Log 1: Break In

A cold wind snuck beneath the warehouse's boarded windows and chilled its occupants. Kairo swayed on his feet, occasionally itching the wrappings around his hands. Percival sat atop an old cloth covering a rusted supply crate and watched a trail of ants scurry across the cracked cement. One of the bodyguards standing next to the loan shark caught her boss's fedora before it could reach the floor.

"So, what'd you want me for?" Kairo inquired. 

"13,000," Percival stated. "That's how much you owe me, Kairo. I'm sorry to say, but I simply can't overlook your tardiness any longer."

Kairo tilted his head to the side. Percival was correct, he hadn't paid for several months. In his defense, he hadn't been able to make enough money to pay. Either way, he was in for it.

Percival looked up. "Two days."

"What about two days?" Kairo's eyebrows rose.

The loan shark glared. "If I don't get all 13,000 credits by Thursday, you'll be down an arm. Understood?"

Kairo winced. He needed his arm. Considering the options, he realized one way he could get the money quick, but it had potential to take longer.

"Percival," Kairo began, "give me three days. If you do, I'll get you your money and then some!" He grinned.

Percival grimaced. "Seriously, Kairo?"

"Completely!" His grin grew wider and he grasped the air.

Percival glanced at his bodyguards. Kairo flinched. The loan shark looked back to the ground and pressed his forehead. After a minute or so, he let out an exasperated sigh.

"If I were an evil man, I'd have my bodyguards shoot you dead," Percival said, raising his hands and head skyward. "But, I'm not. I'm your friend, and I won't kill you."

The loan shark's hands smacked into the metal crate. "I'll give you until midnight on Friday, just as you requested."

"Thanks a lot, man!" Kairo exclaimed, he hadn't expected his plea to actually work. "I guess I'd better head—"

"I wasn't finished," Percival interjected.

"Oh, sorry 'bout that." Kairo stopped. "My bad."

The loan shark returned his apology with a blank stare.

"Listen, dumbass, if you arrive here before midnight-thirty, I'll let it slide. Any later will cost your right arm. Understood?"

"Understood!" Kairo saluted, nervous to the bone. "Well, I really oughta head off now..."

As Kairo made for the exit, Percival spoke up.

"A piece of advice: Other loan sharks will kill you if you try this sort of shit."

Kairo turned back, "Don't worry about it! I'll be fine!" He gave thumbs up and winked.

Percival sighed again, muttering something about Kairo getting himself killed out of sheer stupidity. Kairo had no intent to decipher what Percival meant by that, not that he didn't already know.

Kairo jogged back to his apartment.

After a shower, now dressed in black jeans, and a black hoodie, he checked his bank balance. 113.83 credits. That would be more than enough. He scanned his keycard and headed out, avoiding the rusting railing on his way down.

On route, Kairo picked up a ten pack of cloth masks, a pair of sunglasses, and a newspaper for 18.38. He knew what he was planning was reckless, but if he was successful he wouldn't need to take out anymore loans for a while. Plus, he wouldn't lose his arm, which would be great.

He rested on a bench across from an abandoned parking garage. A while back, he'd noticed that two men frequented the building. They were always dressed in black business suits, wore dark tinted sunglasses, and each carried a small Preservation Crate under the left arm. Because of how late they visited, Kairo doubted that most people noticed their arrival. He had observed that they entered a different passcode into the elevator every time.

They showed up Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 11:30 PM. Kairo would have to act soon. A realization hit him, he may have bought the supplies a bit hastily. After all, he wouldn't be breaking in that night, and the men wouldn't be visiting the next evening. Irritated, Kairo checked his phone, 11:53 PM. He stood, sighed, walked to a recycle, tossed the paper, stuffed his hands into his hoodie's pocket, and headed to a convenience store.

He brought five instant ramen, a soda, and a granola bar to the register.

"That'll be 3.69. Would you like anything else?"

"No, thank you," Kairo swiped his card.

He collected his groceries and left the store. He couldn't believe he'd arrived too late. If he had looked at the time he'd probably have skipped the shower. That being said, it did make him set an alarm so he wouldn't be late on Thursday.

Back home, Kairo boiled two packs of ramen, popped open the soda, and ate the granola bar. It wasn't much, but it was enough. Kairo didn't grow up wealthy, so why should he eat like he did? Besides, he only had 91.76 credits left. Mildly nourished, Kairo retired for the night.

Bizzt. Bizzt. Bizzt.

The day of the heist had arrived.

Half asleep, Kairo ate the final ramen pack for his breakfast. He then began putting the wrappings back around his hands while blissfully staring out his apartment window.

"Hey! Kairo!"

A teenage girl's voice broke his morning's silence, jolting him awake. With his eyes fully opened and the world coming into focus, he saw his neighbor's younger sister waving at him from the balcony next door.

"Oh, morning, Honoka," Kairo yawned.

She stared intently at his hands, he quickly finished putting the wrappings on.

"What're you hiding?" Honoka asked.

Kairo tied the wraps off, "Burns."

"You said you had scrapes yesterday, and bruises the day before that," Honoka twirled, latched onto the balcony and bent her head backward so that she was staring at the world upside down. "I'm starting to think you're lying."

"I would hope you would."

She puffed her cheeks, pursed her lips, and growled.

Kairo chuckled, "Don't you have school soon?"

Honoka flipped right-side.

"Of course," she smiled. "I wouldn't be in my uniform otherwise."

"I don't think school uniforms mean a lot in the States these days, at least not for public schooling." He was correct, even if he was really just guessing.

Honoka gripped the balcony, staring toward the ground, "I know... but, it reminds me of Tokyo... so, I guess I just wear it because of... some sort of... nostalgia..."

Kairo smiled. He understood that feeling completely. Even though his family had moved when he was seven, he still carried fond memories of his old friends.

Honoka looked up. "Anyway, I need to go now. See ya later, Kairo!"

"See you."

After Honoka left her balcony, Kairo headed back into his apartment and put on the sunglasses. A little dim, but they'd work. Once evening arrived, he pocketed the masks, put on the hoodie, and hooked the glasses onto his jacket's collar.

Kairo took the elevator to the ground floor and headed back to the old parking garage. 10:36 PM. He wasn't too late. He slipped on the glasses, put on a mask, and hid behind one of the old pillars.

After several minutes, the men in black suits and glasses arrived. Kairo watched carefully as they typed the passcode into the elevator. 4-5-1-1-8-0-1.

He waited a few minutes before walking to the lift. The doors slowly opened once the elevator reached the basement. Kairo looked around. The room wasn't particularly large. Three supply crates collecting dust, two moss-covered hallways, one pristine steel door. He knew where he wanted to go, but getting in wouldn't be easy. Kairo knew he'd have to take them by surprise in order to stand a chance. He wrapped a few masks around his hands before picking up a bent pipe from one of the hallways, after that he hid behind the supply crate nearest the elevator doors.

Several minutes past before Kairo heard their voices.

"That brat is really getting on my nerves," one said.

"Ditto," the other agreed. "Why can't she just be replaced? The twerp's probably got the wrong Aspect anyway."

"It'd be nice, but I doubt the boss would take the risk," the first complained.

Kairo was suddenly even more determined to get through the steel blockade. Them keeping an Aspectholder behind closed doors was pretty concerning. He had to free her, but he couldn't do that with those two men conscious and roaming.

As soon as the men were at the elevator, Kairo jumped out and slammed the pipe into the back of the first man's head. His nose audibly cracked when it hit the lift's doors before he collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

When the second man went to grab something from inside his suit, Kairo swung the pipe again. The handler became defensive and parried a series of quick thrusts and jabs from the weapon. Seconds later, the man hit Kairo's wrist, forcing the pipe to tumble through the air and clunk on the ground.

When Kairo stumbled back, the handler began to pull his gun from his suit. Thinking quick, Kairo rolled to the unconscious man and pulled his gun from his coat. The two of them pointed their weapons at each other. Neither would be the first shoot, the fight had found its way to a standstill.

"Very clever kid," the handler commented.

"Thanks," Kairo said through slow breaths.

The man knit his brow. "From how you fight, I'm guessing you grew up in Englewood. How correct am I?"

"We moved from Tokyo to Chicago when I was seven," Kairo explained. "But, yeah, you're correct."

"Do you think you're going to die here?" The handler's eyes narrowed.

"Maybe. How about you?"

"There's always a chance."

Kairo thought through his options. He could fire, but then he'd probably die as well. He could tackle the man's legs... no, that wouldn't work. That's it. It'd be risky, and it may backfire, but he had a new plan.

The two of them waited in silence, trying to anticipate who would act first. After sixty seconds, Kairo made his move. He leapt to the right, the handler fired his gun. As the bullet pierced Kairo's leg, he flung his pistol into the handler's face. Caught off guard, the man stumbled back and clutched his suddenly bleeding nose. Kairo closed in and gave the handler a left hook to the side of his head, crashing it onto the cement floor. A crack, a shock of pain, ringing ears. Once the sound faded, and the pain from his injury had lessened, Kairo stared down at the two men he had knocked cold.

He searched them for keycards, taking six in total. Using one of them, he opened a supply crate. The steel lid slid back, smoothly and silent. The crate was filled with dozens of high-end android hearts, motherboards basically. In case he found any other valuables later, Kairo only grabbed six of the small cubes.

The other two crates had parts for standard issue high-end androids. Since Kairo hadn't thought he'd find something so bulky, he didn't snatch any, but he'd keep a look out for a bag or sack that he could use before he left.

Kairo scanned one of the keycards at the door, he heard the buzz of confirmation, and then watched it slide open. It was refreshing to not hear the grinding of rusted gears for once. The hall beyond the slider wasn't simply fancy, it was downright aristocratic!

The corridor lead into a large laboratory, or so it looked. Four glossy white tables, several seats, tubes, boxes, shelves, a bunch of other fancy junk, and bags. Bags! Kairo grabbed three. Looking around the room further, he noticed a door sitting on the back wall. He walked over to it, scanned the keycard, and heard a click.

The door slid open, and Kairo saw her. A girl with short ginger hair, dressed in a hospital gown, looking no older than nine, was standing up against the back wall of a small room. She must've been the "brat" the men had spoken about, but why?