435.085
2342.33
436457.aa.exe
Scanning…
… … …
Match found: webhost/GIM2028beta/Zanza
-Creating
resource tag General
-Creating resource tag Internal
-Creating
buffer Autodetect
error # 25.1 incorrect login
-initiating
bypass
/pwd/taichou/accepted
----- 2029/07/31 -----
----- 2029/07/31 -----
----- 2029/07/31 -----
Zanza: Look, its waaay past
your bedtime so why don't you sleep?
KenjRose: DON'T
patronise me Sano! I'm serious!
Zanza: I
already said I was sorry, k? I screwed up.
Zanza: I wasn't the only one, btw.
Zanza: You
wanna think twice about storming off like that?
KenjRose:
What? I just wanted to give you and your boyfriend a bit
of space.
Zanza: AHAHAHA! …business meeting,
idiot. You know? That thing I
do?
KenjRose: Fine.
KenjRose: Next time when I ask
you to meet take me seriously.
Zanza: I did. I just
forgot. Look, I'm sorry.
Zanza: Look, I
apologised again.
Zanza: Sorry?
Zanza: …Jouchan?
Match
found: webhost/GIM2028beta/Jouchan
-Assigning
dataraven:kenjrose/ipt
KenjRose:
…yeah. Okay. Look. Just tell me. I
know Yahiko came to see you.
Zanza: What?
KenjRose: I don't care what you promised him. I need to know
where he went.
Zanza: What makes you think I saw
him?
KenjRose: Because I know you. And I know him.
And I know what he was thinking. I'm not stupid, Sano.
Where did you send him?
Zanza: I didn't send him
anywhere.
KenjRose: He hasn't come home.
Zanza: … ah.
KenjRose: It's been six
days. I know he came to see you. What did he say?
Zanza: (sigh) Don't be too hard on him. He only came to see
me to brag. Told me to keep it a secret cos of confidentiality
or some such. I guess he signed a contract.
KenjRose: He
signed a contract?
Zanza: Jouchan, he was happy. He
got a job interview. Was gonna help pay the bills. He was
doing it for you.
KenjRose: Who with?
Zanza: Um,
telling you that might get him in trouble…
KenjRose: He's
already in trouble.
Zanza: No, I mean serious
trouble. Corporate stuff.
KenjRose: SANO! He's 11
years old!
Zanza: They've taken on kids
before. Hell, they've probably just hired him as a
courier.
KenjRose: SIX DAYS!
Zanza: …okay,
yeah, fine.
Zanza: I see your point. But you
can't point a finger at the zaibatsu based on someone saying he was
going there. He might never have made it. I know that's
harsh, but for god's sake think it through first before you do
something stupid.
KenjRose: I'm not going to do something
stupid.
Zanza: Course not.
Zanza: You
never do.
KenjRose: Where did he go?
KenjRose: Please,
Sano.
Zanza: Look, promise me you'll at least find
out for sure.
/ipt
established kenjrose
…accessing
KenjRose:
I promise.
Zanza: Gggg. Gah.
Okay. Try the reception building for Sumitomo. That's
where he'll have gone first.
Zanza: They
should have record if he was there or not at least.
...
… … … …
/Kamiya Kaoru
/2nd Floor Unit
45
/Kumizasaki Complex ID 633.27
/Lesser Tokyo
KenjRose:
Thanks.
KenjRose has logged off at 03:31:14
Zanza: You're welcome. Idiot. Oh,
look. Now I'm talking to myself.
Zanza has logged off
at 03.31.48
-Confirming
dataraven ping
-Deleting traceback
435.085 2342.33
436457.aa.exe/deletion confirmed
-Access
terminated
---------
There she was, again.
"… can thank the recent law regarding our schools and dojo for this new wave of talent to hit the street! As you know, several of the more traditional classes have closed down in the past year, unable or perhaps unwilling to afford the tithe in martial skill that our powerful corporations apparently now require in order to maintain control..." The host reporter in the vids reported this with a glee that was - as far as he was concerned - totally inappropriate, given the line she was very close to crossing. The media was the one real power that the zaibatsu still treated with kid gloves, but that didn't mean one should taunt them at every opportunity; even on a relatively harmless, hype-and-trend program like Juice!. There was still the faint chance that someone powerful enough to make a young, female reporter vanish without fanfare was also bored enough to flip channels to the teenage section.
Someone like him, for instance. But then, he suspected she pushed the line on precisely his account.
There were two of his staff in the lunch room, behaving less like the strict enforcers of corporate protection that they were meant to be and more like a couple of snickering school boys, leaning back on the plastic chairs in the brightly lit cafeteria and making crude comments on anything from the reporter's too-young looks to the different uses they could find for that long, dark braid of hair. He stood in the doorway, watching them with absolute silence, and wondered how long it would take for them to notice his existence. That they hadn't yet, meant that he was already going to reassign them for training. Just how long and strenuous that training was going to be depended precisely on how long it took them to realise they were being spied on.
In the meantime, he was more than patient enough to stand like a dark statue and watch part of his security squad make fools of themselves. And certainly, his patience had nothing to do with the program on the vid screens that they were so intent on watching.
"…closed down, singer Tagashi Rumiko began to look for other avenues of escape from Lesser Tokyo. It's been a long and bumpy ride, but with their first single headed for platinum and several of our smaller, trendier companies seeking endorsements, Ripperjack looks set to enjoy the high profile life for some time. And now, on behalf of Juice, I am proud to introduce …"
"I am proud to introduce," the taller guard mimicked, overriding her next words, "my breasts for your viewing pleasure."
The other broke into a fit of laughter, sending small biscuit crumbs everywhere. "Don't be stupid. She doesn't have--"
Aoshi's grip on the door frame tightened. "Gentlemen."
His voice was very soft. Nevertheless, the word cut through the raucous laughter with ease, bringing the two of them to attention immediately. Chairs scraped back as the two stood, saluting him almost in unison, faces attentive. Which was something, he supposed. But no longer enough to satisfy. Behind them, the green eyed reporter winked at the screen, bouncing with enthusiasm as she continued her interview with someone he really didn't give a damn about.
He shifted his attention back to them, eyes cold. "It seems that Kanryuu's latest round of hiring falls short of my requirements. Skills in observation and courtesy are key to your role here."
The short one gawked. There were still crumbs on his chin. "Sir, we were on break—"
"There are no excuses," he replied evenly. "Four weeks' additional training with the corps. Go."
They didn't dare to protest as they filed out. Not even when his order forced them out of the city and so far from home. Briefly, he considered finding a reason to have them removed from his squad, and then decided against it. After all, they had done nothing wrong, and even now people were still allowed to have their own opinions. Objectively, if those opinions concerned the maligning of a teenage girl, he had no cause to complain. Nor should he care.
He was within his rights in one area, though; observation was important. Aoshi turned at the slight footfall in the corridor, regarding the new arrival with a calm gaze that belied the sudden crawl of distaste along his spine.
"There you are, Shinomori." The newcomer, usually so languid in his mannerisms, was striving for grave tones that were completely at odds with the faint satisfaction in his eyes. "I'm afraid I have some sad news."
They stared at each other in frigid silence. There was nothing else that had to be said; only one thing could have happened for the man in the doorway to look so … smug. Aoshi knew a quiet moment of regret, and not just for the events that would now come to pass.
"I will set up the meeting," he murmured after a moment.
"See that you do. This afternoon, if you can." The man smiled pleasantly. "I'm sure we have much to catch up on."
He turned on his heel and left.
Aoshi stood in the small cafeteria, considering his options. Things would start to get very bad now, but at least he was still in a position to try and prevent it. As for others …
… Himura was not going to very happy at all.
"… wrapping up, this is Makimachi Misao, coming at you live from Juice! Studio with the premier interview of one of the hottest properties of the year. And, as always! I'm always looking out for talent, both new and old. If you're that certain someone, then call—"
Aoshi shut the vid screen down and walked from the room without a backward glance.
He had, after all, decided long ago that her plan was never going to work.
---------
Her father had been a fine, upstanding citizen of Tokyo, back in the day when there was only Tokyo and the zaibatsu hadn't high-handedly divided the city into two sectors. She had the uneasy feeling that he wouldn't quite approve of how she lived her life now – of what she did to make ends meet – but the reality of modern times meant that she had to use what skills she had. Once, netrunning – computer hacking, in older parlance – had just been a school pastime, a way of proving it could be done. She had never intended it to be more than that … but now? Now, her father was dead, and she was no longer legally allowed to teach kenjutsu – not in any way she cared to, at any rate – and she had Yahiko to support.
Or did, until now.
Sano, you idiot. No job offered a kid in this city is going to be safe. Damn you, damn you, damn you—
She exhausted all other possibilities first. Broke into Yahiko's desktop and checked his email. Harassed every one of his contacts. Left word with Tae at the bar to keep an eye out and harass anyone she'd ever seen Yahiko talk to. Kaoru would apologise later – maybe – for this invasion of his privacy, but right now there were two possibilities foremost in her mind on why her younger brother would have vanished for six days and not bothered to say a word. He was either in serious trouble, or he was hiding from her.
Either way, Kaoru was very angry. It was better to be angry, really. She couldn't afford to slide into panic.
She was going to murder him when she found him.
Surface skimming had turned up nothing. She would have to delve deeper. Kaoru slammed the phone down and stalked to the console, dropping heavily into the seat to pick up the VR headset from the desk. She slid it on carefully, keeping her eyes closed until the screen had slid down to cover her face, and winced as the earpieces slid home, cutting off all sound except that which would feed through the inbuilt speakers. The VR set was old, compatible with the modern Net only with heavy modification. These days, most people accessed the Net via a sub-dermal microchip that could plug into their computer and send electronic messages directly to the brain. Faster. Easier. Far more expensive.
It also required getting fitted with the microchip in question, which conveniently doubled as personal identification and credit record, and – as far as she could see – was the greatest difference between Greater and Lesser Tokyo. Kaoru felt distinctly uncomfortable with some operating system being able to track her every move, particularly given she currently had an occupation that could be punishable by death. She had quite sensibly opted not to get one.
She began her search. A safe one, for now; Kaoru skimmed the public gathering points, the nearby retail stores and the bars, looking for any record of Yahiko's passing. If he'd used his card for any purchase, she would know. When that failed, she carefully insinuated her presence into the databanks of the Shuei Syndicate, searching worriedly for any sign that they had decided to reclaim their former pickpocket.
Nothing. Which was both a relief and a frustration.
Finally, after far too much fruitless searching, she had turned with dread to access the checkpoint logs, obtaining a list of all those that had signed in or out to travel between sectors. She had left it until last for a reason. The logs were almost beyond her skill, heavily password-locked and protected with several ICE programs; walls that took her hours to worm her way through. Kaoru skimmed in undetected, read the logs, and found with sharp dismay that one Myoujin Yahiko had passed through that way five and a half days ago, 1915 hours, listed reason: business.
Damn it, damn it, damn it …she nearly jerked herself out of the system then and there, wanting nothing more than to throw the headset across the room and scream. But one didn't mess with corporation technology casually; Kaoru forced herself to back slowly out of the system, sweeping away traces of her presence as she went.
By the time she took the headset off and wiped at her tired eyes, it was almost nine in the morning. After that, she didn't remember much else. Too exhausted by far, Kaoru got as far as rolling off the chair onto the carpet before she collapsed into much needed sleep, face first on the living room floor.
---------
Four hours later she peeled herself from the carpet and staggered into the bathroom. Kaoru peered at her reflection blearily. Eyes bloodshot and hair that looked like so much flyaway black straw … now there was a good image to be taking uptown.
Sleep had done nothing to blunt her anger. Kaoru stubbed her toe on the shower door, swore at it colourfully for a few seconds, and then wrenched the taps on hard before tossing her clothing in a pile and vanishing into the cubicle. She had to get clean; far too many hours had been spent hooked online of late. She lay the blame for that firmly on Sano's doorstep. If the idiot had bothered to let her know straight away where Yahiko was headed, it would have saved her a lot of time.
And now, of course, she didn't have any choice. She was a grey-ops hacker; her skill didn't come close to what it took to crack through even the outer layer of a zaibatsu security system. No doubt if she tried, she'd be bounced right back out with so many tags and traces riding back with her that it would probably take all of thirty seconds for some corporate meathead to freeze all her assets – such as they were - and send the police to knock ever so politely on her door. Maybe they'd even send a power surge through the computer just for the hell of it. Kaoru snorted. There was no point thinking about it; even if she managed it, once past the outer layer, corporations didn't tend to play nice.
So in the meantime, she intended to pursue her last option, which would also satisfy the promise she'd made to Sano. She would march through the checkpoint to Greater Tokyo, stalk into the Sumitomo reception building and demand to see her brother.
Once she looked halfway presentable, at least.
She stayed in the shower until the water turned cold – a total of eight luxurious minutes of her time – and then snatched a towel from the rail, lurching down the hallway towards the bedroom. She really needed more sleep. She also really needed breakfast, a good dose of caff, a better hole-in-the-wall to live and maybe a nice holiday …
The towel dropped in the hallway. It took her all of two minutes to pull on the nearest clean clothing she could find – worn blue jeans and a loose-fitting white shirt, great fashion statement, but who was watching? – and run a comb through her hair. Kaoru wormed her feet into her running shoes as she tied back the long, dark strands into a serviceable ponytail.
She could hear rain outside. Perfect for a nice walk. At least it would wake her up a little more. She grabbed her anorak and headed for the door, pausing long enough to snatch her sunglasses from the dresser.
The light was going to hurt enough as it was. She really needed to get out more.
---------
She flashed her ID card at the two guards at the gate and let them log her name and reason for going uptown (family visit), and stepped into Greater Tokyo.
Uptown was the zaibatsu's world; a place controlled by private security and corporate decision rather than any police presence. Long, even streets of glass and marble and steel skyscrapers, tapering off into luxurious apartment buildings and the occasional ground floor, old style mansion. The zaibatsu supplied housing for many of its employees; if you worked for a family corporation, you certainly didn't hail from Lesser Tokyo.
There was much less visible crime here – something, Kaoru supposed, that had a lot to do with the security outside the more opulent buildings, not to mention that zaibatsu terms of employment required by contract that each employee be fitted with sub-dermal identification. On the surface, the ID didn't seem like such a bad thing –after all, if you lived your life above the law, what did it matter?
She might have believed it. But all of that fell by the wayside, the first time she saw an ambulance leave a dying person in the street, just because the paramedics had run a cred check and realised that the casualty wouldn't be able to pay a medical bill.
The world hadn't always been this cynical. Had it? She hadn't lied to the samurai in the chat room; Kaoru would have dearly loved to live in a time before computers had ever existed. Once a machine ran everything, the world faded into shades of grey. It was why, despite the sector's problems, she much preferred Lesser Tokyo. The zaibatsu tended to mind their own areas and leave downtown to normal law enforcement, only paying the briefest attention when they decided to send a security team in to put a brutal end to anyone they deemed a threat, which was thankfully a rare occurrence.
Well … at least they had been leaving her corner of the world alone. She scowled, crossing the street in the rain, feet slapping through puddles in an utterly undecorous fashion. First, the edict concerning the schools – she knew it was their way of dealing with the neo-Bushido movement, but to force martial schools to both register with contractual obligation to a zaibatsu corporation and practically indenture the students to that corporation as a result ...? It was lunacy. It was, in fact, just another form of conscription.
And now, Yahiko.
She stopped at the stairs to the Sumitomo plaza, taking a deep breath, fists clenched under the too-large coat sleeves as she sized up the four security guards outside that looked at her curiously. They wouldn't stop her; this was the reception building, open to the general public.
Kaoru pushed her sunglasses back, lifted her chin and stalked through the double glass doors.
Once inside, she couldn't hear the rain any more. She was dripping water on the polished floor; she didn't care. Her footsteps echoed across the tiles as she approached the long desk at the far end of the foyer.
The receptionist was a young woman with perfectly styled, dyed blonde hair - and a wide, welcoming smile that was so fake Kaoru itched to find some way to wipe it from her face. She settled for placing both hands on the counter, hesitating as she tried to find words that wouldn't immediately get her escorted from the premises.
"Welcome to Sumitomo!" the woman chirped, not moving a hair. "My name is Sakura. How can I help you today?"
Kaoru swallowed. "I'm … looking for my brother." And then, cursing herself for the note of diffidence that had crept into her voice, she added flatly, "He came here for a job interview some time ago. I haven't seen him since. His name is Myoujin Yahiko."
If she had hoped for some sort of stir, she was disappointed. Sakura gave a slight nod, hands reaching to tap at the keys in front of her. "Let me just check that for you…"
Don't break a fingernail, Kaoru thought sourly. She felt distinctly out of place; somehow, she'd imagined coming in and having to pry Yahiko's whereabouts out of reception by force. Of course, there's still time for that …
"Myoujin Yahiko?" Sakura smiled benevolently. "I have him on our staff listing. It seems your brother has recently become employed with the Sumitomo corporation. Congratulations!"
"I…what?" Kaoru blinked. Just like that? She felt a surge of relief that made her weak at the knees, followed by a swift thread of anger. He was okay, and he still hadn't called her? "Where is he?"
There was a hesitation. Sakura's eyes flicked distinctly to the pair of guards lurking just inside the door before she turned back to Kaoru with an apologetic look. "I'm very sorry, but I cannot give out information regarding our employees to the public."
Kaoru stared at her. "That's ridiculous. Even if you hadn't just told me he was here, I'm his sister and he's a minor! I don't care how powerful you are! He can't just get a job without there being notification to direct family!"
"You are entirely correct," Sakura replied soothingly. "And you would be?"
"Kamiya Kaoru," she snapped.
"Oh, your name is Kamiya? I see." The receptionist's smile turned sly. "Married name?"
"No, it's my father's—"
"But Myoujin Yahiko is your brother?"
"He—" Kaoru stopped. … Oh. No, they wouldn't dare. They wouldn't.
"Yahiko," she said steadily, "is my adopted brother. He may not be a blood relation, but I am still the only family he has."
"And do you have the correct paperwork to prove that relationship?"
And of course she didn't. Kaoru closed her eyes.
"I'm afraid then that I cannot help you," Sakura said, oozing sympathy. "But I am sure that if Myoujin-san feels the need to contact you he will do so of his own accord. Do have a nice—"
Like hell.
Kaoru's fist slammed down on the counter. The receptionist shut up with a very satisfactory yelp. "Don't …you … dare patronise me!" she hissed. "He is my brother!"
"Kamiya-san, there is no need at all for theatrics—"
"I asked you a simple question!" she cried. "You know exactly where he is and you don't want to tell me. Tell me--"
And then, of course, as she had expected from the moment the blonde had glanced across the room, Kaoru felt the heavy hand descend, crushingly, onto her shoulder. Sakura straightened up, brushing at her clothing as if Kaoru's outburst had somehow tainted her.
"Gohei," the receptionist said levelly, "Kindly escort Kamiya-san out of the building."
Kaoru glanced up into a bearded face split with a faintly leering grin, and had enough chance to give a small yelp as she was hauled off the ground by her collar. Her feet scrabbling for purchase, she swung helplessly as Gohei turned on his heel and lumbered toward the glass doors, his partner moving quietly to walk on her other side. "This isn't fair! He's eleven years old!"
"Life isn't fair, dear," Sakura smiled after her. "Have a nice day!"
The doors slid open quietly, letting the sound of the rain wash over them. Kaoru twisted in Gohei's grip with an angry cry as they approached the stairs and struggled to get loose, and only gasped as his grip tightened, digging painfully into her shoulder. The huge man grinned at her again as she flinched.
Kaoru kicked him in the knee. Hard. It was the only thing she could reach, which was a pity. Still, the shriek of pain she drew from him was almost enough to compensate for the retaliatory swing of his arm as he flung her into empty space to tumble backward. Her foot touched wet concrete and twisted painfully, and she flailed for purchase before she could fall backward down the stairs to land in what she was sure was going to be a badly damaged heap. She couldn't fight the laws of physics any more than she could fight the damn corporation; Kaoru tried to go limp and absorb the brunt of the impact as best she could.
It was surprisingly easy to absorb, actually. She was dimly aware of colliding with something far more yielding than concrete. It was only when she felt the arm wrap low around her waist, another gripping her arm for support, that she realised that someone had intervened to arrest her fall.
Kaoru blinked as she was set back on her feet, and caught a glimpse of tangled, damp red hair from the corner of her eye as her supposed rescuer stepped up beside her, speaking in a tone that didn't quite match the soft smile that went with it. "For shame, Gohei. I thought you had learned better than that by now."
Who the hell…? No sane person would ever mess with zaibatsu security.
Which meant she had been rescued by a lunatic.
Terrific.
---------
Here I am, transferring already written stuff across. That first scene is a pain in the ass, though; if you'd like to see it in its original formatting (it looks much niftier) check the LJ website (or ask me direct and I'll just send it to you). I said this at the end of Snowblind Ch 7 and I'll say it here: I have all of two AU ideas in my head to write for RK amongst another god knows how many canon fics. If you'd prefer my 'canon' stuff, don't worry – I'm not jumping ship.
I'm just … playing!