Grey: A Novella

Chapter 46

The small alley was very tight for a man of my shoulder width. I saw the man I wanted to meet. His hair stood out in spikes like a hedgehog and he wore a black leather jacket with the collar turned up.

I went up beside him and spoke the codeword.

He didn't look at me. He just put a cigarette in his mouth which I lighted for him. Ah, that precious old lighter. It reminded me of Diana. A wave of sadness washed over me, but I was able to keep it in check.

"So what's a gaijin doing in this part of town?"

"I need some information. They say you're the man for the job."

"I might be able to help you. What kind of information you need?"

"The revolt that happened here a while ago. The news paints such a pretty picture that it's suspicious. I want to know what really happened."

He took a drag and blew out the smoke. "No one knows. The only thing I know is that every person in that revolt was never seen again. There's talk that they were sent to the Netherlands."

"You mean, to be experimented on?"

"Bingo. There's been some strange noises reported from a Femtech building in the countryside near Amsterdam. A lot of people have been disappearing from that area, too. People are putting two and two together. However, it's really hard to get into that building. Security is tight. There's guards with machine guns all around the perimeter."

"Thanks for the info." I slipped him some greenbacks.

"No problem. Listen, I know what you're thinking, but don't go by yourself. It's a suicide mission. If you want help, there is the Anti-Grey Resistance, which I'm a part of. I can put in a good word for you."

"I've heard of them. A lot of their branches have been uncovered and wiped out."

"Yeah, there's only a few left other than the main branch. There's one branch here in Tokyo and the main branch is in Amsterdam. We're your best bet when it comes to taking down the Greys."

"Thanks, but I'd rather work alone."

"Hey, it's your funeral. You've been warned."

"Thanks."