It is interesting to look back at the past and see how everything led exactly to the point where you're at. In my case it is a lower level of one of the many cities on the planet of New Tokyo. It's not a bad place to live in: I've seen worse. Still, it's kind of... specific. I'm already used to the looks that the locals cast at me. I even got used to hearing "Gaijin" on some occasions when I walk around the city.
When you hear "lower level of a modern city", you probably imagine dirty and dangerous slums. Well, forget that when speaking about New Tokyo. The streets are clean and look well-groomed; nights are not dark at all with neon signs flashing everywhere. Even the people don't seem to be afraid to walk at night. Of course, this security is deceiving, but things still work different here, comparing to Liberty.
This difference is something that you feel rather than notice. The details I mentioned only add to the flavor, which isn't necessarily bad. After all, I have a roof over my head and a more or less reliable source of income. That outweighs all drawbacks.
What do I do to earn my living? Whatever I can. At this point you'd probably ask what I can do. Well, a few things for sure: I have some experience with spaceships and hi-tech stuff. I had a chance to work both in space and on the planet surface. I also know how to handle a gun, but that's the skill I'd rather not use, unless absolutely necessary.
Basically, I solve various problems. I'd say that I'm a private investigator if it weren't for the fact that I do more than just that. Spy on someone? I'm up for it. Check a security system for loopholes? I can do that as well. Whatever gets the client happy. I take on most of the jobs I'm offered, except for those that deal with violence. Surprisingly, my moral compass is still functioning after all these years.
Perhaps that is what got me into the situation I'm in now. Or maybe it started earlier, right when I decided to go to Kusari. I know I can't change the past, but I often look back to that time...
What led me to Kusari in the first place? It's hard to say now. Maybe I just grew tired of Liberty after giving it everything I had to offer. Where else could I go? Bretonia is on the verge of collapse, and Rheinlanders would be suspicious at best about Libertonians. I probably could head off to Pecos or some Freeport in the Edge Worlds... But I didn't. Maybe I'm too attached to city lifestyle, but what's done is done.
Of course, Kusari wasn't that welcoming either (especially given the tense relations with Liberty), but it was the best option available. So I took my CTE-6000 "Eagle" and headed for New Tokyo. I didn't really have a clear plan at this point (I know, it's a foolish thing for someone of my experience), except for "settle down and find a job". Better than no plan at all, I guess.
It actually started quite well: the credits I got from selling the "Eagle" bought me a furnished crib on the lower level, as well as provided some starting funds. With my ship and experience I could easily find some work as a freelancer, but I didn't want anything space-related... That cold vacuum already took a considerable part of my life in more ways than one.
I signed up for a position in the security division of Shinchoku, a small but ambitious corporation dealing with advanced technologies. A fake identity I used when applying (the last perk of my previous job) worked well, and soon I found myself in charge of a security detail.
That's when the first complications appeared: some of my subordinates didn't like the idea of "having a gaijin in charge". I could bear with that, but little did I know about the real problems that life had in store for me...
The sound of the alarm clock is the first thing I hear in the morning. I usually set it to 7 a.m.: that gives me enough time to get myself into a proper shape, have a cup of coffee and get to work. The day I'm talking about wasn't an exception: I brushed my teeth, took a shower, had a cup of coffee and a tube of synth paste. Then I got dressed and headed for Shinchoku office, which is within 20 minutes’ walk from my apartment.
I could, of course, take a skycar and get there in 5 minutes, but I chose to take a walk. At this point I don’t even know why. Maybe I wanted to delay the mandatory check in. As I said before, things were kind of complicated: although the CEO recognized my capabilities, some people in my detail didn’t quite like me.
Aiko Matano was a perfect example: an ambitious woman in her late twenties (a few years younger than me), who was about to get promoted to the position that I suddenly occupied. Belligerent and proud, she could’ve become a Golden Chrysanthemum under other circumstances. But she ended up a security guard in the detail led by a male gaijin. I’d call her beautiful if it weren’t for the expression she had every time she saw me. Ill-conceived hatred can ruin even the smartest face, you know.
Other people in my detail weren’t as vocal as Aiko was, but I could feel some tensions. Arata Kano, a young recruit probably shared the ideals supported by Hogosha (especially their dislike for foreigners). Or maybe he just had a soft spot for Aiko and pretended to share her dislike for me. Surprisingly, the oldest member of my detail was the least troublesome. Hikaru Inukai, a man in his late forties, had quite a tolerant mindset comparing to his younger colleagues.
Checking in involved meeting Aiko who worked a night shift that day. So it’s no wonder that I walked slowly, looking around and pretending to check out the sights I’ve seen multiple times. But the walk had to end at some point. Soon I would come up to the Shinchoku building's glass doors, then meet Aiko (who’s supposed to report any significant events that happened during her shift) and get my share of bad mood.
Then I’d go to my office on the second floor and contact our tech experts from there: our security system has recently malfunctioned a couple of times. And after that… after that the plan would change on the spot because I’d get knocked down by an explosion as soon as the glass doors open.
I came to my senses lying near the entrance to the Shinchoku building. I didn’t feel any pain, nor did I notice any significant injuries, except for a deep scratch on my cheek left by a splinter of the glass door. It was bearable. Looks like I was knocked down by a blast wave, the epicenter was farther in the hall. Five seconds to stand up, two seconds to check whether my laser pistol is with me. It is indeed there, resting in the holster below my raincoat. I draw it and rush into the hall.
The explosion caused a significant mess. The holographic stands showed some shapeless static. The reception desk and the walls are also damaged. The once clean floor is covered with loads of rubble. Luckily, it was too early, so there were only security personnel… for the most part. Speaking of personnel, there’s Aiko. She is lying right in front of the reception desk, her blue uniform standing out against the piles of rubble on the floor. Aiko’s once beautiful face scarred by the explosion. At least she is alive and relatively unharmed.
- “What’s going on?” – I ask.
- “Somebody has infiltrated the building. They took an elevator to floor 24.” – Aiko’s professionalism prevails over her dislike for me.
- “The research labs. I’m going in. Can you still walk? Who of our detail is in the labs now?”
- “I can walk… I guess. Hikaru was on floor 23 several minutes before the attack.” – Aiko gets up with difficulty. I don’t offer a hand, knowing that it might offend her. “He was heading upstairs.”
It’s too dangerous to use the elevator. Who knows how many explosives there are in the building or how much the enemy knows about the security system... We run to the stairs and start our ascension to the 24th floor, hoping that we won’t come too late. The medics are already on their way to the site, and we still have the intruders to deal with. It seems that the attackers were selective: they didn’t divert much attention to any other areas but the main hall and the research labs.
The explosion was only a distraction: while the State Police are searching for other bombs (although now I realize there won’t be any), the attackers will already get what they want. Before the police find out that the real action happens 23 floors above, the intruders will probably escape. But how? They wouldn’t be able to walk out of the building now, unless they have a disguise. The only other option is the hangar on the 29th floor or the rooftop.
All these thoughts flash across my mind as Aiko and I keep running upstairs. Finally we reach the 24th floor. I notice the difference right away: the door is damaged, and the magnetic lock is offline. Just press the button and you’re in. Without any instructions from me Aiko takes cover at the far side of the door, I take the opposite side. Unwillingly I waste a second looking at her and admiring her physical shape that isn’t fully concealed by Shinchoku’s standard issue body armor. Then I nod to Aiko and hit the switch…
We rush into a long corridor which ends with a large window and a turn to the right. Suddenly a man wearing a security uniform appears from behind the corner and starts limping in our direction. I recognize Hikaru Inukai, who now leans against the wall and sits down. He is obviously wounded, but alive. As we rush to him, another person appears from behind the corner.
An athletic man wearing light black armor and a balaclava. He is armed with a Detroit Munitions rifle widely available on the black market. The man initially aims at Hikaru, but as the guard sits down the intruder notices that there are more targets in the corridor. I am surprised as much as the enemy, but I manage to point my laser pistol at him split second before he aims at me with his rifle. Aiko reacts even faster.
A barrage of laser bolts reaches the intruder before he manages to take any action. The pain forces him to take a step back to the window which is immediately shattered by the shots. Balancing on the edge of a broken window 24 floors above the ground the bandit catches another bolt and falls down screaming. But his scream is muffled by the sirens of the State Police skycars. The cavalry has arrived faster than I expected.
I don’t usually like it when Aiko does something on her own initiative, but it's not the right time to reproach her. Besides, she did the right thing this time. The intruder wouldn’t have shown mercy to Hikaru, Aiko or me. Not to mention that his fall should be enough for the police to realize that it’s more than just an explosion. I tell Aiko to stay and take care of Hikaru. She resists at first, but she knows who’s in charge. With that part settled, I run down the corridor and enter the research lab.
Normally we’re not allowed to enter the research level, but this is a special case. I use this chance to take a look around as I scan the area for survivors or intruders. It appears that I’ve entered an office with dozens of desks. The only difference to an ordinary office is that there’re a lot of devices other than computers on those desks. There’s no indication that the facility is under attack except for a couple of bodies lying next to the desks. Judging by the white coats, those are the researchers who worked here.
There’s no time to check if they’re still alive or not: the intruders left this area mostly intact, so they were probably looking for something else. I run across the “office” to the opposite side, where the other door is. Whoever entered the research labs, he cannot leave the floor now without meeting me and Aiko. Of course, the intruders might be desperate enough to climb up or down the building and draw attention of the police, but it's unlikely.
The door leads me to a series of corridors and labs. The labs seem to be mostly intact, although there are no people. I don’t notice any bodies either, and that’s a good sign: the scientists are either still at home, and those who may’ve been here might still be alive. With these thoughts I keep running by the storage rooms, some of them marked with “Hazardous Materials” sign. My only concern right now is to try and corner the intruders in the research labs or at least force them to retreat back to the elevators, where Aiko would meet them, probably backed up by the police team.
It turns out that the research section occupies three floors and that they’re all connected by a separate staircase inside. The plan to corner the intruders fails faster than I can say “Freeze” as I notice another man in black running up the stairs. He notices me too and fires several shots from his pistol at me. I barely manage to dodge and take cover behind the nearest table. The intruder fires more shots to keep me pinned, but it seems like he’s actually trying to escape. A logical choice, given the circumstances.
As sparks and debris fall on the floor I try to change my position and get to the staircase. It turns out that the enemy already retreated. Out of options (I can’t make it back to Aiko and catch up with the intruders afterwards), I decide to follow. The intruders seem to be heading for the third research floor, since the door to the second floor is sealed.
As I slowly move upstairs, my laser pistol aimed at the doorway. It turns out that the third research floor is almost empty, except for plenty of boxes with Shinchoku’s sign, which are probably filled with various equipment and furniture. What’s worse, I notice two more attackers carrying a cylindrical metallic container to one of the elevators. I rush ahead with my pistol ready, trying to intercept them…
Then I receive a kick in my stomach. It turns out that the man who fired at me mere seconds ago hid behind one of the boxes and attempted to ambush me. As my weapon slips from my fingers I counter-attack and turn the enemy’s arm away split second before he can fire his pistol at me. The shot alerts the two attackers who by that time have almost reached the elevator.
Luckily, they can’t fire on me because their accomplice would get in the way. But he alone is a problem enough. In a desperate attempt I manage to disarm him and push his pistol away as well, but leave myself open for his attack. A hit in the face sends me on the floor and I realize that I’m about to kick the bucket.
However, it turns out that the intruders are in a hurry and can’t waste their time finishing off a security guard. My opponent runs off to the elevator as I try to regain my consciousness. A bell indicates the the doors have closed and the elevator started moving. On all fours I crawl ahead, grabbing a laser pistol which my hands run across. I stand up, trying to get used to the blurry surroundings. Then I start limping to one of the other elevators.
I watch as the numbers on the panel change, indicating the number of floor I’m on. Finally, my elevator reaches the hangar deck. It’s simple really: before the police have time to react the attackers can leave the city or even the planet. There are at least two freighters capable of interplanetary flight in the hangar.
I am proven right as the elevator doors open and I see a Drone-class freighter flying out of the hangar. I run after it, shooting the freighter with my laser pistol a few times, although I know it won’t make any difference, except for a couple of marks.
I just stay in the middle of the hangar for a while, left to my thoughts, when a beeping noise alerts me of another elevator coming to the hangar floor. I keep my laser pistol ready, even though I know that all the intruders are either dead or gone by this time. As the doors open I see Aiko rushing to me.
- Norman, what happened? Where are the intruders?
- I... lost them. They took a freighter and flew off with one of the containers from the research section. They may be leaving the planet's atmosphere as we speak.
Aiko obviously wants to say something, but Arata, the last member of my security detail, shows up. He points his pistol at me. I reciprocated.
- Aiko, stay back! That filthy gaijin is with them!
- What?! - Aiko and I exclaim almost simultaneously, the only difference being that Aiko reaches for her gun.
- Hikaru is dead, the intruders have escaped, and they left him alive. He showed up right after the explosion, he didn't get shot at and he let the attakers go!
Arata clearly believes in what he says. Or maybe he is surprisingly good at hiding his true beliefs. The fact is, he almost manages to convince Aiko, who now holds the gun in her hand and hesitates to aim it at me. Even if she does, I probably won't try any kind of response: there is no chance that I'd be able to shoot at Arata and dodge Aiko's shot at the same time. Not in my current condition at least.
- Hikaru is dead! Because of him! - That kind of talk isn't what I would expect from a normally disciplined young man like Arata. Is he trying to keep Aiko nervous for some reason? Or have today's events really affected him that much? - Aiko, don't you see?! He is responsible for all what happened today! Don't let him get away with it! Shoot him!
Aiko hesitates. That moment of hesitation would be all I needed to neutralize both her and Arata. Then I could take the shuttle and leave the planet, pretending to be in pursuit of the attackers. But I don't. Have I grown attached to my new life in Kusari after all?
Anyway, before Aiko can make her choice I heard many feet scampering nearby. I make myself forget about Arata pointing a gun at me, then I lower and drop my own pistol and throw up my hands. The Kusari State Police officers live up to my expectations: they rush into the hangar en masse, pointing their rifles at everyone inside and shouting "Freeze!"
The investigation into the attack took months and yielded no results... What a surprise. I spent most of that time at home and at the local police precinct: the corporate building was locked down for investigation by the State Police and some other people I'd rather not even mention. Naturally, they didn't want corporate security to mess around. What's worse, I was one of the suspects; however, they didn't find any evidence against me, except for the fact that I somehow survived the attack.
What's worse, Shincoku's stock fell as if it were drawn into singularity. It didn't took long for potential buyers to appear; eventually Shinchoku's golden share was bought out by Ajax Combine Inc., a corporation I had never even heard of before. I didn't expect I'd be able to keep my job after this mess, and I was right: I was officially laid off, although it was probably more about "loss of confidence".
So here I am, a freelancer once again. On the bright side, I managed to make some acquaintances, so there're a few people who can vouch for me or even get me a job once in a while. It could've been better, but I'm not complaining: after all, I get enough to cover my bills. I've had many assignments before, so I suppose it's hard enough to surprise me... but my latest client managed to do just that.
The emitters flickered before the holographic image appeared over the table. I would expect anyone else other than Juro Hayashi, the former owner of Shinchoku Inc. I never saw him being anything else than serious, but the old businessman looked esoecially grave that day. Or maybe it's the fact that he lost all he worked for when his company was bought out. Before I could drop my surprised expression, he began:
'Greetings, Mister O'Connor,' he started, not giving me much time to react, 'I know you didn't expect to hear from me after you were laid off. But things have changed. Please excuse me for the lack of formalities, but we are both a bit short on time.' The man stopped for a moment, before continuing: 'Mister O'Connor, I would like to hire you. Not as a chief of security, but more as a private investigator. I need all the information about those who attacked us six months ago.' He looked at me, waiting for my reply.
'Sir, I...' he really got me confused at this point, 'I'm not sure why you would hire me for that, especially after...' but then I understood. He called me by my actual name, not using the fake identity that I took when I left Liberty. And if he managed to dig that up, he probably also knew where I worked before.
'You could have fled from Kusari a long time ago, and even during the attack,' mister Hayashi continued, 'Yet you didn't, even though the attackers got what they wanted. That's reason enough to think that you might not have been involved. You can start with digging up whatever you can on Ajax Combine. Before you ask your next question: I have a corporate Hayabusa light fighter waiting for you at the starport, so you'll be able to move around the sector freely. For the time while you're working on this, you'll be considered Shinchoku's private contractor.'
He didn't even ask if I would agree to it or not. Maybe he relied on the leverage he had on me... Or maybe he just knew I wouldn't say "No" to a chance to go back to space. After all, even if you promise yourself not to, you still end up back in space after two weeks, months or years. It's inevitable.
It turns out that space still had a lot of surprises for me. Let me just recount what I've done since I left Kusari:
Moved from Hayabusa to Raven's Talon.
Got hired to move some 'hazardous materials' out of Kusari discreetly.
Met a person I fell for; she's from Rheinland; who would have thought about that just 3 years ago.
Participated in some guy's crusade against rogue AIs in Omicron Kappa.
Escorted a Daumann ore transport; made a couple of friends among freelancers.
Probably made a few enemies among the Red Hessians in the process.
Visited New Berlin for the first time in my life; again, who would've thought about it just 3 years ago.
Got hired to move the very same 'hazardous materials' back to Kusari.
Probably lost a friend over the person I fell for.
Parted ways with the person I fell for under dispiriting circumstances.
Yeah, that's a pretty long list, I know. But here I am, going back to Kusari. I still want to get that job for Hayashi done. I don't really know why: maybe because I have respect for that man, or maybe because people were lost in the Shinchoku incident. Well, one way or another, I'm not giving up on it.
