that.”
“Most of the time it doesn’t feel lucky.”
“You don’t care about the details?”
“It’s not that…”
“It probably makes it harder to deal with sometimes,” Mikoto explained for her, receiving a grateful look from Ayane. “Knowing exactly what kind of danger your sister is in might just make you worry more.”
“Huh. I didn’t think about that,” Kyo nodded.
“I think… that’s the wrong way to think about it.” Yuri tilted her head. “At least you know. The imagination can be a lot scarier than actual facts sometimes. If you were in the dark you’d worry all the time about what you didn’t know.”
“That’s… true,” Ayane smiled. “I’ll try to think about that more.”
Mikoto looked at Ayane. “Maybe we could help more if we really met her.”
Ayane laughed. “Very subtle, Miko. I told you before that’s up to her, and she’s really busy.”
“Not too busy to visit you twice a week. That means she must not be too busy to meet us.”
Ayane sighed. “Fine, I’ll bring it up again, but she’s gonna worry about bringing you into danger.”
“It’ll bring us into danger?” Kyo straightened. “Really? Awesome.”
Ayane rolled her eyes. “You are not normal. Anyway, let’s move on to another topic, I like to be distracted.”
Her friends obliged and Ayane only half paid attention as they talked, responding to things directed at her but lost in her own thoughts. Katsumi had never met her friends besides Mikoto, who she’d known for several years, and that had only been a very short greeting. She wasn’t really the socializing type, Ayane knew, but it did sound nice to have her friends know the person she so often talked about. After all, she’d already been guaranteed she’d meet Katsumi’s team at some point, so it made sense.
Ayane sighed; now she just had to hope they’d both survive long enough to do so.
Chapter 4: Memories
Date: March 24, 2068
Time: 8:57 PM
Location: On the Move
Operation: Safety Net
Cold wind blew Katsumi’s violet hair around her face as she stood in the open doorway of the helicopter looking down on the lights of the city below. The sound of the blades spinning above her head drowned out all other sound, which she found made it easier to think. For the past two days they’d been moving around the city; inside the chopper, Reno was piloting, but she was the only passenger. Sano, Rufus and Law were all on the ground in different areas around the huge city.
They’d compiled a list of the most likely targets and Katsumi had put her best plan into motion; unfortunately, even her best wasn’t much this time. They’d been able to divide the likely locations into three quadrants and Katsumi sent Sano, Rufus and Law each to one of the three. They’d stay ready in a car in the most central location between their possible targets while Reno and Katsumi flew a circle in the center, ready to respond to any calls in. In addition each specific location had two or three Aegis Corp soldiers in disguise staking it out for suspicious figures.
This “safety net” was their best option for stopping the next attack. Of course, there was no guarantee there would be a next attack, but Katsumi was grateful to have a Director like M who would act on her feelings and was willing to devote as many resources to this as he had. Now it was simply a waiting game, but for how long they couldn’t know. Still, none of the soldiers complained, or if they did it wasn’t in front of her, except for Reno’s muttering of course.
Katsumi’s cyber implants expanded a window of data before her eyes, listing the names of all operatives involved. As the clock hit 9 PM each name lit up green as they checked in, which she had them doing every half hour. If there was an explosion it’d be hard to miss, of course, but she couldn’t be sure that was the only method this unknown – and unproven – criminal used. She gave a sigh as the last
“Most of the time it doesn’t feel lucky.”
“You don’t care about the details?”
“It’s not that…”
“It probably makes it harder to deal with sometimes,” Mikoto explained for her, receiving a grateful look from Ayane. “Knowing exactly what kind of danger your sister is in might just make you worry more.”
“Huh. I didn’t think about that,” Kyo nodded.
“I think… that’s the wrong way to think about it.” Yuri tilted her head. “At least you know. The imagination can be a lot scarier than actual facts sometimes. If you were in the dark you’d worry all the time about what you didn’t know.”
“That’s… true,” Ayane smiled. “I’ll try to think about that more.”
Mikoto looked at Ayane. “Maybe we could help more if we really met her.”
Ayane laughed. “Very subtle, Miko. I told you before that’s up to her, and she’s really busy.”
“Not too busy to visit you twice a week. That means she must not be too busy to meet us.”
Ayane sighed. “Fine, I’ll bring it up again, but she’s gonna worry about bringing you into danger.”
“It’ll bring us into danger?” Kyo straightened. “Really? Awesome.”
Ayane rolled her eyes. “You are not normal. Anyway, let’s move on to another topic, I like to be distracted.”
Her friends obliged and Ayane only half paid attention as they talked, responding to things directed at her but lost in her own thoughts. Katsumi had never met her friends besides Mikoto, who she’d known for several years, and that had only been a very short greeting. She wasn’t really the socializing type, Ayane knew, but it did sound nice to have her friends know the person she so often talked about. After all, she’d already been guaranteed she’d meet Katsumi’s team at some point, so it made sense.
Ayane sighed; now she just had to hope they’d both survive long enough to do so.
Chapter 4: Memories
Date: March 24, 2068
Time: 8:57 PM
Location: On the Move
Operation: Safety Net
Cold wind blew Katsumi’s violet hair around her face as she stood in the open doorway of the helicopter looking down on the lights of the city below. The sound of the blades spinning above her head drowned out all other sound, which she found made it easier to think. For the past two days they’d been moving around the city; inside the chopper, Reno was piloting, but she was the only passenger. Sano, Rufus and Law were all on the ground in different areas around the huge city.
They’d compiled a list of the most likely targets and Katsumi had put her best plan into motion; unfortunately, even her best wasn’t much this time. They’d been able to divide the likely locations into three quadrants and Katsumi sent Sano, Rufus and Law each to one of the three. They’d stay ready in a car in the most central location between their possible targets while Reno and Katsumi flew a circle in the center, ready to respond to any calls in. In addition each specific location had two or three Aegis Corp soldiers in disguise staking it out for suspicious figures.
This “safety net” was their best option for stopping the next attack. Of course, there was no guarantee there would be a next attack, but Katsumi was grateful to have a Director like M who would act on her feelings and was willing to devote as many resources to this as he had. Now it was simply a waiting game, but for how long they couldn’t know. Still, none of the soldiers complained, or if they did it wasn’t in front of her, except for Reno’s muttering of course.
Katsumi’s cyber implants expanded a window of data before her eyes, listing the names of all operatives involved. As the clock hit 9 PM each name lit up green as they checked in, which she had them doing every half hour. If there was an explosion it’d be hard to miss, of course, but she couldn’t be sure that was the only method this unknown – and unproven – criminal used. She gave a sigh as the last
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