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Chapter 15
I woke up to the soft trilling of my cellular phone. I snorted and then flipped it open, "Hello?"
"Good morning, sir."
"Rei, what time is it here? What time is it there?"
"Your time, it is approximately 8:00 AM."
I did a bunch of quick math, "What are you doing awake at 1:00 AM?"
"I thought it might be convenient for you to get a wake up call. Is this time convenient?"
I laughed quietly, "Rei, you didn;t have to call me. I have an alarm," I glanced around, "Although I fell asleep outside last night."
Rei sighed, "Take care of yourself sir."
"As always. I have to get to San Francisco for a meeting, this morning though. I'll probably be back the day after tomorrow."
"Is there I time I can call you for updates?"
"Tomorrow, during your workday. I think that will be much more practical for you."
"Alright. I'll talk to you later, sir."
Rei hung up the phone, stretched out like a cat, then patted down the folds in her night gown. It was indeed late, but she too could not sleep.
What worried her was the excessive force with which the senshi seemed to be conducting this operation. The outer senshi had not shown up out of coincidence. 'Minako and Mamoru probably convinced Usagi to bring them in. Didn't even bother to tell the rest of us'
She sighed. The man had not shown up for a couple of days, which meant that he was lying low for a while. Of course, this could all be a ruse. Rei worked several possibilities around her mind then threw her hands up in frustration.
'Completely unpredictable. Completely, utterly unpredictable. This is obscene'
In a violent manuever, she tossed some wood chips into the fire. It flared up suddenly upon the addition of new fuel. She passed her hand over it again, and sought out the presence which she had contacted long ago.
This time, Rei would do things a little different. Instead of waiting for him, she would find him amongst the shifting spiritual realm. She closed her eyes and began to meditate.
Halfway through my shower, my eyes flashed open. She was good. I hammered the wall of the bathroom with my fist, "Fuck!"
'She knows where I am. A bit too soon for me, but it was to be expected'
I blanked my mind, camoflauging my mental patterns with that of the surroundings. No sign of restrained power, no inconvenient outbursts.
And just like that, she lost contact. Neat as you please, the presence vanished, indistinguishable from its surroudings.
"Kuso. He knows I'm looking for him." Rei's eyes narrowed and she passed another hand over the fire. "But I know where you are now. What would you be doing in California?"
She pondered that for a moment, then decided to call Mamoru. 'He's probably still studying at this hour'
"Chiba residence. Who's calling?"
"Mamoru? Rei."
She could hear him laugh tiredly, "To what do I owe this pleasure? Especially, at this wonderful time."
"He's in California, USA. I thought you might want to know."
Mamoru was silent for a moment, "Damn. How did he manage to get over there?"
Rei admited, "It is strange. Do you know anyone in California?"
"The outer senshi are back, so no... Do you know anyone?"
Rei shrugged, "My boss is over there talking up some I-bankers. That's about it."
Mamoru joked, "Unless he's following your boss around, I guess we're stumped."
"Mr. Kaitou can't be a suspect. He's smart, but I don;t think he's the type we're looking for."
"Right. Back to square one."
I glanced at the dashboard and then loosened up on the accelerator. The CHP would probably not ticket me, looking rather white and driving a porsche, but I didn't have the time to be stopped. As I came through the tunnel, I was once again struck by the wonderous beauty of the city of San Francisco. The bay sparkled like an aquamarine gem, surrounded by the brown mountains on one side and a bustling port on the other. It was a world class city, an odd mix of modern and older influences. Huge container ships, some of which likely carried my company's products, began their long sojourns out to Asia and to Panama Canal.
I carefully pulled into a freeway exit, then out onto the city streets. A short drive later, and I was at the corporate headquarters of Blackstone.
Clicking on the security button on my keys, I straightened my sports coat. Ever careful of my appearance, I brushed a stray peace of lint from the jacket and then moved towards the entrance. Moments later, I was in a fifth floor office, speaking with analyst Dan, an associate, a VP, and a managing director.
We chatted for a while, but nothing concrete would be done yet. They inquired as to how much cash we wanted. I asked for a high sum, and they countered with a lower. It was a terribly tedious process and after about forty five minutes, I was on my way to a golf course outside of the city.
I yawned slightly as I wandered my way down to my car. The lack of sleep was catching up to me and I resolved to get a cup of coffee before I started for the club.
Rei drummed her fingers on the desk. A slowly growing mountain of paper work lay in front of her. At times, she would swear it was alive, consuming remaining table space like some alien blob.
'I could get working on it. But what would that leave me to procrastinate with'
She smiled openly. These past few weeks had been hectic ones, but filled with promise of good fortune. The job had opened doors she had not known existed. After her tenure, she would easily get a job in the consulting or business worlds. The things she had learned about business governance and growth could never be taught in a classroom. The company was extraordinarily successful for a startup, beating competition handily at every step. The larger companies in Japan simply could not compete with this fast mover, falling farther and farther behind.
From her perch near the top, she could see every action that influenced the fate of the company. The sales reports told her that the sales training program had been a major success. Marketing had targetted Japan's much maligned small and midsized businesses. Big firms often overlooked them, opting to go after the large companies. But now they dominated nearly 70 percent of profits, with this company as the sole supplier of enterprise software and systems.
And of course, there was Mr. Kaitou to figure out. Ever since that figure stepped into her life a little while ago, nothing was ever the same. He was an able captain of his chosen industry, a great mentor, and from all accounts a wonderful friend as well. Yet, he was an enigmatic figure or rather many figures wrapped into one. A starry eyed visionary with high hopes for profit, a pragmatic corporate leader, and a hard driving entrepreneur.
When he got that glint of destiny in his eyes, nothing seemed to be able to stop his revolutionary machinations. He worked hard, inspired those around him to work hard, and guided the company on a careful path between radical recklessness and utter prudence.
Rei shook her head quickly, to snap herself out of her reverie. 'Geeze, I'm acting like I'm expecting something to happen. What's wrong with me today?' She smirked, if only for moment, then returned to work. The profit reports had to be looked over and summarized. Anything else would have to wait.
I whistled softly as I entered my house. I had won my golf game, so life seemed pretty good at that moment. The house was pleasantly quiet and I walked over to the bar for a drink and a smoke.
I poured myself a glass of wine and decided to forgo the cigarette. The sun was setting over the hills again, and I wondered what I would be doing until dinner. I pondered a TV football game, but opted for another drink instead. I gazed at the clock at the wall, and saw that it was nearly five.
Rei hadn't called back yet, and I suspected that she was on her way to work. She was a motivated worker, but a little masochistic in the way that Japanese employees can be. I knew that I would demand long hours of her when things started picking up, but it had taken me a couple of weeks to ween her off getting to work an hour early to show her dedication.
I don't even know if it was a conscious effort, but it unnerved me a little. I suppose I was too used to the informality of a startup internet software company and would never make a transition to normal corporate life. I suppressed a little smile at that.
The wine tasted cool and sweet and dulled my senses a little more. Dinner with the board pretty soon. I leaned back to ponder my situation. It seemed as though I was doing that a lot at that time. But to be fair, there was much to ponder. It was more dangerous than ever before. The senshi had managed to track me, even across the ocean, which told me that they weren't that out of practice. Which also meant that I might have to start operating even more covertly, under evasive procedures and cloaking magic as much as possible.
I caressed the scar on my forearm. I had resolved to myself that I would not fight them, even if it came to violence.
Mamoru rubbed the stubble on his chin and then stared at his sleeping fiance. Usagi was an early sleeper and he respected that fervently. It bespoke a mind without care or worry or guilt. And as she curled up at his side, he wondered again what she had ever seen in him.
His lip curled and he bit his tongue. There were more important things to worry about, such as the rather enigmatic figure that occasionally appeared on the Tokyo skyline. Somehow, he felt a silent connection with the dark man that he could not explain nor express.
He's smart. If anything, he'll lie low for as long as possible. But if I interpret the situation correctly, he'll show up at youma attacks. And that means, I have his weakness.
He looked at his fiance again. There would be no sense in searching for him in groups. This would be solo.
Chapter 15
I woke up to the soft trilling of my cellular phone. I snorted and then flipped it open, "Hello?"
"Good morning, sir."
"Rei, what time is it here? What time is it there?"
"Your time, it is approximately 8:00 AM."
I did a bunch of quick math, "What are you doing awake at 1:00 AM?"
"I thought it might be convenient for you to get a wake up call. Is this time convenient?"
I laughed quietly, "Rei, you didn;t have to call me. I have an alarm," I glanced around, "Although I fell asleep outside last night."
Rei sighed, "Take care of yourself sir."
"As always. I have to get to San Francisco for a meeting, this morning though. I'll probably be back the day after tomorrow."
"Is there I time I can call you for updates?"
"Tomorrow, during your workday. I think that will be much more practical for you."
"Alright. I'll talk to you later, sir."
Rei hung up the phone, stretched out like a cat, then patted down the folds in her night gown. It was indeed late, but she too could not sleep.
What worried her was the excessive force with which the senshi seemed to be conducting this operation. The outer senshi had not shown up out of coincidence. 'Minako and Mamoru probably convinced Usagi to bring them in. Didn't even bother to tell the rest of us'
She sighed. The man had not shown up for a couple of days, which meant that he was lying low for a while. Of course, this could all be a ruse. Rei worked several possibilities around her mind then threw her hands up in frustration.
'Completely unpredictable. Completely, utterly unpredictable. This is obscene'
In a violent manuever, she tossed some wood chips into the fire. It flared up suddenly upon the addition of new fuel. She passed her hand over it again, and sought out the presence which she had contacted long ago.
This time, Rei would do things a little different. Instead of waiting for him, she would find him amongst the shifting spiritual realm. She closed her eyes and began to meditate.
Halfway through my shower, my eyes flashed open. She was good. I hammered the wall of the bathroom with my fist, "Fuck!"
'She knows where I am. A bit too soon for me, but it was to be expected'
I blanked my mind, camoflauging my mental patterns with that of the surroundings. No sign of restrained power, no inconvenient outbursts.
And just like that, she lost contact. Neat as you please, the presence vanished, indistinguishable from its surroudings.
"Kuso. He knows I'm looking for him." Rei's eyes narrowed and she passed another hand over the fire. "But I know where you are now. What would you be doing in California?"
She pondered that for a moment, then decided to call Mamoru. 'He's probably still studying at this hour'
"Chiba residence. Who's calling?"
"Mamoru? Rei."
She could hear him laugh tiredly, "To what do I owe this pleasure? Especially, at this wonderful time."
"He's in California, USA. I thought you might want to know."
Mamoru was silent for a moment, "Damn. How did he manage to get over there?"
Rei admited, "It is strange. Do you know anyone in California?"
"The outer senshi are back, so no... Do you know anyone?"
Rei shrugged, "My boss is over there talking up some I-bankers. That's about it."
Mamoru joked, "Unless he's following your boss around, I guess we're stumped."
"Mr. Kaitou can't be a suspect. He's smart, but I don;t think he's the type we're looking for."
"Right. Back to square one."
I glanced at the dashboard and then loosened up on the accelerator. The CHP would probably not ticket me, looking rather white and driving a porsche, but I didn't have the time to be stopped. As I came through the tunnel, I was once again struck by the wonderous beauty of the city of San Francisco. The bay sparkled like an aquamarine gem, surrounded by the brown mountains on one side and a bustling port on the other. It was a world class city, an odd mix of modern and older influences. Huge container ships, some of which likely carried my company's products, began their long sojourns out to Asia and to Panama Canal.
I carefully pulled into a freeway exit, then out onto the city streets. A short drive later, and I was at the corporate headquarters of Blackstone.
Clicking on the security button on my keys, I straightened my sports coat. Ever careful of my appearance, I brushed a stray peace of lint from the jacket and then moved towards the entrance. Moments later, I was in a fifth floor office, speaking with analyst Dan, an associate, a VP, and a managing director.
We chatted for a while, but nothing concrete would be done yet. They inquired as to how much cash we wanted. I asked for a high sum, and they countered with a lower. It was a terribly tedious process and after about forty five minutes, I was on my way to a golf course outside of the city.
I yawned slightly as I wandered my way down to my car. The lack of sleep was catching up to me and I resolved to get a cup of coffee before I started for the club.
Rei drummed her fingers on the desk. A slowly growing mountain of paper work lay in front of her. At times, she would swear it was alive, consuming remaining table space like some alien blob.
'I could get working on it. But what would that leave me to procrastinate with'
She smiled openly. These past few weeks had been hectic ones, but filled with promise of good fortune. The job had opened doors she had not known existed. After her tenure, she would easily get a job in the consulting or business worlds. The things she had learned about business governance and growth could never be taught in a classroom. The company was extraordinarily successful for a startup, beating competition handily at every step. The larger companies in Japan simply could not compete with this fast mover, falling farther and farther behind.
From her perch near the top, she could see every action that influenced the fate of the company. The sales reports told her that the sales training program had been a major success. Marketing had targetted Japan's much maligned small and midsized businesses. Big firms often overlooked them, opting to go after the large companies. But now they dominated nearly 70 percent of profits, with this company as the sole supplier of enterprise software and systems.
And of course, there was Mr. Kaitou to figure out. Ever since that figure stepped into her life a little while ago, nothing was ever the same. He was an able captain of his chosen industry, a great mentor, and from all accounts a wonderful friend as well. Yet, he was an enigmatic figure or rather many figures wrapped into one. A starry eyed visionary with high hopes for profit, a pragmatic corporate leader, and a hard driving entrepreneur.
When he got that glint of destiny in his eyes, nothing seemed to be able to stop his revolutionary machinations. He worked hard, inspired those around him to work hard, and guided the company on a careful path between radical recklessness and utter prudence.
Rei shook her head quickly, to snap herself out of her reverie. 'Geeze, I'm acting like I'm expecting something to happen. What's wrong with me today?' She smirked, if only for moment, then returned to work. The profit reports had to be looked over and summarized. Anything else would have to wait.
I whistled softly as I entered my house. I had won my golf game, so life seemed pretty good at that moment. The house was pleasantly quiet and I walked over to the bar for a drink and a smoke.
I poured myself a glass of wine and decided to forgo the cigarette. The sun was setting over the hills again, and I wondered what I would be doing until dinner. I pondered a TV football game, but opted for another drink instead. I gazed at the clock at the wall, and saw that it was nearly five.
Rei hadn't called back yet, and I suspected that she was on her way to work. She was a motivated worker, but a little masochistic in the way that Japanese employees can be. I knew that I would demand long hours of her when things started picking up, but it had taken me a couple of weeks to ween her off getting to work an hour early to show her dedication.
I don't even know if it was a conscious effort, but it unnerved me a little. I suppose I was too used to the informality of a startup internet software company and would never make a transition to normal corporate life. I suppressed a little smile at that.
The wine tasted cool and sweet and dulled my senses a little more. Dinner with the board pretty soon. I leaned back to ponder my situation. It seemed as though I was doing that a lot at that time. But to be fair, there was much to ponder. It was more dangerous than ever before. The senshi had managed to track me, even across the ocean, which told me that they weren't that out of practice. Which also meant that I might have to start operating even more covertly, under evasive procedures and cloaking magic as much as possible.
I caressed the scar on my forearm. I had resolved to myself that I would not fight them, even if it came to violence.
Mamoru rubbed the stubble on his chin and then stared at his sleeping fiance. Usagi was an early sleeper and he respected that fervently. It bespoke a mind without care or worry or guilt. And as she curled up at his side, he wondered again what she had ever seen in him.
His lip curled and he bit his tongue. There were more important things to worry about, such as the rather enigmatic figure that occasionally appeared on the Tokyo skyline. Somehow, he felt a silent connection with the dark man that he could not explain nor express.
He's smart. If anything, he'll lie low for as long as possible. But if I interpret the situation correctly, he'll show up at youma attacks. And that means, I have his weakness.
He looked at his fiance again. There would be no sense in searching for him in groups. This would be solo.