It was not supposed to be like this. Jace would die. Inger would see his devotion to her and demand an Elvis wedding in Las Vegas at the Bellagio. Now he’s in a salvage title Cadillac Escalade trying to exfill from Southside. Exfill to . . . Paradise Valley? He has to get to a connected door first.
It gets ?better? Mind Mush, through the sound system is screaming at him. He can’t change the channel or turn it off. Mind Mush keeps blaring a siren and saying, “You are a murderer! Drive to the 3rd Precinct and turn yourself in!” The Infotainment screen flips to Google Maps and shows a route to the Third Precint in the Fan.
Damian loses it. He starts vandalizing the dash. The Escalade was already a mess. Now its luxury leather interior features the BSA pocket knife’s slashes. Damian hacks away at the steering column trying to turn the car off and shut the fucking sound system UP! It’s no use. The car makes it to the traffic circle then stops and locks the doors. He punches the driver’s side window with the pocket knife, breaking it, and crawls out.
Where to Run, Where to Hide?
He runs to Ancarrows Landing. Drones hover overhead and police start to block the exits. Across the river is Rocket’s Landing. Maybe he can make it across and escape. As he wades into the water he sees police lights ahead of him.
No escape by land, obvi. Maybe if he slipped under water for a bit they will think he drowned. So Damian slips under and lets the current carry him down river. Years of vaping “the good stuff” hurt his lungs. The “hold my breath until I escape idea” became a coughing fit and a fight to stay alive.
He floated on his back for a bit. Richmond’s city lights drifted away from him. The river became wilder. A cement mill or something drifted into view. Peaceful. Until an outboard motor broke the silence. Fire Department lights from a rescue boat swept across the river. Was he caught?
An Angry Syndicate
Damian was a mid-sized whale to Saito and the Paradise Casino. He kept a room there and ate in the American Cafe. Charlie was a friend until he died. Memories of Charlie floated by his head. The boat sounds and sweeping lights got closer. He’d better think of something quick. Damian spotted a dark, tube shaped shadow on the shore partially hidden by willow trees on the shore.
What was THAT? Could he be so lucky? He was getting cold as the sun fell behind the horizon. Whatever it was he hoped it had heat, drinks and food. A toilet would be a bonus. Damian began to swim toward it.
What it was—a submarine owned by 斎藤組 (Saito Kumi), Ojiisan’s crew. It was there waiting to ex-fil clan members who had business in Richmond but wanted to keep things on the downlow. What it wasn’t was a stroke of luck for Damian. He, being on the sub, created a huge problem for the clan.
Thank the Clan
Saito Kumi lived in the shadows. They owned Onsen in Osaka, the Paradise Valley Casino and Resort, and former Naval Shipyards. Their military client list included intelligence and special forces. Something was seriously broken if the name 斎藤組 surfaced on social media or the news.
The sub 黒豹 carried staff members to meetings and on occasion inserted and exfilled operators. Recent headlines in Richmond, VA had the attention of US Intelligence. Saito-Kumi contractors were in Centra Virginia to disrupt plans to overtake the capital building.
Damian was a huge クソゴキブリ for Saito Kumi. He should not be in the river. His presence on and in the submarine broke operational security. Kill him? It felt easier. But then they have a body to explain to the police. Instead, let Mikako serve him.
Boarding
The smooth sides and round shape of the 黒豹 made climbing out of the water onto the deck difficult. There are peg holes in the hull for crew. Damian tried and failed to climb onto the deck. He yelled, “I’m drowning! Let me in!” No response.
To the air, “what the fuck! I’ve got police after me! I’m drowning! I can’t breathe!” Still nothing. Damian swam aft where the sub tapered to meet the tail planes and prop. He climbed onto a tail plane and began walking forward. A hatch was open. Safety.
He climbed down to the deck and the hatch closed above him. Red interior lights came on and revealed he was on a mess deck. 黒豹 was 46 meters in length and 7.5 meters in diameter. It had five compartments, propulsion, engineering, command, crew quarters and a mess. The head has squat toilets. She was autonomous and connected by LTE to Mind Mush.
Don’t Thank God
An android appeared in the forward hatchway, “いらっしゃい、ハニー。今夜のスペシャルみたいね——びしょ濡れで、無鉄砲で、生焼け。” 美香子 doesn’t ask if he’s okay, “乾いた服に着替えなさい。”
Damian’s earbud translates for him, “You should change into dry clothes.” The fembot hands him a crew jumpsuit. It’s just a robot so no reason to bother with a head to change in. He strips down to skin and gets dressed in cotton underwear, an a-shirt, the jump suit and socks. Then tugs his soaked shoe halfway on. The sole squelches like it’s protesting too.
Mikako watches his wet shoe protest the attempt to put it on. She reaches into a locker for a pair of slippers. その靴を履くと足が腐るよ。これを履きなさい。She drops the black, embroidered slippers in front of him, “Not on my floor,” she says, in English this time.
Damian stares at , “You want me barefoot on a submarine?”
“I want you housebroken”.
“I ain’t no bitch, bitch.” Not yet.
Food Good
Mikako ignores the insult and sets a tray on the table: cheeseburger, fries and coke fizzing beside a paper-wrapped straw. Paper napkins, “食べて,” then turns toward the galley. Damian waits a beat before realizing that the usual wink and flirt isn’t coming.
He was in the river for two hours. It’s hitting him how much that swim took out of him. In the intensity of the escape he didn’t feel his hunger or exhaustion. The burger looked like salvation, “Thank God,” he muttered.
Out of the sound system he heard, “感謝すべきは神ではない。”. Who? Whatever. This boat is nice. Aft of the crew mess were quarters. A dozen bunks arranged in three columns hung from a bulkhead. All were squared away. “Had enough to eat, sugar?” asked 美香子.
Sweet Dreams
“Yeah.” The burger was good. Whoever made the fries knew what they were doing. Cola was cola was cola, am I right? But this soda fountain made it taste special.
Damian felt every inch of that swim downriver. He stood up from the mess table and walked aft. There were twelve bunks arrainged in three rows and stacked four high. All of them were squared away. He sat on the middle, port-side bunk and sleep called to him. He’d just take a nap. So he lay down in the bunk and was out.
Mikako cleaned up after Damian. On comms outside audible frequencies and at digital speed a conversation about the clusterfuck that was Damian raged. There was a team active that needed ex-fil. The ex-fil point was swarming with law enforcement and rescue looking for Damian. The zone was too hot.
Someone on the team suggested caching the gear in Damian’s Escalade. After some back and forth it was done. That Escalade had enough deadly gear to take down city hall. Damian became something more than a stupid jealous lover. He became a way to protect their cover and give the public a thing to hate.
Command Silence
The two diesel generators at the stern rumbled to life. As Damian lay in his bunk he could feel the sub move away from the dock and head downriver.
A voice came over the speakers, “Secured for silent running. Non-crew status: contained.”
Contained? He sat up. His knife was gone, “Hey, crew boo! Where is my shit?” The knife belonged to his Dad. It’s right that the blade tasted Jace’s blood.
The sub’s interior lights shift back to red for night running. Damian felt safe. He was in the hands of the Mush Mind who was taking him away from Inger, Jace, and the chaos he swam downriver to escape. Saved from his sins one more time.