Project Management Part II
Sylia woke to unfamiliar sounds and smells.
Hisses and pops and strong bitterness made her mind focus. She sat up in her bed and wondered why it was darker than usual. Had she woken early? The bedside clock showed that it was seven ten in the morning. Blinking the sleep away from her eyes helped in noticing that it was the polarized windows that were keeping the sunlight out.
"Windows clear," the Chairwoman said and the brightness began to increase. "Slept in." Sylia tossed the sheet aside and swung her legs onto the floor. Just as she was about to stand up she saw the bandages and it all came crashing back. The gunmen. George's head exploding in the elevator. Fleeing, shooting. Escape. After that, she couldn't remember much more. She didn't want to remember any of it.
Her wardrobe was mirrored. Standing before it she inspected what she was. Grey pits hung beneath her eyes and she thought her skin was whiter than usual. Except where the purple bruises were. In the reflection she saw clothing on the floor that wasn't hers. Women's clothing. Underwear.
Bending down to pick it up was painful. Every part of her body ached, just like after a hard work out the night or day before, the muscles finally registering their protest. The bra and panty set gave off a strong musk causing hours-old images to flash by.
"I'll let you keep them if you want," a woman said from behind her.
Sylia turned around, lingerie held against her chest.
"Candace.?"
"You said my name much better last night, Sylia," Candace said. Naked, she held two black mugs in one hand and a plate of toast and omelets in the other. Her eyes grazed Sylia up and down and she grinned. "I think there's something else I'd rather have for breakfast."
"We?" Sylia couldn't quite remember. Or accept.
Candace sat the plate down on the bed and held out one of the mugs, which Sylia took hesitantly. She shivered when Candace stroked her hip, then breast, then kissed her on the lips. Sylia didn't know if were a shiver of fear or pleasure. She sat when Candace gently pushed her down and sat beside her.
"I suspect you don't use your kitchen much,"
"No. I'm not a very good cook. I used to have a butler do all of it for me before." Sylia replied. She took a sip of the coffee and let her think that it was the coffee that was making her body feel warm.
"You look a little confused." Candace said.
"I think I am. I remember what happened last night. the death."
"But not us?"
An arm slithered around Sylia's waist.
"Flashes. I don't remember everything. We had sex?" Sylia asked.
"Yes." Candace answered. "I should apologise, I guess I took advantage of you when you were still in shock. I. I couldn't help myself, Sylia. You are a beautiful woman and I wanted to comfort you anyway I could. Selfishly I took advantage and."
"And drove the demons away," Sylia finished. Surprising herself she twisted and kissed Candace strongly. The taste of coffee was strong on their lips and tongues.
Sylia would have let herself go if Candace hadn't ended the kiss with a quick peck. She stroked an inviting thigh, Candace layering he own hand on top.
"I think I should let you wake up properly first. I don't want to push you into anything that you may regret." Candace said. She put a slice of toast into Sylia's mouth when she made a move on her again.
Sylia bit of a chunk and took the rest into hand. "Thanks a lot."
"You're recovering."
The reminder took an edge of Sylia's exuberance. "No. I don't think I ever will."
"Let's finish breakfast and not think about last night anymore. Then we'll take a shower, if you want."
Sylia nodded but weakly. Just weak enough for Candace. She was there.
/\/\ss/\/\
"Heeey, anyone here!?" Nene yelled as she thumped up the stairs to the second floor of the Knight Sabres new - albeit dilapidated - headquarters with a heavy computer in her small arms. Sylia's sportscar was in the garage, and the van, so that meant others were around to help her lug the gear upstairs. Hopefully someone strong and male like Daily or Nigel. Crummy lifting wasn't a job for a genius like her.
"Oi!" Nene yelled again, kicking open the landing door and hurrying through before it closed on her. She hated it when that happened.
"Morning, Nene. Do try not to make such a racket." Daily breezed past her to the windows and opened a blind a little.
"You were supposed to offer me help, Mr Wong." Nene growled.
"Oh, sorry." Daley said but didn't move, furthering annoying the diminutive young woman.
Nene put the computer down - thud - and put hands on hips, ready to give the former co-worker/adversary and now co-worker/ally a piece of her mind when Linna did a breeze by past her as well. What stunned Nene's mind into utter inactivity for many seconds (something that nobody would think possible of her hyperactive synaptic root system) was that Linna was wearing only a shirt and was in the process of buttoning it up from the bottom up, it barely covering her bottom - Nene forcefully stopped her eyes from validating and going any further to check if Linna had anything else on as well (which will remain a mystery) - and she walked over to where Daley was, looked at him strangely for a moment and also looked out the window. It was then Nene's glacial mind registered that Daley wasn't fully dressed either. She was thankful that he had pants on, and a singlet. Then it hit her.
Linna was wearing his shirt!
Oh my God!
"You two look like you've spent the night here," Nene said with a little laugh.
"Yeah. Last night we were really busy," Linna yawned. She stretched up. Nene spun around, wishing she could erase her own memory as easily as she could a hard drive's.
"God, I'm tired." Linna droned.
"I thought you'd be a morning person," Daley said.
"Ha!" Nene exclaimed. "Linna's a log. She snores and drools too. I know, cause when she was sleeping over at my pla-eep." Nene shut up.
Daley burst out laughing. Linna punched him in the ribs and glared at Nene.
"I'm going to take a shower," Linna declared.
"That will be difficult, as we don't have one here." Daley informed, rubbing his side.
"Crap. I feel disgusting, sweaty, and my hairs a mess."
Nene slapped her forehead, sickened. What the hell that those two done last night? Didn't Linna know that Daley was -
"Go home and freshen up. Sylia will probably want her car back too." Daley said.
"Yeah. I should check on her. Rough night. I hope Candace didn't screw looking after her up."
"Eh? What happened to Sylia?" Nene piped.
"Don't you know?" Daley said.
Nene shook her head. She didn't like the way the others face's had just changed. "Bad news?"
/\/\ss/\/\
"I object!" Itto said with a raised voice, showing just how much he disagreed with Sylia's 'proposal'. It was a rare break of decorum for the man, and any Japanese in particular. "This idea is a pointless waste of time and resources of my Department, and I am sure that I echo all the other department directors as well."
"Your objection is duly noted, Mr Itto, but it won't change my mind; even if all of you object." Sylia said to all the members of the Board seated in front of her. She had called an emergency meeting as soon as she'd entered her office, over Candace's objections - which were targeted towards her well being. Sylia had thanked her new companion for her concern, but what she wanted to do was more important than doing nothing and letting her mind replay the incidents of last night over and over. Only a few of the Board had even known what had happened last night before she had informed them all, and her decision to have every Genom and subsidiary employee security checked. "The recent attacks on Genom and my self require this action. They could not have been done without internal assistance."
"Impossible," Itto vocalized. "Yes these incidents are tragic and worry us all, but I do not think that they resemble the conspiracy that you are implying. Genom Security has said that the employee responsible for the factory attack was aggrieved over loss of promotion and his girlfriend leaving him, and the attack last night was by Chinese. How could the two be related at all?"
Sylia balled her hands into fists to control the shaking rage that coursed through her body. Her anger showed clearly enough as those sitting close leant back and away from her.
"I am in charge here! Of Genom. If it weren't for me this company would have died last year and been swallowed up by its competitors! I own the majority stock, I run Genom and you will do what I say and do it well," Sylia yelled.
The rest of the Board looked at their reflections in the table's lacquered surface, stunned to silence by the outburst.
/\/\ss/\/\
"She has gone completely mad, insane." Itto complained. He was back in his office and pacing the carpet. He was also very worried about what Sylia wanted to do, could she find a connection between him and Satoshi, or the Tong?
"What do you expect? Someone is trying to kill her," Candace said.
Itto looked at her sharply, wondering if there was any knowledge in the words of who that someone was. Candace's face remained exasperated from being called from her own work to listen to Itto's rant. She suspected he wanted her for something else as well, that something she no longer had the desire or reason to give.
"Hopefully they'll be lucky next time and end her life."
"You shouldn't say things like that here, Itto. The walls might have ears, and I certainly do." Candace warned.
"You would betray me?" Itto turned on her and stepped close. His face was red. Feral.
"I'm simply trying to get you to calm down," Candace said. Her heart was skipping beats. She'd heard about how violent Japanese men could be towards women. To some, Itto was a killer.
"Then there is a better way," Itto said and grabbed her roughly at the behind, pulling her in, kissing her neck, squeezing her breasts.
Candace turned her face away in disgust but did not struggle as she was lowered to the couch and her skin exposed. Itto stood over her and pulled out his belt, holding it doubled like a cudgel. Candace felt fear. Would he take out his anger on her?
Fortunately, he didn't get the chance. Her phone rang loudly, bunched up by her hip in her skirt. Hurriedly she answered it, stood, smoothed out her clothes. Her voice was shaking when she talked and only a little of it was caused by Itto. The rest by who was on the other end of the line.
"I have to go," Candace said.
"Later. I need -"
"It's important. Maybe some other time," Candace brushed off Itto's hand and quickly exited the room.
/\/\ss/\/\
"We could have a big problem if what you suspect is true, Sylia." 'Chief' Roland said.
He, Leon, and Sylia were seated in his closed office going over the video of the boardroom meeting. She'd had the two former ADP Officers watching from the get go.
"Massive." Leon concurred.
"Itto mentioning the Chinese alerted me. I didn't even know that that's who they were and now that you've told me the Police are keeping it secret and the media don't know." Sylia drummed her fingers on the table.
"Who else knew in official channels that could have told him?" Leon asked.
"Only our security know - or knew. They're under zip lip instructions," Roland said.
"And Daley. Linna too. One of them?" Leon said. Since Daley had returned to Japan, and promptly not been seen around Genom HQ since, he was suspicious of what was going on.
"No." Sylia said. "Neither have close dealings with Itto or Marketing at all. They'd understand the procedures."
"Which leaves us with the proposition that Itto knew from other means. Eye witnesses?"
"One hell of a coincidence." Leon folded his arms. "Did he know that you were going to be there?"
Sylia shrugged. It was hard on her not to be in control of the situation, or without all the facts. She like being on top of things, in control. Playing catch-up was not her style. "Candace knew. She tried to talk me out of it."
Roland and Leon glanced at each other.
"But I know that she was not involved," Sylia added. Candace was her friend. "Itto is the main suspect. His objections to the checks and slip only add weight to the evidence you've already found about his connection to Satoshi."
"They're pretty thin links, Sylia. Not enough to build a case on." Roland said.
"I don't care!" Sylia snapped. She didn't like being second-guessed either. "Sorry. I'm tired."
"Stressed," Leon added.
"I want Marketing checked first, rattle him. It there's enough pressure he may make a mistake."
"If he is involved," Roland warned.
"If he's not, it will be fine. Otherwise. I need to know as soon as possible."
"Or it could make him act again, and succeed," Leon said. "Being hasty could tip our hand."
Roland barked a laugh. "I never thought you that smart, Leon. I'd expect Daley to think of that, not you."
"Thanks for the confidence, Chief," Leon replied, wondering just where the hell Daley was and what he was up to.
/\/\ss/\/\
Daley was back at his flat having lunch after a quick nap, thinking about only one thing.
Linna Yamazaki.
Kissing her had surprised him just as much her, it seemed, until she'd pulled him back onto an incredibly hungry mouth. With the intention of follow up when they got back to base, getting out of Little China had taken but moments. They'd taken Sylia's car to the suburb and Linna showed just how fast (and dangerous) she drove. The slowest part had been getting up stairs. They'd careened from wall to wall unable to take hands or mouths off each other. Clothes had then flown in the bedroom. No time had existed to think through the implications, there had only been need. Hunger in her eyes, fueled by the danger of being chased. They went far but not all the way. Linna hadn't wanted that, neither did he. Not in 'the office' on a lumpy mattress (for him anyway) under a 75 watt globe. It had still been great. Time flew and Linna didn't run out of energy until the early hours made both of them crash with fatigue. It had been nice holding her. What was best was that when they woke up they didn't make out like it had been a mistake. The opposite. Linna had a lovely smile when she woke up. Too bad Nene had been right, Linna did look dreadful when she was asleep. And drool. He hoped the snoring part was wrong. That was something he could not bare. It had been bad enough coping with Leon during stakeouts. Having to put up with a partner - in the intimate sense - would be impossible.
So hard was Daley concentrating on the mental image of Linna, and the important parts of her athletic body, that he didn't hear the smash of his front door as a powerful blow broke the lock. He didn't see the five men rush in until they were right on top of him and only partially saw the blurry fist as it hit the side of his turning head.
/\/\ss/\/\
Linna was heading to Genom HQ to drop of Sylia's car, something that she was loath to do. The brunette loved the car. It was fast, convertible, and handled nearly as well as a hardsuit to her desires. The wind in her hair reminded her of flying, the bounding leap and fall of her armoured form from rooftop to rooftop. Superwoman was she. Queen of the World. That she now had a boyfriend (with a nice firm ass), added to the exhilarating beat of her heart.
He also had a nice firm.
It was Linna's quick reflexes and the responsiveness of the car that saved her life. In traffic she kept to the speed limit, working through gaps to overtake anything going a metre per hour slower. With vehicles on all sides, she didn't give them any more attention than was required to avoid an accident. So the midnight blue van that pulled up next to her was only registered by her sub-consciousness - because it was going faster than her. While she looked ahead and judged gap distances and speeds, her peripheral vision saw the side door of the van slide open and the sunlight that streamed inside illuminate a dark shadow of a man seated on the other side holding a long weapon against his shoulder. The image was sped to the sub- consciousness where it overrode all of Linna's overt functions and made her slam on the break.
The stream of bullets raced over the dipping bonnet of the Sylia's car, striking the crash barrier a lane over and brought all of Linna's attention to the threat. Before the hard brake made her loose control she hit the accelerator again and darted behind the van and through a just big enough gap to the next. The back of the van gouged a hole along the side of the car as it braked. Linna fought the tremor that raced through the car and spared only nanosecond glimpses in her mirrors back to the van that started to come after her again. She couldn't afford to look back in the heavy traffic.
Between them traffic cleared. Linna couldn't floor it to escape. Her car was easily faster and more maneuverable, but too many cars were ahead. She flashed her lights and honked the horn, slipped through gaps. The distance didn't grow fast enough.
Linna saw movement in the cab of the van and dropped her head just in time. Automatic fire roared over head, cracking her windshield and making sparks dance on the back of a lorry ahead of her. The lorry's brake lights went red and she jerked to the right, narrowing avoiding a collision. Bullets followed her as the side door gunmen got her into his sights again. The car she almost hit shuddered and swerved, smacked into another car and catapulted spectacularly into the air.
It crashed behind Linna as she zipped through the opening. The van disappeared behind the cloud of dust and dirt. In the overtaking lane she roared ahead. A sign for an off-ramp one kilometer ahead raised her spirits. She'd be able to loose pursuit in the streets easily.
The ramp came. Looking back, the van was a few hundred metres behind. It wouldn't' be able to catch her.
Linna slowed and eased into the turn.
A single aimed shot from the rifleman punctured the rear right tyre. At speed, the low chassis hit the road in a shower of sparks and tore the wheel out of Linna's hands. Uncontrolled the car spun, tearing screams from Linna as her vision was replaced with rushing blur, and slammed into the off-ramp wall at its sharpest point. Linna jerked hard, hit harder than she had ever been hit before. Her head rushed to meet the steering wheel as the airbag exploded out into her face. The impact crumpled the left side of the car, shattering glass and fibre, tearing the chassis in half. Still spinning the front half crashed to a halt twenty metres down the off-ramp, the force of the blow knocking Linna unconscious as the side of her head hit the door frame and her body twisted in the confines of the seat belt.
The midnight van raced past without slowing.
/\/\ss/\/\
Candace stood in the deserted warehouse, the echo of her heels striking bare concrete fading away.
"I am here," she said aloud. "Just like you wanted."
Silence was her answer.
For a time.
The doors opposite her opened, rattling on old winches. In their middle stood a shape. She couldn't make out any details, whether it was a man or woman, the sunlight behind cast it in black.
She started to walk towards the arrival.
"No further," it said.
Male, she knew. She stopped.
"It is dangerous for me to come here. You had better have a good reason," she said to the mystery man. Her skin was covered in goose bumps.
"I have a very good reason," he said and nothing more.
Candace crossed her arms. She didn't like being played with. "Which is? I've a full mind to turn around and leave her right away. I have work to do."
"And that work is to follow your masters' orders. Or have you forgotten?"
Candace bridled. "No I haven't."
"Good. Neither have they. They say that you are moving too slow. They say that you need help."
"They are wrong. I am gaining increased influence with Sylia Stingray. She now trusts me implicitly," Candace replied.
"I was told that Itto was your agent?" the stranger asked.
"That has changed. He has become a liability, his obsession with wanting to run Genom will get him caught."
"But he might kill her? And then you can take care of him."
Candace wished she could see the face of the man she was talking too. He sounded arrogant.
"It's my operation and I've judged that Sylia herself is a better option. She has shown the capability to survive attacks and is now responding. Her security force is strong."
The man chuckled. "Yes, I found that out some months ago. But I've taken care of some of them already," his voice turned dark. "The first two who humiliated me."
"What does that mean?" Candace asked, worried. Had this man already begun his operations against Genom? The thought angered her. "You aren't to do anything until I give the order. Genom is my responsibility."
"This was personal. In any case, BMC has given me authority to take command of Genom's destruction and I plan to accelerate activities. There is no need for your 'charms' anymore Mlle LeCourviere, not matter how freely offered they are."
"I am a professional. My plan is on schedule -"
"It is obsolete. BMC wants results, now. Genom has to be destroyed before the tender is given for the Tokyo reconstruction project and Stingray dead."
Sylia woke to unfamiliar sounds and smells.
Hisses and pops and strong bitterness made her mind focus. She sat up in her bed and wondered why it was darker than usual. Had she woken early? The bedside clock showed that it was seven ten in the morning. Blinking the sleep away from her eyes helped in noticing that it was the polarized windows that were keeping the sunlight out.
"Windows clear," the Chairwoman said and the brightness began to increase. "Slept in." Sylia tossed the sheet aside and swung her legs onto the floor. Just as she was about to stand up she saw the bandages and it all came crashing back. The gunmen. George's head exploding in the elevator. Fleeing, shooting. Escape. After that, she couldn't remember much more. She didn't want to remember any of it.
Her wardrobe was mirrored. Standing before it she inspected what she was. Grey pits hung beneath her eyes and she thought her skin was whiter than usual. Except where the purple bruises were. In the reflection she saw clothing on the floor that wasn't hers. Women's clothing. Underwear.
Bending down to pick it up was painful. Every part of her body ached, just like after a hard work out the night or day before, the muscles finally registering their protest. The bra and panty set gave off a strong musk causing hours-old images to flash by.
"I'll let you keep them if you want," a woman said from behind her.
Sylia turned around, lingerie held against her chest.
"Candace.?"
"You said my name much better last night, Sylia," Candace said. Naked, she held two black mugs in one hand and a plate of toast and omelets in the other. Her eyes grazed Sylia up and down and she grinned. "I think there's something else I'd rather have for breakfast."
"We?" Sylia couldn't quite remember. Or accept.
Candace sat the plate down on the bed and held out one of the mugs, which Sylia took hesitantly. She shivered when Candace stroked her hip, then breast, then kissed her on the lips. Sylia didn't know if were a shiver of fear or pleasure. She sat when Candace gently pushed her down and sat beside her.
"I suspect you don't use your kitchen much,"
"No. I'm not a very good cook. I used to have a butler do all of it for me before." Sylia replied. She took a sip of the coffee and let her think that it was the coffee that was making her body feel warm.
"You look a little confused." Candace said.
"I think I am. I remember what happened last night. the death."
"But not us?"
An arm slithered around Sylia's waist.
"Flashes. I don't remember everything. We had sex?" Sylia asked.
"Yes." Candace answered. "I should apologise, I guess I took advantage of you when you were still in shock. I. I couldn't help myself, Sylia. You are a beautiful woman and I wanted to comfort you anyway I could. Selfishly I took advantage and."
"And drove the demons away," Sylia finished. Surprising herself she twisted and kissed Candace strongly. The taste of coffee was strong on their lips and tongues.
Sylia would have let herself go if Candace hadn't ended the kiss with a quick peck. She stroked an inviting thigh, Candace layering he own hand on top.
"I think I should let you wake up properly first. I don't want to push you into anything that you may regret." Candace said. She put a slice of toast into Sylia's mouth when she made a move on her again.
Sylia bit of a chunk and took the rest into hand. "Thanks a lot."
"You're recovering."
The reminder took an edge of Sylia's exuberance. "No. I don't think I ever will."
"Let's finish breakfast and not think about last night anymore. Then we'll take a shower, if you want."
Sylia nodded but weakly. Just weak enough for Candace. She was there.
/\/\ss/\/\
"Heeey, anyone here!?" Nene yelled as she thumped up the stairs to the second floor of the Knight Sabres new - albeit dilapidated - headquarters with a heavy computer in her small arms. Sylia's sportscar was in the garage, and the van, so that meant others were around to help her lug the gear upstairs. Hopefully someone strong and male like Daily or Nigel. Crummy lifting wasn't a job for a genius like her.
"Oi!" Nene yelled again, kicking open the landing door and hurrying through before it closed on her. She hated it when that happened.
"Morning, Nene. Do try not to make such a racket." Daily breezed past her to the windows and opened a blind a little.
"You were supposed to offer me help, Mr Wong." Nene growled.
"Oh, sorry." Daley said but didn't move, furthering annoying the diminutive young woman.
Nene put the computer down - thud - and put hands on hips, ready to give the former co-worker/adversary and now co-worker/ally a piece of her mind when Linna did a breeze by past her as well. What stunned Nene's mind into utter inactivity for many seconds (something that nobody would think possible of her hyperactive synaptic root system) was that Linna was wearing only a shirt and was in the process of buttoning it up from the bottom up, it barely covering her bottom - Nene forcefully stopped her eyes from validating and going any further to check if Linna had anything else on as well (which will remain a mystery) - and she walked over to where Daley was, looked at him strangely for a moment and also looked out the window. It was then Nene's glacial mind registered that Daley wasn't fully dressed either. She was thankful that he had pants on, and a singlet. Then it hit her.
Linna was wearing his shirt!
Oh my God!
"You two look like you've spent the night here," Nene said with a little laugh.
"Yeah. Last night we were really busy," Linna yawned. She stretched up. Nene spun around, wishing she could erase her own memory as easily as she could a hard drive's.
"God, I'm tired." Linna droned.
"I thought you'd be a morning person," Daley said.
"Ha!" Nene exclaimed. "Linna's a log. She snores and drools too. I know, cause when she was sleeping over at my pla-eep." Nene shut up.
Daley burst out laughing. Linna punched him in the ribs and glared at Nene.
"I'm going to take a shower," Linna declared.
"That will be difficult, as we don't have one here." Daley informed, rubbing his side.
"Crap. I feel disgusting, sweaty, and my hairs a mess."
Nene slapped her forehead, sickened. What the hell that those two done last night? Didn't Linna know that Daley was -
"Go home and freshen up. Sylia will probably want her car back too." Daley said.
"Yeah. I should check on her. Rough night. I hope Candace didn't screw looking after her up."
"Eh? What happened to Sylia?" Nene piped.
"Don't you know?" Daley said.
Nene shook her head. She didn't like the way the others face's had just changed. "Bad news?"
/\/\ss/\/\
"I object!" Itto said with a raised voice, showing just how much he disagreed with Sylia's 'proposal'. It was a rare break of decorum for the man, and any Japanese in particular. "This idea is a pointless waste of time and resources of my Department, and I am sure that I echo all the other department directors as well."
"Your objection is duly noted, Mr Itto, but it won't change my mind; even if all of you object." Sylia said to all the members of the Board seated in front of her. She had called an emergency meeting as soon as she'd entered her office, over Candace's objections - which were targeted towards her well being. Sylia had thanked her new companion for her concern, but what she wanted to do was more important than doing nothing and letting her mind replay the incidents of last night over and over. Only a few of the Board had even known what had happened last night before she had informed them all, and her decision to have every Genom and subsidiary employee security checked. "The recent attacks on Genom and my self require this action. They could not have been done without internal assistance."
"Impossible," Itto vocalized. "Yes these incidents are tragic and worry us all, but I do not think that they resemble the conspiracy that you are implying. Genom Security has said that the employee responsible for the factory attack was aggrieved over loss of promotion and his girlfriend leaving him, and the attack last night was by Chinese. How could the two be related at all?"
Sylia balled her hands into fists to control the shaking rage that coursed through her body. Her anger showed clearly enough as those sitting close leant back and away from her.
"I am in charge here! Of Genom. If it weren't for me this company would have died last year and been swallowed up by its competitors! I own the majority stock, I run Genom and you will do what I say and do it well," Sylia yelled.
The rest of the Board looked at their reflections in the table's lacquered surface, stunned to silence by the outburst.
/\/\ss/\/\
"She has gone completely mad, insane." Itto complained. He was back in his office and pacing the carpet. He was also very worried about what Sylia wanted to do, could she find a connection between him and Satoshi, or the Tong?
"What do you expect? Someone is trying to kill her," Candace said.
Itto looked at her sharply, wondering if there was any knowledge in the words of who that someone was. Candace's face remained exasperated from being called from her own work to listen to Itto's rant. She suspected he wanted her for something else as well, that something she no longer had the desire or reason to give.
"Hopefully they'll be lucky next time and end her life."
"You shouldn't say things like that here, Itto. The walls might have ears, and I certainly do." Candace warned.
"You would betray me?" Itto turned on her and stepped close. His face was red. Feral.
"I'm simply trying to get you to calm down," Candace said. Her heart was skipping beats. She'd heard about how violent Japanese men could be towards women. To some, Itto was a killer.
"Then there is a better way," Itto said and grabbed her roughly at the behind, pulling her in, kissing her neck, squeezing her breasts.
Candace turned her face away in disgust but did not struggle as she was lowered to the couch and her skin exposed. Itto stood over her and pulled out his belt, holding it doubled like a cudgel. Candace felt fear. Would he take out his anger on her?
Fortunately, he didn't get the chance. Her phone rang loudly, bunched up by her hip in her skirt. Hurriedly she answered it, stood, smoothed out her clothes. Her voice was shaking when she talked and only a little of it was caused by Itto. The rest by who was on the other end of the line.
"I have to go," Candace said.
"Later. I need -"
"It's important. Maybe some other time," Candace brushed off Itto's hand and quickly exited the room.
/\/\ss/\/\
"We could have a big problem if what you suspect is true, Sylia." 'Chief' Roland said.
He, Leon, and Sylia were seated in his closed office going over the video of the boardroom meeting. She'd had the two former ADP Officers watching from the get go.
"Massive." Leon concurred.
"Itto mentioning the Chinese alerted me. I didn't even know that that's who they were and now that you've told me the Police are keeping it secret and the media don't know." Sylia drummed her fingers on the table.
"Who else knew in official channels that could have told him?" Leon asked.
"Only our security know - or knew. They're under zip lip instructions," Roland said.
"And Daley. Linna too. One of them?" Leon said. Since Daley had returned to Japan, and promptly not been seen around Genom HQ since, he was suspicious of what was going on.
"No." Sylia said. "Neither have close dealings with Itto or Marketing at all. They'd understand the procedures."
"Which leaves us with the proposition that Itto knew from other means. Eye witnesses?"
"One hell of a coincidence." Leon folded his arms. "Did he know that you were going to be there?"
Sylia shrugged. It was hard on her not to be in control of the situation, or without all the facts. She like being on top of things, in control. Playing catch-up was not her style. "Candace knew. She tried to talk me out of it."
Roland and Leon glanced at each other.
"But I know that she was not involved," Sylia added. Candace was her friend. "Itto is the main suspect. His objections to the checks and slip only add weight to the evidence you've already found about his connection to Satoshi."
"They're pretty thin links, Sylia. Not enough to build a case on." Roland said.
"I don't care!" Sylia snapped. She didn't like being second-guessed either. "Sorry. I'm tired."
"Stressed," Leon added.
"I want Marketing checked first, rattle him. It there's enough pressure he may make a mistake."
"If he is involved," Roland warned.
"If he's not, it will be fine. Otherwise. I need to know as soon as possible."
"Or it could make him act again, and succeed," Leon said. "Being hasty could tip our hand."
Roland barked a laugh. "I never thought you that smart, Leon. I'd expect Daley to think of that, not you."
"Thanks for the confidence, Chief," Leon replied, wondering just where the hell Daley was and what he was up to.
/\/\ss/\/\
Daley was back at his flat having lunch after a quick nap, thinking about only one thing.
Linna Yamazaki.
Kissing her had surprised him just as much her, it seemed, until she'd pulled him back onto an incredibly hungry mouth. With the intention of follow up when they got back to base, getting out of Little China had taken but moments. They'd taken Sylia's car to the suburb and Linna showed just how fast (and dangerous) she drove. The slowest part had been getting up stairs. They'd careened from wall to wall unable to take hands or mouths off each other. Clothes had then flown in the bedroom. No time had existed to think through the implications, there had only been need. Hunger in her eyes, fueled by the danger of being chased. They went far but not all the way. Linna hadn't wanted that, neither did he. Not in 'the office' on a lumpy mattress (for him anyway) under a 75 watt globe. It had still been great. Time flew and Linna didn't run out of energy until the early hours made both of them crash with fatigue. It had been nice holding her. What was best was that when they woke up they didn't make out like it had been a mistake. The opposite. Linna had a lovely smile when she woke up. Too bad Nene had been right, Linna did look dreadful when she was asleep. And drool. He hoped the snoring part was wrong. That was something he could not bare. It had been bad enough coping with Leon during stakeouts. Having to put up with a partner - in the intimate sense - would be impossible.
So hard was Daley concentrating on the mental image of Linna, and the important parts of her athletic body, that he didn't hear the smash of his front door as a powerful blow broke the lock. He didn't see the five men rush in until they were right on top of him and only partially saw the blurry fist as it hit the side of his turning head.
/\/\ss/\/\
Linna was heading to Genom HQ to drop of Sylia's car, something that she was loath to do. The brunette loved the car. It was fast, convertible, and handled nearly as well as a hardsuit to her desires. The wind in her hair reminded her of flying, the bounding leap and fall of her armoured form from rooftop to rooftop. Superwoman was she. Queen of the World. That she now had a boyfriend (with a nice firm ass), added to the exhilarating beat of her heart.
He also had a nice firm.
It was Linna's quick reflexes and the responsiveness of the car that saved her life. In traffic she kept to the speed limit, working through gaps to overtake anything going a metre per hour slower. With vehicles on all sides, she didn't give them any more attention than was required to avoid an accident. So the midnight blue van that pulled up next to her was only registered by her sub-consciousness - because it was going faster than her. While she looked ahead and judged gap distances and speeds, her peripheral vision saw the side door of the van slide open and the sunlight that streamed inside illuminate a dark shadow of a man seated on the other side holding a long weapon against his shoulder. The image was sped to the sub- consciousness where it overrode all of Linna's overt functions and made her slam on the break.
The stream of bullets raced over the dipping bonnet of the Sylia's car, striking the crash barrier a lane over and brought all of Linna's attention to the threat. Before the hard brake made her loose control she hit the accelerator again and darted behind the van and through a just big enough gap to the next. The back of the van gouged a hole along the side of the car as it braked. Linna fought the tremor that raced through the car and spared only nanosecond glimpses in her mirrors back to the van that started to come after her again. She couldn't afford to look back in the heavy traffic.
Between them traffic cleared. Linna couldn't floor it to escape. Her car was easily faster and more maneuverable, but too many cars were ahead. She flashed her lights and honked the horn, slipped through gaps. The distance didn't grow fast enough.
Linna saw movement in the cab of the van and dropped her head just in time. Automatic fire roared over head, cracking her windshield and making sparks dance on the back of a lorry ahead of her. The lorry's brake lights went red and she jerked to the right, narrowing avoiding a collision. Bullets followed her as the side door gunmen got her into his sights again. The car she almost hit shuddered and swerved, smacked into another car and catapulted spectacularly into the air.
It crashed behind Linna as she zipped through the opening. The van disappeared behind the cloud of dust and dirt. In the overtaking lane she roared ahead. A sign for an off-ramp one kilometer ahead raised her spirits. She'd be able to loose pursuit in the streets easily.
The ramp came. Looking back, the van was a few hundred metres behind. It wouldn't' be able to catch her.
Linna slowed and eased into the turn.
A single aimed shot from the rifleman punctured the rear right tyre. At speed, the low chassis hit the road in a shower of sparks and tore the wheel out of Linna's hands. Uncontrolled the car spun, tearing screams from Linna as her vision was replaced with rushing blur, and slammed into the off-ramp wall at its sharpest point. Linna jerked hard, hit harder than she had ever been hit before. Her head rushed to meet the steering wheel as the airbag exploded out into her face. The impact crumpled the left side of the car, shattering glass and fibre, tearing the chassis in half. Still spinning the front half crashed to a halt twenty metres down the off-ramp, the force of the blow knocking Linna unconscious as the side of her head hit the door frame and her body twisted in the confines of the seat belt.
The midnight van raced past without slowing.
/\/\ss/\/\
Candace stood in the deserted warehouse, the echo of her heels striking bare concrete fading away.
"I am here," she said aloud. "Just like you wanted."
Silence was her answer.
For a time.
The doors opposite her opened, rattling on old winches. In their middle stood a shape. She couldn't make out any details, whether it was a man or woman, the sunlight behind cast it in black.
She started to walk towards the arrival.
"No further," it said.
Male, she knew. She stopped.
"It is dangerous for me to come here. You had better have a good reason," she said to the mystery man. Her skin was covered in goose bumps.
"I have a very good reason," he said and nothing more.
Candace crossed her arms. She didn't like being played with. "Which is? I've a full mind to turn around and leave her right away. I have work to do."
"And that work is to follow your masters' orders. Or have you forgotten?"
Candace bridled. "No I haven't."
"Good. Neither have they. They say that you are moving too slow. They say that you need help."
"They are wrong. I am gaining increased influence with Sylia Stingray. She now trusts me implicitly," Candace replied.
"I was told that Itto was your agent?" the stranger asked.
"That has changed. He has become a liability, his obsession with wanting to run Genom will get him caught."
"But he might kill her? And then you can take care of him."
Candace wished she could see the face of the man she was talking too. He sounded arrogant.
"It's my operation and I've judged that Sylia herself is a better option. She has shown the capability to survive attacks and is now responding. Her security force is strong."
The man chuckled. "Yes, I found that out some months ago. But I've taken care of some of them already," his voice turned dark. "The first two who humiliated me."
"What does that mean?" Candace asked, worried. Had this man already begun his operations against Genom? The thought angered her. "You aren't to do anything until I give the order. Genom is my responsibility."
"This was personal. In any case, BMC has given me authority to take command of Genom's destruction and I plan to accelerate activities. There is no need for your 'charms' anymore Mlle LeCourviere, not matter how freely offered they are."
"I am a professional. My plan is on schedule -"
"It is obsolete. BMC wants results, now. Genom has to be destroyed before the tender is given for the Tokyo reconstruction project and Stingray dead."