Vicissitude Yang Side

by Destine Williams

  Mauve, her wolf mech companion, gives a mechanical bark of agreement.

  Rose pushes him away, tears in her eyes. “I’m tired of being strong, Beautrice! Everything is always on me! Why don’t you get someone else to save the world? You all seem to be much better than me at it!”

  “Rose…”

  But Rose is already storming out of the room, leaving Beautrice and droopy-tailed Mauve staring after her.

  “Ms. Akiyama.” Ice Cream Girl’s voice saves me from watching any more. She puts a brass-clasped envelope on the counter and hands me a pen. “Here’s the packet that I need you to sign off on. As for your phone situation, the primary screenings didn’t show any signs of having any suspicious malware. During a test call we got some odd static, and we’re not quite sure what the cause is. One thing we might be able to do for you, is put something called the KillChat App on your phone.”

  “KillChat?” I echo. I’m pretty sure I might’ve heard of that during a development meeting. “Is that new?”

  She nods. “It just came out of its beta stage, and we’re offering it to retirees who still want maintain contact with the organization, as a security replacement for your issued phones. Your phone calls and messages will be encrypted, and in the event that someone does manage to break in, we’ll be alerted and take care of the breach right away.”

  “That sounds good.” I open the envelope. “How long will that take?”

  “It’ll take a few days for us to get your phone in the KillChat system, and during that time I recommend that you hold onto your issued phone. We’ll transfer most of your downloads, but the contacts you have in your issued phone will not be transferred,” Ice Cream Girl says. “If you’d like, you can hold off on the checkout papers until then, or you can take those home and bring them back with your phone.”

  I return the pen. “I’ll take them with me.”

  “Alright, Ms. Akiyama. You’ll get a call from us with further instructions as soon as we’re done putting your phone into the system. Let me get your phone for you…” She disappears into the back again, then returns with my phone. “Have a nice day, Ms. Akiyama.”

  3-2 'Ah'

  The drive back to Regi's house is slow and uneventful. Everyone snails forward on the road, windshield wipers swishing rain aside and headlights blazing. Couple that with the people on their lunch break clogging the drive thru of every street Thanks-A-Latte chain, and you’ve got a recipe for almost total traffic gridlock. I wait at Regi’s house for a few hours for the traffic to die down before getting dropped off at home. And I’m glad when I get to my own bed. The sheets are cool against cheek and the mattress conforms to my figure like a nice bed-hug. I slip my phone earbuds into my ear and scroll through my jazz playlist while I fill out the packet that the clerk gave me.

  Knock-knock!

  “Yo,” I call.

  The door creaks open. Jin slides against the wall like he’s in a police line-up getting his mugshot. It looks like he’s Prep Boy today: navy blue polo shirt, dark brown penny loafers, beige jean shorts, hair parted to the side. Much better than Emo Kid Look. Only problem now is that he kinda looks like the Geisha minus the samurai ponytail.

  I prop myself against a pillow and pull an earbud out so I can hear better. “What do you want?”

  He moves his hands behind his back. “Mom said you got hurt.”

  My gaze lowers to the phone. “I had a car accident.”

  Jin lingers. He lingers in the way an awkward third wheeler lingers around a couple because they’re the only people he knows. “Did you…go to the hospital?” His tone is stilted, reaching for conversation— and careful, as if I’m some explosive that could be set off by a normal-sounding voice.

  I sign my name at the bottom of the page I’m on. “No. I didn’t.” Trying to sound a bit friendlier, I add, “It’s only bruises and small cuts.”

  He meets my gaze, lips pressing together. Sliding to the door, he says, “Mom wants you.” Then he slips out.

  My heart deflates. I shouldn't be surprised. At least I tried to be nice. I get up.

  Light from Tammy’s room shines in the hallway. I rap my knuckles against the door’s threshold.

  “Come in.”

  Clad in a black silk robe, Tammy strips blazers from their hangers. She folds them and sets them in a pile on her gold coverlet, smothering the red, leaping nine-tailed fox beneath. Without looking behind her, she asks, “Feeling better, kitty-cat?”

  “A lot better than yesterday,” I say.

  “And what about your car?”

  “Totaled.”

  She spares me a glance over her shoulder. “How are you getting to work then?”

  “I could take the train,” I say.

  “Hmm…” She lays a pencil skirt down on her coverlet. “I’ll tell you what. I still need my car for the rest of this week. But come Sunday, drop me off at the airport and you get to drive it for three weeks. So at the very least, you can get to where you need to go.”

  That’ll help a lot. I hold an elbow. “So, how exactly is this overseas thing going to work?” Though Tammy wasn’t a constant cloying presence at home, the thought of her not being around is hard to imagine. She’s always been the reclusive monk around the house. The backbone you take for granted. A dark hand hiding in shadow always holding everything up. Ever since she opened her home to me after our parents died, I’ve never been without her.

  “You’re going to be the woman of the house for three weeks,” Tammy says, waving a hand. “The bills are going to be taken from my account, so all you need to worry about is making sure there’s food in the house, and taking care of the car.” Her gaze slides to me. “Now if you wreck my car—”

  I flinch. “I won’t.”

  Tammy stares at me. “I’ll hold you to that, kitty-cat.” She turns to the closet, pulling another skirt from the racks. “Should anything happen, plumber and the electrician are on the Dao panel. Make sure no one comes into this room unless it’s absolutely necessary.” Tammy nods toward her desk. “Everyone’s medical insurance information is next to my printer if anything should happen.”

  I shift my weight to my other leg. “Is that everything?”

  “No. There’s the groceries to worry about. I’ll give you money for that. Take Jin with you to the grocery store on Saturday and get him some snacks or something that will last for a while. When you drop me off at the airport, I’ll give you emergency money. Does that sound fair?”

  I nod. “Yes, ma’m.”

  "Good." She lays another skirt on the coverlet. "And keep a lookout for an acceptance letter in the mail. I’m expecting something from the cram schools Jin applied to.”

  “Cram school?” I echo. “But I thought Jin is having finals already?”

  “Yes, but he’s going to middle school, and soon it’s going to be time for him to think about going to high school and college,” Tammy says. “He should be prepared.”

  Why? Don’t you love your child? Cram school is that thing that everyone does, but no one likes doing. So many extra hours put into tutoring and college prep classes just for a shot at getting into the best universities. I remember when Mai enrolled me into Red Dragon Academy for my assassin training. Red Dragon Academy was a “cram school” too, and as much as I enjoyed the teachers, counselors, classes that I had, doing cram school and high school together was hell. Going to bed before 2 was a luxury. And social life? Forget it. “Does Jin know yet?”

  “Of course. He’s the one that requested to go, actually.”

  Huh. Jin never struck me as the ‘liking school’ type. Why would he want to go to cram school? It’s just more of the same thing. "Gotcha." I start to back out of Tammy's room, but then I remember my talk with Shig over the Geisha’s records and linger in the hall. “Tammy?”

  She plucks a blazer from the closet. “Hmm?”

  I hold both of my elbows. “Did Genji come by last week?”

  Tammy’s nose scrunches at the question, lifting her
red-rimmed glasses a bit. “Genji? Yes, I think so. I had him pick Jin up from school and take him to a doctor’s appointment since you were closing that day. Mai was at her own doctor.”

  I suppress a shudder at the thought of the Geisha in this house. He could’ve gone in my room, my stuff, or…anything. And I don’t think that Megumi would’ve been here to deter him either. But then again, if he had been in my room, I’m not sure what he could do here. After all, he hadn’t touched my gun— couldn’t have, without the passcode to my safebox. And even if he did, what’s there to do to my gun? I haven’t done an actual kill assignment since Regi learned I was in Showguns. Sure I might bring it along for emergencies, but the only reason I have it in the first place is because every assassin has to check one out, regardless of if we’ll use it or not. I doubt the Geisha would try to pull something like that without checking my kill records, and on top of that, my gun got tagged a whole week later from Jin’s doing. Not the Geisha’s.

  But he knew. Unless he’d been watching me take the gun in, there’s no way he could know I buried one there. I wish I hadn’t panicked so quickly, I could’ve lied and said something else was there! I have a feeling that probably wouldn’t have worked, the Geisha seemed so sure that I’d have a gun and that it would be tagged. But that would mean that Jin took the gun out on purpose to get me in trouble, and I can’t see that happening. Jin and I aren’t exactly peas in a pod, but we’ve never done anything to each other to warrant him wanting me dead or in jail.

  “Something wrong, kitty-cat?” Tammy asks, bringing me back to the present.

  I shake my head. “Oh no. I was just wondering.” Before Tammy can ask why, I add, “Mai brought it up.”

  “Speaking of Mai, she hasn’t been answering her phone or her email,” Tammy says. “Do you know how her surgery went?”

  “She’ll recover. She even came over with her boyfriend the other day,” I say.

  “That’s a relief. Gods, know we don’t need anyone else getting shot.”

  True. It’s bad enough I lost my parents that way. I don’t want to lose anyone else that way either. When I realize I’ve been standing at Tammy’s door without saying anything I take my leave and go back to my room. I pick up my phone and find a missed call from Heaven. And a voicemail.

  And what do you want? I play the message.

  “Hey, Jun. This is Heaven. I was wondering if you’d be interested in a job opportunity that’s opening up here in Tokaido Research Institute. The virtual reality game simulator we’ve been working on with ZenGaming was finished not long ago and we’ve been recruiting beta testers for it. And since I know you’re a fan of their games, you crossed my mind first. If you’re interested, give me a call and we can arrange a meeting to talk about it.”

  I call right away. No answer. I call again. No answer, but this time I leave my own voicemail and slip my phone under my pillow. Then it hits me.

  Didn’t the Geisha say something about me getting a job opportunity that I have to take? Tokaido Research Institute is a lab, but the Geisha had described the job I'd be doing as blood testing, gene extraction, and DNA screening. Maybe it’s a cover? Gods, I hope so. I don’t want to have to throw away another good job. Trying to get a job in Tokaido as a half-Pua Moana is hard enough as it is.

  I get my issued phone and text the Geisha. The job is supposed to be from TRI?

  The reply is instant.

  Accept it now, Hound.

  Somewhere in the middle of the night, my phone starts ringing.

  Zzzz…huh whazat? I slap my hand down on the nightstand, groping along the cold wood. Feeling nothing, I stick my hand under my pillow. My fingers touch the smooth screen and snatch my phone out from under me. The screen light blinds me. My eyes adjust enough to see the call button. I press the phone to my ear and croak, “Hrrmmf?”

  Static. Choppy garbling. Static.

  Then my phone beeps.

  I linger there, head propped by my elbow, half-asleep. “No, no, no… you have a…nice day…turkey.” Head heavy, I faceplant back onto my pillow.

  Before I can drift back to sleep, the drowsy haze in my mind blows over. My eyes snap open. What the fuck? I check Megumi’s clock. 3:23 am. My eyebrows furrow. I stare at my phone still stuck in the call ended screen. Was that a person? I check through the call log.

  Regi's number? Why the fuck is Regi texting me at the ungodly hours of the morning? Emergency? I’m so damn tired that the letters on my keyboard look like another language.

  Curling up in my warm blankets, I call Regi's number.

  "Jun?" His voice is raspy.

  My chest tightens. “What happened?"

  There’s a pause. “Huh? What do you mean?”

  “You just called me.” It was only a few minutes ago. How can you forget already?

  “The fuck? It wasn’t me.”

  I stiffen. “It wasn’t?”

  “I swear. It’s like what? Three in the morning right now? I wouldn’t call you this early.”

  “But if you didn’t, then…” My voice trails off. I minimize the call screen and go back to the call log.

  It’s not Regi’s number, but it’s eerily similar. This one reads 080-9492-6665. Regi’s is 080-9492-6656. An easy mistake.

  My face starts to burn. I woke him up for no reason… It’s not even him.

  “Babe?” Regi calls. “You there?”

  “I just looked…” I begin, putting my apple down. “Someone had the wrong number. But it’s almost the same as yours. Just the last two numbers are switched.”

  “Told ya it wasn’t me.” Regi yawns.

  "Sorry about that," I say. "You can go back to sleep now."

  “You’re booting me off just like that?” It’s all too easy to imagine him mock-pouting on the other side. “After you woke me up?"

  “There is something that I need to talk to you about, but I need to get back to sleep or I’m going to miss the first train to work.”

  “Ugh. The train. Well, be safe… and learn to read, noob.”

  “Whatever, nub.”

  We hang up and I hold my phone a bit longer. The reminders I set yesterday flash across the screen. Meet Heaven after work. My heart gives a fluttery skip only to get drowned out by the unease flooding my stomach. I almost don’t want to go. If the Geisha is telling me to do it, there’s gotta be something fucked about it. But Heaven can't be working for him, can she? I can't imagine what the Geisha would have over Heaven. She doesn't seem like the type that the Geisha could bend that easily, and she’s not in Showguns so I doubt he’s hanging death over her head. But then again, Geishas are skilled smooth talkers. They could’ve just negotiated something out.

  I set the phone face down and slip it under my pillow. Without the soft sounds of Megumi’s breathing, the darkness seems more imposing like a wolf stalking around, waiting to deal the fatal blow. I never thought much of being alone before now. What if Megumi is kidnapped? Raped? Beaten beyond recognition? The last place that she was seen was the Tokaido Research Institute…so maybe Heaven might know something. Or the Geisha.

  If he is involved in what happened to Megumi, then I don’t need to wait for Shig to get the approval. Killing or endangering a protected person is more than enough leverage to get the Geisha off my back. And if Tamotsu doesn’t get back to Shig in time, this might be my only other chance I’ve got to do something. And Megumi is at risk here. Even if the Geisha’s got hell planned and ready, I can’t ignore her.

  Best not to think of it as doing the Geisha’s dirty work. Think of it as investigating. I doze off until my alarm for six goes off. I shower, get dressed, drink a mug of mango green tea, and eat an apple at the table. King noses his breakfast bowl close to me and sits on my feet, warming them while he eats. I keep an eye on my phone clock. It shouldn’t take long for me to walk to the train station since it’s not far, but I still want to get there early to beat the ticket rush. At 6:45 on the dot, I leave the house and walk three blocks to the black glass building
that marks the train station. An elderly man with a felt fedora holds the door open for his hunched wife, then holds it for me. I thank him and stop at the directory planted in front of the food court.

  I trace my finger over the jungle of colored lines on the diagram. The Rabbit Line looks about right and it’s leaving in twenty minutes. Plenty of time to pick up a bento for lunch and buy my ticket. I head to the ticket line first which only has two people in it and glance around at the bento boxes in vitrines further down.

  Then warm breath tickles my ear. “Fancy meeting you here, Hound.”

  The sound of the Geisha’s voice makes me jump. I press my lips then look over my shoulder to see him smiling at me. I scowl. “I’m starting to get tired of you stalking me.”

  He raises an eyebrow. “Stalking you?” The Geisha puts a hand on his chest. “I know this may come as a shock, but my universe doesn’t revolve around you, Hound. This is public transportation.”

  I exhale through my nose. “Why do you need to take the train? I thought you had your own car?”

  “I could ask you the same thing,” The Geisha says, pulling a book out from his messenger bag. “Gods know you were proud of that panda.”

  “Car accident after the retirement party.”

  His light brown eyes widen, and much to my surprise, his smile shrinks. “For your information, I don’t have my own car. I drive one of my mother’s. But she sold one to help pay for her surgery. And the other, she took with her…wherever she’s hiding.”

  My gaze flits briefly to the man with the ticket booth clerk. “So she didn’t tell you, either?”

  The Geisha sighs. “No, so I’m left to ride the train to work. But as for you…” His smirk returns. “I’m paying for your train ticket.”

  My head snaps toward the Geisha. “What?”

  “You heard me.” He leans against a supporting column. “I’m paying for your train ticket. We are riding first class.”

  I stand there staring at him. We? As in me and him? Together in the same car? Has he lost his mind? “Why?”