“What do you mean?”
“I believe the assassin was a third party,” Reiko stated.
“Any idea who that might be?”
“We’ll figure that out soon.”
“I actually would like for you to leave Bloody Mary and Watanabe to the Tokko.”
Did this mean she was being removed from the mission? “Respectfully, sir. I would like to pursue this and believe it’s important that we do so, sir,” Reiko said.
“I know you do, and I agree it’s important. But for the time being, the most effective use of your time would be back at Berkeley Academy. You don’t need me to tell you that there’s a lot at stake over the next few weeks.” The governor stood up and walked over to the globe. “If word got out that Bloody Mary and General Watanabe were trying to start an insurrection, Tokyo Command could use the incident to forcibly wrest control away from us.”
“That would not be good,” she said.
“No, it wouldn’t.”
There was a deeper import to his words. If Tokyo Command did try to seize control, what would Yamaoka’s reaction be? “If you need me to go to Berkeley, I will.”
“Thank you, Captain. The—”
There was a tremor that felt like a minor earthquake. It passed and she wondered if her anger was making her shake. “The situation is precarious, and in regard to this matter—” He was cut off by his portical ring. He tried to ignore it, but it kept on ringing. “I’m sorry, this is an emergency line. I have to take this,” he said.
She felt a vibration and noticed that someone was trying to contact her on her portical. She ignored the call. But then she saw multiple messages from friends.
WHERE ARE YOU?
ARE YOU OKAY?
She was puzzled, then looked over at the governor. His expression was grim as he disconnected from his portical.
“Did something happen, sir?” she asked.
“There’s been a bombing at the Alvarado Sento,” he said.
That was the bathhouse just down the road from them. Was the quake earlier from the bomb blast?
“Do we know who it was, sir?” she asked.
For a second, she saw something like confusion flit across the governor’s face. “We don’t have any information yet. But I was scheduled to be there right now if it hadn’t been for this meeting.”
Was he the target?
Could it have been the Nazis? Would they retaliate this fast? Possibly. But a lurking part of her suspected Bloody Mary.
The governor turned on the big portical display on the wall. There was footage from the bombing, which was just a hundred meters away.
“We’ve just received this recording from someone calling herself Bloody Mary who has taken responsibility for the attack,” the broadcaster said, confirming Reiko’s instincts.
On the screen, the captain of the Sohei was shown. He was shaved bald and had bruises all over his face. His right eye was a mound of flesh that remained closed. He was trembling.
“I am Captain Albert Yokoyama of the Sohei Ghost Legion Delta,” he said weakly, which made Reiko cringe, as everyone knew the Sohei were the elite of the elite. “I was part of an illegal mission to assassinate Bloody Mary. We were wrong and what we did was ignomon-mi-minious.” He struggled with the word ignominious and Reiko wondered what was done to break him down like this. “For our crimes, we—we—we were pu . . . punish-punished. The . . . Delta has been defeated. We deserved failure for attacking a . . . attacking a patriot.” Reiko looked over at the governor. His expression was grim.
“Not a patriot,” a digitized voice said. “Who am I?”
“Bloody Mary.”
“Why were you sent to kill me?”
“I don’t know.”
“You obeyed your orders without knowing the reason why?”
Captain Yokoyama looked afraid to reply. “I—I think so.”
“And worse, you failed.”
Someone stuck a knife into his shoulder and another into the opposite side. The Sohei captain did his best to control his pain. But the knives were plunging too deep.
The camera raised up toward someone wearing a surgical mask that had been stained red. “I am Bloody Mary. I’ve killed more people in the name of the Empire than anyone in the Empire. But no longer. You sent your loyal hounds at me, but they can’t help you. I hold every citizen responsible. Many of you believe you’re innocent. But there are no civilian bystande—” The footage cut out. It was jarring, but Reiko realized the censors had stepped in and cut Bloody Mary off. Fortunately, Governor Yamaoka had the authority to get the full, uncensored version.
In it, Bloody Mary declared, “In every empire, every citizen is responsible for the actions of their military. Even if they ignore what goes on, do you think you can reap the rewards of what your soldiers do but not suffer the consequences? Your silence makes you culpable. Your taxes finance their weapons. Your social pleasures justify their atrocities. The Empire has waged war all over the world, causing untold harm to people. And now I’ll make sure every single one of you knows what it’s like to feel the terrors of war, unsafe within your own walls. If you don’t want to take part, you can flee Los Angeles, as I will make no distinction between civilian and military personnel. All are guilty in my eyes. Today’s bombing is only a warning. Starting tomorrow, the real war begins.”
The footage turned back to the captain as more knives entered his body.
Yamaoka cursed. Reiko could not believe the Sohei had fallen so easily and felt a chill. She reminded herself this was a ploy straight out of the terror playbook. Don’t just attack. Exploit it, make it symbolic, broadcast it publicly, and wage psychological warfare on the target. The suddenness of the attack must have caught even the censors off guard, since they hadn’t made adjustments until after the first minute played.
“Sir, I understand Berkeley may need me, but I’d like to request permission again to continue this search,” Reiko said. “I can do so without authorization as long as you give your tacit permission.”
The governor looked at the captain. “Have you heard what happened to my family?”
Reiko, like many others, had heard the tragic story and seen the footage from the airport. “They were killed by American terrorists.”
“It was my two brothers, younger sister, and my parents, who were visiting for the holidays. We were all assured that the terrorists weren’t a threat. I didn’t even think it a possibility that my family would be in any danger, which is why I invited them here. When the terrorist destroyed the plane before takeoff, I couldn’t believe it. How had our leaders failed us so badly? I thought I could effect change through my own actions. In the Irvine Trap, I was so resolute in vanquishing terrorism, I took it to what many considered an inhuman extreme. I was willing to do anything I could to contribute to the safety of the nation, even if many had to suffer. And then Kansas happened and I knew I could no longer leave the safety and defense of our country in the hands of others. We took action against Governor Tamura, not just because he was a traitor but because we felt it would make our society safer. I remembered my family anytime I doubted myself.”
“We all did what we thought was best,” Reiko stated. “And I’d like to continue doing so.”
The governor saw the conviction in her eyes. She saw something like wavering resolve in his. He’d been more shaken up by this than she had been. “Be discreet,” he said. “If there’s anything I can do to assist through unofficial channels, let me know.”
Reiko recalled Bishop’s earlier request. “There is some classified information about Bloody Mary that would be helpful to have access to.”
“Tell my assistant what you need.”
“And Daniela Takemi?” Reiko asked.
“As I said, I’ll have someone look into it.”
Just then, several soldiers entered the door.
“Governor,” a major said. “We need to take you to a safe location.”
They hastily escorted him out.
Reiko called Bishop.
He smiled in relief to see her. “You okay?”
“I’m fine. You’ve been watching the news?” she asked.
“A little. I just landed in Los Angeles.”
“You see that footage from Bloody Mary? I can’t believe she got the Sohei so easily,” Reiko said.
“I can,” Bishop replied, having seen multiple times how deadly she could be. “I’ll meet you at the bathhouse. Tokko agents are already at the Sento, and I’m reviewing footage from the external cameras.”
“I can get you the info you wanted earlier,” she said.
“You mean about Bloody Mary?”
Reiko nodded.
“I’ll send you the list of files I’m looking for,” Bishop said.
A minute later, she got a list of files.
She asked for the classified info on Bloody Mary from the civilian assistant who’d challenged her earlier. His eyes were full of contempt, but he complied.
She rode the elevator downstairs and raced for the Sento.
* * *
—
The Alvarado Sento was more than a public bath. The eight-story building entertained thousands of guests every day and had been built in the early seventies. Two generals who’d come out from Asia had wanted a bathhouse similar to the massive social structures that were so prevalent there and suggested one in downtown Los Angeles for government officials. The bottom four floors held the baths. The top floor had a private club with a gymnasium, shooting range, pool hall, and conference center. There was a rooftop swimming pool that converted into a discotheque on the weekends. Twelve different restaurants were spread throughout, run by top chefs from Kyoto, Osaka, and Hokkaido. Reiko loved the latter’s ishikari-nabe (their salmon miso stew was the best) and kani-ryori; the long-limbed crabs from Wakkanai were some of the tastiest. It was common for members of the government of all age ranges to congregate at the Sento and relax according to their various needs.
Now there was a gaping hole through the middle of the building, the eastern front decimated. Ash was still raining down, and it smelled of chlorine and smoke. Body parts were everywhere, and emergency workers were doing their best to find survivors. Four S&R mechas were helping to prevent structural collapse and spraying several thousand tons of water from their arms, which had turned into water cannons. She knew they worked in conjunction with the Cerberus canine robots that were about the size of a shiba inu and designed to enter zones like this to track down survivors. She’d trained using one in the past. But the injured weren’t only on the inside. Many of the pedestrians who’d been passing by had been badly hurt by the explosion and the resulting debris. Crushed cars along the street looked like mechas had stepped on them.
She counted over a hundred bodies being taken away on covered medical stretchers. The army had blocked off everyone but the emergency rescue workers.
Reiko’s portical rang. It was Bishop.
“You there?” he asked.
“I am.”
“Got some news for you. I was looking at some of the footage, and there was a positive ID on your friend Daniela.”
Reiko’s eyes went to the Sento. “She was inside?”
“She may have left before the explosion, but at some point today, she did go in.”
Reiko thanked him and hung up. She ran toward the Sento, where security stopped her. “Sorry, ma’am, no one’s allowed in.”
She saw one of the Cerberus dogs rushing into the fire.
“Who’s operating that Cerberus?” Reiko demanded of the security guard.
The guard pointed her in the direction of an S&R mecha, the Hyuga Uzuki.
Reiko sprinted toward it and climbed up the ladder to the bridge. A lieutenant in a sooty uniform with disheveled hair said, “You can’t be up here.”
“I’m Captain Reiko Morikawa, and I need to use one of your Cerberuses.”
“Reiko Morikawa?” he said, and it was clear he recognized her name. “You’re one of the Sons of War.”
“Correct. You are?”
“I’m Hotaka Inoue, adjutant to General Kondo.”
Reiko did not know the general personally, but she was aware he had been part of the Sons of War.
“Was he inside?”
Inoue’s lips tightened. “He was . . .” The lieutenant looked back at the burning Sento.
“As a fellow Son of War, I need to borrow a Cerberus and find someone inside.”
“Three of our Cerberus operators were killed in the blast, so we definitely need some help.”
Beneath the bridge was a control deck where Cerberus operators worked at one of eight stations arranged in an octagon. Five were occupied. Reiko grabbed one of the empty seats. The controls were somewhat similar to Reiko’s own mecha, though without the healing properties of the Salamander. She was given goggles which provided a first-person visual feedback of the dog and even olfactory feedback to check for poison and gas levels for humans. The controller had a joystick she could maneuver and button mapping for jumps, rolls, and other maneuvers. She hadn’t used controls like this since before Kansas and didn’t know how her hands would respond. The initial driving went smoothly. The tricky part was that the environment was in constant flux. The Cerberus used a sonar and thermal scan to create a more accurate layout of the Sento, which gave her real-time feedback. She passed by a dozen corpses which already had tags from the five other operators so that emergency workers would be aware of them and the S&R mechas would include them in their overall planning. She found a profile of Daniela Takemi on the network, which she changed into a signal that would detect her physical characteristics. Reiko did a scan for Daniela’s signal and left it on. Its range was limited, which meant she had to search everywhere.
Lieutenant Inoue, who was patched into another Cerberus, relayed a request by emergency workers inside the Sento asking if Reiko could aid them. She met them two floors up, jumping through a fiery hall to get there. As she did, she looked at the swarming conflagration, alive, growing, gorging without any real center. There was something eerily beautiful in its flow as it greedily destroyed everything in its path. Part of the floor was missing, and the emergency workers warned her that the rest could go at any time. She cautiously navigated the room, making sure the rest of the floor wouldn’t cave in. A segment of it did, but the Cerberus leaped to safety. There were three men in army uniforms on the opposite end, trapped by the heavy fire. Reiko activated the Cerberus’s sonic fire extinguisher, which used sound waves to separate the oxygen from the burning materials and put out the fire. There was a wide gap in the floor that wasn’t humanly crossable. The Cerberus had a portable ladder that came out of its spine. Reiko laid it down so that the soldiers could cross, which they did. The emergency workers were able to guide them out. She escorted them, knowing the fire in the hall was fierce. Her sonic extinguisher once again helped them to get safely through. However, no Daniela on the scans.
As Reiko continued her aid, she checked the database for General Kondo. Wherever he was, that was where the Sons of War had met. There was a good chance Daniela may have been close by as well. His body had been found three floors up in a conference room. Based on the initial scans, that had been where the destruction was most severe, meaning it was also most likely where the bomb had gone off. That indicated the Sons of War were the primary targets. All these people had been killed just to get to them. She pushed her Cerberus to search more hastily. They were able to find four additional survivors, whom she assisted in getting through the fire.
“Captain Morikawa. How are you holding up?” the lieutenant asked.
Even without the aid of the Salamander system, which had the regenerative fluids to help her hands, she was able to manage. “I�
��m fine,” she answered, checking that there wasn’t any tingling sensation. She pinpointed what seemed like a faint signal for a human. It was coming from the kitchen. She went to its location.
Two cooking assistants had been badly burned and were lying on the ground. Their heartbeats were very slight. She was afraid that moving them could cause them more damage.
“Can I get some help here?” she asked.
But before anyone could arrive, the ceiling began to collapse. Reiko pushed one of the assistants close to the other and placed the Cerberus’s body on top of them, hoping she could shield them. As more of the ceiling caved in, she lost her connection to her Cerberus and felt something like a charge go through her head. Her eyes became blurry and she felt a momentary dizziness. Her Cerberus had most likely been destroyed. She took off her goggles, hopped to the next station, and was about to run back to their aid.
“What are you doing?” Lieutenant Inoue asked.
“Going to help.”
“You need to take a short break after forcible separation from a Cerberus. You might get nerve damage.”
“I’m fine,” Reiko replied, even though she was still feeling dizzy. “Let me check up on them. It’ll only take a minute.”
She dived back into a new Cerberus and ran back toward the kitchen. It was completely destroyed. The thermal map, which was hard to read thanks to the fire, barely differentiated the humans and her previous Cerberus from the environment. The precision laser in its mouth could shoot through most building material, so she triggered a sonic ruler to determine the depth of the debris. She fired the laser to try to break through without hurting those underneath.
“Captain,” the lieutenant called.
“What?”
“The structural integrity of the building is failing. I’m ordering all Cerberuses out.”
“Just give me a minute.”
“Captain.”
“Just one minute!”
The laser weakened the big slab on top of her previous Cerberus. She used the dog’s front legs to remove it completely, finding her previous Cerberus. Its top had been flattened, but it had protected the humans underneath. She pushed the Cerberus aside, found the two humans. They were still conscious, but an initial diagnostic indicated they had broken bones. Reiko heard rumbling and felt the ground shake. She spoke through the speaker in the canine’s mouth: “The ceiling’s about to fall. Let’s go!”
Cyber Shogun Revolution Page 14