Participants:
| Scene Title | Under No Illusions |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Corporate superpowers lay their cards on the table. |
| Date | March 30, 2021 |
The Yamagato Industries corporate headquarters in New York is the single most advanced building in the United States. But above the white-walled and pristine halls of the lower floors, the executive levels are coded with black and gold aesthetics. The floors are lined with black marble with gold veins, the walls are papered with a matte floral print with a hush of gold leaf antiqued over its textured surface.
Frosted glass globes that shed warm light are suspended from the ceiling by black cords, and the mountain symbol of the Yamagato corporation is stamped above each tall doorway. The sound of heels on stone echoes down the halls, past security desks, to the inner offices of Yamagato’s highest level executives.
The CEO of Renautas-Weiss Evolved Nanotechnology, her corporate strategist and his assistant are led by Yamagato security chief Eizen Erizawa down these dramatically lit halls. He says nothing as he storms ahead of Cecilia Weiss, his own tensions regarding illegal activity within their corporate headquarters burning at the back of his mind. When they reach the black glass doors of the President's office, Eizen opens one side of the doors and motions for the Renautas-Weiss party to head inside.
Beyond the doors, the office formerly belonging to Kimiko Nakamura rests in the building’s southwest corner, with one corner nothing by gradually sloping walls of glass clearly viewing the ocean and the dimly lit ruin of Liberty Island, the other windows looking out over the neon-lit cityscape of Yamagato Park. The office is cathedralesque in height, with tapered black columns trimmed in gold rising to the ceiling. Ferns and other potted plants are spaced around the room along with six foot high decorative trees. A single black slab desk rests beside the windows, behind which stands an elderly Japanese man with a dour demeanor.
Hayate Kawahara slowly turns to face the trio as they enter, half lit in dim gray light from the rainy city beyond.
{Ms. Weiss.} Hayate's voice is translated into the air. {It is a pleasure to finally look you in the eye.}
President's Suite
Yamagato Building
Yamagato Park
March 30th
9:31 am
Cecilia Weiss steps forward with a firm report of her hard-soled flats on the tile floor. She approaches Hayate at his desk, chin up and fearless. "Mr. Kawahara, I appreciate your willingness to meet me. It is unfortunate that the timing has to be now." Her voice has a faint mechanical edge to it, a fry born of synthesizers in her cybernetically augmented throat. Behind Cecilia, her strategist Henry Hunter watches in silent observation, his assistant demure at his side holding a tablet to her chest.
"It was bold of you to have your assassin send me in." Weiss says of Eizen. All Hayate can do is laugh in response.
{If Mr. Erizawa were my assassin, you would not have made it to this office after all of the trouble your childishness has cost me.} Hayate walks to stand beside his chair, placing one weathered hand on the arm. {And yet you walk, boldly, into this building. Knowing full well your life could end here. Now.}
"It doesn't, Mr. Kawahara, and we both know that." Cecilia states flatly, moving to stand beside the chair on the other side of the desk, mirroring Hayate's posture. "Let's stop this posturing. I took a portion of Kimiko Nakamura's company from her by force, not you."
{I do not begrudge you your victory,} Hayate says with a shake of his head, slowly settling into his chair. {I find no coincidence that one of my employees was kidnapped on the same day as your takeover, an employee found at one of your facilities.} Hayate leans back in his chair, elbows on the armrests, hands folded in front of his mouth. {If you came here to apologize, I am waiting.}
Cecilia sits, and in that motion her strategist Hunter moves to stand behind and beside her chair in silence. His assistant hangs back on the periphery of the room.
"I didn't order that," Cecilia says with a rise of her brows. "Did you order the attack on the Toronto facility?"
Hayate raises one brow. {No.}
"Then it would seem that you and I have an entirely different problem, doesn't it?" Cecilia explains with a spread of her hands. "I'm in the process of rooting out the bad actors within my organization. How much work have you done here?"
Hayate does not answer, his eyes dip down to the surface of his desk, then angle back up to Cecilia. {You did not come here to talk about human resources. Get to your point, Ms. Weiss.}
Cecilia motions to Hunter, who steps over and hands her the tablet once held by his assistant. Cecilia calls up a 3D model from it, then flicks it across the desk to display in the air as a hologram over Hayate's desk. It is a schematic for an elaborate sensor device, one Hayate had just recently discussed with Richard Ray. Hayate's brows furrow, dark eyes moving from the hologram to Cecilia. But he remains silent, waiting for an explanation.
"My company has access to your schematics for this device, and we are aware of what it does. Renautas-Weiss is seeking a total cessation of hostilities between our corporate entities both public and private, or we will leak this design to the media and international authorities." Cecilia explains with a rise of one brow. "Yamagato Industries will find itself in the center of a firestorm, risking its standing with the United States Government, and you will lose the edge you must be hoping to gain by keeping this technology private."
Hayate's expression sinks into a scowl. {You have no way to utilize the technology yourself. It is worthless to you.}
"I don't care about its monetary value, Mr. Kawahara, I care about how much you care about its value." Cecilia explains as she hands the tablet back to Hunter. "If we trace one more attack—physical, cyber, or otherwise—to Yamagato Industries, we go public."
Hayate wrings his hands together, then looks across the room. There is a sudden whirring sound of a machine coming to life, and Hunter's assistant jolts slightly when a Tetsujin drone steps out from behind a folding screen. She fires a wary look to Hunter who—while alert—gives her a small shake of his head and a tiny gesture to stay still. The Tetsujin marches across the room to Hayate's side. He makes a gesture for it to do something, but the drone merely looks at him for a moment in tense silence. Hayate glances up at it and repeats the gesture, and this time the Tetsujin complies.
It ejects a removable data stick from its wrist, then plants it into a socket in the desk. On the glass surface, several PDF documents are arranged. Hayate pulls them up into three dimensions with a motion of both hands, then sorts through them before turning around a file that shows a young woman with blonde hair streaked with white at the temples, a scarf wound around her mouth. There is a name below the photograph, but it is not Cecilia Weiss.
VOLKEN, YVETTE
Hunter doesn't seem surprised when he sees the name, casting a side-eye to Cecilia who curls her hands into fists out of view of Hayate under the table. Her cybernetic jaw works from side to side, pink eyes aimed at Hunter, then the CIA dossier. "You have an impressive historic archive. The CIA lost much of their files pertaining to Operation Apollo, and I hear the Deveaux Society's copy fell into the wrong hands."
Hayate dismisses the document. {I believe you, of all people, are familiar with the concept of mutually-assured destruction?} Cecilia responds with a wordless nod. Hayate's expression relaxes some, and he ejects the storage device and motions for the drone to retrieve it. This time it complies without hesitation and returns to its resting place behind the folding screen. Hunter's assistant edges out of the way nonetheless.
{Does that conclude our business here?} Hayate asks, knowing full well it does. Cecilia clenches her fists tighter under the table, and Hunter lays a hand on her shoulder.
"For now. We're going to remain in the Safe Zone for a few days. We may desire to speak again, but it felt an appropriate time for introductions." Cecilia says, briefly looking to where the files were hovering above the desk. "Though it seems we do not need any."
{No.} Hayate says with a confident smile. {No we do not.}
"I will take my leave then." Weiss says as she rises from the chair, giving a firm look to Hunter, who nods to his assistant and heads to the door ahead of Cecilia.
"Best of luck with your new acquisition, Mr. Kawahara." Weiss says of Yamagato Industries. To which Hayate can only, amusedly, reply:
{And you with yours.}