Chapter 2: The Lead

Time: 03:41AM

Location: TCTF Headquarters #143

Kyoto, Japan

TCTF Agent Davis Jackson sat at his desk struggling to stay awake. He really should just go home, he isn't getting any work done in between his drifting off anyway. But hitting the sack was not a luxury he could afford; what with the recent increase of violent crimes across the city. If he wanted to get any sleep next week he would have to get as much paperwork done as he could tonight. But it was so hard to stay awake, especially in the mundane office design of the Kyoto TCTF headquarters. Really, could it hurt to put a splash of colour somewhere? Something that he could focus on in particular to keep from dosing off, and even worse, it's graveyard shift. Jackson looks across the room; untidy desk after untidy desk, all empty but his. The halogen lights hum a monotonous lullaby, making it even harder to concentrate. Jackson needs a coffee, bad.

"Well as may," Jackson says to himself, "not like this work is going anywhere soon." Jackson slowly rose from his chair and staggers into the hallway.

It's dead quiet. Jackson makes his way down the hall gazing at the light reflecting off the marble floor. He eventually gets to the stairs, which lead to the main foyer. Once there Jackson makes a left, the coffee machine is within sight, his pace picks up a bit.

"Dark, no milk, no sugar." Jackson says aloud as he slowly keys in his choice.

The machine tells him he has yet to pay his tab, and therefore has only one merit point left on his food card before it is revoked. That is just great. Jackson makes his way back to the foyer; he was just about to take his first sip of brew just as he realized how big the stairs looked now.

"Screw this, I'm taking the elevator," grumbled Jackson as he went down the right side of the main hallway.

As he was heading to the elevator he passed the weight room, the loud clanking noise stopped him in his tracks. The loudness of the clank could only have come from one machine: her machine. Jackson stood at the door and looked in, and sure enough there she was; the little purple hair agent bench-pressing away on her machine. It was her machine because only she used it, she was the only who could use it, the lowest weight on it was 800 lbs. Judging by the number of slabs she was pressing, Jackson estimated that she was at about 1600lbs. Jackson wasn't surprise by the immense weight this women was lifting, despite her being about 5'7 in height and no more then 110 lbs in weight. This was just one of the many feats that all the TCTF agents had became accustomed to witnessing. She was, after all, in a sense, their creation. But no amount of superhuman weight lifting could compare to the feat the women accomplished 5 years ago.

This woman was TCTF agent Mai Hasegawa, code name Konoko. 5 years ago she single handily brought down the biggest terrorist plot in history, taking out syndicate boss Muro in the process.

Jackson thought it was best to leave, he had heard stories about people who had disturbed Mai's training; they did not have happy endings. Just then Jackson hears a ringing, he instinctive checks to see if it is his comm. Device. It isn't, the ring belongs to Mai's, which is seated beside her gym bag. At first Mai seems reluctant to disrupt her training to answer it, but by the fourth ring she has picked it up. Mai daps her forehead with a towel from her bag as she listens to the caller. Jackson can tell by the look in her eye that it is important. He looks down to his coffee, which he has yet to taste, he was about to take a sip and walk away when he looked to his right, there was Mai right beside him.

"Creeps, this girl moves quick!" Jackson thought to himself "Uh, hey kono- uhm, I mean Mai. What's up?" asked Jackson not trying the least bit to sound perky.

"South docks, that's what's up," replies Mai, "I just got an anonymous tip that a shipment of some pretty illegal hardware just went down. You feel up to it?"

Jackson looks towards the elevator. Damn, so close. "Well Mai, you know, I did have some paperwo-"

" Great Dave, I knew I could count on you," interrupts Mai, " I just have to go gear up and then we'll head out."

Jackson looks down at his coffee.

"Oh coffee, how did you know," Mai snatches the cup out of Jackson hand and starts walking down the hallway, "Black, no milk, no sugar; the way I like it."

Jackson stands there looking at his hand grasping the cup that is no longer in his hand. " I guess I'll go start up the car," says Jackson really unenthusiastically.

"That sounds great," says Mai halfway down the hall, not realizing that Jackson was talking to himself.

Time: 04:05 AM

Location: loading docks

Mai brings the car to a stop in the parking lot overlooking the docks; something definitely went down-she could just feel it. Mai pulls out her Equalizer MK pistol, checks the clip and hoisters it to her left hip. She turns off the engine. She looks over to Jackson who is completely asleep. His head leaning against the window with his mouth wide open.

" Look, Jackson," no response. Mai knocks her hand against the dashboard. "JACKSON!" Mai yells.

Jackson wakes up with a deep gasp, he quickly surveys the area in a panicked fashion. Realizing there was no immediate danger and getting a bearing of where the car was he looked towards Mai with a puzzled look on his face, his eyes red from his 20 minute nap.

"Look Jackson," Mai restarts " I appreciate you coming out here to baby sit me and all," she pauses "but I think I got everything under control. You can stay here and catch some sleep." Mai unbuckles her seatbelt, "That went well," she thought. She thought wrong.

"Not a chance Mai." Jackson replied firmly, his face still groggy looking but his voice as awake as ever. " You know I can't let you do that. All TCTF agents are under strict order to make sure at least one of us accompany you whenever you go out to do fieldwork. You're still under probation, Mai," Jackson straps on his TCTF helmet, "So either you get used to the idea of me tagging along, or we turn around right know, cause you going solo is not happening." Finishes Jackson.

He looks at Mai, he can tell she is upset, but not in an anger rebellious way. She is upset because even after five years the TCTF still does not trust her. He feels sorry for her as she looks down to the glove compartment as if desperately searching for something to say, but only comes up with a blank stare. He definitely feels for her, he knows he could not possibly know what she has gone through. But he cannot move on this; orders are orders.

"Lets get this over with." Says Jackson as he unbuckles his seat belt and exits the car.

Jackson pops open the trunk and reaches in, he pulls out a standard issue pulse rifle. He reaches back into the trunk; he pulls out an energy cell and loads it into the rifle. He closes the trunk and begins rolling his neck in a clockwise motion. He rolls his shoulder in circular manner stretching any final cricks in his neck and takes in a deep breath. Mai watches his warm up from the side of the car. That is what she liked about Jackson, behind a desk, Jackson seemed like a slacker, but when he was in the field where there is the slightest possibility of danger, there was no one you could trust your life with more. Jackson knew when it was head busting time. Jackson looked over to Mai

" Something's not right here. Can you feel it Mai?" asked Jackson

"Yeah I had that feeling too," says Mai breaking her silence, " lets make this quick." She finishes.

The two leave the parking lot and head over to the docks.