Charles Dickens prefaced “A Tale of Two Cities” with the immortal line,
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times……”
Considering the situation that had resulted after Yuriko Mazaki had been taken to the Other Realm, it was definitely the worst of times, seeing as the cops arrived on the scene (with a frazzled Nakata leading the charge) not long after the ExCon was deader than dead (and gone, literally). One might wonder how the cops got the word of the incident, seeing as how Marry’s was in a commercial district where over 90% of the residents had homes far removed that they slept in at night, but the answer was simple enough.
While the ExCon incident itself miraculously escaped notice, seeing a miniature replay of the Aurora Borealis that filled the night sky and could be seen from space was hard to miss, and given that it happened RIGHT OVER the place where the resident superheroes lived the cops had thought it a good idea to check it out, and Nakata was denying himself even more sleep than he had already lost just to see what the blue hell had destroyed the idea of normalcy this time.
That said, the Witch Blades were both surprised and not surprised to see the cops show up, and since Reina was exhausted and Masane absent, Shiori walked outside to meet up with Nakata, who was by now giving her a “this better be good glare”.
With a summation that rivaled Commissar Ciaphas Cain in efficiently, she told his expectant face,
“ExCon battle. Killed it. Disposed of. Reason for light show.”
Nakata had been expecting to hear one long assed tale, so this was a surprise. In fact, Shiori, getting that, decided to elaborate,
“The fire is already out. Reina’s inside, exhausted from killing another ExCon. The light show was the Witch Blades bosses rapturing, so to speak, a Neogene we rescued."
Nakata exhaled at that point, as did the other cops, and Nakata asked, “Mind if we go inside so I can get your full report?” Without answering, Shiori walked over to the door of Marry’s, held it open, and even made a sweeping gesture like an usher welcoming guests to an upper crust dinner party.
Nakata took that as a yes.
From that point, Nakata actually did get to hear one “long assed tale”. They told him about Yuriko, the ExCon attack, and Darkness and Angelus taking her to their realm. At the last part, the portion of his brain that was “genre blind” kept yelling “KIDNAPPING!!!!!”, but the “genre savvy” portion, which held a majority of seats in the congress of his thought process, decided to take her words at face value, and merely asked for information on where the girl lived, so his troops could inform her close associates she had come to no harm.
Shiori provided the info, and just for the sake of following procedure, he interrogated all the witnesses, who all gave pretty much the same story, and said story gained even more credence when one of the older cops walked in, heard about the ExCon (and his woman hatred), and confirmed he had once busted the fucker (while alive and human) for assaulting a pregnant woman and almost cutting her stomach open, and as the incident with Yuriko and his physical description were recited back from Nakata’s notes, he was utterly convinced the Witch Blades had rendered one hell of a public service, and told his chief exactly that. That said, Nakata was extremely mollified, and the night’s excitement petered down. As the fuzz headed back for the station, Nakata resolved to file the last shreds of paperwork for the night and fuzz out on his newly acquired office couch.
As he left, Shiori went to check on Reina, who was currently as lively as a dishrag. Shiori and Maria helped the now woozy Reina upstairs, and helped her into bed. As they did, Shiori saw Maria give her almost insensate mother a hug and a peck on the cheek, and asked Shiori to tell her she was glad to have Reina as a mother. Shiori was so touched by this it was all she could do not to burst out the waterworks at the pure WAFF factor.
She was exhausted herself, and after shucking down to her undergarments, clambered into bed next to Reina, just glad she was alright.
Five minutes later, she found herself annoyed with her for the first time ever as she discovered Reina drooled in her sleep on her shoulder. That said, it was a minor annoyance at best, as considering that Reina had been and still was one of her primary reasons for breathing, she’d put up with anything, even that dictation habit of hers, which drove Shiori crazy, but thankfully not to the point it had earned her the fate of the jackass who decided it would be an outstanding idea to piss Reina-sama off.
As she prepared to turn in, she followed Maria’s example, and tenderly leaned over and kissed Reina’s other cheek, murmuring, “Aisheritu…………” before she passed out herself.
(The next morning)
The next morning started boring, but got interesting. Yuusuke staggered back to his room, eyes resembling holes cut in a cheap Halloween mask, and proceeded to pass out. He had been helping Kyoko organize the assloads of information the networks had on the events of the past two weeks, and considering she was senior editor for the network, she had to pare down all the raw TV news datum into sound bites and fit certain segments of journalistic revelations into periods ranging anywhere from three minutes, all the way up to three hours.
He had been helping her part time anyway, long before “The Battle of Tokyo”, as his earnings helped augment his ability to sufficiently pay his rent, but now he was helping her 24/7 mostly because he was a decent guy, the workload she had was obscene, and besides, she was a friend. Okay, maybe had been a lot more awhile back, and still was to some extent, but no matter what, he still cared for enough he didn’t mind throwing her a rope.
Over and over again.
As he hit the sheets, he was unaware that the manure had hit the rotational aperture device outside, as he had been cloistered in a dark room most of the night, helping Kyoko splice together stock footage for the next few days. As his eyes closed, he found himself oddly grateful and annoyed that even though he had achieved his dream of The Big Scoop, it had since cost him big time in sleep and sanity.
As he drifted off, another thought negated his gripes,
“Oh, what the hell. I was able to tell the world the truth about a single mom who kicks evil in the balls till it goes sterile. I think the sacrifice is well worth it……………”
While Tozawa slept like a baby (even curling up in a ball and putting his thumb in his mouth at one point), the other girls got up. Or, in Reina’s case, tried to, but hit the floor with a dull thud. Thankfully, she wasn’t really hurt, just a little groggy still. Shiori helped her downstairs, where Rihoko (who was still unaware of the events of the previous night) was making breakfast. Asagi, Aoi, Maria, and Marry were already downstairs, and Reina was still too tired to notice that the young ladies wore cute pink bunny slippers with matching bathrobes (yes, even Asagi), and that Marry was currently looking at her, wondering if that undead thing the ExCons were had rubbed off on her a little.
That speculation died on the vine as breakfast was served, and Rihoko’s face assumed its first ever “WTF” look as her biological mother suddenly shed her laconic, demure demeanor and grabbed the American style bacon and eggs breakfast, and inhaled it. With her bare, unwashed hands.
She didn’t even wait for the “Itadakamisu” to be said yet!
That said the “WTF” look grew universal as Reina polished her plate in record time and made motions for more. Rihoko was obliging, wondering who the little Arquillan was inside a Reina Sohou lookalike robot, that was currently showing fewer table manners than Masane while drunk, seasick, and apparently working some not so legal medication out of her system. After the second plate, a bowl of miso soup drunk like Kool-Aid, and half a jug of milk, Reina finally slowed down, and it was obvious that whatever berserker rage had caused her to pig out uncontrollably had faded, as she now was blushing like a cherry and profusely apologizing for her disgraceful display in front of her kids and close friends.
As she did this, Shiori kept her mouth shut, mind still blown from Reina’s total OOC moment, and everyone else around the table was similarly shocked, with Asagi quipping,
“At least we know you’re a healthy eater.”
Reina was half tempted to give Asagi a poisonous look, but embarrassment was proving effective deterrence. Thankfully, the whole incident was not mentioned since, and Marry, who by now was assuming her business role as proprietor, told them it might be a good idea to let Masane know about what happened last night. The mental “D’oh!” would’ve made Homer Simpson feel way better about his IQ as the ladies scrambled for the phone, and Marry pulled an Asagi as she whistled for their attention and pointed to the one sitting less than five feet from her.
It was at that point irony decided to make a house call, as they saw Takayama’s car pull up outside.
(a few hours earlier)
Migura had been informed that the Witch Blades had destroyed another ExCon not long before now, courtesy of the police, and they immediately faxed this information over to his country villa. He read off the transcript of the events dispassionately, mind toying with some disturbing possibilities.
Angelus and Darkness had been violently opposed to the copying of the Witch Blade, hence their cooperation with their own colleagues many times throughout history. At first, everyone had assumed that Angelus and Darkness had totally benevolent motives in allowing the original bearer and some of the former Neogenes back to eliminate the ExCons, and even he still believed that was part of their plans. However, he wasn’t stupid enough to think that was the only reason.
Angelus and Darkness had been banished, limited in their powers and treated as pariahs. Like anyone in a position of great power suddenly cast down, he was sure they didn’t appreciate it. Also, the very fact that the mass majority of the Neogenes were in their domain, and the fact they obviously were trying to retain all of them (and there were a few hundred of them), it seemed to him that they had more on their mind than simply keeping them safe. Given their damaged pride, if all of those Neogenes had Witch Blades, and Angelus and Darkness really wanted to, they could have a formidable standing army at their beck and call.
He was sure this was part of their plans, and though it was uncertain if that was a good or bad thing, it was something to keep in mind. He didn’t think anything ill would be coming of this supposition, but he resolved not to forget, lest it come back to haunt them all later.
(back to the present)
Masane and Reiji actually looked slightly bleary eyed, and if either had gotten laid, it sure wasn’t obvious. They had walked in, and Marry let them know that an ExCon attacked last night.
“WHAT?!”
Aoi spoke up, “It was also trying to kill a fellow Sister.”
Masane held up a hand, “Okay, back up. Tell me again what happened last night.”
By this time, Cho walked into the room, and he and rest took turns filling in the gaps from last night, save Reina, who still looked horribly embarrassed. Masane and Reiji listened with rapt attention, especially at the parts where Reina apparently took a level in her already impressive badass, and the spiriting away of the Neogene. By the time they got to the part of Reina passing out, Masane chipped in,
“Same thing happened to me. The more power you draw from the blade, the more it draws from you.”
Reiji couldn’t resist commenting, “Does that means if you use too much power, it could kill you?
Masane grew really quiet as she replied,
“I actually tried that once.”
A quiet pall hung over the room, and everyone was loath to speak, until Asagi asked, “I’m assuming that after being drained of energy, it makes you really hungry, right?”
At that, Reiji looked over at Masane, remembering how she decided table manners were a really funny joke you tell your friends back on his boat, and quite obviously face palmed, and Masane shot him an annoyed look. Shiori then, wanting to save Reina further embarrassment, told them simply that Reina had been horribly famished this morning, and shot a death glare around the room, almost daring people to elaborate.
No one was that stupid, and Reina found she felt extremely grateful to Shiori for preserving her remaining dignity, and resolved to return the favor someday.
Some time later……………
Shiori had insisted she sleep off the rest of her weakness, and as a doctor, Reina really couldn’t argue the point, and thus bowed to logic and allowed Shiori to help her back up the stairs to their bedroom. She almost collapsed twice, but Shiori’s shoulder was providing a nice anchor against that, and as they entered their room, Reina felt like a paper doll as Shiori had to lay her out on the bed, and Reina felt more than a little impotent as Shiori even had to peel her outfit off her body like a snack wrapper.
Once she was lying like a motionless lump in her underwear, she watched as Shiori flitted around like a beetle, grabbing spare bedding and pillows. She allowed herself to be propped up and tucked by Shiori (though it wasn’t like she really could have resisted), and as Shiori was about to leave the room, she bent down, kissed Reina on the forehead once again, and said she’d be back to check on her, but she wanted her to just focus on getting some sleep.
Reina was too weak to say anything, but as Shiori closed the door, Reina wondered just what the hell she did to have so many people in her life show her love. Despite being busy almost all the time helping out Fa- Furumizu, the few times she interacted with her Sisters, they all treated her like a big sister, and Shiori was the one who adored her so much she literally fell in love with her. Reiji had fallen hard for her, bluntly confessing during the time Douji and the NSWF were on speaking terms that he frankly didn’t give a damn about whether their research went anywhere, he was just happy to have met her, and she remembered that his honesty had been so compelling it was intriguing to her, and she surrendered her body to him, wanting to see where this relationship went.
During this time, a horrifying realization became known to her, and she realized that up until this point, she had never given much thought to what her Sisters meant to the man they called Father, but as Reiji showed her passion and devotion, feelings she never knew she had bubbled up within her, and around the time she had her daughter (which she had taken great pains to keep secret as much as possible, for reasons she still did not completely understand), she found herself overcome with a deeply held disgust for what she was, and what her daughter might become if she let her become a tool of her Father. She intellectually knew why she and the other Sisters had been made, but having a child revealed to her feelings that overrode her reason, and the thought of her daughter joining the ranks of her Sisters and becoming another potential Clone Blade bearer or Neogene filled her with a disgust that bordered on the physical, and so seized with passion, she not only took her daughter, but the Witch Blade she had been studying with her. Taking the latter, according to what she remembered feeling at the time, was fueled out of disgust for the possibility her daughter might have to be a guinea pig for the damn thing. In fact, it was at that moment, she realized for the first time ever, she deeply resented “Father”.
Unfortunately, things didn’t end well. Both Douji and the NSWF hunted her ass down, both thinking the other backstabbed them and more or less killing their alliance. It only got worse when Angelus and Darkness were fed the hell up and blew up the damn town. Reina had been knocked unconscious, and when she awoke, she was back in the NSWF complex, without Rihoko or the Witch Blade, and to her shock, Furumizu never said anything to her, or even treated her differently aside from never bringing the subject up, even having her resume her old duties as before.
Reina had known, somehow, she now had a big black mark on her record with him, but the resentment that waxed within her since then all the way up until she rediscovered her daughter just kept growing, and soon after Shiori died as a result of one of the Clone Blades she had a hand in creating, her last thread of loyalty snapped. She took Rihoko back from Masane, broke off ties with Furumizu, and merely wanted to spend what little life she had left in peace (as she had also figured out the Clone Blade was slowly killing her). She knew all this in a calm, didactic way, but those feelings she had felt when she first spirited away her daughter made her feel regret she’d never get a chance to know that little girl Masane had raised even better than she wanted to admit.
And then, it all went to hell. Furumizu had merely been waiting for her to make her break official before he declared her life forfeit, and sicced Maria (a clone daughter made with her DNA and little else) on her, probably knowing she’d snap upon seeing Rihoko, which she did, which merely confirmed to Reina that not only did he want her dead, but Rihoko as well, if for no other reason than to make her pay for betrayal.
Certain death at hand, those maternal feelings seized control of her, and she decided to fight Maria in exchange for Rihoko’s safety, figuring it would be one of the few noble things she did with her life (even if it meant she’d have to kill one daughter to save another). She had played God, served an amoral bastard (and abetting his twisted desires), and abandoning the one man who tried to love her, but she decided to go down fighting, realizing why Masane had mourned the loss of Rihoko, and feeling ever the more she should sacrifice herself.
Sure enough, she fought Maria, and lost, but Rihoko survived, and as she lay dying, she realized that, for once, she had done the right thing, and when Reiji had found her, she had, with her dying breath, begged his forgiveness for her betrayal, and told him to give her daughter to a better mother than herself.
And then she died.
When she had been revived, the first thing she saw was the woman she wronged by taking away the child who gave her happiness, but Masane held no malice for her, even offering to reconnect her with her daughter. As Reina accepted her chance at redemption, Shiori and Maria were restored to life, and as the woman who tried to love her and the daughter who had never properly known her love were once again made known to her, it was at that moment she realized she had a chance to right what had once gone so wrong.
And, as her eyes closed, a small smile crossed her face as she realized she now free of her demons, surrounded by those who showed her love and whom she could love in return.
(Three days later)
The JSDF had fully moved into its new offices, and had discovered that it would simply be more cost effective to retool the manufacturing facilities to produce JSDF approved war munitions than actually transporting their own equipment and replacing the Douji tech. Also, it seemed several Douji executives had actually had the foresight to see what would happen if the crap hit the fan, and thus most of the paperwork regarding I Weapon/ExCon/Clone Blade research, development, or production had been introduced to the shredder, and most of the remaining stocks of inventory were either empty, or simply empty shells, and to the credit of the guys burying the evidence, the biological components of most of the I Weapons were simply gone, though examination of the residue in the blast furnaces and incinerators revealed where most of it wound up. That aside, it had also been discovered that a huge portion of Douji’s employees were extremely ignorant of what their employers weapons production plants made, and most of the guys who were involved had either gone underground or did a heel face turn and were given clemency in exchange for helping the JSDF develop ways to destroy their former creations.
As for the anti-ExCon mission, they had just finished converting a former I Weapon R&D lab into the new HQ of the task force. All that was left was for the last members of the team to join up so they could assume operational status.
That said, Colonel Toijira was currently in what would soon be Reiji Takayama’s office, mildly annoyed that his ass had barely warmed the new office seat before he had to get up to plug the phone back in, as the twit who set the place up apparently forgot that. Once that task was over, he dialed up Reiji Takayama’s cell phone,
“Reiji Takayama speaking.”
“It’s me. I’m having a meeting later today I wanted you to attend. My team is ready, and I was wondering if you made your decision.” he replied, quite sure of his answer.
Five seconds later, he had to restrain an urge to gloat at how right he was.
“Excellent, Takayama-san. I assume Amaha-san and her associates will be attending?”
“Yes. I was wondering if you have any objections to my inviting some additional guests?”
“And these are?”
He told him.
“I see. Are they aware of the interests I’m representing?”
He replied in affirmative.
“Very well, bring them with you. Anything else?”
He replied in the negative.
“Good. Please bring yourself and your associates to the front of the building by 2:00 PM. There will be someone to guide you to the conference room we’ll be in.”
With that, he hung up.
(1:30 P.M.)
Reiji looked at the motley crew that had asked to attend the meeting. He and the Witch Blades were obviously going to go, but the fact Cho and Yuusuke wanted to go hadn’t been in the original plans. At least Yuusuke made sense, seeing as he wanted to go see if the JSDF/Thirteen was as full of crap as Douji’s former management had been. It still seemed odd Cho wanted to show up too, though considering the man was good with computers, he really needed more income than as a part time computer jockey, and his porno was getting too expensive to support, he was apparently hoping to earn some serious cash in exchange for the continued privilege of seeing digitally enhanced tits.
Deciding it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to invite them, he looked around at the people currently gathered outside Marry’s to make sure they were ready.
He was wearing a standard business suit, as was Masane. It weirded him out slightly to see Reina and Maria side by side, as they now looked like clones in their chosen attire, except Maria was shorter than her mother, and he really had to fight back an urge to refer to Maria as “Mini Me”. Aoi and Shiori had apparently opted for the slightly less fancy high grade secretary look, which he found oddly appropriate, and Asagi looked REALLY odd in a business suit, though he was grateful she had ditched the black lipstick. Yuusuke looked like a certain red haired Turk off “Advent Children” in his suit, which given that Yuusuke kept scowling as if he were miserable, made Takayama believe the he was not the suit and tie kind of guy, which was his bad luck if he actually got a job today. Cho actually took a business suit like a duck to water, looking totally at ease, but the lime green tie he wore clashed badly with his bleach white button shirt, and his cologne was apparently so powerful it knocked Aoi out (and everyone noticed Maria really looked disappointed she wouldn’t have to initiate mouth to mouth).
However, due to the sheer numbers, Tozawa took half in his car, and he took the other half in his car.
That settled it was time to set out.
(Twenty minutes later)
As they pulled in front of the former Douji Industries, Reiji couldn’t resist a feeling of déjà vu laced with heavy irony. A line from an American TV show just wouldn’t stop reverberating through his brain as he parked,
“As much as I try to escape, they keep pulling me back in…………”
His reverie was abruptly ended as he Masane, Aoi, Maria, and Asagi stepped out of his car, and Tozawa, Cho, Shiori,
and Reina stepped out of Yuusuke’s. As they did, he realized the Colonel hadn’t been kidding about being met at the door, for no sooner had he parked, no other than Hiroki Segawa was there to meet him.
“Pleased to see you, sir.” said Hiroki, affable as ever, “And glad to see you are well, Ms. Amaha.”
“Thanks, Segawa.” replied Takayama politely yet curtly, “I take it you’ll be our escort.”
“Yes sir. Colonel Toijira had told me I’m to be working under yourself again, and told me to personally show you around, as a lot has changed since you were last here.” With that, he ushered them forward through the front doors.
As Segawa led them forward through the still somewhat familiar hallways, Reiji had to concede in parts, the place was almost recognizable. The Douji logo had been removed, replaced by the JSDF emblem. The walls seemed to have some plants and a metric ton of motivational posters, mostly extolling the virtue of hard work and efficiency, were hung in every available space. He also saw far less suits and far more uniforms, which told him right then and there that the military obviously was one of those employers who thought the little guy was literally the back bone of the company, whereas the REMF’s were support people.
Douji had had an entirely different idea, of course.
The rest of the entourage followed behind in silence, and though Reiji wasn’t going to admit it, he felt nervous despite having been through this very building only God really knew how many times. As Hiroki stopped in front of one of the larger conference rooms, he picked a clipboard from a table beside the door. Pulling a gold nibbed pen out his pocket, he handed it to his former boss with an apologetic look,
“Colonel Toijira asked me to get everyone’s names, so he can duly report to his superiors who attended this meeting, sir.”
No more words need be said as he signed, and the clipboard was passed around. Once they all signed, he handed it back, and Segawa asked them to wait a moment. He walked inside, and after a few moments, he opened to the door and ushered them inside. He and the others saw a huge conference table had been set up, and several commissioned JDSF officers were already seated. Toijira saw him and gestured to the entire left side of the table, whose seats were free. He and the others wordlessly sat down. As they did, Toijira thanked them for coming, and proceeded to introduce everyone, starting with the right side of the table, more or less introducing the military side of the of the company.
Once that was finished, Toijira switched over to introducing the main attraction: Reiji and his kickass d00dz.
“This is former Douji board director Reiji Takayama. He has decided to join our company on our anti-ExCon strike team, and despite having no military training, led some of his former employees, who now work under myself, into a pitched battle with those I Weapons his associates made, and acquitted himself rather well.”
A moment of respectful light applause started up from the other side of the table, joined by Toijira, and he bowed slightly, feeling a little put on the spot. He then gestured to Masane, and the unmistakable tone of respect in his voice was obvious as he said, “Not that this woman needs introduction, but she is Masane Amaha. She bears the Witch Blade, and used it to take down an entire army and save a city.”
The applause was rather thick this time, and Masane found herself blushing as even her side of the table chipped in. Just as she thought the redness on her face would leave a scar, the Colonel held up his hand for silence and gestured to Reina and the former Neogenes.
“Our first guest is Dr. Reina Sohou, head researcher for the now late Tatsuoki Furumizu of the now defunct NSWF. She defected from the organization because she grew a conscience, and apparently risked her life to defend an innocent little girl from harm, and the others,” pointing as she said the names, “are Shiori Tsuzuki, Maria Sohou, Aoi Nagisa, and Asagi Watanabe, former Neogenes who also defected and now wish to help put down the remaining ExCons still skulking around this city.”
He paused for a moment, looking over Yuusuke and Cho, and then he announced their names and asked why they were there.
“Well, to be blunt, I was helping Masane uncover Douji’s dirty laundry, and wanted to see how messy the JSDF’s clothes hamper was.” replied Yuusuke, politely but firmly.
To the surprise of everyone in the room, he actually regarded him with a warm smile as she said, “You were the one who helped the Tokyo News Network do their expose, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I’d first like to thank you, and after this meeting is over, I’d like to talk to you about a possible position here.”
He nodded, and the Colonel turned his attention to Cho, “And you, sir?”
“We’ll, sir, I helped Mr. Tozawa hack into the NSWF database, and discovered the purpose behind the Neogenes, and I’d like to offer my technical skills to your organization.”
Everyone else on the right of the table looked over at the older man, and Toijira said in perfectly level voice,
“I assume you believe what we are doing involves the former Neogenes?” He knew full well it did, and wanted to see if this old guy was just an attention groupie, or he really know what he was talking about.
Cho, to everyone’s surprise, got dead serious as he told the Colonel, “With all due respect, Colonel, but assuming your anti-ExCon force wants to be effective, you probably know their preferred targets are women, and during the events preceding your arrival, a high majority of those women happened to be Neogenes. Since there are still several dozen Neogenes left floating around, I’d assume you’d really like to know their locations, so they can be protected from harm or if you really wish to be cold about it, use them as bait.”
He paused for a moment, letting this sink in, and then continued, “I’m also assuming you’re aware that I’ve already decoded many of the NSWF’s encryption protocols, and assuming the records from the NSWF will be subsumed into your operations, I’d like to lend my expertise to helping you save these women and decode that info.”
The temperature of the room sank about fifteen degree as the Colonel and every other suit in the room regarded him coldly, and then the warmth returned as she sighed and said, “You’re absolutely correct. The police are planning a joint raid on the NSWF premises in conjunction with the JDSF and per their prior arrangements, with the Witch Blade bearers. Since I am the commanding officer, my personnel will also be there, and having someone on hand to decode their computer algorithms would be useful, so I would be willing to accept your services on retainer for that time.”
That said, she changed gears and said, “I did get ahead of myself, so let me backtrack. Today, we are forming the anti-ExCon side of what we are calling “Dreizhen Industries”. It will be composed of JDSF personnel, pardoned Douji employees, and”, gesturing towards the Witch Blades, “deputized civilians from the Tokyo Police”.
He paused as Segawa, who had ducked out of the room, returned with some forms which he quietly placed in front of each person at the table save Toijira, Cho, and Yuusuke. After doing this, he promptly left again, locking the door as he left, leaving the Colonel to continue.
“Everyone here is considered subject to military censorship regarding out activities and no information is to be given to non cleared individuals except at the JSDF’s discretion. Our mission is to safeguard civilians from being attacked by the ExCons and rescue the remaining Neogenes, if possible. Disclosure to the wrong parties could get people hurt or killed, and I will not tolerate or accept any unauthorized leaking. Is that clear?”
Yuusuke kept his mouth shut, despite an immense urge to open it, and the rest merely nodded.
“That said, those forms in front of you are employment forms licensing you as employees of Dreizhen Industries, which is for all intents and purposes a subsidiary of the Japanese Self Defense Forces. Also, as allies of the Thirteen, which the new people will be joining today or merely affirming their preexisting commitments to for the current members, I don’t think I have to remind anyone we are a secret organization, and by signing these forms, you have officially crossed the precipice, and there is no turning back.”, and she looked at Yuusuke and Cho and said, “and you two were not originally on our list of considered members, so I will getting your employment forms for you later, but I fully expect you will not be breathing a word about our organization to anyone.”
Allowing just a hint of menace to creep into his tone, she added,
“Is that clear?”
They nodded.
His old manner returned. “Now that that’s settled, please fill out those forms while I go attend to some business. I’ll be back briefly, so just wait here.” That said, he headed for the door, unlocked it, and stepped outside, relocking it as she turned to Segawa, who was waiting outside.
“I’ll need two more employment forms, and I want you to escort our little entourage to the staging area when we’re done.”
“Yes, sir”, and abruptly took his leave.
As he did, the Colonel allowed his stern manner to relax as he thought,
“Well, the team is shaping up. Here’s hoping they’re enough to prevent more innocents from getting hurt.
As the Colonel waited outside the door, everyone else filled out the forms, and possibly due to the gravity of the situation, no one felt the urge to speak. Finally, after a long while, they all finished, and they set down their pens, and though no prohibition had been made on speaking, no one spoke, settling for remaining quiet and mostly avoiding direct eye contact.
Thankfully, this didn’t last long, as the Colonel popped back in, holding two more sets of employment forms, and informed them, “Segawa will be escorting you to a nearby auditorium, so while I’m handling these two gentleman’s employment, the rest of you can follow him there."
Their orders given, the troops filed out and followed Segawa, and once they were gone, Toijira resumed his seat at the head of the table, pointed to the chairs on either side of his own, and motioned for them to sit down. They did, and they both got the weird impression of being interrogated as he started asking yes or no questions.
“Are you aware of what this company does publicly?
They answered yes.
“Are you aware of the organization I am a part of, and do you realize the interests I represent?
Again, they said yes.
“Do either of you have a problem with any of this knowledge. If so, let me know now.”
Cho said no, but Yuusuke, hearing no threats attached and being a man married to truth, said yes. Toijira barely looked fazed as he asked,
“Does it bother you that Japanese military is taking orders from a third party who desires to remain anonymous?”
“No, but why do their actions have to be secret?” He actually knew the obvious reasons; he just wanted to get a measure of Toijira’s morals.
“Good question. Do you really think the public would have responded positively to Masane coming out as the Witch Blade bearer, before she saved this town’s collective ass?”
Yuusuke stayed silent, wanting to hear more.
“The reason the Thirteen are a secret organization is because there always aliens, mages, eldritch abominations, and breakdowns in the space/time continuum that we constantly deal with, and the only way most of the public gets to live their happy lives is if they do not know about it.”
“Point taken, but why aren’t you guys antsy over the Witch Blade’s existence being outed already?”
“Simple. We can’t exactly put the genie back in the bottle, so we’re trying to deal with the aftereffects as decisively as possible to prevent the loss of more lives and panic.”
“I guess my question is answered.” said Tozawa.
“I’m glad you showed up today because I was looking to hire you as the Press Liaison for this company. We’ll be working closely with the Tokyo Police Department, and I’d like you to personally update them on what we do just so they know we aren’t doing a rehash of Douji’s cloak and dagger antics. You’ll be working with Chief Akira Nakata, whom I understand you have some background with.” saying this last bit with a bit of a playful smirk.
Ruefully, he confirmed, “Yeah, he hates my guts.”
“This is why you’re perfect for the role I have lined up. He hates the air you breathe, but considering you and he have worked for the same goals, he also has great reason to trust you, making you perfect for the role. You’ll be updating him and the news networks of our activities, and as long as the existence of the Thirteen never makes it into your releases I leave everything else, barring some matters covered under military censorship, to your discretion.”
Having heard that, Yuusuke Tozawa was almost sold. However, honesty compelled him to respond, “If I do join up, the first time I see you guys do anything like what Douji and the NSWF did, I’ll blow your cover and screw the consequences.”, finishing with a reflexive tightening of the shoulders to show his resolve.
Toijira actually looked impressed, “That’s what I expected you’d say, and I wouldn’t blame you if it ever did happen”, saying this in a tone indicating there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell it would, “and with that said, still want the job?”
In response, Yuusuke told him, “I’m filling out this form, but I’d also like to shake hands when were done.”
The Colonel knew exactly the amount of trust Yuusuke was putting in him, and replied, “I’ll do my best not to dishonor your trust in me, Tozawa-san.”
That said, he turned to the paperwork, and Toijira turned to Cho, whom he told,
“After I last talked to Takayama-san, I got some private investigators to look into the background of his associates and close friends, and it turns out that the perverted old man façade you currently wear hides the fact that you used to make a killing for several major corporations.”
“I did.” Cho said, emphasis deliberately placed on the second word, as the last corporation had tied up most of the money he had made in their retirement plan, which some greedy bean counter had been grafting from, though to be fair, he was screwing over half the company, and bolted with over 95% of everybody’s money just as he was about to get caught. Soon after, disillusioned and pissed off, he earned more modest wages as a part time computer techie and had moved into Marry’s. And the rest was history.
“That said, not only am I interested in hiring you as a consultant to help us collate all that data we have on the ExCons and Neogenes, you have my word you will not be cheated from as long as you work for my company. Any asshole who so much as tries will have his body parts ripped off and sold on EBay piece by piece to pay you back, that is, if they even get a chance. Much like Tozawa, you have my personal word on that.”
“Thank you, sir.”
What he did next nearly made Tozawa gag on his next breath and totally surprised Cho.
“Just curious, is my near constant stone attitude and take no bullshit demeanor making me look like a total asshole?”
His face looked casual at this, but Cho wasn’t stupid. Any potential boss who asked such a loaded personal question was trying to determine if their potential employee was a kiss ass.
Deciding to be wise, he replied, “It might make you seem unpleasant to some, but it mostly means that you take your job as the boss as seriously as you should.” and he then asked, “Could I add one more thing, off the record?”
“Of course.”
“If you were a woman, it would probably make you attractive.”
Tozawa nearly choked on his own breath as Toijira’s eyes widened in surprise. Either Cho appreciated strong, sophisticated women who took charge, or he was a masochist who enjoyed being pushed around by women.
If the latter was true, his interactions with Marry just took on a whole new meaning.
Toijira recovered his composure after a second and said, “I appreciate the compliment Cho-san. You’re hired, albeit in a consultant capacity.”
That sounded just fine to Cho. After all, being a consultant basically meant he sat on his ass unless needed, was paid regardless, and could work from home. That said he immediately started on his paperwork. As he worked on it, Toijira informed him,
“You two just became allied to the Thirteen and JSDF employees, and the same condition of secrecy applies.”
They nodded in acknowledgement, and Cho hurried through the rest of his paperwork.
Once they were both done, Toijira looked at his new consultant and PR guy, smiled, shook hands, and escorted them to the auditorium.
In the meantime, most of the suits and the Witch Blade nakama said hello to each other, and more than one wanted to shake hands with them, thanking them for their service, which was, frankly, kinda overpowering, but it was nice to know that their good works had been recognized.
Before the introductions could continue, Toijira, Yuusuke, and Cho walked in and Toijira told them to take seats near the front. As they all did, the Colonel walked up to a podium just in front of them, his back to a massive jury rigged projector screen. Picking up a remote, he aimed it at the projection machine in the corner, while Segawa walked in and dimmed the lights. Some other Dreizhen personnel walked in and took seats behind them, and once what seemed like several dozen people sat down, Toijira started his presentation, flipping the first picture to an aerial map of the Dreizhen Industries complex.
“This meeting is more or less an orientation session for all employees involved in the anti-ExCon mission or will be assisting as support personnel. That said, I will be going over some matters regarding that arrangement that should be considered classified.”
“Questions?”
No one raised their hands in the almost darkness, so he continued,
“Our mission is twofold. First, we will be cleaning up Douji’s mess and killing the ExCons. Second, we will cooperate the municipal police forces to come up with countermeasures for any attack made by the ExCons or anything similar. Also, in accordance with Japanese military law, this corporation and its employees will be considered under military jurisdiction, and any illegal action that threatens out joint mission will be dealt with according to military law.”
“I will be responsible for the military side of this operation. I should also mention that we will have military personnel quartered here as a garrison force to oversee this operation and handle any materials deemed not suitable for civilians to handle. And, since all of you volunteered for this operation, I hope you read the fine print, because unless you are injured, dead, or we see fit to release you, you are all bound to your duties like any other soldier. Is that clear?”
A call of assent resounded, and the picture changed again to a roster sheet of the task force’s ranking officers:
JDSF OVERSEER- COLONEL DAISUKE TOIJIRA
CIVILIAN OVERSEER- REIJI TAKAYAMA (SIMULATED )
BATTLE COMMANDER: MASANE AMAHA (SIMULATED MAJOR)
BATTLE COMMANDER XO/ALTERNATE- REINA SOHOU (SIMULATED CAPTAIN)
(In Lieu of a Medical Officer, Dr. Sohou shall also assume this role)
WITCH BLADE SPECIAL FORCES: SHIORI TSUZUKI (SIMULATED 1ST LIEUTENANT)
WITCH BLADE SPECIAL FORCES: MARIA SOHOU (SIMULATED SERGEANT)
WITCH BLADE SPECIAL FORCES: AOI NAGISA (SIMULATED SERGEANT)
WITCH BLADE SPECIAL FORCES: ASAGI WATANABE (SIMULATED SERGEANT)
INTERDEPARTMENTAL LIASION: HIROKI SEGAWA (SIMULATED WARRANT OFFICER)
As the list was read by everyone, Toijira told Segawa to flip the lights back on, and told Yuusuke and Cho to stand on either side of the podium. He introduced their names and positions, and then told everyone their first day of work would begin tomorrow. He also went on to say that they would be cooperating with the police and military to commence a raid of the NSWF premises, and as he said this, his eyes drifted over to Masane and Takayama, as if to say,
“I’m sure that will be of particular interest to you.”
After that, the meeting was adjourned and the ranking officers were told they would be expected to go on the investigation, but everyone else was on standby just in case. That said, he told most of the rank and file people to leave, as he had things he needed to discuss with the senior brass, and they were to return to whatever they had been doing prior to this meeting.
Once they all filed out, he had some directives for each party. For Cho, he wanted him to get all of his information ready to be integrated into what they gleaned from the NSWF. For Yuusuke, he wanted him to tip off the media as to the legality and purpose of their upcoming raid, and to also inform the media that due to military involvement, they would not get to attend or even get anywhere near the premises, and that Yuusuke himself would be giving an official press release at a suitable time. Reiji and Masane were told that Toijira wanted the information he had given them (without specifying, but they knew what he meant) back in his hands. Segawa was told that he was attending, and that he was to defer all inquiries as to his activities until he returned, and that he was effectively acting CEO in Reiji/his place until he returned.
He then changed gears and said they’d all be getting a good look on their new headquarters building after the raid went down, and briefly explained that due to the heavy military presence, the guys in suits were giving them simulated ranks to make the military processing and equipment procurement procedures easier. He finished by saying that if anyone besides Reina or Masane wanted to bow out of going back to the NSWF premises, they were free not to attend.
To his surprise, none of the other former Neogenes opted out.
That dealt with, he told them they were free to leave, and he’d be calling them the following day with further instructions. He also informed them that due to the fact all the team members were now considered senior employees as well as military assets; they would be getting company provided transportation by military personnel, though he drily remarked that if anything untoward happened, they’d probably kick even more ass than their uniformed wards.
After waiting for the light laughter to pass, he had Segawa escort them out. Once they were all gone, he headed back to his office, where he called his boss.
“We have them all on board now, sir.”
(Later that night, Marry’s)
Cho was busily working in his hacker cave, backing up all of his data, Reiji already had gotten the Thirteen info and the Witch Blade research ready, Yuusuke had already tipped off Kyoko, who had passed the word for him, who had also congratulated him on his new job, not to mentioned teased him about his hatred of suits, which he now would be unable to avoid, prompting Yuusuke to get resigned as he asked her to not remind him, a futile effort to put it charitably. She had also asked him how free he was to talk about anything he might learn (he was now working on behalf of the government, after all), and he said, he wasn’t sure yet, but he’d tell her whatever he could.
Reiji and Masane were in her room, less concerned about the raid on the NSWF complex (despite Masane’s brief incarceration there), and more about the immediate ramifications of what this would do to their lives, and Rihoko. Reiji was the first one to point out that now they had some clout, they might as well exercise it and ask the Colonel and his putative superiors to put some protection on their daughter as well, as any asshole with half a skull would consider her a primary hostage. Masane noted without irony that had the NSWF and the more corrupt of Takayama’s former associates not been confusedly drooling so much, they might have pulled that stunt too, and said she’d insist on it. She pointed out to him that it might be good to get her some homeschooling to compliment her already vast common sense, as Masane regretted not having the means to do so earlier, and besides, Reina had asked about that, and Masane had to admit to her she had been very poor in that regard, and this guilt was a heavier burden than she ever wanted to keep bearing. They went to sleep soon after, though with weighted hearts.
As for the other Neogenes, the reactions were somewhere between “we have to face our past” and “I know, but the memories are too horrible, but I’m going anyway”. Maria and Aoi, much saner and aware of what they had been a part of now, were a combination of both, and Maria confessed to Aoi she wasn’t sure if she could stomach what she might see, knowing that the NSWF usually handled its own injured or dead without going through official medical or mortuary channels, and they might run across records, or even bodies those she had either hurt severely, even killed during her psychotic days. Aoi didn’t know what to say, mostly because she was scared of seeing the same horrific tableau, but she merely decided to give Maria silent moral support, and hugged her close, telling her that despite her past, she’d always be loved by her, and besides, her own past wasn’t pretty either, so she would not hate Maria for the part she had played in the twisted puppet show of Puppet Master Furumizu, and Maria told her the same, and the night ended with Maria and Aoi curled up in each other’s arms, scared at what they might see, and secure that they’d be together to face it.
Reina and Shiori were somewhat different, to say the least. Reina’s hands were actually stained with possibly even more blood than her daughter. After all, her battle codename of “Lady” (of War) wasn’t just a colorful description. Back in her formative years, she too had been an emotionless doll who injured or killed if it would’ve pleased “Father”, and though he had never used her sexually, she hadn’t been totally unaware he had done the same to others, and on top of Maria’s concerns, she was also fearing finding records of sexual abuse she could have stopped, and it sickened her to know she had once been as amoral as the bastard whose DNA she still carried, and she had just let herself be his willing pawn. Shiori was upset with herself, but for more parochial but no less commendable reasons.
She had been a slightly less malevolent version of Maria, but what still filled her with guilt was that one kill she had made when she totally snapped, murdering the Neogene who had come in to attend to her, and she killed her without even a reason or even an excuse. That murder was still etched on her conscience, and the fact she had once been little better than “Father” in terms of human decency made her feel not much better than the woman she had feelings for, and both finally fell asleep in each other’s arms, minds occupied and consciences burdened.
As for Asagi, Marry had learned some interesting things. She was a late Generation Three Neogene (when to Furumizu’s ignorance his Neogene chief geneticist Rie Nishida had been splicing other DNA into the mix), so she was unaware of the exact depths of her ties to “Father”, but she too felt a little trepidation at seeing what she had once been an apathetic part of, and even confessed seeing what she would be seeing was actually making her very nervous, but she was facing her past, so she could finally bury it and get on with being a human being.
Marry found herself very inspired by her young roommate’s urge to enjoy life despite her unnatural entrance to it, and as she herself went to sleep, she hoped Asagi was not only able to face and overcome her past, she hoped her and the other girls could enjoy life.
As did, for the most part, everyone else.
Aisheritu- An extremely formal and romantic way of saying “I love you”.
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