hello, my friends! sorry it's been so long since i've posted, I just started my junior year and it is already crazy!
*All scientific information in this chapter is accurate. I have made certain that it is possible for the Yellowstone supervolcano eruption to produce a naturally occurring superconductor (rare-earth barium copper oxide, also known as ReBCO. it is the world's rarest superconductor-like the one Professor Granville had as a paperweight on her desk in the series-and insanely powerful).*
I hope y'all enjoy this chapter! should be fun! sorry it took me so long to write!
please everyone read and review! i would LOVE your feedback!
thank you my friends!
peace out!
—KAI—
The light is way too bright for my liking—it pierces through the shadows now dissipating from my vision and sends a throbbing pain through my skull. I don't remember hitting my head, but maybe I did and I have a concussion or something, which would explain the amnesia.
Suddenly, the light dims to a tolerable level, and a gentle hand rests on my shoulder. I slowly open my eyes all the way, and the blurriness clears from my vision as Tadashi's worried face takes shape in front of me.
"Hey, Kai," my uncle says gently, looking down at me concernedly. "You're in the hospital, but don't worry. You, Pippin, and Saber are all going to be okay."
I struggle to sit up, wincing as the movement sends a jolt of pain through my ribs. I realize suddenly that I'm surrounded by tubes and wires, with oxygen tubes in my nose, an IV in my wrist, and a clip on my finger. Baymax stands in the corner, eyes closed, screens showing heart and breathing rates pulled up on his front. Hiro and Momo are sitting in chairs next to my bed, looking just as worried as Tadashi, and Pippin and Saber are both passed out in beds. Pippin's forehead has been bandaged, Saber's arm is in a sling, and they both have oxygen tubes just like I do, but they're breathing normally and don't look badly injured.
"You should probably lay back down," Tadashi cautions. "You don't have any serious injuries—mostly smoke inhalation, as well as two broken ribs and a small strain of your gastrocnemius, but I wouldn't move if I were you."
"It's a miracle you're not dead," Momo tells me, taking my hand in both of hers, which are scratched and bloody. I look down at them, then give my sister a questioning glance.
"You were under a lot of glass," she murmurs. "We dug you and the others out—do not worry. All of us are safe."
I glance at Hiro and Tadashi, realizing that they have the same abrasions on their hands and forearms. They and Momo must have been so worried—they evidently dug through the rubble with complete disregard for their own safety.
"This is my fault," I mumble. "I…I missed the bus home, and I took a shortcut through Good Luck Alley. I saw a group of people—they were talking about a plan to assassinate Wasabi. I tried to run, but they caught me, and they asked me questions—they wanted to kill you guys, too. I told them I didn't know you, and they let me go—but they said if I warned Wasabi, I'd be punished. I didn't think there was any way they could know, so I went to the capitol building to tell him. He drove me home, but then we were attacked…" My voice trails off. "I'm so sorry, you guys. I put everyone in danger."
"Oh, Kai," Momo whispers. "This cannot be your fault. You were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time—no one can blame you for attempting to save Wasabi's life."
"You did save your siblings' lives," Hiro adds. "If you hadn't jumped with them, they probably wouldn't have been far enough away from the fire to survive. You tried to save your parents, too—you were a hero."
Oh my gosh—my parents!
"Are—are Mom and Dad okay?" I ask, my voice trembling.
A look of anguish passes over Tadashi's face. "Kai, the people who attacked your house—they—they shot your parents. It was fast. I promise they didn't suffer. I'm so sorry, Kai, but…they're gone."
Before I can even digest that information, Momo adds quickly, "I know this can't be easy, but it isn't right to keep it from you. Wasabi was just assassinated—by what we believe is the same group of rebels that attacked your home earlier tonight. I thought it was a diversion, but perhaps it was to prevent you from saying any more about their plans. Abigail Callaghan is now the governor, and she plans to reinstate the old Testing system."
"We do have some good news," Hiro says hastily, obviously trying to lessen the impact of the bombshells just dropped on me. "Tadashi and Baymax did a C-section, and they were able to save your baby brother. He's upstairs in the NICU right now, and it looks like he's gonna be okay. We were gonna wait until you woke up to name him."
I stare at everyone, mouth slightly open, as countless emotions rush through my body. It's mostly shock and sorrow—my parents and Wasabi are dead, but my baby brother is alive. My younger siblings are injured, and my house has burned to the ground, and the government has been taken over by rebels. How can this all happen so fast?
"I know it's a lot to take in," Tadashi says softly, putting a hand on my shoulder again. "But we're all here for you, and we won't judge."
All I can do is offer the doctor a weak smile, and then I promptly burst into tears. It starts out as full-blown sobbing, but then it calms into silent streams of water running down my scraped, stinging cheeks. Tadashi wraps me in a hug, and Hiro, Momo, and Baymax immediately join it.
Some people say they go numb when they hear about death and destruction, but not me. I'm prone to really strong emotions, and I can't keep these ones back. I cry for my parents, for Wasabi, for my siblings, for my tiny baby brother. I don't know how long I cry for, but the silence is broken by a small, weak voice. "Kai?"
I wipe the tears from my eyes, putting my grief aside for the moment so I can see my siblings. Saber is sitting up, staring at us with a look of confusion on her face, and Pippin is struggling to make it to the same position, his bright blue eyes exhausted and pained.
"Hey, you guys," I say as cheerfully as I can. "We're in the hospital—don't be scared."
Tadashi gets up, dragging his scratched hand across his eyes and going over to my little brother. "Hey, Pippin. How's your head?"
"It hurts," Pippin whimpers, rolling over and pulling his blanket over his head. "What happened?"
His baby voice is weak and pitiful, and I struggle not to start crying again. My brother is too young to have this happen to him—any of this. The concussion, the fire, the loss of our parents. Saber also seems too young, but at least she's more mature and able to deal better with this kind of thing. It's also not fair that our baby brother will grow up an orphan, never knowing his parents.
"Do you remember the fire?" Tadashi asks gently, and Pippin pokes his head out from under the blanket, nodding.
"You hit your head and got a concussion," Tadashi informs Pippin. "That's where your brain hits your skull and gets all scrambled. But don't worry—you'll be all better in about a week. Nothing's broken."
"What about Kai?" Pippin asks. "And Saber?"
"They're both okay," Tadashi assures him. "They've got some broken bones, but they'll be fine. You've gotta rest for a little bit, and then I have a surprise for you."
"Are Mom and Dad okay?" Saber asks, her dark eyes appearing to bore into Tadashi's skull. The doctor pales, his eyes shimmering, and I wonder if I should tell my sister.
"Saber," I whisper. "Mom and Dad…are gone. They didn't make it."
My sister doesn't even blink. She's one of those people who, when faced with trauma, either goes numb or starts raging and throwing things.
"How did it happen?" she asks, her voice deathly quiet. Pippin is staring at me, his eyes extremely round and bright. Hiro, Momo, and Tadashi are sitting perfectly still, and Baymax still appears to be sleeping.
"The fire was set by some…" I try desperately to think of a word, my voice shaking. "Bad people. They started the fire because I heard their plans in Good Luck Alley, and I told Uncle Wasabi about them. When they found out, they—they set the house on fire and killed Mom and Dad. Then they snuck into the capitol building, and…and…"
My throat closes up, and I duck my head, trying not to let the tears pricking at my eyes fall.
"They killed Wasabi," I whisper, and Pippin gasps.
"Where are they?" Saber growls, her chest heaving suddenly. "They need to be punished."
"We're gonna work on arresting them," Hiro promises, finally finding his voice. "Promise, Saber."
Pippin's lip is trembling, tears sparkling in his eyes. Ignoring Tadashi's caution from earlier, I drag myself out of bed and wrap my arms around Pippin, holding my little brother close as he starts to cry.
"I will kill them," Saber seethes, sounding much older than six. "As soon as I find them, I will make them pay for what they did to our family."
"I will help you," Momo agrees. "The rebels who attacked you do not deserve to live."
Perhaps trying to dispel the vengeance in the room, Tadashi says, "I think I have something that'll make you guys feel better. Do you want me to run upstairs and get it?"
I nod tearfully, trying to calm Pippin down as he bawls into my hospital gown. Tadashi leaves the room for several minutes, and then he returns with a small, bright box—an incubator. I gasp as I realize what's inside.
"This is your baby brother," Tadashi says, his voice cracking as he lifts a tiny bundle out of the incubator, wrapped in a white blanket. The baby has oxygen tubes in his nose and a tiny IV sticking out of his blanket, and he's really small, but he actually looks reasonably healthy. His skin is dark brown like Mom's, but much lighter patches—almost as pale as my skin—are present on his tiny face. His hair is fluffy and jet-black, sticking out at all angles, and his eyes open to reveal startlingly blue irises.
Tadashi places the infant into my arms, and Pippin and I both stare down at him with wide eyes. The baby sniffles a little, looking up at me, and snuggles closer to my chest.
I can't help it. I burst into tears. This tiny, perfect infant is my parents' last gift to their children, and it's so unfair that he'll have to grow up without them. He's so small, so vulnerable, and he will remind me of Mom and Dad every day.
Once I finally stop bawling, I hand the baby to Pippin, who asks, "What happened to his face?"
"Nothing, you idiot," Saber snaps, her normally prickly attitude made worse by the news of our parents' deaths. "He's got vitiligo. It happens, and he's still perfect."
I stare at my little sister, surprised at her protectiveness. Even ENTJs have feelings, I guess.
We all take turns holding the baby, and then it's time to name him. None of us have any idea what Mom and Dad wanted to name him, so we embark on a desperate search across the internet for baby names.
After several minutes, as I scroll through a list of names, one jumps out at me—Kusho. It's short, Japanese, and adorable. It fits with MacGuffin, too (if you're confused about this part, it's my parents' last name, but not mine. I still use Yashiki, because it's Japanese and it makes more sense since I definitely don't look like either of my parents).
I propose this name to the others, and Tadashi and Pippin instantly agree. Saber suggests that the baby's middle name be Rory, after Dad, and Momo points out that Kusho means faith, which we'll definitely need if we're gonna take the government back from the rebels.
"Kusho Rory MacGuffin," Momo whispers, cradling the baby in her arms. "He's beautiful. I'm glad to have a third baby brother—though I regret the circumstances."
She hands Kusho to me, and I hug my baby brother to my chest, touching my nose to his soft hair. He wiggles in his blanket, pressing his tiny face into my chest. The movement makes my apparently broken ribs ache, but I don't care. Kusho is perfect, and I want to protect him with my life.
After too short a time, Tadashi realizes it's two in the morning and insists we all go to bed, telling us that we can probably be discharged in the morning. The pediatrician carries Kusho and his incubator back up to the NICU, and then he, Hiro, and Momo leave to go home, leaving Baymax to watch over us.
Pippin and Saber fall asleep almost immediately, obviously exhausted, but I lay awake for several hours, alternating between crying into my pillow and staring silently at the moon.
Why?
I beg God for understanding, for peace, for comfort—and the latter comes. I know I'll see my parents again one day, no matter what.
But I get no answer as to why this had to happen, and deep in my heart, I wonder if I ever will.
The next morning, I get to go upstairs to the NICU and visit Kusho again. Tadashi says I can be discharged in a day or two—just long enough to get my oxygen tubes taken out. But for now, I'm just gonna hang out around the hospital. It's normal, though, so I'm fine with that. I did get to change into regular clothes—my hoodie and scrubs, of course—and they're a lot more comfortable than my hospital gown.
Thankfully, I don't have to drag an IV around the hospital—I got it out this morning. The oxygen tank is rather bothersome, but it's not terribly annoying. I'm really just impressed I wasn't injured worse—my injuries are fairly minor for everything I've been through.
Pippin and Saber made it out okay, too. Pippin has a concussion, but that's the worst of his injuries. All he really needs are Advil and oxygen tubes for a couple days, but then he'll be okay. Saber's arm is broken in two places from when we jumped out the window, and she also has a concussion, but it could have been a lot worse.
Honestly, I'm the most impressed by Kusho. I can't believe Tadashi and Baymax were able to save him—he's tiny, so tiny I can barely fathom it. He's healthy, but he's short and skinny for a baby, and he looks so small and innocent with the little oxygen tubes in his nose. I find it sad that all four of us have oxygen tubes, even the day-old infant. Kusho's lungs are a little underdeveloped, but Tadashi has reassured me that he'll be off the oxygen soon. He won't have to stay in the NICU for that long.
Sitting in the NICU, I stare down at Kusho, whose jet-black hair falls over his tiny face as he sleeps. My baby brother is the cutest baby I've ever seen—with the fuzzy dark hair, two-toned skin, and huge blue eyes, he has a look all his own. Kusho's skinny chest rises and falls evenly, his long eyelashes fluttering, and my heart melts all over again. He's so small—too small to do almost anything, even breathe on his own. I have to protect him.
As I'm sitting there, a terrifying thought occurs to me—what will happen if the rebels find out I'm alive? Will they keep coming after me?
Do I have to leave?
No, I decide. Not yet, anyway. If they start looking for me, though, I'm gonna have to get out of San Fransokyo—the rebels have proved that they're willing to kill anyone that gets in their way. If they're still after me, then my whole family is in danger, including Kusho, who can't protect himself. I'd have to leave to protect them all.
But where would I go? I'd either have to find another city or run away into the Wasteland, and then what would happen to my family? They'd think I was dead. Maybe it would be better that way, though—they'd be in less danger.
I shake my head vigorously, wincing as it aggravates my slight headache. What am I thinking? I'll deal with that if it comes to it. Right now, the most important thing is getting Abigail out of power and putting in someone who doesn't want to reinstate the old Testing system. I have to help Big Hero 6 with that. I'm being stupid if I'm thinking about myself.
Leaning back in my chair, I stare up at the ceiling of the NICU, wondering again why all of this had to happen. Why couldn't the rebels just sneak in and slit my throat? Why did they have to kill my parents, too? Did they even know that they would leave behind two young children and a baby who couldn't provide for themselves?
And how far are they willing to go?
—KONA—
I stare at the dark screen, watching the little red dot again. I can't believe it—Kai survived the fire, and now he's in the hospital. The dot that indicates his presence is moving around, indicating that he didn't just survive, he's not even fully incapacitated.
Sighing, I put a hand to my forehead. I can't believe that little spy got away from us—we burned down his house, for heaven's sake. Well, now he can't go around telling people our plans, but we've already executed the main one and I don't think he heard the others. Would it merit anything to tell Abigail that Kai is alive?
Perhaps so. Maybe then I can have an excuse to leave—I could offer to track him down. I don't want to be here anymore. Abigail has gone too far in her endeavors, and I don't want to keep killing people and burning buildings. The Onyx Rebellion needs to stop, and I might know how I can bring it down—or at least slow it down a little. But Abigail can't suspect anything, or she'll kill me.
See, Abigail has a legion of robots that she apparently keeps out in the Wasteland. I don't know where, exactly, but I do know how to power them.
Abigail is planning a mission into the Wasteland to retrieve a supply of rare-earth barium copper oxide, the world's rarest and most powerful superconductor. It'll power the robots, and they'll be unstoppable once we have the ReBCO. But if I were to go on that mission, I could destroy the ReBCO and stop Abigail from using it. Her theory is that the eruption of the supervolcano created so much pressure that it created superconductivity, and so ReBCO could have been formed naturally for the first time in history. Even if it's not ReBCO, though, there might still be other superconductors that could help us power the robots. If I can get there first, though…maybe I could stop it all. I'd need a master plan, though—which shouldn't be hard. I'm great at master plans.
Step one: talk to Nora. She's my best friend—she'd never sell me out, not even to Abigail, her older sister. Maybe Nora will agree to leave with me.
I power down the computer and stand up, pulling my hood over my head and letting my choppy money pieces of hair fall into my eyes. I like the dark, mysterious, edgy look—it suits me much better than wearing my jet-black hair long and flowing. I usually keep it in a braid, with small pieces escaping every so often. It frames my dark eyes well and complements my light brown skin, a result of my islander heritage. Despite that ancestry, though, I look nothing like the rest of my people, who are short and stocky. By contrast, I am tall and slender, with lean muscles from my years of karate training. I'd like to think I'm intimidating, with my glowing white graphene blades sheathed at my side at all times.
Slipping out into Good Luck Alley, I begin to walk down it, keeping close to the wall so the shadows will hide me. The day is overcast, with a light rain sprinkling my nose. As I walk, I touch the wristband in my pocket, running my finger over the familiar grooves, where the letters ISTP glow a faint yellow. I haven't worn it for a while, not since I joined the rebellion. No one knows I still have it—no one except Nora. Abigail doesn't like us to wear them, planning to come up with something more permanent when the old Testing system is reinstated—which will be soon, now that I come to think of it. Abigail's takeover is complete, with No-Ginger dead, and now she can do whatever she likes to San Fransokyo. I strongly suspect that her supporters on the city council voted in her favor when it came time last night to decide if she should take over the post of leader, leaving the others powerless to stop them.
But I've seen what Abigail is capable of—I can't let her rule San Fransokyo. She might even change the name back to Ashes, and that would demoralize a lot of people. Besides, she wants to use the robots to stamp out anyone who disagrees with her, even if they're innocent. I may not be great at connecting with other people or understanding how they feel, but I do know right from wrong, and this is undoubtedly the latter.
At the end of Good Luck Alley, I turn right, knowing that Nora is posted near the Bridge of Ubuntu, guarding it so people can't leave San Fransokyo. It's the only way out of the city, because on one side is the ocean, and on the other is the Dividing. It wasn't really intentional—No-Ginger just messed up while digging the Dividing, and now no one can cross it, which is why Ubuntu was built. But now, Abigail wants everyone to stay in San Fransokyo, probably so word doesn't get out about No-Ginger's assassination.
After about twenty minutes of walking, I come to the bridge, where Nora stands next to one of the huge carbon fiber pillars that stand on either side of the front of the bridge. Past that is a large expanse of carbon fiber, graphene, and silicone, then two more pillars on the other side. The Dividing cuts a hundred feet down into the pitch-black rock, and molten lava bubbles sluggishly through the jagged chasm.
"Kona," Nora greets me, inclining her head slightly as her turquoise eyes flash with recognition. "Do you have a message from Abby? Or did you just want to talk?"
"I bring a message from myself," I tell her. "So I suppose that, yes, I wish to talk."
I take a deep breath and look Nora in the eyes. "I'm leaving Onyx. I cannot do this anymore, Nora—we killed a most likely innocent boy's whole family, and No-Ginger's assassination—I could never do something like that again."
"Don't leave, Kona," Nora begs, her already-large eyes wide, and I'm reminded that she's only thirteen, two years younger than myself. "You're my best friend—my only friend besides Abby. I don't know what would happen without you. What about the ReBCO mission? I'm sure Abby will want us both for that."
"You can leave with me," I offer. "You must understand that Abigail's plan is dangerous and inhumane. She has conspired to kill all those who stand in her way, and you—a clear INFJ—must realize that taking innocent lives is not the right path. We could offer to go on the ReBCO mission and destroy the superconductor before Abigail can use it to power her robots. Please, Nora, come with me—I want your help with this mission. I know that you do not wish to take the lives of civilians."
Nora shakes her head. "No, I don't—but I can't leave Abby!"
"Once we destroy the ReBCO, perhaps we can convince her that there are flaws in her plan," I insist. "Nora, come with me. We can stop the Onyx Rebellion and try to make things the way they were before. This is not going to work—Abigail is too willing to kill innocents who stand in her way. We cannot allow her to do such a thing."
Nora stares at the ground, her shoulder-length, choppy black hair blowing in the wind, which is picking up. "Okay, Kona. I'll come with you. Just—promise me we'll try to talk to Abigail after the mission. We have to make her see that she's wrong."
"Of course I promise," I tell her, filled with immense gratitude. "If we are lucky, this will be over in a day."
"When should we go to Abigail?" Nora asks.
"Tonight," I decide. "There's something I need to do first."
I sit at the computer, researching ReBCO—specifically, how to destroy it. Apparently a high rise in temperature can break the superconductivity state—that or a decrease in pressure. But the eruption caused an approximately eight hundred and seventy-five thousand megaton explosion, producing nearly two billion pounds per square inch of force. That's over eighty-six times the pressure needed to create a superconductor—so relieving the pressure won't work. I'd need to make the ReBCO so hot that it loses its superconductivity. Maybe if I excavated it and threw it in the lava, it would become a normal rock—and even if it didn't, then it would be lost to the lava.
Navigating to my other screen, I check on Kai's little red dot. It shows that he's now at a small house, no longer staying in the hospital. I wonder whose it is—perhaps one of the three people who came to the fire scene to dig Kai out.
Deep down, I'm glad the kid survived. He seemed innocent enough—I believe that he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, and unlucky enough to be wearing a government hoodie. I don't think I'll tell Abigail about Kai—nothing would come of it.
I lean back in my chair, running my hand through my hair and letting my eyes unfocus. Maybe I should get some sleep before Nora and I leave—we'll be driving through the night.
I'm just about to drift off when, suddenly, a cold voice speaks from behind me. "Kahale."
Internally, I flinch at the use of my surname, but I show no sign of emotion, instead simply turning my chair around and standing up, dipping my head to the new governor. "Abigail. Or, should I say, Governor Callaghan."
"It has come to my attention that all may not be as it seems," Abigail says, her turquoise eyes—much like Nora's—boring into me. "For one thing, the screen behind you is showing that the little spy's tracker is still moving—meaning he is still moving. Meaning that he did not, in fact, perish."
"And this is my fault how?" I ask, trying to fill my eyes with ice.
"You know I do not condemn you for releasing him," Abigail reassures me. "All has turned out as it should. But why have you not told me that he is alive? I am shocked that you would break the trust we have established."
"Governor, I apologize," I murmur, bowing my head and lying through my teeth. "I only just realized this fact—I would have revealed it to you, I promise. You simply came to me before I could do the same for you. But what's done is done—why do you wish to kill him? No-Ginger is dead, and the spy's warning was too late."
"I have new plans for the boy," Abigail tells me. "I have done research, and his records indicate that he is indeed the sole survivor of the bombing of New Hiroshima—meaning that he knows Hiroshima Rising, and he will be a valuable resource in my quest to eliminate them. We will set out to find the boy tonight, and once we have him, we will extract the information from him, using whatever means necessary."
I shiver slightly, realizing that she will torture Kai if he won't give up information about Hiroshima Rising. Those seven—six, now, with the death of No-Ginger—are the largest threat to Abigail's governorship, and the most likely to attempt a revolution. I wouldn't be surprised if a second Eternal Flame formed.
"Before we go to find the boy, I will send the ReBCO mission out," Abigail declares. "If Hiroshima Rising arrives to protect or rescue the boy, we need the operatives to be long gone. I believe I will send my sister—"
"I ask that I be allowed to go as well, Governor," I request, bowing my head again. "You know I am our most skilled fighter, and my hacking talent will be valuable. I am also able to drive."
"But not without a trained instructor," Abigail reminds me. "And, in order to keep the mission inconspicuous, I do not wish to send more than two operatives. You are correct, though, that you are the most skilled operative I could send. Therefore, Kahale, you and Nora will be walking to the Mount of Destruction."
"But the journey will take at least a month, if not more," I protest. "How do you expect—"
"You will be able to be detected by radar if you take a vehicle," Abigail says briskly. "It will be much safer if you do not drive. Do not worry, I will be able to enforce rules here while you are gone. If needed, I can send you supplies with drones along the way. I trust that you will be able to complete this mission."
"I will," I tell her. "I promise, Governor, I will not fail you."
"I know you will not," she agrees. "You may gather your belongings. Be ready to leave at nine o' clock tonight."
I dip my head one last time as the governor leaves, then pull my hood back up and slip out of the base, pulling the tracking screen up on my phone.
Kai is in danger—perhaps he is not completely innocent, but he does not deserve to be tortured and then probably killed by Abigail. I have to warn him.
The rain pours down as I walk through the silent streets, heading for Kai's house—or, well, the house Kai is currently staying in, as we burned down his old one. I pass the still-smoldering ruins, the capitol building, the empty trolley car, and it strikes me that San Fransokyo looks more like Ashes than it has in eleven years.
I should have realized earlier that I don't want to go back to Ashes. I was only four during the Clearing, but I remember disliking the constantly gray sky and biodome—and the fact that I would one day be forced into a job. I only joined the Onyx Rebellion because I thought Abigail would protect me, that she'd be able to make San Fransokyo more enlightened, less ignorant. But now I see that if innocent lives are at stake, that is not worth the cost.
Water splashes under my foot, and I look down to see my fractured reflection in a swiftly deepening puddle, one that threatens to seep into my sock if I don't get out of it. I step backwards and look down at my soot-smudged face—the remnants of the fire are still there. I didn't like being the one that hacked the security of the house, opening the door so that Abigail could shoot the MacGuffins, so that Nora could throw the grenades. I never want to do something like that again—that's why I need to sabotage the ReBCO mission, so that no other lives are endangered.
I reach the house indicated on the tracking screen—it's much smaller than Kai's, but neat-looking and painted white. The mailbox reads Hamada—well, that's helpful. I don't know which brother's house it is. But I guess that doesn't matter. I just need to warn Kai.
Trying not to step in any more puddles, I walk up the rainy path to the front door and stand there, suddenly afraid. I very much dislike talking to people, particularly spies who haven't even seen my real face. But I have to do this—I can't let innocent people suffer.
I take a deep breath and knock.
