Ronin Born Read online

  Ronin Born

  A Cyberpunk Superhero Novel

  Percival Constantine

  Contents

  Before you begin…

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Epilogue

  Get a free superhero novel!

  Afterword

  About the Author

  Also by Percival Constantine

  Before you dive into this book, I’d like to offer you another superhero book, available for free! Click here for more information.

  1

  Erika Kuroki grunted as her back hit the padded wall. She fell on the ground and looked up through strands of black hair at the man who threw her. He wore a black training gi, same as hers. He was in his mid-thirties, just a little bit older than she was, and he sported a thin beard.

  “Get up,” he said.

  Erika got to her feet and moved into a fighting stance. She felt a charge go through her body as the implants adjusted. The cybernetic implants fed her diagnostic information about her target, advising her on the best course of action. Erika ignored it, choosing to rely on her own instincts instead.

  Hiro grinned at her and she came at him. She sprung, extending her leg out in a kick as she flew through the air. Hiro was ready for her and grabbed the leg, twisting and slamming her back onto the padded floor. He kept her pinned there and Erika struggled to move.

  “Cybernetic enhancements don’t mean a whole lot when your opponent has them, too,” said Hiro, one arm braced against her chest, the other hand still holding her leg.

  Erika swung her free leg up and jammed her knee against the side of Hiro’s head. She stunned him and managed to pull herself from his grip. She got to her feet and delivered another blow to his chest, knocking him on his back.

  “Good thing I learned to fight long before I got these enhancements,” said Erika. “Now are you ready to surrender?”

  He stood and scoffed. “Don’t make me laugh. I could keep this up all day.”

  She came at him again, but every punch she tried to land, he was able to counter. Every kick, he blocked. As more of her attacks failed, her frustration only grew. And that frustration only drove her to push herself harder, letting anger start to cloud her judgment.

  Hiro’s greatest skill wasn’t his fighting ability, nor how adept he was with his enhancements. He had a keen insight into people and knew just how to push their buttons. It was a talent that gave him the upper edge in combat, which was why even in his short career he’d gained a reputation as one of the Tokkei’s top agents.

  His hands moved like a blur, mostly content with playing defense. Erika kept trying to strike faster and harder, but no matter how fast or how hard she hit, Hiro was there with a deflection. And then, just when she thought she could keep it up no longer, he dropped to the floor and swept her legs with his own. She was knocked off her feet and once again he was on top of her. This time, though, he pinned her down with his entire body, immobilizing her. She tried to struggle for a few moments, but once she realized it was useless, she relaxed her body and went limp.

  Hiro climbed off her and offered his hand. Erika gripped it with her own and he pulled her up. She sighed and walked over to the corner of the room where a water bottle and towel waited. Erika wiped the sweat from her face and squired the water into her mouth, then sighed.

  “Nice work,” he said.

  “Don’t patronize me.”

  “I’m serious,” said Hiro. “You’ve taken to the implants remarkably well. That’s not something easily achieved.”

  “I’m still not used to them. The eye thing especially feels weird.”

  That “eye thing” she referred to was the augmented-reality heads-up display or AR-HUD. Her implants could display a variety of information over her retina, anything from GPS directions to text messages. Anyone with AR-HUD-enabled implants was essentially a walking smartphone.

  He chuckled and wiped his face with his own towel. “It takes some getting used to, I’ll grant you that. But at the rate you’re going, I wouldn’t be surprised if you got sent on your first mission soon.”

  Erika blinked. “Already? It’s only been about a month.”

  “If you weren’t Tokkei quality, you wouldn’t be here in the first place. The training is about helping you familiarize yourself with your implants. But once that’s done, it’s off to the races.”

  “And are most ready that quickly?”

  Hiro smirked. “I see what you’re trying to do. And it’s not going to work.”

  He turned and walked for the exit. Erika jogged a bit to catch up to his side. She moved into step next to him, but he didn’t glance to acknowledge her, just drank more water and continued moving down the corridor.

  “What’s not going to work?” she asked.

  He scoffed. “You want me to tell you, ‘Oh Kuroki, you’re amazing. No one has ever advanced as fast as you. Truly you’re a gift to the whole nation.’”

  “Just because you won’t say it doesn’t mean it isn’t true.”

  He chuckled, then stopped and turned to face her. “Listen, I know you were hot shit in the Jietai. But this is a whole different game you’re playing now. You can’t afford to get cocky.”

  “It’s not cocky if it’s the truth.”

  He shook his head. “I guess hafu don’t understand the concept of modesty.”

  Erika bristled at the sound of that word. She had risen through the Jietai and earned enough commodations in the war to earn an officer rank. She even took her mother’s surname. After everything, she’d hoped she’d earned the right to be judged by her actions and not her ancestry.

  “I understand it just fine,” she said, her tone now flat. “I have to clean up and then return home. Send me a message once the next session is scheduled.”

  She turned and continued down the corridor, leaving Hiro behind her. Part of her felt ashamed as she continued on her path to the women’s bathing facilities. Since she was promoted to the Tokkei, Hiro had been very kind to her. In fact, this was the first time he even said anything about her heritage. He’d known from the start, of course.

  All children were given a DNA scan at birth. It was a mark that stayed with them for the rest of their lives. Even though Erika was born here and had never known any home besides Japan, in the eyes of the government, birthright citizenship was only granted to full-blooded Japanese. Hafu, or those of mixed-race Japanese descent, could obtain citizenship, but only through government service, usually military.

  Erika pushed those thoughts from her mind. A bath would help her clear her head and focus on what was more important.

  Or so she had hoped. But after showering off, she climbed into the hot communal bath and sat against the edge of the large tub, the water level up to her neck. She raised her arm above the water’s surface and turned it, examining it in the low light. Erika touched her fingers to her forearm, running them down the surface.

  Her cybernetic implants were beneath the surface, completely invisible to the naked eye. Tokkei agents had to be able to move about freely and without notice—having visible cybernetic parts attached would obviou
sly make that more difficult. She still found it strange. On the outside, she was the same person she was in the Jietai. But on the inside, she was different. Better.

  A few other women had entered the bathing area. They were Tokkei as well—this level of the building was reserved for agents and personnel. And though they looked at Erika, they made no attempts to engage her in conversation.

  The more things change… she thought to herself.

  Erika got out of the bath and returned to the changing area. She dried herself off and dressed in clean clothes. There was nothing more to do here and she just wanted to get home and relax. It was clear she still had a long way to go to prove herself.

  The Ministry of Defense was located in Shinjuku, one of Tokyo’s largest neighborhoods. Erika exited from the front entrance and walked down the steps of the tall building. It used to be a much smaller building in the days before the government revised the pacifist constitution. Now the Ministry of Defense was one of Japan’s top budget priorities. And it showed as the reconstructed headquarters was a massive campus with one of the tallest buildings in Tokyo—if not the nation.

  She walked down the steps leading from the main building. The main gate consisted of an energy barrier and included a genetic scanner. When someone attempted to pass through, their biometrics were instantly checked, down to their DNA. If one had clearance, the barrier may as well be invisible. But if not, the infiltrator would be instantly incapacitated and then arrested. Guards were present as well. They wore armor styled after the samurai of the Edo period, though it was much more advanced. The Tokkei had armor of their own they wore on certain missions. Similar to what these guards had, but more distinctive and more powerful.

  Erika passed through the barrier without issue. The guards didn’t even look at her, though she doubted she could tell if they did. Their helmet faceplates were styled much like the masks of old, in the form of demonic visages.

  The train station was ten minutes away on foot. Erika was looking forward to getting home. She still couldn’t help the feeling of unease. Becoming an officer in the Jietai and then earning an invitation to the Tokkei? It was more than she could have possibly wished for when she first enlisted. So why then, after all that hard work, did she still feel that something was missing? After all, in the eyes of the government, she’d finally earned her citizenship. That was something many born like her had wished for, but could never claim.

  It was almost six in the evening, so the station was crowded with commuters trying to make it home. A sea of people dressed in suits and school uniforms moved almost as one down the steps and into the station below. Erika was about to join them, but her eye was caught by a man sitting near the entrance. He was shabbily dressed and from the look and smell, hadn’t showered in days. There was a sign propped up against his leg, with the word “help” scrawled on it in English. His blue eyes made contact with hers and she just stared at the derelict for a few moments.

  The moment ended once he was pulled to his feet by uniformed police officers. They started shouting at him in Japanese. Erika was too far away to make out everything they said, but the general gist of it seemed to be that he’d been a nuisance in this area for some time. The cops seemed to be out of warnings and dragged him off, with him protesting in a mix of English and broken Japanese.

  “Disgusting, isn’t it?”

  Erika was surprised she didn’t notice the person next to her. She looked over and saw a woman about the same age as her, wearing the blouse, vest, and skirt of a government employee.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear what you said.”

  The woman looked at Erika, then back to where the man was. “I said disgusting. That bum was hanging around here every single day for the past week. I tried to tell the police, but all they did was give him warnings at first. They finally got rid of him.” Her face bore a visage of revulsion. “Those people. We invited them in and now they’ve become a drain on society. Maybe we shouldn’t have even bothered. Just send them all back where they came from.”

  “No, maybe not…” muttered Erika.

  She wondered what would become of that man. Would he be taken to a shelter or did he have family? She decided she didn’t really want to know and instead, joined the crowd moving down into the station. Maybe the woman was right, maybe things would be better if all of them were rounded up and sent back to their own countries.

  Erika became lost within the crowd of commuters, just another face almost indistinguishable from the rest. She waited patiently for the train with the others, and when it did finally arrive, she would ride it in silence to her apartment.

  2

  Hiro Yoshida marched down the corridor, wearing a military dress uniform. When he reached the door, he knocked and a voice beckoned for him to enter. Hiro opened the door and stepped inside, walking up to a large desk. A cloud of smoke hung in the air and behind the desk sat an older man in a uniform with a graying mustache and a receding hairline. The cloud came from the cigarette clasped in his fingers. A holo-screen projected from the desk and that’s where his concentration was focused.

  “Hiro Yoshida, Tokkei Agent,” said Hiro before bowing deeply. “It is an honor to be summoned before you, General Hojo.”

  Hojo’s eyes moved from the screen and took in Hiro. He waved his hand and the holo-screen vanished. Hojo leaned back in his chair and took a drag on his cigarette. “Thank you for coming to see me, Agent Yoshida. I’m interested in seeing how your evaluations have been coming along.”

  “Very well, sir,” said Hiro. “Have you received my reports?”

  Hojo gestured to the now-vanished holo-screen. “I was just reading them actually.”

  “Is there anything specific you would like me to comment on, sir?”

  “Give me your general impressions of the new recruits.”

  “They’re quite good, which is to be expected. Tokkei recruiters have extremely high standards, so it’s very rare to see any surprises.”

  “Any stand-outs?”

  “A few. Masao Ishiyama has an excellent command of hand-to-hand combat. And Sayuri Tanaka seems to have the makings of an infiltration expert. And of course, there’s Erika Kuroki.”

  “Yes, about that one…”

  Hojo waved his hand up and the holo-screen appeared again. He touched the screen and entered the first few characters of Erika’s name, then selected from the suggested options. Her main file opened up on the screen and a few additional screens appeared around the desk, each one on a different category—military history, family registry, education, medical records, as well as several photos and videos of her over the years.

  “She’s a curious addition,” said Hojo. “Given her family’s background.”

  “Yes, I’m aware,” said Hiro.

  “Were you also aware that her father was once labeled as a potential insurgent?”

  “Of course, I make it a point to thoroughly review the history of every recruit assigned to me.”

  “And you found nothing unusual about this little fact?”

  “Not particularly, no,” said Hiro. “Naturally when I first saw it, I was suspicious, so I opened an investigation.”

  “And what did you learn?”

  “Nothing that would justify denying Agent Kuroki a position.”

  “You’ll have to explain that, son.”

  “She was born in Osaka, but her parents divorced before she reached the age of ten. As you’d expect, the mother took the child back to her family home in Shizuoka while the father remained in Osaka, where he held a position at a university. Erika never had any contact with her father again after that.”

  “And her name?”

  “When her parents married, the mother kept her own name. Her mother’s dead so I couldn’t get an answer from her directly, but I did speak to a relative who said Erika’s parents decided the mother would keep her own name to make life easier for any potential children.”

  “Hmph.” Hojo huffed at that and took another drag o
n the cigarette. “I’m not comfortable involving this one in the Tokkei. The things we’re called on…someone like her might find it distasteful.”

  “With all due respect, sir, may I speak freely?”

  “Go on.”

  “Erika Kuroki has an exemplary record, even before she joined the Jietai. She’s shown nothing but the highest degree of patriotism. She’s intelligent, highly skilled, and her adjustment period with the implants is far shorter than the average for new inductions. I was just training with her earlier today and I feel she has the makings of a model agent.”

  Hojo’s eyes moved between the various holo-screens containing Erika’s records. He rubbed his chin in thought with one hand, the other stamping out what was left of the cigarette in a half-filled ashtray. Again his eyes met Hiro’s, who bowed his head and looked down at the floor. With another wave of his hand, Hojo dismissed the screens. He reached for a small, flat object on the corner of his desk and held it up for Hiro.

  “A new assignment’s come down the pipeline. This was forwarded from Tokyo Met,” he said, referring to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police.

  Hiro accepted the small diskette and held it in the palm of his hand. The implants in there read the data off the diskette and he was now seeing it as a holo-screen in front of his face. The image was of an older man in a suit with no tie, flanked by bigger, younger men who wore sunglasses.

  “Is that who I think it is?” asked Hiro.

  “Junichi Kitano himself,” said Hojo. “They’ve gotten a break in the search for his clinics. We’ve taken over jurisdiction of the case and I want you on the team that goes to bring him in.”