"You've gotten a lot better," said Dad as he washed his hands next to me.
"You think so? I've been practicing a lot with my friends."
"Friends? I didn't know they could fight."
"Different friends. Like Yato, I like being around them. They're good people, you know."
"Then, keep 'em close. Loyalty to one's friends is always a good thing."
"Yes, I know," I said smiling. I picked up my spare clothes and put them in a duffel bag. "Ready to go home?"
"No, I have an assignment in Russia coming up, so I need to visit your grandfather for a briefing."
"Talking to that computer always freaks me out." He flicked my forehead with enough force to make me stumble back. "Show some respect, kid. He's your gramps, after all." He smiled as he walked away. I grabbed my bag and left the family gym to head home. The roads were dark, only illuminated by the street lights. I walked for a while trying to figure out where mother might have left her key card.
"Liam!" A voice yelled at me in the distance. As I looked on, two hands waved frantically at me.
"Julz? Huh..." I walked to her and noticed Aiko was close by, drinking a soda.
"Hey guys, what are you doing out so late?"
"Lady Kara-no-goki told us you were at the family gym when we came to visit." Said Aiko. "Thought we might join you for some exercise, but it seems you closed shop."
"Ya, I was heading home, but we can hang out a little beforehand..." I looked at the time on my phone. "Hmmmm, on second thought, it's already late, so do you want to sleep over at our place?"
"Sounds great!" Yelled Julz as she wrapped around my arm. Aiko rolled her eyes as we headed home.
I quickly set their beds in the guest house at the back and burnt a little incense to get rid of the smell of dust. The guest house was a little small, with two bedrooms and a relatively small lounge, but at least it was livable. Julz immediately jumped on the bed face first and began to doze off. As I was heading out of the room, Aiko pulled my arm gently. "Hey, Liam. Can we chat a little?"
"Uuuh, sure." I sat on the room's couch, and she joined me. Julz, to nobody's surprise, was already snoring away happily. "What is it?"
"I heard about Hida's brother. How is she doing?"
"I'm worried about her, She is pretending it didn't happen all for the sake of focus. I feel I should say something, but...now's not the time. I need her to focus."
"Need her to focus?"
"There's a project for the family that she and I are working on; it's fragile but could really help the island thrive. I just need time and my mom's key card, but I don't know how to go about it."
"Her key card?"
"Long story." I sighed.
She looked away seeming a little disappointed that I didn't tell her. I wanted to tell her everything right there and then, she probably would have helped me but...I didn't want her involved. If this fails I don't want her being dragged down with me.
"Why haven't you asked me to the school dance yet?" She asked suddenly.
"Huh?"
"Oh my gosh, you really had no idea that there was a dance, did you?"
"In my defence, I was busy."
"Julz told me you'd forget, but I honestly thought otherwise." She began pouting.
I booped her nose and chucked. "Wanna go to the dance with me?"
"No." She turned away, still pouting.
"Whaaaaaa?" I asked sarcastically.
"I'm a princess, aren't I? Ask me properly."
"Brat. Okay, fine." I got down on one knee and took her hand in mine. I placed my hand on her cheek and turned her face towards mine. "Lady Aikonah, would you do me the honour of being my partner at the school dance?"
"It would be my pleasure." She said, blushing a little. She leaned in and kissed me deeply. Her arms wrapped around my head as I pulled her closer. She then pulled back, looking a little sheepish.
"I can't believe you let me do that." She said.
"I love you, Aiko."
Her face shot up; even through her caramel skin, I could see the embarrassment. "DON'T JUST SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT SO SUDDENLY, YOU IDIOT!" Julz began to tussle in her blankets. (It looks like she's having trouble sleeping.)
"Best keep the noise down," I said.
"Actually I should probably go sleep."
"Awww, just as things were getting good."
"This ain't that kind of novel, Liam." She kissed my forehead and turned around, jumping into bed. "It's okay, it's okay. Big sis is here." She lay behind Julz, wrapped her arms around her, and placed her cheek on Julz's head. Julz calmed down and smiled a little. (Ain't that kind of novel my ass.) I walked out of the door and made my way to my room. The darkness danced around the corners of my eyes as I lay in bed, looking at the ceiling, thinking (how do I find a needle in the world's biggest haystack...wait, Hisashi.)
"Why'd you call so late, dude?" Said Hisashi, as he drank his Cola.
"It's not like I had much of a choice. This needs to be set in motion quickly if we are to do the job before next month begins." I responded as I sat on the gas station bench.
"Fine." He shrugged. "What can big brother do for you?"
"I can't find the key card...and I probably won't. The only other option...is to break the lock. Do you know any hackers that could possibly do it?"
"I was afraid of this." He laughed uncomfortably "ya, I do, in fact, it won't be hard to track him down... it's just..."
"Just what?" I asked, feeling a little puzzled.
"What he will want in return, you'll never agree." He took a sip as he stared of into the sky looking at the stars. I turned to him with a sturn look on my face.
"Spill it."
"Knowing him, he probably wants you to kill someone."
"W... what?"
"I've tried to enlist his help a few times and it's always a kill contract."
"Kill? Kill who?"
"Gang leaders, drug dealers... important civilians. Full spectrum."
"Is there any other person?" I asked.
"For this job, we need perfection, so the only other person I'd trust is unfortunately the left-hand man for the headhunters."
"Daaaaamn."
"Ya, damn indeed. I don't know her power to be exact but she's the best damn safe cracker on the island."
We sat in the gas station light as the symphony of the night played its tune. I sat down contemplating our options, and with a heavy heart, I made my decision.
"We need to open that door... whatever it takes."
"Ya, whatever it takes."
We went our separate ways, and I headed home and back to bed, waiting for the next day.
The next morning we called a meeting together and discussed our next move. The hideout was no longer a crime scene, so we met up in the hangar. The rain kept pouring as we sat and drank hot chocolate. "So we may have to kill a guy just to open this door? are you serious?" Said Yato. "Look, man, I'm good with a lot of things, but I'm not killing anyone for any reason. You're with me too, right, big sis?"
"Actually I'm with Liam," responded Hida. "As long as it's a clean and ethical kill, I don't mind that much. We've come too far and..." She looked off to the side "and lost too much to let it all be in vein." Vesta walked up to Hidaka and hugged her gently. "I agree with Hida; we've come too far to stop now. But I can tell that all of you are uncomfortable with the idea of taking a life." We all looked down, feeling a little ashamed. (We are all criminals, but we get squeemish just because of death. Damn it)
"It's okay," she said, smiling softly. "I've killed many times before, though it's been years I know how to do it effectively. Just trust in me... okay."
(Why...why am I happy right now...) Shame gripped my chest like an anaconda.
"Okay, I'll go with you and back you up. We'll watch each other's backs." I turned to Hisashi. "So, about this hacker. Who is he?"
"He's a headhunter captain, two ranks under the leader, Lady Berkah. I've already talked to him, and he's heading this way. Liam, you lead negotiations."
"Right. I'll see if I can maybe disway him, push him to a different goal."
The hangar doors opened slightly, and the spider walked in. He was tall, maybe 6'5, with thin, bone-like arms and a mop of hair. His eyes were dark circles with a little white dot for a pupil. His mouth was an empty crater. He smiled at us, an empty toothless grin, he pulled his coat aside and bowed to us with the grace of an emperor. He...looked at us? And then stepped closer to me. "Tell me, are you the leader of the dragon?" His voice was... unsettlingly soothing.
"Y-yah."
"Tisk tisk, that will not do. A leader represents the group, little one, if you waver.." he lifted his bony hand and pointed behind me, as I followed his finger to see behind me, the others ready for battle but also shaken. "...they will grow restless, and we can't have that."
I took a deep breath and looked back, smiling at them. They smiled back and all took seats.
"Greetings, I am Phantom lord. You?"
"Call me Lycoris." He said proudly. His gaze turned to Hida.
"Lycoris?" Asked Hida
"Oh, it's you, Shitarin."
"Huh, didn't expect to actually see you in person. You have my payment?" She asked.
"Not here, but it's in the location we discussed. You can go get it now, actually." Hida gathered her things and prepared to leave, but I grabbed her arm.
"Hida, what's this about?" I whispered.
"That's my own business, not yours." She yanked her arm away and left.
(Damn it.)
"Now, Hisashi informed me that you need my aid." Said Lycoris.
"Yes, you are a hacker, correct?"
"Of sorts."
"Of sorts?"
"My Chishamiso allows me to meld my mind with machinery. This allows me to have access to it, it's more than just hacking; it's total control."
"Even without your powers?"
"Indeed. Got something planned?" He asked as his mouth curled into a deep smile once more.
"Alright, we are going to be breaking into a Laboratory. Think Area 51. We have everything we need, but unfortunately, we don't have a key to open one of the shafts to the place. That's where you come in. It requires a key card to open, and Chishamiso doesn't work on it. Can you do it?"
"The key card lock should be simple enough. Alright, now as for what I need." He turned around and pulled out a photo. It was a young man with bright red hair and an x-shaped scar on the left side of his lips. He looked rugged and strong but his eyes...he looked dead inside.
"Oops, wrong image." He smiled again.
"GET TO THE POINT," yelled Hisashi.
(Was that... his brother?) He pulled out another image, this one was of a young adult. She had electric blue tips in her hair, Indonesian, and quite short. She had a set of glasses, they were so big it was almost comical, and a few scars running down her arm. (Knife wounds? No, these were slow and shapely cuts; they had purpose. So either she was fighting a sadistic speedster or... torture.)
"Who is she?" I asked.
"The underboss for the Headhunters. She's like me, a hacker. You see, she got captured two years ago and spilled our secrets, rather than die she decided it would be better to sell information about our organisation to the Peacekeepers. She's a traitor and needs to die. Kill her, and I'll help you."
I looked closer at the image of the girl, her arms came into view again. (She's already gone through so much; do we have any right to kill her? No, a job is a job.) "You have a deal."
"Perfect. You'll find her at the arcane library tomorrow morning. Apparently she's researching some bio-luminescent flower for the Peacekeepers. Good day." He walked out as we sat together again.
"You don't seriously trust him, do you?" Asked Yato. "That guy is built like a Halloween decoration". Vesta smacked the back of his head. "Don't be rude, Yato."
I chuckled. "Not one bit. We have to be sure that he's telling the truth. Hisashi, you know these people, right? What do you think?"
"I don't trust him as far as I can throw him, but he's a man of his word. He may be lying about the target, but he's telling the truth about helping us. So it's up to you, Liam, how much is honour worth?"
"Damn it, alright. Hisashi, find Hida. You two need to dig up information on Lycoris. I want everything you can possibly find, even if it has nothing to do with this job. Never know when we'll need it. Vesta and I will go nab the girl. You guys have until tomorrow, say eight pm, to get evidence of a lie, otherwise, the girl goes."
"What about me?" Asked Yato.
"Vesta and I need to prep for the fight. Things may go south, so she'll be with me until tomorrow. Knowing her, she won't relax unless someone's looking after the kids."
He turned to Vesta, and she gave him a small nod. "Fine, just be safe, okay." He sighed.