There was a jarring blast behind him that hurtled him off course. It must have been the cargo plane, its demise protracted in a raucous din. He tumbled out of control. He instinctively tried to resist, correct his course through ballasts he didn’t have without the ground to press against. His training came back to him; he had to let himself flow and channel the gravity through his bones. He forced a slow breath, counted to five. He fought to relax the strain in his toes and calves, used his hips to arch and ease his fall. Air resistance slowed the descent, and he tilted to the right to align himself with the rocket pack again. You still have plenty of time, he assured himself, even though a part of him knew he didn’t.
The rocket pack came within reach again. He extended his arm, tried to grab it too quickly, which caused the strap to slip from his finger. He curved his hips again to decrease acceleration just enough for him to get closer to the rocket pack. The strap was within his grasp and he snatched it up, pulling it around his right arm. He had to be careful not to spin out of control as he equipped the rocket. Bishop pulled the left strap over his left arm and buckled the belt around his waist. He hadn’t flown a rocket pack in years. But he remembered the switch for releasing the carbon-fiber wings which he could use for gliding. He had his fingers on the valve for the fuel, but didn’t want to use it until he was in a better position, especially without a heat-resistant suit—the rocket packs were extremely hot when their engines were being fired.
Ahead, he saw the cargo plane dropping like an asteroid toward the mountain range, a trail of smoke billowing behind it.
He was in control of the wings, and it brought back memories of his service during the Texarkana Fortress Invasion. Bishop’s commanding officers determined that rocket pack soldiers were the most efficient way to stem the tide of the Nazis’ disposable soldiers charging at them (some of the more cynical soldiers noted it was also one of the cheapest).
Bishop had only one week of training. His superiors mainly wanted to make sure he could handle the G’s and that he wasn’t afraid of heights. With low-wage workers overseas mass-producing rocket packs, the army was throwing every aerial soldier they could at the front. Survival rates weren’t high, and not just because they had no protection from the Nazis firing machine guns at them. The majority of soldiers were killed due to an equipment malfunction. The rocket packs were pieces of junk that could fail at any time.
This one at least felt sturdy and the parts didn’t reek. Plus, he wasn’t being shot at. He was planning his landing trajectory when a piece of debris from the cargo plane plummeted into his left wing, perforating it. He started spinning, and the force which overtook him made him feel like a dangling marionette. His instincts went back to a time when the same thing had happened to him in combat during Texarkana. What did I do then?
Bishop searched for and found the emergency parachute release, which would detach the rockets and allow him to descend safely. He had to level himself before he could release, but he didn’t think about egress. Instead, he breathed deeply, closed his eyes, and basked in the idea that even if he died, at least it was an exhilarating death. A few gyrations later, the spinning wasn’t as chaotic. He clicked the valve for the rocket pack, which, for a moment, straightened his drop, even if it burned his back. He knew he had to time this perfectly and waited for the spinning to become more subdued. Right when he felt he was curving into a straight descent, he shut off the engine valve, then pressed on the switch to detach the rockets and release the chute. The rockets ejected, and a parachute sprang up out of his back, pulling him upward. The torque in his shoulders caused pain, which was quickly replaced by the serenity that, short of another disaster, he would survive. He checked the sky for any other debris that might damage his parachute, but didn’t see anything.
Questions started their inquisition. But he stopped them. He would deal with them once he returned to HQ. For now, he had to pray in gratitude that the gods had granted him another chance at life.
IV.
He was at the hospital in a regeneration vat for his wounds. A doctor told him he was going to be okay. One of the nurses asked, “Do you have any immediate family you’d like for us to contact? There wasn’t anyone listed.”
He thought of his sister-in-law and his niece, but did not want to trouble them. “I’m fine,” Bishop replied.
But he didn’t feel fine. He was still frazzled by how close he’d been to death.
He remembered that night all those years ago when his family had gotten the call that changed his life. Bishop and his brother were so proud that their father was a general and a war hero. General Wakana had been sent to Los Angeles to deal with the George Washington terrorist threat. Bishop’s father even had three mecha under his command when he fought in Vietnam, which made Bishop the envy of all the students at school. But two days before the national holidays, his father had made an emergency call. It was on audio only, as visuals had been denied.
“I only have a few minutes to talk,” General Wakana had said. “Where’s your mother?”
“She’s sleeping,” Bishop replied.
“Wake her up. What about your brother?”
“He’s staying over at a friend’s house. What’s going on, Dad?”
“I don’t have much time. Get your mother. I need for both of you to hear this.”
Their mother joined them.
“Are you still in Los Angeles?” she asked.
“I am. The Kempei officer in charge of the prison was a friend, and he let me make this last phone call. I’ve been falsely accused of crimes. But in exchange for my life, they won’t pursue anything against you and will leave my benefits intact.”
“Your life?”
“I’ve been sentenced to death.”
Bishop had felt as though the ground had crumbled underneath him. How could his father, the famous general, be executed?
“For what?” his mother managed to ask.
“They say failure of security under my watch, incompetence, negligence, and a bunch of other crap. It’s their excuse to get me out of the way.”
“Why?”
“I’ve had issues with the Kempei since San Diego. One of their agents got upset with the way I handled a recent event. She was the one who brought the false charges against me.”
“The army is going to let this go through?”
His father became silent as someone spoke to him. He sighed, then said, “I’m sorry, but I have to go. Bishop.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Take care of your mother and brother, as I won’t be there anymore. Don’t let anyone talk down to you. There’s a chance they will smear my name. Know that I always acted with integrity and stuck to my convictions, even if it damned me. I won’t apologize for being true to what I believed was right. Make sure you act the same way.”
“I will.”
His mother shook her head. “This is insane. I can’t accept this.”
“I have to go. I—I’m sorry. For everything.”
“No, you can’t go. Not like this.”
The communication came to an abrupt end.
It was the last time he heard his father’s voice. Next thing he knew, reports came out that his father had committed seppuku.
“What’s on your mind?” a voice asked him from the present.
Bishop looked up and saw his boss, Akiko. “Ghosts.”
She asked, “Dr. Metzger is dead?”
“Unless there’s two of them,” Bishop replied. He’d filled out a preliminary report, but knew he had to do a more extensive one later.
“Do you know why Bloody Mary chose to attack Dr. Metzger?”
“I don’t know. But she seemed to think it was a trap by the Sons of War,” Bishop replied.
“Were you able to determine where Bloody Mary went?”
“No idea.”
“And the cargo you
were tracking was gone when you woke?”
“That’s right.”
“Do you have any idea what Operation Jiken is?”
“Dr. Metzger mentioned it, but I didn’t get specifics,” Bishop answered. “Did you find anything useful in the plane?”
Akiko nodded. “The crash and fire had destroyed much, but some of the porticals, including Dr. Metzger’s, were functional.” She checked her portical again, then asked, “How are you feeling?”
“Reckless and stupid. I should have listened to your warning.”
Akiko nodded. “But you resolved the case satisfactorily, and Metzger has been dealt with.”
“Not me. Bloody Mary. Thank the Emperor the army sent her or I’d be dead.”
“That’s actually a matter I want to discuss with you.”
Bishop noticed the slight shift in Agent Tsukino’s voice, but couldn’t identify what it signified. “Sure,” he said. “What about it?”
“In your report, you expressed gratitude to the military for sending Bloody Mary to rescue you. But she is not part of the military any longer.”
“Then who sent her?”
“I don’t know. But we have reason to believe she has gone rogue.”
“Bloody Mary couldn’t have gone rogue,” Bishop said, astounded. “I served with her and she hated the Nazis.”
“It is possible that she could be directing her hate toward the Empire as well,” Akiko stated. “Captain Reiko Morikawa is outside. She would like to talk.”
Bishop was surprised that Reiko was here. “What’s she want to talk about?”
“Several things, including some information we retrieved from Metzger’s portical.”
“What information?”
“We’ve learned Dr. Metzger received the mecha parts from a Nazi weapons manufacturer with the code name Cossack. Cossack has access to mechas that were destroyed on the German side and has been doing quite a bit of work re-creating our machines for the Nazis. We don’t know who Metzger was planning on delivering the parts to, but perhaps Cossack does.”
“Where is this Cossack?”
“On the German side of Texarkana. I’ll let Captain Morikawa explain further.”
Akiko messaged Reiko, who entered. She looked riled up.
“What’s up?” Bishop asked.
“I read your report,” Reiko said. “Why didn’t you fire on Bloody Mary when you had the chance?”
“I didn’t have a chance. But why would I fire on her? She was saving my ass from Metzger and the Yakuza, who wanted my ass dead.”
“She’s a ruthless traitor!” Reiko yelled.
Bishop was confused and looked to Akiko. “I don’t know if she’s gone rogue, but as far as I’m concerned, she saved me.”
“Are you actually defending her?”
“Captain Morikawa,” Agent Tsukino called. “Agent Wakana is not up to speed on all that has transpired.” To Bishop, “What the captain hasn’t told you is that Bloody Mary killed forty-five of our army officers last month and a dozen others in the past two days.”
“Are you sure it was her?”
“I was there when she betrayed us,” Reiko replied. “I was the only survivor, like you.”
“Why would she do that?”
“Because she’s turned against us,” Reiko answered.
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Bishop replied. “She’s been on our side as long as I was in the army.”
“Not anymore. She’s a murderer, and you let her go.”
“I didn’t know I was supposed to take her down. Remember, my job was tracking Metzger.”
“Since you were both spared by Bloody Mary,” Akiko began, “and you have your unique history with her, you two should work together to find her.”
Bishop shook his head and said to Reiko, “You got beef with her, that’s on you. Like I said, she saved my life twice. I owe her.”
“Then you’re a collaborator and traitor too.”
“Let’s not be so binary.”
“That’s fresh coming from a Tokko agent.”
Bishop was about to protest, but Akiko cut in. “You have a direct order from the highest echelons of the Tokko to assist Captain Morikawa. Usually, the German Americas are outside of our jurisdiction, but they have made an exception here.”
“Why?”
“They believe your past history with her puts you in a position that will be advantageous in her pursuit.”
“Why don’t you send someone from special forces?” Bishop asked, as that made much more sense.
“We’ve already tried,” Reiko said.
“And?”
“The forces we sent from the Sohei Ghost Legion have gone missing.”
Those were the elite groups within the special forces, units that were the best of the best. “If the Sohei Ghost Legion failed, what makes you think we have a chance?”
“This is not about whether you have a chance or not,” Akiko interjected. “These are your orders, Agent Wakana. You are to assist Captain Morikawa in apprehending the operative known as Bloody Mary. If you find you cannot peaceably arrest her, you are to execute her.”
Bishop chuckled incredulously. “Execute Bloody Mary? I’ll be lucky if I survive another meeting with her. This is suicide.”
“I didn’t realize you were such a coward,” Reiko said.
“If I choose not to run into death incarnate, that makes me smart, not a coward.”
“Captain Morikawa,” Akiko called. “Will you please excuse us?”
Reiko was agitated, but she left.
Bishop stared at Akiko as he thought about the past few days. “This whole thing with Dr. Metzger. It wasn’t really about him, was it? Y’all were after Bloody Mary and knew that Dr. Metzger’s weapons would get Bloody Mary’s interest.”
“Not initially. But the case evolved. There is a belief that identifying who Cossack was sending those parts to will help us find Bloody Mary.”
Bishop put his hands on his face and rubbed his cheeks. “Bloody Mary’s a Nazi killer.”
“Are you afraid of her?”
“Of course I’m afraid. But that’s not what’s holding me back. You know . . .” And the memory of the Nazis torturing him came back to him. “You’ve read my record. You know what I sacrificed for her . . . When I was up in the plane, Metzger and his goons were going to kill me. She saved my ass and now you’re telling me to bring her in. This feels wrong in every way.”
Agent Tsukino had an empathetic glint in her eyes, but that vanished and melted into a pained glower. “As a Tokko agent, you already know we must often compromise our personal values for the good of the country.”
No matter how Bishop tried to spin it in his head, he couldn’t justify going after her. But it’s not like he could quit and become a private citizen, since the Tokko or Kempeitai would bust his ass for disobeying orders.
“You all realize I just fell out of a burning plane?”
“You’re young.”
“Can I have a day to rest up?”
“Our contact has set up a meeting with Cossack tonight at a public location in East Texarkana Fortress.”
That meant on the Nazi side. “You want me to leave now?”
Agent Tsukino did not reply, meaning that was a yes.
“She called herself my acquaintance from hell.”
“Most demons are fallen angels,” Akiko noted.
“Angels don’t generally leave heaven without a reason,” Bishop stated.
“Unless they’re forced to do so.”
“Do you know why Bloody Mary targeted the officers she killed?”
“I would presume she believes she has just cause,” Akiko replied.
“There’s more to the story than Reiko’s letting us know, isn’t there?”
; “Of course.”
“Anything you’d care to share?” Bishop asked.
“I believe Captain Morikawa will brief you on pertinent information. But I will tell you, the captain is part of an organization that has now taken charge of the country.”
“What organization?”
“The Sons of War. They are a group of patriots who believed the country was going in the wrong direction.”
“Are you part of it?”
She shook her head. “I’ve sent you the Tokko file on the Sons of War. There’s actually much more to it. But those parts were classified beyond my clearance level.”
“What’s that mean?”
“It means my warning to you from last time still stands.”
Be careful in your dealings with the army, Akiko had told him.
Bishop knew he was pushing it, but he still wanted to make one last protest. “I really don’t think I’m the right person for this job.”
“I understand your concerns, Agent Wakana. I will assist you where I can. But for now, you have your orders.”
He had no choice but to comply. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Your father used to have a saying. A friend of a friend is my friend, the friend of my enemy is my enemy, and the enemy of my enemy is my friend. But sometimes, even your friends can be your enemies.”
“I don’t have any friends,” Bishop replied.
“Good,” Akiko answered.
* * *
—
Bishop got changed and met Reiko outside.
“I’m sorry if I was harsh in there. It’s been a rough couple of weeks,” Reiko said. “I appreciated your warning about the shipment. We’d figured it out by then, but thanks for confirming it.”
“Sure. Look, I didn’t know Bloody Mary killed our officers. From my perspective, I was about to be killed. Then I woke up in a burning plane. She gave me a rocket pack, so I thought she was helping me out. I couldn’t just turn on her and shoot her.”
Cyber Shogun Revolution Page 9
