Distant Lands

That night, I was awoken by the sound of footsteps ascending the staircase. I was typically a heavy sleeper, but sleeping in an unfamiliar place kept me awake, and I took any excuse I could to distract myself from sleeping. I rolled over in my futon and fumbled around in the dark for my phone, the screen shimmering to life as it bathed my eyes.

It's... 5 am? Who could that be? Maybe I should go and check...

Scooping my body out of my quilted cocoon, I tramped over to the door and slid it open as quietly as I could to peek outside.

My head craning around the corner, I squinted to catch the mist of the person who was at the top of the stairs. Their ethereal shape was drawn as if by a ghostly pencil in the darkness, and the loose features floated down the hallway toward me.

A ponytail brushed down their back, so I recognised the figure as Hoshizuna. In her hand was her sword. A sword. I couldn't tell if it was the same she was practising with the day we met. Rolling down the blade and dripping into a cloth that she was using to catch it was some sort of liquid. As she moved further down the corridor, I saw that her features were scarred with fatigue, and with each step she forced herself to move forward, only lifting her arm to continue to keep her blade dry.

It must be raining outside...

Finally, she passed in front of my door. I closed it slightly to hide myself, not wanting to reveal my eavesdropping. She dragged herself further, aiming for her door. I saw one last thing before she left my view.

Her eyes. The deep sapphire eyes were dyed with midnight, polished like an obsidian edge. They were piercing and cracked open. They were not those that I remembered, they lacked the soft, sisterly and welcoming aura that introduced me to Hoshizuna. But looking back to my times with her, whenever she smiled, she closed her eyes. The ones set in her eyelids right now looked like they would never close. Not until they were satiated by whatever they were searching for.

I slid my door closed and returned to my futon without another word or thought. I couldn't afford to spare any. I had a mission tomorrow.

---

The waves rolled against the bow of the ship, rocking it back and forth as we crossed the Pacific Ocean. I was lulled in and out of discomfort by this new sensation, unable to keep my balance for longer than a few seconds.

"I guess this whole sea travel business must be new to you."

Rinko sauntered toward me, one foot in front of the other, leaning in motion with the ship.

"Well... to be honest, any kind of travel is. I've only traveled outside my home country once or twice."

"That so? Well, they do say that the complementary colour of red is green."

"Don't talk about sick, please..."

"I remember when Morpho was just like this. It took him ages to get used to it. He had to, he goes to the mainland more than anyone else."

"The boat can't be the only way we have of getting to the mainland, can it?"

"We have a helicopter as well but you have to be above a certain rank to take it out for a ride, let alone take anyone else with you. Most of the time, Morpho gets stuck in the boat. Helicopters aren't well known for being subtle or covert."

Rinko lingered for a bit, resting her arms on the edge of the boat.

"Since I'm here and... Emil's enjoying himself elsewhere..."

I rolled my eyes toward him. He sat alone inside the cabin, reading another book. This time, it was titled 'The History of Odaiba'.

"...this seems a good a time as any to get started on that teaching the Captain wanted me to do. How about it?"

"Sure... but, we're on a boat and we don't have materials."

"We'll start with something simple. Some basic phrases, some vocab, maybe hiragana too... ah, but there's nothing to write with..."

"I can see that."

She pulled a pen from her pocket and wiggled it triumphantly.

"Never be more than a few metres from a pen. That's a personal rule of mine."

Is there any reason to be smug over a pen?

"I haven't got many pages left on my notepad, so I'll lend you one and only one. Because of that, we'll skip on hiragana, for now, so let's just do something fun that will help familiarise you with sounds"

"And the phrases?"

"Right, right, we'll do those too. Geez, how long do you think this boat journey is?"

I followed her over to a low table inside the cabin. Sitting down, she started to write on the paper, characters that I recognised as being kanji. Underneath, she translated them into hiragana.

小川 蛾子
おがわ りんこ

"That's my name. Ogawa Rinko. Don't think I didn't realise the Captain had a hidden motive. Can't have a good soldier if she can't communicate with her peers, right? A good place to start with that in mind is names."

She continued to write, her penmanship becoming increasingly stilted with the other names, but it was still steady and in handwriting too professional for the kind of person I imagined Rinko to be.

星砂 れいか
ほしずな れいか

"Hoshizuna's name. She's told you it already, right?"

I nodded, but I was distracted by the difference I noticed.

"Hm? Does her... first name not have kanji?"

"It might do, I just don't know it. I've never seen her write it, and people rarely use it."

She continued on, scrawling another name below.

九十九 依利
つくも えり

"And here's Tsukumo Eri."

Tsukumo, huh...

"I can see the same character twice in Eri's surname. What does it mean?"

"Ironically enough, her surname translates into a number. 99, to be exact. The first kanji is 9, the second is 10..."

"And the last one is nine again. 9 tens and a 9."

"Oh, a fast learner, are we? We'll get onto numbers soon, so this is a good headstart. Thank Eri for her convenient surname. God, this teaching lark is super easy."

It might be more challenging for you if we were actually having a proper lesson...

"Do you know every member's full name?"

"Name? Knowing everyone's name is basic stuff. I know a lot more than that."

I didn't want to seem interested but my lean and widened eyes gave me away in a matter of seconds.

"Ohh, yeah... I've seen that look before."

She holds her notepad up to the side of her mouth to cover it, whispering to me.

"We can put this lesson on the backburner if you want in on some dirt."

"Well... when you say it like that..."

"Dirt? Come on, you don't get far in the world of journalism without getting your hands a little dirty. Although, I did end up here... so that just shows you how much of a gamble it is."

"So you were a journalist."

"It's not worth hiding, really. Far from the darkest past on the island, that's for sure. I'll give you this nugget of info free of charge."

She rested her elbows on the table, propping her head up with her knuckles, her fingers intertwined. 

"Whistleblowing. Exposing secrets, both personal and governmental, blackmail, gathering information on protected sources. You name something that puts a journalist in someone's bad books, you can bet I've done it."

She titled her head to the side ever so slightly, a grin cracking on each side of her lips with each word she referenced.

It was then I was once again reminded that the handlers were criminals. Rinko's warm, friendly personality had drawn me in and made it easier for me to talk to her, but there was a rising dread that, to her, that was all an act, a stupidly simple form of deception to draw details out of me. Either that, or this kind of thing was so natural to her that she could afford to be casual about it. Her yellow sunglasses had fallen in front of her eyes, masking them with a sickly, wicked film.

In order to survive and continue on with my life here, I had to learn to work alongside them.

No, I had to think like them too.

"What else do you know?"

"Information is power, my dear Beryl. What good would it do me to splurge all of it in one go? Tell you what, each time we have a lesson, I'll share a bit more with you, but you gotta make it worth my while. Sound like a deal?"

I hesitated. Japanese wasn't the only new language I was learning, and it wasn't the native language of Port Tatsumi either.

No, that was the language of negotiation. And I was another bargaining chip.

"It's a deal."

---

Landing at Tokyo Harbour, it didn't take long for Minamoto to round us all up. Alongside the other members that my brain was slowly collecting the names and faces of, two more people were present who I had yet to meet. One was the girl with the long, frizzy black hair and the bandana from the earlier meeting, and another was a completely unknown face, but his presence was unexpectedly regal and chivalric for the standards I had come to know.

"Everyone, pay attention to your group allocations. Anya, Saga, and I will be stationed near the Tokyo Gate Bridge so that we can analyse any Leviathans that might be visible.

Berrak, Maeve, and Morpho, you will be positioned in Aomi Minami Terminal Park to keep watch on the west side. That leaves Eri, Hoshizuna, and Beryl to guard the east, in Mizunohiroba Park. I will brief the handlers for a period before I return them to you, so I am trusting you to remain vigilant. Do not break that trust."

Minamoto's allocation of the second group had informed me that the regal-looking man was Morpho, Rinko's partner. Seeing him in person for the first time enlightened me as to why he was the only public face of Anahata. He wore a white shirt and black trousers as any other member, but his shirt was loose and soft, tousled at the bottom where it was tucked into the trousers. The sleeves stopped short of his wrists and were puffed at the ends, gilded with gold buttons on the tight cuffs. There was even a second layer to it, another cloth fastened at the neck with a white bow that circled around their back and reached about halfway down their chest, separated at the front. To add to this, a black coat was draped over their shoulders, on which a couple of unrecognisable badges were pinned.

He must be enjoying that publicity... and, is that satin?

I was drawn away from his unique attire by realising I was at risk of losing focus.

"Our goal, at best, is to assess the situation and prepare in case of future attacks. At worst, it may involve engaging them. Understand that this is a situation in flux. Be ready for anything. You're dismissed, go with your groups to your stations."

Captain Minamoto strode past me, but then stopped me in my tracks with the hilt of her naginata.

"Beryl, while you're here, I'll run you through Leviathan classes. It's something you'll need to know if you're going to be fighting them. To summarise, they're categorised by Greek letters from Alpha through to Ome-... Psi. These letters denominate threat. While size does factor into that, just because a Leviathan is big doesn't mean it's automatically going to be deadly. There's a correlation, as you'd expect from building-scale creatures, but in short, don't underestimate them based on their size. The one we fought last time? That was a Beta class."

That one was only a Beta class? If one that size is only second-from-bottom...

"I can tell you see what that means. Stay on your toes at all times or it will spell death. And I won't be around to sweep up the remains.

Go with Eri and Hoshizuna to Mizunohiroba. We'll discuss further when our work is done."

---

When we arrived, we did our best to look busy and occupied with the mission, but as time went on with very little to do, we couldn't help but start to relax. Hoshizuna had already gone to the convenience store to fetch us some drinks, excusing her early rule-breaking as being for the sake of our health.

"This feels like a school trip. Here we are, on our free time, before we're off on another mandated part of the visit."

Hoshizuna swigged back her bottle of Lamune, the ball in the neck making a jingle as she did.

"I bet you never got to come somewhere like this on your school trips, huh Beryl?"

"No, nothing like this. We never left the country for ours."

"Me neither. Our class had the typical Kyoto class trip. Not that it's a bad choice or anything."

She placed the Lamune bottle on the floor.

"Y'know, I wonder why they put the marble inside the bottles if you can't get them out?"

"I think it's a leftover from a sealing method that the company kept as a gimmick."

"Wow, they have Lamune where you come from too?"

"I-It's imported. I only drink it during the summer..."

"Oh, we do too."

It's spring though. Barely.

"Even so, it's really appealing. I mean, the only way I can think of getting them out would be to-"

Crack

Stepping forward, Eri drops her bat onto the bottle, shattering it into large chunks. She kneels down, picking out the marble from the remains by pinching it between her thumb and forefinger. Peering through its warped, translucent exterior, she finished Hoshizuna's sentence.

"Break the container open."

Hoshizuna's face sunk, her enjoyment shattered just as easily as the bottle it came from.

"My... Lamune..."

---

After recovering from her ordeal and purchasing a replacement, Hoshizuna soon recovered. This time, she had settled on melon flavour, the magled corpse of her previous bottle nothing but a memory as its chunk lay on the ground nearby. She swished the marble around in its shell, the ringing becoming the ambiance to a growing ennui that even I couldn't ignore.

"Hey.. you guys want to go anywhere?"

Eri, despite not engaging with us much, was quick to rebuke.

"We're not allowed to."

"We'll only be punished if we're found out. Come on, there must be somewhere you want to go. This may be the sole opportunity we get to come to Odaiba. It's a once in a lifetime chance."

Naturally, Hoshizuna turned to me, knowing Eri wasn't going to cooperate willingly.

"What about you Beryl? Heard of any places in Odaiba?"

Naturally, I didn't know of many places in Odaiba, but after checking a map shown to me by Hoshizuna, one place stood out to me.

"The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, huh?"

I'd heard about it at college once or twice. But it was nothing beyond a passing interest. Being in Japan for the first time, I wanted to see something a bit more authentic and unique. I perused the other options available, scanning the names printed in tiny font.

Odaiba Ōedo-Onsen Monogatari.... hm, that was a hotel, as enjoyable as it looked, we'd be found out instantly.

teamLab Borderless. I could sense Eri's sudden attention as she leaned over my shoulder at this.

A life-sized Gumdan statue? I suppose we could go and see that anyway since it's outside.

VenusFort, hm... as niche as a Venice-themed European mall might be in Japan, I don't think it'd be much of a novelty for me. If we were going to break the rules we had to spend the short time we had somewhere more distinct.

Break the rules...

When I considered all of the places we could go, it was imaginary. I never actually thought we would go. I could see Hoshizuna, Eri, and I exploring the sights in my mind, strolling through the streets and perhaps, in the farthest reaches of my illusion, enjoying time together, but in reality, I knew that I could never bring myself to go against our orders. 

"If we don't pick soon we won't have a chance at all. Maybe we could go to that science museum place first and see if we can get away with going to any more places after that."

I drew my shoulders into my body, closing myself off from the possibility.

"Hoshizuna, I don't think we should-"

"It'll be fine. Believe me, you'll know when a Leviathan gets close. It's not like we're leaving Odaiba or anything. Our post is here at Mizunohiroba Park, as long as we avoid all the other teams on our way to the attractions, we should have nothing to worry about. Everything we might want to see is within walking distance."

"What about our handlers?"

"Ah yeah... I almost forgot. Well, they're being briefed right now, but we won't have that long...

Any news on Sadamune, Eri?"

She shrugs as she drinks with her back turned to us, resting her hand on her bat as a support beam.

"Hm... we better get moving then."

I was relieved that Hoshizuna had experienced a change of heart when being reminded of the mission. But I had to ask to be sure.

"To find them and start the mission?"

"Pff, no. We're going to the museum. Quickly, come on."

She grabs me by the sleeve.

I was stupid to even think she'd give in that easily.

---

Walking through, or more accurately at first, being dragged through Odaiba, I was loomed over by its architecture and magnitude. It was an open expanse of twisting, surging tunnels and train bridges, adding to the jumbled aura that I felt as we walked from park to commercial area to junction to industrial estate to car dealership. Anything you could want, any stimulus, any possibility, was crammed here, and yet its outer appearance was one of space, freedom, and opportunity, with trees dotted in an orderly manner and paths wide and paved in quadrilateral patterns, but in particular, it was something that the Ferris wheel dominating the skyline sought to constantly remind us of. The dead-straight road we were walking alongside stretched almost forever across the tiny island. I couldn't help but draw a comparison to the path I had walked on alone that night, a route to the horizon with no clear end...

Luckily, Hoshizuna directed us off the road and onto a path through a park that connected us to the museum. Passing over a crosswalk, the curved building popped into view, its beguiling, metallic design inviting us inside. With Hoshizuna gabbing her way into purchasing some tickets, I strolled inside in a daze, unable to decide if the sensation I felt was that of a sci-fi film set piece or an overly modernised municipal library. 

"If only they knew how well we'd fit in with the exhibits here."

There was lively energy emitting from the special exhibition room not far from the entrance. Curious, Hoshizuna wandered on ahead, followed shortly by me and Eri. We were greeted by a number of displays and promotions, some with interactive exhibits and others with video screens coupled with sets of chairs. However, one, in particular, glowed the brightest, in the center-back of the room.

"Ooh, now that looks snazzy. I think we should take a look."

Becoming almost too accustomed to following along with Hoshizuna at this point, I failed to notice a man strolling toward me, absorbed in a thick clipboard of papers. I bumped shoulders with him, and we were toppled backward slightly. It was enough to arouse him from his focus, and he flashed me a sympathetic smile.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there. I shouldn't be harassing the visitors when I've got an exhibit of my own to maintain."

"N-No, I'm sorry, I should have been looking where I was going."

Not able to look the man in the eyes, all I could note was his suave mauve shirt with a wide-open collar and dark blue blazer jacket, which was also unbuttoned. Nudging my vision a little higher, I could see wavy, black hair.

"You're forgiven, I appreciate you taking time to visit. I put a lot of work into it, after all, the least I can do is treat those taking time out of their day to see it with plenty of respect. Please, have a nice day. Oh, and..."

Starting to rifle in his pocket for what I, having been in this situation before, assumed would be a business card, he stopped after glancing at my uniform, Eri, and then ceasing all movement whatsoever when his eyes met Hoshizuna.

Darting his gaze away, he tugged the lapels of his jacket.

"Ahem, anyway, I won't keep you. Have a nice day."

He lowered his head and walked away.

Hm... what was that about? Considering he's holding an exhibit at the Miraikan, then it's possible...

"Does he know?"

I thought it best to ask.

"Possibly. RepliCors are a closely guided technological secret but it's impossible to hide that secret from innovators in the same field. It's likely he's at least heard stories about us from others."

It's like we're an urban legend or something...

I saw him walk away and return to the 'Staff Only' door located behind the central exhibit. Now close enough to see it in detail, there was a large, fanciful stage complete with LCD screens and holographic projections. The main attractions were atop it: a selection of what appeared to be sleek android models, each with a unique design and a short description posted in a neat, neon-blue screen set into the glass display cylinders that they were encased in. I couldn't tell if they were simply models of future prospects or actual examples of androids that had already been built. A digital signboard on the front of the stage had the name of the company in a square-fonted, stylised logo:

Unahara Robotics

Stepping closer to the glass displays, Hoshizuna started to read the name of each android model aloud.

"'Saisaki - The nickname given to Unahara Robotics' Emotional Relief Android Unit.'"

This android's colours were predominantly yellow, sporting a blonde bob and decorated in decals that resembled pin badges. It also seemed to have layers painted onto it to pretend an outer appearance of clothing, much of which was pink.

"'Hibikase - The nickname given to Unahara Robotics' Automatic Memory Retention and Replication Android Unit.'"

Hibikase, as it was called, was mostly blue and sleeves laden with white and grey, its eyes were capacious, round and full, resembling a set of planetariums squeezed inside its head, yet they radiated a sort of blankness due to how consistent and singular the colour was.

"'Gekihaku - The nickname given to Unahara Robotics' Private Security Android Unit.'"

This one's colours were the most striking: ablaze with a deep red that dominated its frame and wracked with black stripes. It definitely screamed 'security'.

"'ChiruChiru - The nickname given to Unahara Robotics' Prototype Self-Sustaining Autoduplication Android Unit.'"

The one at the end gave me the closest impression to that of a human. And this was due to how many additions had been made to it that, for something robotic, would seem completely unnecessary. A pair of round glasses perched on its smooth nose, synthetic hair tied into pigtails, and actual, fabricated clothing. Noticing this, I scoped the other androids in order, and based on what I was seeing, there was a pattern emerging, as if whoever created them was striving for something with each model beyond their individual uses, something that each of them had not quite achieved, and as such, left to future prototypes to achieve.

"...What are these even for...?"

Our time perusing the exhibit was cut short as more people began to arrive, filing in through the doors and switching in from other exhibits nearby. Hoshizuna had also taken notice of this.

"If people are catching on to us it might be wise for us to get out of here. I bet the handlers are on their way to our post as we speak, too."

So now you care about being on time.

With that, we made our way out of the building without arousing further suspicion, but thoughts of that man and his connection to those androids lingered in my mind.

But now, we had to leave. I had come to learn that no matter where we went, or how long we tried to find some distraction, we would always be reminded of who we were and how little we fit in with the world. Despite being stood among other people, walking the same paths and seeing the same sights, inside, we were thousands of miles away. Our hearts were encased on that island, away from society. And those that knew who we were underneath would always be staring at us with suspicion and fear.

---

"I know we see the sea every day back on Port Tatsumi but... it feels kinda different here."

I nodded along. Hoshizuna was right, the sea here was a lot less lonely than the one I had seen there. The atmosphere of travel and commerce floated on the water like sea foam.

We had returned to our meeting point, now with Emil, Tsubaki, and Sadamune alongside us, still awaiting confirmation on what to do next. Emil was sat crossed-legged on the floor with a computer in his lap, and Tsubaki was stood by the edge of the park, watching the waves roll by. Only Sadamune was willing to join us as we sat among the sparse treeline.

"So, I'm supposing you snuck off then?"

Hoshizuna's face cracked, unable to hide her guilt.

"Geh... was it that obvious?"

"Oh, I was just curious why Jou-chan was so tired already."

"Shut up, Sada..."

"Oh don't be so coy. I know how much exercise can tire you out. Want a pillow?"

Bangs flickering across her eyes, she held her bat up to his head.

"Whoa hey, I'm just messing."

"Before this gets ugly, let's get on topic."

And what topic would that be? Food? Drink? Local entertainment?

"Why do you think Leviathans are in Odaiba? I mean, we don't really know what they are, to begin with, or why they're hostile but... we've never seen them anywhere beside Port Tatsumi before, and neither have we heard reports, so why here, and why now?"

Eri planted her hand on the floor, slumping back onto the ground.

"It's not worth asking. They exist, we kill them. It's other people's job to worry about the details."

"Be that as it may, I'm just curious. But you're right, we don't get told much anyway. Only as much as we need to know to do our job."

Sadamune pinched the brim of his fedora, the top half of his face hidden in shadow as his thin, sly lips spoke for him.

"Sometimes you just get some rambunctious upstarts that come along to your turf thinking they own the place and you have to knock them down a peg. These guys think they're big and tough and want to come and muscle in against us. Survival of the fittest, right? They must just have gotten bored of wherever they were before and came here looking for a new spot to hunt."

"Well, you two have your priorities set..."

"We may not see eye to eye all the time, but Jou-chan and I have it right when it comes to knowing when the gloves are off."

I'd never given the Leviathans much thought, perhaps because the shock that such creatures exist had made it so they still hadn't settled in my mind, but the more I considered Hoshizuna's question, the deeper I dove into the dark depths of possibility.

"Everyone."

"Hm?"

I was surprised to hear Emil make any attempt to break into the conversation. The infrequent tapping from his laptop had ceased, and his eyes were pinned at something that had popped up on the screen.

"There's a message from Minamoto."

Hoshizuna stood up and waltzed over to him.

"How come she sent it to you first?"

"She didn't. It should be arriving to your phones right about..."

Our phones collectively buzzed.

"Now."

I flicked the message open.

"Urgent assembly request. Regroup at Aomi Minami Terminal Park ASAP."

Hoshizuna swished her phone away again, apparently all too familiar with this kind of message.

"Well, it looks like us coming back to our station was a waste of time. Think they've found one?"

Sadamune, peering at the message through Eri's phone, readjusted his scarf and replied.

"Well, you know what we have to do if they have."

"Right. Come on, Tsubaki."

Tsubaki lifted himself from his seat on the fence, making his way over but in no way acknowledging Hoshizuna with his body language.

"You have no right to order me around."

"I might not, but the Captain does. I didn't ask for us to be paired up, you know..."

Hoshizuna's face was gripped with tension, and she croaked as if something was stuck in her throat.

"Neither did I. I think it's a sick joke that we were."

Not wanting to interfere, I drifted over to Emil, for the first time attempting to lay the groundwork for the partnership we had been forced into.

Okay, just... think of it how the person that saved me would do it. They put their life on the line for me, someone they'd just met, so the least I can do is act like I care about Emil.

"Uhm, Emil, are you ready?"

He had already shut his laptop lid and shuffled it under his arm. Slung over his shoulder was a messenger bag, and the hood of his jacket cast his already half hair-curtained face further into obscurity.

"H-Hey, slow down, you're not supposed to wander off without me..."

Whatever tremendous primordial beast we were going to encounter next paled in comparison to the foe I was facing here. Unfortunately for me, there aren't any weapons or special artificial heart abilities designed to make humans easier to deal with. That was something I'd have to develop on my own.

Emil's choker was well hidden under his jacket and the zipped-up high-necked collar of the sweater he wore underneath it. Unlike the others, it was impossible to tell he even wore one. To some degree, it made it easier for me to forget his role as a handler. But it also made me more curious as to how he entered the role in the first place, and why he was so adamant about hiding it.

(Author's Note: WIP)