a/n: School, everyone loves the insitution that makes your life from age 4-however long you end up being around in highschool and post secondary a living hell
sigh. One word to explain the delay... TESTS and ASSIGNMENTS ok, that was three, but I'm sure you understand the need to studing my ass off. :P I never have to study for the subjects I like...for the ones I don't like however I do, and if I pull another 75 in geography on the report again...yeah, I'm dead...I really have to get my80 back...
Chapter 8: ASSASSIN: Mayuka's Gamble
It wasn't very often someone like him would meet up with an information source in person. It was quite rare actually. But that wasn't why he got into the business. He got into reporting, just for the sheer joy of risking life and limb all for one scoop.
And this one ceased to leave him alone.
He never thought that an anonymous source would contact him. And that they did. They left him with piles after piles of files for him to read. But the smart son of a bitch left an encryption code on the files, making that impossible. All his source would say was that it dealt with major companies and ties to the Yakuza.
He couldn't wait to get his hand on such a feat. But either his source was some sort of computer programmer, on one hell of a fucked up hacker who wanted some fun, because, even with some of the smartest at computers at his aid, they only managed to get past the first of fifty layers of encrypted firewalls before all computers went out. Eerily reminding him of the 'Kiss of Death' virus. He contacted his source time and time again, and eventually, they said the one thing most reporters had no interest in doing:
(Karasuma) So, you claim you're the same one responsible for the 'Kiss of Death' Virus ten years ago?
(Kage) You could say that. But personally, I have to keep a low profile. If they do catch me, who knows what they'll do? So, I'm asking you, yes you, Samanosuke Karasuma, the great journalist, to aid me, and my revelation of the truth.
(Karasuma) The revelation of the truth?
(Kage) That's right. We'll meet in person ok?
(Karasuma) In…person? Must we?
(Kage) If you ever want to get your hands on the key to the information that will make your career worthwhile, I suggest we meet in person.
(Karasuma) Fine then. Only cause you're peddling a hard bargain there. Question, are you a man or a woman?
(Kage) …I'm sorry, I can't tell you anything about who I am.
(Karasuma) Then how will I know who you are?
(Kage) I'll be in a place called 'Gin' sitting in the corner. I'll be in a black trench coat. My face will be covered; so don't bother asking about what I look like. Just tell the bartender you're looking for someone called 'Kage' and after checking to make sure you're not a cop he'll point me out for you. The date for this: 1/23/32.
So here he was, the great journalist, Samanosuke Karasuma in a stupid little seedy bar called "Gin" All for the sake of a scoop. He walked up to the bar immediately after entering. The bartender looked at him skeptically. "Something I can help you with bub?"
"Yeah, I'm looking for someone named 'Kage' have you seen them?"
"Come closer." Karasuma stepped closer, not knowing what to expect. "Raven, frisk him."
"Aye sir." Raven walked up to Karasuma patting him down carefully, before giving the reporter a playful slap on the rump. "Nice ass you've got there!"
"Ugh..."
"Don't mind him. He's like that with any guy he thinks is cute. But it's amazing that for such, he manages to be a ladies man." Raven winked at Karasuma playfully. "He's clear big man. And I'm not just saying that cause he's so damn cute! I wouldn't let anything happen to our favorite little 'Shadow' Never. Of course, Kage's rather good looking too. Really sexy! I mean the other one. That's still Kage, but this time it's different. They trade places sometimes. So when I say Kage is sexy, it really depends on if it's the ugly guy over there who took her pl-"
"Keep your thoughts to yourself Raven."
"Aye sir." Raven then ran off to serve shots as the bartender led Karasuma to a darkened corner of the bar. There someone sat in a black trench coat. The collar was down, but it was still too dark to see the person's face, as they sipped a martini. "Kage-san." The figure turned to face them. Karasuma noticed that they were wearing glasses. "Ah, so he's here already. Welcome, Samanosuke."
"Let's get down to business Kage…firstly, that isn't your real name is it?"
"Really, who would name their child 'Shadow'? But still, the codename's a must. Well, Karasuma-kun, do take a seat." Kage motioned for him to sit. Karasuma sat down, desperately trying to get a look at Kage's face. "Please don't try that, or I'm going to have Kaisuke here escort you out personally, and I'll find some other reporter."
"Alright then." Karasuma said angrily. He concluded to himself that this Kage person had to have been a he. Only a guy would be pig headed enough to chide him in such a way even after knowing his reputation. Most girls would immediately apologize after making someone like Karasuma angry. But no, this 'bastard' Karasuma thought venomously; merely sat there, a look of indifference on his face. Kage smiled, taking another sip of 'his' martini. "Now, getting to business."
"Yes, business."
"Being a whistleblower, plenty of things can happen to me if anyone finds out who I am, and that I did this. And things range from being publicly disgraced to an untimely death. Now, I love life as much as the other man, so this is why I must be so secretive. I have family after all. And there's no reason for them to get caught up in this as well."
Kage sighed before clapping 'his' hands twice. "Kaisuke, my good man, get our friend something to drink, ok? But be light on the alcohol. We want him sober so he can listen to us, and drive home safely."
Kage turned back to Samanosuke and smiled. "Ah, where were we, yes. As I've said before, this is classified information. It was never suppose to be released. But I think the people, the police and even the Prime Minister need to know what sort of things these companies and even some government officials have been keeping from them."
"Yeah, but I'll be killed, won't I?" Kage smiled. "No, it will make you better known. As long as you take a few precautions."
"Which are?"
"One, I want you to publish this information in all media forms. That way there's a wider audience." Karasuma nodded. "That makes sense."
"Two, do yourself and I a huge favour and release ALL information at once. Therefore that gives them no time to enforce a publication band on it after it's been released in paper media."
"I see your logic." Kage's head nodded in a sort of understanding motive before 'he' continued. "Three, I want you to publish this on January the thirty-first."
"The thirty-first?"
"Yes. It's important you do so. Very important. It gives me enough time to leave this country." Karasuma growled. "So, you're just trying to save your own assets!"
"Keep listening before interrupting. Four, hours before publishing the paper, give the information to Public Security Section Nine. If you're unable to get it to Section Nine, send it to a man named 'Daisuke Aramaki' but make sure Section Nine, or Aramaki gets that information, just before it's released to the public. This is important. If they get it too early and their superiors find out, there might be a publication band on it all. Then our work would have been for nothing."
"I see…no point in that." Karasuma stated. Kage paused again, taking another sip from 'his' glass. "Five, get your own ass out of the country, just for about two months. Then things will have subsided enough for it to be safe for you. Here."
Kage shoved an envelope over to Karasuma. He opened it, reading the contents inside.
"Those are plane tickets, and keys for an establishment I already paid for located in the States. And if that's still not enough compensation, not only do you have one thousand U.S spending money in that envelope, but I'll give you an additional one million."
"You're kidding."
"No, I'm quite serious. So, is it a deal?"
Karasuma smiled. "Yeah, it's a deal."
"Good. Here." Kage slid over another envelope, this one containing a disk. "And this is for?"
"It's the encryption key. It will take you about four days to read through everything. So if you use that before the twenty-sixth, an email telling me such will be sent, and instantly all information will be lost. If you publish before the thirty-first, the same will happen."
"Tough…"
"I don't appreciate it when fools breach my rules." Kage's voice was cold as 'he' said this. Karasuma eyed 'him' carefully. "Anything else I should know?"
"I'm trusting you. Many people trust you. Their faiths are with in your hands."
"How?"
"When this information is released, those companies, and their officials will have no where to run. They'll be cornered. The police will be forced to acknowledge who does what in the Yakuza, simply because the people will demand it. Especially with all of the proof I have. Publish it all, all at once. That leaves them no chance to come and hunt you down. You'll be able to escape. And while it may be hard for people to digest all that data so quickly, with in a day or two, they will understand and there will be a public out cry."
"You have this planned don't you?" Kage chuckled. "I'm just merely dotting my Is and crossing my Ts." 'He' then got up, extending 'his' hand to Samanosuke. "Pleasure doing business with you, Karasuma-kun." Karasuma nodded, shaking Kage's hand. "Oh, the pleasure's mine."
"Good. Don't mind paying for the drinks do you chap? I have another meeting to attend to." Karasuma smiled. "After what you're doing, no problem. Consider it done."
Kage nodded as he tucked his chair in. "Alright. I'll see you later, Kaisuke."
"Yes. See you later." And with that, Kage walked out of the door.
Kage stood in the street for what seemed like an eternity, as 'he' stared into a near-by store, watching the news play on a television. On it showed Hikaru Mehiji. "What a vile detestable man." Kage muttered, 'he' removed his shades, revealing sapphire blue eyes.
"So, tomorrow's the big day! Mehiji has his stupid orientation, and all my key pieces have been set into place. Raven and Kaisuke served as my rooks quite well. Karasuma, the bishop has been set into place, my pawns are ready, Kayabuki served well as a knight, Aramaki shall be my second bishop. And Kusanagi's right where I need her. Now all it takes is for the queen and the pawns to trap the opponent's king, and it's game over! Bye-Bye Mehiji!" Kage laughed. "Ah yes, everything is going exactly as planned. Tomorrow, Japan shall witness the dawn of Yakuza's destruction."
Mayuka sat there. Office work was pure agony. Especially when one's arm hurt like hell.
In question, was her left arm, the one that got shot. Mayuka looked down again to the bandages she put on. She sighed; once again they were dyed red. "You know, you should have went to the hospital for that." Mayuka turned around to see the smiling face of Togusa. "Must you mock the newbie already?"
"It's protocol…a must." Mayuka shook her head. "I hate it when people chide me over nonsense."
"So why didn't you?"
"Cause it's a prosthetic damn it!" Togusa blinked.
"I thought you weren't into that sort of thing…"
"When you loose around eighty percent of your arm, you really don't have a choice."
"Eighty percent? How?" Mayuka sighed. It was going to be a long day. "In the army dimwit."
"You said eighty percent… so how did that happen?" Mayuka shook her head. She had a feeling she should have told him to go to hell way before saying a word. "Don't you think you've pried enough?" Togusa smiled, and shrugged. "Well you can screw off…that part isn't your business."
"Fair enough."
"Togusa, why were you asking about that anyways?"
"Cause I heard you say something about you removing it yourself." She wondered why she didn't keep her mouth shut. She felt like banging her head on the desk any second now. "Yeah, I did…it's a military thing…it's hard to explain…"
"Kind of like how some soldiers insist on setting their own bones?"
"Something like that." Togusa nodded. "Well, I'm heading off to the firing range…care to join me?"
"An odd request, but it sure beats work! I'll be there soon."
Mayuka slowly opened her eyes, the bright light above her was almost blinding, but she could make out that a woman was standing over her. "Hey, you awake Kusanagi?" Mayuka moaned as she felt someone help her up. "How you feeling?"
"Jun…kei?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"Then…we're still…in the battle…" Mayuka's sentence was spaced out as though she was thinking intently about something. Her eyes suddenly widened when she found it.
"Lieutenant!" Jun-kei pushed her down gently, shaking her head in remorse. "Gone Kusanagi. There was nothing to do to save him. The moment I saw the mangled wreck of his body, I knew it was impossible. He would have died slowly, but I ended it. Trust me, it wasn't easy."
"Like that's a hell of a lot more comforting!"
Jun-kei sighed."Just calm down, why don't you?"
"Calm down? CALM DOWN! We lost the unit's leader, and countless members, and you want me to calm down!" Mayuka yelled, as she used her left arm to support her getting back up. She instantly regretted it when pain shot through her arm. She screamed in pain. "Hey, you ok?"
"What… what the fuck happened to my arm?" Jun-kei shook her head. "Crushed. I thought I might have had to replace a lung as well, you got lucky there, but your arm however, it's prosthetic now…"
"Why does it hurt so much?"
"Your arm…I know you have a natural body, so I tried to keep as much of it that way as possible kid…about twenty percent of your left arm from the neck down is natural. The bone structure around the bicep was mostly undamaged so I did little to that."
"What did you do then?"
"I had to replace the shoulder, and all of your arm from the elbow down. So I drilled it into the bone structure around the bicep, and the collar bone…"
"You did what?"
"I'm sure you heard…look at your forearm…" Mayuka did what was told. "What about it?"
"Go ahead, pinch it…" Mayuka raised an eyebrow before doing so. "Ouch…wait, how come there's all these cuts in it?"
"Your skin kiddo. It was the only part of the arm other than the bicep that was still in tact. Unfortunately, the shoulder case was so badly shattered that the skin was punctured."
Jun-kei smiled before tossing a sake bottle to Mayuka, who cautiously caught it with her right arm. "Ah…I don't drink."
"Screw the protocols. It'll help you sleep."
"…Right…" Jun-kei smiled. "Ms. Innocent…"
"Eh! What's that?" She chuckled before sitting at the bedside. "I know you're probably younger than the paper says…your mannerisms can be…quite childish. You're going to have to see me each year to have that arm replaced."
"What?"
"Prosthetics are pieces of metal. They are not like bone. And thus, they won't grow." Jun-kei scoffed coldly. Mayuka nodded. "I see."
"So you say." Mayuka sighed. "Do you have something against prosthetics Jun-kei?" Jun-kei frowned. "Nothing gets by you, does it?" Mayuka shook her head. Jun sighed as she took a sip of the alcohol. "When I was a little kid some idiot doctor decided that instead of giving me the treatment to the disease I had, he'd take the easy way out and have me get a prosthetic body. Ever since I've been bitter about it. That was my motive to becoming a doctor myself. My parents were estactic that I decided to become a doctor after all, just like them." Jun growled. "But coming from an aristocratic family I was drafted into this hellhole. So, here I am now!" Jun said this in a sarcastically cold tone. She paused, taking another swig of sake. "Enough of this stupid trip down memory lane."
She muttered angrily as she stood up. Jun smiled as she tossed Mayuka's shirt to her. Mayuka's face turned several shades of red. "What's wrong now?" Jun asked. "Nice way to let me know about not wearing a shirt!" Jun-kei laughed. "I'm a doctor idiot, I can't exactly tend to wounds that are covered by clothing. The material obstructs the way. And it's a race to save life, not see how much decency you can leave someone with."
"I'll remember that next time." Mayuka muttered bitterly. Jun smiled. "Do. But I promise I won't tell the boys anything about you being flat chested!"
"WHAT! Damn you!" Jun-kei chuckled, standing up, and walking two feet away from the bed. "I was kidding. I know, and if it was completely true, I'd never do that." She muttered as she fished around her waist bag for something. Eventually she found it. "And one more thing, Sergeant Major." Mayuka looked up as Jun passed her a small blue vile. "Drugs?"
"Painkillers. Stronger than that shit you get over the counter. With the damage to your arm, you're going to have moments in time where you'll be happy to have these. But these are different. I made them. They're gel pills filled with Nan bytes."
"Somehow, I do not like the sound of that."
"Don't worry, the things will home in on the prosthetic to subdue the pain. They can work up to four hours before dissolving into your bloodstream. I've been working on them, so there is one precaution." Mayuka shook her head. 'So much for the medical genius.' She thought.
"Don't make fun of me in your mind Kusanagi!"
"Huh! What? How did you know- wait, I mean-" Mayuka put on a semi-innocent look on her face. "What are you talking about?" Jun-kei shook her head. "As I was saying, don't take more than three of these in one day. And in a week, never exceed twenty-one."
"And that's because?"
"It's not the best for your bloodstream. It's only because you're not a full body cyborg. If you were, it wouldn't matter."
"I see." Mayuka sighed. "Damned life, there always is a catch." Jun-kei nodded. "Indeed. Now get some rest. The corneal will be here tomorrow."
"He is?"
"Yes, and with you and me being the superior officers of Squad one it'll be us he wants to speak to, bright and early too." Mayuka sighed. "Oh seven hundred hours right?"
"Hey, I didn't know what his favourite time was. Only Himura-kun and you knew."
"But Kadaji's gone now…"
"Yeah. We can't replace Himura-kun, but that doesn't mean we're not in charge now Kusanagi." Mayuka nodded, pulling the cover over herself. Jun took this as a signal to leave, but stopped in the doorway. "You saved my life twice. I saved yours once. I still owe you one, ok?"
"Yeah, sure." Jun smiled. "Alright then, see you in the morning Sergeant."
"See ya."
"I was wondering how long it would take you to get here." Togusa said as Mayuka walked into the locker room. Togusa stared as she gripped tightly onto her arm her eyes squinted in pain. "Hey, you alright May…you seem kind of pale…"
Mayuka didn't reply but merely walked over to a locker, banging on it. The locker gave way. It was her locker. Mayuka reached inside taking out a blue tube. She opened it in her right arm, swallowing one of the translucent blue capsules inside.
"What were those?" Togusa asked as Mayuka pocketed the tube, slamming the locker shut. "Painkillers." She replied gruffly. "For what?"
"My arm…I think the bullet must have hit the drill in the forearm."
"What?"
Mayuka shook her head. "Don't worry about it."
Togusa remained silent as they walked out into the shooting range, taking out his gun.
"You seriously carry that old thing with you?"
Togusa nodded. "A relic of sorts…"
"Heh… you make me feel so much better about carrying a gun like the C-Z 75."
Togusa grinned. "Hypocrite. So you're into the forty calibers…"
"Forty-five actually…custom made."
"Really?"
His grin widened. "Want to see who's best?"
"Sure. Just don't go crying. So, who ever loses will…"
"They'll get van duty for the next mission we're assigned to."
"And the winner?"
"Boasting rights." Mayuka smiled.
"Alright then. How many bullets?"
"Well my gun only holds six…"
Mayuka nodded as she counted out six bullets, placing them in her magazine and loading her gun. The two some stepped up to their own target. The target appeared in front of them."Ok Togusa, on three."
"Alright." Togusa answered.
"One…"
"Two…"
"Three!" They yelled out in unison. Both guns went off at the same time. Six shots fired from each gun. The two then placed their guns down, waiting to see the light. Mayuka walked over and looked at Togusa's target. She whistled. "Not bad, three chest shots, an arm, a heart and a head."
"Well…I'm not the best…how did you do?"
Togusa dropped his gun. "Nice. All head shots…"
Mayuka smiled, and patted him on the back. "Van-duty's all yours mate."
Mayuka smiled as she and Togusa packed up and left the range.
'Well…that takes care of two things…' She thought. Snapping out of her reverie, she noticed Togusa staring at her. "Togusa?"
"Oh…uh…sorry."
Mayuka shook her head. "Hey, Togusa, being all natural… don't you feel like the odd one out?"
Togusa blinked. "Uh…yeah. But technically, to put it that way, that means you would include yourself."
Mayuka gave him an awkward stare. "Myself?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "What about my arms?"
"Other than part of your right arm and most of your left arm, your right eye and the fact that you have sub brain, like I do, you're pretty much natural."
"Right…"
"Then there's the fact that people like you, Saito, and myself don't like cyborg food…"
"Yeah, that stuff's nasty."
"Hey, don't get me wrong, but you, me and Saito, are just as vulnerable to bullet wounds as the other man with a full natural body. Just cause you have two mostly prosthetic limbs doesn't mean you can't bleed."
Mayuka sighed. "I'll take that in consideration next time I have to shoot someone." Togusa laughed. "Just don't hesitate newbie, or you might get shot yourself."
"Right…I'll try not to."
"HEY HOW LONG ARE YOU TWO GOING TO KEEP UP THIS IDLE CHATTER?"
Mayuka looked up to where the voice suddenly boomed, tapping Togusa on the shoulder, letting him know to do the same. There at the top of the stairs stood Motoko, a smirk on her face.
"Uh… hi Major…"
"Was that really needed Motoko?"
"In your case Mayuka, it is." Mayuka stuck out her tongue. "That was uncalled for. Mind leaving me with some dignity next time?"
"You did that one to yourself the moment you stuck out that tongue of yours."
"Geeze…" Motoko shook her head. "Enough fooling around. I want you in the chief's office now. We have a meeting."
"Already? Give me a break." Mayuka scoffed. Motoko glared at her. "Just be there. There'll be plenty of other things that will get on your nerves later."
"That's…comforting." Motoko didn't reply but swiftly turned and walked down the hall.
Mayuka walked slowly into the office, looking at everyone. Motoko sat beside Saito on one chair. Batou stood silently behind her, his arms crossed. On the other chair were Boma and Pazu. Ishkawa stood behind them, his eyes on the door as she came in. Yukimura and Ayame stood by each side of Aramaki's desk. And finally Togusa stood by the chair beside Motoko. At the desk, Aramaki eyed her coolly. "Now that we're all here, we can begin." Daisuke Aramaki cleared his throat before continuing. "As you know, later today Hikaru Mehiji will be having a conference that will be broadcasted."
"And just what does that have to do with us?"
Aramaki looked up at Mayuka his eyes narrowing. Mayuka felt uneasy by this and remained silent. "He received a death threat. Apparently, someone wants him dead."
Aramaki ended, his eyes never leaving Mayuka. "Wait! You-don't-think-that-I-Oh great!"
Mayuka angrily put her head in her hands. "I'm on the list of suspects and I don't even know what the hell I did to deserve it!"
"Why would you assume that?" Mayuka gritted her teeth. "Well because he probably named me as a list of suspects! Doesn't he think someone else might want him dead?"
"So you're admitting that you want him dead?"
"What-no! Damn it! I mean, in my situation, of course! But why would I be going after him anyways? I have better things to do!" Mayuka sighed. "This is messed up." She muttered, her head hanging in defeat. "The letter was handwritten." Mayuka looked up again to Aramaki, who looked over to Motoko. "When we analyzed it, we realized it was someone trying to impersonate you. The hand writing was close, but amateur, it was easy to tell it was forged."
"That's a relief…I assume…" Everyone's attention then turned back to Aramaki. "So, our role to play this time is as body guards."
"WHAT!"
"Do you have a problem with that Kusanagi?" Aramaki's calm voice questioned. 'Yeah, it's called this screws up plenty of things in my plan…and I have to protect the same asshole I'd rather see dead!' Mayuka thought angrily. She bit her own tongue for the outburst. "No sir, not at all, sir." She said formerly, standing at attention and all. The only thing she didn't do was salute Aramaki. "Continuing on, we have to blend in with the people who will be there. Though most of us will be dressed in civilian clothes, they said we can bring weapons, as long as they are not clearly noticeable as it may cause panic."
"But sir…isn't this…counter productive, I mean, if Mehiji suspects me then…" Aramaki smiled. "A good question. Mehiji, as you've mentioned to me earlier as ties to the Yakuza. The best way we can keep an eye on him is doing things like this. Therefore, if they are still suspicious of you, you will have no choice but to yield all weapons you may have."
"Y…Yield?"
"That is correct."
"But wouldn't it be better if I just got van duty instead?" Aramaki's eyes narrowed. "The only problem with that is that because they can't see that you were standing there in front of them and clearly doing nothing, if something were to happen it makes it much easier to say that you did it."
"Oh for the love of-!" Mayuka growled before being cut off. "Major, I leave the position assignments to you." Motoko stood up looking towards everyone. "There is a possibility that this could break out into a gun fight. Saito, I want you and Ishikawa on the roof, ready for any orders. Boma, you and Pazu will keep a tight surveillance on the doors. Keep a close eye for anyone suspicious. Yukimura, you and Batou will keep an eye on any suspicious activity coming from anyone Boma and Pazu tell you about. Ayame and Togusa, you've got van duty. Togusa, I want you to keep a close eye on all activity going on in and around the building. Report to me every five minutes. Ayame, you're going to do some diving, find out all you can on the list of gust that Mehiji gave us. Mayuka, you're with me. We'll both be near the front, with the other military personnel he invited. Got it?"
"Yes M'am." Mayuka's voice was by far, less than thrilled. "Alright, then you're dismissed. Go and get ready."
Mayuka walked slowly beside Motoko, as they approached the building. Both were in their military uniforms. Every once in a while, Motoko stopped, making sure everyone else was in position. Finally they made it to the doors. And there stood Takemura. Takemura caught sight of them, drawing out his gun. "Hey! Take it easy. We're not here to fight. We're apart of Section Nine." Motoko said coolly, showing her police badge, she silently prompted Mayuka to do like wise. Mayuka nodded showing her badge as well. Takemura narrowed his eyes. "You expect me to believe you two. I know her. Mayuka Kusanagi, right?"
(Don't reply. It'll save you some grief.)
Motoko communicated silently. "That isn't the matter at hand Mehiji-san." Motoko answered coolly. Takemura ignored Motoko, almost as though she wasn't there. "It's a pleasure to see you again Mayuka. Tell me, are you as timid as before? Come on, what I did wasn't that bad, you had to admit that under all that struggling you were enjoying all of it." Takemura said, a smirk evident on his face. Her face remained calm, but Motoko noticed a sense of pain from a bad memory briefly flash within her eyes. (That sadistic son of a…!)
(Keep. Your. Cool. He's trying to unnerve you. Don't let him win with his mind game.) Mayuka remained silent, her eyes narrowed. Motoko knew her sister's eyes were on her. Truthfully, she wouldn't mind punching Takemura out. It would certainly make Mayuka feel at least a little better. But they had a job to do.
"I see, you must have been so traumatized you're unable to speak!" That was it. The final straw. Her breaking point. Mayuka could hold her composure, but many things about Takemura Mehiji just rubbed her the wrong way. Especially him thinking she was weak when he merely managed to take advantage of her the one time her mental defenses ailed on her and she was unable to protect herself. What didn't help was the fact that now she, in terms of her mind wasn't much better then from now. She just merely managed to hide the fact that the things on her mind dating as far back as three months ago were starting to get to her, and with in her actions it began to show. She lost it.
"NOW YOU LISTEN, AND LISTEN WELL! We're here because your daddy wanted protection! So quit with this damned game of-!" Mayuka stopped mid-sentence when Motoko struck her in the chest. Motoko looked back, shaking her head. Her eyes were angered. (You really need to work on your people skills...)
(Sorry!) Takemura scowled. "You're still as uncontrollable as ever. Even after the 'lesson' I taught you. Personally, if it were only you, and not that nice little guardian with you, I would have tried it again until you got the message drilled into that stubborn mind of yours!" Takemura looked over his shoulder to a man with bright crimson hair, and sapphire blue eyes. "Karou, frisk her. Take every weapon she's got. I don't trust her one bit." Mayuka glared at Takemura but remained silent as Karou took her swords, her gun, and even her black gloves. (God, you even brought the swords…was that necessary?)
(Aramaki did say we could bring them as long as they were concealed. They're just thin sword handles until you turn them on. Very easy to conceal, you just tuck them in your pocket.)
(I see. Are you a specialist of this sort of thing?)
(You could say that.) "Is that all of it?"
"What do you expect? Did you expect me to be walking around with an M-19, or an AK -47 on me?"
Mayuka questioned bitterly. Motoko eyed her. (Don't start digging graves now.) Takemura nodded, as he looked towards Karou. "You're clear Kusanagi. You can go in." Motoko nodded, leading the way as Mayuka followed.
'Perfect. Karou has my weapons. This is just what I need, to be weaponless in a place where a gunfight could happen! Shit! I have no intention of dying here. But on a lighter note, despite one small set back, everything seems to be going according to plan. Only time will tell now.' Mayuka thought, as she sped up catching up to Motoko. "It's about to start."
"Good. The sooner I can get the hell out of here, the better." Mayuka replied as she and Motoko stopped near the wall close to the stage. Mayuka leaned on the wall her eyes closed. "Just don't fall asleep."
"Being unarmed, I don't think it matters. I can't help you much if something happens. I'm just a liability. But if you insist." Mayuka muttered angrily. "I do…trust me on this one."
"I trust ya, I trust ya." Motoko sighed, a bemused smile formulated on her face as she looked back to Mayuka. Just then the lights dimmed, snapping Motoko out of her thoughts as she looked forward. (Togusa…)
(Nothing out of the norm Major.)
(Good. Keep me posted. I want to know right away if something happens.) "It's starting Motoko." Mayuka whispered when everyone in the room became silent. As Hikaru Mehiji, his son Takemura, and his wife Amari walked out to the conference table. Everyone began clapping, and the threesome smiled and waved before sitting down. After the guards silenced the crowd, Hikaru Mehiji walked up to the podium, scanning the crowd. Mayuka gritted her teeth, her eyes narrowed as she watched him wordlessly, before leaning on the wall again, her eyes closed once again.
Karou looked from side to side, checking the area carefully. He smiled. He had finally managed to give 'Section Nine' a slip. But now came the harder part.
He loved the sheer fact that someone duplicated a renaissance feel to the building. It provided him with a perfect cover with a vantage point. Quite simply a place he could stand hidden and see everything below without being notice.
He slowly walked up, making sure that the confiscated weapons were safely in the pack. He couldn't afford to loose them now. Before this was all done he had to give them to a man named Kaisuke.
Karou ran up the stairs to the vantage point. And looked at the ground. Hidden just as planned was what he needed. He bent down, his artificial eyes narrowing on the thin lines on the ground in the shape of a rectangle. There was no handle. He dusted away the dirt on the floor panel, revealing a jack. Retrieving a cable from his neck, he linked in, noting as the view screens appeared before his eyes.
Moments later a faint click was heard and the compartment's spring door opened automatically. He reached inside taking out parts of a sniper rifle, expertly assembling them together. Then he reached into the bag where he had stored Mayuka's weapons, taking out her custom C-Z. Examining it, he removed the magazines.
'Perfect. Forty-fives will work in this gun. That's a good thing. '
Karou nodded to the disembodied voice. He had no time to argue, he had a mission to do. He muttered a favourite song of his, all while placing the forty-five caliber bullets' magazine in the gun. Then he carefully placed the empty magazine back into the handgun after taking out about half the rounds in the full magazine.
He looked through the sniper, making sure that it was operating. When he was satisfied, he edged closer, near the light over looking as Hikaru did his greetings to the crowd. A smile formulated on his face. 'This will be too easy. The fools never suspected it.'
Karou's face froze as he looked at Amari. Her eyes were staring back. He remained stuck for a moment in time. 'Shit…did she see… No, I'm being paranoid…' Karou frowned, his finger on the trigger. Slowly time seemed to stop. Karou released a breath he was holding, his finger slowly putting more weight on the trigger.'But what if she did see.' Shaking his head he pulled back. The gun sounded. Heads turned. People screamed.
"Hikaru!"
Karou's eyes widened with what he saw. This wasn't how it was planed. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. What was supposed to happen was that he would have gunned down Takemura and his father. But somehow, he should have listened to that strange woman's disembodied voice that was in his head. That's what he thought now.
Red sprayed everywhere, as the gun pierced flesh right to the heart.
But it wasn't the heart of Hikaru Mehiji. Like it was intended to be.
It was his wife, Amari, who foolishly ran into the bullet's path to save her husband.
'This can't be happening…'"No!"
Mayuka's eyes widened as she pushed herself off the wall, her eyes filled with surprise.
"Shit…"
She muttered. Her voice was inaudible among the screams of the people. Motoko frowned as she looked back at Mayuka.
"What is it?"
"Don't you already know?"
Motoko shook her head as some more gunfire sounded off. Reacting on instinct only Mayuka flinched, suddenly glad for it when she noticed a bullet hole in the wall right where her head would have been. Mayuka's breath came in tiny gasps. "Y…You have got to be kidding, they didn't just-"
"GET DOWN!" Motoko yelled as she tackled Mayuka and looked up to return fire. "Shit. Why me?"
"If I knew the answer to that I would have told you."
"This just had to happen, didn't it?"
"Keep looking at things negatively and I'll start assuming you're just slowing us down."
"Ouch, harsh." Motoko got up dusting herself off. The gunfire quieted for a few moments. The other members of Section Nine had already started damage control on the situation. Motoko stood there collecting her thoughts. All before pointing her gun at Mayuka. "What…are…you…doing?" (Togusa! You and the others evacuate all civilians!)
(Roger.) "Isn't the answer obvious?" Motoko said, turning her attention back to Mayuka, who stared angrily "I'm quite knowledgeable about your capabilities. Mayuka if you hacked a civilian to-"
"Motoko…move." Mayuka muttered under her breath, so only Motoko would hear."If you're trying to distract me-"
"I know what I'm doing…all I ask is that you move. Trust me." Mayuka replied hoarsely, her eyes on Motoko's gun. She looked carefully at the reflection in the shiny metal, her body becoming tense. "Why should I move?"
"Shit…now's not the time!" Mayuka growled as she turned to her right, she noted the man above them aiming carefully, taking a step towards Motoko. "One more step, and I'll have no choice but to sho-"
"MOVE!" Mayuka yelled, lunging at Motoko just as guns fired off. Mayuka noted the large crater in the wall and gritted her teeth, looking at her own shoulder. "You idiot!" She screamed, slapping Motoko with her left hand. "Give me that thing!" Mayuka stuttered to her feet snatching the gun away. "You could have killed me you dumb ass!" Her voice finished the thought in a more of an angry bark rather than simply speaking. "What the hell!"
"That…was a rail gun. They're Yakuza. Only in the black market can you get that sort of shit with out the police knowing. Especially seeing that it's highly unstable." Motoko nodded, ignoring her stinging face. "I see." Mayuka didn't reply, her eye searching as she fired off a few rounds. "Sorry about that." She said quietly. "Yeah, your arm though." Mayuka glanced at her now bloody shoulder, wincing as she felt the blood soaking through her uniform. "We'll worry about that later. It's just a flesh wound." Motoko sighed, taking out a second pistol and aiding her sister. "What! You had a second one?"
"Of course. I was planning that in case you did get your weapons taken away that I'd give you one."
"Now you tell me." She replied sarcastically. "Just tell me one thing, did you do it?" Mayuka frowned. "Worry about that when we're all in a non-life threatening situation."
"Don't avoid my question." Motoko growled. "I won't. I'll just refuse to answer." Mayuka scoffed. "That's the same as avoiding. In the end," Motoko paused noting how a bullet nearly nicked her. "I still don't get an answer."
"Worry about your own hide before attempting to tan mine." Came a gruff reply. The silence that should have been between them was replaced with gunfire. "If it is you, you're in big trouble."
"As a suspect, don't I have the right to remain silent?"
"So it was you!"
"I never confirmed it, I never denied it. Make the allegations on your own terms. Though if you're wrong, you probably got hell to pay after." The remark was shrewd, cold even, but it came from someone who knew just how to rile a person, with mere words. Motoko wouldn't give in so easily though, Mayuka turned to look at Motoko. "And a little heads up on the rail gun. One of the reasons they hate using it often, is cause it takes too damn long to reload." Mayuka ducked behind Motoko running to the stage, right where she found a ledge to use as cover, just as Motoko ducked herself when the rail gun sounded.
"I did research into that one myself. Takes about ten minutes. So we've got another ten before they fire again. Want to try taking them out before hand?" Mayuka called over her shoulder, wincing as she heard bullets pierce her cover. "It's worth a shot." Mayuka nodded, stepping out of her cover, as she began firing. "Let's get our story straight."
"If you insist."
"They took my weapons leaving me weaponless. When Amari Mehiji was shot down Yakuza members appeared and started shooting at me who was unarmed at the time. I knocked you out of the path of the rail gun, took your gun, then proceeded to protect myself by returning fire, all with out hitting any vitals. Got it?"
"No vital shots…"
"They can't ping me as long as there was no fatalities from the gun I was holding. As annoying as hell, and uses twice the ammo, but oh well, might as well make things look better and aim to immobilize, not kill." Motoko nodded. "You're playing a dangerous game you know."
"Well gee, thanks! Tell that one to the court. This whole freaking job is 'dangerous' if you even want to go that far."
"Crude, but true." Motoko muttered. Mayuka paid no mind, but merely left her cover completely. "May, take the left. I'll take the right."
"Roger." Mayuka nodded before jumping onto the stage. Suddenly disappearing as she activated her thermo-camouflage. Motoko headed for the back of the building, also disappearing.
(Major, all civilians are out. And we managed to peg a few of the gunmen.) Motoko listened intently to the voice, just as three men came into view. She carefully immobilized them before answering. (Good job Batou. What ever you do though, don't kill them. One of them might be behind this.)
(What about Mayuka?) Togusa voiced. (She did dodge my question when I asked her. So she is still a possibility. Togusa! Keep an eye on her!)
(Roger that!) "All right! We've already knocked down most of your men! To continue this would be foolish, all weapons down, now! I want to see your hands up!" Motoko yelled, noting as Batou approached her. "Everything all right?"
Batou paused to see a man holding his gun, just about to shoot, and aimed at him. The man carefully dropped the gun, placing his hands behind his head. "Some just don't learn." He muttered, turning back to Motoko again. "Is everything alright?" He repeated.
"It will be now. We need to round these people up though."
"No, I meant if you were all right."
"It's the job Batou. I'll be fine." Batou nodded, being silent for a while, before continuing. "Don't you think all of this was sudden?" He asked. "Perhaps." Came the reply. (Yukimura, I want you and the police to round them up.)
(Understood. Are all areas clear?) Motoko established another link before answering.
(Mayuka, how's your end?) A sudden crash from near the stage sounded, but they were too far to see. (Mayuka! Respond damn it!)
(I should be done in a moment…just have my hands full.) The response seemed as though she was preoccupied. (Mayuka!)
(Togusa, what's going on?)
(When she said she had her hands full, she wasn't lying. Male cyborg, stands about seven feet eight inches, appears to be quite strong…we just lost her signal...)
Mayuka jumped out of the way as soon as she saw him. A huge man jumped, attempting to knock her down, and landed gruffly on the stage, the sound echoing through out the building. (Mayuka! Respond damn it!) Mayuka gritted her teeth. "Idiot, of all times to bug me…" She growled to herself. (I should be done in a moment…) She paused as the man's massive hands intertwined as he used them like a hammer. She carefully used her gun as a sort of makeshift shield her own arms buckling under his strength. (Just have my hands full) Mayuka gritted her teeth. They never kid when saying 'between a rock and a hard place' she grimaced as she felt the still human part of her arms begin to give way. (I need back up! Motoko!) Silence fell from the other side of the line. (For god's sake, answer if you don't want to see a pancake me when you come to check!)
"W…What?" Mayuka gasped at the man's strength as he removed one arm. Still, she could feel the force as it dented the ground, her knees buckled under his strength. She desperately tried to regain her balance to avoid going on her knees, before the man's second hand wound back. She now faced two choices: stay and be hit, or move and risk getting killed. She held her ground desperately, hoping to trip him and throw off his balance. But she ran out of luck, as she tried to do so, his hand rocketed forward, knocking her hard in the chest and sending her flying backwards until she was 'cushioned' by the wall. She heard the wall crack, her limp body fell forward, knocking out all of what little air she had left in her lungs, her gun slid regrettably out of her reach.
"Damn it…" She mouthed looking to where her gun went. She struggled to get up only to be knocked down by the weight of the man's foot. "Well Kusanagi, fine mess you've gotten yourself into." The man smiled, noting how Mayuka writhe in pain when he placed more weight onto his foot. Despite that he noticed her reaching for the M-5. "You don't learn do ya?" He growled, his other foot stomped on her left arm, preventing her from reaching her goal. "You ass…you just had to do that." Mayuka growled, her voice barely a whisper. "What's wrong Kusanagi? Can't breathe?" He teased. "…Damn…You…" The man smiled, before felling a bullet in his side. "Oh, so we have visitors."
"Damn right you have visitors!" Motoko yelled as another round of shots went off. The giant man growled, turning his attention to Motoko, charging after her. Mayuka breathed a sigh of relief, struggling to get up; she grabbed her gun quickly, watching as Motoko dodged a swing from the giant arm. (This is messed. He doesn't seem to have any weakness) She called over. Mayuka growled. (He has hell to pay, trust me.) Mayuka absentmindedly rubbed her side. (That's got to be two…no four broken ribs on one stupid punch.) Motoko rolled her eyes, barely dodging another swing. (That's clearly irrelevant right now. It doesn't help when our weapons don't even affect him.) Mayuka spat the blood out of her mouth, a smile formulating. (There is one weakness. And I think I know. Work with me here! Aim for the second nerve disk in the back) The smile became a smirk. (One, he's a cybog, two, I can't from this position.) Motoko reply wryly. (Cyborg or not, human is human. It doesn't matter if the body is artificial.) Mayuka looked down at her surroundings, noticing another handgun, she carefully kicked it into her hand, loading it quickly before turning back to the situation at hand. "Hey ugly!" The cyborg turned around as Mayuka began firing off the guns, aimed right in the eyes. Motoko aimed for the second disk in the neck. The cyber brain exploded. Eventually the mammoth collapsed forward, forcing Mayuka to quickly dodge him before she was crushed underneath the body. "What the hell was that?" Motoko asked. Mayuka grinned. "The most vulnerable part of him would be his eyes. And I found his quite odd. Not too many people with cybernetic bodies have hazel eyes. The only ones who do are those who kept their original face from before turning into a cyborg. So, his eyes were still natural." Mayuka leaned heavily on the wall, her knees gave way so that she slid down it, she was sitting on the ground. Motoko nodded. "I see."
(Major! We have a runner!) Batou called over the link. (He's coming your way.) "Damn!" Mayuka smiled weakly. "All yours. Trust me, you can't set ribs as easily as you would a leg. So I'm out of this one." Motoko nodded, about to leave when Batou came over the link again. (I got him! Our boys in blue just took him away.)
Moments later, all ten of them sat near the entrance. "Alright. I want reports on everything. Togusa?" Togusa nodded. "Everything's clear Major. Aside from the fact that the chief hasn't contacted us at all, everything's alright." Motoko nodded, turning to Batou. "Batou?" The man grinned. "Who me? We evacuated all civilians. No casualties. And I'm just fine!"
"Right…carrying on…Ayame, Yukimura." Yukimura stepped forward first. "Only two tried to make a get away. One was Mehiji's son, Takemura. The other is his bodyguard Ikura Karou. The police said something about him acting strangely. So I don't know…" Yukimura then turned to Ayame who seemed less then thrilled. "I…did the research you asked." She began timidly. "It appears Hikaru Mehiji was working with the Akutenshi…um, the Akutenshi are led by…" Ayame paused. "They are led by Ryu Takeda."
"Takeda…you mean your old man…?" Mayuka asked. Ayame nodded. "I can't believe he'd do this." Yukimura remained silent. Before speaking up. "All the more reason to kick the old damned horse in the mouth. I knew he couldn't be trusted, ever since mom disappeared." Ayame's eyes widened. "But how can you say that! He loved mom!"
"Look, I'm not interested in your awkward family drama," Mayuka suddenly voiced. "So quit the melodramatics." Her voice was cold as she looked at them. Motoko cleared her throat. "We have work to do. Boma, try to contact the Chief."
"Roger." Boma was about to leave before he slowly walked back. "It's the police!"
Mayuka's eyes narrowed. "What?" Mayuka growled, standing up straight, wincing in pain, then slowly stepping away from the wall. "What the hell do they want?" Motoko closed her eyes, in thought. "I don't like this."
"I don't think anyone does." Mayuka voiced. Noting as several officers approached them. "Freeze!" Said one of them, his guns drawn. "Geeze! This again? You'd think from the first time they would drop it!" Batou stated with a grin. "I suppose your right…can we help you?" The police officer, which was apparently the leader stepped forward his gun aimed. "Section Nine, you are wanted for questioning in the cyber hacking of Iruka Karou that lead to the death of Amari Mehiji."
"Heh. Is that so?" The officer turned, pointing his gun at Mayuka, many subordinates followed. Mayuka looked at them, a grin of malice formulating on her face. "Don't start assuming. You might regret it." Her voice echoed darkly, she looked at them, her grin widened. The lead officer growled. "Arrest them!"
"But, wait! We didn't even do anything!" Togusa shouted, before several police officers surrounded him. He looked over to Batou who shrugged. "Hey, don't fight and no one gets hurt!" A young officer called to him. Togusa growled, then looked to Mayuka, who looked merely impartial to it all, the smug grin on her face. "If I could, I would gladly and boldly exclaim this was an infringement on my rights, but I'm afraid you guys are so trigger happy you might just shoot me!" Mayuka's voice teased them making many officers tense. Scowling, her overconfidence suddenly dissolved as she became silent. She calmly placed her hands up, and silently let them lead her out. The others soon followed.
"I told you! I'm innocent!" Togusa yelled, banging his fists on the table. The man who was questioning him smiled. "You sure are. But as long as we don't know who's responsible, you're all accomplices."
"DAMN IT! Don't we get some sort of appeal?" He was fed up with this. The man shook his head. "Nope. That man was hacked by a super level A hacker. We narrowed who it could be down to six people. That's more than half the team. Meaning there are accomplices. We'll smoke out whoever it was. No matter how long it takes."
"Now, back to the basics," Togusa hung his head in defeat. "My words mean nothing to you, huh?" The inquisitor nodded. "You're allegations don't impress me. So you might as well answer the question." Togusa sighed banging his head on the table.
"For an inquisitor, you sure seem timid." Mayuka teased. Finally she felt a little bit at ease. It was so much easier to have some of your confidence when you happen NOT to have twenty men with guns turned on you. The man looked at her and growled. "I'll bring you in on harassment charges if I must Kusanagi." She suddenly became silent, her blue eyes burning. "Grrr…. son of a…." She whispered under her breath.
"There are six of you who could possibly have done this. There's Motoko Kusanagi, Batou, Ishikawa, Yukimura and Ayame Takeda. Then there's you." Mayuka smirked. "I never knew I was so special!"
"QUIET!" The man yelled. Once again, Mayuka scowled. "I'm tired of you just shitting around!"
"Who me?" She asked, the man turned several shades of red. Mayuka smiled. "Stop being a wise ass! And this isn't funny! I'm putting harassment charges on you as of now!"
Mayuka leaned back in her chair, with a scowl still on her face. She grimaced noticing once again the handcuff around her left arm that was attached to the table. "Wow, harassment charges! Can't get any worse than that." She mocked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. The man smiled, noting with much glee that despite the show of confidence she still seemed uneasy. He could tell by the way she kept glancing at her left arm. "Well, it does look like were getting somewhere."
"Quite." Mayuka scoffed. It was going to be a long day, and she could feel the man chipping away at her. Slowly but surely she'd loose her resolve. "So, as I was saying, you're on the list. And with your history of cyber crimes, I'm sure why they put you on the top of the list."
"Top suspect eh?" Mayuka sighed. "And with a super class S hacker in your midst, I'm sure like all other bumbling fools like you, you're probably in autistic mode." Mayuka shook her head in dismay. "So much for my fun." Once again, the sarcasm showed. But he could tell she was being careful of just what she said.
"Oh, we'll have fun Kusanagi. Oh yes we will." Mayuka frowned; this guy was getting to her, always leaving hints without clearing everything up. It started to annoy her. "Sorry bub, I don't think you understand my kind of fun."
"Fun! So you think it's fun to hack a man's mind and kill someone's wife!" Mayuka growled. "I never did say that did I?" She asked coldly. "Now keep your head on before you go pissing yourself!"
The inquisitor became silent. The silence ensued them both, broken only by Mayuka rocking on her chair as much as she could out of sheer boredom. "Hey…what happens, if no one fesses up?" Her voice broke the 'radio silence' that formed between them. She didn't care though.
"If no one fesses up, then all of you would be put to trial. If the evidence points to you six, then it's a possibility they might de-ghost you guys." Mayuka twitched to this, her cold demeanor dropped for a split second. "I answered your question. What's bugging you?"
Mayuka shook it off. "Nothing." Ok, she lied. A bit of guilt was nothing. A lot of guilt however… "Is someone feeling guilty?"
A period of silence. Total silence. One, which lasted for over ten minutes. Mayuka leaned heavily on her right arm, she was sure she could feel her wounds searing with pain, in a vengeance. Especially her recently broken ribs.
"Well, demon?" Oh yes, she remembered those words all too well. It all happened after Kadaji Himura died; Sergeant Major Kusanagi was the revered demon from hell. The one enemy was afraid of because she had a tendency to keep gunning until everything that seemed like an enemy was killed. Not even a shred of mercy…never mind remorse.
"How many days has it been?" Mayuka asked; she closed her eyes, frowning at the option her mind chose for her. Damned sentimentalities. "It's been two days."
"Good." She muttered. "Do me a favour." The man scoffed. "My ass I will!" She sighed. "Just listen you ass hole! Tell them to release the others. I'm the one they want." The man leaned in his chair, and smiled. "So you're admitting to it." He said. He enjoyed pissing her off. "I refuse to comment any further on this situation until my simple demands have been fulfilled. After you're done with that, then I'll tell you everything, got it you idiot?" She yelled. She didn't care how shrill her voice got. The man nodded. "I see." The man got up, looking at her. "I'll go do that right now." He then left the room. Mayuka shook her head. "Damn, I messed up." She whispered.
"You should be happy. Despite the fact that Ms. Kusanagi did get you all out of personal charges, I'll warn you on this: Section Nine is not off the hook." Said the police chief to eight of the members of Section Nine. "Ms. Kusanagi?" Yukimura questioned. Batou growled. "That's a stupid question! What I want to know is what we're still on the hook for!"
The man smiled. "Section Nine is being charged for knowingly sheltering a Criminal." Batou frowned. He did not want to hear that. "So, you mean,"
"That Mayuka's under custody?" Came Motoko's defiant voice as she walked down the hall. The police chief nodded. "Yeah. That's right. Now go home before we change our minds."
Togusa growled. "I can't believe it. She, she led us to the lion's den, and then ditched us! And now, she's taking the blame. That still doesn't mean were not in the animal's cage. It just means she's trying to make it look like she wasn't planning on ditching us!" Motoko nodded solemnly. "I know."
"This can't be the end of it!" Batou yelled. Yukimura nodded, and the two ran off towards the jail cells.
"If these bloody bars weren't here, I'd kill you Kusanagi! You won't get away with this!" Mayuka sat there quietly before commenting. "Well, Takemura, if I wanted to get away, wouldn't I have been smart and not turn myself in?"
"DAMN YOU! Taking the easy way out!"
"I am not taking the easy way out. All in all your mother seeing my hit man is just a minor set back." Mayuka growled. Takemura's expression became fierce. "When I get my hands on you," He banged on the bars. "You're going to fucking wish that you died like you should have three months ago!"
"Pfft. Spoiled brat. You complain about the little things. Try living with the guilt that you're mother died protecting you, and the pains of growing up without parents. Then you can come and talk to me like your my equal." Her voice muttered.
"WHAT WAS THAT?"
"There is no use in repeating myself. It wastes air." Mayuka sighed, stepping away from the bars as Takemura tried to reach out and grab her. The guards grabbed him, taking him away. When he was finally gone, she smiled, though sadly, leaning in the corner. Her legs gave out from under her; she sat crouched down in the corner. 'I was wondering how long it would take…' She though bitterly, she hugged her knees to her chest, burying her head in her knees. She smiled despite herself.
'Yeah, that's right. The great genius has her down falls…' 'Shut up!' 'You know it's true.' 'I said shut up!' 'You're an absolute monster! You killed his mother! You don't care though, you never did!' 'Stop it!' 'And the worst thing is, she was innocent!' 'I know…but…' 'You don't care right?' 'That's not true!' 'You act like nothing bugs you! You're just afraid! Admit it!' 'Fine, I'm afraid!' 'Heh. Pathetic! You kill those weaker than you all to fulfill some botched sense of justice! What kind of monster are you?'
Mayuka shook her head. What kind of monster was she? One who was fighting far too long, that's for sure. Mayuka laughed, but it was hollow. "Heh. Demon more like it." She muttered bitterly. She heard the huge footsteps coming towards her, but paid them no heed. She just merely sat there in the quiet darkness, letting her conscious slowly tear away at her.
Mayuka sat in the jail cell; she was in the dark corner, as Batou walked over to her.
"You just gonna sit all day?" She didn't respond. He knew he wasn't going to get one. "Hey, why the hell did you plead guilty, idiot?"
"I killed…I killed an innocent. It would have been different if it was some guilty man."
Batou sighed. "Hey don't be so-…" He looked at her, Mayuka looked up, her eyes filled with tears.
"What is it…?"
She asked…her voice weak. Then she realized it, as she felt the warm liquid trail down her cheeks. "I'm…crying…" She whispered in amazement. "But yet…why, it doesn't make any sense. I don't feel anything, I never did…" Mayuka closed her eyes.
"All this time…all this fighting…solider through and through…" A faint smile formulated on her lips. "You're not making any sense."
"When I was a mere child, I gave up childhood. I was only ten. So young…" Mayuka smiled, as she tilted her head backwards so it was against the wall. "So naive too…" Her distained voice chuckled sorrowfully. "I'm pathetic."
"Gave up?"
"I left home…heh, a child prodigy, no where near being legally an adult, and I left…and joined the army…exactly nine years ago, I pulled the trigger for the first time on another human being. I was disgusted by the thought, but you know what the saddest part of it all is?"
Batou 'blinked'. He was in the army too; he didn't need to be reminded. Mayuka brought her hands in front of her, looking at them as though they were from a different world.
"Hands…my hands… Each time I pulled that trigger I stained my hands with blood from another man. At first, the thought is horrifying. Yet, the strangest thing is, I got use to it. That's what sickens me about it all. First my stomach would always churn, then in the end, nothing. I even had forgotten how to cry. I dulled all my emotions just so they wouldn't get in the way."
"You know…I was wrong about you…"
"Don't start that crap now…it's bad enough I have a trial to sit through tomorrow. I don't need more guilt…when's Motoko going to be here?" Mayuka suddenly voiced, purposely changing the subject as she wiped her eyes dry.
Batou smiled. Sometimes the greater aspects of personality were simply impeccable. Like being stubborn for a goal even though times are rough. "She said she would be here soon."
"Good. Heh, not a word of this to anyone, got it? I'd like to be left with some dignity after all this." Mayuka threatened, her expression bemused. "Sure."
Yukimura, Togusa, and Motoko walked in soon after. Yukimura was the first to say anything as the others remained silent. "Well?"
"Hey." Mayuka looked at him. Despite the situation she always felt at ease talking to him. Even after their little Christmas slip up. Personally, she didn't mind it. Though her saying that loud was asking to hear your own swan song. Yukimura shifted his weight from foot to foot.
"I can't blame you. I'll say at least that." He said. Mayuka shook her head. "Don't you think I've had enough guilt trips?"
"No! Because I want an explanation to all this!" Motoko suddenly boomed. Mayuka shook her head. "Ever thought it was difficult to explain?"
"I have to agree with the major, you betrayed our trust. You blatantly lied to us. You said you didn't do anything." Togusa growled.
"I NEVER SAID THAT!" Mayuka suddenly yelled. "I said that she could assume what ever she wanted to!" Mayuka took a deep breath, "It wasn't my fault your assumption was wrong!" Motoko eyed her. "Alright, if that's the way you want to play it, that's the way we'll do it. It's your call."
"Pffft. Ten and seventeen arguing again. How pathetic are we?" Motoko fell silent, watching as Mayuka put on a mock grin. "Well! I screwed things up last time, only natural I'd screw up my second chance!" She said with mock cheerfulness. "Don't be like that." Mayuka scowled. "Why, because I'm right? In fact, for once in the whole freaking time I'm right. The one time when it means ab-so-lute-ly nothing!" She sighed heavily. "Just go. Please."
Mayuka stood at attention in the courtroom. She didn't see the point in it though. She already knew at the end of all this uselessness they'd come to the verdict she assumed.
She looked behind her, right in the stands, smiling despite herself at the several faces she did know. Batou, and an obviously uncomfortable Togusa sat there watching like hawks. Ayame sat with them as well, her brow creased with worry. It unsettled her that Motoko was a no show. She didn't come. And then there was Yukimura. Yukimura was staring at her. It was only then she realized why: it was she who inadvertently caused the staring contest.
"Ms. Kusanagi! A Reply would be nice." She could hear the opposing lawyer calling for her. But ignored it. She couldn't explain her actions, only that there was some sort of longing.
"MS. KUSANAGI!" The yell snapped her out of her reverie. "Gomen nesai." Mayuka rambled off, turning back to the lawyer. She dreaded the way he stared at her, boring right into her. "Well, just before you had your little dream back there Ms. Kusanagi, I asked you a question. Didn't the original terms of your contract say that you were suppose to stay at headquarters no matter what?" Damned fool. "That's correct." She said, knowing all too well where he was going with this. "Yet, you were there at the scene of the crime. What amazes me the most is that the sniper rifle was a custom forty-five, and why do you think I would mention that?" Mayuka sighed. Another obvious answer. "Because the handgun I use happens to be a custom model C-Z 75 with a forty five caliber." The man nodded. "See a pattern. Now a simpler question on the matter, was it true you ghost hacked him?" Mayuka growled. "Yes." The man nodded. "Yes, just like the Kiss of Death virus you made ten years ago, you left your favourite calling cards: a ghost hack, and the left hand being used as a dominant."
"I'm assuming this isn't a question." Mayuka stated wryly. The man continued. "That's true. But in your allegations at first, you said it wasn't you, that you are right handed." Mayuka nodded. "Ever since my left arm was crushed, I became right handed."
"See, you became right handed, meaning you're still left handed, you just added another attribute to this." The lawyer stalked around. "I don't see what this has to do with the case." The lawyer smirked. "A little anxious to be de-ghosted, aren't we?"
"OBJECTION!" Yukimura yelled suddenly. The judge eyed him. "Spectators are not allowed to make an objection. The objection is denied."
"Idiot." Mayuka muttered under her breath. "Now, back to the matter at hand. Clearly, Ms. Kusanagi's actions were fueled by many things. Allow me to explain in questions. Ms. Kusanagi, is it true your parents were both killed when you were very young?" the lawyer looked at her expectantly. "They weren't killed! They died in a car crash!" She yelled, her teeth clentched.
"And that, is another thing that fueled Ms. Kusanagi, an uncanny temper." He smirked. She hated that smirk, wanted to rip it off that stupid face of his. "Well, perhaps you should get your facts straight before questioning me on my personal life!" the lawyer continued on. "You were also probably angry that Takemura-san still has his mother."
"She ran into the way of the god-damn bullet! I had no control over that!"
The judge sighed. "Sit down Ms. Kusanagi." Mayuka growled, and quietly complied. "And on top of that, she's a psychopath. She was diagnosed with Multiple Personality Disorder." Mayuka bit her own tongue for her own benefit. "And you can clearly see she has no remorse over her actions!" The lawyer turned to Mayuka, a smirk on his face. "And back in the army, they didn't call her the demon of Stamina Rose for nothing."
"Mr. Lyod, you're straying from the subject at hand." The man nodded. "With out further ado, I must also say she's had a grudge against the Mehiji's for a while. So, I have one more question for you before I rest my case Ms. Kusanagi."
Mayuka gritted her teeth, she knew she wasn't going to like the question. "Ms. Kusanagi," He started in a quiet tone. "Is it true that you have ties to the Yakuza?" Now his voice came in full strength, it echoed in the room. She knew they tied her fate now. There was no way to escape it. All she could do was answer this carefully and hope for the best. "I used to."
"Used to…care to elaborate on that?" Mayuka sighed. So much for that botched plan. "I recently quit the Yakuza." The man smiled. She knew she just gave him the material to loop hole on her. "And why did you quit the Yakuza?" Mayuka swallowed hard. "…Sexual harassment…and abuse." His grin became darker. "And if I were to follow your original allegations, you were raped, correct?" A nod. "Going further you said that it was Takemura Mehiji who raped you, correct?" Another nod. "I rest my case. Mayuka has pleaded guilty. And most of all, she had a motive, an instinctive, and even went as far as killing Amari Mehiji through cyber hacking. She's guilty of murder and attempted murder in the first degree."
The judge nodded. Next, a woman from the jury stood up. "We the jury wish to have a fifteen minute break before the final verdict."
Everyone nodded, and soon disassembled out of the room.
"So I guess Motoko's not coming, huh?" Mayuka said quietly when she was in the room. Yukimura nodded solemnly. "Mayuka," Ayame, who was standing at his side. "Mayuka, you should have never-"
"AH! This sucks! Not even a glass of sake! Jurymen have no taste!" Ayame smiled. She seemed so childish in that moment alone despite the situation. Yukimura smiled. "So…what was that staring about…?" Mayuka sighed. "Well-"
Her attention was drawn to Motoko who had just stepped into the room. "Mayuka…" She stood there, looking at her sister. Their eyes locked. "You made it…" Mayuka began; looking to the side, she closed her eyes. "Barely, might I add." She scoffed. "Look, I don't think arguing now is the best of ideas." Mayuka sighed. "I know…I know." Motoko didn't like the feeling the room was given off. "So…how did the trial go?" Sapphire eyes opened slowly. "Oh god, don't remind me."
"So, I'm taking it that it didn't go well?" Mayuka snorted. "You make it sound so simple! 'Didn't go well?' Try: I just got royally screwed!" Motoko frowned. "Then…they'll…"
"Yeah, yeah they'll probably de-ghost me…" Her voice was matter-of-faculty. "Well, it is what happens when you get caught." Motoko frowned. "I'll see what Aramaki can do."
"Knock yourself out. I have other ideas." Yukimura frowned. "They were all in autistic mode." Mayuka smiled, pretending to cough. "Oh my, did I say they would de-ghost me? I meant they'd try to." Yukimura's eyes flickered. "There's no way you could hack them They were in autistic mode. You couldn't have given them a virus!"
"Yuki, my dear, they weren't for the whole trial. That I can pick up on." Mayuka smiled. "I'm a woman of mystery. I have my ways." Just then two guards came at the door. Mayuka smiled. "Well, that's my cue. See you later."
Mayuka left with them without even struggling.
Mayuka stood at her spot, over looking. She noted as Batou, Togusa, Aramaki, Yukimura, Ayame, and Motoko walked in, and shrugged.
"Mayuka Yukiko Kusanagi." She turned her attention to the judge. "The jury will now voice the final verdict." Mayuka turned so she could see the same woman stand up, clearing her throat before speaking.
"Mayuka Yukiko Kusanagi. You have pleaded guilty to all charges, is that correct?" Mayuka nodded. "We the jury find you innocent as follows: The first degree murder of Amari Mehiji, and all cyber crime charges made against you by the Mehiji Cooperation. You are also guilty as follows. The first degree attempted murder of Hikaru Mehiji, ghost hacking times one, and the man slaughter of Amari Mehiji."
Mayuka smiled. It was all over now. "The final verdict is immediate de-ghosting."
As soon as those words left the woman's mouth Mayuka looked to see the dread on Ayame, Yukimura, and Motoko's face. "Do you have any final words?" Mayuka remained silent for a while as two guards seized her. "Wait! I do!" The guards paused. "Can I assume that during this trial you remained in autistic mode?" all members of the trial nodded. "Then what about those bits and pieces of encrypted messages I stumbled upon?" One of the guards paused. "You picked those up?"
"Of course." Mayuka stood up taller, noting that before her eyes an Internet screen appeared. "Now, you know how I was the one behind 'Kiss of Death' tell me, did you notice that each of those encrypted messages had an attached delayed virus?" The guard looked panicked. "And yes, I read minds. Sorry buddy, there's no cure."
"It'd take a while for anyone to show symptoms!" The lawyer suddenly spoke up. "But that's the beauty of it all. It doesn't show symptoms until I say two tiny little words. But despite that, everyone that talked to someone else is infected. And it manifested without your knowledge. So, anyone up to the word challenge?"
"Apprehend her! Quickly, stop her from say the activation codes." The guards quickly grabbed her, trying to cover her mouth. Mayuka elbowed one, regain composure; she jumped to the main floor.
"I like to call my little pet virus BLACK DEATH. Just like the name disease of the early Europe ages. Have fun."
A/N: I don't quite like the ending there...don't ask...but anyways, I'll update really soon again (tomorrow I think)
so enjoy the reading :D