safe and hence more likely to cooperate with whatever version of events they spoon-fed her. Dr. Chino was either an evil genius, breaking her down without her awareness, or a cordial old man, clinging to some kind of etiquette in an increasingly cold, calculating world. Had Aika become so cynical as to become mistrustful of hospitality? Even during an apocalypse there was a place for manners. Hell, manners would be a virtue.
" You were expecting someone you didn't see when you first entered, " said the doctor. " I recall the look of surprise on your face when you first entered. "
Aika wanted to relax in the chair. The adrenaline keeping her alert, her defenses up, was draining. But she forced herself to sit tall, moving to the edge of the seat, leaning against the table: " I was expecting Dr. Sato and a representative of the minister's. "
" Well, Dr. Sato definitely wanted answers, as did the minister, who wanted to simultaneously distance himself from and have eyes and ears on the situation. But simply stated, no one can be trusted. Not the minister, not Central Command. "
" The chikara experiments. "
" Mainly, but among other matters. James Crawford was Japanese. A boy just trying to find his mother. People have been reevaluating the 'humanity' of these beings. "
" And you? "
" I've always called them 'beings.' They are more than the 'creatures' that political rhetoric has suggested in an attempt to bias the few aware of their existence. Yet if they were just animals on the loose...when was the last time a man feared his inferior? "
Aika looked sternly into the old man's face: " Is this evolution? "
The old man broke with her gaze, looking to the corner: " Do the chikara signify progress? Yes. Is it natural? I don't know. I worked on Akuma, oversaw and contributed technology to Benzaiten. Nature's machinery has always been quite beyond my scope. My presence in global affairs, as the face of Benzaiten, has given me some clout. But as the second Pacific Summit approaches... "
" You think replicating the chikara is the next Great Project? "
" Yes. And you've seen the inhumanity this goal has fostered. You Benzai and other officials were sworn to secrecy of their existence, ordered to apprehend any of the beings quietly and safely. It was all for the purpose of experimentation, to unlock their secrets and reproduce the findings. I, thanks to Commander Goto, whom I see more than ever is fond of you and truly believes in you, intercepted a transmission relating the planning of a chikara attack on Dr. Sato's facility. I did some investigating, and from Dr. Sato's email account, learned James Crawford was to be transported for storage. "
" Storage. Of course. " She felt nauseous.
" Yes. Dr. Sato's facility has served as a warehouse for post experimental tissues. "
" Tissues? "
" I am sorry. I've spent months since learning of these happenings...trying...trying to find the right words... "
" How did you find out? "
Dr. Chino poured two more cups of tea. Aika didn't have the stomach to eat or drink, but out of respect, she took the cup up.
" I learned... " He laughed. " I was educated of the experiments to be of service. "
" How? "
" No matter. Ever since, I, and others, including your commander, have formed a resistance of sorts. Unfortunately, no one is quite sure of what we're resisting. What's the goal? What's the grand move to be made? In the meantime though, we've been trying to head off the acquisition of any more chikara and gather intel. The commander recommended we bring you into the herd. I said no. So we compromised, assigning you and your troop to guard the facility once we heard word from higher up that intel of an attack had been obtained. We're still not sure who the message was ultimately intended for. The minister? Someone in his ranks? Military? Central Command? Anyway, " he swallowed, " you were sent to oversee the resc–the rescue mission. "
Guilt. She had a chance to resolve the debacle
" You were expecting someone you didn't see when you first entered, " said the doctor. " I recall the look of surprise on your face when you first entered. "
Aika wanted to relax in the chair. The adrenaline keeping her alert, her defenses up, was draining. But she forced herself to sit tall, moving to the edge of the seat, leaning against the table: " I was expecting Dr. Sato and a representative of the minister's. "
" Well, Dr. Sato definitely wanted answers, as did the minister, who wanted to simultaneously distance himself from and have eyes and ears on the situation. But simply stated, no one can be trusted. Not the minister, not Central Command. "
" The chikara experiments. "
" Mainly, but among other matters. James Crawford was Japanese. A boy just trying to find his mother. People have been reevaluating the 'humanity' of these beings. "
" And you? "
" I've always called them 'beings.' They are more than the 'creatures' that political rhetoric has suggested in an attempt to bias the few aware of their existence. Yet if they were just animals on the loose...when was the last time a man feared his inferior? "
Aika looked sternly into the old man's face: " Is this evolution? "
The old man broke with her gaze, looking to the corner: " Do the chikara signify progress? Yes. Is it natural? I don't know. I worked on Akuma, oversaw and contributed technology to Benzaiten. Nature's machinery has always been quite beyond my scope. My presence in global affairs, as the face of Benzaiten, has given me some clout. But as the second Pacific Summit approaches... "
" You think replicating the chikara is the next Great Project? "
" Yes. And you've seen the inhumanity this goal has fostered. You Benzai and other officials were sworn to secrecy of their existence, ordered to apprehend any of the beings quietly and safely. It was all for the purpose of experimentation, to unlock their secrets and reproduce the findings. I, thanks to Commander Goto, whom I see more than ever is fond of you and truly believes in you, intercepted a transmission relating the planning of a chikara attack on Dr. Sato's facility. I did some investigating, and from Dr. Sato's email account, learned James Crawford was to be transported for storage. "
" Storage. Of course. " She felt nauseous.
" Yes. Dr. Sato's facility has served as a warehouse for post experimental tissues. "
" Tissues? "
" I am sorry. I've spent months since learning of these happenings...trying...trying to find the right words... "
" How did you find out? "
Dr. Chino poured two more cups of tea. Aika didn't have the stomach to eat or drink, but out of respect, she took the cup up.
" I learned... " He laughed. " I was educated of the experiments to be of service. "
" How? "
" No matter. Ever since, I, and others, including your commander, have formed a resistance of sorts. Unfortunately, no one is quite sure of what we're resisting. What's the goal? What's the grand move to be made? In the meantime though, we've been trying to head off the acquisition of any more chikara and gather intel. The commander recommended we bring you into the herd. I said no. So we compromised, assigning you and your troop to guard the facility once we heard word from higher up that intel of an attack had been obtained. We're still not sure who the message was ultimately intended for. The minister? Someone in his ranks? Military? Central Command? Anyway, " he swallowed, " you were sent to oversee the resc–the rescue mission. "
Guilt. She had a chance to resolve the debacle
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