An Alternate Story of the Knight Sabers
2034 Year of the Tiger
Neo No Armour Against Fate (Section 4 of 5)
Fearful Symmetry (4 of 8)
by Shawn Hagen(2000)
Based on situations and characters created by Suzuki Toshimichi.
Lyrics from Torn, written by Thornalley/Cutler/Preven, used without permission.
"What have you found out," Domino asked Akiko. She was in her office. Akiko was in Brazil, at Komatsu Seiroku's estate in the country.
"We've found Seiroku-san," Akiko said. "He is dead. We found him in his pool. I think he's been dead for a few days at least."
"Any signs of a struggle?"
"Not that we have found. I have the forensics people sweeping the area. The body is being prepped for transfer back to MegaTokyo."
"Good. Any opposition?"
"No. The place is very quiet."
"Staff?"
"We've been finding bodies all over the place. Most have gun shot wounds."
"What about his wife and son?" Domino asked. It was one thing to have your staff killed, but your own family was an entirely different matter.
"We have not found them yet."
"I see. I want you out of there as soon as possible. I need you here, but see if you can at least get a lead on where his family might be. Put someone competent in charge of hunting them down."
"Hai."
"Take care. I will talk to you later," Domino said, then cut the connection. She opened a new one. "Tetsu-san, give me your report."
Haruko, who was in a supposedly deserted factory complex, looked at the camera. "You were right. They were modifying the construction boomers, better armour, no built in weapons. There are also forty AI chips unaccounted for."
"Possibly forty more boomers out there then," Domino said softly.
"Odotte-san, there is something else."
"What?" Domino asked.
"We found a small production line, but I can't identify what type of boomer they were building. We also found some strange material; the analyser identified it as 'Abotex'."
"Abotex? Are you sure of that?"
"It's what the computer says. It's rated as poor quality."
"Take pictures of everything and send them to me right away. Sweep through the factory just to make sure it is clear and then destroy it."
"Destroy it?"
"Destroy it. Make sure that nothing is left."
"Hai."
"Meet up with Sheffield-san as soon as you can. I want you both back here as soon as possible."
"Hai."
Domino cut the connection and then leaned back in her seat. Abotex. Grown in zero gravity to exacting standards, it was one of the best armours in existence. Poor grade Abotex was used in the armour of the Dobermans. Hopefully that was what Komatsu had had built. The other possibility was not something Domino liked to consider.
She was brought out of her thoughts by the beeping of her desk phone. She reached forward and picked it up.
"Odotte-san, the Chairman would like to see you," Quincy's chief secretary said. She hung up before Domino could respond.
Domino hung up the phone and got to her feet. She knew what Quincy wanted to see her about. She had expected him to call her to his office earlier.
The outer office of her office suit was empty, the rest of her staff having gone home. She left her office suite, stepping out into the corridors of the Tower. She moved quickly, making her way to the elevator that would take her to Quincy's office. She was almost there when Katherine Madigan caught up with her.
"I would like to talk to you Odotte-san," she said.
"I understand why you would," Domino said to her. "Quincy-shachou has just called me to his office though. There is a possibility that what you want to speak with me about will not matter in short order."
Katherine said nothing for a moment, then she nodded. "If you are not told to stop this I want to talk with you."
"I'll come to your office as soon as Quincy-shachou is finished with me."
"Good," Katherine said, nodding. "I will see you then." She turned and walked off.
Domino watched her go for a moment, then turned to the elevator and pressed the call button. As soon as she did so the door opened. Domino stepped in but did not press any of the floor buttons. The elevator would take her where she had to go.
Several seconds later Domino was stepping out of the elevator and into the short corridor that led to Quincy's office. She walked past the boomer honour guard standing there. As she approached the doors they opened, giving her a little more space than she would need to pass through. A sign of respect Domino noted as she stepped through.
"You have upset a lot of people today Odotte-kun," he said as soon as she had entered the office.
"It was unavoidable," she told him, stopping just inside the doors.
"I am aware of that. You have been in contact with your agents in Brazil. What have they told you?"
Domino suspected that Quincy already knew, but she made her report, all of it. Quincy listened and when she had finished he nodded. "It is time for you to bring the rest of the senior executives into this. You will start with Madigan-kun."
"Hai Shachou."
"I find your work with the ADP curious."
"I feel it is necessary, and it is for the good of Genom."
"Yes. It may be. I will not support you in this Odotte-kun, nor will I oppose you. It will be up to you to convince the other executives that this is the proper course of action."
"Hai, I will," Domino said. It was a little better than she had expected. She had thought she would have to convince Quincy of the value of her present course of action.
"Once you have your agents full reports on the boomers you will inform me of your conclusions."
"Hai."
"You may go now."
Domino bowed low, then stepped back out of the office. Once she was clear of the doors they closed. She turned and walked towards the elevator. She was going to need Madigan's help if she were to continue with her plans. There was one way to do so. She was going to ask Madigan to help her. 'All you have to do is ask,' Domino thought as she pressed the call button for the elevator.
"So, you're not going to go to the big party," Shiroko said as she unlocked the functions on the sighting system. The one hundred rifles had been delivered, as promised. She and Leon were getting them ready while Tylor Yamanaka, up in his office, looked over the contracts that Genom had sent with them.
"Daily will handle that crowd better, and I didn't have anything to wear," Leon told her as he packed away the sight that Shiroko had finished with.
"Probably would have been a lot of fun. Good food and booze all around." She hit the return key on the computer and watched as Nene's program began unlocking all the functions of the sight.
"With what has been dropped in our laps today I couldn't have enjoyed it anyway. Bad policy to get legless when you might have a boomer rampage rolling through town."
"I suppose," she said as she pulled the leads from the sight and handed it to Leon.
A banging on the door to the weapon lockup made both Leon and Shiroko look up. "McNichol, let me in there right now!" they heard a familiar voice shout out.
"Asako," Leon said. "Sounds mad."
"Is there a time she is not mad?" Shiroko asked.
"If there is I don't know about it." Leon got to his feet and walked to the locked door. "What is it?" Leon asked with a light tone.
"Don't play games with me McNichol. Open that door!"
"She's very unhappy," Leon said softly, then he unlocked the door.
Asako pushed in, her eyes flashing, the scar on her face making her look very fierce. She looked around the room, taking everything in, then turned her attention back to Leon. "Explain."
"What?"
"What are all these things? Why are we getting deliveries from Genom? What are you up to? What is Genom up to!"
Leon moved past her then closed and locked the door. "It's somewhat difficult to explain," he told her. "Genom is going to need our help."
"Our help?" she said incredulously. "We don't help Genom. We hinder them."
Leon was not to certain that he agreed with Asako's opinion on the ADP's task, but decided he did not want to get into the argument with her at that point. "A large number of boomers have been stolen from Genom, including some of the D-class tank killers. They suspect that they are in the city, and they want our help in dealing with them. To that end they have given us these sniper rifles, and other things."
"You believe that? Are you an idiot McNichol? This is just one of their tricks!"
"Perhaps you should calm down Asako-chan," Shiroko said from where she sat by her computer. Leon looked over at the weapon boss and noticed she was holding a sight in one hand and one of the sensor pods in the other. The pod was pointed at Asako. Leon had little doubt to what she was up to.
"Excuse me Roberson?"
"Coming in here and yelling at Leon just because you have a major hate on for Genom and have not been laid since the Meiji Restoration is not helping anyone."
Asako stared at Shiroko, a look of complete disbelief on her face. She was obviously at a loss for words.
"I don't know if Genom is giving us the full truth, or even any of it, but we can't take a chance on this. If they want to lend us a sniper rifle that will rip a boomer to pieces and give us the ammunition we have been begging for, then I am happy. We're not stupid. We know that Genom might be pulling something, and we are considering it. Hell, Daily is going to be at that party tonight pumping people for information."
"Can't you see what Genom is doing?" Asako's voice took on an almost pleading tone.
"Can't you?"
Asako did not answer.
Shiroko lifted her eyes from the sight and shifted her odd, red eyes to Asako. Asako took a step back. "If you are not part of the solution Yamano-kichou, then you are part of the problem."
Asako turned on her heel and walked to the door. She tried to yank it open, not realising it was still locked. She was trembling slightly.
Leon reached out and put a hand on her shoulder.
"What?" she demanded, spinning on him.
"Can you do us a favour?"
"You want me to do you a favour?" she said, disbelief obvious in her tone.
Leon reached out and picked up a metal ammo case. "We separated out about a thousand rounds worth of the APDS ammo, a random choice. Could you test this, make sure it is all what Genom promised.
Asako said nothing; she just reached out and took the heavy case. She turned, calmly, unlocked the door, and then opened it. She looked back at Leon. "You better be right," she said, then left the room, pulling the door closed behind her.
"I thought we were going to get to blow off those rounds," Shiroko said.
"She needed it more," Leon told her as he locked the door.
"You're one of the nice guys Leon. If it wasn't for the fact I don't like nice guys I'd be all over you."
"Thanks," Leon snorted as he turned to face her. "Well?"
"Well what?"
"I saw what you were doing. What's the story?"
Shiroko smiled. "Black lace bra, matching, French cut panties and cobwebs between her legs.
Leon could not help laughing.
Sylia looked at herself in the mirror, pleased with how the dress looked. The jewellery had, as Azuki-san had suggested, been just what she had needed. She turned slightly, looking at herself in profile. Yes, very nice.
"Neesan," Mackie said from the doorway. "The limousine is here."
Sylia nodded as she turned towards Mackie. "You look very nice," she said to him. He did. The tuxedo he had chosen was a more modern design, probably a Hiroshi Design, or maybe an Armani. He wasn't wearing a bow tie with it, though he was not meant to. The white shirt did not have a collar that would have allowed for any tie to be worn.
Mackie smiled, looking inordinately pleased by the compliment. "It's prêt à porter," he told her.
Sylia nodded as she walked towards him. "You'll overshadow many of the other men tonight," she told him.
Mackie's smiled broadened and Sylia smiled as well. It was enjoyable to be just sister and brother, to be concerned with something as unimportant as clothing. For a moment one could almost forget the other side of their lives.
They left Sylia's room. At the genkan(entrance) he helped her into her coat, then put his own on, a charcoal grey overcoat. A short time later, when they exited the elevator into the lobby of LADYS633, Mackie offered Sylia his arm. As Sylia took it she wondered just when her brother had learned so much about formal behaviour.
They crossed through the lobby, drawing a few stares and appreciative glances, and then out of the building to where their car was waiting. Mackie helped Sylia into the car then got in as well.
A moment later the car moved away from the curb, sliding smoothly into traffic as it turned towards the St. Regis hotel.
Linna smiled up at Devon as he helped her from the car. After a somewhat harried shopping spree, they had arrived at the St. Regis.
Linna knew she was looking good. At the salon she had had her hair styled, a manicure and pedicure as well as a few other things done. Then they had gone to get her an outfit for the night in a store connected to the salon.
While Linna had been getting her hair done several of the salesgirls from the clothing section had come in to look at her and to ask her a few questions. When Linna had entered the other store she had found several dresses waiting for her, each one perfect.
She had chosen a Mandarin Dress with a high neck and wonderfully daring slit that almost went up to her hip. The silk of the dress was almost black, and it was decorated with cherry blossom embroidery across the left breast.
She had also picked up her lingerie, shoes and some jewellery. Linna did not bother to ask what it all cost since Devon seemed happy to play, but she guessed she was probably wearing a few months rent, at least.
Fortunately since Devon did not care about it, Linna did not let it worry her.
As they walked towards the front entrance of the hotel Linna looked around. There were other people there, as well dressed as she and Devon, and there were reporters, and there were a number of protesters as well. One anti-boomer group or another. Or maybe one of the pro-Japanese groups who would see many of the foreigners associated with the boomers ejected from Japan.
The protesters were being orderly though, and a few police officers were there to make sure they remained that way.
"It looks like everyone coming to this banquet is well off," Linna said, looking around at all the well-dressed people.
"Anyone involved with boomers would have done very well for themselves," Devon told her. "Most of these people are at the top of their field."
"It feels kind of elitist," Linna said.
"That's because it is," Devon told her as he led her through the hotel's front entrance.
"Hurry up Nene-chan," Ali said as she walked from the parking garage.
"Hai," Nene said, increasing her pace slightly. It was a little difficult in the clothing she was wearing. The kimono was very formal, which it had to be. The colours were darker, which suited the winter. Nene had wanted to wear her pink kimono, but her mother had vetoed that idea. Not that the one she was wearing wasn't nice, she just did not care much for the darker colours.
While beautiful, it was a little difficult to move quickly in it, but Nene managed, her geta click clacking on the pavement, to catch up with her parents.
"For such a trendy girl you have old fashioned tastes," Ali told her daughter.
"I like kimonos," Nene said. "They're fun to wear."
"And you look very nice in them," Makoto told her.
Ali shook her head. "You just like the fact they hide her figure," she told her husband.
"I don't like men leering at my little girl," Makoto said simply.
"Tousan!" Nene said, her cheeks growing a little warm.
"Come along you two," Ali said. "I don't want to be late."
In the main ballroom of the St. Regis hotel a number of different individuals were gathering. Some were scientists, there to honour one of their most brilliant peers. There were business people, mostly Genom, high level executives. Some were just normal people.
The security was tight, not that many people noticed. Genom security, when it needed to be, was subtle. Surveillance probes tucked into any shadowy corner they would fit in, scanners in the doorways, boomers in Tuxedos sitting among the guests, blending in perfectly with the crowd. The Mark 3B C-class boomers had been designed for just that sort of task.
There were reasons for the tight security.
A number of the scientists were among the best and the brightest at Genom. The executives also demanded a certain level of protection. There had even been the possibility Quincy might attend; though it seemed unlikely as more time passed.
Sylia sat at her table, Mackie beside her, looking about the room. She knew the security had to be there, but could see little of it. She had pinpointed a few of the boomers close to her. They were a bit hard on the chairs they used and the creaking, as they sat, gave them away.
Justin sat across from her. He gave her a wink. Sylia nodded back.
A few tables away Nene and her parents were seated with two Genom executives, one of whom was Katherine Madigan, and one of the boomers, though no one was aware of that except for Katherine, who had arranged some of the security.
Justin got to his feet and walked to the podium at the head of the room. The conversations quickly dwindled off as everyone realised things were about to begin. Waiters and waitresses began to circulate about the room, opening bottles of beer, soft drinks and juice, then filling glasses for the coming toast.
"Good evening everyone. Thank you very much for coming here tonight. We are here to honour a man who was my friend and the friend of many in this room as well. He was also a genius. Stingray Katsuhito-sama changed the world with his work. A brilliant and dedicated scientist, we will not see his likes again for along time I fear." Justin picked up his glass. "Please stand," he said.
There was a squeak of chairs over the floor as people stood, the clinking of glassware as people picked up their drinks. Justin waited for it to die down. "I'd like to offer a toast to Stingray-hakase."
"Kampai," most of the people in the room said in unison. Glasses were brought together filling the room with the high chime of glass on glass. They drank and then sat down.
"Thank you," Justin said as he stepped down from the podium.
There were several other speakers, including Mackie, who made speeches of varying lengths and interest. Sylia was the last speaker for the night.
As Doctor Vinkman finished off his speech, Sylia drank the last of the water in her glass and then got to her feet. She nodded to the doctor as they passed and then she took her place at the podium.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I'd like to apologise if you find my speech a little boring," Sylia said, putting a little modesty into her introduction. "I don't think any of you will disagree with me if I say my father was a brilliant man. It is well known that he created the boomers, but what is less well known is that in doing so he abandoned his family, his children."
Sylia could sense the unease that her statement brought to the room. She really could not blame them. They were there to honour a friend and colleague, or perhaps for a free vacation paid for by various companies. Some were there at Sylia's invitation. Few if any wanted to listen to a young woman with a case of 'daddy didn't love me blues'. Sylia was not planing on forcing them to.
"I am not bringing that up because I am bitter, or angry, but because it needs to be said. The loss of my mother hit us all hard, and my father dealt with his grief by throwing himself into the research that did mean so much to him, but not more than his family. The truly tragic aspect of his death was that given a little more time, once he had gotten over some of his grief, he would have realised that others were hurting as well. Whatever else you might say of Stingray-hakase he was a loving father," Sylia told the audience. Tou-chama, sayonara(goodbye father), Sylia thought. She was surprised at that moment. She wanted to cry and almost did. The catharsis was much more intense than she could have ever imagined. She fought back the tears and continued.
"It is now more than ten years since he completed his work and gave the boomer to the world. The question we have to ask is 'would he have approved?'"
"The number of combat and security boomer models produced by Genom for marketing currently numbers 35. The known ones that is.
"A police force was formed to deal with boomer crimes in this city. I have invited a few members of that police force here tonight; they can tell you a little about boomers that you may not have known. Officer Arai Takuya for example can tell you about the boomer that forced him to retire.
"You might also want to speak with those who have lost family and friends to the boomer rampages that have happened in this city.
"As of two thirty this afternoon there were one hundred and twenty three conflicts in this world where boomers are involved in one way or another. If you believe the rumours then you can boost that number to one hundred and sixty one.
"There have been over three hundred assassinations that have been attributed to Boomers by various police agencies across the world. Increase that number to over seven hundred if you include investigations that are still going on.
"The boomer has become a symbol of fear in many parts of the world, to a lesser extent in this city. The number of lives lost is countless." Sylia paused to look about the room.
A number of uncomfortable looks, though most of the audience looked neutral or in some cases approving. She could see a few Genom types wearing their anger openly, but not the ones who counted. Madigan, the fast riser, Sousuke, the old boy, the survivor, and others all maintained calm facades, not impressed by her speech. They had buried other people who chose to speak out against Genom, never getting their hands, or Genom's name, dirty in the process.
"Would he have approved? No, not at all."
She took the glass of water from the podium and took a drink.
"But many of us here are scientists and we know that danger of pursuing our hypothesis without looking at the alternative.
"The question we also have to ask is would my father disapprove?
"We are standing in a city, a city that was destroyed by a quake of a magnitude that few could ever envision. The elevated highways and shinkansen tracks with their support pillars strengthened, buildings designed to take quakes three times the magnitude of the first great Kanto quake, all were torn apart. The fires added to the destruction.
"And yet we stand, in this city, with very few signs of the quake remaining, and some of the most impressive structures in the world have been built here. All because of the boomer.
"When you are talking to the members of the AD Police you might also want to talk with Shimoyachi Mariko-san. She can tell you about the fire fighting boomer that saved her and her entire family, at the cost of its existence, or perhaps life is the better term.
"You might also want to speak with Romanova Ali-san who can tell you about how the field of prosthetics has advanced with the coming of the boomer.
"Space, which was once a cold, inhospitable place, has been made that much more liveable with the work of the boomer. In factories orbiting the planet and in the Lagrange points, materials that once could only be dreamt of are made reality. Structures are being built on Mars and in the asteroid belt, bases have been completed on the moon.
"The number of lives saved or spared in one way or another by the boomer is also countless and it is also a symbol of hope.
"Would my father have disapproved?" she looked about the room.
"No.
"We stand at a cross-roads now. Where the boomer goes from this point on will be decided, to a greater or lesser extent, by all of us. We have been given a great responsibility and I can only hope we are up to it.
"Thank you very, very much." Sylia bowed slightly and stepped from the podium as the applause started.
Mackie hugged her as she reached the table; she smiled down at him as she returned the embrace. People crowded around, offering their congratulations. The wait staff began to move about the room, putting out the plates of food.
They would eat a little then move about the room, talking, networking, renewing friendships, sharing stories perhaps. Sylia looked around, wondering what might come of the night.
Sylia looked over the rim of her glass as one of the boomers she had marked earlier walked up to Katherine Madigan. They talked very quietly and it looked as if the boomer was given orders for it quickly walked out of the room. There were a few similar scenes in the banquet hall. Something was certainly up and it had the Genom executives, at least the ones who held real power, acting nervous.
"Excuse me, Stingray-san," someone said from behind her.
Sylia turned to find herself facing Ali Romanova. Nene was beside her.
"Romanova-hakase," Sylia bowed slightly.
"I just wanted to say thank you for inviting me and my family tonight," Ali said to her.
"Thank you for coming," Sylia said.
"Have you ever thought about continuing your Otou-san's research?" Ali asked.
"Pardon?"
"As I understand it you dropped out of University, but still are active in the boomer field to a small extent."
"Kaa-san," Nene said, looking a little embarrassed. "Gomen nasai(I'm sorry) Stingray-san," Nene said formally. "Kaa-san hates to see a woman not reaching what she thinks is her full potential." As she said that she had to repress a smile. It was nice to see that her mother could put even Sylia off her balance.
"Not at all." Sylia quickly regained her composure. "It is nice to know there are people who are willing to let themselves be concerned about others."
Ali nodded. "I'd also like the thank you for what you said."
"There is no need to thank me."
Ali bowed slightly. "I hope you have a good evening."
Sylia nodded as Nene and Ali walked away. She smiled slightly as she overheard Ali telling Nene that she could use Sylia as an example. Sylia was a little surprised. She had always thought that Nene was exaggerating when she talked about her kaa-san.
Katherine nursed her whisky, wanting to keep her wits about her in case anything happened. She resented having to be at the ceremony, though in other circumstances she would have enjoyed it. But the circumstances were such that she wanted to be at the Tower. She would have felt more in control there, safer as well. Also, she did not like the fact that Odotte had taken over much of the initial planning and preparation.
She had caught a lucky break, Katherine thought to herself, taking another sip of her drink. Most of the ice had melted and left the whisky much too diluted. She began walking towards one of the tables, laded with food and drink.
Odotte would do a good job, had been doing a good job since she had discovered the problem. Of course Katherine saw the value in that, the other woman had been involved in the operation since the beginning. She was the best person to leave in charge of it, for now. And while Katherine was a little threatened by Odotte's competence, she felt that they were still allies of a sort.
It had been Katherine, once it had been explained to her the value of re-arming the ADP, who had backed Odotte on that.
She would be glad when she could make a polite exit from the dinner. It would be at least another thirty minutes before she could go. Genom had to show the colours, as it were, she had to make sure she was seen.
Reaching the table, Katherine placed her glass down on a tray of discarded glasses and then took a clean one from another tray. She added a few ice cubes and then poured herself two fingers of Suntory special reserve. It wasn't Crown Royal, or Glenlivet, but it was nice enough to sip.
"Madigan-san, you are looking lovely tonight," someone said from behind her.
Katherine turned, a little surprised to see Daily Wong standing nearby. "Thank you Captain Wong, may I say that you are also looking very presentable." And he was. Katherine idly wondered how many women had mistakenly set their sights on the ADP captain.
"Thank you for the compliment. A pleasant evening, is it not?"
"Quite enjoyable."
"I've noticed that a number of people from Genom, yourself included, are acting a little distracted. I hope there is nothing wrong," he said, smiling.
"Of course not Captain Wong," she told him. "Though I've noticed some of the people from the ADP I would have expected to be here are not. Your friend, Captain McNichol for one."
"Something of minor importance came up," Daily said offhandedly. "Speaking of which, I did think more people from Genom would have been here."
"Something of minor importance came up," Katherine echoed his words.
They smiled at each other, politely, both knowing what was going on and impressed that the other was taking it so calmly.
"If you'll excuse me Captain Wong," Katherine said, then, after bowing slightly, walked away.
Daily watched her go then turned to the table, refilling his gin and tonic.
Nene had been waiting for a chance to talk to Linna and when it had come up she had moved quickly.
"Linna-san," she hissed quietly. "Who is that man you are with. He's not your date is he?"
Linna, a little surprised by Nene's sudden appearance and question, simply answered truthfully. "Yes."
"He's not the new guy you've been seeing?"
Again, Linna answered truthfully, without thought. "Yes."
Nene's eyes widened. "But he's so old!" Nene's tone was loud enough to draw a few stares.
Linna was a little taken aback by that. "He's not that old," she told Nene, careful to keep her voice down.
"He could be your grandfather," Nene said.
"He could not!" Even as Linna was saying it she realised that Nene was right. Devon was old enough to be her grandfather.
Nene was about to ask Linna if he had money, but decided it would be in very bad taste and very rudeand maybe get her hurt, even though Linna was a lot calmer than Priss. "What do you see in him?" she asked instead. A safer question by far.
"Well, I don't know," Linna said, not at all sure how to answer the question. "He's nice, and smart, and, well, he's very good looking."
"What?" Nene asked incredulously. She turned to look at Devon, her gaze lingering for a moment, looking beyond the age. "Okay, I'll give you that, but he's still old."
Linna, not liking how Nene was giving her the third degree decided to counter. "Well, he's got a lot of experience and he is great in bed. Really great." Well, at least Linna assumed.
Nene, as Linna expected, blushed slightly and shut up.
"So Priss-san, finally getting your shot at the big time," Takeru Inagaki said over the sound of the music.
"Looks like it," Priss told him. Takeru was the leader of another band, the 'Hoppers'. Both his band and hers had been playing the same sort of venuesthought Hot Legs had more prestige and Priss knew the Replicants were the much better banduntil recently. Now she and the Replicants were on their way up.
"Well, your sound has been getting more popular lately," he told her.
Priss forced a smile, keeping her temper. He had just called her a sell out. Probably made him feel better about himself. "I know. People have come to appreciate it," she told him, telling him that her sound had not changed.
"Yes, and with all the new fans you have coming to see you, you are more popular then ever."
Priss really wanted to hit him. She did not like people suggesting that she had sold out. She did not like it one bit. Takeru was not the first that night to make the subtle suggestion that her new found success came at the cost of her artistic integrity. "Thank you," Priss said, doing her best to sound sincere. "If you'll excuse me." She turned and walked away from him, moving through the crowd, being careful not to push her way through.
The warehouse floor was crowded. She had locked her living quarters up, and the studio, as well as moving her car and bikes outside, putting them under covers. A good thing. While Yuuko and the others had suggested it was not going to be a very large party, Priss had not believed them.
Even if they had kept the number of invitations down, word got around. As she had expected, the party had become more of a rave. She had been ready for that though, and had plenty of water out there, as well as getting some big friends to acts as bouncers just to keep things in control.
She was hoping that the police would not come to see what all the noise was about. Fortunately she still did not have any neighbours. As she moved through the crowd she looked around, trying to see if Miako had shown up. Still no sign of her. Priss was a little disappointed.
She found herself standing by the stage that had been knocked together earlier in the day. The Replicants had been playing on and off for the evening, but so had a few other bands. Priss jumped up onto the stage, moving towards the mike. Minako Shizuma looked at Priss and waved her band, 'The 5 Kittens', quiet. The 5 Kittens were an all-female jazz combo, mixing their music with other styles to get a sound that could get anyone moving.
Priss nodded thanks to Minako then moved up to take the microphone. "Hey!" she called out. "Having fun, drinking my booze and making a mess of my place?"
Loud laughter from the crowd, a few shouts of appreciation as well. Priss nodded. "Glad to hear it. Listen, I feel like singing right now. Any sign of my band out there?"
"Yo," Takeshi called out as he moved up onto the stage, towards his drum kit.
"Give me a second!" Norio called out as he began to push through the crowd.
Priss looked about, wondering if Yuuko was around. She had been sulking since Leon had called her to tell her that he would not be able to make the party. He had not told her why of course, but Priss was pretty certain she knew what was keeping him busy.
"Need a little extra sound?" Minako asked.
"Sure. Give me what you got."
"We'll blow the roof off the place."
Priss nodded, smiling. The Kittens had two saxophonesan alto and a tenora coronet, a bass and a keyboard. The horns would really punch up the music, and if Yuuko was off sulking she still had a bass.
Yuuko did show up, as did some weird guyPriss never learned his namewith and electric violin. It took all kinds, Priss thought as she took centre stage.
"Okay, this is one of my older songs. Not much polish, but you'll like it," she told them. She looked over at Norio and mouthed the words, 'Don't you look at me.'
Norio rolled his eyes but he started on the opening riff. Takeshi picked it up and began beating out the rhythm. Minako and the rest of her band, who had known Priss longer, came in before Yuuko. The guy with the violin came in last, adding the odd, high pitched wail of his instrument to the sound. Priss found it oddly fitting.
Once she was certain they all had it she began to sing;
"Don't you look at me,
Don't you look at me!
Who are you to Judge?
Don't you look at me,
Don't you look at me!
You think you do but you don't understand."
Priss was yelling the lyrics; it was the way she had written it. It was an angry song. An 'I don't care' song. It had been a long time since she had played it, and she was directing it at a different target than she once had. Let them listen to this and still see if they think I sold out, she thought angrily.
"This cold hard city really crushes you down,
You run and you fight as you go around.
Well there's nothing for help and no one to save,
Grasp for money and power but its freedom I crave!
Don't you look at me,
Don't you look at me!
Who are you to judge?
Don't you look at me,
Don't you look at me!
You think you do but you don't understand."
Priss moved back from the mike, swallowing to moisten her throat. She let the others play with the music, listened as the Kittens wrapped their horn music around the guitars, listened as the violin found notes that she would never had thought to have added. I've got to learn how to play one of those, Priss thought to herself. And behind it all Takeshi kept pounding out the rhythm.
Taking one more swallow Priss moved back to the mike.
"No place to live and no one who'll care," she shouted 'care' even louder, Norio, Takeshi and Minako added their voices to the word as well.
"So I'll ride to I'm numb in the freezing air.
I'll live by my rules, I don't give a damn," again, damn was shouted, and the rest of the band and even some of the audience adding their voices.
"I can't be weak cause the lion kills the lamb!
Don't you look at me,
Don't you look at me!
Who are you to judge?
Don't you look at me,
Don't you look at me!
You think you do but you don't understand.
Offhand charity and empty talk's all we get,
All we need is to die and we'll be set.
Dark and morbid thoughts are all that remains.
You don't have much choice when you're bound in chains.
Don't you look at me,
Don't you look at me!
Who are you to judge?
Don't you look at me,
Don't you look at me!
You think you do but you can't understand."
And that ended it. Sudden. Cutting off. Norio had given the rest of the musicians who might not have known a cut signal, drawing his finger across his throat.
Cheers and applause followed. Norio reached over and handed her a bottle of water, smiling at her. Priss smiled back as she took it. For the time being everything was forgotten, there were no tensions between them. That was what Priss really liked about Norio. He lived to perform on stage. As long as he was in front of an audience he did not care about anything else.
She twisted the cap off the bottle, downed half the contents then looked over at Norio. "Mad Machine!" she shouted over the applause.
Norio smiled, nodded and then began to play. Priss turned towards the mike, ready for the next song.
Priss sang for almost two hours before she and the rest of the musicians ended the performance. The DJ took over then, filling the factory with recorded music. She was pretty good, Priss admitted to herself as she took a towel someone handed her and used it to wipe the perspiration from her face. Of course live music was still better.
She looked around, noting that more people had come into the factory since she had stepped up on the stage. Things were still under control, thought there would be a huge mess to clean up the next day. That was one of the benefits of the concrete floorit was easy to clean.
Still no sign of Miako though.
"Interesting songs," a familiar voice said from her side.
Priss turned and was quite surprised to discover Ali Romanova standing near by. She looked out of place, being older than most of the other people there, and she was dressed very formally. "What are you doing here?" she asked over the dance music.
Ali smiled. "Nene-chan asked us to drop her off after the ceremony we were at ended. Makoto and I decided to see what the younger set were up to these days."
Priss looked around. "Where is Makoto-san?"
"He's talking to some people about their bikes. You've been a bad influence on him."
"Sorry," Priss said loudly, then she looked around. "Come on. Let's go somewhere quiet."
Ali nodded and followed after Priss.
They moved through the crowd towards the stairs that led up to Priss' living area. There were some people sitting on the stairs, using them as benches. Priss started up them, moving politely between the people. Near the top was a large man, his back to her, effectively blocking the stairs.
"Want to move it?" Priss said loudly.
"Want to keep your teeth?" he said, turning to look at Priss. On seeing whom it was his eyes widened. "Priss-san, I'm sorry, ah, sorry," he said, quickly moving to the side.
Priss nodded and pushed past him. Ali looked at the man as she went by noting respect warring with fear in his eyes. Interesting, she thought.
At the top of the stairs Priss unlocked her door and ushered Ali into the apartment, then followed after her. Once she shut the door most of the noise from below was cut. The quiet was a little surprising.
Ali removed her shoes and then stepped out of the genkan. "It looks very nice," she said, looking about the entry area.
"Thanks," Priss told her, kicking off her shoes, stepping up into her apartment. "This way," she told Ali, leading her to the living room. "It is still a bit sparse in here."
"Where did you get the piano?"
"It was a gift," Priss told her.
"From a secret admirer?" Ali asked, something odd in her voice.
Priss looked over her shoulder at Ali, a little surprised that Ali had asked the question and by the way she looked, just like Nene would if she were asking the same question. "Maybe," Priss said.
"It looks very nice," Ali said, taking on her more familiar tone.
"I'm glad to have it. Here," Priss grabbed a cushion and tossed it on the floor. "Have a seat."
Ali nodded as she knelt down on the cushion. Priss followed suit, but knelt on the floor without the padding. "I'm a little surprised to see you here," Priss said.
"Well, I admit there is more to my visit than just wanting to see what the younger generation is up to, which admittedly is not that great of a surprise. You left a little abruptly."
"The place was ready," Priss told her.
Ali nodded, then sighed. "I don't think I like the fact that you are here alone."
"People are always dropping by, now that I got the space."
"That's not quite what I meant."
Priss looked at Ali for a moment before speaking. "Romanova-san, you can't be my mother. Perhaps we'd both like it to be otherwise, but there is nothing we can do about it."
Ali was silent for a few seconds. "Then can I at least be your friend?"
"If you can put up with me. I often tell my friends to leave me alone."
"Do they?"
"Most of the time."
"I'd be one of those friends that would refuse to leave you alone you know."
"I'm not surprised," Priss laughed.
"And I don't think that living alone is what you need. You're still very young."
"I stopped being young a long time ago," Priss said as she got to her feet and walked over to the piano.
"I'm not so sure."
Priss took a seat at the piano and uncovered the keys. "I'm all out of faith," she sang softly. "This is how I feel. I'm cold and I am shamed. Lying naked on the floor."
"You often turn to music don't you?" Ali got to her feet and walked over to the piano.
"It's always been there."
Ali reached into her purse and removed a small disk that placed it in front of Priss. "You might like this."
Priss picked it up and looked at the neat katakana characters written on the surface. "Sutan Rojaasu, Mari Eren Kaataa," she read out loud.
"A folk musician. I think you'll find that song interesting." Ali turned and walked over to look at the pictures on the wall.
Priss looked at the disk, and then at Ali, still not sure how to deal with the woman. Part of her wanted to throw her out and never see her again. Another part of her wanted to take full advantage of everything that Ali was offering. Would she simply hover between the two extremes or might she drift to one extreme, over time?
"What does the 'S' stand for?" Ali asked.
"Pardon?" Priss looked up from the disk towards Ali. The older woman was standing near one of Priss' framed concert posters.
"The 'S' in Priss S. Asagiri."
Priss was a little surprised by the question. She did not think anyone had asked her that, except in a professional manner when she was getting licenses and such. "Saki," Priss told her.
"Saki?"
She nodded. "It's my first name in the Family Register."
Ali looked curiously at Priss, then walked over to her. She reached into her purse and brought out a pen and a piece of paper. "What are the kanji."
After a moment Priss took the pen and paper. She put a few sheets of music on the piano to protect the surface, then put the paper that Ali hand given her on them and began writing the kanji down. First the 'sa', early, followed by the 'ki', era.
"Early era?"
Priss nodded.
"Asagiri Saki, morning mists of the early era. That's very beautiful you know."
Priss shrugged her shoulders. "I haven't used that in a long time."
"Why not?"
"It's not important."
Ali thought it would be wise not to push, but she pushed anyway. "There has to be a reason."
Part of Priss wanted to start screaming, to tell this woman that it was none of her 'God damn business' and tell her to leave. She did not though. "Saki Asagiri was weak. She could not have survived."
Ali smiled sadly. "I don't think there is that much difference between Priss and Saki." Ali turned and walked towards the exit. "Maybe you should try to find Saki again. You might find you misjudged her."
Priss watched Ali walk away, listened to the sound of the door opening and closing as she left. She might never understand that woman. She looked between the paper with her official first name written on it and the disk that Ali had given her. She reached for the disk, thinking to play it, then realised she should really be taking care of the party.
She closed the cover over the keys as she got to her feet. She would have to listen to the recording later. And give Ali's words some thought.
"I can't believe that you okayed all those equipment transfers to the ADP," Manabe Takeo almost shouted.
"As you have stated before," Domino replied calmly.
"There is no point in arguing this. It has been done and the Chairman has not seen fit to undo it," Katherine said, growing a little tired of Manabe's complaints.
"There is value in making sure the ADP have the weapons they need to deal with this problem," Kenji Sosuke said softly.
"While that may be true," Samantha Johnson said, "I do not think that the ADP should have been given the GW-14s."
"They'll need them. In fact I've sent another fifty units to them, as well as more ammunition."
"What?" Samantha looked very surprised. "Why would you do that?"
"Because of these," Domino said, skimming a number of photos and reports across the desk towards her. "Because we know what this means."
"While I'll admit the information your agents uncovered is worrisome, we don't know for sure that your conclusion is correct," Noboru Pitou, a new member of the boardhe had replaced Harry Chinsaid. "Perhaps we should have been more careful about handing the ADP such resources." Noburo was middle aged, a man who had made his place in Genom in Hokkaido. Rather plain looking, and he sometimes effected a backwards, country bumpkin aspect amongst people he thought he might fool. He did not try it with those he sat with.
"And why are we bothering with the ADP anyway?" Marino Misawa demanded. "We have the resources to deal with this problem ourselves." Marino had replaced Rano Yami on the board. She was one of the younger members of the group, though she looked older than Domino. While there was no doubt she was brilliantshe had until recently been running a branch of Dirty Tricks out of the Okinawa branch of Genomshe was somewhat naïve about certain things.
Kenji looked embarrassed. He had put forth Marino's name as a replacement for Rano and was, to an extent, responsible for her. "Misawa-san," he said softly. "The last thing we want anyone to know is just what Genom is capable of in situations like these. It may worry people. It is one of the reasons the ADP is around."
Marino's face flushed every so slightly. "I understand," she said. "I'm sorry."
"There is no need to be sorry," Katherine said simply. "It is an understandable mistake." Katherine had decided to cultivate Marino's support, if possible. "Now, while we may disagree about what was done with the ADP, we still have a problem. Odotte-san, do you have any more information about the situation in Brazil?"
"Very little at this moment. I have called my agents back, but there are still people working on this. We are still searching for Seiroku-san's family, we hope to find them alive. I have forensic accountants looking at his books, and we are doing a full inventory check."
"You should also look into personnel transfers," Mark Kaneda said as he took his cigarette case from his jacket pocket. "See if there was anyone he has recently moved into useful positions. The whole Brazil operation could be a mess."
"A good point," Katherine nodded. "Though I don't expect that the whole operation has been compromised."
"All you need is a few people in the right positions," Mark said, putting one of the cigarettes into his mouth. "What about Komatsu himself? Did he really kill himself?"
"My physician is performing the post-mortem. So far there is no sign that there was a struggle."
"Your physician?" Marino asked, disbelief in her tone.
"Misawa-san, are you objecting to the fact that I have a personal physician, or is it that you don't believe that I will give you the facts?" Domino asked, staring directly into Marino's eyes. She noticed, and was probably the only one, the slight change in the other woman's expression, something in the eyes, something that said she was backing down. Domino had expected it, been hoping for it. She also planned to cultivate Marino's support, but in a different way than Katherine.
"I meant neither," Marino said in an off-handed way. Not an apology, but as close as one might get in Genom. "I meant, does your physician have the necessary qualifications?"
"She does," Domino told her.
"If there is no new information concerning what happened in Brazil, we should move onto what is happening here," Katherine told them.
"Yes," Domino said. "What we have discovered so far, based on recordings we managed to acquire and people we have talked to, was that most of the cargo was moved off the ship in containers, or in covered pallets. The cargo was moved through the clearing house, and into trucks and then taken away."
"Did we get any licence plates?" Noboru asked.
"A number. In all cases we have tracked them to trucks that were supposed to have been sitting unused at the time the cargo was taken away."
"So they borrowed all the trucks they used. Clever," Mark said, blowing a cloud of smoke into the air.
"They would have needed drivers who would not ask many questions about what they were doing, perhaps had the ability to steal the trucks themselves," Samantha said, then lit her own cigarette.
"That is true," Katherine said, "and we have found a few of the drivers. Unfortunately they have not been of much help. They were all paid well, in cash. None of the ones we have interviewed saw what they were transporting. We did send teams to the places where they took their cargoes to, but found nothing."
"This is all very well organised," Kenji said, a soft cough disturbing his words. "We have to ask who is helping them. I would suggest that some of the Yakuza families may be involved."
"We have contacts within most of the Yakuza families," Marino said. "I could put out discreet inquiries, we should have answers, if there are any, in twenty four hours."
Katherine nodded. "Do so."
"What do we do if, when, this thing blows up?" Manabe asked. "I mean, how are we going to spin this?"
"Blame it on terrorists," Mark suggested. "It's mostly true, as far as we know."
"We could make a full disclosure," Domino said.
"Pardon?" Katherine asked. From the looks on the faces around her she was not alone in her surprise as Domino's suggestion.
"This is one case were it might be of use. Too much has happened lately, and while we have managed to set things in our favour, it is a precariously balanced house of cards. We tell the truth and we don't have to worry about the truth being used against us. It will not harm us."
"It will make us look weak," Kenji said.
"Not such a bad thing," Domino replied.
"How can you say that?"
"You might not worry so much about a enemy you perceive to be weak," Katherine said speculatively. "You might ignore them. Or if you attack them you might not come in with the strength you should. There may be some value in it. We will worry about that later though. For now we have to plan on how to deal with this problem, when or if it happens. We need to decide how to use our resources as subtly as possible. I'm sure you all have ideas so let us begin."
"In the Province of Inba there was a girl, the daughter of a certain lay priest of noble family, whose hand was asked in marriage by many that had heard of her beauty. However, this girl ate nothing but chestnuts, never touching rice or other grain, and her parents therefore refused, saying such an unusual thing ought not to be seen by others"
-Yoshida Kenkou
