Roppongi Hills Spa Resort, Tokyo, Japan:
The giant mahogany and white gate that quickly approached them was an imposing and seemingly out-of-place structure just outside the city center of Tokyo. Dominic had indeed outdone himself when he chose this place for them to reside. As their car came to a gentle halt in the curved driveway, La glanced at the towering gate in muted shock. Not that it was uncommon for her be in such a luxurious resort, her own French cottage home boosted of five bedrooms and an underground lab for NYCO research. Dominic wasn't a man of low means either , profiting from the research of his father. When they did travel together, they never stayed in a hotel short of four stars. Still, for such a mission a simple hotel in the middle of town would have sufficed. Hell, he'd made them take a train from Germany to France. Is he trying to prove a point or make amends? La proposed but hadn't deciphered which would suit her brother's purposes. And as the driver opened her door, she dismissed it, too tired to try to figure out.
"Is this where we're staying?" Mao whispered to La from her cradled arms. She glanced down at him , nodded curtly and turned her attention back to the gate. On a sign adjacent to the wooden structure it read: 'Roppongi Hill's Spa Resort.' This really is unnecessary.
With a low squeak, the large aged wooden door slowly opened, revealing a group of women and two men, all dressed in traditional Japanese attire. In the midst of them was a much older shorter woman, a wooden pipe pursed between her lips. Her sunken eyes surveyed the scene before landing pleasantly on Hei who had just emerged from the other side of the car. She stepped forward, the others staying behind until directed to move. La smiled, switching personas as the woman stood directly in front of them. The old hostess bowed low and the group behind her followed suit. Hei returned the courtesy and La mocked his movements effortlessly.
When pleasantries were over, the older woman turned towards Hei and spoke, "Forgive us, we weren't expecting you for another thirty minutes." She side glanced at La, and the young contractor could have swore she saw contempt in her eyes. But it fade just as quickly as it came and the woman was smiling sweetly at her companion.
Hei or rather Lee, scratched the back of his and returned a polite smile, "Our flight landed early. We apologize for the inconvenience."
Walking along side Hei, she waved her pipe dismissively and latched her arm into his. "Nonsense! Don't you worry your handsome face. We were all prepared for you."
The hostess's gaze shifted to La's and smiled tightly at her and gave Hei's arm a gentle squeeze. " Miss Beaudroux, I take it. The men will get your bags. Come along, young man." she pulled Hei forward as the gate started to open. La looked down at Mao who chuckled and watched his friend being pulled away by the lecherous hostess.
"I think she likes him," the dog whispered .
La snorted and followed close behind, "Apparently she hates me," she mumbled to Mao and herself. Hei turned his head, searching for them. His bored eyes found La looking about them. When she finally looked at him, she shrugged as if she hadn't notice his new admirer and turned her attention to the landscape.
On either side of the entryway were spacious gardens, filled with familiar and exotic flora. In the distance were cherry blossom trees that huge over man-made creeks and stone fixtures along with the brief outline of lodging. The air in the place was scented with euphoric aromas like lavender, chamomile and eucalyptus, which La reasoned was purposely done. They walked on a stone path and La noted the serene quietness of it all and wondered if all of Japan was like this.
Clearly this was no ordinary lodging space, as it boosted of numerous traditional style homes separated by personal gardens and staff quietly roamed the grounds. And as they approached what La perceived as the biggest. The shingle ornamented slanted roof, hang over white paneling and a stone foundation. Along side the building were two separate gardens, a cherry blossom tree and a small river. Directly behind it was what appeared to be a small hot spring and a private tea house. Mao shifted and it was then that La realized she'd stopped to admire the home. Quickly, she caught up to the two who'd made it to the genkan.
"It was really just this one small house left, which me made the main office. It has since been restored and renovated into a spa retreat. We offer great massages, usually requiring you to get naked. But a young man like yourself should have no issue with that." The older hostess beamed and La grunted, choosing instead to remove her shoes and slide open the shoji door.
In the late evening, La slid open the patio door in the office space, allowing fresh air to emit and circulate in the room, Cool breezes blew pass her as she did so and it carried the scent of the makeshift pond which sat amidst the garden. It was a tranquil sight, quite different from her previous one which consisted of going through every NYCO file available. Although she neared the end of the database, she was as close to figuring out what M4TL421 as she was when she started. She guzzled down the reminder of saké in her bowl-shaped cup. Squeezing her cheeks before swallowing, the familiar burning sensation had long since cooled to a soothing warmth in her stomach. The buzzing in her head increased as the alcohol made her feel light-headed. It was a feeling she'd gotten used to over the years, bordering between sober and tipsy.
La glanced back at the one and a half empty bottles of saké that sat next to her laptop and sighed. With a small huff she moved off the frame of the door and sat back in front of illuminated screen. The processing system, which scanned and cross-referenced every file, was at 92% and had yet to reveal anything about James or the case. Out of pure frustration, she slammed the cup on the table and rubbed her eyes.
"I'm wasting time," she mumbled and switched the screen to something else. NYCO could wait until she returned to France, hopefully with Mat in tow. Had the situation been different, she would have ransacked the city trying to find Mat but that approach had failed her one too many times. This time she would have to be more tactful, crafty. They couldn't just need a doll. She mused and glanced over the CIA's website. Surely, if anything would hold some information it would be this public site. Not that she was expecting to find much, but the smallest clue would give a lead.
La scrolled over to the section titled CIA-PANDORA Joint Commission. They have a special interest in him. Recalling that the agency hadn't taken him not once but twice. Because they hadn't removed him from Europe, getting him back was easier in that situation. Then again, they hadn't hired the smartest bunch to do the job. It was a local gang of contractors, known for causing trouble in France. La encountered them once before, and easily connected the dots once she gathered enough clues. And when she burst into their little hide out late in the night, their 'leader' Topalain sang like a canary claiming the CIA paid them a pretty penny to kidnap the doll. From that day forward, La kept Mat close to her side until Hei came.
Hei…why are you even still round? You're not here to help me get Mat but you don't want the CIA to have him either. What are trying to do? Keep him away from…both of us? She thought, looking at the door that connected the office to the rest of the house. Said contractor was currently cooking something, fumes of flavor seeped through the tiny crack in the shoji door. Spices and the sweet smell of cherry blossoms filled the room and she rubbed her nose the smells tingled her senses. Readjusted herself to get more comfortable, La crossed her legs Indian style.
Once the CIA-PANDORA Joint Commission page fully loaded, the first story covered, in bright read letters, address a collaborative research effort with the Syndicate to locate the real stars. Scrolling down more, she read over little things addressing cures of aliments and animal research. They listed some statistics, dating all the breakthroughs and achieves the CIA made in science, nothing that really stuck out. La pursed her lips and glossed over a blurb about a new dieting pill.
"This doesn't make sense. Plenty of dolls exist, but why Mat of all of them?" She chewed her bottom lip and briefly read about PANDORA's donation to an elementary school. She recalled Mao mentioning the strained relationship Hei or the Black Reaper had with the CIA and Syndicate. With such a relationship in mind, employing him seemed all the more puzzling.
Desperation? La wondered, and clicked on a drop-box. The first category to select was contractors. She sat up straight. The headline read in bold about a reception being hosted in a PANDORA building. Next to the article was a picture that struck a memory. Though he was not wearing sunshades she easily recognized him as the man at the park who descended the helicopter. La clinched her fist on her laptop and stared at the man smiling in the picture.
"Dr. Kurt Burstein" she whispered and read further. It was to be held in three days and was invitation only. Apparently, he was an evolutionary scientist for the CIA and was currently working on groundbreaking contractor research.
"How convenient for him. Groundbreaking research my ass." La snorted at the article noting it's irony. Just then, the shoji door slid open and she quickly snapped her laptop shut as Hei poked his head in.
"Dinner is ready." he said and left before she could refuse or deny.
La didn't move, choosing to stare at the half-opened door until she was sure Hei was out of earshot. After which, she reopened the laptop, the backlight lit the dim room once more. She glanced at the door for good measure before turning her attention back to reception announcement. Dinner can wait. Her stomach betrayed her resolve by rumbling rather loudly, she remedied it by pouring another cup of saké. At the moment, finding a way to get into that reception was far more important that eating. Mat was more important. Not just because she wanted him, which she very much did, but the question why loomed in her mind with every day she went without him. Mat was nothing special if compared to other dolls, yet the CIA and Hei seemed to have taken a liking to him for a reason that escaped her. La had thought of every possible scenario and reason. None of which deemed her doll worthy of such attention. Of course, in her mind, he was by far the best doll, comrade and friend that she had the graces of working with. When he was not around, things felt different, empty even. She felt empty. But that was for her own personal reason, even if she didn't fully grasp why she felt such things. Those emotions were for her and only her to have for Mat.
Unconsciously, she reached for the wooden cross that connected them even when he was not around. La hadn't received a specter from him since that day at the pier. An eternity may well have passed from then to now. So yes, food could wait; it was of no help to her at the moment. La stood and proceeded to the genkan while retrieving her phone from her back pocket. She closed the door just a little, least Hei came in while she was on the phone, and called Dominic.
The phone rung twice as she paced on the porch before he finally answered, "Hello?"
"What are you doing?" was the first thing she asked and phone was silent for a moment, minus a soft rustling noise in the background.
"I'm sleeping, which is what people do at this hour." He mumbled and La reasoned he may have tried to sit up, "What is it?"
La paused, trying to find the words, "I found the man who took Mat. He's a scientist for the CIA and I need your help getting me into his reception in a few days. Just say I'm representing father or something."
There was a pause and more rustling then a tired sigh, "The CIA? La, you can't be serious."
She frowned at his choice of words, "I am serious, Dominic. I'm too close to care that he's some pompous American who is..."
"That's not what I'm getting at at all La," he cut her off, "What I mean is, you're going after a doll that has been taken by not only a superpower country but a major international security organization. It's potential suicide for something so trivial."
Trivial? The word resonated in her mind and that familiar feeling of anger was quickly rising.
"Mathieu is not something trivial. Just make my credentials so that I can get in." La responded choosing instead not to argue over this.
"Stop being foolish La," his voice was harsh and just as adamant as hers, "Have you considered the repercussions this could have on NYCO and father's name? What will the international scientific community say if the daughter of Mr. Beaudroux storms in there, demanding a doll from the CIA, which the only evidence you have of them 'stealing' is your own account? It's a rash and selfish plan of action."
La folded her arms over her chest, prepared for an all out war at this point, "It's my nature to be selfish I'm a goddamn contractor! I do what is rational and beneficial for me and me only."
"You play that card when it suits your interest," Dominic retorted and La flinched from the sudden contempt in his voice, "You're no more a proper contractor than I am."
"What the hell does that even mean, a proper contractor?"
"I meant nothing at all. I'm tired La, and I don't wish to finish this conversation. Now, if you please."
She was getting nowhere and La knew reasoning worked better with him. So she tried, "Aren't you in the least bit curious as to why they took him? This is another evolutionary scientist and potential rival of everything father has worked for and he stole," she stressed the word stole in reaction to his earlier statement, "Our doll? Does that not bother you?"
More silence and La was growing evermore frustrated with her brother's indifference. Sure, her initial reasoning for getting him back was selfish but with this new information, the CIA stealing Mat has taken on another meaning.
Dominic finally signed, letting his sister know that he was still on the other end of the receiver, "It's too risky." That was it.
"Fuck you, Dominic." She yelled, hanging up the phone before he could say anything.
"Bastard" La shoved open the shoji door, nearly taking it off its track and almost scaring Mao who'd crept into the room sometime during her conversation. She yanked the half empty bottle of saké off the table and stumbled a bit when she got to the other door.
"Family troubles?" the dog ventured as La stormed pass him.
"Shut up, Mao." She countered, and retreated to the living room where Hei sat. La marched right past him out of the front door.