Gendo turned to Taro. “She has remained in your office anytime I bring her here. I was worried she was in your way. This is what you have been working on?”
“I’ve worked on those other projects as well. You should receive the first run of Arsene tomorrow afternoon, by the way,” he informed his boss. “Along with plugging some of the security risks the boys have missed.”
The other man frowned and Taro stifled a chuckle. The internal security team would hear a few choice words soon.
“Very well, thank you for coming.” The computer specialist bowed and Chiyo followed his lead. Without another word, they began to leave the office when the director called to her, “Chiyo,”
She spun and tried to keep her composure. “Yes, sir?”
“Good work,” he said quietly before he returned to his work.
Her mentor patted her head as he opened the office door. The two stepped out and he closed it gingerly behind them. “I think that might have been the first time I heard him talk to you directly,” he noted.
The girl nodded, looked down, and twisted her hands in her shirt.
“So…do you think you can see a reason why you should get better at this? I personally think it would be a waste of a gift to not—”
“I do,” she mumbled. He noticed a couple of tears drop to the floor.
A little startled, he looked away and tried to think of something to lighten the mood. “Hey, Chi, I think I’m ready for lunch. Are you hungry? It’s on me.”
“That sounds nice,” she responded and sniffled slightly as she wiped the tears quickly from her eyes.
“What do you feel like?”
“Do you like sushi?”
Taro grinned. “Sushi, huh? I only eat a few kinds, but there’s a great conveyor place I like.” He set off down the hallway with her close behind. “Sometime, I need to have you try takoyaki. It’s these fried octopus balls. That stuff is fantastic.”
She nodded. “Next time, when I finish the next project.”
He glanced over his shoulder and grinned at the young girl. Her voice was still soft but now held a determination he hadn’t heard previously. “That sounds good. I’ll get you started when we get back.”
Chapter Two
“So we hope you will take it under consideration, Miss Kana,” the man on the holoscreen said, his tone crisp and businesslike.
“I will. Although I doubt that will be sufficient for you. It hasn’t been for any of the other Ark academy representatives who have contacted me.” She sighed, her focus on the second screen where she passed easily through the practice server Taro had set up for her. If the actual security was this easy to bypass, they would all be in danger. Did they want to upgrade to this?
“It won’t be any trouble. We are merely extending the offer,” the rep explained. “Nexus Academy is always on the lookout for promising talent. Even in your more…secretive field. You show great promise and tremendous skill for a seventeen-year-old. There are people who have been in this field for as long as you’ve been alive and they don’t match what we’ve seen. As an infiltrator myself, I can promise you will get the best education the world can offer.”
“Infiltrator?” she questioned. “They are normally skilled in fighting as well, yes? I have some basic martial arts skills, but firearms are new to me.”
“That’s what the Animus is for,” he explained. “Of course, there are other technician careers available. It may be a personal bias, but I believe the life of an infiltrator maybe a more exciting change of pace. If you merely wanted to be a normal hacker, I doubt you’d gain any further significant knowledge that you don’t already know.”
“I would have to agree.” She nodded and paused in her work for a moment to look at him. “Tell me something, Mister…”
“Raynor, but you can call me Ray if you like.”
“Mr. Raynor, I never had the chance to ask the other representatives, but how exactly did you find me?”
He shrugged, a satisfied grin on his face. “I can’t speak for the others, but I did say I was an infiltrator myself, right?”
“Several times now, yes.” She nodded, “Still, I don’t keep a record of myself here in Mirai. Nor does my…father, in any private capacity. So even if you or someone else were to find a way to hack into our systems without me noticing—which is quite unlikely, by the way—you would have found no record of me to peruse.”
The man’s eyes widened and he rubbed the back of his head a little awkwardly. “That’s a fair point. I suppose it wouldn’t be polite to withhold how we found out about you,”
“No need. I merely wanted to see your expression when confronted by that fact,” she explained and stretched to turn the screen off. “I have my own suspects. I will consider your offer and if I wish to pursue it, I will call you once again.”
“I…uh, see. Thanks for—” Chiyo deactivated the screen and cut him off. She took a moment to stretch before she leaned back in her chair and stared at nothing in particular. “There you are, my suspect,” she stated when she noticed movement near the door. “It was you, wasn’t it?”
“Whatever would give you that idea?” Taro asked, stepped out of the shadows, and handed her a plastic bag with a lidded bowl and utensils in it. “I got that miso ramen you asked for.”
She nodded and smiled as she looked into the packet. “Over the past year, you have pushed me to look into other careers and I have shown no interest. My guess was that these academies received not only my information but examples of my accomplishments were also handed off by someone. The only one who has kept any kind of record or has enough knowledge on me to do so is you.”
“Well now, that’s an interesting idea,” he conceded as he sat and opened a carton of takoyaki. “It would have to be someone you’ve worked extensively with. But I’m not the only teacher or partner you’ve had. It could have been Asuka, Tito, Ayane, Daidara—”
“They would know better,” she interrupted, popped the lid off her bowl, and took the chopsticks from the bag. “I’ve surpassed them, anyway, so crossing me would be unwise.”
“Crossing you, huh?” The man rolled his eyes. “I know I’ve drilled into you that you need to maintain chill to work as a hacker, but now, you’re starting to sound like a supervillain.”
“That’s part of dealing with the murkiness, isn’t it?” she replied and blew on the noodles to cool them before she ate several strands.
Taro set his carton aside and rubbed his temples. “All right, I’ll give you the win because I know this kind of debate could go on for hours—”
“Where’s your chill, Taro?” she asked with a hint of mirth.
“You seem to have a supernatural ability to sap it fairly quickly. It could be a useful skill. You should work on it,” he retorted. “Come on, it’s not a bad idea. Using the skills you have and applying them to a much more interesting profession? How could you go wrong?”
“What’s wrong with wanting to stay here?” she inquired and deliberately made eye contact.
He sighed. “Chiyo, you’re less than half my age and your skill is nearly almost on par with mine. I won’t be able to teach you soon.”
“We could still work together,” she pointed out and a trace of concern finally revealed itself.
“For a while, but there’s already talk to transfer me to another company of the zaibatsu.”
“What?” Chiyo gasped, placed her bowl down quickly, and leaned forward. “That’s foolish. I’m sure I could talk to father and—”
“Chiyo, if I leave, who do you think would take my place?” he asked. It didn’t take long for the truth to dawn on her. “In fact, this transfer is only because he’s recognized your talent. That should make you happy if that’s all you’re after.”
She raised her knees to her chest. “Maybe at one point that was what I wanted, but I’ve realized that he only sees me as another worker, skilled or not. There’s nothing beyond it.”
The man’s gaze lowered and he shoo
k his head. “He’s not really a cuddler, is he? But I don’t think…” She looked at him expectantly, but he waved her off. “It’s not my place to guess. And before you say something smart, I’m not only doing this to save my cushy job. You have more drive than I ever did, Chiyo. It’s something that took a while to really blossom, but I’m worried it will die if you stay here.” He picked his carton up again and took a takoyaki. “You should be the heir of this whole company, but those assholes on the board won’t allow that. Even if you got it, they would make your life miserable.”
“That’s simply how it is. My lineage is starting to make the rounds as gossip and I’ve even seen reports in foreign newsletters,” she stated and avoided his gaze. “I have no reason to want the director’s position anyway.”
“If you had the opportunity, you might have a chance to actually think about it,” he suggested and brandished the skewer as if to make his point. “It might merely be my own personal hang-up. I don’t need to push it onto you.”
Chiyo was silent for a moment before she smiled, “You were hoping I’d take over so your job would be even easier?”
“Silly dream, right?” he answered with a chuckle. “I don’t know much about the whole infiltrator thing that guy went on about. It seems dangerous, but I think it’s basically like a cyber assassin, right?”
“More akin to a thief, but I suppose a number of hackers would be called that regardless,” she explained. “It would be…different, certainly.”
“So you’d be like a cyber fox?” Taro mused before he rubbed his head sheepishly. “That wasn’t supposed to be a— Never mind.”
“Don’t worry yourself,” she teased.
He leaned back and took another bite. “Like he said, you don’t have to choose that class, but think about it, all right?”
“I actually have been,” she said, uncrossed her legs, and stood. “I’ll return soon.”
“Where are you off to?”
“I need to report to the director.”
“An Ark academy?” he asked curtly and stared at his daughter.
“Several have extended invitations,” she replied calmly.
Gendo paused, stood, and walked past her to the windows, his usual place to think. “What are your plans?”
“That’s what I’m here to determine.”
He drew a deep breath and clasped his hands behind his back. “You aren’t one to ask me for advice.”
She shook her head. “I’m not here for advice, sir,” she stated and the last word seemed to fall from her mouth like lead. “I wanted to know if this would cause complications for you.”
“For me? No,” he assured her. “There is always a place here for you, Chiyo, but you were never required to remain.”
She wondered if required meant necessary. At least he had enough tact to replace the word if it did. She ran a hand up her arm. “I originally thought I would stay here and improve my craft, but I don’t think I’ll be able to improve much more by simply continuing to work on various small updates. I’ll stagnate.”
“That is true.” He nodded “Someone of your skills could be very valuable and well-paid for their knowledge and ability. It would certainly enable you to create a path of your own.”
A path. Taro had said things like that as well over the years.
“Do you think to begin freelance work after this education?”
“I…I do not know yet, but I don’t think I’ll focus only on hacking.”
Gendo turned slightly toward her. “Ark academies train in a variety of skills. But the best one is easily Nexus Academy in America. Have they made you an offer?”
“They have.”
He turned a little more. “And you know that they mostly focus on military, industry, and espionage, correct?”
“Of course, their representative made that clear,” she confirmed.
“So when you say you won’t focus on only hacking, I would have to surmise you would look into a field in which you can use your already acquired skills along with a new set. That could lead to any number of careers, but if you are seriously considering this, you’ll go with your best option.”
“That is correct.”
Gendo stared at his daughter for a while before he nodded and turned away. After a moment, he withdrew a case from his pocket. “Take this.”
She took it from him, a little confused. “What is it?”
“It is one of the Nexus EI chips. We’ve done work with them before and their lead researcher left me one as a gift. You should examine it to see if their tech meets your standards.”
“I see.” She looked at the case for a moment before she bowed as was expected. “Thank you. I’ll inform you of my decision.”
“Understood. Have a good evening.” She accepted the dismissal and immediately turned and left him to return to his work. As soon as he sat, he sent a message to Taro.
We’ve talked. Thank you for sending the information.
He responded almost immediately. Of course, boss. You spent all that time putting them together. I was surprised you kept such a thorough profile on her all these years. Plus, it wasn’t like I wouldn’t follow orders. You are the director.
Gendo closed his eyes and rested his head back. He was the director, something he made sure everyone knew and something he took pride in. But every time he saw her, no matter how brief, he felt he had sacrificed something else to retain it.
Chiyo,
Thank you for your assistance in the matter of the attempted espionage at Mirai. I wasn’t aware that you would take action yourself. I haven’t seen you since you began your second year. Even during the summer when you returned, you worked on your own projects. You have grown so much and you helped me immeasurably, even though there was no obligation to do so. I want you to know that without you around, I have taken the time to reflect that I should have done more while you were here. You are a gifted child and I tremble to think what would have happened if Taro did not see it. I would have let that spirit decay under my desire to pursue my own ideals. I want you to know that wherever your path takes you, I am more proud of you as a father than I ever was as merely a director.
I hope I can see you again.
Chiyo placed the tablet onto her dresser, sat on the bed in her dorm, and hugged herself, a smile on her lips as tears began anew. She had found her path, but there was so much farther to go.
Chapter Three
Dario Adesso
Why had he returned? He wasn’t satisfied. The assassin known to others only by the codename Umbra made a cursory study of the bunker. The last time he had been there was more than a year before. It held no special relevance for him. In fact, seeing the marks on the way in and the stains that had never been cleaned after the investigation, it sickened him more than anything. It had to. Otherwise, it would simply depress him.
His target at that time was a professional group of bounty hunters he had been sent to eliminate. He was one of their potential marks—not that day, obviously, but he would inevitably face them eventually and this way, he could also get paid.
14,470—that was the total amount needed to annihilate them. Granted, most of them fell in the initial blast, but those who recovered were still in able shape and should have lasted longer. Despite that, it was over and done within about nine minutes. He needed better targets. The sad truth was that he hadn’t felt any real rush in years at this point. There was no longer a surprise strategy that forced him onto the defensive, no strong lone soldier who could drive him back, nothing at all gratifying in his work. Umbra tried to focus on the monetary pleasures his credits allowed him, but those wouldn’t keep him satisfied much longer.
He peered at the message sent directly to him from an unknown source. It would have taken quite a few credits in and of itself—or extreme talent. The message told him to come to this location. He assumed it was from a group aligned with those bounty hunters who wanted revenge and wondered if they could be the challenge their peers were not. With
the limitless patience of his particular craft, he stood in the center of the room. Moonlight seeped in through the cracks above and glimmered on the windows around him. He had deliberately given them the advantage in the fight, assuming they ever arrived.
“Dario Adesso?” a voice asked from somewhere ahead. Whoever spoke was obviously hiding in the shadows, but he was still mildly surprised. He hadn’t heard anyone enter and hadn’t seen anything on the scan. When did they arrive?
“You know my legal name, then?” he asked and his voice droned with bland annoyance as he folded his arms. “I suppose I’ll have to change it again.”
“That seems unnecessary,” the voice replied. It was a calm but scholarly voice with a faint suggestion of obvious age but not someone advanced in years. Whoever this was, he was probably only a little older than himself. “I don’t believe anyone knows your night job other than myself.”
“Is that right? You found out all on your lonesome, then?” Dario questioned and activated the night vision in his oculars. He could vaguely discern a shape in the darkness, but it was hazy. The stranger obviously used some kind of device of his own to tamper with tech.
“No, I am quite intelligent if I may compliment myself, but I am no skilled detective. I merely had the one I used to find you killed,” the man explained. A light tapping along the ground was accompanied by footsteps. Dario straightened as a middle-aged man stepped into the moonlight, walking with a black cane with a silver handle. He had tanned skin and long dark hair and studied him with a glimmer in his eyes. “Good evening, my name is Merrick Rayne.”
Animus Boxed Set 2 (Books 5-8): Revenant, Glitch, Master, Infiltration Page 84
