“What is this?” she asked, though she was certain her voice wasn’t leaving the confines of her helmet. “What’s going on?”
Takahashi gave her a perplexed stare as Erika’s body backed away from him and jumped to the balcony above. Nanites flowed from Erika’s fingertips, spreading out to adhere to the surface of the building. She wasn’t even aware the armor had that capability.
Against her will, Erika scaled up the length of the tenement to the roof. Once she reached the surface, her helmet retreated from her face and she could move again. And she saw Hiro standing before her, also in armor with his helmet off. He held one arm perpendicular to his body and there was a holographic projection coming from his wrist—of Erika’s armor. The projection vanished and he lowered his arm to look at her.
“You did that?” she asked.
“Your armor is Tokkei property, that means the Tokkei has the ability to commandeer and control it remotely.”
Erika’s natural response to that information was rage. She found her hands tightening into fists and it was all she could do to not launch an attack against her superior officer right then and there. Such a thing would no doubt mean an instant court-martial, so she kept herself reserved to just using words.
“You controlled me. Against my will. Do you have any idea what that’s like?”
Hiro avoided her hard stare. “Believe me, it’s not something I enjoy doing. But you hardly gave me much of a choice.”
“Excuse me? You told me to track down Kitano’s men. I’m following your orders.”
“Yes, track them down. Find out where they are and then bring that information to me,” said Hiro. “I don’t remember telling you to break into a guy’s apartment and threaten him.”
“How is that any different from what you did to Kitano?” she asked. “Or is this a case of ‘do as I say and not as I do’?”
Hiro remained stoic, but she could see he was annoyed with her. The tightening of his lips, the knitting of his brows. Erika didn’t care. His behavior with Kitano had annoyed her, and now this. Something just didn’t smell right the situation.
“This job is over, Kuroki,” he said.
“What?”
“You heard me. Please don’t tell me I have to repeat myself.”
“What makes you say the job’s over?” she asked. “Like hell it is. Do you know what that asshole just told me? That guy we encountered was not the only one. They’ve been testing cybernetics on innocent people. He even said—”
“When I say a job is over, that means it’s over,” said Hiro, his voice growing firmer. “Orders from on high. Kitano is gone and without him, the rest of the network won’t go far. We’re through here.”
Hiro raised his arm and a projection of a small aerial vehicle came from his wrist as well as controls. He manipulated the holographic controls until a light fell over them. Erika looked up and saw the exact same vehicle silently hovering above the building. It lowered closer to them and a hatch opened on its underside. Two cables lowered from the hatch and Hiro grabbed them both. He wrapped one around his arm and held the other out for her.
“Come on, we have to go back to base. Fortunately for you, I’ve covered for you, said I ordered you to follow a lead,” he said. “In your report, you’ll write that the lead was a dead end and then we’ll put all this behind us.”
“This isn’t right and you know it.”
Hiro stepped closer to her and lowered his voice to a whisper, albeit a harsh one. “Listen, Kuroki. If you know what’s good for you and your career, you’ll drop this right now. If the general found out you violated protocol and took a sophisticated suit of Tokkei armor worth billions of yen out without sanction, your ass would be rotting in a prison camp before you could even think of the words ‘court-martial.’ I’m doing you a favor here, so wise up and keep your damn mouth shut!”
Erika gave no response, just wrapped the cable around her arm as well. She couldn’t even bring herself to look at Hiro right now. She’d trusted this man, believed him to be someone worthy of respect. Now she was seeing him as just a puppet who would do whatever he was told.
There was more going on here, and she knew she’d have to figure this out on her own.
10
Erika was in a foul mood after what Hiro had done. He’d taken control of her armor without her permission, without even attempting to consult with her first. Commanding officer or not, he had no right to do that.
They didn’t speak at all on the flight back to headquarters. Once they returned, Erika went to the Tokkei office on her own. The office had desks placed up against each other in rows. The workstations on the desks were flat plastic screens with cameras installed at the top. It was completely empty, save for Sayuri, who was busy at one of the workstations. Her fingers danced across the holographic keyboard, but she stopped and looked up when she heard Erika enter the room.
“Where did you run off to?”
“Yoshida had me checking a lead.”
“Kitano’s men?”
Erika nodded, remembering the story Hiro had told her to stick with. “Something like that. Didn’t pan out, unfortunately. Just have to file the report and then I’m looking forward to heading home.”
Sayuri blinked, staring at Erika while she sat at a workstation nearby. “You’re going home?”
Erika felt puzzled by the question and she met Sayuri’s confused stare. “Yeah, why?”
“Because tonight’s our kangeikai. Remember?”
Erika sighed, her head sinking. She’d completely forgotten about the welcome party that was scheduled in honor of her, Sayuri, and Masao joining the team. Briefly, she wondered if she could find a way out of it by saying she wasn’t feeling well, or that she wanted to finish up her training. She knew, however, there’d be no getting out of it. These parties were considered mandatory, particularly for new members.
“You don’t seem that enthused,” said Sayuri.
“I’m tired is all.”
“Better suck it up. You especially can’t afford to be seen as different.”
“Excuse me?” asked Erika.
“It’s nothing.” Sayuri submitted her report and logged off from her workstation. The holographic keyboard vanished and her plastic screen went blank. She stood and went to the exit. “I’ll see you tonight. The bus will pick us up from out front at nine. Don’t forget that this constitutes an official military event.”
She left the room and Erika shut her eyes briefly to compose her thoughts. You especially can’t afford to be seen as different. Conformity was big in the government agencies, but particularly so in those that belonged to the Ministry of Defense. Sayuri’s implication was clear—Erika’s heritage.
Erika activated the terminal and the camera scanned her face, confirming her identity via facial recognition and retinal scan. The holographic display appeared on the screen and the keyboard materialized to life in front of her.
She began work on the report, carefully noting everything Hiro had told her to say. She wrote that she’d been sent to investigate Nobuo Takahashi and that the lead had turned into a dead end. Takahashi was just a low-level enforcer with no useful intelligence to provide on Kitano’s larger criminal empire.
Once she finished, she hit the submit button and then logged off. Erika looked up at the clock and saw it was already half past eight. She needed to hurry and change so she didn’t end up late for the bus. Sayuri made a point to remind her that this was a formal military event, which meant they were expected to wear their dress uniforms. Fortunately, Erika had hers in her locker here at headquarters, so at least she was thankful she wouldn’t have to try to find a way to run home, change, and get back in thirty minutes.
At the restaurant, there were three long tables in the tatami room, and the guests took their spot on either side. The seating consisted of small, square cushions laid out at each spot around the table. Bowls filled with broth sat on portable electric stoves and next to each bowl was a large plate with
a small selection of meet and a larger selection of assorted vegetables. Each place setting had a bowl for the stew and a small, rectangular plate with a few pieces of sushi.
Everyone was expected to sit with their department. Field operatives were considered their own department and even amongst them, they were divided into smaller teams. She found herself beside Masao and across from Hiro. Sayuri was to Hiro’s right, directly across from Masao. Hiro and Erika sat at the end of the table, but at the front of the room was a shorter table perpendicular to the rest. General Hojo sat there, with other department heads. It was the first time Erika had seen him in person.
Idle chatter began as people still found their places. Once everyone was seated, Hojo rose, as did the rest of the department heads. The small talk ended and everyone else stood as well.
“Would all shinnyû-shain please come to the front of the room and line up?”
The word meant new employees, so everyone who had just been hired or transferred into this branch did as they were told, lining up in front of their new coworkers. One by one, they were all expected to give a short self-introduction. Erika just remained still with a smile on her face, barely paying attention to most. The exceptions were her two teammates.
Masao was the first of them to give his introduction. He took a step forward and bowed before speaking. “I am Masao Ichiyama from Yamaguchi. Formerly of the Jietai, recently promoted to the Ministry. Yoroshiku onegaiitashimasu.” He concluded with a final bow, and then stepped back into line.
Simple and to the point. Masao wasn’t one to waste time or mince words, and Erika could sympathize with his desire to just get this over with so they could eat.
Sayuri stepped forward and bowed, a smile on her face. “My name is Sayuri Tanaka. I come from Hiroshima and graduated from the National Defense Academy. I look forward to learning from the wealth of experience present in this room. Yoroshiku onegaiitashimasu.” She bowed again.
Erika noted that Sayuri hadn’t mentioned anything about what she did between graduating from the NDA and joining the Tokkei. There was likely a reason for that.
Finally, it was her turn. Erika stepped forward and bowed. “I’m Erika Kuroki, from Shizuoka. I’m afraid I must be a let-down after following Ms. Tanaka and her background from such an esteemed and storied institution. I’ve just transferred from the Jietai and I look forward to providing my services. Yoroshiku onegaiitashimasu.” She bowed again and then stepped back.
The rest of the new arrivals continued their introductions, but Erika noticed that some eyes still lingered on her. She recognized that look—it was one she had grown up trying to ignore. They were wondering just how someone like her managed to get a position within the Ministry of Defense, in particular the Tokkei.
Once the introductions were completed, everyone returned to their places and Hojo took the floor once more. The restaurant’s waitstaff brought out bottles of beer, sake, and shochu and set them out on the table. Drinks were poured first for the superiors by their subordinates. Erika took a bottle of beer and was about to offer to pour for Hiro, but before she could ask, Sayuri had already managed to.
“Hey, Kuroki?”
Erika looked at Masao, who gestured towards her glass with the beer. She smiled at him and held her glass out. He filled it and then she returned the favor. Nobody began drinking just yet, though. Hojo took his glass of sake and raised it into the air. Everyone rose and held up their own glasses.
“In the past few decades, our country has gone through many changes. We’ve had to once more endure the trials of war. But we emerged successful and have seen a new generation of warriors. You embody the bushido code passed down from the revered samurai of old, and I know under your honorable service, Japan will continue to prosper.” Hojo held up his glass. “Tenno heika banzai!”
His cry of “long live the Emperor” was echoed by the rest of the room. Then he offered one final word—“Kampai!”—which concluded his toast. It was repeated and then everyone clinked their glasses against their neighbors’ before drinking. With the toast completed, a round of applause followed and then everyone returned to their seats.
The rest of the night went by in a blur of tedium. Erika didn’t make much of an effort to move from her spot and mingle with the people from other departments. The way they looked at her when she stood before them told her everything she needed to know about them. She’d spent years in the Jietai trying to win over the approval of superior and subordinate alike. Now that she had finally managed to make it to the Tokkei on her own merits, with the deck stacked against her, she chose to simply keep to herself.
Hiro seemed to have much of the same attitude, though obviously for different reasons. As heir to the biggest defense contractor in Japan, Erika suspected he must have been used to—and grown tired of—various department heads trying to curry favor with him.
He noticed she was looking at him and met her eyes. Erika immediately looked down and picked up her bowl, quickly using her chopsticks to scoop a few thin slices of pork into her mouth.
“Kuroki?”
He called her name, but she was still embarrassed to look up. After the second time he did so, she finally glanced at him again with apprehension. Hiro was holding the beer bottle up and gesturing towards her. Erika looked at her glass and saw it was almost empty.
“No, it’s okay. I can—”
“Relax, Erika,” he said. “It’s a party.”
Erika blushed and held up her glass, which he quickly refilled. She bowed her head and sipped her beer, then offered to return the favor. But Hiro held up his hand in polite refusal, then glanced towards the head table.
“If my math is correct, the General’s on his fifth sake,” said Hiro.
Erika looked and saw that the old man’s face was almost the color of a ripe tomato. She suppressed a chuckle from sneaking past her lips.
“Assuming past is prologue, that means he’ll be coming by in a few minutes and try to force me to drink with him,” said Hiro.
“I guess it happens a lot?” she asked, finally finding some courage to speak.
Hiro nodded. “Once our time is up here, he’ll insist we go to an after-party at some high-priced hostess bar. Then he’ll subject my ears to his tortured renditions of Arashi and Bruce Springsteen.”
That time, Erika chuckled. Hiro finished the last of his drink and then smiled.
“And tomorrow, I’ll go into work and he won’t remember one single second of tonight.”
“Maybe that’s a good thing,” said Erika. “If he knew you’d seen him like that, he might have you killed.”
They both grew quiet at that and looked down at their bowls. Erika regretted having brought up something so grim, even though it was intended to be a joke. But in their line of work, such things wouldn’t be surprising. Not even unheard of, for that matter.
Erika finished her bowl and refilled it with broth and just a few vegetables. As she did that, Hojo came around—just as Hiro had predicted. The general nearly fell down as he sat at the end of the table and set an unopened bottle of sake on the surface. His words were slurred as he poured a drink for Hiro.
“You…” said Hojo as he looked at Erika. He seemed to struggle to hold his eyelids up and his entire body moved like a blade of grass in the wind. “Wha’s your name again…?”
“Kuroki, sir,” said Erika and bowed her head.
“Ah, right. Kuroki.” Hojo held up the bottle and brought it towards Erika’s now-empty glass. “Here. Drink.”
“Thank you, sir, but—”
“You…refusin’ my hospitality?” He squinted as he stared at her. “Why’s that…?”
“She’s had a lot to drink already tonight, sir,” said Hiro. “No one in the whole of the Tokkei has the stamina of the great General Hojo.”
“Rightchoo are, Yoshida!” said Hojo with a laugh. He threw his head back so far, he almost lost his balance, but Hiro kept him sitting upright. Hojo leaned over the table, moving closer to Erika. H
is breath stank of sake and miso. “Maybe yer genes just ain’t strong enough, eh Kuroki?”
There it was again. The reminder that no matter what she did, how much she fought to prove herself, they would still view her as less than any other agent. Just by virtue of who her father was.
“I guess you’re right, sir.” Erika set the bowl back on the table. Suddenly she’d lost her appetite. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to use the restroom.”
Erika stood and left the dining room. She walked down the hall to the restroom. There was a sink just outside the two toilet rooms and she turned on the faucet to splash some water on her face. Erika took a paper towel from the basket and patted her skin dry, staring at her face in the mirror. After a few deep breaths, she started the walk back down the hallway.
When she reached the dining room, she hesitated just as she was about to open the sliding door. Instead of returning, she decided that she wasn’t yet ready to go back inside. So she continued walking down the hallway, to the narrow staircase and descended it to the first floor.
There was a counter bar and high-backed booths. The restaurant was filled to capacity, and drunken laughter and conversation bounced all over the room. The scent of grilled fish and meat lingered in the air, accompanied by a haze of grease-stained smoke. Erika finally found the exit and stepped outside.
Even though they were in the Ginza neighborhood of Tokyo and there was plenty of activity going on all around, it still somehow felt a bit more peaceful out here.
“Kuroki?”
She looked up at the sound of her voice and saw Masao standing just a few feet away. Erika hadn’t even realized he’d stepped outside until just then.
“What are you doing out here?” she asked.
Masao held up a vaporizer. “Just felt like a puff. How about you?”
Ronin Born Page 6
