Ergon V

From the west, the sun was already coming down on Shiyuba Crossing. Its blinding last gleam wrestled through the gap between the buildings on Bunkamura-Dori, the neon signs that went unnoticed during the day coming back to life in the twilight. Pedestrians once more flooded the five crosswalks, unaware of what was occurring under their feet. Because the grandeur of Cytek Headquarters was nothing compared to the whole world of secrets and mysteries hidden in its foundations…

Below the two bas.e.m.e.nts it had inherited from its predecessor, now reformed through and through into a car parking lot for its employees, a man stood in front of one of the long ends of a horizontal table inside a conference room modestly illuminated by bluish-glowing panels. His only functional gray eye—the other covered under a black patch—scrutinized one of the seven faces which were displayed on the screens mounted over the wall opposite to him. He knew their dossiers by hearth, and he had even had the opportunity to meet some of them in person. But right now, they were mere silhouettes that extended in front of him, figures of authority to which he had to respond. They were accountable to their own nations, companies, and the whole world as to how their funds were spent in the Ergon Project. And they were always going to be splitting hairs because that was what they were being paid for.

Yet, they would have valid reasons to do so this time.

"I hope you have a good explanation for this, Hashimoto-san," said the Japanese member with a heavy and plaintive voice. A poor omen for Tetsuya Hashimoto's expectations. Like the vast majority of the committee members, the Japanese delegate was an aged man who had amassed huge fortunes and political power throughout his life. In his case, he was an industrial tycoon who had managed to seize the three most important companies in his country: Mitsubishi, Kawasaki and IHI Corporation. Given the roots of the first two—which once belonged to the group known as Zaibatsu prior to the Second World War—and the ramifications of the latter—which extended to the manufacture of military vehicles along with his extensive political ties—, he was in practical terms the most powerful man in Japan. In addition to his supervisory role, his companies were responsible for the manufacture of the advanced vehicles used in the project.

"Nine damaged vehicles, seven injured civilians, one by a bullet," the Chinese delegate cut in. He was the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and former CEO of the Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (ICBC). The weight of his institution and the capital it managed had been substantial in the preliminary stages and the development of the project itself. At first, he had aimed at the position of finance minister of his country, but the events in Korea led to a reversal in his political career. Fortunately for him, his participation in the development stages of the Ergon Project provided him with a new direction for his ambitions and the renewed confidence of his country. "Not to mention the explosion and the whole media circle around the incident. You were lucky there had been no casualties."

"The lack of casualties was due to the good performance of the Units," Tetsuya countered with a voice solid as a rock while still exuding politeness. It was his subordinates who were in check, and Tetsuya would never abandon them. They were people who were under his command. And even if he had to take responsibility for their mistakes, that did not prevent him from highlighting their positive traits.

"No offense, Hashimoto-san," the Japanese member intruded, "but the 'good performance' of your Units has left much to be d.e.s.i.r.ed. At least the electronic interference devices worked as foreseen. No one saw the new prototypes in detail."

"Can we expect in the future the presence of additional units in the field?" said the Russian delegate with a soft voice. He was a former agent of the KGB, and he had resurged in the intelligence community given the latest policies of their current president. His role in the project was quite evident given his credentials, although the events in the attack on the US embassy had left much to be d.e.s.i.r.ed regarding the credibility of his sources. It was possible his questions would prove moderate given the lack of accuracy of his information during the last incident. "We don't believe only two operatives are capable of dealing with more complex situations. Much less considering the results obtained so far."

"We have three additional units under evaluation," said Tetsuya. "Despite the complex selection process, they should be approved shortly."

"And what about employing teenagers as anti-terrorist operatives?" said a female voice, one of the two among the representatives. She was a Brazilian diplomat and barely a few years older than Tetsuya. She'd had a key role in restoring investor confidence in her nation after a series of corruption scandals that had wiped out three consecutive presidents in a row, not to mention the debacle her country's main oil company faced after the ineludible crisis brought by Cytek's groundbreaking discovery. She had also been part of the project's public-relations campaign, encouraging its image to have a positive impact on the general public. "Haven't you found alternatives yet to employ more skilled subjects to operate the suits?"

Tetsuya frowned. What kind of question was that? Was she unaware of the circ.u.mstances around the selection of candidates and their genetic compatibility? Of course, it was possible her diplomatic role had kept her out of the loop, but he would not bet on it. "As you should already know, ma'am," he said, trying to mask his bewilderment at her ignorance, "operating the suits to the maximum of their abilities is not simply a question of age or training, but of genetics. That's why it's so complicated to get potential candidates to operate them."

There was a brief pause. The one who took the word afterward was the member of the United Kingdom, the major shareholder of G4S, the largest security services provider in the world and one of the most requested PMCs in the United States. He was a former Special Air Service (SAS), the world's finest and foremost Special Forces unit, and a role model for all the others who came after it. Therefore, his duties went beyond selecting and providing men, as he was also in charge of the training and tactics programs. It was not surprising that his question was more appropriate for the purpose of the session. "What news do we have regarding these Cytek leaks?" he asked in a severe tone.

Tetsuya was more than prepared for that topic. He moved his hand over the horizontal table, sliding his fingers on a thin transparent surface with one hand while typing translucent keys with the other. From the holographic projector in the middle of the table emerged a series of translucent blue windows that projected a huge amount of digital files along with scans of actual doc.u.ments. It also displayed various images and a video feed related to the explosion in the harbor area the previous night. All the doc.u.ments were already in the computers of the UN representatives, having been encrypted and sent by secure channels to avoid any undesirable inconveniences.

"We're looking into it, sir," he said. "We've recently discovered that the code of the malicious program that broke into the Cytek's system and resulted in the leak of classified files was created by someone with knowledge of the company's internal architecture. So far, we haven't been able to access their hidden network remotely to avoid raising suspicions, which means we must access the servers directly."

The silence was longer this time around. Such news were not easy to digest.

"Wait a minute," said the Chinese delegate at once, astonished. "You're telling us the terrorists may have ties with the company that manufactures our weapons? This organization is not what we were told. It's an unacceptable threat!"

"With all due respect, sir," Tetsuya replied, keeping his cool manners, "we know from good sources that the terrorist organization known as Amaterasu is backed by similar factions in China and Russia. It is possible members of your cabinets may also be involved." That had been a bold move, and Tetsuya knew it all too well. He was not the kind of person who would disclose information at a committee meeting unless it had sufficient backing. But this time, he considered it was necessary to point out his unit had not been the only party at fault.

"What are you implying here, Hashimoto-san?" the Russian delegate sounded offended.

"You think our governments support these terrorists?" the Chinese man yelled, then snorted, offended by Tetsuya's claims. "How dare you!"

"It is public knowledge the fight of your nations against terrorism," Tetsuya replied. "Yet, insurgent cells within your territory have increased their resources during recent years, creating ties with the mafia and members of different political parties." Was it possible he had gone too far with his defense strategy?

"Are you planning to blame our nations for your own negligence? It's not as if your politicians were clean on the matter. Hashimoto-san, you would do well to remember—"

"Enough!" roared an authoritative female voice, much to Tetsuya's relief. She was the American delegate, a woman of politics. She had sustained a lengthy career and had indeed become a secretary of state. Her hostile stance was opposite to that of her Brazilian counterpart, something that had led to moments of friction between the two in previous sessions. Although she was one of the least wealthy among the members, she was the one Tetsuya least trusted. She had inquired into questionable maneuvers over the years. She conveyed the impression to him that she had an ambition even greater than those of the other members. Her presence in that meeting was nothing more than the result of her connections and leverage over other politicians. But her role in political affairs and logistics was vital to the project, and perhaps her intervention had played in Tetsuya's favor. "These topics aren't those for which we have convened this meeting. Our priority right now is to get ahead of these terrorists. Has there been any progress with the Stage-two prototypes? While we continue to provide troops to South Korea, our mediation capabilities in your land are limited by law after the Ryukyu Islands incident."

Another movement of hands by Tetsuya and the holographic projections switched to a series of blueprint and technical data of a mechanized vehicle of significant size and humanoid appearance, similar in design to the mecha robots so popular in the world of manga and anime. "We are still testing the new prototypes, with promising results," he said. "The units can be manned without inconvenience, although the cost of using them may be more than initially budgeted."

The remaining member of the committee finally decided to speak. He was a former Grenzschutzgruppe 9 (GS9), German's counterpart of the SAS, and the sole owner of Heckler & Koch, one of the most known and requested weapons manufacturing corporations. He had seized some minor companies in recent years to strengthen the position of his company and expand its horizons in the making of firearm accessories. He had also acquired the license to manufacture new models of weapons, which had earned him an exclusive contract with the Ergon project. A man of few words, yet precise and incisive. Tetsuya liked him.

"Hashimoto-san," he said, looking glum, "you already know the work of this committee is to supervise the growth of the Ergon project. The funds of the seven most powerful countries in the world are at stake. We are not interested in your excuses. We only care about your results."

"I understand, sir," Tetsuya acknowledged while nodding in agreement. "Our units will carry out a covert mission to obtain information from the private server of our principal suspect within the company. You'll be properly informed once it has been completed. "

"Let's hope we come up with some results sooner rather than later," the Japanese member concluded, "I still don't see reasons to reduce the level of threat to moderate, so that would be all for now."

The screens were swallowed up by the wall in the room, and as the lights gained strength, it came back to life. Tetsuya ran his hand through his slicked-back onyx hair, a few rebellious strands of it falling on his forehead, and then leaned his hands against the table. He sighed in relief as if taking a huge weight off his shoulders since it was over for the time being. Things could have been much worse; people could have died. Situations like those often made him wonder whether he belonged to such exclusive circles, engaging in dialogue with powerful people who could deflect the course of the world with one single phone call. Perhaps he was getting too old for these things? Tetsuya found it hard to believe said activities would exhaust him to such extents, even more considering the long days of combat he had had throughout his life. He faced hunger, lack of sleep, and the constant siege of enemy troops. By contrast, there was no way his current situation could be so bad. And yet, it was clear to him that there was still a lot of work to do for such an enterprise to succeed.

While his ears were picking up the sound of the door being open, Tetsuya massaged his temples. He barely paid attention to the entrance of the woman who was now standing next to him. "That looks like more than simple work fatigue," said Hachiko Deguchi, his personal secretary. The 31-year-old woman stared at him with her greenish eyes, framed by her long and soft dark hair fastened behind her head with a band. She was a brilliant psychologist graduated from the University of Melbourne, her father a physicist involved in the project of which she now took part. As one would expect, her role went beyond mere secretarial tasks. She was in charge of the evaluation process to which potential candidates were submitted to be part of the Ergon V unit, the most recent project of the Sentinel Initiative, which was itself the first step in the final stage of the Ergon Project. Hachiko was also an advisor in the field of staff selection, so it was clear she was an outright asset from head to toe. "You really have to do something with that presbyopia. Get yourself some contact lenses."

"Deguchi-san, you already know I've never been able to adapt to them," he replied, then glanced at her as if she should not inquire into such matters knowing his answer in advance. "If you come to ask me about the conference, you also know they are not happy with the results, nor do I expect them to be."

"In fact, I'm here because your children are waiting for you, sir."

Maybe Tetsuya was, in fact, getting old, since he had forgotten he had ordered his secretary to bring them in front of him once the meeting was over. As he shifted his eyes toward the door, he came across his two young children, their faces so similar they almost looked like two drops of water. Saori's face showed some more defined features than those of an ordinary woman, while those of Hayato were smoother than a common man's facets. Both shared the same blue eyes and the same dark, shiny hair, although his son's was somewhat thicker and more renitent, as was his. It was a pity they could not bear the name of their family, but for security reasons, it was better to use the one that belonged to their mother. Yet another way to keep her alive in their memories and in Tetsuya's.

Saori and Hayato placed themselves before him, their arms crossed behind their waist and their backs flat in a firm posture. They were dressed in the mandatory urban-camo uniform of the Sentinels, although the V-shaped strip on their torsos that extended over their forearms had a color that matched that of their code names. As Hachiko strode past him and headed for the door, she murmured something to his ear. "Don't be too hard on them..."

Tetsuya forced a wry smile as she made a gracious bow at his children to then close the door once she left. He remained impassive as he faced the young people who were under his orders. While it was usual for him to maintain a professional distance with those underneath him in the chain of command, he always found it difficult to deal with his children. After all, it was impossible to detach himself for them in order to prevent his emotions from clouding his judgment while also carrying out a fatherly relationship. What was the best way to face them, then? Should he show the severity expected from a man of his rank or was it better to follow his secretary's advice? While that was a good time to resort to a medium term, his strict and gruff nature took over him before he had any time to make such an assessment.

He gazed at them, trying to avoid looking displeased. "I've read your reports and discussed the pertinent points of the operation with the head of field ops. Do you have anything to say in defense of your actions?"

His daughter, as usual, was the first to take the floor. "No, sir. We did everything that was within our reach given the situation."

"Speak for yourself, sister," said Hayato, defiantly.

Saori cast a deadly glare at Hayato, like a pointed cat ready to throw itself against his prey. It was fortunate her daughter decided not to follow his brother's train of thought because Tetsuya was in no mood for such arguments. Tetsuya closed his eyes as he stood up, shaking his head at their attitude. He then stroked his trimmed short beard, wondering what he could have done so badly for his children to come out like this. "I know I haven't been the best father to you," he said at last, "but you can't keep having these confrontations, much less in the middle of an operation. Under different circ.u.mstances, it would be difficult for you to avoid being discharged. What will you do once the three new recruits join the team?"

The Yoshimura twins looked at each other for a second. At least they seemed to agree in disliking like the idea of working with someone else. "Father, two of us will manage to—"

Before his daughter could say anything else, Tetsuya raised his hand to prevent her from further talking. "This is not open to discussion. I know I've given you plenty of rope so far, but this has to stop. Still, you'll have another chance, but this time there can be no mistakes."

Tetsuya picked up his way to the door, eager to leave that long day behind once and for all. His children knew they had been wrong. Hayato knew he should not have been so arrogant. Saori had it clear she should have done more for her brother to come to his senses. And, above all, Tetsuya knew he should have done a better job of raising them. And yet, there was nothing else to do. He had to believe that everyone did their jobs the best they could given the circ.u.mstances.

As he strode past his offspring, he came to a halt and rested the palm of his hand on Saori's shoulder. "I have to attend a meeting. You'll have to consult the operational details to the field ops director. I wish you good luck. Just don't let your demons get the best out of you." Her daughter knew those last words were particularly directed towards her. Tetsuya would have been happy to aid her as much as possible with her personal problems, but that was not his territory nor his area of expertise. Or at least his work did not allow him to do so.