Silence In Numbers: File One, page 24
Ayane laughed as she was pulled up, grinning. “We should have more days.”
“I promise, we’re going to have as many as we can get.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“Alright, got it boss. Sounds great.” Sano leaned against the wall. “Have fun. Thanks.”
Hitomi tilted her head as Sano shut his phone. “That was Katsumi?”
“Yep.” He smiled. “She’s spending the day with her sister, taking advantage of a day with nothing to do.”
“That sounds nice.”
“They need it.” Sano pushed off the wall. “That leaves me free, too. Anywhere you wanted to go?”
“Well, actually, if I could get my things from my apartment, that would be great.”
Sano chuckled. “Shooting low, huh?”
“We could go anywhere after that, of course.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Sano said as he pointed at her. “Start thinkin’.”
Several minutes later they pulled up to the apartment, and Sano looked at the car next to them as they got out. “Looks like we’re not alone here; that car belongs to Rufus.”
“That actually makes me feel a bit better,” Hitomi said as they walked up the stairs.
As they approached the door, which was already open, they could hear a woman’s voice. “…had to bring that up, of course. I could have slapped him for doing so, I mean, these are important clients.”
“You’d think someone with his experience would know what he’s doing by now and wouldn’t stumble over himself and ruin it for you,” Rufus replied as he stood up from the kitchen’s bar. He spotted the two as they entered, smiling calmly. “Ah, Sano and Miss Saizen. I assume you’re here to pick up some things.”
The woman turned around as they entered, seeming to size them up a bit. She was very pretty but had a professional aura about her as well as a noble bearing; she wore a black business suit and skirt, and her blonde hair was long and neat, a darker blonde that matched her fierce blue eyes. She looked like she could be quite hard when she wanted to, but at the moment she smiled in a friendly manner. “Sano? The Kurasano from your team, Rufus?”
“That would be him,” Rufus acknowledged as he tucked his hands into his white coat’s pockets.
Sano raised an eyebrow. “Who’s the pretty lady who knows about me, Rufus?”
“Winter Leon,” the woman said with a smile that showed respect as she extended her hand. “I’m his girlfriend.”
Sano shook her hand with a smile of his own. “Oh, that’s- what?!” He pointed at Rufus. “You’re in a relationship?!”
Rufus smiled in amusement. “There are many things you don’t know about me, Sano.”
Hitomi sidestepped around the befuddled Sano, extending a friendly hand and smile to the woman. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Hitomi Saizen.”
“Oh, yes, you’re this apartment’s owner! You have a very nice place; I can tell you’re organized.”
“She likes that,” Rufus explained. “Efficiency is important.”
“Well thank you,” Hitomi replied with a grateful smile.
“Hey, are we just gonna skip past the crazy?” Sano looked between the three. “How did Rufus get a girlfriend when I don’t have one?” Winter looked amused at the statement, while Hitomi looked interested in it.
Rufus ran a hand over his light blond hair. “Perhaps, Mr. Lionel, it’s because I’m an adult.”
“I can beat you back to childhood if you’d like.”
Hitomi put a hand on Sano’s shoulder. “Um, as funny as your banter is, why don’t we move on? Why are you here, Mr.…?”
“Ivanov,” Rufus smiled, “but Rufus is fine. Captain Samakura requested that I place a sensor in here in case the culprit returns.”
“Oh?” Hitomi looked interested. “What kind of sensor can detect a-“
“Criminal?” Sano laughed loudly as he cut her off, rubbing his head. “Lots of kinds, Hitomi! It’s really boring tech stuff.”
Hitomi looked confused, but Rufus was nodding. “Needless to say, Miss Saizen, we shall catch the man- or men- if he or they return, and they often do return.”
“I’m very sorry for what happened,” Winter offered. “I’ve had experiences with burglars before, I know how it can shatter that feeling of safety a home is meant to provide. Rufus only needed to stop by here, actually…”
“Yes,” Rufus pushed up his shades, “we were only stopping by on our way to the restaurant.”
“Rufus doesn’t get many free days,” Winter explained, “so we were going to take advantage of his boss’ suddenly-gifted day off. Maybe you’d like to join us for lunch?” She looked back at Rufus as she asked, seeing him nod his agreement.
“Oh, that’s very kind of you,” Hitomi said with a smile, looking to Sano. “Wanna go?”
“Sure, why not?” Sano shrugged. “Maybe I can figure out what Winter sees in Blondie.”
Winter smirked. “You’re exactly like he described.”
Sano scratched his head. “Wish I knew if that was a compliment or an insult.”
Hitomi pointed to the bedroom. “Just let me gather up the things I came for and we’ll meet you out front?”
“Of course, take your time.”
As the two of them walked out Sano pulled Hitomi aside, looking at the door as he spoke quietly. “Normal people don’t know these things exist, remember? Don’t say anything about demons or ghosts; for everyone outside of us, it was a burglary.”
“Oh,” Hitomi replied. “I thought his girlfriend would know about it.”
“Girlfriends can come and go,” Sano answered. “If you marry someone you can tell them. Immediate family can be told if they’re considered trustworthy, like Reno’s wife, Katsumi’s sister and Rufus’ brother. But to everyone else, we’re counter-terrorists and security agents.”
“I get it.” Hitomi gave a sheepish smile. “Sorry.”
“No worries, you’re new. You’ll get the hang of it.”
“I’m not sure how comfortable I want to get with constant lying.”
Sano shrugged. “Katsumi and Rufus say it’s an important life skill.”
“That’s a little depressing.”
Sano smirked, though it was a dry expression. “Their lives are depressing, so that doesn’t surprise me.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Law stopped outside the Dovetail Bar, looking over the place. It was a true old-fashioned establishment, built using a lot of wood unlike most buildings these days. Law appreciated the simplicity of the whole thing, from its construction to its design. He walked through the door to the inside, which wasn’t much different; wooden tables and chairs, and a long bar in the corner lined with stools.
Screens were placed at various points in the bar, showing the news or sports or local programs. Since it was the middle of the day the place was relatively empty, with only a few people here for lunch or break. This was Law’s favorite time to come, a time when he could avoid the crowds and just have a conversation with-
“Lawrence!”
Law smirked as he headed towards the bar. The woman behind it was a dark-skinned bartender with “ex-military” written all over her. She wore a faded green tank top, tan pants and a darker green bandana that only kind of kept her hair out of her face. Though her name was Jaina Cardin, nobody that knew her called her that. “That boss of yours actually let you off your leash for a day?”
“She’s off on her own t’day, enjoyin’ it like I am,” He said as he took a seat on a worn stool.
Jaina put on a disbelieving look. “Does she know how to enjoy things?”
“Now, Card, I ain’t here to argue about Katsumi. Jus’ let it slide.”
“Fine. But what you see in that woman I’ll never know.”
Law chuckled. “I know, you tell me every time I come.”
She picked up a glass, filling it with a drink and pushing it towards him. “I’m just dreading a day when you actually tell her how you feel. Imagine the two of you getting married, and I’m forced to be there smiling and acting like it’s all good.”
“What makes you think I’d be invitin’ you t’my wedding?”
“You would. You would, because you wouldn’t want to risk what I’d do if you didn’t.”
“Fair ‘nough. Either way, don’t be expectin’ it t’come anyway.”
“I’m not. She’s a bitch.”
Law gave her a look. “Already gave you a warnin’, Card. Don’t make it three.”
She raised her hands. “Alright, alright. No more insults. So what’s she doing that she’s ‘enjoying’?”
Sam heard the inflection she put on the last word, but he let it slide. “Spending th’ day with ‘er sister.”
“She has a sister? Since when?”
“Since always, or at least since she was three,” Law chuckled. “I’ve known ‘er for ten years; knew Katsumi for four before she told me about ‘er.”
“Why’d it take so long? She an embarrassment?”
“You don’t know her, so I’ll let that go.” Law took a drink. “She’s a good one. Even you’d like her.”
“I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt,” Jaina agreed with a nod.
“Good. An’ thanks. She’s not like Katsumi anyways. She’s all hyper an’ cheery an’ outgoin’.”
“And she’s related to the-“ she cut herself off at Law’s look, “uh, to Katsumi? Why couldn’t you have a thing for her?”
Law chuckled deeply. “She ain’t my type. Plus I pity the person that looks at ‘er wrong; her sister’ll rip ‘em to pieces before the day’s over.”
“Protects her, huh?” Jaina sighed. “Well, that’s one thing I like about your boss, then.” She held up a finger. “One.”
Law grinned, passing back the empty glass for a refill. “Generous of you.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
In a skyscraper miles away there was a large room with hardly any light. The windows all had blinds pulled shut, blocking the view of the outside world and making the room seem even more removed from the rest of the world than it already was. The only active light was a single hanging lamp of a smooth design that seemed to provide just enough illumination to see the oval-shaped table in the center of the room, and little else.
Eight people sat around this table, their faces half-shrouded in the darkness left by the single light. The shadowy nature of this room served a purpose, mainly to distance them from the world and personal attachments as a whole. The Aegis Corporation believed that the best decisions were made with as little human emotion as possible. For good or for ill, the people that sat around the table, the Aegis Board of Directors, were the best at forgetting human emotion.
There were usually nine people seated around this table during important meetings, and it showed that the members noticed; the company’s Chairman, Hackett (otherwise known as H) stood, looking over the others at the table. Each wore a fine suit, most of a different style. Several were smoking, causing an ethereal curtain to hang about the table that gave the room an even more shadowy appearance.
Hackett himself was something of a large man, broad-shouldered and tall. His salt-and-pepper hair made it difficult to guess his age (57), and his face had the weathered sort of look of a hardened businessman. He looked at the others, who were all, like he, known by a single letter: R, L, A, V, K, N, and J. The eighth Director, M, was not present.
“What’s the point of this meeting, H?” K asked, leaning back in his chair with already-apparent boredom. Outside of the company he was otherwise known as Kell Bison, Director of Civil Protection. He was younger than Hackett at 36, and he looked it, wearing a brown suit in a casual manner that matched his shoulder-length brown hair. He didn’t seem to care for his appearance much, and the general opinion of him among the other members was rather low.
“And where is M?” J asked as she looked to the empty chair, drawing full attention to it. Julia Noir; her reputation for ruthless business practices had enabled her to reach the position of Director of Trade at the age of 36, and she’d held it for eight years so far. The stern blonde woman was rarely ever seen to smile and almost always seemed agitated, as she was now. Her chest-length hair was kept straight and tidy at all times, matching her personality.
“Obviously,” L said as he topped up his glass of wine, “he’s not here because he’s the subject of the meeting.” Hackett looked at L, studying him for a bit longer than the others. Lucius Malik, Director of Special Protection, was someone Hackett didn’t trust, and it was entirely because he felt L was too smart for his own good. The man was 42 and had black hair that he kept short apart from the bangs, which hung around his eyes in a manner that just made him look even less like a person one should turn his back on.
“In a way,” Hackett answered. “More accurately, his division is the subject of this meeting.”
Victoria Gray, known as V, made a distasteful sound, looking at H. “If his division is the subject of the meeting, shouldn’t he be here to speak on it?” Hackett met her gaze; she only had one good eye, while the other was covered with a patch (she wanted no part of Cyberization, believing it was better to rely on natural talent), and yet still the dark-haired woman’s stare was difficult to hold. Her waist-length hair held wide, wavy curls that gave her an elegant look, but the 38-year-old’s sharp features still gave her the competent appearance that her position as Director of Military Action demanded. She was known to have a closer relationship to M than the others, so her defense of him against this perceived slight was not unexpected; especially since, out of the people in this room, she had the most morals.
A, otherwise known as Adrian Barstow, leaned forward, the new angle causing the light to cast even less-appealing shadows across his craggy face. “What are you trying to play here, H?” He grimaced, doing his 83-year-old face no favors. He was a man that looked to have led a hard life and crawled out of it on his hands and knees, but still, as the Director of Defense, he was respected for his reliability, if not his intellect.
“We should hear the Chairman out before we condemn him,” admonished a deep, metallic voice. This belonged to Nathaniel Greir, N, the Director of Cybernetics. A mistake in a lab several years back had left N without a lower jaw and most of his chest; twenty years earlier it would have been fatal, but now the man wore what looked like a black metal filtration mask over the lower half of his face. It was necessary without lungs, and though technology had advanced to the point of creating fully synthetic bodies, he was one of the unlucky ones allergic to the synthetic materials. Still, Hackett thought the 46-year-old cyborg probably liked the intimidation factor it provided along with his chest-length shock of white hair that rested across his black suit.
The final director, R, sat to Hackett’s left, his fingers steepled before him as he patiently waited for the others to calm down. Revan Kain was the Director of Weapons Research, and he was by far the youngest of the group at 30 years of age, which was one of the factors that made most of the Board dislike him. However, it was inarguable that R was brilliant; a genius, even. He was also calm and controlled at all times, emotionally and physically. His hair was long, black and silky, kept in perfect order like his expensive black suit, but the feature most noticeable about his appearance was his eyes; they were brown, so dark as to be almost black, and held a look that was as unreadable as it was intimidating. He looked at N with a polite smile. “Thank you for being a voice of reason, N. It is appreciated.”
Hackett nodded, pushing away his impatience. “First of all, I can assure you, A, that I am ‘playing at’ nothing. Our Director of SIN has been doing his job better than we’d hoped, and his division is outperforming expectations.”
“Then why is he not here?” Victoria replied with a bit of irritation; she never liked deception or dishonesty if it could be avoided. Every company had its white sheep, H supposed.
“M has other business to attend to today,” Revan assured her. “And we would have put off the meeting, but we are having it at his request.”
“He was meant to call in minutes ago,” Hackett continued, annoyed. “But it seems his own meeting is not enough reason to be prompt.”
“What’s wrong with being fashionably late?” Everyone turned to the view screen to see M’s face grinning at them, or at least, as much of his face wasn’t hidden by his hat and glasses.
“How nice of you to join us,” Hackett nearly grunted in irritation.
“Wish I could ditch meetings and just call in from home,” Kell muttered, but he was ignored by the others.
“What is this meeting about, M?” Julia virtually demanded as she turned to the screen. “You aren’t wasting our time, I hope.”
To her annoyance he merely smiled in response as he always did, a trait Hackett hated more every day. “My dear J, feel free to leave if you’d like. I had simply thought my fellow Directors- and Chairmen Hackett, of course- would like to hear of some of my findings, especially considering they relate to both the Silents and the Ancient Ones.”
That statement got the attention of everyone in the room. Even Lucius, who was usually quietly watching, sat forward in interest. “You’ve discovered new information about Silents and Ancient Ones?”
“Information?” M grinned. “I’ve discovered two existing examples.”
“This is… quite an important event if it is true, M,” stated Revan with trepidation.
“The Silent is natural?” Nathaniel spoke up, his eyes narrowed in disbelief. “Not artificial like your Captain?”
“That is correct. She had no knowledge of her state or abilities. She’s with us now and Captain Samakura is willing to train her. However, I would advise the Board against our previous course of action of getting a Silent out into the field too quickly.”
“Yes, I agree with M,” Victoria said with a nod. “That was unfortunate, and we should try to avoid such a disaster this time. She must be handled with care; we cannot forget her own health and mental state.”
“Agreed,” Hackett stated. “We will put this fully in your hands, M, and trust you to handle it appropriately.”
