Fukusha Model Eight – Chapter 24

I sneak past the cranky landlady, clutching Ninjin’s leash in my hand along with Rin’s extra set of keys. While he’s rounding up candidates for reinforcement of my soon-to-be corporation, I have the morning off.

But I can’t sit still.

I want to stay in bed all day with Rin, but once he’s gone, I need to be on the move. Three months of constant walking and memorizing Kitakyushu trained me never to stop exploring.

Never stop preparing for the worst.

Fuck. I am a pessimist.

“Come on, Ninjin,” I say, urging him past the quiet flower shops. “Time to find coffee.”

One cup this morning was not enough to kick the brain fog I deal with almost every single day now. I thought it was my sight that was going, but no. My eyes are fine. It’s my brain that can’t process the signals sent to it.

I wonder if I could find a neurologist here. Kazuo thought I should see a neurologist, and Atsumi agreed. I should take care of this on my own.

I wonder how Kazuo’s doing. I hope I see him soon.

And forget Atsumi. Fuck her. I hope I never see her again.

I’m less than a block from Rin’s place when I wish I had never left the comfort of his couch. My mind is wandering everywhere, and I’m out of my element.

But perhaps I’ll be making this part of Susami my home for the immediate future? Shin-Osaka is a mess. Kitakyushu is my worst nightmare amplified. Instead, this place could be a home away from home. Susami’s rolling hills and river in the distance remind me of Yamato, my family’s hometown. But back in Awashikawa, my brother and Ryoko wait for my return. Rin and I were going to make that our home someday, and I do like it there.

I don’t know. This is not a decision I have to make today, right?

Walking Ninjin down the hill, we leave the flower district and head into a regular neighborhood. On our way past an entrance to a subway station, the rumble of a train underground vibrates my feet. I wonder how big the transit network is here. When we first arrived and went to the Nomura estate, we took the loop butsu and walked in from there.

Houses line the next few streets we amble down until a busier street presents itself, complete with open shops, people bustling in and out of storefronts, and deliveries arriving via bicycle. Ninjin and I stick to the sidewalk as I take in the now familiar sights of Hikari. No motor vehicles and almost everyone travels on foot. They might have a UPN network for parcel delivery much like Shin-Osaka and Kitakyushu did. Perhaps the Southern Continent was never meant to be lawless and without the advanced technology, but it ended up that way because of the corporations? It’s hard to say without delving into the history here further. I only have so many hours in the day.

I smell the coffee shop before I see it, and my nose leads me up the street to a corner café. Through the window, a few young men and women work a large coffee maker and stock a glass case full of pastries. A tōsha sign on the front indicates the coffee shop is open for business, animals welcome.

Well, look at that. That’s a nice change of pace from Kitakyushu where Ninjin usually had to wait for me outside.

Things are looking up!

When I enter, the staff exclaim their welcomes with smiles, and I smile and wave in return. There’s no one waiting to place their order at the counter tablets, so I step right up, inputting my coffee order, and scrolling through the pastries on offer, I find a chocolate croissant for me and a homemade dog biscuit for Ninjin. My sujō-kazu still works, and my meager savings is more than enough to cover this treat. Excellent. My hand hesitates over the cafe’s tablet as my brain searches for a fleeting thought… Something important.

I’m forgetting something important.

I stare into space for a few moments looking at the tablet, the thought just on the outskirts of my consciousness. Damn. What was it?

Maybe if I sit and read on my tablet for a bit, it’ll come back to me. I have more dry and technical papers to read about incorporating a business on Hikari, and only a coffee shop like this could keep me awake long enough to absorb them.

The real question is, will I remember the details when I need them?

Try not to be too pessimistic, Yumi.

An empty table near the window is the perfect spot. I don’t like to turn my back to entrances and exits. Rin once pointed out that my fight-or-flight instincts were always in gear, and they continue to be stuck in the ‘on’ position. Though, I can’t imagine who would even know I’m here except those I’ve entrusted with my whereabouts.

A bright young woman approaches with my coffee and treats and sets them on the table.

“What a gorgeous dog!” she exclaims. Ninjin, who fell asleep at my feet only moments before, doesn’t move a muscle. “He’s so relaxed.”

“He is and thank you. I’ll have to save his dog biscuit for after his nap.” I smile at her and coat it with politeness. I’m happy to be out and talking to someone about a normal, everyday subject. There is absolutely nothing wrong about doting over my dog.

“Enjoy your coffee,” she says, bowing before taking leave. Thank goodness that exchange went easily.

I relax and realize that ever since landing here, I’ve been afraid of every conversation, every trip out, every interaction with humans or androids. Nothing here on Hikari is comfortable for me. A walk down the street is fraught with possible dangers. A soak in the tub means I’m looking over my shoulder to see who wants to kill me. A night sleeping in bed is filled with insomnia or anxiety unless Rin is sleeping beside me, and even then, I wake several times, conscious of how I may be bothering him.

I need to relax more. This constant state of hyper-alertness and tension is going to age me faster than alcohol or drugs ever would.

Do you hear that, Yumi? Relax!

I would shout it at myself, but I’m pretty sure that’s the opposite of relaxing.

So I’ll start by sipping coffee and reading, like no one is watching, no one cares.

I read through three documents and finish my coffee when a woman pulls out the second chair at my table and sits down across from me.

“Uhhh,” I stammer. Ninjin pops up and wags his tail at the new person. I’m sure his head is swimming with delight. New Person! New Person! So much for being a guard dog. “Can I help you with some… thing?”

I grind to a halt.

This is someone I recognize.

Shit. So much for relaxing.

This woman is poised, and her smile radiates ten times more confidence than I feel in this moment. “I don’t believe we’ve ever been properly introduced. I’m Reina Hirohata, Vice President of Scientific Advancement for Shiroi Nami.”

As she extends her hand to shake, my thoughts rewind to Kurai. During the meeting that almost got us all killed, the meeting where I bought back my brother and the other hostages from Shiroi Nami in exchange for land on this continent and a whole lot of money, she sat behind the head of Shiroi Nami. Her reaction when she found out we were Minamoto, her tears when it was mentioned they were all sterilized — the memories are dissolving out of the brain fog.

She looks different now. Her hair back then had been ragged and unruly, her skin a pale gray. She sits across from me with a chin-length, sleek bob and rosy cheeks.

I pull my hand back from her and use it to cover my face for a moment.

“Now? Now you come out of the woodwork to talk to me?” I sigh and give Ninjin his homemade dog biscuit to keep him busy.

She smiles as she sips her coffee. “How do you like the Southern Continent?”

How do I like the Southern Continent? Is she fucking joking?

Anger builds up so steadily, I’m sure the top of my head is steaming.

I lean forward channeling all of my energy into stilling my voice. “I just spent three of the most horrifying months of my life in Kitakyushu waiting for you to show up.”

The color of her eyes fades as the cutesy smile on her face dissolves away.

“I fended off rapists with my bare fucking hands and nearly died more than once, and you waltz in here and act like nothing’s happened?”

She sets her cup down.

“I don’t care if you’re the queen of heaven or my damned salvation, you can take your fucking smirk and get the hell out of my face before I break your pretty little nose.”

I wanted to find Shiroi Nami. It’s all I’ve dreamed about for months. But something about her nonchalant attitude and perky lips makes me want to take a flamethrower to everything in sight.

She puffs air through her lips. “You were not in Kitakyushu. We had operatives there for months, and they never saw you.”

“Then your operatives are blind.”

I fold my arms over my chest. Let’s see what convoluted story she’s going to tell about why they left me hanging for so long. Their man, Five, the one who bid on me, convinced me they wanted my help. I based this entire mission on their interest.

“You made me the village idiot. I do not ally myself with people who play me.”

There’s silence for a long stretch, enough for me to hear the conversation of the men and women working in the café. They lead normal, boring lives. What I wouldn’t give to be one of them right now.

“You’re serious?”

I nod once.

Reina pushes away her cup of coffee. “You must understand that we had no idea you’ve been in Kitakyushu.”

“Your man told me you’d be waiting for me there. How hard is it to keep someone watching at the docks?”

She blinks and shakes her head side to side. “Harder than you think. After the hostile takeover, Aoi Uma was everywhere. Our people were in danger every day. We sent lookouts to the harbor to watch for you, but only once a week.” She shrugs. “We missed you, obviously.”

I keep my face blank and made of stone.

“Where did you stay while you were there?” Reina asks, her eyes narrowed. She’s testing me.

“South of Mitsui Avenue. The only place I could find a room was a flophouse run by some yakuza asshole named, Haku.”

She hisses, drawing air through her teeth and shaking her head. “I know that place. It’s not safe.”

“No, it’s not.”

“You actually lived there? For three months?”

“‘Lived’ is stretching the definition of my time there. It turns out Atsumi Sekino tried to get rid of me quietly. She didn’t want me interfering with Kiiroi Yama business. Thankfully, it didn’t go the way she planned.”

She sighs, shaking her head again. “We assumed Kiiroi Yama was taking care of you.”

“Yeah, well, so did I. Instead I dealt with yakuza and feared for my life for three months straight. Then Aoi Uma sent an android to kill me, an android that looked exactly like Rin Hara. It’s… not been fun.”

Reina sits back in her chair and covers her face with her hands, a groan leaking out between her fingers. “This is not what I expected to find out from you. We figured Kiiroi Yama had you hidden away for months, worried that someone was trying to assassinate you.”

Well, I suppose her theory is apt.

I pause and study her for a moment. “How did you know I was here, anyway?”

“We’ve been watching Rin Hara, hoping you would show up with him at some point. That was three months wasted.”

“For fuck’s sake! Why didn’t you just talk to him? He’s been looking for you for months!” Oops. My voice is a little too loud for this small café. I catch the waitress’s attention and call her over to ask for more coffee. Might as well.

What a disaster this is.

“Look…” I pause as the waitress leaves my new cup of coffee on the table. “We’ve both been spinning our wheels for months for no reason, and now I’m really stuck.”

“How so?” Reina tucks her hair behind her ear and leans forward, ready to listen.

“I’m starting my own corporation.” I sip my coffee as she loses her smile again. “There’s not much I can do here on Hikari without playing the same game you all are playing.”

She pulls back, horrified. “We don’t need another corporation on this planet. We have too many of them as it is! I thought we could be allies.”

“Well, so did I. And there’s no reason why our corporations can’t be allies. I have a lot to offer,” I say, singing the last sentence with a smile.

Reina does not smile back.

“Shiroi Nami has a company policy. We do not ally with other corporations. That’s how we got in trouble with Aka Matsuba to begin with. I’ll tell you what. Let’s get back to what we have wanted to do from the beginning, okay? You give us your jump drive technology, and we’ll build the ships to take you home.”

Home?

“We leave behind Hikari. We take our genetic and terraforming technology to you and your people. Your planet allies with Shiroi Nami. No one else.”

I swallow this new offer hard.

“We have our own problems here. People don’t like our” — she waves her hand in the air — “genetic advancements. We want to take humanity to the next level, into the future.” Her eyes twinkle with fervor, and I’m briefly reminded of Narumi Ogawa. Is this woman any better? “And we can’t do that here. We have an army, and they’re ready to go. We’re tired of being held back. Now is our time to move forward.” She stabs the table with her index finger. “We’ve hidden underground for too long.”

Despite my worry over her mention of ‘genetic advancements,’ my instincts say this alliance would be better for me, my people, and my home, Orihimé. But it would mean leaving behind Samurai Seven to their fate with Narumi Ogawa and her Fukusha Model Eights. Leaving them behind might be the end of this world altogether.

Can I live with that on my conscience?

All I’ve wanted for months is right in front of me, and now I don’t know what to do.

“This is an exciting proposition, but I’ll have to think about it.”

“Think about it? Think about it?” Her voice is cold with disbelief. “Every video you’ve made since landing here has been about going home. What is there to think about? Aka Matsuba is gone. Aoi Uma wants you dead. Kiiroi Yama isn’t any better. You think Rin Hara is going to help you? If what you’re telling me is true, he let Atsumi Sekino put you in harm’s way. You’re too smart to believe he had nothing to do with that.”

My cheeks heat with anger and shame. “You don’t know him. He would never do that.”

“Trust me. You don’t know him either.”

Chills fall down my back. Maybe she’s right. Frosty silence surrounds our table during which I ignore her and pout. Not my proudest moment.

Sigh. Fine. I concede that I know very little.

“Please,” I plead, holding out my hands. “I just… I need counsel on this. I don’t think I should make this kind of decision without talking it over with the people involved.”

I’m a journalist, for fuck’s sake. I gather all the information I can, and I present those viewpoints to other people who make decisions. Sure, in the past I had used my personal bias to weigh one side of the story heavier than the others, but I still endeavored to be unbiased. I wanted to be unbiased even if I didn’t always succeed.

Why should this be any different?

Reina pushes back her chair. “Time is running out. Narumi Ogawa is already fighting us in court, and we need to make preparations to either leave or fight. We’re not interested in partnering with Kiiroi Yama. They can’t be trusted. Rin Hara will have to go if we form an alliance. Shiroi Nami cannot afford to give up trade secrets to our competitors.”

She looks down her long nose at me.

They want me to give up Rin. To leave him too.

They want the impossible.

“Rin left Kiiroi Yama.” The words catch in my throat.

“Yeah, sure. I believe that.” It’s clear she does not. “It was good to meet you, finally, Miss Minamoto.” Her lips soften into a smile. “Do you know much about my family, the Hirohata family? From Old Japan on Earth?”

I shake my head. My voice no longer works.

“You should look us up. Your family would do well with us. We have a history together.”

She takes a pair of sunglasses out of her bag and slips them on before scratching Ninjin’s head.

“I’ll give you until this time tomorrow to make a decision. Send word via the waitress.”

I turn and see the waitress watching us. She smiles and waves.

“She’ll know where to find me.”

Reina’s confident saunter up the street is the final straw for the death of my self-confidence.

What do I do now?