Case of the Cursed Songstress, Act VI
I pin both of her arms over her head with one hand. With my free hand, I cup the smooth nape of her neck gently, lifting her head closer to mine. She stops struggling and freezes up like a deer in headlights. I quickly let my tendrils get to work. I can feel them pushing through my skin of my fingers before dividing into microscopic extensions that worm their way into Qin's neck. It is an odd feeling, having parts of myself tunnel into her so gently.
I need to access the cortex and the hypothalamus by just the sense of touch. It would be much easier if I turned her over so that she was face down, but I don't have the luxury of time. I need this to be done in 5 seconds before she begins to struggle again.
“What are you doing?” she whispers. I stare into her eyes while I try to work out the intricacies of rewiring her neuronal connections manually. If I had time I would be able to accomplish it with pure neural manipulation, but as things stand, it would be much easier to use external stimuli.
“I loved her,” I say.
“Liar.”
“I didn't kill her.”
“So you say.”
“The Empress did it, for power.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“No, I expect you to know that, if you loved her as I did. Just think, Qin. Think about the circumstances surrounding the incident.”
It is done. Her synapses had fired in response to hearing my words, and in that instant I had made it the truth for her. I lay her head onto the pillows gently and let her arms go. She looks at me blankly for a second.
“I must admit,” she begins grudgingly, “You have a point. The president's rise to power was too swift, as if everything was planned out.”
“I don't know if everything was planned out. All I know is that I didn't do it.”
She peers at me suspiciously. “You ran. You could have exposed the president's scheme by speaking out. Instead, you're hiding out, pretending to be a government agent.”
“I have my reasons.” I'm not sure it is the right time to reveal what Naim told me yet. I need to be particularly careful with who I speak to about Kyrie from now on.
“Tell me your reasons for abandoning her.” she says coldly.
I just laugh. “I didn't, and you are already in enough trouble with this Cyber Jack business. There are things you are better off not knowing.”
“Do you regret knowing what you do now?”
“Well, no.” I say. “It has been... harsh, but I am where I am now because I still don't know enough. Would I have been happier not being a part of all this and staying ignorant? No, I don't think so.” I put on my best wistful smile, and give it my best shot. “I managed to make countless precious memories with Kyrie. That alone makes all the trouble worth it. You understand that feeling, don't you?”
The look in her eyes softens, turning misty with tears. “I... I do. You really did love her, just as I thought.” Qin sighs.
“I'm sorry that I doubted you,” she says. “I think I always knew it wasn't you, but I just didn't know what to do. I accepted the official explanation blindly because I wanted someone, anyone, to blame. I'm really sorry. I almost did something terrible.” She begins apologizing, over and over. It looks like she's finally convinced now. Time to really get into her good graces.
“Qin,” I say. “I can't tell you everything right now; perhaps we can do that after you are no longer in danger from Cyber Jack. Would you like to hear some stories about Kyrie instead?”
She nods, smiling. “I would love to.”
***
Qin is asleep on the bed, having finally dozed off to my bedtime stories of my adventures with her beloved princess. I cover her with the blanket and stand up, heading out into the living room. Yua is keeping me awake by manipulating my endorphin levels; I still have work to do. There's a few hours till dawn breaks.
First, I check in with Emiri – she is due to report on the status of the cult here in Higashi.
“I'm sorry to call you at this hour, but I've been busy.”
“Don't worry about it, I'm used to pulling all-nighters!” she chirps cheerfully. “Besides, I have some very important stuff to tell you. I was gonna find you if you didn't call me. It's that big.”
“Perfect. What is it?”
“I think the Messenger is in one of our old temples in Hokkaido.”
“The... Messenger?”
“Yes. The one that grants the Third Hierarchs their powers, through the blessing of its flesh. It's a Messenger from God. One of the old-timers told me that it's enshrined in Hokkaido.”
“Old-timers... wait, how many people have you been talking to?”
“Lots! There's a lot of people unsatisfied with how the Great Mother has been handling things, y'know. I mean, no offense but it's like she threw us away and ran off to save her own skin. I think people are ready to gather under your banner, my Master.”
“My... wait, what banner? How many people are there exactly?”
“Um, about three hundred? We don't have anyone in the higher ranks, but there's only about a few dozen of them left around here anyway and they're really loyal to the Great Mother, so we don't approach them.”
Three hundred cultists now listen to me?
“And they're answering to you?”
“Of course!” she beams. Then, she adds, a bit bashfully, “I am your personal handmaiden after all. They treated me really well once they found out that I met you. Oh, but don't worry, we're being very discreet about all this!”
I didn't recall making any such appointment. “By the way, you weren't anywhere near this cheerful when I first spoke to you, Emiri. Has something good happened?”
“Well, I'm always happy to hear from you, and we met in... other circumstances. I mean, I was really scared back then. But you're just so gentle and nice, and not that much older, and cool, and... um... kinda cute – oh, sorry!” I can almost hear her blushing. “Eheh, I get too carried away sometimes. I'm sorry, my Master. I have been rude, haven't I?”
“No, that is fine. You have done well, but next time try to keep yourself under control, especially with other cultists.” I say, my tone serious. She's fourteen, and I can expect some flightiness, but if she does not maintain discretion I could lose her and any chance of infiltrating the cult at the same time - well, if what she says is true, I could probably wrest control of the remnants of the cult on Earth whenever I wish, but that's besides the point. “This is no laughing matter. You know how dangerous things can become.”
“I understand,” she says softly. “I'll be more careful in the future. But, my Master, I am sure you can trust all of us!”
“Perhaps,” I mutter. “Perhaps not. I will decide. In the meantime, I want you to tell them this. These are my words, and I expect them to be conveyed faithfully.”
“Yes? What is it?”
“Stay safe. I don't want anyone getting into any danger, or anyone dying recklessly. Your lives are more important to me than anything in the whole world.”
“Yes, my Master!” She sounds absolutely delighted. To be honest, she reminds me of old Yua.
“I told you, we are different entities altogether!” protests the new Yua, reading my mind.
“I don't need to be called Master. You can call me by name,” I say. “Emiri, I will want a list of names of those three hundred.”
Before I hang up, I ask Emiri to have the cultists focus on...
***
A. Looking for Kyrie. I'm not sure where to start, but if she happens to be somewhere in the vicinity of Higashi, the cultists might be able to give me some leads. This shouldn't be a risky request – I will just give a physical description and gather all the information I can get from them for Yua to sift through.
B. Getting news about the Hokkaido temple that enshrines the Messenger. If my guess is correct, from that weird game Shulgi gave me, I have a good idea what this 'Messenger' really is. I have a nagging feeling that the main branch of the cult will not leave the Messenger here, barely guarded, for long. It would definitely attract more attention from the remaining higher-ups, though.
C. Doing nothing overt and quietly consolidating their presence. I mean it when I say I don't want anyone getting into danger for my own goals.
***
Next, I turn my focus back to the Cyber Jack case. His motives are unclear, but I have one major lead; Qin's manager. She was the one who recommended the Yamaten to Naim. The work that had gone into staging that event would need preparation; they had known beforehand that Qin would be there.
“Here's the information about Nancy Muir.”
I look through the profile obtained from the government database. That's the good thing about working through official channels – I get to tap into information I should have access to with little hassle. I don't need to go to all the trouble of hiding my tracks for once. There seems to be nothing that stands out to me; no reason why she would be involved in the case. Perhaps I'm approaching this from the wrong way? I lean my head back against the cushions and think.
There's that matter of the ten thousand suicides that was Cyber Jack's opening salvo.
If they are indeed committed by the same culprit, and I'm pretty sure by now they are, judging from the modus operandi, there could be a link there.
“Yua, cross-reference the name list of the victims with Nancy Muir.”
“I'm on it.”
It takes a few minutes before Yua returns to me with a match.
“Jonathan Logell, moderator of some of the most popular virtual worlds in the 7ch community and a mid-level employee of the Muramasa Foundation. He has been engaged to Nancy Muir for six months. His current status is now deceased. The cause of death would be a violent impact after jumping off the 16th floor of his apartment building. The coroner found no foul play. Digital investigations show that there was no apparent tampering with his cognitive augments. Age at death is 26.”
“Now we have a connection, but the motive is yet unclear.” I should have paid more attention to the suicide case from the start. “Yua, I believe that there were suicide letters from the victims, posted on 7ch shortly before they leapt. Show me.”
“Roger that.”
I read through the evidence and the case-files of the ongoing investigation. After I finish my perusal, I get up and begin pacing about. Jonathan's suicide message was no different from the others. If there was one underlying thread between all the letters, it was that they were rants about the rotten state of the world, the futility of life, and a message of thanks to the internet for having brought them all together. That, in itself, is probably not exceedingly strange or noteworthy – they were all members of the same net community and it wouldn't be a surprise for them to share the same outlook on life. Plenty of nihilist fan communities put out similar manifestos every once in a while, and things have only gotten worse since the war started. The investigators have made a note of this, and are actively pursuing this particular line of inquiry.
What struck my attention, however, is how they signed off, on each of their posts.
“'Til we meet again.” I mutter.
On first glance it seems innocuous enough, but there isn't anything in their rants to indicate a belief in an afterlife. There is something else at work here; and from the demonstration of mass suicide, I am starting to think that a cult of some sorts may be involved. It might not be the Apostles – this doesn't seem like their doing, as they have never shown much digital savvy. It might be some a new organization. In any case, I will not be able to uncover anything else without approaching Nancy directly.
***
A. I will alert the department and have Nancy invited to the office tomorrow using official channels. I know that they have experienced interrogators there who should be able to ferret out useful information; there is no doubt she is involved with Cyber Jack by now.
B. I gather the evidence and confront Nancy in private, without letting the department know. Perhaps we can come to a deal... it is not like I have anything against Cyber Jack personally. As long as our interests don't clash, we might be able to work something out to our mutual benefit.
C. I do not do anything yet. I will maintain the status quo and dangle Qin out as bait so that they will make a move again, allowing me to glean even more information before taking action.
