The Fate of Shin-Osaka – Chapter 16

It’s early morning when I leave the temporary apartment we’re staying in across from Rikki’s new club. I don’t know this area very well, but it looks like a former warehouse district trying to find footing as a hip and inexpensive area for young people. The only other business in a two-block radius is a convenience store. I stop there to get coffee before I hit the butsu and make my way back into the heart of Matsubara Ward.

I checked all the surveillance before I left, everything from the video feeds and our android spies. The northern areas of the ward are still open and navigable, but that changes daily as Aoi Uma advances forward. The old neighborhood is so deserted it’s depressing. Most shops have closed, and androids in Aoi Uma uniforms patrol the streets night and day. I hope the people I grew to know and care for are doing okay.

Traffic on the butsu is light this morning. Fewer people are coming into and out of Matsubara Ward every day. If we don’t stop Aoi Uma’s advancement soon, there won’t be anything left to save.

As I approach the android surgery where Yoshi works, I note the changes in his neighborhood. Several businesses around his shop have closed, including the café where I sat and observed him. An Aoi Uma armored vehicle sits on the corner, unoccupied. They leave them in strategic locations to intimidate people. Anger boils in my belly as I stare at it. Kiiroi Yama used to be the only corporation that manufactured implements of war like armored vehicles, bombs, guns, et cetera. But now, Aoi Uma makes their own. Of course, they stole the designs from Kiiroi Yama and reverse-engineered everything. That’s what they do. They steal from their competitors and their employees.

As I enter the surgery, I relax my right hand from the fist it had become and plaster on a serene smile.

No one is at the front desk, and Yoshi’s door is open. He leans out, sees me, and nods his head once.

“I knew you’d be back. Come on in.”

I step into his office and close the door behind me. “Thank you for being such a big help to my team members. I appreciate it. Your consulting fee was worth it.”

“Right. Let’s not beat around the bush,” he says, startling me into silence. “Aoi Uma is a problem, and they’re using their androids to suppress the population. I have the skills you need to stop this from happening.”

He points to a packed duffel bag on the floor of his office against the wall.

“I’ve been waiting for you to show up and put me on your staff permanently since I saw your photo on the news with the bounty.”

I crack a small smile. “How do I know you won’t turn me in for the bounty?”

He rolls his eyes. “Please. You see what I charge. Their bounty is pocket change.”

“That’s true. Again, your services are expensive but worth it,” I point out.

“Great.” He sits back from his desk and smacks his knees. “Let’s talk salary. I assume you’ll need help to reprogram androids remotely and disable the update system. Possibly some other technical work you can’t get anyone else to assist you with. It’s going to cost you.”

“Okay,” I say, standing up and looking down at Yoshi. His gaze is sharp and focused on me, and he doesn’t even blink as I smile at him. He’s a shrewd man who knows how to negotiate. He also knows a lot more about me than most people do. That’s what happens when you let someone into your head. “Whatever you want, you can have.”

He narrows his eyes. “That’s it? Whatever I want?”

“That’s it. Whatever you want.” I wave to his office. “I’ll get a crew to come by later today, disassemble this, and send it to our location via the UPN. Whatever salary you want, you can have. Once the mission is complete, you can do what you want.” I shrug. “I’m not interested in indentured servitude like most corporations here. Kazenoho will be synonymous with worker freedom once we’re up and established. No more life contracts.”

He raises his eyebrows. “That’s a big change. The remaining corporations won’t take kindly to their workforces having a choice.”

“They won’t have a choice.” I rub my hands together. “That’s my dream for this world. Once Aoi Uma is gone, no more contracts, no more androids, no more slavery. Choice and freedom with a strong social backbone to lift those in debt. Plus, the ability to leave Hikari and colonize with Shiroi Nami. We can all do this together.”

Hope swells in my chest. This is the first time I’ve said any of this aloud, the first time I’ve articulated my vision for the future. I understand many people disagree with me. Hell, the Yumi inside of me can’t believe any of this is real. She’d rather get behind the camera and document this revolution, not be at the head of it.

But things change. Yumi doesn’t have to lead once the revolution takes place. Someone who’s better suited for the job is bound to take over. But they can’t take over if the world is a burning husk populated by androids.

Yoshi’s eyes slip from mine, and he stares into the middle distance as he contemplates my offer. After a moment, he inhales and stands up next to me.

“I’m in.”

“Great! Any ideas on how we get started? There are thousands of androids out there we need to deal with.”

His expression turns sharp and devious. “Oh, I have several ideas. Whatever I want, right?”

I laugh. “Whatever you want,” I repeat.

“Then let’s get to it.”

—-

The quiet apartment is the perfect place to sift through memories while I charge and wait on people to complete their tasks. Everyone is busy doing their work, which gives me downtime to catalog and analyze these memories for Yumi. I already work most of the day and night, so I take these moments for Yumi when possible.

The flophouse apartment in Kitakyushu. Ninjin. The noodle shop where Yumi and Saki first met. Climbing the hills into the back neighborhoods near the shrine so Yumi could memorize the streets.

I smile at the work Yoshi did on these memories. They are crisp and clear, full of details. But Yumi’s pain during that time hits me like a brick in the chest, and for a moment, there is no Kara, no division between the two personalities. The hurt and the anguish of being away from Rin is fresh, powerful, and present. My hand coasts down Ninjin’s back, and I let him lick my face. My gut is hollow with the realization that Atsumi sent me to the Southern Continent to die. Several times, I almost lost my life and my will to live.

“Are you all right?”

I blink, and a tear rolls down my cheek. Pulling back, Rin is right in front of me. What? How…? Oh, wait. Yes. The door opened a few minutes ago, and his footsteps crossed the apartment to his room. I ignored them. I shouldn’t have.

“I’m fine,” I say, wiping the tears from my cheeks and inhaling. “It’s nothing.”

Letting the memories fade to the background, I pull my hand from the charge point and stare at it. I’m useless without my battery. Lifeless. It’s both my savior and the thing that can kill me.

I stand up and shake out my arms. Sitting for long periods, I forget to move my body like a normal human. There are a few things this android body does not do well, and acting like a human when I’m deep in thought is one of them. Turning to the window, I look out at the warehouse across the street while I clean up my face. No need to alarm Rin.

The fridge door opens and closes in the kitchen. A beer is opened. Then a second one. Rin joins me at the window and hands me a bottle. I smirk as I tap my bottle to his, and we both drink.

“You know, this view is one of the worst I’ve ever had in an apartment.” He points at the giant building in front of us. “That thing is ugly.”

“I don’t think they built it for its aesthetics.” We’re quiet as we sip. “I preferred the view from your apartment in Kadoma Ward. We could see all the way to the shore from there.” I sigh. “Those were uncomplicated times.”

“You mean when I owned Yumi, and she was being ignored at K&G Noodles, and Atsumi was being a bitch to her, and Aka Matsuba was threatening to sell her into slavery, and —”

“Okay, okay,” I say, interrupting him. “Point taken.” I sigh again. “There never was an uncomplicated moment, was there? Yumi has always been a slave or on death’s doorstep. Before you showed up, I was thinking about her life on the Southern Continent.” The view isn’t doing anything for me, so I sit in the chair. “I like to take time to sift through her memories and make sure nothing is missing. This way, they’ll go into her new body, and she can continue where she left off. But everything I run across is just so… So…”

“Depressing,” Rin fills in. “And how will you know if something is missing?” He sits opposite me on the couch.

“I can tell if memories are missing because events suddenly shift without warning.” I hold my hand above my head. “The android computer part of my brain can logically analyze the memories, almost like video footage. I see the timeline continuity issues and then mark them for further examination later.”

Rin tilts his head to the side. “How many have you found?”

“Not many, luckily. Yoshi does great work.”

He smiles. “I like him. He’s competent and seems to know what he’s doing. I just came back to let you know he’s all settled in, and his gear is up and running. I got a few people to work with him and sent them all dinner.” He groans as he stands up. “Which reminds me, I also came home to eat.”

I nod absently as he enters the kitchen and pulls a prepared food bowl from the fridge. He examines it before tossing it back into the fridge. We have all been subsisting on takeout for weeks and weeks.

“Hey,” I say, popping off the chair. “Let me whip something up. I’ll eat with you.”

He rubs his face and yawns. “You don’t have to. I’ll just eat a meal bar or something.” He opens the cabinet and stares into it like something will just announce itself to be eaten.

My shoulders sink, and I frown as I approach him carefully. It’s moments like these when he’s just an average guy trying to live his life that I remember why I fell in love with him.

Why Yumi fell in love with him.

A memory pops up of Yumi and Rin making hand-pulled noodles together in the Awashikawa house. He would rest his hands on her waist and kiss the back of her neck. She would hum, close her eyes, relish the contact, and enjoy the attention. No one had ever paid her the kind of attention that Rin did.

I touch the spot and draw in a shaky breath. The division between Yumi and Kara, the line I’ve drawn to keep my feelings safe and spare Rin from missing Yumi, is dissolving bit by bit.

No. I can’t let it fade. I’m doing my best, but it must be more. I must be stronger for him.

Dropping my hand from my neck, I touch his upper arm lightly and pull away.

“Sit down. You’re tired. I’ve got this.”

He yawns again as he sits at the kitchen table. In the fridge, I find day-old rice and several leftovers I can combine for something newish. This apartment came with a well-appointed kitchen, but it’s missing things like spices and sauces, so we can only do so much with the food we buy. I find a bag of nori seaweed and a few packets of sesame seeds in the cabinet. Perfect. Once the rice and stir-fries are reheated, I spoon them into bowls and cut seaweed to garnish on top with the sesame seeds.

Rin is barely conscious when I set the bowl in front of him, but he perks up enough to eat. Dipping his nose over the bowl, he inhales and sits up.

“Yeah, this will hit the spot.” He brings his hands together for the before-meal thanks and then dives in, his chopsticks a blur as he inhales the meal.

I chuckle as I eat a little from my bowl. I don’t need the food, but I like to eat to fit in. “Be careful, and don’t choke on it.”

While I chew, I look around our temporary apartment. The charge spots, the ovens, the stove, the refrigerator, the lights, the wallscreens, the doors, and the tōsha projectors hidden in the walls. Hmmm. Everything here is just as vulnerable as I am without power.

Power, electricity, not just the influence people throw around, is important in a war.

Who controls the power on Hikari?

Rin slows down with a smile. “There are times like this when you remind me of Yumi.”

I freeze, and he lifts his head to wipe his mouth on a napkin.

“Don’t worry. It’s not weird or anything,” he assures me. “It’s just… It’s just easier than it was.” He holds out his hands. “She died right there, you know?”

“Yeah.” I set my chopsticks down across the lip of the bowl.

“And even though I knew she’d come back, I thought it would never be the same. That our connection would be tainted or wrong somehow.”

I close my eyes and wish the pain would go away. I never stop hurting him, do I? Another memory comes forward of the moments leading up to my consciousness mapping. I was so sick with the virus Gen gave me. Rin held my hand as we walked through the Kiiroi Yama building, all the way to my chair. He asked me again and again if it was something I really wanted.

Was it the right decision?

“But,” he continues, his voice pitching into a hopeful lilt, “I don’t think it will be.”

I open my eyes, and his face is content, happy even.

“I’ve seen miracles the last few weeks. I’ve seen Yumi in everything. She will come back, and it will be better than before.” He sighs. “At least, I hope so.”

My lips quirk, and my eyes threaten to fill with tears, but my emotions don’t have a place here. This is a better outcome than I expected.

I jerk my chin at his bowl. “Eat your food and go to bed. Tomorrow, we have more work to do, work that will bring her back.”

We eat the rest of our meal in satisfied silence.