Summer was the season of rumors. Rumors of an impending American invasion, a fingertip found in a corner store rice ball, a new Koshien Stadium being planned, and other perennial favorites thrived with the dandelions in the stifling heat. After work, the menfolk scurried to their watering holes. Their lingering talk was overheard by barmen, who passed the word onto the liquor store owners. One delivery boy, who was an ex-delinquent, passed one particular rumor among his former compatriots along with a swiped pint of bitters. Because the rumor referred to the Program, this seed took root.
The wisps of dispersed dandelion clock floated Ayukawa's way on the other side of the tracks and around the burning tar barrels in the industrial zone. She dismissed the rumor as an urban tale designed to scare teens, a variant of the killer video tape.
This tale was different though. The brown-suited bureacrats from the Ministries of Education, Youth Development, and Preservation of Cultural Morality scuttled to and fro in a methodical madness only found in large organizations. The paper pushers formed research teams, task forces, and panels only to dissolve and reorganized them. Announcements barraged the state TV programs. Students, retirees, salarymen, and laborers were herded into mandatory rallies throughout July and August.
Ayukawa attempted to crushed her anxiety with her faith in the immutable rules of the Program. Every child in the Democratic Republic of Japan learned the rules. Every student participated in the lottery; it made no sense to have the Program extend into high school, mandatory education ended at the third year of junior high. If the secondary schools were subject to the Program, they would be devoid of students. That logic sustained her until she overheard her parents debating through the gray hours of the morning.
Her mother and father had returned home for a rare vacation from the orchestra. Ayukawa thoroughly enjoyed the September day together and went to bed spent. During the night, She awoke to use the loo, and saw them huddled together. Her mother and father were still in the semi-formals that they had worn to the French restaurant. Her father held her mother's hand as if consoling her. Their broken tones and painful pauses cut through Madoka's web of denial. Through their garbled words, they had heard from government connections that the Program would not only be extended up to high school, but that high school would become mandatory.
Robbed of sleep, she excavated a cardboard box buried beneath a crush of well-loved toys and pygmy clothing. Ayukawa hesitated to unseal the neat strip of tape. The memory of her sister decided it; Madoka's only picture of Ami was sealed inside. Madoka pulled out her house key and sawed through the smooth brown tape.
She held up a framed black and white photo to the light. A raven-haired girl flashed a victory sign. Madoka had a difficultly telling herself from the girl in the sailor suit. Ami's pretty best friend Tendo Kasumi looked abashedly into the lens. With a jolt, Madoka realized that she had outgrown them; she had always chased them, content that she would never catch up.
Madoka stared at the photo for a long time before she could pull herself away to begin preparations. Weeks later, the government made its formal announcement.
Hitokiri Orange Road
Chapter 7.
The sky had shaded into an uncertain gray. Dark wells had formed in the cloud masses, contrasting with the slivers of blue inbetween.
"Quiet," Ayukawa whispered fiercely. "We've got to get out of here. The men from the Program are here."
Akane Tendo caught herself as her grip momentarily slipped from the rung. Her hands shook as she descended the remaining length of the ladder. She gave Ayukawa a searching look.
"Are you serious?" Akane asked.
"What do we do?" Kyosuke's voice unexpectedly cracked. Their anxiety was infectious.
"Follow me."
Ayukawa quickly descended the stair tower. Her impatient stride caused her schoolbag to slapped against her leg. Kyosuke followed while Akane trailed. Their scuffing steps echoed through the bare stairwell. They had descended a flight when several mens' voices floated up from the first floor. Ayukawa stopped short, causing a pile-up. The raven-haired girl opened the door enough to peer into the hall.
Ayukawa reached past Kyosuke and fastened a her grip around Akane's arm; she dragged Akane across the hall. Kyosuke followed. His skin boiled in gooseflesh as he ran exposed across the six feet. He belatedly gave the metal stair door a tap with his Power to prevent it from slamming. Akane slid the classroom door close behind him.
The stair door boomed open. Several men tread heavily into the corridor near the darkened classroom. Minutes later, Another man greeted them from down the hall.
"We've got the perimeter secured," the man from the hall announced. His casual tone sounded like a salayman greeting an office mate.
"You're late and not so loud," the leader of the group snapped. "Here are our orders. Take a head count from the bottom up. Seal each door as we go and let the medical team do their business. Do it systematically.
"Don't forget the empty classrooms," he pounded the classroom door for emphasis. "Storage closets, or restrooms, even the girls' room."
A shiver ran up Kyosuke's spine as the glass pane rattled.
"Did that bastard bother to show up?" the hallway man asked.
"He had something to take care of," the stairway man answered. "Something about his daughter."
"He has a wife?"
"I assume so."
"I wonder what the girl looks like. They probably hate him as much as we do."
"Stuff it. We don't have the time or people. Let's get started. Here are your assigned areas and the attendance rolls. If we miss one student, our heads will roll."
The group of suits broke with that warning. Kyosuke expelled his pented breath. The tightness in his chest and the patter of his heart reminded him of being hunted during the previous night, but the danger felt far worse. Akane clutched her knees. The girl's chest heaved rapidly. Kyosuke tapped her shoulder. She gave him a weak smile. Meanwhile, Ayukawa dug through her bag with a look of determination on her face.
Emboldened by Ayukawa's focus, Kyosuke took stock of his Powers. Telekinesis could be used for self defense. He had never attempted to teleport another person. He was not sure if it were even possible. Time-slipping was not going to be useful, though he had to watch out for falling down stairs. Self-hypnosis and premonitions wouldn't help him now.
Kyosuke felt painfully aware of his limitations, but did not allow himself to dwell on it. He studied his surroundings. Plaster sculptures sat on the shelves, and easels were stacked in a corner of the musty room. Kyosuke crept to a supply cabinet, which was locked. He found the key hooked nearby. He opened the closet with his good arm. Crusty paint brushes, palettes, and hardened bags of plaster littered the top shelves, nothing useful or dangerous. On the bottom level were several plastic jugs of paint thinner and remover. A heft told him that the containers were mostly full. Ayukawa peered over his shoulder and nodded her approval.
Ayukawa revealed her arsenal: a pair smoke canisters, four M80-sized firecrackers, a thin nylon cord, a slingshot, and several ball bearings. She strapped the sturdy slingshot to her forearm and gave the industrial strength elastic a test pull with a ball bearing. She then appropriated the fire extinguisher.
Ayukawa roused Akane to help her secure one end of the nylon cord around a column. The other end was looped around the fire extinguisher. As they tied, Ayukawa outlined her plan.
"They've probably have guns, we can't fight. We have to run. We can use these to make a distraction," Ayukawa indicated her fireworks. "We'll go out the window and run to the parking lot. I managed to copy the keys to a car. It's a big black Beamer."
"Since when do you know how to drive?" Akane asked.
"I figured out the basics," Ayukawa said. "It's our best chance."
"What about Kasuga, how will he get down?"
"I'll manage," Kyosuke said.
Ayukawa nodded. "Our other choice is to take our chances with the Program."
"You've been preparing," Akane said.
"Yes, we can talk about it later. We've got to get moving if we're going escape."
Kyosuke considered offering his teleportation to disperse the explosives, but there was not enough time to explain. He also did not want to get separated from them. Instead, he offered his left hand palm down. Akane laid her damp palm on top of his, and Ayukawa added hers. She looked pale and nervous, but her hand was steady. They broke their salute.
Akane and Kyosuke bound kerchiefs across their mouths while Ayukawa tied on a dust mask and looped a tie in her hair. While they were distracted by another detail, Kyosuke crimped and ruptured the sprinkler pipes. The layout of the pipes would disrupt the sprinklers to their wing of second floor. Kyosuke tried to dampen the noise of the dribbling water with rags.
Their preparations took less than twenty minutes. Ayukawa lay belly down at the crack beneath the door and scanned the vicinity with her compact mirror. There was one suit guarding the stairwell door. Ayukawa gave them quick instructions.
Kyosuke stood near the door with the bucket of paint thinner. Ayukawa lit a firework and then gave the signal. Akane jerked the door open. Madoka shifted into a kneeling position. She casted the explosive at the suit and then ducked behind the door. The suit turned as he reached for the holster slung at his side. The explosion caught him at jaw level; he collapsed, clutching the ruins of his face. The blast rang through the corridor. Ayukawa glanced into the hall to assess the damage, before pulling a smoke grenade from her pocket. She primed and tossed it down the hall.
Ayukawa bumped Kyosuke to break his stunned fixation with the wounded man. Kyosuke hurled the bucket at the stair door. He cheated to disperse the volatile liquid evenly, and then ran to side of the art room with the cabinets. Akane held the light up for Ayukawa to ignite the remaining explosives. The second M80 ignited the paint thinner and the downed man. He rolled on the ground as he caught fire. She sent number three down the hall and four up.
Cries of panic rose through the school. The howling fire alarm joined the cacophony. Ayukawa and Akane locked the door and went for the rope. Kyosuke shoved a pair of heavy cabinets into their wake.
Madoka flung open the window and let the rope down. She spat into her hands before rappelling down. Akane followed. Kyosuke waited for Madoka to reach the bottom. The raven-haired girl crouched into a ready position with her slingshot ready. Kyosuke gulped as he knelt at the window.
A government suit began shouting at the art room door. The noise spurred Kyosuke into motion. He tried to spit into his palms, but his mouth was too dry. He gave up and awkwardly mounted the rope with one hand. Akane had already dismounted the rope and followed Ayukawa into the barren brush. His slow descent was detected as he reached the halfway mark. Akane shouted to him.
A small crater appeared in the wall next to his hand, showering him in dust. The boy dropped the last eight feet to the ground. The gun barked twice again, two misses. His telekinesis slowed him at just before hitting the ground. The boy desperately scrambled for the bushes.
Ayukawa lobbed her last smoke grenade toward a suit standing in the path. The smoke swelled into dense cloud. Ayukawa signaled for Kyosuke to head toward the parking lot. He ran, almost on fours, like he had seen in old cop shows. He tried to keep to the line of brush and trees. The hulking suit scooped up the spewing canister and tossed it toward the school. Ayukawa launched a ball bearing at the suit as he threw the can. The blow knocked off his shades. He staggered clutching his eye, but maintained his footing.
Another gunshot pealed. Kyosuke glanced back. Ayukawa and Akane had dropped to the ground. The suit aimed in the direction of the girls.
Kyosuke lashed out with his power, clipping the man behind the knee. He charged at the downed man, simultaneously, slamming the man's hand to the ground. The gun went off. The adrenaline-driven boy flinched at the noise, but charged ahead. They boy channeled his Power through his heel as he stomped on the the pistol handle and ground suit's palm into the pavement. The gun went off once again. The suit screamed as his bones snapped. Kyosuke diverted his will to keeping the trigger depressed. He wrested the weapon from the suit's maimed hand. Ayukawa and Akane caught up with Kyosuke. Two more suits ran toward them. Kyosuke squeezed a random shot, sending the suits scurrying for cover.
The students did not look back even as the enemy fired after them. They darted around the corner of the building for the parking lot. Ayukawa led them to a large black car. She smiled grimly and pulled out her duplicate key. Kyosuke had never seen her with such a fierce look.
"Get in and don't forget your seat belts!" she ordered. "And keep your heads down."
"And Kyosuke, switch on the safety. It should be a lever on the side."
Kyosuke pulled his finger out of the trigger guard and managed to find the safety before the big German car jerked back. The car's rear bashed into the front of a boxy red hatchback. Kyosuke grit his teeth against the jolt in his arm; both his pain killers and adrenaline had worn off. Akane tried to make herself as small.
Ayukawa snarled curses as she wrenched the stick into gear. The car lurched into motion and then squealed into liberating speed. They headed in a straight line for the exit. The exit approached; the road came into sight. Over the guardrails, Ayukawa saw a white car hurtling down the road from the right. It screeched to a halt, blocking most of the exit. Ayukawa floored the gas, scraping against the tip of a guardrail and riding over the curb, and then swung into the far lane, facing oncoming traffic.
A two-axle truck honked desperately at them. Brakes squealed. The black car lifted briefly off onto two wheels. Before she could finish her swerve into the left lane, the white sedan began moving again.
Kyosuke heard a high pitched scream, which was probably his own. He saw the white car with terrible clarity as it inexorably approached. In the other vehicle, a middle-aged man gripped his steering wheel with fierce intensity. Kyosuke recognized him as the bland speaker from the student assembly. A girl sat in the back seat; she wore the gray uniform from his school. Her face froze in a silent scream.
The white sedan caved in the back door on Kyosuke's side. The impact was enough to drive the back of the German car into the path of the oncoming truck. Tons of steel and glass collided. Gravity was suspended for a moment and then Kyosuke was thrown around in his seat like a rag doll being shaken by a pit bull. His senses were consumed by the storm of shattering glass and red lights flashing before his sealed eyes.