Okutama was a neighboring city to Tokyo, though it wasn't far from it. A two-hour train ride, which was two hours of pure bliss as far as I was concerned. The further the rails took us, the more passengers disembarked, the fewer were waiting at each station, and the more sparse and empty the houses and buildings around us.

It was like breathing air again, leaving the city. Some places in America had been pretty bad, but they'd never stack up to Tokyo levels of bad. There were just more people there, jabbering away with their own inane, moronic thoughts than anywhere else I'd ever been...and I couldn't even understand the thoughts to distract myself. It'd been hell, and I was pretty pissed at Athan for putting me through it.

But, as they say, pain is temporary, and I wasn't. We were out -- forever, if I had my way, which I certainly would, under threat of wiping the fucking city off the map -- and were en-route to a nice little mansion to go ruin their day. Really, my kind of party.

The four of them lingered under the red gate of a nearby shrine, fussing like a mob of old grannies. Athan repeatedly told me not to engage unless I was found out, Lia offered tips on what to say and how to behave that'd help me blend in. Karu painted an ugly white X on my throat with something that dried thick and nasty, telling me if I ever needed to escape without talking to someone, I could show them my 'scar' and make the universal gesture for 'mute' by covering my mouth.

AEGIS just brushed my hair and messed with my clothes a bit. An old kimono from a thrift store we'd gotten most of the funk out of. I thought it looked ridiculous, but it did do wonders for my waistline, and if it let me catch Athan staring, I'd take it.

"We'll stay here, so we're nearby," he explained, for the fourth time. "It's out of your range, but you have comms. Please, please, tell us the moment anything goes south, and we'll charge in--"

"And die," I added.

"If that's what it takes to save you," he nodded seriously.

"You're an idiot," I smiled at him. "If things go wrong, I'll just kill everyone. Or make them kill each other."

He frowned at me. "Please take it seriously. These aren't your everyday soldiers, and they're sitting in a stockpile of not-your-everyday weapons. The XPCA countered us once already in Vegas, they might be able to do so again here."

"It's fine, ya dumb duck," I said, giving him a wink. "The hardest part will be not tripping over this dress. Just make sure you're all excited and ready to take it off me when I'm done." I rubbed up against him and cackled, but he didn't take the bait, his mind a fortress of worry that even my bony booty couldn't crack. "Whatever, your loss."

"Be serious," he repeated, and I dismissed him with a wave and started sauntering off, making sure to flaunt an extra wiggle to show him what he was missing.

And then I was walking alone for four blocks. Big-ass blocks, with stone walls on all sides of the narrow street, each one of the residences basically an ancient samurai fortress. Seemed kinda pointless, most of the lots were just trees and shit, and if they didn't wall them all off, you'd get to see a lot more greenery than just what was in your own front yard. I guess when you got as rich as these assholes, you stopped giving a shit about anything anyone else had, and were top-down focused on protecting your own fucking trees from anyone who might peek at 'em.

There was probably a metaphor in there somewhere but I didn't really care. I liked trees, and seeing them all walled off annoyed me, and that was about as far as I got. I decided that when I ran the world, I'd put people like this in unmarked graves and plant some nice greenery over their bodies so nature could properly reclaim them. Manure would be the first useful thing they'd ever be.

So yeah. It was a long walk, and I was still a slow walker. Before long, the interminable stretches of grey and stone lost their luster.

"Mic check, check, check, two, three, four," I said into comms.

"A friendly reminder that all comms will probably be traced," Karu intoned. "What with there being an unfathomable number of special forces nearby. Please refrain from pointless chatter to give them something to lock onto."

"Well fuck you too, miss rigidbritches."

"Saga, she's right. Save the comms for emergencies, please," Athan asked.

"This is an emergency. I'm bored."

He sighed. "You've been gone five minutes. Just...enjoy how few people there are."

"Fine," I sighed back tenfold. "But you'd better do that thing I like when I get back. The one with the tongue."

"Um, TMI?" Lia said.

"She's just being full of shit," Athan sighed again. "Cut the chatter. Good luck, Saga."

And then it was just me and the rocks again.

Athan had a good point. Well, a couple good points; I was, admittedly, full of shit. But also that I should just enjoy the nothing when I could. I'd just spent almost a week in one of the most crowded cities in the world with a blaring din blasting in my noggin nonstop. The peace and quiet should have been...peaceful. And quietful.

But instead it was actually kind of dull by contrast. Like, no mistake, I preferred it hands-down. But it also seemed I'd kind of gotten used to all that shit to a degree, and its sudden absence felt weirder than it should have.

It also gave me time to think, which was never a good sign. Especially with thoughts like that bouncing around in my head, making me ponder such existential questions as once everyone's dead forever, am I always going to feel this lonely and bored?

Which was just, y'know, super fun.

So it was a bit of a relief when I finally closed in on my destination, and a double-relief when I realized that more than just the Americans, but most people there not only spoke, but thought in English. The visitors anyway and it didn't take too long ruffling through their minds to figure out why.

This whole thing was, essentially, a trade show. Ichiro was putting on a private demonstration of some of his company's weapon projects, and these guys were the buyers. Buyers meant people in international trade, and international trade was done in English, because America was bastion glorious, golden, commercial capitalism.

He'd even instituted some kinds of raffle, which explained the turnout -- every active combatant there was entered to win, and he was pulling tickets to hand out free guns. Clever little trick to ensure he had a constant pool of fighting fit forces...and who the hell wouldn't want free multi-million dollar guns that shot lightning or other bullshit, just handed to them? It was the American dream.

Except, y'know, in Japan. But whatever. This was the shit that made Uncle Sam's pants tight.

I approached the main gate and encountered the first...uh...gate. Two men in dark suits who looked like they'd mixed up their steroid pills and their Captain Crunch the last two or three hundred balanced breakfasts. They eyed me warily, even as I approached with the delicate composure of a, like, fucking falling leaf or some shit.

"Nanika komari desu ka?" One asked, in a raspy voice that seemed to come somewhere from the middle of him instead of his mouth.

"My apologies," I said, with as graceful a bow as I could manage. How the Japanese wore these dresses for so long and had a culture of bowing at the same time baffled me, but I did my best. "I was in there and just slipped out for a moment. Could you let me back in?"

The good news was, speaking to them in English got their minds working in that language, and I had something to grasp at. The bad news was, I was pretty obviously lying, so I had a lot of work ahead of me.

"Nobody left the estate," he said. "Move along."

"I think you're mistaken" I said, batting my eyelashes at him while I tore through his mind as subtly as I could.

"Nobody leaves the estate until the end of the event. It's closed doors. Do I need to call the police?"

Well I'd already bowed once and was about sick of it, so I dropped all that garbage and just went for the direct approach. I focused hard on his mind, bending it like Play-Doh under my will. He reeled as I set in on him.

"You are mistaken," I whispered at him. "It was you who let me sneak out, if you remember? If I'm not back in there, you'll be the one punished for letting me leave in the first place."

His buddy stepped towards me, but was arrested by the first guy's beefy hand. A look of confusion crossed both of their faces as they glanced at each other, but I was winning. I just had to make it through that door before either of them figured out I was the source.

"I do...remember letting someone out," the first guy gravelled on. "Was that you?"

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

The second guy asked something in Japanese, and then I lost the conversation as they argued back and forth a bit. More perilously, I lost track of his mind as he slipped back into Japanese-mode, though I did what I could to weave in false memories of images and the like.

Finally, they seemed decided, and my new friend opened the gate for me, pulling the huge wooden door without apparent effort.

"Say nothing of this, and do not expect to be let out again," he said.

"Thanks, sweetie," I blew him a kiss. If this situation turned to shit, I'd kill him last.

And then I was inside.

Right where I didn't want to be, honestly. AEGIS had bored me with maps and diagrams, but it wasn't until I was here that I really began to appreciate the size of the place.

If someone told me this was the Imperial Palace, I wouldn't have batted my eyes at believing them. The main building, directly ahead of me looked to be four stories of wood beams and sloping roofs, ringed on multiple floors by covered walkways, balconies running between rooms, and excessively ornate railings that just screamed insecurity.

Not because they were poorly secured or you'd be likely to fall over them or anything. Just because they were shining gold, twisting and molded both to sprout as many repeating motifs of bull heads and horns as possible, and because their owner's penis was unfathomably small.

And that was just the main building. On the left was a large multi-tiered pond, complete with a tiny, pointless dock and a waterfall or two. On the right was a gravel garden, raked into perfect waves at some point, before being trodden all over by the numerous guests who were standing and talking and walking in every possible space. And then ringing the entire plaza were three or four other buildings, none of which were as tall as the main house, but they didn't need to be in order to qualify as massive. Each was easily a dozen times the size of the little shitty apartment we'd been staying in. And then, as though in afterthought, tents, trucks, and cars all over.

The guests were all bedecked in their military dress uniforms. There was probably a literal ton of scrap metal pinned across all of their chests, and another half ton of boot polish. More appealing, there was food coming from somewhere, as a lot of the guys were standing around eating off of cocktail napkins. Though maybe they were just regular napkins, because I didn't actually see a single cocktail. Wouldn't be much point to luring all these guys here if they just got drunk, I guessed.

I'd only just had time to take this all in when I detected a presence closing on me, and turned to find another besuited, muscle-bound man, giving me a deep, surly bow.

"Could miss could come with me?" he said in broken English. I gave him a smile and got to work on his mind, finding it much more difficult than anticipated.

It wasn't just the language barrier. It was like his brain was muted, like...it wasn't quite all there. It reminded me of something I didn't have time to recall in the moment, as I struggled with what hooks I could sink into him.

When he repeated himself, I wasn't sure what to do. There were like, fifty guys standing within a couple dozen feet of me, and if I blasted the guy out, they'd be sure to notice.

It was a stupid plan, but it bought me time. I shook my head at him and gestured as Karu had instructed me, informing him I was a mute. Granted, any sane person would wonder what that had to do with my ability to listen, but every moment I threw him off his game was another moment to work on him.

The guy's game was good though, he didn't hesitate for a second to grab my arm and begin dragging me into the house. I stumbled behind him, tripping over my dress and battering at his slippery, malformed mind. What I did manage to land didn't seem to phase him, probably because of the language barrier, but I had to do something.

Hating myself a little bit, I wailed as loud as I could and went slack, my body trailing behind him like a very bony sack of bricks. Or perhaps a bricklike sack of bones. Either way, I'd suffused my wailing cries with a slap of psychic energy that drew the attention of everyone in the yard, as suddenly this beefcake was dragging a hysterical woman out of a party while everyone watched.

My heroes, a group of XPCA no less, stepped forward and cleared their throats as they blocked his passage.

"Excuse me, sir," the one with the most metal on his chest said. "Might I inquire why you are dragging this fine woman off against her will?"

"It not of your concern. She is not supposing to be here," my escort replied, with just the best English.

"We were just talking and he said he wanted to see what was under my dress," I shouted at the XPCA, not quite sure how to look wild-eyed and distraught, so I just faked it and shoved that kind of impression in his mind instead.

The XPCA bristled, and with him, several other of the guests. He looked to his colleagues a moment for courage and then crossed his arms in the path. "Sir, I think you should release the lady."

"This is Ikeda-san's order. Not of your concern."

"Please," I pleaded at him, and his resolve steeled.

"No. I doubt very much that Ikeda-san endorses human trafficking, and he would be appalled to find one of his servants dragging a woman through his own event like it was nothing. Release her at once."

The two stood their ground for a few long moments before another few Japanese servants approached, jogging and bowing as they cut through the crowd to diffuse the situation.

"Honorable guest, there has been a misunderstanding," one of them sputtered. "This woman has violated the premises. She is not meant to be here, and will be detained and questioned."

I felt my heart sinking as my would-be rescuers chewed on that. I could sway him, maybe even he and his friends, but I couldn't change the fact that the general mood was swinging away from me.

"I am supposed to be here," I blurted out. "I'm…" I glanced around, looking around, through people's minds as much as through them for any out. I swallowed hard as I landed on the man in front of me again, flipping through his mind for a moment to make sure I wasn't making a huge mistake. "I'm XPCA, too. Colonel Cosette Dawn. XB2099."

I gave him a salute but succeeded only in confusing him more. "You're Colonel Dawn?" he asked.

I grinned back. "Yep. Lost a lot of weight since I was in active service. Ever seen a girl lose her wings before? What comes out ain't pretty. And then that whole boot-rack with the P-Force, don't get me started. That's why they delta-romeo'd me out here."

He stared at me for another long moment. Considering I'd essentially grown up with a bunch of XPCA, I was well familiar with their foibles and lingo, the concerns of the common soldier, common ground I could reach for to build a rapport...with hundred-year-old jargon anyway. I hoped they hadn't changed much.

And then he smiled and I knew I had him. He took a step forward and embraced my arm like Athan and Karu were always doing. "I heard you were unstoppable. Legend has it you used to mouth off to Director Blackett himself."

"Yeah," I said, blowing some hair out of my face. "Used to. Hence the relocation."

He laughed, and while he did, I popped the question building in his mind about asking why I was here and directed his focus back to my issue. Abruptly, he cleared his throat and turned back to the men holding me. "I can vouch for Colonel Dawn's presence here," he said. "There is no situation."

"No," gurgled the big one. "She do what Ikeda-san order."

I jabbed at his mind again, but it was like checking a well-done steak for doneness using a toothpick. Frustrating. But at least I had others to work on now, and began to focus on the crowd instead.

Solidarity began to reign, as whatever animosity the XPCA and other branches of the military had, it paled in comparison to a perceived external threat. SEALs and rangers and berets began to close ranks around the increasingly-flustered workers.

Well, except the big one with the slippery mind and the death-grip on my arm. He didn't seem flustered at all. In fact, he started moving forward, seemingly oblivious to the dangerous wall of men now assembling against him.

"Hold it, Chuckles," one such man said, shoving him back with little apparent effect. His buddies got in on it, and then my captor's fist lashed out, faster than even I could sense, and knocked one to his ass.

It was just what I'd been hoping for. I fell and wrenched my arm with a painful crack, crying out an exaggerated wail, and between the abuse of their peer and the mistreatment of lil' ol' me, the guys jumped him en-mass.

But the guy holding me up was some kind of fucking Japanese beefcake ninja or some shit. He seemed completely prepared for this, moving faster than any of them did, keeping backpedalling with sure feet to make sure he wasn't surrounded, keeping me squarely between himself and his attackers, throwing out blows at improbable ranges and connecting, while every retaliatory strike seemed to miss.

I honestly couldn't keep up. As soon as the fight started, all I got was the rush of controlled aggression of those nearest and the fear and amusement of the onlookers, all washing over me at once, a surge of emotion I stood no chance of blocking out. Things became a blur of feeling and adrenaline, punctuated with spikes of pain whenever a blow connected. At first I was only feigning weakness and injury to sell my helplessness, but it only took a few seconds before I was flopping around, useless for realsies.

It felt like minutes, but finally the fight broke. My musclebound toad of a captor was still clutching my arm, breathing heavily, but still on his feet, while four or five other men were laid out, and a half-dozen more were still arrayed against him in various states of injury.

"Look," spat my XPCA boyfriend through a bloody nose. "How about we escort both of you to see Ikeda-san. Then we can be sure nothing inappropriate happens to her, and you still get to follow your orders."

I swore at his sudden flash of rationalism and tried to dig my way back into his mind, but the toad simply nodded in agreement and began shuffling back up the walk, the others moving with him in a half-circle, ready to pounce again, but at the same time, none of them really actually ready to do so.

These were, after all, the ones still standing. My most fervent supporters had gone all-in already, and they were all-out already. Mr. XPCA gave me a reassuring smile, like everything would be fine and he'd miracled a solution to all my problems.

The fucker.

The path up to the doors seemed endless, and the doors themselves opened so slowly, I considered they perhaps should have started with them before we even began on the path. And of course the inside of the house was just as fancy and ostentatious as it's exterior.

To my surprise though, they didn't take me up the gilded-and-dark-wood stairs, but rather behind them, and then down, into the slightly chilly air of the basement. One of many, I realized, as I sensed presences further out and further down, a whole 'nother mansion down here underground.

Underground. Invisible. Surreptitious. A perfect place for all kinds of illicit activity, perhaps. Hush-hush weapons deals. Money laundering. Breaking contraband or sanctions.

Or, I realized, as a familiar pair of consciousnesses entered my presence, storage of Exhumans. My hand shook as I, subtly as I could, touched the comms in my ear, barely breathing to speak.

"Athan," I whispered, watching the broad back of the toad dragging me.

"What's up? Are you okay?"

"Not important. Can't talk. Just an update."

"Update? On what? Saga, where are you?"

"They're here, Athan. Both of them."

"Both of--?"

"Tem. Moon. They're here."

He started to reply but I realized I was looking straight into the toad's eyes now, and his beefy fingers closed around my hand and pulled the comms from my ear with a painful jerk. He examined it for one slow second before sliding it forever out of my reach in his vest pocket, his eyes boring into me the whole while.

Leaving me very very much alone, in my least favorite position in the world, yet again.

Heading deep underground as a prisoner, with a bunch of XPCA.