//------------------------------// // Arc XXIX Episode IX: Scheduling A Meeting // Story: Family Begins With You // by Jmaster49 //------------------------------// Meanwhile… As Flash Sentry was packing up and getting ready to leave, he was stopped by Silver Spoon’s cousin. “Hey you!” she called out while approaching him. “Hm? Me? Show’s over ya know,” he said casually, “You guys only booked me for one day, remember?” “Yeah I know that,” Fork replied with her hands behind her back, “I’m just…looking to know more about you, bud.” Flash hoisted his guitar bag onto his back and faced her. “Really? What’s up?” “Welll…” she got straight to the point, “You seeing anyone?” “It’s…complicated,” was all he could respond with. In truth, he had no real way of answering that due to the fact that he was unsure of how Sunset Shimmer felt towards him at that point. All he wanted to do was end the conversation as quickly as possible. “But I don’t want you bothered with that.” Fork stopped in her tracks as Flash left, visibly disappointed with a sigh. “...Damn. Thought I could finally land a good one for a change…” At Aidon’s home… The shadow man was busy typing on his computer, trying to piece together the information that Coral had given him. “Let’s see…” He knew for a fact that Parabola was in charge of “C” Corporation and that one of Micro Chips’ family members worked there. But what he didn’t know… “Just how was some criminal able to get their hands on her technology?” he wondered aloud, “And why is someone like Mr. Spoon funding their exploits? Could it be mere philanthropism or something else?” Ultimately, all of his trails ran cold. With no evidence to back him up at the moment, he couldn’t exactly inform the authorities either. The only thing he could do was allow them to continue as they were. Unless… “What if someone went in undercover? I wonder…” That’s when his thoughts were interrupted by his phone ringing. When he answered it, he was met with a familiar voice on the other end. “Aidon?” “Jascha? What’s going on, friend?” “You’ll never believe what I just found out,” Jascha continued with a rather excited tone in his voice. “You know the robotics company that’s been working in the region near here?” “Yes?” Aidon replied with an interested, yet concerned voice, “...what’s going on? Did you find something that could possibly explain how gangsters could acquire those parts?” “Even better, friend. As it turns out, someone working there seems to have access to all of the equipment and is leaking it to the public. Somehow it’s being done so sneakily that not even the higher-ups are fully aware of what’s going on.” Which would explain why Parabola seemed to be somewhat, if not completely unaware of what was happening right beneath her nose. The only problem would be getting her to understand that she needed to take her time to address these issues. And given her stubborn nature, Aidon knew that such a thing was easier said than done. “Of course,” Aidon groaned, “It’s only natural that someone would try to be as stealthy as possible. The only problem is getting Ms. Parabola to recognize that there’s a rat in her walls.” “What’s the matter?” Jascha asked, “Don’t think she’ll be willing to listen?” “Absolutely not. Which is the inherent problem. But all I can do is warn her of the potential problem that this presents to her and her company. Not only could she face a complete shutdown, but if she’s found to be complicit…” Jascha sighed. “...yes. We generally don’t wish for the lives of others to be ruined and jobs to be lost. But what must be done must be done. Do you want any further assistance?” There was no way Aidon would allow his friend to put himself in anymore danger. “No way, old friend. I have a lot to think about. You simply take some time to yourself and your family. That’s the whole reason you came over here, right?” “Indeed. I suppose I’ll leave you to it, then. Have a good night, Aidoneus.” Aidon hung up his phone and carefully considered his options. Who could possibly infiltrate that building and figure out what’s truly going on before it’s too late? The next day… “You want…me? My help to get inside some tech base?” Adagio asked as she sipped from a cup of tea. Aidon had called her down to the local 50s-style diner where Pinkie worked so that he could speak with her about what he had planned. The two of them sat in a booth with Aidon sipping from a cup of blackened coffee. “There could be a whole lot of crazy things going on down there that we aren’t aware of,” he went on, “I’m asking you because your face is completely unknown to them. You and your sisters aren’t familiar or even known by most of the local population here. It could serve as a good chance for us to figure out what’s really going on.” “Hm…now that you’ve mentioned it,” Adagio replied as she looked down thoughtfully at the table. “My sisters and I were approached by this guy who was trying to advertise that company’s technology to us. What was his name? Sprout something…” “...excuse me?”