Grandpa Louis never seemed like the type that could knock a man out in thirty seconds and serenade him with the trumpet at the same time.
Looking at the picture in her hands, the dissonance was all Maya could focus on. With the wrinkles underneath his eyes, the white goatee beard, the strangely sweet, “not-quite-candy” scent that followed him, you would think he never fought in his life. She even thought it was weird back then, but at the time, it wasn’t on her mind. She was having enough trouble smiling without sticking her tongue through the gap of her loose tooth.
Even gap-toothed, she was happy. With one arm on a sax and the other around her, Grandpa Louis looked happy.
Was he still happy when Apex killed him first?
She buried the photo in her wallet once again, as the driver got off the highway. After taking a portal to Japan, a driver met them to take them to Arise Health’s international central HQ. The van had tinted windows, and Maya didn’t drive. Senior Agent Hale recommended it, so no one would recognize and attack them again.
Avanti leaned against the window, catching some shut-eye for the few more minutes of peace they had. Between them, a heavy duffel bag jolted in place, the contents inside shifting as the van took a sharp turn.
Maya checked her phone. “Avanti. Turns out we were right. Rosen’s just been publicly reported as murdered.”
“Then we know Apex’s pattern for sure. That confirms who she will attack next,” Avanti said. “What could Rosen do?”
“Rosen had gravity based powers, based around pulling things with vortexes. She was a Rushdown that could make her combos go on longer by pulling her opponent off the ground and attacking more. Outside of fights, we had her marked as a tier eight.”
“Tier eight?”
“It’s a ranking system we used for a Fighter’s destructive capabilities in case they went rogue. Tier Eight is about Urban Level. So, if Rosen went rogue, the most she could do is destroy a building. Probably kill everyone inside, too.”
“Ah. I’m guessing you have rankings for us, too.”
“The ones that’re registered Fighters. Flint Striker, the fire mage in Morocco, he’s Tier Eight too on his own he’s tier eight, but if we count him with that giant golem he controls…” Maya shrugged. “Easily tier seven. Those two together could destroy a city.”
“What about me? What tier would I be in?”
“As far as I know about Illusion magic…a tier ten. Mid tier ten.”
Avanti sat up. “Even higher than them?”
“No, no, it’s in descending order. Tier ten means you have the destructive capabilities of a regular person.”
Avanti scoffed, leaning back in her seat.
“That doesn’t mean you’re weak! Your powers don’t let you destroy much at all, but you could use your illusions to persuade someone physically stronger to destroy something for you, or you could use them to nullify someone else’s powers. It’s just about how you use it.”
Avanti nodded with satisfaction. “I guess you’re right. I like that better, in a way. When my family first discovered I had an affinity for illusion magic, in a household of fire and earth mages, they looked down on me. They thought I was weak, so I spent more time honing my illusions to be perfect.” The satisfaction faded to a wistful nostalgia. “It’s how I met West.”
“Really?”
“I caught him watching one of my training sessions from behind a tree. He’d actually been watching me train for a week, before that.”
“Sounds to me like you got a thing for stalkers.”
Avanti laughed. “Not at all. I have a thing for the first person to tell me he admired my powers.”
“Well, I do, too, even with that ranking. Some of our most dangerous criminals are only in tier ten.”
“Who?”
“I think you know what I have to say,” Maya replied with a wink.
Avanti sighed. “Classified?”
“We tend to use ‘restricted’.”
The car pulled up a stop in front of a towering, stark white skyscraper — their destination. Arise Health. Their international headquarters, the administrative center of it all.
Avanti winced as she stretched before reaching for the door. The stab wound in her ribs flashed through Maya’s mind, and she inhaled sharply. “You don’t have to come with me any further, Avanti.”
Avani paused. “What?”
“You aren’t on the books as being part of this operation. So, if you want to back out for your own safety, you’re well within your right to. The driver can get you to the airport, and a flight back to—”
“No. No, I’m coming with. What makes you think I wouldn’t want to?”
“You realize we’re here to speak with the Takahara’s, right? If there’s any way to get ourselves to #1 on the death list of the most wanted terrorist in the entire world, this is it, and we’re walking through her front door. I…” The words caught in her throat. “I can’t guarantee your safety.”
“What about your safety? What about ‘justice at any cost’? If I leave, you’re still going in there alone.”
“Okay? If I die, this is my operation. My justice. But if we run into Apex and the plan doesn’t work,” Maya said, looping her arm through the duffel bag’s strap. “I don’t want your death on my conscience, too.”
“But the seven spatial mages Apex killed were fine? Was the coroner’s death fine? Letting me mentally scar that man so you could get answers out of him was okay?”
“I don’t know those people. I don’t personally know them. I’m not going to their funerals.”
Avanti narrowed her glare, tilting her chin upwards to look down on Maya. “You were bluffing in front of Apex. It’s not justice at ‘any cost’. It’s justice at any cost to you or any innocent people. Not people you know personally.”
Maya pursed her lips, nodding. “Apex doesn’t know where John moved to. She won’t target Agent Hale. That only leaves you as a vulnerability, Avanti. I don’t want her to hurt me by hurting you.”
“You aren’t the only one here for revenge,” Avanti spat.
“Exactly. You’re—” The words caught on the lump in her throat, the hidden anger by Avanti not listening to what she was saying. “You’re the only one who understands me, Avanti. That’s exactly why I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“Then you understand, too, that the threat of getting hurt in trying to get revenge doesn’t faze me,” Avanti said.
“You’re right. I do.”
“Now, lead the way, Agent Wolfe. Don’t we have CEO’s to talk to?”
----------------------------------------
“Oh, you’re the six o’clock, aren’t you? I can buzz you through the elevator,, but I am afraid your Mage companion will have to remain in the lobby,” the receptionist said.
“I’m sorry? I wasn’t aware of this,” Maya said. “My Senior Agent booked the meeting, but he didn’t say I wasn’t allowed guests.”
“We have a strict safety policy that only allows those that are part of the meeting — especially if it’s a meeting with our CEO himself.”
Maya shot Avanti a wary glare, and scanned the lobby around them. This was the administrative headquarters, so it was mostly office workers and more mundane people, but none of them seemed to be specifically watching Maya’s presence.
Was this a purposeful dig from Apex? Was she already onto them?
“If that is not agreeable, we can negotiate a different time for the meeting, when you can come alone,” the receptionist said.
Leaving Avanti behind meant leaving their best option for defense, but it was her only option. Maya sighed. “No, it’s fine.”
“Wonderful. Please pass through the metal detectors, and I can guide you to the elevator.
Maya left Avanti with one final whispered warning: if she wasn’t back in an hour, she was dead. With that, she stepped through the sleek white metal detectors beside the receptionist’s wide desk. The alarm buzzed instantly. Security guards by the elevator tensed up and paced towards her, but the moment she flashed her badge, they stood down. Agents had legal immunity to setting off metal detectors; no one needed to know what equipment they had on them.
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
And they especially didn’t need to know what she had in the bag.
Heading for the elevator, Maya took a glance back at Avanti before stepping inside. The glass doors slid closed, and the circular elevator rose, giving her a birds eye view of the entire fancy lobby.
Maya unzipped the duffel bag and plugged a short black rectangle into the bottom of her phone. Her screen changed to a radar, marking the two security guards as red dots. Once she rose high enough, the elevator shaft covered the windows, and the red dots disappeared.
Fighters gave off a certain energy signature, thanks to their menus being different, and this radar picked up on it. But, if a Fighter signature suddenly appeared within range, just like a certain time-stopping terrorist, it would vibrate as a warning.
A deep unease settled in Maya’s stomach as she ascended. She was in the lion’s den, now. Any advantage was useful. Sensing Apex’s approach was the difference between life and death.
It was getting tiring holding the duffel bag, though.
Once the elevator slowed to a stop, the doors slid open, revealing an exquisite meeting room of polished chrome surfaces, glass statues, and a white marble table. A floor to ceiling window gave a perfect, distant view of Mount Fuji in all of its glory. Between her and the brilliant view, on the other side of the long marble table, an older Japanese man and woman waited for her, wearing a suit and dress worth more than Maya’s life.
Mr. Takahara, the CEO of the Arise Health corporation, extended his hands in a wide, welcoming gesture. “Good afternoon! I believe you are the SRB Agent that wanted to speak to my wife and I?” he said, speaking with a thick Japanese tone, unlike his receptionist.
Maya bowed in respect. “Of course!” she said, walking to the other end of the table, ten feet away from them. She flashed her badge. “My name is Agent Wolfe with the Supernatural Investigation Unit, and I was sent today to speak with you regarding certain recent events.”
“Ah, the falling Fifties is all anyone wants to talk about, these days. Please have a seat. Make yourself welcome.”
“Thank you.” Maya rolled her chair back and had a seat, placing the duffel bag on the floor, yet close enough to reach for it at any moment. “It seems your company has taken charge of cleanup and handling the victims. Before that, though, I must ask — how did you secure such a perfect location for your headquarters? This view is remarkable!”
“Oh, I cannot take the credit for that. I funded it, but it was my wife’s decision! She chose to relocate our head office building here.” Mr. Takahara said, giving her hand a tender squeeze.
“I would’ve chosen the same place, myself. It is a bit peculiar.”
“How so?”
“This used to be the location of Flow’s Monsoon Arts school, didn’t it?”
A few heavy lines set themselves in the wrinkles on Mr. Takahara’s face. “Yes, it was, but I fail to see the connection. My wife simply wanted a pristine view of the mountain during our meetings, so I made it happen.”
“I see. I apologize. I may be seeing a connection where there isn’t one, but…it’s strange to relocate here, considering the past.”
“I would rather not touch on past events.”
“Instead, you’re building your legacy directly on top of it. Interesting.”
Mr. Takahara released his wife’s hand. “Is this your question, Agent? Is this what you came to speak to us about?”
“Not primarily. I wanted to ask about certain connections we’ve made, between you, your company, and certain events. For example, you personally ensured that your company owned a controlling stake in the mining company that extracts Element P-13, which Synapse is reported to rely on to power himself.”
“Indeed. I took advantage of an opportunity to invest in the future of clean energy.”
“I see! I, like others, am grateful for your grace in investing to help others. Like how you were reported to specifically reverse Mindgame's mother’s diabetes. Or, how you took care of West Gale’s mother before…her unfortunate passing.”
Mr. Takana cleared his throat, glancing warily at the glass rabbit statue in the bookshelf to their right. “Yes, but those are private matters. I fail to see how that’s relevant to us.”
Maya fought hard to hide her smile. None of that had been publicly reported, and he confirmed it with a blank face. Did he know she was recording the conversation? “You’re right. There is a private connection more relevant to you, after all. We have credible evidence that shows you authorized a direct payment from Arise Health to the coroner on the day of Haruki Takahara’s death. At the same time, you forbid anyone else from attending the funeral.”
Mr. Takahara’s posture stiffened. Maya imagined him clenching a fist under the table, as Mrs. Takahara blinked rapidly, averting her eyes.
Crocodile tears.
“The SIU sent me because those connections seem peculiar. Arise Health is, in some way, connected to several of the alleged allies of Apex. I’m sure you’ve heard of her. At the same time, you paid the coroner, while ensuring no one else attended the funeral but family.”
“Are you accusing me of paying a man for his job?”
“I am not accusing you of anything, sir, only seeking your opinions. Because, as you can imagine, there’s paying a man for his job, and then there’s personally paying a man for his job, as the CEO of the largest healthcare company in the world. The only situation I could see that being necessary is if you had…other reasons.”
Mr. Takahara squinted, a telltale sign of building agitation. “Yes. I did. Compensation. Perhaps your line of work has desensitized you to such sights, but it takes a particular toll on a man to handle the burnt body of a child.”
“Was it that hard to handle her body?”
Mr. Takahra’s face went red with anger. “Excuse me?! Are you asking me if it was hard to handle the body of my dead daughter?”
“Yes, sir. That’s exactly what I'm asking you, because it seems unusual that you’d be so personally involved in every detail. Why not delegate this to your staff?”
“Enough. I didn’t build my wealth by wasting time. Get to the heart of your questions so you can leave!” he said, picking up his phone and sending a quick text.
He could’ve been contacting security, or worse.
Time was out. No more beating around the bush. Maya shifted forward in her seat. “Mr. Takahara, did you and your wife assist in covering up the death of your daughter, Haruki Takahara?”
“What a preposterous claim!” Mr. Takahara said as Mrs. Takahara pulled out a tissue to wipe her eyes. “Do you understand how upsetting that day was? How horrible the accident affected my wife? You insensitive snake. You’ve disrespected me, my wife, and my company by wasting my time to bring this back to our attention!”
“It’s a simple yes or no question.”
“And I say no. I can’t believe you would ever accuse me of such a horrible act. Is this it? Consider yourself lucky that I don’t have you arrested right now.”
“No need, sir. I’ve gotten all the information I need.”
“Remove yourself from my presence, Agent Wolfe.”
Maya didn’t waste any time rising from that table and heading to the door, where the assistant beckoned her out. Through the blurred glass doors, Mr. Takahara rubbed Mrs. Takahara’s back, comforting her as he scowled at Maya while she walked away.
Even without a confession, she got a denial — and if she proved them wrong, such a direct denial would be damning. It was exactly what she expected. They’d have a private cover story, of course, but combined with the coroner’s confession, it had confirmed that they tried to deny the allegations of covering Haruki’s death. Outside of that, they also confirmed Arise Health having their fingers in every pie.
At that moment, the elevator began to slow down. The doors slid open for an average-looking office worker to board and take the elevator down with her, too. She eyed him up and down, noticing the tag on his shirt. It was in Japanese, but a quick picture with her phone translated it to Financial Records.
“Good evening, sir,” Maya said. “Looks like they have you transporting a lot of paperwork, there.”
The man laughed awkwardly. It was the kind of fake laugh when you wanted someone to stop talking, without being rude.
“What’re they about?”
“Oh, I…cannot share. Company policy,” he said, his accent less severe than Mr. Takahara’s.
“Really? I’m good at keeping secrets. I’m with the SIU, anyway. That’s my job.”
“I bet.”
Maya pursed her lips, reaching towards the inside of her jacket. There was no telling how much longer she would have before he’d leave. She couldn’t let this golden opportunity slip.
But, Avanti’s words echoed through her mind.
It’s not justice at ‘any cost’. It’s justice at any cost to you or any innocent people.
Was she really willing to intimidate this innocent man? It wasn’t even justifiable by the rules. If he decided to report her for it, she wouldn’t have a defense. Getting Avanti to mentally scar the coroner wasn’t as bad, since she wasn’t the one directly threatening him.
But now she was.
Either this, or let Apex keep running rampant.
Maya buried her hesitation and pressed her pistol barrel into his spine. The man stiffened. “What’s your name?”
“Satoshi. It’s Satoshi, please—”
“If you don’t want a bullet in your back, walk me to your desk and pretend we’re having a casual conversation. You’re going to show me some records.”
Satoshi shook in her arms, barely drawing a shaky breath. “I have a dog at home. Please, I…I can’t—!”
“Yes you can. You’re going to break company policy. Nothing will happen to you, I promise. Just show me some records.”
The elevator door slid open, and Satoshi walked as stiff as a board while Maya followed him to his desk. They carried a fake conversation about birds, but the fear in Satoshi’s eyes weighed her soul to the bottom of the earth. His life was in her hands, and it wasn’t even a true promise. She couldn’t guarantee that Apex wasn’t watching right now, and that this man wouldn’t be found dead.
Either this, or let her keep running rampant.
As soon as they closed the door to his office, Satoshi dropped his folders and scrambled into his chair, gasping for air, glaring up at her. “Please don’t hurt me. I’ll do whatever you say!”
Maya held a finger to her lips. “Quiet down, first. My gun isn’t loaded,” she lied. “I don’t want to actually hurt you. I need you to show me any financial records pertaining to Yusuke Watanabe.”
Satoshi complied, opening his laptop and searching for the exact file Maya needed: records of monthly wire transfers to Watanabe’s account for thousands of dollars. Hush money. Not a payment for compensation after handling a body that never existed, but a threat to keep him quiet.
Maya moved it all to her flash drive, along with files on payments to Mindgame's mother. “You’ve done good, Satoshi,” she said. “Do you have access to any building plans?”
“Uh…a map?”
“No, architectural blueprints of the buildings.”
“I'm sorry. That’s not my department. I work in finance, so they don’t give me access to that.”
“Do you know anything peculiar about the architecture? Have you heard about any underground facilities?”
Satoshi shrugged. His hand inched towards his phone, but Maya crossed her arms and placed one of her hands inside of her jacket pocket. He pulled his hand back to his lap immediately. “No! No, I’m sorry. I don’t know anything aside from storage.”
“Storage?”
“Every HQ serves as a hub for other smaller locations to source their supplies from. They keep it in the basement level storage. I run their audits.”
“Where would I find the entrance to the storage floors? Do I need your ID card?”
“I’m sorry. You can’t reach it from the elevators, and my ID doesn’t have clearance high enough for the entrance from the first floor. All I know is that sourcing the electronic locks takes a chunk out of our budget. That’s it.”
“Is it Locktech?”
“How did you know?”
“We source from the same brand. They’re expensive everywhere.” Maya pulled her hand out of her jacket, and Satoshi relaxed. “It’s on the first floor, right?”