World's Finest in Ghost City
CHP54: A loose End
Dozens had been contacted via cyber link, and search for the masked vigilante commenced. It wasn't until minutes in that Motoko regained control of her functions and stood. She first scanned the surface beneath her. In doing so pin pointed the scattered fragments from the exploded grenades and with the help of others standing around collected the small pieces. Each fragment was dropped into a plastic bag and safely stored away.
"Let's get moving," Motoko gazed at the security people standing around, "Batman must not be allowed to escape, or any accomplices of his if any!"
They felt similarly and separated into smaller groups searching for the cape crusader. Motoko did the same and was accompanied by two guards. Batman managed to drop down numerous levels and was just one away from the main floor but wasn't nearly out of the woods yet. Detection mode was active in his lenses and he picked up on the dozens of security people down below. His first thought was to smash through a window up high, but with the way the building was guarded he'd be spotted without a doubt.
"Computer produce map out of Turik Enterprises." Batman whispered.
In seconds a pre rendered 3D map out of the building was visible inside the cowl. Gec Corporation Center had yet to fail. The system upgrade might have been the most important add to his arsenal aside from the gear and weaponry. The map displayed all exits throughout the building in relation to his position. His only option was the west side of the building. Less security was present in and out of the building within that vicinity, and a handful of escape routes. He stood from his crouched position and proceeded to the nearest stairwell with caution.
"Major, what's happening?! I heard word you were in a skirmish with the Batman!" Batou communicated through cyber link.
"Indeed I was, he managed to escape. There have been no sightings of him outside the building thus far, which means he's still in here."
"How did he manage to slip by you," Batou paused for a moment, "Again..."
"Never mind that! Speak with the commissioner and find out what's taking so long with getting security systems back online. We'd pin point the bastard right away and there'd be no place for him to run or hide."
"It isn't just security feed inside the building, but our own personal equipment and video cameras setup outside. The timing is way too convenient, I'm betting he or someone else is responsible for this."
"Same, but we'll worry about that later. For now we must make certain the Batman doesn't escape." Motoko said.
"Gotcha, we'll keep our eyes peeled on this end."
The link was discontinued and Batou immediately went to Commissioner Ruey Yototatski inquiring about the security. The coupled with a select few of technology experts talked it out. The cape crusader slowly but surely advanced to where he needed to be by way of an underground vent. The route in particular led him down a dark hall, but most importantly it was away from where most stood guard and mingled. The route was cut off by a solid wall in front of him so his next move was easy.
With detect mode active he scoured the area and determined it was safe to proceed, so did so. He pushed open the section atop him and took to the main surface slowly moving along and turning a corner. And down the hall nearly twenty yards was an exit. He took off running in that direction but then stopped abruptly at a clicking sound.
"Stop right there, I cannot allow you to go any further."
Batman looked all around but couldn't figure where the voice originated but equipped himself with two batarangs. Not a moment later a single individual appeared in front of him seemingly out of nowhere.
"Camouflage." Batman glared.
"That's right," The individual standing opposite of him aimed a pistol at him, "Why're you here?"
"Same as all of you. I heard about the break in and traveled here immediately. I managed a minimal sweep of the lab where the primary crime took place but nothing. There was nothing of importance on hindsight. At least not to my knowledge."
Togusa held the weapon firmly and took a step forward.
"You expect me to believe that!"
"Have you received word of what was taken, or confirmation on who was behind this incident."
"You aren't serious," Togusa positioned his finger over the trigger, "As of the moment no, and even if I did I wouldn't share a thing with you?"
The section nine member was fidgety and Batman perceived it in his posture, but it wasn't the result of fear.
"You're undecided." Batman emphasized.
"Don't kid yourself, I know exactly what you are and what you represent. You've done some good, yes but you're still operating outside the law. Surely there are other ways in which you could help, running around like a crazed lunatic has sparked uproar in town as you know."
"The Specters of Shadows are a threat that requires a direct approach. Its clear they won't stop until whatever their objective is reached and that could very well mean the fall of this city. I won't allow that to happen."
Togusa frowned maintaining his stance.
"It isn't your concern nor job to act. If you want to help, hang up the cape and retire this masquerade. The commissioner of police wants you as much as the Phantom, so essentially you're a distraction. If you truly mean well then disappear and leave the rest to us professionals."
"Where have I heard that..." Batman glared.
There was no change in Togusa's stance as he let out a sigh.
"I don't want to shoot and I know you mean well. But this ends here. We allowed you to walk last time, the lieutenant and I...but not this time. If this trend continues over and over I'm only part of the problem."
"You know I can't do that."
"Yes you can and will unless you want a hunk of led planted into that skull of yours."
"And what would that accomplish? The Kokiyou children are safely tucked in at home, and a corrupt retired official exposed. All of this because of my efforts, and the Specters are on my to do list and will be dealt with. As we speak your firms have been compromised, that much I'm sure of. If you haven't noticed yet, you will."
"Do you mean Section Nine?"
"Not specifically, but they're hiding out amongst those who've sworn under oath to protect the citizens of this city."
A long period of silence followed and neither budged.
"Togusa report in."
"Major, what's up?"
"Is there any activity on your end, and has Saito arrived?" Motoko questioned via cyberlink.
Togusa was unsure of what actions he should take as doubt and uncertainty crept into his mind. It was similar to the feeling of his most recent encounter with the caped crusader. Much as he hated to do so he bit at his tongue and lowered his weapon.
"All clear here major, no sign of the Bat vigilante and Saito has not yet arrived."
"Keep your eyes peeled, he could be just about anywhere. It's doubtful he's made any advances to the lower levels but we can't be too sure." Motoko said.
"I gotcha. Nothing or no one gets passed me."
With that the conversation ended and Togusa lowered his weapon entirely. His hands were held firmly over the weapon and he was very much irritated, feeling somewhat conflicted with his decision.
"Letting you roam free is a bad idea, and somehow I feel I'm gonna regret this," Togusa dropped the weapon into the holster over his belt, "And we've come to the same conclusion concerning the Specters of Shadows. Since the Royal Blasthouse incident that fact became all too clear."
"Any possible suspects?" Batman inquired.
"Not yet, but we're working on it. Going through the background information of the city's hired officials isn't something that can be done overnight. That and we've had our hands full with other problems. You should get going, it won't be long before backup arrives." Togusa said.
"Why the change in heart?"
"While a distraction, you're a far cry from the enemy and you appear knowledgeable. We're going to need a lot of that if we plan on bringing that son of a bitch down! The rest of my team wouldn't hesitate to shoot you down in a heartbeat."
"And why not you?"
"Call it intuition or faith...I want to believe your intentions are what you say they are. In dealing with an enemy like this with his eyes and ears all over, having someone operating outside the law is what I'd like to consider the equalizer." Togusa replied.
"Perhaps, but there are boundaries even I won't cross."
Togusa grinned with crossed arms.
"And that's what separates you from them. This conversation cannot continue, your opportunity for escape derails the longer you stay. The entire building is surrounded but out that door is your best chance. The level of men st..."
"Yes, I know." Batman cut in knowing exactly what Togusa had in mind.
"Good then I'll go first."
The dark knight watched curiously as Togusa walked toward the door.
"What're you doing?" Batman questioned with narrowed eyes.
"What does it look like," Togusa slowed up gazing over his shoulder, "You may or may not get by as is. If I'm right there's about ten of them guarding this section of the building. I'll go out there and distract them while you..."
"You don't have to do that." Batman took a step forward.
"It's my choice, and besides you're in no position to argue. If you want out undetected then you'll need my help."
"A moment ago you were ready to take me in." Batman spoke with a hint of suspicion in his tone.
"You're complaining?"
Batman opened his mouth to reply but kept quiet. Togusa had his reasons for aiding him and talking things over wasn't an option. The switch to detect mode was made as he came within a foot of the door, preparing for what awaited him.
"Good evening gentlemen." Togusa stepped through the door.
He approached the patrol men standing nearly thirty yards from the entrance. With the door halfway cracked Batman was positioned on a knee peeking out and waited for an opportunity. Togusa pulled out his phone and with a few words each of the officers were dialed in on the electronic. Seeing it as his opportunity for escape Batman slowly forced the door open and took to the rooftops by way of his grapple gun. It wouldn't be long before security systems in the area were back online, and he knew it! His main priority was to get as far away from the building as possible and did so from up high jumping from one roof to the next.
The dark knight did so but kept an eye out in all directions. He didn't want to take any chances that someone spotted and secretly trailed him. The effects of the Quebz cube would also soon run its course. In no time he managed to put lots of distance between himself and the Turik Enterprises building but then slowed up before coming to a complete stop. From which direction he couldn't determine, but felt he was either being followed or watched. His hands fell over the utility belt gazing all around in search of a potential culprit.
"Always getting yourself into tight spots."
Batman looked upward to where the voice originated. A lone individual hovered downward, his red cape gliding with the wind and his arms crossed. He touched down a couple feet from where the dark knight stood and each stared not speaking a word.
"Well?"
"A robbery took place at the Turik Enterprises," Batman stepped forward, "I don't know what was taken and if any casualties. But it looks like the doing of the terrorists. The Specters of Shadows."
"I've collected that much, but why're you here? I'd think you'd have enough common sense to pick your spots. A break in and robbery of arguably the largest and most successful business in the city leads to one thing."
"Which is?" Batman glared.
"City responders Bruce. Did you not think for a second the crime scene wouldn't be crawling with security and police officials? I understand the state of things, and the possibility the terrorists have undercover agents working in the force that could compromise the investigation. Even so you can't go into things blindly. You'll get yourself killed or captured, both in which there will be nothing I can do to help."
"I made it out just fine, I should be the least of your worries. I managed a couple still shots, but that's all. I'll wait for whatever the police department releases to the public and then look at what I have and continue my investigation from there."
Another instant of silence followed as the one opposite of him sighed.
"All I'm saying is think before you act. You aren't alone in this fight against the Specters and neither am I. There are plenty of honest, truthful men and women working long and hard to find and stop the Daunting Phantom. Just keep that in mind."
Batman watched Superman take off into the night sky in the direction of Turik Enterprises. He touched down in front of the building moments later, which was surrounded by numerous police vehicles.
"Hey look, it's Superman!" One shouted.
Others around took notice and he was quickly surrounded. A select few followed him into the building where he met with Ruey Yototatski in the main lobby.
"It's you!" The commissioner said.
"How can I help?" Superman stepped forward.
The commissioner cleared his throat and straightened his posture as he did so.
"Yes indeed, the vigilante as we believe is still inside the building. We can't say for certain if he was involved in the initial break in until security systems are back online."
"Do you know what caused it?" Superman questioned.
Ruey shook his head.
"Unknown, but we will find out once the system is back online. For now we'd greatly appreciate your services in aiding with the search for the criminal. The others who were first reported have seemingly escaped, but we've got units in pursuit."
"No problem, I'll do what I can." Superman grinned.
The man of steel knew far more than he let on, and just went along with the flow of things. With his enhanced vision he peaked through the surrounding walls and ceiling scouring the entire building of eighteen floors in no time. During the short time he didn't come across anything out of the ordinary. Within the minute Motoko returned to the main floor with other security people at her side, all of which approached the commissioner.
"I've heard nothing, has he been spotted?" Motoko asked.
Ruey lowered his head sadly.
"Nothing, but I did receive word security systems are strangely coming back online. Our experts were in the process of diagnosing the issue when puff...Everything started rebooting! I have no idea what the hell it means!"
"Strange..." Motoko murmured with a hand to her chin.
It was then the leading member of section nine took notice of Superman from the corner of her eye.
"When did he arrive?" She directed at Ruey Yototatski.
"Not long ago." The commissioner replied.
Motoko took a couple steps and positioned in front of the kryptonian.
"Certainly you've been briefed on what's taken place here, so have you picked up on anything that might have eluded the rest of us?"
He was playing both sides of the fence so thought carefully before opening his mouth. By then Batman was far enough away and made a clean escape. With that in mind Superman looked Motoko in the eyes.
"There doesn't appear to be any suspicious activity inside the building and it's possible your target managed to escape."
"Impossible, the building is surrounded with each exit guarded!" Motoko emphasized.
"Then you might want to collaborate with your people," Superman turned his back with his eyes on an exit, "If he managed to bypass everyone he couldn't have gotten far. I'll perform a sweep surrounding the building and all nearby street corners."
Superman took off and pushed open the door.
"Unbelievable!" Motoko tightened her fists.
XXX
The leading member of Section Nine stepped through the automatic doors. Nor she or other first responders to Turik Enterprises were pleased with the outcome of the previous night. The criminals who broke in were still at large and so too was the masked vigilante. Even so the night wasn't a complete failure given the dark knight left something behind, something in which section nine's major hoped would lead to the caped crusader.
"Kusanagi Motoko," An individual in his mid-forties wearing a long white coat extended a hand, "Glad you could make it, I just finished my observation of the small fragments."
"Great, tell me you found something." Motoko replied.
She followed the worker over to a nearby table.
"Unfortunately I've got good and bad news."
"Oh boy," Motoko's gaze fell over the ground, "Let's hear it."
"Alrighty then," The specialist rubbed his hands together and put on a special type of glasses, "I'll first start with the good news. I've examined weapons similar to this one but this was very different. Each of the small fragments you brought in were scanned and rendered. After a couple hours of analysis and inspection some of the gas residue left behind I have a better understanding of why your systems malfunctioned when exposed to the grenade. Luckily it isn't something you have to worry about any further. It should have completely passed through your entire system by now."
"Well that's good to hear."
Motoko was relieved by the info. Following the incident she performed diagnostics of her entire body using the cyber system at her personal residence, and all vitals came back normal.
"The bad news is I have no way of determining the manufacture of the item. No serial numbers, codes, mark or symbol that links it to any of the top weapons firm in town or even the country."
"You believe its foreign?" Motoko inquired.
"I cannot confirm nor deny. An item such as this would bare some sort of trademark. What this tells me is the weapon isn't officially on the market. In short this bat criminal might have un marketed weaponry at his disposal."
"Are you suggesting he creates everything himself? I have a hard time buying into that, and I doubt I'd be the only one. Something sophisticated as this is military level and beyond...One man operating on his own seems unlikely."
The specialist nodded.
"I was thinking the same, or perhaps this Batman has history in weapons development. There is also the possibility he's got a provider."
"The Specters of Shadows if I had to guess," Motoko went silent for a moment, "But till this point the terrorist group hasn't unleashed a weapon quite like this to my knowledge."
"Yes and interestingly enough the weapon was specifically designed to combat against cyborgs," The specialist looked at Motoko, "Much like yourself. In other words a non-prosthetic would be unaffected. Which leads me to believe Batman is a..."
"A mere man, none cyborg...yes, I already knew that. How does the weapon work?"
The man opposite of her rubbed his hands together.
"Oh yes, and now we get to the fun part. It's difficult to see now, but once upon a time before it went boom this weapon was enlaced with a special wiring. It was because of this wiring on detonation the virus was able to connect with your cyberbrain wirelessly. If you'd like a full explanation I'd be happy to..."
"No, that won't be necessary I've got the general idea. Can you reengineer it?"
"Not my area of expertise and frankly it would be difficult for most firms to do so given the complicated nature of this weapon. With the original blue prints it'd be no problem. I've already forwarded my findings to section two and three. Each is working the angle of finding where this weapon might have originated. We find the producer and the Batman is good as caught. It'll be a tall task however."
"Major I've got an update." Someone spoke via cyberlink.
"Batou give me a moment."
"Thanks for your cooperation," Motoko shook hands with the specialist, "I look forward to hearing back from you, keep me posted."
"Will do." He nodded.
Motoko exited through the same automatic doors used to enter.
"I'm listening."
"Got an update from the security people over at Turik Enterprises and it isn't good. Security systems are back online as I'm sure you already knew. The issue is footage from the fifteen minute blackout is lost, and I mean literally."
"What?!"
"Yes, and that goes for the security cameras on the surrounding blocks. As of the moment we've got nothing, and the footage doesn't appear salvageable. We're in a tight spot that's for sure. There was nothing I could do so just headed back to base and left it to the pros over there. They did however forward footage of the initial break in. Five masked men total, I'm looking it over as we speak."
"Damn! Nothing's going our way. Don't go anywhere I'll arrive shortly. At the very least it's good we have something to work off of."
"We'll be waiting, all of us except Paz and Togusa. The Lieutenant called them up and they were out of here without a word, I haven't the slightest idea what about." Batou informed.
XXX
It was his day off from the office, and saw it as the perfect opportunity to do what he needed. The camouflage paid huge dividends moving the items from one location to the next. The area in particular was abandoned, and over half a mile from the city. After saving up he purchased his first vehicle in the form of a Ford Shelby GT350 in the color of red. Transportation was never really an issue but did appreciate having his own personal vehicle. Between his nightly activities, Gegato Tech and Gec Corporation Center Bruce had his hands full. Even with all that he managed to make time for a certain someone.
Both he and Meila Layce spent more time together outside the office and their personal connection had strengthened. It wasn't only her but others of the office as well which included Nuer Henson and Mengyao Ahuz. His schedule was busier than most and there wasn't a moment that went by that he wasn't busy with something. He ran a hand over the side of his head wiping away sweat. His gaze was glued to the sun overhead that began setting over the mountain side. In another hour or so it would be dark and he hoped to have done what he set out to do by then.
His vehicle was parked out back behind an abandoned warehouse. One hour turned to three as he precisely set up weaponry and traps. There was nothing he felt more important about than planning ahead. The current state of the city made it just that much more important, and from his standpoint he was an enemy of the terrorists and law alike. Gaining some sort of neutral ground with the law was a top priority, but not until he deduced those working undercover inside the force. It was a difficult situation, one in which needed to be sorted. Everything was in place except one final item, a weapon in which he slowly dragged along. He managed to get it through the wide opening through a back door. The issue became how he would relocate the seven foot steel weapon to the second level.
"Need a hand?"
Bruce hindered further movement and searched for the speaker. His search was short spotting the familiar face across the room. The individual stood at 6'3, dark brown suit, red tie, white undershirt and glasses over his eyes.
"Clark, you shouldn't be here."
"What are you doing?"
"It isn't your concern." Bruce glared.
Clark walked and stopped a couple feet short of Bruce.
"This entire location is surrounded by hidden weapons, and if I didn't know any better I'd say you're preparing for war. We don't yet know who's behind the mask of the Daunting Phantom, so just what exactly are you doing here?"
"Who says this has to do with the Specters. I'm a vigilante Clark, there's more than a few that want my head. In time that'll change, actions speak louder than words."
"No matter what, you will not and cannot convince everyone. You're operating outside the law, and many will never look past that. This is no different than how things were in our world."
"I'm aware of that." Bruce replied.
Silence followed as Bruce dragged the heavy item toward a nearby staircase.
"If not the Specters of Shadows, what is your reasoning behind all this? Who and what are you planning to battle against?" Clark questioned.
"I'm planning ahead. There might come a time this location will play into my favor and I'm thinking sooner rather than later." Bruce answered.
Clark let his words sink in for a moment and had a pretty good understanding of what his colleague had in mind. He moved forward and easily lifted the seven foot item over his head with one hand. Without effort he flew upward to the second level and carefully dropped it down in the mid-section of the room.
"Did you want this somewhere in particular?"
Clark looked to the staircase where Bruce emerged from atop the steps.
"Right there is fine, but don't you have somewhere to be? Better yet what brought you here?"
"I happened to be working a story on the edge of town and picked up on sounds in this location. It was peculiar coming from an abandoned location like this so I decided to have a look."
"And what of your stalkers?"
"Don't worry," Clark straightened his shoulders, "They haven't been on my trail for most the day. By the way what is the name of this thing?"
Clark looked to the seven foot steel item.
"It's a Wedeltriz Disrupter. It causes malfunctions to anything caught in its electrical blast radius. Any cyborg or vehicle caught in the blast would be immobile. The effects lasts for a little over five minutes."
Clark watched Bruce travel down the steps and returned with another couple items, each of which resembled boosters/rockets. Bruce connected each of the items to the Wedeltriz Disrupter. Shortly thereafter he activated a small computer device in the form of a watch over his wrist.
"What's that?" Clark stepped forward.
"Setting the coordinates for the cave on the mountain side. Most weapons here are expendable, but not the Wedeltriz Disrupter. If a situation presents itself that I must relocate it, I'll be ready."
"Anything new concerning the enemy?" Clark questioned.
"No."
"I see," Clark walked toward the exit, "I should get a move on. I'll keep contact."
He took off down the steps and out the door.
XXX
Police vehicles were visible up and down the block. Yellow tape surrounded the residence, and felt like deja vu for two of section nine's best. Paz and Togusa stepped under the yellow tape and through the front door of the home. Each headed for the game room and already forensics were on scene dusting for prints. Just as the previous crime scenes there were two victims. One male and the other female.
"I'm guessing Aoi has struck again," Togusa positioned beside Ryan Sho, "Names of the victims?"
"Bridget Cyate and Hermen Cyate. The trend continues, they've been married for only three weeks. Family of theirs was over yesterday afternoon and they didn't sense that anything was different or odd." Ryan informed.
Hermen was bounded by his wrists and ankles to a pool table with his throat slashed. Bridget hung from the ceiling a chain connected to her wrists. Cuts and bruises were visible over her body and her throat cut open. Both victims were in nude, their clothing spread out around the room.
"We've also got something over here," Stephanie Chiho appeared from Togusa's left, "Take a look lieutenant."
Ryan was the first over followed by Paz and Togusa. The Lieutenant took a closer look, and placed gloves over his hands before making another move. As Ryan went through he quickly determined the hard drive had recently been wiped of seventy percent of its content. The find was troubling, but he had no idea what it meant.
"Get this thing unplugged and bagged, we need to get it further evaluated at the lab!"
"Yessir!" Two replied across the room.
Togusa and Paz understood why the police requested section nine's assist given Aoi's background with hacking and link to the government. Orders were orders so neither complained.
XXX
It was difficult to say if the day was a success or not. The items stolen from Turik Enterpriseswere well documented but had not yet been released. Only a select few were aware of what was stolen, and even Motoko and Section Nine weren't briefed on what was taken. Motoko knew whatever it was had to be important, but to what extent she could not say. The day in the office was over, but there were nights Motoko traveled with her work back home and tonight was one of those nights.
She studied video feed sent from Turik Enterprisessecurity people, all of which covered the moments the masked criminals broke into one of the main facilities. Views of inside the facility weren't given, and was somewhat frustrating.
"Just what are they hiding?" Motoko leaned forward in deep thought.
She replayed the footage over and over eying each of the masked men as the escaped from the facility carrying a black duffle bag. Shortly thereafter they engaged in open gunfire with incoming security officials. Seven suffered minor injuries while two others were rushed to the hospital in critical condition but both expected to survive. Officials of Turik Enterprisesnor its CEO showed much signs of cooperating on a wide scale. Following the shootout the gunmen retreated to the south side of the building. Motoko was just about ready to close up shop until her eyes picked up on a small detail. It was something anyone could easily overlook as she'd already done several times. She reversed the footage and froze it at a specific frame and zoomed in.
The first two gunmen passed down the steps in a hurry but it wasn't either of the two that caught her attention. It was the third individual. As they turned a corner in route to a lower level the sleeve of his coat got caught in between a railing and a section of his wrist in clear view. Something caught her attention just above the wrist and in a couple clicks the imagery was enhanced and made clearer.
"A tattoo," Motoko whispered as she took a closer look with the number 53 beside it, "Or more accurately half of one."
It wasn't much but it was more than what she had. She connected the end of a cord to the back of her neck and the other into the computer and uploaded the video feed to her cyber brain. It was difficult to make out what the object was but looked similar to a tail. With that done she scanned the small section of the tattoo that was visible and ran it through an open database hoping to find additional pieces to an unfinished puzzle. Too her greatest delight the search didn't last long and on screen was art of a turtle displaying that same tail.
She furthered the search isolating twelve different parlors that distributed the specific art. That however wasn't enough and that's when her eyes locked in on the number 53. Motoko had no clue if it bared any significance but went ahead and incorporated it into the search. The search led her to files of a governmental branch. Passing through the initial firewalls wasn't much an issue. Once in she came across a file that was locked. Decoding the file and opening it with all contents intact took some time. The title read "Elite Force Zero." She processed the information as fast she could reading through and learned Elite Force Zero was a disbanded unit produced by the legislature. Their purpose was to carry out secret missions given to them by the government. They were also responsible for cleaning up and silencing those that needed silencing.
In total were eighty assigned members to the unit before disbanded. She skimmed through images of each member, all of which shared the same tattoo. Not only that but each had his own separate number alongside it. She promptly searched through the files and came across a single individual.
"Roberto Nasce..."
Motoko looked the individual over possessing the number 53 as part of his tattoo. The piece of art was also in the same spot as the individual captured on video escaping from the crime scene. He was no doubt one of the individuals' responsible for the break in and essentially a member to the Specters of Shadows! The search didn't stop there, and she performed additional searches of the other members. Nearly twenty of the previous members were killed during missions or for other causes. More than half still alive had documented living addresses, which included Roberto.
No one truly knew how the Specters came to be or how the recruiting process took place, but if Roberto was brought in, it was very possible others from the disbanded unit were selected as well. Searching each in depth would take time and there was no telling when the terrorists might strike again. And with that in mind Motoko saved Roberto's address to her system.
"Batou, Saito...I need your assist, where are you?"
"All ears Major, whatsup?" Saito replied.
"I'm listening." Batou said.
"Good, I'm sending you coordinates to a specific address. Let's keep this under wraps for now. Get headed in that direction and I'll explain everything as we go."
To Be Continue
