Rain: Cases from a Trouble Shooter

Street View

Narumi exited the elevator on the ground floor after a controlled fall from two hundred forty seven floors up. In the past, having a single elevator run that whole way would have been impossible. Modern building materials put the past to shame. The lift car didn't ride on cables but instead made use of magnetic rails that worked like vertical maglev train.

The lobby walked a fine line between opulence and good taste. There were leather chairs and couches but the reception desk wasn't over the top. There was a wall of awards related to their technical achievements but nothing too ostentatious. It was also quiet but only thanks to extensive sound proofing. Outside was a very different scene, not that the few people here in the lobby could see the chaos out there. The windows were smart and currently set to opaque, but Narumi had an app running that  corrected the opacity filtering back to transparent. She wasn't planning on taking tea in the lobby though, so she headed toward the front doors.

A security guard quickly approached to intercept her, "Ma'am..." he whispered, and she pretended not to hear. "Ma'am, please." His voice seemed slightly stressed.

"Yes." She responded with a strong hint of impatience, but without slowing her pace.

"You can't use those doors. It's not safe."

"I can see that."

"You can?" He was surprised by the assertion but continued.

"There's a safer exit from the basement. I'd be happy to take you directly Miss Koga."

She shouldn't have been surprised he knew exactly who she was. She came to a full stop. "You know who I am?"

"Yes, ma'am. We've all been briefed." He said as he finished his approach to her, stopping close enough to speak in quiet tones so as not to disturb the others in the lobby.

"You know what I do?"

"Uh well, I've read..." He was hesitant to discuss her line of work as often loose ends were not tolerated.

"All true, probably. In this case, I'm here to get results. Those people," she pointed to the opaque windows and ran a hack to reset them to transparent. The whole lobby gasped collectively. "They've been putting up with this rain for nearly two months. They want answers. We don't have answers though, do we?"

"No ma'am."

"So instead of answers, we give them action." He looked at the wall of transparent windows, the faces of people subjected to a weather system that was out of control; there was anger and frustration. "Right now, they have no hope. Your company has been silent and ignoring them. That ends now. I'm going out the front doors. You can either help me with your key or you can be my key."

"I see."

Narumi pointed at the window, the people were watching with newfound intensity. "Do you? Do you see them?"

"I was just doing my job."

"Yes, and now I'm doing mine. Open the doors."

The guard looked down at the floor, he shuffled his feet without realizing it and then turned around and walked toward the doors. Narumi followed him closely. She would need to keep the crowd out but still make a grand exit.

Her tactical sub-systems were spinning up and she could feel the tightness seize her entire body as it coiled and prepared for action. Her vision sharpened its focus to a point where individuals appeared to be outlined by a border that glowed according to the probability that they would attack. In this case, that likely meant rushing into the lobby. The overdrive weave in her coat woke and connected to her full network. She threw up an ARtifact barrier, a glowing yellow and black bar that hovered about waste level and read 'Do Not Cross'.

The guard disengaged the locks and the doors slid open, and instantly Narumi moved toward the crowd, "I want to think Weather Inc and their CEO Mr. Winthrope for their cooperation with my investigation into this crisis. Everyone please, stand back. I'll need some space to deliver a brief statement and then I must take my leave to pursue a lead."

The crowd was shocked but the ARtifact barrier was still doing its job. They retreated slowly as she advanced. Her heads-up-overlay flagged a few men an instant before they lurched toward the door. It was just enough time for Narumi to draw her weapon, keeping it at her side with her finger clearly off the trigger, and address them directly.

"Sir! I can't allow you to impede in an ongoing Trouble Shooter investigation!" She said it loud and firm, standing her ground, bracing her stance for them to advance despite the warning. It didn't not come, thankfully. They sunk back in line and she'd moved out far enough for the doors to close behind her. The crowds eyes were on here as the windows went opaque again.

The faces stared back at her, waiting, eager, tired, a bit prune-like. A glimmer of hope appeared in  few faces as she prepared to speak.