The Fate of Shin-Osaka – Chapter 27

Akari’s fox trots out of the sitting room and chitters at my feet.

“You think?” I ask him, and he stops and stares at me. “I know. They look strange, but I swear they are all good.”

The fox lightly puts his paw on my leg. I’m tempted to reach down and pick him up, but I doubt that’s a good idea.

“Oden has taken a liking to you,” Akari says, joining us. Her eyes catch the movement outside, and her mouth drops open. “What…?”

“The rest of my team has arrived.” I reach down and scratch Oden’s head. He closes his eyes and leans into my fingers. “You know, I could have sworn he understood me. He must be well trained.”

“Uhhh.” Akari bites her bottom lip. “I think we have more to discuss than what’s happening in the sitting room.” Her eyes narrow as everyone outside gets closer. “Is that… Is that Yori Okamoto? And Michio Hayashi?”

“What is this?” Gen’s voice rises above everyone else. His eyes are now focused on the commotion outside.

“The rest of my team is here,” I say, stepping out to the front porch. I smile at Isao, Michio, and Reina. “Hi. It’s good to see you all.”

“Kara,” Reina says, nodding at me. We bow to each other. “The work you have done in Yumi’s absence has been astounding. We’re really pleased with the shape of Kazenoho Corporation and its plans for the future.”

When Okamoto steps onto the porch, I sidestep everyone to approach him.

“I didn’t expect to see you again.” I smile and bow to him.

His returning smile is devious. “My feint had to be convincing. No one could know that I would return.”

“Well, you had me fooled.” I suspected he wouldn’t go for good. It’s nice to see my instincts were correct.

He nods to Shiroi Nami, and they dip their heads in acknowledgment.

“Now that we’re all here, I think you know what to do,” Reina says, leaning to the side to smile at Akari.

Akari’s chest rises and falls with heaving breaths, and she hides a small smile. “Please, everyone. Let’s return to the sitting room.”

Reina gestures to the kumojin and murasakijin outside. “We will leave them here to watch the property. They will not touch your foxes.”

“That… that should be fine.” Akari grabs her assistant and whispers, “Bring more onigiri and tea. We’ll need it.”

The room is suddenly very crowded, and my heart warms to see everyone on my side… except for Gen, of course. The mood is buoyant and welcoming as Rin, Kazuo, Aimi, and Ryoko greet the new guests. Aimi hugs her aunt, and the two share a brief word before parting. Michio eyes Sanaa for a moment, his mouth opening and closing. I’m sure he wants to ask about her since he saw my documentary, just like everyone else. But he stays blessedly quiet.

“What is this?” Gen gestures to the people crowded around and behind me. “What kind of trick are you trying to pull now?” He turns to Akari. “This woman is a liar and a fool. She has never had any power and never will. My corporation is in charge of Shin-Osaka, the most important city on this planet. And we will continue to move on from there to other cities as well. Our seizure of Hikari is inevitable.”

“Your corporation? I think you mean Narumi Ogawa’s corporation. You,” I say, pointing my finger at him, “are no one. You’re a foreigner, just like me. Except you fucked your way to the top.”

Michio chuckles, and Akari gasps.

“This?” I gesture to the people with me. “This is what I have been building for the last few months while you and Narumi stuffed yourselves into android bodies and ruthlessly conquered a peaceful city.”

Gen’s breathing speeds up.

“And Narumi Ogawa is dead. Don’t deny it. She downloaded too many times, and one day, she just didn’t wake up in her new android body. You’ve been covering for her ever since.”

“Is this true?” Michio asks, his chest rising as he sits forward.

“Lies,” Gen declares. “Always lies. Narumi is perfectly fine. She’s taking some time out of the public eye. That’s it.”

“I want proof that she’s still alive,” Okamoto demands.

I raise my hand. “Alive or dead or in an android, it doesn’t matter. It’s time for us to make our proposal.”

Here we go. Either Akari goes for it, or we’re done.

“We would like to propose a cooperative government with fifty-one major corporations in positions of elected power. The government would be representational based on size and profits. No one corporation would lead. Shiroi Nami has agreed to this and will specialize in human genetic enhancements. They will also work on terraforming planets in this system and my home system.”

Michio nods. “This is what we want.”

I gesture to Okamoto, and his eyes sparkle. “Kiiroi Yama has agreed to make spaceships and weaponry only for defense and police use. They will take the plans I have for jump drives and give us the ability to explore and branch out from Hikari to new worlds.”

Okamoto’s sigh is relieved. “Yes, this is agreeable.”

“Kazenoho Corporation will put its money to use helping the less fortunate here once the caste system is abolished. We’ll concentrate on outreach, housing and development, and encourage people to have families again.”

“What about Aka Matsuba?” Akari asks.

This time I cannot hide my smile. “We have a gift for Aka Matsuba. On our home world —”

“You will be silent!” Gen raises his voice, and Fuku growls.

Akari lifts her hand. “It is you who will be silent, or I’ll have you removed.”

I glance between them before I continue. “On our home world, we have a technology that allows us to pair with animals, speak to them, and understand them. It’s a microchip implanted in the brain of young adults between the ages of ten and twenty-five. We will gift this technology to you and…” I raise my finger. “And we’ll do even better. We’ll show you how to implement this technology instead with viruses and gene manipulation that makes it as easy as drinking water to obtain the ability. No microchip. No implantation. Just drink and” — I snap my fingers — “you can talk to and hear animals produced by Aka Matsuba. No pairing either. The process will be seamless without technology to stand in the way.”

Akari giggles, a little manic, before covering her lips with her fingers.

“Did you hear that, Oden?” she asks the fox lying next to her. “Communication won’t be one-way anymore.”

I nod, seeing the truth now. “He can understand you.”

“Yes, we, uh… I hate to say it, but we stole the information that your people gave my father before Aoi Uma could take us over. We used the data and genome enhancements on the foxes here after Aoi Uma banished us from Shin-Osaka.” She places her hand on Oden’s head, and he closes his eyes, leaning into her touch. “It’s only the first step in our process, but it’s a step in the right direction. With your help, we could make this a reality for our entire line of animals.”

I gesture to Ryoko. “I will lend Ryoko to you to make this a reality. She is well-versed on the animal translation chip and has a good relationship with Shiroi Nami.” If she wasn’t before, she will be soon enough. She lifts her head so her eyes meet mine. “If you choose to ally with us, we can make this happen within a year.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Gen says, interrupting us. “So, let me get this straight. You want to abolish the current corporation system in the name of cooperation?”

“Yes.” I keep it simple, though I want to tease him for being slow on the uptake here.

“And I suppose you demand to lead all of this?” He shakes his head and sucks his teeth. “This is just an underhanded way to prove you want to be a despot.”

“Pot meet kettle. And no, I will not be leading. That’ll be Sanaa’s job.”

All the heads in the room turn to look at Sanaa, sitting quietly on the outskirts of the conversation. She smiles and bows her head to the floor before sitting up and meeting their stares.

“Hello, everyone. As a descendant of the one true emperor of Old Japan, it’s my honor to lead this world to a better place until my replacement from Orihimé can arrive. I’m looking forward to seeing Hikari and all of its citizens evolve and grow.”

“No,” Gen breathes out. “You can’t.”

“I can, and I will.” I turn to Akari. “With or without Aka Matsuba, though I sincerely hope with. This is our only path forward. With Gen and Aoi Uma, it’s the end of humanity here. If Hikari goes the android route, we will leave and quarantine them here for all eternity, never to see other humans again. With us, it’s the beginning of something new, a new life, a new hope, a future. Choose us, and we will do it together. Together, we’re stronger.”

Live together, die alone.

What will Akari choose?

Her eyes bounce back and forth, and Gen’s body tenses, ready for action. I reach out and place my hand on Rin’s knee. His hand covers mine and squeezes.

I made my case for a better tomorrow. It’s the best I could do.

Akari breathes in and out, and her eyes train on the floor as she thinks this over.

“I choose cooperation,” she says, lifting her head.

Gen jumps to his feet. “It doesn’t matter who you choose because I’m not giving up Shin-Osaka.” He thrusts his finger down. “This is my home now. It’s fine just the way it is, and it will be even better once I’m done with it.”

I jump up to face him. “You cannot force your idea of the future on a population. Life doesn’t work like that. Haven’t you asked yourself why the power is out? Huh?”

His face falls into a frown, his eyes wide.

“I bought out Denki Mainichi with every last credit I have.” My voice climbs, giddy with the realization I have him beat. “Your androids will start dying soon without the ability to recharge. No more soldiers. No more army. No more backups and downloads. Surrender now, and I’ll show you mercy. I’ll let you live out your eternity on your own.”

He stews for a moment, the wheels turning in his head as he calculates the possibilities for retaliation.

“No surrender.” He points at Kazuo. “Fuku, kill this one.”

No.

Every limit I had placed on my android abilities melts away, and the scene before me snaps into focus. Fuku’s hindquarters draw down, and her muscles ripple under her thin fur. Her tail twitches, eyes set on Kazuo.

Kazuo’s hand shifts slowly to his sword, but he won’t draw quickly enough.

My reaction time is swifter, if not better, than this cat. I spring to the side in time for her body to hit mine before she makes it even halfway across the room. Curling my body over hers, we tumble through the air and into the hallway together, knocking over a table and sending a young man flying to the side. Fuku yowls, and her claws lash out, scratching me across the chest.

Analyzing… new pathogen detected.

Yes, the virus that almost killed me in my previous life is here. My throat tightens. Akari’s face is clear in my head. She wouldn’t like it if I killed this deadly creature.

I know what to do.

I swing my legs around and catch Fuku between them. Reaching down, I grab her by the scruff of her neck and capture her hind legs in one hand.

“Out of the way!” I run her forward into the rear of the building. We ate onigiri and drank tea, so there must be a kitchen, but the whole house is quiet without power. “Where’s the kitchen?”

A man runs ahead of me. “This way!”

I follow him as Fuku struggles in my grasp. Her yowling is deafening with my hearing turned up, so I dial it back.

We enter a small, industrial kitchen, and a woman at the stove drops her spoon in surprise when she sees us arrive.

“Something that locks,” I call out over the racket. The man in front of me sprints for a supply closet and opens the door. I chuck Fuku in, and he shuts the door before she can get up.

They’ll figure out what to do with her later. My heart hurts for her. Just another pawn in Gen’s games.

I promise to do better by the next animal I meet.

Running back to the sitting room, I find chaos. Three androids, one still climbing through the window, defend Gen against Rin, Kazuo, Michio, and Aimi. Ryoko and Sanaa are backed into a corner, Reina and Okamoto in another, and Akari has a broken dish in her hand as a weapon. The androids must have been waiting in the woods for a signal to charge.

Swords fly, and it takes everything in my power to not interrupt. Interrupting this mayhem will only lead to more bloodshed because androids are less distractible than humans. They’ll need to deal with this on their own, and with Rin involved, they should be okay.

Gen’s gaze falls on me in the doorway. This time it’s his turn to growl and pounce.

Even though our reaction times and instincts are the same in these android bodies, Gen can’t change direction in midair. I sidestep and roll as he crashes into the wall. A ceiling joist comes loose and swings down, missing him by a centimeter.

The front door is open, so I run for it to lure him outside. I don’t want to fight in close quarters with other people around.

And I’m determined to end this.

Gen follows me out the door at a blinding sprint. I reverse course, stop, and plant my feet, rolling my shoulders down to create a vault. Gen doesn’t stop, and when he hits me, I heave up and send him flying into the grass and mud.

Foxes squeal and holler behind the fence, climbing over each other to get closer to the fight. If they’re all genetically enhanced, they know what’s happening. If only I could understand them. This was a missed opportunity for Yoshi.

The air shimmers with heat mirages, intense waves dancing in the air. The hot sun beats down relentlessly. The roaring of the foxes and the rustling of the wind catch my attention. Gen is muddy, his boots caked with clinging dirt and sod. He crouches down, prepared to lunge at me.

“Ready to fight, Yumi?”

I push my hair out of my face and access the fight archives Yoshi installed ages ago. I thought I would need them someday. Here I am.

“I’m ready to end this. You’re the one that loves the fights, Gen. Remember all the times you attacked me and tried to kill me?”

“I did kill you,” he says, circling left, his hands out and ready to strike.

“You did a piss-poor job of it.”

I feint a charge, and he reacts, lunging to the right. Perfect. I sweep my leg out and catch him in the stomach. He falls to the earth with a thump. The first strike goes to me!

But like every android I’ve ever fought, it’s barely a scratch to him. He pops up, ready to fight, and he’ll keep going and going and going until I disable him.

Yoshi said I would need to destroy the android body and the communications port. If I don’t, Gen will just download and regenerate once the power is back on. Though I can’t see any of the nearby data nodes, I can’t be one hundred percent certain they are all out of commission.

I must wreck him completely to be safe.

I check my system before I attack again. My battery level is dangerously low after being a space heater and trekking through the woods for hours. With fifteen percent of my charge left, I need to make this fight short.

“Is your ego bruised yet, Gen?”

He circles me to the left, his stance primed and ready to lunge.

“If Narumi is still alive, why has she given you the shit jobs? Things not going well with your lover?”

For a moment, sadness clouds his face, and he drops his hands a few millimeters.

Maybe he loved her? Is he capable of love?

He recovers quickly and dives low for my legs. My body whips back. We slam into the ground and roll. Foxes scream at the fence, their voices carrying past us to the entire valley.

When we roll to a stop, I access my body controls and find the shock weapon Yoshi gave me.

Warning: battery power too low.

Override.

I force my hands to his neck and shock him. He twitches, and his eyes roll back as his head smokes. The current terminates just as I think it’s about to end him.

Battery level: five percent.

Shit.

“Kara!”

That’s Rin, but I can’t concentrate on him now. He’ll figure out what to do later.

Gen recovers and reverses his hold, sitting on my chest with his back facing me.

“An e-e-electric weapon? That’s quaint. Who gave you th-th-that?” He flings an arm back and smacks me upside my temple. My world darkens even as he’s shorting out. “How about I break a leg?” he asks, humming a lively tune.

He thinks he’s dealing with Yumi, the weakling in an android body.

But Kara is here. And Kara is not taking any of his bullshit.

I jostle him, but he doesn’t move. He’s laughing and enjoying every moment of this. His ego has always been his weak spot. If he breaks my leg, he’ll gloat over it, and that will be my opportunity.

Fine. I turn off my pain receptors as he reaches for my leg.

With a jerk, he pulls up just below my knee and wrenches the left leg to the right.

Warnings pop up in my field of view. Red alerts blinking and advising me that something has happened to my left leg. Yeah. No shit.

I cry out in mock pain. I put on a real show and make it look like I’m dying. That’s what he wants.

Gen laughs. “It still sucks being an android, right? You were worried about losing your humanity, but you can still feel pain, loss, heartbreak.”

I breathe through trembling lips. “Only if your designer never gave you control over your own body.”

Lifting Gen’s shirt, I zero in on the lower right quadrant of his back. Just like Saki did to the androids on Kurai, I thrust my hand into his skin, past the android sinew, blood, and guts to the power pack. With a twist, I break it free, pull it out, and drop it to the side.

Gen stills, his whole body relaxing, falling, deflating. I push him off me, set one hand on his chest, and aim for the water reserve, right where the stomach is on a human. Pushing in with all my might, I rupture through the skin and the balloon. Water bubbles out, shorting everything inside.

I’m not done. I grab his hair. Yanking it up, I rip the side of his head off, exposing his communications hub to the open air. With one thrust of my fingers, it sparks and dies.

Both maneuvers took less than five seconds.

I breathe three heaving chestfuls of air and wipe my palms on the grass.

Gen stutters and blinks. I take his face in my hands and stare down into his eyes, so I’m the last thing he sees.

“No more, Gen. No more hunting me, chasing me, terrorizing me. No more androids. No more talk of immortality. It’s done. You will not come back.”

I nod once, satisfied with my work. Tilting his head around, his eyes are lifeless, and the inside of his android brain is dark. He’s gone.

I roll to my side and then to my back next to him, stare up at the sky, and watch a little white cloud float by.

Goodbye, Gen. I’ll tell your parents you missed them.

“Kara, are you okay?” Rin’s worried face appears above me, blotting out the sky. “Your leg.” He reaches down to touch it and stops short of laying his hands on me.

“Don’t bother,” I whisper. “I turned off my pain protocols.”

Another warning pops up in my field of vision. My batteries are now at a critical low, two percent. The fight and trauma drained everything.

I reach out and grab his hand. “Hey.” I tug and bring him back, face to face. “Will you love her?”

“What?” He’s confused as he brings his hand to my cheek.

“Yumi. Will you love her when she comes back?”

Please, please say yes. I have spent so many months trying to keep Yumi in Rin’s thoughts, so he wouldn’t forget her… me. So he would welcome her back. I don’t want this to have been all for nothing.

“Kara,” he says, his voice breaking, “I miss her so much. But how will I know it’s really her?”

My eyes fill with tears. “You’ll know. Go. Get Isao. Quickly.”

He shakes off his sadness in a flash. “Yes. Yeah, right away.”

Fuck. I want to scream it to the sky. He still has doubts. I failed.

There’s nothing I can do about it now.

Turning my head to the side, I see the foxes waiting behind the fence. They’re sitting or lying down now, quiet and contemplative. Someday, I’d like to return here, to run my fingers through their fur and have one sit in my lap. My eyes fill with tears remembering all the animals back home I loved. I can’t wait to be reunited with Ninjin.

Isao kneels down at my side. He’s banged up a bit, a slash across his shoulder and a welt forming on his cheek.

“Are you okay?” My voice is barely above a whisper now.

He shrugs. “Androids, you know. They’re a pain. But we deactivated them all with minimal damage. Kazuo’s shoulder is dislocated. Aimi is attending to him now.”

My lower lip shakes as my emotions run away. One percent battery left.

“I want to go home.” The words burble through my tears.

He nods. “It’s time to be Yumi again.”

Reaching down, he slides his arms under my torso and legs and lifts me up.

“Promise me that Rin will be there when I wake up.”

Isao smiles, his clear eyes sparkling with humor. “Oh, come now. He wouldn’t dare be anywhere else.”

With one percent left, I shut everything down and hope for the best.