Log 4: The Calm

As the glass doors slid open, a doorbell chimed and Kairo entered his workplace.

"Welcome to Café Gray," a long since outdated greeting bot droned.

"Morning, Betty," Kairo answered. "Is Mrs. Gray in today?"

"Yes. She is in her office."

Mrs. Gray was working at her computer doing spreadsheets when Kairo entered.

"Good morning, Mrs. Gray! I have a gift."

The elderly woman entered a code into the desk’s face. The monitors slid into the desk's metallic body and Mrs. Gray put the keyboard on a small side table. Kairo pulled up a seat and placed the android heart at the desk's center.

“It’s a high-end android heart," Kairo said. “What do you think?”

Mrs. Gray inspected the cube.

"Impressive! This is the real deal!” she exclaimed “How'd you get a hold of it?"

"I found it."

"Hmm. Can I assume that you meant "I stole it"?"

"Well..." Kairo glanced to the side. "That doesn't seem important..."

Mrs. Gray sighed before bursting out in laughter. "Look here ya brat, I don't care if you got it legally. What I do care about is if you found it in the junkyard or not. I can't sell it if it doesn't work."

"Oh, uh." Kairo was speechless, he'd never seen the owner act like this. "Okay. I was actually thinking you could update Veronica with it, but if you want to sell it that's fine."

"Sonny, do you really think this powerhouse is compatible with any of the androids here? They're all so outdated that I doubt I could fix ‘em even if I needed to," Mrs. Gray said. "But if I can sell this heart for even half of what it's worth, I'll be buying at least two modern low-ends and refurbish this dump! I don't think you understand how valuable this is, kiddo.”

Kairo was dumbfounded. Was knowing this much about androids and robots just part of being a café owner? "So, I knew it was expensive, but how much did I just give you?"

"I'm guessing I'll be able to get around a third or fourth of market price. So, between 10k and 20k."

Kairo's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?"

"You can bet your tushy I am." Mrs. Gray tossed the high-end heart into the air. "I'm assuming you have more, so I'll make you an offer. If you want to take the rest of the day off to sell your loot and pay off your debt, all I ask in return is 10% of the earnings to be transferred to me, 5% to Elizabeth and that you take overtime for the next two days."

"Seriously?" Kairo stared at his manager in disbelief.

"Money is money, thus I am."

"Wait, I've never mentioned my debt to you before!" Kairo exclaimed. "How do you know about it?"

Mrs. Gray's eyebrows raised. "Kairo, everyone who works here has debt, including me. It would be more shocking if one of my employees didn't have any."

"Huh." Kairo was surprised, not that the owner was in debt, but Elizabeth? He had always figured that she was one the responsible types, but maybe not. He'd have to check.

"Can I work a bit of my shift while I think about your offer?" Kairo asked.

"Sure." Mrs. Gray had the monitors come up again. "I'll give you an hour to decide. Now, get to work."

Once in uniform, he got a damp cloth, sprayed the tables, and began scrubbing. The door rang.

"Welcome to Café Gray," Betty greeted.

"Janel, order me a green tea and get yourself something nice," a familiar voice directed. "I have to check up on some business."

Kairo froze. Why was Percival here? It was still hours before the payment was required. He felt a grip tighten around his shoulder.

"Why so uptight?" Percival asked. Even though the loan shark was trying to come off as friendly, Kairo could hear the sternness slipping through Percival's teeth.

"No reason," Kairo said, his nerves tensing, uncertain of what was to become of him.

"Turn around," Percival demanded.

Face to face with his loan shark, Kairo stared into the man's cold gray eyes.

"Wh—what can I help you with?"

"What have you decided?" Percival's eyes narrowed. "Payment, or your arm?"

Kairo gulped. He wasn't normally uneasy around Percival, but this was unexpected. He had to think quickly. Kairo took two calming breaths.

"You'll have your money by the end of the day. I gave my word." Kairo stood as tall as he could, which made his nose just barely reach above Percival's upper lip.

"I'll be waiting," Percival replied.

"Good to know," Kairo sounded as confident as he could under the conditions.

Percival rolled his eyes and took a seat beside Janel. The loan shark sipped his tea.

Kairo moved behind the counters to help with customers, and to avoid Percival. Elizabeth offered Kairo a couple pieces of gum, but he declined.

"So, you really do have debt," Elizabeth intoned.

"Yup..." Kairo sighed. "Debt is the worst isn't it?"

"I never owe money, so I wouldn't know."

"Really? That's impressive!" Kairo exclaimed.

"I'm going to sweep in a minute, I can get rid of your debt while I'm cleaning if you'd like," Elizabeth said.

"Really? That'd be awe—!"

"Don’t take her offer, Kairo," Janel interjected sternly.

"What? Why?" Kairo asked, confused.

Percival stood up. "The tea is wonderful, but we've overstayed our welcome. Let's head out, Janel."

"Yessir."

The loan shark and his bodyguard quickly exited.

"Please come ag—gain," Betty's voice box crackled and glitched.

A few other customers visited, but Kairo barely paid them any mind. He washed the windows and manned the register. What did Janel mean? Seriously? Elizabeth only offered to pay his debt, what was so bad about that? Was there some rule against such an act? Did that customer try to pay with cash? These were the thoughts that swirled throughout Kairo's brain for thirty minutes. Eventually, he headed to inform Mrs. Gray of his decision.

"I've made my choice, Mrs. Gray," Kairo announced. "I accept your offer!"

The owner stood, walked to him, and held out her hand. He grasped it and shook. The deal was made, there was no going back.

"I'll send you Elizabeth's MoneyBud info over Connex."

"Thank you so much!"

Kairo bowed and headed out of the store. He rushed back to his apartment, said hello to Saturn, grabbed all but one of each remaining high-end part, said bye to Saturn, and hurried back outside.

After several minutes, Kairo made it to location of a nearby fence. From what he'd read, Fern's 'n Franky's Gardening Goods was a fairly safe place to sell, with only a few negative incidents under their belt.

"Good afternoon," a tall rotund man greeted Kairo from behind the counter. "Name's Franky, how can I help ya?"

"I'm here to sell," Kairo explained.

Franky stretched and stubbed his cigarette in an ashtray next to the register. He used his phone to change the store’s status to closed.

"Follow me to the back."

It only took a couple minutes before the men reached a small table and chairs.

"Wanna smoke?" Franky offered Kairo a cigarette.

"No thanks."

"Yer loss." Franky pocketed the lighter and exhaled, spilling smoke throughout the room. "What're ya offerin’?"

"These!" Kairo pulled one of each android part from the bags and set them onto the table, placing the heart at the front.

Franky's eyes widened. His jaw dropped after inspecting the heart and the head. "Who the hell did ya rob for these?" the fence asked, wondering if this was a dream.

"I don't know. I just took it from some underground facility—lab—place."

"I've had people bring in a high-end heart or a head, but never the whole body," Franky said in awe. "How many more ya got?"

Kairo did a quick count. "Eight. I think."

Franky's jaw dropped once more, but this time his cigarette hit the floor. "Ya jokin', yeah?"

Kairo checked again. "Nope."

"An' ya wanna sell 'em?"

"Yup."

"If ya say so," Franky said. "Give me a minute, I need to get some air."

The fence got up and exited through the back. He returned after twenty minutes, smoking a fresh cigarette. A pretty, but unusually thin woman, wearing a red shawl, a plain black dress, high heels, and half moon glasses followed closely behind him.

"Meet Fern, my beloved wife," Franky gloated. "She'll be helping with business today."

"You must be the seller," Fern said in a persistently shrill voice. Every word she uttered sounded ever so slightly condescending. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance!"

She held out her hand to shake. When Kairo entered the formality, he discovered that Fern's grip was incredibly powerful for someone of her build, though that may have just been the whiplash he felt from how vigorously she shook his hand.

"Now then, let me see this," Fern clicked her nails against the high-end heart, inspecting it carefully. "Amazing! This is quite the find! Color me impressed!" Fern knocked her hair back and laughed.

"So," Kairo began, "what's our starting amount for each heart?"

Fern smirked. "How does 1,300 credits sound, my dear?"

"Works for me," Franky agreed.

Kairo grinned. "What about 20,000?”

Fern burst into a cacophony of laughs, wiping tears from eyes. "You have quite the sense of humor, Seller. Although, I can tell you know a scam when you see one."

"So, let me ask again," Kairo said. "What is our starting amount?"

Franky smirked. "Yer sharp, how's 10,000 credits sound?"

"That sounds like an excellent deal to me," Fern concurred. "Half of the market price ain't bad, Seller."

"If I did my math right, that should be 90,000 for the hearts alone, correct?"

"Indeed." Fern narrowed her eyes. "But a pittance in the pot."

"That'll do just fine. Once I have the check in my hand, I'll pass you the hearts."

Franky looked up at his wife. "Are ya sure 'bout this, Honey?"

"I am. Now, let me handle this one, Dear. The reward out weighs the cost.”

"If ya say so. I'll be in the front."

Fern took her husband's seat, her smirk had widened even further. She quickly wrote out the check and handed it to Kairo. The check was signed by Fern Glass-Lionhart on the 13th of July, 2136. Amount: 90,000 credits. Everything checked out, so he put the high-end heart back into the bag that held the other cubes and passed it to the fence.

"Now then, the heads," Fern said. "The market price is 10,000. Would you take an offer of 4,000 for each?"

"Sure. 36,000 sounds fine."

"Well then." Fern clapped her hands together. "So that I'm not writing you a thousand checks, let's lump all of the rest of it together, how's that sounds, Seller?"

"As long as it isn't too far off market price, then sure."

"Wonderful!" the fence exclaimed. "If I am not mistaken, the market price for the high-ends is around 120,000 credits. If you take away the heads and the hearts, that brings it to 98,000 credits. 215,000 credits is as high as I'm willing to go. You can take it or leave. Your choice."

Kairo clenched his fists, and gritted his teeth. He had never even seen that much money in an account before, he didn't know what to say. Was 215,000 worth it? It wasn't half the market value of nine, but it was still quite the sum. Kairo didn't know of any other fences nearby so he had to do it. Besides, who was to say any other fence would even be willing to drop so many credits on a single purchase?

Fern's eyes narrowed, her smirk turned into a condescending sneer. "Make your choice, Seller. I don't have all day."

With bated breath, Kairo looked the fence in the eyes and said, "I accept your offer." He held out his hand, she grasped it, and the pair gave the firmest handshake either of them had ever given before.

As soon as the check was inspected and put away, Kairo handed the rest of the bags to Fern and headed to the bank. He deposited the checks into a bank account he had under a different name for occasions like this. He didn't use it often. Once the bank visit was completed, he made his way home.

"I'm bored" Saturn announced when Kairo returned. "Let's play a game."

Kairo chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Not right now, I need to shower. Oh, and before you ask, I ordered lunch a few minutes ago."

"Okay..." Saturn picked up her tablet and climbed onto the bed. "My tablet is at 47% battery, how do I charge it?"

"I'll look at the charging port after my shower."

"Okay."

The shower was refreshing! During his wash he realized what he could do while he tried to think of how to explain the situation Honoka. He kept the parts for one of the high-end androids, so he could build it while he thought. Once dressed, Kairo walked over to Saturn. She was doing a puzzle.

"Want me to check it out?" Kairo asked.

Saturn jumped. She turned the tablet off and passed it to Kairo. He looked all around it, but didn't see a charging port anywhere.

"I'm... not seeing any ports," Kairo said, dismayed. "How'd you charge it before?"

"I put it in the wall," Saturn explained.

"You did what?"

"The wall. I put it in—"

"No, I heard you, I was surprised is all."

"Oh. Okay."

"Unless this thing is solar charged, you may be of luck."

"Okay," Saturn said, taking the tablet back. "I'll place it on the balcony after this puzzle."

"Glad to hear you have a plan. I'm going to build an android, humanoid type."

On that note, as if like music, Saturn slid down from the bed and placed the tablet on the balcony.

"That sounds fun, I want to help."

“That’s a wonderful idea! I'll bring the parts out here. Two seco—"

The doorbell buzzed.

"I'll grab lunch, then I'll grab the parts. Sit tight."

"Okay."

After five minutes, Kairo hurried back to the bedroom with bags of parts in one hand and food in the other. Saturn had started counting the bumps on the ceiling. Kairo took a seat next to her and the two began sorting the android’s pieces. It took an hour or so, but eventually, because most androids are largely prebuilt, the robot was constructed. The body resembled that of a human woman. The only piece not yet in place was her heart.

“Hey, Saturn.” Kairo offered her the cubical heart. "Do you want to complete her?"

"Uh-uh," Saturn said. "I don't want to mess up."

Kairo put her hand around the heart. "If that's the case, why don't we do it together?"

Saturn smiled. "Okay."

With Kairo guiding their hands, the pair carefully slotted the android's heart into her body. Kairo's mark glowed, a heatless flame burst out from his Aspect, taking the form of a cobra, coiling around the heart before fading away.

"That was pretty!" Saturn exclaimed.

Kairo closed the robot’s chest and stared at his right hand. His Aspect had acted of its own accord. What did it do? Given that he had no clue who his Aspect was of, he had no beginning point to imagine its abilities. Perhaps Hephaestus or Svarog? Whatever happened aside, he had to put the android somewhere safe in case worse came to worst.

"What are you thinking about?" Saturn asked.

"Oh, just where to put the android," Kairo explained. "We can't just let her lay around."

"Oh." Saturn stared at the robot. "If that's what you're gonna do, I'm going to do more puzzles. This was fun, though."

Saturn grabbed her tablet and climbed onto the bed. Kairo checked the time. 4:43 PM! If he didn't hurry, he'd be late! He pulled on his boots, carefully placed the android in a closet, and went to the ground floor. As the elevator's doors slid open, a realization smacked Kairo in the face. Neither Honoka nor himself had mentioned a meeting place. Kairo opened Connex.

Connex Direct Messaging: Ichika

KairoAblaze: Where are we meeting?

Ichika: Ah, right.
Where are you?

KairoAblaze: Ground lobby of the apartment building

Ichika: I'll be down in five

KairoAblaze: K

Kairo took a seat near the door. How was he going to explain the situation? Being honest was probably the best route, but he wouldn't want to say everything in the building. Maybe Honoka would be willing to be the android's caretaker? Kairo sighed and opened a mobile game. He decided to just relax until Honoka arrived. After a few minutes, she took the seat next to Kairo’s.

"Explanation time, buster," Honoka demanded.

"About that," Kairo said. "I think it's best if we discuss this outside."

Honoka glared. "You murdered someone, didn't you?"

"No way! Why would you think that?"

"I'm joking. Relax." Honoka chuckled. "Let's head outside."

The two walked in silence for a couple blocks and watched the scenery.

"KairoAblaze is still a dumb username." Honoka broke the silence.

"Do you think I care?" Kairo asked.

"No, but if I were you I wouldn't have used my real name."

"Well, good for you. Anyway, you want to know about Saturn, right?"

"If that's the kid, then yes."

Kairo took a deep breath. "So, I had a debt to pay off, but I needed a way to get the money. To do that, I may have broken into an underground facility and stole a bunch of high-end android parts."

"Is that where you found Saturn?"

"Yeah," Kairo said. "Whoever ran that place was keeping her in a room by herself. I know why they had her, too. Or at least, I have an idea as to why." Kairo stared into traffic. "She's an Aspectholder."

Honoka's eyes lit up. "Seriously?!"

"Mm-hmm."

"That's SOOOO cool! What's her mark look like? Can I see it?"

"Unless she wants to show it, no."

"Dammit! So close!" Honoka stomped her foot on the sidewalk.

"Over dramatic much?"

"Whatever," Honoka said in a valley girl voice. "The mark aside, how much money did you get?”

"Why are you asking?"

"Because I may want to be compensated for not turning you in for kidnapping and theft." Honoka softly elbowed him in the rib. "Hmmmm!"

Kairo rolled his eyes. Of course she would do that. Doing quick math in his head, after transferring money to Mrs. Gray, Elizabeth, and Percival he had 276,850 credits left over from the sale.

"If I transfer you 15k will you keep it on the down low?" Kairo proposed.

Honoka's jaw dropped, her eyes grew wide and sparkled even brighter. She was speechless, all she could manage was a series of nods.

"Send me your MoneyBud info and I will. Want to head back now?"

"Sure."

Honoka gave Kairo her MoneyBud information and he transferred the money. They walked in silence once more. Pigeons cooed from windowsills, cars sped along the roads, and youth could be heard making internet videos in their homes.

"Do you think someone will come and take her away?" Honoka asked, staring solemnly at the ground.

"Probably."

"Do you have a plan?"

"If they come for her, then I'll fight to protect," Kairo assured. "I will not allow her to be put back in that lab. Ever."

"Mind if I help out?"

"Not if you'd get hurt," Kairo said. "I don't want to upset your sister."

"[Redacted] won't care, but I can't fight anyway, so..." Honoka trailed off. "I'd rather help with planning..."

"Mm." Kairo nodded.

The pair were nearing the apartment building's entrance when Honoka piped up again. "You should put a mattress under your balcony tomorrow morning."

"Why so?" Kairo asked, confused.

"I think it would be best that, if they try to take her away, she can jump to the mattress. It's a get away strategy really," Honoka explained. "We don't use our mattress, so you can use it."

"Oh, okay," Kairo said. "Thanks a lot."

"Anytime."

They took the elevator up. Honoka wanted to properly introduce herself to Saturn, so the two went to his apartment. They discovered that Saturn had fallen asleep on the floor, her tablet was being used in place of a pillow. Kairo shook her awake.

"Hn-uh-nn?" Saturn rubbed her eyes. "Whaz goin' on?" she asked.

"Honoka wants to make proper introductions. Are you up to that?" Kairo asked.

"Mm-hmm." She picked up her tablet and sat up.

Honoka kneeled. "Hi. I'm Honoka Yamaguchi. It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance."

"My name's Saturn. I'm tired."

"Oh, then why don't you get some rest?" Honoka suggested. "Kairo, I'll wait outside." Honoka exited the apartment.

"We're going to place a mattress beneath the balcony tomorrow. If the men who were keeping you show up, you jump off the balcony and onto the mattress. I'll distract them while you run. Understand?" Kairo explained the plan.

Even though Saturn was sleepy, he could tell she understood, and that she wasn't happy with it. "Put me on the bed."

"Sure."

Kairo lifted her up and carried her over, moving aside the covers, and placed her onto the soft mattress. Saturn pulled the sheet over her shoulder and closed her eyes. Once she was resting, Kairo left the apartment.

"Kairo," Honoka said. "We should move the mattress now. I have a suspicion that she's chipped."

"I didn't even consider that..." Kairo said. "Let's get move on then!"

Without a moment's hesitation, the pair moved the mattress in Honoka's apartment below Kairo's balcony. Once it was completed, the two said their goodbyes and retired for the night.