The Solution (2nd Edition)

Sarah

In no time at all, November was upon the busy world.

    More poignantly, today was the last day of the winter month, and the one in which O-Kenai had decided Chon would reveal her involvement in the international, or tripod, pilgrimage.

    On a personal note, it was the day I could literally lose him, especially if Chon insisted on maintaining a moralistic front with The Notorious One.

    Needing to refresh and refocus, I'd wiped tears from the corners of my eyes; glared into my holo-mirror; and squirted two cool plumes of yellow Squid Mist over my face. Then I checked my lipstick, took a breath, and shuffled out of the WC and back into Dieng's office. Once there, Pae was stating the damn obvious to Chon and Mikey while sucking on a smoldering cigarette. "...Well, Lai, the time has finally come. The Ripest Cheese is ready for you. As expected, Gail's already sorted your Galactica seats. So," he concluded through sticky lips, "all you three need to do is entertain O-Kenai; do what she frickin' asks; and for Huányīn's sake, make it back alive."

    "We'll, try our best," Chon responded.

    His words were staggered, and understandably so. The reality was, Chon's 'best' wasn't a guarantee of our safe return. Moreover, despite Xen and Lee vowing to support us through the showcase, they eventually decided to back off, rather than provoke O-Kenai.

    We were on our own.

    Once aboard, it only took minutes for VG-Discovery to spirit us away to New Japan, specifically, Lokshu1. And, similarly to New York State and the rest of the Northern Hemisphere, winter had kept Mongolia's Gobi Desert, frozen too. Naturally, we were inclined to keep our fur-lined macs zipped up and fastened tight. However, we weren't exposed to the elements for too long. Out of nowhere, two of O-Kenai's goons appeared in the VG arrivals lounge and they'd stood poised behind a third. Starkly, the third man was tall and burly and emanated the authority of a senior clansman. Furthermore, I verified it by scrutinizing his ink and attire. Based on the tips of the multicolored tattoos which peeked out from underneath his black shirt collar and wrist cuffs - he was Yakuza - just like O-Kenai. But, before I could analyze him any further, the man produced a domineering grunt. This made the two goons dart from his right and left flank and speed into action. With lightning precision, they covered our heads with sacks filled with petals, and it wasn't long before our custodians were transporting us, presumably to The Pink Lady's secret lair. O-Kenai's dwelling was somewhere in a mountainous area and it was easy to figure out based on a few factors. In the back of the coupe, we were shifted about and experienced grounded turbulence while the SUV's hover cells worked hard to navigate the makeshift raised road. And, because of the dramatic incline, we also had to force ourselves forwards to fight gravity. That aside, once the hovermobile stopped I'd gotten scared, and with urgency, I'd felt out blindly for Chon and Mikey with frantic fingers. Understandably, my face hyperventilated inside the dark of the petal-filled sack until I'd latched onto them.

    "Trinity, relax, 'n' don't forget who you are," Mikey urged me in a Morpheus-like tone. "You're, 'thee Trinity', who, cracked the IRS D-Base! And don't you forget it."

    Underneath my shroud, I breathed a little easier in the reassuring moment, and assumed the big guy was using The Matrix metaphor to remind me of how I stood up to the lioness, Robin Albers, at the Frankfurt Press Conference way back when.

    "Sarah, Mikey's right," Chon then said, his words muffled. "We can handle this. Now, let's get our game-faces on, grace her presence, and see exactly how thirsty the Queen of the Damned is for her clan's ascension..."

    Moments later, we were bundled out onto a snowy path and had our face sacks removed. Subsequently, the petals rested on our shoulders fell in small clumps to the white ground. "Just a reminder of who you're dealing with," the burly man growled while eyeing us. Next, he'd beckoned us to follow him through a small, rocky-faced clearing, until an ancient-looking dwelling revealed itself.