Silence In Numbers: File One (41 page)

Rufus spun a knife over his knuckles, staring at the screen that had frozen on the final image, one of Hitomi. “Being the good guys is such a disadvantage.”

Katsumi glanced at him, smirking. “You’re right about that. That’s why we have to be the best.” She turned around. “Clear your schedules, everyone; tonight’s going to be busy one way or another.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“So some of our agents gathered info on the house we’re going to,” Reno said as he leaned back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling.

“Uh-huh?” Law asked distractedly from his office across the hall, looking over info on his computer.

“There’s a lot of history to this house. A
lot
.”

“Well, it’s old.”

“No, I mean
our
kind of history. It’s not just cursed, it’s haunted. Like, ridiculously haunted. Woman-in-white-prowls-the-halls-screaming-for-her-murdered-kids haunted.”

“That
is
our field of expertise.”

“Why are you calm?!” Reno sat up, looking through their open doorways at Law like he was insane. “It’s a HAUNTED. HOUSE. This is like, the number one horror cliché! This is big!”

“We’ve done haunted houses before.”

“Yeah, but this one is super creepy. Faces in windows and stuff.”

Law stared across the hall at him. “You’re afraid of faces? What about the psychotic superhuman serial killer that might be there?”

“Well, yeah, that’s bad too, but seriously man…” Reno held his hands up to either side of his face, wiggling his fingers. “Faaaaaaceeeees!”

“You watch too many movies.”

“Probably.” Reno sat back, twirling a pen between his fingers before pointing it at Law. “But it’s worse being in one.”

“I’ll hold your hand.”

“Should I bring a blanket for us to cuddle under?”

“Only if you want me to strangle you with it.”

Reno shook his head. “See? The creepy curse is already making you more violent.”

“If threats of violence are caused by cursed homes, I never want to set foot in the one Katsumi grew up in.”

Reno shuddered. “Dude, if her father’s any indication of what her childhood was like, I wouldn’t do that anyway.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

So you’re going in tonight?

Katsumi smiled at the incredulity in her sister’s voice.
Not alone. I’ll have Sano and Rufus with me.
She glanced out the window, squinting at the afternoon sun. Three hours until they left for the house. If this wasn’t a trap, they’d be getting Hitomi back, and they might be able to learn some more about her father’s plans. If it was a trap, this might be her chance to end things once and for all.

No, they’re good, it’s just…

You wish you were coming with me
, Katsumi continued for her, going back to checking her weapons and equipment for the thirty-seventh time that afternoon. She wasn’t good at waiting for things to start.

She heard her sister sigh over the cyber link.
Yes.

I don’t.

That’s because you’re selfish and self-sacrificing.

Katsumi chuckled.
You can’t be both.

Somehow, you are.

If our father is there…
Katsumi sighed, closing our eyes.
I’ll get out. The three of us can fight him long enough to get out, and Law will be there, too, just a call away.

You promise?

I promise. I wouldn’t say it to you if I didn’t mean it.

I know… I’m sorry. Just… be careful, okay?

I’m… sometimes careful. I will be. I can’t abandon you.

You better not. Now that I’m sure you’ll be safe, though… How did the whole sickness-hitting-outside-of-Reno’s-house go?
Katsumi groaned and Ayane giggled – no,
snickered
at her.
That bad, huh?

Yeah, laugh it up
, Katsumi responded with a smirk.
I woke up and they all crowded into my room like mother hens.

Again? They’re kind of thick, aren’t they?

Kind of.

What’d you do?

Window.

There was a pause. …
Did you jump out of one, or throw them out of one?

Katsumi laughed, clapping a hand over her mouth as Sano gave her an odd look from across the room. She waved him away before shaking her head, grinning.
I jumped. I’ll keep the other option in mind for next time, though.

It wasn’t a suggestion.

That doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea.

Throwing your friends out of multi-story windows is the very definition of a bad idea, Sumi.

They bring it on themselves!

They aren’t used to lunatics.

I’m just a victim!

Poor you, your friends care.

I can’t help that I’m… sniff… damaged…

Ayane’s tone was dry.
That usually works better if you actually sniff instead of just saying “sniff”.

Damn.

Sorry, Sumi. You just don’t have my talent for emotional manipulation.

I like that you’re proud of that.

One should always be proud of their skills.

You’ve got issues.

Thank you, Mrs. Pot.

You’re too smart these days. I miss eleven-year-old Ayane; she was so much easier to win conversations against.

So you’re saying you can’t outwit anyone smarter than an eleven-year-old?

Katsumi paused. …
Some twelve-year-olds are really smart, you know.

Uh-huh.

Mhmm.

Right.

Yes.

Sure.

Correct.

Indeed.

Most assuredly.

Which one of us is supposed to be the mature one again?

I forget.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“That… is creepy as hell,” Reno muttered as he stared up at the huge old house. “That thing is ancient! Who keeps these around? Shouldn’t they be torn down to prevent freaky ghost possession?”

Katsumi smiled as she stepped up beside him, sipping from a cup of coffee. “Most people don’t know ‘freaky ghost possession’ exists, Reno, you know that. Besides, not every old house is haunted.”

“No, just all the ones
we
visit.”

Rufus appeared at Katsumi’s other side, looking up at the place himself. “So what terrifying history does tonight’s home have?”

“I’m glad you asked,” she replied as she studied the front of the house. “Murder, of course.”

“Obviously.”

“But there’s a twist. This murder was supposedly committed by the children.”

Reno looked at her incredulously. “You’re kidding. Are we actually going to be facing little child ghosts? Are we
really
going to be facing
creepy little children ghosts
?!”

Kurasano popped up on the other side of him. “It gets better,” he grinned, “they were never found. And the lead investigator on the case went missing soon after as well, as did his replacement.”

“Okay, that’s cool, hey I’m gonna head back to HQ, but you guys lemme know how it went, alright? And make sure you tell me how you responded when they asked you to play with them forever and ever and ever.”

Reno spun around to walk away but Katsumi’s hand caught his shirt, hauling him back. “Not so fast.”

“Aww, c’mon, boss, I’m just the pilot! I can’t pilot anything inside a house!”

“That is indeed true, which is why you’ll be outside.”

Reno stared at her as if she had just turned into a ghost. “You want me to sit outside the creepy haunted house alone all night?”

“Not alone.” Katsumi pointed with her thumb over her shoulder. “Sam will be here as well.”

Law set a heavy hand on Reno’s shoulder. “No worries. I can take any ghost that comes out.”

“Oh, alright. But I better be getting paid a lot for this.”

“Don’t be a baby,” Sano chuckled.

“Don’t be a baby,” Reno mimicked in a high-pitched voice before walking over to sit in the chair next to Law’s. They had a small computer set-up with a couple computers, tracking and communication equipment. He edged up to a computer, helping to set it up. “Think we’ll get a lot of interference from weird ghost-vibes?”

“Not sure,” Law responded as he typed rapidly. “That last investigation wasn’t a problem.”

“Yeah, but each one’s different.” Reno glanced at the clock. “Time, boss.”

“Right. You two keep track of us; Law, monitor human activity near and within the house. Reno, you’re watching spiritual activity. Stay in communication and let us know any important readings as always.” Katsumi gestured to Kurasano and Rufus. “Let’s go.” She reached for the door, watching it shimmer as she took hold of the handle and pulled it open. Gaping darkness greeted them and the three walked in without hesitation, disappearing from sight as the door shut behind them.

Immediately Reno and Law clapped their hands to their ears and tore off their headsets as intense static feedback nearly deafened them. Reno glared at his headset and held it away from him like a bad-smelling piece of garbage, still able to hear the static. “What the hell?!”

“Reno…” Law interrupted, pointing to one of the computers. “We’ve got a problem.”

The screen was flashing a continual warning, showing three blinking dots just beyond the door with two words flashing above them:
CONNECTION LOST
.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The three SIN members stepped into the darkness, hearing the door shut behind them. Suddenly the darkness drained like watercolors being washed away, revealing that they were standing in the entrance hall to a very nice home; there was not a cobweb or speck of dust in sight, no signs of age or damage. An expensive chandelier hung from the ceiling supplying most of the light, but old electric lights lined the walls to provide additional lighting. Before them stretched two curved staircases that met at a balcony above. Below the balcony were two doors and an open hallway that stretched away, and to either side of them was an additional hall. More doors could be seen on the balcony above.

Kurasano whistled, walking ahead with his hands in his pockets and taking a look around. “This is a weird one.”

“It seems like a past reflection,” Katsumi said softly as she glanced down one of the hallways.

Rufus removed his shades, grey eyes examining the room. “Like a spirit echo, but for an entire building. I’ve never seen this before.”

“Neither have we,” Katsumi admitted. “We have no rules for this type of situation.”

“So,” Sano smirked, “making it up as we go?”

“It won’t be the first time.” Katsumi put a hand to her ear, speaking into her headset. “Law, Reno, we’ve got an unusual situation here.” Nothing came back but silence. Katsumi frowned. “Communication is… blocked?” Something was eating away at the back of her mind, though. Something else was wrong, something worse… When she figured it out her expression must have revealed a lot, as the other two shared a glance and studied her warily.

“What’s wrong, boss?” Sano asked carefully.

“I can’t reach her.” Katsumi immediately headed for the door, but the handle refused to turn and the door refused to open. Katsumi growled, slamming a fist into the door, which did nothing. “Damn it!”

“And… We’re stuck,” Sano stated. “Excellent…”

Rufus slipped his shades back on. “I guess we’ve got nine hours to figure this out and solve it.”

“It looks like it,” Katsumi sighed as she backed away from the door. “And if we don’t, we might never get back out.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“This is wrong,” Law stated as he stood up, grabbing his gun case and moving towards the house.

“What’re you… You’re going inside?” Reno stood up.

“We’re useless out here if there’s no contact. I’m going in to help them. You stay here in case it gets fixed, we’ll need someone on the outside.”

“You want me to sit out here alone all night?”

“If you want company…” Law looked back at him. “Call Ayane. If the cyber link between her and Katsumi is blocked like ours is, she could use some information. Besides, she’s good company.”

“I… sure.” Reno sighed and shrugged. “Go in. I’ll be out here.”

As soon as Law went through the door it swung shut, and the computer flashed the same warning of a lost connection with him. Reno looked despondently at the screen before switching it over to video, contacting the video screen in Ayane’s current room. It was answered so quickly that Ayane had to have been waiting for it, and she appeared in front of it sitting on her bed with a worried expression. “Reno? What’s going on? I can’t contact Katsumi.”