Ito stood with his arms folded, impatiently waiting for the elevator to deliver him to the top floor of the Hub, the name the Sutoraiku had always used for building that served as the base of operations for the Hachisuka Corporate Army. It stood almost directly in the center of Kyushu with every other building surrounding it, with walkways and tunnels connecting them all like spokes on a wheel. Hence the nickname.
The Council kept their offices on the topmost floor, with their teams of netrunners, assistants and lawyers using the floors underneath. Rumors persisted among the rank and file about the shadowy group that ran the army and the Sutoraiku elite squadrons, but Ito had learned to ignore hearsay and stick to facts.
So Hachisuka could claim “plausible deniability” in case an op went south, the three members of the Council were rotated in and out every few years. They operated independently of the Hachisuka Board of Directors, using the army to take care of corporate interests as well as the Sutoraiku when something more specialized was needed, such as black ops or corporate espionage missions.
It also meant they could act with impunity, without anyone watching over their shoulder. It was what made the army and in particular the Sutoraiku so dangerous and feared in the world of the megacorps. But it also meant that any mistake or error made by a team could lead to severe repercussions, sometimes fatal.
It was this last fact that Ito was contemplating as he waited for the elevator to reach the 120th floor. It was highly unusual for the Council to want to talk to a team leader once a mission was completed. They normally left any discipline or questions to their underlings, who would go through the chain of command and it would eventually filter down to the handlers such as Saito, who would then talk to Ito. For them to want to discuss the mission with him personally, and at this hour, couldn't mean anything good.
Ito was dragged from his thoughts when the elevator dinged and the doors opened. He walked out into the dimly lit lobby, the storm outside still raging as the rain pounded on windows. Sitting behind a large clear plastic desk was a young Japanese women, wearing glasses, a dark green blazer and skirt and with her black haired pulled back into a bun.
“Please have a seat Commander Ito,” she said as she looked up from the holoscreen in front of her. “The Council will be right with you.”
Ito walked over to the closest window and looked out at the storm, ignoring her request that he sit. He was too anxious to sit still, thoughts of the conversation he was about to have running through his mind.
“Please come this way,” the woman said, suddenly standing right next to Ito. He realized that he had never even heard her stand up and walk up beside him. I must be more preoccupied than I realized, he thought as he followed her down a long hallway, the clicking of her heels on the hardwood floor echoing as holoimages played on the walls showcasing some of the key moments in the history of Hachisuka.
She led him to a large set of double doors and gestured for him to enter. He pulled the door open, gave her a small smile of thanks and walked inside.
The room was small, hardly larger then a standard board room in any corporate building. There were no windows, the room dark except for a single small overhead light that was shining on the table that was in front of him. On the table was what seemed to be a standard VR rig with a pair of opaque glasses and a single glove.
Ito, having dealt with the Council before, knew what was expected of him. It was well known among the soldiers and the Sutoraiku that the Council never met anyone in person. They always took their meetings in a virtual space that used a private server buried deep underground. They felt it was the best way to keep their identities a secret as well as make sure there was no chance of what was discussed being overheard. It may sound paranoid but Ito knew better than to question something that worked.
He put the glasses on and they immediately conformed to the contours his face. He then slipped the glove on and when he felt it interface with his NIIC he said aloud “Activate VR interface.”
Immediately he was in a large circular room, the grey walls forming a perfect oval around him. There was no door, no windows, just an open space above him which was filled with stars. A cold wind seemed to blow from nowhere and the air had the smell of dust and earth. At one end of the oval sat three people behind a stone table.
Their features were indistinct, their clothes just a sea of black. The only thing Ito could tell with any certainty was they all looked young and that the Council appeared to be made up of two men and one woman. Of course, being they were having this meeting in virtual reality nothing could be assumed, not even the gender or race of the Council members.
“Commander Ito,” the member sitting on the left said with a voice that sounded soft but seemed to make Ito's bones shudder. “I'm sure you are wondering why we called you here.”
“The thought had crossed my mind.”
“We have some concerns about what happened in Philadelphia,” the woman sitting in the middle said, her voice smooth as silk. “Particularly the circumstances around the arrival of the datachip into your possession.”
“My team and I were thoroughly debriefed when we returned. All the details should be there or in the reports filed by our Datamurai to the Hachisuka mainframe.”
“Yes,” the third Council member said, Ito noting a slight Japanese accent to his words. “We read all the reports and watched all the holos recorded by your Datamaurai. What we want to know are particulars. We have questions only you can answer.”
“I'll do my best to answer them sir.”
“Thank you Commander. We know you will,” the woman said. “When Mr. Korehammer handed the datachip to you, did he seem in any way nervous? Uncomfortable?”
“I'm not sure what you mean ma'am.”
“Did he seem himself is what we're asking.”
“I only met Trevor Korehammer once and that was decades ago. Additionally he was in pretty bad physical condition. It was why we had to take him to the Philadelphia CritCare Unit. He might have died otherwise.”
“So when he made the deal with you for the datachip, nothing seemed,” the man on the left hesitated. “Out of the ordinary?”
“No sir. Korehammer operates outside the boundaries of society but I like to think I would have realized if something was going on.”
“And Corrine Caldera. How did she react to you acquiring the datachip?”
“She was upset. Maybe even a little shocked that Korehammer would turn it over so easily.”
Ito waited as the three members of the Council turned to look at one another, not saying anything. He noticed that the simulated stars above were being reflected in the gleaming surface of the stone table.
“Commander Ito,” the woman said, brining his focus back. “It would seem that you've been duped and didn't realize it.”
“Duped?” Ito said, not liking the sound of that. “What do you mean duped?”
“The datachip you recovered contained nothing but banking information,” the woman said, a hint of apathy in her voice. “It was not what we were expecting.”
Ito shook his head, not believing what he was hearing. Corrine and Korehammer has pulled a fast one on him?
“Which means,” the third member said as he seemed to lean back in his chair. “You have been duped. Mr Korehammer likely pulled a classic bait and switch and still has the actual datachip.”
“We had to be certain you weren't part of whatever Mr. Korehammer is involved in. We are well aware of your previous relationship with Ms. Caldera and had to be sure you weren't... compromised.”
“Are you questioning my loyalty to Hachisuka and the Sutoraiku?” Ito said, an angry tone in his voice becoming more pronounced with every word.
“One can never be too certain, especially when it comes to matters of the heart, Commander.”
“Now that we know you weren't complicit in this ruse,” the one on the right said as he leaned forward, “we'll send another Sutoraiku team to take care of the situation.”
“No.” Ito said forcefully.
“No, Commander?”
“My team and I will take care of this.”
“Commander Ito,” the member in the center said as if she was speaking to a small child. “You have been given ample opportunity to complete this operation. Maybe it's time for a fresh set of eyes to have a look.”
“Additionally, Ms. Caldera and Mr. Korehammer will have to be dealt with in a far more... permanent fashion then you may be comfortable with.” the Japanese man said with a hint of what sounded like amusement.
“That won't be an issue sir.”
“Are you sure?”
Ito took a step forward, his hands balled into fists. “Positive Ma'am.”
She looked to her right and left and then back at Ito. “Fine Commander. You have 72 hours. Get us the actual datachip and eliminate Mr. Korehammer and Ms. Caldera. They are too involved in this matter and we can't have them roaming around, especially if they've figured out just what they are in possession of.”
Ito looked from one member of the Council to the other. “It might help if I knew what exactly in on the chip.”
“Nothing you need to worry about Commander. Just bring us the datachip and it's possible this whole affair won't have to be added to your otherwise exemplary record.”
“Yes Sir,” Ito replied tersely.
“Don't fail us again Commander Ito.”
With that the three figures vanished, leaving Ito alone in the virtual reality world. He looked up at the stars and tried to calm himself, the anger coming in waves as he thought more about what Caldera had done.
“Deactivate VR interface.”
Suddenly Ito was back in the conference room, once again alone. He yanked the glove off his hand and ripped the glasses off his face, throwing both across the room. The glasses shattered against the far wall as Ito let out a scream of rage the likes of which he hadn't felt in a very long time.
She played me, he thought to himself as he tried to regain his composure. He couldn't believe what a fool he had been. Was the whole thing an act from the moment he and his team had rescued her from that sadist Tristan? Had she been stringing him along the whole time, just using him to find Korehammer and get the real datachip?
Ito once again tried to calm himself, knowing what he had to do. He used his NIIC to contact Toyoko, who answered almost immediately.
“How did it go?” she asked.
“Not well,” he replied, trying not to look into her eyes. “I've been played.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean those assholes swapped out the chips. There was nothing but goddamn banking data on the one she gave to us.”
“Fuck me...”
“Exactly. Notify the squad we move out ASAP. We have 72 hours to find that bitch and Korehammer and get the real thing.”
Toyoko hesitated a moment. “And what about the two of them? What are we supposed to do once we find them.”
“We eliminate them, one way or the other.”
“I'll let the team know,” she said, her eyes sparkling as she did. “Meet you in the landing bay in one hour.”
Ito left the meeting room and headed toward the elevator. The young woman sitting at the desk said in a cheerful voice “Have a good day Commander.”
He didn't answer as he folded his arms when the doors of the elevator closed.
***
As Ito walked toward the landing bay where the assault ship waited he saw that his squad were all present and accounted for. Castiglione and Steiger were loading ordnance into the hold while Mayuzai was checking the weapons cache in the main bay. Toyoko walked over to him as he approached, using a rag to wipe down her Stoyer M-32 as she did.
“We're all set. Just need a few minutes to finish getting everything loaded.”
“Good,” Ito glanced around. “How much did you tell them?”
“Just that we needed to follow-up on the Korehammer matter. That the Council wanted us to... tie up any loose ends.”
“Good enough. And thanks.”
“No problem,” she said almost under her breath as she looked at her weapon. “I always have your back.”
Ito put his hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze before he walked into the ship and went to the cockpit, where he found Charade in her usual position in the pilot's chair. She was online with the tower mainframe, getting clearance for launch.
“Charade?'
“Yeah boss?” she said without turning around.
“We still have Caldera's bio-tracer data on file, right?”
“Yep. I had a hunch we might need it again.” She turned to look at him. “Was my hunch correct?”
Ito hesitated for a moment as he looked at the chrome covered eyes of his Datamurai. “Yes,” he finally answered. “Bring it up and find out where she is. Hopefully she hasn't had a chance to modify or remove it. I want to know where she is. Now.”
“On it Boss.”
Ito turned around and saw that the rest of the squad were all on board, waiting for the word that the op was a go.
“Strap in. We're wheels up as soon as Charade gets a lock on where Caldera is.”
“Why is the Council sending us after them again?” Mayuzai asked as she sat down and began pulling the straps over her shoulders. She was the newest member of Ito's squad, only assigned to team late last year. She had proven to be an asset and more than capable in a firefight but Ito still wasn't sold on if he could trust her or not.
“They want us to make sure that this whole affair ends here.”
“And they're sending a Sutoraiku team?”
“Yes,” Ito said as he walked over to Mayuzai and bent over so his eyes were level with hers. “Is that going to be an issue, Private?” He said the last word with every ounce of authority he had in him. He was not going to deal with members of his team questioning him on this op.
Mayuzai looked down at her hands. “No sir.”
“Good,” he said as he walked away, heading for the cockpit. He saw Charade had several holoscreens active, one with a pulsing red light that Ito knew very well.
“Where is she?”
“Vegas,” the netrunner replied, the echo effect of her voice sounding more pronounced for some reason Ito couldn't explain. “She's holed up in an apartment building on the outskirts on the main city. Looks like she just got there.”
“Lay in a course and get us there. Enter stealth mode when we enter the city limits. No need to announce that we're coming.”
“Done.”
Ito walked back to the bay and sat down next to Toyoko, pulling the straps on and activating the magclips, a determined expression on his face.
***
“Entering stealth mode now. We are silent running people.”
The trip to Vegas had lasted eight hours, a lifetime to be cooped up in the cramp confines of a Sutoraiku assault ship. Ito stood and stretched as he walked up to the cockpit and looked over Charade's shoulder.
It was evening as they made their approach but you would have never known that by the brilliant lights and neon that radiated from the massive city in the desert. Spotlights shone into the sky and holos played on the sides of the massive structures that housed some the best hotels and casinos in the world. Vegas was huge, a megasprawl that had few rivals on the planet.
Unlike almost every other city, however, no one corporation owned Vegas. Instead the megacorps paid exorbitant licensing fees to the city government to build their massive hotels and casinos. It paid for a reserve military force, housing for almost the entire population and all the city services. There were so many cryptos in the city coffers that Vegas had some of the lowest crime and unemployment figures in the country.
Vegas was a shining example of what can happen when disparate factions, in this case the handful of mafia families that survived the War, unite and work together for a common goal. In this case, a haven for those that want to enjoy the finer things in life without any laws or limits put on what they could do.
“Where is this apartment building that Caldera's bio-tracer signal is coming from?” he asked Charade.
She brought up a holoscreen with a map that detailed the northern part of the city. It was filled with low rent casinos, brothels and old apartment buildings as well as what was left of an air force base. Ito wasn't surprised that Caldera would come here, figuring she could disappear among the down and out of city.
“There,” Charade pointed to a section of North Decatur Boulevard. “Her signature is coming from the sixth floor.”
I got you now Corrine, he thought to himself. “Bring us in.”