STAGE 07
“Sou! Sou! As you can see, General, productivity has been at an all-time high.”
The manager of Shin Kyoto's Omega production factory was a thin, wiry Japanese man. He had
the keen eyes of a clever and thorough businessman, although being with General Ishida had reduced
him into a man who spoke far too quickly and was far too eager to impress.
General Ishida tended to have that effect on people.
He shrugged. In spite of the manager's overeagerness, General Ishida was fairly satisfied with
the work being performed at the factory. The Omega manufacturing industry in general employed many
innovations, particularly in the area of robotics. Peering down from the balcony at the operations taking
place on the ground level, Ishida saw the assembly line was almost entirely automated. People were
walking among the machinery to check maintenance and output levels, but otherwise, the computers
coordinated everything. Ishida suspected that managing this sort of business didn't require much
leadership at all.
“When do you think that your factory will be able to produce another Omega-Grandleon?”
Ishida asked, not bothering to compliment the manager.
The manager licked his lips nervously. “It will take some weeks,” he said. “The main issue with
the prototype was the cape. Fibre nanotechnology is highly expensive and tedious to produce,
unfortunately. Personally speaking, I believe the project taking place in Hong Kong is a better
approach.”
Modern Omega designs were not totally standardised. In fact, the Grandleon was initially
Naoko's experiment. She had wanted to create something that could potentially shield the pilot from
harm without impeding on an Omega's regular functions. Other projects – one of them being centred in
Hong Kong – were working on removing the role of the pilot altogether. Ishida had heard Naoko
express her disapproval of that on more than one occasion.
“Collateral damage,” she would say as if the one phrase constituted her entire explanation.
“Warfare in the twenty-first century is on such a large scale, the potential for collateral damage is huge.
But it's not just the scale, it's the weapons we use. Guns, missiles, bombs; they may be powerful but if
misfired, they're counter-productive. To render warfare completely automated would make collateral
damage even harder to control effectively. It's just not a risk that should be taken.”
For once, Ishida had actually agreed with Naoko.
He saw no reason to say so to the factory manager and merely shrugged once again. This visit
was just a formality; normally, Naoko would be doing this but she seemed more concerned with other
matters these days.
Feeling that it was abut time when the visit should come to an end, Ishida said with a grunt,
“Well, the operations seemed to be in order. Be sure to send notification as soon as you have created
another Grandleon. Until then-”
The electronic siren broke out, cutting off the rest of Ishida's speech. It immediately drowned
out the drone of machinery down below.
“What is this?” Ishida asked with distaste. He noted the sudden paleness on the manager's face
and knew that this was not a drill and that there was indeed a cause of alarm.
“An intruder has been detected,” the manager gasped. “How did that person get past the
entrance?”
“You won't find out if the intruder escapes. That darned siren could wake the dead!” General
Ishida snapped.
He tried to concentrate on the other sounds besides the siren and thought he could hear crashing
footsteps to his right. Turning his gaze sharply in that direction, he saw as a section of the wall was
blasted apart from the outside and the intruder stepped into the building.
Ishida ducked reflexively and felt something fly over his head. Behind him, the manager let out
an ugly scream and the siren continued to wail.
“Get down!” Ishida roared as the room seemed to shake under the impact of the blast. This time,
no one was paying attention to his orders and presently, Ishida brought his head up in order to properly
assess the situation.
The Grandleon. It was just as he feared. The red Omega had blasted the wall apart effortlessly
and was now shooting anything in the factory that was moving. Ishida had had a sinking feeling of
certainty that this break-in marked the return the of Ace the moment he heard the siren. This was the
real Ace – the genius who had hacked and piloted the Grandleon.
This... this was an opportunity that had to be capitulated on.
When Edmund Honda heard the sound of the door being opened, he flinched. He couldn't help it – he
feared the pain. The lights in the interrogation room were turned off these days so that he could barely
see the faces of those struck him. So when the ceiling lights flickered on, Edmund was momentarily
blinded. He wondered if this was some new tactic in order to get him to confess.
“Hello again, Mr. Honda.”
From the chair he sat, his hands tied up securely behind him, Edmund looked up at Naoko.
“I lost my temper at you the other day. Please forgive me,” Naoko said humbly.
Edmund wondered if, in a weird, twisted way, Naoko was apologising to him just to appease her
conscience, that she was doing it out of pride. “What right do I have to forgive you?” he asked her.
“You are a human being, Mr. Honda,” Naoko answered, a hint of bitterness in her voice. “Of
course you have the right.”
Was she was trying again to get him to confess? They'd tried hitting him – sometimes with rods,
sometimes with bare fists – and Edmund wouldn't be surprised if using Naoko was part of that system.
Somehow, though, he had sensed that Naoko didn't really want to be doing this either. Or maybe she
did. Who knew? She had been manipulating him, after all. He had felt wounded initially, but now he
felt rather weary and detached about the situation, as if all he wanted to do was to close his eyes and
sleep. He wondered how Helen was doing.
Naoko spoke up, her voice cutting through his thoughts. “Do you know why I chose to join the
military, Mr. Honda?”
He shook his head.
“Justice, Mr. Honda. I wanted to uphold it. Through the system. Through following the rules. I
wanted to protect.”
She paused. Her lips quivered.
“Do you hate me?” she asked softly.
Edmund hesitated, confused. Having up until now viewed Naoko as some aloof being whose
orders had to be obeyed without question, it unnerved him to see her lay bare all her emotions before
him.
He felt as if he ought to say something. “No, ma'am,” he insisted, and would have saluted if he
could have. What did he have left – other than following protocol? “But I can't trust you any more,” he
added, truthfully.
Naoko smiled sadly. “I thought so.”
Because General Ishida had ducked the moment Ace had burst into the building, he had momentarily
escaped from notice. Ishida began to crawl as quickly as he could out of Ace's immediate range. If he
could get a team of Omega units surrounding the lone terrorist, then maybe Ace could be captured
today.
Having made his way towards the nearby emergency exit, Ishida stood up. All of a sudden,
someone's hand touched his shoulder. Ishida swung around.
“Don't leave, General!” The manager was standing before him, pleading. Any attempts to
appear sophisticated were completely overshadowed by blind panic.
Ishida heard the roar of yet another explosion and looked towards Ace. Although Ace was still
shooting willy-nilly, two other Omegas had appeared at the opening he had created. They were in
pursuit and began shooting at the Grandleon the moment it was sighted. Ace jumped off the balcony
with dexterous skill, landing with a thud on a conveyor belt below. The two pursuing Omegas tried to
follow suit, but the moment they jumped into the air, Ace let loose a missile and hit them straight on.
There was an ugly sight of exploding metal flying in all directions, only to be stopped short by the
surrounding walls.
Ishida scowled. “There goes the guards. At this rate, Ace will get away.” He turned his keen
gaze towards the quivering factory manager. “You there, you must store the finished Omegas
somewhere. Where do you keep them?”
The manager blinked and shook his head violently as if being stirred from a trance. “Follow
me.”
The two of them left through the emergency exit together. They emerged out into the windless
yet chilly night. It would have been tranquil had it not been for the utter pandemonium taking place
inside the factory. Naturally, Ishida could still hear the gunfire and the explosions, not to mention that
infernal siren.
No time to dwell on it, however. “That way!” The manager pointed to a slightly smaller
building some hundred or so yards in the distance. Immediately, Ishida began to run for it, his powerful
limbs flexing beneath him. The factory manager was left struggling to keep up with his pace.
Almost there... Either Ace's plan was to destroy the latest batch of Omega Suits or it was to
capture them. Why else would he attack a factory? However, he didn't seem to have any allies this time
around.
Ishida had to correct that assumption when he arrived at his destination and found that the door
was already ajar. The men who were supposed to be manning the doorway were lying slumped on the
cold earth immediately outside, drenched in pools of their own blood. Abruptly, the factory manager
began to retch.
Not pausing for a second, Ishida dashed into the building. The interior was dark and stifled – the
moment Ishida entered, he leaped to the side and evaded a round of bullets that he had anticipated
would be fired towards him. Even as he dodged, he pulled out his handgun from his belt, undid the
safety catch and shot into the darkness where he heard the bullets come from. He heard someone groan
and the firing stopped. Ishida crept closer, straining his eyes to catch sight of the man he had managed
to shoot.
He heard the breathing; it sounded very close ahead.
Ishida whipped his arm forward and grabbed hold of a man's shoulder. In the next moment, he
had disarmed the gunman and had his own gun pointing to the man's head.
“So, you're with Ace?” he pressed, his face a picture of impassive sternness. He squinted down
at the man he was questioning and saw that it was a fair-haired, scowling young man. It's always the
young ones, Ishida thought darkly.
When the young man didn't say anything, Ishida knew he didn't have the time right now to
obtain any answers. He dragged the young rebel towards the entrance and pushed him towards the
factory manager.
“Make sure you hand this mook over to the authorities,” he told him.
The factory manager looked at Ishida with a pale face. He had been sick on the ground while
Ishida had been getting things done.
“Uh, what do you plan to be doing, General?”
Ishida looked back over his shoulder, peering into the building. The outline of the Omegas were
vaguely visible; from what Ishida could see, they seemed perfectly functional.
“I'm going to pilot an Omega and I'm going to fight Ace,” Ishida said calmly.
The factory manager gasped. So did the scowling young rebel, although the next second, he was
laughing.
“You can't win!” the rebel declared. “Ace will crush you!”
“We'll see about that,” Ishida said. All he needed to do was keep Ace occupied until the
reinforcements came and surrounded him. He'd do a better job than Honda did.
It was about time to leave.
Ace tightened her grip on the joystick, felt the sweat on her fingers. Her breaths were short and
erratic, but each time she inhaled heavily.
She wanted to stay, to remain fighting. The fury in her hadn't – couldn't – vanish, and even as
she demolished the factory around her, she knew with cold certainty that it wasn't enough.
Yet when she pressed the button on her joystick to launch another missile and nothing was fired,
she knew that she had to call it a day. No ammunition left. When the military dogs inevitably came
after her, she wouldn't be able to fight back. Time to end this raid.
Her mouth curled into a slow smile. Really. What a cliché. And then she laughed. Oh, how long
it had been since she had done that last. But for some reason, the laughter came out strangely –
unbalanced, if it could be described that way. Like it was someone else laughing and that person was
laughing at the stupidity of her and of the world and of everything.
Catching sight of an approaching Omega on her radar, Ace abruptly stopped laughing. Her
mouth drew back into its now usual grim, humorless line. She pulled out her Anti-Tank dagger and
climbed out of the remains of the factory. Her eyes flitted over her radar, looking for an escape avenue.
Bruce had told her there was a back exit somewhere. All she had to do was deal with this final guard
who was approaching her and then quickly make her escape.
The Omega came upon her quickly, with an agility that surprised her briefly. Only quick
reflexes allowed Ace to block the sudden machine gun fire with the Grandleon's cape.
Who was this, the dungeon boss? Ace wondered. This pilot, who was already adjusting his aim
and positioning, was too skilled to be taken down in one hit. Also, he was using a sleek, grey Omega, a
recent model. Possibly, it was a T.Blaster-1200 – which featured improved leg and arm joints and was
likely to become industry standard in the near future. Ace had read up on it. Still, it had none of the
sheer innovation and sophistication the Grandleon had.
Ace glanced down at her control panel and noticed a flashing icon on her monitor indicating the
pilot of the nearby Omega was trying to send her a voice message. Heck, why not? It would be
interesting to know what the military thought of her. Ace pressed the icon to accept wireless
communication.
A deep male voice, resonating with strength, spoke into her speakers. “We're taking you down,
terrorist. You wield the the Grandleon like a toy. I sense you have had little combat experience, and you
rely on the Grandleon's superiority in design to get by. Isn't that so... Ace?”
Ace said nothing, only thought of defeating this pompous pilot soundly.
General Ishida regarded Ace with grim and calculating eyes, attempting to gauge his reactions. He had
said only what was a very slight suspicion; he had not seen Ace fight enough to actually know
something like that for certain. Still, taunts did not need to be accurate in order to hit their marks. Part
of Ishida's strategy was to taunt Ace and make him stay by angering him. Preventing him from running
was the most important thing.
Ace didn't speak a word in reply, but he did take a running leap towards Ishida and attempt to
slash him. Skidding backwards on the dirt to avoid the attack, Ishida's Omega almost lost it balance
when it stepped on a tree, which snapped under the weight.
Curses. The surroundings weren't good for this sort of battle. Too many obstructions. Ishida
quickly regained his footing only to leap immediately to the side as Ace attempted a thrust with his
Anti-Tank dagger. Thank goodness, Ishida thought, that Ace seemed to have no ammo left.
Hang on. If Ace was handicapped, then Ishida could win, never mind delaying tactics.
The problem was how to get a hit in.
Well... what could he do but ask Naoko for help? She had invented the darned thing.
After a few seconds of ringing, during which Ishida spent his time frantically dodging more of
Ace's strikes, Naoko picked up her mobile phone.
“Moshi moshi. This is Naoko Takeuchi speaking.” Her calm and sweet work voice sounded so
out-of-place within the situation.
“Takeuchi!” General Ishida did not bother with a more elaborate greeting. “Does the Grandleon
prototype have any defections or weaknesses that you know of?”
“General, you're fighting Ace right now?!”
Ishida did not respond for a moment. He had to duck to avoid Ace's attempt at hacking off his
Omega's head. Jumping to the side, he let loose a few bullets towards Ace, encouraging him to keep
fighting. Then he said, “Yes.”
Naoko gasped. “Th-That is...!”
“Didn't you hear about Ace attacking the factory, woman?” Ishida was definitely not in the
mood for formalities. “Don't tell me you were with that Honda brat again.”
“Um, well...”
Ishida rolled his eyes. Knew it. “Now just answer my question. Don't waste my time.”
“About the Grandleon's cape... That was the part that was meant to be tested in Shin Yokohama.
Nanotechnology is not my area of specialty; as yet, I can't tell you all the properties.”
A sudden sound of screeching metal filled the air, then a dull thud.
“General, what happened?!”
Ishida cursed. “He got me on the arm. I might have to retreat after all.” His Omega's right arm
had been sliced right through. Because he had been concentrating on what Naoko had to say, his
reflexes had slowed slightly. Or maybe it was because as Naoko was speaking, Ace's attacks had gotten
even faster and even more urgent.
“Wait!” Naoko urged him. There was a pause. It sounded as if she was passing her phone to
someone.
Then a young man's voice spoke to him. “Listen, General.”
It was Edmund Honda. All of a sudden, Ace jumped backwards, stopping, as if contemplating
another attack.
Oblivious to this, Edmund went on talking. “Attack with the Anti-Tank dagger. I remember
from my fight with Ace, when I put enough effort into using my dagger, I was able to take off a bit of
the cape.”
In spite of himself, the corner of Ishida's mouth curled into a smile. Who said Edmund Honda
was a traitor? “So you don't support the terrorists after all, hmm?”
“I cannot help but think that if I had managed to defeat Ace that day, then it would never have
come to this. So please, bring Ace to justice.”
And with that, the call ended.
It was only as Ishida looked down at this control panel did he realise that he had never severed
his connection with Ace during the entire call. Ace had been listening the entire time.
“You...!” Ishida gasped out, angry more at himself than anything. How could he have been so
stupid?
Before Ishida could finish his sentence, he heard Ace's voice for the very first time.
“You Japanese pigs!” It was a woman's voice – no, younger than that – a teenage girl's voice.
Ishida was stunned for a moment and could only listen numbly as she went on with her tirade. “You
took away my best friend! You brainwashed him! I... aaarrrrgghhh!”
And then Ace was charging, swinging his – her, actually – dagger at Ishida with such vigour
that he only narrowly managed to block the attack with his own dagger.
It appeared that the brief conversation with Naoko and Edmund had flipped a switch inside Ace
that no amount of taunting could have achieved. Ishida had no time to think about it, though. He was
now fighting for his life.
It was spectacular to watch, no doubt about that. The sight of the two Omegas locked in a duel with
daggers was simply captivating. The factory manager, who was watching from a safe distance, had
never seen anything like it. Their movements were so slick, it was like seeing two actual humans
fencing – and skilled humans at that. Yet there was a savageness behind the Grandleon's sword arm; all
that General Ishida seemed able to do was parry. He only had one arm remaining on his Omega
anyway. Considering that, he was doing very, very well indeed.
The factory manager gulped. This was getting tense. As a spectator, he could feel the sparks
growing, getting hotter. He couldn't look away.
Which was his mistake.
The fair-haired rebel stood up behind him, a hard sort of gleam in his eyes. Too late, the factory
manager noticed the movement and turned his head around to investigate.
Earlier on, Ishida had tied the rebel's hands together and had given the factory manager his gun.
This was no deterrent. Without warning, the rebel jumped, spun around once in midair and kicked the
manager on the face.
The manager fell backwards, gasping for breath. What in the seven hells?! That kick... was it
even humanly possible?
While one of the rebel's feet crushed the factory manager's hand and kicked the gun away, the
other remained planted imperiously on his face. The rebel issued a single command. “Untie me.” Then
he lifted his foot slightly and waited for the manager to oblige.
“D-Don't kill me!” the manager rasped.
“I won't do that,” the rebel assured him with a smirk. “Sure as my name's Damien Parker.”
The manager stood up and, with shaking hands, he undid the bonds. Damien let out a groan and
rubbed his wrists as the circulation was restored. Had the manager been smarter or more quick-witted,
he would have taken the opportunity to reach for the gun. He was rooted to the spot, however, and
presently the chance was lost when Damien clamped his hands on his shoulders.
“Thanks for that,” he said conversationally. He then walked over to where the gun was lying
and plucked it from the ground. “And just so you know,” he added, as he began to walk away, “I'm not
with Ace. I was waiting in there so that I could kill her.”
The sound of Anti-tank daggers clashing reverberated outside the factory walls.
General Ishida gripped his controls tightly as he directed his Omega's arm towards blocking
another slash from Ace's dagger. Throwing his joystick around in such violent manoeuvres was
beginning to hurt his arm. Ace was just so quick!
Quick, yes, but the rebel no real guard up at all. If he could just find the right moment to strike...
At that moment, he saw the Grandleon raise its arm, readying another strike. Now! Ishida
lunged, his Omega gripping its dagger with two hands. Ace sidestepped with consummate ease, but the
cape was still swishing in the air, unable to avoid being struck. The dagger penetrated the cape with one
smooth motion, but before Ishida could relish the feeling, Ace brought down her own dagger in
retaliation. Ishida tried to duck and avoid a direct hit. He succeeded, although when he he heard the
dagger scrape shallowly against his Omega's shoulder blade, he grimaced. He could not afford to lose
his only remaining arm.
Quickly, Ishida twisted his Omega's arm and brought his dagger upwards to block Ace. The
sound of metal upon metal resounded once more.
Ace swung her dagger aggressively, then stepped forward and swung the dagger again.
Edmund had betrayed her... betrayed her. It just seemed like every time he opened his mouth the
two of them were going to be shunted further and further apart. And his words had hurt her, like a
scorching hot brand upon her skin. She thought she'd made herself impervious to him.
And that was why she fought, why her dagger clashed with that of the Omega's in front of her.
Through him, she was fighting Edmund. But more than that, she was fighting Japan.
Japan had taken away what was precious from her.
But this wasn't merely revenge, Ace thought firmly as she sidestepped to avoid Ishida's dagger.
As a result of this fight, things were going to change. The world was going to change. She couldn't let
down those who aided her in the rebellion, all those poor defenceless Australians. A tramp... lying alone
in the street among his own filth... and David... killed by Edmund for daring to make the change.
With a sudden, vicious uppercut slash, Ace's dagger knocked against the hilt of Ishida's, sending
it spinning out of his grip. Not wasting any time, the Grandleon bent its knees and prepared for the final
thrust.
To change... to protect! These sentiments were what drove Ace as she plunged her weapon into
the Omega's core.
The dagger cut right through the armour. Ace felt relief wash over her as she did it. Not guilt or
even anger. Just simple, pure release.
“Will General Ishida be all right?” Edmund asked anxiously when Naoko reentered the interrogation
room. After the phone call, she had gone to lab in order to properly manage the situation.
Naoko sat down beside Edmund and shook her head resignedly. “I don't know for sure yet. But
it appears Ace escaped yet again.”
Edmund bit his lip.
When Ishida opened his eyes, Ace's dagger was still lodged inside the Omega.
It had missed his body by mere inches to the right.
Nevertheless, it had utterly destroyed the control panel and almost other every function in the
cockpit. No longer could he see the luminescent glow of the computer interface. Everything felt dead.
Except for Ishida. He was alive. He lay calm in his seat for a moment, not even sparing a glance
towards the sharp-edged steel blade so close to him.
First, he had to get some control over his painfully thumping heart. Pausing only to curse for a
moment, he then pressed the button on the side of his seat to eject.
Ace may have bested him this time, but there was really no way that Ishida would lose out to a
female – and a girl at that.
First came the pride, then the calculating.
“Mr. Honda, I was thinking...” Naoko clenched and unclenched her fists as she spoke in a slightly
hesitant voice.
He looked up at her inquiringly. “Yes, ma'am?”
Edmund had already served his temporary purpose as a scapegoat. Catching the real Ace was
now the military's first priority. “Although it's bad news Ace has reappeared, it also means... we have
no reason to keep you in custody any more.”
Edmund's mouth suddenly went dry. He swallowed. He opened his mouth to say something.
Naoko's mobile phone rang again.
“Moshi, moshi... Ah... The General's still alive?” A curious sort of expression came upon
Naoko's face, as if she wasn't sure if she ought to be happy or upset by the news. “Very well then, I'll
attend to it now.” She closed the phone.
“We'll continue our conversation later, Mr. Honda.”
He nodded.
General Ishida strode into military laboratory without any physical assistance whatsoever. He seemed
more disgruntled than anything after his near-death experience. Naoko came to him the moment she
caught sight of him.
“General, you should rest yourself,” she told him.
He threw her an irritated look. “I don't need that sort of thing right now. Something came up.”
“What do you mean?”
“I'm talking about Ace,” he said to her in a low voice. “Ace is a woman.”
Naoko could only stare at him as if he'd grown another head. Then she coughed into her hand in
an effort to conceal her evident surprise. “Well... that is unexpected. I'd always assumed Ace to be a
male-”
“Where's Honda?” General Ishida demanded suddenly.
“Excuse me?”
“I have reason to believe Honda is a person close to Ace's true identity,” Ishida said bluntly.
If Naoko was surprised earlier, she was completely flabbergasted now.
“...Really?” was all she could muster, her voice cracking slightly.
“Does he have a woman in his life? Someone who is close to him?” Ishida asked, watching as
the expressions on Naoko's face underwent rapid transformation. First she was shocked, then she
seemed contemplative and then finally, resigned despair came upon her features.
“Yes, I believe there does exist such a woman.” She knew this from that time she had visited
Edmund's house and asked him out to dinner. There, she had met his childhood friend Helen...
General Ishida smiled. He looked like a wolf about to devour his prey. Naoko had always
known he was a hard man and now she realised that direct manner of his was about to ruin lives. Well,
just one life in particular.
“Don't tell him,” Naoko urged him suddenly. “It would cause him undue stress. I don't think he
knows who Ace really is. And besides, this is just a suspicion of yours, right, General?”
“When you arrested Honda, you had no evidence either.”
All Naoko could do was croak the word “General...” in a rather feeble voice.
For the first time since he had been captured, Edmund allowed himself to smile. Was he really going to
be freed from custody? If the real Ace had been sighted then of course Naoko couldn't be lying to him
again. And that meant no more harsh questions, no more beatings, no more military. He would be back
with Helen. He wondered if she missed him.
But really, she would have been quite happy about all this. One less mouth to feed. She'd
probably complain when Edmund dumped himself back on their doorstep. “Oh, bother!” she'd say, but
then she'd give him that radiant smile to let him know that he needn't take her seriously.
When the door opened and Naoko entered the room, Edmund stood up and was about to wave
when he remembered the formalities and quickly transformed his wave into a salute.
“Ma'am!”
Was it him, or did Naoko seem to flinch? But then the moment was over and she was smiling
sweetly at him.
“Mr. Honda, it appears you may leave when you wish.”
He swallowed. “Thank you.”
She looked at him, her eyes almost... sad. “You'll be able to see your friend again. Helen was
her name, wasn't it?”
He felt a thrill in his heart hearing her name spoken. “Y-Yes,” he responded.
Naoko saw something in his expression, and the look in her eyes became even sadder. “Mr.
Honda, I... there's something I should confess...”
Naoko... confessing?
He waited for her. She swallowed, she looked this way and that, and then she simply let out a
heavy sigh. She seemed frustrated with herself.
“Don't be surprised,” she said finally, “if... if things have changed... a little bit...”
He looked at her, confused.
“Oh, never mind!” Naoko said, smiling at him once again. She opened the door wide for him.
“You may go.”
And he did. For a moment after he left, she stood still at the doorway. Then she closed the door
so that she was alone in the interrogation room.
“She's not there any more,” she said aloud, mechanically. “We went to your house and no one
was living there. She's Ace, and you're the only who can find her, Mr. Honda. I'm sorry, but your
usefulness has not yet come to an end.”
Then with a sudden viciousness, she punched the nearby wall with her slim and tiny hands. It
didn't budge an inch.
“Why couldn't I say it?!”