GIGSPARTONE
He was still asleep when he began to feel it, that fear he hadn't felt in a long time. He escaped the realm of his dreams before things took a turn for the worst, but he didn't feel any better. It had been no dream, and there was no way to run.
Matt Ishida had simply woken up. At his side, to his left, Sora Takenouchi was wrapped in his arms, and as turned to look at her, she moaned, a sign that she was no longer asleep.
"What time is it?" she asked, not entirely awake.
"Its about to be 6 a.m, the sun's out already"
He got no response. She was asleep again. He smiled and lightly squeezed her, making her moan once again.
He stared at the ceiling for what seemed to be infinity, but his thought process was quickly shattered by the silent vibrations of his cell phone. He reached for it, without waking Sora up.
"Hello?" he asked groggily.
"Rise and shine, Matt, it's a brand new day" said Tai, in his new calm and collected demeanor.
"What time is it?"
"Time's not important, my friend, only life is important"he said laughing, a little louder than Matt liked.
"Ugh, what?"
"You're no fun in the day time, Ishida" replied Tai.
"Why are you calling me so early?"
"You start today, I need to get you up to speed on our operations, make sure things go smoothly for you, plus I've got a lot on my plate today, so we can't waste the light"
"Right, I've nearly forgotten about that" said Matt, an uneasy smile on his face considering he hadn't slept well because of it.
"Are you well rested?"
"Of course" he replied. Another lie. Sora was now awake and fully alert, listening to their exchange.Still she didn't let on she was awake, if there really was something that was bothering Matt, maybe he would express it now.
"I sure hope so, one thing's for sure, if you didn't sleep well last night, tonight will be a different story, I guarantee it"
"Right"
"Get dressed, Ishida, it's time to reclaim our rightful place in this world"
"Huh?"
"I'm outside, so don't take forever"
"Tai, I'm...not at my place"
"I never said I was at your place, I just said I was outside" he replied.
"How do you-"
"The less time you spend asking me questions, the faster you can get dressed, as a bonus, I got you breakfast"
"Is that right?" he said mockingly
"Chop-chop, Matty" he retorted. Hung up.
Matt hated that stupid nickname. Not that anyone, except Tai, ever called him that.
"Babe" he whispered softly, "Sora..."
"I know" she replied, a big smile on her face.
"Did you hear the whole thing?" he whispered.
"Yeah, I know you've got to go, I might as well take off too, I need to go get fresh clothes, got the early shift today" she said, as she left their embrace and began to pick up her clothes from the floor.
"You want to shower first?" he asked, a mischievous smile on his face.
"Nah, Tai's waiting for you, you don't want to be late for your first day" she said, smiling.
"Tai can wait"
"Play nice with Tai, remember, he's doing this to help you out, plus, you said he was dangerous" she said, as she got back into her jeans, and put on her black shirt, buttoning up till she hit the collar.
"You still don't believe me?"
"He's a little unhinged, but his job is somewhat stressful, so it's not out of the ordinary for him to act...differently"
"You don't believe me" he said a little disappointed.
"Whether Tai is dangerous or not, be lucky he's on our side and we can trust him"
'We can trust him, pretty sure we can't say that about him' thought Matt.
He nodded, no reason to get in argument with Sora over Tai.
They've had enough of those over the years. His return had been something out of this world, and yet, it hadn't made the news. There was no one trying to interview him. There was something odd about how the whole thing had been low-key. A survivor of JCS? It sounded like front-line news, the kind of thing that's reported all over the world. He would ask Tai. The little details surrounding Tai's return had bothered him for far too long.
"Matt..." a voice in the distance.
If Tai had really died, how did he return to the land of the living?
If he didn't die, where had he been for the last four years, and why did he keep them in the dark?
These questions would be answered today, there was no doubt about it in Matt's mind.
"Matt..."
He never believed Tai's story. His "amnesia" was too convenient. Tai was hiding something from them.
"Matt!"
He was startled by Sora's sudden outburst.
"Yeah?"
"Are you OK? Are you sure you're OK about this, I know you're not entirely sold on the idea of working with Tai-"
"I'm alright, Sora, you don't have to worry so much about me" said Matt laughing.
She looked at him.
"I'm gonna go, be careful, ok, umm, expect the unexpected" she said as she bent down to kiss.
He was still sitting down on his bed as he saw her leave.
At her speed, she quickly made her way down to the lobby, out the doors, and right into Tai, who was waiting for Matt in a car. A make and model she'd never seen.
Tai's gaze was fixed on an object in the distance, but she couldn't make out anything in the fog.
She lightly tapped on the passenger window, breaking his concentration, but not really startling him.
"Good morning, Sora" he said as he rolled down the window, "want to come in?"
She hesitated, but acquiesced. The inside was all leather, and the windows were tinted, a fact she hadn't really picked up on until she sat inside.
"It's nice in here, not cold like it is out there" she said, somewhat uncomfortably.
"Yeah, the fog plays tricks on you, could've have sworn I saw something moving in the distance"
"Tai?"
"What is it, Sora?" he turned to look at her as he spoke, and she got a clear look at his eyes, they were the same chocolate brown eyes she remembered. She looked at all his features in greater detail, he didn't look anything like he did last night. His skin was tanned, relaxed, not at all pale or fair. His hair was brown, not jet black, and his eyes. It was those chocolate orbs that really captivated her. Perhaps a little too well, for she found herself mesmerized by them. It was becoming difficult for her to pull away.
Tai cleared his throat, said,
"Sora, are you alright?"
"You look different" she said, as she started to blush, Tai had caught her staring, and he was relishing every moment of it. He smiled, said,
"Yeah, I like the new look, but you can't beat the classics" he said laughing.
Now she felt uneasy. Her gaze had remained too long on his face. She must have looked like a fool in front of him. She started to curse herself on the inside for letting her guard down, but decided to do something else.
"Tai, I-"
"Yeah?"
"Umm, how did you know Matt was here?" she asked.
Tai smiled.
"I put a tracking device on him a few days back, I know where he is at all times"
Her mouth opened, as if to say something, but he quickly interrupted her.
"I'm just kidding, Sora, that sounds insane, right? Wouldn't it be cool if I could do something like that?"
"Hmm, yeah" she said smiling, feeling a little silly.
"Nah, I went to his house first, but didn't see the car, naturally, I came here first, and spotted the car in the parking garage, figured he stayed the night, and since I didn't want to wake you guys too early... I waited"
"Oh, that actually makes sense" she replied, "that's very clever of you, Tai"
"Well, thanks, I guess, I wouldn't be very good at my job if I couldn't find someone like Matt, let alone real bad guys"
"Real bad guys? Tai, do you really do what you said you did?"
He smiled, nodded, then he said,
"It's a little hard to believe, I know, but I really do what I said I do, why do you find it so hard to believe?"
"It's not me, it's..."
"I know" he said, smiling, added, "it's alright, he'll find out sooner or later, besides, it's to be expected, things are uneasy between us"
"Tai, don't-"
"It's true, Sora, there's nothing wrong with admitting there's a little hostility there, it's only natural, things between all of us aren't too great, but the chasm between the three of us is much greater, I realize that, and I'm pretty sure he does too, but we're gonna work on that ok, slowly but surely"
"Chasm?" she said, laughing.
"Really? That's all you heard from that?" he said laughing as he pushed her to the side.
All she did was laugh harder, infecting Tai with her attitude.
They were both laughing as Matt opened the driver's side door, which to his surprise, was on the left.
Tai looked up, and slowly stopped laughing. Sora smiled as she saw her boyfriend all ready for his new job.
"Nice jacket, are you going to school or something?" asked Tai as he saw Matt wearing a green blazer.
"Me? What about you? You going to a funeral with that get-up?" retorted Matt as Tai was dressed entirely in black, Matt added,
"Come on, man, let me in"
Tai got out of the car, pulled the chair forward and let Matt sit in the back seat.
"What kind of car is this, Tai?"
"It's a 1970 Dodge Challenger, so I'm told, I'm not really a car guy" he told Matt
"Yeah, right" muttered Matt under his breath.
"So, where do we go, guys, how about we hop on a plane and head for a resort in Okinawa?"
"I'm down if you are, Tai" said Matt
"Now we have to go" said Sora giggling.
"All right" he started the car, and it must have surprised Matt and Sora as they both jumped back. All Tai did was laugh as he drove to Sora's house.
A few minutes later, with Sora gone, having said good bye to her two favorite boys, her boyfriend and former best friend, Matt sat in front, in the now vacant spot.
Tai drove out of Odaiba, crossed Rainbow Bridge into the heart of Tokyo.
There was silence as he drove, and Matt could tell they were making an impression on everyone on the road, as heads began to turn to take in this strange American beast he now found himself in.
Tai motioned to a sandwich in the glove compartment and Matt waved it off, he wasn't hungry.
Tai cared very little about what others thought of his actions.
He had already proven that.
Matt spoke,
"So, details, what's the job, who do I work for, and what does it entail?"
"Entail?" Tai repeated, "OK, the job is simple, you'll function as a small but integral part of a clandestine transportation network, designed to move VIPs, senior officials and anyone or anything we deem important"
"O...K" said Matt
"It's really simple, Matt, don't overthink it, as to who you work for, you work for the conglomerate known as Faraday Industries, although, you won't be able to claim that, it's all sort of complicated"
"So this thing is sort of like, a secret job?"
"No, nothing like that, think of it like this, you're an unofficial part of one of the world's largest corporations, now, why they need to do things like this, that I can't tell you, cause, I honestly don't know" he said smiling.
"I'm liking this more and more and more" he said, not too happy about the whole thing.
"Just relax, and follow my lead, oh, and don't piss these guys off"
"Why would I do something like that?" Matt replied
"Just...don't, all right?" retorted Tai.
"They made a right and pulled into a large parking structure, the type normally used for hospitals or large financial corporations. Tai drove all the way to the top level of the structure and parked at one of the corners.
"Open the glove compartment, and give me what you find inside the wooden box" Tai told Matt.
Matt pressed the button on the compartment and it slowly opened up, revealing a black rectangular wooden box. He opened it, quickly looked inside.
"What's wrong, Matt?"
"Tai, there's a gun in here" replied Matt, trying to control his voice, he cleared his throat, said,
"Why do you need a gun, Tai?"
"Cause the kind of job I do requires a gun" he replied, completely deadpan.
Matt held on to the wooden box, curious to open it once again.
"Go ahead" said Tai, "I know you want to"
Matt opened the box, and examined the gun. It was small, it probably couldn't fire too many bullets, yet it seemed appropriate for someone like Tai.
Someone like Tai. Who was Tai, and what was he really involved in?
No time to think, only to act.
Matt closed the box again, this time giving it to Tai, who removed the gun from the black foam which held it in place, he grabbed a magazine from the aforementioned box, he slid the magazine into the gun, pulled back on the slide to chamber a round and put the safety on.
One smooth motion. He'd done this before.
Matt couldn't keep his eyes off him.
"Matt"
Matt said nothing. He couldn't move. He didn't want to.
"Matt"
Tai had been telling him the truth. Tai grabbed him with his right hand by the shoulder, shook him,
"Matt, are we good?"
"Yeah" he said, nodding, now a little afraid of what was in store for him. Would he need something like that? What kind of organization did Tai work for?
"Follow me"
Tai pressed the button where the key should be, the car quickly responded,its powerful engine quickly purring down. He got out of the car, with Matt close behind.
In the distance, Matt spotted three large men, all dressed in suits, who were leaning on a black BMW that was parked in the same garage. They stopped leaning and began to walk towards the duo.
"Matt, be cool, ok?" said Tai, as he took out his phone.
The phone quickly scanned their faces and identified them as friendlies, referring to them as members of Bravo Company.
The one to the right quickly mimicked Tai's motion.
'I guess that's normal, something they have to do' thought Matt.
"Mr. Kamiya" said the one in the middle
"Carlos" replied Tai, "you are Carlos this week, are you not?"
Carlos, an older gentleman of hispanic accent smiled. His suit, a dark shade of green, was immaculate. It was also bulky, perfect for someone who wanted to hide something rather large.
He was clean shaven and in good shape. The other two were much younger, but in similar shape.
"Is this the guy?" said the one with the phone. An odd fellow. He was wearing a gold tie clip, red tie, white shirt, black suit. Odd fellow.
"Yeah" responded Tai, as he looked at Matt from head to toe, asked, "what's wrong with him?"
"He looks like a japanese pop star" he replied as the other two laughed at his remark.
Taichi smiled, said,
"He was a pop star, fool, now he's one of us, except he's a civilian contractor" replied Taichi.
"A civilian?" said the other one. He was wearing a brown fitted suit. He had no accent, but still looked of hispanic accent. They seemed out of place in a country like Japan.
"I don't like civilian contractors, Tai, they're...troublesome" replied Carlos
"I realize it's unusual, but we can use him, and I'll take full responsibility, just in case something happens"
"Alpha won't be pleased, sir" said the one with no accent
"What do you think, Martin?" said Carlos, asking the one with the tie clip.
"The pop-star look's got to go, but if Tai says he can drive, and he's discreet about it, I don't have a problem"
He turned around to the other one, the one with no accent. He smiled, and nodded. There was nothing else left to be said.
Carlos nodded back.
'Am I really getting the job, just like that, no interview, no questions?' thought Matt.
"All right, Matt, I'm gonna go, Carlos here will walk you through the rest of your day, and if you've got any issues at all, give me a call, I won't be too far from your location, take care, brother" said Tai, and walked away, back to his car. Leaving Matt with his new employers and completely in the dark about where to go next.
"What's your name?" inquired Carlos.
"I'm Matt, Matt Ishida"
"Alright, Matt, I'm gonna make a few assumptions about you" said Carlos as the other two went in the opposite direction, leaving Carlos and Matt alone. Carlos began to walk, and motioned for Matt to follow him.
"You've never done this before, you've no idea what a civilian contractor is, and you're still doubting yourself as to whether we carry guns for our safety or for... other purposes"
"You took the words right out of my mouth, sir" said Matt, a smile on his face.
Carlos smiled. He liked this kid. Put his arm around him, said,
"You are now a part of a clandestine network that's designed to rapidly mobilize hundreds of people at any given time, your job is to get these people from Point A to Point B, by any means necessary, what we do isn't exactly kosher, but it's a necessary evil, I'm sure that Tai's explained to you that some of our clients are less than reputable"
"Less than reputable?" asked Matt
"Yeah, nothing in this world is black and white, kid, but you don't have to worry about that, most of the time, you won't be talking to any of your passengers, in fact, we would prefer it if you didn't get to know any of the people that get in your car at any given time"
"O...K, kind of an unusual request but I can dig it"
"This is your car" said Carlos as they stopped in front of a white Mercedes Benz E Class.
"This is my car?"
"Well, this is the automobile you'll be driving most of the time, sometimes you'll be driving other vehicles for your safety and the safety of your passengers"
"Wait, you mean to tell me, you don't care at all that I've never done something like this?" Matt asked, a look of bewilderment on his face.
"Tai says you can drive...and we tend to trust him around these parts, he's the kind of person we take at his word"
"Just like that?"
"Just like that" said Carlos, "here are the keys" and gave him an electronic key, "We request that you do not damage it too much, we know that 'incidents' will happen but as long as the car can make it back here, we're all square, questions?"
"Umm..."
"Oh, one more thing, inside the car is your mobile device, whatever happens, under no circumstances are you to lose your mobile device, it would be...unpleasant"
"Got it, don't lose my phone" said Matt.
"OK kid, that's pretty much it" and with those words, Carlos got into his car and drove away.
Matt pressed the unlock button on his key and the car's lights flashed. He opened the door and got inside. The leather was cool and comfortable. He closed the door and saw the mobile device on the passenger seat. As he picked it up, the glass screen on it immediately lit up and he saw himself on it, it quickly scanned his face and unlocked, revealing a strange OS. The device was unlike anything he'd ever seen, made entirely of glass possessing no buttons. He'd seen Tai with one, but had refrained from asking him where he'd gotten it or what it did. Now he had one. It was a touchscreen device, as he quickly discovered it's functions. The phone rang and he pressed the green button.
"Hello?"
"Mr. Ishida, you are to drive to Narita International Airport and wait for a woman named Alice. You are not to speak to her unless spoken to first, the device will direct you where to go and what to do, if you require assistance, don't hesitate to ask for it" a female voice said.
The screen switched to a aerial view of the city that resembled a GPS. It was a GPS.
'How is she going to recognize me?
The answer didn't matter. He pressed the ON button on his car and as the car purred on, he quickly drove away, his first of many fares.