Chapter 14
Aoshi had driven barely a mile before turning back. When he pulled into his driveway, he hit a button on his cell phone.
"Yes, sir."
"Williams, I'll meet you tomorrow morning first thing," he said. "You and the others go ahead. I'll call you tomorrow morning when I get to Kona."
"Sir..."
He knew she understood. There was no fight in her voice.
"Did Cmdr. Saitou give you a copy of the hotel blueprints?" she asked instead.
He smiled briefly. "I brought them with me, thinking I could study them while packing."
"They'll help in getting you familiar with the grounds," she said logically.
"You're in charge until I get there."
"Aye aye, sir."
Aoshi took a deep breath and entered the house where the music had decreased greatly in volume. He was several steps away from Misao's room when her door opened. She was dressed in blue jeans, a white tank top, a duffel bag slung over her shoulder.
She looked up at him in surprise. "What...What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for you," he answered simply.
"What about work?"
"I'll leave once we settle this..."
"There's nothing to settle."
His eyes shifted to her bag then to her face. "Where are you going?" he asked gently.
She shook her head. "It doesn't matter..."
"It does to me." Aoshi stepped closer. "Misao-"
"You made your choice!" she lashed out. "Obviously your job means more than anything to you so you have no right to ask me anything! No right!"
Aoshi's eyes widened in shock at her outburst. "Misao, I'm only-"
"Don't bother explaining to me what it is you're trying to do!" she shouted. "I thought I could give you another chance...after Jiya came to visit...you changed. I don't know what caused you to change, but you were suddenly your old self again. I was stupid to think that we could go back to the way things were. It's all a lie!"
"Misao, don't-"
"Don't tell the truth?!" she challenged. "We're not a family, Aoshi, we never have been. I was just an obligation to you...you only took care of me because my grandfather got you where you were today!"
"When did I ever make you feel as if you were an obligation?" Aoshi asked quietly.
Abruptly, she dropped her bag and crossed her arms. "Well, you-"
"You are my daughter. Regardless if we're not related by blood," he said softly. "I realize that I may not be an ideal parent-"
"You're a terrible parent!" she exclaimed. "All I ever wanted was for us to be normal!"
This couldn't be happening. Why? Why now? Aoshi reached for her. "Misao, listen-"
"Leave me alone," she muttered, yanking herself away from him.
Aoshi stilled before dropping his hands. "I will make it up to you," he swore.
"No. You've been gone a long time...and I'm tired. Tired of waiting, tired of trying, tired-"
"-of me," he finished. He swallowed. He knew that she would be angry. But hearing the conviction in her voice...it was almost as if she didn't care anymore. She had given up on him. On their family. The timing was off. They both needed some time to reevaluate their situation. "You're angry. You need time to think. Time to-"
"Don't you dare patronize me!" she commanded. "I'm sixteen, Aoshi! Don't ever, ever talk to me like I'm a child!"
"Then stop acting like one," he ordered. The instant the comment slipped out, he wished he could take it back. He sighed, reaching up to massage his temples as he collected himself. "All right. You're...You're growing up. I'll acknowledge that. But you still have a great deal to learn-"
"There you go again! In the last couple years all you ever did was treat me like a kid! You never cared what I thought about anything! Just like tonight! You didn't care how I'd feel about all this if you took a job tonight. You never-"
"I didn't have a choice," he cut in firmly.
"There's always a choice," she argued.
"You don't understand what I have to do," he countered. "This is-"
"I don't want to hear it!"
"You never want to hear anything I have to say," he snapped, finally losing his temper. Aoshi began to pace. He was trying to be patient and understanding. It was very, very frustrating having to argue with a teenager who was stubborn as he was.
Misao gaped at him. "That's not true!"
"It is." He stopped his pacing.
"You're hardly around, so who are you to judge?!"
"We've been through this already," Aoshi retorted. " 'I'm never around. I'm always busy.' What about you?"
"I started staying home a lot since Jiya left because you were home more often!" she pointed out.
"Right. And one thing just throws everything off," he shook his head. "I can't go to one dance...one dance...and all of a sudden I seem like the father from hell!"
"You are the father from hell! Oh my god, I can't believe I'm hearing this! You were gone for three hours! Three hours! Three fu-"
"Don't speak to me like that, and do not raise your voice at me."
"It's too late for that!" she screamed. "You were gone for three hours and you couldn't even call me to let me know! A simple phone call! And I know you could have had the chance to call me!"
"I didn't know the briefing would take that long," he argued.
"What's to stop you from working during some other time? And another?" she demanded.
He paused before finally saying, "That's something you're going to have to deal with."
She stared at him as if seeing him for the first time. "If your job is so important that you have to do it tonight...what is it?"
Aoshi looked away. "I can't tell you. It's classified."
Misao nodded, picking up her bag, and turned to leave. But not before Aoshi caught the sheen of tears in her eyes. However, when she turned to look back at him, her jaw clenched and her eyes hardened.
"I wish you had never become my guardian. I would have been better off without you..."
***
"Any sign of our quarry?" Aoshi spoke through his communicator.
One of his men was posted outside as ground maintenance, one as a bellman, and another on the roof. Everyone had dressed in civilian attire, not wanting to draw attention.
"No signs yet," Williams responded.
Aoshi kept his eyes trained on the front entrance of the Royal Kona Resort lobby. The hotel setting fit the Hawaiian Islands. Several breezeways allowed guests to pass through from different directions. Lush trees in potted plants enhanced the tropical setting while smooth cream tile floors reflected the lights overhead. This hotel was classy. Another luxurious hotel that came to Aoshi's mind was the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego. He had visited it many times while he had been stationed in San Diego. Average rate per night stay at the Hotel Del had been three hundred or more dollars. He imagined that this resort was no different.
When he checked in, he made a few phone calls to Oahu. Misao had gone to the Himuras. Apparently, she needed to cool off, and that was the most logical place to be. He had asked, in not so many words, for Himura and his wife to look after her while he was working.
"There he is..." Williams announced.
Aoshi looked up to see a man with sandy brown hair, wearing a collared shirt and jeans. He held an overnight bag in one hand, and the other, a brown briefcase. He appeared just like the photograph in Aoshi's file.
He glanced around over his shoulder, as if expecting to be followed. He was a good thirty feet away from Aoshi, who had a clear view of him. It only took several minutes for him to retrieve his room key before he headed for the elevator.
"Let's go, Williams."
"Yes, sir."
"You know what to do...” he instructed. Then through his communicator, “Austin.”
“Yes, sir.”
“We might need backup…”
Theresa shot their target a smile as she stopped the elevator doors from closing. "Oops..."
He gave her a brief smile back. "Going up?"
She nodded, glancing at the buttons. Evan Anderson, scientist from Cal Lab, was going to the second floor. She discreetly turned her communicator on. "Second floor, huh? Lucky you, it's a quick trip. Sixth floor, please..."
They rode the elevator in silence. Theresa could feel his tension. He was like a coiled spring, ready to jump if provoked. When they got to the second floor, he quickly stepped out and glanced in both directions before heading to the right.
When she was positive he was out of earshot, she said in a low voice, "Second floor, west end."
"Acknowledged," a deep voice responded
She couldn't help but grin at the adrenaline rush. Her senior officer had taken the stairs, figuring that if she had gotten into the elevator, Anderson wouldn't suspect that he was being followed. And he wouldn't panic. Just before the elevator doors closed, she pushed the open button and stepped out, heading in the direction Anderson had walked. She coursed through several hallways before getting yanked into the vending machine area, which was basically a hole in the wall.
"Thank you for the element of surprise, sir," she commented wryly.
"You're welcome." He peered around the corner then down another hallway. "He's five rooms down on the opposite wall."
"Is he being followed?" Theresa asked.
"I hope not," Aoshi muttered.
"That makes two of us." Theresa turned her communicator on to speak to the watcher on the roof. "Alan."
"Yes, ma'am?"
"When Anderson came in, were there any signs that he was being followed?"
"Not that I could see."
"Thanks."
Aoshi turned to deposit two quarters into the soda machine. A quick glance told Theresa that Anderson was heading outside of his room, dressed in track pants and a T-shirt. She tried to appear casual as well. Once Anderson was gone, Aoshi pushed the button to return his coins.
"First thing first...find out where he's hiding that information..."
Theresa followed him down the hallway, watching him pull out a key card. "Where...?"
"You sound so much like a rookie sometimes it worries me," he declared. But she could hear the humor in his voice. He nodded his head in the direction of the other hallway. "Housekeeping is making their rounds, I managed to steal a master key."
"Oh..."
He let them in and glanced back down the hallway. "Start looking..."
Theresa made a beeline for the briefcase that sat on the desk. While she tried to manipulate the lock, he searched the room. Anderson had thrown several clothes onto the bed, but he had yet to unpack.
"Nothing," she announced.
Suddenly, the door opened. Theresa and Aoshi looked up, seeing Anderson standing there with a gun in his hand…
"Well...looks like I was right. I knew I was being followed, " he shut the door behind him and stepped closer.
Aoshi glanced at Theresa, who appeared as calm as he did. There was no reason to be afraid, anyway.
"Obviously Dex doesn't trust me to come here with the information..." Anderson said tightly. "So why should I trust him?"
"Anderson," Theresa began. "We-"
"I know who you are and why you're here," he cut in.
"Do you really?" Aoshi challenged.
"You-"
"Put the toy gun down. We need to talk," Theresa declared.
"It's not a toy," he insisted. "This is a real gun..."
"You're not even holding it correctly," Aoshi pointed out. "Even if it was real, you wouldn't be able to fire it and hit your target with the way it's positioned."
"You don't know what you're talking about," Anderson insisted.
Suddenly, Theresa hit his elbow, causing his grip to loosen and him to howl in pain. Aoshi then retrieved it and threw it against the wall, the piece breaking easily.
"Now..." Aoshi said in a low voice. "We need to talk."
"You can't do this! He can't do this!" Anderson exclaimed loudly. "You-!" He grunted as Theresa firmly shoved him into the chair by the desk, holding him by the shoulders.
"He said 'We need to talk'," she cut in.
Aoshi smirked. "You're in a lot of trouble, Anderson...so before Lt. Williams and I decide to throw you to the FBI, maybe you should tell us what the hell you think you're doing."
His eyes widened. "You guys aren't with Dex?"
"We're with Naval Investigative Services," came the cool reply.
The scientist swore. Then he began to cry. Sobs shook his entire body as he buried his face in his hands. Theresa looked at Aoshi in alarm. Sighing, Aoshi crossed his arms. During his work, he had seen criminals run, get angry, get violent...but never cry...
"I'm ruined. I ruined everything. I...I..." Anderson began to cry even harder.
Theresa removed her hands from his shoulders and moved to stand beside Aoshi. They let the scientist be for several minutes.
"Start from the beginning," Aoshi instructed quietly.
"Are you going to give me to the FBI?" he asked meekly.
"We'll see," Aoshi responded smoothly.
Theresa handed the scientist a tissue box.
"Thank you...Lt...Williams, right?" he sniffled.
She shot her commanding officer a look. He knew exactly what she was thinking. How the hell did we end up here? "That's right." She gestured to Aoshi. "And this is Lt. Commander Shinomori, the officer in charge."
"I supposed you two want to know about...everything...you two apparently already know who I am..." Anderson blew his nose. "Several weeks ago I was attending a conference in Los Angeles...and someone slipped me a mickey. The next thing I knew, I was in bed with a woman I didn't even know..." He leaned forward and said urgently, "I'm a happily married man with two daughters. I love my wife. I'd never cheat on her. Never!" He sat back and said in a quiet voice, "I thought no one would ever know, so I went back to my work. But I got an email attachment at work not too long ago with a picture of myself and the woman! The sender told me that he'd tell my wife but in exchange for his silence, I'd have to pay a high price. I...I don't want to ruin my family! This would ruin it! My wife and daughters would leave me! So..."
"So you agreed to sell the technology in exchange for this...Dex's silence."
Anderson nodded.
"How much?" Theresa asked.
"Three million dollars," Anderson whispered.
Aoshi sighed, glancing out the window before turning back. "All right. Anything else?"
"The president of the company...is my brother-in-law...if he knew..."
"I think he already knows..." Theresa cut in.
"But he doesn't know why I'm doing it. I...I can't let anyone know!"
"I'm sorry, Anderson," Theresa spoke up. "But we can't let you sell something that could pose a threat to the U.S. If your family really loves you...they'd forgive you."
"But you don't understand! They'd kick me out! They'd never take me back!" he exclaimed.
"You have two choices," Aoshi replied. "You can either sell it to him and be convicted of treason...or you don't sell it to him and face your family."
Anderson's eyes hardened. "I'll run. The FBI will never find me."
"Maybe not." Aoshi bent slightly so their eyes met. "But I will."
"You can't reach me in international waters," he said defiantly. "I'll run...and take my family with me."
"Is that a threat?" Aoshi queried.
The scientist swallowed, his courage apparently gone.
"Even if you wanted to run...you'd have to get back to your family...assuming you could leave Hawaii," Aoshi continued.
Anderson slouched in his chair, clearly defeated. "What...What happens now?"
"You return the information to Cal Lab," Aoshi instructed.
"That's it?" Anderson asked. He pulled a disk out of his pocket and studied it.
"You give us all the information you know on Dex...who he knows, who else could want the technology," Theresa continued. "And maybe...the government will be nice..."
A pounding came to the door. They looked at each other.
"Are you expecting visitors?" Aoshi asked.
"No..."
"Anderson! I know you're in there!" an accented voice called out.
The scientist gulped. "It's Paris...one of Dex's assistants!"
Aoshi glanced at Theresa.
"Open the door, now!" the voice ordered.
Anderson glanced at them in panic. "What do we do?"
All three jumped at the sound of metal scraping.
"He's firing at the door handle...Theresa, how far up are we?"
She peered outside. "No good, sir...I can see three guards from here."
Aoshi quickly barricaded the door and turned his communicator on. "Hiapo, three are onto us, put them out of commission."
"Yes, sir," Alan replied.
More gunfire.
"We can easily jump if we climb over the railing," Theresa announced, watching as several men outside clutched injured hands or shoulders thanks to Alan’s excellent marksmanship.
"It's done," Alan responded.
"Let's go, Anderson," Aoshi instructed.
"We're going to jump?" His jaw dropped as Theresa easily climbed over the railing and hopped down, landing nimbly on her feet.
"Unless you'd rather get shot," Aoshi quipped, as another shot was fired.
The scientist, with Aoshi’s help, climbed over the railing. With his knees shaking, he looked down where Theresa was waiting.
“Let’s go!” she called out.
Anderson jumped, nearly stumbling over his feet as Theresa pulled him into a run. Aoshi easily vaulted over the railing and quickly followed the other two as bullets zinged past them. The three ran away from the building, through winding paths and hills. When he caught up, Theresa was leading them towards the pool area.
Something several feet in front of them caught Aoshi’s attention. He had barely a second to react.
“Williams, look out!”
He shoved her aside, flinching backwards as he felt the impact of bullets. Aoshi fell hard to the ground.
“Commander!” Theresa’s voice rang loudly in his ears.
“FBI, freeze!” another voice called out. “Drop your weapon!”
Aoshi felt himself being turned over. When his eyes opened, all he saw was the sky. He closed his eyes, fighting a wave of pain that seemed to generate from his torso area. He felt his shirt being ripped and Theresa gasped before she ordered for medical assistance.
“Sir?”
He opened his eyes again as her face came into view.
“Sir, can you hear me?”
“What’s happening?” he asked as he gritted his teeth.
“Everything’s going to be okay,” she assured.
“Lt. Williams?”
Aoshi could hear the footsteps, but he couldn’t see the person.
“I’m Agent Davenport. We’ve secured the perimeter…”
“Dex…Dex Martin, where is he?” Anderson’s voice spoke up.
“We have reason to believe that he was never here. He sent his assistants to do the work,” the agent replied. “Dr. Anderson…if I could have the information…”
“We need to get this man to a hospital now,” Theresa ordered.
Aoshi closed his eyes again. He could feel his strength leaving him. The pain was gone, and he suddenly couldn’t feel anything anymore.
Misao…he thought. He felt badly about the way they had been before he left. He never meant to upset her. He just wanted to do what he felt was right. But maybe he couldn’t even do that…
“Sir?” a voice called out urgently. “Sir, stay with me…”
His eyes opened briefly. He could feel himself slipping into unconsciousness. Theresa gripped his hand tightly, as if trying to give him strength.
“Theresa...”
Her eyes widened in alarm. “Sir?”
He couldn’t even speak anymore. His lips moved, but he wasn’t sure if he spoke coherently.
Theresa called out his name before darkness swallowed him.
