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Chapter 14
I purchased a pack of cigs at the airport, opting for Marlboro this time. They tended to be rather soothing, or at least as soothing as inhaling exhaust can be. 'Maybe I could wear one of those patches'
I waited in the first class lounge, wishing that I were sleeping. The view outside was quite wonderful, and the room itself was very very quiet, with only a few strained tunes of Muzak to be heard. At this early hour, I was the only one there, save for a kind lady who worked the built in bar.
And so, there I sat, a gin martini in one hand, and a cigarette in the other. I felt very James Bondish, but I didn't have a hot girl next to me. Which I could deal with for the time being.
It gave me a little time to think. Times had been a little lonely, ever since. Freedom was a confusing experience. My knowledge of root Terran languages made it simple for me to learn English, but there still remained the problem of creating an entire identity for myself in the strange world.
Back when I was part of the Dark Kingdom, I had created several fake identities for myself so that I might understand the world which I was to rule in part. I had managed to forge birth certificates and social security accounts, enabling myself to obtain a California ID and through that higher forms of documentation. Variably aged identities enabled me to pick and choose. The youngest identity had been one I'd used throughout my few trips to earth. He was impossibly bland, the type of person that you could see one minute and forget the next. It was from him which I inherited the pseudonym, Ryan Kaitou.
Additionally, I had salted modest amounts of money into index funds and bank accounts, and treasury bonds throughout the world under the same identities. Understanding the world financial network had been an area of interest to me throughout the planning stages of Beryl's invasion and I applied myself readily.
Those funds had seen me through Stanford, along with creative accounting on the financial aid application. And after college, I was a working citizen of the United States, free of all obligations.
And a considerable amount of money in the bank. I grinned to myself. 'Things could be far worse. I could be decorating a slab in a mausoleum'
The call for my flight finally came and I dutifully picked up my briefcase. Time to go.
With the boss gone, life was kinda boring. Rei flipped through a couple pages of the Financial Times and then made some errands to other parts of the building.
The new furniture orders had been messed up and it took several rounds of calls to the manufacturer and the shippers to make sure that they hadn;t been routed by mistake to Tajikistan.
And then she waited. "Stupid slow days."
At around one, Dana came to visit, to tell her that her payroll request had gone through the system and that she should be recieving the check the next day.
After a little while, Rei began rummaging through her desk for her CD case. Perhaps something American today.... She selected an older Amy Grant. It wasn't too pop band, and it had a tune and a rhythm. Rei could live with that.
The CD ran for a bit before her communicator beeped. Rei flipped it open, expecting to see Minako or another inner senshi. Instead, she saw the smiling, almost masculine face of Haruka staring back at her.
"They told me you might be working. I had to see it for myself."
Rei grinned, "Most of us have to get actual jobs. See if I could drive in a circle for hours on end and get paid for it, I'd do it too."
"Zing. They told me you were the most grown up inner senshi. Has our entire relationship been a lie?"
Rei ignored the remark and returned with one of her own, "Is this going anywhere or did you get bored with annoying Michiru?"
A smooth voice came from off screen, "Stop it you two." The screen jittered for a moment, "Rei-san?"
"Hello, Michiru. Have you been keeping Haruka on a short leash lately or will I need to call animal control?"
"I heard that!"
Michiru ignored both of them, "Actually, we were wondering if it would be possible for someone to come pick us up at the airport."
"You're coming in? When?"
"Later tonight. We're currently sitting in an airport in Alaska. Our plane landed with some engine trouble, we're actually a bit later than we expected to be."
"I see. Where's Hotaru-chan?"
The screen re-angled to Hotaru who waved quickly. "Hello, Rei-chan! How are you doing?"
Rei smiled warmly, "I'm doing okay. How are you doing?"
"I'm doing well! Michiru-mama is teaching me how to play the violin!"
"Really? That's wonderful. I'll see you when you get back, okay? Let me talk to your Michi-san."
When Michiru reappeared, Rei said, "I can pick you guys up after work. Is that okay?"
"Sounds fine. We'll be coming in at around 8:30 PM. I'd love to know how your life is going."
Rei confirmed, "We'll have much to chat about! Later you two."
I caught a taxi, and headed home to change before a late dinner with Dan and his father. It would be in a vineyard in Napa, so a pretty long drive.
Unless you drive like I do. The porsche sped along the highway at a very, very illegal 100 miles per hour. The radar tracker on my car didn't beep for the entire time, and I made record time to the restaurant.
Before I entered, I quickly checked myself for pieces of lint, grass, or weed burrs. I was business casual today, but even business casual for me needs to look immaculate.
As I opened the door, a dry, warm wind washed over me. The maitre'd nodded to me, "Ah, you must be Mr. Kaitou. Mr. Jamison notified me of your coming. Please follow me."
I nodded seriously and followed him to the far end of the restaurant. Professor Jamison waved and then stood up to shake my hand, "Ryan, how are you doing you old sonuvagun?"
I laughed, "You could not have possibly known either of my parents, Professor. You are looking well. How have you been?"
He motioned for me to sit, "Reading stories about your company, Ryan. You've got an impressive operation going. Wall Street is salivating over the offering."
Politely, I replied, "Believe me, it was more luck than anything else."
The professor, one of the chief consultants on the Enron and Tyco scandals, shrugged, "Perhaps they're impressed with your corporate governance. I, too, tend to like CEOs who accept their mistakes instead of covering them up."
"I have had the good fortune of being lucky much of the time."
"I'll take good luck over skill any day of the week."
I smiled in appreciation and then turned to Dan, "I'm glad see you decided not to follow your father into academics."
Dan grinned, "I guess that it wasn't cut out for me. Of course, I don't think that it was cut out for him either."
"Indeed! From what I've seen, your father spends more time in the boardroom nowadays than in the classroom."
"Hey, I still love teaching."
I grinned, "I'm sure you do. As a hobby. So Dan, how's Blackstone?"
"Pretty tough. Face time is pretty hellish, but I do get to work interesting cases. I requested yours in fact."
"I'm glad my company is in good hands."
Dan shrugged, "We'll see from results."
"That we will." I called over a waiter, "I think we're ready to order."
After selecting our entrees, Professor Jamison set his elbows down on the table, "So how are you finding Japan, Ryan?"
"The weather seems to agree with me, although the humidity is a little much."
"You're too much of a Californian, Ryan."
"If I had my choice, I would have stayed."
"Really? The board decide to get pissy about it?"
"I think that they're taking a gamble on Japanese land prices. You know they've been in a recession for a while."
"Right, but I thought that they were over inflated still."
I shrugged, "I'm not an expert on land value, so I would not know. I just run the business. The majority of our sales do come from Japan though. Which may also have something to do with it."
"Hmm, an interesting quandary."
I grinned, "Don't concern yourself with it. But let's get down to brass tacks, shall we? Dan, you said you wanted to meet with me. Here I am."
"Well, sir, I think taking your company public will be fairly easy. I just wanted you to sign some forms, and then we can get started on the process."
"I'll definitely keep in touch. I'll put you in contact with the CFO and a couple of the VPs and department directors. I will instruct them to give you the information that you need."
"Excellent. We can work the details out tomorrow at the office. I won't take up too much of your time."
I soaked a piece of peasant bread into olive oil and balsalmic vinegar, "Think nothing of it! I am here for as long as I need to be. I don;t even have a return flight yet. Whatever questions you have, please ask me."
Dan grinned, "Great! Come by the office and we can work things out."
I nodded and the meal continued on happily.
Haruka stretched her arms and legs out. A naturally tall and lanky person, she needed to be in constant motion. Michiru, on the other hand, cut a far more elegant pose. She smoothed out the wrinkles on her skirt with casual ease and then shouldered her purse before making sure Hotaru was alright.
The senshi of destruction was a small, delicate teenager that resembled neither her adopted mother or father. Her time in an American high school had changed her for the better. To Michiru's chagrin, it had steered Hotaru more towards her 'papa's' mindset of rugged individualism and disregard for societal mores.
But, as Michiru reflected with a gentle smile, it wasn't really all that bad. Hotaru had changed, probably for the better, and for that she was glad. Now, after her long hiatus, she was looking forward to seeing all her younger friends. They had all come back to witness the graduation ceremony for those who had graduated Tokyo University and planned to stay for many months more. When they got bored, they would move again, letting the cycle repeat itself.
Haruka gripped her arm softly, "It's good to be home."
With a smile, "Baka, I thought you enjoyed America?"
Refusing to take the bait, "I do. But there is something to be said about being surrounded by friends."
For all her bluster and bravado, Haruka Ten'ou was a softie. Which was perfectly alright by Michiru's standards.
From across the terminal, she spied a figure waving frantically at them. "Michiru, Haruka, Hotaru!
Haruka grinned and picked up her carryon bag, "I believe that's our ride."
Rei rushed forward to tackle Hotaru with a hug, "Minna-san! It's so great to have you all back! I haven't seen you all for so long!"
Haruka grinned evilly and poked Rei in the belly, "So what's this I hear about you dating the boss of some company?"
"Wait-what-? You talked to Minako first, didn;t you?"
Haruka laughed and hugged her smaller compatriot, "I think that you have some explaining to do."
Rei squirmed, "Why do you care anyway?"
She grinned, "The car can always use another sponsor or two. Besides, I have to look out for you. You could be making an ill advised decision."
Rei wriggled out of her grip, "My life is too boring for any guy to ever take an interest in me. I just work for him."
Michiru chuckled, "I suppose that a relationship is out of the question then."
"I still barely know him. We're still scoping each other out."
It was an unusually warm night and I sat outside on the patio gazing at the stars. There was little to do this late at night and east-west jet lag kept me up.
I smirked up at the sky. Obviously, someone up there has an ironic sense of humor. I glanced at the glow in the dark hands of my watch. I was due in San Francisco in seven hours and then at the golf course two hours after that. Life was enjoyable...but somehow it seemed devoid of content. I had no children, no one to share my life with at the end of each day.
Perhaps Dana had picked up on it first. The blind date was her way of telling me what was missing. I smiled and said aloud, "Ah Dana, what would I do without you?"
Then in response, I answered my own question, "One hopes that I never have to answer that."
A sudden gust of wind sent chills down my spine and I pulled my dressing robe around me more tightly. I felt a pall descend onto my mood .
After a few moments, I drifted off to dreamless sleep.
Chapter 14
I purchased a pack of cigs at the airport, opting for Marlboro this time. They tended to be rather soothing, or at least as soothing as inhaling exhaust can be. 'Maybe I could wear one of those patches'
I waited in the first class lounge, wishing that I were sleeping. The view outside was quite wonderful, and the room itself was very very quiet, with only a few strained tunes of Muzak to be heard. At this early hour, I was the only one there, save for a kind lady who worked the built in bar.
And so, there I sat, a gin martini in one hand, and a cigarette in the other. I felt very James Bondish, but I didn't have a hot girl next to me. Which I could deal with for the time being.
It gave me a little time to think. Times had been a little lonely, ever since. Freedom was a confusing experience. My knowledge of root Terran languages made it simple for me to learn English, but there still remained the problem of creating an entire identity for myself in the strange world.
Back when I was part of the Dark Kingdom, I had created several fake identities for myself so that I might understand the world which I was to rule in part. I had managed to forge birth certificates and social security accounts, enabling myself to obtain a California ID and through that higher forms of documentation. Variably aged identities enabled me to pick and choose. The youngest identity had been one I'd used throughout my few trips to earth. He was impossibly bland, the type of person that you could see one minute and forget the next. It was from him which I inherited the pseudonym, Ryan Kaitou.
Additionally, I had salted modest amounts of money into index funds and bank accounts, and treasury bonds throughout the world under the same identities. Understanding the world financial network had been an area of interest to me throughout the planning stages of Beryl's invasion and I applied myself readily.
Those funds had seen me through Stanford, along with creative accounting on the financial aid application. And after college, I was a working citizen of the United States, free of all obligations.
And a considerable amount of money in the bank. I grinned to myself. 'Things could be far worse. I could be decorating a slab in a mausoleum'
The call for my flight finally came and I dutifully picked up my briefcase. Time to go.
With the boss gone, life was kinda boring. Rei flipped through a couple pages of the Financial Times and then made some errands to other parts of the building.
The new furniture orders had been messed up and it took several rounds of calls to the manufacturer and the shippers to make sure that they hadn;t been routed by mistake to Tajikistan.
And then she waited. "Stupid slow days."
At around one, Dana came to visit, to tell her that her payroll request had gone through the system and that she should be recieving the check the next day.
After a little while, Rei began rummaging through her desk for her CD case. Perhaps something American today.... She selected an older Amy Grant. It wasn't too pop band, and it had a tune and a rhythm. Rei could live with that.
The CD ran for a bit before her communicator beeped. Rei flipped it open, expecting to see Minako or another inner senshi. Instead, she saw the smiling, almost masculine face of Haruka staring back at her.
"They told me you might be working. I had to see it for myself."
Rei grinned, "Most of us have to get actual jobs. See if I could drive in a circle for hours on end and get paid for it, I'd do it too."
"Zing. They told me you were the most grown up inner senshi. Has our entire relationship been a lie?"
Rei ignored the remark and returned with one of her own, "Is this going anywhere or did you get bored with annoying Michiru?"
A smooth voice came from off screen, "Stop it you two." The screen jittered for a moment, "Rei-san?"
"Hello, Michiru. Have you been keeping Haruka on a short leash lately or will I need to call animal control?"
"I heard that!"
Michiru ignored both of them, "Actually, we were wondering if it would be possible for someone to come pick us up at the airport."
"You're coming in? When?"
"Later tonight. We're currently sitting in an airport in Alaska. Our plane landed with some engine trouble, we're actually a bit later than we expected to be."
"I see. Where's Hotaru-chan?"
The screen re-angled to Hotaru who waved quickly. "Hello, Rei-chan! How are you doing?"
Rei smiled warmly, "I'm doing okay. How are you doing?"
"I'm doing well! Michiru-mama is teaching me how to play the violin!"
"Really? That's wonderful. I'll see you when you get back, okay? Let me talk to your Michi-san."
When Michiru reappeared, Rei said, "I can pick you guys up after work. Is that okay?"
"Sounds fine. We'll be coming in at around 8:30 PM. I'd love to know how your life is going."
Rei confirmed, "We'll have much to chat about! Later you two."
I caught a taxi, and headed home to change before a late dinner with Dan and his father. It would be in a vineyard in Napa, so a pretty long drive.
Unless you drive like I do. The porsche sped along the highway at a very, very illegal 100 miles per hour. The radar tracker on my car didn't beep for the entire time, and I made record time to the restaurant.
Before I entered, I quickly checked myself for pieces of lint, grass, or weed burrs. I was business casual today, but even business casual for me needs to look immaculate.
As I opened the door, a dry, warm wind washed over me. The maitre'd nodded to me, "Ah, you must be Mr. Kaitou. Mr. Jamison notified me of your coming. Please follow me."
I nodded seriously and followed him to the far end of the restaurant. Professor Jamison waved and then stood up to shake my hand, "Ryan, how are you doing you old sonuvagun?"
I laughed, "You could not have possibly known either of my parents, Professor. You are looking well. How have you been?"
He motioned for me to sit, "Reading stories about your company, Ryan. You've got an impressive operation going. Wall Street is salivating over the offering."
Politely, I replied, "Believe me, it was more luck than anything else."
The professor, one of the chief consultants on the Enron and Tyco scandals, shrugged, "Perhaps they're impressed with your corporate governance. I, too, tend to like CEOs who accept their mistakes instead of covering them up."
"I have had the good fortune of being lucky much of the time."
"I'll take good luck over skill any day of the week."
I smiled in appreciation and then turned to Dan, "I'm glad see you decided not to follow your father into academics."
Dan grinned, "I guess that it wasn't cut out for me. Of course, I don't think that it was cut out for him either."
"Indeed! From what I've seen, your father spends more time in the boardroom nowadays than in the classroom."
"Hey, I still love teaching."
I grinned, "I'm sure you do. As a hobby. So Dan, how's Blackstone?"
"Pretty tough. Face time is pretty hellish, but I do get to work interesting cases. I requested yours in fact."
"I'm glad my company is in good hands."
Dan shrugged, "We'll see from results."
"That we will." I called over a waiter, "I think we're ready to order."
After selecting our entrees, Professor Jamison set his elbows down on the table, "So how are you finding Japan, Ryan?"
"The weather seems to agree with me, although the humidity is a little much."
"You're too much of a Californian, Ryan."
"If I had my choice, I would have stayed."
"Really? The board decide to get pissy about it?"
"I think that they're taking a gamble on Japanese land prices. You know they've been in a recession for a while."
"Right, but I thought that they were over inflated still."
I shrugged, "I'm not an expert on land value, so I would not know. I just run the business. The majority of our sales do come from Japan though. Which may also have something to do with it."
"Hmm, an interesting quandary."
I grinned, "Don't concern yourself with it. But let's get down to brass tacks, shall we? Dan, you said you wanted to meet with me. Here I am."
"Well, sir, I think taking your company public will be fairly easy. I just wanted you to sign some forms, and then we can get started on the process."
"I'll definitely keep in touch. I'll put you in contact with the CFO and a couple of the VPs and department directors. I will instruct them to give you the information that you need."
"Excellent. We can work the details out tomorrow at the office. I won't take up too much of your time."
I soaked a piece of peasant bread into olive oil and balsalmic vinegar, "Think nothing of it! I am here for as long as I need to be. I don;t even have a return flight yet. Whatever questions you have, please ask me."
Dan grinned, "Great! Come by the office and we can work things out."
I nodded and the meal continued on happily.
Haruka stretched her arms and legs out. A naturally tall and lanky person, she needed to be in constant motion. Michiru, on the other hand, cut a far more elegant pose. She smoothed out the wrinkles on her skirt with casual ease and then shouldered her purse before making sure Hotaru was alright.
The senshi of destruction was a small, delicate teenager that resembled neither her adopted mother or father. Her time in an American high school had changed her for the better. To Michiru's chagrin, it had steered Hotaru more towards her 'papa's' mindset of rugged individualism and disregard for societal mores.
But, as Michiru reflected with a gentle smile, it wasn't really all that bad. Hotaru had changed, probably for the better, and for that she was glad. Now, after her long hiatus, she was looking forward to seeing all her younger friends. They had all come back to witness the graduation ceremony for those who had graduated Tokyo University and planned to stay for many months more. When they got bored, they would move again, letting the cycle repeat itself.
Haruka gripped her arm softly, "It's good to be home."
With a smile, "Baka, I thought you enjoyed America?"
Refusing to take the bait, "I do. But there is something to be said about being surrounded by friends."
For all her bluster and bravado, Haruka Ten'ou was a softie. Which was perfectly alright by Michiru's standards.
From across the terminal, she spied a figure waving frantically at them. "Michiru, Haruka, Hotaru!
Haruka grinned and picked up her carryon bag, "I believe that's our ride."
Rei rushed forward to tackle Hotaru with a hug, "Minna-san! It's so great to have you all back! I haven't seen you all for so long!"
Haruka grinned evilly and poked Rei in the belly, "So what's this I hear about you dating the boss of some company?"
"Wait-what-? You talked to Minako first, didn;t you?"
Haruka laughed and hugged her smaller compatriot, "I think that you have some explaining to do."
Rei squirmed, "Why do you care anyway?"
She grinned, "The car can always use another sponsor or two. Besides, I have to look out for you. You could be making an ill advised decision."
Rei wriggled out of her grip, "My life is too boring for any guy to ever take an interest in me. I just work for him."
Michiru chuckled, "I suppose that a relationship is out of the question then."
"I still barely know him. We're still scoping each other out."
It was an unusually warm night and I sat outside on the patio gazing at the stars. There was little to do this late at night and east-west jet lag kept me up.
I smirked up at the sky. Obviously, someone up there has an ironic sense of humor. I glanced at the glow in the dark hands of my watch. I was due in San Francisco in seven hours and then at the golf course two hours after that. Life was enjoyable...but somehow it seemed devoid of content. I had no children, no one to share my life with at the end of each day.
Perhaps Dana had picked up on it first. The blind date was her way of telling me what was missing. I smiled and said aloud, "Ah Dana, what would I do without you?"
Then in response, I answered my own question, "One hopes that I never have to answer that."
A sudden gust of wind sent chills down my spine and I pulled my dressing robe around me more tightly. I felt a pall descend onto my mood .
After a few moments, I drifted off to dreamless sleep.