Kazin

As Jin and I cross the cavern towards the rear chambers for a smoke, a familiar, skinny little figure pounces out of the corner to greet us.

“If it isn’t the inner-city boy!”

I smile warmly, and rush to take the small girl in my arms. I do so carefully, as her arms and head are still wrapped in bandages.

“Hey, Ghost. It’s good to see you.”

“You too, inner-city boy!” She swings her arms at our surroundings. “Never knew in all my days that I would end up a Joryoku acolyte!”

Jin ruffles her hair and crosses his arms, shifting his weight to one leg. “Looks like Hiro’s come through on his promise.” Though he wears an expression of mocking, I can sense it as a mask for the endearment he hides beneath.

Ghost flattens her hair with her hands, scowling at Jin. “Yeah, yeah. Should’ve come yourself to pick me up, though, anchovy. Quite near had a heart attack when I saw the Joryoku standing outside Hiro’s doorway! Thought I might end up like…” Ghost’s smile fades, and her eyes glimmer in momentary sadness.

Like Old Man Hazikawa.

Jin quickly beckons her away. “Alright, shrimp. Time to go learn the ins and outs of bioEnhancement maintenance. One is never too young for labor, but you’re lacking in years for a smoke.”

Ghost nods in seeming relief, and scampers away towards the man named Hiro. I turn to steal a look at him and find that he is gazing at me as well. We lock eyes, and he gives me a nod before wrapping his arms about Ghost’s shoulders as he leads her away.

“Who’s that?” I ask Jin as we enter the smoking the chamber.

“Who, Hiro?” Jin says. “He’s the one that found me and Ghost when we were damn near dead, after the mercs got ahold of you.” Jin lights my cigarette for me. “Apparently he knows Norbu. They were friends, before some falling out.”

“So…they hate each other now?”

Jin shakes his head. “It wasn’t a bad falling out. Some disagreement, it seems, regarding some philosophy about robotics.” Jin shrugs. “From what I’ve gathered, it seems that Hiro wanted the Yamda members to go even more inorganic, and Norbu was against that.”

“Why?” I scoff. I lift my arms and legs to get the point across. “How does one get more inorganic than this?”

Jin’s lips curl into that half-smile of his. “You’d be surprised, ya country bumpkin, how much technology there really is in the world. It’s accessible, just not to the likes of us. You gotta be a corporate to get ahold of things like that. Or”—Jin blows a cone of grey smoke towards the ceiling—“the corporates’ll finally let us have good things when they're forced to widen their margins.”

We fall into a fit of disheartened chuckling as we puff at our cigarettes.

“Hey,” I say to Jin. “Thanks.”

Jin frowns. “For what?” He then realizes. “Eh, it’s nothing. Maybe I’ll get that classmate of yours we took as prisoner to send me a couple million links before we off him. And I’ll get me a cybernetic limb with that money.” He grins broadly.

“Jin, I—”

“Hey,” Jin says in mock warning. “You would’ve done the same for me.”

I nod and leave it at that. Jin’s lip lifts into his half-smile as he pulls a small bottle of liquor from his jacket pocket. We knock back the whiskey among the two of us as we light another smoke. As the warmth of the drink wraps its arms around me, I smile to myself. Maybe, this is all there really is. Maybe, this is all I really need. A friend, a drink, a cigarette, underlined by the sweet aftertaste of a well-deserved victory.

But then, as we leave the smoking chamber, I catch glimpse of something in the corner, and all thoughts of the people I am indebted to sweep over my mind in a torrent.

Slowly, I approach the stasis tank, set in a dark, secluded corner of the compound. Ganzama floats within the liquid. Bubbles rise around him from the various filters built into the tank. His mouth is connected to an oxygen tube; his eyes are open but lifeless and dull. My heart twists at the sight of him, and I turn away.

"Maybe I'll make Sangsum pay for his cybernetics too," I whisper hoarsely.

Jin shakes his head. "He'll need more than just cybernetic limbs." He taps at his temple. "The Healer's say that this is where his problem is. There's no cybernetic that'll fix that."

"There must be some way," I say.

"And what if I told you there was?"

Jin and I turn to see Hiro standing to our rear, observing Ganzama. He steps in between us and stares into the stasis tank.

"The mind is a delicate thing, made up of various parts, affected by so many fickle things: hormonal imbalances, pressure, bleeding, lack of oxygen. So frail a thing that governs our bodies." He turns to me and extends his hand. "I believe we have yet to introduce ourselves to one another. I am Hiro."

I nod and take his hand in mind. He is bent, his shoulders stooped by age and the worries that come with it, but his head of hair is full and streaked with wisdom; his eyes are fiery with passion.

"My name is Kazin."

Hiro nods. "I knew your father. Kashniro Moyashino. A fine man, loyal to a fault, who obeyed without question."

It feels strange to hear someone from Dad's previous life describe him. It is as if he is describing a stranger, a side of Dad I never knew. Peculiarly, it puts me at unease. Perhaps a part of me is afraid that I'll discover something that I never wanted to know, a secret that, once unveiled, will tear Dad down from the pedestal I've placed him upon, and shatter the monument of his martyrdom.

"What are you going on about, Hiro?" Jin asks.

"Nothing," Hiro says, smiling.

"You can help him?" I say, pressing my hand against the glass of the tank.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Were I allowed to, yes," Hiro answers. "But Norbu and I disagree on the topic. If ever you would like to know more, come find me, where we may discuss the matter in private." He pats me on the shoulder, brooking no further conversation. "Come, Kazin. It is time for your assessment."

"Assessment?" Jin says.

"To see how much Sangsum messed with my brain," I answer bitterly.

Hiro leads me and Jin to a separate VR pod in a small room just beside Ganzama's stasis tank. The walls are of rippling concrete, lit by a single fluorescent bar on the ceiling. Kala is waiting beside a large screen which takes up a large part of the right wall. A VR pod stands in the center, wired to several different types of diagnostic headsets.

Just as Hiro closes the door, Ghost bolts into the room.

"Hey, you," Jin says playfully, kicking in her direction. "Get out. No kiddos allowed."

Ghost eyes Jin up and down. "If there's a height requirement, you shouldn't be allowed in either."

Hiro settles me into the VR pod and places a headset over me. "Just be at peace, Kazin. There will be no pain whatsoever."

Kala gazes into the screen as Hiro begins his typing.

I am lulled into a dark, peaceful sleep. I find myself floating out in dark cyberspace, surrounded by nothingness on all sides. I am floating as if surrounded by water, but I am stationary, unable to move of my own will. Normally, I might have hated such helplessness. But right now, I am enjoying the bliss of this dark dream.

Until I am rudely jolted awake by an invasive presence in my mind.

As I am drifting along, locked in my thoughts, with sleep overtaking me, a humanoid shape hurtles towards me. It takes me by the shoulders and shakes at me frantically.

"Kazin! Wake up!"

I cry out in surprise and struggle to regain my balance as I twirl through the weightlessness of cyberspace. When finally I get ahold of my balance and my faculties, I see Vyvani standing in front of me.

"Vyvani?" I ask in confusion. "I don’t think it's midnight yet."

"It's not," she answers. "But I need your help."

"With what?" I ask in annoyance.

"I'll lead you along once we get out into the world," Vyvani says. "You might need help though. Maybe that guy named Jin could help you."

I laugh nervously. "Vyvani, I'm in the middle of something right now. Actually, they might be able to see you."

"I know they can," Vyvani says. She draws a circle in the air, opening a window into cyberspace. Lines of code move vertically and horizontally within its boundaries. "I'm getting us out of here."

"Vyvani, wait!"

But it's too late. Vyvani has cut the assessment short, and I find myself blinking inside the VR pod. My mind senses the all-too familiar tingle of a foreign presence cohabiting my consciousness.

I remove the headset and climb out of the VR pod, rubbing at my eyes.

"Hey guys," I begin saying. "Sorry, something came up." When I lift my gaze, I lock eyes with a dumfounded Hiro. Kala is staring at the screen, her mouth agape. Jin and Ghost rub their heads, confused as to why their companions are reeling as if amazed.

Hiro takes a wobbly step in my direction. "Who are you?"

"I'm Kazin Moyashino."

"Not you!" Hiro snaps. Jin jolts backwards as if he's been slapped. He peers at Hiro curiously.

Hiro takes another step towards me and lifts his trembling hands. He presses them against my temples, and turns my head this way and that.

"You have had chips implanted, yes?" he asks me.

"Yeah, as far as I know."

"But you are not alone, are you?"

Vyvani freezes in astonishment. Who is this man?

"Impossible," Hiro whispers. His eyes light afire with new passion. "Impossible."

Kala joins Hiro, her face one of restrained concern. "You're right, Hiro." Kala levels her gaze against me and holds my eyes with hers. "Kazin. We weren't able to complete your assessment. There was an interruption. What caused it was unlike anything I've ever seen."

Jin and Ghost hurry to me and add their auras to the tension, stretching the air tight. "What is it?" Ghost asks.

Hiro takes a deep breath and steps near so no one else can hear him speak. "Who's in there with you, Moyashino? Is it the Gato boy, or another being entirely?"

I hold my tongue. Vyvani speaks.

Tell him, Kaz.

No.

"No one," I lie. Hiro’s gaze is unflinching. “Maybe residue from Sangsum’s experiments?”

For a moment, Hiro's eyes glimmer with fear, but his mouth twitches upwards in a smile. But what scares me most is the excited sheen that glazes over the fear that had initially shone in his eyes. It is then that I realize he has sniffed out my lie.

"The Crystalline Towers," Hiro whispers.

"The what now?" I ask in genuine surprise.

Inside, I feel Vyvani react with shock.

He knows. How?

What?

Hiro takes a step backwards. "The assessment is ended for tonight. We must monitor Kazin further. This is no small thing we are dealing with. We must tread carefully." Hiro stares pointedly at Kala. "No one must know, until we extract conclusive results. We would not want to cause an unnecessary uproar—especially not in times as these."

Kala holds her breath, then nods curtly. "Agreed."

Hiro waits until Jin and Ghost agree likewise.

"Then we will end this session for the night," Hiro says with a wave of his hand. “We will continue tomorrow.”

*******

That night, I toss and turn in my cot. It is like trying to sleep with someone standing over my bed. Eventually, I give in to my exasperation and trudge to the smoking chamber.

Don't you ever sleep?

No.

I shrug tiredly. "Of course," I whisper to myself as I settle on the cold bench. Vyvani remains silent until I finish my cigarette. When I stand to head back to my futile attempts at sleep, Vyvani speaks.

Want to meet in VR?

No.

But then, I figure I have nothing better to do for the moment, and sleep continues to evade me, so I agree resignedly. I walk towards the VR room at the opposite side of the chamber. The entire time, I am unable to tear my eyes away from Ganzama. It seems almost cruel to keep him like this, alive but not living, hanging in a realm that is neither life nor death. Is it selfishness or love that keeps Norbu from sending Ganzama on his way?

I step into the VR pod. The lid closes over me with a sigh, and I am whisked away into a virtual menu room. I create a private room in the template of a café for Vyvani's and my meeting place.

I'm sipping on a coffee while waiting for Vyvani. When she finally arrives, I've nearly finished my drink. As she sits down, I find myself wondering if she's always been this attractive of a person.

"Hey," she says as a smoothie pixelates into her hand.

"Hey Vyvani," I answer.

"So, you think you can help me?" Vyvani asks.

"It'd probably help if you explained it a little bit," I say. “And what’s all this about the Crystalline Towers?”

"I have a friend," she begins, her face crumpling into a reflection of an emotion that I can't quite decipher. "She needs help."

She has ignored my question, much to my vexation. "Help, how?" The question comes out more roughly than I had intended.

"She's been kidnapped,” Vyvani says bluntly.

"Vyvani, I'm not really a mercenary for hire, you know?"

"You owe me."

I slap my forehead. "Yes. Yes, I do. But I'm caught up in a lot of things right now. My clan needs me. We're right in the middle of a war. A lot of things keeping me busy, you see? And you’re not explaining anything to me. Why should I trust you?"

"Please, Kaz." She considers briefly. “It’s a long story. I can tell you afterwards.”

I frown, the anger suddenly rushing to my head. "We weren't even friends back in school. You should probably stop acting like we were close enough to ask each other for favors.”

Vyvani's face remains free of creases, and her voice is as bland as ever. She's as brazen and unapologetic as she was during our days at Minzyu Secondary School. For some reason, it angers me increasingly as I think about that day in front of our apartment.

"You wouldn’t have caught Sangsum if it wasn't for me," says Vyvani.

I curse under my breath. I pixelate an ice cream into my hand and chomp at it ferociously. There's no taste to speak of, but the act of chewing serves to clear my head.

"I'm a good ally to have, Kazin," Vyvani tries. "You saw it yourself."

I can't disagree with what she's saying, but I have too many obligations to attend to at this particular moment.

"I'm sorry, Vyvani." I say, standing. "Maybe later, once things have settled down. But I won't make any promises I can't keep. And I definitely won’t disregard my other priorities for you."

Vyvani glowers at me, and I glower back. Just as I begin wondering if I should just leave, Vyvani finally gives in. She sighs heavily and hangs her head. "Well, you know where to find me if you change your mind."

I walk out of there without even a shred of doubt concerning my decision. Little did I know, however, that I would soon be desperately praying for her help not twenty-four hours later.