An Alternate Story of the Knight Sabers
2034 Year of the Tiger
Neo No Armour Against Fate (Section 3 of 5)
Satisfaction For a Sin (4 of 8)
by Shawn Hagen(1999;2005)
Based on situations and characters created by Suzuki Toshimichi.
Delight in Disorder, written by Robert Herrick (1591-1674)
Soft music, classical, played from the hidden speakers, filled the office. Domino sat in her chair, looking out her window at the city below. The sun had set and below her was a field of lights. Quite beautiful really.
There was a knock on her door. "Come in," Domino said.
Rebecca Lin entered her office. She was carrying her laptop computer tucked under her arm. "Do you have time?" Rebecca asked her.
"Some. What is it Miss Lin?"
"I think I have something."
"Please, have a seat," Domino said.
Rebecca crossed across the room and took a seat in front of the desk. Her feet did not quite reach the floor. "I've been watching some of the things you wanted me to. It might have been easier if you gave me a higher clearance."
"Good try Miss Lin. Continue."
"Well, I've been watching the computers during the large, file transfers when you are sending information to other Towers."
"Those are one way gate transfers. You cannot hack the computers through them."
"I know, but your worry was someone inside."
"Yes. And what did you find?"
"This," she took a disk from her pocket and held out towards Domino.
Domino shifted forward and took it. She looked at Rebecca for a moment, then sat back, slid the disk into her computer, and then accessed the information on it. Information began to scroll across her screen, records of file transfers, and who had made them. It was jut raw information. Rebecca had not tagged anything, which was how Domino liked things. She wanted to make her own decisions on the information.
It did not take her long to spot what had concerned Rebecca. Legal access into an area of high security, masked by the larger file transfer taking place at that time. "Have these records been cleaned up?"
"Yes, another smoothing of the records."
"How good is this person, in your opinion?"
"Good, but not a hacker by any means."
"You don't know who made this access do you?"
"I'm not cleared for that."
"You don't know what information was taken either?"
"Again, I don't have access."
Domino nodded. "Good, Do yourself a favour, don't ever try to find out."
"You've piqued my curiosity."
"Don't act on that. It might get you killed."
Rebecca nodded after a few seconds had passed. "I understand."
"Good. Thank you for your work."
Rebecca tried to hide the fact she enjoyed the compliment, but not very well. "I'm just doing my job. I guess I owe you that."
"Of course," Domino said.
"I'm going now," she said.
"Have a good evening."
Rebecca nodded, then got out of the chair, turned and walked to the door, closing it behind her as she left.
Domino waited a few seconds then picked up her NAVI and entered the number for special security. "This is Odotte," Domino said when she got through. "I want to arrange for a very discreet security watch on someone."
It had been another packed night at the Hard Rock. The Replicants had played three encores before it was all over. Priss had been happy to get off the stage at the end, even though she had loved performing.
Having just showered, she was sitting on the couch, drinking down a bottle of water. She still had not dressed, but the towels covered her well enough. There was a knock on the door.
"Come in," Priss called out, not bothering to get up from the couch.
The door opened and Linna entered. "That was a great show,' Linna told her. "Maybe one of your best!"
"Thanks," Priss said. "I'm glad you were finally able to make it."
"Well, it's been busy. You're playing tomorrow right?'
"Last night, for a while at least."
"Too bad, I was hoping you might be able to make it to my opening night."
"No luck," Priss said, standing up. "Maybe one of the other nights, though I have to admit that it does not sound very interesting."
"I think you'll be surprised."
Priss did not say anything, she just walked behind a screen. A moment later the towels she had been covering herself were tossed over the side. The material of the screen was opaque, so Linna could make out Priss' form as she dressed.
The door to the shower room opened and Norio walked out. He had a towel wrapped around his waist, and was using another to dry his long, black hair. "Oi Linna-san, hisashiburi desu ne(long time no see)," he said.
"Hey Norio-san, you're looking good," she smiled at him.
"I try," he told her, flexing his muscles.
"Yeah, you're a real stud," Priss said, walking out from behind the screen. She was wearing a T-shirt that went down to the top of her thighs, covering her well enough. She grabbed a pair of pants from off the back of a nearby chair. "Get dressed before that towel falls off and me and Linna laugh ourselves to death.
"You're cruel Priss-san," he said to her, walking towards the screen.
"So, how is the rest of the band?" Linna asked Priss.
"About the same as ever."
"That bad?"
Priss smiled. "You know it. So, why did you need five tickets set aside for you?"
"Some friends from the dance troupe. They really like your music."
"Good."
"So, are you doing anything..." Linna began.
The door opened and Miako Forest entered. "Priss-san, great show."
"Thanks," Priss said.
"Who's your friend?" Miako asked.
"Yamazaki Linna desu," Linna said. "Dozo yoroshiku(pleased to meet you)."
"Forest Miako, yoroshiku ne. So, you a friend of Priss-san's?"
"Yes."
"I'm a friend too," Norio said, leaning around the screen.
"Glad to hear it." Miako smiled as she reached into her pocket and brought forth a white, plastic bottle. "Ecstasy, pharmaceutical grade, none of the crunchy crap cooked up in some dorm room." She shook the bottle, causing the pills to rattle.
"Drugs?" Linna asked, a little surprised.
"That would be the point. So, who's up for a little enjoyment?"
"No!" Linna said, much more forceful than needed.
"A moral objector," Miako said, laughing at Linna.
"Not my thing," Priss said simply.
"Pharmaceutical grade you say?" Norio came out from behind the screen, pulling on his T-shirt.
"Only the best." She tossed the bottle to Norio. He caught it and opened it. "So." She turned to Linna. "Against drugs in general, or is it just the synthesised ones?"
"I'm not about to destroy my mind for a little pleasure and a lot of pain."
"That's very good," Miako said. "I mean, you kept a straight face and everything."
"That's enough," Priss told Miako. "Let's not have any fights here."
"I think I'll go back to my friends, they are probably missing me. I hope you'll be able to make it to the performance before it closes Priss."
"I'll try."
"Later," Linna said, then left the room.
"She looks like she will not be much fun," Miako said to Priss.
"Careful you don't push her too hard. She could seriously hurt you if she ever decided to."
"Suggestion noted."
"Hey," Norio said. When Miako and Priss turned to look at him he tossed the bottle back to Miako. "I just took one."
Miako caught the bottle. "Enjoy it," she told him, putting the bottle back in her pocket. "So, want to do anything Priss? Maybe a crawl through Roppongi?"
"Not tonight," Priss said as she walked over to the closet. "I promised someone that I'd celebrate their acceptance to University. It is all terribly domestic, but I owe them."
"How very dull. Oh well." She looked over at Norio. "Want to enjoy being toasted together?"
Norio thought about it. "I won't say 'no' to such an offer."
"Good," she walked over to him. "Next time ne, Priss."
"Next time," Priss said as she walked towards the door.
March 8th, Wednesday, 01:23
Domino listened as D made her report. Her elbows were on her desk, her palms together, fingers steepled, chin resting upon fingertips. Eyes closed, she let herself absorb all the information.
Still so many holes, she thought, so much she still did not know. Things were going well though, it was only a matter of time.
"Did you discover anything new about Rathen?"
"Nothing we did not know before. I did hear some more rumours about where his mistress might be, but still have nothing concrete. She could be dead or alive."
"I wonder if she is a ghost, a rumour started to make us chase shadows and ignore something of importance?"
"What have we ignored?" D asked.
"A good question, what have we ignored?" It was a rhetorical question.
"Do you wish me to continue my investigation into Rathen-san?"
"I'd like to talk about something else first."
"What?"
Domino reached down and pulled a drawer open. She placed a disk case up on the desktop. "This."
D looked at the disk case, wondering what it was about. She recognised the type. They were used to store huge amounts of datathey were very expensive.
"What do you think?" Domino asked.
"I'm not sure."
"Perhaps this will help." Domino turned the case around. Written on the case's label in D's own handwriting was 'Brian J. Mason'.
"I see," the boomer said.
"Two days ago the Chairman called me into his office. He wanted to know why all the copies of this data had not been destroyed as he had asked, as he had ordered. I want to know as well."
"I'm sorry," D said
"You're sorry? By keeping those copies you put both our lives in jeopardy."
"I had no choice."
"Why not?" Domino demanded.
"It's my basic reason for existence. To protect Mason-sama, no matter what occurs. That data, you, are all that is left of him. If anything were to happen to you..."
"You would just start again, another person for you to serve." Domino could not keep the note of displeasure from her voice.
"It is my basic programming," D said defensively. "I have no choice."
"Of course you have a choice, rise above it."
"I'm more boomer than you," D said softly. "Yet even you have not managed to rise above your basic programming."
"What are you talking about?"
"You live to serve. Right now you serve yourself but in the presence of a strong personality like Devon-sama or the Chairman you adapt to their wishes."
Domino was quiet for a long time. D sat in the chair, doing her best not to stare at Domino without obviously looking away.
"Perhaps, but that is not what this is about. I need to know if I can trust you."
"Do you even have to ask that?"
"Yes. Brain J. Mason is dead. You are going to have to accept that."
"He is not. You..."
"I am not Mason," Domino snapped. "Largo was not Mason. Put this damn thing," Domino hit casing with her fist, "into as many bodies as you want, you will still never recreate him. He's dead."
D said nothing. A look of anger crossed her face for a moment.
Domino looked at her then reached into her jacket and brought out a Same chain knife. She squeezed the trigger and the ceramic teeth began to move. "The copies from Cairo, Switzerland, Calgary, Moscow, Sapporo, and Singapore have all been destroyed. That leaves only this one from Shinjuku."
"Yes," D said.
"I have a job to complete," Domino said. She lowered the blade towards the casing. She watched as D leapt from her chair then suddenly stopped, holding herself in check. Domino nodded slightly then brought the blade down.
Angling the knife so the chips of plastic flew down onto her desk instead of into her face Domino sawed through it. The teeth bit into the hard plastic of the disks within the carrier, shattering the material as it passed through it.
Before she began to cut into her desk Domino shut the saw off and pulled it from the ruined carrier. After placing the chain knife on her desktop she picked up the carrier and snapped it in two. The halved, ruined disks rained out onto her blotter.
"We are done with this are we not?" Domino asked.
"Yes," D said softly.
"Good." Domino let the empty halves of the carrier drop. "I need all the information I can get on who is threatening us. Get it for me," she told D, business as usual.
"I'll start right away."
"Do so."
D turned away and walked towards the door. She had to be careful not to let too much show. She had adopted many of the habits of the humans around her. They could give her away.
"You forgot to tell me about the one you hid in the special weapons vault," D heard from behind her, a moment before something punched through her shoulder blade and lodged itself deep in her chest.
Three more impacts followed. The small of her back, the base of her neck, and her right thigh. She fell forward against the unopened door, her head bouncing hard off the armour. Unable to do anything else she fell backwards, lying sprawled on the floor. A moment later the first projectile exploded.
She almost died right there. Each hit had taken out a vital part of her systems, the backups and rerouters that would have allowed her to keep functioning. The explosion in her chest had taken out most of her power and computer systems. All she had left was the organic and computer backups in her head. Not much to go on really.
She had audio and visual input still and olfactory she realised, identifying the smell her spilt internal fluids. She heard Domino walking towards her, identified her with a hundred percent accuracy by the sounds of her footsteps. She was walking slowly. D guessed she would put the next bullet in her head to complete the shutdown. She was surprised when Domino knelt down and pulled her head onto her lap.
"You didn't give me any other choice," Domino said.
"I understand," D said softly, surprised she could still speak. "I am sorry."
"It doesn't help much now," Domino told her as she brushed some of D's hair away from her eyes.
"Will this help you regain Quincy-san's trust?"
"I think so."
"I'm glad I helped this one last time then."
"You helped to clean up a mess of your own."
"You were the only one I really liked," D said, a mixture of various fluids escaping her mouth in a thin stream. Domino wiped them away with her handkerchief. "But in the end I had to be true to my basic program."
"So you say."
"Can't you believe me?" D asked. She suddenly felt it very important that Domino realise just how much she had cared.
"I don't think so."
D closed her eyes. That hurt. She suddenly wished she had never achieved sentience. "Will you bring me back, this body?" D asked, more fluid escaping from the corner of her mouth.
"I don't know," Domino said. "You are a valuable piece of equipment."
"That hurts."
"Good," Domino said. "You deserved it."
"I am sorry."
"You betrayed me."
D was about to reply when another of the rounds exploded. Her body jerked slightly, more systems shut down. After a moment she managed to say, "I don't think I have much time left."
"No," Domino said, lowering her head. Her hair fell forward, like a curtain, now D could only see her face, and the waves of blackness around her.
"Will you forgive me?"
"I don't know. I doubt I ever can. You betrayed me."
She looked up at Domino for a moment. She did not know what to say, then it came to her. "A sweet disorder in the dress," she began, then another of the rounds went off, followed quickly by the final one. D's eyes opened wide for a moment, a look of surprise on her face, and then it was over. Her last sight was of Domino's face, and her eyes, looking down at her own.
Domino watched D's eyes go dead. She could feel the still warm fluids from D's body soaking into her clothes, against her skin. Reaching down, she closed D's eyes with her fingers, then she straightened up. After a moment she brought her hands up to her face, covering her eyes so she would not have to see anymore.
Damn Quincy, she thought angrily, not daring to give voice to those words. He had forced her to kill her friend. And damn herself, damn her for being cruel in the end, for making D hurt, for the petty bit of revenge. If she had ever doubted her humanity she no longer did. It took emotions to be that cruel. It took humanity.
D had been right. She was as much a prisoner to her own programming as D had been to hers.
But D had given her a new chance.
She would ensure that she did not waste it.
"You were my friend, D-san," Domino whispered.
She got to her feet and stumbled over to her desk, taking deep breaths. Domino leaned against her desk, bringing herself back under control.
After a moment she reached for her NAVI and placed a call. A short time later a group of janitorial boomers showed up. With their aid she cleaned up the mess, leaving no sign that anything had happened. When everything was finished Domino planned to wipe their memories. It was not that there was any real problem in killing a boomer-she certainly could not be charged for murder-but Domino felt she should not treat D's murder as unimportant.
There were many graves on Kouya-san(mount Kouya); no small number of them had been set up by corporations and companies to take care of their employees even unto death. Genom had one of the more elaborate ones. There were daily prayer services held by the Buddhist monks of the Shingon monastery at the site.
The graveyard saw many visitors each day. That cold Wednesday morning, the sides of the mountain dusted in snow, was no different.
Domino walked up the freshly cleared path. Her long leather coatthe same one she had worn at the Hard Rock Caféflaring out behind her like black wings as the cold wind blew by her. She stared ahead at the black marble monolith that marked the Genom grave site.
Held tightly to her chest was a simple urn of baked clay. It was heavy in her hands. Cremating a boomer had not proven an easy task. It had entailed more grinding than burning.
She could have had the 33-C rebuilt, repaired, but it would not have been D. It would not have had her experiences or her skills. It would not have had her love for poetry. In the end it would have been pointless. Then there was D's request to be allowed to die. Domino respected that, no matter what she might have said.
She reached the grave site; two monks were there, waiting for her. They had already drawn back one of the stone covers, revealing the chamber underneath. There were a number of small sachets there as well as few full sized urns. Most employees were buried at family sites with only a small portion of their ashes, and in many cases not even that, being placed at the Genom grave site.
Domino knelt down and carefully placed the urn into the chamber, making sure it was standing up right. She put it next to the urn that held Mason's ashes, sure D would like that.
She knelt there for a time then slowly got to her feet.
"Sayonara D-san."
She stood by the grave site for a time, wondering about herself, who and what she was. She would miss D, that thought was not so much of a surprise to her. D had been her first friend she realised. Now she was gone. Domino had killed her because it was necessary.
Perhaps she should have shown more loyalty to the boomer, in ways both older sister and mother to her. She stuffed her hands deep into the pockets of her coat and drew it about herself, suddenly feeling cold. It had nothing to do with the temperature though.
"Seal it," she told the monks as she turned away from them and the open chamber.
One of the monks approached her, holding a small, silk wrapped object in his hands. He handed it over to Domino. Domino thanked him and took it.
She had no choice in what she had done and would do, Domino thought as she started down the walkway. The path she had set herself on demanded so much from her and she had no choice but to give it. She no longer had any choice but to follow the path, there were too many pressures pushing her along. To stop would mean destruction. To stop would mean betrayal.
It was the first time she had ever questioned her goals.
As she reached the parking lot where her helicopter had landedshattering the early morning peaceshe realised something. She wanted it that way. She craved the challenge.
And if the price was high, well what point in playing the game unless the stakes meant something? The loss this time was staggering but it put her in a position to gain so much.
Such was life. Such was her life.
"Get me back to MegaTokyo," Domino ordered the pilot as she climbed into the aircraft.
"Yes Odotte-sama," the pilot said. She reached up and flipped switches, turning on the electronics systems, then started up the engines.
Domino was not really paying attention. She put on her seat belt and then placed the object the monk had given her on her lap. Pulling the silk back revealed an Ihai, the black, lacquered tablet with the name of one dead written on it. She had had it made for D.
The monks probably had not given too much thought about her request for an Ihai for a boomer. Such requests had been made before, Domino knew that. Some boomers became so human that it was impossible not to be worried about their spirits when they died. Mason had known an executive who had Ihai made for lost combat boomers, worried that their warrior spirits might come back for him.
She wrapped the Ihai up again and placed it on seat beside her. She picked up the leather bound book beside it and began flipping through the pages.
She had found the book, as well as many others, among D's effects. It was strange that D liked books so much, such an old fashioned way of presenting information. She flipped through the pages, looking for a poem. She found it near the beginning of the book. Leaning back in the seat she read through it quietly:
"A sweet disorder in the dress/Kindles in clothes a wantonness./A lawn about the shoulders thrown/Into a fine distraction;/An erring lace, which here and there/Enthralls the crimson stomacher;/A cuff neglectful, and thereby/Ribbons to flow confusedly;/A winning wave, deserving note/In the tempestuous petticoat;/A careless shoestring, in whose tie/I see a wild civility;/Do more bewitch me than when art/Is too precise in every part."
Domino shut the book. "Sayonara D-san."
"Asagiri-san?" the man, Eiji Kamiya, asked, standing up from behind his desk.
"Yes," Priss nodded.
"I'm glad you could make it so early."
"It was no problem," Priss told the architect.
"Good. Please, have a seat."
Priss sat, as did Eiji. "I've been looking over the plans you have sent me. The building inspector has also sent me a report."
"What's the word?"
"Not bad, all things considered. Minor repairs needed all over, but nothing too expensive. You can go ahead whenever you want."
"All right, what about the living quarters?"
"I've drawn out some plans," he told her, laying some blue prints on the desk. The bathroom and kitchen will go along the inner walls, so we can run the water and drainage pipes along them. The front entrance opens up to a living room, as you wished, with three separate rooms. You know, we could get a few more rooms in here if you want."
"I want things to be spacious," Priss told him.
"All right, actually, there are a few changes I can make. I was planning on covering those windows up, putting walls there instead, but if you want we can leave them, that will make things look more open."
"Sounds good. What about skylights?"
"No problem. What sort of layout are you looking at?"
"A lot. One in every room. What about privacy?"
"We can put in polarising glass, and an interior, steel shutter system for both privacy and security. If you want that of course."
"I'll think about it." Priss picked up the plans he had drawn out and looked over them. "This looks fine, for the most part." She placed the plans back on his desk. "What about the rehearsal area and recording studio?"
"I've looked into that. Where do you want to put it?"
"There's a big shower and locker room on the first floor. I was thinking that would be a good place to set it up in."
"Let's see." Eiji turned to a computer and tapped a few keys, then reached out and touched the screen. "It could work. Just a moment, I picked up a program that we can use to set up a model, then we can play with it. Come around and take a look at this."
Priss got up and circled around the desk. He was entering information on the keyboard.
"First we put in the basic dimensions, then information on location of doors, the covering of the walls, floor and ceiling, and that sort of thing. We'll take note of the shower heads and fixtures, though of course we will remove them," as he said that he touched the screen, dragging his finger across it to add things to the virtual room he was putting together. It took him several minutes before he was pleased with had he had.
"Now what?" Priss asked.
"Now we test it for acoustics with a simulated tone."
They watched as the information was presented, how the sound waves behaved in the room.
"Bit of a mess,' Priss said.
"To be expected I guess," he told her. "We'll just add something to absorb the sound. Say carpet," he made some changes and tested the room once again with a simulated tone.
Priss watched and made suggestions, based on what she wanted. Eventually they went with shell walls being built against the original walls. It provided a place to run wiring, as well as the best sound qualities.
"That should do it," he told her.
"Now what?" Priss asked as she returned to her seat.
"Well, do you want to carry through with construction?"
"That was the plan."
"Have you hired a contractor yet?"
"No. Do you have any suggestions?"
"There is a company I often work with. They do good work. Mibashi Construction."
Priss nodded. "So I've heard."
"You've done some research?"
"A friend of mine did some. Checked out incidents of complaints against various contractors and other things. Mibashi came out well. Since they also do most of your jobs, I guess you get some sort of kick back from them."
"No, I mean..."
"Don't worry about it," Priss told him. "I have no problem with that. They know your style, so they'll get everything right. So, how much will it cost."
He looked at Priss for a moment, still off balance from what she had said. Then he nodded and turned back to his computer. "For materials and labour, not including my fee of course, four million yen."
Priss thought about it for a moment. "Three million."
"That's hardly a fair price."
"That's the estimate three other contractors have given me."
"Three million, eight hundred thousand."
"Three million, two."
"Who were these other contractors?"
"One of them was Daiichi Industries."
"They handle everything like it was on an assembly line. They'll do the work well enough, but it will be uninspired. Three million, seven."
"Three million, four hundred thousand."
He thought about it for a moment. "Done."
"Good."
"I'll have the contracts drawn up, you can sign them tomorrow."
"When will work begin?"
"I can't say for sure of course, but, the tenth seems likely."
"And how long to finish?"
"A week, perhaps a little less."
"All right. I'll stop by tomorrow to sign."
Sylia down shifted as she twisted the wheel, cutting in close to the inside of the curve, almost hitting one of the other cars. She let the wheels come around straight, then shifted up, putting her foot down on the accelerator. The track ahead of her was straight for a timeit did not require so much attention from her.
She turned her head and looked over at Fargo. "This is a new one."
"You didn't like the opium den, I though something lighter this time."
Sylia shook her head and turned back to the game screen, shifting up into a higher gear to pass Fargo's car.
"You're good," Fargo said. "Are you sure that you don't come here on your own?"
Sylia smiled ever so slightly. The thought of her spending time in game centres was rather amusing. Even when she had been in high school she had not spent a lot of time in such places. "Natural talent," Sylia told him, then jerked her wheel to the side, swiping into Fargo's car, sending it off the track.
"Hardly fair," Fargo laughed, working to keep the digital car from slamming into something.
"What is it you wanted to meet about?"
"Job offer, well, possibly."
"Possibly?" Sylia asked, sliding between two of the other cars.
"They want to put you on retainer. Make sure you are there in case they need you."
"How long?"
"A week, maybe two at the most. Whoa!" he cried out, trying to avoid a crash and failing.
"How much?" Sylia asked, threading the car through a set of curves.
"Four hundred thousand yen a day, for not taking any other jobs, and for doing the job they might need you for."
"I want a guaranteed limit of two weeks on this. What is the job they want?"
"I can arrange that. As for the job, they would not say exactly, but it is an extraction mission. A person."
"Who?"
"They would not say."
"Why do they need an extraction team?"
"They would not say."
"I don't particularly care for this. Still," she paused for a moment, "what will they pay for the job?"
"It will depend on a number of things, but the starting sum is ten million yen. It goes up if you complete the job."
"I want one million yen a day while I'm waiting and I will not be involved in an unwilling extraction."
"I'll make sure that they know that. I'm not sure they will go as high as a million. Are you looking to see how desperate they are?"
"That is the plan."
"If they won't pay that?"
"I'll go as low as a half million."
"I'll get back to you as soon as I know."
"Good," Sylia said as her car crossed the finish line just behind the lead car. The second place graphics played out.
Almost all the audience had been seated a few minutes before the show was to start. The house lights were up and people chatted with each other. Many of them were friends, some of whom had been attending Andrea Kikuchi's shows since she began them. It was a chance to catch up with old friends. Many talked about what they might see that night. Kikuchi-san's reputation was very good and most everyone was expecting something wonderful.
Two rows behind the front row, and on the aisle, Nene and her parents were seated. Nene was looking forward to the performance and her only regret was the neither Priss nor Sylia had managed to make it. Well, Priss was working, her last night at the Hard Rock, so she had an excuse. Nene had to admit to being a little disappointed that Sylia had not been able to make it. She of course understood Sylia's concerns, but the occasional breaking of the rules would not hurt anyone. It was not as if they had to sit together.
She took the program and flipped through it, noting the names of the dancers, and the roles they had. There was Linna's name, next to 'Nistirian' the demon. Nene thought playing a demon would be a poor role, but Linna had seemed very excited about it.
In the front row, on the aisle end opposite to where Nene and her parents sat, Domino and Devon were seated. Devon had been a fan of Andrea Kikuchi for quite some time; in fact he made a number of large donations to her dance company every year.
He had invited Domino a few days prior-he always enjoyed her company. Unfortunately something was bothering her, so Devon was sure she was not going to enjoy the entertainment as much as she might have otherwise. That was unfortunate.
He had thought to pry, in an attempt to discover what was upsetting her. It would not have been too difficult for him. He would not though, out of respect to her privacy.
The house lights dimmed slowly, indicating that the performance was about to start. By the time the lights had gone out, the audience was silent.
The music began, fast and shrill, the curtain parted, and the dancers moved out onto stage.
For Linna it was a night of excitement and power. She came on in the first routine, with all the other dancers, a quick, flashy entrance that had more in common with Peking Opera than more traditional Japanese dance. Kikuchi-sensei liked moving into other styles where needed.
After that she came on again in a longer piece where she played at terrifying some other dancers.
There was not the same sense of story that there might be in a ballet, it was a little more free form. That had confused Linna a little, but it had been explained to her that Kikuchi-sensei liked things that way. It allowed the audience to see what they wanted.
To Linna it was a story about the triumph of good over evil, rather simple really. Mako, on the other hand, saw the story as being more about the fact that, when one really got down to it, there was no good or evil.
As she left the stage she wondered what the audience thought.
She had a few more appearances on stage before the big fight scene. Her big scene.
When it finally came it went off as it had in rehearsal, perhaps even a little better. She and Mako swung the swords about them, attack, block, parry, feint, cut, leap back, and so on. It was quite the scene really. And then Linna was beaten back, and exited the stage.
She slumped down in a chair backstage and took her mask off. One of the assistants handed her a towel. She thanked the girl and wiped the perspiration from her face. She leaned back in the chair and smiled. She was feeling very good, and quite pleased with herself.
After the dance had ended there was a party in one of the larger rooms backstage. It was a little crowded, but no one seemed to mind.
"That was great Linna-san," Nene said, smiling at her.
"Thank you," Linna told her, smiling as well. She had changed out of her costume and into something suitable for the partylong skirt, blouse and a jacket.
"It was quite the dance, not really traditional."
"Well, Kikuchi-sensei did not say it would be traditional."
"But she gets government grants on the basis that she keeps a tradition alive."
"And I do,' Andrea said, coming up behind Nene.
Nene looked over her shoulder at the woman. "Uh, gomen na sai(I'm sorry)," she said.
"That's all right. Linna-san, who is your friend?"
"Sensei, this is Romanova Nene-san."
"Dozo yoroshiku(pleased to meet you)," Nene said.
Andrea smiled. "Kochira koso(likewise). As to your comment about the nature of my grants, I do indeed keep the traditions alive, but for routines like tonight's I like to mix things Romanova-san."
"Well, I wasn't complaining," Nene told her. "It was quite good."
"Thank you I'm glad you enjoyed it."
"I did," Nene said enthusiastically.
"If you'll excuse me," Andrea said with a slight bow, then she went off to another part of the room.
"I better go see what my kaasan(mother) is up to," Nene said, looking around. "I haven't seen her in a while."
"Talk to you later," Linna said as she watched Nene walk off.
"Excuse me," someone said from behind her. Linna turned to find herself facing an older man. He was tall, with a strong build, though slightly stooped by age, and his grey hair was still thick. Linna thought he was rather handsome and distinguished.
For a moment Linna thought she saw something like surprise in his eyes, but it was gone before she could say for sure. "Yes?"
"You danced the Nistirian part?"
"Yes."
"I'd just like to tell you that I enjoyed your performance."
"Thank you," Linna smiled at him, noting the suit he wore, and the Rolex on his wrist. He had some money by the looks of things. "I'm Linna Yamazaki, pleased to meet you."
"Okami Devon," he told her.
"Thank you for your compliment Okami-san."
"You deserved it," he said. "You're a very beautiful dancer."
Linna smiled at the compliment. She wondered if the man was trying to pick her up. "You are very kind."
"Not at all."
"Ah, Devon-san, I see you found her," Andrea said as she walked up to them.
"Yes, thank you Andrea-san."
"Yamazaki-san, Devon-san has been a large contributor to my dance company for some years."
"Really?" Linna said, looking between Andrea and Devon for a moment. She turned and bowed towards Devon. "Thank you very much. You helped me realise my dreams," she said.
Devon smiled. "I'd say Andrea-san helped you realise your dreams. I just tossed some charitable donations her way. They are a tax write off after all."
"Don't believe him," Andrea told her. "He cares a lot about where he gives money, even if it is tax deductible."
"Well, perhaps a little."
"So Okami-sama, what did you think of the performance?"
"Flawless, as usual. The critics will of course be disappointed."
"Not all critics are looking to find flaw."
"You must tell me where I can find such critics."
"Ignore him Yamazaki-san, Devon-san often feels that everyone else is out to get him."
"It's my work," Devon said. "Or it was."
"What did you do?" Linna asked.
"Helped build Genom."
Linna was surprised by that admission.
"Does that bother you?" Devon asked, noting her expression.
"No, but, I'm sorry. It's just that Genom..."
"Has a lot of critics," he said.
Linna thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "Yes."
"As I was saying." He looked at Andrea.
"If I did not know you Devon-san, I might believe those critics as well."
"You are too kind."
"I'm sorry," Domino said as she came close. "Okami-san, I hope you don't think me rude, but I have to leave."
"Business?" he asked her.
"It always is," she said, giving him a small smile.
"Don't push yourself too hard Odotte-kun. Andrea-san, this is Odotte Domino."
"Pleased to meet you," Andrea said.
"The pleasure is all mine," Domino replied.
"Yamazaki Linna," Linna said, introducing herself.
"Pleaesd to meet you," Domino said, bowing slightly. "Okami-sama, again, I'm sorry."
He shook his head. "I understand."
Domino bowed once more, then turned and walked away.
"She's very attractive," Andrea said to Devon a few seconds later.
"Yes," Devon nodded.
"A little young perhaps."
"She is older than she looks," Devon looked at Andrea and smiled.
"You have a very beautiful girlfriend," Linna told him.
"Odotte-san is more a daughter than a girlfriend," he told Linna, smiling at her.
Linna felt a strange sensation in the pit of her stomach. "Oh."
"So Devon-san, will you be coming out to celebrate with us?"
"You won't mind if my bodyguard comes along will you?"
"No, but if you want to lose him, I'll help."
Devon smiled. "He gets very upset when I do such things. You'd almost think he was human."
"Perhaps he is," Andrea said. "Well, you and your big friend are, of course, welcome."
Devon nodded. "So Yamazaki-san, I seem to have lost my companion. Perhaps you'd like to take her place?" He held out his arm towards her.
Linna paused for a moment, then reached out and slid her arm through his. "Of course."
Priss leaned back in chair, her feet up on a small, scarred end table. It had been the last night at the Hard Rock Café, for a while at least. Kano was already talking about a return engagement. Priss was giving it some serious thought. She did not want to leave Hot Legs completely, she owed the place a lot, but that was what Kano was hinting at.
Then there was David's deal. She was slowly putting together a selection of new stuff, though translating it properly was proving to be a bit of a challenge. What might happen when she finished the work was up in the air. If things went well, fame. If things did not go well, no real change.
Maybe she should keep her connections with Hot Legs open, just in case. What a defeatist thought that was, Priss thought, suddenly angry with herself. She was not the kind to play things careful. She burnt her bridges behind her and did not look back.
She picked up a glass of whisky from beside her and took a drink. She would take Kano up on his offer-once she talked to the rest of the band about it. He sure as hell paid a lot better than anyone else.
There was a knock at the door to the dressing room. "Yeah," Priss called out.
The door opened and someone Priss had not expected to ever see again stepped in.
"Okita," she said.
"Oi Asagiri-san," Oshiro Okita said as he stepped into the room and closed to door behind him.
"What the hell do you want?" Priss said as she put her glass down. She got to her feet, staring at the man.
"Hey." He put his hands up in front of himself. "Not looking for any trouble."
"Then what are you here for?"
"I wanted to apologise, and ask if you were willing to give me another chance."
"What?"
"I want to sign you, on your own terms. No name changes, no band changes, just Priss, as you've always been. I mean, I might not be the brightest guy around, but even I can see the obvious. You have it in you to become big. I was wrong, stupid, to ask you to stop being who you are."
Priss looked at him for a few seconds. "That took guts," she finally said.
"I guess. So, what do you think?"
"I think I'm sorry, but I've got a deal I'm already working on."
"Pardon?"
"You're too late."
He said nothing for a moment, then walked across the room. "Can I?" He looked down as the whisky bottle and the glasses beside it.
"Go for it."
He put one of the glasses aside, then filled it up. "Well, this sucks," he said as he picked the glass up. He took a large drink.
"You should have thought about this when you tried to make me sign that stupid contract."
He laughed, and took another drink. "What can I say, I was young and stupid. I figured you'd cave."
"Bad planning."
"I know." He finished off the whisky in his glass, then put the empty glass down. "Well, thanks for listening to me. I though you'd tell me to go to hell."
"I thought about it."
He nodded. "If you ever change your mind." He took a meishi(visiting card) from inside of his jacket, and placed it on the table next to the whisky bottle.
Priss nodded, not saying anything.
Oshiro bowed slightly, then turned and walked towards the door, opened it, and then left the room.
When he was gone Priss reached down and picked up the card. After a moment she slid it into her pants pocket. It never hurt to have other options, she decided. Priss laughed at that, and she thought she burnt all her bridges behind her. She tried, but some did not burn as easy as others.
Thursday March 9th, 10:35
"Well, it's big," Norio said, looking about the factory. Around them the boomers from the salvage company were clearing the machinery from the floor.
"Wow, could you state the obvious yet again?" Yuuko asked.
"I probably could."
"You really going to live here?" Takeshi asked Priss.
"That is the plan," Priss told him.
"Wild."
"What is this costing you?" Yuuko asked. It was rude, but she could not help herself.
"A lot, but there are all kind of weird, tax things you can do that make it all reasonable, kind of."
"At least you didn't say tax write-offs or two year plans," Norio said.
"Are you suggesting that I sold out, Chimura-san?"
"Never," Norio told her, smiling widely.
"Good."
"So this is where we are going to be practising in the future?" Takeshi asked.
"Yeah. I'm setting up a studio, but I think we can use this area as well."
"At least you have no neighbours to complain about the noise."
"For now."
"You're setting up a studio?" Yuuko asked.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Transferable skills."
"Pardon?"
"I think that I can pull in some extra income with a studio. I know the basics and can build on that."
"And it gives you a studio," Norio said.
"Yes."
"Okay."
"Give me a sec," Priss said as she left them, walking towards the car that still rested on its rims on the floor. A boomer was also approaching the vehicle. "This stays," she told the boomer once she got close.
The boomer looked at her, as if considering her words. Priss stared back at it, not really nervous, but aware that the boomer was very strong. She had a small 9mm tucked into the waistband of her pants and knew a number of weak areas on the boomer. It nodded, and then turned away and walked off.
"What's with the car?" Takeshi asked as he walked up to her.
"Just a car that I am thinking of restoring."
"Since when are you interested in cars?" Norio asked.
"Since I found this," she said, turning to face them. "Listen, we need to talk about business."
"What business?" Yuuko asked.
"Kano-san wants us on a permanent basis, for a while at least."
"What kind of deal is he talking?" Norio asked her.
"Three nights a week, same sort of payment that we got before."
"That doesn't sound so bad," Yuuko said.
"What about Hot Legs?" That from Norio.
"I think that's the point," Takeshi said.
"He's right." Priss nodded. "We take Kano-san up on this, we've cut ourselves from Hot Legs."
"We could still play there," Yuuko said.
"We'll just be visiting then," Norio told her. "I mean, before Hot Legs was kind of our home. We'd be trading that away."
Priss nodded.
"Hot Legs was a great place to start," Takeshi said. "The best place to start, but there's gotta be a time when we move beyond it."
"Is that what you really think?" Priss asked him.
"Yeah, it is. Toda's club is a good place to move to."
"Lot of good memories from Hot Legs," Norio said. He stared up at the ceiling and smiled. "I guess I'll always have those. I suppose it is time to move on."
Yuuko looked at Norio and Takeshi, then at Priss. "I don't have much invested in Hot Legs really. I like it, but I have no problems with leaving. What about you?"
"Like Takeshi-san said, great place to start, but you can't stay there forever. Since we're in agreement here, I'll talk to Kano-san and work the rest of it out."
"Do we celebrate?" Norio asked, smiling.
"Eventually," Priss told him. "Let's go. I'll bring you back when the place is finished." She started walking towards the exit.
Cultural Notes: Mount Kouya is famous for the Shingon Buddhist temple there, and its graveyard. The temple was built by Kuukai, a Buddhist monk who brought esoteric Shingon Buddhism from China to Japan in ninth century CE. It is considered fortuitous to be buried in the graveyard at Kouya-san.
Kuukai, when he died, was given the posthumous title, Koubou Daishi-the great teacher who spread the law of Buddhism across the country. The Kouya hijiri (ascetics) who went on pilgrimages to follow in his footsteps, as it were, formed the Shikoku pilgrimage trail.
Technological Notes: The Same(shark) Chain Knife was designed by Genom as a utility tool for rescue workers in 2024. At the time the tool only generated moderate interest. In what looked like a move to dump a useless product, Genom supplied the knife, free, to rescue, fire, police and ambulance units throughout the Tokyo and the Kanto region, two months before the quake hit.
When the quake hit, the tool was an unparalleled success. Many swore that it was responsible for saving thousands of lives. It allowed rescuers to cut through rubble in tight spaces where larger tools would be of little use.
Since then the Same Chain Knife has sold well all over the world bringing Genom a healthy profit.
It is not a useful weapon being a bit too heavy and unwieldy but some try. The actress Monica Hush recently used it in the ultra-violent action movie "Die Screaming" (again, written by Adam Warren) to carve up a cyborg assassin.
Same Chain Knife
Conceal: 5
Reach: 0
Damage: (STR+1)S
Weight: 1.25
Availability: 4/18 hours
Cost: 150000 yen
Street Index: 1
Legal: 5P-U
Note: This tool is difficult to use as a weapon. The target number when using this weapon is increased by 2 to reflect this. Also, if a character botches while using this weapon, it is very likely that they will have hit themselves.
The battery pack will operate the knife for five minutes of continuous use. The rechargeable battery costs 4000 yen to replace.
"Depressing Things A dog howling in the daytime. A wickerwork fish-net in spring. A red plum-blossom dress in the third or fourth Months. A lying-in room where the baby has died. A cold, empty brazier. An ox-driver who hates his oxen. A scholar whose wife has one girl child after another"
- Sei Shonagon
