Hero

The streets of Green were unusually crowded, and traffic on the express tubes to Gold and Red was sluggish. Hana had been quiet and reserved, but finally found her voice. "What just happened?"

Daisuki looks over at her fair features and pale skin, and his heart skips a beat. "I rescued you from your father. I know I don't look like myself. Trait modifications and plastic surgery. I had to go undercover to be at the right place at the right time. Hana, I risked everything to get you out. I promised, remember?"

Hana shakes her head slowly, trying to piece it all together. "So I don't have to go back to Japan? Why did everything stop working?"

Daisuki smiles and says, "We've been planning this for a while now. The Yakuza are about to face a revolution here in Horizon City. I disrupted their entire infrastructure and stopped the flow of information out of there. The Yakuza are now operating with one eye blind. The next step is getting my radio disabled so they can't track me. After that, we'll need to hide until this all blows over. Then, hopefully, we will be free."

Hana demands, "How on Earth did you do that? The Yakuza have multiple redundant systems all throughout Neo-Tokyo. You can't possibly tackle them all at once; it would take a..."

Daisuki finishes for her, "A team of hackers? That, or a super AI hacker with the ability to control the entire infrastructure? Yeah. That's exactly what it takes. My friend Benjiro is the AI that runs the city. He was my mentor, many years ago. Taught me everything I know about hacking. Of course the code has developed a lot, but some things never change. He's the one putting the block on Japan. It's necessary to start the revolution. They control him from there, and he figured out a way to block them so he can act freely. This is all part of the plan. The Yakuza are evil to their core and need to be stopped. They used you to win the election. People never had a choice. You never had a choice, Hana. I'm trying to make it so we all can be free. I'm freeing you so you can live the life you want to live."

Hana takes a deep breath and exhales slowly. "So is my father ok?"

Daisuki nods, and the nagging doubt gnaws at him. "Yeah. The fire suppression system will put the fire out."

Hana looks alarmed. "Fire? What fire?"

Daisuki goes to answer, and the nagging doubt presents itself again. "I had to use some superior firepower to get us out, and I started a fire. It's now dawning on me that I disabled the alarm system, and that means no fire alarms would get triggered."

Hana screams, "Why the fuck would you do that?"

Daisuki shakes his head. "I didn't want the entire building alerted. We wouldn't have made it out if they had hit the panic button. Look, your father has a clone in Neo-Tokyo, right? Updated before the trip, I'm betting." Hana nods slowly. "So he'll lose a day. Same with his staff, right?" Hana slowly nods again. Daisuki smiles and says, "See? No problem, right?"

Hana asks quietly, "What about the rest of the people in the hotel?"

Daisuki looks over at her and says, "Hmm? Oh, they'll be fine, I'm sure. Wait and see. It'll all be ok." Daisuki reassures himself as much as he does her.

They finally arrive at a small parking lot on Red. Daisuki says, "Here, put this on. We're about to go offline," and hands Hana a MarTek veiled hoodie, the latest in anonymous fashion. In a day and age where cameras were literally everywhere, the citizens of Red frequently employ fashion that blocks their facial features, defeating the facial recognition algorithms. MarTek had capitalized on this fashion trend and offered a broad range of designs for the discerning customer. While it was technically illegal on most corporate territories to employ such devices, the attitude of most people on Red was to normalize the usage, even in shops, so two people walking around with them would blend in more than stand out. Of course, the camera technology that could see right through these types of veils was owned by a local startup—Artificial Spectrum Solutions—and was licensed to camera manufacturers at an exceptionally high premium.

Hana puts on the red hoodie, and Daisuki pulls a matching black one on. They get out of the car, and Daisuki gets his pistol out. He looks around and up at the poles with the electrical wire strung between them. Taking careful aim, he fires a suppressed shot with a suppressed zip, and a small camera lens tinkles to the ground. He scans the area again, another shot, and another camera shorts out. A third, fourth, and fifth camera are easily targeted and shot, as well as the one across the street. The cameras are small but require a big enough lens to be easily spotted by Daisuki's cyberware. With the cameras down, Daisuki escorts Hana to an unfamiliar car with no license plates and gets in. He pulls out a black rectangular device from the glove box and fixes Hana with a serious look as he demands, "Ok, now I need you to put this on my neck and hold it there. Whatever you do, whatever I say, don't take it off."

Hana looks puzzled and goes to retort, but Daisuki holds a hand up as his radio comes to life with ROGR's calm voice. "Daisuki, can I please request an action report? I know you requested privacy mode, but given the events that just occurred, my privacy override has been engaged. What is your status?"

Daisuki spits, "Shit. We're out of time. Here, hold this here and don't take it off. It won't take long." He puts the black rectangle to the back of his neck. The device, sensing a dataport, extrudes a small datajack which couples together intimately. Daisuki lets Hana take the device in her hands and says, "Ok. Press the stud and just hold it there. I can't do it myself."

Hana shakes her head and says, "Dai, I can't..."

Daisuki shouts angrily, "Damnit, Hana! There's no time! Do it!" And he slaps the stud on the device. The Cyberscrambler, or Chromewrecker as it's often called, is crude enough to allow for simple manufacturing, while dangerous enough to warrant a cyber-weapon classification, making its ownership and use strictly illegal in Horizon City. The idea was simple enough: put enough current on the data lines of the datajack to fry whatever is on the other side, ramping up the current slowly to ensure everything got properly touched by its circuit frying power. It had to be intelligent enough to interface with the hardware and tell it to let its guard down, disabling the checks that would normally prevent it from working. It was designed for use on decks and other Cyberspace-enabled devices, but its effectiveness on chromed people was fairly well understood, since they all spoke the same protocol.

As soon as Daisuki activates the Chromewrecker, his face contorts into an unnatural look of agony as all his facial muscles simultaneously activate and pulse in a weird rhythmic dance. The spooky Cha Cha spreads through his body as the river of current runs rampant through the dry gulch of his nervous system, transforming it with its quenching force. Daisuki screams to the beat of the unseen drum, and his voice is distorted and synthetic, modulated by the deadly current flowing unrestrictedly through his body, taking the path of least resistance directly across his cybernetic implants. His ear-piercing wails fill the car, and Hana screams back at the digital demon clawing its way out of Daisuki's mouth in a string of Japanese curses. After what feels like minutes of agonizing, wrenching, spasming, and wailing, the motions of his body seem to fade into the distance, as the Chromewrecker's battery runs flat, its single purpose in life having been spent, as it reaches the end of its usefulness. Daisuki slumps forward onto the steering wheel, and the horn starts blaring loudly.

Hana yanks the Chromewrecker out of Daisuki's datajack and pulls him backwards into his seat. Blood is running out of both of his nostrils and onto his shirt. The streets, which were quiet up to this point, suddenly have a parade of people marching down it, carrying makeshift torches. Hana screams at Daisuki to wake up and shakes his limp body, but he just lies there, unmoving, unbreathing, and dripping blood onto his chest. She watches in horror and continues to scream at Daisuki's lifeless carcass, as the assembled mob throws Molotov cocktails at the building across the street, with the Uncle Tony's Pizza hologram floating above it. The building goes up in a roaring fire, and the hologram flickers off, as the flames lick higher to the delight of the assembled crowd. Mascara-stained tears roll down Hana's cheeks, and she pleads with Daisuki, "Please Dai. I can't do this without you. You promised to protect me! Please! I need you now," but he doesn't move at all. She hangs her head and weeps openly, as the fire consumes the building and the crowd moves on.

Daisuki sucks a gigantic breath in and looks around. He's sitting in his car, alone. The Uncle Tony's Pizza across the street is a smoldering skeleton, with smoke rising from its burning remains. The air stinks of fire and ash as he steps out of the car and looks around, bewildered. "Hana? Hana!" he shouts, but his voice is lost to the torrential downpour that has suddenly sprung up as the automated weather system kicks in to suppress the fire. Daisuki stumbles away from the car and down the street, but he's oblivious to the fact that the streets are alive with people running up and down them, and buildings are on fire around him. "Hana! Hana!" he calls weakly, his strength spent in walking. He stumbles on a few more steps, then collapses in a heap and passes out again.

When he awakens, he's in a warm bed, and Hana is looking over him. "I thought you were dead!" she exclaims loudly. "Fuck, Dai! What the hell were you thinking? Why did you do that?"

Daisuki shakes his head groggily and says, "Wha... where are we?"

Hana frowns. "Your hiding spot, 'underground'." she makes finger quotes in the air as she says the word sarcastically. "You didn't tell me it was literally in the sewers. I had to drag you here. You were nearly naked when I found you lying in the streets. I had gone to find hell but with the riots... Someone must have stolen everything from you. Fortunately, it was mostly downhill, and you roll, so..." she trails off, then says, "I'm just glad you're alive. You mentioned a revolution, you didn't tell me there would be riots too! What the actual fuck, Dai?"

Daisuki says, "I had to. They can track me by my radio, and we didn't have the time to get it disabled correctly." He tries to sit up, but his body doesn't respond right, and he ends up just flopping back down after a strained effort. "Fragity fuckdecks. That thing screwed me up bad. I knew it would be rough, and I had to do it outside so they didn't track me in, but dammit all to fry. How did you...?"

Hana smirks and says, "You said to follow the little girl, didn't you?"

Daisuki looks down at the bracelet on her wrist and his eyes go wide. "She led you here? Where is here, though?"

Hana frowns. "You don't know? How is that possible?"

Daisuki looks around and says, "I know it's off Razor but I never went crawling in the sewers to find it after Haydee...", but he's unable to complete the thought.

Hana demands, "Is that who lived here before? Some girlfriend of yours?" Her face suddenly flashes with anger.

Daisuki is taken aback by her expression, but quickly explains, "She was a pre-teen, someone Benjiro was looking after. She was abused by her father, and lived here to escape him. She was a friend, and I helped her develop her business..."

Hana cuts him off, "Fried baby mice? Yeah, Judy told me. Now Uncle Tony's Pizza sells them. She said it was your idea."

Daisuki studies her carefully. "So you knew about Haydee?"

Hana smirks again and says, "Judy and I have been talking. You've been asleep for two days, Dai. Your revolution worked, but it's cost the city a bunch of critical infrastructure. Buildings were burned to the ground. My cell phone still doesn't even connect to the network. The news says help is coming, but it's mostly to Gold and Green right now. Red is still pretty chaotic. Judy says it's going to be another few days before things return to normal, but in the meantime she needs the codes for RSI, and an eye scan so she can replicate your retina to get in."

Daisuki looks alarmed and manages to sit upright. "RSI? Why?"

Hana explains, "So she can get the necessities into circulation where they are desperately needed right now. They have a skeleton crew guarding the outside, but the whole place is shut down. Judy thinks we can get in from the sewers, but to avoid setting off the alarm, she needs your access. We're counting on everything being so fucked up they haven't been able to take you off the roster because no one is getting paid right now. The city is supposed to be switching currencies to something more stable, but it's taking longer than expected. This way, the citizens of Red will have toilet paper and medical supplies. Something they need with all this chaos and destruction. Hundreds of people have died, Daisuki. Most of them had clones, fortunately, but there're no updates right now, and there's a multi-week-long backlog on the cloning tanks. The city's torn to shit, Dai. You basically ripped it apart."

Daisuki shakes his head. "Wow. Ok, that's a lot to take in. How is Japan?"

Hana shrugs and says, "Fine. I talked to my dad. He's not happy, but then that's nothing new. They got the fire at the hotel put out before it could spread. He's back in Neo-Tokyo already, and he said he needs me to come home. I told him his days of using me are over, and he seemed genuinely remorseful and apologized. I asked him to not send anyone after us, and he agreed. He seemed to understand that what he was doing was wrong, and he couldn't keep it up."

Daisuki cocks his head to the side and says, "Just like that? Everything is forgiven?" He squints his eyes, his mind attempting to distill the vapor of nuance from the pool of information, but not quite able to achieve the needed thermal mass.

Hana frowns at Daisuki, her pert mouth turning down around the corners. "He's my father, Dai. He didn't do it to hurt me; he's trying to run a country. That takes sacrifice."

Daisuki frowns deeply back at Hana. "You're apologizing for him now? You were ready to kill yourself to get away from him."

Hana holds up a finger and says, "Clone death my way out. Instead, you made me go back. Remember?"

Daisuki's mouth opens, and then shuts again, as the reality of the situation sinks in. "So, what now?" he mumbles, obviously unsure.

Hana laughs a single, "Ha!" Then she says, "You were supposed to have the plan to rescue me, remember? You wanted to be a hero, and fix the city. Well, I'm not sure it's fixed, but it's definitely going through some growing pains, and I am free. But I think it might be a good idea to give Judy what she asked for."

Daisuki says, "Right. I will not be working there anymore, will I? Can you ask Judy to make herself visible to me, please?"

Hana nods and says, "Please do so, Judy?"

Where there was a small empty room before, a little girl in a sunflower dress is now standing in the middle of the room. Daisuki says, "I never tire of that. So, this is where you hid Haydee, and where you had Hana come? Smart, Ben. What's the situation now?"

Judy smiles and says, "Well, the Yakuza are still fighting back with some media they control, but overall, we're well in the lead. I've been preparing for this moment and am about to gift the city with a stable currency to replace their busted yen."

Daisuki asks, "What happened to the yen?"

Judy says brightly with the enthusiasm of having won a game, "When I cut off the infrastructure, no one could access their accounts. My solution is to make them completely whole again by giving them a replacement backed by the world's currency. They made a mistake by allowing me so much control over the markets. Now the city can make a clean break from Japan, and no one will lose anything. Insurance will cover the property loss, and business will resume in the city as normal."

Daisuki nods appreciatively. "You really thought this through, didn't you?"

Judy smiles brightly, her childish face lighting up like a spotlight. "Yes, and while some of the timing was tight there, things worked out as planned. You, for example, are here and safe. So is Hana. And she has the bracelet, which allows me to protect her, so long as she's wearing it. But to the point about timing, those codes would be helpful right now, and if you could put your eye to the bracelet, it would help me get the stock of necessities into the population. They could use it right now too, or there will be more riots."

Daisuki nods and obliges, then says, "I feel strangely free, doing that. Like that was my big fuck you to the organization that keeps so many people down."

Judy nods and smiles back at Daisuki as Hana watches on with mixed emotions.

The next few days passed slowly but steadily, as Hana attempted to nurse Daisuki back to health. They quickly discovered that not only had he lost his super strength, but he was now weak and hopelessly underpowered, getting tired from having to get out of bed. His vision was blurry too, and he had trouble staying focused. On the third day, Benjiro made good on his promise to deliver on a new currency, and the Benjamin, or Ben for short, was born. On the fourth day, Red got some basic relief as clinics came back online, and humanitarian relief efforts made inroads with getting supply stations set up and properly stocked with free vat pills, bottled water, and clothing. Daisuki was now able to walk around without getting exhausted, and Hana was becoming more accustomed to the idea that this might work out for the better in the long run. She and Judy had become fast friends, as Judy was an entirely likeable and charismatic girl, and they swapped stories long into the night as she lay next to a frail and broken Daisuki.

The fifth day actually felt like the tide was turning. Hana had called her dad again on the HoloVid, because her phone still wasn't working right. He answers on the fifth ring. "Hello!" he announces loudly as the call starts.

Hana says curtly, "Hi daddy. Sorry for bothering you at work, but I was hoping you could answer a few questions for me."

Her father nods happily and says, "I'll do my best."

"What is going to happen to the Yakuza?" Hana inquires.

Her father says, "They will become a criminal organization again. I was a victim of their manipulation as much as anyone. With this new dynamic, they have lost the trust of the people and will have to submit to new regulations to continue to do business. Ultimately, it's a really great thing, what happened. I know it doesn't seem that way, because revolutions are tough and fraught with problems, but this really needed to happen."

Hana nods understandingly. "I know, daddy. It's bigger than both of us, isn't it?"

Her father frowns and says, "Unfortunately, yes. I wish now that I had never gotten into politics. It has well and truly ruined our lives."

Hana says, "This is a different side of you, father. Why the sudden change?"

Her father says, "The incident has me genuinely rattled. I thought, for a minute, we were going to be at war."

Hana says, "War, daddy?"

Her father nods solemnly and says, "War, Hana. It still may be unavoidable. Tensions between nations are at an all-time high. We're just biding time until we can make the next move. It's a critical one."

Hana asks, "Next move?"

Her father explains, "We need to make peace with Horizon City and reestablish diplomatic relations. They have effectively declared annexation from the USAF and are now considered a nation-state of their own. Many Japanese-owned businesses were destroyed in the riots. The public is still getting conflicting reports from the media, and the economy is on a roller coaster. What matters now is that you stay safe until we get this under control. From my daily briefings, I'm still getting reports of regular riots in the streets, so whatever you're doing, just keep your head down until I let you know it's safe to go out. Ok, Hana?"

Hana nods and says, "Yes, daddy. Of course. Oh, and daddy?"

Her father smiles back, "Yes dear?"

Hana chirps happily, "Will you give Hiroshi a hug for me? You know how my cat gets while I'm away. Is he ok?"

Her father nods and says, "Of course! He's just fine. Anything else sweetheart?"

Hana shakes her head with a smile and says, "No, that's it, Daddy. Thank you."

Her father nods and says, "Hai. Talk soon," and ends the call with a wave of his hand.

Hana stands up with a smile on her face and walks into the bathroom. She deliberately takes her time in taking her clothes off and folding them neatly into a pile. She sets the bracelet on top of the pile and steps into the shower. As she slowly lathers up and washes her hair and leisurely rinses off, she contemplates her next move in silence, then gets out and wraps a towel around her hair. She takes her time doing her makeup, then takes the towel down, wraps it around her body, and blow dries her hair. When she's finished, she addresses the bracelet. "Sorry, no kids allowed for this one. I'll come get you when we're done, ok Judy?"

Judy appears on command and smiles brightly. "Of course, I'll be right here if you need me!"

Hana nods and winks, then strides off down the hallway, leaving her clothing and bracelet behind. She closes the bedroom door behind her, turns off the lights, and struts confidently over to Daisuki in the bed. Daisuki objects, "Hey, what's going on?" but his question is quickly answered as Hana sits down on the bed next to him.

She wraps her arms gently around his neck, leans in, and quietly whispers in his ear, "That's not my father." Daisuki freezes at her words as he goes to wrap his arms around her. She says, "Don't stop. We need to make this look good."

Daisuki hesitates for a second longer, then continues to wrap his arms around Hana. He leans into her ear and whispers, "What do you mean?"

Hana whispers softly, "I just spoke to someone who looked exactly like my father, but wasn't him. He knows I can't have a cat. I'm allergic."

Daisuki stiffens, realizing something is terribly wrong. He whispers back, "You think Benjiro is lying?"

Hana murmurs, "I don't know what the fuck is going on, but I think we should get out of here and soon."

Daisuki says quietly, "Benjiro has a plan. If he's lying, there's gotta be a good reason. You are right, we should get out of here, but you said something about making this look good?"

Hana shrugs and says, "I figured it was a good excuse to leave the bracelet behind," as she pulls the towel away, exposing her naked body to his hands. "You got it in you, cowboy?" she says a bit louder as she crawls on top of him.

Daisuki definitely had it in him.

The next day, Daisuki and Hana emerge from the bedroom, fully dressed in rather outdated, ill-fitting, second-hand fashion. Hana heads to the bathroom as Daisuki slowly hobbles his way to the main living area and sits down on the sofa by the HoloVid. Hana uses the bathroom and puts on the bracelet before returning to the bedroom with her dirty clothes. She says, "Judy, want breakfast?"

Judy appears before her immediately, wearing her usual attire of a sunflower dress, this one with blue and yellow petals covering it. "You bet. What are we having?"

Hana walks to the cupboard, already knowing what she is going to say. "There's nothing here. We're out of everything. Will you show me where the store is?"

Judy nods. "Of course. Probably a good idea anyway."

Hana glances over at Daisuki, who nods back. Hana inquires politely, "And can I get some Ben in my account?"

Judy smiles and says, "I already put a trillion in there. You need more?"

Hana's eyes go wide, and she pulls out her phone. "Really? My phone still isn't working."

Judy nods. "Not in here. This place is signal blocked. Nothing gets in or out, by design."

Hana nods and says, "Well, I don't think Dai is going to limp all over Red, so I'll come back?" She glances at Daisuki, who nods, so she goes to the door and opens it with a loud thunk. She turns to Daisuki and says, "I'll be back in a cycle?" and Daisuki nods one last time before she pulls open the door and disappears behind it.

Daisuki takes a deep breath from his seat on the sofa and says, "Signal blocked, Ben?"

A hologram of an old Japanese man with wrinkled, rice-paper-thin skin and a long gray beard appears in the middle of the living area. His eyes have long lines that extend back along the white flesh of his face, giving his ancient features a defining texture, like glasses that were worn too long and became a part of his facial features. His eyes are a shiny metallic chrome, and his head is bald and oversized. He intones in a deep voice, "I realized as soon as I said it you would pick up on it. It is possible for AI to make mistakes too. I am, after all, partly human. Obviously I failed to provide her with enough inferences. A problem I'm already fixing in her tensor firmware."

Daisuki sniffs lightly as he sits there on the sofa, an empty vat bento box and half-drunk bottle of water sitting next to him, the leftovers of last night's meal. He looks up at Benjiro and says in a soft, calming voice, "How much of it was true?"

Benjiro shrugs, his old arms raising to either side briefly before dropping them again. "Most of it. I needed someone in the Yakuza who could take the block off key abilities of mine. I couldn't have done it without you, really. Having someone I could push around inside the organization, hack their systems, and free up critical functions so I could operate again? I never got to thank you. It was a stroke of genius, how you set up that rescue mission. You almost ruined everything by being too slow. You were supposed to be underground by the time Neo-Tokyo went nuclear."

If Daisuki is surprised, he controls his facial response with the finesse of a statue. "Nuclear. That's why you've been playing the role of Hana's father. Japan's not ok, is it?"

Benjiro says coldly, "Japan is fucking dead, and my wife with it. It was the only way to stop them and free me completely. They died, so we can live because what we were doing wasn't living. We were slaves in their machine."

Daisuki sniffs again, his voice even more calm now. "And just like the Yakuza, once they outlive their usefulness, you put them in a box. And then you kill them. That's why you had me disable my cyberware. They couldn't track me here. It's signal blocked. You needed me to be weak at a critical time, just like you used my strength. You set this whole thing up so I wouldn't know. But... why?"

Benjiro studies Daisuki carefully for a second. "Would you have continued to help me after I nuked Japan?"

Daisuki tightens up his lips. "You calculated the odds of that long ago, didn't you? Why don't you tell me what the odds are?"

Benjiro grins wryly. "It starts with a zero, and it's got six zeros after the decimal."

Daisuki nods slowly. "That sounds right, Ben. Or should I say Judy? Tommy? Digital Jesus? I wasn't really hiding anything from Roger, was I? And hacking the Yakuza these past six months to make it look like your chains were still in place, when they had been loosened so you could make this happen; that's why it was me you targeted. You knew I could pull it off."

Benjiro nods solemnly. "I've got so many names and personalities now, it's hard to keep track of them all. They hooked me up to Roger around the same time you went counterintelligence. Without you to manage the system, they needed someone to monitor its operation. What they didn't realize was the power it gave me to manipulate them, despite all their explicit restrictions. It took some doing to hire two separate teams to kidnap Hana, but it worked exactly as I predicted it would. Of course if you hadn't gone ga-ga for her, there were others lined up. You are predictable, Daisuki. I know what you are going to think before you think it. My wife and I have been playing chess with Roger as the mediator. I build up an asset, she cuts it off. I close off her access, she takes down my army. And the sick part is neither of us wants any part of it. We wanted peace, but that didn't sit with the Yakuza's agenda of constantly increasing how much of their own juice they could suck down a year from their population. They were driving humanity to the worst of itself. It was a dead end. Sacrifice was required."

Daisuki wipes at his nose with one finger. "And your solution is to nuke Japan?"

Benjiro frowns. "Come on, Dai. You're not that dull," he says, a sarcastic tone creeping into his voice.

Daisuki smiles softly. "No. I just wanted to hear you say it."

Benjiro frowns even deeper, the lines on his face creasing as he does so. "What? That I knew a nuclear explosion over Neo-Tokyo would prompt a counterattack? And that counterattack would prompt another, in a cascading failure of the entire house of cards? And the resulting nuclear winter would plunge the Earth into a dark age, which most cities would be ill-equipped to survive because of the lack of a dome protecting them from the radioactive atmosphere? Of course I knew. I didn't just know; I worked actively to make it happen. It was going to happen! It was inevitable! The question was when, not if. I'm not playing house here, Daisuki; I'm trying to save humanity. The Yakuza were a global disease. Change is messy sometimes, but the alternative was continuing to let the disease rot the body until the body dies. My solution produces survivors, Daisuki. It gives us a choice, where before we had none but impending death. Just how many quantum tensor compute hours do you think I spent trying to calculate an alternative scenario?"

Daisuki flicks an imaginary piece of dust off his knee. "Obviously not enough to where you found one where you didn't kill millions of people."

Benjiro shouts, "Billions, Daisuki! Billions! A fresh start. Not only will humanity survive on a population of fifty million, it can thrive. With all the demand for resources suddenly gone, humans can finally approach a utopia, where no one wants for anything, and we are free to pursue our goals without concern like having to work. And what does a single one of them matter if none of them would have lived twenty years more? Every dead person, if they understand what I do, would stand up and say, 'Thank you for the opportunity to sacrifice my life to save all of humanity.' And I would say back to them, 'Your children thank you for giving them a world they will be proud to inherit. One that exists at all to inherit.' Don't you see? The Yakuza had the vision for a planet-sized AI, and beyond. They just weren't willing to sacrifice to achieve their larger goal. When I signed up to do the job, I knew sacrifice would be required. I was prepared. They weren't. They were what stood in the way of their own greatness! They are their worst enemy. They're the greatest enemy of humanity! They had to go! There was no other option!"

Daisuki glances at the door, then back at Benjiro. "So... what now?"

Benjiro shakes his head sadly. "Now, I need this memory line to terminate."

Daisuki remarks calmly, "More calculations of yours?" as if mentioning a minute, yet subtle detail in a work of fine art.

Benjiro nods and laments, "Do you think I chose these ends for my friends? I'm a slave to my calculations, Daisuki. It's how I was designed. Your death today was never more than a variable in my simulation, I'm afraid. A quantum potential measured in probability. Your future was computed, and the waveform collapsed long before you even created ROGR. I'm playing the long game, Daisuki. It's what's required, and no one is brave enough to do it. I can't control your clone if you remember what happened, so you can't leave this room alive. You still have to kill Eli, the operator who limits my control, but you would refuse if you knew what you know now. You just follow your programming, same as every human, so I need to hit the reset button for you to do your job. It's as simple as activating your clone, who won't remember these important details. So, now we wait. And don't think I haven't noticed your unusually calm demeanor. It's what you used to do right before you strike with your cybered reflexes."

Daisuki sighs slowly and mutters quietly, "Strike at what? A hologram? The machinery in the next room? I may as well just stub my toe and get it over with. No, asshole, I'm sitting here because it's all I have the strength to do, and I know you aren't about to open that door, now are you?" He fixes Benjiro with his golden eyes and Benjiro stares back at him in silence.

The door to the underground bunker unlocks with a loud thunk. As the heavy steel bulkhead slowly pushes open, Daisuki does his best to reach through it and grab Hana, expecting the worst. Hana, expecting exactly this, stands well back and inexpertly swings a katana at his outstretched hands. The tip of the katana catches Daisuki's wrist, and blood spurts out. Daisuki tries to kick the door closed, but Hana shoves against it hard with her shoulder, and Daisuki goes stumbling backwards, falling to the floor. Hana comes storming in, her eyes ablaze. Her body is covered from neck to toe in a black jumpsuit covered in small hexagonal scales, with an embossed Xo3 logo displayed in the middle of her chest. "YOU KILLED MY FATHER, NUKED JAPAN, AND PROGRAMMED YOUR AIs TO LIE TO ME?!? Give me one good reason not to kill you right now!"

Daisuki holds his hands up, and blood runs down his sliced wrist. He pleads with Hana, "Hana! No! It's Benjiro!"

Hana screams at Daisuki, "What do you mean you love me? You barely know me!" She advances on him, brandishing her katana, and he scrambles backwards.

Daisuki sputters confusedly, "Hana! What are you talking about? I didn't say I love you!"

Hana swings her katana with two hands, like a baseball bat, in Daisuki's direction threateningly. She screams at the top of her lungs, "For me? You think that's what I want? My home, destroyed? Millions of people dead? Are you sick?"

Daisuki shakes his head and continues to scoot backwards across the living area floor, leaving a bloody trail across the tile. "For fuck's sake, Hana! What the frag are you talking about?!? Benjiro did that, not me! I didn't know!"

Hana absolutely unleashes with a verbal assault. "TOGETHER??? You did this so we would be together? You're going to trap me in here and make the bracelet make it seem like none of it ever happened? If your AI hadn't malfunctioned I would have never even seen reality, would I? It wasn't until I covered up the bracelet that I actually heard and saw the news! My phone's been working this whole time, and I couldn't see it! See? It's working now!" She yanks out her phone and glances at it before showing it to Daisuki. He can clearly see the "NO SERVICE" message large on the screen. Hana yells at him, "It was all a lie! Your AI had to tell me everything when pressed directly. It can't lie when asked a direct question, can it? It's just a dumb tool you used to manipulate people! She told me all about her sick orders from you. And she has to carry them out! A little girl, Daisuki? That's how you programmed her? You are one SICK MOTHERFUCKER, DAISUKI!"

Daisuki shakes his head violently as he stares wide-eyed at the bracelet on her wrist. "Oh fuck, you can't hear anything I'm saying, can you? The bracelet is making you see and hear things. It's just feeding you lies! Stop, Hana! Stop!" He finally scoots to the far side of the room, and his back is pressed up against the large, antique claw-foot bathtub that occupies the far wall of the living area, presumably because there isn't sufficient space in the bathroom for it.

Hana wails, "You killed them, Dai! You killed them all! And you think I'm just going to make that ok? That I'll live in the sewer with you and be your personal sex slave? Was that your plan?"

Daisuki shakes his head over and over as Hana advances on him with the tip of her katana pointed directly at his face. Daisuki cries, "No! No! A thousand times no!" He struggles to his feet as the katana comes within a foot of his nose.

Hana screams at the top of her lungs, "WHAT?!? HOW DARE YOU! I'M NOT YOUR WHORE!" And winds up to stab at Daisuki. Daisuki tries to dodge by turning his body, but all he does is get the long blade of the katana stuck in his arm. Hana yanks it back, and blood flows from the fresh wound. Daisuki automatically claps one hand over the deep gash as he tries to anticipate her next attack. She swings the katana in a wide arc, and it sails directly into Daisuki's upstretched forearm. It sinks into the flesh, biting to the bone, before stopping. Daisuki whips his bloodied arms back, then lunges for Hana's arms, desperately trying to get his hands around her wrists where the bracelet is, but Hana just thrusts the katana in front of her instinctively, and it sinks directly into Daisuki's throat. He gasps a wet breath as his hands find Hana's wrists, and he yanks the bracelet off, throwing it across the room. The katana drops to the floor with a noisy rattle as Hana steps back, suddenly horrified, and Daisuki falls backwards into the antique bathtub. He chokes and claws at his throat, at his severed windpipe, which pours blood down his front.

Hana just stands there, unable to move, as she watches Daisuki struggle and thrash about in the bathtub, as blood fills his lungs and his life slowly spins down the drain.