---Hattori Compound 7 am—

Yuko awoke early in the morning as her stomach rumbled fiercely. She groaned as the pain in her stomach reminded her of her lack of food the two days. She made her way out of her bed and began her quest through the halls in hopes of finding precious food. The halls were still relatively dark with only a few faint rays of sunshine peeking through cracks in the window blinds. The mansion was quiet, suggesting that most of the residents were still asleep. She continued to walk through the halls until she eventually found a room filled with the familiar stainless steel appliances of a kitchen.

“Thank the gods,” she exulted in relief making her way towards the refrigerator. She prepared to fill her empty belly with the treasures inside

“A mouse in the storehouse. How uncouth,” a voice sounded behind Yuko. The girl paused and turned to find a slightly sleepy-looking Hisayo leaning against the island in the kitchen, barefoot and still dressed in her silk pajamas. Her hair was messy and undone, yet she still retained her attractive appearance. Yuko shrunk away from the woman, memories of their previous encounters burned into her memories.

“I..I’m sorry, I was just…I’ll be going now,” Yuko said meekly attempting to excuse herself only to have her path blocked by the older woman.

“Nonsense,” Hisayo said waving a hand dismissively. “Stay,” she insisted stepping closer to the girl. “You must be hungry.”

Hisayo reached past Yuko, who braced herself, to grab a few eggs and onions from the fridge. She took one of the frying pans hanging above the stove and placed it on the burner, igniting it and placing the cracked eggs inside of the sizzling pan. A tense silence descended upon the kitchen as the pan popped and sizzled. She seasoned the omelet with a plethora of spices and plated the dish, scooting it towards Yuko.

“Sit. Eat,” she said handing a pair of chopsticks to Yuko who took a long look at the meal in front of her. Despite its appetizing appearance, she was reluctant to dig into the meal. Sensing her trepidation, Hisayo chuckled lightly.

“After seeing what I can do, are you really worried about poison?” She joked, much to Yuko’s surprise. The hungry girl took a few cautious bites chewing the food slowly as Hisayo watched her interestedly.

“Good?” the woman asked. Yuko nodded and continued to quietly eat her food. The tense silence settling between them once again.

“I heard about your little chat with my elder sister yesterday.” Hisayo finally said, leaning forward onto the counter watching Yuko as one would a small pet.

“Hana has always been rather talkative. An irritating trait of hers. She takes after our mother with each passing year.” Yuko nervously avoided Hisayo’s gaze as she spoke to herself, unsure of the woman’s intentions.

“I spent the better part of the night looking into you a bit more, Ms. Hiragi. I found some of your old writings. Marvellous work indeed, especially some of your assistant publications for The Eastern Inquirer. Your language was so detailed, so colorful. I must say I was utterly mesmerized.” Hisayo’s compliments had blindsided Yuko, nearly causing her to choke on the food she was eating.

“I… thank you, I guess?” Yuko responded. Hisayo seemed to gloss over the girls’ response as she continued her own dialogue.

“I especially enjoyed the piece in which you spoke of your father,” she said. Yuko froze at the revelation. She had written a short piece for her creative writing class about the man, but had never expected it to see the light of day. It was not a topic she liked to speak about.

“You read that?” Yuko asked, her voice teetering with unbalance. Hisayo stood up from her leaning posture and walked over to the windows to draw the blinds on the kitchen. By now the sun had risen a bit higher and had illuminated the sky, a fresh cloud of mist wafting in the mountain air.

“Well, of course,” Hisayo said. “It seems that our parental figures share some uncanny similarities.” The fire-wielding woman gazed out the window seemingly occupied with her thoughts. “Most of the world remembers my father as the ruthless warlord Genbu Hattori. Unshakable, unmovable and immortal, he was the terror of the central regions for decades. The politicians petitioned their media to paint his death as a glorious and noble one. The last act of respect for the man who fought their wars for them, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. In reality, his death was pathetic and pitiful. He died a drunk with his mind clouded from opium between the legs of a whore in a brothel. Do you think that was a fitting end for a man such as that?”

The question hung in the air unanswered. Perhaps Hisayo did not want an answer. She remained silent for a while before looking back at Yuko. “The others are convinced you will be useful, and I have no choice but to believe in their faith no matter how foolish I think it is.”

A look of sincerity softened her fierce golden eyes. “From here on out, I want to see more of your gift for myself. I want to see how your colorful words can twist and shape the dark, bloody story of my family.”

As the clock approached the top of the hour, the sound of rustling could be heard outside and in the halls as the staff began their morning chores. “You will see and experience much during your time with us, Ms. Hiragi. I want you to remember and record everything you see, as you see it,” Hisayo said as she moved to leave the kitchen to get ready for the day. “This means you are welcome to continue your…conversations. However, do not forget that I shall still be watching you, child.”

Yuko didn’t know why she asked. Maybe she sensed something in the woman. Something that she herself harbored deep in her heart. “You miss him. Don’t you?” Yuko asked, half chuckling at the irony of the sentiment. Hisayo stopped for a brief second, her shoulders tensing through the thin fabric of the nightwear, but said nothing and swept out of the room. Yuko was left alone in the kitchen, her thoughts returning to the man responsible for shaping Hisayo Hattori.

-------8:30 am, Compound Dining Room---

The family was seated around a long table for breakfast. The chefs in their employ had provided an impressive spread of food with quality Yuko had felt she would ever be able to afford. She watched as everyone ate their meals by the plateful, the only thing larger than the stack of plates beside each patron were the portions they each took.

“They sure eat a lot,” Yuko commented softly to Shelty, whose own plate was rather light in comparison. The blonde dabbed her lips with a napkin before answering.

“Housing a deity and using its abilities takes a large toll on the body. Naturally, it forces your body to adjust its metabolism to compensate for the extra nutrients it requires to function,” Shelty stated.

“What a hell of a side effect. Along with being the epitome of physical perfection they can eat whatever they want without gaining weight,” Yuko sarcastically said. Still full from earlier, she nursed a glass of orange juice. Shelty had an amused look on her face.

“Exercise is a small price to pay, don’t you think? Would you rather work off a few extra pounds in the gym, or have to eat several times your own body weight every day just to keep from starving to death?” She said.

“I’d take the food obviously,” Yuko said swirling her glass around a bit. The rest of the family ate in relative silence, the clanking and clinking of silverware permeating the room as they ate. Hanabi, who had just finished her fifth bowl of soup, began to speak up.

“Concerning our mission, I think I’ve got a plan all ironed out.” She said, stacking her newly empty bowl with the others. “Obviously, we are going to need to re-establish a presence in Oshan, but more importantly I found something of great interest,” She paused, taking a sip of tea from her cup.

Hisayo had polished off the rest of her stack of pancakes. “Well, are you going to keep us in suspense, sister? What have you found?” She said between mouthfuls of the fluffy delicacies.

“We were tracking the shipments to and from the JenSys shipments. Most of the subsidiary companies they ship to our international, but as of late our surveillance has picked up movements of shipments headed to an unlisted facility near the outskirts of the city. I think it would be worth checking out, might lead to something promising,” Hanabi finished.

“Then, that place shall be our focus,” Hisayo stated. “As far as your intentions of bribery, I have set aside a more than generous amount. Let’s just hope Ms. Hiragi can be as useful as you all believe.”

“She will,” Satoru spoke from his seat near his mother. “She’s got spunk, ya know. Plus, Shelty and I will be there to keep an eye on her,” He confidently asserted.

“I’m afraid you won’t,” Hisayo interrupted. “You two will be staying behind. Those wounds of your deeds are too fresh, and the mess you left too big for you both to return at the moment.”

This was true, it had only been 2 days since the incident and based on the news reports some investigations were still underway. Satoru attempted to raise his voice to protest, but his complaint was silenced by his mother. “She is right. You cannot go back for now. I would rather not have to payroll yet another police precinct,” Hanabi said.

“Maya, can you go in their stead?” She said to the quiet woman sitting at her side.

“Of course, mistress. I shall make preparations to leave at once,” The woman replied finishing up her own meal.

“Take my daughter with you, Maya. I don’t want to overburden you with having to watch over our houseguest all on your lonesome,” Hisayo interjected. Maya quickly glanced at the girl in question who returned her gaze, cheeks full of food. Maya’s back stiffened as she answered: “Of course, my lady. As you wish.”

She turned to Yuko. “Ms. Hiragi, are you prepared to leave?” Maya asked. Yuko got up from the table to prepare to follow Maya.

“More than you know,” the girl muttered, gingerly walking out of the room.

As the three females excused themselves, Zed leaned back in his chair, a concerned look on his face. “Something is amiss,” he said. “I feel that our new lead came about far too conveniently.”

Hisayo nodded in agreement. “I feel the same,” she added. “I’m confident that someone has connected Skaggs’s death to our involvement. This may be an attempt to lure us out.”

Hanabi took another sip of tea from her cup. “I assumed as much,” she said. “It smells like an obvious trap. However, the possibilities it presents are also too good to ignore. So we will spring their trap. I’m sure Akane and Maya are more than sufficient to handle whatever challenges may be presented,” She leaned forward on the table, eyes clouded with thought. “Let us just hope those challenges are not too great.”

--A few hours later---

Yuko sat fidgeting in her seat on the VTOL. She was comfortable enough. Maya had seen to make sure that flight attendants had accompanied them for the voyage so the girl could receive food and drink. Another plus was that she wasn’t severely injured this time. Even though she had only been away just over two days, she still prickled with anxious energy at the prospect of returning home. She began bouncing her foot in an attempt to channel the nervous energy before Maya had enough of the distracting motions.

“Still yourself, Ms. Hiragi,” she commanded. Her voice was even and calm as she continued to flip through the book she was reading. “You shake like a puppy terrified of thunder.”

Yuko crossed her legs in an attempt to still her rogue limbs. “I’m sorry, I’m just nervous I guess,” she admitted.

“Your thoughts dwell on your friends. Your family,” Maya pronounced. “You are worried about what you will say if you see them.”

“Well, yes” Yuko softly voiced. “I know Haru. She’s going to ask questions, and I can’t lie to her. I won’t.”

“She will know what she needs to know. Nothing more,” This came from Akane, who had spoken up from her seat at the back of the cabin.

“I would caution you against any deviations in your story,” the emerald-eyed assassin said. The wave of malice that accompanied her words made Yukos hair stand on end. It was an intense and controlled aura that teased at the unbridled fury that it held beneath.

Yuko turned in her seat and leaned over in an attempt to whisper to the reading Maya.

“What’s her deal?” she said, lauding the girl's behavior.

“Do not take her abrasiveness to heart,” Maya responded. “It’s an unfortunate trait she inherits from her mother.” This last part she said loud enough for the girl to hear her in the back, resulting in an annoyed “Tch” from Akane.

Maya smiled lightly to herself, taking joy in lightly poking at the girl. “She is around your age, mistress. It would not hurt to try and be friendly would it?” Akane looked over at Yuko then back at Maya, who gave an encouraging nod.

“She can do as she pleases,” Akane responded. Yuko made no move to go interact with the girl, taking the statement as indifference.

“If I were to translate, I would think the lady has allowed you permission to speak with her,” Maya said.

With a sigh, Yuko got up from her seat to sit down next to her age mate at the back of the plane.

“So,” she started. “Must be nice being a permanent member of the mile-high club right?” Due to Akane’s unusual upbringing, it was obvious that she would not be the most socialized individual. Yet despite this, the deadpan look she gave in response to Yuko’s terrible excuse for an icebreaker was far too appropriate.

Yuko took the hint. “Ok, I guess we will work up to it,” She said.

She hurried back to her seat near the front of the cabin as Maya struggled to suppress a fit of giggles that stopped as Yuko returned to her seat.

“Better luck next time then, Ms. Hiragi,” she said as she returned to her reading.

“Yeah, laugh it up, chuckles,” Yuko muttered under her breath riding out the rest of the flight to Oshan wallowing in her embarrassment.

----1:30 pm JenSys headquarters Oshan---

William Duncan looked over a wall of monitors in one of JenSys several laboratories. Most of them were filled with graphs and data on various ongoing projects being undertaken around the building. A newsfeed trolled across one of the screens displayed media developments on Jensen Skagg’s murder investigation. It seemed that after only a few days the local authorities were deciding to close the case.

Just another name on the list eh? he mused to himself taking a sip of coffee as he finished recording some information in a notepad. The death of Jensen Skagg was an unfortunate setback, yet at this stage in development, that was all it was. He recorded data from the monitor that showed life signs for the specimen titled “Beta-01.” Vitals green, body composition stable, all very good considering it only being an early prototype.

He moved to his research assistant who had also been inputting some data into a nearby computer. “Have you finished moving Beta to the auxiliary facility?” He asked the assistant.

“The specimen was moved accordingly,” the assistant responded. “We used the specified channels and means of transportation just as you requested.”

“Very good,” Duncan said. He noticed a concerned look on the assistants face. “Is there something else?” he asked

“I’m just confused as to why you explicitly instructed for the movements with APEX to be public. I thought that you wanted to keep most of the facets of the project under wraps?” the assistant asked.

“To catch a prized fish, one must use prime bait,” A feminine voice echoed from a corner of the room. It came from a mature looking woman with powder-blonde hair clad in a tight leather jumpsuit. Her waist was adorned with ammo cartridges and two side arms and a high powered looking rifle was strapped across her back.

“Ms. Ella Morgan,” Duncan greeted. “You’re early. I wasn’t expecting you for another thirty minutes.”

The woman shrugged and casually walked through the laboratory glancing at the monitors and running her fingers across the specimen containers. “I’m only known to be fashionably late for parties and besides, I wanted to see a bit of your little science fair operation for myself,” She responded.

Duncan felt uncomfortable around the woman. He never liked types like her, people whose allegiances and motivation could directly be traced to the amount of money being offered. It sickened him on a principle level.

“So tell me, doctor. Is she here yet?” Ella asked. Her excitement to hunt charged the room with tense nervous energy.

Duncan loosened his collar as the air grew stuffier. “I am confident they are on the way and will be arriving within a few hours. At that point you are to observe and report until they arrive at the specified location,” he said.

A smirk made its way across Ella’s lips. “I’ll try to contain myself,” she said as she strode towards the elevators outside of the lab. “Consider yourself lucky, Poindexter. I gave you a discount on this one,” the woman quipped disappearing around the hall towards the elevator bay.

The assistant gave a curious look towards Duncan who had gotten back to work as if the woman had never been there. “You hired a mercenary, sir? To be frank, wouldn’t that just be a waste of money? Considering if what you told me is true,” he asked.

“In our line of work, nothing is more valuable than data,” Duncan responded. “We need to test the effectiveness of our creations and a golden opportunity is presenting itself for us.”

William Duncan finished recording in his notepad and punched a few keystrokes on a nearby keyboard. The screen read ‘variables for proximity activation set’ before the monitor went back to monitoring health data. “And what better way to get data, than using the greatest specimens one could possibly ask for.”