A Whiter Shade of Grey

Part 4 "Why me?"

"Inspector Kirihara, the higher ups want you and your team to start searching for BK-201 again. Apparently he's on the move. Most likely in Tokyo."

"How do they know? Didn't they lose track of his star the last time?"

"They've received information from a reliable source."

"I've heard that before." was the sarcastic rejoinder. "And what or who is this reliable source?"

"Well, it seems that he might have been responsible for the death of PY-223."

"Really?" Kirihara demanded. "So how did they come to that conclusion?"

"Forensics found burnt marks in his internal organs, and evidence of electric shock wounds."

"That could be from anything… not necessarily BK-201. That place was a munitions plant and PY-223 could have bitten off more than he could chew. Sounds like someone's trying to lead the investigation along a certain direction."

"Well, those are you orders… like it or not." The new superior officer said sharply. "You seem keen to reject the BK-201 angle, aren't you?"

"I'm just sick of these wild goose chases that lead no where."

"That's not for you nor I to decide."

"Anyway, why us?"

"Because you're the resident expert on BK-201. Your team has had some experience with him the past."

"Some expert I am." Kirihara grumbled. "I haven't caught him yet, have I?"

"I repeat… Those are your orders."

Kirihara put on a creditable show of being disgruntled and indifferent but on the inside, she was far from the picture of nonchalance she was trying to project. It hadn't taken them long to put two and two together. Someone in the higher echelons of power was watching closely, possibly a legacy of the Syndicate. Blast! When did they cotton on to Hei? She wondered. She pulled herself together and convinced herself that perhaps the puppet masters were merely grasping at straws and stabbing in the dark for the merest hint of contractor activity. Obviously they feared the Black Grim Reaper, who had the power to deflect the rays off a particle accelerator, whose movements and motives were a mystery to them. He had no demonstrable allegiances and was no longer the pawn of the Syndicate.

Her superior, Captain Kurio was somewhat surprised at her apparent belligerence. He had heard that Kirihara was a straight, team player… level headed and focused. Her reluctance to take on BK-201 though understandable to some degree, was also strange in light of her history of tackling unusually difficult cases involving contractors. Perhaps her brush with official corruption had made her much more cynical of bureaucracy.

"Kirihara, I'm not Captain Horai."

"Huh?"

"I want you to know that there is no secret agenda here… at least not from me. We are police officers and it is our job to investigate all kinds of leads even if they turn out to be dead ends. I know that it was a huge blow to you to find out that Captain Horai was not the man you thought he was and was running his own agenda. He betrayed what this office stood for but let me assure that not all of us are like this. I may be your superior officer but I'm still a law enforcement officer underneath all these administrative trappings. As a law enforcement officer, I believe it is important to get to the bottom of things no matter how things appear. I'm sure you feel the same way too."

There was a ring of sincerity in Captain Kurio's voice which caused Kirihara to feel a pang of guilt.

"I'm sorry, sir… I was out of line, sir… It won't happen again."

"I'm sure it won't." Kurio gave a knowing smile. "Between you and me, I know exactly how you feel. I wasn't always a captain, you know."

"Thank you, sir."

Kirihara left his office and went to her desk. She heaved a sigh of relief. Captain Kurio seemed like a decent sort of man but it was early days yet. In this game, Kirihara was quickly learning that no one can be trusted until proven so. There was also the matter of BK-201… she was in a predicament… she knew she would have to make her stand some time soon but didn't anticipate that it would be forced on her this soon.


She arrived early at the designated meeting place and breathed in the evening air. A lovely cool breeze swept by and it enveloped her in a gentle embrace. For one brief moment she found some respite from all the weighty matters that had fallen on to her shoulders. It wouldn't last long… the simple things in life had to give way to the complications that would arise. There were still so many unanswered questions churning through her mind. What happened at the munitions plant? What happened that night when Hei insisted that she had missed their appointment? He had been particularly tight-lipped about that one. And most importantly, why would anyone immediately conclude that BK-201 was on the move again just from a few bits of circumstantial evidence taken from the munitions incident with PY-223?

Kirihara lamented at the way things were headed… her life had been so much simpler before embroiling herself in some plot to take down the Syndicate. Everything seemed much more black and white when she was an ordinary rank and file officer. She, at least, knew where she stood in the scheme of things. Curse that Capt Horai for opening her eyes to level of corruption in the civil service. If the Syndicate had positioned itself all through positions of power, it was going to be near impossible to distinguish who the good guys or the bad guys were in this madness. Her mind was full but the worst of it was that she didn't have anyone to confide in. Except for him. But he was as communicative as an owl in the day. She was so caught up in her ruminations that she didn't hear him slip alongside her.

"You're early." He commented after a while.

"I had nothing else better to do." She replied casually.

"So the Tokyo police are twiddling their thumbs now that that pyromaniac has been taken care of."

"What exactly happened with PY-223?"

"We got into an argument and he lost."

"The idea was to capture him alive." Kirihara grumbled.

"He had other ideas."

The striking thing about Hei was that he bore an eerie, impassive calm in his demeanour on every occasion. So far removed from the bumbling, diffident alter ego that she had gotten to know in the past. She often wondered if Li was still there lurking in the shadows biding his time. Like it or not, it had been an amazing performance. Outwardly, the two men could not have been more different.

"The Tokyo police is now on the hunt for you. They have set up a task force to capture you."

"So who's heading up this task force?" He asked, apparently unfazed.

There was a momentary pause.

"Me." Her voice was barely a whisper.

"They chose well." was all he said in reply.

"You don't seem concerned." She looked at him, wondering what was going on inside that facade of indifference.

"Should I be?"

"Aren't you afraid that I'd turn you in?"

"If you were going to, you would have done it already."

"It's a lady's prerogative to change her mind… not to mention the certainty of promotion with the capture of the world's most wanted contractor."

"I didn't think such things mattered that much to you." He gave her a penetrating look.

"How well do you know me?"

"Well enough…"

"Do you really… I wonder…" She deliberated. "You know my life would be so much simpler if you weren't in it?"

As would mine. "I have no doubt."

"Aren't you worried that I might betray you?" She looked at him curiously.

"The possibility always exists of course… but I doubt it." He responded with a hint of a smile.

Kirihara had a question… something she had been meaning to ask Hei for some time now.

"Why do you trust me?"

"Because I know you… "

"That's it?"

"Because you still care about things like truth… you have compassion… and you're willing to put your life on the line for the greater good."

"The greater good?… I wonder what that is any more…"

"Are you having doubts, Inspector Kirihara?" There was a trace of gentleness in his voice that invited confidence.

"That would be an understatement." She snorted.

His hand fell lightly onto her right shoulder. "Trust your instincts… they've brought you this far and they will take you through any crisis."

"Sometimes I wonder if it's worth it."

"That is something only you can decide."

"Decisions, decisions… I became a cop because it seemed so simple who the good and the evil elements were. I wanted to be an instrument of justice… to help put away evildoers. Then I discover that good men do evil things for the sake of the greater good. Is it any wonder that I'm confused?"

"You wrestle with this because you are a decent human being and this is why I have no fear of trusting you."

"Yet I will be powerless to help you when push comes to shove."

"Misaki, eventually they'll find me and when that time comes, I want you to be the one to bring me in."

"Why me?"

"Because I'd rather it be a friend…"

A friend? Me?

If this was his idea of a friendship, then it was an odd one. Months of clandestine meetings… the casual drop offs… philosophical and moral discussions were more the hallmarks of a conspiracy. A conspiracy of two. Perhaps three, if one included the doll. But on this lonely night, Kirihara found him strangely comforting in the way that Li had been. Perhaps that was what drew her to him in the first place. But this friend would never stay long enough for her to plumb his depths.

"Thank you for the information. I suggest you return home and go about business as usual. I'm sure you'll continue to keep me informed." With that remark, Hei turned his face away and took briskly to his feet.

As the Black Grim Reaper strode off in the opposite direction, a thought struck Kirihara as she strolled in the moonlight towards her apartment.

He called me Misaki…


Author's Note:

Apologies for such a late update (looking guilty). Thanks to everyone who has shown an interest in this story and a special thanks to those who took time out to drop in a review.