Chapter Six: Mission
"Those ankles belong to . . . Manx!" Youji pronounced as he lifted heavy metal door back up.
Manx smiled and shook her head. "I'll never know how you do it, Balinese."
He slung an arm around her shoulders and leered at her suggestively. "Why don't you take a night off and I'll show you."
Aya scowled at Youji. "Let's go," he said, heading toward the basement door.
He missed the wry look Manx shot Youji as she deftly shrugged off his arm. "Get Siberian and Bombay and meet us downstairs for debriefing."
"Anything for you." Youji gave her a sweeping, debonair bow and moved to stand at the foot of the stairs shouting, "Oi! Ken, Omi! Manx is here!"
Two doors opened and slammed in tandem as Youji made his way down to the basement. Aya had already taken a seat on the couch, his long legs stretched out in front of him. Manx was cuing the video in their VCR. She turned and waited expectantly for Ken and Omi to settle themselves before pushing play.
Persia's shadowed form appeared and he began his narrative. "Makoto Keisuke is a discerning business man and a good citizen on the outside, but we have reason to suspect that he is involved in a number of illegal activities." The picture changed to show a candid shot of Makoto.
Aya shifted. Makoto Keisuke? Where have I heard that name before?
Persia went on, "First, you must find evidence that he is behind the businesses that front drug and prostitution rings." Four shots of buildings were shown in quick succession. "Turn in your evidence to Manx, and Kritiker will decide what to do from there. White hunters in the night, hunt the tomorrow of the dark beast!"
Aya stiffened as he remembered Schuldich's words. ". . . if he keeps poking around in Makoto Keisuke's business, he'll wind up dead!"
Manx's voice broke his train of thought. "Everyone in?"
He nodded slowly, debating whether to mention Schuldich.
"I'll start the search," Omi said, grabbing the videotape from Manx and heading toward his computer.
"I'll help." Ken trailed after him.
Aya looked from Manx to Youji and back. "Manx," he started carefully.
She gave him her attention. Youji moved to stand behind him.
Aya stood up. "Schwarz may be involved."
He heard Youji's audible intake of air.
Manx merely raised her eyebrows. "I'll make sure Persia is informed. Be careful boys." With that parting shot, she made her way up the stairs and showed herself out.
Youji gave him a piercing look. "Schwarz?"
Aya just shrugged and said nothing as he moved toward the door.
"Aya." Youji grabbed his arm. "Maybe it's time you told me what happened on the roof."
"Maybe it's time you fucked off!" Aya snarled, wrenching his arm away from Youji's grasp. "Don't pry where you're not wanted." He stomped up the stairs
"How's your leg?" The genuine note of concern in Youji's voice stopped Aya halfway up.
"Fine," he said shortly.
~*~*~*~
The truth was, though, that nothing was fine at all. He wasn't really sure what had happened on the roof. He wasn't one to doubt his own senses, but if Youji had really seen nothing, what was he to think? He had even been up to the roof to examine the ground. There was no bloodstain, even though there should have been. The man who didn't want to die . . .
He stood in front of the mirror and gently tugged the bandage off his face. He ran his fingers over the cut. It didn't seem to have healed at all. Still stroking it absently, he sprawled on his bed. The cut was his only proof to himself that there was a man, despite all the evidence to the contrary. It was his only proof that he wasn't going completely crazy.
He suddenly remembered his dream of the samurai killer. He remembered the blood, both on his sword and on his face. The bodies, strewn around him on the street. The rain. The cross scar. Aya touched his cheek again. Could this be . . . connected?
~*~*~*~
Someone calling his name and pounding on the door jerked Aya awake. He rubbed his eyes. Must have fallen asleep.
He crossed the few steps to the door and opened it silently, interupting Ken in mid pound.
Ken looked faintly surprised. "Oh, erm, Aya." He shifted uncomfortably on his feet.
Aya merely gave him his trademark impassive stare.
Ken laughed a little and scratched the back of his head. "It's, um, time to go."
"Right." Aya whirled around and slammed the door in Ken's face. He dressed quickly, picking up his katana from its resting place against his bookcase.
They all went in one car, Omi debriefing them on the way to the site. "Ok, I'll see what I can do about the alarms while you two," he said, looking at Youji and Ken, "do recon around the building. Once I disable the alarms, Aya-kun and I will break in and find the computer lab. You guys are backup in case anything goes wrong, all right?"
All three of them nodded. Omi tapped something on his keyboard and brought up a map of the building. "Here's the computer lab," he said, pointing. "This should just be a quick in and out mission."
Ken asked something about security measures and Aya tuned them out. He leaned his head against the cool glass of the window and wondered if Schuldich would be there waiting for him. For them.
He wasn't. Or at least, he wasn't making an appearance as Aya and Omi ran silently down deserted hallways. Aya stood guard at the door as Omi busied himself with downloading files. He was on edge. He didn't like it that it was so quiet, so deathly still.
As if answering his thoughts, two burly security guards came around the corner, talking animatedly. One of them glanced up to see Aya with his katana ready.
The guard only had time for a startled shout as he fumbled for his gun before Aya was upon him. The other guard turned to go get help, and a split second later, he was dead too.
Omi's head popped out from behind the door. "Everything still okay?"
Aya turned to face him and nodded.
Omi's eyes went wide. "Aya-kun, you're bleeding!"
A jolt of surprise ripped through him. He slowly brought his hand up to his cheek, feeling the warm wetness. He stared at the red stripe on his hand, feeling physically ill. "It's fine, Omi," he lied. "Hurry up and finish before the rest of them get suspicious."
"Hai." Omi disappeared back into the lab.
Aya leaned against the wall. What is going on? he thought.
"Those ankles belong to . . . Manx!" Youji pronounced as he lifted heavy metal door back up.
Manx smiled and shook her head. "I'll never know how you do it, Balinese."
He slung an arm around her shoulders and leered at her suggestively. "Why don't you take a night off and I'll show you."
Aya scowled at Youji. "Let's go," he said, heading toward the basement door.
He missed the wry look Manx shot Youji as she deftly shrugged off his arm. "Get Siberian and Bombay and meet us downstairs for debriefing."
"Anything for you." Youji gave her a sweeping, debonair bow and moved to stand at the foot of the stairs shouting, "Oi! Ken, Omi! Manx is here!"
Two doors opened and slammed in tandem as Youji made his way down to the basement. Aya had already taken a seat on the couch, his long legs stretched out in front of him. Manx was cuing the video in their VCR. She turned and waited expectantly for Ken and Omi to settle themselves before pushing play.
Persia's shadowed form appeared and he began his narrative. "Makoto Keisuke is a discerning business man and a good citizen on the outside, but we have reason to suspect that he is involved in a number of illegal activities." The picture changed to show a candid shot of Makoto.
Aya shifted. Makoto Keisuke? Where have I heard that name before?
Persia went on, "First, you must find evidence that he is behind the businesses that front drug and prostitution rings." Four shots of buildings were shown in quick succession. "Turn in your evidence to Manx, and Kritiker will decide what to do from there. White hunters in the night, hunt the tomorrow of the dark beast!"
Aya stiffened as he remembered Schuldich's words. ". . . if he keeps poking around in Makoto Keisuke's business, he'll wind up dead!"
Manx's voice broke his train of thought. "Everyone in?"
He nodded slowly, debating whether to mention Schuldich.
"I'll start the search," Omi said, grabbing the videotape from Manx and heading toward his computer.
"I'll help." Ken trailed after him.
Aya looked from Manx to Youji and back. "Manx," he started carefully.
She gave him her attention. Youji moved to stand behind him.
Aya stood up. "Schwarz may be involved."
He heard Youji's audible intake of air.
Manx merely raised her eyebrows. "I'll make sure Persia is informed. Be careful boys." With that parting shot, she made her way up the stairs and showed herself out.
Youji gave him a piercing look. "Schwarz?"
Aya just shrugged and said nothing as he moved toward the door.
"Aya." Youji grabbed his arm. "Maybe it's time you told me what happened on the roof."
"Maybe it's time you fucked off!" Aya snarled, wrenching his arm away from Youji's grasp. "Don't pry where you're not wanted." He stomped up the stairs
"How's your leg?" The genuine note of concern in Youji's voice stopped Aya halfway up.
"Fine," he said shortly.
The truth was, though, that nothing was fine at all. He wasn't really sure what had happened on the roof. He wasn't one to doubt his own senses, but if Youji had really seen nothing, what was he to think? He had even been up to the roof to examine the ground. There was no bloodstain, even though there should have been. The man who didn't want to die . . .
He stood in front of the mirror and gently tugged the bandage off his face. He ran his fingers over the cut. It didn't seem to have healed at all. Still stroking it absently, he sprawled on his bed. The cut was his only proof to himself that there was a man, despite all the evidence to the contrary. It was his only proof that he wasn't going completely crazy.
He suddenly remembered his dream of the samurai killer. He remembered the blood, both on his sword and on his face. The bodies, strewn around him on the street. The rain. The cross scar. Aya touched his cheek again. Could this be . . . connected?
Someone calling his name and pounding on the door jerked Aya awake. He rubbed his eyes. Must have fallen asleep.
He crossed the few steps to the door and opened it silently, interupting Ken in mid pound.
Ken looked faintly surprised. "Oh, erm, Aya." He shifted uncomfortably on his feet.
Aya merely gave him his trademark impassive stare.
Ken laughed a little and scratched the back of his head. "It's, um, time to go."
"Right." Aya whirled around and slammed the door in Ken's face. He dressed quickly, picking up his katana from its resting place against his bookcase.
They all went in one car, Omi debriefing them on the way to the site. "Ok, I'll see what I can do about the alarms while you two," he said, looking at Youji and Ken, "do recon around the building. Once I disable the alarms, Aya-kun and I will break in and find the computer lab. You guys are backup in case anything goes wrong, all right?"
All three of them nodded. Omi tapped something on his keyboard and brought up a map of the building. "Here's the computer lab," he said, pointing. "This should just be a quick in and out mission."
Ken asked something about security measures and Aya tuned them out. He leaned his head against the cool glass of the window and wondered if Schuldich would be there waiting for him. For them.
He wasn't. Or at least, he wasn't making an appearance as Aya and Omi ran silently down deserted hallways. Aya stood guard at the door as Omi busied himself with downloading files. He was on edge. He didn't like it that it was so quiet, so deathly still.
As if answering his thoughts, two burly security guards came around the corner, talking animatedly. One of them glanced up to see Aya with his katana ready.
The guard only had time for a startled shout as he fumbled for his gun before Aya was upon him. The other guard turned to go get help, and a split second later, he was dead too.
Omi's head popped out from behind the door. "Everything still okay?"
Aya turned to face him and nodded.
Omi's eyes went wide. "Aya-kun, you're bleeding!"
A jolt of surprise ripped through him. He slowly brought his hand up to his cheek, feeling the warm wetness. He stared at the red stripe on his hand, feeling physically ill. "It's fine, Omi," he lied. "Hurry up and finish before the rest of them get suspicious."
"Hai." Omi disappeared back into the lab.
Aya leaned against the wall. What is going on? he thought.