Silence In Numbers: File One, page 10
She descended the stairs with a care she resented having to take. Still, it was better than slipping and ending up on the ground in the middle of a crowd of people. As she reached the bottom step her vision went black, flashing green for a split instant before everything was back. She looked around in confusion but no one else seemed to have noticed anything, meaning it was a problem with her. She waited in dread for some new phase of her sickness to strike but nothing ever came. Her eyes narrowed a bit in suspicion as she examined the subway terminal, fingers reaching back to touch the gun stuck in her belt. It almost felt like something was off about the area, but not enough to draw the gun and panic everyone around. Not yet, anyway.
She always followed her gut instincts, but this time they were so vague she didn’t even know how to follow them. The only hint she really had was “be wary”. As far as she knew, it could mean anything was about to happen, from a woman dropping her purse nearby to a demon exploding out through the ground. She pushed away the feeling as unhelpful paranoia; after all, seeking out danger at all times would only lead to seeing danger where there was none. She resolved to watch everything around her but still continued forward, waiting for the next train and boarding it once it arrived.
Katsumi took a seat as far away from the majority of passengers as possible, in the back of the last car. It was a crowded time of day with people leaving work and catching a ride home, so even this car had a good number of passengers, from obvious businessmen to shoppers to the homeless. Katsumi watched the dirty men in rags and the ones in fine suits equally; stereotyping led to assumptions that led to deadly mistakes. She was probably just being paranoid… The stress of the past few days, of trying… and failing… to catch a serial terrorist was getting to her, that much she knew.
She lifted a hand to rub her eyes, suddenly tired as her mind began to work against her. The vibrations of the car as it moved quickly along the tunnel’s tracks lulled her into deeper thoughts she wanted no part of. Failure weighed heavily on her and, what was worse, she was no closer to finding and stopping the culprit than she’d been before. She didn’t want to admit it, but she didn’t know where to go from here.
In the background, several people in the car talked quietly to each other. A business man spoke firmly on his phone about some deal he should have left at work but couldn’t let go of. A homeless-looking man slipped away from the handle he was holding, moving down the car seeking handouts from all the passengers.
The first two didn’t bother her, but the homeless man eventually reached Katsumi, moving to hold his hand out in front of her for a handout when he tripped and fell towards her. There was a glint and a flash of movement as Katsumi shot out of her seat, one hand swiping down as the other slammed palm-first into the man’s chest, sending him flying back the other direction. He slammed into one of the poles in the center of the car, bouncing off of it with a cry and hitting the floor. Everyone’s attention shot to the short altercation with a collective gasp.
A knife hit the ground between Katsumi and the man and he scrambled to recover it, lunging at her again. In the few seconds she had, she noticed several things very wrong with what had at first appeared to be a normal beggar: for one, his eyes were wide as if in shock, though he showed no other signs of shock. Two, his veins were visible through his skin, bulging as if every muscle in his body was flexing or as if he was on some crazy drug. And three, his entire body was subtly shaking.
Katsumi dodged the knife a second time, reaching back to pull the pistol from her belt. She ducked a third swipe, slamming her elbow into the man’s side and sliding past him, turning gracefully to take aim at his head as her finger slipped onto the trigger.
The answer’s in the heart!
Katsumi’s breath caught as the words and voice from her dream shot through her mind with astounding clarity. As the beggar turned back to face her with the knife she moved her aim lower, unsure why but following her instincts as she always did. The sound of the shot filled the small subway car as the bullet exploded from her gun and ripped through the beggar’s chest. He jerked back and fell with a spray of blood as the other passengers in the cart erupted in screams. Katsumi was still eyeing the body, though, and an instant later she slid one foot back and turned to face the passengers, raising her voice. “Everyone get out of the car, run to the front of the train! NOW!”
The absolute authority in her voice made even these total strangers in the car jump out of their seats and rush through the door, yelling and pulling other confused passengers with them. Katsumi wasted no time as she fired again, shooting out a window. She bent down and grabbed part of the dead beggar’s clothing, lifting him up and hurling his body through the window in one smooth move.
Three seconds later an explosion rocked the train and tore off the back half of the subway car. The sound of rending metal, erupting flame and shattering cement deafened Katsumi for the second time in as many days. A blast of hot wind washed over her and she felt herself fly into the air as the subway shrieked, the back car flying off the rails and pulling the rest of the train with it in a domino effect.
Katsumi dropped her gun as she flew through the air, twisting mid-fall and catching the last metal pole in the center of the car. She looked down and saw the rails rushing quickly beneath her. Around her were the shorn edges of the train car, sparks flying as the metal grinded against the tunnel’s walls. Katsumi hit the floor as momentum left her, pulling herself quickly into what remained of the car. She looked back and saw the flames dying down further back in the tunnel as the subway train slowly screeched to a stop. She jumped up to check on the passengers and immediately fell again, gasping as pain shot through her. She wasn’t nearly healed from the injuries she’d received less than twenty-four hours earlier, and this kind of thing was the last thing her body needed.
Unfortunately for her body, Katsumi didn’t care. She growled angrily and slammed a fist into the floor, pushing herself up onto her feet once more and stumbling to the door between cars, forcing it open and looking at the people inside. “Is everyone okay? Who’s hurt?”
The people in front of her looked shaken, but apart from a few bruises and a small cut here and there, there didn’t seem to be any injuries. Katsumi allowed herself a moment of relief and pulled out her badge, a sight that visibly relaxed the passengers. She moved through to the next car to check on the passengers in there, but they were even better than those in the previous car. She continued all the way through to the front car, informing the conductor and answering the few questions he had mind enough to ask. He called in for help as Katsumi headed back through the train until she reached the back car again, where she dropped down onto the rails.
Katsumi could scarcely believe it as she walked down the dark tunnel. Not only were there no casualties but the only real injury was one mildly broken arm, and that wouldn’t even be labeled “serious” by any report. Her actions had apparently saved everyone on the train. She should’ve been ecstatic.
And yet, as she walked towards the smoking wreckage down the tunnel, all she could think was that saving them wouldn’t even be necessary if she had been able to catch this criminal in the first place.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Samuel Lawrence whistled as he looked at the rubble in the collapsed portion of the tunnel. “Twice in two days; you sure know how to attract ‘em, boss.”
Katsumi Samakura stood behind him with her arms folded, watching him inspect the edge of the collapse. She was waiting for him to determine the structural integrity of the remaining tunnel so they could get to work clearing the debris and get to what she hoped would be something left of a body somewhere in the middle of it. “You’re going to attract the back of my hand if you don’t shut up and get to work.”
Law shrugged, focusing on the mess in front of him. The Captain obviously wasn’t in the mood for jokes so he wasn’t going to push it. Kurasano came up behind them, tucking his phone into his suit jacket’s pocket and running a hand over his crimson hair. “Crew’s ready as soon as we get the clearance from you, Law.” He glanced at Katsumi. “Hey, boss… Should you even be outta the hospital yet?” Law cringed without even having to look. Sano took a step back at the dangerous look Katsumi directed at him, giving a sheepish shrug. “Just sayin’…”
Katsumi kept the glare on him as she spoke slowly. “I am, Lieutenant,” Sano and Law both winced at the venom in her tone, “perfectly capable of walking, and I don’t need to be babysat any longer.”
“I wasn’t saying-“
“I need to get back to my job. Is that okay with you, or should I have asked permission?”
Sano held up his hands in a placating gesture. “Sorry I even brought it up.”
Katsumi gave a low sound he swore was a growl and turned back to watch Law impatiently. The large man finally stood up, nodding back to her. “Structure’s good, the blast mostly caused surface damage.”
Samakura immediately waved to the crew they had standing by. “Alright, get over here and get to work! I want this cleared quickly and efficiently!”
The team jumped to work, expertly removing slabs of concrete and iron. Several minutes in one of the workers shouted over to them and Katsumi headed in his direction with Sano and Law on her heels. The man moved out of their way and Katsumi stepped into his place to see his find. Sano looked over her shoulder and winced at the sight as she kneeled to inspect it. “Yeesh, there go my dinner plans… For the next three weeks…”
It was a bloody sight, to be sure. Katsumi recognized the top half of her attacker’s head, but everything below part of the jaw was gone, leaving half the jaw hanging loose along with some stuff Sano would rather not identify. The bottom half of the pelvis and legs lay nearby, along with some random pieces she couldn’t identify at first glance. Sano stuck his hands in his pockets and looked up at the ceiling. “So I’m guessing he had the bomb on him.”
“Not on,” Law corrected as he kneeled beside Katsumi once she made room for him, “in.”
“In,” Sano repeated. “Inside him. Well that’s even better,” he remarked with more than a hint of sarcasm.
Katsumi nodded. “His body seemed to be under a great deal of stress. His veins grew more visible over time, muscles and skin seemed to stretch, eyes bulged more.”
“Taking that into account, along with the appearance of these remains… See the small tears in the skin of the areas still intact?” Law shook his head. “Doesn’t look like a bomb was just implanted into him.”
Katsumi looked at her Demolitions expert. “What, then?”
“He was the bomb.”
Sano looked back down with a frown. “Biological?”
“Maybe.”
Katsumi shook her head. “So this criminal turns people into bombs.”
“That’s what it looks like to me. We’ll take these remains in and I’ll look into it a little more, but I’m almost sure.”
Katsumi stood up, moving past the two and brushing herself off. “I don’t like this.”
“Well yeah,” Sano said as he turned to follow her, “Making people into living bombs is all kinds of sick.”
“It’s also new and requires some sort of genius.” She looked back at Kurasano. “I don’t like my criminals to be geniuses with new ideas. We don’t have a counter for this.”
“We won’t have to. If we catch him, we can stop this just like that.”
“Just like that…” Katsumi sighed, looking in his eyes. “Why do I not believe it will be ‘just like that’?”
Sano shrugged, offering a humorless smile. “Because nothing’s ever easy for us.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Date: March 26, 2068
Time: 10:28 AM
Location: South Ashfield Hospital, 3rd Floor, Room 302
“So… You were told how to stop these attacks… in a dream?”
“Not a… dream, exactly… I mean, he said he was hacking into my mind.”
Ayane sighed. “I didn’t know that was possible. This sounds insane.”
“That’s why I’ve only told you,” Katsumi said as she sat back and folded her arms.
“I’ve never heard of this ‘Sigma’. I’ve never heard of this mind-hacking stuff, either.” Ayane hugged her moogle. “I don’t like this, Katsumi… I don’t like any of this. Someone breaking into your mind? Assassination attempts on you? I don’t like anything about this case.”
Katsumi sat forward. “We don’t know for sure this was targeted at me-“
“You just got out of the hospital, Sumi!” Ayane glared at her. “You’ve almost died two times in as many days – no, within twenty-four hours! What about that sounds like a coincidence?!”
“Okay, okay,” Katsumi said calmingly as she moved to sit on the side of the bed, putting her arm around Ayane and pulling her against her. “It’s okay, really. You don’t have to worry.”
Ayane sniffed and hugged her back. “Of course I do. Everything’s trying to kill you.”
“Not everything,” Katsumi looked down at her. “This ‘Sigma’ warned me, so at least for now he’s trying to keep me alive. As for the attacks, well, they keep failing.”
“They keep getting close.”
Katsumi sighed. “I don’t know what you want me to say, Aya. I don’t have a choice in this.”
“I know you don’t… I just…” Ayane huffed. “Why couldn’t you be, like, a librarian?”
Katsumi smiled, leaning back on the bed so they were more comfortable. Ayane laid her head on her shoulder and Katsumi watched her as she spoke. “I’d be a horrible librarian.”
Ayane frowned. “So? It’d be a whole lot safer.”
“You know my own safety isn’t my highest priority.”
“I wish it was higher.” Ayane leaned up enough to look at her sister’s face, laying a hand on her cheek. “Try to stay alive, okay? I don’t… I really can’t…”
Katsumi reached up and took her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. “I know. You’ll just have to trust me, okay?” Katsumi smiled at her. “I promise I won’t leave you alone as long as you promise the same thing.”
Ayane returned the smile and nodded. “I promise. But you better catch this criminal as soon as you can. I hate these ongoing cases.”
“You and me both.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Date: March 26, 2068
Time: 11:57 PM
Location: Aegis Corporation Japan Division Headquarters, Tokyo – Captain Katsumi Samakura’s Office
Katsumi leaned her elbows on her desk and rubbed her eyes, releasing a sigh for what seemed like the four-hundredth time that day. She was tired; exhausted, even. She hadn’t slept since two days earlier when she’d been unconscious for a few hours, and that could hardly be considered sleeping. Before that… Well, she guessed the last time she’d actually slept was four days earlier, before the first bombing. She’d had about one or two hours of sleep that night. Was that what she considered “actual sleep” now? She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a solid six hours, which was probably a problem.
She wasn’t planning on doing anything to fix it, though. What she was doing was staring at a computer screen as she had been on and off over the past twenty-eight hours. She’d also gone to each previous crime scene and a few other places she’d hoped to find clues, not to mention meeting with each member of her team for various tasks. Law had confirmed his earlier estimations; the victims were turned into bombs.
According to the evidence they had, something was introduced to the victim’s bloodstream that converted the oxygen in their blood into a highly volatile explosive. It gained pressure as it spread through the body, which was what led to spasms and the expansion of blood vessels. Eventually the pressure would become too great and the victim would explode. Law’s theory was that each victim had some degree of CP as most people did, and electrical sparks would be triggered in the cyber parts as the body was torn apart and exposed to open air, setting the now-explosive blood aflame. The explosion would rip through the air, feeding on the oxygen in the air and spreading even further until it burned out.
According to Law the original catalyst for this grim series of events was almost certainly always placed in the victim’s heart so that, when triggered, whatever it introduced to the bloodstream would be pumped throughout the body as quickly as possible. Apparently, Katsumi’s heart-shot on the most recent victim most likely destroyed the implant before it could spread its toxin throughout the entirety of the victim’s body, causing the explosion to be less than the previous ones.
The answer’s in the heart!
Katsumi didn’t tell anyone that her so-called “lucky shot” had been determined based on a dream she’d had while unconscious. Well, she hadn’t told anyone other than her sister, but Ayane was as lost as she was as to what it meant.
A knock on the door drew her attention to her open doorway where Sano stood outlined by the light from the hallway, a contrast to her currently dark office. “Hey, Captain.” Sano leaned against the doorframe. “Happy birthday.”
Katsumi glanced at her computer screen. 12:01. Just now March 27th. Apparently, she was thirty-four now. She sighed, running a hand through her soft violet curls. “Thanks.”
Sano smirked. “You forgot.”
“Why would I remember?”
“It’s a big deal to some people.”
Katsumi leaned back in her chair, looking at him. “I don’t see the point in marking the day I was born. I didn’t do anything worth celebrating on that day.”
Sano shrugged. “It’s the one day of the year when things are supposed to focus on you.”
“You know how much I hate people focusing on me.”
Sano chuckled. “True. Don’t worry; nobody’s been stupid enough to try throwing a surprise party since Reno’s first year on the team.”
