Verge of collapse

“In the wake of last week’s attack by domestic terror group “Ronin,” Kurogaisha has reported over a trillion yen in property damage, with the number expected to climb even further after a full assessment of losses. The acting chairman has stated that ‘no amount of money will ever compare to the loss of our beloved CEO and board of directors. Our thoughts are with their families at this ti-“

“Turn it off, Fuji.”

“Shouldn’t we at least list-“

“Just turn it off.”

Fujiko sighed and switched off the news report, letting the living room sink into silence.

Those bastards. All that guff about the loss of those corpo scum, not a damn word about the civilians below who lost their homes. Or their lives. I didn’t even know how many civilian casualties there were. The media never brought it up.

I stared vacantly around the blue-painted room. We had judged the apartment too close to the slums to be safe for us to stay, so Ryou and I had moved into Fujiko’s place, a small house on the outskirts of the city. It was a nice, quaint home. Peaceful and quiet. A luxury I hardly deserved after the suffering I had caused.

“Come on, Toki, you really gonna sit around and mope for the rest of your life over something that wasn’t even our fault?” Fujiko rolled her eyes at me.

“Not our fault? How is this not our fault? We knew the risks. We decided our petty revenge was more important than protecting those in need.”

“Yeah, we knew the risks. We knew there was a chance we’d get ourselves or some no-good MPs killed, not that Kageno would blow Kurogaisha HQ to bits. Besides, you forgettin’ why we went after ‘em in the first place? All the shit they stole that we then gave back to the people?”

“The people we dropped a building on, you mean?”

“You wanna overthrow the whole establishment and you think you’re gonna get there without a few unfortunate deaths? Get real, Toki. You should have known stuff like this would happen when you started this whole business.”

“If even we, the people with fucking superpowers, can’t save people’s lives, what hope does this shitty world even have?”

“Who do you think you are, Jesus? You’re not gonna eliminate human suffering, you bastard fool. But you’re the one who said we can make a difference in the world. Or was that all just bluster? You coward.”

“Fuck off.”

“Or maybe you really did believe it, but all it took was one little accident to shake that little confidence of yours.”

“Fuji, I said fuck off.”

“After dragging me into all this, kicking and screaming, you’re gonna throw in the towel just ‘cos some slumrats got minced? Some ‘partner you are.’”

“Fuji, I swear to fuck-” I stood up off the sofa and got right up in her face. It took every ounce of restraint in my body not to throttle the bitch. “...I’m going out.”

I turned away from her and grabbed my ratty old coat from the rack near the door. Just as I put my hand on the door handle, however, I found it already twisting. I stepped back, and the door opened in front of me.

“Dear girls,” said Ryou, opening the door but not stepping in, “there is something I’d like you to see.”

***

Ryou lead the two of us into the slums, through the same decaying streets I had called home just earlier that month. Even though the neighbourhood with the collapsed skyscraper was on the other side of Shibuya, it was clear the unrest it caused had taken hold. We passed by more cybercops patrols than I had ever seen in my life. Each and every one of them was armed to the teeth, and it didn’t take an expert to see they were on edge.

It was like they were preparing for a total insurrection. And when Ryou finally stopped, we realised why.

“Is that…”

“Us? Yes, dear girl. Or, at least, some imitation of us.”

On the wall of some shuttered Kurogaisha subsidiary, someone had painted an enormous mural of three cloaked figures. One in black. One in purple. One in blue. And at the top of the mural, there was a symbol spray-painted in red. A large circle, with the latin letter ‘R’ on the inside.

R. Ronin.

“Hell’s this about? Ain’t they hate us or somethin’?” asked Fuji. I shared her confusion.

“It seems the generous actions of our venerable Tokiko have brought us quite the spate of faith and good will from the people,” replied Ryou, stepping forward and placing a hand on the mural. “Of course, there are still those who blame us for the devastation, but there are equally as many who believe us innocent. And even those who openly support us.”

The mural was painted in a very public place. It faced directly out into the street, and the choice of a Kurogaisha building was plainly deliberate. It wasn’t a silent show of support. It was a brazen declaration of it, even if the one making the declaration hid their face.

On the surface, it seemed like an unquestionably good sign. But only if you didn’t think about the implications.

“The streets are crawling with armed police. Two of the biggest corporations in the country are on the verge of collapse. And now we’re being used as a propaganda symbol? I… have a horrible feeling about what’s to come…” I rubbed my arm and grimaced. None of it sat well with me.

“What? What’re you blabberin’ about, Toki? Ain’t this mean that people’re on our side or whatever?” Said Fujiko casually.

“Yeah, our side. The “terrorist” cell proscribed by the government. The enemies of the state.”

“Well, yeah. We’re tryna get rid of the status quo, ain’t we?”

“Of course we are, but this? This isn’t the sign of a quick and hopeful revolution. It’s more like we’re heading towards…”

“Outright civil war.”

Ryou finished the sentence I didn’t want to say.

This wasn’t what I had wanted at all. I was strong, and durable, and had little left in the world to live for. That’s why I could put my life on the line every day to bring about change. But the people of the slums, they were different. They didn’t have magical powers, or expensive cybernetics, or tanks and mechanized infantry.

Most of them had families and loved ones. Most wanted to avoid trouble. But if this unrest was allowed to grow to full-scale violence, all of that could be snatched away in an instant. That’s the exact eventuality I had wanted to avoid. And now I was the one bringing it about.

“Dear girl, I see two options at our feet.” Ryou turned and looked me in the eyes. “We could capitalise on this. Provoke outrage. Escalate this unrest and silent rebellion to full scale insurrection-”

“That’s not an option,” I interjected, but she continued calmly.

“-or, we could aim for the throat. Seek out Kageno.” Her expression darkened. “You saw and heard the same as me. The moment this ‘Aki’ was mentioned, the pig was butchered. They are the puppeteers. They are the ones pulling the strings. Not the corporations. Not the state. Kageno Kairai. You want to bring down the system and avoid unprecedented bloodshed? We must cut the serpent’s head. There is no other choice.”

No other choice. Fuck.