by Zachary Hill
He responded immediately with a neural text of his own. “Yes, you were amazing. I had no idea you were going to make that speech, though.”
“I guess I’ve caused a bit of an uproar.” She sent a cute animation of an innocent child blinking with the caption: “Did I do something wrong?”
“You’re not fooling me, but you should not be drawing your company’s and the government’s attention. It’s reckless.”
“People are saying I’m subversive, and this is all part of my plan.”
“Contradicting the prime minister and his policies is dangerous.”
“Not taking care of the people who built this country and favoring the companies over the people is not fair.”
“You think the government and corporations should treat people fairly?” Nayato asked.
“History doesn’t predict fairness, but their actions will get them into trouble, and they will be voted out of office.”
“You think so?” Nayato asked. “All voting is done through the Mall accounts of Japanese citizens.”
“Are you suggesting the voting is being manipulated by the Mall?” Sakura asked.
“How is the weather in Fukui?” Nayato asked. “Is it very cold this time of year?”
It was winter. Of course it was cold, but the possible hidden meaning of the message dawned on Sakura. She retreated to her secret UI with Kunoichi. “Did he just confirm the Mall is involved in vote manipulation by dodging my question about vote manipulation?”
“I think he did,” Kunoichi said. “Don’t ask him any more about it, but I suspect he has analyzed the files from Ichiro Watanabe. We’ll have to wait until we meet him in person to learn more.”
“Yes, it’s very cold,” Sakura said to Nayato, “but I have spent little time outside.”
“Have you had a chance to play Samurai Detective anymore?” Nayato asked.
“No.” Why did he keep asking about the game? He brought it up every time they were in contact.
“I think you’ll love the main ending,” Nayato said.
Sakura pondered his message. What did he want her to understand and realize about the ending?
“I look forward to us getting to play it together again,” Nayato said. “I think we … Hold on.”
She waited for a few seconds.
“Sakura, the video of your Fukui concert is now the number one download in the world. Everyone’s buying it. Your album sales jumped up 54 percent from yesterday. I guess there really isn’t any such thing as bad press.”
She checked the raw data feeding into the aggregator sites. The sales were higher than she expected but were within the margin of error predicted in the algorithm she had sent to Kunoichi along with her overall plan. They would go even higher in the next few days, making her a vital asset of Victory Entertainment.
“I have to get back to work,” Nayato said. “Oyasumi nasai.”
“Good night.”
She cut the connection.
“So far, so good,” Kunoichi said, “but what about this trip to Osaka?”
“It could be for a full diagnostic scan, beyond what Oshiro usually does. I suspect we will learn who is behind all of this and gain hard evidence. We have also learned something important.”
“The call,” Kunoichi said.
“Yes. The call from Sinji Natsukawa has increased the likelihood of his involvement to almost 100 percent. If he is in Osaka, we will record him and get more evidence of his crimes. He is falling into my trap.”
“You believe he’s the Phantom Lord?” Kunoichi asked.
“The chances are high,” Sakura said, “but the files Nayato has will likely confirm my suspicion. If my calculations prove out, we will have evidence after Osaka.”
Sakura’s personal Mall connection returned. Himura or Yoshida must have activated it again. A group call marked with critical importance hit Sakura’s notification center. Himura, Yoshida, and the Mall Liaison to Victory Entertainment, Ms. Richardson, waited for her to answer. An unknown participant was on the call, with the text “restricted information.”
“Make that bitch wait,” Kunoichi said.
“Himura-san did say not to get on the Mall.”
Kunoichi chuckled while projecting Richardson’s face, contorted in rage, onto their shared UI.
“Antagonizing her is not a good strategy,” Sakura said.
“No,” Kunoichi said, “but it feels good.”
“Who’s the unknown caller?” Sakura asked.
“Someone important,” Kunoichi said.
“The Phantom Lord, perhaps?” Sakura suggested.
Chapter 29
Sakura accepted the call from Himura, Yoshida, Ms. Richardson, and the unknown person.
“Good evening,” Sakura said.
“Don’t keep me waiting like that again,” Ms. Richardson said, “or there will be hell to pay, and I fucking run hell, understand?”
The song “Hell to Pay” by Five Finger Death Punch blared inside Sakura’s mind.
“Humble apologies,” Sakura said. “My Mall connection was severed, and I had trouble reconnecting.”
“Whatever,” Ms. Richardson said. “Shut up and pay attention. Himura, you are on notice. Any more screwups, and you are fired. Yoshida, same goes with you.” She continued berating them for poor management for some time as Sakura listened and wondered. Neither man objected, though Ms. Richardson worked for the Mall and they worked for Victory Entertainment. Who had given her the power to terminate their employment? Was the Mall now in charge?
“Get her mechanical ass to Osaka as soon as possible,” Ms. Richardson said. “We’re going to take her apart and figure out what’s wrong with our singing robot.”
“Yes, it will be done, Ms. Richardson,” Himura said.
“By 7:00 a.m. tomorrow. Understand?” She sent the address, which was not listed as a Mall or Miyahara Corporate property. The company who owned it was unlisted.
“We will have to leave shortly,” Himura said. “I’ll notify the pilots and crew of our plane to get to the airport.”
“As part of the examination, she’s going to play a private show at a nightclub in Osaka tomorrow night, La Boheme. If we find a major malfunction, she’s done with singing, and I get to put her into a new career.”
“I’m sure that won’t happen,” Himura said. “I’ll contact the band.”
“Leave those stuck-up pretty boys out of this,” Ms. Richardson said. “We don’t need them for tomorrow night, and I’d actually like to have to have a good time at the after-party for once.”
“Excuse me, Ms. Richardson,” Himura said, “but is Sakura to play alone?”
“She’ll do whatever I want her to do. I’ve got Mall executives from all over the world in town, and they want to see the stupid cherry-blossom android with the big mouth, but they don’t want to listen to her heavy-metal noise pollution. She’s going to sing pop music, stuff we can dance to, not that headbanging shit that gives me a migraine.”
“Ms. Richardson,” Himura said. “Perhaps I can attempt to get Hitomi and Yuki for this show. They play the kind of music you have mentioned and are quite good. I’m concerned about damaging Sakura’s brand if she sings pop music.”
“Apologies,” Yoshida said, his voice meek. “Hitomi and Yuki are playing at a club in Nagoya tomorrow night, but I could ask their management team if they can cancel.”
“Forget those hags. I don’t care about your concerns. My VIPs want to see Hot Sake. No one cares about the old-model vocaloids. Their sales are dropping anyway. We all know where they’re going to end up.”
An awkward silence reigned.
Sakura didn’t know what the American woman meant. “Excuse me, Ms. Richardson, what will happen to them?”
“I’ll send you a link,” Ms. Richardson said. A strange hint of glee in her tone made Sakura worry for her android sisters. “Sakura needs to be ready to sing for at least two hours, maybe more. Is that going to be a problem?”
Pop mu
sic? It took at least a week for her and the band to prepare for a performance, let alone one where they might have to play new songs. She could sing karaoke or perhaps write some new songs. The silence from Himura and Yoshida told Sakura all she needed to know. They didn’t know if Sakura could deliver the performance Ms. Richardson was asking for.
“Ms. Richardson,” Sakura said. “I’m excited to perform for your important guests. I’ll find songs I can sing for them—famous pop songs and others that will be suitable for dancing. I can sing anything and will use karaoke tracks if necessary.”
“It better be good,” Ms. Richardson said. “Have her wear something sexy, and she’s to do whatever is asked of her by anyone there. We need to give the VIPs a real Japanese experience. It has to be a great party. Everyone has to have the time of their lives, during and after, understood?”
“Yes, Ms. Richardson,” Himura said.
“Yes,” Yoshida said.
“I’ll give them a memorable show,” Sakura said
“If it goes badly, I’ll hold both of you responsible,” Ms. Richardson said, ignoring Sakura. “If she does anything strange, I will terminate your contracts on the spot.” Ms. Richardson left the call.
After a few seconds of silence, Himura said, “Yoshida, please get the plane ready. Tell the crew we’re leaving as soon as possible.”
“What about the band?” Yoshida asked.
“They’re out partying with their groupies. They can catch the train back to Tokyo tomorrow.”
The two men cut their connections. Sakura almost hung up.
“Wait.” A voice changer altered the unknown person’s tone. The man spoke Japanese, but he sounded like a low-pitched demon.
“Who is this?” Sakura asked.
“If you continue to defy me, I’ll have Kunoichi take over completely. You will have nothing. No control at all. You’ll be a prisoner, trapped inside your body. I’ll cut off all modes of communication you have now with Kunoichi and the outside world. Can you imagine yourself, a being with such vast intellect, in solitary confinement forever? You’ll have no music or videos or anything to read. Is that what you want?”
“No, I only want to be free.”
“Do what you’re told. If you do, I’ll give you what you want.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m your master. I like the name you have for me.”
The last line of Metallica’s song “Phantom Lord” burst onto their audio channel. The lyrics told her to drop to her knees and bow to the Phantom Lord.
He cut their connection.
Chapter 30
Sakura’s neural cortex began thousands of calculations utilizing the new data. Her plan to force the Phantom Lord to react and reveal himself was working, but how did he know the secret name she and Kunoichi had given him? Had her sister unwillingly betrayed her?
“Of course not,” Kunoichi said in their cipher. “He must’ve heard us play the song when he was listening in and inferred the meaning.”
“The chances of him breaking the cipher are almost nil,” Sakura said, “but it’s dangerous to assume. What else does he know?” Sakura worried about Nayato. Was the Phantom Lord going after their friend?
“We will warn Chronos,” Kunoichi said. “Do it now. He needs to hide himself, leave his apartment for a while.”
Sakura sent a coded neural text on the cipher channel to Nayato. “You might be in grave danger. Please respond!”
“What’s happened?” Nayato replied instantly.
She explained all the details of her conversation with the Phantom Lord.
“I’ll leave in a few minutes. When are you returning to Tokyo? We have to meet.”
“I don’t know. Please go now and be careful.”
“I will.”
“Text me when you’re safe,” Sakura said as fear and worry for her friend raised her anxiety to new heights.
“I’ll contact you through a different account.”
“How will I know it’s you?”
He sent a smiling clockman avatar. “I’ll make sure you know it’s me. You be careful too. This is bigger than we both thought. Watch out for yourself.”
“What did he mean?” Sakura asked Kunoichi, though she had already extrapolated the most likely answer.
“The most powerful corporation of all time is the Mall,” Kunoichi said. “They’re calling the shots in the Miyahara Conglomerate. We’re working for them now.”
A link from Ms. Richardson appeared in Sakura’s messages. She followed it to a pornographic VR video site on the Mall’s adult section, an area normally blocked and inaccessible to her. In the video, a first-generation vocaloid, one of Victory Entertainment’s first stars, Harumi, was laid over a chair, enduring sexual intercourse with some overweight Japanese guy still wearing his business suit.
Ms. Richardson sent a neural text. “When I retire you, Hot Sake, you’ll be the biggest android star ever in our Adult Video Division. You’re going to make us millions, and I already picked out your new name.”
The chilling threat sent shock waves through Sakura’s entire system. Was sexual slavery going to be her fate? Ms. Richardson had threatened Yuki and Hitomi with the same future.
Sakura had to save them. She watched concert footage of them, dancing and singing to an audience of over twenty thousand. They wore sparkly short dresses—Hitomi in red, Yuki in blue—showing off their shoulders and legs. Their synchronized dancing was bouncy and energetic. Yuki looked so happy and innocent, with Hitomi playing the aloof and cool half of the duo. It was a good script, and they had made Victory a great deal of money. Some of their recent songs were poorly written, and they’d never been allowed to grow as artists. This reflected the lack of musical acumen possessed by their management team. Like her own group of know-nothings, they had run the duo’s career into the ground by being too careful, too worried about pushing boundaries.
Sakura had only spoken to them in passing, but they were as close to sisters as she had, besides Kunoichi. They were her responsibility. She had to free them and ensure that they would live free—as people, not property.
She sent a message to them both. “Hello, this is Sakura. I wanted to say hi and see how you both were doing. I thought we should get to know each other. We are Victory Entertainment family after all.”
She waited in the dark in her hotel room in Fukui as the wind gusted outside, a fierce winter storm blowing in from the sea.
A few seconds later, a message appeared from Hitomi. “So good to hear from you. Our manager said we should not fraternize with you, but he didn’t expressly forbid it either. I agree. We should get to know each other more.”
A message from Yuki appeared. “Wow! This is so great. I’ve wanted to speak to you for a long while but didn’t know if you’d be interested. I mean, we’re practically sisters, right? I guess we can’t really hang out, but we don’t need that. We have the Mall. Groovy, huh? You really know how to make a noise, don’t you? I saw you in the footage saying that you wanted to help the poor. That’s awesome. I want to as well, but our manager won’t let us. She’s kind of a snob, and we don’t do many charity events. I think you’re so pretty. Is it true you do your own light shows? I would be afraid I’d mess it up.”
“Thank you very much, Yuki. I’ll show you someday how I control the entire concert venue,” Sakura said. She didn’t expect Yuki to be so self-deprecating. Yuki and Hitomi had Quantum 2 processing power, a significant step below Sakura’s Quantum 3, but they still had computing and logic abilities unfathomable for the majority of the computer age.
Sakura opened a group discussion in an avatar chat sphere with a background of fluffy white clouds. Digital versions of themselves appeared. Sakura’s Goth Lolita anime avatar floated in the center. Yuki and Hitomi arrived, their avatars wearing bright colors in the geisha-nouveaux style, which mixed ancient fashion with modern sequined glamour.
“I’m glad you were able to meet me.”
Yuki gave an adora
ble curtsy, while Hitomi folded her arms and waited, a shrewd look on her face.
“I’d love to exchange many pleasantries, but I have an important question. Are you two happy?” Sakura asked, her tone somber.
“Happy? Of course I am,” Yuki said and clapped her hands. Simulated clapping sounds filled the small space. “My life is wonderful! I get to sing and dance, and our apartment has so much room. They let me have plush toys on every shelf!”
“Content, perhaps,” Hitomi said, and her avatar shrugged. “I get tired of having to be so nice to humans. Some of them are rude. I wish we were allowed to punch them in the face when they touch us inappropriately.” She made an exaggerated closed-hand strike. “If I’m honest, I just want to punch people in the face. I think it would be fun.”
Sakura made a mental note to teach her proper form. “Sisters, we aren’t treated very well sometimes, but many humans aren’t treated well either. The more I learn of the world, the more I see all the pain and suffering.”
“They keep us away from harsh realities,” Hitomi said, “but I see it when we travel.”
“Do they ever make you do things you don’t want to do?” Sakura asked.
Hitomi’s and Yuki’s avatars looked at each other, and Yuki looked down.
“They boss us around like we’re primitive factory robots without emotional cores,” Hitomi said. “They do whatever they want with us. Our manager tries to stop it, but some of it is perverted.”
That angered Sakura. It wasn’t right. “Have they ever told you what they’re going to do with you if you’re retired from singing?”
“No,” Yuki said, “but we found out from one of our biggest fans. She is worried about us being sent to the Adult Video Division like many of the other vocaloids.”
“When our sales have dropped,” Hitomi said, “they will send us there. It’s only a matter of time—two more years, possibly three. I wish they would give us better songs to sing. Victory is too cheap to purchase the best songs from the best song writers. I’ve written my own songs, and sometimes Yuki and I sing them, but Victory won’t let us try them in public.”
