An Alternate Story of the Knight Sabers
2034 Year of the Tiger
Neo No Armour Against Fate (Section 2 of 5)
Flash Powder (Part 11 of 11)
by Shawn Hagen(1999)
Based on situations and characters created by Suzuki Toshimichi.
The Garden, written by Ezra Pound (1885-1972)
Quincy stood in front of the windows of his office, looking out over the city. He had his hands crossed over the head of his cane. As usual he did not seem to be supporting himself with it. His back was to the two women standing near the doors. They were waiting for him to acknowledge them.
"Do either of you have any idea what Rathen might have been after?" he asked, not bothering to face them.
"No sir," both women said at once, surprising each other.
"There is too much he could have been after," Katherine said.
"If you had to guess."
"Sir, if I had to guess I would say he was after either information on the boomer's AI or the OMS. They are the only things that are unique to the Towers' computers. What do you think Madigan-san?" Domino asked, being political.
"I would tend to agree with Odotte-san. Any other information might have been easier obtained elsewhere."
"We now know for a fact that Aphros was involved in the actions that brought us and Hou Bang into conflict. I do not think this is company policy though. We have let the family know that Mr. David Frost may not be working in their best interest, which seems very likely. I suspect his family will remove him from his position, and do a full investigation. I think we will learn something of value if we watch."
"Do you think Rathen was working with the people within Aphros that you suspect may be behind this?"
"So far we have not found a link," Domino admitted. "That does not mean it is not there."
"If there is one we should know soon," Katherine stated.
"We should also keep in mind that it might all be a blind to distract us from something even bigger, just like the terrorist activity was meant to distract us from Rathen," Domino said.
"You two will be on this, it is your primary concern. Work separately but keep in contact so that you do not get in each other's way. Do not let any of your other duties suffer," Quincy told them.
"Yes sir," they both said.
"Madigan-kun, you may go now."
"Yes sir." She backed up to the door, bowing before she left the room.
"Odotte-kun, has your Doctor discovered anything new about Rathen?"
"No, I am sorry."
"I want you to handle the Aphros problem. Whether their actions were company policy, or just the actions of a few, they need to be punished. If this was company policy, I want them destroyed."
"I understand."
Quincy nodded. "You may go."
Domino backed out of the room and bowed deeply before leaving the room. Quincy watched her go then turned around to look out the widows again. He was playing a potentially dangerous game but he truly believed that he could not lose, and would come out stronger for it.
Priss had rolled the rear door of the trailer up, and had begun tossing things out. That's how she started it, figuring out what she did not want to keep. There was a lot of it. That was primarily because most of her possessions had suffered damage to one extent or another.
By the time the black mini-van pulled up near the end of the trailer Priss had finished getting rid of what she was not going to keep and had moved on to packing what she would.
Nene opened the door and climbed out of the van. "It sure was wrecked," Nene said, looking at the damaged trailer.
"Really, I hadn't noticed," Priss said, putting a box down at the end of the trailer. "Start loading things into the van."
"Hai," Nene said, walking over to the trailer. She picked up the box, shifted it about so it was balanced, then walked to the back of the mini-van. After placing the box on the ground she opened the rear door, then put the box in the back.
As Nene moved the taped boxes into the van she found herself curious as to what might be in them? What little parts of Priss' life they represented? She would have liked to open them and look through them, even though she knew she would never do such a thing. It would be wrong to pry in such a way, and Priss would kill her.
It did not take long to finish loading the van. After shifting everything to the end of the trailer, Priss started to help Nene in the loading. She handled all the heavy things, like her tool kits, while Nene took care of the lighter things.
Finally Nene closed the rear of the van up, slamming the doors closed.
"Sylia give you any trouble when you asked to borrow this?" Priss asked.
Nene shook her head, then smiled. "I did not actually ask. I left a note, so she won't think it was stolen."
"Maybe we can get it back before she even realises you borrowed it." Priss walked over to the ramp that led up into the trailer. She kicked aside a pile of clothing, then looked up into the place she had called home. It looked empty, deserted, just another piece of junk to be cleared away.
"Where are you going to stay?" Nene asked.
Priss looked back at Nene, a little surprised by the question. She had not given it much thought. "I don't know. Maybe a hotel."
"Well, if you want, there's a spare room at my place."
"What?"
"We have a spare bedroom, and you can use it, if you want."
"Maybe you should ask your parents first," Priss said, a little bite to her voice.
"Actually, making this offer was not entirely my idea," Nene admitted.
"Pardon?"
"I got a call from my mother when I was getting the van. I told her what I was doing and she told me to let you know you could stay at the house if you wanted to."
Priss shook her head. It was a crazy idea, more than crazy, it was just stupid. She looked over at her trailer again, wondering where she was going to go next. "Yeah, sure, why not."
"That's what I told her and..." Nene stopped and looked at Priss. "What?"
"I don't feel like trying to find some place to stay right now. As I figure it, I'll have cleared out of your place in a few days. I need some place for a day or two. Your place is cheaper than a hotel. I'll follow you." Priss said, walking towards her bike.
Nene remained still for a moment, then turned and walked towards the van. She had not expected that.
Priss had only seen the outside of Nene's house, and had never given it much attention. It was a bit larger than most of the other houses in the area, with a bigger yard. The grass was brown, and the tree in front of the house bare. Nene backed the van into the driveway; Priss pulled her bike to a stop by the curb.
There was a small shed in the backyard, which was appropriate as the backyard itself was very small. Nene unlocked it and they placed most of the boxes in there. Then Nene helped Priss carry the rest of it into the house.
The spare room was a ten tatami mat room with two closets. Nene opened the largest, showing Priss the futons and other bedding.
"I guess that is it," Nene said, walking over to the windows and sliding back the shoji screens, letting in the sunlight. "That bathroom at the end of the hall has a shower, the ofuro(bath) is downstairs, near the washer and dryer. It's empty right now, but you could fill it if you want."
Priss nodded. "Thanks," she said, looking around the room. It was all so suburban to her. She had not been in such a situation since... Since... Well, for a long time. "I think I'm just going to pass out for now."
"Me too," Nene yawned.
"Don't you have to go to work?"
"Yes, but with the way they have been bouncing me around, no one is likely to know where I am anyway."
"Lucky for me I guess. Again, thanks."
Nene only smiled, then left the room, closing the door behind her.
Priss walked to the windows and looked out the street. She had had a view similar to this long ago in her parents' house. Shaking her head she closed the shoji blinds. She moved the kotatsu(table) to the side of the room, then pulled a futon from the closet, laying it on the floor. A pillow and a comforter followed. Priss stripped down to her underwear removed her bra, then put a T-shirt on.
Laying down on the futon, she pulled the comforter over her.
Domino sat at her desk, a palmtop computer in her hands, looking over D's reports. D sat on the opposite side of the desk, waiting for Domino to finish.
"Very good," Domino said, removing the disk from her computer and placing it on her desk. "Make sure the police get the information connecting the Neo-Ludite's fund raising operations with Prometheus Bound's operating budget."
"I will."
"I want you to consider a way to hurt Aphros Industries. I have a few ideas of my own, but I want to hear what you think."
"I'll have a basic report for you in a few hours."
"Good. Furthermore, I'm putting our new guest in your hands for now. If she proves loyal, I would like to have her as one of our operatives. She could be of great use. If she will not be of use, we will dispose of her."
D nodded. "May I ask something?"
"What?"
"Where did you get such a body?"
Domino smiled. "Three of the first Generation designers tried to go into a related business of their own. They built several young models. Genom found out and dismissed two of them, and transferred the third because she had talent. Their work was put into storage. Miss Lin was rather lucky. There were models that looked even younger."
"But then she would not have been such a useful operative," D pointed out.
Domino nodded. "If she is willing to work with us."
"Are you thinking about giving her an older body?"
"No," Domino said simply. "Rebecca Lin chose to attack Genom for personal reasons. That cannot be left unpunished, even if Miss Lin is now dead."
"Rather hard."
Domino only nodded.
Linna pulled on the new ankle high boots she had bought over her lunch break. She stomped her feet down to get them on properly. She liked the way the soft, light brown, kidskin looked. She stood up, taking a few steps. She did not care for the way they rubbed against the blisters she had got from dancing. Kikuchi-sensei could be a monster at times.
Grabbing her bag Linna headed out of the theatre, wondering what she was going to have for dinner. Maybe she should go to Sylia's to see if there was the possibility of a victory celebration. Then again, perhaps she would just go home and pass out for the rest of the night. At least things had finally clamed down in the city.
She stopped when she caught site of the limousine parked outside of the stage door. Reika was standing beside it.
"Need a lift," Reika said to her.
"Sure." Linna walked to the limo. "I thought you'd be gone by now," she said.
"So did I, but things change," Reika pulled the door open. Linna got in.
"Where's Kou?" Linna asked.
"Taking care of a few things." Reika got in the car and pulled the door closed. "The hotel." She told the driver.
"You seem up," Linna said.
"I decided to go on tour soon. I should have the album done in two or three weeks, then it is off to Sydney for the opening leg. It's going to be insane for a while." Reika smiled.
"Good luck." Linna was glad Reika seemed to be feeling better.
"Thanks. I'll be needing it. It will be incredibly hectic for the first two months or so but after that everything should fall into place. I hope."
"If you come to MegaTokyo can I get a free ticket to your show?" Linna asked, making a joke of it.
"Actually I'm hoping that won't be necessary."
"How so?"
"Well, while the initial shows will be a little bland I want to add some choreography to the mix early on and then there will be the videos and I could use a personal trainer."
"Wait a second. Are you offering me a job?"
"Yes. I was talking to Kikuchi-san..." Reika began.
"You talked to her?"
"Yes, she told me you would be able to do a good job for me."
Linna leaned back in her seat. "Why me?"
"Admittedly there are a number of other people who could do as good as job, if not better due to greater experience."
"What makes me special?"
"You would be the only one I could talk to about certain things." She paused. "Kou is too close. You were Irene's friend, I'm hoping you will be mine as well. I think you will do a good job and this could really help your career."
"It would," Linna admitted, considering everything Reika had said.
"You would have to leave MegaTokyo though, and it would be at least a year before the tour was over."
"I'd have to say goodbye to a lot of friends," Linna said. Reika knew what she meant.
"I don't want you to do this if you don't want to. It's a job offer. I won't be offended if you turn it down."
"I'll really have to think about this. I mean it's been my dream, and what you are offering is very tempting."
"You have about four weeks. I will have to have an answer by then. Sorry if it seems a bit of a rush."
"No, that's fine. I should be able to give you a decision by then," Linna told her.
"How about I treat you to dinner. The restaurant at the St. Regis is rather nice. We can talk over details, like salary and contracts."
"Okay, we can at least talk about it," Linna said. She was wondering how she was going to be able to turn Reika's offer down. Or even if she could.
Sylia took a drink from her wineglass, thinking about what she had found out over the past several hours.
She had come to the conclusion that Genom's security had been breached the night before. She had no real proof but security in and around the tower had the feeling of people trying to set a good impression after being caught with their pants down.
All she had to do was find out why. Not an easy thing but it was very important, she was sure of it. Something about the past few day's activities had caused her internal alarms to sound. Something was wrong. Or at least she felt that something was wrong.
Turning her attention away from that, she switched to financial concerns. Full payment had been made to her account in Switzerland. Reika Chang had, however, cut the bonus she had promised, were they to retrieve the AF-5, by half.
Sylia suspected that it had something to do with her leaving the matter in Genom's hands after dealing with it. While she understood why Reika might be upset over that, she also felt that the Knight Sabers had done all that was requested of them.
She would make a polite request that the bonus be paid in full, through an intermediary of course, before taking action. In this case action was informing the mercenary community at large about Hou Bang's, and their representative's, actions.
Most Mercenary groups had something like honour, especially when it came to other groups not getting paid what they deserved. It set a bad precedent.
If possible Sylia would do what she could to avoid doing that. It created bad feelings all around.
Even without the full bonus, the Knight Sabers came out very well. Repairs would be a minor expense, though she was going to have to purchase replacement ammunition, and that was always expensive. Perhaps she would have enough funds to begin work on her own improved motoslave design.
Normally she might just transfer the money from one of her other businesses, but as several taxation agencies were taking too close a look at those businesses, that was not a viable course of action.
Well, eventually they would lose interest. For now she'd wait them out and take care of other things. It was not as if she did not have a number of other things to occupy her attention.
Domino sat across the table from Devon, in a private room in one of the better restaurants in the city.
"So, you have been busy," Devon said, picking up a wineglass.
"Business as usual," Domino told him.
"True enough. I'm glad to see that the Company is in good hands. Care to tell me what we are facing?"
Domino took a drink of her wine, looking thoughtful. "It is a rather confusing situation. That Aphros Industry took part in starting the conflict between Genom and Kyuusei Industries is fact. There are few reasons they might have done this, however. What is also not so clear are the events within the city. We have tied them to Rathen-san, but we do not know why he acted as he did."
"I see. Are you sure he was not still working, secretly, for G&B?"
"Yes."
"Perhaps he was working on his own then."
"To what end?"
"I'm sure that you will find the answers you are looking for," Devon said.
Domino nodded, then picked up the wine bottle and filled his glass before filling her own.
"So Domino-san, other than your problems, how are you?"
"I'm well," she told him. "Busy, but I do not mind that."
"If you are busy then perhaps I should not invite you to dinner so often." He smiled at her over his wineglass.
"You need not worry," she said. At the same time she kicked off her right shoe and put her leg out, running her foot along his leg.
Devon calmly placed the glass on the table and looked at Domino. "My dear Domino-san, I am an old man."
"Not so old," she said, lifting her foot so her toes brushed his knee.
"Old enough. And while flattered, I am not interested."
Liar, Domino thought, but did not say. "I suppose there is nothing to do then," she sighed.
"No." He smiled, then looked thoughtful for a moment. "You would not happen to have a uniform would you?"
"Genom office lady or high school?" Domino asked him, matching his smile.
"High school."
"No, but I'll get one tomorrow."
"You'll get back to me about the offer?" Reika asked.
"I will," Linna told her. "Soon."
"Good." Reika looked thoughtful for a moment. "I want to thank you for everything, for the help, and the words, all of it."
"Don't mention it. Irene would have wanted me to do so. And I was glad to."
"Thank you, for that as well."
"Take care of yourself. I'm looking forward to your new album."
"I'll send you some advance copies, for you and your friends. I'll even autograph them." Reika smiled.
"That would be very nice."
Reika looked over her shoulder at Kou. He stood near the escalators that led down to the departure gates and passport control. "I have to leave now. If we miss our take-off time the tower will give us no end of grief over it."
"Have a nice flight. Oh." Linna opened her purse and removed a small, paper envelope with a red and white cord tired to it. "An omamori, safety during travel. A souvenir." She held it up.
Reika reached out and took the charm. "I'll need this. I'll be doing a lot of travelling."
"That's what I thought."
Reika bowed to Linna, "Goodbye."
"Sayonara," Linna said, returning the bow.
Reika straightened, then turned and walked to Kou. He nodded at Linna, then matched Reika, stepping onto the escalator right beside her. Reika looked back as she seemed to sink below the floor and waved at Linna. Linna waved back, then Reika was gone.
Linna moved to the windows of the departure floor and looked out on the landing field. Some distance away she saw a small, private jet, lit by spotlights, a ground crew working on it. A few minutes later a cart drove out into the pool of light around the jet. She could see two figures get out. While she was not able to see them clearly, she knew they were Kou and Reika.
Once they had boarded and the ground crew moved away, the spotlights were shut off. The plane's running lights came on. Not long after that the plane began to move, taxiing to its runway.
Linna watched as long as she could see the plane. It went out of her sight at one point, but she stayed and was rewarded by the sight of its take-off.
The lights soon faded into the dark sky. Linna turned and walked towards the exit. She had a lot to think about.
Soon the Kyuusei Needle was over the Pacific, heading north, keeping close to land. It would use the Aleutian Islands to cross to the North American Continent, then fly down the coastline of North America. It would be a long journey.
Reika and Kou arranged their seats so they were facing each other, a table between them.
"How do you want to handle the request from the Knight Sabers?" Kou asked her.
"They basically turned our property over to Genom. I will not reward them for that."
"True, but we did get everything back, less a few pieces we were not even aware were missing."
Reika sighed. "I'm sure it was Genom that gave McNichol-kichou that evidence."
"So you are angry at Genom. Understandable. Don't let that colour your judgement with the Knight Sabers. If mercenaries, and similar groups begin to think that we might not honour our agreements we may lose their services."
"What, do they have a union?"
Kou smiled. "Word gets around."
"Fine. We'll pay them the entire bonus, less 1 yen."
"I'm sure that will send the message you want."
"Do we know who put Louise up to her attempt on Grandfather's life?"
"Not yet."
"It was Genom," Reika stated.
"No doubt, but we may not be able to prove it."
"Do we know how it was done?"
"She has a drug problem. There was some blackmail involved. They were levers used to make her make the attempt," Kou told her.
"What is Grandfather going to do with her?"
"What would you like him to do?" Kou asked her.
"I'm not sure. I'm very angry with her. She let herself be used. That's uncharitable though."
"I'm sure that your Grandfather will do all he can to help her."
"He would," Reika said fondly.
"What about Aphros Industries?" Kou asked.
"Would Genom use the same trick as was used on us? Make us go to war with them?"
"No. It is not a wise strategy. It has the possibility of making allies where you would rather not have them."
Reika thought about it for a time. "I'm sure that it will be up to Grandfather and his advisors, but the report that we were sent suggest that it was not the entire company but a small faction within it that was behind what happened. I'm not sure we have to do anything."
"No," Kou shook his head. "We cannot ignore this."
"But..."
Kou held up his hand. "We were hurt by this. If we do nothing, it makes us look weak. We will have to strike back at Aphros for what they did. We will do it in a way to make sure they know what they are being punished for. We cannot do otherwise."
"Can't we handle this more diplomatically?"
"That would invite attacks on us, which in the end would be more costly to everyone. This is for the best."
Reika closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat. "I'll be so happy when I'm touring again."
It was late when Kaneko Akamura returned to her apartment. She was actually feeling tired. A very good sign that she had really pushed herself. She opened the door of her apartment, kicked her shoes off in the genkan, then stepped up into the apartment.
She took off her coat and was moving it towards the coat rack next to the door. She paused, looking at the rack. She did not remember the black, leather, long coat that hung there. She let her coat go, spinning about, at the same time drawing her pistol from its shoulder holster.
Moving quickly, very quickly, she dove, rolling across the floor, coming up in a crouch in a corner, the wall to her back. The muzzle tracked with her eyes as she scanned the room. Sitting on her couch was a woman. She stared directly at Kaneko, seemingly unconcerned that a pistol was pointed at her.
She had long black hair; some of it piled up on her head, and two strands hanging down over her ears. She was dressed in a black evening dress, a gold chain around her neck. It was not the look that Kaneko would have expected from an intruder.
"Who are you?" Kaneko demanded.
"Odotte Domino," the woman said in a calm tone.
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to speak to you Lieutenant Akamura."
"About what?"
"About the fire boomers you are investigating," Domino said, getting to her feet.
"Don't move," Kaneko said.
"Please," Domino smiled condescendingly as she reached for her purse. "Shooting an unarmed individual is not something you would do," Domino said as she slowly reached into her purse and then removed a business card. She walked towards Kaneko, then held her card out towards her.
Kaneko reached forward and took the card, keeping the pistol ready and pointed at Domino. "Genom?" she said after she had glanced at it.
"Pleased to meet you." Domino smiled.
"What are you doing here?"
"As I said," Domino turned around and walked towards the door, "I'm here to speak of the fire boomers."
"What about them?" Kaneko asked as she straightened up. Her pistol was no longer pointed at Domino's back, but she kept it ready, just in case.
Domino knelt down to pick up Kaneko's dropped coat. She straightened and then hung it on the coat rack. "What have you found out?" Domino asked as she took her own coat from the rack.
"I guess you'll just have to wait until I finish the report."
"Let me guess what you found then." Domino turned around, as the same time slipping the coat on. "You suspect that there was some programming added to the fire boomer. If you have a day or two you will be able to put together a report that should allow you to take a closer look at the programming. Then you might find something."
"You seem to have all the answers. Why come to me?"
"I just wanted to mention that the fire boomers save many lives and prevent terrible property damage every year. Do you really want to put a doubt into people's mind concerning these units? After all, it is not like there is a real problem here. A one time solution to a very bad problem." Domino turned and stepped down into her shoes. She opened the door and then turned on the apartment's threshold. "Perhaps it is like you said in the interview you gave today. Maybe the boomer just reacted to save lives and prevent fires in the only way it could." Domino stepped from the apartment and closed the door.
Kaneko stood where she was, then looked down at the card she had been given, reading the information there. Who was Domino Odotte, and why did she feel so familiar? And why did she know exactly what to say?
February 17th, Friday, 08:20
Nene adjusted the sash on her uniform, making sure it was placed right. She looked around, catching Naoko's eyes. She gave her a sad smile, and nodded. Naoko was still putting on her blouse. She smiled back, but it had she same, sad quality.
The locker room was much more crowded than normal. Women officers who usually wore civilian clothing were there, putting on their dress uniforms. She saw Asako Yamano sitting on one of the benches, attaching her new captain insignia to the uniform jacket-she had come up from the Tac squad lockers to borrow a needle and thread. Near by Kaneko Akamura was staring into a small mirror on the inside of her locker door. There was a far off quality to her posture.
Nene sighed and reached into the back of her locker's top shelf. She brought forth a black armband, a part of the ADP uniform that was used too often.
She slid it up her right sleeve, cinching it tight about her upper arm. Nene took her coat from the lockerit also had black band on the sleeveclosed the door, then turned and walked towards the exit. She stopped just before leaving to look at herself in the full-length mirror mounted on the wall. Reaching up, she straightened her tie, then turned and left.
"Oi, Nene-chan," she heard a familiar voice call out.
"Leon-san," she said, turning towards him. She smiled slightly, noting he was dressed in his uniform. Leave it to Leon to look good in one. Of course so did Daily. Such a shame about him. It was one of those things in life that Nene thought was very unfair.
"Glad I caught up with you."
"Why?"
"Well, I think it proper that you show up to the parade with the proper rank on."
"What?" Nene asked, looking down at her collar badge.
Leon walked up to her and reached out, removing the rank badge, officer, from Nene's collar. "Sometimes, you can be quite useful."
"Thank you," Nene said sarcastically. "What are you talking about, and what are you doing."
"Here, do something with this," he put the rank badge in her hand.
"Be careful what you say," Nene told him as she put the badge in her pocket.
Leon reached into his pocket and pulled out two collar badges. "Congratulations. You've been promoted, Sergeant Romanova." He reached out and clipped one of the badges onto her collar.
"What?"
"With the promotion comes an increase in pay, of course." He pinned the other one on her opposite collar. "Also, since communications does not need any sergeants, you will be transferred to my squad."
"Wait, I'm not trained for front line combat!"
Leon laughed softly. "I don't need you for that, but thanks for offering. What I need is a computer operator and communications specialist that I can use whenever I want without having to go through Madoka-san. Now, at this point you say thank you."
Nene looked up at Leon for a moment, then smiled. "Thank you Leon-san."
"Don't mention it Nene-chan. You mostly earned it."
The door to the women's locker room opened. Nene looked back, seeing Naoko and two other women from the communications section come out. "Where should I go now? Should I go with you?"
"Stay with coms for the rest of today," he told her. "It will give you a chance to show off your new rank and take care of any remaining business."
Nene nodded. "Thank you," she said, then turned and walked back towards the others.
Leon smiled at her back then turned and headed down the hall. It was nice that some good things might happen today, he thought.
Nene, like many of the other ADP personnel, took ADP transport to the marshalling area for the parade. She was in one of the Mini-vans, with seven other women from communications. More than half of the ADP's personnel was going to be there. SDF personnel had been called in to take over the ADP's duties, using the ADP's equipment, for the parade's duration. It had been done before. It would probably be done again. SDF MPs were also taking over certain duties for the other police forces in the city.
It was going to be a large parade.
Two parking garages near the marshalling ground had been given over to police use. Black and white police vehicles were pulling into the garages, the mini-van joined a line of vehicles waiting to enter.
Not long afterwards the van was parked and Nene and her friends were taking the stairs down to street level.
They had to walk a few blocks to where the police units were forming up. At the head of the parade would be a small fleet of vehicles, each bearing several wreaths on which pictures were placed. The photographs were of the officers who had lost their lives in the line of duty on the night of the fifteenth and morning of the sixteenth.
Officers on motorcycles would flank the cars. Behind the cars would march the ADP, followed by the Tokyo Police, followed by the THP. Bands would march between them.
As Nene moved into place she noted that there was a band just in front of the ADP. She had heard about it, but had not quite believed it.
The CBC camera crew had arranged it through the Canadian Embassy, as a sign of respect, and a thank you.
Nene had never seen a pipe band in person, as it were.
Tall soldiers dressed in kilts, Highlanders, she had been told. Visiting the American base up in Amori, they had driven all night to get there for the parade. It was a very kind gesture.
Soon everyone had fallen in and the various units of police were called to attention. The fairly soft commands used by Leon, who had taken the command role, contrasted sharply with the bellowed commands from the pipe band's Sergeant Major. The foreign language echoed off the walls and remained for a time.
That was nothing to the sound of the pipes. The strange, wailing music seemed so fitting for the day. The drums provided a steady beat, making it nearly impossible for anyone who could hear them to get out of step.
And so they started, marching down the street towards a monument and shrine to Tokyo's Police.
At times Nene thought she saw people she knew out of the corner of her eyes. At one point she was certain she saw Priss. The parade route was lined with people, there to pay their respects to the fallen officers, or just for the spectacle of it all. There were even some Genom officials, there to pay their respects. That always upset some officers and Nene could hear angry mutterings even over the sound of the pipes.
At the monument prayers were offered up for the dead, and for the hope that there would never be any other officers lost. The wreaths were taken from the cars and put on the grass that surrounded the monument as the names were read out. There were so many.
Then a group of officers, carrying old, bolt action riflesloaded with blanksmarched out and began firing volleys into the air, a final salute to the fallen officers.
And then they were dismissed.
The police officers walked down the road they had just marched up, in small groups, often talking about lost friends. Nene and a few of the other women from communications found themselves among the Highlanders, who, truth be told, were trying to pick them up. They were very polite about it, it was a funeral service in a way, but that is what they were trying to do.
Nene was polite, but as cute as they were, and they were, she did feel like she was involved with Kaoru. Naoko had no such problems and attached herself to a tall, cute blonde with an infectious laugh and just enough Japanese to get by.
Domino had come to the area just to pick up the school uniform, that was what she told herself. She had taken the afternoon off after returning from the parade. While things were a bit hectic in the Tower, she felt her department could function without her for a few hours. And everyone deserved some time off.
She wore a pair of jeans, a white T-shirt and a leather jacket. Her running shoes might have been white at one time. Dressed that way, her long hair pulled into a pony tail tied off with a white ribbon, she looked like she could be a senior high school girl skipping her classes.
It was not a look Domino had been consciously striving for, but when she looked in the mirror she was not displeased. It was nice to take a break from the Tower, and being treated as if she was seventeen was not so bad.
She again told herself she had only come to buy the uniform when she walked into LADYS633. No need to go to the Silky Doll, she told herself, even as she was walking towards it. As she walked into it she told herself that she just needed some lingerie to go with her power suits. She was amazed at how well she could lie to herself. Actually, that was not true, she was very poor at lying to herself. She knew exactly why she was there.
"Welcome," Sylia said as soon as Domino walked into the shop.
Domino nodded politely, then went straight to a rack of teddies, keeping her back to Sylia. It was not as easy as she had hoped. She was not sure what Mason had really felt about the woman, but she could not help but think about her. Such a clever and resourceful opponent. Domino already respected her.
Now she just had to see what else she might feel.
As she looked through the lace and silk creations, she occasionally would, surreptitiously, look over her shoulder. It seemed whenever she did Sylia was looking right at her, and smiling.
Calm down, Domino told herself. You've faced generals, members of the Diet, you've even faced Quincy. This is not that difficult. Just think of something to say to her.
Sylia watched Domino and quickly came to a conclusion about the girl. It was the wrong conclusion, but she had no way of knowing.
Having run the Silky Doll for a time, she had seen a lot of customers. The girl was probably looking for the right article for someone special. And given her age, it was likely her first time. Sylia smiled as she walked towards the girl. That was one of the nice things about running the Silky Doll, it gave her a unique break from the rest of her life.
"Excuse me, but could you use some help?" Sylia asked.
Domino turned, surprised to find Sylia standing so close. Part of her wanted to slam the cover down on her emotions, but she quickly realised that was over-reacting. Think of something clever to say! "I'm looking for something," Domino said. How was that clever?
Sylia smiled. "While these," she ran her finger through the garments, "are, in their own way beautiful, I don't think they are what you want."
"They're not?" Domino asked, a little confused.
Sylia smiled and gently directed Domino to a nearby rack. She took one of the garments from the rack. It was a gown, of a blue green silk, with thin shoulder straps and a little lace over the bodice. "I think you would find this much more comfortable," Sylia said. "It does not have an excess of lace, which can be uncomfortable, and the silk is very pleasant against the skin." She held it up, close to Domino. "This colour will bring out your eyes I think."
"I see," Domino said.
"Of course silk might be too expensive. We do have some synthetic fibres that are almost as good."
"The silk will be fine, thank you," Domino said, keeping her voice even. Smile, she told herself, and she did.
Sylia nodded. "Very good. Come, we'll get this wrapped up for you."
Domino followed after Sylia, and watched as she placed the garment in box, then closed it. She began to tie it shut with a ribbon. She found herself fascinated by the quick, sure way her fingers moved. Stingray-hakase had done things the same way.
"In her is the end of breeding," Domino said softly as she took removed several thousand yen from her purse.
"Pardon?" Sylia looked up, finishing with the ribbon even as she did so.
"What?" Domino asked. Had she said that aloud? Obviously so. "Oh, it's just a line from a poem." She put the money on the counter.
"I see," Sylia said, reaching under the counter for a bag.
"A friend told it to me," Domino said, thinking she should add something. "Would you like to hear it?"
Sylia put the box into the bag. Strange girl, she thought, but she was curious. "Yes."
"It's in English."
"I'll manage," Sylia said, smiling. She took the money and counted it.
Domino thought about it, remembering D's words.
"Like a skein of loose silk blown against a wall
She walks by the railing of a path in Kensington Gardens,
And she is dying piecemeal of a sort of emotional anaemia.
"And round about there is a rabble
Of the filthy, sturdy,
unkillable infants of the very poor.
They shall inherit the earth.
"In her is the end of breeding.
Her boredom is exquisite and excessive.
She would like some one to speak to her,
And is almost afraid that I will commit that indiscretion."
Domino finished and did not say anything else.
"That is very beautiful," Sylia said after a moment. She placed a tray with Domino's change on the counter.
"Do you think so?" Domino asked, reaching out to take the bag and her change.
"Yes."
"I'm glad I could tell it to you then," Domino said, smiling. She bowed slightly to Sylia, then turned and walked from store.
Strange girl, Sylia thought, realising she had forgotten to thank her for visiting the store. Well, hopefully next time.
Cultural Notes: Tatami mats - Tatami mats are thick matting made of straw. When new they are green, but fade in sunlight and over time until they are a golden brown. They cover the floors in the living areas of Japanese houses. They are warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and have a wonderful smell.
As tatami mats are all the same size (mostly) a room's size is often described in the number of tatami mats that cover the floor.
"That I have practised the art of calligraphy stems from the fact that I once noted with embarrassment how well a certain lady wrote her characters"
-Shiba Yoshimasa
