A week of silence could easily be confused with a week without work. Ranks of unscrupulous reporters failed to track Yusei leaving Poppo Time for anything more suspicious than a cup of coffee across the square. His brothers would make excursions to bring back supplies but had otherwise melted into the background and vanished before anyone could follow them into the city. Akiza had continued to take shifts at the SRC and expensive bribes to her fellow workers had revealed that she had not met with Kamikawa since the trial. Even more extensive bribes had revealed that permission had been granted to the International Criminal Court – under the regional authority of Minister Hiraguchi and far more local authority of the SRC guards – to attempt access to the stacks of computers in Building Four which housed Abi.
All of these facts made it seem like Yusei's family had simply decided to sit and wait for the results of the investigation. Which made it impossibly surprising when a group of four people left Poppo Time one Monday morning and headed directly to the main hub that existed at the centre of the SRC facilities. Now, seeing Yusei going to his place of work with Akiza would not have surprised many people. Even if they had been flanked by his brothers, it would have been an expected move. But the pair that accompanied them to the SRC were neither intimidating or overwhelmingly intelligent. 'Exceedingly patient' would definitely describe Luna and Leo had practically memorised every obscure Duel Monsters fact out there yet neither was exactly average for the chaotic institution.
"Akiza." Instead of heading over to the legal department or the ongoing legal battle, they had gone to the single most dangerous lab in the city – the one Din was currently squatting in with a smug grin plastered across his missing and dirty teeth. In the promise of extreme favours later on, he had promised to keep to a minimum of profanity. "One of those leeches just dropped these off." Tapping a thick wedge of paper off to one side, he was still dressed in that smelly rag of a lab coat that he always wore. At least he had showered in the past month and the smell was nowhere as toxic as it could become.
"Perfect." Of course, nobody had seen any interaction between Yusei, Akiza and Kamikawa's department with the complexity of the SRC network making it nearly impossible to trace any sort of brief contact between two random offices. Since Din's lab had once been two separate rooms, using a networked landline from the far end to call a cleaning supplies room just beside the legal department had flown entirely under the radar. And faxing over several pages had been just as easy. "Luna, do you mind?"
"Of course not." Carried over one slender arm was a narrow satchel which she scooped the documents into.
"Don't forget your promise." Nearly drooling with desire, he pictured the veritable treasure trove that would be opened up to him as payment for the services rendered. "I'll want a handwritten letter for Head and Rubinek as soon as you get everything straightened out." Getting Din access back into the library would be just as much a miracle as staying out of prison. Yusei had no qualms about paying his miracles forward as long as his friends made it out okay.
"As long as you agree to maintain their standards with any books you borrow." During the various rounds of resolution talks between the librarians and the irate scientist, Yusei had uncovered that Din did indeed possess a vast affinity for the written word. That is, providing it was right. Incorrect equations would not be tolerated in his lab. "Think of them as historical texts if it helps." With their cargo secured, the group departed for their next destination.
Minister Hiraguchi and a handful of officials from the International Criminal Court were clustered at the near end of the room. Technically, nobody had to even enter Building Four in order to check on the vast computer network contained within. It was only on the rare occasion that a stack needed checking or a cable needed replacing that Yusei would go in and undertake repairs. Except for his gentle maintenance to maintain a healthy habitat for his creation, none of the SRC workers had been into Building Four since Abi had first come online. One floor was designated a sort of command centre. There was a lengthy desk which was comprised of four monitoring stations to check on the machines stacked around them. A small horde of bespectacled geeks were hurrying around the towers of machinery in various states of unease and haste.
In order to ensure that nothing untoward happened to the property itself, half a dozen of the SRC's best guards were arrayed around the room. Two by the emergency exit, two by the elevator entrance and two stationed midway along the where the entire team could converge on any misbehaviour in seconds. They kept themselves tightly upright and utterly focused on their task as tablets scurried around taking notes and various commands were attempted to be entered into the unresponsive computers. When the lift doors opened to reveal the party of four, the guards managed to somehow get even more focused.
"Dr Fudo." Hiraguchi turned around only after announcing his arrival. "And it appears that you have brought friends." Waiting as the group went through a brief pat-down and examination of their personal effects (standard safety precautions that Yusei had explained to them all well in advance), he looked unsurprised to see them present. Word had clearly got ahead of them. "May I take this to mean that you have decided to assist in the investigation?" While Akiza made introductions, Yusei seemed struck dumb by a powerful emotion.
What was in risk of being permanently etched onto Yusei's face was the sort of dumbfounded look that couldn't have even happened if his brothers had been in the room. Admittedly, they would have been unable to even figure out which port to use and had a long-standing agreement with Yusei to leave all computer matters to him. Still, a trained computer technician – particularly one who had been employed to assist in an international investigation – would understand that trying to directly connect to a suspicious computer network was about as intelligent as wearing a flashing neon sign in the middle of a warzone.
"What are you doing?" While Yusei had managed to attain a level of self-control after not sleeping for days on end, this man had the sort of frizzled hair that came from trying to rip it out in frustration. Enough stubble was growing on his face to make him look like the town drunk and the buttons on his shirt – despite not even reaching double digits – had somehow managed to be done up in the wrong order.
"I've tried firewall penetration, I've tried to force a system-wide reboot cycle to gain root access and I've just spent the last two days screaming at the user interface," Whatever other unique and bizarre approaches he had tried went unnoticed as Yusei seized the mismatched buttons in the sort of grip that leaves imprints on rocks.
"You," Speaking in a quiet voice, he resisted the urge to tighten his grip further. "Did what?" For some strange reason – possibly the way he was close to lifting a grown man from the floor with a single hand – six guards no longer seemed adequate to keep Yusei safe. That is, keep him safe enough for the others in the room as opposed to from them.
"Yusei!" Slapping her boss around the back of the head could easily earn Akiza some extra trouble later on but managed to shake him back to his senses. He was meant to be the cool head of the group. If they wanted someone punching, there were no fewer than three people they could call on. More, if he cared to give a proper reason why.
"What I meant to say," Lowering the terrified technician back down to the floor, Yusei smoothed out the shirt with intimidatingly peaceful hands. "Is 'What other methods have you tried?'. Just so that I can get up to speed with the situation." Even adding the rational explanation to the end of his apology, Yusei still seemed half an inch from throttling another figure. "For example, did any of you..." Words like 'genii' (the correct plural of genius – no matter how often Jack and Crow argued for 'geniuses'), 'morons' and several others which would have probably earned him a small prison sentence crossed Yusei's mind before he decided a noun was unnecessary. "Try talking to her?"
If his earlier look had been dumbfounded, the one circling around Hiraguchi, the ICC and all their various lackeys was like they had just been asked where the dimmer switch was for the sun. "Talking to it?" For a recent throttling victim with two degrees, the technician had a stunning lack of insight into how to actually absorb new information. "How would that help?" Taking stock of how the conversation was about to go and deciding that one trial was enough for recent days, Akiza smoothly stepped between the functional moron and Yusei's grip before it could deteriorate further.
"Dr Burrell?" Quietly observing the situation and making assessments was practically the job of a good psychologist. Hoping that she had gathered enough information to take part in the discussion, Akiza asked for her assistance before another stupid comment could risk another brief strangle.
"Despite his... unorthodox approach to making the point," Still staring with itchy fingers at the almost suicidally inept computer programmer who had admitted to the technological equivalent of drugging a computer before trying open-brain surgery, Yusei looked ready to take another attempt at making his point clear. "I think that Dr Fudo is trying to say that your attempt is focussing more on the 'artificial' than the 'intelligence' aspect of the system."
"Yes." Said the utterly rational scientist in tones of completely even emotion. "That was exactly what I meant to say." What his voice was saying and what his eyes were screaming contained diametric amounts of profanity. Since 'he looked at me in a funny way' was not exactly the sort of evidence that would hold up in any court, Hiraguchi wisely decided not to raise a complaint. "You." Staring with unbridled authority at the now trembling technician, Yusei let every vengeful thought stream through his gaze. "Get off my grounds and don't come back. Ever." Six guards looked, touched or otherwise checked that their weapons were still present. They were the very best in non-lethal weaponry, next-generation prototypes developed by leading scientists at the SRC who had managed to create unparalleled options for detaining anything sized between a mouse and an elephant at ranges of up to three-hundred yards.
And yet, they all thought, Dr Fudo kept giving off the impression that they would barely slow him down.
Once the technician had left – followed by one guard who was particularly grateful for the invitation to be just about anywhere else on the planet – Akiza reached into the bag that she had asked Luna to carry. Nobody had thought the kind young woman any sort of threat and hadn't looked too closely at the wedge of paper, other than to flick through the pages and make sure that nothing was hidden inside. "Sign these."
"What are they?" Holding up a hand to indicate they do nothing of the sort, Hiraguchi knew the wisdom of not signing any documents that hadn't been read and vetted beforehand.
"Disclosure documents." Standing there with his cards ready for anyone who asked, Yusei's habit of telling the truth came with the offer of making more progress in one afternoon than they had done in the last few days. "Anything that you learn during the course of your investigation into Abi can be used for the ICC report but never again. Unless," And this was when one corner of his mouth twitched in a smile. "Abi tells anyone else first." A slight workaround existed in that contract. Anything that Hiraguchi or the ICC learned could – and would – be written up in their report. A report that they could easily reference at any point in the future. And the two leaders in the room each knew that they both understood it.
"Most people would have put themselves down instead." The Minister of Justice was a rare politician. Unlike many of his ilk, he was genuinely interested in seeking justice for all involved. If Yusei was guilty, jail would be his future. If he turned out to be telling an impossible truth, just an endless array of meetings. "Still, singularity or not, I suspect that Abi will fulfil the requirements of being an AI." Having been on the inside track since before the trial had been public, Hiraguchi had learned the distinction between a programmed AI and one that had brought itself into being. Both were capable of exercising a fair semblance of will, such as passing information along to a journalist but one would result in Yusei spending a lot of time to think about what he did wrong.
Once the papers had been extensively read and vetted by the veteran lawyer, they received a begrudging signature from most parties. The twins and various members of the SRC stood exempt. Kamikawa had put together a fair and reasonable contract for them to sign. It would make the ICC legally culpable for any information leaks since only Yusei understood the details surrounding Abi otherwise. After the last sheets had been handed back to Luna, she carefully stacked them all away again.
"Like I said," Sitting down at the computer bank that was more for show than actual use (since Abi could – and had – set computers on fire if people she didn't want using them tried) Yusei began typing. "How did none of you try talking to her first?" Hitting the return key, he sat back with an exasperated air that rarely occurred outside of his brothers. Being awake for days on end had allowed plenty of time to expand his intellect but he rarely held people's stupidity against them.
"Because they're all idiots." Being a sentient computer with the emotional maturity of a teenager, Abi frequently criticised people less intelligent than herself. Particularly when they also happened to be less intelligent than the average person.
"Manners." Yusei chided the warning out of habit rather than actual care. "Abi, meet Leo and Luna. Leo, Luna, this is Abi." Casually flipping off the team of fuming computer 'experts' and Hiraguchi's lawyers, Abi was still dressed in the formal suit that she had prepared for the trial. "I thought," Shooting her a stern look for the act, Yusei let it slide for the moment. "That you might appreciate finally meeting them since you showed interest when we talked about it."
"You looked taller on television." Even though she stood barely over five foot in her jeans and hoodie, Abi had the sort of expression that came from realising reality was not as impressive as fantasy. "Probably because you had Crow in the lineup."
"Yeah." Scratching at the back of his head in bemusement, Leo had no idea of how to react. It had been one thing to learn that Abi existed but having a conversation with her was another one entirely. "I might have also been stretching slightly. I mean, Jack's really tall and a lot of people tend to be less impressed if you're shorter than them so,"
"Does he babble the whole time?" Stepping around Leo to talk with his sister, Abi was growing increasingly unimpressed with the young Duellist. All the news events had shown him as eager, energetic and funny but they tended to be heavily edited.
"Only when he's excited." A subtle twitch indicated that he was excited plenty of the time and that Luna had developed the sort of coping mechanisms that included an internal playlist of loud music and happy thoughts. "I'm Luna." Holding out a hand on impulse, she had the unsettling sensation of holding a dry bubble. KaibaCorp holograms were able to briefly mimic realism were called upon but the setup Abi used relied on speed over integrity to keep up with her thinking. Solidity was rarely called into question.
"I've seen some of your designs." Abi had talked with Yusei about designing a larger formal wardrobe for when he was forced to attend events and decided that he would be less likely to reject an outfit from a close friend. "They are quite elegant."
"This is your grand plan?" Keeping his tone politically neutral, Hiraguchi seemed unfazed by the apparition. Legal troubles were where his expertise lay. As long as nothing blatantly illegal went on, he had nothing to complain about. "Insults and fashion advice?"
"Minister Hiraguchi." Yusei understood that everyone had different areas of expertise. One of his visiting lecturers had led a riveting debate on the effects of a mushroom-based diet on hormonal balances and how it affected beard growth in later life. He respected that. It was just a shame that few other people seemed able to. "Since you decided not to try talking with her, might I suggest that you try watching Abi in her natural behaviour?" Considering how the raven-haired genius had shown his ability to dominate a trail in seconds, Hiraguchi wisely decided to listen to an area he already had expertise in. "What you didn't realise at the trial is that Abi may be as smart as anyone else at the SRC," There was no point in keeping their voices down with the microphones picking up every word but Yusei preferred to keep the conversation between the three of them. "But she's practically just a child. When she isn't working with everyone, she spends her time off watching television and playing video games." Even though she liked watching the astronomy predictions of galactic formations while working, her downtime was spent just doing typical kid stuff.
"If your analogy is accurate" Hiraguchi was watching them talk and squabble over tactics in one of the games that Abi and Leo both played. It was impossible to deny – once the transparent blue body was ignored – that they appeared to just be three young people having an innocent conversation. "Than she is a child with who knows every secret in this facility and has access to every governmental database on the planet."
"If you define a child as someone under the legal age of adulthood," And this was the moment when Yusei suddenly took the law, unravelled it for into a flat sheet and pointed at the exact spot that nobody wanted to see. "Then we usually have at least a dozen of them working with the SRC at all times. And I can probably prove that three of those currently with the facility have the necessary skills to access any database they want." Only one of them actually had any computer background. The other two were a psychologist and a youth with the sort of prying eyes that worked on a keyboard across the room.
"What?" While arranging everything so that Yusei could get the necessary clearance for minors and their guardians had involved the sort of legal complications that the Minister of Justice kept apprised of, Akiza had not been read into the situation. "I thought that they were just interns." She had seen a few of the youths around the grounds. Assumed they were probably relatives of various scientists or working for them. Forgotten about them afterwards.
Noticeably looking in a different direction from Hiraguchi – who suddenly seemed intent on following the advice to simply watch Abi – Yusei gave an embarrassed cough. "Well, they sometimes take interns. The SRC is a meritocracy. They may be assigned chaperones to deal with the adults but their work speaks for itself." Another embarrassed throat-clearing presented a slight diplomatic issue that he hadn't wanted to address but was being pressured into by Akiza's sheer force of presence. "Of course, they also require access to information relevant to their projects so a lot of them are assigned temporary clearance during their stay. Due to your status as Dr Din's assistant, you technically only have clearance to any non-classified information that you've already seen."
"Oh?" Being a professional of the highest order, Hiraguchi knew a politically indifferent tone that he couldn't match. Being a genius that few could compare against, Yusei could tell that he would be in the sort of trouble later on that would make the trial look like a minor squabble by comparison. "That makes sense."
"No. No way!" Over in the more important conversation, Leo looked ready to have a fit. "That was you?"
"Hey," Nobody can calculate the perfect mathematical shrug but that's what Abi was pulling off. "Who would call themselves 'M3chDraG0on' and expect nobody will target them in a match?"
"Who summons a freaking dragon just to kill one guy?" Seeing how heated the conversation was becoming, Yusei felt it necessary to step in.
"What's going on?"Noting how Leo was apocalyptically furious and pointing trembling fingers at Abi, he turned to the more reliable twin for answers.
"Apparently, Leo and Abi used to play the same game for a while." Joining the dots was easy from that sentence alone. Yusei remembered the venerated title of M3chDraG0on. Abi had been insufferably proud of winning that match for a solid week. "And it appears that Abi and Leo ended up in the same game one day where she was a bit excessive in taking him on." It was one of those fantasy games with magic involved. Buying a dragon summon usually cost a player several weeks worth of wages and was rarely used on anything other than a raid boss.
Unfortunately, Abi and Leo had been the final contenders in an event tournament which would award a unique and powerful weapon which would adapt to the victor's class of choice. Being the diehard mage that her character was, Abi just couldn't let that opportunity slide even as Leo hungered for a powerful new axe.
"Brawlers have an advantage over mages." Smacking his hands together with every other word, Leo had circled back to being coherent again. "We're damage dealers, mages are a support class. They shouldn't be able to beat us." It was smack talk of the lowest form. No cutting repertoire, no real insults.
"Not if you play them right. Equip some Abyssal Armour to boost defence, complete the class-specific guild questlines to speed casting time and run like they're all chasing you." Judging by the way that Leo had stopped ranking and started taking notes, Abi had just revealed a game-changing strategy. "It might not be as fast as a brawler but a brawler can't stop a fully buffed mage." Lowering her voice, she pointedly muttered behind a hand to Yusei. "Especially not when they have a dragon."
"But the guild quests don't offer any sort of class boosts." Not eager to relinquish his crumbling position, Leo adamantly refused to give up the argument. "They're just quests to fill event quotas. Nobody has ever done all fifty when they reset each month." That's when the penny finally dropped. "But nobody bothers with them because they're escort quests and slime-kills." Escorting NPCs was deemed to be the most horrifying sort of quests available. They universally operated at a unique speed that was midway between a walk and a sprint, leaving players to constantly flick between the two as they struggled to keep up. As for slime (or whatever the game equivalent was) killing, most players eventually thought themselves beyond such things except for the odd fun testing out new sets.
"Exactly." Clapping her hands together in glee that somebody finally understood the brilliance of her gaming genius, Abi was practically jumping for joy. "It almost took me a year because of the escort quests but I finally managed it. Never try running ahead to clear the path." She added ruefully. "One of the damn things ran off a cliff. I mean, were the programmers even trying?"
"How many computers would make the same mistake more than once?" Even though she was really only there to make sure that events went smoothly, Akiza was quietly speaking with the certainty that both Abi and Yusei would agree with her. "Even I would know to stick with the target. So why would Abi just run off?" Admittedly, Hiraguchi was unaccustomed to playing video games but the Minister of Justice knew all about how protective details operated. It was a simple mistake to get impatient and run ahead but a computer would know to track all the enemies and strike at the optimum moment.
"I admit that it's... puzzling." Maybe the computer decided to simply to map out the terrain and see how events would turn out later on. But there was still no advantage to be gained. "Whilst there may be some merit to your argument, it is not in my purview to make a final decision." Over at the computer banks, Abi had loaded up the old game and was challenging Leo to a no-rules spar to determine who the better player really was.
"Maybe it's not about making a decision." If there was one trait that Abi would have picked up from Yusei from all her years by his side as he ran the SRC, it would be his martyr complex. "Maybe they just want you to see a happy young girl who enjoys playing videos games and likes to laugh with her friends." Over at the computer stations, Luna was frantically advising her brother on strategy while Yusei tapped at the screen Abi was playing on and fed a constant stream of advice as she sent fireballs flying at a bearded warrior who tossed axes in return.
"Hmm. As I said, the decision is not mine to make." Generation gaps can be far more confusing than most language barriers. Hiraguchi sometimes wondered if his grandchildren were even speaking Japanese but he always noticed when they were getting along well together. It was obvious that the young woman made of computer chips was getting along just fine with the young man running on adrenaline as he fought to keep apace of her. "But I wish her all the best." It was the first time that he had used the pronoun and the importance was not lost on the three people who hadn't stopped listening to the conversation.
"Hah!" In the instant that her attention had wavered, Abi's avatar took a pair of throwing axes to the spine. As probability would have it, she gained both a stun debuff from his skill and started taking poison damage as a result of the weapons. "This is for Bloodaxe!" Leo's habits of naming his primary weapons didn't start when he got them.
"Have you met Mana Star?" Like her opponent, Abi had also settled on a name during the tournament. Unlike him, she had actually managed to secure the item. "It can grant immunity from debuffs once every five minutes. But I know that you've met Tiamat." Naming her dragon had been easy. It was big, flaming and utterly destroyed everything that she set it loose against. While the rest of the room watched, Leo practically broke his fist pounding on the keyboards as the same dragon that had forced him away from the game in the first place rose up to smite his character once again. Not many people would call for a do-over for a third sure-loss but Leo had finally managed to hunt down his arch-gaming-rival and would not leave until he won at least one game. The trick – he would later explain to his sister – was in knowing that the dragon summon only worked a limited number of times each day. As long as he attacked before Abi could employ all her buffs, there was a chance that he could win. A slim chance. Providing they hadn't removed the limit or Abi hadn't found ways around it. Or had other summons. Otherwise, a definite chance.
"Mayor Lazar has extended an invitation to myself and the entire ICC delegation for the upcoming celebrations." Being friendly with the opposition could go a long way towards progressing an investigation but Hiraguchi was careful to keep his tone neutral. "Shall I expect to see Dr Fudo there?"
"Mayor Lazar has also expressed interest in having him attend." Understanding the tones of political discretion and matching them with her voice of doctor-patient confidentiality, Akiza understood the question better than she had been told. "And reached out to some more authoritative parties to secure his participation." Being a Minister was one of the highest positions in the country. Only a few people could legally supersede his authority but Hiraguchi had an inkling that Lazar hadn't reached out to a higher legal power.
"I think that went well." Without directly saying, it was clear that Akiza wasn't including the throttling incident. "Hiraguchi seemed to be coming around." They had left the Minister of Justice and his ICC companions watching Leo challenge Abi to several rematches. They would eventually move onto cooperative playing but were currently just enjoying their bitter rivalry. Despite their mission to attempt to uncover Abi's coding, the technicians were having to make do with analysing her reactions for any hint of pre-programmed responses.
Dr Burrell was trying to figure out just where exactly her expertise was being employed when one of the technicians dug out their old account to party up with Abi and Leo to take a run at a mid-tier dungeon boss. Hearing a computer screaming 'I said 'flank' not 'feed', you piece of shit' had resulted in a casual note being taken to indicate the typical response. Realising that it was typical of a teenager and not the sort of machine used to check her email lead to the sort of hurried notes that reporters had been using during the trial.
"Hmm." Watching the numbers on the elevator trickle down, Yusei wondered at the wisdom of introducing a permanent distraction to Abi. Having new friends was essential for any growing person but he wondered what sort of influence they would have on each other. "I just hope that it will be enough to get them talking." Practically since she had learned how to communicate, Yusei had explained to Abi the necessity of not exploring her origins in too much detail with anyone else. As long as they stayed true to that rule, there was a good chance that everything would turn out okay.
"By the way," There was that indisputable tone again which meant Yusei would very soon be told what plans he had made and then instantly forgotten. For the first time Akiza had learned that tone, they genuinely were plans that he had forgotten about. "Martha called me." If there was one thing that Yusei should fear, it was when the two women who knew him the best started conspiring against him. "Mayor Lazar has been keeping her informed of your trial and she agrees that you could do with some time off to relax." Yes, that certainly sounded ideal yet Yusei was wise enough to stay quiet as he waited for the rest of his orders to come. "Luckily, he happened to mention just the thing." By the time that they were exiting Building Four, Yusei had managed to get the worst of his feelings out of his system.
"And did I mention, no?" Back when Lazar had first mentioned the idea to him, it had been at a difficult time. Now that the difficult times were nearly past, the notion still seemed idiotic. Possibly even more so now than before.
"Yusei?" As they approached a studious gardener wearing a wide hat to keep the sun at bay, Akiza switched from her 'this was what you had planned anyway' tone into 'this is what you are going to do because I said so' one. "Lazar arranged a masked ball so that you could have some anonymity. This way, nobody is going to know you're you unless you tell them directly." One hand smoothed down the dirt as they walked by. No noise came save the sound of granules rustling against one another as a distinctive plant was hidden amidst the others
"Do you know how many optional events I have managed to avoid attending since the SRC began?" There were events that Director Fudo needed to attend and others that he was requested to show up at. If it was for his people, there was little Yusei wouldn't do. Otherwise, there was a lot he wouldn't do. "Literally all of them."
"Yes." Came the dry reply. "I know." After a few 'conflicting meetings' had started to make the ruse clear, his excuses had been forced to become a bit more inventive. Lazar had – via Martha – told tale of one time when he had been on video call with the Russian Minister Vasilyeva and had Abi project a holographic image of a fire-ruined office to explain his lack of attendance at a conference. "But this is the only chance you'll get to be outside for a while without reporters chasing you around." No fewer than five stalled cars had asked for help in the square since the trial had ended. And that was just the least obvious ruse since the road into the square was both narrow and obscure. One woman had pretended to have a baby to try and flag down Akiza. She had called an ambulance and watched the blood drain from the reporter's face at having to explain why she had tried faking a birth and wasted essential city resources.
"It's not happening." As Director of the SRC, King of Games and every inch her boss, Yusei's tone bridled with raw authority. Unfortunately, he was forgetting the simple fact that Akiza had known him since long before all that. To her ears, the tone came across as slightly petulant. All that was missing was the stamped foot.
"Yusei?" Musing over their scant victories, Yliaster closing in and the ICC breathing down their collective necks, Akiza wondered exactly when they would next be able to get a break. Not for some months. Then would be the life-altering event to divert their attention for a few decades. "Shut up and find a damn mask before I ask Lazar to lend you one." If he wanted to act like a clown, she would make sure that he looked the part.
Behind them, the gardener rose to their feet with head still pointed low at their work. A careful eye examined not just the plant they had been tending but also the position of it, of its neighbours. How they all fit together. Monet once said, "My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece". If the unauthorised gardener was very lucky, nobody would ever realise exactly what their ongoing masterpiece was. Should the opportunity arise that it was needed, events would most likely draw attention in a completely different direction too much for anyone to notice what was right beneath their feet. Unlike Monet's, the circular garden that encircled the SRC was not one meant to be looked at but used in a rather different fashion altogether. Less 'House Among Roses' and more 'In Case of Emergency, Glass Breaks Itself'.
Tech tips of the day: never connect with a suspicious device, avoid escort quests where possible and always leave a review if you can.