Silence In Numbers: File One (2 page)

From: H.

To: R.

Subject: Monthly Global Status Update

Date: March 21, 2068

Current Global Status:

NATIONAL: Nations continue to merge and combine, losing individual definition but gaining stability (stagnation?). African Unification Project moving forward but slowed by terrorist activities.

MILITARY: National militaries continuing to be dissolved. Private Corporation Militaries continue to grow in demand, size and power. Forces including Police, Security, Military, Special Task Force, Intelligence, and Counter-Terrorism are now 83% privately owned corporations. Remaining 17% national forces expected to decline to less than 1% in the next decade.

TOP SECRET: Supernatural Invasion Null Units that were created to combat increasing number of paranormal entities have proven highly successful. Recommend continuation.

TECHNOLOGY: “Cyberization” proving increasingly popular and profitable. The average citizen is estimated to have a Cyber Percentage (CP) of 4%, with military members having an average of 15%. Average Human Lifespan due to Cybernetics and Medicinal advances is now 120 years; youth continues to be extended, with age 30 bearing little difference to age 20 and age 40 now what age 30 was in the early 2000’s. Immortality remains out of reach, but our private researchers estimate it being attainable within 20 years. Artificial Intelligence is moving towards “perfection” ever since creativity and “thought” were achieved three years ago.

Hello, R. The information for this month is, as usual, mostly redundant, but I find it helps me focus on our company’s best interests. To that end I’ve a question I’d like to pose to you.

You see, I’ve spoken to some of the other board members and while we’re happy with the direction the company is currently heading in, we aren’t quite sure about the future. A crew doesn’t trust their captain simply because the ship’s heading the right way at the moment, right? You have to consider the skill of the captain in more than direction. There are storms to consider, which must be weathered. Rocky shores that must be avoided. Pirates that must be fought off.

I’ll get to the point as we’re both busy men. I want to test this company with a storm. It’s not that I distrust G and the way he runs things, but we haven’t seen how he hand
les the real waves. Let me know your thoughts and if you’re in. Our providers and clients would be much more comfortable if they had proof that this company won’t sink.

H.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As the hangar doors closed, Katsumi Samakura stepped out of the helicopter and waved over her shoulder to her two team members as she headed into the main building. The Aegis Corporation building was massive but she knew her way around, which allowed her to think as she walked through the clinical white hallways. Intel had dropped the ball; that much was obvious, or at least it was her conclusion. They’d been expecting Class-E or D at most, which slowed their response time when it became clear it was a Class-B demon. Hopefully answers would be available. Or someone to blame and kick through a window. Katsumi wasn’t picky, she’d take either at the moment.

She reached a large office several floors up, ignoring the secretary that stood to greet her and entering the office beyond. It was a large room, the kind of office you could enter and instantly know how successful the owner of it was. The walls had a warm beige color instead of the sterile white of the building’s hallways. More color was added by a couple ferns and an attractive red lamp on the large desk in the center. Katsumi didn’t notice these details anymore, having been in the room many times. Instead she closed the door behind her to shut out the protests of the secretary and looked at the only other person in the room.

It was a man standing with his back to her and his gaze out the window, with his hands clasped behind his back. He wore a long black trench coat with a matching hat that was similar to the old fedora hats often seen in black-and-white movies. The hair beneath was a stark white, though the man only seemed to be in his thirties or forties. His eyes were obscured by small circular sunglasses that glinted in the office’s warm lights as he looked over his shoulder with a highly amused smile, speaking in a voice that held a strange quality, like he was simply an observer of the world with nothing to fear from anything within it.

“You really should stop avoiding the secretary; it’s her job to question and announce you.”

Samakura folded her arms and leaned back against the door. “It’s not my job to be delayed and annoyed. Or to get torn apart.”

The man’s smile widened as he shifted his stance so he could look at her. “Yes, I recall reading something about a little collateral damage during your mission.”

“A little collateral damage? I had to dive off an eighty-story building while avoiding giant claws and acid.”

“Hardly anything new.”

“Not new, but not expected either, M. You wanna tell me why Intel mentioned nothing about the giant Class-B Kilk’tal that nearly killed me and a member of my team?”

M chuckled. “Don’t be dramatic.”

Katsumi sighed. “Fine, but it was still a nasty surprise.”

He shrugged. “We didn’t have all the information. It’s unfortunate, but you can’t always expect to know everything.”

“You’re saying no one’s to blame?”

His smile returned. “Looking for someone to hurt? I’d appreciate if you let it go. Our Intelligence division isn’t up to your unit’s level yet and sometimes they miss things.”

“You giving me an order?” Samakura grumbled.

“No, Captain Samakura, I’m not. Speak to them if you wish. However, we have more important things to focus on.”

She perked up, pulling out the disc Sano had recovered on the mission he’d been on before they’d been forced to respond to the demon’s attack. “Right, this.” She turned it in her hand. “Looks a lot more important than I’d expect from something in the hands of petty business criminals.”

M took it as she handed it to him. “People like moving up in the world. Petty criminals never remain petty; either they have the skill to move up or they’re used by those that do.”

“What you’re saying is,” Katsumi continued, folding her arms, “this isn’t theirs.”

“Of course not. They aren’t fit for the big game but they don’t know that. What they do have is money to fund a big player.”

“So which big player does this belong to, and what exactly is it?”

“Those are questions we hope this little artifact will answer.” M set it on his desk. “I appreciate your reliability once again, Samakura. You and your team get a few days off as our people look this over. I’ll let you know what we decide to do with it.”

“Great…” She sighed. “At least Reno will be happy. I’ll let him know he can spend some time with his family.”

“Yes, personal time is important to take every so often. Perhaps you should think about that yourself.”

Katsumi waved her hand dismissively as she opened the door. “Not interested.” She left the office, receiving a dirty look from the secretary and heading back down the hallway towards the building exit nearest the train station. With her eyes on the ground she nearly ran into a large form in her path, which startled her for a second before she recognized the 7’1’’ muscular form in her way and smiled. “Hello, Law.”

The dark-skinned member of her team that stood before her was unbothered, as it was hard to bother a 285-pound giant by bumping into him. He ran a hand over his bald head, looking at his leader through his dark shades. “Captain Sama. I heard you were back, and about what happened. Uninjured?”

Samakura smiled at his concern. “I’m fine. Dodging acid and leaping from buildings is in the job description. Only real loss is that I dropped my cigs before I jumped.”

Samuel Lawrence chuckled, reaching into a pocket of the open tan military jacket he wore (the sleeves were ripped off for mercenary flavor and worn over a dark green shirt to complete the Vietnam War-style look). He pulled out a pack of cigarettes, offering one to her.

“Wanna replacement? Only one now, I’m not careless enough to lose all mine.”

Katsumi snagged one before he could change his mind. “Sorry if I preferred to leave them behind instead of lighting them with a shrapnel-spewing nuclear fireball.”

“Pussy.”

“Watch your language in front of a lady.”

“I don’t think the secretary back there can hear us.”

“You’re just asking for me to break some bones, aren’t you?”

Samuel laughed and shook his head, offering her a light. “I’m always honest, ma’am. So what’s next on the team agenda? Hopefully I’m on the next assignment.”

Katsumi drew in a slow breath, blowing out smoke with her eyes closed. When they opened they were looking at him as she nodded her head down the hallway. “Walk with me, Law.” As he fell into step beside her she held her cigarette between two fingers, speaking around it. “Can’t say I know what the next mission’ll be, or who’ll be on it. Sano got what we were sent for before we were called to respond to the demon, but M’s people need to look it over before they know what to do with it so we get time off.”

Law had to hide a smile at the near-disgust in Samakura’s voice and on her face at the last two words. “Might not be too bad, Captain.”

“I’m only happy when I’m doing something, you know that.”

“Then think of something to do for yourself.”

“If a third person suggests that I’m shooting them right in the head. I have no desire to take time for myself or sit around in my apartment doing nothing.”

“So you’ll check for an individual job to do in the meantime? You know I’d go with you.”

She smiled. “Yeah, I know. Maybe I will see a two-person job. We’ll see. Might just need a personal challenge.”

“Understandable. I’ll be around either way.”

“No plans yourself?”

The large man shook his head. “Nothing exciting as a job.”

“Nothing requiring explosions, you mean,” she corrected dryly.

“Excitement and explosions are interchangeable, ma’am.”

“Demo guys are so one-dimensional. Anyway, I’d better go catch the train. I’ll see you, Law.”

Samuel nodded. “Take care Captain Sama.”

“Of what?” she added under her breath, exiting the building and heading towards the train station. Apparently it’d started raining while she’d been inside. It looked like it’d be a gray, dreary and overcast morning, which she found acceptable as it seemed to fit her mood. With a glance down she realized she’d forgotten to change, but she couldn’t summon the effort to go back inside. It was something like five AM but she had somewhere important to be in a few hours. She acted like she hated time off, and she truly did, but there was a part of it she loved that she never spoke about.

The train station was mostly empty, as was the train that was already there, since it was too early for most people to be heading to work. The only people on the train were night owls like her who hadn’t yet been to sleep, and the kind of people she automatically assumed were creeps and avoided. The train was soon rushing along the tracks, allowing her to lean back in her seat and look to the side out the window at the buildings rushing by. The pistol on her hip aided her by making others leave her alone, so she was left to her thoughts once again.

Last night was a small job.
She leaned her head back against the glass, closing her eyes and drawing deeply from the cigarette.
It’ll probably lead to bigger ones, but I don’t know what kind. That’s exciting… but waiting isn’t.
She sighed, running a hand through her hair.
How long is this gonna take, a few days, a week? A week to sit around and think. I don’t do well when I’m not moving. Focusing on the future is all that keeps me from drifting back to the past.

Katsumi let out a breath of smoke, looking to the side as the train slowed down. Apparently the half-hour had passed already. She headed for the doors and went through the second they
opened enough, taking the stairs to street level and walking down the street ignoring the looks she got mostly due to her clothing; skin-tight combat suits tended to stand out. She reached the South Ashfield hospital around six, about an hour too early, but she could wait. One of the nurses smiled at her as she entered the third floor. “Good morning, Miss Samakura. You’re here a little early aren’t you?”

“Well, I came when I got off work,” Katsumi smiled a bit shyly. “I don’t mind waiting until she’s awake.”

“Of course,” the woman smiled kindly. “You can take a seat in her room if you like.”

“Thank you.” Katsumi nodded gratefully. She entered Room 302 quietly, smiling at the woman asleep in the bed. She took a seat in the chair beside the bed and studied her, trying to see if there were any changes in her condition.