by Rocco Ryg
He couldn’t help but notice her stammering speech. What caused this nervousness, the powers or the date?
“Are you sensing me right now?”
“No, I turned it off. I don’t want to be rude.”
“I grant you permission to turn it on. Now, what do you feel?”
“You actually want me to read your mind?”
“I want to see how it works. Come on, do it.”
Relieved, she let his emotions enter her brain, which decoded the telepathic signals and let her interpret his feelings. “You’re confused, but fascinated. You’re excited. You can’t believe this is happening.”
Gen agreed but reasoned that anybody could guess that based on all that had happened. “That’s amazing.”
She wasn’t finished. “You feel invincible… you have something to do… a responsibility… nothing will stop you.” His pulse hastened and his breath stopped. She was getting close to uncovering his crime. “Now you’re scared... nervous. You don’t want this anymore.”
From her perch on the rooftop, Chikara watched. What the hell is she doing?
Gen put a stop to the session before she learned the truth. “Okay, Renka-chan, I believe you. That’s good enough.”
She weakened her concentration to a dim scan, only to feel her own fear still linger in her mind. He was hiding something. Was Chikara right? She had to change the subject. “Okay, now what about you?”
Gen had been prepared for this. He told the same half-truth he told Chikara before. “I can see in the dark. That’s about it.”
She felt the same stinging sensation pinch her brain. She cringed for the split-second that it hurt. Gen asked, “Are you okay?”
She couldn’t understand why that happened. Was her gift turning against her? All he did was answer her question. Just then, a thought popped into her mind. “Are you sure that’s all you can do.”
Gen repeated himself. “Yeah, I see in the dark.” Renka felt the painful sting again and deduced its purpose. Her mind acted as a lie detector. Deception must’ve caused her brain to react painfully like an allergy. As much as she wanted to learn the truth, she decided not to reveal this new ability just yet.
“Well, okay,” she said just as the waitress arrived with their tea. “Now you don’t need a flashlight. That must be pretty cool.” She faked a smile as she took a sip of her drink. “So... why are you a communist?”
Renka felt Gen’s mood lighten considerably, meaning she had moved him into a comfortable position. He cleared his throat and replied, “Democratic socialist, actually. Communism has been poisoned by the dictators of the eastern world.”
“Okay. Why are you a democratic socialist?”
“Because I believe in the power of government by the people. I believe the wealthy should be placed in check by regulations and the government must ensure that every man, woman and child in the country be protected against crime, poverty and sickness.” She could tell he had practiced this. He continued, “I believe in state sovereignty and the rights of every citizen to work, prosper and take care of their families without fear of getting screwed over by the upper class. I don’t want Japan to be like America, where lower-class families go bankrupt and lose their homes because they don’t have access to affordable health care. That never happens here.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad,” she said, eager to learn more. “Everyone at school thinks you want Japan to be like the Soviet Union or North Korea.”
“Can’t blame them. Karl Marx’s beliefs have been twisted to serve the needs of evil men. Marx wrote that those in power will use whatever means necessary to stay in power. Lenin, Stalin and the rest then used his theories to get into power and stay there through murder and social control, thus proving his point.”
“Wow.” Renka had little knowledge of the subject, so she just nodded along in approval.
“The thing is... I like the idea of the United States. Three branches of government, each with checks over the other, elected leaders instead of monarchs... the country revolutionized the world. It’s a great nation, but if it wants to be respected by the rest of the world community, it needs to put its citizens before its corporate-owned government’s thirst for money and power. Here’s hoping their president will make it happen.”
Chikara could barely hear from her perch on the roof, but she made out some of Gen’s left-wing talking points. While she agreed with some of what he said, she knew that a powerful government would prove to be just as corrupt as a corporation. Her father, a staunch conservative, explained to her how businesses and free enterprise provided jobs and security to the people, and that rapid expansion of trade and limiting of government bureaucracy would provide true stability to Japan.
Renka felt the passion that Gen had for his stances and knew that he meant every word. “So who got you into all this?”
“My family. My father’s side is burakumin.”
Her eyes widen in surprised. “Burakumin?”
“Yes. They’ve been lower class for generations. My dad works in a butcher shop. Thanks to social programs, I’ll be the first to go to college.”
Renka knew all about the burakumin, one of Japan’s main minority groups. They were the descendents of outcasts with professions involving death, such as leather tanners, undertakers and executioners. This tainted them in the eyes of the traditional Japanese, leaving them to low-income lives in ghetto areas. Although the social stigma of being a burakumin had slowly faded away over the generations, the discrimination they faced still left a lingering scar on their families.
Feeling a sense of embarrassment flow from him, she smiled and said, “Don’t feel bad. I don’t really care. It’s the 21st century, after all.”
She felt his mood elevate. “Thank you, Renka-chan. That means a lot. Anyway, my mother’s father was a Hiroshima survivor. He used to tell me all about the horrors he saw. He lost his whole family in the bombing, and had to live poor and barefooted while taking care of his mother and loved ones. He became an anti-war activist until his death, and he wrote about his struggles. He passed three years ago.”
“I’m sorry. I can tell you really loved him.”
The waitress arrived with the food. While she felt bad for Gen, Renka really wanted to hear more about his family. However, the tempura smelled too good. The two got to work on their meals while Chikara watched them, thankful that Renka was still safe. Just then, a faint sound of laughter caught her attention. She looked around the roof, but saw nothing unusual. She reasoned the sound must have come from the other customers, but her instincts warned her of trouble.
With her meal half finished, Renka decided to go ahead and bring up the attack on the military base. She concentrated on Gen’s mind and asked, “So, did you hear about what happened to that jet?”
“Jet?”
“Yeah, on the American base. It was all over the news.”
“Pretty messed up. Whoever did that must be packing some heavy artillery.”
His worry hit her like a punch. His feelings squirmed and shook from this interrogation, and she felt that this conversation frightened him. Had he been innocent, he’d probably be happy about the jet’s destruction. That’s when she knew for sure that Chikara’s suspicions were correct.
Chikara heard the ominous laughter coming from somewhere around the area. She stealthily crawled behind a chimney and noticed four men in white ninja costumes gathered around the roof exit. Though unarmed and slightly overweight, her suspicious nature told her that they were up to no good. As the slightly chubby ninjas made their way to the edge of the roof, she ran to them and executed a flying kick that made the incompetent warriors scream in shock.
The diners enjoying their lunches heard the sounds of hits, screams and karate shouts and looked towards the roof. Gen and Renka in particular thought the voices sounded familiar. Renka panicked and thought, No! God no! Not now!
With his friends lying around bruised and battered, the last ninja backed up to the edge of t
he roof. Chikara approached him while clutching her fists, a walk she always used to intimidate her enemies. The clumsy opponent reached the edge and lost his balance, breaking his short fall in the restaurant’s small walled-off garden. Chikara jumped down to finish him off, making many in the diner clap and cheer the show.
“Who are you?” Chikara pulled the strangers mask off and recognized the panicked boy from the school cafeteria. “Hey! You’re one of Kagekuro’s friends.”
Utatane Suekichi stuttered in terror. “Please, Kaminari, don’t kill us. We were just spying on Gen. We wanted to watch his date.”
“Why are you dressed like that?”
“It was Hideki’s idea. We thought it’d be fun.”
“Fun? You left-wing moron! Are you that stupid?”
Chikara remembered Gen and Renka’s presence. She looked over to see them gawking at her. Their date was now ruined. Humiliated, Gen set down his chopsticks and left some money on the table. “I’ve suddenly lost my appetite.”
The panicking Renka couldn’t believe this. She grabbed Gen’s hand and begged, “I didn’t know she was here. Please, you have to believe me.”
Although he believed her, he got up to leave. “I know you two are friends, and I respect that, but you can’t depend on her forever. I’ll see you at school.” He stormed off, his four wounded friends limping behind him while the other diners laughed at them. Renka couldn’t even look at Chikara. All she could do was bury her face in her hands.
Chikara realized how badly she had screwed up. She should have kept her word and let Renka handle this on her own, but she just had to watch her and keep her safe. She hung her head in shame and walked over to the table, knowing that no apology would correct this. “I’m sorry, Renka. I just had to know if you were safe. I was scared.”
Renka wiped her tears with a napkin and broke her silence. “That’s not it. I knew you would do it.”
“You knew?”
“I felt you on the roof the whole time, and the walk here.”
“You said you didn’t know.”
“I lied.”
“Then what is it?”
Renka covered her eyes again. “You were right. He destroyed the plane.”
“Are you sure?”
“He was scared when I brought it up, and he kept lying about his gift. He’s more powerful than he says. I don’t know what to do.”
“It’s my fault. I listened to Mom and just gave him that damned thing.” Chikara looked at the ring on Renka’s finger and cursed the day her mother told her about it. What was she thinking, giving this supernatural weapon to a bunch of kids, one being a radical socialist?
“Chi...” Renka sucked up her nervousness and revealed what she had learned. “I felt his mood when he walked away. I felt deceived and lied to, and I had to let it out.”
“What do you mean?”
“I wanted to destroy something again.”
***
Hours later, after stopping by the Kaminari house to grab the bokken, the girls made their way to Kagekuro’s apartment, hoping to talk him out of another terrorist act. Renka wasn’t comfortable with her bringing the sword, but Chikara insisted. If Gen could destroy an airplane, she wouldn’t go near him unarmed.
They reached the apartment and knocked on the door. Kagekuro Shuya opened, but kept the chain lock in place. “Hello?”
Chikara greeted him. “Good evening. Are you Gen’s little brother? We’d like to talk to him.”
Renka added, in a softer tone, “We’re friends of his from school, and we have something to talk to him about.”
“He’s not here right now. He went out with his friends.”
Chikara said, “He has something we need for our project. Do you think we can look in his room? I’m sure it’s around somewhere.”
Shuya never opened the door to strangers. However, cute older girls didn’t usually want to come in. “Mom, Gen’s friends are here.”
Kagekuro Kimie walked up to the door and unlocked the chain. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Kimie and this is Shuya-chan.”
The girls bowed. “Nice to meet you too,” said Chikara. “I am Kaminari Chikara and this is Kusaka Renka. Can we look for something in your son’s room? It’s very important.”
“If I watch you,” replied the mother, not fully trusting either of them. Chikara agreed, so the three made their way to Gen’s room. He had decorated the walls with posters of political figures he admired, such as Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr. and Asanuma Inejiro, the assassinated Japanese socialist leader. The girls didn’t recognize the poster of Sugihara Chiune, the Consul-General who defied the government to save the lives of 6,000 Jews during the war. Chikara wondered why Che Guevara wasn’t pictured. Most socialists the world over had his infamous mug on their walls.
Renka spotted the lead case on his desk. “There it is.” Chikara quickly looked around the room before Mrs. Kagekuro could ask them to leave. She noticed that Gen had left his computer on. He must have left so quickly, he forgot to shut it down. She looked at the screen and saw a photograph of a massive battleship. Upon closer inspection, she read the details: Arleigh Burke class destroyer, 154 meters long and loaded with armaments and missile defense systems that no opponent could face. Gen was studying some of the most powerful destroyers the United States had ever built, and Chikara’s jaw dropped when she realized why.
She turned to Kagekuro Kimie and asked, “Ma’am, where did he say he was going?”
“He didn’t say exactly. Say, are you the girl he took to the restaurant today?”
Renka raised her hand. “That was me. What did he say about it?”
“He said he liked it, but your friend came along and ‘sunk the ship’. That’s an odd analogy.”
Getting the message, Chikara grabbed Renka’s arm and walked out, bowing her head along the way. “Thank you. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
When the girls left, Kimie laughed at her son’s predicament. “Poor Gen. He sure knows how to pick ‘em.”
When they were alone again, Renka asked, “What’s going on?”
“Didn’t you see the computer? He plans to sink that battleship, and I have an idea of where he’ll do it.”
“An entire ship? Gen wouldn’t do that with people onboard.”
“Exactly. His posters are of peaceful revolutionaries, but some of them destroyed property without harming anyone. He’ll most likely attack a dry-docked ship. No one would be inside one of those at night. I’ve got to get there before...” Chikara looked at Renka and realized she was leaving her out again. “We should go together. Maybe we can talk him out of it.”
Renka gave a worried look, and felt the same emotion radiating from her friend’s mind. “But what if we can’t?”
“Then we stop him the hard way. Come on, let’s get to the train station.” Chikara still couldn’t believe this was happening. Little less than a week ago, she was just a normal teenager, and now she was rushing to a military base to stop a super-powered extremist. Her mother’s haunting words ran through her mind as if saying ‘I told you so’. There are extremists in this world, Chikara. Fanatical men and women who seek power, and with this power, they will attempt to mold the world to their radical ideas. I have seen what they are capable of, and the results will lead only to terrible destruction.
“Shut up, Mom,” she whispered to herself. “This is your fault anyway.”
***
Gen waited atop the eight-story intelligence building overlooking the dry-docked destroyer. The sight of the floating war machine sickened him. The BGM-109 Tomahawk missile launcher, the RGM-84 Harpoon, the Mk-45 artillery gun... all weapons of mass destruction in the hands of an overzealous empire. He salivated at the thought of wrecking it just as much as he did the B-1 Lancer, but he remained patient. This time, he would have an audience who would understand the meaning of his demonstrations.
The lax security surprised him. After his attack on the Air Force base, he figured the military w
ould beef up the guards everywhere, but the watch proved to be less than a concern. The bureaucracy must have been more incompetent than he thought. Large searchlights illuminated the boat, but once he took them out, nothing would be left in his way.
He surveyed the scene intensely with his night vision eyes, hoping his guests would arrive soon. At last, he spotted them at the front gate looking for a way in. He took out his new cell phone and dialed Chikara.
“Okay, this is a problem,” Chikara said. “I’ve never snuck into a military base before.”
Renka noticed the guard glaring at them. “Chi, he’s looking right at us. Maybe we should go.”
“Relax. Kids loiter here all the time. He won’t mind.” Just then, her phone rang, showing a new number. She accepted the call and asked, “Hello?”
“I see you got my message. I knew you were a bright one.”
“Kagekuro, we know what you’re planning.”
Renka lit up. “Is that Gen-kun?”
He continued, “It’s about time we all had a talk. Walk away from the front gate and circle around left to the white oil tank. I cut a hole in the fence for you. Make your way to the dark side of the white rectangular building and look for the ladder.”
“This isn’t a game, Gen!”
“I know. It’s a demonstration.”
He hung up, leaving Chikara so mad she almost threw her phone. “He’s leading us to the top of a building. Follow me.”
Renka trailed behind Chikara as she walked around the gate, letting the streetlamps guide her way. When she saw the oil tank, she looked around for any witnesses and ran to it. She felt the fence for an entrance, and found it right in front of the tank. “Come on, Renka, let’s go. If we get caught, kiss graduation goodbye.” The two stealthily crawled through the hole and made their way to the white building, dodging any guards that cared enough to look. Chikara drew her bokken, ready to knock out anybody who got in her way.
The panicking Renka whispered, “Are you crazy?”
“The guards will sound the alarm if they see us,” Chikara replied. “I’ll have to disable them. I know all the pressure points, remember?”