O – M – G! This has to be the longest chapter I've ever written O.O! Anywayz, I' hope you guys like it :D!
DOZA wow :D! thanks for the quick review. Eep…yeah, I think I'm having waaay tooo much fun fleshing out Yuriko's childhood. I guess I'm making up for her lack of a background story in X2. Hmmm…this long chapter might still be a little too gentle for you, but I think it picks up near the end (where a familiar NAME appears ;)).
SKETTY28 W000T! more of Yuriko's background AND the event that will begin her relations with some certain someones ;)!
Chapter 92: New country and old friends
Yuriko's face was suddenly filled with awe and her mouth gaped open with bewilderment. She seemed very happy about the big news. "America?" She asked in an awestruck manner. This day seemed more like a dream. She couldn't believe anything that she was hearing.
"You mean that big country in the west? Where my grandfather was born?" She asked excitedly. She looked like a little girl who was ready for any kind of adventure. She had never been out of Japan before, and she couldn't wait to see more places. In fact, she wanted to see the entire world. She wanted to see everything. She'd seen pictures of America and other countries and continents in her books and on TV and she desired to see all of them for real. She wanted to tour the world like any other curious child.
Kenji nodded his head eagerly. "Yes, Riku. Where your grandfather was born." Kenji's father was actually half Japanese and half American.
Kenji's great grandfather was American, and his great grandmother was Japanese. His father was born in the United States of America, and relocated to Japan after the American father passed away. That was probably why Kenji never felt enmity towards Americans, despite the disputes and spoils of World War II. That would also explain his fluency in speaking English and his familiarity with the American culture.
In fact, if it weren't for his American roots, he might have not gotten that position in Code5. Code5 had ties to the CIA and other foreign organizations such as the UN and the DARPA, otherwise known as the Defense Advance Research Project Agency. The CODs weren't mainly run by the Americans. In all actuality, the CODs were run by the world, not just by a single race. And being a person with different historical backgrounds and roots had definitely helped him blend in with the multi-racial organization.
"This is wonderful, daddy! I can't wait to see what America is like! Maybe we'll even see the Statue of Liberty!" Her eyes widened with the mention of the historical statue. She remembered seeing it on TV, and she wanted to see it for real since then.
Kenji raised his eyebrows and nodded his head in agreement. "Oh we'll definitely see that, all right!" He said matter-of-factly. He seemed pretty sure that they would be able to see the statue. "Because we're going to New York!" He suddenly said out loud.
Yuriko jumped and clapped her hands in excitement. She was really going to see the big statue. She knew that it was in a place called 'New York', and her father just told her that that was exactly where they were going.
But then, one question suddenly crept its way up Yuriko's young mind…"Um, dad?" She said, looking up at her father. "Why are we going to New York?" She asked curiously. The reason really didn't matter much to her, since both she and her father seemed so excited about the trip, but she wanted to know anyway. She might as well know before-hand why they were going there in the first place.
Kenji's eyes lit up, the smile on his face widened and he raised his eyebrows in an eager manner. He looked very enthusiastic to answer her question. "Oh yes. I haven't told why yet, haven't I?" He said apologetically, followed by a brief chuckle.
Yuriko giggled and nodded her head. "Uh huh." She replied. Her father could be quite forgetful sometimes, especially when he was excited about something.
Kenji laughed, and then he tapped on the seat of Yuriko's bicycle. "Come on." He said snappily. "Hop onto your bike and I'll tell you on the way home."
"Okay, daddy!" Said Yuriko with an excited tone in her voice. Whatever the reason was, her father was definitely thrilled about it. She could see his eyes sparkling like a crystal lake under a clear morning sky. It had been a while since she had seen him this ecstatic about his work. But then, it had also been a long while since she had spent enough time with him to see him get ecstatic about anything.
Yuriko happily made her way over the seat of her bicycle, and then her father took the safety helmet that hung on bike's left handle. Kenji also bought her that helmet on the same day he bought the bike. As a father, he never failed to assure his daughter's safety, particularly since he couldn't always be there to look after her.
He snuggly placed the helmet over Yuriko's pony-tailed head and then he carefully fastened its two straps under Yuriko's chin. At least today and the next few days, he could be a complete father to her, the father he had rarely been for the past four years. His ten year old daughter deserved to be with him. She deserved to have someone who would always answer her every time she called. And though he knew that their trip to New York was mainly 'work' in itself, he wanted it to be the time for him and her.
Once Kenji had assured the security of the helmet, he playfully tapped it and smiled at his eager rider. "Read to go home, Riku?" He asked excitedly.
"I'm ready for anything, dad!" She replied, her chin held high.
Kenji chuckled and nudged his head towards the direction of their house. "Then let's go, my little adventurer." She truly was his little adventurer. And he was definitely glad that she was as excited to go New York as he was.
Yuriko giggled and started on her way home, with her father quickly walking beside her. She smiled and waved to some of her classmates that she rode pass by. She couldn't help but feel quite proud and boastful that her father was with her that afternoon. She loved the fact that he fetched her from school, and that he was now walking alongside her. Some of her classmates actually thought of her as the little girl without any parents. And now, she just wanted to show them that she did. She had her father.
As she happily paddled her bike, she looked at her father from the corner of her eye and smiled. "So why are we going to New York, dad?" She asked again. It seemed as if her father had already forgotten the question she had asked him earlier.
Kenji's head perked up and he looked back at her. He almost stopped walking when he heard Yuriko's question. He forgot that he hadn't told her the big news yet. And it was probably about time that he did. After all, he couldn't wait to share it with her. He knew she would be happy for him. She was always happy for him and his work, even if she barely understood the kind of work that he was doing.
He slipped Yuriko's school bag under his arm, and then he placed his hands inside his pockets. He was excited to tell her the good news, but he really didn't know how to explain it to her in a way that she would be able to comprehend.
How would he be able to tell her little girl that Code5 had just chosen him to represent their Research and Development division in the 'New York Scientific and Military Convention' of the year? And how would he be able to explain to her that they will soon be in the company of the top scientists and military figures of their current times?
Looks like telling her the big and exciting news was going to be tougher than he first thought it would be. But he had to try anyway. There was no way in this world that he was going to lie to the only important person in his life.
Kenji looked at her and he smiled. "Yuriko, you know daddy's work, right? He's doing a lot of scientific stuff to help people, like doctors do." He said.
Yuriko nodded her head in response to her father's query, but kept her eyes on the road. Her father always told her to watch out for possible road obstacles. "Uh huh." She replied all-knowingly. "I know you do, dad! That's why I'm proud of you." She had a big smile on her face. "And someday, I wanna be just like you! I also want to go and help people like you do and work with the good people like you do." She said proudly.
His eyes widened for a moment. He liked the fact that Yuriko appreciated the work that he was doing, but did he want her to lead the life that he was living? Did he want her to become involved in such a life-threatening organization? Of course he wanted her to help people too…But not in Code5…not in any secret organization for that matter.
Though the benefits in Code5 were wonderful, and the sense of fulfillment incredible, the risks were also inexplicably high. Even if he was only working in the backend part of the organization, doing research and development for the org and for the world, his life, and his family's life, was also at risk as much as the mercenaries' lives were.
As the veterans in the CODs say, 'Once you're in a COD, you're a part of that COD. And once that COD goes down, YOU go down with it.'. That's why when he took the job, he practically put his life and her life at risk. But he had to do it. He had to do it for the greater good. After all, he would never do anything to jeopardize the safety of her daughter. If he had to die to save her, he would.
"Anyway, about New York…." He continued. He didn't feel like encouraging Yuriko to pursue his career. If she wanted to talk to him later about his work, then fine. But not now…Not now when they're out in the open. "You see, the people that I'm working for chose me to go to New York to represent them." He explained.
Yuriko's eyes lit up and a big smile spread across her face. "That is so cool!" She replied energetically. "I guess it's kinda like when my school sent me to that other school to join the reading competition, right, dad?" She asked. Her eyes remained keenly on the road as she paddled her bike. She could see her father from the corner of her eye, and she could see the smile on his face.
A light and hearty laugh escaped from Kenji's smiling lips. "Yeah. Kinda like that." He said with a shrug. He remembered that day last year when he had to drive Yuriko all the way to Shinjuku for that English reading competition. Once again, his American background had served both of them well. Yuriko was one of the very few students who could speak fluent English, so it wasn't doubtful that her school had chosen her to represent their institution. And it was also no contest that she had won the competition.
It was only unfortunate that he couldn't have been there to see her win. He wasn't even there to pick her up from Shibuya. In fact, he had to ask his good neighbor Misato, a nice lady that they've both become close to, to pick her up from that school. Even until now, every time he saw Yuriko's medal in the living room, he always felt his heart droop and he wished that he could turn back time so that he could have been there for her when they announced her as the winner. And now he found it quite funny that she was the one who was going to accompany him in his very own 'contest'.
"Well actually, daddy's gonna' go there because the world wants to see the work that daddy had done so far." He said proudly. He couldn't wait to share his hard work with the big names in the scientific industry. "So that all the people in the world who wants my help can have it." He added. For the past four years he and his work had stayed hidden within the walls of Code7's Tokyo office. And it was now about time that he revealed them to all the people who needed them the most.
"That's really great, dad!" She said supportively. Her voice was filled with so much energy and optimism. Then she giggled and slowly brought her bike to a complete stop.
Kenji was surprised that Yuriko suddenly stopped her bike. He, too, stopped and turned to his side to look at her. What was his daughter up to this time? "What's wrong, Yuriko?" He asked. He gazed upon her face and saw the sun radiating on her visage. She had a gentle smile on her lips and her eyes looked at him lovingly.
"Nothing's wrong, dad." She said, smiling. Her smile was so soft and genuine, like that of a cherub. "I'm…I'm just glad that I'll finally get to be with you for such a long time." She said softly. She looked like she was about to cry tears of joy. "I know your work is important to you. I know that." There was innocence in her voice. "And I know that I'm important to you too. I know you love me more than you'll ever love your work."
The smile on Kenji's face grew wider. "I love you more than anything, Rikku." He said lovingly. "I love you more than my work and my own life."
Yuriko nodded her head. The smile on her face never weakened. "I know, daddy." She whispered. "I'm just…I'm just so happy that I'll finally get to be with you while you work…that we'll still be together even while you're working. I'm so glad that this time, you don't have to be away with me while you do your stuff."
Kenji leaned down and gently ran his hand down Yuriko's cheek. "You're always with me no matter what, Rikku." He said softly. "Never ever think that there's a second in each and everyday that you aren't with me…Because even when I'm at work, you're always with me, like your mother's always with us."
Yuriko's smile turned into a soft giggle, then she touched the cherry blossom clip on her hair. "Yes, dad. Mom's always with us no matter what." She said with a huge smile. "She's always with us." She added. Then she quickly hopped off her bike and threw her arms around her father's neck. She looked into his eyes as excitement filled her own. "I can't wait to go to New York!" She suddenly said, her voice filled with so much life.
Kenji laughed. "I can't wait to go to New York too!" He replied. He was so incredibly happy to see his daughter like this. Her eyes and her face and her smile were filled with so much life, so much excitement. He could really see that she wanted to be with him so badly, and that was why he was going to make sure that this trip was going to be more for her, than for him and his work. He wanted her to enjoy this trip with him.
"So when are we going to leave?" She asked, almost breathless with exhilaration. "And how about my school, dad?" She had almost forgotten about her school. Since school was one of the very few things that occupied her time, it was very important to her.
For the past four years, she had never been absent nor had she missed a class. And now that she had thought about it, the reason why she never missed a class was because she never got sick. Not even once. Not even at the time when the flu was spreading all over Tokyo. Even her father got sick when that happened, but she didn't.
He smiled. "Don't worry about school, Rikku. I already talked to your teachers about it. In fact, I came to your school hours even before your last class. I told them that I needed to leave for a business trip, and that it was important that I take you with me. After all, I'm the only family you have, right? And I want us to stick together all the time."
"I always want to be with you too, dad!" She said proudly.
"And as for our flight…" He said, his last word trailing. He brought his wrist up to face level and looked at the time on his watch. Then he looked at Yuriko and raised his eyebrows. "Well, we leave in about eight hours." He said with a shrug.
Yuriko's eyes widened and her jaw opened in excitement. Then she smiled and jumped on her toes. "Oh wow!" She said, clasping her hands together. "That soon!" She asked. She couldn't believe that they were going to leave Tokyo today too. That meant that when she wakes up tomorrow, she was going to wake up in New York, where the huge, white, female statue was. The thought of their sudden trip excited her more. This was definitely the adventure she'd been wanting for the past four years of her city life.
She quickly pulled away from her father and hopped on to her bike. Then she looked at him and smiled. "Come on, dad! We have to get home now!" She said excitedly. "We're going to leave eight hours from now and I have to make sure that I pack all my things! Like my toothbrush and my shirts and my camera and and…" Yuriko found it hard to think straight at the moment, especially with all the excitement racing through every fiber of her ten-year-old body.
An entire day had passed, and the long and tedious flight to New York had finally ended. The plane left Japan at eight o'clock in the evening, and it was now 10 o' clock in the morning in New York City. Kenji, and his very young and jubilant daughter, Yuriko, were fetched from the airport by Code8's designated transport vehicle and were escorted to The Barclay Hotel located at the heart of New York's 48th street.
The Barclay, one of the New York's esteemed landmark hotels, was where they were going to stay during their entire trip to New York. That was also where the rest of the COD representatives were going to reside, and that was probably due to the fact that that was where the 'New York Military and Scientific Convention' was going to be held too.
Yuriko's almond-shaped slanted eyes widened with awe and excitement as she pressed her palms and face against the window of the car. The darkly-tinted shades of the car's windows didn't stop her from keenly observing the outside world.
"Oh wow, dad!" She exclaimed. "I can't believe that we're actually in New York! 'The' New York!" She said with an excited tone in her voice. She couldn't believe that her first time out of Japan was going to be here, in this city, out of all places. She felt as if she had just flown into a living and breathing dream. She wanted to open the window, jump out of the car, and walk all throughout the entire city. New York was definitely so much different from Japan. Things seemed a little bit more 'free' here.
Yuriko also liked the airplane ride. Flying things always fascinated her…Even things that just floated, like leaves in the wind. She always connected flying with her 'mother'. After all, according to her father's folk-stories about her mother, her mother left this earth by flying away. Yuna, spread her wings and took off from that cliff in Kyoto. Then she flew far, far away into the clearness and blueness of the morning sky. And at least now, now that Yuriko herself had touched the sky by riding that airplane, she could finally say that she had 'tried' to be where her mother was now.
Kenji smiled and leaned closer to Yuriko. He moved his head beside hers and looked at the towering New York buildings with her. He could really see the excitement in his little angel's eyes. He had never seen her this excited before. Probably one of the reasons why Yuriko had always been fascinated about new and foreign places was because she never got out of the house much. And bringing her with him here was definitely one of the best decisions he had ever made so far. His little girl deserved more than being cooped up in their apartment from weeks on end.
Yuriko giggled and turned her face to her side to where her father's face was. "Thank you, daddy." She said with a warm smile on her face.
Kenji looked at her and smiled back. He could see the pure gratitude emanating from Yuriko's eyes and smiling lips. "You don't have to thank me for anything, honey." He said softly. "Just promise me you'll enjoy this trip, okay?" He asked.
Yuriko's smile widened from ear to ear and she vigorously nodded her head in so much exhilaration. "Oh I will, dad! I will!" She replied. Then she giggled and threw her arms around her father's neck. "I'm so excited! I know we're going to see so many things!"
He gave out a gentle, fatherly laugh and patted Yuriko on the back. "We'll definitely see so many things, Riku." Then he gently pulled away from her and looked deeply into her eyes. "You know that statue you're talking about?" He asked, smiling. "The one you want to see so badly?" He knew how much she wanted to see the Statue of Liberty.
The little, Japanese girl couldn't hide the excited look on her face. "Uh huh?" She asked with so much anticipation.
"We're going to visit that tomorrow, okay?" He said happily. He, too, couldn't hide the excitement from his eyes. He couldn't wait to see the expression on Yuriko's face once she sees that statue for real. She couldn't stop talking about it on the airplane. "And if you want, I'm even going to buy you a miniature model of it." He added. "Then you can take it home and show it to your friends. And you can tell them all that you've been to the real version of it." He said as he tapped her on the tip of her nose.
"Yay!" She shouted out loud in excitement. She almost jumped on her seat. Then she threw her arms around Kenji's neck again and held him so close to her. "Oh, dad, thank you so much for everything." She said graciously.
After a few traffic lights and intersections, the car stopped in front of a magnanimous structure at the East Side of New York. The building was humungous, causing Yuriko to press her face harder against the car window. She could barely see the entirety of the building with just one look.
The driver, also a secret operative of the CODs, stepped out of the technologically advanced limousine and walked around the car towards Yuriko's side.
Yuriko was startled as her view of the building was suddenly blocked by the man who had just made his way in front of her car door. The man was tall, well-built, Caucasian, and was wearing straight and iron-pressed black suit that lacked a crease.
Her black, almond shaped eyes widened as she saw the man reach out to open the car door before her. She couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen next. She quickly turned her head to look at her father who was seated right next to her.
Kenji chuckled lightly as he saw her surprised reaction to the towering black-suited man who stood right in front of her door. "Don't worry, Rikku." He said softly, in that loving fatherly way that always made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. "He's just going to escort us out of the car, to that building over there." He pointed towards the direction of the huge reddish building that was now being blocked by a wall of black cloth.
She saw the comforting smile on his face and felt a rush of relief. That smile alone was an assurance that everything was going to be alright, and that whatever was going to happen next will bring neither of them any harm. Oh how she trusted that smile. She smiled back at her father and nodded her head in silence.
The black-suited man, Agent Darrow, as Code5 would address him, opened the car and smiled at the little girl who dawned at him from inside the vehicle.
"Welcome to New York City, little lady. I'm Agent Darrow and it's nice to meet you." He said, grinning widely, hoping to make Dr. Oyama's child feel at home and comfortable. The last thing Darrow wanted was to intimidate the daughter of one of the best, if not already the 'best' biochemist in the world.
Yuriko looked up at him and smiled back. She saw the friendly and honest look in Darrow's eyes and realized that he truly was a trustworthy and friendly person, despite his tough and burly exterior. Ever since she could remember, she could always read people like a book just by looking at their eyes.
She could always tell what a person was like just by looking into the windows of their souls. Apparently for her, they truly were the windows to peoples' inner beings. And she had never been wrong. Never. Sometimes, she even turns it into a little game.
Whenever she met someone new, she'd always make an initial assumption about them through their eyes. Then she'd observe them for as long as she could to see if her assumption was right. And for an eleven year old girl who never got to see much of the outside world, she was always right on her 'assumptions'.
Yuriko excitedly turned her head towards her father and extended a hand towards him. A huge, energetic and childish smile made its way across her smooth tanned face. "Let's go, Daddy! I can't wait to see where we're going to stay. Who knows? We might even see the Statue of Liberty from our room if we're going to stay up there!"
Kenji smiled back and gently took her daughter's hand. "We really might, Yuriko." He said enthusiastically. Then the two of them hopped off the car and set their feet upon the luscious red carpet that ran from the car to the door of the grand hotel.
Agent Darrow nodded and smiled at Kenji as he and his daughter stepped away from the vehicle. Darrow closed the car door firmly and he walked to the rear end of the car until he was standing right in front of the trunk. He had a small black device in his huge, muscular hand. The device had a small blinking light on it and it caught Yuriko's eyes as she visually followed him. She was very curious as to what he was going to do next.
Darrow's thumb made a small motion against the black device and the trunk slowly opened with a smooth mechanical sound. Yuriko's eyes widened when she saw what just happened. She didn't even see him open the trunk by touching it. She clung to her father's leg as she watched with technical amazement.
The huge agent pulled Yuriko and Kenji's bags off the trunk and he set them lightly on the marble floor. With another flick of his thumb against the device, the cover of the trunk lowered until it was back on its place. Then he pressed the device again, a little bit harder this time, and the car made a small beeping sound that almost made Yuriko jump.
Yuriko suddenly heard the sound of all of the car doors locking, and the car's smooth engine roared subtly. She couldn't believe that the car was starting all by itself.
Darrow noticed the amazed look on the young girl's face and he smiled at her. He continued to point the black device towards the similarly black car. "I see you're just like your father. You're amazed by things that are relatively new to you." He said gently.
The little Japanese girl smiled back and nodded her head. She continued to cling on her father's leg. Kenji on the other hand, smiled while he saw the amazement in her eyes.
"Well, Yuriko…You ain't seen nothing yet." Darrow said proudly. Then with a sly grin and a rather pompous air about him, he pushed the nearly invisible button on the small device, and the car sped away, as if someone was driving it.
Yuriko's eyes widened with surprise and her little mouth almost dropped as she saw the car drive away as if Darrow himself was navigating it. She even saw the car stop when a bunch of people crossed the road. She had never seen a car that could drive itself, let alone navigate the streets on its own. She was definitely seeing so many new things at such a short time…First, New York, and now, a 'living' car.
Then a huge and dumbfounded smile formed on her excited face and she looked up at her father. "How did he do that!" She asked all enthusiastically. She looked like she was going to burst with so much curiosity and exhilaration.
Kenji laughed and softly ruffled her straight ebony hair. He felt the cherry blossom pin that was nestled on her black hair brushing against his palm as he did. "I think you're still a little bit too young to understand what really happened, little Riku."
Rikku pouted and clutched harder on the loose cloth of her father's slacks. "But faaatheeer!" She whined, in that cute, little childish way.
Of course she understood her father's hesitation to explain to her the how's and why's of that car, but she still had to at least 'try' and get some answers from him. After all, she was just a child, and as a child, she had the right to be nosey, curious and innocently inquisitive. And at this moment, she was obviously taking advantage of that right.
Kenji smiled, and then he rolled his eyes and sighed. Darrow was right. His daughter was all too much like him. She always wanted to poke her nose into things that were far beyond her comprehension. She was truly a mixture of him and Yuna. Yuriko had her mother's grace, beauty, and charm, and her father's insatiable hunger for knowledge.
His attention to his daughter was suddenly disrupted when he saw a similar-looking black car rolling smoothly to where their car was parked a while ago. Despite the dark, tainted windows of the slick, black vehicle, Kenji seemed to know who was in it, and by the looks on his face, that person seemed like a very important figure. Even Darrow straightened his posture as he saw the car heading straight towards the front of the hotel.
Yuriko noticed the occupied look on her father's face, and the sudden surge of formality in the way that the larger man carried himself. She traced their eyes to the car that had stopped just a few steps away from where they were standing.
What was so important about that car anyway? She had a good feeling that it was another one of those self-driving cars that she just saw a while ago, but that must not be the reason why her father and Darrow had suddenly been taken aback. In fact, her dad seemed to be waiting for someone from the car. The car also seemed a little longer than the one they rode in to get to the hotel. It looked like it could carry five more people.
Kenji looked down at his little girl and gently took her hand. "Let's step aside and give these guests some room, okay, Riku?" He said.
Riku smiled subtly and nodded in agreement. They stepped aside, leaving enough space for the new arrivals to comfortably get off their car and unpack their things, just like what they did a while ago. She couldn't help but wonder who these people were. But she was sure of one thing her father seemed to know them.
The doors of the front seat and the driver's seat opened first and almost at the same time. The driver stepped out of the car and his suit was similar to that of Darrow's. This gave Yuriko the assumption that these people were connected to them somehow. After all, aside from the similarities between their cars, their 'escorts' looked quite similar too.
And her assumption was proven right when Darrow and the other car's driver nodded at each other, as if they were communicating in their own secret, silent way.
Out of the front seat of the car stepped out a man in a military suit. He looked a somewhat older than her father. He had feathery brown hair with a dash of grey on his temples and on his widow's peak. He had thick eyebrows and a clean shaven strong face that commanded attention and respect. His military attire made him seem domineering, and the medals over his breast pocket were proof of his past accomplishments.
From where she was standing, Yuriko could clearly see the military man's eyes. And ever since he had stepped out of the car, she tried to read him. She tried to read his eyes as she had read others' before. She knew he was none of her business, but most of the time, she couldn't stop herself from reading the people around her, especially if she knew that that person was connected to them somehow.
/"That's a good man."/ She thought to herself after catching a solid glimpse of the "military man's" eyes. Despite the old man's proud stance and egotistical aura, that person was a good man inside…An honest, humble man who hid behind his uniform and his medals and his position in the military, but a good, trustworthy man nonetheless.
Then Yuriko suddenly jumped up in surprise when the military man looked towards her direction. Did he notice her staring at him? Then a wave of relief slowly came over her when she realized that he wasn't looking at her. The military man was looking at…
"Dr. Oyama!" The military man said with a very jovial tone in his voice. He sounded like someone who had just seen an old friend after such a very long time.
Yuriko's almond-shaped eyes widened with surprise and she looked up at her father. Like the 'military man', her father too was smiling as if he had seen a very dear, old friend. Perhaps she was right when she thought that he knew that person.
"General William Stryker!" Her father replied with a huge smile on his face. Then he opened his arms and walked towards Stryker.
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