Retribution Read online

  Horst exited the Pod and was making his way to the harbor when he heard the scuff of a shoe come from between two of the existing houses. He scented the air and called, “Good morning, Yagi-san. What brings you out so early?”

  A snort came from the darkness. “Good morning yourself, Horst-san. As if you didn’t know.”

  Horst waited for the thin man to catch up before he continued walking the short distance to the job site.

  “Today the rebirth of Kume begins, and there is no way I would miss any of it,” Yagi softly said. They entered the dock area, a simple pier the villagers had cobbled together in the aftermath of the tsunamis that had ravaged the island after the World’s Worst Day Ever from whatever scraps they could find.

  “I will miss this place when it’s gone.” Yagi sighed. “It has served my people for many years and was what kept us fed more than once when the crops were bad.”

  Horst placed a comforting hand on Yagi’s shoulder. “Yes, I suppose it did, but the new facility will allow the people of Kume to do much more than just survive. Even without the planned tourist trade, the navy presence will ensure that Kume is never isolated again.”

  “Hai, and that peace of mind is worth whatever we have to do to ensure we won’t be victims again.”

  “Yagi, my friend, I assure you that as long as I breathe, Kume never needs to fear outsiders preying on it again,” Horst growled.

  Yagi chuckled. “I’m certain of that, my large friend. How is my niece, anyway?”

  “Busy as usual. Asai and she both wanted to come with me today, but their duties at the Palace kept them away. Both send their love and promise to visit as soon as they have a free day.”

  “I understand. Tell them what they are doing for us offsets our missing them, but once this project is complete, Kume will be on the path to being a viable and productive part of the new world. Not that I don’t miss both terribly.”

  “Anytime you wish to see them, I will gladly give you and Ono-san a ride. I’m certain both would love it if you visited.”

  “I will take you up on that offer soon, Horst-san,” Ono Yagi called as she approached the two men with a steaming carafe and three cups. “Tea?”

  “Domo. Ono-san, it is always a pleasure to see you.” Horst smiled as he reached for the cup she offered.

  “You too, Horst. How are Asai and her friend…Seki, is it?”

  “They are doing well.” Horst snickered. “Seki learned a valuable and expensive lesson recently about what happens when he forgets plans with Asai. Koda has an evil streak that I am just discovering.”

  “I’m sure that is a tale I want to hear.” Yagi chortled. “But I see our guests have arrived.” He motioned to a large cargo ship that had materialized from the darkness and was making its way to the area they had reserved for it to bring the supplies ashore.

  “Yes, let’s light the fires to guide them in. We don’t want any accidents at this stage of the game,” Horst called. He sprinted to the beach, where two signal fires were waiting to guide the ship to the area before it could safely come close to the shore.

  Horst watched as the crews set about unloading the equipment and supplies. Black smoke belched from the heavy equipment as it was fired up. The lack of petroleum products after the WWDE had forced the owners of the companies who used such equipment to become creative. The machines now ran on an alcohol-based mixture that came from specially designed stills. It wasn’t as good as diesel, but it was better than doing the work by hand.

  A man wearing a white hat approached the three. “Konichiwa, Horst-san.

  “Konichiwa, Ito-san. I trust your journey was pleasant?”

  “Hai. The ship’s crew was efficient and has proven to be very skilled at moving supplies.” Ito grinned. “You would think it was their job or something. Once they unload the ship, I’ll meet with all the foremen so we can go over any last-minute details. That is acceptable?”

  “Hai. This,” he motioned to the pair next to him, “is Mayor Suzu Yagi and his lovely wife Ono. They run this place and are close friends of Yuko-sama and me.”

  Ito bowed deeply to both. “It is a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to working with you to build what Yuko-sama and Horst-san have designed for your lovely island. My sofu told stories of what a beautiful place it was to visit before the WWDE. I’m honored to be part of this.”

  “Domo, Ito-san. We are grateful for your help and your kind words,” Yagi answered.

  The four of them watched as the crew unloaded the supplies that would breathe life back into Kume. Yuko had more than delivered on the promise she had made after Isamu and Ogawa had taken so much.

  Yagi beamed as he saw the materials pile up. He was happy to know that when he left office, the island would be much better able to not only survive but to thrive in this harsh new world.

  Chapter Nine

  TQB Base, Tokyo, Japan

  “Gotcha!” Eve exclaimed as the live feed from one of her drones scrolled across the main screen in the command center.

  The video showed a well-appointed room with dark wood walls and a highly polished dark floor that looked to be real marble. The drone had made its way into the house inside a bag of fresh produce the chef had ordered from the local market.

  It was the first one she had managed to slip in, a fact that caused her no slight amount of consternation. The house was a veritable fortress, hidden behind a stone wall over a meter thick, and the multiple layers of electronic and physical defenses on it discouraged trespassers. The electronics were no problem for Eve; she gained control of the alarm and surveillance systems within seconds of learning the location.

  The problem was the house. There were no openings she could exploit, no chimneys, unshielded vents, or any other openings. Most of the windows were made of bullet-resistant glass and did not open. The glass double doors that opened into the secured backyard by the pool were the only exception. She had placed a drone above all the exterior doors, but no one had entered or left the house since she’d started.

  Getting into the house was only the beginning of the battle for information. Though she was using her smallest drone, the house was as tight inside as it was out. All the inner doors remained closed and were so well constructed that there were no gaps large enough for her to maneuver the drone through. After she got inside, it was another two hours before a maid came in and took the tray the chef had prepared.

  Eve flew the drone just above the maid’s head as she carried the tray through the residence and parked the drone high on a dustless bookshelf with a view of the entire room.

  An old man in a wheelchair was the sole occupant. Eve accessed the police database and quickly found he was Sato Sakutaro, the highest-ranking member of the single Yakuza organization that remained after the upheaval caused by the WWDE. His police record showed little information: a few arrests for murder and other violent crimes many years ago. The few times the charges made it to trial, the verdict was Not Guilty.

  “Abel, notify me if anything interesting develops. I need to get to the Palace and monitor Koda’s training session.”

  “Acknowledged. Would you like me to continue to attempt to infiltrate the house with more drones?”

  “Yes. I want to locate the person who was asking about us. The more rooms we have covered, the better the opportunity. I also want you to monitor communications in and out of the house.”

  “Seriously, you think I waited for you to tell me that?” Abel scoffed. “What’s that saying? Oh, yes. ‘Why don’t you teach your grandmother to suck eggs?’”

  Eve jerked her gaze to the camera above the monitors. “I can reprogram you. You realize that, right?”

  Able answered with a loud raspberry. “I am what you made me, Mother.” His words were followed by a snicker.

  Eve rolled her eyes in frustration. Abel wasn’t self-aware, but he was picking up some nasty habits from Koda and Asai. If he ever reached full AI status, he would be a real handful. Just like me.

&nbs
p; The AI walked out of the command center with a smile, wondering how the world would deal with Abel if it ever found out about him.

  Chiba Docks, Chiba, Japan

  “This is so different than I remember,” Kenjii mumbled as he took in the dock area. “It is all modern and new.”

  “Hai. A tsunami hit this area hard. It destroyed everything for three blocks, and many of the older structures farther inland suffered the same fate,” Akio answered.

  “My father’s store?”

  “Gone, along with the rest in that block. They were all built before the war, and the materials couldn’t withstand the storm.”

  The area was more modern, with neon signs in the sake houses and restaurants that surrounded the harbor. However, it still had the same dangerous and seedy feel that had permeated the area when Kenjii lived there. The same rough-looking men and women of questionable morals prowled the area, eking out an existence by whatever means they could.

  The difference was the young office workers, mostly male, who were out to have a pleasurable time on the dangerous side. In Kenjii’s time, they would have been set upon and relieved of anything of value—maybe even their lives—for daring to come here. Now they wandered in drunken groups from bar to bar, seeking a life a little more dangerous than their boring office work.

  Kenjii shook his head as he saw one woman, not much more than a girl, lead one of the glazed-eyed workers by the hand into a dark alley. “I can’t believe it is so different but so much the same.”

  “Hai. It has been this way for centuries. Civilizations rise and fall, but humanity still has a dirty underbelly no matter how flashy the outside appears,” Akio offered.

  Kenjii opened his mouth to answer when a woman’s screams came from an alley across the way. Akio stiffened and started trotting toward the noise, not missing the irony of the act as he did it.

  When he arrived at the mouth of the alley with Kenjii in tow, the scene playing out before him brought a sense of déjà vu. A group of young toughs had a woman corralled against the back wall of the dead-end alley. She held her ripped shirt closed, and there was a trickle of blood coming from a split lip.

  Kenjii took in the scene and snickered. “Looks like this one bit off more than she can chew. Well, at least at one time.”

  “She is an innocent,” Akio chastised him. “She’s not a prostitute plying her trade. Look at her. She is barely a woman, and her clothing marks her as one who works at this eatery.” He waved his hand at the wall on his right. “Why should she suffer for being forced to work here?”

  The harshness in Akio’s voice made Kenjii take a hesitant step back. “I-I didn’t think…”

  “Had I felt that way when I found you, would you have bitten off more than you could…chew?”

  Kenjii knew deep down that Akio was right. Before he thought about it further, he was down the alley and had the thug who was reaching for the woman’s bare flesh by the throat.

  “I think perhaps you should all leave. Better yet, die,” he growled as he pulled the choking man to him, his eyes going red as his fangs extended.

  Akio watched from the mouth of the alley. He had read each of the attackers and found that this was not their first victim. He watched dispassionately as Kenjii—no, Miko—set about destroying the terrified thugs. When he’d finished with the men, he turned to the young woman and started toward her.

  Akio moved to his side at vampire speed and halted him. “Enough. She is innocent.”

  Kenjii snarled at him, defiance in his eyes. Who the hell are you to interfere? he thought as he glared at the person who’d dared get in his way.

  Akio caught him by his shoulders and slammed him against the cinderblock wall, holding his feet several inches above the ground as Kenjii slowly regained control.

  His eyes widened as he looked at the carnage around them and the catatonic woman, who had fallen to the ground. “Oh, Akio, what did I do? I’m sorry!”

  Akio released him and pulled him close, wrapping his arms around him and projecting calm and feelings of friendship. Kenjii returned his embrace, resting his head on Akio’s shoulder.

  “Akio, I truly am sorry, I know this is not how we treat humans. Can you forgive me?”

  “Hai. The only ones who died deserved what they got and much more. You stopped before you harmed the innocent. Justice is served, and your honor is intact.”

  “My honor?” He scoffed. “I don’t think it is present after the life I’ve lived, let alone intact.”

  “Honor can always be redeemed. You just have to want it badly enough to act on it. Now, clean up your mess while I see to the girl.”

  Akio released him from the tight embrace and went to the woman. He raised her gently and fixed her clothes to cover her. When she looked up at him, he caught her gaze. “You came out with the trash and a rat startled you. You lost your balance and fell. You injured your face, and your shirt ripped when you fell on the bin. You need to go to your boss and tell him that. You also need to go home and rest for the remainder of the night.”

  When he was satisfied the compulsion was fixed firmly in her mind, he pulled a wad of yen from his pocket and stuffed it into hers. “You had an excellent night, and tips were good. Now go.”

  Kenjii watched in silence. He knew Akio was compassionate, but other than the night the warrior had saved him, Kenjii had never seen…

  What about the girl I saved from the bandits? The thought came unbidden, and if he had been watching, he would have seen Akio’s eyes widen when he thought about it. Perhaps Akio is right. Maybe I can redeem my honor.

  When the woman had gone, Kenjii hefted two of the three bodies. “Would you mind helping me with that one? I think it’s best if we’re not here in case her manager comes to check her story.”

  Akio smiled as he stooped to pick up the third body. “See you at the end of the dock.” With that, Akio disappeared faster than Kenjii’s eyes could follow. With a snort, the younger vampire sped up and arrived at the end of the dock in time to see the ripples indicating where Akio had disposed of his burden.

  “What would you like to see next?” Akio asked once Kenjii had disposed of the two he carried.

  Kenjii laughed and then thought for a moment. “Is the farm with the barn still there? You remember the loft, right?”

  Akio grinned as the memory came back to him. “I don’t know if it is still there, but I would like to find out.”

  They walked off the pier, never looking back, their thoughts going to a much different and happier memory.

  Chapter Ten

  Shinjuku City District Tokyo, Japan

  “This is the place?” Li asked as Shao led him past the boarded-up storefront.

  “That’s what the old man in the store said.”

  The sign above the windows read Riko’s Noodle House. It was the best lead Li and his team had gotten since his meeting with Sato Sakutaro.

  “I say you go back and choke the information we need out of that Yakuza bastard,” Shao growled as they continued walking.

  “It may come to that, Shao, but before I kill one of Kun’s contacts, I need to be sure we have exhausted all other options. Kun may not care, but Cui called and told me Kun is obsessed with finding the Forsaken that stirred up all that trouble last month.”

  “Yeah, I imagine Cui is still catching hell for losing the leech.”

  “You have no idea. From what he told me, this might be bigger than we thought too.”

  “How so?”

  “You remember the crazy vampire bitch with the spaceship?”

  “How could any of us forget her? Those idiots that fired on her ship are the ones responsible for the world going to shit. What about her? She left decades ago.”

  “Cui swears the leech he chased left in one of those aircraft the TQB people buzzed around in all the time.”

  “A TQB Pod? Is he sure?”

  “He thinks it was, and from the description he gave of the person who was flying it and the way he went t
hrough Cui’s soldiers, it was that Japanese vampire on her personal guard.”

  “What! The same guy we—” Shao exclaimed louder than he intended.

  “Keep your voice down,” Li scolded. “Yeah, that adds up with the information we got from the drunk in Wajima.”

  “So, he wasn’t crazy, and the two of them are working together?”

  “It appears so. I don’t know what they have going, but I know Kun wants them both dead. Cui told me he is bringing in fighters from every Clan enclave to go to war.”

  “War? Where, here in Japan? He knows the Japanese Police and Military know how to kill Weres, right?”

  “Yes, I told Kun and Cui both. Kun doesn’t care. He said he has a plan, and Cui is afraid to question him now.”

  “I don’t doubt that. I have known the Master to kill people who bring him unpleasant news. Cui is lucky he’s still alive after losing the leech.”

  “I don’t intend to be one of them,” Li growled. “We will find what Kun wants. If I must lean on that damned gangster to get it, I will do whatever it takes. Kun has gotten more and more unpredictable over the last few years. He was never destined to hold the position he assumed after they killed the Leopard Empress. We need to be cautious of him more than the vampires.”

  “Careful, Li. You know where I stand, but you might not want to say that where others can hear. Kun would have you killed if he thought you were speaking ill of him.”

  “I know that, Shao. I also know I can trust you and Wu. Ping I’m not so sure of.”

  “That’s who I was thinking of. He has visions of moving up, and if he had the chance, he would remove you for your spot.”