Chapter 1 - The Joke, Day One - Part 1

"Yukari. Why weren't you at the meeting I called?" The short brown-haired girl closed her eyes with a frown as she stared into her open locker, one hand stretched in to get a textbook she needed for her next class. "Nice to talk to you too, Mitsuru." She pulled the book out, turning to look at the taller girl. The striking red-head was looking down at her, arms folded in disapproval. "Do you have an answer, or are you just going to waste words?"
"Oh, talking to you is never a waste of words, dear leader," smiled Yukari sweetly. "Now, I really need to get going for Mr Ekoda's class."

"Fine," replied the older girl. With one last glare, the slim girl strode off. Yukari just turned back to her locker, head shaking in frustration. Even at the best of times, Mitsuru was overbearing with her need to control the team. 'Like a damn robot she is', she thought to herself. She quickly walked down the floor that took her to the classroom, where she earned a disapproving look from the elderly teacher. "Glad to see you've decided to join us, Ms Takeba. Typical of you children these days, never on time. In the Heian era no child would be so discourteo-" She let the sound of his mumbled rant fade in her ears as she flicked open the textbook. She smiled at the listing for today, and flipped the pages as she began to read Mathilde. This author is right, she thought. Then she felt her mouth slowly curve into a smile as an idea struck her...

"Oh Aigis, good to see you're here."
"I'm sorry, Yukari?"
"Your update, remember?" smiled the other girl sweetly. "It's nothing major, just an update to your targeting software."
Aigis began to look wary of Yukari. "Shouldn't I plug into the command centre's console then?"
The shorter girl waved her hand in dismissal. "Oh no, why bother? Besides, it's just a manual alteration. Mitsuru asked me to do it you know."
The android smiled. "Well if Mitsuru ordered it, that's fine."
"Yep." Replied Yukari, her reflexive grimace at the way Aigis talked covered up with a bright smile. She held out the screwdriver in her hand, "So, if you can just open the manual interface, we can get started." The android smiled, and touched a hand to her hip, a small portion of the white cover that acted as her clothing. It popped out, sliding aside exposing the bright chrome sheen beneath the outer layer. There was a small circular port within. Normally it could be plugged into the central console at Command to update any software or fix any glitches Aigis had.

But what even she didn't know was that the port acted as a manual updater for her Asimov protocols. They were nothing as grand as western fiction depicted, with layers and layers of data dictating to her what she must do to protect humans. The ones that she'd been created with dictated only who she would be more likely to accept as an authority figure, and the way that Yukari turned the narrow screwdriver just so triggered a small change in the protocols. She looked up at the android. "Can you hear me?"
"Yes." Replied the humanoid.
"Good," smiled Yukari. "Time we got going."

Mitsuru sat on the narrow chair at the main console of the Command Centre. It was quiet so far, with everyone else out with the exception of one or two like Aigis and Koromaru, so she had decided to use this time to catch up on her reading.
Aigis was stood in the doorway. "Mitsuru, I require your assistance."
"With what?" replied the young woman, her tone conveying her annoyance at being interrupted. It passed over the head of the android though. She never seemed quite conversant with social situations. "It is urgent," replied Aigis, turning round and walking off, as if she expected Mitsuru to simply follow her. She was tempted to leave it, but decided to follow her anyway. It would give her a welcome break from her reading. "Aigis?" she called out, as she left the Command Centre. "Where are you?" Suddenly the android appeared in a doorway ahead, waving at her silently to follow. In her haste, Mitsuru never noticed the door behind her slide open until the sweet-smelling rag was pressed to her nose and mouth as an arm grabbed her.

She woke with a start, head snapping up and side to side as she looked all around her. Just a funny turn, she thought to herself in relief, better go see Mr Edogawa. She rolled onto her side, one arm ready to push up from the floor-wait! She couldn't move her arms. She looked down, panicking that they'd both seem to have gone numb. But that wasn't the answer. A thick roll of duct-tape lay on the carpet beside her ankles, the tape wrapped around her boots. Her arms were behind her back, and she could feel the tacky bond of yet more tape on her wrists. "Aigis?" she called out. "Aigis?" Her voice slowly turned desperate, despairing that the one person who could help her was nearby. Suddenly she could hear a faint tutting sound coming from over her head. The light overheard was blocked as someone stood in it. Mitsuru stared at the figure. There was something very familiar about it..."Yukari!" she growled. "Is this your idea of a joke?" the older girl fumed. Yukari leaned over, her hands braced on her hips as she smiled. "Well, yes." Then she frowned. "I'm going to move you now, but I can't do it on my own. So I'm going to untie your legs, okay?"

Mitsuru just nodded, watching the other girl get out a small pocketknife and saw through the tape. Yukari grabbed her arm to help her get up as she rolled her legs underneath, standing upright. Yukari turned around to pick up the tape roll, slipping the pocketknife into a pocket. This was it. Her best moment to get away! She launched herself off down the corridor, running as fast as she could knowing that if she fell over she wouldn't be able to get back up again. She risked looking back over her shoulder, only to see Yukari still stood there, just watching her run with a grin. She turned back round as she saw Aigis stood in front of her. Opening her mouth to ask the android for help, she could do nothing as the machine simply opened her arms, grabbing her in an unshakable bear-hug. "Aigis, let me go!" she demanded frantically. "She can't do that," whispered a honey-sweet voice in her ear. "You see, she only obeys me right now." The tall girl struggled in the grasp securing her. "Okay, this has gone far beyond a joke Yukari! Unhand me this instant!" she demanded in as stern a tone as she could summon.

"I don't think the joke's even started yet Mitsuru," whispered the other girl delightedly. A single gesture had Aigis quickly put the captive on the floor, one strong arm holding her bound wrists while the other held her ankles, pulling them up towards her back. Mitsuru blinked as she felt the knee-length boots she always wore come off, lazily tossed aside by that infernal girl. Yukari wasted no time, wrapping the tape around the long black stockings she wore. Mitsuru could do nothing, pinioned as she was by the two captors, but then she realised the real reason for the contortion she was being put through as tape was wrapped between her ankles and connected to the tape already encircling her wrists. Aigis let go, leaning back with Yukari to watch Mitsuru trying to rip her arms free from the almost painful hogtie. After a few minutes she knew it was hopeless. Even if she could get out, that infernal pair wouldn't let her go. She had no idea how Yukari had managed to get Aigis on her side, but she knew she couldn't rely on the android for any help. She glared at the pair. "What exactly do you think you're doing?"

"Well, right now, I'm watching you try to get out of that hogtie," replied Yukari brightly. If it was possible, she could have sworn that Mitsuru's eyes glared even hotter at her. "You can speak French, can't you?" Mitsuru blinked in confusion, "Yes, I-what does this have to do with anything?"
"Do you understand the phrase, 'La vengeance se mange très-bien froide'?" Mitsuru did. French was just one of the languages she could speak fluently. She gaped at the kneeling girl. "You realise everything you do is on camera? You realise I'll have you thrown out of SEES if you so much as try to hurt me?!" Yukari simply smiled.
"Who said I'm going to hurt you? It's all a joke, and jokes are meant to make you laugh," she smiled, but this time there was a hard edge to it. She shifted position, kneeling on her legs right behind Mitsuru's bound legs. She reached out, a single finger stroking down the middle of each stockinged sole. The bound girl shrieked at the sensation, feet wriggling madly to try and escape. The fingers moved quicker now, Yukari shifting her fingers back and forth to randomise the pattern, never allowing Mitsuru to get used to it, quick light strokes that never lingered on one spot for long.

Eventually she stopped, lying down next to her captive, arms crossed casually as she rested her head on them, looking at Mitsuru with a contemplative smile. "So, I guess you are ticklish. Well, I did say the joke would make you laugh."
Mitsuru perked up, "You mean you're done?" the hopefulness in her voice obvious.
"Nope," smiled Yukari. "The joke's only just started." She pulled off the ribbon she wore, wrapping it slowly around Mitsuru's head as a blindfold, even as the girl begged to be let go before using her own ribbon to gag her, drawing it tight in her mouth. "There we go, all nice and quiet. Aigis, help me please." The duo lifted up their captive easily, Aigis' machine strength meaning she could carry most of the weight. and they started walking off...