“Sayuri, if you had to go up against one of those things, you’d quickly wish you had never said that. It was not at all a fun experience. The entire time, I thought I was going to die. All I could think was…”
She stopped. Sayuri prodded her for more. “Was what?”
“Forget it. It’s over and done now. And if I’m lucky, I’ll never have to face something like that again.”
8
Hiro closed the door to the interrogation room and looked at the prisoner. He slowly circled the chair, but the older man didn’t seem the least bit impressed by Hiro’s movements. But Hiro didn’t speak. He just kept on circling, barely even glancing at Junichi Kitano.
“So this is your plan, huh?” asked Kitano, finally breaking the ice. “You think making me dizzy is going to get me to tell you whatever it is you want to know?”
“I was hoping your sense of civic duty might get you to confess to your crimes,” said Hiro. “And tell me what else I want to know about your little syndicate.”
“Nothing to tell,” said Kitano. “I’m a legitimate businessman.”
Hiro couldn’t restrain the laugh that escaped his mouth. “Really? You expect me to believe that crap?”
“You can believe whatever you want. Soon as I get a phone, I’ll be making two calls. First one’s to the governor so he can then tear your superiors a new asshole. Second one’s to my lawyer so I can bring the mother of all wrongful arrest lawsuits against the government.”
Hiro grinned. “You think the governor has any sway over me or my superiors? If I told the governor to go on national TV tomorrow and announce that the only way he can achieve an erection is by drowning kittens, he’d sprint to the nearest camera. Because the blackmail material my organization has on him would be far, far worse.”
A slow realization crept upon Kitano’s face. Hiro had to restrain himself from giving any kind of expression that would reveal just how much pleasure he took in that. This wasn’t the first time Hiro had questioned some asshole who thought he was untouchable. It always started the same way—they throw their arrogance around and act like they couldn’t care less about their situation.
And then, after Hiro set them straight, they always turned into blubbering cowards willing to sell out their own grandmothers for some leniency.
“Shit…you’re lying…” said Kitano, though the horror on his face showed he knew Hiro was telling the truth. “There’s no way you’re Tokkei. You can’t be…”
“Care to make a wager against that?”
“What do you want with me? Why would my business concern you?”
“As we speak, our analysts are going over the data we took from your drives. Once I receive a call, I’ll know just what sort of shit you’ve been up to,” said Hiro. “But what I want to ask you about now is that monstrosity I saw in your basement. A cybernetic experiment gone horribly wrong.”
“I know what you’re probably thinking, but you have to understand, I’m a patriot. What I did, I was doing for the good of the nation,” said Kitano.
“And why should I believe that?”
“How do you think those fancy implants you boys wear are perfected? Through illegal black market experiments, the kind of which my organization provides the means for. I’m the troubleshooting department. We handle the trial and error aspect so you guys can keep your hands clean.”
With a thought, Hiro cybernetically commanded the nanites to armor up his fist. He swung his arm and the nanites slid into place a fraction of a second before his fist connected with Kitano’s jaw. The man’s head snapped to the side with such force, anyone would be forgiven for being surprised that it didn’t fly right off. Kitano turned his head and looked up at Hiro. He worked his jaw from side to side before spitting. Pieces of a broken tooth hit the ground at Hiro’s feet, covered in blood.
“That fucking hurt!” shouted Kitano. “Listen kid, I’m cooperating here. Telling you the truth. At least as much truth as I can tell.”
“Who was the test subject?” asked Hiro. “How did you even get the means to perform something like this?”
“The subject was a nobody, a non-person! Why the hell do you give a damn about them?”
“That thing I saw, it was a person. Once upon a time. Before you butchered him.”
Kitano shook his head and chuckled. “You’re unbelievable. Your bosses treat those people like sub-human and they spread propaganda that reinforces that belief, but now you want to hold me to a higher standard?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Refugees. Illegals. Sacrificed in the pursuit of advancing the nation.”
Hiro struck Kitano again. “I don’t know where the hell you get off pretending like your barbarism is doing this country a favor.”
“The pursuit of progress has always been on the backs of the dregs of society. You should study your history a little better.”
Hiro was ready to deliver another blow, when he got a notice of an incoming communication. He left the interrogation room and went around to the adjoining monitor room. Erika, Sayuri, and Masao were all waiting for him.
“Are you doing okay?” asked Erika.
“I’m fine.” Hiro’s response was curt. “Tell me you’ve found something.”
“It was human, at least at one point,” said Sayuri. “But no genetic records on file. Further testing would have to be done, but seems obvious we’re dealing with someone in the country illegally.”
“I know, Kitano said the same thing,” said Hiro. “What about the data? Have the analysts turned up anything useful?”
“Not quite yet, they’re still working at it,” said Masao.
“What the hell’s taking them so damn long?” asked Hiro.
“It’s encrypted.”
“So? You’re telling me the Tokkei doesn’t have the means to break some yakuza syndicate’s encryption?”
“If that’s what we were dealing with, they’d have broken it already,” said Masao. “Boss, what we’re dealing with…it’s military-grade encryption.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” said Erika. “Kitano just runs an offshoot of the Yamazaki-gumi, and they wouldn’t have the resources for something like that.”
“Maybe that’s the point. What we’re dealing with is a lot bigger than just some tattooed thugs.” Hiro looked through the two-way divider at Kitano. “I’m going back in there to get some answers.”
“You sure about that?” asked Erika. “Maybe one of us should give it a try.”
“No, I’ve got it.”
Hiro left his three subordinates and went back into the interrogation room. He closed the door behind him and then looked at the mirror on the wall, knowing the others were watching him from the other side.
“Enable privacy mode,” said Hiro.
The room’s system confirmed his voice and locked the door, while a screen slid over the mirror to block anyone from seeing what went on inside. Kitano looked around the room.
“No cameras in this room, Kitano. Soundproof walls. Mag-locked doors. And the only view from outside…” Hiro pointed to the covered mirror, “…has been obscured.
“So that’s how it’s going to be, huh?” asked Kitano.
Hiro nodded as the nanites flowed over his body, encasing him in his armor.
“I want to know everything about your little operation. Including how a bottom-feeder like you gets his hands on military-grade encryption.”
“And you’re going to torture me for the information?” Kitano shook his head. “Boy, you already know how I got that encryption. Just like you know who those experiments are done on behalf of. But you’re not after truth today. You’re after a cover story.”
“That’s what you think.” Hiro took the tsuka in hand and activated it, a blade of crimson energy erupting from the device. “So we can do this the easy way, or we can do it the hard way. And just between you and me, after what I saw you did to that poor creature, I’m hoping you opt for the hard way.”
/> Erika felt a great sense of unease when Hiro had left. She watched Kitano through the mirror, hoping Hiro would remember the mission and not lose control. But when he closed the divider, she knew things were serious.
“We have to get him out of there!”
She started to go for the door, but Sayuri grabbed her wrist. Erika turned and gave her teammate an incredulous look.
“What are you doing, Tanaka? Yoshida’s obviously not in his right mind.”
“Yoshida is our superior and he gave us an order,” said Sayuri. “We have to trust in his wisdom to do what’s right.”
“He already roughed up Kitano. But after what we told him, he seemed determined to learn more, no matter the cost.”
“Don’t get in the way, Kuroki,” said Sayuri. “Trust me on this.”
Erika shook her head and wrenched her arm away from Sayuri’s grasp. “Sorry, but I can’t just let this happen.” She was about to go for the door, but now Masao stood between her and it, arms folded over his chest.
“I’m sorry, Kuroki, but she’s right. We have to let Yoshida handle this his own way.”
“And what if his own way ends up killing the best lead we’ve got?” asked Erika. “You want to forget about the ethics, fine. Just think practically. How are we going to get to the bottom of this if Kitano’s dead?”
The door opened from behind Masao. All eyes fell on Hiro as he entered the room. That cold, faraway look Erika had seen in Yoshiwara was back. Hiro didn’t even make eye contact with any of them.
“Ishiyama, go back upstairs. Tell the analysts to put everything they’ve got on breaking that encryption. I want constant updates,” said Hiro.
“Yessir,” said Masao, then bowed and left.
“Tanaka, you’re on Dr. Iwata. I want a full work-up on that poor devil and step on it.”
“Understood, sir.” Sayuri bowed and also took her leave.
“Kuroki, run facial recognition on the footage of everyone you encountered at Kitano’s place. I want to know who they are and where they are immediately,” said Hiro.
“Sir, if you’ll forgive me for speaking frankly…”
“We don’t have time for discussions, Kuroki. You have your orders, so follow them.”
“Very well, as you wish.” Erika bowed and also went for the exit. But before she stepped through the doorway, she turned and glanced back at Hiro. “Sir, if you’ll permit me one question. What will we do with Kitano now?”
“We won’t be doing anything with him, Agent Kuroki.” Hiro’s voice was completely robotic. “Junichi Kitano didn’t make it.”
9
Hiro’s actions had left Erika with a feeling of unease, but there was nothing that could be done about it. All she could do was focus on her assignment. She ran a facial recognition program on the footage she uploaded of the two men she saw in the basement. They’d both managed to get away in the chaos, but with Kitano dead, they were now the only leads she potentially had.
Fortunately, the database picked up a match for them fairly quickly. One of them was Tatsuo Watanabe and the other was Nobuo Takahashi. Both had criminal records for gang-related activities, but had somehow managed to get off with light prison sentences. Watanabe had no current address on record, but Takahashi did—an apartment in Shinjuku.
Erika went down there herself. She knew she should have readied backup—that was the proper protocol—but she was worried about Hiro’s state of mind. And she wasn’t very enthused by the way Sayuri and Masao just accepted his orders without question.
That was how she ended in the foyer of a tenement building in the heart of Shinjuku. The lobby entrance required a biometric check to enter, but she had ways around that. She activated the nanites to extend over her hand and placed it on the scanner. The display told her it was attempting to confirm her identity. Naturally she had no records on file, but the nanites could override most biometric security systems. After a few moments, the display changed to read “IDENTITY CONFIRMED.”
The glass doors slid open and Erika entered the lobby. Rather than take the elevator, she opted for the stairs. Takahashi’s apartment was only on the fourth floor so it wouldn’t be much of a strain for her. She quickly jogged up the stairwell until she came to her destination. Erika activated her full armor to scan the corridor from behind the door. There was no one else in the hall.
She left the stairwell and moved to the unit number listed in Takahashi’s file. When she came to it, she put her hand on the biometric scanner beside the door. Just as in the lobby, it took a moment before the nanites were able to override the security and then the door slid open.
Takahashi’s apartment was very spartan. Just past the foyer was a small corridor off to the side that led to the bathroom and the toilet. The main corridor was short and led into the kitchen. She checked the refrigerator and found it well-stocked with cans of beer but not much else.
Past the kitchen was the living room. A flat-panel TV rested on a simple stand in the corner. The room also included a table in the middle of the room and a small couch. Judging by the empty Cup Noodles containers on the table, she assumed he wasn’t much for home cooking.
A sliding door led to the bedroom. A simple twin bed, a chest of drawers, and a closet filled with suits on hangers. That was all she could find in his place. Though she did give it a search, she wasn’t able to locate anything else that could help her.
She could hear something come from the front door of the apartment. Erika opened the balcony door and stepped outside, closing it behind her and moving out of sight. Her AR-HUD went into infrared mode and she watched as somebody entered the apartment, moving through it and into the bedroom. But there were no other signatures, which meant he was alone.
Erika followed him across the balcony as he left the bedroom and went into the living room. He sat on the couch and then came the sound of the TV. She heard the popping open of a can.
She stepped in front of the balcony window, still hidden by the curtains. Erika coiled her fist and smashed through the glass. Takahashi jumped, spilling the beer over his dress shirt.
“Shit!” he screamed.
He tried to scramble to get to his feet, but Erika was on him a second before he could do anything more. She grabbed him by the neck and slammed him against the wall, pinning him and holding him so his feet were just off the ground.
“Remember me?” she asked. “I’m the one you sicced your little science experiment on.”
“I didn’t do anything, I swear!”
She threw him across the room, right into the television set, the panel shattering from the impact and scattering shards all over the floor. Erika picked him up while he still writhed on the ground and held him above her at arm’s length. The tsuka materialized in her free hand and the energy blade erupted. Though Erika’s sensors registered an elevated heart rate, all she had to do was look at the way Takahashi’s eyes were glued to the blade to know just how much he clearly feared it.
“This isn’t going to end well for you,” said Erika. “Your only option is to tell me everything you know. If you don’t, then I might be forced to do something drastic.”
“Shit…shitshitshit…” he kept muttering, his eyes still on the blade. “I didn’t know about any of this, honest! This was just a job! I didn’t want to do anything to them!”
“‘Them’? You mean he wasn’t the only one?”
Takahashi nodded furiously. “There were others. Test subjects.”
“Who were they?”
“Refugees. They wanted to experiment on them. Boss just did what he was told.”
“Told by whom? The Yamazaki-gumi?”
“Spooks, that’s all I know. Once, I tried to ask questions. Boss told me I’d better keep my mouth shut if I knew what was good for me.”
“Where did the refugees come from?”
“All over Asia. We smuggle them in on cargo ships. Pay off customs officers so they don’t inspect the hold. Promise ’em jobs. Young men, they get sol
d to construction firms. Women to the mizu-shôbai.”
That term meant water trade—a euphemism to describe the nighttime entertainment industry. Which no doubt included fûzoku or the sex trade.
“Young men and women. But they’re not the only ones you smuggle in, are they? What about the elderly or children?”
“If they’re too old or look like they’re too old, or if they’re weak or crippled, they become test subjects,” said Takahashi. “As for the kids…you don’t wanna know.”
He didn’t need to spell it out, Erika could read between the lines. And it only made her angrier. She threw him through the balcony door she’d shattered earlier and he struck the railing. It was the only thing that prevented him from falling to his death.
Erika held her sword right at his throat. All she wanted to do now was kill this scumbag. She was starting to understand the anger Hiro felt when dealing with Kitano. And she felt herself about to succumb to it as well.
“Stop!” Takahashi pleaded with her, pressing his body against the rail, trying to keep himself away from the sword. “That’s not what we did with all of ’em.”
“What are you talking about?”
“If you let me go, I can tell you where we took them,” he said. “We took a few for our own experiments. But a lot were taken somewhere else. And you may not like what you find.”
“You let me worry about that. Just tell me where you took them.”
“One of the Izu islands. Hachijo-kojima. We load ’em up on a cargo ship and send them out there. No clue what happens once they leave the port.”
“I found you once already,” she said. “If you’re lying about this, don’t think I can’t find you again. There’s nowhere you can run in this country where I don’t have eyes.”
“I know, I know,” said Takahashi. “I swear on my parents’ grave, it’s the truth.”
“Where do the ships leave from?”
His lips moved, but for some reason, Erika couldn’t hear his voice. She realized it wasn’t just him—she couldn’t hear anything happening outside her armor. She felt her arms lowering as the blade retracted, actions she had not intended to perform.
Ronin Born Page 5