A.R: 5

Good afternoon. I hope all is well.

There is a particular company, Fisher.Co, that I wish to be dealt with. The payment shall be 5000 Australian dollars – around 410 000 in Japanese Yen, I believe?

I do hope you take this offer. I will be waiting.

Sincerely, Gushiken Yuri.

With his hood drawn forward to its fullest and his duffel bag tucked safely underneath his arm, Rae strolled down the moderately busy streets, watching as groups of people walked past him.

The buildings, which did not seem as advanced or as colourful as the ones in Tokyo, seemed to stare him down as he trekked – they were still and unmoving, as if waiting for him to come close before showing their true colours. Tokyo’s buildings were much different. Everywhere a person went, the structures loomed over them, creating the sense of overwhelming or being trapped.

The feeling took some time to get familiar with.

He turned a street, recalling the directions V had given, and searched for the massive building she had directed. In the distance, he spotted the wide structure with giant letters spelling out its name.

At the sight of the building, Rae sped up his pace, eager to get his task over with.

The method he and V had thought up was created by V, who had spent all morning on it – which was perfect for Rae as it allowed him to sleep.

Currently, the technique resided in Rae’s duffel bag. Honestly, he did not trust the contraption produced by V: her inventions never had successful debuts.

Interrupting him from his thoughts, Rae felt his pocket vibrate and pulled out the culprit.

‘Yes?’ He spoke as he continued down the walkway.

‘I got some intel on its security.’ V informed, her voice firm, ‘Right now, there are only a few security members at the entrance, and inside there are patrols.’

‘Be careful; I’m not certain it will work.’ V warned.

‘When am I not?’ Rae replied before ending the call, knowing V had full intentions of answering what was supposed to be a rhetorical question. He placed his phone in his pocket as he reached the entrance.

The building was monumental, so much so that it blocked the scorching sun. Its glass exterior reflected all sunlight that poured down on it, giving it an almost glowing aura.

In other words, the building was a mountain and Rae was an ant.

Rae strode past the two guards – they might as well have been bouncers as they sure dressed the part – who stood proudly in front of the entrance.

The interior shone brighter than the outside of the building. Its walls were not marble white like the hotel V and he had stayed in but a glistening one-sided glass. From the inside, the streets and roads were completely visible, almost as if one were standing outside of the tower and staring at the streets with no barrier. Workers of all types milled around, each heading to a set destination.

‘Sir?’ A female voice squeaked which immediately reminded him of V, ‘Do you have any business here?’ She quizzed as she folded her arms around her tight blue dress, her golden hair surrounding her face structure.

‘Scheduled check-up.’ He lied; the sentence spouted out like a faucet before he could even restrain it. Nonetheless, the woman did not seem to notice.

She stared at her clipboard thoughtfully,

‘Not sure I heard anything about it.’

‘It was quite last minute.’ Rae continued, feeling up his role and fulfilling it. The woman stared at him as if waiting for something to happen to prove that Rae was lying. But, alas, nothing did.

‘Where do you wish to start, Mr..?’ The woman trailed off, looking up from her clipboard expectantly.

‘Sturgis.’

‘Mr. Sturgis.’

‘The basement or storage room. From the bottom-up.’ He answered gingerly, presenting a false confidence.

She turned and stepped away, her matching blue heels clicking after her. Rae followed suit, dodging all contact with the other people that littered the spotless hallways.

The walk was silent, the only sounds being the woman’s irritatingly loud heels and the occasional mutter of passers-by, and after what seemed like hours, the duo reached a descending staircase, its double-doors blocking the path of any onlookers. A sign was pinned to it reading “Staff Only”.

‘The basement.’ The blonde explained as she gestured her tan hand towards the doors, ‘I’ll open it for you.’

Rae was wordless as he allowed his “tour-guide” to unlock the doors. The entry to the room swung open flamboyantly, as if urging Rae to enter. From what he could see, the room was dimly lit, frequently flickering, and the floors sparkled much less than the surfaces of the whole building.

‘Anything else you need?’ The woman questioned, her thin eyebrow raising expectantly. Rae shook his head cautiously.

‘I’ll be waiting here then.’

‘Sure.’ Rae muttered bluntly as he shoved his hands deep into his jumper pockets and strode past the opened doors without a second glance. Immediately, he closed the exit behind him.

Now that he was inside, he could clearly see the dust and mess in the area – boxes were scattered around the ground; some half opened, others completely empty, metal shelves lining the grey walls, most of them stuffed with junk that had accumulated dirt over the period of time they had been stashed away.

Rae reached into his duffel bag and pulled out his joker card; the only way V had claimed to have enough potential to complete Gushiken’s request. It was heavy in his hands, the edges jagged rather than smooth. He carefully placed it on the floor, a vibrating metallic hum echoing around the storage room as he did so.

If he was going to do his job properly, he did not need any worrying situations disturbing him.

‘Let’s hope this works.’ He murmured to no one in particular.

And he pulled the trigger to the bomb.