Canon Fodder

CHAPTER 233 MILE HIGH CLUB

“I can’t believe you would consider that,” Sei said. 

“What are you talking about?” I asked, innocently. 

“Don’t think I can’t read in between your code words,” Sei said, giving me the look. She pretended that she was offended but I could tell she was angry I hadn’t asked her. Angiea’s trick of understanding emotions with Haki was paying off slowly. I couldn’t read minds like she could, but I hoped some day to be able to.  

“Don’t act innocent,” I whispered. We were in the front row seats of the 1st class on the plane. On our way to Los Angeles, it had been boring so far. I had tried to get on the plane without a credit card, but after 9/11 that was impossible for such a long flight. We had to use Sei’s cards, but once we landed I planned to rip them apart. 

“What?” Sei asked, offended. 

“You want to try it, don’t you?” I asked, giving her my best smile. She looked back to the small restrooms.

“Don’t,” Reina chided. “We are in the front seats. People would notice if any of us stepped away.” 

“I’ve never done it before,” Sei whispered, biting her lip. 

“Don’t fall for it. I really don’t want to be escorted out by security when we land,” Reina said. 

“I think it sounds fun,” Kishimoto said as she leaned her head against my shoulder. 

“He’s corrupting you,” Reina hissed. 

“That happened a long time ago,” she assured. “But if you do what you did last night, there is no way I could be quiet.”

“We could do a repeat,” I offered. I could channel some Mindless Lust into her and give the same sort of reaction if I really pushed it. 

“Never do that again,” Reina said. “That was…” 

“Hot,” Sei offered. 

“Too much. I’m still hurting,” Reina said. 

“You get used to it,” Kishimoto promised. 

“Come on, real quick,” I promised. Kishimoto nodded and began to get up when the stewardess stopped by. 

“Can I get you anything?” 

“I’d like some more wine,” Sei said. “And some for my friends.” The girls were waiting for the wine, then drinking it, then Kishimoto acted a little too drunk for me to feel comfortable joining the Mile High Club with her. Sei got a little handsy as well and I was content to sit there with them. 

We fell asleep but it wasn’t terribly long until we were starting to land. LA was only a 5 hour flight from Hawaii. So we hadn’t been on too long, but I still worried. Any kind of paper trail was going to hurt us. I went over the plan again as we moved down into the clouds. 

I planned to steal more cash. I had tried to throw my dollars into my status screen but it hadn’t worked. I guessed they were locked to the worlds for some reason. I didn’t want to waste my yen either when I could rob my way to riches easily enough. From there I hoped to dig through the internet until I could find someone talking about Gantz. Los Angeles was one of the most densely populated areas in the U.S. I was sure I could find someone easily enough. Most people were smart enough to walk around in their Gantz armor. With enough clones and at a popular enough spot, I would find someone eventually. 

“I’ve never been to America,” Kishimoto said. 

“Hawaii was America,” I offered. 

“That doesn’t count. It was tropical. This is where all the famous people live,” she said. 

“Eh, it’s pretty much the same as Japan. Just more guns, more homeless, and a lot more trash,” I said. 

“Have you been?” 

“Long time ago,” I said. I’d lived in America all my life, but had only been to Los Angeles once. But if you had been to one part of America, you had been to them all. “We should-” I was cut off as the side of the plane was blown off. 

Air sucked out of my lungs as I tried to talk. I held my breath. The roar of the wind drowned out everyone as we began to fall more quickly. I looked over to see a huge chunk of the plane gone. Yellow masks dropped down from above as a stewardess was sucked outside. People were screaming all around me. The girls were just as loud as my mind raced. 

I knew this was over me and immediately put that information away. It was time to act, not think. Undoing my seatbelt buckle I charged my feet with chakra to stick to the floor as I moved to the giant hole. The ground was coming up quickly. The wing on this side was still there…then it was gone. A blue blast shot from beside us. It took the wing and another chunk of the plane with it. I cursed, making 12 shadow clones. I jumped out the side of the plane as it began to spin. Pushing out water-chakra it pooled under me, propelling me toward where the shot had been blown from. 

Using Haki I found the invisible aircraft and the 1 pilot inside. Finding his exact location in the invisible plane was easy enough. Once I was close I punched through a glass covering of the UFO. Grabbing the man’s throat I pulled him to me, he yelled out at me, but I smashed his face against the cockpit covering. He passed out and the ship we were on began to spin wildly. 

Ripping off the seatbelts I pulled him through the windshield opening, his face getting cut up by the glass I didn’t care as I grabbed his body’s water. Jumping back I pulled him with me, riding him like a surfboard as we flew to the plane.

The ground coming up fast I made it to the plane to find my clones had released about half of the people in the 1st class. Creating water in my hand I poured Nen into it making it increase exponentially. Manipulating it into a wide bowl I froze it as my clones started throwing people inside. I counted 48 including my girls. Some were passed out, most were too scared to do anything but let my clones man handle them. 

When I had everyone, my clones released and I flew the frozen bowl away. Decelerating us as we pulled away. The plane hit the ground 20 seconds later, right into the middle of a street. I landed us between 2 buildings. People had woken up, yelling at me as I pulled my girls out of the bowl by the water in their bodies. All had passed out, either from the situation or lack of oxygen.  

“Shut up!” I yelled over them. My strong lungs echoed between the buildings around us. “I saved you, but not for free. Empty your pockets.” They stared at me wide eyed and I started taking their wallets. Pulling out wads of cash I put it away and was then jumping out of the bowl with my 3 girls and the prisoner. 

“Wait? Who are you?!” Someone yelled. 

“Weston,” I said as the 4 floating bodies followed behind. 

—

“What the fuck?!” Sei yelled. We were under a bridge a little ways away from where we had landed. “That wasn’t a fucking dream?” 

“Nope, our plane was about blown up,” I said. “I saved who I could, but most everyone else is dead.”

“Did I dream you jumping out of the plane?” Kishimoto asked. 

“No, I grabbed this pilot guy,” I said as I kicked his body. “I wanted to figure out who was behind all this.” After a very painful Genjutsu for the guy he had spilled all my secrets. My quest was completed and I got a new one. 

“Apparently a secret group called Revelations is after the Gantz power,” I informed them. “I have a lead on where they hang their heads now. But I want to take care of some things first.”

“What are you going to do with him?” Reina asked as she stared at the pilot. 

“Him? He’s dead now,” I said nonchalantly. “So probably leave him here.”

“You are taking this rather easily,” Sei noted. 

“Sei, I literally jumped out of a falling plane. Destroyed an invisible ship. Saved a few dozen people, and barely broke a sweat,” I said. Physically it hadn’t been hard, but honestly I was surprised how easy it had all been for me. This was some next level crap. “All of our finances and old phones were being watched. If we let these people control the situation they will be taking our family member’s as hostages next.” 

“What?!” Kishimoto asked. The only one with some real family, she was finally starting to get worried. 

“Don’t worry. I will have this wrapped up today, maybe tomorrow if it proves a little difficult,” I said. 

“Shouldn’t we be running if you killed this guy?” Reina asked. 

“No, cops are busy with a plane carrying 200 people landing right in the middle of the city,” I admitted. I could still see smoke from where the plane had landed. The background noise of sirens was ever present as well. “We move as soon as you confirm you all are coming.” 

“What?” More than 1 asked. 

“It’s going to keep getting dangerous,” I said. “Last chance to run.” The 3 girls looked up at me, getting up 1 by one they nodded and we were off. 

“Where to first?”

“The local Gantz orb is across town,” I said. “That guy,” I pointed at the pilot I killed, “died 2 years ago. Suicide. The pilot had been a pilot back in the Air Force, and has worked for Revelations since he joined up with Gantz. Some higher up in Revelations has eyes on all of the Gantz orbs in the area. Recruits people for his little club that have useful skills. They have these elite teams that did the missions, but if anyone died or caused problems they would kill them. They would be replaced in the next alien slaying mission until they found someone useful again. Quite ingenious honestly. Since only those that have been summoned by Gantz can handle the armor and weapons, they were given access pretty easily.” 

We weren’t in the best neighborhood but I found a cab and we were on our way. Traffic diverted around the plane crash, LA traffic somehow got worse. But we got to the address the pilot had known. The Gantz orb was in an apartment building much like in Tokyo. A middle class neighborhood I was fine keeping the girls with me. 

After breaking the front door lock we made it up the stairs. Once on the 5th floor I killed the first invisible person. They were way too cocky for their own good. Pointing a gun at me as they practically giggled, the guy had been asking for a knife to the throat. 

The girls had mind enough not to scream. Making 4 clones we did a sweep of the floor. Killing another 8 men before we got to the room with the Gantz Orb. I wasn’t too surprised when the door was blasted open by an explosion. Annoyed I draped myself in shadow chakra. Running in I killed another 4 before the room was clear. 

“You got some answers for me?” I asked the Gantz orb as my clones started stripping the men I had killed. The black Gantz orb was about 4 feet in diameter. Just like the one in Japan, once you had seen 1 you had seen them all. Except this one had words written in white letters at the front. 

WESTON WATANABE NOW CONTROLS GANTZ

“Main menu,” I said to the orb. Nothing happened. The girls came in behind me.

“Weston…” Kishimoto said. 

“Later, I need my own answers first,” I said. “Gantz, stop playing this bullshit. Either start texting or come out.” I stared at the ball, waiting long seconds, until I finally got an answer. The drawers on either side jerked open, surprising the girls behind me. I smiled wide as I waited. Eventually a pale hand grabbed the top of the ball. 

Stepping out of the Gantz ball a muscular man locked eyes with me. He had no hair whatsoever. None on his head or eyebrows. He looked weird, but I had seen him before. Wearing a clear plastic face mask that had supplied him air he ripped it off and fell out of the ball. 

“Whoa there, buddy,” I said moving to him. He was muscular, but I doubted he had ever stepped out of the ball. I helped him up as he groaned. 

“You did it,” he rasped as he caught his breath from the simple movement. “You really killed the God Aliens” 

“I did,” I said. “Did you watch?”

“No, only the Gantz that sent you could,” he said. “But I didn’t think it would happen. None of us did. So many years we have watched you all die. I-I-” 

“Take it slow,” I said, resting my hand on his shoulder. “Start at the beginning. Who are you?”

“I’m a clone of our maker, John Smith,” he said. I rolled my eyes from the stupid name. “We were all born on the same day years ago. I don’t know how long. I’ve been in there most all of it.”

“Okay, what were you told?” 

“My mission,” he said. “I had to pick people that died. Give them another chance at life.”

“Why not army guys? People trained to fight? Why random people?” I asked. 

“How many wars are going on right now?” He asked. 

“A couple.”

“Exactly. That’s not enough. These balls aren’t omnipotent. We can’t bring everyone back to life. Only about 25% of the population have the type of mind that we can link to.” 

“Link to?” I asked, sitting down as I tried to get everything I could from him. 

“Yes,” Gantz said. He looked at the girls. “Do you-” 

“Tell them everything. I have no secrets from these 3. In fact, give them all the same access I have.” 

“Really?” He asked. “That’s full access to everything we can-” 

“Everything. In the off chance I die, I want them to at least be able to keep it going,” I said. Gantz frowned but nodded. He closed his eyes and the black orb dinged, wiping the words away. 

“Done,” he said then continued. “There are special people in this world. Psychics, super powers though minor, vampires…” I had forgotten about the vampires from the Gantz story. They hadn’t made an appearance like they should have. I filed that information away for later. “About 1 in 4 people have the capability to have something special about them. It’s called the Gene, by our founder. Their bodies accept changes more easily. That was our pool of fighters.”

I nodded and he continued. “Not only that but I am only awake at set intervals. We had to make it to the Countdown. My brethren and I weren’t built for longevity. We only awoke about once a month. The Orb magnifies psychic powers. We are able to monitor aliens in the area and potential fighters.”

“Did you manipulate things for certain people? That one guy shot up the Shopping Plaza. He said Gantz told him to do it.” 

“Short answer, yes,” Gantz said. “We give a lot of rewards as options for people. Over time people forgot why we were here. They wanted out. But if you trap people, they will revolt, so we gave that option of release. The memory wipe wasn’t the best. Those that liked to fight would still remember the orb. It called to them…he wasn’t the first to have the impression that he needed to send people to Gantz.” 

“Okay,” I said. “Moving on. Why did you announce to the world that I stopped the aliens? Why not tell me when I did it?” 

“We are only awake at set intervals,” he said. “The orb you teleported from did write it, but you had already left the apartment.”

“Fuck, that’s what I get for wanting to get laid,” I mumbled. “What now? I have control of all the balls?” 

“Yes, but I am dying. We are all dying,” he said. “The orb works off of our life energy.” 

“Life energy?” I asked. 

“Yes, it needs power somehow. Nuclear wasn’t an option,” Gantz said with a wry smile. “I could have lived a normal life. But I’m what? 6? 7 years old?” 

“Okay,” I said, hoping I could use Nen or something to power it. I had plenty of life energy that I could use without harming myself. “How long do you have?” 

“Minutes,” he said. “This is…taxing.”

“Fuck,” I hissed. “What about the bombs? In our heads?” 

“What?!” More than 1 girl asked. 

“It is out of your head,” Gantz said. “You will have to remove it from the others.” He waved at the Gantz ball. “It will explain everything. You will learn all from it.”

I frowned, standing up I looked at the black orb with intense hate. Staring in the weird seat that Gantz had sat in, the thing looked rather cramped. But I wasn’t the pussy I used to be. I had faced death many times since leaving Gantz. 

“Try not to die until I’m back,” I told the Gantz clone as I crouched into the orb. Pushing a red button the drawers slid in, narrowly missing me as they slammed shut. In complete darkness I was about ready to break my way out when a white screen appeared in front of me. 

MAIN MENU

REWARDS

WEAPONS

ARMOR
AVAILABLE FIGHTER POOL

LOCAL ALIEN ACTIVITY

OPTIONS

…

“Rewards,” I mumbled as the screen changed. There was quite the list. A smile split my lips as I moved through them 1 by one. Ready to 3-D print an army and armory.