Reprisal

by Charles Tillman

  “I can determine the truth,” Akio assured him.

  “If you say so.” Nakano huffed impatiently. “Let’s get this done. I have other cases to work on that do not involve wild stories of demons from a violent drunkard.”

  An orderly led them to a room where a large man lay in bed, his arms and legs tied to the frame with heavy leather restraints. His scarred and calloused hands, combined with his rugged face, showed he’d lived a hard life, one spent working outside in the elements for many years.

  “Taka had an episode today,” the orderly informed them. “He told another patient his wild tale and attacked the man when he did not believe him. Sedation was required to calm him down, and he is still under the effects of the drug, for all the good it will do. As soon as it wears off, he starts ranting about the demons again.”

  “Thank you. I’m sure he will be able to help me,” Akio responded and then turned his attention to the restrained man. “Ogata-san, my name is Akio. Can you tell me what happened on the island?”

  Ogata stirred. His eyes slowly opened and then closed. “Demons. Demon children, teenagers, with eyes that glowed like the fires of hell,” he mumbled.

  Nakano exhaled loudly, “It is the same story he has told since the day he arrived at the docks without his crew. He refuses to tell anyone what he really did. He expects us to believe this fairy tale. Ogata, tell the truth. You killed them and dumped their bodies in the sea!” he yelled.

  Akio raised a hand and looked at the inspector. “That is neither necessary nor helpful,” he told him calmly, wondering why the man was so hostile toward the patient.

  Nakano scoffed. “Helpful? I’ll tell you what is not helpful—dragging me down here so you can speak with this liar. I have dealt with Ogata many times before. He is a violent drunk with a bad temper. He murdered the crew in a drunken rage and then made up this unbelievable tale to try to cover it up.”

  “I understand why you feel that way, but I would still like to talk to him.” Akio’s eyes narrowed as he picked up strong emotions from the inspector. He stared as Nakano’s anger caused him to strongly project his thoughts.

  “Well, do it quickly so I can get back to work. I don’t know why you people from Tokyo think you are so much smarter than us in the Regions. I know a lie when I hear it. I can’t believe you wasted time and resources to come here for this foolishness. I will wait outside,” Nakano growled as he stormed out of the room.

  Akio watched him go, irritated by the disrespectful behavior but having some insight into the why after his outburst. After Nakano was gone, he turned back to Ogata and asked, softly and respectfully, “Ogata-san, can you tell me what happened?”

  Ogata opened his eyes, revealing drug-dilated pupils. His voice was groggy as he responded to Akio’s prompt. “We went to Kume. The Captain has family there and wanted to visit them. I pulled the short string and had to stay on the boat to keep it in place. That fool, Issa.” His eyes closed as he drifted off under the effects of the sedative.

  Akio sighed. “Ogata-san, I need you to focus. What did you see?”

  Ogata opened his eyes and continued after a few heartbeats. “Red…red-eyed demons. Demons from hell with glowing red eyes. They…they killed them all, ripped them to shreds.”

  As Ogata recalled the night, Akio took more information from his mind. When he finished, he rested his hand on Ogata’s brow. “You have done well. Sleep now.”

  The combination of drugs and the compulsion Akio put behind the words was too much for Ogata to resist. He was softly snoring as Akio left the room.

  Nakano was leaning against the wall outside with a cigarette between his lips when Akio stepped out into the sunlight.

  “You had me come here for this? I could have told you that fantasy without making the trip here and wasting my time,” he fumed as Akio approached.

  “It was not a waste. Ogata-san is truthful about what he saw,” Akio calmly replied. “I will talk with the Chief Inspector. You do not need to concern yourself any further.”

  “It is my case, and he murdered those men,” Nakano retorted as his face flushed in anger. “Who are you to tell me not to concern myself?”

  “You need to let go of your past hatred for Ogata-san. It is unbecoming and places a dark mark on your honor. He did not kill those men, but you let your unreasonable hatred for him blind you to the truth.” Akio’s voice hardened. “You no longer need to worry about this. It will be dealt with appropriately.”

  Nakano’s face was mottled with red spots and his voice was harsh. “You know nothing! You come here acting like a lord, as though you can look at a man and determine his innocence.”

  He railed at Akio. “Taka Ogata is a mean drunk. It was merely a matter of time until he killed. I knew it would happen, and now it has.”

  Akio’s lips tightened into a barely noticeable frown as he turned to walk away. “Thank you for your time. As I said, others will deal with it appropriately.”

  Nakano shouted, “What do you mean by that? Do you think the Tokyo police can handle this better? Your arrogance knows no bounds.”

  Akio’s lips turned up in a slight smile as he called over his shoulder. “I never said the police would handle anything.”

  He stepped around the corner of the building. Once out of sight of the sputtering Nakano, he accelerated to preternatural speed around the back of the building.

  “Bring the Pod down, Eve. I have the information we need.”

  A black Pod quickly descended and stopped mere inches from the ground in front of him. He didn’t slow but stepped into the open door as it briefly hovered and then rapidly rose.

  “Yuko, please contact the government liaison to arrange a meeting for me with the Chief Inspector of Kyushu. I need to convince him not to send any more men to that island.”

  As the Pod shot into the sky, Akio looked down and saw Nakano run around the corner and stop. He watched as the confused officer looked from side to side, searching for him.

  Kyushu Regional Police Headquarters, Okinawa

  “Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Chief Inspector Morikata.” Akio offered a short bow to the man.

  The chief inspector made the appropriate bow in return. “Welcome, Akio-san. I must admit that I am curious since I am not often contacted by the Commissioner General twice in one day. The second time, he instructed me that you wanted to meet and to give you whatever you requested, no questions asked. I have the Ogata file and a few more that have information about the strange occurrences around Kume Island.” He held up a short stack of files as he spoke.

  Akio reached for the offered papers. “I appreciate your promptness. The events on Kume are most troubling and something that I am equipped to handle.”

  “I thought I recognized your name when Commissioner General Watabe called. I recognize your face, as well. You are one of the Queen’s, uh, Bitches, is it?”

  Akio inclined his head. “Hai. I have the honor of that title, and I am also one of the people she left behind to take care of problems that are beyond what the police are equipped to handle. This situation appears to be one of those problems.”

  The chief inspector nodded along as Akio spoke. “I thought as much when I read Ogata’s statement. I saw another person with red eyes, once. It was in a documentary about your Queen the day she departed.”

  “Hai. About Ogata-san. He is telling the truth. He does not deserve to be locked away for something he did not do. He is lucky to even be alive.”

  As Morikata started to speak, there was a disturbance outside the office. Both men looked toward the door as it flew open and Nakano stormed in.

  “Forgive the interruption, Chief Inspector, but this man is not a member of the police as he claims,” Nakano growled as he angrily stalked toward Akio.

  Akio faced him as Nakano stormed up to him, anger evident in his face and stance. “If it pleases you, Chief Inspector, I will remove this impostor and find out what he is up to.”

  “Inspector
Nakano, still yourself!” Morikata commanded in a stern voice. “This man is an honored guest. The Commissioner General ordered that he be given every courtesy.”

  Nakano stood with his mouth open and a confused look on his face. “But, sir, he was at the hospital and claimed that Ogata is telling the truth. Surely you don’t believe that this man, whoever he is, can be trusted any more than Ogata?”

  Nakano’s blood turned cold after one look at his chief’s face.

  The man’s normally calm visage was flushed in anger and his eyes were like ice as he stared at the inspector. “Nakano, you will apologize immediately and then leave this office. Do not go far, because we will have much to discuss once our esteemed guest has completed his business with me,” he commanded the stunned man in a tone that left no room for anything but full and immediate compliance.

  “I-I… Sir, I…” Nakano stammered to a stop as his wide eyes looked from one man to the other.

  Akio sighed. “Chief Morikata, although this officer is rather impetuous, I understand his reaction. Ogata-san’s story is unbelievable for someone who has no experience in such things. However, he also has an old quarrel with Ogata. They were once friends, close as brothers until Ogata-san struck his sister in a drunken stupor. Taka Ogata is this officer’s former brother-in-law.”

  Nakano stiffened and started to speak. Akio locked eyes with him and allowed a faint red tint to shine through. Nakano gasped, the color draining from his face as he backpedaled away.

  “Inspector Nakano, there are many things in this world that seem unbelievable when you first hear about them. I assure you that some of them are very real,” Akio calmly stated as his eyes faded back to normal. “It’s my duty to deal with them.”

  “Nakano, I gave you an order,” Morikata snapped at the obviously shaken man.

  He closed his mouth with an audible snap and bowed deeply at the waist. “Please forgive me, honorable sir. I was out of line.”

  Akio acknowledged him with a slight bow, barely a nod of his head, and turned back to the Chief Inspector. Both remained silent until the door clicked softly closed.

  “May I take these copies, Chief Inspector?” Akio asked.

  “Hai, they are for you. Do you need anything else, Akio-san?”

  “Please see to it that Ogata-san is released,” Akio instructed. “I will contact you when the situation on Kume is resolved enough for you to send your men.”

  “Hai. I have just the person in mind to see to that personally. Immediately after I have a pointed conversation with him about integrity and honor.” Morikata assured him while he cast a glare at the closed door. “I will await word from you before I send anyone else to Kume.”

  Chapter Three

  Pod, Over the East China Sea

  Akio activated his communicator as he raced back to Tokyo at the Pod’s top speed. “Yuko, you will accompany me to Kume. Get your gear and meet me in the hangar.”

  “Hai, Akio. I will be waiting,” Yuko replied. “What did you learn?”

  “I saw into the fisherman’s mind,” Akio told her. “There is indeed a situation that we must handle there. The demons who attacked his crew are Nosferatu. He saw ten of them rip his crew to shreds. If he had not fled when he did, he would have died, too.

  “Please contact the liaison and advise them that we will deal with this problem. Chief Inspector Morikata has agreed to keep his people away until we contact him as well.”

  “Eve is talking to him now,” Yuko assured him. “He has advised that they will comply and are ready to assist if needed.”

  Kume Island, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan

  The sun was setting as they approached Kume Island, a picturesque location of vibrant greens with a white sand beach that was the essence of natural beauty. They stepped out onto the sand. Yuko was in a light dress that covered her form-fitting Jean Dukes armor with holstered pistols and the sword strapped to her back.

  Akio had some advice before they set off. “Yuko, I know you do not take life easily. Remember that while these Nosferatu might appear to be children, they are not. They are dangerous killers who are little better than wild animals, and they cannot come back from their feral state. It is a mercy to end their existence.”

  Yuko nodded. “Hai, Akio. I understand and will not hesitate to give them the mercy they deserve.”

  “The most important thing is to find who created them and end their miserable existence. Had the Nosferatu been here all along, we would have heard of them before now.” Akio was silent for a moment, lost in thoughts of a different time.

  “I have seen this before,” he disclosed. “It is not the first time children were used as tools for war on these islands. During the Second World War, the Imperial Army Commander in charge of the defense of Okinawa used middle-school children as the first line of defense and suicide attackers when the American forces invaded. Many died. He committed seppuku to atone for his shame after the battle was lost. Kamiko Kana’s mother found him in the cave, already dead. She managed to heal and turn one of his subordinates before he was able to die from his wounds. He became one of her most devoted followers, and when she was killed, he was just as devoted to her daughter. I thought him dead, but now I am convinced that his hand is involved in some manner.”

  Yuko looked down as she heard this. Her heart ached for the children and their parents. “That is an evil that should never be permitted,” she whispered. “When we locate whoever is responsible for this atrocity, they must die.” Her eyes flashed red and her voice was an almost feral growl by the end.

  Akio stood silently for a few beats before he added, “That was not the worst of the evils committed in that war, but that is a story for another time. If the ones responsible for these Nosferatu are still here, they will die tonight.”

  The sun was gone as they made their way from the Pod to the center of town. They heard the sound of many footsteps running toward them as they arrived in the square.

  A group of Nosferatu burst around the corner of a house, running toward them at faster-than-human speed. Their eyes were red as embers and snarls issued from their throats.

  Akio and Yuko unsheathed their swords and moved apart as the crowd of feral creatures drew closer. When the first arrived, Akio’s sword flashed, and a body crumpled to the ground as its head bounced into the path of the others. A skinny Nosferatu in filthy tattered rags growled as it leaped for Yuko, clawed fingers extended, and his fanged mouth open wide. She swung her sword, and another head joined the one on the sand.

  The remaining attackers arrived as a wild horde, and the pair dispatched the others like angels of silent death. It was over in seconds, then silence reigned as they scanned the area for more threats.

  Yuko stood quietly as she surveyed the bodies, her face pale at the thought of the horror the villagers must have endured when seeing their loved ones turned into beasts.

  Akio interrupted her thoughts. “There is light coming from that house. Be alert. This was not all of the Nosferatu that I saw in Ogata’s mind.”

  He wiped the blood from his blade on a cloth he carried for the purpose and stepped over the gray-skinned corpses at his feet before walking in the direction he had indicated.

  The structure had suffered extensive damage during the earthquakes. Numerous mud-patched cracks ran through the outer walls, and large boards covered all the windows. It was in a sorry state but was still better than many of the other structures, most of which were collapsed piles of rubble. The ones left standing had been cobbled together into dwellings not much better than crude huts.

  Akio extended his senses for signs of humans or others before he approached the door and knocked lightly. There was no answer, but he had already detected that there were several terrified people inside.

  “We mean you no harm,” he called through the weathered and scarred wooden door. “Open the door, please. We seek information about what has happened here.”

  There was shuffling inside, and a trembling voice called, �
�Please, Obugyo-sama, we already have given this week. We can’t survive giving more.”

  Akio’s eyes flashed red as he heard this. These people were being forced to serve as food for some Forsaken and were terrified. He projected a sense of calm. “I am not the one you fear. I came here to end the plague that has fallen on you. Please open the door so we can discuss what we need to do to end this evil.”

  The door slowly swung open to reveal a pale, thin man wearing clothing like the Nosferatu had worn. The scars and fresh bite marks that covered his neck and arms were all the proof Akio needed that there were Forsaken here. Nosferatu would not leave their victims alive.

  Akio continued to project calm toward the man. “I am Akio, and I have come here to help your island. Can you tell me who you are and what has happened here?”

  “Hai, Akio-sama. I am Suzu Yagi, and I am, or was, the mayor of our island. About a year ago, a man who called himself Sho Mitsuro showed up here in the night wearing ancient feudal attire and declared himself emperor. I thought he was insane—we have seen many lose their minds since the world collapsed—but he had four others with him who were monsters. He ordered them to take our children. We fought back as best we could, but bullets and blades did not harm them. They killed several of my people.”

  Yagi paused and drew a shuddering breath. “They were the lucky ones. The whole time Mitsuro stood next to me, I tried to move, but my body would not respond. I was frozen in place and could only move my eyes and watch the horrors committed. It was over in minutes. All the children between twelve and sixteen years old were gathered together and marched away. Mitsuro then ordered his men to take my wife and daughter as well. He told me that they would be safe if the town and I did as he told us. He grabbed me, and that was when I knew he was a monster as well. He lifted me with one hand and pulled me close to his face. He had the eyes of an Akuma and teeth like an animal. The last thing I remember was pain in my neck. When I woke the next morning, I discovered that we were all caught in a never-ending nightmare.”