Megumi's Side (April 8, 6:30 pm)
The streets of the Lunar district were filled with pedestrians as always, although foot traffic was much lighter than it used to be. This was because of the unusually aggressive Overman patrols that were walking the streets, questioning civilians at random. The Lunar district was not the most affluent area, so the locals were used to being harassed, but the agents running around seemed much more easily aggravated, and so the usual bar-hoppers and partygoers decided to stay home tonight.
Hikaru, holding a plastic bag from a nearby convenience store, walked down the streets of the Lunar district's downtown while keeping an eye on the nearby Overman patrols. He was wearing a patternless hoodie and jeans, making him inconspicuous among the many other civilians walking the streets. The Overman agents could still take notice of him, so he had his guard up regardless.
Sure enough, an Overman agent canvassing the street stopped him as he was walking by, flashing his badge. Hikaru feigned a look of exasperation, as if he was annoyed at having been stopped.
"I just need to ask you a question, and I'll let you go," the agent said, having noticed Hikaru's irritation. "We're looking for a young Asian woman last seen wearing black slacks and a white dress shirt. Have you seen anyone who fits this description?"
"Not at all," Hikaru answered curtly. "Can I go now?"
The agent stared at him as if trying to discern his intentions, then let out a sigh. "Go on."
Hikaru gave the man a quick nod and continued walking down the street. His apartment was still two blocks away, but thankfully the other Overman agents didn't seem to be interested in questioning him.
Hikaru quickly entered his apartment and locked the door behind him immediately. He turned around to see Megumi, still wearing the black slacks and white dress shirt she was seen in earlier that day. She was watching TV, flipping through news channels covering the Overman agents' movements through the city.
"I've bought some food and a change of clothes for you," Hikaru said as he tossed the bag into Megumi's lap. "Go and change before you eat."
Megumi did so, changing into a more casual tank top and jeans while Hikaru threw the ready-made dinners he had bought into a microwave. As the two of them ate quietly, Megumi continued to watch the news broadcasts with rapt attention.
"I never thought Hayasaka would go this far," Megumi remarked as she chewed on a piece of cheap chicken. "To think they'd ask for help from Overman Security... they must really want this necklace back."
"This job is clearly way more dangerous than you thought it would be," Hikaru said. "You should get rid of that necklace as soon as possible."
"Don't be ridiculous. Drop this job when I've already made it this far?" Megumi jingled the necklace between her fingers. "Besides, aren't you interested in what this necklace is hiding?"
"Not at all," Hikaru grumbled as he speared some string beans on a fork. "There's wisdom in avoiding things that are too dangerous for you to know."
Megumi huffed and pulled out a laptop from her bag. It was Daryl's, but she had brought it along just in case something happened. Considering the situation, it was probably for the best that she did. She booted it up and pulled up the copy of the files she had found on the necklace's flash drive.
"Look at this, Hikaru. It's the files we found on the necklace."
"You made a copy?" Hikaru sighed. "You don't feel even an ounce of danger, do you?"
"More importantly, you need to look at these files for me. I was never good at the analysis stuff, and my hacking implants can only do so much. In the meanwhile, I'll go scope out the situation outside."
"You're heading out? At a time like this?!"
"I need to get a handle on the current climate, or I'll be going into things blind. I'll stick to areas with less traffic and keep myself hidden in the shadows, so don't worry."
"You think you can tell me not to worry when the entire Overman Foundation's Security section is looking for you?"
Hikaru's words fell on deaf ears, as Megumi had already gotten up and put on a jacket and wool-knit cap. "Sorry, but the sooner I head out, the sooner I'll get back. See you later!"
Megumi stepped out and shut the door behind her before Hikaru could say anything in return. She looked out at the city below her and noted that night had already fallen. That would make things easier for her to move around.
She climbed down the steps to the street below and began making her way around the district. She knew a couple of people in the Lunar district that were in her line of work, so there would be no need to wander around. There was a little uncertainty as to where exactly they'd be hiding out, but there were only so many places in a rather placid location like the Lunar district.
The closest location she could think was actually rather close, but since she was trying to hide from the patrolling Overman agents, she was forced to make several detours through alleyways and back streets. Eventually, Megumi eventually arrived at the destination she was looking for; the Wild Rat bar, a place where people involved with the underworld gathered often. The Lunar district wasn't the most ideal place for hooligans and outlaws to gather, but there were still dives like this that provided a safe zone for them to talk.
Megumi slipped into the bar and looked around. There were a few patrons sitting around, but for the most part, it was rather empty. She walked over to the end of the room and sat down next to an old man who was wearing a dirty, ragged overcoat.
"Spring breeze."
"That's the old password. Did you not get the new password?"
"Shut up, old man. Why do you change your passwords so often anyway?"
"Security is important in my line of work, after all," the old man replied, scratching his chin. "Well, I can do a favor for an acquaintance. What do you need to know?"
"What's the situation on the streets? The Overman Foundation is swarming all over Twilight. Kind of makes it hard to move around, if you know what I mean."
"Yeah, I get you. Overman's been going over the top for some reason. I've even seen some of their special forces out on the streets."
"Really? They're going that far?"
"Yep. Saw some Dogs prowling the streets just a while ago on my way to this bar. Whoever this thief is, they must be giving them some trouble."
Megumi furrowed her brow as she considered the situation. "Isn't it strange, though? The Hayasaka family are the ones who got stolen from, right? Why are they relying on the Overman Foundation instead of using their own security force?"
"Strange ain't the half of it, lady. You wanna know where Hayasaka Security is right now?"
"Where are they?"
"Patrolling the Sunshine district where the Innocenti Bank Headquarters is. I would never have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself."
"Hayasaka Security is protecting the Innocentis?" Megumi stroked her chin as she thought about this bizarre nugget of information. This was simply too out of character. Could the Three Great Families be working together to retrieve the necklace?
Megumi left twenty redals on the table and walked off. The old man picked up the bill and smirked.
"By the way, the next password will be 'grand canyon'. Don't forget."
"If you don't change it by the time I see you again," Megumi muttered as she left the bar. She needed to get back to Hikaru's place as soon as possible. She was more curious than ever to see what was behind that encryption.
Unfortunately, Hikaru was far from close to breaking the encryption. Megumi was kind of expecting it, but she was still disappointed that she wasn't going to see what was on the necklace any time soon.
"And?" Hikaru asked as he closed the laptop. "You hear anything interesting while you were out on your walk?"
"I did," Megumi answered as she sat cross-legged on the sofa. "I think the Three Great Families might be working together on this one. Hayasaka Security is standing guard around the Innocenti Bank Headquarters!"
"Is that true?"
"It makes sense. I haven't seen a single Hayasaka officer running around the city. If they're stuck patrolling Sunshine then there's your answer."
"If that's the case, then I'm going to have to tell you again that you need to drop this job," Hikaru said with a terse expression on his face. "If Hayasaka has decided to work with the Overman Foundation and the Innocenti family, there's no way you're getting out of this in one piece. It might be too late already."
"If it's too late, then why back out?" Megumi asked quizzically. "Hikaru, you're being weird. What're you losing your nerve for?"
Hikaru clammed up, as if he wasn't sure if he should explain or not. Before he could make a decision on that one way or another, they were interrupted by a rapping soound on the apartment door. Hikaru eyed the door with suspicion. Nobody he knew would dare visit him when there were this many Overman agents patrolling the area.
Hikaru turned to Megumi and gestured towards the window silently. She nodded in response and quickly gathered up her things. The two of them quietly crept towards the open window and hopped out onto the fire escape outside. As they climbed down the steps, Megumi heard the sound of the apartment door being blown down. It looked like they wouldn't be coming back here any time soon.
Megumi leapt down from the steps two stories down to the floor, using her legs' recoil absorbers to blunt the impact. Hikaru followed close behind, using the rails of the fire escape as footholds as he descended downwards. When he made it to the ground, Megumi looked up again to check if the Overman agents had seen them escape. It didn't look like it.
The two of them dashed away from the apartment complex and towards the main street. They couldn't relax until they could make it to a place where they could blend in with the crowd. Suddenly, the sound of jets firing blazed above their heads as a strong wind blew through the area.
"What's going on?" Megumi called out. "Were those birds?"
"No!" Hikaru called out in fear. "They're Hawks! Overman Hawks!"
Megumi looked up to see two men perched atop a nearby building. They were wearing the signature form-fitting riot gear that was unique to Overman Security's special agents, but in addition to this, they were also wearing infrared goggles and had wing-shaped protrusions connected to a backpack-like machine. These were flight packs, and the Hawks used them to fly through the air much like their namesakes.
"Don't stand around!" Hikaru yelled. "Run for it!"
The two of them ran towards the business zone, hoping to lose them through the tight alleyways. The Hawks gave chase, flying over the buildings as they kept hot on their tail.
"Shouldn't we hide?" Megumi asked between gasps of air.
"No use!" Hikaru replied. "Their eyes have been enhanced to be much stronger and can see clearly in darkness! We can't hide from them!"
The two of them continued to run through the alleys, but the Hawks continued to dog them relentlessly, waiting for them to emerge in order to subdue them. One of the Hawks, feeling impatient, dove down in an attempt to scare them out onto the main street. However, a shot rang out mid-dive, and the Hawk fell to the ground dead. His comrade was shocked, but before he could respond, another shot rang out, and he too collapsed to the floor.
Megumi and Hikaru eyed the area warily as an old man in a trenchcoat emerged from a side street. He quickly put his hands up in a show of peace the moment they noticed him. Megumi immediately recognized him as the man who caught her at the Hayasaka mansion.
"How did you find me?" She asked apprehensively.
The old man walked over to the fallen Hawk and checked to make sure he was dead. "I heard there was a commotion in the Sunset District. I hacked into the footage and found you there. Wasn't too hard to find you after that."
"What? But I have obscuring implants."
"I know someone who has anti-obscuring tech. You get a fairly blurry image, but it's pretty rare to see someone running around in a server's unifrom."
Megumi tried to argue some more, but she was stopped by Hikaru, who grabbed her hand and pulled her away. "Why are you standing around arguing with him? Let's get the hell out of here!"
"Wait! I'm not an enemy."
"Can you prove that?" Hikaru asked, trying his best to not look overwhelmed.
"I just saved you, didn't I? Come with me. We shouldn't stay out here."
Hikaru seemed doubtful, but Megumi gave him a nod and followed him as he ran out onto the main street. They crossed past the business area into a lot filled with shipping containers and storage lockers. The old man stopped in front of one fairly small locker and unlocked the door with a passcode.
"Come on in. Nobody should come looking for you here."
The two of them cautiously walked into the storage locker. They still weren't sure that this wasn't a trap of some kind. Inside, the locker was largely empty, but there were a few beds and a small table in the corner. A generator hummed quietly in the other corner, and it was attached to a mini-fridge and an old radio.
"This is a place I've set up as a safehouse," the old man explained. "It looks like a normal storage locker, but it was also built with materials that block out most radio wavelengths. Unfortunately, that means we can't access the internet, but safety is paramount."
"That's why this antique is here, huh?" Megumi observed as she poked at the radio. "I suppose nobody except real enthusiasts and ne'er-do-wells would ever bother with shortwave, after all."
"Who are you?" Hikaru asked accusingly. "Normal people don't have safe houses like this."
"For now, you can call me Kolya. As for who I am, I'm a Night Hunter."
Megumi tensed up at that statement. What would she do if he demanded the necklace? She couldn't really refuse in this situation. Kolya seemed to notice her concern.
"Don't worry, I'm not thinking about stealing the necklace. It would be too dangerous to try to hand it off right now anyway."
"Why do you say that? Do you know something about this necklace?"
"Bits and pieces. I've been trying to put them together, but I'm still missing a few vital links. I can definitely tell that it has a lot to do with the Three Great Families."
That lined up with what Megumi had heard earlier. She quickly considered the pros and cons of working with this man. He was clearly experienced in this sort of affair, but he could also be very dangerous. Still, if it was just information, the risks could probably be mitigated. Besides, information was what she sorely needed right now.
"Can you tell me some more about what you're learned?" Megumi asked cautiously. "Maybe we can work things out if we put our heads together."
"I don't mind. I don't know much anyhow. Just that the three families are working together... and a name."
"A name? Whose name?"
"Matsuoka. Have you ever heard of it?"
Megumi had never heard of it, but that didn't matter, because someone close to her clearly did. Hikaru's face was a mixture of both fear and shock that was so obvious that even a child could tell he was hiding something. Kolya smirked softly, the first change in expression that Megumi had ever seen from him.
"You know something?"
"Do I?" Hikaru deflected, trying his best to put on a poker face. "I don't know about that."
"Don't play that game, kid. I'm too old to fall for that."
Hikaru sighed. "Fine. But I need to know that you're trustworthy. I can't possibly tell this to someone I can't trust."
"I have ties to the Innocenti, but I've got no loyalty to them. Hell, just being involved in this makes me the enemy of all three families. I'll gain nothing by betraying you."
"I'll take you at your word. Not much I can do anyway." Hikaru sighed and took a deep breath. "You see, the Matsuokas were a family that used to have a lot of pull in Twilight... and Megumi is the last survivor of that family."