The Fate of Shin-Osaka – Chapter 15

“Well, with three precious eggs, we’ll need to safeguard them. Maybe even get them out of Shin-Osaka. War is imminent, and I don’t trust leaving them here. Plus, if Gen ever gets wind of what we did, he’ll try to destroy them to hurt Yumi even more.”

I rub my palms on my pants and stand up. The need to be active nests in my chest like a wild animal. One mission will not be enough to keep me satisfied that I’m doing my part. I was supposed to be alive as Yumi, leading a corporation and preparing to overthrow Aoi Uma.

Now I have the chance to do those things. It’s time to move on to the next objective.

“Getting them out of Shin-Osaka is going to be damned near impossible,” Kazuo says, watching me walk to the window.

The people of the ward are preoccupied, each strolling and minding their business. They’re lost in their thoughts and worries, as if oblivious to the war coming. But there are fewer of them than yesterday and the day before. The city is becoming a skeleton of its former self.

“Aoi Uma has spread their android force out to control the borders,” Rin says. “There are only a few avenues now for leaving, and most of them are flooded with citizens.”

“Who does Aoi Uma have fighting the battles in the wards, then?” The conversations outside, children’s laughter, music playing all fade to background noise, drowned out by the roar of my own thoughts.

“Employees,” Rin explains. “They expanded their footprint, digitally as well as physically. According to the data we’ve received, they have offered many of their soldiers android bodies should they fall in battle. They’ve been backing them up to the servers for weeks now.”

“Where?”

“The servers? The Aoi Uma building in Ohama Ward is our best guess. It was only half-built for so long. It seems like the perfect place to put them.”

Hmmm, Ohama Ward will be hard to get to. Not impossible, though.

I hum and ponder on this. “And if Model Ten production is slowing or stopped, that means our economic sanctions are working.”

“I think so,” Rin says, joining us at the window. “Aoi Uma is concentrating on trying to hold people in the city, and it’s not working.”

“Aoi Uma is struggling. They promised one thing to these people, but they will deliver another. It’s all a lie.” I burst into a short laugh. “Of course it is. The entire platform Aoi Uma works on is a lie. The whole thing. Promises made will be broken. That’s how they do business. But they aren’t defeated yet, and they could still win.”

I tap my finger against my bottom lip. Sometimes these human traits still surprise me. I don’t need to pace or rub my palms together or tap my fingers, but those habits are a part of being human, and my consciousness is human.

It’s wrong to be stuck in this body. Even though I’ve been alive, I’m missing out on the total experience. This is Humanity Lite. It’s not the same thing. Not even close.

I glance at Rin. His keen eyes take in the sights outside. I remember when he would look at nothing but me.

This life is not even close to the real thing because he will never love me like he loved Yumi. I miss him and our relationship so much. It was my whole world, and now it’s gone. I must work towards maintaining Yumi in his thoughts so he’ll accept her again when she returns. Let’s face it. It’s my primary mission objective. Sure, I will fight for Hikari, but I’m also selfish, and I’ll be fighting for Rin as well.

A vibration in the floor catches my attention. It’s subtle, but it wasn’t there a second ago.

“Do you feel that?” I ask.

The wallscreens in Rin’s apartment flash to life with an emergency warning. My stomach drops at the two photos on the screen.

“Citizens of Matsubara Ward, Aoi Uma is offering a reward of 50,000 credits for any information leading to the capture and arrest of these two criminals. They have been charged with infiltrating the Kadoma Ward General Hospital and stealing vital supplies while it was undergoing evacuation.”

“Fuck me,” Kazuo breathes out.

The photos are of me in my Inochi uniform and Rin in his disguise. Our last known whereabouts in Kadoma Ward are listed underneath.

“Please report your information or turn these criminals in to your local ward office.”

The message repeats with additional security videos of Rin and me wheeling the covered coffin out of the hospital behind Gen and Narumi. I suck in a breath and hold it. Knowing Gen and his ego, he probably examined every frame of this footage, analyzing himself and his address. He would have seen us easily if he was being that critical.

Kazuo’s hand squeezes my upper arm. “We’ve gotta go.”

His eyes are trained on the armored vehicles advancing up the street. The vibrations under my feet increase as they get closer.

“Pack up. Go.” Rin takes off to his room, and I’m right behind him.

There’s not much for me to pack but the clothes I bought for this new body. I toss them all in my bag, along with Isao’s journal, and head to the living room. Rin adds snacks and water bottles into his bag from the kitchen. Kazuo opens the door, and we’re all out in less than two minutes.

“Where are Yumi’s eggs?” I ask Kazuo as we descend the stairs.

“They’re at a Kiiroi Yama facility on the northern edge of Matsubara. They’re safe there for now.” Kazuo takes the last flight two steps at a time. He presses his ear to the alley door and waits.

“For now,” I repeat. This means we need to get them out of Shin-Osaka quickly.

We need to get ourselves out of Shin-Osaka.

We cut through the neighborhood via back alleys, away from the major streets. We only pass a few individuals, and none of them pay us any mind. The video footage showed us in our undercover gear. My makeup and wig made me look different, and so did Rin’s disguise. Besides, many people around here know us, like us, and don’t like Aoi Uma. It’ll be difficult for Aoi Uma to find someone to snitch, though 50,000 credits is a lot of money. More than most people make in a year.

“Turn left here,” Rin says from behind. Kazuo and I peel left at the street, and I look up to find we’re close to the nearest butsu loop.

Rin gestures to another alley, and we duck in.

“Any ideas on a plan?” I ask him as he pulls his tablet from his bag.

He scrolls through something on his screen and nods. “We’re going to leave this part of the ward behind and not return.” He closes his eyes and rests back against the wall. “Which is hard to swallow when we had one of the most profitable noodle shops in a five-block radius.” He sighs. “Anyway, it’s time to meet up with the team and figure out our next steps. They’re all in a warehouse on the northern edge of Matsubara Ward, a place Rikki is turning into another club.”

“We can take the butsu from here.” Kazuo waves us forward, but I lag behind.

I glance over my shoulder at the neighborhood I called home for a few months. It’s hard to get attached and sentimental about anything now since I’ve been on the run for about two years.

Still, I’ll miss the place.

I turn and follow Rin and Kazuo.

On to our next destination.

—-

The warehouse is abuzz with activity when we arrive. Crews of people are in the open space, banging, sawing, and welding. The thump of music plays in the background, and laughter spills over the top from a group sitting and eating a meal. The air is stifling hot, even though fans blow in every direction. My nose smarts with the smells of ozone and cooked onions. My skin prickles with sweat.

Rin’s head swivels to stare up and around at all the hustle and bustle. “It’s all looking good. I’m sure he’ll be open for business in no time.”

Kazuo seems to know where he’s going, so I follow him to a door on the far side of the warehouse floor.

“This place used to belong to Aka Matsuba,” he says, waving at the open space. “Back before they did animal cloning and breeding, they manufactured items that capitalized on the butsu engineering. They sold off the business, though, over two decades ago. This place has been vacant since.”

Through the door, we enter a blissfully cool office area. Everything is new, painted in dark blues, grays, and blacks. Rikki’s other club, Club Seiun, had a stars-and-galaxies theme, and I’m sure this one will too. It seems to be his brand.

“The conference room is this way. We’ve been using it for a few days now.” Kazuo opens the door at the far end of the hallway, and I slip past him inside. Windows along the far wall look out over the ward, and a giant center table is ready for meetings and negotiations. I smile at all our friends gathered here. It’s a full house. Ryoko and Aimi are chatting and drinking coffee. Shintaro is with my old boss, Chiéko Mori, and the few other Orihimé natives who stayed to help out. Atsumi sits and reads something on her tablet.

Heads turn and face us as we approach the table. It’s strange that no one recognizes me or smiles when I’m in this body. They don’t know me as Yumi, and only a few know me as Kara. But all of that doesn’t matter. I’m here to get things done and save these people. They are my top priority.

But how do I get that done?

What makes the most sense for these people? Not just Yumi or Rin. Everyone.

Staying on Hikari and making wrongs into rights.

I will not just flee and leave anyone behind. We can get out of Shin-Osaka, but we will not leave Hikari. I need to be a winning corporation and overthrow Aoi Uma.

I lift my chin and smile warmly as we approach the table.

“Hi, everyone. I’ve met some of you already, but I’m Kara Minamoto, for those who don’t know me. I’m distantly related to Yumi and Shintaro Minamoto, and I’ve taken over Yumi’s corporation in her absence.”

A few people glance around the table, including Chiéko Mori. I’m not surprised. She’s the most discerning person I’ve ever met. She can always smell a story from kilometers away. When her focus lands on me, I make eye contact and hold it long enough for her to know I mean business.

“We need some information from you all so we can move forward with our plans here on Hikari.” I sweep out my arms, hands up. “So, let’s get a status update. Chiéko, you were keeping tabs on Gen and Narumi. What have you found out?”

Chiéko nods. “A lot, actually.” She turns on her mini-tablet and scrolls through her notes. “Gen does not sleep. Ever,” she stresses. Plenty of people in the room raise their eyebrows and nod. “And from what I can tell, this is a bad thing, even for androids.”

Aw crap. I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this.

“That engineer you hired, Yoshi, said standard model androids have a four- to six-hour down period each day for code and physical maintenance. They can be skipped, but not over three days in a row. After that, it’s a mandatory eight-hour shutdown.” She looks up from her notes. “The majority of androids that went crazy before the Three Laws were introduced fell into this second category. They need downtime to maintain a stable consciousness. Now, if their consciousness isn’t stable, the Three Laws prevent them from acting out. They merely shut down.”

“But not Gen,” I point out.

She shakes her head. “Since he downloaded to an android body, he has not taken the standard downtime in three weeks.”

“Three weeks?” Rin’s voice climbs almost a whole octave.

“And Narumi is inactive fourteen to twenty hours each day.” More murmurs join the others, and the ambient noise climbs. “She’s been in four, maybe five, different android bodies as far as I can tell, and each time she’s downloaded, she’s unconscious for more hours every day. I haven’t seen her since the latest attack.”

They’re failing. The androids are failing. Gen and Narumi are failing.

But failing does not mean they’re losing. Gen can cover this up if he’s not completely gone as well. He could also go insane and do something unexpected or stupid. He’s now our biggest liability.

“We need to continue monitoring them because it’s time to move on our plans.” I inhale and sit up straight. “We’ve come to a crossroads here in Shin-Osaka. Aoi Uma’s troops keep advancing. They are shipping in their cache of Fukusha Model Tens to take over every neighborhood they can, and I’m sure they won’t stop there. How are we doing with the evacuation? Matsubara Ward looked sparse, and we only saw a dozen people on the butsu on the way here.”

Ryoko raises her hand. “We’ve convinced about seventy percent of the population to leave. Some are still making their way through train access tunnels and via the UPN maintenance chutes. The refugee camps we’ve set up north and south of the city are at capacity. I dropped some photos and videos into your inbox this morning. Shiroi Nami has been helping.”

I open my inbox, find the data package from Ryoko, and digest the photos and videos. Temporary shelters set up in fields or forests house thousands of people. A few kids run and play. Shiroi Nami employees and their animals deliver clothes and food to people. Excellent.

“Great job. This means there will be fewer casualties for what comes next.” I fold my arms over my chest and rock back on my heels. “Now, we will move forward with a three-prong attack.”

“What’s this?” Kazuo mumbles at Rin. Rin shrugs.

Come on, guys. Stay on your toes.

“First, we’ll destroy the android backups.”

All the murmuring stops.

“We know where these backups are, and if we want to win this war, they have to go.”

“Who’s going to do this?” Kazuo asks, leaning forward to make eye contact with me.

“You are. Thanks for volunteering.” This shuts him up. “We’ll take a team in, lay down explosives, and get out before it all goes up in flames. Kiiroi Yama will help.”

He’s quiet, and his eyes are sharp as he takes in this information. It’s a few heartbeats before he inhales, leans back, and nods. “I approve.”

Ryoko chuckles, and Aimi shakes her head.

“You two,” I say to them both, “it’s time to rally the troops.” I raise my voice to the rest of the table. “It can no longer be every person, every corporation for itself. From here until we win this war, you’re either with us, or you’re with Aoi Uma. We need the backing of every corporation on the planet, no matter how small. Ryoko, you help Shintaro since he has already started this task. Set up a team to get out there and start winning support.”

She raises her eyebrows. “That’s a tall order.”

“I know you can do it. Use the forums. Use video. Use money. I don’t care. The more corporations that side with us, the better. Employ them to help convince others. It’s a snowball rolling down a hill. Got it?”

She nods, and her throat bobs as she swallows hard. It’s a tough assignment, but I know she can do it. Shintaro seems fine with this, too, so my stomach settles a bit.

“Aimi, we need Shiroi Nami to help us find Aka Matsuba. We’ll ally with whatever’s left of Aka Matsuba, bringing us the last support we need to move forward.”

“To do that, we need to find Aka Matsuba.” She huffs a laugh. “And good luck because they haven’t answered any of our messages.”

“I’ve already got a plan for this,” I assure her.

I do not have a plan for this, but I do have an idea. It’s enough.

“Finding Aka Matsuba is Atsumi’s job,” I say, gesturing to her. “So any news about Aka Matsuba should be brought to her.”

Looking around the table, everyone who means anything to me is right here. I want them to be safe, but we can’t let crazed zealots searching for immortality take this world over.

What’s a better option for humanity here? A long, flawed existence in an android? Or a shorter life filled with fulfilling work, family, friends, pets, and vacations?

I know what I want.

“Okay, does everyone know what they’re doing?”

Some people shrug their shoulders, but the majority nod and lean in to talk to each other. I step away from the table, and a spring of confidence bubbles up inside me.

We can do this.

“Hey,” Aimi says, bounding up to me, “uh, I hate to point this out, but you said this would be a three-prong attack, and I only heard two objectives.”

I smile at her, and my grin is just this side of evil.

“Oh yeah.” I reach out and squeeze her arm. “We’re going to kill Narumi and Gen, too. This time for good.”