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Agreed, maybe do a bonus update later, but for now let's get back to the main story.
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Aug 25, 2021 04:47
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| # ? Jun 7, 2024 02:13 |
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 Setup.
  Kano’s cell phone rang; he saw Kuze’s name on the display.  “Kano speaking.” “What the hell are you doing?” The director’s voice was shrill with irritation. “What’s the situation with Maria Osawa?” “I have her in custody, sir.” “We need to get her into quarantine immediately. I’ll send a counter-NBC terrorism unit to pick her up. What’s your location?” General Tip – Counter-NBC terrorism unit posted:A Public Safety Mobile Investigation Unit belonging to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Public Security Bureau. The acronym “NBC” refers to Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical threats. The unit not only gathers information and investigates terror incidents that make use of these means, but also deploys relief and safety restoration measures. “Sir, the situation’s a little complicated at the moment,” Kano replied. He and Stanley made eye contact.  Kano gave him a knowing nod; he knew what he needed to do, here. He briefly informed Kuze of the plan to take Maria to the laboratory, but was careful not to mention Alphard. “Please, sir,” Kano said, bowing reflexively to the phone, “let me handle this.” Shinya Kano “Absolutely not!” Kuze exclaimed. “There’s no way I can allow that. Maria Osawa needs to go in quarantine right now.”  “Sir, please, just give us a little more time. Giving her the antiviral is the only way we can save her. If we put her in quarantine it’ll be a death sentence.” General Tip – Quarantine posted:The act of placing infectees in isolation, such as in a medical treatment facility, in order to prevent the spread of infection. For viruses capable of airborne transmission, an Airborne Infection Isolation Room (AIIR) is sometimes used, which employs negative air pressure to ensure that air from within the room does not leak outside. Kuze let out a growl of frustration. “Kano, that isn’t your decision to make.” Kano had run out of arguments. It was clear that Kuze’s only concern was stopping the spread of the virus. “Director Kuze, are you just going to let Maria Osawa die?” “We can’t put the lives of everyone in Shibuya at risk in order to save a single person.” “I know that, sir. That’s why I’m asking you to please let me go to that laboratory. And if it looks like we’re not going to be able to hack the password, then at that point, a quarantine can-” “Kano!” Kuze snapped. “I’m giving you an order!" “And I’m not accepting that order!” “Listen,” Kuze said. “How many years have you been a cop?” “What do you mean by that, sir?” Kuze didn’t reply. “Is this an order from up top? What’s going on here, sir? Please, I need some kind of explanation!” “Stop it,” Kuze said. “You sound like a child. This is dereliction of duty.” “Call me a child if you want, but I’m not following an order that I know isn’t right.”  Kano punched the end call button with his thumb. From an objective standpoint, maybe Kuze was right. They needed to think about more than just Maria. If the Ua Virus spread through Shibuya, it would be a nightmare of epic proportions. Kano understood that perfectly clearly. But still... He looked down at Maria’s face as she lay collapsed on the floor.  This girl was still alive. And Kano couldn’t stand idly by and let a living, breathing person die. Consequences be damned-he wasn’t going to be the one to weigh the worth of someone’s life. As he stood, still clutching his cell phone, Stanley gently set a hand on his shoulder.  “You did fine,” he said quietly. “Alphard is in possession of the Ua virus. The people of Shibuya are already in danger. He may have already released the virus in the city; if he hasn’t, he may do so at any time. Right now, what we need to do is get that antiviral, and arrest Alphard. You made the right choice here.” “Thanks, Stanley. I appreciate hearing that.” Stanley gave Kano a slap on the back. He was right. At this point, they needed to focus on the things they could still accomplish. “So, guys...” Achi stepped forward.  “Who’s going to take Hitomi’s sister and Canaan to the lab?” Maria was in no condition to walk, so they were going to have to take a car. Which meant they needed a driver. “I only have a motorcycle license,” Achi said, “and I don’t know where the lab is, anyhow.” “I should go with Maria alone.”  Canaan looked over at the others. “There’s no way of knowing for sure when she might become contagious. We shouldn’t needlessly risk exposing more people to infection.” She knelt down to gather Maria in her arms. No music.“In that case, I should drive.” Kano whirled around at the sound of a new voice behind him.  Tateno was standing in the doorway. “You!” Achi’s face went red with rage. 
   Maneuvers. “You!” Achi snarled.  In the doorway stood the man with the cane. “Detective Tateno?”  “Tateno.” Kano and Daisuke spoke simultaneously. Now, at last, Achi had a name for the assassin. It was a name he felt he’d heard somewhere before.  “You son of a bitch!” Achi roared. “What the hell are you doing here?” Tateno bowed his head profusely. “I am truly sorry.” “You’re sorry?! Sorry don’t cut it, man! Not after what you were trying to do to Hitomi!”  “I don’t expect you to forgive me. And I intend to turn myself in, to be punished for my crimes. But before I do that, please, let me do what I can to help you.” “I think you’ve helped enough!” Achi grabbed Tateno by the collar and drew back his fist.  Kano moved to stop him, but Tateno held up a hand. “No. It’s all right. Let him do as he pleases.” There was no trace of the menacing expression the man had worn in their previous encounters.  Achi scowled, but lowered his fist, then released his hold on Tateno’s collar. “Fine. Hitomi’s sister needs help, so we do need a driver right now. Make sure those two get to the lab and back safely. That’ll make up for that punch I didn’t give you just now.” “Thank you. I am so sorry.” No music. Daisuke stepped forward. “No. I’m the one who should be apologizing. I’m the one who got you caught up in this.” “Daisuke...we really didn’t grow up to be very good people, did we?” “No. Guess not.” The two men stared bleakly at each other, shoulders slumped.  “In the end,” Tateno said, “I guess we were just trying to run away from our pain.” “Yeah. Didn’t expect my own son to be the one to teach me that.” “Achi’s turned out to be a fine young man.”  “He is Kotone’s boy, after all.” “Guys!” Achi stepped into the middle of their solemn heart-to-heart. “You can get sappy all you want later. Dad, once this is all over, we’re going to go see Suzune, okay?” “Sure.” Daisuke nodded heartily.  “Hold on.” Kano spoke up, turning to Stanley. “If these two take Maria to the lab, that leaves just us two to apprehend Alphard down at the scramble. Is that going to be enough? I mean, Alphard’s not going to show up without a plan. The more people we have on our side, the better. And I doubt we’ll be able to get any help from the police.” “Good point,” Stanley agreed. Contemplation. “Hey!” Achi said. “I’m here, too. And I’m going with you. I’ll keep Hitomi safe.” “Oh, look. Good news, Kano. Now we have three people.” Stanley let out a sardonic laugh. Kano frowned. “Achi, I appreciate the offer, but having three people instead of two won’t make much of a difference. When you’re not sure of the enemy’s exact plan, you really need strength in numbers. If we could set up a dragnet like the task force did this morning, that’d be ideal, but...” “Come on, Detective,” Achi said. “Don’t you have any idea what sort of approach this psycho might take?” “If I were Alphard,” Kano mused, “then I suppose my biggest problem would be figuring out how to get away after I’d taken Hitomi’s blood.” Stanley nodded in agreement. “I’m betting he plans to involve the Ua Virus,” he said. “If, for instance, he tells us he’s set up a device somewhere to spread the Virus throughout Shibuya, that prevents us from taking action against him.” Achi swallowed hard.  This guy wanted to unleash a killer virus in Shibuya? If he succeeded, then the town Achi had known and loved all his life would become a graveyard. “Of course, that’s mere conjecture,” Stanley murmured. “Quite frankly, even I can only guess what he’s going to do.” His expression was grim. “Strength in numbers, huh?” Achi said. “So you’re saying we absolutely need more people, is that it?” “Essentially, yes,” Stanley replied. “But not just anyone, mind. If it’s not a group that meshes well, it’ll hinder more than help.” Kano folded his arms across his chest; he looked perplexed. 
Achi Endo.He could ask S.O.S. If there was anything he could do, it was that. It was a selfish request; he knew that. Susumu would probably be furious with him-but Achi would just have to deal with that. Even if his old pals wouldn’t forgive him, if they understood that they’d be helping protect Shibuya, he was sure they’d step up and take action. After all, the whole point of the gang was that it was made up of people who loved their town.  “Can you gimme a half hour? I’m gonna try and see if I can rustle up some people.” Kano straightened himself up. “You think you can do it?” Achi nodded assertively.  “Just wait here for me, okay?” he said to Hitomi. She gave him a worried smile. “All right. I’ll be waiting.” “It’ll be okay.” Achi did his best to sound reassuring. “I promise I’ll bring back some help.”  He knew where he needed to go: the pool hall in Ura-Harajuku that was his old gang’s main hangout Running at top speed, he could probably make it in about ten minutes.  “Awright!” Rushing out the door with a battle cry loud enough for Kano and the others to hear from back inside the shop, Achi sped on his way.  Traffic on Dogenzaka was at a near standstill. Had there been some sort of major accident? As Achi ran along the roadside, he heard a middle-aged man screaming angrily. 
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Aug 29, 2021 00:03
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That's his own problem
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Aug 31, 2021 16:59
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Achi Endo.  Calm down, old man.  Achi ignored him and kept on running. No music. Finally, he arrived at S.O.S.’s hideout. Two young men were standing by the door as lookouts. Achi recognized one of them. It was the kid whose so-called buddies had tried to shake him down earlier that afternoon. They roused themselves as Achi approached. “Hey! I need to see Susumu.” “No can do. He’s in the middle of something right now.” The lookouts made no move to let him through. Achi felt a surge of resentment towards Susumu. If he’d still been with S.O.S., he’d never try to post members on guard duty like they were low-ranking yakuza thugs. 
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Sep 1, 2021 23:31
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b
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Sep 4, 2021 11:23
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 “Fine. Then I guess I’ll have to do this the hard way.” Achi forcibly shoved the two of them aside.  But the two recovered quickly; before he could get in the door, they grabbed hold of him and pushed him away. “Look, I don’t have time to screw around! Just go and tell Susumu that Achi’s here!” At the mention of his name, the two lookouts exchanged wary glances. “All right. I’ll go ask him.” One of the lookouts headed inside, leaving Achi alone with the kid he’d helped out earlier.  “Do they always stick you on guard duty?” The boy didn’t reply. “Back when I ran with S.O.S., we never needed anyone on lookout. We were just a bunch of guys who loved Shibuya, and who had a fun time hanging out with each other. That’s all it was, really.” “It’s not Susumu’s fault that S.O.S. Changed,” the boy said, somewhat fearfully. “Lately it’s Kiryu who’s been driving things.”  “Kiryu? Oh yeah. That guy.” Achi recalled his earlier run-in with him. The guy was an arrogant bully.  “Kiryu’s planning to steal Susumu’s throne.” “What for?” The boy took a nervous look at the door before hurriedly continuing. “He’s trying to expand S.O.S.’s influence. And he’s got a lot of people on his side. Right now, the gang is kinda split into two factions: Susumu’s guys and Kiryu’s guys.” Finally Achi understood what was going on. The gang members had all been acting so weird because they were caught up in some kind of internal struggle. “Kiryu goes around recruiting new followers by force. And if he doesn’t like you, he dishes out punishment. This month alone he’s sent eight people to the hospital. S.O.S. is a total mess, man.” This plan of mine might not work after all. Achi felt a sinking sense of despair. If S.O.S. was ravaged with infighting, it was doubtful they’d heed the dangerous request he had for them. Hitomi Osawa.“But even still, I...I want to be a part of this gang,” the boy muttered. Achi peered at him in surprise. “Why? They shake you down for dues, stick you on guard duty-that’s not a decent way to treat someone.”  “I look up to Susumu. He treats me like he would anyone else, even though I’m way down at the bottom. And, it’s not just me. Susumu always puts the members of the gang before himself. That’s why I want to stick with S.O.S.” Aha. So that’s it, huh? Susumu really had been trying his best. And the members of S.O.S.-some of them, at least-admired him for it and stuck by him. “Thanks!” Achi said. The kid gave him a dubious look. Achi didn’t know if Susumu would help him out or not. But he knew it was still worth putting their disagreements aside in order to ask. The door opened, and the other lookout returned. “Susumu says to come on in.” Achi nodded, and strode inside. 
Implications.  No music. The scent of alcohol and cigarettes washed over him. Susumu sat on the sofa at the far end of the bar. It was where Achi used to sit, back in the day. “What do you want?” Susumu asked immediately.  Achi walked up to him and then got down on his hands and knees. “Huh? What’re you doing down there? The hell is this all about?” “I need people to bring a guy down. I’m here to ask for your help.” The crowd around him flew into an uproar. Peals of mocking laughter rang in Achi’s ears. “I know I have no right to ask you this. But please, I really need your help.” “Just some guy, huh? Who?” “He’s an international terrorist trying to get his hands on some wonder drug for a killer virus. If we don’t catch him, somebody I know is going to die. And that’s not all. He might try to unleash the killer virus here in the city.”  Susumu burst out laughing. “This some kind of joke? You all right in the head there, Achi?” The other gang members followed his lead, unleashing another storm of mockery. The laughter continued for quite some time. 
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Sep 6, 2021 23:48
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bee
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Sep 7, 2021 07:51
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Yeah, let's go with b. Maybe that'll make him realize we're serious.
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Sep 8, 2021 05:33
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Losing our cool feels like backpedaling on our resolve, so I'll also vote B.
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Sep 8, 2021 05:42
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  Achi said nothing. He endured the ridicule and simply stared up at Susumu. As patiently as he could, he waited for Susumu to give the proverbial nod.  Finally, the laughter subsided, and Susumu crouched down and got in Achi’s face. “Is that how you go about asking someone a favor?” Susumu growled menacingly. “If you have a problem with me kowtowing like this, I can apologize some other way, all you want. But don’t you care that I just told you Shibuya is in danger?” Achi’s voice was unwavering. “But face it, Susumu-isn’t Shibuya the reason everyone here hangs out with each other? If you’re telling me you don’t want to keep our town safe, then I won’t ask you guys for anything again. I withdraw my request.” The two glared into each other’s eyes.  Then, before Susumu could reply, an odd man stepped in between them. “Sounds like you’ve got an interesting story,” he said. “Mind letting me hear it, too?” “You again? Didn’t you already get your interview?” Susumu rolled his eyes. “I think Grovels here might be telling the truth.” The newcomer’s face was all seriousness. “It lines up with the information I have. Hey, Grovels. You got a second?” “My name’s not Grovels,” Achi growled. “It’s Achi.”  “I’m Minoru Minorikawa, magazine reporter. And I know a bit about that stuff you were saying just now: The killer virus you mentioned is called the Ua virus. That ‘wonder drug’ is an antiviral medication. And the person you know who might die is Maria Osawa. Am I right?” Achi was almost too shocked for words. “How...how do you know all that?” Minorikawa ignored him and turned to the S.O.S. leader. “Susumu,” he said, “something really is going down in Shibuya. What are you going to do about it, boss?” Susumu bit his lip. He looked pretty conflicted. “Sounds good to me,” someone called out. “Let’s give ‘em a hand.” Confusion. Achi turned to see where the voice had come from. It was Kiryu. “You shut up,” Susumu said with a glare. “Break out of your rut, old man,” Kiryu sneered. “Achi here is right. Isn’t keeping our beloved Shibuya safe what S.O.S. does?”  He slipped an arm around Achi’s shoulders. “You’re okay with that, right, Achi? Me going against Susumu’s orders to help you out?” Kiryu’s lips pulled back in a broad unsettling grin. “But first-we have unfinished business, you and I. I mean, I’m willing to lend a hand even though you ditched the gang and all. But first we’ve got to settle our score-here and now. You understand, don’t you?” “Yeah, you’re right.” Kiryu grinned hungrily.  “It’s Guillotine time!” A bunch of the gang members started up an eager clamor at Kiryu’s pronouncement. In a matter of moments, Achi was grabbed from all sides and hoisted up onto a pool table. A dozen young men held down his arms and legs, positioning him so his head jutted out past the table’s edge.  Kiryu brought out a steel pipe nearly a meter long. It was caked liberally with dried blood. “Guillotine!” “Guillotine! Guillotine!” “Guillotine! Guillotine! Guillotine!” The men of Kiryu’s faction pumped their fists in the air, chanting madly. Kiryu licked his lips as if drunk off of their cheers. Glancing to one side, Achi saw Minorikawa speaking emphatically to Susumu. It looked like the reporter was trying to talk some sense into the S.O.S. Leader.  “Man, today is my lucky day. I get to take the head...of S.O.S.’s original head!” Achi twisted his neck to peer up at him. “Man, what point is there in taking my head right now?” “Oh, my, my, my. You don’t get it, do you? See, if I send you to the hospital, everyone is Shibuya is going to know my name. And once I’ve got that big-rear end sign over my head, I’ll be able to unite this town under my banner in one fell swoop.” Kiryu’s eyes were crazed and bloodshot.  “Then that’s all the more reason for you to do as I’m asking. If you want to unite Shibuya, you have to protect it, first. But if you think you need to take my head to do that, then go right ahead.” Even if these guys were all like Kiryu, if this many of them actually showed up at the scramble, they’d be able to do far more than Achi could hope to by himself. The ultimate goal was to capture Alphard. Achi didn’t care how they made that happen. He was just sorry he wouldn’t get to see it through-to protect Hitomi to the very end. 
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Sep 8, 2021 23:29
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I vote A. Either this affords Susumu an opportunity to decisively get his underling under control...or hopefully it'll at least be a quick bad end...
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Sep 9, 2021 00:26
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A
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Sep 9, 2021 08:34
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Confusion. “Go on. Do it.” Achi braced himself. “Just make sure you keep your promise.”  Kiryu raised the steel pipe high above his head. And then, before he brought it down, he flicked the tip of his tongue from his mouth like a snake.  “You dumbass. I didn’t promise you nothin’.” Achi strained in sudden panic, but his limbs were pinned down too forcefully for him to have any hope of avoiding what was to come. No music. But the steel pipe never struck home. Just when it was about to smash into Achi’s head, Susumu grabbed hold of it.  “The hell you doin’?!” “Enough of this crap, Kiryu.”  Susumu yanked the pipe from Kiryu’s grasp and tossed it onto the floor. Kiryu stood frozen in surprise; a vein pulsed angrily in his forehead. “You guys, too,” Susumu added, glaring at the others. “Let him go.” The toughs holding Achi down cautiously took their hands away. Kiryu let out a red-faced cry of rage. “But we got unfinished business!” Ignoring him, Susumu helped Achi slide off the table.  “Every man gets to make one request in his life that cannot be denied. Do you remember saying that?” The words stirred up some bitter memories within Achi. “Yeah. Yeah, I remember.” “But you didn’t grant me my request.” “No, I guess not.”  “That’s why I’m going to heed yours, no questions asked.” Susumu held out his right hand. “Susumu...you are...?” “That’ll make me the better man. Finally.” Achi reached out and clasped Susumu’s hand in his. “Yeah,” Achi said, letting his relief show in his face. “You’re quite the guy.”  Susumu cracked a tiny grin. It was the sort of smile Achi had seen all the time back when he’d run with S.O.S. Suddenly, Susumu staggered and dropped to the floor, falling too fast even to cry out.  Kiryu had snatched the steel pipe back from the floor, striking Susumu from behind once his back was turned. “To hell with this!” he howled like a madman. “S.O.S. doesn’t belong to you guys-not any more! I won’t allow it!” Achi didn’t flinch. “S.O.S. doesn’t belong to anyone,” he said. “It’s not mine, it’s not Susumu’s, and it isn’t yours. We’re just a bunch of friends hanging out and having a good time. That’s the only reason we get together. Nothing more, nothing less.” He turned and looked slowly around the room.  “Hey, you guys! Do you all get together because someone told you to assemble? Do you get together to follow someone’s orders?! No, you don’t! Of course you don’t!” The bar fell silent. Achi could see the young men who surrounded him exchanging glances; they could tell that his words rang true. Kiryu saw it, too-and it only made him more and more agitated.  “Shut up! Enough with the warm fuzzies!” Abruptly he charged forward, giving the steel pipe a mighty swing. Achi managed to dodge the attack by a mere hair. If it had connected, the blow might well have knocked his head clean off. He quickly backed away.  “What’s the matter?” Kiryu taunted. “How come all you do is run?!” Escape. The pipe crashed down onto the bar top. Bottles of beer and liquor smashed and scattered.  “C’mon! What’s the matter, Achi?!”  Kiryu slammed his weapon into the pool table, sending balls scattering across the floor. Some of them collided with Susumu. “Urgh...” Susumu let out a faint groan. Smirking at the sound, Kiryu stalked toward him.  “Speaking of ‘unfinished business.”’ With a gleaming grin, Kiryu took aim at Susumu’s head, lifting the pipe up high. “Stop!” Before he could think better of it, Achi was rushing for his fallen friend.  “Heh, you dumbass.” Without missing a beat, Kiryu shifted his weight and swung the steel pipe at Achi’s temple.  Achi responded with a fast high kick with his right leg. The steel pipe connected hard with his shin, but it was Kiryu who went reeling off balance. “Kiaaaahhh!”  Achi pivoted and put all his might into a straight right to Kiryu’s jaw. The blow struck home; Kiryu’s head snapped back, and he crumpled to the floor. There was a momentary hush of indrawn breath. Then the bar erupted in a wild clamor that practically shook the whole building. All eyes were fixed on Achi, marveling at what they had just seen go down. Echo. “Heh. Sounds like folks were hoping for a little more of a fight.” Susumu got to his feet, his left hand clutching his right shoulder.  “You all right?” Achi asked. “Mostly. Guess my shoulder took the brunt of the blow.” The gang members from Kiryu’s faction rushed to their unconscious leader’s side. Achi shot them a steely glare, and they gathered up Kiryu and dragged him out of the bar.  “I didn’t go too far here, did I?” Achi asked Susumu. “Is this gonna cause trouble for you?” “No. I figured Kiryu would pull something like this eventually. It was just a question of when.” “Right.” “I’m sure he’s going to go gather up his own bunch after this. We’ll probably wind up butting heads again.” Susumu didn’t sound especially eager for that fight-but he didn’t sound especially afraid of it, either. Achi was still worried about a few things, but his friend had clearly grown as a leader.  “Anyhow-back to that story about you needing some manpower. Will the guys here be enough?” There were around thirty gang members still in the bar. Achi looked each of them in the eye in turn. Some he knew from back in the day, while others were fresh faces.  “I was born and raised in this town. I’m fond of the friends I’ve met here, and this has always been a great place to have a good time. And today, right here in this town, I met someone who’s very special to me. And I know this doesn’t involve the rest of you, but I’m willing to protect her.” Achi knew he wasn’t doing a great job of getting to the point, but the members of S.O.S. listened quietly.  “And so...it’s like...um...” He felt like a grade-schooler who didn’t know the answer to a difficult question. He fussed with his hair and frowned sheepishly. “Okay, so I’m not sure how to really put this, but Shibuya is a special town to me because of getting to meet people like that. And maybe...no, I mean, it’s like that for you guys, too? Don’t you love Shibuya? So help me help this town!” He bowed low and deep. “I want to protect this girl who means so much to me, and the city that means so much to me as well.”  “I know my answer.” Susumu clapped a hand on Achi’s shoulder.  “Listen up, everyone! S.O.S.’s original founder is back in action! He needs our help, and I for one am ready to follow him into battle! Whaddya say?!” Susumu’s people let out a hearty cheer. No music. When Achi marched back into his home followed by thirty members of his old gang, Hitomi and Kano were obviously overjoyed to see him. Their happiness raised his own spirits unexpectedly high. He felt a palpable sense of accomplishment. “All right, Detective!” Achi shouted. “Let’s do this!” His resounding cry echoed throughout the workroom, and the gang set out for the scramble.  “What’s the matter?” Hitomi asked Achi as they made their way through the busy streets. “What’s the matter with what?” “You look pretty pale.” She peered good and hard into his face. “Do I now?” “Are you tired or something? I mean you’ve kind of been going all-out all day long, after all.”  “Nah, it’s nothing.” Achi kept his voice nice and bright. “I’m just a little hungry, is all. So don’t worry ’bout me-or Alphard, either, okay? I swear I’ll keep you safe, Hitomi.” “All right.” Hitomi gave a tiny nod. “Just leave it to me! Alphard’s got nothin’ on this guy!”  He thumped his chest in a display of bravado, but he could feel the sweat heading on his brow. Contemplation. When they reached the scramble, Achi took his place at the location specified by the battle plan Kano had drawn up. Hitomi was only a few meters away. Whatever happened, he was in a good position to shield her from harm. There were three minutes left until the appointed rendezvous. Achi wondered what sort of person was going to show up. Still, he knew he couldn’t scan the crowd too much. He needed to act as naturally as possible so Alphard wouldn’t be suspicious.  He risked a glance over at Hitomi. Maybe now wasn’t the time for admiring, but he couldn’t help but think how cute she looked. In some ways, seeing her there felt similar to when he’d first seen her that morning, in the very same spot. The difference was that, this time, it wasn’t just Hitomi’s good looks that made him find her so attractive. They might have only spent a few hours together, but in that time he’d learned a lot about her as a person. He knew what was important to her. What her worries were. Her wants and desires.  And also, he’d learned what a kindhearted person she was. Achi recalled what had happened back in the workroom. Even though her own life had been in danger all day, Hitomi had shed tears for his father and his sister. She really understood people’s grief and suffering.  “What do I do if I can’t protect someone as good as her?” Achi muttered under his breath, clutching his right leg. His shin was throbbing wickedly where the pipe had smashed against it. He’d been okay walking, so far, but any intense fighting and the leg might just give out. But he couldn’t let himself worry about that now. If it came down to it, he’d be a human shield to protect Hitomi if he had to. Achi looked at his watch. Only one minute to go before 7:00 pm. No music. He glanced again at Hitomi, and saw her eyes widen with surprise. Quickly he followed her gaze across the plaza. He spotted a tall white man approaching. 
Achi Endo.   No music. Achi’s protests were vehement, but he backed down at last. Tateno would escort Canaan and Maria to the lab. That left three to try to apprehend Alphard: Kano, Stanley, and Achi. Having only three people was a dicey prospect, though, so Achi took it upon himself to head out and gather some backup.  Tateno got the car keys from Daisuke, then helped Canaan pick Maria up off the floor. Kano watched him warily. There was no trace of the bloodcurdling expression the older detective had shown when he was holding Maria at gunpoint. His face was that of a man with a responsibility-the Tateno that Kano had always known.  “Are you sure you’re okay doing this?” Hitomi asked Tateno. “You might get infected.” “That doesn’t matter. Don’t worry about me. All I care about now is helping you two if I can.” He hesitated, glancing down at the unconscious girl he held. “By the way...have Maria’s memories come back?” Hitomi tilted her head. “Her memories?” “I suspect she took a blow to the head when she was abducted. When I ran into her earlier, she didn’t even know her own name.” “Well, she seemed like the same sister I’ve always known when she came in here.” “Good. Then her memory must have recovered.” Kano was shocked to hear that Maria had suffered amnesia. But it explained why she hadn’t contacted anyone after she’d been set free. “All right, then,” Tateno said. “We’ll be back.” Carrying Maria, he and Canaan headed for the door. “Detective Tateno.” Pride. Kano called out, then paused, tongue-tied, when Tateno stopped. “I...” There were so many things Kano wanted to say. But he couldn’t find the words for any of them.  “Once Maria is safe, I’ll turn myself in.” Tateno kept his back turned. The words were like a dagger in Kano’s heart. Once this was all over, Tateno would no longer be a detective, but a criminal. Kano knew there was no alternative; but still the realization hit him hard. “Detective Tateno, I...” “Stop your dithering.” “But-”  “Never lose sight of what you’re supposed to protect. Ever.” Kano snapped back to attention at Tateno’s words. That was Dick Dictum #1, the advice that had kicked off the whole Dick Diary. “I’m not the one you should be worrying about right now,” Tateno continued. “We need to save Maria Osawa’s life, and protect the people of Shibuya.” Kano bit his lip. 
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Sep 16, 2021 22:03
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B
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Sep 17, 2021 08:33
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Pride. “I know that, but...” Kano still wanted to express his regret at how things had turned out for his idol. “You really are a terrible policeman, you know.” Tateno gave him the bare hint of a smile, then headed out of the room. And as Kano watched him go, he realized he really didn’t have anything to say. No music. There were only thirty minutes remaining until the time when Alphard had told them Hitomi should be at the scramble. They needed to get ready for action. “Is the surveillance camera system still up?” Kano asked.  “Yes,” Daisuke replied. “It looks like what happened earlier was just a temporary hacking job.” “Then will you help us?” Daisuke inclined his head. “What do you mean?” “I’d like you to keep your eye on the scramble for us. If anyone suspicious tries to get near Hitomi, let us know.” “Anyone suspicious? How will I know what’s suspicious?” “Like that organ trafficker who suggested you kidnap Hitomi, Mr. Endo. It’s possible that he might be Alphard. Would you be able to recognize his face?” Daisuke furrowed his brow deeply as he began entering commands on his keyboard. “Yeah. Don’t think I could ever forget. It’s because of him that I...” He left the rest unsaid.  A moment later, several of the monitors switched over to feeds from around the scramble.  “All right.” Daisuke squinted at the images. “I’m not sure how much help I can be, but...let me at least try to atone for what I’ve done.” “Of course. And thank you.” Decision.  Daisuke’s fingers flew over the keyboard, and soon all of the monitors were focused on the scramble and its surroundings. Then he carefully adjusted the angle and zoom for each of the cameras. Now the whole area was under total surveillance. All they had to do was get their stakeout crew to the scene. “Where did Achi go?” Kano asked Hitomi.  “I’m not totally sure, but I think he went to find some of his old friends.” Hitomi sounded worried. “Friends?” “Achi used to belong to a gang called S.O.S. Actually, he told me he was the one who formed the gang in the first place.” “What?” Kano couldn’t keep the shock from his voice.  Achi was the founder of S.O.S? How bizarre that the two of them would wind up meeting each other this way... “But, I guess there was a big falling out between them. So I think he went to try and win them back over.” Kano hadn’t heard anything good about S.O.S. since Achi had left them. If things had ended on bad terms between him and the gang, getting them to help might well be a lost cause. And even if Achi was able to gather some people up, how much would Kano and the others be able to trust them?  “It’ll be all right,” Hitomi said, as if sensing Kano’s thoughts. “I’m sure Achi will bring back some of his old friends. And when he does bring them, I’m sure he’ll choose people we can count on.” “You really trust him, don’t you?” “Yes,” Hitomi said without hesitation; then a blush came to her cheeks. “All right. Then I’ll trust him, too.” It would take about ten minutes to get from Endo Electronics to the scramble. Kano turned to Stanley. “Let’s plan to head out by 6:50.”  Stanley gave no reply. He had withdrawn to the edge of the room, where he stood lost in thought, his expression uneasy. Kano decided to leave him alone for a bit. Taking a sheet of paper from one of the desks, he began drafting a plan for positioning Achi’s reinforcements around the scramble. “All right, there we go.” In about five minutes, he had drawn up a little map of the optimal places to deploy the team. It included positions for as many as twenty people Achi might bring back. “Kano.”  Kano turned around, surprised to find Stanley right behind him all of a sudden. The American looked haggard. “Is something the matter?” Kano asked. “You need to go to the scramble without me.” “What?! Where’s this coming from all of a sudden?” “Please, don’t ask me to explain. Something else has come up, and I have to see to it.” Sweat beaded on Stanley’s brow. Whatever had happened, Kano had no doubt it was something major. And almost certainly, it had something to do with Alphard. 
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Sep 20, 2021 22:09
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B
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Sep 20, 2021 22:45
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Tie breaker between A and B.
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Sep 22, 2021 15:38
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B
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Sep 22, 2021 16:01
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Decision.  “I understand. Do what you have to, and come back soon.” “I’m sorry. I wish I could tell you more.” “It’s all right. I’ll find a way to get by.” Kano had a vague idea of what Stanley was up to. He probably felt he needed to keep things hidden even from his own allies, in order to help keep Alphard in the dark. Or at least, that was Kano’s guess. This was no ordinary opponent they were up against. Keeping secrets even among friends wasn’t necessarily a bad call. “Kano, promise me one thing.” “What’s that?”  “Once this is all over, you’ll go have a beer with me.” “Sure, all right.” Kano couldn’t help but smile. “That’s a promise now, remember.” And with that, Stanley hurried out of the workroom. 428 Tip – Promise posted:The promise these two made just now mirrors another made by a certain pair of brothers in the past. No music. Kano glanced at his watch. It was coming up on 6:50. Pretty soon, they’d have to head for the scramble. But Achi still hadn’t returned. “We need to head out soon,” he said to Hitomi. “You said 6:50,” she replied. “There’s still two more minutes to go.” Kano let out a tiny sigh. He shared Hitomi’s fervent hope that the reinforcements would come, but not her confidence. If Achi didn’t reappear, Kano would be left to protect Hitomi all by himself-and to try to apprehend Alphard as well. Would he be able to pull it off if it came to that? 
No, he’d never be able to do it on his own. He decided to wait for Achi, accepting that they’d be late. The clock kept up its steady ticking. With each miniscule movement of the second hand, Kano felt the tightness growing in his chest. A minute passed. Two minutes. Time was of the essence. They couldn’t keep waiting any longer. “Hitomi-I don’t like having to do this, but we can’t wait any longer.” Seeing the look of determination on Kano’s face, she gave a tiny, reluctant nod. 
    She had a right to be nervous; Alphard was after the antiviral that she had in her bloodsteam. Once he had it, Hitomi would become a liability that he’d want to dispose of. And right now, the only person who could keep her safe was Kano. He clenched his jaw tight and tried to look confident. “Please, just try to relax. I’ll...I’ll protect you with my life if I have to.” Main Theme. “Protecting Hitomi is my job.” “Achi! You’re back!” “I said I’d see you through to the very end, didn’t I?” “Yeah. Yeah, you did.” Hitomi gazed back at Achi with grateful reassurance. “Ahem.” Kano cleared his throat softly, but Achi and Hitomi continued to stare earnestly at one another.  Eventually, the tough-looking young man standing behind Achi spoke up. “I’ve got thirty. Will that be enough?” “Yeah.” Kano nodded. “That’ll be fine. More importantly, have you heard what we’ll be doing yet?” “Catch the bad guy, keep Shibuya safe. Same ol’ thing we always do.” The guy flashed a grin.  “You got it,” Kano said. “We’ll be counting on you, then.” With thirty-odd people at their disposal, they’d be able to encircle the meeting area no problem. The preparations were all set. It was time to confront Alphard at last. “All right, Detective!” Achi shouted. “Let’s do this!” Kano gave a firm nod.  Nine minutes later-6:59 pm-Kano and the others were in position around the scramble. Each subtle tick of the second hand was like a sharp prod to Kano’s nerves. His whole body was stiff with tension. They could not let themselves fail. There was too much at stake. Here, now, hundreds of thousands of lives were on the line.  With Shibuya on lockdown, the area around the scramble had been seized by panic, and there had been multiple traffic collisions. The sidewalks were crowded with scared people; overturned cars and abandoned motorcycles clogged the streets. Amidst the chaos, emergency vehicles sped by at furious speeds.  But the fire and emergency personnel, and even the police, were shorthanded, and the whole of Shibuya had begun to look like a war zone. The main roads had been blocked to normal traffic, and trains weren’t stopping at the stations. In effect, the city was in a state of complete shutdown.  Kano glanced again at his wristwatch. 6:59pm and ten seconds. 11 seconds, 12 seconds, 13 seconds, 14 seconds... He scarcely remembered to breathe.  Hitomi stood in front the statue of Hachiko.She wasn’t carrying an attaché case this time, but the moment was otherwise a strange mirror of the stakeout at ten o’clock that morning.  She looked terrified. Kano couldn’t blame her. The criminals weren’t after some case full of money this time. This time, they were out for blood-her blood.  Kano did a slow scan of the area. Achi was standing not too far away. His companions were strewn about here and there, carrying on as normal. Here in Shibuya, those guys fit right in with the crowd. And they had the area around Hitomi completely surrounded.  Yet again, Kano looked at his watch. 6:59pm, 35 seconds. 36 seconds, 37 seconds, 38 seconds, 39 seconds... He forced himself to take several deep breaths. He focused on the sound of his own heartbeat, and exhaled until all the breath was expelled from his lungs. No music.And then it all started. Kano’s cell phone rang.  “I’ve got him.” It was Daisuke. “The organ trafficker who devised the kidnapping. It’s him.” “Where is he?” Kano asked. “Is he close by?” “I’ve got him on camera now. He’s on the other side of the intersection.” Kano looked out across the scramble. There were so many people that it was hard to tell who was or wasn’t suspicious. “Can you describe him for me?” “The tall foreign guy. The one wearing glasses.” A tall foreigner? Kano’s eyes drifted over the crowd. Alphard.   Aha. There he was. And as he got closer, Kano’s eyes went wide. This man was someone he’d met before.  Leland Palmer. The lecturer from the English department at Hitomi and Maria’s school.  “Is he...Alphard?” Palmer was walking right toward Hitomi. Hitomi didn’t seem to have noticed him yet. When Kano glanced back at his wristwatch, it was 7:00pm on the dot.  When Hitomi realized Palmer was approaching her, she was too stunned to react.  He walked directly up to her, the corners of his mouth curling up into a smile. “Hello, Hitomi,” he said in English. “How are you doing?”  “Professor Palmer? What are you doing here?” Hitomi’s voice came out in an anxious squeak. “Why, I’m here to take your blood, of course.” This time he spoke Japanese-and with an easy fluency totally different from his usual manner of speech.  “I’m the one who injected you with the Ua virus. I’d been waiting so long for the opportunity to arise. It’s been quite agonizing, you know, spending six months and more pretending to be a mild-mannered English lecturer.”  “Professor...you’re Alphard, aren’t you?” “Let’s get down to business, shall we? Neither of us has much time.” Hitomi stiffened. “Please, tell me the laboratory password.” “After I have your blood. This will only take a few seconds. I’ve got a device here that will make the extraction quite simple.” “No way. The password first.” “That would violate the terms we already negotiated.” Hitomi and Palmer glared at one another. “All right,” Hitomi said at last. “Why don’t you negotiate with Canaan instead?” “Canaan?” Hitomi took her cell phone out and dialed.  But the phone rang repeatedly, and Canaan did not pick up. “What’s going on?” Hitomi’s face went pale. “Come on, Canaan...” Kano, standing near enough to overhear their conversation, grew increasingly anxious as he watched the pair stare at the phone.  What was the right move, here? Should he keep waiting? 
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Sep 24, 2021 22:03
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Let's have faith. A
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Sep 25, 2021 06:40
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yep, A, at the very least it's a slight delay?
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Sep 25, 2021 09:41
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Alphard. He had to hope talking with Canaan would work out. Kano waited for the call to go through. But Canaan never answered. Had something happened to her and Tateno? Kano felt his heart pounding. “Now then, shall I take what I came here for?” Palmer took a step closer to Hitomi.  Kano reacted instinctively. “Freeze!” He drew his gun and trained it on the criminal. Nearby pedestrians scattered in fear.  Seizing the moment, Achi darted in to protect Hitomi. Palmer let out a tiny sigh. “So you’re breaking the terms we agreed upon, then?” “I don’t negotiate with terrorists.” Kano inched his way closer, his point of aim never wavering.  “Hitomi!” he shouted. “Call Canaan again.” Again, Hitomi dialed her cell phone. Palmer opened the attaché case he was carrying. “One more move and I shoot!” Kano shouted. But the terrorist ignored the warning,producing a set of small glass vessels from within the case. No music. “If you want to shoot me, then shoot me,” he said. “Assuming you don’t mind this getting scattered about.” “Is...Is that...?” “Surely you don’t need me to explain?” Stanley was right. Alphard had weaponized the virus. 
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Sep 29, 2021 23:24
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A. Get him monologing , he's not the kind of person to give a poo poo about releasing a deadly virus in public.
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Sep 30, 2021 01:07
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“How can I even know that’s real?” It was entirely possible this was all a bluff.  “Ah, indeed. These could all be a fake. Would you care to test that theory?” Palmer flashed a coy smile; holding out his fistful of vials, he began to tilt them slowly back and forth, letting them clink against each other. They were fake. No-maybe they were real. Kano couldn’t quite decide. And he couldn’t take any rash action if there was even the possibility these were the real thing. “Did you come here to carry out a suicide attack, Mr. Alphard?” “Hardly. I have no desire to die here. All I want is to get a little of this girl’s blood, and then go quietly on my way. But that all depends on you, doesn’t it?” His face was overflowing with confidence. Kano couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off here. Something about this man’s demeanor hinted at...something. “Well then, what will it be?” Palmer continued. “Will you condemn the people of Shibuya to death?” Cursing inwardly, Kano lowered his gun. Palmer flashed a triumphant grin, then resumed his stroll toward Hitomi. She stood frozen on the spot. “Susumu!” The shout had come from Achi. Pursuit. In an instant, a dozen members of S.O.S. headed toward Palmer from all sides. “Tough luck, pal,” Susumu said. “Turns out we’re not actually innocent bystanders.” Now it was his turn to grin.  “You’re completely surrounded. Give up and tell us the password now. And just for the record, we ain’t scared of no virus.” The tough-looking young men radiated bravado. Without hesitation, they closed in around the kidnapper.  “Surrounded? You certainly don’t look like police.” Palmer cast a bemused glance around himself. “You’re right about that,” Achi said. “I mean just take a look. I gathered up a bunch of people who love Shibuya more than their own lives in order to take your rear end down.” He kept Hitomi shielded behind him while he spoke. “There’s no escape!” he declared. “You’ve lost!” “Lost? Me?” “Well it sure doesn’t look like you’re gonna get away.” Palmer grimaced at Achi’s words. “I see. Then it appears our negotiations are at a close.”  “Enough of the high-and-mighty act!” Susumu stomped aggressively toward Palmer. “Hey!” Kano snapped. “Easy, now!” They couldn’t risk a scuffle sending the virus crashing to the ground. No music. “What a shame.” Palmer swung his right arm up high.  Everyone watched in dismay as his hand shot up. The vials he’d been holding sailed upward against the backdrop of the evening sky.  “Look out!” Achi shouted. “Catch ‘em! Catch 'em!” The World Doesn't Change so Easy.   Doubt.A tremendous blast blew Kano off of his feet. As he crashed to the pavement, searing pain shot through his entire body. He knew at once that a bomb had gone off. But why? It didn’t make any sense. Alphard had no intention of carrying out a suicidal terror attack. Kano was certain of that. If that had been his intent, he could have just done so at any time, without going through the trouble of putting on this whole charade. Was there some reason that this guy would blow himself up under these circumstances at this specific moment? As he lay dying, Kano had a thought. Could it be? Had Stanley not come to the scramble because he knew this was going to happen? 
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Oct 2, 2021 23:50
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I assume, given the mention of Stanley at the end, that the way to avoid this Bad End would involve pressing him for info about his sudden reassignment instead of just trusting him?
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Oct 3, 2021 11:50
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Yeah, that's gotta be it.
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Oct 3, 2021 15:07
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Decision.  “Please, tell me. We’re past the point of keeping secrets.” They’d come this far together. Surely it was too late to get all tight-lipped now. “I’m sorry. I wish I could tell you more.” Stanley dropped his eyes. Kano had a vague idea of what Stanley was up to. He probably felt he needed to keep things hidden even from his own allies, in order to help keep Alphard in the dark. Or at least, that was Kano’s guess. “All right-I understand,” Kano said with resignation. “Do what you have to, and come back soon.” With an apologetic look on his face, Stanley turned and hurried from the workroom.
Pride. “Yes. Yes, you’re right.” Kano did his best to quash his emotions. “Then we’re good.” Tateno gave a slight nod, then headed out the door.   Kano gave him a silent salute. It was a breach of protocol to salute while in plainclothes and without his cap. Still, it was the best way he had to let Tateno know how he felt. “I’ll leave the rest to you.” Tateno took one last look over his shoulder before finally leaving the workroom. Even after Tateno disappeared from view, Kano remained for a long time at attention, his fingertips pressed to his temple. He squeezed his eyes shut, but still the tears he’d been holding back poured down his cheeks.
No music.   Kyozo Tateno gingerly flexed his right elbow. It was still a little sore, but it shouldn’t interfere with his ability to drive.  “Does that hurt?” asked the girl called Canaan. “No. I’m all right.” “Good thing I didn’t kill you,” she said, her tone matter-of-fact. “You ought to thank that younger detective. If he hadn’t stopped me, you wouldn’t be here right now.” “Is that right?”  Tateno looked over at Kano. He was talking to Achi and the others about something. The last time Tateno had seen Achi had been back at Kotone’s wake. He felt a strong surge of emotion, seeing how the boy had grown into a fine young man.  “Are you sure you don’t mind driving?” Canaan’s voice snapped Tateno back into the moment. “Yes, it won’t be a problem.” Back when she’d attacked him on that rooftop, she’d moved too quickly for him even to get a glimpse of her face. Now that he was able to get a good look at her, he was shocked by how young she looked. And yet there was a cold gleam in her eyes-a glitter of awareness with no trace of emotion behind it whatsoever. In his long career as a detective, Tateno had seen eyes like that before. It was a look he knew well. The look of someone who had killed, and had done so many times.  “I’m so sorry about all this. Please, look after my sister,” Hitomi said. She bowed deeply. “No. I’m the one who should apologize.” Tateno would have liked to go on-to say that helping now was the least he could do to atone for what he’d done earlier-but he stopped himself there. Nothing he could say to Hitomi Osawa could possibly earn her forgiveness. Silently, Tateno lowered his head. His subsequent actions would have to make up for his crimes. He had to hope that this was possible. “Canaan, you look after my sister, too.” Hitomi bowed once more.  “You two know each other?” Tateno looked at the two girls in surprise. “Canaan is my sister’s friend,” Hitomi said. “I just met her for the first time today.” What strange series of events could have transpired for Maria and Canaan to wind up as friends? Tateno felt a prickle of curiosity, but now was not the time for that conversation.  Daisuke reappeared; he had gone to fetch his car keys. “You know where it’s parked, yeah?” he asked. “Same as back in the day?” “That’s right. Over where we always hung out with Kotone back in grade school.” All at once, Tateno was hit with a surge of childhood memories. Chance Meeting. The sky was a piercing blue. The droning of cicadas echoed in his ears. A refreshing breeze brought intermittent respite from the heat. During summer vacation, they spent their days here, in the parking lot behind Daisuke’s house.  As Tateno and Daisuke played near the stairs at the side of the lot, the blazing sun beating down on them, Kotone would always come along with some iced barley tea for them. The two boys would race to see who could drink theirs up the fastest. The cold and fragrant tea flowed down their welcoming throats. Most of the time, it was Tateno who would finish first. Daisuke often wound up choking and spitting his out. Kotone would flash him a motherly and sympathetic smile. Then Daisuke would grin back at her sheepishly and fuss with his hair.  That had all been nearly forty years ago, but Tateno could envision their smiles as vividly now as ever. They were his only fond memories of his childhood. Tateno took the keys from Daisuke, clutching them firmly in his fist.  “All right,” he said. “We’ll be back.” He lifted up Maria and, with Canaan supporting her on the other side, began to head for the door. Then Kano called out to him.  “Detective Tateno, I...” There was a look of sadness on the younger man’s face. Don’t let yourself become a detective like me. Tateno had the words right on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back down. It suddenly seemed petty to trivialize the aspirations Kano had held for so long. “Once Maria is a safe, I’ll turn myself in.” After he made sure that Maria got to the laboratory, he would cease to be a detective, and instead would simply be a criminal. But despite the failures that had brought him to this position, nothing he had said up until now had been a lie. Of that much he could be proud. General Tip – Criminal posted:In Japan, a charge of plotting to commit the crime of murder carries a prison term with labor of not more than two years.  “Never lose sight of what you’re supposed to protect. Ever.” He could at least try to be the detective Kano had so admired until the very end.  As Tateno left the room, Kano saluted him crisply. Ordinarily, a detective wouldn’t salute in plainclothes or without his cap. The little breach of etiquette just showed all the more clearly how Kano felt. If Tateno hadn’t been holding Maria up, he would have returned the gesture. Shibuya Scramble. Leaving Endo Electronics, Tateno and Canaan carried Maria up a hectic Dogenzaka. The parking lot was less than a minute away by foot. Before long, however, they found their way blocked by a veritable wall of people.  It was a riot squad, with Kuze at the head. “Director Kuze?” “Tateno, what are you planning on doing with that girl?” “What are you planning on doing with her?” “I already informed Kano that she’s to be put under quarantine. If she’s allowed to remain free, all of Shibuya will be in danger.” General Tip – Riot squad posted:A police squad that carries out security and control activities in order to maintain or restore public order in the event of an emergency. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has nine Riot Police Units, along with a Support Vehicle Unit, for a total of ten such squads. These also comprise teams that carry out certain specific functions, such as the Explosive Ordnance Division and Chemical Defense Unit.  Canaan took a step forward. Tateno could sense that she was about to move in for the kill. “Easy now,” he said softly. “Wait.” As skilled as Canaan was, she was no match for an entire armed police squad. “I’m not going to take all of them on,” she murmured. “I’m just going to take the man in charge hostage.” Tateno swallowed. Capture Kuze and then run off? It could work. Considering the time limit they were facing, he knew that they had to find some way to force their way through here. Still, given how far they still had to go to reach the laboratory, he wanted to avoid direct conflict as much as possible. “Give me one minute-no, just thirty seconds.” Tateno turned and stared at Kuze. The two had known each other since their rookie days.  “Director Kuze, tell me-what is it that you believe in?” “What do I believe in?” “Yes. Weren’t you always the one who said that you needed to put faith in your subordinates no matter what?”  “Well-yes. Yes, that’s right.” Kuze’s eyes wavered every so slightly. “In that case, put your faith in me. No-put your faith in Kano. “In Kano?” “He believes that saving Maria Osawa will let us save Shibuya. He’s doing everything he can to make that happen.” Kuze’s lips curled into a wry grin. “That sounds like Kano, all right. Always thinking in such simple terms.”  “Usually, the simple answer is the right one, sir. People like you and me overthink things; we make them more complicated than they need to be. Just consider for a moment. Will putting Maria Osawa under quarantine clear up this case? No. It won’t. So long as we don’t know how she was infected with the virus, we can’t rule out the possibility that other people have been infected as well.” Tateno kept his eyes locked on Kuze’s. “Director Kuze, right now, what we need to do more than anything is get our hands on that antiviral drug. We need to be helping Kano. Please, sir.” Kuze furrowed his brow in thought for a few moments, then shook his head. “Tateno, buddy, c’mon. I can’t do that. You gotta understand the position I’m in.”  The director’s voice squeaked into his childish register. Canaan narrowed her eyes. “What’s this guy’s deal?” she whispered. “It’s...well...It’s hard to explain. But when his voice gets like that, it means...” 
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Oct 7, 2021 00:03
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no force, B
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Oct 8, 2021 21:00
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Shibuya Scramble. He was confused. Now was their chance to make a run for it. Tateno signaled with his eyes to Canaan, then got ready to sprint past Kuze and his team. He didn’t get the chance to, though. “Ugh!”  Suddenly, Kuze let out a pained yelp. Then, as Tateno watched in surprise, he proceeded to collapse onto the pavement. “Argh! It hurts! It hurrrts!! Have I been infected with the virus too?!”  The riot squad immediately rushed to the director’s side. As Tateno stood there, dumbstruck, Kuze secretively flashed him a knowing wink. “That was a terrible performance,” Canaan muttered. “Yeah. But it was a tour de force as far as I’m concerned.” Inwardly, Tateno gave his boss a nod of respect. Slipping past the riot squad, he and Canaan headed for the parking lot. Several members of Kuze’s team hurried to chase after them.  “Don’t follow them!” Kuze cried out as he writhed on the ground. “Everyone, stay back! If you get too close to Maria Osawa, you’ll be infected as well!” The riot squad stopped in their tracks. Tateno and Canaan took the opportunity to hurry out of sight. Darting through some narrow alleyways, they arrived at the parking lot.  The area had changed since Tateno’s youth, but some of the old air of nostalgia still lingered.  “There it is.” He spotted the minivan with ‘Endo Electronics’ written on the side. Tateno gently laid Maria on the back seat. She was still apparently unconscious. Once Canaan had climbed into the passenger seat, Tateno hit the gas and sped off.  “How far is it to the lab?” Canaan asked. “Normally it would take about fifteen minutes, but with this traffic, it’s hard to say.” Tateno avoided the stop-and-go of Dogenzaka, taking side streets as he headed toward Shibuya Station.  Once they had re-emerged on the main thoroughfare, however, he spotted a checkpoint set up ahead. Barricades and armored vehicles were blocking the road. The scale of the security effort showed just how grave the situation truly was. Tateno hit the brakes. 
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Oct 11, 2021 23:05
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well, C is unreasonable, because even if it works, it means damaging police property and trampling some people which just ain't proper. I also don't think you can reason with them, so, B it is.
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Oct 12, 2021 12:48
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Shibuya Scramble. They’d have to find another way around. “Get in the back seat,” Tateno told Canaan. “Why?” “I want you to hold on to Maria so she doesn’t fall.” A feisty grin came to Canaan’s face. “You got it.”  Tateno waited until Canaan had made her way into the back, then he threw the minivan into reverse and jammed his foot on the gas. He cut the steering wheel sharply to one side; a loud screeching filling the air as centrifugal force made the vehicle tilt. No music. Then, a patrol car came roaring out of a nearby side road. “What the...?” Tateno reflexively jammed on the brakes. Pursuit. The police cruiser cut in front of the minivan, turning to head right toward the roadblock. Crashing into the barricade, it plowed on through, not stopping until it slewed up onto the curb beyond.  The car’s impact had made enough space for another vehicle to slip through in its wake.  The minivan barreled on through the checkpoint. Tateno wondered who in the world had been driving the cruiser.  Tateno’s phone rang and he picked up as he sped onward. “Were you...able to break through safely?” It was the voice of Detective Kajiwara. Tateno had thought he was at the Osawa residence. “That patrol car just now-that was you?” “A call came in from task force HQ...saying that Kano had found Maria. I figured...maybe Kano...was planning to take her to Okoshi Pharmaceutical. And so I...thought he’d need to...make his way through one of the checkpoints here. But the fact that it was you, Detective Tateno...haha. Now that was quite unexpected.” He let out a weak chuckle. “Kajiwara, are you hurt?”  “No. Don’t worry about me. Just...please, help Maria. I...I made a promise to her father...that I’d save his daughter...no matter what.” Tateno could hear the energy draining from Kajiwara’s voice. “Understood. I’ll keep that promise for you, then.” “Thank you...” The line went dead.  He’d crashed headlong through that barricade. There was no way he’d come out of that uninjured. “I’m sorry, Kajiwara,” Tateno said to himself under his breath. “And thank you.” He bit his lip, then stepped hard on the gas again. 
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Oct 15, 2021 23:05
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Okay what is our buddy Stanley up to
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Oct 15, 2021 23:22
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How do i keep missing that this thread updated? More Stanley Parable please.
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Oct 23, 2021 11:12
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Decision.    No music.It was six o’clock p.m. Alphard had contacted the motley team at Endo Electronics, and the situation had immediately deteriorated. But the new developments had also provided them with one big chance. A chance that Alphard might appear in person at long last.  “You did fine.” Jack Stanley set his hand on Kano’s shoulder. A weak smile came to the detective’s face.  Stanley paused, unexpectedly moved; for that one moment, he saw in Kano the image of his younger brother, Frank. Shinya Kano  “Jack, You have to get everyone to a safe place right away!” Frank’s nervous shout echoed through the hotel lobby. Stanley’s younger brother was a member of the Bomb and Arson Squad. General Tip – Bomb and Arson Squad posted:Subsection of the Chicago Police Department’s Bureau of Investigative Services (BIS) that handles investigation of bomb- and arson-related cases. This was two years ago. The CIA had obtained intel that Alphard was targeting a high-class hotel in Chicago for a terror attack. Stanley and his team had searched the hotel interior, and had discovered the bomb set inside a large planter. When Frank arrived at the scene and saw the explosive, his expression grew grim. “The detonation trigger is set in the worst possible place. It’s going to be a bastard to remove it.” “In that case, you need to get out of here, too, Frank,” Stanley said. “No. I need to make sure I can figure out how this thing is set up so the disposal unit knows what to do when they get here. I’ll be all right. Look, you can probably see it from back there.”  Stanley could indeed see the small explosive from where he stood. It was held in place by several screws. The timer had just ticked down past the thirty minute mark. “There’s plenty of time left for the disposal guys to get here. Jack, I need you to help finish evacuating the building; there are a lot of people who haven’t gotten out yet.” “But...” Stanley hesitated. From a cold and logical perspective, Frank was right. He had a job to do, and if Stanley listened to his personal feelings and tried to usher his brother out of there, a lot of innocent people might die. “All right,” he said. “I understand.”  “Heck, if we had something as simple as some dry ice, we could just freeze this thing.” Frank grimaced as he eyed the bomb.“Dry ice, huh? I don’t suppose ice cream would do the trick?” “That’d be a waste of ice cream. You’d be better off just eating it.”  Of course, even dry ice would be a long-shot in place of actual liquid nitrogen. The brothers looked at one another and for a moment the tension dissolved into laughter. “All right,” Stanley said. “I’ll be back.” “Hey Jack. Once this is all tidied up, I’m gonna need a drink. Let’s you and me have a beer together.” “Sure. You got it.”  Stanley headed for the hotel lobby, which was still overflowing with guests. No music. “You made the right choice here.” Stanley gave Kano a thump on the back, and the detective cracked a tiny grin. What about my choices, though?  Debating his own next move, Stanley stepped away from the others and took out his cell phone. He made a call to his superior, Gordon.  “It’s me,” he said. “What’s the situation?” “I hear the Japanese police want to put Maria Osawa under quarantine. I’m assuming that’s on your orders, sir?” “It is. There are too many important people in Shibuya. We can’t allow that virus to get loose. Besides, we now know that Alphard is after Hitomi Osawa. There’s no reason to leave Maria at large any longer.” “If you put Maria Osawa under quarantine, she is going to die.” “I know that. But there will be far fewer victims as a result.” Gordon’s words made something inside Stanley snap. In that moment, he lost any inclination to report that he was with Maria. Failure to do so would be dereliction of duty on his part. He knew that well enough. He knew it, but the fact couldn’t overcome his revulsion at Gordon’s callous attitude toward Maria. “Victims are still victims,” he said. “What was that?” “Nothing, sir. I’ll continue my operation to apprehend Alphard.” Stanley hung up the phone.  He didn’t care if his superiors took action against him once this was all over. They intended to sacrifice one person in order to save the lives of countless more. From a purely objective standpoint, it was the right call. But what if that person was a loved one? What would they have done then? The dilemma gnawed at the back of Stanley’s mind. He couldn’t shake the feeling that it was wrong to just accept the lesser of two evils, to sacrifice an innocent for the greater good. No, dammit. He would save that one life, and then save the lives of the many. He needed to find a way to avoid the so-called easy way out, no matter what it took. He wasn’t about to add a second big regret to his life. Not this time. Saving Maria was the right thing to do. His judgment wasn’t wrong-of that, he was sure. He reaffirmed that to himself inwardly, over and over.  Kano was watching Tateno prepare to depart. The group had put together a reasonable plan of action: Tateno and Canaan would head to the lab with Maria and attempt to get the antiviral for her; Stanley would accompany Kano and the others to the scramble to apprehend Alphard. It was a two-pronged plan of attack. Still, could they really count on things going as smoothly as Canaan had suggested? Stanley thought back on her earlier words.  “Once Alphard has made contact with Hitomi, call my cell phone. I have plenty of information Alphard might want to bargain for. I can negotiate with him directly.”  That meant that getting the password hinged on whatever deal they struck. What sort of things might Alphard request in exchange? Stanley cast a thoughtful look at Canaan.  She was helping Tateno to carry Maria out of the room. Stanley doubted she’d answer if he asked just what her bargaining chips were. He held his tongue, watching as she left with the others. Whatever else happened, he needed to focus on capturing Alphard.  He glanced at the monitor displays in the workroom. The disembodied sound of Alphard’s voice from earlier crept back into his mind. “I will appear at the rendezvous in person. After all, it wouldn’t do for the star of the show to miss the final curtain.”  Those words notwithstanding, it seemed absurd that Alphard would actually show up in the flesh. Nationality, age, sex-so much about the terrorist mastermind was shrouded in mystery. Why would someone who had hidden so well for so long ever reveal their true identity? And yet Alphard had gone out of the way to claim that was precisely what was about to happen. It almost seemed like he’d made turning up in person a major selling point of the deal. “I’m looking forward to meeting all of you then.”  There was no doubt about it; Alphard wanted them to expect him on-site and in person. So...why would that be? He’s using himself as bait, to lure me and Canaan out This is a near-perfect opportunity to wipe out the two people who are gunning for him the most. That being the case, how might he attempt to kill me once I’m at the scramble?  Stanley felt a sudden flash of insight. No, something was off, here. His thought process was running well, each deduction logically following from the last. But at a time like this, that could be a very dangerous thing. Alphard may well have anticipated where his logic would lead. Stanley needed to assume that any clue he thought he’d found was something Alphard had left behind on purpose. So...maybe the suggestion that their target would come to the scene was a different kind of trap. At the risk of sending himself in circles, Stanley decided to rethink the whole case from the ground up. What was the single strangest part of this whole thing? Aha, there were go. Why had Alphard put an amateur like Daisuke Endo in charge of the kidnapping?  Sure, being able to get a heart for his daughter gave Daisuke a strong incentive, but there still had to be a reason why he’d been chosen. If the kidnapping had failed, what would have happened then? Of course, this was Alphard they were dealing with. Maybe the possibility of failure was somehow part of the plan. Hell, Daisuke had managed to accidentally kidnap Maria instead of Hitomi, hadn’t he? If Alphard had gone with a professional, that sort of mix-up would never have happened. And yet, even if that degree of uncertainty was acceptable, or even desirable, using Daisuke seemed like far too big a risk. There must be some other motive for bringing in Daisuke into the plan.  Of course. Advantage. Using Daisuke must have provided some important advantage that outweighed his flaws. It was the only thing that made sense. 
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Oct 24, 2021 23:52
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C A and B only work if they apply not to Alphard but to someone else, since both of those occur regardless of what underling carries out the kidnapping.
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Oct 25, 2021 08:02
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 To carry out some other objective. He’d set up the kidnapping, devised the ransom relay, and kept the full attention of the police on that. All the while, Alphard himself was working towards his true goal: getting Hitomi’s blood. Which meant that Daisuke kidnapping Maria by mistake had in fact been a misstep. That was why, in the end, Alphard had proposed trading the password for Hitomi’s blood. Could that really be it?  Stanley decided to take it up with the man himself. “Mr. Endo, let me ask you something. Did you know Hitomi had a twin sister before the kidnapping?” “I didn’t, no.” “So when did you find out?” “After I’d had Maria kidnapped. The organ trafficker took one look at her and said...said I had the wrong girl. Said I was supposed to have abducted the younger one.” “He never mentioned Hitomi having a twin before this all started?” “No. If I’d known, I’d have been a lot more careful.”  Alphard had certainly known that the Osawa girls were twins. But despite the added risk that fact implied, he hadn’t told Daisuke. There was only one logical conclusion: Daisuke’s mistake hadn’t been an accident. Alphard had intended for the wrong sister to get kidnapped.  By using an amateur, Alphard had set up the police to write off Daisuke’s kidnapping of the ‘wrong’ target as a simple misstep. Had Daisuke been brought in simply in the name of camouflage? But why? Alphard was after Hitomi’s blood. Daisuke was after Hitomi’s heart. They both wanted the same thing-so why target Maria instead?  Stanley’s train of logic had run out of steam again. Still, he was sure he was on the right track. He just needed to keep following till he found out where that track would lead.  “Where’s the storeroom where you were keeping Maria?” he asked. Daisuke hung his head. “It’s out behind the shop. Why do you ask?” “Would you mind showing me? There’s something I’d like to check.” At this point, he needed to go back over everything, right from the beginning. He followed Daisuke out to the storeroom.  “Speaking of this storeroom,” Daisuke said as they were walking to the back part of the building, “there’s something I’ve been wondering about. Just how did Maria manage to escape in the first place?” “You’re certain you locked her in?” Stanley asked. Daisuke nodded. “At eight o’clock this morning, the organ trafficker came by to check up on her. I made sure to lock the place back up after he left.” “I see. That visit must have been when Maria was injected with the Ua virus. It makes sense, based on our working timeline of when we expect her to go symptomatic.”  When they got to the storeroom, they spotted the padlock that had held it shut lying broken on the ground. Daisuke picked it up, then opened the storeroom door. “Ah, look at this mess...”  It was obvious immediately that merchandise had been stolen. “I doubt Maria did this,” Daisuke said. “Maybe some thieves broke in?” He made a quick inspection, assessing what had been taken. Some digital cameras and laptop computers were missing. “Hmm. This looks like the work of some local thugs. This kind of thing has happened to me a few times before.” Daisuke let out a sigh of exasperation. Stanley, meanwhile, was carefully looking around inside the storeroom.  “Where did you have Maria Osawa?” he asked. “Behind those cardboard boxes.” The boxes he indicated were piled high, closing off one corner of the room. If Maria were unconscious behind them, the burglars might well have never noticed her. “So Maria was able to escape from the storeroom thanks to the burglars breaking the lock,” Stanley mused. Just what impact had that stroke of misfortune had on Alphard’s plan, he wondered? What had Alphard planned to do with Maria if nobody had broken in? 
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Nov 1, 2021 00:40
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Well that's a tricky one. A seems pointless - if he wanted her dead, kidnapping her in that manner does not seem particularly productive, unless he wanted gently caress up Endo specifically, which i don't think we have a motive for. B is literally what happened, with the exception of it being a bluff, so we can safely discard this. C would be my guess, so he would let the virus incubate a bit closer then let her out? But TBH it's a toss-up, both B and C are valid options depending.
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Nov 1, 2021 07:54
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 Doubt. He was going to release her at some later time. Since he’d gone to the trouble of infecting her with the virus, it only made sense. And Stanley could only think of one reason to release an infected Maria: To turn Shibuya into ground zero for a pandemic that would sweep through all of Tokyo.  A virus with a mortality rate of 100% would have spread throughout the region before anyone even realized it. It would be impossible even to calculate the scope of such a disaster. First, it would run the circuit around the Yamanote Line, and then, if any of the infected happened to head to the airports at either Haneda or Narita, the virus would spread throughout Japan, and the rest of the world, in a matter of hours. But that hadn’t come to pass. They’d managed to secure Maria before she could develop symptoms and become infectious. Is that because we were better than Alphard? No, that can’t be it.  Alphard wasn’t the sort to commit such indiscriminate acts of terror. The threat of the infection spreading, horrific as it was, was likely just cover to hide some other scheme.  But then, what was the ultimate goal? Stanley still didn’t have enough clues to go on. No music. Stanley made his way behind the stack of cardboard boxes. He spotted something that had fallen on the floor. It was a cell phone. Next to it was a women’s handbag. Stanley unzipped it; it held a jumble of makeup, tissues, and other personal effects, but nothing at all unusual.  If he was going to find any clues here, it would probably have to be from the cell phone. He tried turning it on. There was no response. It appeared to be broken. “Let me see that,” Daisuke said from behind him. “I’ll see if I can fix it.” “Do you think you can?” Stanley asked as he handed it over. “I won’t know until I try. But that sign out front saying that I run an electronics shop isn’t just for show.”  Turning his attention back to the handbag, Stanley searched it more thoroughly and found a photograph tucked inside that he’d overlooked on his first inspection. “What the hell?” He stared at the image, swallowing the lump in his throat.  
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Dec 18, 2021 23:17
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Let's check in with our friend Kano.
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Dec 19, 2021 03:31
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| # ? Jun 7, 2024 02:13 |
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  The S.O.S. members fanned out, positioning themselves as best they could to intercept the falling vials. Kano likewise prepared to catch one that was heading straight toward him.  As he did, he caught sight of Palmer speeding away. Kano made up his mind on the spot. There was only one right call, here. 
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Dec 21, 2021 23:46
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