Whispers of the Dead (Miraibanashi, #1)

by James Litherland

  She was still standing there silent and staring at him with a cold, haughty look, so he thought he had better say something. “What are you doing here?”

  Shin squinted, and her glare turned icy. “Didn’t you expect to see me again? Aren’t you happy I am here?”

  As they were standing just outside an enforcer’s house, even if it did appear to be empty for the time being, Roshike kept his voice low. “I’m sure I would be thrilled to see you again in other circumstances, but this is certainly a surprise.” And not a pleasant one either, considering all the other things he had to deal with. “What are you doing here?”

  “Looking for you, of course.”

  He bit back the retort that leapt immediately to his tongue. She was a fellow Kyoushi and member of the Yes network—she might even be Tash’s other agent on the inside. That would explain why she’d been searching for him, but not why she’d waited to startle him now when she could have turned and introduced herself the moment she’d seen he was following her. And he’d gotten the impression both of his contacts were already inside the Gaku. But he’d encountered her recently in Kyoto.

  “Were you just wandering around then, hoping we might run into each other?” Like Seiko had been doing. “Couldn’t you think of a better way to make contact?”

  “I was looking for you, and I found you—that’s what matters. Now, why don’t you let me know how I can help you do what you came to do?”

  So, she was Tash’s other agent. “Well, it would have been more convenient if you both could’ve met me together, though I understand it’s safer for you not to know each other’s identity.” But if Shin had been following him, had she seen Seiko? Could she guess Seiko was Tash’s other agent? Had she been close enough to recognize her again? “Even so, perhaps the three of us should have a little conference to work out how I’m going to get this job done.” He realized he was letting his frustration get to him as his tone had gotten tart at the end. And he was really tired.

  “Are you done?”

  “Sorry. But I want to do what I came to do and escape this place.” And escape was how he thought of it now. “Is there anything you can do to help with that?”

  Her expression softened, a bit. “Well, that was the question I had for you. I am here to help you after all. So I suppose I’ll have to overlook your attitude and help you however I can.”

  Which was the central question. “How can you help? I mean—what exactly do you do?”

  “That depends on what you need me to do. Let me know, and I’ll do what I can. Whatever it might be, there’s probably some way I can work it out.”

  Roshike rolled his eyes to keep from gritting his teeth, then took a few deep breaths. How could he have any idea what kind of help to ask for if he had no idea what kind of assistance she could offer? “I don’t know yet. Let me think it over, would you? I’ll meet you right here two nights from now, about the same time, and if I need any help—” And probably he wouldn’t at that. “I’ll let you know what.” Maybe he’d drag Seiko to that meeting and stage a conference between the three of them. Whatever Tash wanted, Roshike was the one who was supposed to be in charge here. At least for this specific job.

  Shin’s lips curved in a semblance of a smile. “I think you need to relax, Ro. Don’t allow the atmosphere of this place to change who you are.” Which didn’t answer his question. She continued when he didn’t respond. “Alright, I’ll be here the night after next, about this time, and hopefully you won’t be so cranky then.”

  Maybe, if he managed to get some real rest. He needed to go back now. Not only was he too tired to sneak around on dangerous ground like this, it was getting late, and he wanted to get back into the dormitory while there were still plenty of people about and hopefully some with the access that would unlock the door for him. Tomorrow night would have to do for coming back here to have a thorough look around.

  He managed a smile for Shin. “Until then.” He half-turned away. “And be careful, alright?”

  She gave him a genuine grin in return. “Worry about yourself, Ro. I’ll be fine.”

  He nodded and walked away, leaving her there on her own. She clearly didn’t need or want his protection, and he hoped she knew what it was she was doing. And as he headed back, he considered it had been a good evening. He’d met both of Tash’s contacts and received their offers of help, and Seiko at least had already been of considerable assistance—between the information she’d provided and those network protocols she’d given him. And then there was the equipment she’d promised to get.

  The thing he needed most now was rest for the day ahead, and once he was back in the locker room he could change back into the tan uniform and nap on one of the benches. Then if anyone happened to find him there, he could honestly say that he’d been locked out of his room. But his plan was to be waiting outside his door when the curfew ended and the door automatically unlocked in the morning. Then he could stash his regular clothes back on top of the wardrobe and grab his registered screen. And pretend he was just leaving.

  It seemed simple enough, which was good. He expected everything would get much more complicated soon. He just didn’t know how.

  Chapter 10

  Indebted

  The day after next, between points A and B

  ROSHIKE WALKED AWAY from the cafeteria and set out confidently toward the individual study center he’d been spending so much time at, without even bothering to check his screen first. He was getting used to some of the routine by now. Breakfast always ended for all the candidates fifteen minutes before eight in the morning, and at eight they were all expected to have arrived where they’d been sent. Pulling his screen out of his shirt pocket and glancing at its message confirmed he’d been right about where the Gaku-net wanted him to go. Thankfully, the study center was close enough he didn’t need to rush to get there in time.

  After a good night’s sleep on a hard bench, Roshike had returned to his own room as planned the night before last, then turned around to go back to shower and start the day. When he’d joined the others at breakfast yesterday morning, no one had appeared to have any idea he’d spent the night out of his room. And he’d finally shared with Carl and Futoh the fact he’d been chosen to study engineering. He didn’t care for the attention it had brought him, but it had prompted Carl to open up about how Batsu society worked. And certainly Roshike’s curiosity must’ve seemed natural enough.

  He’d learned why so many administrators and guards all ate at the same cafeteria and none of the citizens who wore civilian clothes—the answer had been too simple. Because it was a lot cheaper to eat there than elsewhere, and most administrators and guards didn’t earn enough to eat some place better. For the same reason, a lot of them lived in dormitories much the same as the candidates stayed in, apparently. If they were single. Married couples and families tended to avail themselves of the inexpensive apartments the Batsu had built for them. Carl said so, and Roshike supposed he should know.

  He himself hadn’t given any thought to the cost of the meals he was eating or of living in the dormitories or of the lessons he was receiving, but all the ‘cheap’ food, clothing, and accommodations were so luxurious compared to what was commonly available to non-citizens on the outside, he’d assumed it was all far more than he could afford. But, again according to Carl, this was the life of a cog.

  When Roshike had asked him what a ‘cog’ was, the man had hesitantly explained how it referred to ‘zero-grade’ citizens, those who had completed the candidate training but had yet to move up to level-one status. Only as one moved up the levels, if one moved up, would a person start earning enough to have a wardrobe of normal clothes or eat at an actual restaurant. It made sense, so Roshike didn’t understand why Carl had sounded a little bitter when talking about it. He’d looked down at his tray full of food at the time and had the thought that even candidates had it pretty good. But then Carl must have been brought up in better circumstances than anybody Roshike had ever known.
With the glaring exception of Teresa.

  He slowed down to stroll along one of the ubiquitous walkways and pushed thoughts of her out of his head. He’d need to think clearly for his session with the screen who’d be his teacher this morning. Yesterday he’d spent the entire day in one of the individual rooms studying with the screen, as apparently Professor Tadashi didn’t hold class every day for the engineering students. Or if he did, Roshike hadn’t been sent to attend.

  He’d had an easier time of it than his first day, though, thinking about what Shin had said the previous evening. Instead of conforming to the way the Gaku-net wanted him to perform, Roshike had taken the lessons purposefully slow, though the screen had repeatedly tried to rush him through. Forcing the computer to follow his pace instead had left him feeling less drained at the end of the day. And he’d learned more too. If the Gaku-net didn’t see things that way though, maybe it would mean an end to a career as an engineer. Either way, what was imperative was that Roshike have the energy for his nocturnal activities. That was his real job, and he had to keep it in mind.

  It had certainly paid off last night. First, following on from what Seiko had told him about the ventilation shafts and access panels in the administration building, he’d looked around the dormitory and found a way onto the roof through the ceiling of the locker room. The two-story descent onto some soft grass hadn’t been too difficult, and it was much better than continuing to copy some random person’s registration to unlock the main door. If he did that repeatedly, it might get noticed.

  Outside, Roshike had finally gotten his chance to thoroughly scout the area around the administration building. Though that hadn’t been too encouraging. On the one hand, there wasn’t a whole lot of light there at night, so with plenty of shadows, and the right equipment, scaling the wall to get onto the roof unnoticed was certainly doable. He didn’t like how far the enforcers’ quarters were from the building though.

  Ranged around administration headquarters at such a distance, those enforcers would form quite a nice net to keep any intruder from escaping. If Roshike set off an alarm, he’d have a bunch of guards inside the building to deal with and a ring of enforcers on the outside closing in. Typical Batsu tactics, but effective. He’d have to avoid tripping any alarm or else fight his way through a small army. And he couldn’t count on being able to do either.

  After his reconnaissance and return to the dormitory last night, he’d even had the energy to examine the button Seiko had given him. And he’d found more than just the protocols for querying the Gaku-net database. She’d also included the blueprints of the administration building. She’d stood there and told him she could get those for him while knowing she’d already provided them. He’d been impressed by her foresight.

  So this morning, instead of daydreaming about escaping from the compound after finishing what he came to do, Roshike was planning the job itself and hoping to move ahead soon. And tonight should go a long way to advancing his preparations.

  He was feeling pretty confident about continuing the pretense of being a candidate, about his ability to do the job he’d come to do, as he walked into the study center and strode down the hall. Then he reached the door to the small room that the screen had directed him to and received a shock. Opening the door and taking a half step in before it quite registered that somebody was already in the room, he then realized he was looking at a ghost. Teresa.

  If he hadn’t thought he’d seen her the night before last, the shock might’ve been extreme, but as it happened, he recovered quickly. Some part of him had to have already known she was still alive. That she was here in the Gaku. She certainly wasn’t any spirit of the departed, standing there and looking at him with a satisfied expression on her face.

  “It’s good to see you, Ro.”

  Not trusting himself to speak, he only nodded. But his heart was pounding fast, every muscle in his body was poised for flight, and his mind was racing as he peered closely at her face. Her skin was wan, far paler than it used to be, and there was only a little life in her eyes. Her expression was guarded.

  Obviously she was not only alive but back in the bosom of the Batsu. Whether by choice or not, she could’ve told them a lot about him, the things she’d learned over all that time he’d worked for her. But one thing he had never told her about was his time with the Kyoushi. So that secret was still safe. But how had she known he would be showing up here—how had she found out about his even being inside the Gaku in the first place? But the most important question was what she intended to do with that information. Or had she already done it?

  Sensing a presence to his left, Roshike stepped to his right as he half-turned to face the approaching figure. It was the blue-suited enforcer they’d encountered that terrible night at the Batsu headquarters in Osaka, the one who’d shot Teresa. The man with the mop of thick, curly black hair and still with that same sneer on his face stopped several meters short of Roshike and just stood and stared.

  Despite every nerve in his body screaming ‘run’, somehow Roshike was sure he wasn’t in any immediate danger. Whatever was going on here—and he wasn’t able to make any sense of it, yet—it wasn’t a trap. At least not an obvious one. Only a single enforcer, when they’d have sent a whole troop of thugs if they’d come to take him by force. Something else appeared to be going on here, but what? Whatever it was, he’d have to feel his way carefully.

  Teresa had noticed his reaction and strolled toward the door, Roshike backing up another couple steps to give her room but also staying close enough to protect her if she needed it. Though he felt sure that wouldn’t be necessary.

  He smiled weakly at her. “I’d thought you were dead.” And truth be told, she didn’t look far from it. “And this is the guy I saw shoot you.” As a remark, it seemed rather absurd, but what else was he going to say?

  Standing in the doorway, she glanced that way, then shrugged as she focused on Roshike. “That is Bob. He works for my mother.”

  While that made sense out of some of the questions Roshike had, it made nonsense of the fact that ‘Bob’ had shot her, but she seemed to take the man’s presence for granted. “Is he your bodyguard, then? I can’t say he’s done a great job so far.”

  She shook her head slightly, then looked at Roshike with a completely blank expression. “More of a watchdog. Right, Bob?” At least there was a hint of spirit in her voice when she said that. Sparing a brief look for Bob, she returned her attention to Roshike. And now her expression and the tone of her voice had descended into a completely flat affect. “I want you to know, Ro, that you don’t have to worry about them.” The enforcers, he supposed. “I made sure they understood you were working for me and only doing what I’d paid you to do. That’s why they made me wait before I could see you again, but I’m glad they finally did.”

  It took a moment before the full import of those last words of hers hit him. ‘They’ had known he was here for some time, and yet hadn’t made any move against him. Even though Teresa had told them he was only an employee, apparently, he was still surprised by that. It raised again the question of what the Batsu thought they knew of who he was.

  He’d have to watch his words, and not only because Bob was there. Teresa might be acting under duress, but he couldn’t be sure, and unless and until he could, he couldn’t afford to trust her. “Nice to see you too.” He was happy to know she was alive at least, if not exactly looking well. “Glad they allowed you out to visit me, but shouldn’t you be resting or something?”

  She returned to the first remark he’d made. “I almost did die, Ro. But the Batsu’s medical technology is more impressive than you could know. They saved my life, and I owe them a huge debt.”

  Even though it was one of their enforcers who’d put her life in such peril to begin with? It certainly sounded as if she were back with the Batsu. Could it be an act? “Does that mean your little rebellion is over?”

  She winced, but if she was offended by the question, he couldn’t tell
by the tone of her voice. “They offered me another chance, and of course I’ve taken it. I’ll have to earn their trust, and it may be a long time before I can, but it’s worth it—some day I may be an elite again.”

  “I suppose that’s because of your mother. You never told me she was such an important person. I expect she’s happy to have you back?” He lifted his voice at the end to make sure she understood it was a question, but she didn’t respond directly.

  “I’m glad that you too have seen the benefits of the Batsu. I understand you’re a promising candidate, so I’m sure you’ll become a good citizen. And some day you’ll be able to pay back the debt you owe them—perhaps they’ll even let you work for me. I’ll need my own enforcer one day. Maybe by then you can be trusted too.”

  He sighed. Either she really believed that he’d entered the Gaku as a candidate in all sincerity—or she was putting on a good act. It was what he wanted the Batsu to think, and he’d have to go along with it. But he didn’t like the idea of their knowing who he was, even only to the extent they now seemed to. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not training to be an enforcer. I’m studying to be an engineer.”

  She blinked several times as she processed the information. “There must’ve been some sort of mistake. I told them about your skills and how good of an enforcer you’d make. Don’t worry, I’ll get everything straightened out, but until I can, you’d better do your best.”

  He bridled. Even if he wasn’t suited to be an engineer, he was starting to get the hang of it, even so. Of course the training to be an enforcer would be a lot easier in some respects, but he didn’t care for the idea of spending so much time with the people who had spent so much time hunting him. While as long as they thought he’d turned to their side it might not actually be dangerous—though he wasn’t too sure of that—being under their noses all day would make it more difficult to do the job he’d come to do. And if they discovered what he was really here for, what a mess that would be.