One Week Later…
"What? Kira?!" exclaimed Bob Poundmax.
Harry MacDowell looked out the window of his third-story office with his back to the group as he listened to Bob Poundmax express his disbelief at Brandon's words. He rolled his eyes in irritation. How could Bob ever question Brandon's honesty? If there was one thing that Harry knew about his life-long friend, it was this: Brandon never lied to Harry, especially when it came to matters of the Family.
When he and Brandon joined the Family that fateful day a few short years ago, they both swore an oath, "Never betray the Family". While Harry had meant what he said in his own way, Brandon had taken the oath and carved it into the very depths of his being, and now as the Family sweeper, he enforced it with a vigor even Harry found unsettling at times. Although Harry did not doubt Brandon's loyalty to him, he feared that this obsessed loyalty to the Family and in particular, Big Daddy, might someday trump Brandon's loyalty to Harry, especially considering what Harry had planned regarding the future.
Harry had big plans that would further Millennion's greatness, making them a formidable presence not just in Japan, but in the entire world! However, in order to realize those plans, sacrifices had to be made, sacrifices which Big Daddy was too weak to make. Harry tightened his grip on the windowsill at the thought of Big Daddy. The senile old coot had just recently named his successor, and it wasn't Harry MacDowell. Everyone had considered the young, promising Harry a shoe-in for the position, and were shocked into a silence at Big Daddy's unexpected choice of an heir. The tension in the room was palpable. Naturally, Harry had been the first to applaud the patriarch's decision, but it was just a show to hide his true feelings. He loathed Big Daddy's decision, and would see the old goat pay for his insult. If Harry MacDowell didn't need the stooge's support—voluntary or coerced—to take over as head of the Family, Harry would willingly put a bullet through the man's head himself. Also, he feared that if he did kill Big Daddy, Brandon, his closest and dearest friend might turn on him, a thought which deeply wounded him. Above all others, Harry needed—no, wanted—Brandon's support to take over the Family. However, Brandon was too well-respected by the more esteemed members of the Family and far too deadly to have as an enemy. Brandon's recent solo venture into Lightning territory had only served to reinforce exactly how deadly he had become. According to reports given to the Family by their spies within Lightning Group, Brandon had ruthlessly executed a total of thirty-six well-armed men, not including the Family traitor and the Lightning executive Karson, whose body was never found. It was a massacre. It also served as undeniable proof that when someone betrayed the Family, nothing would stand in the way of Brandon delivering a bullet straight through their double-crossing brain.
If it comes down to it, and Brandon refuses to help me, I'll have to find a way to get rid of him myself. Harry thought painfully. But it won't come down to that, I'm sure of it! We're brothers! We promised to make it to the top together, and that's how it's going to be.
Harry shook off the unpleasant thought and began to again listen to the conversation at hand.
"Yes, Kira," Brandon replied in that curt, monotonous way he always did, without betraying the slightest hint of emotion.
"What in this life could Kira possibly want with Lightning Group?" Bob asked incredulously, bits of the bologna sandwich he had been chewing on flying out of his mouth. "That self-righteous lunatic has waged a blatant war against 'organizations' like ours and Lightning. We stand for everything he –or she for all we know—hates. It goes completely against his M.O. The entire idea of Kira teaming up with Lightning is as impossible as it is ridiculous."
Brandon said nothing in response. Instead he threw something on the table in front of Bob, Bunji Kugashira, and Balbird Lee. Harry glanced over his shoulder at the object. The item was an 8x10 manila folder which looked like it had been crumpled in the grip of its previous owner's hands. Clearly he or she had been under great duress. It was also covered in what looked like dried blood, and considering Brandon's reputation, Harry had no doubt that it was exactly that. The question was, whose blood was it? Harry didn't have to think long before it dawned on him: it must have belonged to the Family traitor, Vincent. His death was of no consequence to Harry. The man had been a no-talent, low-life, brown-noser. He was notorious for kissing up to whomever he thought would further him the most at the moment. Harry had no idea how the man had managed to weasel his way into the inner-Family, he just knew that he would not be missed.
Was this what Vincent had betrayed the family with? If so, then according to the Lightning spies, Karson was willing to pay the traitor multiple millions of yen for what was in that folder. What on earth could be that valuable to the rival gang? A map containing storage sites? A list of the Family's clients? Or possibly a list containing names of Millennion spies in Lightning's midst?
Bob picked up the folder, and slowly pulled out its contents. Confusion registered on his fat face.
"Pictures?! What could Lightning want with pictures of you and Big Da-" The color drained out of every face in the room, including Harry's (although he kept facing the window to hide it from the rest), as they realized the significance of the pictures.
Bunji was the first to voice the dreadful realization, "Kira… They intended to turn the pictures over to Kira, who would then use them to execute Big Daddy and Brandon, crippling the Family."
After several minutes, Bob broke the silence, "Okay, so let's say that what Bunji and Brandon are saying is true, and that for some odd reason, Lightning and Kira are working together to destroy the Family: how did Lightning get in contact with Kira? And why, for that matter, would they consider working with him their best option? I mean, I know that Lightning isn't exactly MENSA, but surely they realized that even if Kira agreed to work with them for now, he would eventually turn on them, and execute every last one of them too. Are they that desperate to destroy us? I mean, in the end, they would lose everything."
"Unless Lightning realized they had nothing to lose," every head turned to look at Harry, "Kira must have been the one who contacted them."
Murmurs of confusion spread through the room.
Still facing the window, hands in the pants pockets of his white Armani suit, Harry continued, "Kira must have gotten a hold of information on and pictures of some Lightning goons. Anyone with half a brain could: they're so sloppy in their operations that a couple of them end up with their pictures in the paper at least once a week. Even some of their executives have been caught on camera doing something not quite so legal. Once Kira gathered enough pictures, he contacted one of the executives and threatened them with execution if they didn't get pictures of Big Daddy and the Family sweeper to him. They had to realize that they were going to be executed either way, so rather than die protecting a loathed rival boss and his personal butcher from some faceless entity that could not be combatted by conventional means, they chose to give Kira what he wanted. They might be dead, but at least they'd take Big Daddy with them. They'd go down in a blaze of glory."
Part of me wishes they had succeeded.
"But… why?" Bob asked in bewilderment, "Why Lightning? Why not just get the information himself?"
Harry gave a dry, humorless chuckle, "Isn't it obvious Bob? Think about it. Clearly this Kira character is masquerading as one of the 'good guys' he claims to protect, and can't afford to get his hands dirty—probably a doctor, a cop, a military man, or something of the sort. He might even be under surveillance. So maybe he attempted to hack the Family database using a computer of his…"
Bob's already engorged chest swelled even more with pride, "Even if he did, and he managed to get past the firewalls I have in place—a near impossibility, he'd have to be a professional—he wouldn't find anything. Since it was announced to the public that Kira could kill simply by knowing a person's name and face, it's been Family policy to use only code names in our 'incident reports' and to destroy any and all pictures taken of our members. That's something I've seen to personally. If pictures are taken outside of headquarters it's an executable offence. So there's no way he got any useable information that way."
"Exactly," Harry smirked, "So Kira had to find the information he needed another way. He must have realized the only way to get what he wanted was to find some fink in the Family, bribe them to get him a couple of pictures of Brandon and Big Daddy, then kill the snitch. However, he soon saw that there were a few problems with his plan. Only members of the Inner Family have direct access to Big Daddy, whom I think is his main target, members like us whom Kira must know won't be bribed easily. Playing the 'good guy' rarely pays well, so he probably isn't exactly rich enough to bribe a Family executive by himself. This was his first problem. Even if Kira had the funds, he's playing the good guy role, and he could be being watched, so he can't go sneaking around a well-known white-collar crime syndicate's territory, can he? Instead, he found a way to discreetly contact and threaten an executive of a gang full of lowlifes who would be willing to do anything to preserve their lives, has fairly deep pockets and were known for their hate for Milennion. Who better than Lightning Group's rising star, Karson Keates? A man who had risen quickly through the ranks? A man who, as Lightning's second-in-command had access to the gang's funds? A man known for his ruthlessness, his ability to get the job done, and his uncanny accuracy with a pistol? That, my friends, is exactly who Kira wanted."
Harry looked around at his men and shrugged, "The only questions on my mind are these: how in this life did he get in contact with Karson, and where is Karson now? If his body wasn't in the office where Brandon executed all those Lightning thugs, then I'd say he isn't dead. Though that doesn't seem possible. I mean, Brandon, you were the one who went in there and executed Vincent. What happened? I know you too well. If Karson didn't die, you must have had some reason to spare him."
"Big Daddy asked me to," Brandon stated.
"Do you know why?" Harry continued.
"Can't say."
"Can't, or won't?"
"Can't, Harry. Big Daddy said no."
This troubled Harry, Brandon never withheld information from him.
Harry grimaced, "Fine, Brandon. Big Daddy must have his reasons. But you can say that Karson is alive"
Brandon was silent for a moment, as if considering something, before giving a small nod.
"Well that's something to go off of at least. If you find him, maybe you can ask him a couple of questions, like how Kira managed to contact him in the first place," Harry put his hands back in his pockets.
"Kira contacted him through his computer." Brandon replied.
"How do you know that?" Harry asked.
Brandon looked Harry straight in the eye and replied, "Kira's servant spoke to me through the computer. He called me by name."
This caught Harry by surprise, "What?! You spoke to Kira?!"
"Kira's servant."
"But how is that even possible?!"
Bob Poundmax stood up, an effort which led the obese man to wheeze and whimper.
"Was there a webcam and some speakers attached to the computer?" He asked as soon as he caught his breath.
Brandon gave a cursory nod.
"Then it is possible that he managed to hack the computer, use the web cam to view the room, and the speakers to pick up audio, but that's not something any amateur can do without some major equipment."
Harry considered Bob's words.
"That means that he probably DID have the means to hack the Family mainframe first, doesn't it? … Is there any way you might be able to track down a computer that was used to hack into a database, Bob?"
Bob looked at Harry warily, but still answered the question, "If I managed to find the trail he left, but considering how many computers access the mainframe, and the fact that he probably used an untraceable computer, it'll take me at least a month, but yeah, it is possible."
Balbird Lee looked at his dearest friend in amazement, "You can trace an untraceable computer?!"
Bob gave a devilish grin and replied, "Of course, there's no such thing as a truly untraceable computer. Every computer leaves some form of trail."
"Great Bob, I need you to get on that right away. Let me know when you make any progress. I want to know exactly where, when, and how Kira managed to get into our database," said Harry.
Bob looked at Harry warily, "Are you proposing what I think you are, Harry?"
Harry smiled his famous smile, a smile filled with a promise that could assure the most anxious heart, but one which behind it rested the deadliest of intentions, "I am indeed. We, my friends, are about to find, question, and kill Kira: the false god of this new world."