questions for a moment, before adjusting her collar and clearing her throat. She answers in an authoritative, yet clearly young, voice.
"The Foundation has decided that, in order to continue operations in the country, we will require a more permanent base in the country. Touto seemed an appropriate place to place our new headquarters; we believe that the Zoanthropes, while they have yet to strike in the Special District, we have reason to believe that they will mount attacks here. This is as much a precaution as it is a pragmatic measure; if the Zoanthropes attack the Touto area, or in any of the other cities, we will be ready to mobilise at a moment's notice.
We can confirm that the Zoanthropes, according to our ongoing investigation, are not a product of the organisation called Destron. Our colleagues in the government successfully shut down most of their forces during the Touto Convention Siege, and we have reason to believe that Destron, if not defunct, is no longer a threat. These Zoanthropes are an entirely new development that cannot be traced back to any known organisation. We are currently pouring every available resource into locating and locking down the source of these creatures, so we can bring the perpetrators, if any, to justice and we may allow the people of Japan to return to peaceful lives.
I can give you every assurance that, between our collaboration with the government and our well-trained forces, the Zoanthrope attacks will not threaten the safety of the people of Touto, Seito, or Hokuto more than we must abslutely permit. I am afraid that I have no time for any more questions, as I have important matters to attend to. That will be all-"As Ursula made to leave the stage amidst the roar of journalists trying to get more questions out, one
young woman- looking in her teens- suddenly burst forth, wearing the grey blazer, blue shirt and striped tie uniform that was distinctive of Kaname Academy, the distinctive yellow band on the collar marking her out as a third year student, one of the Big Three high schools of the area, thrusting a recording device towards Ursula with one hand and clutching a smartphone with another hand to take notes, tapping notes quickly into it.
"Kaori Akiyama, of the Kaname Star. Miss Richards, do you have time for another question for our school's paper?"Ursula seems surprised by the interjection as she stares at the student. She quietly smiles.
"Well, I perhaps have time to deal with a few more questions from a student. What is it?""How do you feel about the rumours of magical girls? Superheroes? Do you know anything about the rumours they're doing all the heavy lifting? What will you do if Kamen Rider Volt, or their crow friend shows up and does your job for you? Wasn't it Kamen Rider Volt and Beat Fighter Sonata who handled the Convention Siege and not the government forces who said they did?"Ursula frowns at that assertion briefly, before returning to her calm, business-like composure. She serenely smiles back as she clears her throat to answer the question.
"Miss Akiyama, was it? I can assure you that there will be no need to rely on urban legends and modern myths to protect you from what are very real monsters and threats in our world. Magical girls, superheroes and the like are nothing compared to the full force of the Foundation and our colleagues in the government. The Eden Foundation is doing everything it can to ensure the protection of the good people of Japan, and the Minatodai area will be among our chief priorities during our stay here in Japan. Thank you."Kaori retreats back into the swell of the crowd as Ursula walks away from the oncoming tide of journalists, barking questions and demanding answers at her, the blonde aide following her into the tower as the other aides form a wall between her and the group, as the Eden Foundation Tower lights up, marking the beginning of operations.
Present Day
Today is the twenty-fifth anniversary of Minatodai District's founding. Twenty five years ago, the recently-urbanised town of Touto celebrated the founding of the Minatodai District, a new initative to provide economic, cultural and technological exchange between East and West, to ensure Japan's place in the future as a contender on the international stage. Ever since, the District has rapidly expanded, becoming as much a center in the country as Tokyo has been and fulfilling its purpose.
The Mayor of Touto, a respected public official by the name of Kazuo Hongo, currently conducting a second term as mayor of the city, is here to open the ceremony, surrounded by the mayors of Seito and Hokuto, the other two cities that make up the District. Police officers are present, along with the white-helmeted, white-suited Eden Foundation officers, in order to ward off potential Zoanthrope attacks. Of course, with no reported Zoanthrope attacks on Touto, Seito or Hokuto, the Foundation seems to be fulfilling the promise it made two weeks prior.
Fittingly, just as the District was officially inaugurated in Touto Park, so is the anniversary celebrated in Touto National Garden, its gradual expansion. The Garden is one of the most beautiful spaces in all the country; well-kept, planted with chrysanthemums and cherry blossoms, a work of horticultural artistry. The large brick square at the eastern entrance of the park, facing towards the Old Quarter- the oldest part of Touto, dating back from when the city was but a fishing town- is full of people waiting to hear the opening speech that marks the beginning of the week's celebrations.
It is at the National Garden you find yourselves, whether hanging around to enjoy the park, to listen to the speech, or simply waiting for friends to meet up to head to Seito afterwards; indeed, the staff of Minatodai District Mall are very used to influxes of bored students heading into Seito every year to do something while all the adults bore themselves with celebrations of Minatodai's founding, and thus Founding Day in the city tends to be a synonym of 'massive discounts at one of the biggest shopping centers in the country'.
Either way, all of you are at the Garden, enjoying the atmosphere of the moment and loitering in the general area.
"Be The One, Be The One! All right! Ashita no chikyu o naki da senai kara-"The phone skips songs.
"Kimi da yo, kimi nanda yo....oshiete kureta....""Stupid phone! Can it not do this thing for once?"The blonde girl with a single earphone in and the other hanging limply down her neck, standing at the edge of the square where the speech was being held, smacks her phone into her palm lightly, frowning. She frowns, the smacking not having had a satisfactory result, and smacks her phone again, as a light spark of electricity fizzled between her hand and the phone.
The phone immediately restarts. She sighs as she takes the earphone from her ear.
"I really need to get this thing checked. Now, where's Haruko and the other two? Grandpa and Tohru said they'd meet us here, but...."Maki Kisaragi was waiting for her companions at the park.
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