Reprisal

by Charles Tillman

  Ono laughed at her husband’s antics, happy that he had found his way back from the darkness that plagued him during and after the horrors of Isamu.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  TQB Base, Tokyo, Japan

  Once away from the adults on the island, Koda and Asai had become so caught up in the excitement of living and working in Tokyo that the novelty of flying was soon lost. It quickly became evident to Eve that they were more like sisters than cousins as they chattered nonstop about what they wanted to do in Tokyo.

  Asai proved to be more studious than Koda, wanting to see historical sights and visit libraries and museums that she had only heard of or read about.

  Koda, on the other hand, was interested in fashion and entertainment opportunities. The only thing both agreed on in whispered conversation was the opportunity to meet interesting members of the opposite sex.

  “Eve, would you please keep an eye on these two?” Yuko sent over her chip. “They are both intelligent young women, but they’ve led a sheltered life. Though they have dealt with Forsaken, they haven’t experienced the darker side of humanity. We need to keep a close watch until they learn what to look out for when it comes to some of the people they will meet here.”

  “I’m on it. Should we put them in the Pod-doc and give them implants?”

  Yuko thought for a moment. “We might make the offer in the future, but for now, maybe set them both up with small communicators. Perhaps something that looks similar to the mobile devices that are becoming popular with the people their ages. I’ll leave that up to you as long as they have them. That way, we will be able to keep watch from a distance without being too intrusive.”

  Eve took on the duty of getting Koda and Asai settled into the base when they arrived. After Akio and Yuko had bid them farewell, Eve took her new charges in hand and set about getting them acclimated to the new normal of living in a world with modern technology.

  “Asai, please place your hand here.” Eve indicated a dark square on the wall of the elevator, just above the buttons that would take passengers to the upper floors.

  The square flashed red several times before turning a steady green.

  “Koda, please do the same,” Eve instructed.

  Koda complied, and soon the square turned green for her as well. A disembodied voice came from the speaker in the ceiling. “Welcome, Asai Ono and Koda Rii. Level-one access granted.”

  Koda looked at the speaker and then back at Eve, confusion evident on her face as the lift descended. “How did whoever that was know our names?”

  “That’s Abel, the Entity Intelligence who controls the base,” Eve explained. “He is linked to me. I have programmed your biometric data into him. He will now recognize you and allow you access to all parts of the base you have clearance for. Some of the areas are dangerous. If you try to enter them, Abel will not open the door.

  “This elevator takes you to the basement level,” Eve explained as the doors slid open. She motioned for both women to follow and walked to a blank wall at the end of the short hallway.

  She pointed to a bare spot located in a corner about three feet from the floor. “Asai, please place your hand flat on this spot.”

  Within seconds, the entire section of wall slid back into a hidden recess and revealed another elevator. Eve stepped inside with Koda and Asai on her heels, and the door silently closed.

  Abel’s voice came from hidden speakers in the roof. “Level, please.”

  “Say which level you wish to go to,” Eve advised the girls, then called, “Level one.” As the elevator began its swift descent, she continued to familiarize them with the building’s systems. “The base is comprised of five levels located below this floor. They are labeled one through five, or you can say the name of the level once you understand them.

  “This level is not accessible any other way except that first-floor elevator,” Eve explained. “The second elevator is an additional layer of security and allows access to the base. If someone without authorization attempts to enter this car, there are defensive measures that range from light discouragement to lethal depending on how hard they try to breach the base.”

  The elevator stopped as she finished, and the door opened into a long hall with doors spaced out on either side.

  “Level one,” Abel announced.

  “This is the residential level,” Eve told them. “We all have individual quarters with private baths. The kitchen is here, as well as a common area where we can meet. I will show you to the rooms you will use whenever you stay at the base. They will still be available after your apartments are done, in case you need to stay overnight.”

  Eve led them past the open dining area they had already been in on the night Isamu died, and past several other closed doors. As they approached two doors opposite each other near the end of the hallway, both slid open automatically to reveal comfortably furnished living areas.

  Eve gestured for the young women to explore. “The rooms are identical except for the colors. Take whichever you like. I will give you an hour to get settled and clean up. You don’t have to boil water for a bath. Each room is equipped with a tub and separate shower, so you can normally take as long as you’d like.”

  Both women stared unbelievingly at Eve. They were both born after earthquakes had destroyed the power station on Kume and had never had a bath that did not require hauling wood and heating water. Most of the time, the islanders went for a swim in the ocean to clean up after a day of strenuous labor.

  “Seriously, Eve-san?” Asai asked. “There is hot running water here? I have read about it in books and seen the faucets at home, but I have never experienced it.”

  Eve was surprised to hear this, but then she realized that neither woman was over twenty-three. As a result, they had never experienced the basic conveniences from before that many now considered luxuries.

  “Both of you come in, and I will explain how it works.” She stepped into one of the open rooms. “This is your personal living space, where you can relax, read, listen to music, or watch movies and shows.”

  “Eve,” Koda interrupted, “what is a movie?”

  Eve paused when she remembered that Koda and Asai had never had electricity and had probably never experienced any recorded entertainment. She turned to Koda with a huge grin on her face. “It is a recorded form of entertainment that you watch on a device called a television. We don’t have time now, but I will gladly introduce both of you to them soon.”

  Asai spoke up then. “I remember mother and father talking about something like that when I was a small child. Father was complaining about not being able to watch baseball. I told him he could watch the older kids play whenever he wanted. Mother burst out laughing at the look on his face. He told me about television then. It was a long time ago.”

  Eve smiled, thinking of the surprises ahead for the two women. “Yes, that and many other luxuries were available before WWDE. We have an extensive library of anything you can imagine. I look forward to showing it to you.”

  “That sounds like fun,” Koda remarked, her head craning to see through a door that had suddenly opened.

  “Through there is the bedroom.” Eve pointed as she moved toward the rear of the room. There was a large plush-looking bed covered in a thick earth tone comforter with a small stand beside it. The room was also furnished with a wooden dresser on the wall opposite the bed that held assorted-sized drawers, and a large monitor fastened to the wall above it.

  “Through here is your closet and vanity,” Eve explained as she stepped into a brightly lit area with a walk-in closet on one side and a counter with a sink and a mirror above it that covered the entire wall.

  She continued the tour by stepping through another door located at the end of the area. “This is the bathroom.” She motioned for them to enter.

  Koda and Asai were staring at the luxury surrounding them. Koda stepped into the room behind Eve and stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide with wonder and her mouth hanging open.<
br />
  Asai was looking at the vanity and did not realize Koda had stopped until she ran into her.

  “Koda, what are you doing? You’re blocking the door.” Asai prodded her in the ribs when Koda failed to move after the collision.

  Koda shook her head and quickly took a step forward. “Sorry, Asai,” she murmured.

  “You’re so dim someti—” Asai stopped mid-sentence when she saw what held Koda’s attention.

  It was a room almost half the size of the bedroom, dominated by an oval-shaped bathtub with multiple jets in the sides. Next to it was a glassed-in shower that had nozzles coming from three sides and a large flat one suspended from a chrome pipe coming down from the ceiling.

  Eve smiled at their reactions and walked over to the tub. She indicated the knobs on either side of the faucet. “The red one is hot. The blue is cold. I suggest turning the blue one first and then adjusting the red until the temperature is comfortable. The water temperature is set for Yuko and Akio, and they prefer it very hot. I don’t think you would like to be scalded, so please be careful until you are accustomed to how it works. The shower is the same.” She indicated a set of six knobs, each with a diagram depicting the various nozzles around the cubicle. “These control which of the heads you want to use, and regulate the pressure.”

  Both women slowly went from one fixture to the other, neither able to decide which they wanted to try first.

  Asai found her voice first. “This one is mine,” she stated firmly. “Go get your own, Koda. That tub just called my name, so if you will excuse me, I think I need to get acquainted with this marvelous device.”

  Koda glared at her cousin, both hands on her hips. “Now, wait a minute, Asai. I was here first.”

  Eve laughed at their antics, knowing neither was serious. “The other room is identical, except it is decorated in pastels if that helps, Koda.”

  Koda grinned as she stuck her tongue out at Asai before turning to Eve. “That sounds lovely. Much better than Asai’s dreary brown room.”

  Eve chuckled as Asai put her hands on her hips, mimicking Koda.

  “I happen to like natural colors,” she asserted. “Now, go to your room, Koda. I need some alone time with my new best friend.”

  They both giggled like schoolgirls as Koda headed for the other room.

  Eve reminded Asai that she would return in an hour before she followed Koda.

  Eve returned an hour later and found Koda and Asai sipping tea in the common kitchen, freshly scrubbed and grinning from ear-to-ear.

  “I presume you found your accommodations acceptable?” Eve laughed.

  “Eve, that was the best experience I have ever had. I never want to leave,” Koda gushed.

  Asai nodded vigorously in agreement.

  Eve smiled at them both “I believe you will find the accommodations in your new homes surpass these,” she assured them.

  Koda and Asai gaped at her before Asai exclaimed, “Better than this? Impossible.”

  Eve snickered and then got a calculating look in her eyes. “Would you like to make a little wager on it?”

  Asai started to answer when Koda cut in, “Asai, remember your father’s saying about betting on another’s game?”

  Asai’s face took on a thoughtful look, and then she nodded. “I think this may be one of those games.”

  “You show wisdom beyond your years, young one,” Eve deadpanned, causing both women to burst out laughing.

  “Come. I will show you the rest of the base. Then we will take a trip into the fashion district to pick up some new clothes for both of you. I can’t have the managers of my new business looking less than fashionable, after all.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Northern China, Prison Complex

  Chang surveyed the cells that stretched down either side of the bleak stone building. “Miko, how many Nosferatu do you have now?”

  “Fifty-three survived the change, sir,” Miko replied. “I have had my men scouting the small villages in the area for more humans, but not many remain. The bandits we took the prison from had killed or chased away most of them before we arrived.”

  “Heinz will not be happy with that. Expand your search area and keep collecting until you have at least one hundred,” Chang ordered. “Don’t go over one hundred and eighty, though. Transporting more than that will overwhelm our logistics ability.”

  Miko nodded. “Yes, sir. I will send word when I reach one hundred.”

  “You’ve done well here, Miko. I’m going to suggest that you be given more responsibilities in the future. Do not disappoint me,” Chang told him before he turned and walked back toward the blacked-out box truck he had arrived in.

  Chang shut the door and spoke to the driver. “Dieter, let’s head back. Do watch the ruts in the road this time. I bounced around like a pinball all the way here.”

  The large blond Were stiffened at this. “Yes, sir. Would you like to wait until tonight and ride in the front? That would probably be more comfortable. We should be back at the lab before sunrise if we leave as soon as it’s dark.”

  Chang appreciated the concern the Were showed. If only his brother were as loyal. It’s a shame that Horst chafes so much against Heinz. He would be a real asset if he would just realize that Heinz will see that they both have a high position in the ruling class once we have established control over Japan. Even though they are only Weres, Heinz treats them like they were his children. He chose to raise them after their mother was killed protecting him. I never understood why he felt guilty about her death. For some reason, he was uncharacteristically affected by her death. Although, he would be dead if she hadn’t sacrificed herself to protect him, I suppose.

  “No, I need to get back as soon as possible. I think Heinz shouldn’t have killed the commissioner for this area. He had an overinflated sense of entitlement, but he did at least maintain the damn roads.”

  “What happened?” Dieter inquired. “If you don’t mind me asking, sir.”

  Chang chuckled. “Heinz ripped his head off and then killed the four soldiers with him when he tried to commandeer the generator at the lab. He had their heads delivered to the Provincial Party Secretary with a note to send someone smarter next time. They haven’t sent anyone to replace him yet.”

  Dieter nodded. “I hadn’t heard, but it is well known that father does not suffer fools. I will go slower so the ride will not be so rough.”

  “Just get us there in one piece,” Chang ordered. “Soon, we will not have to hide from the Dark One like frightened mice.”

  Tokyo, Riko’s Noodle House

  Sero spoke between bites of noodles. “The child was seen with two other women at the warehouse again today. There has been a lot of activity there in the past few days. One of our men was able to find out from a laborer that they are building apartments on the upper floor and putting in walls throughout the open space on the first floor.”

  “Do we know what they are putting on the first floor?” Muto questioned.

  “All the worker knew was that it is supposed to be an entertainment facility of some type. He is only a day worker hauling debris from inside, rather than one of the building crew.”

  “Keep someone watching and try to get a man inside to look around. Perhaps the chatty laborer can tell him how to get on the crew.”

  “Already on it,” Sero assured him. “I sent Kosha over there today. His father was a carpenter, and Kosha worked for him from the time he was twelve. He knows enough about it to get hired if they need someone.”

  Muto smiled at his second, glad once again that he had taken in the starving orphan years earlier. “That’s good. Bring whatever information you get as soon as it comes in. I’m sure our employers will be interested in whatever we find. Keep watchers in the area to try and locate where they are coming from. I’m tired of them disappearing into thin air every time one of our men spots them.”

  “Me too, Muto. I can’t figure out how they’re doing it. I have put men along the route
that they have left by each time. They walk through the old temple area and never come out on the other side. We have searched all through the buildings and woods but still can’t find where they go.”

  “If you need more men on it, pull them in. If we can find their base, we get paid more. I wonder what they would pay for one of them alive?” Muto got a distant look in his eyes as he considered what had just popped into his head.

  Sero saw the look in Muto’s eyes and knew where this was going. He was already mentally compiling a list of the people he would use and the necessary logistics for holding the captives. “It shouldn’t be too difficult to take the woman or the child. They are always alone. Well, now there are those two mystery women, but they shouldn’t pose a challenge.”

  Muto motioned the server to take his empty bowl and bring him another sake. “Get a plan in place, and I will let you know if the operation is a go. I expect to hear from our contact soon, anyway. The last time they were here, they acted like we weren’t doing what they paid us for. I want to show them that we honor our commitments. I don’t need them spreading word that the Yakuza don’t deliver what we promise.”

  “I’ve got it, Muto. Let me know when, and I will take care of it,” Sero assured him, hoping that this was a passing fancy since it was not part of what the client requested. They were explicit that all they wanted was the location, and they would handle anything else.

  Sero had reservations about this from the start, after meeting Chang and the blond giant that came with him when they initially contracted with Muto for this. There was something about both that made him nervous. Although they were polite, he still felt it was dangerous to deal with them.

  When he approached Muto about it after they had left, he was not interested in hearing Sero’s reservations. All he saw was the money they’d offered.

  TQB Base, Tokyo, Japan

  “Eve, that was amazing!” Koda gushed as she pulled items out of the numerous bags she had acquired on their shopping trip.