S-2878 • L1 Alonluna • D10 Unabe
"Alonluna stretches the road across the sky. Unabe kindles axis and choice. The tide raises radiance with a steady step. The story carries on, clear in the air."
DENDEN
They assigned me, Kiara, and Maia to rescue a kobun for an oyabun. The leader of the Ryuho-kai clan in Shin'en Gai, the City of the Abyss. Japan's underworld.
You're Japanese. You must know the Yakuza rose again and became the second most powerful criminal organization in the world. Only the Bratva ranks above them.
That fucker… never gonna forget the cabrón's name. Kotaro. Bastard. They locked him up in Fuchū. Maximum security. And all he did was kill a cop. One fucking pig. And they sent him there? Way too strict. If they put me in maximum security for every goddamn pig I've killed…
Tsk. Better keep that quiet. Anyway…
A dangerous facility. Over a thousand meters. To make things worse, the espíritu carcomido was fifty meters underground.
Mission impossible.
Must be why those cagóns hired us.
We had one seluna to get it done.
We were walking toward the nanoplane at Viracopos Airport.
"Why are you coming, Denden?" Kiara was in her usual foul mood.
I gave her a charming smile. "Whaddya mean, muchacha? My presence here is a gift from the gods."
"You're loud as fuck."
I gasped, shocked by her declaration. "You think so too, chica?!"
"You know she's right." Maia kept her eyes ahead.
My indignation grew.
We boarded the plane, and Kiara connected to the LI.
"You're both talking shit. Should be thanking me for being here. Me and my sweetheart." I planted a kiss on my ARMANS twelve-gauge shotgun, which I affectionately call Rompe-culos.
They exchanged a knowing smile.
Kiara sat across from Maia. Both turned toward the view.
I dozed off a few times during the flight. Almost a full day.
Lemme tell you. I'm very observant. Everyone always thinks I, Denden, am some impulsive maniac who barely thinks. Might be true most of the time, but I know how to read people.
The white-haired girl had always caught my attention. She was ruthless. Always alert. Except right then, she looked distracted.
"What's with the sudden interest in Japanese culture?" Kiara kept her eyes on the view.
Maia was fiddling with that old phone.
I followed their conversation. Closed my eyes now and then, trying to squeeze in another nap.
"Nothing special." She pocketed the device.
The android glanced at her. "Strange to research the culture of a place we're going. You've always shown barely any interest."
Maia propped her feet on the table, stretching. "Just curious." Something about the way she spoke gave me chills.
There was something about Maia that made my skin crawl. More than coldness. It was that presence of hers. The fact that… she knew things. Things we couldn't even dream of knowing.
Her and Saymon.
I'll be honest. Those two intimidated even me, el monstruo. For me to admit that, it means I'm humble enough to recognize them as personas de respeto.
Silence.
Finally. I was dying to sleep.
I woke up.
We were about to land. Kiara grabbed her sniper rifle. Maia, some pistol. And me, Rompe-culos. We took a car to Minami, a district of Tokyo. We'd be staying there.
Tokyo's the most advanced city I've ever seen. While giant robots walked through Sentā, little ones popped up outta nowhere.
Everything impressed me.
The air smelled of electronic smoke and fried food, a mix of neon and steam hovering over the streets. Giant holoscreens flashed, screaming invasive ads. Artificial eyes peered out from the alleys. Cameras or implants? Hard to tell.
Holotrees turned into adware. Pixelated airways. And the cars?! A car turned into a robot right in front of my eyes. Fucking wild. Everywhere was colorful and bright. And people's implants? One guy had four eyes. Four eyes, carajo.
The food? Mmm. Just remembering makes my mouth water. And now I'm stuck in this place de mierda…
Anyway, we reached Minami.
Traditional Japanese houses stood inside the buildings. We usually stayed in hotels. This time, though, we'd be staying with that bastard Kotaro's grandmother. A sweet little old lady. Nothing like the cabrón.
Our first time in Tokyo. Experiencing traditional Japanese culture. We barely knew how to behave.
Yasu waited at the entrance. Wearing a violet yukata. The little old lady smiled faintly. "Youkoso." She bowed. Found out later that meant "welcome."
We bowed too. Awkwardly.
Her smile widened. Gentle little eyes. Most adorable old lady I've ever met.
"Don't worry about formalities. Come inside. Make yourselves at home." At the door, she handed us slippers. "You can leave your shoes here and your weapons over there." She pointed to a table.
So we did.
"I've prepared a meal. I imagine the journey's left you hungry, yes." She led us through the house. A low table. Cushions around it. "Wait here."
We sat and looked around.
"Una señora muy sweet," I whispered.
"Rare for anyone to treat us this well on a mission," Kiara commented.
Maia kept her gaze alert. More curious than suspicious.
A few minutes later, Yasu brought a tray: a bowl of rice, miso soup, pickled vegetables, and fish.
We ate.
The little lady cleared the table. When she returned, she held a nanodevice. "Now that your bellies are full, let's get down to business."
Look, I dunno what happened, but suddenly a shadow crossed her face.
She sat at the table and placed the device in the center.
Click
A holomap appeared.
"These are the blueprints for Fuchū Prison."
"You have the prison blueprints?!" Kiara's eyes widened.
"Of course, young lady. I oversaw the prison's modernization and nanorestructuring." She gave a shameless little smirk. "Very well. My baka grandson is on the twelfth basement level. Cell two. Two nanodoors reinforce the cell. Only the floor supervisor, the keyholder, can open them. Each floor has ten guards."
Yasu sipped her tea. "A single nanoelevator provides access to the floors. All the nanocameras are behind the walls. Thermal and motion nanosensors. Unregistered presences trigger the alarm. Within seconds, the structure's nanites immobilize the intruder. The guards surround them immediately."
She raised three fingers. "The LI's command room is split across three locations. All scattered throughout Tokyo. They change every seluna or lunation." She drank more tea. "Oh, forgive my manners. I forgot to bring you some." She stood before we could answer.
"All this 'cause the cabrón killed a pig," I grumbled.
"Tokyo's police are efficient as fuck. It tops the list of the most heavily policed places in the world," Kiara said.
Maia stared at the map.
"Even so, chica. Getting locked up over something that stupid? Makes me wonder what the sentence would be for a massac—"
Yasu returned with three cups of tea. "Would you like some?"
I grimaced. Can you imagine me, Denden, drinking tea? Obviously, refusing would've been rude. Gotta admit, it tasted good.
"An LI controls the prison. There's only one way in and out, on the ground floor." She laid her palms flat on the table. "Inside the cells, nanocuffs restrain the prisoners. I know. It's perfect. Designed to be an escape-proof prison." Her tone was melancholy.
Maia watched her with feline eyes. "Rest easy, Mrs. Yasu." She rested a hand on her arm. "We'll bring your grandson back."
How did she do that?
Even being all friendly, the coldness seeped through the cracks. Friendly tentacles. Ready to crush at the slightest misstep.
The little lady smiled with her eyes. "That's very kind. My aho son can't even save his own family." Her lips tightened, but quickly curved into a smile. "You must be tired, yes? I've prepared somewhere for you to sleep." She stood and walked to the door. "You can keep the blueprints. Discuss your strategy. Ask for whatever you need."
When we finished talking, we went to bed. I had one room. Maia and Kiara shared another.
I woke a little before midnight and headed for the bathroom. On the way, I saw Maia in the kitchen with Yasu.
"This is how you prepare it." The little lady stirred a pot.
I stopped, watching.
Maia followed along. "Is there a dish for every occasion?"
Yasu smiled, tasted what she was cooking, and offered Maia some. Maia held the spoon, hesitating for a second. Her eyes searched the soup as though looking for something beyond its flavor. Then she tasted it. Her expression stayed neutral, but I saw something. A glimpse of raw, fragile emotion before it disappeared.
Yasu tossed some seasoning into the pot. "Some occasions can be more special than others. What do you have in mind?"
I confess: the conversation made me curious. But the smell of fresh ginger and scorched soy sauce filled the air. Strong enough to make someone remember home. Or the one they'd lost.
"A special dinner. If someone's sad, sick, or…" Maia cleared her throat. "If it's their birthday." Her voice grew quieter.
"Yes, dear. There's a dish for those occasions. If the person's Japanese, they'll be happy to receive something traditional. None of that Comibot nonsense. I can give you a few recipes, if you'd like." Yasu blew on the steam. "Naturally, anyone would be happy to eat something homemade." She raised an eyebrow. Perceptive.
Knew I'd get noticed soon. I went to the bathroom. Then back to sleep.
I'll be honest. Finding out the girl had an interest in cooking surprised me. But something in that kitchen felt like more than just seasoning. Something old.
Well, though… Who am I to talk? I've got plenty of interests.