The car left TMC Sector 13/6.
He had no idea where they were headed, but the scenery and air both improved, and the Kanagawa coastline came into view — he knew, he knew, TMC — with skyscrapers soaring into a clear blue sky.
The car slid into the heart of the towers and stopped in front of a building.
“Circle the block.”
Jane Doe told the driver this, then got out of the car with Shinonome and Beria.
“TMC Sector 4/2. You follow? The lower the number at the front of a sector, the more it’s for rich people.”
“So Chiyoda 1-1, Chiyoda Ward…”
“TMC Sector 1/1. Write it off as a place you’ll never see in your lifetime.”
Jane Doe said this and walked into the building.
Ah. A café, Shinonome thought, taking in the interior.
Here and there around them were men in suits and women in dresses — cheongsams were far from unusual — and sure enough, Shinonome and Beria’s outfits stood out.
“I have a reservation. Code 9827818. A private room.”
“Right this way.”
Jane Doe said this to the woman at the front desk, and the woman led Shinonome and the others to a private room — a somewhat baffling thing to find in a café.
And the private room already had someone in it.
“Run the sweep.”
“Understood.”
The man already there produced some kind of electronic device and went over Shinonome and Beria’s bodies with it.
“BCI?”
“None.”
“Clear, then. No subcutaneous listening devices, no bioware either.”
“Good. You’re done.”
Jane Doe dismissed the man. He packed his device into a briefcase and left without a word.
“This place.”
Jane Doe said.
“You can call it the one place where it’s safe to talk.”
The room was shielded against wireless BCI signals too, Jane Doe said.
“Sit down, you low-tech pair.”
At Jane Doe’s order, Shinonome and Beria settled into soft leather sofas set around a mahogany table.
“Order coffee. And if you want cake, the cheesecake here is excellent. I recommend it.”
Jane Doe said this, and Shinonome and Beria exchanged a look.
“My treat. Just sitting in this private room runs 800 new yen.”
At that, Shinonome and Beria ordered coffee and cheesecake.
Jane Doe rang a small bell and a waiter came, took the order, and left. The coffee and cheesecake arrived shortly after.
“Low-tech. Do you want to keep working?”
“Yeah. If at all possible.”
Shinonome answered Jane Doe’s question.
“I’ll take that as a yes, knowing what Jane Doe means?”
“No. Does the name nobody have some deeper meaning?”
“Good lord……”
Jane Doe heaved a long, deep sigh.
“If you’re going to keep working, remember this. Jane Doe is another word for a corporate operative. I won’t tell you which company I work for, but don’t get any stupid ideas. Everyone who’s ever tried to blackmail one of the Big Six multinationals ended up like this.”
Jane Doe drew a finger across her throat.
“I broker corporate work. Everything you do feeds into some company’s interests somewhere. Consider that a given.”
And when you screw up, the punishment is severe, Jane Doe said, in a tone that was not quite a threat but close enough.
“I have to ask — what happened to the police in this country… Gunshots going off all over and not a single squad car shows up…”
“TMC contracted out law enforcement to Oi Integrated Security. And Oi Integrated Security doesn’t do anything that doesn’t pay. Gunshots in TMC Sector 13/6? A man found with his head cut off? So what.”
Jane Doe said this and took a sip of coffee.
“This coffee is 600 new yen a cup. Drink it properly, low-tech.”
That made Shinonome almost afraid to touch it.
“Oi Integrated Security protects the safety of the wealthy. If a riot breaks out, a terrorist attack — they’ll mobilize even in TMC Sector 13/6. But if it’s got nothing to do with rich people, that’s the end of it. No investigation, nothing.”
“So who’s actually keeping order?”
“Criminal organizations. Yakuza, Chinese mafia, Korean gangs. Territories are set, and if you cross someone in their territory, you pay for it. That’s all.”
Of course, they’re all dogs for the Big Six multinationals too, Jane Doe added with a shrug.
Yakuza keeping order, Shinonome thought. What a world.
And then — paying for it if you cross someone, what did that mean? Was his killing sanctioned? Questions piled up one after another until his head was full of them.
“Don’t overthink it. You don’t need to. They operate by their rules, we operate by ours. The two run parallel and never intersect — as long as you don’t do anything stupid, low-tech.”
“Could you stop calling me low-tech… I have a name.”
“The name on your legit ID? Do you know what name the Ministry of Internal Affairs has on file for you right now? If you don’t, you’re low-tech.”
He couldn’t argue with that. He couldn’t even use his own name freely here.
“Listen up, low-tech. This TMC is crawling with hitmen. Smart ones, stupid ones, all kinds. I have no use for stupid hitmen. I want to keep smart hitmen around.”
Shinonome listened to Jane Doe’s speech in silence.
“Low-tech. Act smart. First thing — one of you gets BCI surgery as soon as possible. I’ll route you the better-paying jobs.”
“Why us? You said the place is crawling with hitmen.”
“Smart hitmen are usually already owned by a crime organization. Full freelancers with real experience — you never know which Jane Doe or John Doe they’ve already got ties to. You two, on the other hand, just got into the business and you’re good.”
“Hmm. Fair enough.”
So they were being valued for their skills — but Jane Doe’s way of putting things was snide enough at every turn that it was hard to take it straight.
“Whether I keep running jobs to you depends on the next few. There’ll be a bigger job at some point as a real test. Until then, I’m verifying you’re safe to use.”
“You’re not worried about the skills anymore…”
“You could probably take down a fully-loaded cyber-samurai.”
Are cyber-samurai really that dangerous? Shinonome wondered.
“Skills aren’t the concern. But I’m still gradually checking your safety. Making sure you’re not running ties to another company’s operatives on the side.”
Jane Doe said this and savored her coffee.
“With that said — new job. You taking it?”
“Who’s the target?”
“This one’s a grab. I need organizational intel on a new semi-bioweapon being developed by Atlantis Land Systems. There’s a competition coming up between the Big Six for a contract to supply the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force with semi-bioweapons. I want the intel before that.”
“So you’re not with Atlantis, then.”
“Jumping to conclusions. It’s not unheard of for a company to hire illegal mercenaries like you to test its own security. I might be with Atlantis, or I might not.”
Shinonome was mildly exasperated — she had a counter for everything.
“There may be combat against a large security detail, but I’m not worried about that. Your skills will handle a private military outfit just fine. But you’ll need transportation, won’t you?”
“True. Short distances have been fine so far, but.”
“I’ll arrange the transportation. But about the cargo — don’t say a word to anyone. Ignore whatever you’re asked. And when it’s done—”
Jane Doe made the throat-cutting gesture again.
“Make sure they can’t talk. They’re a disposable piece.”
“Understood. Details and payment?”
“7,000 new yen. After forged ID and transportation costs, 5,000. If you decide you want BCI surgery, say the word. I’ll refer you to the clinic. And when you’re buying a cyberdeck, talk to me first.”
With that Jane Doe rose from her seat, and Shinonome and Beria followed her out of the café.
……………………