Hacker of Solomon
Chapter 4 – Work, Work, Work.
Disclaimer: I do not own WHR and do not intend on making any money off of this story. At least, not, like, directly. If people wanna give me money because of my 16th birthday, that's fine.
Summary: Something happens to Michael, landing him in a coma at the hospital. But when Solomon immediately sends a replacement hacker, suspicions arise in the STN-J. Is this some plan cooked up by those down at HQ, or are things not what they seem?
Rating: PG-13 for language, and some gore in later chapters. Tee hee! I love gore!
Author's Note:
Okay, just want to explain my ranking system on hackers:
Class A is the highest. I'm fully aware of the whole Class S thing with hunters. Well, I figure that the people back in colonial days who started this whole hunter business were clearly illiterate, or partially, and thought S was first in the alphabet. Pshaw . . . Well, in this day and age, A is the best someone can do. Hunters are just old-fashioned. As hackers go, Michael would be a Class A, and though I know he's probably better than that, I'm classifying Amon as Class B, just because it works in my story (such aggravation! Argh!) and he's not a full-time hacker like Michael or Kari.
And sorry about my month-long un-updating-ness. Got writer's block and another obsession (Inuyasha... --). Please forgive me!
Enjoy, and critique!
The room was stuffy.
Dang, why was this room always so stuffy?
It was probably because of the cigars he was always smoking . . . yeah, that was it. He really needed a fan. It would make his job a little more bearable. He wasn't about to give up his cigars anytime soon . . .
"So, you are our new hacker?" Zaizen asked, taking his mind off of his stuffy office and turning to the young girl standing on the other side of his desk, with Amon leaning against the glass behind her.
Kari nodded, and Zaizen, now that he was looking at her in full, realized that she looked even younger in person. At first, he couldn't quite pinpoint why. Then he decided that it must be the schoolgirl-type clothing that she wore beneath her Solomon coat, and the way her hair was cut in a short bob, with a dark red ribbon tied neatly in it. But, as he surveyed her a little more closely, he noticed that the cheerful childish looks that he had observed through the airport's surveillance system suddenly didn't exist. They had been replaced by a look of extreme professionalism that took him somewhat by surprise. Zaizen got the impression that she was a bit like Robin. She acted much older than she looked.
"Kari Baker," Zaizen continued, leaning back in his big executive office chair. He took a long inhale through his cigar, and slowly released the smoke into the air. "I don't know why Solomon decided to send you of all people to us. I've begun to wonder if this is some kind of cruel joke. A child like you-."
"I assure you, sir. I am no ordinary child."
Zaizen was taken a little aback by her sudden interruption. He returned to sitting upright and reached over his desk, putting out his cigar in a conveniently placed ashtray before turning to look her straight in the eye.
"I can see that from the fact that you are standing here before me. But the fact remains that you are a child, Miss Baker. And the fact also remains that Headquarters has provided little information about your past. So enlighten us, since you seem so eager to speak. Tell us exactly what it is you did for Solomon back in Europe."
Kari stayed silent, her face expressionless but her eyes darting around as though trying to figure out what to say.
"If you will not speak, I will contact Solomon and tell them that I believe you too untrustworthy for our services."
"I'm sworn to secrecy about some things," Kari said quickly, fixating her gray eyes on the administrator. "Much as I'm sure you and Mr. Amon are."
"True. So what are you allowed to tell me?"
Kari hesitated for a moment before speaking again, her fingers fidgeting in the long sleeves of her jacket.
"I worked in one of the research departments."
"I see. As a hacker?"
"Actually, no sir. I was . . . a source of information."
Zaizen raised his eyebrows at this. "What do you mean, source of information?"
Kari's eyes left him and fixed themselves on a spot on the side of his desk. She was thinking again. Zaizen felt a twinge of irritation, but decided to let it slide.
"I... It's kind of hard to explain, but I have an astounding knowledge of Witchcraft. Ancient lore . . . spells . . . that sort of thing. Some of which Solomon had never heard of before, but much of which they already have information on. But I suppose they liked me more than a computer system. I was reliable, and it's much harder to get to a human than a computer database."
"And how did you come to know what you do?"
"I don't know sir," she said softly, but with a calm and firm voice nonetheless. Her eyes returned to stare at him. "Those down at Solomon believe that I must have been taught it by my father, who was a researcher for Solomon. He was hunted down for treason back when I was eight. They said that he must have told me much of it, at first as bedtime stories, but then as my curiosity grew, he told me more. Things he had no desire to tell them. Apparently, he grew soft, and decided he didn't want them harming any more witches."
"I see. But this is what Solomon has told you? Are you saying you don't remember?"
"No sir. I was in a car accident a little over a year ago that caused some head trauma, and I never fully regained my memory."
"So how is it that you still have this knowledge?"
Kari blinked a couple of times, then looked away.
"You know, I'm not really sure. I suppose it's the same way that I remembered how to speak English . . . Perhaps I've just been told so many times, that my mind created backup files in case anything like that happened."
"I see. That is certainly possible. So how is it that you became a hacker?"
"It kind of happened by accident. I was watching some of the hackers in my department, and it looked so interesting . . . When I wasn't working I would watch them, and after a while I just sort of figured it out. Before long, I was hacking into government files."
"You catch onto things quickly."
"Yes, sir. It's a gift of mine."
Zaizen nodded slightly, his eyes watching the girl's face intently, as though trying to look right through her. She seemed to sense this, and dropped her gaze again. But Zaizen had a strong feeling that this girl was being completely honest with him, even if she wasn't giving him all the information she had.
But then, she had said she was sworn to secrecy with some things.
But what things did she have to hide?
"So you learn things easily. How long did it take you to learn Japanese?"
Amon was the speaker this time. Zaizen tore his gaze off of the girl and looked at the dark hunter, who was leaning against the glass that created the wall opposite the window of the office. His arms were crossed, and his eyes surveyed the girl closely. Kari turned to look at Amon, then went back to Zaizen.
"You know Japanese?" Zaizen asked, unable to hide a hint of suspicion in his voice. Why would she have been taught to speak Japanese?
"Yessir. I know several languages pretty well. My father took us to many places for his research. And I perfected much of my skills last summer, to go with my hacking. It's much easier when you don't have to translate web sites."
Zaizen's eyes narrowed. There was something in her voice . . .
"Is that right? Well, then, I think the rest of the STN-J will be happy to know that. Some of them are a little sketchy when it comes to English."
"Are they sir?" Kari asked, a hint of shock rising in her high-pitched voice, possibly because Zaizen was beginning to speak in more uplifting tones than at the start of the interview.
Or perhaps it was because he sounded like he was just fine with her there. He, of course, was just faking it.
"Yes. And while you are here, you will be able to help us with our current problem. In fact, it's the reason you are here. The sudden disablement of our previous hacker, Michael."
Kari's eyes flashed noticeably.
"Do you have any idea what happened to him?" the girl asked, her forehead wrinkling a bit as she stared at Zaizen.
"No. All we know is that our system was hacked into the night it happened, and then he was found in a comatose-like state the next day. Tests by both the hospital and our agency here have concluded that it was a witch who caused him to fall into this coma. The only way that could be is with some sort of spell, which you claim is your specialty. Do you think you can find out what happened?"
"Absolutely, sir. I'll do all I can."
"Alright. And, one other thing, before I send you to work . . . " Zaizen reached over and pulled out a drawer, and after rummaging around in it, pulled something out and held it up. "You will be required to wear this."
Amon shifted a little in his spot, and Zaizen looked at him for a moment, then looked at the thing dangling from his hand.
It was Michael's collar.
Kari stared at it silently, and then said, almost lazily, "I get it. I'm not allowed to leave the building, without your permission."
Zaizen didn't say anything as the girl stepped up and pulled the chain out of his hand. She quickly did the clasp behind her neck and then rearranged it so that the pendant was hidden beneath her sweater. Her eyes connected with his bewildered stare, and she gave a small smile.
"I'm used to this. They didn't let me leave the office in Europe, either."
"Why not?" Zaizen couldn't stop himself from asking.
Kari shrugged. "Why wont you?"
Zaizen of course couldn't answer. He stared at the young girl- gosh, was she that young? For a moment, he had forgotten. It seemed like he had been conversing with someone Robin's age, or even Amon's. She stepped back away from the desk, her professionalism seeming to dissolve as she gave him an even wider smile.
"So, am I free to get to work?"
Zaizen blinked and then leaned over in order to reach his phone. He pressed his finger into one of the buttons for a moment.
"Yes?" said Chief Kosaka's voice.
"It's me. I would like you to come up here and escort the hacker to the office."
"Me? But it's right there. Why-?"
"Just do it," Zaizen said flatly, pressing the button again with annoyance. He glared angrily at the girl, his mood suddenly changing.
"You had better hear me now, Miss Baker. I refuse to put up with people who disregard the rules. If you do anything to make us think you a traitor, you can be hunted for it, just like your daddy. I don't care if you are a mere child."
Kari didn't speak a moment, but her smile had clearly faded. She gave a nod.
"I understand sir. I will not disobey."
"That's a good girl," Zaizen said, with a soft smile. And, practically on cue, he saw Chief Kosaka sulkingly stomping his way up the stairs to his office. He opened the door without a single glance through the window, and as the door closed, he lifted his head to see the three of them standing there.
Of course, his gaze lingered on the girl for the longest time.
"Sir. Is this some idea of a joke?!" Kosaka gasped loudly in Japanese, his voice rising angrily. Zaizen chuckled slightly, and Kari gave the Chief a smile that told him she had understood what he was saying.
"Kari Baker, meet Chief Kosaka. He will be your escort down to your workstation-."
"But, I-." Kosaka began.
"Do you have a problem with Headquarters' decision?" Zaizen cut in, giving Kosaka a look of warning. "If you do, why don't you speak with them directly."
"Oh, well, I . . . "
"Take her down to the office and give her a small tour."
"Yes, sir," Kosaka grumbled after a moment's hesitation, a hefty amount of reluctance apparent in his voice. He looked over at the girl, and his nose seemed to shrivel up, as though someone had just emitted a foul odor. "Follow me, then, little girl."
"My name is Kari," Kari said, not moving.
"Fine, Kari. Follow me," Kosaka growled, an angry nerve twitching on his forehead. He walked out the door, and Kari picked up her laptop and suitcase and followed him out, leaving Amon and Zaizen alone.
"So, what did you think?" Zaizen asked, his eyes falling on the dark hunter.
"In all honesty, I'm a bit divided in opinion," Amon said softly, his eyes not connecting with Zaizen's.
"Are you?" Zaizen asked, raising an eyebrow. Now that was something. "What do you mean by that?"
"I can't really detect any hint that she has any ulterior motives toward being here."
Zaizen's eyes narrowed.
"I'm sure that's what they want."
Amon blinked over at him, his face unreadable. "But, sir..."
Zaizen lifted his head, as though turning his nose up to the hunter. "I want you to monitor her closely. It is too soon to decide what the meaning is behind her sudden arrival. But I'm not taking any chances. That is all," he ended, making the finality in his voice perfectly clear. Amon's face didn't change it's composure, but Zaizen knew him enough to know that he was annoyed with the situation. He watched the hunter leave, placing one of his Cuban cigars in his mouth and lit it.
I'm not taking any chances, he thought again.
"Hey," Sakaki said with a yawn, leaning back in his chair so he could put his feet up on the desk. "What do you suppose is taking Amon so long with that hacker?"
"How many times are you going to ask that?" Dojima groaned, furrowing her eyebrows at the rookie hunter before turning her attention back to her fashion magazine.
"He'll be here when he gets here," Karasuma said, stifling her own yawn as she went back to doing some random piece of work at her computer. Sakaki groaned at them loudly.
"Well, excuse me and my curiosity," he grumbled, pulling out what appeared to be a Gameboy Advanced and began playing some loud annoying game.
It had been an awfully boring day. More boring than usual. No hunts, no cases. Dojima wondered why she had even decided to come in. She should have just stayed with Michael. It wasn't so boring there. A bit scary at times, when that unexplained pain seem to attack him, causing him to cry and yell in his sleep-- well, was he even sleeping? She flipped a page, a small shudder going down her spine. Okay, on second thought, perhaps she was better off at the office.
A phone was ringing, she realized. She looked up to see Kosaka pick up his phone and press it to his ear. She wasn't really paying attention to what he was saying, but the way his face took on a look of faux humbleness made her know that it was Zaizen on the other side. She sighed and went back to her magazine again.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Sakaki's voice interrupted the silence in the room. Dojima looked up from her magazine again to see Kosaka walking by.
"Mr. Zaizen has called for me," Kosaka spat, his steps slowing to a stop as he turned his head to look at Sakaki's back. "I don't suppose it would be all right with you if I actually get up and do some work!"
"No, you can't do that," Sakaki said with an air of childish sarcasm, turning his attention back to his video game. Dojima was unable to suppress a small giggle. She loved seeing Sakaki and Kosaka go at it, especially when Sakaki was winning. Kosaka gave a loud sigh of exasperation, but did not say anything more, but simply continued out the office door.
"Sakaki, one. Kosaka, zero!" Dojima laughed.
"It's more like, Sakaki eighty-five, and Kosaka, zero," Karasuma added, to Dojima's surprise. It wasn't very often that Karasuma made comments like that, at least against Kosaka. But after that, the office went quite again, and Dojima turned lazily back to her magazine.
Several minutes passed in silence. Dojima was busy doing one of those lame personality tests that these sort of magazines loved putting in. This particular one was entitled "What is your make-up persona?" She figured she was probably an Autumn Rose, but she wanted to be sure...
She was vaguely aware of footsteps in the hall outside, but mostly she was aware of Kosaka's angry voice echoing as he spoke to someone.
"Well, well, look who's..." Sakaki began as Kosaka's voice became as loud as they knew it could get, signaling his return, but then the young hunter's voice trailed off. Dojima turned her head to look at the office entrance, and had to blink several times to make sure she wasn't seeing things.
Standing next to Kosaka was a little girl.
"Woah! What's up with her?" Sakaki asked. "Is that your daughter or something, Kosaka?"
Of course they knew it couldn't be. The girl was definitely not of Japanese descent. She had shining light brown hair, which was cut to her chin, and held back away from her face with a long red ribbon, and her gray eyes were very round-shaped, and her skin was so pale that it was clear she hadn't been in the sun for some time. It looked like she was from Europe or someplace like that...
"Wait a second..." Dojima gasped before the Chief could reply. She jumped to her feet, the realization of it all hitting her suddenly. "Is that our new hacker?!"
"What?!" Sakaki and Karasuma gasped in unison, their attention turning from the little girl to Dojima, and the blonde felt a surge of pride that she had figured it out before they had, particularly when it came to Karasuma, who was quicker than she was.
"It appears so," Kosaka growled, his eyes narrowing and his face going pink. "But certainly, they must have made a mistake. I mean, even Robin seems too young, but THIS..."
"Geez! Calm down, Chief," Sakaki said, getting to his own feet. "You should know that Michael started honing his hacking abilities back when he was like, what, eight? It's not so uncommon for younger kids to become hackers."
"I know, but sending her halfway around the world just to hack for us?! Don't they know that Amon is quite a capable hacker himself?"
"Well, he's also a high-class hunter. Do you really want him sitting here in an office while everyone else is off hunting a witch?"
The room went silent. It took them awhile to realize that it was the young girl who had spoken. A sort of tense shock passed around them...
But then, Dojima giggled and clapped her hands together.
"Oh my god! She can speak Japanese! What a cutie!!" Before she realized what she was doing, she had run up and grabbed the small child by the arm, pulling her away from Kosaka, who seemed startled beyond movement or speech. The girl seemed a bit confused as well, as Dojima grabbed her in a small hug and then pulled back to look her over. "You know, perhaps I should take you shopping sometime. Those clothes of yours are far too school-girlish. What you need is some more comfortable stuff, like some cute khakis, and this cute sweatshirt I saw at the Gap the other day..."
"Dojima!" Kosaka growled, pulling his composure back together.
But the little girl laughed, which only made Dojima smile brightly down at her, completely ignoring Kosaka altogether.
"So, what's your name?" Karasuma asked, walking over. She knelt down next to them, so she and the girl were more or less the same height.
"I'm Kari," the girl replied with a huge smile. "Kari Baker."
"Kari," Karasuma replied, giving the girl a small grin. "That's a pretty name. You can call me Miho, and that's Sakaki, and that's Yurika."
"Where are you coming from?" Dojima asked excitedly.
"From HQ, in Europe."
"Wow," said Sakaki. "Are you saying you were a hacker for HQ?!"
The girl gave a small nod, and Sakaki just stared at her a moment in disbelief.
"HQ? You must be pretty good!"
"Yeah, well..."
"Excuse me," said a deep voice nearby, making them jump slightly. They all spun around to see a familiar figure standing at the door.
"Hey there, Amon," Karasuma greeted, straightening up. Amon didn't make any indication that he had heard her. He walked over to the small group and grabbed Kari forcefully by the shoulder and steered her away from the hunters and towards the workstations.
"This is where you'll be working," he said gruffly, stopping her before one of the computers, the most recognizable one. More cords than anyone could count was attached to its backside, and around it was strewn papers and bits of data waiting to be filed.
"Michael's computer?" Dojima gasped in disbelief. She couldn't believe that Zaizen was going to allow this girl direct contact with all of their important files, what with her sudden, mysterious arrival and her age.
Meanwhile, Kari's eyes widened at the blank screen with a look of intense hunger, as though she knew what it meant to be able to use Michael Lee's computer. They all recognized that look all too well. It was similar to one Michael would have when he found something so interesting, so intriguing, so completely wonderful in some database or another that he could spend hours salivating over it, his fingers busy on the keys.
"So, since we have a hacker, can we get back to work hunting?" Sakaki asked, looking up at Amon eagerly. Dojima knew that the young hunter was bored out of his mind, and wanted to get back to work. She couldn't blame him, but she had to continue the bored girly girl act.
Not like she had any complaints about that. She was just happy about it.
"I'm going to be the one handling hunts for right now," Amon answered. "Kari has no prior experience with it, and Zaizen would like her to get to know how we work before she has a chance to investigate a hunt. Meanwhile, she'll be in charge of Michael's mishap."
"Really?" Dojima asked, somewhat intrigued.
"Well, would you look at that," said Kosaka's voice loudly from the other side of the room, cutting off their conversation. "It's closing time already. Boy, time sure does fly!" And before anyone could so much as blink, he had thrown his coat on and placed his horrible brown hat over his bald head and disappeared around the corner towards the elevator, Hattori following closely like a dog at his heels.
"Well, is there any reason for us to stay?" Sakaki asked in a dull voice.
"No," said Amon. "I have things under control here. You guys have no reason to hang around."
"Oh," said Dojima, somewhat disappointed. She wanted to talk to the little girl some more. But Amon had that sound in his voice, the one that said "Go home." She sighed and began putting her stuff in her purse. "Alright then, I'll see you guys later." And, accompanied by Sakaki and Miho, she left the office, leaving Amon and the little girl behind. But as she stepped into the elevator, one thought crossed Doujima's mind.
Why did Solomon send such a young girl to be their hacker? Could it have something to do with what happened to Michael?
She knew Solomon had the ability to do something like that, but she still couldn't believe it, and by the time the elevator opened on the bottom floor, her mind had wandered off to questioning where she should go for dinner.
Robin walked slowly and sleepily through the large gates that separated Raven's Flat from the garage. She gave a yawn as she stepped pass the security guard, who gave her a small "Hello, Miss Robin," and then proceeded across the courtyard to the elevator. She pressed the button engraved with the number 5 and leaned against the bars as the elevator sent her up to the top.
She couldn't believe her absentmindedness. She had gone that afternoon to watch over Michael, and had completely forgotten both her glasses and her gloves at the office. She felt too shy to call Karasuma and ask her to bring them by, so she had to miss out on another hour of sleep to retrieve them herself. She was quite relieved when Sakaki came at around eight o' clock that night with some fast food, offering to watch Michael for the night.
As the elevator slowed to a stop and the gates open, she was met with a familiar sound. Her breath caught in her chest and she stopped dead in her tracks. At first she thought she was hallucinating. Perhaps her sleep depravation was making her hear things. But after a few moments standing there, she knew she wasn't imagining it. It was the sound of fingers furiously clicking away on a keyboard. All she knew was, it wasn't Michael. She had just left him at the hospital. Curiosity got her moving again. Perhaps it's just Amon, she thought as she walked down the hallway and turned around the corner, entering the office. But it wasn't.
"It's a little girl!" Robin said under her breath. Somehow, just thinking it wasn't enough.
The girl didn't seem to hear her, though. She sat at the computer, Michael's computer, and was typing away, completely unaware of her presence. Robin walked cautiously up to the girl, trying not to startle her, while observing her closely at the same time. She was small and pale, and looked like she was of European decent. The light from the computer reflected so well off of her young eyes, that it looked as though they were glowing. As Robin neared, the girl seemed to notice her out of the corner of her eye, and looked up. A smile crossed her lips.
"Oh, you're Robin," the girl said, a little louder than Robin would have expected. But then the girl reached up and tugged a pair of headphones off of her ears and around her neck. "I was wondering when I would get to meet you."
Robin blinked a few times. Her mind was so fuzzy by having only several hours of sleep in the past couple of days. Somehow, she knew that this girl was supposed to be here… a new hacker, right? Wasn't that what Dojima had told her when Robin saw her last?
"How old are you?" Robin found herself asking. Immediately, she thought she should have at least asked her name first. The girl's smile grew brighter.
"I'm eleven. Can you believe that you are the first person to really ask?"
Robin shook her head sleepily. "No, I can't."
"Heh. Well, where are my manners?" the girl said in a very formal way, unsuited to someone her age. She stood up straight and tall and held out her hand. "Hi. I'm Kari Baker."
"I'm Robin Sena," Robin said, forgetting that the girl already seemed to know her name. "It's getting a little late."
"Well, Zaizen has asked me to stay at the office. I'm going to sleep downstairs, in Michael's room. But thanks to the extreme jetlag I'm facing, flying over here from Europe, I'm not tired."
"Oh. Well. I forgot some stuff, and just came by to get them. Sorry if I disturbed you."
"Not at all," the girl said, and put her headphones back on her head. Robin walked around to her workstation and grabbed her gloves and glasses from one of the drawers there. She listened silently to the clacking of the keys, thoughts of Michael coming to her mind as she pulled her gloves on and pocketed her glasses. She walked back out, taking a quick look at the computer screen that was the only illumination in the room as she went. At the elevator, she stopped and turned to stare at the blue light that shone through the dark entry of the office. Her mind was nagging her, like there was something that it wanted her to remember, but she just couldn't. She furrowed her eyebrows in frustration and, mentally telling herself to shut up and just get home to bed, pressed the button that opened the door to lead her away from this place.
A/N again
Sorry. Still no action. I think next chapter though, we'll meet the badguy. Should be ultra-fun!!!