Reintegration

by Eden S. French

  “We really need to talk about this haircut of yours.” Kaori brushed Mineko’s bangs aside. “Are you trying to disguise how pretty you are? I’m still waiting for you to bring a young man to meet us.”

  Not this again. “You’ll be waiting a long time. I don’t want somebody getting in the way of my career.”

  “Your career in Neuroethics.” Kaori raised an eyebrow. “We need to talk about that too.”

  “It’s an interesting field.”

  “But it’s so theoretical. You’re a practical person, just like your parents. Are you so sure you wouldn’t serve the Code better elsewhere?”

  Mineko scrunched her nose, and Kaori chuckled. “Never mind. I’ll berate you over dinner. Come on, let’s walk.”

  They followed the path through the shade of a high bank. Branches above filtered the early evening light, dappling the stone trail with bright streaks and gentle shadows. The clamor of ducks rose from Mineko’s left, and as she strolled, she admired the birds gliding across the water.

  “Remember when you used to feed them?” said Kaori.

  “I remember. A big one nearly took my fingers.”

  Kaori began to hum a simple tune, a few bars repeated, and Mineko fought against her rising sense of happiness. It wasn’t right to find solace in this false paradise, and though her parents weren’t monsters, they were still responsible for atrocities. She couldn’t let herself forget that, even if she did love the sight of her mother humming in the evening light, her face lifted to the sky.

  “You said Dad wasn’t in a good mood,” Mineko said. “What happened?”

  “Oh, it’s work-related.” The smile left Kaori’s lips. “Some of his operatives were assaulted in the city today. Naturally, he’s upset.”

  “Assaulted?” Mineko’s stomach wriggled. “That sounds serious.”

  “It’s very serious, but don’t let his mood bring you down, too. You’re here to cheer him up, remember.”

  The path reached a moderate incline, and Mineko focused on pushing her way up it. Kaori, the show-off, marched upward without any visible effort. At the crest, Mineko drew in a welcome lungful of air.

  The family mansion sat atop the next hill. It was among the largest structures in the enclave, and the high fence around it emphasized their family’s status while lending a touch of the paranoid. A walled house within a walled neighborhood—what were they trying to keep out, ducks?

  “It’s our anniversary coming up,” said Kaori as they traversed the path curving toward the front gate. “Twenty years.”

  “Are you planning to celebrate?”

  It was a silly question—of course they were. Her parents seemed to enjoy the ideal relationship: harmonious, respectful, and genuine. It made them especially obnoxious when discussing any subject related to romance.

  “We’ll be having a party,” said Kaori. “You’ll have to come. You can bring some friends.”

  “I don’t have any friends to invite.”

  “Still? Well, don’t worry. It’s only a matter of time.”

  They paused inside the front hall to remove their boots. Mineko crouched to unlace hers, while Kaori stood one-legged as she unbuckled her left.

  “How is work?” said Mineko.

  “Stressful. I spend most of my day shouting at people, and then I come home completely hoarse. Everyone seems to have lost their heads lately.”

  “Should I worry about you?”

  Kaori smiled as she tugged off her other boot. “Not just yet.”

  They continued down the hall, their feet silent on the carpet, and into the wide foyer connecting the two wings of the mansion. An impressive staircase ascended to the second floor.

  “Is anyone else going to be at dinner?” Mineko said.

  “Yes, I think so.” Kaori placed a foot on the first step and beckoned. “He’s in the study. Let’s go distract him.”

  They thumped up the stairs and arrived at the solid wooden door of her father’s study. The door was ajar, and Kaori nudged it open further. “Dearest, I’ve brought you a visitor.”

  A familiar groan issued from inside. “Not another one.”

  “Don’t worry. This is our favorite visitor.”

  Kaori took Mineko by the shoulders and pushed her inside. Gaspar was sitting behind his desk, his back to a window overlooking the reddening sky. The weariness cleared from his face, and he leapt to his feet.

  “Min!” Gaspar grabbed her hands. “What a surprise! Are you here for dinner? To stay?”

  As Mineko tried to free herself from his enthusiastic grip, a deep relief stole over her, tinged with guilt. So neither of them knew about her misbehavior. “I’m here for dinner.”

  “Well, that’s wonderful, but won’t you stay? Your room is all made up.”

  Mineko returned his smile without enthusiasm. He was tall, fair-skinned and gangly, and his gaunt face inspired terror in his subordinates. For Mineko and Kaori, however, he only ever demonstrated indulgent affection. His famous temper was reserved for spectacular dressing-downs of house staff and security personnel.

  “I can’t,” said Mineko, managing finally to rescue her hands. “If I do, I’ll miss my morning classes.”

  Gaspar’s smile broadened. “And nothing could be more fatal to your education than missing a lecture on Social Ethics. What have you learned lately? What’s on these exams of yours?”

  “My last class was on Social Cohesion. We’re learning what holds a society together.”

  “I’ll tell you what holds it together,” said Kaori. “Steamy sex, that’s what.”

  Mineko’s parents were shockingly irreverent when it came to the Code, despite both of them being tasked with its enforcement and preservation. Mineko had learned much of her cynicism from them, just as she had discovered there were limits. Levity was acceptable, but not open disapproval.

  Gaspar winked at Kaori. “Marriage is the bedrock, isn’t it?”

  “The bedrock for a good bedroom.” Kaori fluttered her lashes, and Gaspar laughed. They were disgusting, both of them. “I was just asking Mineko when she was going to bring us back a young man.”

  “Let’s talk about dinner instead,” said Mineko. “What will we be having?”

  “Imitation squid. And a chocolate cake for dessert, served with brandy. I think it’ll start around six.”

  “Yes, around then.” Gaspar glanced at his watch. “Which is only thirty minutes away. In the meantime, you’ll have to entertain us with stories, Mineko.” He sat on the corner of his desk—his long legs touched the ground even seated—and gave her an expectant look. “Have you made any friends yet?”

  Mineko fidgeted beneath her parents’ combined attention. “Not yet.”

  “That’s such a pity. Is there a reason?”

  “People get nervous when they find out who my father is.”

  Gaspar winced. “I suppose they would. Well, it’s their loss, isn’t it? Perhaps you should try taking up a hobby. The University has art classes…”

  A tall shadow cut across the carpet. Agent Lachlan Reed loomed in the doorway, his posture deferential but his mouth fixed in an insolent half-smile. He had a wide face with full lips, pallid skin, and large brown eyes that glittered with sarcasm. His dark hair was slicked back to accentuate his widow’s peak. To Mineko’s disbelief, she’d once overheard the maids whispering about his handsomeness.

  “Good evening, ma’am.” Lachlan nodded to Kaori. “And you too, Mineko. Do you have a minute, sir?”

  “Damn you, Reed. Can’t you see I’m enjoying a moment with my daughter?”

  “I can see it, sir.” Lachlan ran a hand back across his scalp, a habitual gesture that surely left him with a disgustingly greasy palm. “Should we postpone our discussion of recent matters?”

  “Hardly. It does Mineko good to see how our business is conducted.”

  “I’m quite conscious of that. I was more concerned that a woman of her intelligence would be bored by our tedious affairs.”

  �
��Spare me your drollness.” Gaspar growled as he pressed his fingers to his temples. “Look, dinner’s not far away. Go down and wait in the parlor, have somebody pour you a drink. Is Dr. Wren here yet?”

  “Admiring your front garden, sir.”

  “Make sure she has a drink too. Is she allergic to anything, do you know?”

  “Well, there’s nothing listed on her file. Are you implying I ought to inquire personally?”

  “Don’t be cheeky, Agent Reed.” Gaspar’s lips twitched, and the humor returned to his eyes. “Yes, ask her. The last thing I need is to kill the poor woman with mock squid and brandy.”

  “Of course.” Lachlan retreated, pulling the door shut behind him. Good riddance.

  Gaspar released another long sigh. “Sorry, sorry.” He gave Mineko a distracted look. “Business. Now, let’s talk about your grades…”

  * * *

  The dining room was modest—at least, relative to the size of the mansion—and every seat but one had been filled. Mineko sat beside Kaori, Gaspar took the head, and their two guests were seated opposite.

  The first guest was Lachlan, looking wolfish as always at the prospect of a fancy Tamura meal. Beside him sat a skinny, pale woman wearing a neat black bob, a white scientist’s coverall, and a look of acute terror.

  “Introductions are in order,” said Gaspar. “Dr. Wren, this is my wife, Kaori, and my daughter, Mineko. Wife and daughter, this is Dr. Valerie Wren. She’s working for me now.”

  Kaori laughed. “Thank you, husband. Dr. Wren, it’s a pleasure.”

  “Valerie is fine.” Valerie seemed incapable of holding eye contact for more than a few seconds. “Thank you. It’s a pleasure.”

  “Hello,” said Mineko, not wanting to be left out, and Valerie gave her a nervous smile. “What are you a doctor of?”

  “I’m a neuroscientist. Your father has just assigned me to a new project. It’s very…” Valerie swallowed. “Very exciting.”

  Servants emerged to deliver food on platters, and Gaspar rubbed his hands as his meal was placed before him. “Feast away. Don’t hold back. There’s always more.”

  An aromatic plate of pale chunks immersed in dark sauce settled before Mineko. She stabbed a piece of imitation squid and placed the salty, chewy morsel in her mouth. Washing it down with a sip of red wine, she earned a puzzled look from Valerie. Alcohol was forbidden to students, but her parents delighted in flouting the little laws.

  Gaspar nodded at Lachlan. “Now’s your chance to talk my ear off.”

  “Yes, sir.” Lachlan returned an untouched piece of squid to his plate. “After questioning bystanders, we’ve identified four of the five assailants.”

  Mineko stopped chewing.

  “I have photos on file for three.” Lachlan propped a tablet in front of him. It displayed an image of Lexi standing in a shadowed room, her handsome face inclined away from the photographer. She wore a high-collared black jacket and thick eyeliner, which contrasted with her pale face and white hair to give her a spectral appearance.

  Mineko took another sip of wine. Hopefully the alcohol flush would conceal her blushing.

  Kaori spoke first. “Quite a distinctive person. Is it a woman?”

  “People seem to think so. Her name is Alexis Vale. Or Lexi, as she prefers. A notorious character in the districts. She has close ties to the top gangs, enough so that some of their leaders were very reluctant to provide us with information. But they all cooperated eventually.”

  “Have a good look, Dr. Wren,” said Gaspar. “This is your prize specimen right here.”

  “How remarkable,” said Valerie in a distracted murmur.

  Kaori reached for her wine. “And should we feel sorry for her?”

  “That depends on your view, ma’am,” said Lachlan. “She works as a ‘broker’—someone who facilitates deals between gangs. Selling drugs, ending wars, and cementing alliances, that sort of thing.”

  “I’m sure the implant helped her build that career,” said Gaspar. “Not quite what your predecessor had in mind for his invention, Dr. Wren.”

  Valerie glanced up from the food she was prodding. “I’m sure.”

  Her predecessor? Mineko looked at Valerie with new interest. Then this was the head of Project Sky, and, in theory, Mineko’s greatest enemy. Though it was hard to be afraid of a timid woman struggling with a piece of imitation squid.

  “So what do you have on her?” said Gaspar. “How substantial is the file?”

  “I’m adding to it every day, sir,” said Lachlan. “In addition to talking to the gangs, I’ve learned a great deal from the many women she’s had intimate relations with. She left more than a few of them bearing grudges.”

  “She’s a homosexual?” Kaori scowled. “Then we certainly shouldn’t feel sorry for her.”

  Lachlan gave a cold smile. “It’s a different world out there, ma’am.”

  He took a quick bite of squid, dabbed his lips, and swiped the screen again. This time, the image was of Kade. He was stepping from a doorway, his eyes narrowed in the direction of the photographer. A sympathetic impulse jabbed at Mineko’s chest. Did Kade know that he was being followed? How much danger was he really in?

  “I know this one very well,” said Lachlan. “Kade August. He writes for the Revolutionary People’s Gazette.”

  “If you know him very well, why is he on the loose?” said Kaori.

  “Because I’m a dedicated subscriber. His work is very entertaining. After all, why silence the mouthpiece of dissent when we can learn from it instead?”

  “Your usual Machiavellian nonsense. If it were my decision, I’d round up all these people in a single night.”

  “And on we go.” Lachlan tapped the screen and summoned a covert shot of Zeke drinking at a bar, his spiked head shining beneath red-tinted light. Despite the ambience of the shot, nothing could make that odd little face seem menacing. “This is Zeke Lukas. Surgeon, body artist, club owner.”

  “Ouch!” Kaori laughed. “Do you think he did that to himself?”

  “Quite possibly.” Lachlan turned the screen toward Valerie. “Believe it or not, Dr. Wren, this odd individual achieved what a team of Codist scientists was unable to do.”

  “I see.” Valerie didn’t meet his gaze, instead jabbing at another squid chunk. “How embarrassing for us.”

  Lachlan chuckled before setting his tablet aside. “The fourth was an experienced smuggler, Calandre Roux. She’s better known as Callie. I don’t have an image of her on file, and we’re not certain why she was involved. However, she’s a known supplier for Lukas, and I believe she and Kade are acquainted.”

  Cold remorse snaked its fingers around Mineko’s insides. So they hadn’t even known about Callie. It was Mineko who had dragged her into this nightmare, destroying the quiet, constructive life Callie had built for herself on the edge of civilization. Mineko filled her glass — water this time — with a shaking hand. What had she done?

  “A smuggler,” said Kaori. “The less of those around, the better. They seem to think anything we leave in the open belongs to them.”

  “Some compassion might be warranted. Roux was orphaned young and entered her shadowy trade at the mere age of thirteen. She’s twenty-four now. Five foot six, average build, reddish-brown hair, brown eyes, and a fair but tanned complexion. She owns a white van, which was noted at the scene. I have operatives out looking for it.”

  “And you mentioned something about a fifth?” said Gaspar.

  Mineko’s terror became complete. She sat still, clutching her glass but powerless to lift it. How could the onlookers not have remembered her?

  “There was a confused statement about someone in a dark overall. But there was panic immediately afterward, what with the gunfire, and nobody could give a clear account of who this individual may have been.”

  Mineko downed her water with a grateful gulp. Impossible as it seemed, she remained safe.

  “Interesting, interesting.” Gaspar looked toward Valerie, who ga
ve him a terrified smile. “You had the chance to observe the victims, I believe.”

  “Yes, yes. They had definitely been…well, wiped.” Valerie’s left hand moved in a fluttering, agitated motion. “To varying degrees, but all of them will require substantial re-education. It’s the most frightening thing I can imagine, the technology being deployed as a weapon—”

  “So it’s Project Sky,” said Lachlan.

  “Yes. Project Sky. It succeeded, but…not under our watch.”

  Lachlan smirked. “Well, it’s your watch now.”

  “I…I, yes. Yes.” Valerie lowered her wretched gaze. “Yes, it is.”

  Kaori glared at Lachlan before leaning over the table. “Tell me, Valerie, how do you like your meal?”

  “Oh, it’s very…” Valerie’s nervous smile expanded into a frightened rictus. “It’s very nice. Have you ever, uh, have you ever had real squid?”

  “Once, but I don’t remember how it tasted.” Kaori impaled another portion. “My grandfather despised our soy-based diet, these imitation meats. He wanted, as he put it, the ‘real thing’. He never quite wrapped his head around the fact that the real thing no longer exists. Not in any quantity.”

  “They’re very intelligent, squid. I couldn’t imagine eating one.” Valerie’s attention darted around the room, lingered for a moment on Mineko and finally rested at a point somewhere above Kaori’s head. “I usually forget to eat at work, I’m so busy. Sometimes I think I might—”

  “So about these people,” said Gaspar, and Valerie fell into meek silence. “You think they’ll have gone underground?”

  Lachlan nodded. “I think it likely, sir. In any event, I’ll take care of this personally from now on.” He speared a piece of squid and inspected it. “I haven’t gone hunting for quite some time, but I’m sure I still have the predator instinct.”

  “Oh? Back into the field, then?”

  “Well, let’s be candid. I’m still the best agent you have, and we need to capture this cyborg promptly and cleanly. And then Dr. Wren will demonstrate the progress we all expect.”