Chapter 10: The Pretender - Foo Fighters

Day 2: 07:32

John

John was enjoying the quiet sleep he was having. No dreams or nightmares. After getting home at 2 AM last night, he wanted to catch up on as much as he could. And he was truly enjoying that sleep.

Until his phone started ringing loudly next to him.

Groaning, he reached over to his side table and started fumbling to grab it. After two unsuccessful attempts to grab it, he finally got it. He didn't even look at the name on the caller ID, he just answered it blindly.

"Hello? This is John Br-" he began.

"John! You need to pick me up right now and take me to the police station!" Masko nearly screamed into his ear. The panicked and exasperated voice, compared to the normally quiet voice of Masako, was enough for John to sit upright in bed immediately.

"Ms. Hara, what's the matter? Are you in trouble? Did they come for you too?" he asked, already throwing himself out of bed to get dressed.

"No, I had a vision last night. I think I know where Naru and Mai might be though. I can explain on the way over, but my driver isn't expected to work today, and I need to give the police this information now and in person," she explained.

"Alright, I'm on it. I can be at your place in 10 minutes," he said, already scrambling to find the clothes he tossed off last night. This morning? It was all blending at this point.

-o-

The drive over to Masako's was quick even with regular commute traffic. She was waiting for him outside of her house and jumped right in when he pulled up. She gave him directions over to the police station and they were off.

"So what's going on? You had a vision? Like when Mai has hers on cases?"

"Yes, someone very important came to me last night. He thinks I can track Mai's spiritual energy signature. It isn't much and the further away she gets the harder it is to track. I have a general feeling of where she is, but I can't do this alone," she explained.

"Who came to you last night?" he asked.

"It's...hard to explain. There's so much that Naru hasn't told you that I've been sworn for so long not to disclose. It's hard to just...suddenly start saying everything." She cast her gaze out the window and John noticed her face looking miserable just in the reflection of that alone.

"Alright, Ms. Hara. I trust you."

"What? Just like that?" she asked, looking shocked at him.

"Of course. You're our friend and I know how hard this must be on you. It's hard on all of us right now. May I make a request though?"

"Anything."

"Let me go in with you to talk to the detective."

"...Yes. Thank you, John."

John felt his face heat up just slightly but put that on as the growing intensity of the situation. They pulled into the police station approximately 20 minutes later. He helped Masako out of the car and they both walked into the station together. After going through security, and getting information on the location of the ongoing crime division, the two of them navigated the halls of the building. There was a center desk being manned by one police officer typing away at a computer. Upon the two of them approaching, she promptly stopped typing.

"Good morning, how may I assist you today?" she asked.

"Good morning ma'am. We need to speak with Detective Yojiro immediately. We have some information about the missing person's case. We're friends of the victims and have information that may lead to their whereabouts," Masako said, completely straightforward and to the point. John was impressed. She hardly flinched or wavered in her speech.

"Detective Yojiro? Let me see if he's available." After a few minutes of typing, she picked up the phone and started to make a call. "Hello, sir? Yes, there are a couple of people here who are requesting to speak with you. They say they have evidence for that new case you are investigating. Yes, the missing person's case. Roger that." She hung up the phone and turned to them. "Detective Yojiro will be here shortly to escort you two back."

"Thank you miss," John replied with a kind nod.

It didn't take long for Detective Yojiro to make their way out to the front area and lay eyes on the two. He walked over and bowed respectfully. "Ah, Miss Hara, Masako, and remind me your name again sir?"

"Father John Brown at your service," he replied.

"Father huh? You seem young, and you're not from around here?"

"No, I come from Australia. I work with Mr. Shibuya and Miss Taniyama," he replied.

"Pardon the interruption sir, but I am the one with new information about the two and I'd like to discuss this privately but promptly," Masako interjected.

It was obvious to John at that moment just how much Detective Yojiro did not want to speak with her. The way his calm demeanor fell from his face a little and how his eyebrows furrowed in just a little bit more told John this was not going to end well. But as quickly as his facial features changed, they quickly went back to being neutral.

"Of course, right this way," he replied walking towards a series of cubicles further back. After a minute of walking, they come across a larger cubicle that has the Detective's name on the outside and the two are ushered inside. "So, you two have some new evidence?" he asked as he grabbed his notebook and pen. "What do you got for me?"

John was just about to speak up when Masako sat up straight, looked Detective Yojiro in the eyes, and said the following:

"Sir, as you are aware from yesterday I am a profound spiritual medium. This is going to sound strange to you, I know, but I received a vision last night that pointed me in the direction of Mr. Kazuya Shibuya and Miss Mai Taniyama. I have been given the ability to sense the spiritual energy and signature of Miss Taniyama and have a general knowledge of where they have been taken. I need to ride with you and some of your officers to go find them."

John could feel the heaviness of those words completely drown out the world around them. He noticed the Detective wasn't writing anything, but just staring down at his blank paged notebook. The air around felt heavy enough to choke, and John alleviated some of the tension by lightly coughing. Masako stood, or in this case, sat, her ground and held firm where she was sitting.

Finally, the Detective sighed, "Miss Hara. I'm sure you are aware of the gravity of the situation that your coworkers are in, correct?"

"Yes, sir I am. That is why I am here," she replied.

"Alright let me ask this: where are the cameras?"

John looked as puzzled as Masako did. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, the hidden cameras? Is the TV crew nearby? Filming my reaction or something? I mean, is he even a priest? Or is there some hidden camera on him?"

"I beg your pardon sir, but I don't know what you are talking about," John replied.

"It's obvious to me that you're seeing this as an opportunity to boost your ratings, am I right? You come into the police department, try to say all this spiritual crap, and then try to save your friends by having the police team up with the famous Masako Hara: Spirit Medium through the power of what, spiritual guidance? You make the news headlines when the people are found and bam, your number of viewers skyrocket. Am I getting this right?" he sneered leaning back in his chair.

John had never seen Masako get so angry in just a few short seconds. "No, this is not some cash grab, this is not being recorded, I am trying to save my friend's life!" she asserted. "I know a general feeling of where they are, and the longer we wait around doing nothing, the harder it becomes to zone in on their location and spiritual signature!"

Detective Yojiro leaned forward and slammed his hands on his desk. "And I'm telling you that you're nothing but a TV hack for kids and stupid people to watch on nighttime television! Ghosts and spirits and mediums. Talking to the dead. We all know its special effects. But guess what, you're in my police department. And there has been an actual crime. I don't need you wasting any more of my time!"

"Sir," John interjected, "I am a priest, albeit a young one, and I have worked with Miss Hara on many cases before. Dangerous ones at that. I've trusted her judgment before and I am willing to do that now. If she says that she can help find our friends, then I think you should listen to her."

If John had looked over at Masako at that moment he would've seen her blush and resign herself back in her seat a small bit. However, he didn't; and so that moment passed over his head before she regained herself.

"I don't care. I'm not going to waste any more of my time or the short time your friends have by entertaining this notion. Unless you have some actual evidence to offer up on how to find them, I'm going to have to ask you two to leave," Detective Yojiro said with a huff and shut his notebook with just a little more force than was needed.

Masako and John stood up and made their way out of his cubicle. Masako walked as daintily and poised as she always did with John following in step beside her. They made their way out of the police station and to the parking lot. He unlocked his car and opened the passenger side door to let her in. She slipped inside, so he closed her door and quickly made his way over to the driver's side. The silence was harsh. They sat there in the car not saying a word to each other for what felt like an eternity but was, in fact, only 30 seconds.

"They always do this…" Masako whispered.

John looked over at her and through the reflection of the window saw silent tears streaking down her face. It crushed his heart.

"They always think I'm just some joke. That I'm just a fake trying to fool everyone. I'm not. I've nearly been killed doing this job and everyone says I'm a fake. My friends are hurt and scared and even the police won't believe me." She turned to look at John. "I'm not lying, John."

"I know you're not. I meant what I said back there. I've trusted you before, and I'll trust you again. If you got a vision and new abilities to seek out Mai's signature then we need to get moving," he replied. He began to buckle up.

"Wh-where are we going?" she asked, starting to buckle as well.

"To go get Ayako and Takigawa of course! We need to get some muscle and supplies if we're going to go rescue them. It's like the detective said, Naru and Mai are on a time limit. We need to move even faster if we're going to be successful."

The tears didn't stop flowing down her face but she did smile. It radiated warmth and made John start to blush. "Thank you."

-o-

On the drive through town, John had Masako call the others and inform the others. Yasu was at the hospital where Lin was taken and said he was currently in surgery.

"The doctors are estimating 12-14 hours of surgery. Seriously… There's a lot of internal bleeding and some of it in his stomach. I'll keep you all updated when he gets out and when he wakes up," Yasu had told them.

That left John and Masako going to pick up Takigawa and Ayako. They needed to grab their go bags and whatever weapons they could get their hands on. Ayako packed medical supplies that she had on hand but insisted on also stopping by the hospital where she worked. She went in with an empty backpack and 20 minutes later came out with it stuffed to the brim.

"Jeez Ayako you didn't need to rob your work for supplies," Takigawa teased.

"I didn't," Ayako spat back. "In hospitals supplies need to be kept fresh and up to date. These things are technically expired despite them never having been used. They were going to get disposed of anyway and we just kept them in a supply room for storage. It won't hurt Naru and Mai if we use it on them and the hospital won't be missing it."

Takigawa, upon hearing about the failed attempt at the police station and their role in rescuing Mai and Naru, decided to grab multiple knives and a baseball bat for good measure. Once everything was packed and ready, they headed off North and followed Masako's gut on this. Trying to give directions based on feelings, however… didn't always go well. When they were going in the right direction, that feeling of Mai's energy got stronger. But if they took a wrong turn, that feeling would dissipate and they would have to backtrack which made the journey even longer.

With all of the stops for gas, food, and just trying to find out where they were going, by the time they reached the very first location, an old-looking but semi-functional office-like building, it was already nearing 1800. The feeling that Masako had was stronger than ever though and she was sure this was the spot.

It was far out of the way and it looked like it belonged to a section of a neighborhood that had long since abandoned the area. The pavement in the roads was crumbling, power line poles were tilted and lines draped on top of one another, and debris filled the sides of the streets and in places just completely piled up. Dumpsters that were decades old were filled with trash bags and you could see gang tags on them and the sides of buildings.

"This honestly looks like a place we'd go if there was a haunting we'd need to exorcise," Takigawa commented.

"Masako, you're sure this is the place?" John asked standing next to her.

"Assuredly. I can sense Mai's energy as being strongest here," she replied.

"I hate to say it, but I don't think anyone's here. No vehicles, no lights, I can't even hear anything from inside the building," Ayako said looking up and around the building's front.

"Maybe they left before we got here?" Takigawa asked.

"There's only one way to find out. Either they're in there or they aren't. We'll never know until we go in," John said.

Takigawa and John got ready to go inside while Masako and Ayako stayed outside by the car. Takigawa was armed with his bat and John with a long hunting knife clutched in both of his hands. The two men stealthily and carefully made their way through the building. But just as Ayako had suspected, there was nothing. If anything it was too clean. John had noticed that with everything about the neighborhood and even this building itself being dilapidated and run down, the inside of this building seemed upheld and only slightly messed with.

The two of them looked at each other and sighed. "We should probably go get the other two," Takigawa said despondently lowering his bat.

"I'm on it," John replied and went to get Masako and Ayako. He made his way back to the entrance of the building and called out, "There's no one in here you two. Come on in."

When Masako got into the building though she started marching off in a direction of her own. John kept up with her and called for the others. They made their way to the back of the building where a solid metal door was ajar. Masako stopped in her tracks and addressed the group.

"This is it. This is where Mai's spiritual energy level is highest. It's radiating so much, I can feel it," she said, and John noticed she was trembling slightly.

John put his hand on her shoulder and lightly nudged her back so Takigawa could go in first. Takigawa promptly let out his frustration on this metal door and decided to kick it in. It swung open and hit the sidewall with a clang! The group was disheartened but not surprised to find the room empty. What hit John the hardest though was the smell of bleach products and other cleaning products.

"Do you all smell that?" he asked.

"Yeah, there's been someone in here recently, and they were cleaning something," Ayako replied.

"Yeah, but what?" Takigawa asked.

"You guys… there's a spirit presence here…" Masako said, her voice slightly wavering.

"Are you serious?!" Ayako exclaimed, "Can you tell if it's Naru or Mai?"

"It's not either of them. It's someone else. He's young, but certainly an adult. He feels...confused and angry. His death was recent."

"Maybe we should try to bring him out to talk to us?" John recommended. "It can't hurt to try."

"Yeah, I agree. I'm not seeing any leads in this place. Whoever this guy is, he could be our only clue to finding Naru and Mai," Takigawa agreed.

Masako and Ayako pensively looked at each other. After a few moments, they both nodded. "Alright," said Ayako. "You and John try to summon him and we'll try to commune with him."

"Ok, let's do this!" Takigawa exclaimed cracking his knuckles.

It took another 30 minutes for the two to get set up and focused enough to begin a summoning. It was the quickest that Masako and Ayako had ever seen the two focus to begin a summoning. John began to pray as Takigawa began to chant. Their energies combined and before long a spirit shimmered into existence. It was a faded, amorphous figure that shifted between colors of blue, blond, and grey, and felt as though pain and betrayal were radiating off of his spirit.

"Excuse me," Masako said carefully stepping towards the spirit. "My name is Masako Hara, who might you be?"

The spirit shifted slightly and moved towards her. "Satoshi. My name is Satoshi," he said, his voice fading in and out in a hollow echo. "Am I…? Am I dead?"

"I'm afraid so. Do you remember how you died? When you died?" she asked.

The spirit began to fume with colors of harsh green and red. It oozed hatred and everyone in the room suddenly felt sick. "That bitch! I didn't even realize she shot me until I felt trapped here!" the echo of his hollow voice was made of ice and made Masako shiver. Nevertheless, she pushed on.

"I'm so sorry Satoshi," Masako said softly. "We're only here to look for our friends. If you died here recently, you might know of them? Kazuya Shibuya and Mai Taniyama?"

The second she said their names, the spirit went black and red in anger. Its amorphous form began to undulate and ripple as if trying to force its way into reality. The others in the room began to take a few steps back, but Masako stood her ground. "I'm not telling you anything! It's because of those two that I'm dead. I'm TRAPPED here in this place forever!"

"We can set your soul free if you would like. We can free you from this place, but we need information first. Your spirit…" she trailed off trying to find the right words.

"Your spirit is holding onto feelings of betrayal at the moment of your death. If you tell us what you know, we can help you pass on and leave this place," John quipped striding up next to Masako.

"You mean...you mean if I tell you what happened, I'll be free?" Satoshi asked.

"Yes. We can promise you that. I'm a priest and we are all spiritual experts," John replied.

Satoshi seemed to ponder this for a minute. "Alright. I mean it can't hurt to finally tell someone. I mean, I'm already dead, it can't kill me any further." he paused as if to collect his thoughts. "I am, well, I guess I should say was, a member of the yakuza. I worked for a man named Akio Himura. Although he was my boss, he's recently been in collaboration with Alaina Sullivan. She's a leader in The Westies. The Irish mafia. She's the one calling all of the shots on this one. We typically work in arms trading, not human trafficking. But she...she's a real piece of work. With the power that that kid is supposed to be able to possess, she said, "That kid is worth a thousand of your weapons. Imagine a weapon that you can sneak into any place. Go in completely naked and be the most powerful thing in the room. He is worth the trouble. The only problem? He can only use his powers if he channels it through another person of equal power. That's where the omnyoji came in."

"Lin Koujo," Ayako whispered.

"Exactly," Satoshi agrees. "Only, he got in the way, one thing led to another, and I ended up shooting the poor bastard. After that, it was a shit show. As I said, we don't deal in human trafficking. We knocked out the target and then when I tried to knock out the girl, she flung hot soup at me! Burned my hands and my face she did! So I knocked her out and decided to grab her too. Bitch had it coming."

Masako was pretty sure she felt everyone's pride in Mai swell at the thought of Mai fighting back as hard as she did. "What happened next Satoshi?"

"Alaina was not happy that we failed in most of our mission, but once she found out that the bitch could be of use to the kid she decided to keep her alive and shoot me in the head for my fuck up. I don't know how long it's been. It's felt like no time has passed and centuries have passed all at the same time. I...I want to move on now," Satoshi finished.

Everyone looked at each other. A question remained, however. "Where are Kazuya and Mai at now? Everything here has been scrubbed clean," John asked.

"Not surprising. Standard protocol. We have multiple sites where we can set up a base all across Japan. We can choose any one of those locations, go to it, and set it up within hours. To put it simply, you aren't ever finding them." Satoshi explained.

Everyone's mood dropped considerably at this. Knowing that the two were still alive is one thing, but to never be able to find them? To be subjected to torments beyond anything they've ever witnessed? To be victims of human trafficking?

"No," Takigawa finally said determined. "I don't believe that. We will find them. Especially now that we know who we're looking for. Satoshi," he said glaring at the amorphous being in front of him. "You may have just died for nothing."

"What?"

"But, a deal is a deal. We will help you move on from here. John? Send him,"

"Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle," John began to pray. "Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil; May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen."

The apparition sighed with what sounded like delight. His spirit wavering as a flickering light of white and red. "I can see it," he said. "I can see the light. It's so bright, so so bright!" His voice paused. "It's so bright. It's...too bright? Is it supposed to burn? H-Hey is it supposed to burn like this? It's too hot. I'm burning…" his voice started wavering as though unsure as to if this was the release he was hoping for. His spirit was reddening and pulsing angrily. "Hey! Priest! Is this supposed to burn?! I'm burning! SOMEONE! ANYONE, HELP!" Satoshi could no longer articulate words as the apparition in front of them all burst into flames of pulsing red, white, and orange. Inhuman screeching followed and they all covered their ears. Masako felt John's arm wrap around her shoulder and pivot her away and to the ground. She crouched there in his arms as she covered her ears and closed her eyes to the sound of a soul being burned. After what felt like forever and also no time at all, the room was silent, and nothing but their heavy breathing remained.

"Is everyone alright?" Takigawa called out.

"I-I think so," Masako whispered. She looked up to John with wide eyes who in turn looked at her and smiled. Masako blushed and looked away into her sleeve. They all got up and looked at each other.

"What the hell was that John?" Ayako cried, "That's never happened to us before!"

"Well, it was a simple exorcism prayer, but his soul was far beyond our saving," he explained. "We told him we'd help him pass on, but it's not up to us to determine where the spirit goes afterward."

They all stood there in silence just basking in the information that they had just been told. This was just way too much to think about and digest in one evening.

"Well, we got names at least. Let's get out of here and try to find a hotel for the night. Ayako, you call Yasu on the road and give him the names of the kidnappers and see if he can't find out some more info on these two," Takigawa said.

"We need to contact the police, but we can't go in essentially empty-handed. We need further evidence especially if we're going to go around accusing yakuza and Irish mafia of collaborating in an international human trafficking operation," Ayako said pondering all of this.

"I agree though, a night's rest might do us some good. It's already coming up at 7:30," said John.

"This is all so crazy…" Masako whispered. "We need to find those two quickly,"

"Yeah," replied Takigawa. "but if what Satoshi said was true, then we are in deeper waters than what we ever thought we tread,"