Freedom Club

by Saul Garnell

“Who sent you?” Kamiyoshi barked out, shaking the gun unnervingly.

  Kamiyoshi panned the muzzle over them both and Sumeet cringed every time it came in his direction. Shinzou noted the terror this was causing and waved one hand to get Kamiyoshi’s attention.

  “Please aim at me, Dr. Kamiyoshi,” Shinzou urged. “Sumeet here is quite innocent in all this. Now please, calm down and...”

  “Who sent you?” Kamiyoshi shouted again.

  Shinzou looked at the floor annoyed. “Look! No one sent us, okay? I got your name from Dr. Gupta at the Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico. They have records of your project with Nagel and Kim. And I assure you, Dr. Kamiyoshi, if you fire that thing, many more people will come looking.”

  Kamiyoshi stared back unsatisfied. But he stopped shouting. That was a start. Shinzou realized he had a small window to calm things down.

  “I know your background, Dr. Kamiyoshi. You’re an honorable man, a priest! Not the kind of person who kills people. Please, I assume you’re a victim in all this. I don’t want to hurt you. Let me help. Tell me please. What happened years ago.”

  “No,” Kamiyoshi said stubbornly. “You’re with them! You’ve come to kill me!”

  “Let me show you that I’m unarmed.”

  Prying back both sides of his sports jacket ever so carefully, Shinzou displayed his armpits. Kamiyoshi looked on angrily, the gun still trembling toward Shinzou the whole time.

  Putting his hands back up, Shinzou said, “First off, I’m not sure who “them” is. But I promise you that assassins don’t come to work unarmed like me. Also, if I were here to kill you, I wouldn’t waste time asking questions about things that “they,” whoever “they” are, already know.” Shinzou gestured with his two bare hands for calm. “Please, Dr. Kamiyoshi. This is all a misunderstanding.”

  Shinzou’s logic began to work. Kamiyoshi huffed and slowly sat down. Shinzou followed suit and looked at Sumeet, indicating with a small nod that everything would be fine.

  “Before we go on any further,” Shinzou said, “would you kindly point that at the ground?”

  Kamiyoshi looked at the massive gun in his hands. “It’s on auto target lock. It targets you wherever I point.”

  “Well, that sounds very efficient,” Shinzou jested. “But it would be a gesture of good faith and help calm things down, given the situation.”

  Nodding slightly, Kamiyoshi spread his legs and eased the weapon down toward the floor. One arm rested on his inner thigh to support the gun’s heavy weight.

  Shinzou sighed with relief and lowered his hands. “Thank you. Now let’s start again. I can only help you if you tell me what happened, when you first started working with Kim and Nagel.”

  Kamiyoshi sat looking unhappily at the gun. His thoughts wandered over a tortured past before looking up with final resolve.

  “So many years ago, I can’t remember. I think – yes I think I volunteered for research work.”

  “With the Santa Fe Institute?” Shinzou said.

  Kamiyoshi shook his head. “At the college I was teaching at. At first it was just related to government communication and other types of simple propaganda. But later I was contacted by Thomas Nagel. He asked me if I wanted to work with Sentients. At that time, it all seemed quite exciting. I didn’t realize what we were doing.”

  Shinzou leaned forward with interest. “What did they ask you to do?”

  Kamiyoshi frowned with deep discontent. “I was asked to educate him as a Roman Catholic like myself.”

  Shinzou shook his head. “Educate who?”

  “Po’pay, of course. What? You really don’t know?” Kamiyoshi shook his head, quite surprised, then stared at both men with guarded mistrust. “He was the Sentient Being who I raised as my adopted son.”

  Those words, adopted son, felt like getting punched in the stomach. Shinzou was momentarily breathless, and sat back in the couch to think. If Dr. Kamiyoshi’s statement was true, it would shatter many beliefs he held quite dear. Memories of his own past with Henry swam around his head. But he needed to get a hold of himself.

  Shinzou blinked hard. “Uhm, sorry, you mean to say that you were asked to raise a newborn Sentient Being as both your adopted son and as a Christian?”

  “Yes.”

  Shinzou stammered. “And that worked out? Po’pay didn’t show any adverse behavior?”

  “There were two other Sentients. George...no, it was Georgia and Alberta, I think. They didn’t do very well. But I wasn’t their parent. I heard from Kim that the other two experiments were the reason everything had to stop. But Po’pay was just fine. He took to Catholicism like any human. Especially after hearing about the plight of Amakusa Shiro.”

  “Amakusa Shiro?” Shinzou said, shaking his head. “I’ve heard that name.”

  “Did you? It’s a tale familiar mostly to the Japanese. He was a Christian rebel. Fought for religious rights early in the seventeenth century, when a poem prophesied that a sixteen year old savior would free Christians persecuted by the Shogun.”

  “What happened to him?” Sumeet asked, slowly coming out of shock.

  “He and his followers made a final stand at Hara Castle, in Kyushu. They held off over one hundred thousand Samurai for months. But over time starvation set in. They became weak, and a final siege wiped them out. Shiro died along with all his Christian martyrs.”

  “I remember the story now,” Shinzou said. “The Tokugawa Shogunate feared Christianity as a prelude for European invasion. That’s why he outlawed and later killed so many of that faith.”

  Kamiyoshi nodded thoughtfully. “Oh, Po’pay was so touched by the poem and the story that he even took on Shiro as a nickname and imagined he was Amakusa Shiro’s reincarnation.” Kamiyoshi shook his head sadly with hallowed eyes. “My little Shiro! He was such a good boy. He loved God. Truly loved him, more than any human ever could.”

  Kamiyoshi gazed at the floor despondently. Shinzou could tell that reminiscing about all these events was painful for the old man and stoked the flames of deep regret. But there would be no pulling back. Shinzou knew that finding the truth was only possible if he pushed. And he might have to push hard. Something to think about with a loaded gun still tightly gripped in Kamiyoshi’s frail hands. Sighing with finality, Shinzou went on knowing full well his next questions might lead to unforeseen consequences.

  “I must ask,” Shinzou began carefully. “Can you tell us what happened after that? After Shiro became a devout Catholic?”

  Kamiyoshi looked up. His stare had transformed from self pity to repressed anger. His scowl emanated like a beacon of despair and hatred.

  “It was after the first year or so. Thomas and Kim talked with me one day. They said the other two studies were going horribly wrong. That they...that we had to terminate.”

  Shinzou glanced at Sumeet and squinted. “Terminate the project?”

  “No!” Kamiyoshi barked. “Terminate Shiro and the other Sentients. We were ordered to euthanize him, then sterilize all the equipment using nano scrubbers.”

  “I don’t believe it,” Shinzou said.

  “What did you do?” Sumeet asked, leaning forward.

  Kamiyoshi gazed at Sumeet, shaking his head pitifully. “We talked amongst ourselves for a bit. We knew that if we didn’t do it, our lives would be in danger. But at the same time, we knew that little Shiro was innocent. His only crime was the fact that he loved God. We couldn’t just stand by and let him die. As a good Christian, I couldn’t live with that. Neither could Kim and Nagel.”

  Shinzou watched Kamiyoshi. Clearly these memories were tearing him apart. Tears glazed over his old bloodshot eyes.

  “Go on, Dr. Kamiyoshi. What happened then?” Shinzou urged.

  “It was really Thomas who did most of the technical work. He had the expertise to construct a housing that contained inert brain tissue and to trick the system into thinking we were euthanizing him. We had to be quite thorough, needed to prove that Shiro was dead. Once that was accomplished I fou
nd a suitable place to move him. Through my contacts in the religious community, I was able to find a church that was willing to take the risk, and store the housing in a secure location. But once there, I couldn’t be with him anymore. It was too dangerous! If they...they were still monitoring us and...”

  “And what about Kim and Nagel?” Shinzou asked.

  “They wanted to come clean about all this,” Kamiyoshi admitted. “That’s why they came to Japan. To discuss how we could tell the world.”

  Sumeet nodded and looked at Shinzou. “And these people obviously found out about their plans. They put a stop to it by destroying the spaceplane.”

  Kamiyoshi shook his head. “No, I’m not sure...”

  Shinzou looked back. “Not sure what?”

  Kamiyoshi stopped talking, and gazed down again at his weapon. Shinzou watched Kamiyoshi’s tortured soul rolling over upon itself, again and again. But the silence allowed Shinzou to see a version of himself that could have been. Their paths in life were similar, and Shinzo knew that he of all people needed to help.

  “I think I understand now,” Shinzou said.

  Kamiyoshi looked up, tears streaming down his eyes.

  “You had to let him go. You weren’t allowed to stay with Po’pay after he went into hiding.”

  “They would find us!”

  “Yes, I know.”

  “If they found us then...they would...”

  Kamiyoshi leaned forward and put his face into one palm while the other dangled by his side. He began to cry.

  “Oh, God! I abandoned my son! My little boy, I left my poor Shiro!” Kamiyoshi screamed.

  Shinzou calmly reached forward and took the weapon from Kamiyoshi’s hand as he began weeping uncontrollably. Deactivating it, Shinzou put it gently aside. Kamiyoshi was no threat to them. He never really was.

  Time slowed down. With his face buried in sticky palms, Kamiyoshi’s spit and tears dripped down and puddled on the floor as he wailed in anguish. Shinzou and Sumeet just watched in silence. Sixteen tormented years of self-inflicted wrath pouring out all at once. Sumeet shook his head in pity, and they both agreed without saying a word. No one should suffer like that.

  Wanting somehow to ease the old man’s pain, Shinzo contemplated the matter. There had to be a way to help. But what can one do to erase the past? No, it wasn’t the past that needed fixing, but the future. Shinzou realized his life was intertwined with Kamiyoshi. He had to try. Together they could figure things out.

  “You may not believe this,” Shinzou said as Kamiyoshi composed himself, “but I am one of the few people who can understand your pain.”

  Kamiyoshi looked up, his eyes wet and tired. “How...how can you say that?”

  Shinzou glanced at Sumeet a little unsure. “Well, because like you I too have a Sentient that I raised from infancy.”

  “What?” Kamiyoshi and Sumeet both guffawed simultaneously.

  Shinzou glanced at Sumeet and gestured for understanding. “I’m sorry, Sumeet. I’ll explain later. I promise!” Shinzou then redirected his focus toward Dr. Kamiyoshi. “It must sound crazy, but about the same time you adopted Po’pay, I adopted a Sentient Being too. His name is Henry David, and I love him as much as you love your son. If anyone ever harmed him, it would be the end of me.”

  Kamiyoshi shook his head in dismay. “No, you’re lying!”

  “Please believe me. I know it sounds impossible,” Shinzou urged with outstretched hands. “But I think our pasts are connected somehow. I can’t explain how I adopted Henry right now, but you and I have led similar lives. Only, I never had to give up Henry. He’s been with me all these years. I’ll take you to meet him, but you will need to come with me.”

  “Come with you?” Kamiyoshi said, shaking his head.

  “It’s dangerous to stay here,” Shinzou said. “If I found you, others will too. And we need to contact Po’pay. Or Shiro. Are you still in contact? Do you know where he is?”

  Kamiyoshi became flustered. “Of course I don’t! He’s only contacted me a few times over the years. By Quantum! His whereabouts are a complete secret, as it should be.”

  Shinzou’s mind raced. “Where did you put him originally? You said earlier you used contacts in the religious community.”

  Kamiyoshi shook his head unwillingly. “It was the old Church of Freedom, but they went out of existence. Shiro told me once that he’d been moved, but that was over a decade ago. God knows how many times since then.”

  Shinzou scratched his head. “Well, that’s a start. But anyway, you need to pack some essentials and come with us. I need to get you to a safe location.”

  “I’m not leaving!” Kamiyoshi snorted.

  “Please, Dr. Kamiyoshi,” Shinzou begged. “The men that destroyed the Martin Luther King Junior will stop at nothing. They’ll come for you too!”

  Kamiyoshi looked at Shinzou, then at Sumeet. Huffing with disdain, he walked over and picked up his gun. He noted it was switched off, then looked back with cold sober eyes.

  “Come back in thirty minutes,” Kamiyoshi ordered. “I’ll be ready by then.”

  “Okay, fine,” Shinzou said, while nodding at Sumeet to follow. “We’ll return soon. But please hurry.”

  Shinzou and Sumeet went outside and down the lane to their car. They didn’t speak until they were inside and the doors were locked.

  “I think you have some explaining to do,” Sumeet said angrily.

  Shinzou was ashamed. “You’re right. I haven’t been very forthcoming. I’m so sorry, Sumeet. I never meant to get you involved with all this so soon, but...”

  “So soon?” Sumeet barked.

  Shinzou grimaced. “Well, you see, what I had planned...”

  Before Shinzou could say more, an explosion rocked the car. Not enough to break the glass, but both men felt it to the bone. Shinzou immediately jumped out and looked up the hill.

  “What was that!” Sumeet said, with renewed fear.

  Shinzou had a worried look. “I don’t know. An explosion. You stay here!”

  Shinzou ran back up the hill at full speed. Sumeet defiantly ran behind him to catch up. Within seconds, both were at the front gate. Shocked, they could see that everything that had been neat and tidy was now a complete mess. They could see that the home’s windows were blown out. Glass was everywhere. The door, however, was still intact, and Shinzou walked up cautiously, peeking inside before opening it with deadly care.

  Half-broken hinges creaked, revealing a scene that froze them both where they stood. Kamiyoshi’s body, or what was left of it, lay in the foyer on top of a pool of blood. Small fragments of his upper body were disbursed everywhere. The whole room was peppered with flesh and tissue.

  Sumeet could barely handle it, and backed away horrified. “What, what happened?”

  Shinzou looked all around and thought for a moment. “He set the gun to self destruct. Committed suicide.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. It’s hard to overload it without a bit of work.”

  “But...why?”

  Shinzou glanced back. “Well, I suppose he was scared, and didn’t want to get caught.”

  Reaching into his breast pocket, Shinzou pulled out what looked like a large metal pen. Unscrewing its middle, a small mirror exposed itself. He spat on it, and held it toward Sumeet.

  “Here, spit on this!” he ordered.

  “What?”

  “Spit on it!”

  “What, what is it?” Sumeet said dumbly.

  “A nano scrubber,” Shinzou said. “We need to make sure this whole area doesn’t have our DNA after we’re gone. It only works with a sample.”

  Sumeet’s mouth was a bit dry, but he soon got enough saliva on the mirror. Shinzou activated the scrubber, and dropped it on the doorstep before heading back downhill.

  Sumeet followed silently, and neither said anything until they got airborne and rose to a fairly high altitude. Shinzou could see how distressed Sumeet was. The whole situation was clearly beyo
nd anything he had ever experienced. Nothing Shinzou could say would undo things, but he felt obligated to console Sumeet in some way.

  “You have every reason to be mad at me,” Shinzou said softly.

  Sumeet looked over, but his eyes didn’t make contact. “I lost my job, my fiance wants to kill me, and now I’m a wanted criminal. But for some strange reason, I don’t hold you accountable. I don’t think you planned things to happen this way.”

  “You’re not a wanted criminal,” Shinzou said flatly.

  “How do you know?”

  “Because, as you’ve probably surmised by now, I work for the SWCISA, an ASPAU police unit. And I know you’re not a criminal.”

  Sumeet nodded. “Okay, well that’s good...I suppose.”

  Shinzou went on. “But what you don’t know is that I work with another group, a group of people concerned with the freedom of mankind. Freedom in many aspects, but primarily freedom lost to the march of technology.”

  “Technology?” Sumeet said, unsure what that meant.

  “Technology is at the heart of man’s greatest achievements, and is his greatest enslaver,” Shinzou explained. “I think you may have begun to understand that from our recent talks. But we can discuss those things with Henry, when you meet him.”

  “Uhm, your adopted Sentient son, was it?”

  “Yes, everything I told Kamiyoshi was true. You’ll meet Henry soon.”

  Sumeet nodded. “And this cadre of people you spoke of? Who are they, and where are they located?”

  Shinzou grinned while pecking at the nav system to adjust course. “We have lots of members. Lord Byron is one.”

  “Lord Byron the poet? What’s that supposed to be, some kind of joke?”

  “No joke. Then there’s Allen Ginsberg, Karl Marx, and many others.”

  Sumeet was entirely perplexed. “Those men lived in completely different ages. They have nothing to do with each other!”

  “Oh, but they do,” Shinzou said wryly. “The club doesn’t care about when.”

  “What?” Sumeet screwed up his face and shook angrily. “You’re speaking in riddles.”

  Shinzou chortled. “It’s not really a cadre. We like to call it a club. The timing is quite poor, but let me be the first to welcome you.”