Vyvani

I find myself in Shora's black hovercar, driven by her personal driver, a tank of a man named Muzgal. Shora is typing rapidly on her tPanel and making frantic calls on her cTab. I'm supposed to be telling her...something, I guess, but she's been constantly occupied by calls since we've gotten into the car. I begin wondering if I'm truly needed here.

"Get in touch with him, damn it!" Shora says to some suit-clad hologram shimmering atop the screen of her cTab. I can sense the urgent desperation simmering in the undertones of her voice. She hangs up and once again looks into her tPanel.

"Is something the matter?" I dare to ask.

"You said Kargu clan, correct?" Shora asks.

I nod.

"Damn," she whispers. "Might you know the name of the boy who told you this? You said it was a boy, correct?"

I really don't want to rat Vorin out, but then Shora's alarm has injected a large amount of urgency into the situation. Vorin's father might end up going to jail, but Kazin's father might be in true and terrible danger, I realize.

"He's a kid in my group. His name is Vorin."

"Family name?"

I shake my head, myself dumbfounded that I care for my friend group so little that I never even bothered to learn their family names.

"It did sound like his father wasn't a part of the Kargu clan, though," I manage. "Like he was someone hired by the Kargu."

"A Contractor," Shora mutters, cursing under her breath. "That's bad. What else do you know? I need names."

I feel myself chafing under the weight of the apprehension. "Uh—"

"Don't make me regret signing you on," Shora says. "I know you attend Minzyu Secondary. I know you have more than one friend connected to this."

That's when the realization hits me like a bolt of lightning: the reason for the ease of signing for my internship; why Shora was so willing to bargain with me in the first place—why she coaxed me so hard. The spot was as good as mine from the very start. She just needed to see if I was pliable enough to fit her needs, and if I had the backbone she required of me. The insider information I had given her as a bribe was just an extra treat on the side that she hadn't expected. All the pieces that had been nagging at me click into place.

"You only hired me because I'm friends with Sangsum," I say. I'm not sure if I'm angry or disappointed.

Shora sighs in exasperation. "This is the way it works, Vyvani. If you think that people make it in this game purely with their own skill and intellect, then you're not as intelligent as I thought you were. If I really wanted someone for their smarts, I would have hired someone on track to the University of Zanaku instead. Someone buried so deep into their studies that they'd shrivel if they stepped into the sun. But then all I'd have is a glorified secretary." Shora smiles. "You, on the other hand, have connections. You are in a place where you can know things that no one else can.”

My breath catches in my throat. “You wanted me as a spy? My voice comes out a croak.

Shora waves her hand as if waving away a gnat. “You, Vyvani, attend Minzyu Secondary, a school famous for its elite attendees—and what do you know, you were my only applicant from said school. You are unique in that way. Don't act like it isn't a part of you, as if it's insulting that extraneous factors other than your grades were what determined your luck tonight. If you hadn't been willing to tap into those advantages yourself and use them against me, all of your assets still wouldn't have mattered in the end. You showed me you were willing to be shameless, by telling me about your friend Vorin. And I respect that."

I try to hide both the smile and the smirk that I feel tugging at my face. She's won me over completely. She's better than I thought she'd be.

Suddenly Shora's cTab rings again. She holds her thumb against the screen for the biometric sensors to allow access to answer the call. It's the same suit-clad man who appears on the surface.

"I'm pleased to announce that we've got a lead, Councilor," he says.

"Who?" Shora demands.

"Hazgal."

"And what does he say?"

The man shakes his head. "He claims he doesn't know anything about Kashniro's disappearance."

"Then what use is he to us?" I can sense the desperate aggravation in Shora's voice. "I need you to find Kashniro, Commissioner Akato!"

"A bit of concern for Hazgal might be nice, Councilor. He'd be dead if we got there even a minute later than we did." The Commissioner runs a hand through his hair and shakes his head. "My guys are already stretched thin as it is, all over Byanza Quarter and Koboko District. There's no trace of the meeting. You know how dealings with the Joryoku work, Councilor. They'll show up when they show up."

I see the vein on Shora's temple pulsing. "Alright," she grimaces. "But send some of your guys to Shirumo District as well. That's where Kashniro's homebase is." She taps to end the call.

I clear my throat. "Can I ask what's going on? I may know a thing or two that you don't."

Shora peers at me, a satisfied glint in her eye. "There you are. Welcome back."

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I nod.

"How much do you already know?" Shora asks me.

"I know that the Joryoku are an organized crime syndicate."

Shora taps on her tPanel through several documents and files, eventually bringing up one containing several interconnected tree graphs. "Not just one syndicate. It's the blanket term for all of them. The Kargu clan is one such group, most active in Zanaku City. They've recently begun an expansion into the Tri-Cty area encapsulating Handata, Zanaku, and Miyatano under their new commander." Shora leans back into her headrest. Bags suddenly seem to have appeared beneath her eyes. She rubs them and takes a whiff of her ePipe. Foggy vapor clouds the backseat as she exhales. "Kashniro was a familiar face from back in my grunt days. You might know him as Kazin's dad."

I nod. "I figured that much. I live in Shirumo too."

"Kash and I struck up a working relationship when he recently returned to the city. He was working some of his magic in Byanza Quarter when last we spoke, which, unfortunately, is exactly where the Kargu clan had established as homebase for their operations in Handata City. I'm guessing that Kash stepped on some toes during his dealings."

"And you're looking for him now to warn him of the danger he might be in?"

"That would be our hope," Shora says. "In the worst-case scenario, he's already caught, and...let's just say that the Kargu are notorious for their unorthodox and creative cruelty." Shora sighs. "Kashniro was supposed to have a meeting with the Shampai Group executives tonight—the same folks who, according to your tip, have apparently sold him out."

I scratch my head, thinking of that three-pronged glass pyramid I caught a glimpse of on my way to the interview. "Wouldn't they just hold the meeting at the Shampai Group headquarters?"

Shora smiles. "That's what one would think. But would an established corporation really want to hold an 'official' meeting with a known crime syndicate at their headquarters? They wouldn't be able to hide that, and the optics would be terrible."

I nod. "I see. I'll also guess that the deals are murky, and legally blurry."

"Exactly," Shora says.

"Is it usually this hard to find the location of a Joryoku meeting?" I ask.

"No," Shora answers. "That's what I'm having trouble understanding. Wherever they choose to have a meeting, you're bound to see an army of black suits guarding the area. But in the places we are surveilling, there's none of that anywhere--Byanza, Koboko, Tobashinta, Minzyu, Andaka. Nothing."

I search my mind for answers, wondering if there was anything that Sangsum had said in previous days that might hint at his father's whereabouts. It's a small hope with a minuscule chance of success, but I continue thinking nonetheless, stepping through my memories, opening doors to see if it's the one that may hold the key. Then suddenly, I think I've discovered something.

"Can they hold these meetings at someone's home?" I ask.

Shora turns to me, a ponderous look on her face. "it's very unlikely. It's never been heard of."

"Exactly," I suggest. "Isn't that the point of a secret meeting?"

Shora sits up. "Go on."

"Cause you see, there was supposed to be a party tonight, with my group of...classmates that I consort with. I know it might not mean much, but Sangsum usually likes to have parties at his estate tower in Indato District. He likes to show off his stuff--the hypercars, airShips, spaceYachts." I clear my throat to hide my lack of confidence in the suggestion. "But today, they decided to have it at Jerim's house. The party."

Shora remains silent.

I clear my throat again. "I'm sorry. It was a very elementary idea."

"No, go on," Shora says encouragingly. "Was there some special occasion for this Jerim?"

"Well, his parents did just move into a place at Meradon Hills," I say sheepishly.

"That is quite the expensive purchase, in a nice area. Worthy of showing off."

"Yeah," I agree. "But I don't know that Sangsum would like Jerim getting the spotlight, even for one night. He's just not that type of guy."

Shora nods. "I know the type. City Center is infested with them…Your idea is a bit..puerile, I’ll admit, but I see your point. It's the small things that we adults usually miss. And all it takes is one, tiny degree to steer an airShip far off course. Very good insight, Vyvani."

I smile in satisfaction. "So, now we just have to head to Indato District. That's where Sangsum's estateTower is. Where the meeting might be."

Shora laughs loudly, to my surprise. "Indato is a stronghold of corporate executives. We cannot just waltz in there without a warrant." Shora taps on Muzgal's shoulder. "To Meradon Hills, Muzgal."

"At once, Councilor."

I feel the car swerve, and my stomach leaps to my throat. "What do you mean, Meradon?" I rasp.

"We'll let the Constabulary do their jobs searching for Kash in the other districts. In the meantime..." Shora opens her briefcase and takes out a small chip. “We’ll do what we can.” She hands it to me, waiting patiently until I accept it into my hands.

"That is a listening chip. It'll fit into your cTab's insert. You see, Vyvani, even if Kashniro does happen to be at Indato, we can't get into their airspace without a warrant. And we need reasonable cause, to obtain it. Now, granted, a high school boy saying he couldn't have a party at his house because of his dad’s business is...shaky, at best. But get him to say just that, and I can pull some strings, so that not even a judge accepting links from Shampai through his bumhole can refuse to grant us a warrant. I am a Councilor, after all. We are not totally useless."

"But..." I swallow hard. "But isn't that entrapment?"

Shora shrugs as if I’ve suggested something trivial. "Could be. But if we do find something at Indato, the public will be on our side, and no one will really care then." Shora smiles at the look of horror twisting itself onto my face. She continues speaking. "First thing to learn as my intern, Vyvani: you may bend the boundaries however you wish, so long as you always remain within them." Shora inserts something into her ear and taps on it. It's an earpiece. "I'll be listening in on your little party from the outside. Excellent job, Vyvani, and now, good luck."