The woman's eyes widen at the mention of that name. She replies, “That person is dead. I am Haruka Miyazaki and you can tell them...”
Barbara interrupts her by saying, “It's me...Barbara Echevarria.”
Haruka drops her katana and gasps as she recognizes her now. She kneels down next to her and says, “Oh, my God! I didn't recognize you! Why didn't you tell me before?”
While holding her arm, Barbara replies, “You look so different than when I met you two years ago. Can I have my hand back now?”
Haruka turns her head and finds the severed hand moving on its own. She gives Barbara her hand and says, “I should take you to the hospital.”
Barbara places her hand onto her stump and her skin begins to to heal. She tells a baffled Haruka, “No need.” Haruka says in Japanese, ”No fucking way.”
An hour later, at the Kuriya Restaurant, Ryu Miyazaki is seen sitting at his favorite table surrounded by his sons. He smiles at the sight of Haruka approaching. One of his sons, Ken Miyazaki, stands up and offers Haruka his spot. Haruka's cold stare immediately becomes replaced by a look of deep love. She bows and says, [J]”Father.”[J]
Barbara is somewhat confused but also bows and says, [J]”It is a pleasure to see you again, sir.”[J]
Ryu is at a loss for words and tries to remember this strange woman with two tone hair. Haruka smiles and tells him, [J]”This is Barbara-san, father.”[J]
He remembers her now and says, [J]”Ah, Barbara-san. Strange choice of hair colors.”[J]
As they both sit next to Ryu Miyazaki, Barbara asks, [J]I'm curious, Gina...I mean...Haruka. Why do you call Mr. Miyazaki father? Isn't your father from Detroit?”[J]
Haruka looks at Ryu as if waiting for permission to speak. He nods and she replies, [J]”It's a long story. If you have time, I will explain.”[J]
Barbara wants to ask for the favor right away but realizes that she must show respect first and be patient. Barbara nods her head and Haruka begins to tell her story.
Chapter XI
The year is 2009 and twenty-five year-old Gina Stewart is preparing herself for the annual Cleveland Kendo Tournament. She had won the previous two tournaments and is ready to battle her final opponent. As Gina meditates, she can't help but reminisce about her early childhood years in Detroit, Michigan. Her father who worked as a truck driver and was rarely present in the household. Her depressed mother who would remain fixated on the television from morning until night. It was a rather lonely period in her life with a lack of attention from her parents. Now she lives in this cold city of Cleveland, Ohio. Gina's trainer tells her, “It's time.” She takes her shinai and rises to her feet.
While facing her opponent, Gina looks at the proud parents of the other fighters. She grins at how the father of one of them pats him on his back and can't help but feel envious. Here she is winning the tournaments and all she has is her cat, Sam, to welcome her at her small apartment. Gina does manage to see two familiar faces. They are men dressed in business suits and are talking to each other while looking at her. These two men have been present throughout the entire tournament. Could they be fans that keep up with her activities over the Internet? The match begins and everyone gazes at both of the highly skilled competitors. One of the men in the business suit says to the other, “Gina will win again. She's perfect for this operation.”
The other man does not reply and observes her fighting style. She does have that determination to win in her eyes. Almost like a need to annihilate anything in her path. Gina finally defeats her opponent and once again wins this year's event. The man replies, “Let's recruit her.”
Hours after the tournament, while walking to her car, Gina hears a man behind her say in Japanese, “Congratulations.”
This startles her and she quickly turns around to see the two men in business suits. The one that spoke to her had a Japanese facial structure. She replies in a serious tone, “Thank you. Are you fanboys stalking me?”
The Japanese man grins and removes his sunglasses. He takes out his identification to reveal himself as a CIA agent and says, “I guess you can say we're fans, Miss Stewart. I'm Agent Jason Wong and this is Agent Todd Leifeld. Can we have a moment of your time?”
Gina hesitates for a moment and glances at his blonde haired partner He is much older, maybe late forties, and looks very intimidating. Jason notices this and says in Japanese, “He's a cuddly teddy bear once you get to know him.”
“Would you like to talk here?”
“We would like to recruit you.”
Gina is not prepared for this and, if not for her car, would have probably fallen on her back. In a jittery voice, she asks, “Me? You sure you’re not making a mistake?”
Todd says in a gruffy voice, “You'd be surprised at who the CIA recruits, Miss Stewart.”
Jason adds, “Believe me. This is not a mistake.”
He then hands her a business card and tells her, “On that card you'll find directions on where to meet us tomorrow. If you're interested.”
As she watches in utter disbelief both of them walk away, Jason shouts, “Six AM!” Gina cannot believe what just happened. She puts the card into her pocket and opens the driver's side door of her car. Gina just sits there for ten complete minutes biting her nails while staring at the business card.
That same night, Gina is in bed stroking her cat. She says to herself, “I don't know. It seems like a dream...yet I'm afraid to meet them.” She looks at the time...eleven o'clock. She gets comfortable and closes her eyes. Gina whispers, “It doesn't matter. No one will care if I do this or not.”
The next morning, Gina arrives at the bus stop indicated on the card that was given to her. She looks at the empty bench and then at her watch. It's 5:58. She sits down and puts her hands between her legs. The time reaches 6:05 and there still is no sign of anything. Gina sighs and says to herself, “Stupid girl.”
Gina stands up and starts walking away. The blaring sound of a truck's horn is heard and she immediately turns around. The trailer truck stops next to her and the driver asks, “Gina Stewart?”
She closes her eyes in frustration and whispers, “Of course. It just had to be a truck.” Then, she says to the driver, “Yes.”
Gina climbs aboard and closes the passenger door. The driver puts on his sunglasses and asks her, “Nervous?”
She is feeling a bit apprehensive about the whole thing and admittedly says, “Well, now that you mention it. How do I know this isn't a human trafficking scheme?”
“I guess you'll find out soon enough. Buckle up. This is gonna be a wild ride.”
Gina finds his comment very strange but does as she is told. The driver shifts the gears and applies pressure on the gas pedal. He pushes several buttons located next to the radio which makes her ask him, “What did you just do?”
The driver does not reply. She looks up to see that the truck's speed is gradually increasing to a dangerous speed. Is he out of his mind? Up ahead are vehicles that have stopped at a red light but the driver is not slowing down! Instead, the truck is picking up even more speed. This suicidal behavior makes her look at him with fear and ask, “You're going to kill us? Why?”
“Don't be silly, girl. Look up ahead.”
Gina cannot believe what is happening. They are now traveling down a completely different road! Before she even has a chance to ask the driver how this occurred, his cell phone starts ringing. He giggles like a mischievous boy and says, “I'm gonna put this on speaker.” He answers the call by asking, “Yeah, Glen?”
After a brief silence, Glen says coldly, “Very funny, asshole. I almost crashed.”
“But you didn't, Glen! Just goes to show how good you are!”
Glen ends the call by saying with a bitter tone, “Yeah, whatever. Go fuck yourself, Vinny.”
Vinny notices Gina waiting for a logical explanation. He smiles at her and says, “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
He applies the brakes and tells her, “This is where you get off.”
Gina exits the trailer truck and closes the passenger door. She takes several steps forward and observes the building belonging to the Central Intelligence Agency. Inside the building, the secretary gazes at the business card and then looks up at Gina. She is unimpressed with Gina's boring and sad appearance. She hands her the card and tells her, “You can wait right over there, Miss Stewart.”
Gina turns her head to look at a bench. She notices a two young ladies around her age. One with a ponytail and eyeglasses hugging a man in a suit. She is wearing a casual military uniform and seems extremely excited. The other is sitting down deeply involved in a novel. She seems much more introverted and not very sociable. Gina becomes nervous as the girl sits down on the bench and waves goodbye at the man. She gathers up her strength and makes her way in that direction.
As Gina sits down on the bench, the military girl proceeds to look at her from head to toe...as if analyzing her competition. Gina senses this and tries to alleviate the tension by smiling at her and saying, “Good morning, soldier.”
Much to her relief, the girl gives her a warm smile and replies, “Good morning, civilian! I'm Second Lieutenant Rikki Hillman of the US Army.”
Gina widens her eyes in amazement. Rikki continues, “Yeah, I know. It wasn't easy. But here I am now...with the CIA needing my help.”
Gina extends her hand and introduces herself, “I'm Gina. Gina Stewart.”
Rikki promptly shakes Gina's hand and says, “It's a pleasure to meet you, Gina. This gloomy thing sitting next to me is Donna Lenz.”
Donna pulls her head out of her book and gives Rikki a bitter stare. She tells her, “I can introduce myself, thank you.”
Donna takes a quick peek at Gina and says, “Hi.” She then continues reading her book.
This makes Rikki laugh and shake her head while looking at Gina. She reaches into her paper bag and offers Gina a chocolate chip cookie. Gina accepts and Rikki says, “This is my only weakness. Now you know how to bribe me.”
Gina laughs and takes a bite of the delicious cookie. Just her luck to find someone nice, and this may be the last time she sees her. While eating her cookie, Rikki asks, “So tell me. What do you do?”
Gina swallows and becomes saddened. Her life is nowhere near as exciting as Rikki's. She finally replies, “I'm a waitress at a Japanese restaurant in downtown Cleveland.”
Rikki notices her sadness and says, “No, Gina. I mean, what are your skills? They're obviously interested in you for a skill that you have. For instance, hard to believe, but Donna here is a master of disguise and a real good hypnotist.”
Gina grins and says, “Well...I am skilled at Kendo. I won the tournament three straight years.”
Without looking at them, Donna sings in a low tone, “You know what that means.”
Rikki does, in fact, know all too well what the CIA has in store for Gina. Probably train her as an overseas operative and have her getting close to a dictator, or criminal, that the US has deemed a threat. They will put her through hell to break her...and change her into a killer. Rikki places her hand on top of Gina's and says in a low voice, “Gina. Are you sure that this is what you want? The training is very scary. That man that you saw me with is my uncle...and he told me some stories. Of the toughest men breaking down and quitting.”
Gina appreciates the advice and replies, “It's nice that you have a family that cares about you. I never had that kind of support...not even from my parents. This is what I want. If I break, so be it.”
A man arrives and says, “Lieutenant? Donna Lenz? Both of you come with me.”
Rikki looks at the man and nods her head. She gives another look at Gina and says, “I'm sorry to hear that. Good luck to you, Gina.” Rikki stands up and tells her, “Maybe we'll meet each other again.”
Gina smiles at her and says, “Good luck to you too, Lieutenant.” Rikki softly punches Gina's shoulder and says, “Call me Rikki.” Gina watches Rikki walk down the hallway and wonders why God is so cruel. To have her meet nice people only to quickly take them away from her. The familiar voice of Agent Jason Wong is heard as he says, “Gina. I'm glad you're here.” She stands up to greet him and admittedly says, “I had my doubts. So this is for real?”
Jason nods and tells her, “I see that you met Lieutenant Hillman and Donna. They're going to do big things...just like you. Follow me.”
As they both walk down the hallway, the sound of a man shouting angrily can be heard nearby. Gina can't help but take a quick peek inside of the office where the shouting is emanating from. She recognizes this man! He is the popular conspiracy theorist Brian Gunn! What is he doing here? He notices Gina peeking through the crack of the door and tells everyone inside, “Pardon me, for a second, gentlemen.”
As Brian closes the door, he says sternly, “Moving right along, girl.”
Gina catches up with Jason and asks, “Wasn't that....?”
“Yup. The conspiracy nut himself.”
Her perplexed expression amuses him and he adds laughingly, “What? You thought he was some kind of revolutionary? We write the scripts, Gina.”
She remains silent and continues to walk beside Agent Wong down the hallway. He opens a door and allows her to enter. Gina asks him as he flicks the light switch on, “When does the training begin, Mr. Wong?”
Suddenly, her mouth and nose become covered with a cloth which causes her vision becomes blurry shortly afterwards. Gina loses consciousness and falls to the floor. Jason stands above her and says, “It begins now.”
Several unknown hours later, Gina awakens to find herself stripped down to her panties and a t-shirt. Her arms and feet are tied up to a chair. She begins to panic as she realizes she is inside of a prison cell. Gina cries out, “Where am I? Hello?” She struggles and screams, “No!”
An hour passes and she begins to shiver with fear. She begins whispering over and over, “This isn't happening. This isn't happening.”
The sprinkler system turns on and she is now being showered with ice cold water. Gina struggles to break free and starts to scream hysterically. The sprinklers turn off and Gina lowers her head to cry. A distorted voice is heard saying, “This is a test.”
She raises her head and asks, “Why are you doing this? Agent Wong?” There is no response...just an eerie silence with the exception of water drops hitting the floor.
Gina feels so cold that her teeth begin to chatter. Suddenly, an ear piercing shriek is heard. The pitch becomes higher by every passing minute. Gina shuts her eyes tightly and screams, “My God! Stop it!”
After five minutes, the room becomes quiet again. Her ears are ringing at this point and she can barely hear the distorted voice again repeat, “This is a test.”
Gina yells in despair, “Please! I don't want to do this anymore!”
She realizes that the voice is not going to reply in order to grant her wish and lowers her head to cry again. After an hour passes, the voice says coldly, “You abandoned your own mother.”
Gina slowly raises her head and says, “No. She didn't want my help. She was stubborn.”
“You never even bothered to get her help. You just ran away.”
A tear rolls down her cheek as she replies, “Stop it. Please.”
“And you wonder why you're all alone.”
“He should have helped us! He was always gone!”
There is nothing but silence. She asks, “Hello? Are you there?” The sprinklers turn on and she once again gets showered with the frigid water.
Second Lieutenant Rikki Hillman exits the briefing room with a folder in her hand. She turns around and the man in the suit tells her, “Your flight leaves tomorrow, Lieutenant. We appreciate your help.” She nods as she shakes his hand. He says, “Looks like we finished this ahead of schedule. Do you want a tour, Lieutenant?”
Rikki takes a moment to think and replies, “Well. I'd like to see the assassin training program, Agent Wilcox...if it's okay.”
“There is a training scheduled for today.
It shouldn't be a problem. Give me minute so I can call Agent Wong.”
Rikki gives him her trademark warm grin and says, “Thanks!”
He walks back into the briefing room as he begins speaking to Agent Wong. Rikki takes this opportunity to ponder why she is worrying so much about someone she just met. After all, she did win those tournaments so she should be able to handle the training without much effort. Still...she just wants to make sure. Agent Wilcox exits the briefing room and says, “Good news! He said that it's fine. Now...one thing, Lieutenant. This is pretty nasty stuff. It's nothing like the Army training.”
Rikki remembers her uncle's stories which makes her feel a slight uneasiness. She notices her hand trembling and quickly hides it from sight. Agent Wilcox gives her a concerned look. His daughter, Kelly, is about the Lieutenant's age and he can't help but notice the fear in her eyes. He then asks, “Are you sure?”
Rikki puts herself together and replies, “Don't worry about me. Let's go.”
Jason Wong presses a button and speaks into the microphone, “This is a test.”
He folds his hands and rests his chin on top of them. As he glances at the frightened image of Gina on the monitor, he whispers to himself, “Come on...you can do this.”
Agent Wilcox and Rikki enter the room. Wilcox says, “Hey, Jason.”
Jason spins around in his office chair and says, “Hey, Cameron. So this is the bright new star?”
“Yup. Lieutenant, this is Agent Jason Wong.”
Rikki smiles as she shakes his hand and says, “Thanks for the compliment, Agent Wong.”
Jason looks up at Cameron and says, “Well, guys. Grab a chair.” Then, he spins around and tells Rikki, “I hope you don't hate me after this, Lieutenant.”
Rikki sits down on one of the office chairs and moves closer to Jason. Her eyes widen in shock as she looks at an imprisoned Gina in the monitor. Cameron's fatherly instinct takes over as he places his hand on her shoulder and says softly, “Let me know the second this becomes too much for you, kiddo.”
Rise of the Fallen: Ascensionis Page 19
