The bell chimed happily over head announcing the end of the last class of the day. Students began shuffling in their seats and chatting before after school activities began. âFal-kun, are you heading to the music room now?â He smiled at the girl standing before his desk, his knee nudging his bag on itâs hanging spot for reassurance. âNot today Koe-chan. I have to go meet my brotherâŠâ
She seemed disappointed, but accepted his answer. Her voice fading as his attention wavered even as she continued to speak. He must have responded in a way that made her happy because she smiled and walked off, but his mind was so far away he wouldnât have been able to repeat it if asked. Finally the class began to empty and everyone would be too busy with their extracurriculars to pay attention to were he was going.
A check of the time on his phone.
The school felt strange. Empty, but not. Easier to see if anyone, teacher or not, would follow him. He switched his shoes at the door, checked his phone again and left quietly.
It took him almost half hour to reach the meeting point. No one noticed a kid on the metro line, it was common, expected. He was just another school boy heading home. He adjusted his glasses and glanced down at his phone again. Fang texted him. He didnât answer it.
The meeting place was an large open area. A fountain in the center with plenty of people walking by, but everyone too busy moving on to take notice of the boy sitting on the short stair way. From the top here, he could everyone walking by. There was plenty of time before the meeting, but he wanted to be even earlier, knowing these people theyâd try to be there first. He flicked open his phone again just to check and then waited.
@blackwatchdoesitbetter
Fal would be correct in his assumption that Blackwatch would be there a head of time, in fact, agents had scouted the area and set up secret perimeters all over the area way before their agreed meeting time.
Rodriguez had perched herself on the edge of the fountain, a book open in her lap and a pair of sunglasses obscuring her eyes so she could look around freely while giving the impression of reading in the sun.
She took note of the kid lingering in their meeting spot but thought nothing of him, it was probably a coincidence that he had chosen that spot to linger in. They had noticed a number of people using that location as a rendez vous point, he would probably move a long once his friend showed up.
Again she began scanning the area for anyone she thought fit the idea of their informant.
It was obvious he wouldnât get their sooner then them. He had to go through the motions of being a student, there would have been too many people noticing if he skipped classes. Still, his presence flew under the raider. He watched as people came and went, the only consistency was the woman who sat at the fountain.
It must be her. There was no one else who lingered so long. They both flew blind in this; neither knew what the other looked like. Still, thereâs a chance that they wouldnât be here before him.
He flicked open his phone pretending to send a text. It was still some time before the meeting. He was hoping to get a look at the people she (he was convinced she was the one) worked with her, but they where too good. Bending in with the tourists that passed through the area.
Finally the meeting time came. Another glance around and no one milled about. He stood walking over to the woman. âSumimasen, do you have the time?â
It was an odd question considering the technology he had in his very pocket; a code phrase.
@blackwatchdoesitbetter
Izzy squints suspiciously at the youth behind her sunglasses, looking him over even more closely now. He must have been no older than maybe thirteen, shouldnât he be in school? she heard someone murmur to her through her comm.
She makes a show of looking at her watch.  âIâm sorry, my watch seems to have stopped workingâ she replies evenly. Â
If this was the informant which she sincerely hoped he was not, then he would have a specific reply for her.
If this was a joke it was a very long very expensive one.
Neither of them were what the other expected, but as the boy took a seat by her side, mumbling his way through the words; âMind if I sit here and wait for my ride?â It was obvious that this young child was in fact the contact who had request their presence.
He kept his glaze straight ahead watching people as they walked by for anyone who paid too much attention to the too by the fountain. âI know this is strange,â he said to her, pushing his glasses back into place and switching from Japanese to English. Less people would understand them, and those that did would only have a school level understanding; too much effort to not pass by without thinking about him. Funny enough, his English accent had inflections more commonly heard in someone whoâs native language was French, not Japanese. âBut hear me out. I have information that I think will be useful to your organization. A financial trail that might help you find Talon.â A fingerprint opens his phone with a click. A quick moment of digging brought him into the files he needed before the device was discreetly handed in her direction for her to pursue on her own. âI think you might recognize some of their faces. My father meets with them regularly. I also have proof of dummy companies and accounts connected to those people as well as financial exchanges between them. This isnât all of it either, you understand.â He wouldnât hand over all of this at once. He needed something from them, and only the promise of more information would get him what he needed.
Izzy doesnât respond at first, studying the boy carefully behind her sunglasses. She could hear the ops personnel talking quietly in her comm. They clearly hadnât expected him to be so young either.
She took the phone without a word, carefully flicking through the images. Some of the faces were very familiar to her at this point.
âYou understand that this exposes your father too, right?â she said carefully, âThis will negatively impact him, do you understand?â
She handed the phone over after a moment. The ones monitoring what she saw through her sunglasses had already made sure to save that clip so she could hand it back as a show of good faith.
âWhat is it you want for this?â she asked carefully, âAn exemption for your father?â
âMy father deserves whatever befalls him. He has already made his choices.â The boy replied calmly, evenly without looking her way and yet, still with the bitterness of one slighted to the core. âMy siblings are innocent. I wish to keep them out of it, if at all possible.â This hadnât been an easy decision, and yes, one could easily say that he was going too far for being angry with his father.
He knew his brothers. Predicted in his mind over and over how theyâd react to the news. How Fang would deny the evidence before his eyes in favor of a hero complex. How Titus would rise up as the oldest to take over the company their father had built to save PR and protect his younger siblings. And he? He had hopes for his own future. As the one who ratted out their father? His standing in the family was clear. âI wonât be welcomed back. Not after this. If you take this information, you must bring me as well.â
His mother still needed caring for. Would Fang insist? Would Titus out of obligation? This was the one question he couldnât answer.
âHow old are you?â she asked suddenly, not even waiting to listen to the voices in her ear. To her there was no way she would bring this child back to Blackwatch. Maybe find a safe place, get hi into a prestige school to continue his learning, but definitely not Blackwatch, not yet.
Of course it would break down at how old he was. It had nothing to do with the fact that he dug up all this information. That he spent hours finding links and making connections. That didnât matter to her or her group of course. He was just a kid and there for not worth the time or effort. â12.â He said reluctantly. If she was going to be like that, then no phone for you. The screen in his hand went black after 30 seconds, it would take more then just a finger print to open it if she wanted it back.
âTwelveâ she repeated, âListen, kid, I appreciate the work you have done. Youâre clearly very smart but what do you think we can do for you if we take you with us?â she asked, âYou have to finish school, what about your friends and family?â she frowned.
âWe just donât take ki-â she paused, tilting her head minutely as if hearing something she didnât quite catch
What point would there be in trying to defend his case. She had already made her decision it seemed. It didn't matter that he put in hours of time and dedication. That this exposed his own family to have at least some connection to a serious criminal activity, not that the Asahi could ever claim to be clean before, being the company they were.
Friends she said. He had moved so many times he really couldn't say he had a friend beyond his twin. Family she said. "I have an older brother that we don't talk about." Two actually, but that was an aside. "Father decided he wasn't worthy of the Asahi name. Why? Because he was 6 and found out father was leaving his mother for mine and yelled at Father." Cheated on the woman, actually. Which was what he had done with his first wife for the second. A stand up man that one. "Six seemed to be old enough for father then. I imagine 12 will be old enough to him that I'll be expected to find a way to survive rather then be sent to live with extended family." The Asahi patriarch had no qualms disowning his children.
He noticed her pause in words, frowning. "If you don't mind. I think I'd like to hear that from your boss. What I've shown you doesn't prove any real connection beyond coincidences. If you want the rest then I will speak to someone who can actually make this deal with me."
