EIGHT
.
Britt came through the garage entrance, ducking under something that looked like a large round exhaust pipe made of corrugated plastic. "What's this?"
"Don't touch it!" called a voice.
He looked around but couldn't see anyone. "Kato? Where are you?"
"Up here."
He looked straight up and found the man in question wrapped around a metal strut near the ceiling. It joined the roof at forty-five degrees, the way he was leaning into it as he worked making him look not entirely unlike a leopard burdened with great concentration. He had a wrench in his right hand, currently tightening some kind of large nut. Britt blinked. "What are you building now, man?"
"Connecting… the extract pipe so… when gas goes off… it is safe in here."
"Right, well…" He turned to go. Then he stopped and huffed. His hands went into his pockets and he looked up again. "You still mad at me for being a dick?"
"Yep."
"Ok, so… The party. I didn't invite you. And you're upset."
Silence.
"Because you think I'm looking for a best friend and you're not it, so I'm just hanging with you until I get a better friend."
"Something like that." Kato finished tightening the nut. He put the leather tag on the end of the handle of the wrench in his teeth, then reached out and pushed at the top of the exhaust pipe, checking it was secure.
"Well I'm not, ok? I thought we were best friends. I know I'm an ass and I know I make you angry but it's only because… Well since we've been doing this gig you've always…" He huffed. "Look, would you come down from there? I can't talk to you while you're King Kong-ing the infrastructure in the ceiling."
Kato didn't look at him. Instead he put both gloved hands to the holes cut into the strut, climbing down until he dropped gracefully to the floor. He took the wrench from his teeth. "What do you want?"
Britt looked at his dusty, grease-stained overalls, and waved a hand at him. "Man… you're like a ninja, ok? Who can weld stuff and make stuff and do cool kung fu stuff and…" He sagged. "And I'm not. You've always been better than me and… and that's why I kinda… sometimes I say the wrong thing, ok? But it's just cos I want to be the cool one for a change."
Kato folded his arms, studying him critically. "Have you been drinking?"
"No!" Britt heaved. "And that's another thing - tell me why I keep asking you to hang out - like go for a drink - and you just disappear with your real friends?"
Kato waved a hand up. "I'm too busy for this." He went to walk away.
"Hey - no, wait," Britt said, grabbing his elbow. Kato yanked it free and glared at him. Britt put both palms up as if to show they were empty. "Tell me, dude, come on. You don't want to be my friend now? Is that it?"
"We are not friends," Kato accused, pointing at him. "Friends know the favourite bars and the hobbies, and friends don't leave stuff for the other to do because they think they are just the hired help!"
"What are you even talking about?"
"I do everything around here or it's not done at all!" he cried angrily. "I make all the weapons and the safety things, and you just break them and forget about them - and then I have to fix them!"
"I thought you liked playing with all the stuff in here?"
"I do but this is not fair!"
"Ok, alright," he soothed. "So I break your toys and never even try to fix them. I get it."
"And you tell people I work for you!"
"I have to because it's the cover story," Britt urged. "I can't tell them we're partners in crime, can I?"
"That's not it - you look down on me because you're the rich boy and I just fix things!"
"What?" he gasped, floored. He backed up a step. "You think that's what this is?"
Kato folded his arms again, his jaw sticking out. "We can't go to the good bars I know because you will complain about them being small or not as classy as the places you go to," he said firmly. "I know you will look down on them because they are not as cool or expensive or - or - special - as yours. But it's where I go and I like them, so maybe I'm not as cool or expensive as you, and that's why you look down on me. That's why you say asshole things to me and don't even know they're asshole things to say."
He turned and walked off.
Britt stared at the floor. He scratched his head for a long moment. Hearing a noise behind him, he turned to see Kato climbing steadily up another stanchion, his gloves and boots sticking into the cut-outs of the metal as he headed to the ceiling. Britt sighed. He looked up at him, watching him arrange another part of the exhaust pipe, then put the leather strap of the wrench in his teeth to fish a nut out of the top pocket of his overalls. "Look, dude… I don't look down on you, ok? I never have."
"Whatever."
"Please listen to me," he said quietly. "Just… please?"
Kato paused. He turned and watched him, finding him with his hands in his pockets, looking at the floor. He took the wrench from his teeth.
"I want to hang out with you and go to the little dives you know and hear all your cool stories. Because all my stories are about picking up women and not having any real friends." Britt sighed. "Can we just try one of the bars you like? I will not even speak the whole night if you want. I just… You're a dude, ok? You're a brick. And I'm not - I'm not reliable like you. I've wasted my life to the point where I can't even make friends. I had more friends when I was a kid at school." He paused. "And… and I don't care if something isn't expensive or swanky or posh or whatever - some of the coolest places I've been to have been like tiny holes in the wall where everything is… not new - like it's vintage cool shit, right? But everyone always thinks I go through money like alcohol. —I mean, I do, I guess. But it's not because I like expensive stuff, it's… I just want everyone to have a good time, right? And then it gets out of hand. But… I just wanted us to hang out somewhere that you know, somewhere you're comfortable, on your turf so… so you're at least happy for once." He sighed. "I'm always like hyped up on the tiniest little thing I see that I think is suddenly the coolest thing in the world - and you're always just like…" He waved his arms out in helplessness. "You've seen all this before, or… the little things don't get you excited or happy, and…" He frowned. "I mean… I can see why we're not really friends. We're just… too different." He shrugged. "I just wanted to like get a drink, talk shit about stuff only we know… you know, do buddy things."
It was silent for a long moment. Eventually Britt looked up.
Kato considered him. "I can't."
"Really?"
"I just can't."
Britt nodded sadly. "Ok. Well… at least we're not shouting any more. So… we just… We're just work colleagues, right?"
"No, I mean I can't."
"Yeah I heard you."
"I have a date tonight and Saturday I have Lenore and a game, so I can't. Maybe next week."
Britt thought for a moment. Then he grinned. "You have a date tonight? Awesome! Is it Amy again?"
Kato let a small smile hijack the side of his face. "Yes."
"Good for you! See? Cool things happen to you all the time."
"It was a good party," he allowed.
"Wait - you have a date with Lenore Saturday too?"
"No - a lesson. Then afterwards I have Mahjong."
"A lesson? Is she teaching you English?"
Kato rolled his eyes. "That was one of those asshole things you should not say."
"Oh. Sorry," Britt realised. "I didn't mean it like that. I meant what is she teaching you? Date stuff?"
"I teach her," he said curtly. "Piano."
Britt threw his hands out in desperation. "And there you go again! Being all awesome and knowing tonnes of cool shit!"
Kato shrugged. "The piano teacher in the orphanage gave us extra food if we did well in lessons."
Britt winced. "Wow. Ok, so… Next week? Which bar? Like a tiny one, all neons and underground secret drinks bottles with no labels?"
"If you want."
"Well ok then!" he cried happily, clapping his hands together. "So - friends again?"
"If you try not to say the asshole things."
"I promise," he said, saluting faithfully.
Kato shook his head, smiling. "What did Lenore say about Sapphire and the DA?"
"Ye-ah… you might want to come down from there. We need a drink to talk about it. —Oh, speaking of: I have something for you."
.
.
Kato wandered into the study, wiping his hands on a rag. "Hi."
Lenore looked over her shoulder at him, her hands moving a laptop around the large wooden table in the middle of the room. "Hey. Everything ok?"
He walked up to her, mindful of Britt on the other side of the room, mixing drinks. He lowered his voice. "I think Britt is sick."
"Why?" she whispered.
"He was talking about feelings and he was trying to be a grown-up," he whispered back.
Lenore straightened up, grinning. "Well that would make a welcome change."
He smiled, going down the side of the table and sniffing to himself. "What are we doing?" he asked the room.
"War meeting," Britt called over. "Stage two. Our incredible planning genius has worked out the Hornet's strategy for Sapphire's epic take-down, and she's about to do a Show and Tell so we know where he's supposed to be."
Kato pulled out a chair, settling himself and stuffing the rag in his top overalls pocket. "And what are you doing?"
"I'm making drinks," he said brightly, then turned and carried two over. "A sparkling alcohol-free punch for the planning genius." He set it down in front of Lenore. Then he turned and put down a large ceramic mug in front of Kato. "And tea for the gadgets genius."
Kato sniffed casually, appraising the mug. Then he picked it up, smelling it carefully. "Where you get this?"
"I asked Henry and then the pool guy who the delivery dude is who brings the not-car stuff for you. He said you always go through the same guy, so I found him and asked him your favourite drink. And he said you always buy that one. I made him tell me how to make it, too." He paused. "Is it ok?"
"Old Man Fung?" Kato asked, surprised. "You got Old Man Fung to tell you how to make Oo Long tea?"
"So I had to pay him a bit of cash, who cares?" Britt breezed. "The important question is - is it any good?"
Kato just looked at him for a long moment. Then he sipped it, letting it roll around his mouth. He let a mere suggestion of surprise flit across his face before he shrugged casually. "It's ok."
Britt grinned proudly, then went back to the drinks trolley in the corner. Kato checked he wasn't watching, then sipped his tea again, enjoying the taste of it. He flicked his eyes up to see Britt pick up his own glass from the trolley - short and half full of whisky, by the looks of it.
"Don't let your staff throw the tea leaves down the sink," Kato said. "It blocks the drains."
"Dude, I got most of the staff new jobs in some other company," he scoffed as he came back to the table. "I'm cleaning this room up after us."
Kato set the mug down with a dull slap. "Ok - who are you and where is Britt Reid?"
Lenore sat down, watching Britt as she picked up her drink and tried it. She blinked, surprised it was good.
Britt shrugged. "I had to, right? They can't be in here, listening to what we're planning or seeing who comes and goes. There's like two ladies left in the kitchen and stores, and Henry now does the utilities and stuff. They get a cleaner in once a week but that's it."
"What about the pool guy?" Kato asked.
"Oh yeah - kept him. I mean we need to have pool parties soon, right?"
Kato and Lenore looked at each other. Then Kato cleared his throat, raising his eyebrows at her. "Show and Tell?"
She smiled. "Right well - Britt gave me all the info on your visit to Sapphire's underground place the other night. I've managed to get some info together, and that's helped me come up with all this."
"Lay it on us," Britt said, sitting in the chair opposite Kato. He pulled out a notebook and clicked a pen to life.
Kato stared. Then he sipped his tea, determined to pay attention.
Lenore was opening up a manilla folder to show colour photographs. "Ok, so you said Charlie was her right-hand man. I did some digging and he's been through the arrest system but never charged and always released on the forty-eight hours. Charles Peterson is his real name - he has links with various gangs but again the police never had any evidence. However, three of the times he was released with no charge it was to the same woman. She picked him up. There's only one photo of her - they were in the background when someone else newsworthy was being released. Look." She slid one photo across the table and the two men studied it.
A man in a black suit, flanked by attorneys or at least bodyguards, was walking down the steps from City Hall, his mouth open. It appeared to be a typical hot sunny LA day, with reporters and on-lookers crowding the shot. Just to the right, behind everyone, another man was walking down the steps, and next to him was a woman - with green hair.
"Sapphire," Britt said. "That's her."
"According to the log her name is Sarah Fellows." She sat back. "Once I had her name it didn't take long to dig up a few other things about her. A few years ago she was arrested - but never charged - on suspicion of murder. It was a gangland hit on behalf of your old friend Chudnofsky. Considering how important it was she must have been pretty high up in his organisation." She picked up her drink to sip it. "A year ago she was considered to be running some kind of cartel out of San Fransisco, possibly due to Chudnofsky taking over more and more areas of LA. Once he was dead, she re-appeared like literally overnight, and now my guess is she's consolidating everything that Chudnofsky had."
"So she is the new leader?" Kato asked.
"I think so. It's my theory that she has rounded up all of Chudnofsky's labs and people, and she's whipping them back into a team. That's why she wants the DA dead."
Kato nodded. "Ok. So how do we get her to do something she can be arrested for?"
Lenore smiled. "We take out some of her underlings. When her circle of lieutenants starts to shrink she'll be forced to do more and more herself. At some point she's going to have to come for the Hornet direct - and that's when we'll stage something to get her arrested. And the Hornet and you escape, of course."
"That's fantastic," Britt grinned. "We basically take out hits on her dudes till there's none left?"
"That's it," Lenore nodded.
"Now that's a plan. I love it!" Britt gushed. He looked at Kato. "What do you think?"
"You're asking me?" he asked, surprised.
"Yeah man - that's what partners do, right?"
Kato's mouth worked for a moment. Then he looked at Lenore. "I think we do it."
"Yes!" Britt hissed, slapping the table. He looked at her too. "Ok, so who's first and how do you want this handled? Rockets, egregious kung fu battles, incapacitated bad guys, a name card on their heads and we roar off into the dawn before the cops can catch us?"
She giggled. "Exactly that, yes."
"Ok then!" He clapped his hands together, rubbing. "Then we move tonight. After dark, right?"
"Tomorrow," she said. "From the electric bills on the place, Friday overnight is a busy night, but Thursday not so much. Here," she said, passing another photograph across the table. "The first one is Nguyen. She's a coke processor on Trendle Street. Get in there, blow the place to pieces, set fire to stuff - the whole nine yards. Make sure you leave a calling card for the cops. I want it big - all over the papers tomorrow," she grinned.
"You're enjoying this," Britt said, wagging a finger at her.
"I am when it's drug dealers you're taking out."
Kato pulled the photo toward him, picking it up and then turning it, his head tilting. "Ok. I check the place out and the escape routes in case we need some." He sipped his tea. "And prep everything on back-up Beauty number one."
"Dude - you have to give them names," Britt said. "You can't just call her 'back up car number one'."
"Ok, how about…" He paused, his eyes going up the wall to his left side. Then he looked at Britt. "You name it."
"Really?" he asked, clearly excited. Kato shrugged. Britt looked at Lenore, then back at Kato. "Then… I'll think about it."
"I'll get started," Kato said, getting up.
"Whoa dude - it's like two in the afternoon. The operation's not till tomorrow night," Britt said.
"I have things to do and I have to go to your office first. What time do we move?"
"Ah… midnight. Midnight?" he asked Lenore. She nodded.
"Ok." Kato drained the mug then set it down on the table. "This tea? It's not so bad." He turned and walked out of the room. The door swung softly shut behind him.
Britt waited.
And waited.
Then he looked at Lenore. "It's working," he whispered.
"What is?" she asked with a smile.
"The friends thing! He makes me coffee all the time at work, so now I'm making him tea, right? Isn't that what friends do?"
She grinned as she got to her feet, collecting up all the files and shuffling them into one pile. "It's working. Just… don't overdo it, ok? A little tiny thing, once a day. You're already freaking him out."
"Got it," he nodded. He got up and flipped his notebook closed. "I'm going to clean up the drinks trolley and read those files again, think about tomorrow night."
"Ok," she said, handing him the batch. He grinned and began to flip through them.
.
.
The motorbike was amused and quite delighted to be brought to a stop in the parking lot of the bowling complex. Kato turned the key and took it out. He looked almost over his shoulder. "Here we are."
"I'm nervous," Amy admitted, taking her arms from round him and getting off the back.
"They are my friends," he said. "You will be ok."
"And they know I can't bowl, right?" she said as she undid the chin strap on her helmet.
He swung off the bike, smiling as he undid his own. "It's not like that. You'll see."
She handed him her helmet and he put them both in the lockbox at the back. "Ok. Let's do this," she said clearly, but she bit her lip as she looked past his shoulder to the front door.
He looked round at the front door, then back at her. "If you want to… we can go somewhere else."
She looked at him. "No - let's go. It'll be fine. It'll be fine," she nodded, as if to herself. She ran her hands through her hair and then walked off toward the door.
He caught her up to open it for her, and she smiled shyly before walking through. They found themselves in the lobby area, people to-ing and fro-ing, swapping shoes or carrying cardboard drinks trays. He took her hand, offered her an encouraging smile, and walked them down past the counter to see the many lanes at work.
At least twelve lanes were full, the decor old but apparently loved, with groups of people cheering or booing their fellow bowlers. Kato spotted someone in the middle lane and bounced her hand in his, getting her attention. She pushed him in front of her and they wended their way down in single file toward the busy lane.
Four people were already there, in various cut-off tees, Hawaiian shirts and board shorts, somewhat incongruous against the bowling shoes they had on. Two men and two women, all smiles and friendly rivalry, they were bantering about something in Chinese as the two newcomers arrived.
"Hey," Kato said loudly.
The man in front of him turned. "K Ger!" he cried in Chinese, putting a hand up. Kato slapped his palm into his, and they pulled on each other, patting at backs with their free hands. He pushed him back, noticing someone standing some way behind him. "Thought you weren't coming, man," he added in English.
"Here I am," Kato said with a smile. The other three crowded round, getting in high-fives or a fist bump. "And this is Amy."
She waved nervously. The four of them waved back and a chorus of 'hello's went up.
"Amy - this is Jack," Kato said, gesturing to the man who had just greeted him. "And his girlfriend Emma." The woman waved. "Fung," he added, indicating the other, taller man behind them all, who waved. "And his wife Siu-Ching."
"Hi!" she said, reaching through them all and shaking Amy's hand. "So good to have another girl on the team!"
"Oh - I'm terrible, trust me," she said quickly.
Siu-Ching laughed. "That's the point, dude." She elbowed the others aside and came closer, her Nirvana t-shirt and board shorts making Amy smile. "So has he told you how it works down here?"
"Uh - no," she said carefully.
"I thought we could play and she will see - it will be easier," Kato said.
"Yeah," Siu-Ching shrugged. "Ok - you two get shoes. We'll set up who plays first. And get us some drinks. Your turn, K Ger - you owe us for last week."
Kato shrugged. "It's hard being me."
They laughed and Siu-Ching pushed at his chest, making him stand back. She went back to the three others and they began chatting and ordering. Kato looked at Amy and gestured behind them with his head, and she followed him back up to the main counter.
Shoes swapped and two cardboard carry trays of beer later, and they were making their way back down to the lane. Kato set his tray of four plastic cups down and then took Amy's from her, making sure it went on the other side of the lane where Jack and Emma were sitting.
Jack was saying something in Chinese to Emma, but then paused and changed to English as he spotted Amy, Kato, and the beer. "Why are you all dressed up tonight anyway?"
Kato looked down at his white shirt and black jeans, his thin black tie now loose and his top two buttons undone. "Work clothes."
"Yeah right," Siu-Ching said, elbowing her husband Fung. "Someone's trying to impress his date and board shorts don't cut it."
Everyone laughed but Kato put a hand to the back of his head, rubbing in embarrassment.
Siu-Ching pointed at him in surprise. "Wait - she is your date? Not a bowling friend?" she gasped.
"Whoa," Jack said, his hands out. "You didn't say this was a date night!"
Kato's face was rapidly turning red as his mouth worked. Amy looked around at them, scrutinising Kato as if they had misplaced their microscopes. She swallowed. "We didn't want to make it weird," she said hastily.
They blinked at her. "Oh no, it's fine," Siu-Ching said. "It's just that…" She paused and looked at the other three.
Fung spoke up from the back. "Well… we've never seen him with a date."
"Or a maybe-date," Jack put in.
"Or a chance," Emma added.
Amy gave a nervous smile. "Maybe… he's more shy than even me."
The four of them laughed out loud, some kind of cloud above their heads breaking and releasing all the tension as good humour. Amy felt herself start to relax. She glanced at Kato to see the red gradually draining from his face.
Siu-Ching clapped her hands as if to bring order to the night. "Ok - that changes things. Date Night go first, followed by Still Just Dating, followed by Married So It's Too Late."
Amy giggled, putting a hand over her mouth. "Are those your team names?"
"They are tonight," Siu-Ching winked, then waved her over. "Come here, dude - you sit at the front, pride of place. And tell us something about you. Your boyfriend K Ger has a mouth tighter than my husband's wallet."
"Hey!" Fung protested.
She waved a hand over her shoulder at him in negation, already guiding Amy to sit at the foremost position. "That's a real nice outfit, by the way," she said, admiring the flowery pattern of green and red leaves on an off-white background, the very stylish dungarees putting her in mind of carefree, summer days. The polo shirt underneath was pastel green and enjoying the attention.
"Oh - uh - thanks," Amy said brightly. "You know I was a bit nervous about meeting you all tonight."
"Oh you'll be fine," Emma called over. "We don't bite."
"Well let's get the drinks passed around, shall we?" Siu-Ching said. "And let's get bowling. Hey - K Ger - stop loitering over there and come show Amy how bad you really are at this game."
Kato smiled, going over to the cardboard trays first to hand out drinks.
"Why do you call him that?" Amy asked.
"Oh it's a Chinese thing," Siu-Ching shrugged. "Like a friend-cum-brother, but his name starts with a K."
She 'oh'ed as Kato picked up another drink and took it over to Amy, winking at her and taking his jacket off.
"Whoo - it's on now!" Jack teased. "Can he beat his score of eleven!"
"Eleven?" Amy echoed.
"That's how we play the game - highest score loses," Emma laughed.
"Loses?" she asked, confused.
"It's like karaoke, right?" Siu-Ching grinned. "No-one goes because they can actually sing."
Amy grinned. "Oh I see."
Kato picked up a bowling ball, gripping it carefully and looking at Amy. "Ready?"
She giggled. "Do it."
He grinned and turned to the alley.
