YF powered down Kanezaki’s truck and listened as the levitation modules clanked against the platform. He looked out the driver side window to the sea of neon lights and criss-crossing highways marking a typical dawn in Icchome. It was a lot more activity than he was used to, lending credence to the theory that Nishida’s citizens were moving to the villages for a cheaper cost of living. It would really only be a matter of time before the creep of outsiders reached Gochome — or perhaps, as his and Erika’s apartment building was being torn down, it already had. YF turned his head to the other side of the platform, where a traditional izakaya complete with clay tiles rested comically separated from multiple new megabuildings stamped with the Aoshima logo at the very top, a soulless building number right below. It seemed there was really no place he could go to escape the presence of Hayashi Reina.
YF sat in front of the izakaya for a while, his hands placed on the wheel. He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, the bright glow of the lights and the rising sun through his UV shield somehow providing a strange level of comfort. Why did a city so beautiful make him feel like he was dying inside every second? Was it the fact that so much that could be attained was in his face but out of reach? When he thought about it there was really nothing he controlled: where he lived, where he worked, what he did, nor really even his relationship with Erika. A small resentment over Erika leaving and then suddenly deciding to return simmered in his stomach. But when he opened his eyes, the lights of the Itsugo Icchome morning washed the feeling away. He opened the driver side window, inviting the deafening sound of wind and activity from the city. YF breathed in the smell of humidity and metal. At least for the moment he sat in the truck, he was in control.
YF took another deep breath and opened the door, walking around the truck and across the platform to the bar.
When the front door slid open YF didn’t have to scan the room long to find Tatori seated in the far corner behind a large shoji screen with three of his associates. Tatori glanced once toward the door and then turned back to the others at the table. YF power walked across the room until he stood over Tatori.
“We need to talk,” YF announced loudly.
Tatori spread his arms, looking incredulous. “I’m having a moment here with—”
“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t urgent,” said YF. “Please,” he added.
Tatori stood up and motioned for YF to follow. “We’re going to the back.”
YF followed Tatori through the back hall and two subsequent turns until they stood in front of a room with “V.I.P.” marked on the door. Tatori scanned his wrist at the reader and waited for it to open. YF followed after.
“So—” YF started.
Tatori raised a hand, shifting listlessly over to the couch and plopping himself down. “We can get down to business as soon as we get some food and drink in here.”
“Sumimasen.” As if on cue, a woman dressed in kimono appeared behind YF, asking for the latter to get out of the way politely.
YF stepped aside from the doorway, letting her stand where he had been.
Tatori glanced upward. “Four portions karaage, two high balls, four nama beer—”
“I—” YF interrupted.
“Are you ever going to stop that shit? Do you need to insult me on my territory too?” Tatori snapped.
YF held an open hand sideways in front of his face. “Sumimasen, go ahead.”
The woman bowed once to each of them.
“ — and one umeshu,” Tatori finished.
“Wakarimashita, shosho-omachikudasai,” said the woman bowing yet again before leaving the hall.
YF waited until she rounded the corner before going over to where Tatori sat, sitting down beside him. “I’m not going to drink tonight.”
“Who said it’s for you?”
“Could be best if you don’t either, if you’d just listen to what I have to say,” said YF.
YF could sense a feeling of dread wash over Tatori’s expression, which he did his best to hide. “Not until the food comes,” Tatori repeated.
YF tried his best to wait patiently, forcing his leg to stop twitching. What felt like a long time later, the waitress returned with a large tray, announcing each dish and drink as she placed it on the table. She then bowed and exited.
Tatori stabbed a large piece of chicken with a fork and handed it to YF. He then took a second fork and retrieved one for himself, popping it in his mouth and chewing as slowly as he possibly could before gulping it down. “Now,” said Tatori. “Tell me what was so important you had to ruin my morning of rest.”
“Change of plans,” said YF. “Someone important at site is missing, and people are going to start asking questions. We need to move right now. I have a truck outside, and you’re going to get under the supplies in the bed. I will bring you in.”
Tatori stopped eating. “I’m assuming you had something to do with this man’s disappearance.”
“It’s hard to explain,” said YF.
“Tell me why I shouldn’t pull out of this right now.”.
“If you were going to do that you wouldn’t have asked me for help to begin with,” said YF. “You’re desperate. Over what I have no idea and I frankly don’t give a shit. But we both need this thing done. And if we do not go tonight it will be over.”
“And what of my men?”
YF shook his head. “They aren’t going to fit. Maybe one will, if you want to risk getting caught. You’re going to have to trust me on this.”
“I do not.”
“You make whatever deals you need, but I will be waiting outside. And if you don’t show in thirty minutes I will be gone, as well as any chance of you pulling off this job.” YF stood up quickly and walked over to the door. Without waiting for a response, he opened it and stepped into the hall.
***
The pallet in the truck bed somehow had enough clearance for Tatori and one of his associates to slide underneath. YF drove as quickly as he could without shifting the load he was carrying, staying in the left lane until he exited near the reactor complex. When he reached the gate YF slowed down, stopping at a hover next to the guardhouse.
“Kiss the ground,” said the guard, making to get out of the pillbox.
YF turned off the levitation module and waited for the clank of rubber on metal before stepping out, dropping onto the metal floor just as the guard came out. The guard looked YF up and down. “Well? Registration?”
YF swiped the registration information from Kanezaki over to the guard.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“These are expired, whoever owns this vehicle was supposed to renew them last month.” The guard leaned to the side so he could see over YF’s shoulder. “What did you need to go to the hardware store for?”
“We’re short on hands, as you can imagine. I’m going to do some minor repairs on my own,” YF replied.
The guard hesitated and then walked to the truck bed, picking up a few pieces of sheet metal. He reached for the pallet cover.
“You ever work on cabinets?” YF quickly blurted out.
The man retracted his hand. “Yeah, the key is…”
YF was not paying attention as the guard explained what to do, nodding and interjecting with the off handed comment where he could.
“Helping Iwami with something I take it,” said the guard.
YF recognized the dorm groundskeeper’s name. “Right.”
“Tell him I said hi.”
“Will do.”
YF got back in the truck and fired up the reactor. He drove straight through the loading bay, where they ran into a roadblock at the exit.
A second guard walked up to the driver’s seat window. “Sir, there’s been an incident in the area. No one can enter or pass through until it’s resolved.”
“What sort of incident?” asked YF.
“One of the work leaders is missing. We have yet to determine his location.”
“I’m helping Iwami with repairs. Can you let me through?” he asked.
The man shook his head. “Unfortunately this isn’t a negotiation.”
“Give him a call. Just give him a call,” YF insisted.
“This isn’t a—”
“Tell you what, I’ll call him and put him on speaker.”
Before the guard could respond YF was already dialing the dorm office number.
“Hello?” Came the response from the other end.
“I’m bringing some supplies from town. I have to help fix things up right?” YF yelled into the phone, holding it out to the guard.
“Yeah why?”
“Guy at the loading bay checkpoint needs a confirmation,” YF replied.
“Who’s at the gate?”
“It’s…” YF started.
“Katagiri,” the guard mumbled.
“Katagiri just let Kondo through.”
Katagiri grimaced, turning his head from side to side as if checking something before stepping back, staring forward as if YF were not there. YF took that as a sign to proceed, stepping gently on the accelerator and letting the truck pick up speed. He held his breath until he was well past the gate, breathing out loudly afterward. YF continued on toward the reactor until he rounded the corner of the first main warehouse. He went a bit further down the road before making a U-turn and heading toward the Vault. YF periodically wiped his sweaty hands against his pants. He knew neither of the shift caravans would be near the road at that time. But each li they approached the towering building in the distance felt longer; each intersection YF expected someone to suddenly turn onto the road.
When they reached the Vault’s outer gate, YF scanned his modification from Minami against the guard’s hand scanner. YF could see there were four armed guards standing in front of the main building in the distance.
“Kondo Sasuke, you don’t have permission to enter this area,” said the guard.
“There must be some mistake,” said YF.
“There isn’t. Unless your duties require you to enter you won’t be given those credentials. I would check with the access team.”
YF turned the truck around and went back down the road until he drove over the first large hill, pulling over to the side and parking the vehicle. He got out of the truck and went around the back, lifting the pallet cover. Tatori and his associate climbed out from under the pallet. “What’s going on?”
“We can’t get in,” said YF.
“Like hell we can’t,” said Tatori.
“We’re going to have to find a way to get around the fence.”
“The way around is for you to get in.”
“Do you not listen—”
Tatori unzipped his jumpsuit halfway and pulled the right flap to the side to reveal what looked like a submachine gun.
YF raised his hand. “I did not sign up for anything involving bolts flying.”
“There’s no other way in,” Tatori insisted.
“Hold on,” said YF. He went back in the truck and fiddled with the terminal, eventually finding a connection to the site database. YF logged into his account and checked his access credential map, of which the outer wall of The Vault was marked in red. By this time, Tatori and his companion were standing behind YF. “See? I can’t—” YF felt a hard piece of metal pushed against his back.
“You are going to go through,” Tatori ordered.
YF raised his hands in the air. “Get in the back then.”
“I’m sitting next to you in the front.”
“Dammit!” YF shouted. “If you don’t feel me turn back to the gate in fifteen seconds you can do whatever you want. But if you don’t get in the fucking bed, we’re all going to eat a hot one in the chest. Is that what you want?”
YF could hear Tatori stepping back, as well as the pressure of the firearm leaving his skin.
“I’m getting in the front,” Tatori repeated. “Ito, get in the back.”
YF listened to the sound of Ito climbing under the pallet before he himself slid into the driver’s seat. YF waited for Tatori to get in the passenger’s seat before he closed the door. He then pulled the wrapped modification off his wrist and massaged the skin underneath gently.
“What’s that?” Tatori demanded.
YF could see from the corner of his eye that Tatori was pointing the gun at him from underneath his unzipped jumpsuit.
“I’m going to get us through one way or the other so put that shit away if you don’t want to get shot,” said YF.
YF didn’t check to see if Tatori complied, firing up the reactor. When the dashboard indicated it was eighty percent warmed up, YF made a violent U-turn and drove quickly for the Vault gate. He could see the guard from earlier raising his rifle, the muzzle pointing straight at YF’s truck.
YF slowed down as he approached the man, raising both hands slowly so that he could be seen before placing them through the open window as he came to a stop. The guard approached him hesitantly, all the while keeping his weapon raised.
“There’s been a misunderstanding!” YF shouted through the window.
“What misunderstanding Mr. Kondo?”
“I am not Mr. Kondo,” said YF. He thought he heard a shift in the truck bed. “I can explain. Let me step out of the car.”
“I will open the vehicle door Mr. Kondo. Remain where you are.”
“The modules are still up.”
“That won’t be a problem.”
The guard continued slowly toward the truck until he reached the door. He then pressed the button and the door opened. The guard pointed the gun from YF to Tatori.
“Who are you?” the guard demanded, pointing his gun at Tatori.
“My associate,” YF said quickly. “I had to go back down the road to pick him up anyway. We’re both here for the same reason.”
“You said you have an explanation Mr. Kondo?”
YF half expected Tatori to shoot the man, but when nothing happened after a few seconds he slowly stepped on the booster step and onto the ground while keeping his hands in the air. “Please scan my wrist again.” YF lowered his voice to a whisper. “I’m here on something…clandestine.”
The guard didn’t respond.
“Just do it,” YF repeated.
The guard ran his arm brace against YF’s wrist. When the result came back the guard looked from the scanner to YF’s face, to Tatori, and then back to the scanner. He quickly disengaged the weapon and threw the rifle shoulder strap over his neck, swinging the weapon expertly to the side with his hand on the muzzle so that it pointed away at all times. The guard bowed quickly. “Forgive me director. Please, come through.” He pressed something on his shoulder pad. “One of the ARC directors is here on a visit. Let him through the door.”
YF got back into the truck and drove on to the front entrance, where one of the four guards bowed before the vehicle had stopped. One of the other guards typed in a code to the mounted terminal before pressing the button. YF watched as the double doors slid apart.
“This way, director,” said the initial man.
YF and Tatori both alighted from the truck and followed the guard past the entrance, which shut behind them.
The guard then took off his helmet and shoved it under his armpit. He wiped the side of his head with his shoulder pad. “Whew, saved me there, director. Come on, follow me.”
They continued down the dimly lit path all the way to a thick looking metal door at the end of the hall.
The guard stopped in front of the terminal. “As you know, the system will only allow TS holders through. Your associate will have to wait.”
YF turned to Tatori.
“He’s my guest. From the ARC.”
“His credentials should scan through then.”
“How about I sign him in?” asked YF.
The guard chuckled nervously. “Yeah, good one.”
YF frowned. He could see Tatori reaching inside his coat. Before Tatori could move further, YF wound his right fist, pivoted hard and slammed a cross into the guard’s face. Though the first hit seemed to only stun him, YF followed with a jab and a second cross, knocking him off balance. As if on cue, Tatori slid behind the guard and hooked him by the neck with his right arm, gripping his left bicep and choking the man until he passed out, slumping. Tatori slowly lowered him to the ground.
“I’m sure the alarm is going to sound when you pass,” said YF, motioning toward the door. I hope you have a plan on how we’re getting out.”
“Just get us in,” Tatori mumbled.
YF swiped his wrist through the reader and the heavy door swung outward, prompting the two of them to step back as it did. At the end of the corridor was another heavy looking door, which swung open after a short delay. YF stepped past the threshold, which caused the door to begin closing. He barely felt Tatori brush past him before an ear shattering alarm rang through the confined space.
“Let’s move!” Tatori shouted, dashing toward the closing door at the end of the hall.
YF ran after Tatori.
“Warning, subjects in Bay 5 have escaped their holding cells and may act unpredictably. Refer to the site map to determine real time locations of…”
YF slowed down and then came to a complete stop. The sounds of the alarm and warning message blurred in his ears. Something didn’t feel right.
“What are you doing!” he heard the muffled shout of Tatori.
YF felt a shove and saw Tatori run through the door. He followed just as it closed.
Immediately YF heard a scream followed by the sound and flash of multiple bolts flying through the air, a grunt, and then a thud.