16 | Captive Audience Part II
Makoto looked like a nervous wreck as she paced back and forth across the floor of her living room. Yet, hers was far from the worst disposition of anyone in the room. A very tearful Usagi was huddled at one corner of the sofa, enveloped by an equally miserable Minako who tried desperately to comfort her. Although each girl felt terrible about Rei's disappearance, the brunette fully understood why it had affected Usagi the most. After so much delay and consternation, the friendship between the princess and the shrine maiden would have been fully restored that evening. Unfortunately, Usagi never had an opportunity to tell Rei that she had forgiven her.
Ami was isolated from the others, and for a good reason. Transformed as Sailor Mercury, she sat at the dining room table and stared at a stream of data from her communicator while a separate list of random numbers and letters flowed across the translucent screen of her visor. Every now and then a tear would slide down her cheek and she would lift a hand to wipe it away. Otherwise her undivided attention was focused upon the task everyone desired but only she could achieve, which was to find Rei. Or, at least it was.
"Any updates, Ami?" Luna sat on the table and peered at a picture of a map that was displayed on her minicomputer.
"The only thing that I'm getting is that she is somewhere in North America, but I have not been able to pin down an exact location." Her chest raised and settled as she heaved a tremendous sigh. "Normally that wouldn't make much sense as the data from the GPS tracker in Rei-chan's communicator, before I lost all signal, indicated that she had moved halfway around the world in a matter of minutes."
"That means it had to be either the Dark Kingdom or Sazaratha who kidnapped Rei."
She nodded. "But, which opponent took her, and why? What was their motivation? What do they plan to do to Rei-chan? How much time does she have before they decide to do anything worse to her? Those are just a few of the many questions that are frustrating me." For the first time in an hour, she shifted her gaze so that its focus was on something other than her visor. "Clearly, motive questions are almost impossible to answer at this stage, but they're also the most meaningful, besides the most obvious one."
"Maybe we can use the computer at the special training room to help with the search."
"That might help. I feel I need all the computing power I can get right now." She tapped a few buttons on her computer and sighed once again. "Even with this, I don't think I'm working quickly enough."
"I'm sure Artemis and I could help you out as well." The feline turned and padded toward the table's edge, ready to leap off. "We can leave now if you want."
Ami peeked beyond the confines of her visor at Usagi. It appeared the blonde's crying spell had neared its end, but she remained blatantly depressed. Then again, everyone else was depressed as well. She stood from her seat and pressed her earring to remove the visor. Another flash of light later revealed Ami in the pale blue dress she had picked out for the party. Her minicomputer did not disappear with the transformation, and it remained active even as she slipped it into her purse. With a curt nod at Luna, she stepped away from the table and walked toward the door.
"We'll probably only have a few hours to work, as I do need to be at school tomorrow."
"Do we?" Usagi lifted her head to point a melancholy gaze at Ami and speak to the girl in a glum whisper. "Is school really important right now?"
Makoto halted her pacing to answer the question for her friend. "What else can we do, though? I want her back just as much as the rest of us, but we're pretty powerless to find her. I mean, where would we even begin to search?"
"I don't like it either, but Mako-chan's right," Minako added. "The best we can do is to not drive ourselves crazy, as hard as that is. If that means still going to school and keeping some semblance of a normal life while doing whatever tiny thing we can to help find Rei-chan, then so be it."
There were a few seconds during which everyone had gazed expectedly at Usagi before she finally broke the silence. "It feels so much like I'm abandoning her. There's nothing more important to me right now than finding her as quickly as possible." It appeared as though she would start to cry yet again, but unlike before the tears never left her eyes. "But, you're right. We can't just give up everything else. We will find her, but it does us no good to completely stop our own lives. Somehow I sense she wouldn't like that too much."
Her newfound resolve gave her the strength to push away from the sofa and onto her feet. From there, she marched to the spot where she had thrown her purse to the floor, opening the purse and retrieving her communicator.
"What are you doing, Usagi?" Artemis was not alone in examining the blonde with a curious gaze.
"I'm calling Kunzite-san. While you and Luna help Ami, I'll go do what I can to find her." She gave him a strange grin upon seeing growing incredulity in his expressions. "What? It's not the first time I've had him help me find someone."
"Huh?" Ami was, to say the least, flabbergasted by the admission. "What are you talking about?"
Her smile widened as she turned toward Ami. "Remember when we went to go see papa for the first time since the accident?" The water senshi nodded. Everyone else looked at Usagi strangely, but she continued undaunted. "Well, before that, Kunzite-san and I met with Naru-chan."
"Wait… wasn't Osaka-san and her mother in San Francisco at the time. She didn't come home until…"
"That's not the point, Ami-chan! The point is I can find her if I put forth the effort. It took us about two hours of scouring the city, but we found Naru-chan. So, yes, I'll still be going to school and all, but as soon as classes end I'll have Kunzite-san help me look for Rei-chan."
Ami opened her mouth to respond, but it was Makoto who beat her to the punch, gently grasping Usagi's shoulder while speaking in a firm tone. "Usagi-chan, we barely have the slightest idea where she could possibly be. I overheard Ami-chan say something about Rei maybe being in North America. It doesn't take a geography major to know that's a lot of land to search."
"Mako-chan has a point," Ami said. "The GPS data I'm analyzing says, at least for right now, that she's on that continent. But, that includes everything from Canada to Panama. I just don't have any more information beyond that."
The look of disgust that shone in Minako's eyes startled the others when they turned their attention to her. "Not only that, but I'd bet that slime ball Sazaratha took good care to put Rei-chan somewhere we can't find her very easily."
"Minako-chan, we're not even sure it was Sazaratha, as it's very possible Beryl was responsible as well."
The blonde dismissed Ami's suggestion with a fervent shake of her head. "Nah, it's Sazaratha's fault. I'm sure of it. Sure, Beryl's bad and all, no doubt about it. But Sazaratha's a completely different kind of evil. As far as I know, Beryl never killed any children the way Sazaratha did. I'll never forgive her for that."
After finding the other girls just as perplexed as her, Makoto turned her gaze to Minako. "Um, what're you talking about?"
"Okamoto Miyako," Artemis replied in her stead. "She was an eight-year-old girl from Toyama who had gone missing along with her parents in early January. The police found the bodies of her parents a few days later, but the girl was never located."
"Until I saw her earlier this month." She folded her arms across her chest and huffed loudly. "Remember that battle I told you guys about, the one that made me late for my math exam? Well, that's the reason why, because Sazaratha was messing with me, using that little girl as bait no less. Why she didn't go ahead and kill me outright I don't know, but I'm not complaining."
"Hmm. If it is Sazaratha who kidnapped Rei-chan, then…" An extremely pale Ami nearly dropped her purse at the unspoken notion. "We're not wasting our time, are we?"
"No, Ami-chan." Usagi's small yet tender smile swiftly put the entire room at ease. "She isn't dead. She's troubled, that much I know. But, as long as I can still feel her soul, then I still have hope."
"Huh?" Awe and bewilderment intermixed in Makoto's voice. "I never knew you had that power."
The pigtailed blonde initially chuckled, but her tone quickly became solemn. "Hey, I didn't know either. And, I probably didn't gain it until I fully became Princess Serenity. After that, if I concentrated hard enough, I could feel where all of you were." She paused for a few seconds and slowly passed her gaze from one girl to the next. "What worried me at times was when I didn't have to concentrate at all to feel these things. It meant that you were in a lot of pain, which meant I was in a lot of pain as well. That was especially true for Rei-chan, as there were many nights where I could feel her suffering. It scared me at first, not just because I knew what she was going through but because there was nothing I could do to help her."
"What was hurting her?" Ami asked.
"Her own guilt, mostly." A dismal sigh slipped past her lips. "That's why I wanted to see her tonight so badly. But, I'll see her again. Even if I have to search every square millimeter of this planet to find her, I will see her again."
"Um, Usagi?" Luna walked up to the girl, who, upon realizing the meaning behind the expression she received, bent down to lift the cat from the floor. "Thanks for bringing us back to our original point, which was that you're not going to find Rei so easily that way. There's not enough time, or enough of us for that matter, to make that idea feasible."
"However," Artemis hastily added, "if we can help Ami to narrow down the range for where she last spotted Rei's communicator, then it would not be so bad."
Minako turned a worried gaze to her advisor. "So, what do we do, then?" Before anyone could respond, she provided an answer to her own question in the form of her grumbling stomach.
"Well, we didn't get anything to eat tonight, so making dinner for all of us is step one." Makoto turned a faint grin to Ami. "I'd imagine it would be easier for you to work when you're not hungry."
Frustration remained with Minako as she leaped from the sofa and placed her hands on her hips. "That's fine, as I know there's no way my mom's feeding me dinner at home this late. But what do I do?"
"Easy," Luna said, smirking at her charge. "Stay with Usagi and make sure she doesn't fly off somewhere with Kunzite."
"Luna…" Holding the feline made the task of glaring at her much easier. "I got the point already."
"I'm just making sure."
"Anyway, it probably wouldn't hurt to have you all join me," Ami interjected. "If nothing else, the thought of having you nearby would put my mind at ease."
Makoto yawned as she brought her hands together and stretched them over her head. "Well then, I guess that settles it. We'll see you in an hour or so with dinner, Ami-chan."
Ami nodded and, after scooping up Luna and Artemis, returned Makoto's friendly wave and left the apartment. Minako and Usagi started to follow, but were stopped by a light tug on their arms before they could travel far. It left the former feeling incredibly confused.
"What?"
"You two are going to stay here and help me make dinner."
Usagi's visage became remarkably apologetic. "You're not afraid I'm going to mess up your kitchen again? I mean, I still feel really bad for what happened last time."
"Oh, I already know it's going to be an utter disaster, especially with Minako-chan joining you." The pair of pouts she received merely caused her to chuckle. "But, that also means I get lots of help in cleaning up."
—|1|2|—
Twenty-four hours had elapsed from the last time the girls met with one another in their desperate attempt to locate Rei. Progress toward that goal was excruciatingly slow, if not completely nonexistent. Despite the combined power of Ami's minicomputer and the machine that operated the special training room, the water senshi was no closer to zeroing in on her missing friend. Although they were not even remotely experts with computers, the other three girls did all they could to help. It merely added to the overwhelming frustration that filled the excruciatingly tiny control room.
"Maybe we should take a break." Makoto sighed as she attempted to stretch out her arms but found that she could not do so without hitting Usagi square in the face.
Ami rose from her chair, the only one in the room, and turned toward the brunette. "I concur. You guys are pretty cramped in here as it is, and even I can see it's making you antsy."
"Well, how about we go upstairs to the fruit parlor and get something to drink?" Minako asked.
Artemis hid the disappointment that covered his face behind a paw. "It was hard enough getting in here the first time without looking suspicious. What makes you think it's a good idea to try it again?"
"Couldn't we just make our own drinks here?" Usagi turned toward Luna and smirked. "Much like that strawberry and banana ice cream sundae a certain somebody still owes me. It's not like I've forgotten, you know."
"Right, right. I'll get you one so you can stop nagging me about it." She shook her head in annoyance. "Anyway, she has a point. We can go into the simulation environment. In there, we can make just about anything we want."
Ami's gaze shot toward the black feline, and a spark of recognition twinkled in her eyes upon hearing the comment. "You mean, like a supercomputer?"
"Um, Ami-chan." Minako's visage was jovial as she stared at her friend. "Now I definitely know you've been working at that thing for way too long. Even I know that you can't drink a computer."
"No. I mean, can't we construct a supercomputer inside the simulation environment, one larger and more powerful than what we're currently using?" Her eyes widened with anticipation after yet another realization struck her. "I can't imagine a logical error with this idea, as the simulations are driven mostly by magic, with the computers designed to set the boundaries within which the magic works. In other words, I'm not really trying to get this computer to emulate a much more powerful computer, which would be impossible. I'm merely telling this computer to allow a world in which far more powerful computers can exist."
"I never really thought about that," Luna said. "But, it does make sense. There might be limits to the physical size of the machine we make, for I don't know how much three-dimensional space we can actually simulate here."
"That's okay. I'm not contemplating anything too large, yet." A mischievous grin tugged at her lips. "A supercomputer roughly the size of the moon should be just fine for now."
Makoto chuckled. "Only Ami-chan would think a computer the size of the moon is small."
"I was originally thinking Earth-sized, but I figured it would take a little too much time to solve the technical challenges involving parallel processing, data bus latency, and the like."
A loud huff preceded Minako folding her arms in front of her chest and pouting. "Anyway, before you start making any new moons or Death Stars or anything like that, can't we at least get our drinks first?"
"Oh, of course." Her grin only widened. "After all, there's no reason why we wouldn't be able to do both simultaneously."
Just as Ami and Luna commenced construction of the dual simulations, Usagi's communicator started to beep loudly and vibrate. Looking at the screen, she saw that it was her mother calling her. Feeling both confusion and worry, especially since Ikuko used the senshi communicator instead of her cell phone, she hastily pushed the button to initiate the video chat.
"Usagi, do you girls have access to a television there?"
She started to relax upon knowing that whatever issue her mother had called her about was not a dire emergency involving another attack on her family. "I'm pretty sure we can access pretty much any channel we want here. Why?"
"Rei-san's father is about to give a press conference directly concerning her disappearance a few minutes from now. The news reporters are suggesting that she was kidnapped, and that he will address their demands in his comments."
Confusion twisted Usagi's features, as it had done to everyone else in the room. "But, didn't we all agree that Sazaratha had taken Rei-chan?"
"Sure, and I believe it as well. Of course, the rest of the world has no idea that Sazaratha even exists."
Ami slid out of her chair and walked next to Usagi so that she was in view of the communicator's front camera. "Either it's a diversion, with the assumption that we wouldn't know by now that she was responsible, or she's sending us a message in code."
"You mean, as in she's taunting us," a surly Minako stated. "As if she hasn't caused us enough pain already."
Luna pushed a few buttons on the control panel, bringing up one of the many channels broadcasting the press conference. "Let's watch what he has to say regardless. That way, it'll take us less time to figure out what she's trying to tell us."
Minutes later Hino Takashi appeared on screen and the event formally began. He appeared more haggard than usual, a result of an extremely busy and anxious night, though he tried gamely to retain some semblance of dignity. The four girls and two cats watched in silence as he started to speak.
As you know by now, my remarks concern the disappearance of my daughter yesterday evening. Regarding this, I, um… I have some prepared comments that I would like to read. But, before I get to those, there's something else that I have to say. Something I should have said long ago, to the person who needed to hear it from me the most.
Several seconds of silence followed. His head was turned downward, as though he was staring at the binder he had brought with him to the podium. Up to that moment he had appeared uncertain, and his speech was tentative. That all disappeared when he lifted his gaze. The eyes he pointed at the camera directly in front of him revealed nothing more than fierce resolve.
For the past twenty years, I strived to serve the people who have elected me and who I represent with great pride and dignity. The diligence and hard work, and the many hours I spent away from home, were necessary burdens in order to gain the honor of the people's trust. It was a duty that I grew to enjoy, and that remains true to this very day.
However, in my zeal to achieve the political influence necessary to properly represent the needs of the many, I forgot about the two people who truly needed me most. The first is my late wife Risa. She was the most special person in my life, and my love for her truly was immense. Quite possibly the only other person who I could claim to love more is our daughter. The pain I caused her, the pain I caused both of them, through my absence and neglect is absolutely appalling. What work I had during the time my wife was gravely ill, when my daughter was the only one by her side, should have been insignificant in my mind. To my dear Risa, and more so, to my daughter, my precious Rei, I offer you my most sincere apologies.
To emphasize the point, he stepped clear of the podium. Typically, a person of his stature and public nature would have given a short bow or, in the case of an egregious fault, a full bend at the waist to the point where his chest was parallel to the ground. Nothing more was deemed necessary when apologizing to the public, especially when one simultaneously attempted to save face. Thus, when he dropped to his knees and touched his head to the ground, it was quite a shocking turn of events to the assembled journalists. After several seconds of genuflection, he rose to his feet and returned to the podium.
Rei, I know that my neglect has caused our relationship to become difficult over the years. I am also aware that I have done almost nothing before now to atone for my sins in this matter. I have put my job as a public servant ahead of my responsibilities as a parent. But, beyond the few opportunities such as our meeting yesterday, I just have not been there for you. That will change, and it will change starting today. It will be hard at first, I admit. We will need to learn how to talk to each other without our discussions devolving into arguments. Again, the hard feelings that led to such arguments were a direct consequence of my absence, and I once again beg for your forgiveness. But, I believe we can rebuild our relationship over time, and I promise I will devote all the time needed, and even more.
Beyond whatever project I have overseen or nascent legislation I have guided into law, this is the single most important thing I have done in my life. And I hope it is just as important for you as well. The few words I've never seemed to say during the few times we've met, I will say them now. I love you, Rei. I truly, truly love you. In absorbing myself in my work I seemed to have forgotten that basic fact, but I really do love you. Even if you don't feel the same about me, and I absolutely understand why you might hate me, know that I do love you, more than you might ever believe.
During the twenty-four hours that you have been gone, finding you and bringing you back to safety has been my only thought. I wish that it was me who they had abducted, so that you've never had to endure what you're enduring right now. However, I honestly believe that, no matter what happens today, you will be rescued and you will be brought back to the people who love you.
Once again, he looked down at the podium and the binder. His gaze slowly shifted to the long tube lying on the floor nearby. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, releasing it slowly over the course of several seconds. Then, he opened them once again. Trepidation had overtaken the outright determination that had previously defined his features. Nevertheless, he pressed on, lifting the binder from the wooden surface and holding it in the air.
The persons responsible for Rei's kidnapping have sent me this script to read before you tonight. It contains the list of demands that they wanted me to fulfill in order to secure my daughter's release. I reviewed this list with my staff. Although I will not reveal here the entire list, I will tell you the three most pertinent entries. The first is that I read this script in its entirety.
He casually dropped the binder to the floor, causing a few sheets of paper to fly out upon impact. His act prompted a muted gasp from almost everyone within the room.
I am sure they understand why I will not do that. The second was that I announce my resignation here and now, before the witness of the entire nation. If I do resign, or withdraw my candidacy for future election, it will only be to spend more time with Rei. That is a personal decision that I make on my own, not because some rogue organization tells me to. But, until that time comes, I still have an obligation to the people who have elected me to serve them.
Lastly, they have demanded that I perform a certain act before you all. I must admit, even up to now, it was something I continuously mulled over until I approached this podium. My hesitation is understandable, despite my fervent desire to see my daughter freed. However, by agreeing to this demand, I realize that I will accomplish nothing that I have said I hoped for at the beginning of this press conference. It might seem callous of me that I openly reject a demand of someone who is holding my daughter hostage. However, I wholeheartedly believe that nothing is gained by anyone involved here if I were to commit suicide here as they desire. If their motive is profit, they would need me alive to receive a single yen. If it is revenge for some unknown wrong I might have committed against them, then my daughter is already dead no matter what I do here. So, this is why I choose to live, for only if I live can I fulfill my promise to her.
In closing, there is one last thing I want to say to the people who have kidnapped Rei. I will have my daughter back, and she will return to me unharmed. If money is what you want, that is fine. We can negotiate. But, I doubt that is your goal. If it is a shift in government policy that you desire, then I assure you that joining the political process will offer you greater success. However, if it is to humiliate me or break my spirit, then I am afraid that you have failed miserably. And, if you dare bring harm to Rei because of this, then you will face not just my personal wrath, but that of the entire Japanese government and its people. That much I can promise you.
A collective sigh echoed about the small chamber when Takashi Hino walked away from the podium. So caught up were they in their emotions, the girls and their feline advisors were left speechless for several moments. Eventually, it was Minako who had broken the silence.
"I always knew he really did love her." A light smile graced her lips even as she shook her head.
Makoto mimicked her friend's motions. "The phrase, 'you never really know what you lost until it's gone,' comes to mind here."
"Yeah, no kidding."
Ami's expressions were more neutral, if not slightly dour, and she soon explained why. "I'm glad he finally understands what he had done to Rei-chan. However, his antics trouble me. If we're right about Sazaratha being the one who had kidnapped Rei, and if what he said about the demands are true, then he just flat out rebuffed Sazaratha on national television. Further, he eliminated any possibility of us receiving whatever message she had intended to send to us."
"I'm worried too." Usagi's sigh this time was fretful instead of awed. "We all know how evil Sazaratha is, but I've experienced firsthand just how petty she can be as well. I know he meant well, and the last thing Hino-san wanted was for Rei-chan to be hurt, but I think he might have done more harm than good."
She did not mean to completely destroy the generally happy mood, but her words had done exactly that. However, it did help to refocus them on their primary task for the evening.
"In that case, I think we'd better get that supercomputer of yours built now." Luna shifted her gaze from Ami to the other girls, primarily Minako. "Drinks can wait for later."
The blonde shrugged and nodded. "That's fine. I just don't know what I can do to help in the meantime."
"It won't take much processing power to set up this environment," Artemis said. "So, you guys can still help analyze the GPS data while we're doing this."
Minako, Makoto, and Usagi immediately returned to doing the task they had performed before the ill-fated attempt at taking a break. The press conference served that role well enough. The girls were content to ignore their mounting fatigue and aching backs and limbs for a while longer. After all, their friend and comrade faced a far worse fate. In essence, time had become their greatest enemy. The only problem was, they had no idea how much of it they had to work with.
That was, until Usagi told them.
The blonde's pen, and the rest of her body, froze midway through the list of numbers she was scribbling onto the data pad. Minako was the first to notice, her curiosity piqued upon hearing the pen drop to the floor. She saw Usagi lift her head and stare straight ahead at nothing in particular. That alone did not alarm her as she figured her princess was preoccupied with thought. Her apprehension soared when she saw tears stream down paler than usual cheeks. Her suspicions that something was very wrong was confirmed when her princess pulled her knees into her chest, hugged herself tightly, and started sobbing uncontrollably. Inevitably, everyone else joined Minako in feeling concern for Usagi and apprehension about what had precipitated their princess's abrupt sorrow.
"No… R-Rei-chan…"
Minako quickly moved drape her arms around Usagi in a tender hug, which also allowed her to better hear the girl's mumbled whispers. "What's wrong with Rei-chan?"
"She's… she's…"
