Changing Masks

by Nicholas Metelsky

  'Your terms are too fuzzy. Let's do without the ‘breakup’. I don't understand some things, so correct me if I'm wrong. Deal?'

  'You're so silver-tongued. So be it, but don't go too far. I take my principles very seriously.'

  'How about your own words?'

  'You pest! I said I'll think about it.'

  'What's there to think about? It's for necessity and pleasure.'

  'First, I need to be sure that my child will be... that everything will be okay. To ensure that, I have to be sure that I'll be okay. Therefore, not right now. When I get my coat of arms, better status, then I can think about children.'

  'I'll die of old age by then!'

  'You underestimate me. Give me five years.'

  'Five years? You know I can be more persuasive than that.'

  'You're not gonna get it anyway.' That was how our important conversations ended nowadays. It became a tradition with this 'young, beautiful woman.'

  I returned home in the dark, and of course, got in trouble again. The place was notorious. Now I knew that this was where the boundaries of the Koyama neighborhood crossed with another neighborhood, but before, I had no idea why there were always fights in this area. This fight wasn't a typical one. Four unfamiliar canines were surrounding one quite defensive and aggressive cat. The four dogs obviously weren't just looking to play around. They weren't going to let the cat go just like that. It so happened that I constantly had to chase the dogs away, although I did respect them. I lived in a neighborhood that had a lot of dogs and one of my neighbor friends was terrified of them, so I had to chase each dog away before Shina grew up and could take care of them herself. In this process, I ended up getting to know every dog in the neighborhood. Unsurprisingly, coming across a fight between two factions of canine troops, I took the side of those I knew personally. The outcome was that no matter whose territory I was on, the strangers ran away as soon as they saw me enter the scene. The ‘friends’ barked at the fleeing enemy and rubbed up against my legs.

  This time, they were so involved in chasing the cat, who appeared to be on their territory, that they didn’t notice me appear. Actually, it was all happening on the curb where I walked, but if you saw the dedicated cat, you'd completely understand. While I was heading to the site of the battle, he managed to fight off three attacks, make two failed attempts at escape and switch to counterattack once. I couldn't watch this fighter get torn to pieces.

  Coming up close, I applied Yaki on all the dogs, trying not to hurt the cat. I didn't intend to kill anyone, so I just stood there and watched the ‘brave dogs’ run away at an incredible speed without making so much as a squeak. The cat turned towards me ready to fight off the new enemy. I squatted and looked him in the eyes, gesturing to him to get out of here. He only hissed in response.

  'Run, fool, run. Those aren’t the only dogs here.' It might have been my tone of voice, but the cat let his guard down a bit. His fur wasn't smooth yet, but the hissing stopped, and he started retreating sideways. 'There you go, whiskers. There is no milk here. Get out, do it fast.'

  In a second or two, the cat was nothing more than a memory. He disappeared into the darkness of the streets. I hoped he'd know better from now on.

  The next day at school, I wasn't punished for truancy. I was as if I didn't even skip: not a single word or look as if no one had noticed. This Saturday and the next, we were off. On Friday, I stopped home just to leave my backpack and change my clothes. A very intense evening was ahead of me as I had to prepare for the job. Then, an even more intense night was supposed to follow, when I had to kill the Master and steal the expensive figurine.

  Funtik, who had been absent all week, was in his premises this time and was very happy about something.

  'You look happy. Did you steal from someone?'

  'Oh, not Shinji, those golden days are in the past, but I won the jackpot,' Funtik announced, smiling.

  'Why do you need so much?' I inquired. 'With your needs and wants, I doubt you have spent all your money from the previous job.'

  'You can't have too much money.'

  'Only if you spend it. You just earn it.'

  'Do I stick my nose into your business? Leave me alone.' Hmm, that was kind of rude.

  'Okay, you're right. Calm down, nobody is going to count your money. Especially me.'

  Embarrassed by his flash, the old man turned away and started sorting through things on the table.

  'I'm sorry,' he muttered. 'That's not what I meant. It's a touchy subject. It's not about money.' He sighed heavily and turned towards me. 'It's about inheritance. As an old man, I don't need much. But I have grandchildren, and they could use some funds.'

  'I'm sorry, but you’ve never mentioned your grandchildren before. And now it's a touchy subject. You don't have to tell me anything, but if you need help, just say so.'

  'Help? No, I don't need any help. The touchy subject is not my grandchildren, but their father, my son.' I didn't break his pause. If he’d wanted to tell me, he would have. If he didn't want to, he would have changed the subject, which would mean 'None of your business.' The wise man never left any cliffhangers. I knew him. 'It isn’t a secret, so much as a touchy subject.'

  'If it's not an emergency and you don't need help, let's not bring up things that cause you pain,' I said carefully.

  'No, I’ve already brought it up, so I should clarify. It concerns you in some way, too.' Is that right?

  'Then this conversation is not for the workshop. Let's go into the living room and have a drink.'

  'My son was in the Koyama, clan,' Funtik began, pouring gin into two glasses. 'There is a story to how he got there. If you think my knowledge is good, my son was the best. He was born with technological skills. Japan has never known a better technician. His children, my grandchildren, are close to his level, but so far, objectively, they're still worse than him. It still hurts me when I think what my son could have accomplished if he hadn't gone to that island with the young Amateru.

  'I hate the Haig clan! I hate them with every fiber of my soul!' he said shaking with anger. 'I'd die as long as I could screw them over. It was a regular place, and no one needed that island, Shinji. It just indicated that the surrounding area of water was the responsibility of the Koyama clan. They guarded the place for 8 hours while the enemy's plan was to capture it in two. The young Amateru fought back from Haigs... He fought back with what he had. He didn't have much though — weak powers. He not only defended, he also attacked. He was responsible for the base. All the equipment was entrusted to him. Right under bullets, under shells... he repaired turrets and combat drones right there, on the battlefield. Of course, he wasn't by himself, but he only had a handful of people helping him.

  'Twenty minutes, Shinji! They died twenty minutes before the reinforcements arrived. So yes, I don’t like Koyama Kenta very much. I understand that he was in a hurry and did everything in his powers, and I remember them rushing here. Those twenty minutes though... Only one person survived on that island. They were honored like heroes, but what about the parents? Do they care about honor after their kids have died like that? My son was supposed to receive a coat of arms and become the head of a new family line within the clan. It wasn't that easy having only a technician's skills. So what's next? The father died a hero, and the kids didn't even get the coat of arms that was promised to him and his family. Now they needed money to be eligible and meet the standards of the clan: power, influence, money .. or the skill that their father possessed being a brilliant technician. I understand the head of the clan in theory.... But only in theory, Shinji!! Is his death not enough to earn that damn coat of arms for his family?

  'I'm old, boy. I'm a couple years older than old Kęnta, and I don't need this money. I just want my grandchildren to get what they are owed. I didn't join the clan because of a murky past that might stain my son's reputation. As a result, I was cut off from my grandchildren for many years. Who am I to them now? Nobody. They know about me, but they have no idea th
at I'm their grandpa. So be it. That doesn't mean I've forgotten who they are. I can help them. All I have is money. Don't trust him, Shinji!! He only cares about his clan and family. The rest are just chess pieces that can be sacrificed'

  'It's like that everywhere, Funtik. Do you know how much money is needed?'

  'Who knows how much money his family has? One generation cannot save that much.'

  'You're wrong, Funtik. Sometimes one generation can make a billionaire.'

  'Not in this world and not people like me.'

  'We'll see. I thought getting a coat of arms was a little easier than that.'

  'It's not hard to get a coat of arms. As part of the clan, you can get a coat of arms, but what then? To join a clan or a family as one man is nothing like joining as a whole family. As a matter of fact, I don't need to join a clan, but I do need to start a family line. It's all good.'

  'Okay, Funtik, I'll be ready for anything. You know me: I'll help you anytime. Let's go now. You can help me get ready. The night promises to be intense.'

  * * *

  'Mouse!'

  'I didn't know, boss. Didn't do it on purpose.'

  'Come here, rodent.'

  'Boss, boss, calm down. It's just a bottle. Dirty and plain. So what that I threw it away?'

  'It's antique, idiot! It weighs 300 tons of coins!'

  'Ughh, I didn't know, boss.'

  'I heard that already. Now come here and listen to my response.'

  'No, boss, I can hear you perfectly fine from here.'

  'Get over here!'

  'My car needs washing! I gotta go. If anything,...'

  'Stop, saboteur! Don't make me chase you.'

  'So stay there, calm down, and I'll wash the car for now.'

  'Don't even think about it! Come here. I promise, your death will be fast and pain-free. Don't make me torture you.'

  'Boss, please... really. I'll find one like that... or better. I'll even wash it. Why are you shaking so much? You're scaring me, boss. Boss?' The furious woman started moving towards the bulky man, clenching her fists. 'I'm gonna go, boss, the car and stuff...'

  'I'll kill you! Kill the saboteur,' the woman whispered.

  'Okay, gotta go!'

  'Stop, vagrant, it'll only be worse for you.'

  The two men who were standing in the room exchanged looks.

  'Lee, you're a terrible man.'

  'It'll be a lesson for him. He'll know better than pretend to be a cleaner in A-chan's living room.

  'Oh, so that's the lesson. I thought you were just having fun.'

  'Well, that too,' the Chinese man chuckled.

  At that moment, the room door opened, and another man walked in who was just as big as the first two.

  'What's going on in here? What did Mouse do?'

  'He threw away an antique bottle,' the Japanese man replied.

  'Is that the one that Lee took out of the garbage?'

  'Yep.'

  'You're so mean, Lee.'

  It's alright. They needed to do something active.'

  'Then go and be active with them. Otherwise, our babe is running around with just her bodyguard there.'

  'Oh,' Lee rose off his chair, 'I didn't think of that.'

  'Keep going. Goofball. I'm on watch here today.'

  'Uh...'

  'It's your problem, Lee,' the man in the chair said. 'You let it happen, so you chase them now.'

  'Eh…'

  Watching him leave, they exchanged looks.

  'He's gonna get it from A-chan one day, and she'll run after him,' said another man who had just walked in. He sat down on the empty chair and continued, 'I've got to talk to you, Dzuno.'

  'Let me guess. Is it about the assassination of the Master?'

  'More precisely, about the consequences.'

  'You think it might cause some disorder?

  'The head of the guild will not allow this babe to extend her power. He has his reasons.'

  'Yeah, yeah. It's because she's a woman. That isn’t gonna stop her though.'

  'We don't stand a chance in the war against half the guild,' Isiatama said, shaking his head.

  'We have talked some out of activism. And some won’t get involved for their own reasons.'

  'That's why I said a half.''

  'Yeah, the little one is going to play on our side though.' Dzuno rubbed the bridge of his nose.

  'Not right away. Only in case of an emergency. The babe won’t ask for his help before that. Besides, one person isn't enough.'

  'Oh, I see where you're going with that. You want to call Russia?'

  'Do we have any other option?'

  'I doubt they'll respond. Serge...is dead. They'd help him, no questions asked. But us, I don't know. I doubt it.'

  'I think they will. Gray would be here. What do we have to lose, anyway?'

  'You're right, the Isi-kun, if they refuse, so be it. The important thing is to choose the right moment. When the mess starts unraveling, we should give them enough time to prepare.'

  'Right. We can't do it too early otherwise we'll have to go first, which won’t be good.'

  'Yeah, A-chan wouldn’t pet your head for that.'

  'She'll be against it in any case.'

  'It doesn't matter. Knightov entrusted us with taking care of her, so it doesn’t matter,' said Dzuno, staring out of the window with a distant look.

  'I agree. So, begin preparations for war. If the Russians decline, we should be able to fend them off for ourselves. Arrange hideouts. I'll start looking for new people.'

  'Lee should take care of the arms and equipment. He'll be able to do it without anyone noticing anything.'

  'What about Mouse?'

  'He's the strongest one among us.'

  'Right, he's better off close to the babe.' Isiatama grinned and shook his head, 'He'll be playing decoy.'

  'Sounds good,' Dzuno smiled.

  'Then I'll talk to Akemi—she's probably aware of everything by now.'

  'You're right, there is no need to breed secrecy — that is harmful.'

  'Just don't say anything about the Russians.'

  'Got it.'

  Chapter 7

  Hmm. Yes really, Hmm. I am speechless. I haven't seen such a poor guarding system in a long time. There was almost no equipment, and what they had was pretty pathetic. The few cameras that I spotted were also poorly arranged. The guards were busy doing something, anything at all but not their job. I didn't even know what to do. I could almost walk by totally openly. That's my fate I guess. I hope it's just a cover, and that the real guards keep their heads on a swivel.

  I stationed myself by an ornately shaped bush in the shape of a bird. I was dressed in my old uniform. I decided not to wear my new overalls since they might have not recognize me. So that day, thank God, I was wearing my armored jacket, which could endure knife blows and tangential fragments. I had on black pants, black gloves, and a new black mask—the old one got squashed from my constantly sitting down on it. On each hip, I had a FN Five-seveN in a tactical holster. I was wearing excellent Belgian 5.7mm pistols as well. In this world, as in mine, this weapon was created as a companion pistol to the submachine gun FN P90. But here, P90 wouldn't be as suitable as the companion pistol. My arsenal also included a special belt with thief gadgets, and on my chest, which made the movement a little uncomfortable, I had the Spittle.

  There I sat, wondering whether they really had it so bad or whether there was something I wasn't seeing. I was just curious.

  Having made sure that I was not in the focus of anyone's line of sight, without really hiding, I ran to the next bush. ‘Life detection’ showed that there were twenty-four people in the mansion, two of them were probably Veterans, one was the Master, and one was the local boss himself. The rest were a couple of servants and guards. About 200 yards away, there was another house, that looked like a barn, and in it hid another twenty people. The numbers might not have been very accurate because ‘life detection’ can't sense the difference between a man
and animals larger than the average dog. For greater accuracy, ‘mind detection’ should be used, which, unfortunately, had a smaller radius than the first: for the Absolute, it's 55 yards while ‘life detection’ gives a radius of several miles. I doubted that there would be dogs there actually. According to Akemi, there was nothing like that.

  I dashed again, and I made it to the veranda. Creeping against the wall, I finally reached the end. I was about to jump over the railing when I felt a conscious being approach me. The standard impulse showed that a person was moving towards me from the building. I heard the sound of a cigarette lighter, sensed the smell of cigarette smoke, and a man in shorts emerged. He let out a trail of smoke and leaned against the railing. I checked the presence of people nearby, climbed onto the veranda without disturbing the smoker, and was already intending to enter the house when, suddenly, my eye caught sight of the tattoo on the man's shoulder blade. It was exactly the same as one that one of the local Veterans, the Adept of Wind, had on his shoulder. I started a mental brainstorm. He was hardly likely to be wearing ‘armor’, and I could quite easily kill him quickly without making a sound. I could also use a gun and shoot him in the head, drawing attention. Noisy, but without firing, would be preferable. Could I do it quickly though? He would surely try to escape. How about a bullet in the back of the head? Would that look odd? The Dwarf was a thief, and a murder like that would create the impression that he was also s killer. I can't do it without guns but with noise. Not with the ‘Belgian’, anyway. But the Russian Spittle could do it.

  Once again, just in case, I checked the surrounding area and got close to the smoker, only a step away.

  'Ahem.'

  'What now?' Not even turning around, the Veteran asked.

  'Could you tell me where the library is?'

  'What?!' He asked, turning around.

  A direct kick with my foot, reinforced with a ‘push’ sent the loser on a long flight, breaking the railing. And in order to make his flight a little more fun, I sent shots from the Spittle after him. Four shots, a ‘charge’, and here I was six feet away from the fallen man. I approached the unfortunate enemy and ascertained his death. Loser. He must have failed to put on the spirit armor, after all. Is this really what Akemi calls a dangerous opponent? There is another one, perhaps, he'll be cooler. No, this is much better for me, but it's kind of... wrong. There, Max. Live and learn. Always start with small calibers, unless your life depends on it. Six charges with the Spittle! Oh well. I replaced PlPU with FN: two shots to the heart, two to the head. Now I could move forward. After a certain incident in Afghanistan, when Maclaud and I fled from a crowd of zombies, I had preferred not to believe in the warlock's ‘sense of death’ until the end. I saw so many mystical things in my former world, but here...