text14227;"""Sleep well?"""
text14228;"""I had been dreaming about Catherine, but her mother woke me up so unceremoniously that the dream immediately faded in the bright rays of the morning sun."""
text14229;"""I opened my eyes — the view seemed to have changed over the course of the night."""
text14230;"""What happened?"""
text14231;"""I pulled myself up and looked around — I was in Catherine's bedroom, in her bed."""
text14232;"""Apparently, the sofa springs got the best of me last night."""
text14233;"""Sorry, it's just that your sofa isn't very comfortable."""
text14234;"""The pillow still smelled like Catherine's shampoo."""
text14235;"""No doubt."""
text14236;"""I quickly dressed and walked to the living room."""
text14237;"""Of course, the situation was awkward, but I had more important things to deal with!"""
text14238;"""Mrs Winters had already made her coffee and was reading the morning newspaper."""
text14239;"""It was seven o'clock, and we had gone to bed long after midnight."""
text14240;"""You're an early bird."""
text14241;"""God favors early birds. Do you believe in God, Nikolai?"""
text14242;"""I don't think my religious views matter right now."""
text14243;"""I guess not."""
text14244;"""Have you decided what you're going to do?"""
text14245;"""The American government doesn't negotiate with terrorists — and the Japanese are behaving exactly like terrorists!"""
text14246;"""Besides, even if we play along, it might result in even bigger losses."""
text14247;"""Suddenly, her expression soured and she stared into her cup."""
text14248;"""Moreover, I'm not authorized to make decisions like that anyway."""
text14249;"""I'll have to talk to my superiors in Washington."""
text14250;"""If I understand you correctly, you're saying that Catherine's life is an acceptable loss to them?"""
text14251;"""National interests always take precedence over individual lives."""
text14252;"""Suddenly, Mrs Winters smiled."""
text14253;"""But don't worry! I won't let anything happen to Catherine."""
text14254;"""So I'll have to spend another day just sitting here?"""
text14255;"""My own helplessness made a wave of primal fury rise inside of me."""
text14256;"""Unless you're planning to meet with Ito in the near future, yes, that's your best option."""
text14257;"""I hope you're right… But we've run out of spaghetti, and I haven't found anything else in the kitchen."""
text14258;"""You can order something to eat."""
text14259;"""She took out her wallet and threw a few bills on the table."""
text14260;"""But be careful."""
text14261;"""I'll ask them to leave the food at the door."""
text14262;"""Attaboy."""
text14263;"""…"""
text14264;"""Life was boiling on the other side of the window, the TV displaying an endless series of bizarre shows only the Japanese could really appreciate."""
text14265;"""Even having lived in this country for ten years, I still couldn't understand what was happening in most of them."""
text14266;"""When you feel bored, overeating is a great way to spend time!"""
text14267;"""I ordered food from three different restaurants, and by noon the springs of the accursed sofa were under much more pressure than the night before."""
text14268;"""I had also found a bottle of whiskey in the kitchen yesterday, but at that time it made me feel nothing."""
text14269;"""But the stupider the shows became, the stronger was the allure of the fire water — or, to be more precise, of the American bourbon I'd never tried before."""
text14270;"""First I just walked to the kitchen to get some water."""
text14271;"""Then I opened the cupboard with the bottle."""
text14272;"""I stared at it for a long time and couldn't bring myself to take it out."""
text14273;"""It wasn't full, but there was enough to get shitfaced, sleep on it, and then have a full-fledged hangover by the time Catherine's mother would be back."""
text14274;"""I didn't know who would've won in the end — my conscience or the Kentucky bourbon — because the ring of the doorbell interrupted my internal conflict."""
text14275;"""I shuddered — as far as I remembered, I hadn't ordered any more food."""
text14276;"""Perhaps it was someone looking for Mrs Winters? <w>Then they would leave once they realized there was no one at home."""
text14277;"""Unfortunately, the working TV was totally giving me away."""
text14278;"""I sneaked into the living room on tiptoes and carefully turned the sound off."""
text14279;"""But the unwanted guest wasn't even thinking about leaving — over the course of two minutes they rang the bell at least five more times."""
text14280;"""Finally, someone knocked on the door and I heard a familiar voice. <w>Himitsu's voice."""
text14281;"""Niko-kun."""
text14282;"""Niko-kun, I know you're there."""
text14283;"""Niko-kun, open the door, we need to talk."""
text14284;"""The house was new and the floors in the apartment didn't creak — I silently approached the front door and looked through the peephole."""
text14285;"""There, indeed, was Himitsu, and at the first glance it seemed like she was alone."""
text14286;"""The metal door inspired confidence, and I doubted anyone would try to break through it in the middle of the day anyway."""
text14287;"""How did you know I'm here?"""
text14288;"""Niko-kun, please open the door! I'm scared…"""
text14289;"""I'm not going to open it until you explain what's going on."""
text14290;"""Actually, I wasn't going to open it at all."""
text14291;"""Dad told me where you are and asked me to give you this."""
text14292;"""She showed me a folder with some papers."""
text14293;"""It has the proof that your parents were killed on the orders of Winter-san."""
text14294;"""Yeah, right…"""
text14295;"""It's true!"""
text14296;"""Himitsu pleaded."""
text14297;"""Niko-kun, dad wants to protect you. And that guy in your house, he… If not for dad…"""
text14298;"""She couldn't find the right words and in the end just broke into tears."""
text14299;"""Just a second ago I had been positive I wouldn't let her in no matter what, but I could clearly see the corridor — it would be hard for someone to break into the apartment in the couple seconds I'd need to open the door, drag Himitsu inside, and then lock it again."""
text14300;"""Why didn't your father come himself?"""
text14301;"""I said slowly to amplify the element of surprise and opened the door abruptly."""
text14302;"""Himitsu appeared in the apartment, but the corridor outside remained quiet — it seemed she really had come alone."""
text14303;"""I returned to the living room and sat on the sofa."""
text14304;"""She followed me, looked around, and stared at me with her giant green eyes, firmly pressing the folder to her chest."""
text14305;"""I don't know what your father wants from me, but he kidnapped Catherine — we have nothing to talk about until she's safe."""
text14306;"""Of course, I was curious about the folder, but decided to stick to my guns until the end."""
text14307;"""Niko-kun, Katty-chan is safe. She's even safer there than with <i>this</i> woman."""
text14308;"""<i>With this woman</i>."""
text14309;"""I scoffed."""
text14310;"""You're talking about her mother! Following the same logic, I can say you aren't safe with Ito!"""
text14311;"""Everyone was trying to convince me of their integrity: Sheryl Winters, Ito, Himitsu on Ito's behalf, Michael."""
text14312;"""Although, why did I trust Mrs Winters so blindly?"""
text14313;"""I just believed blindly that I had no other choice, that a simple school kid was no match for the Corporation."""
text14314;"""Was that really my only possible strategy, or just the most convenient one?"""
text14315;"""I looked askance at the folder in Himitsu's hands."""
text14316;"""Here."""
text14317;"""She noticed that and stretched it over to me."""
text14318;"""I didn't hesitate for long — what would be the point in backing off now?"""
text14319;"""In the folder, there were a lot of stamped papers filled with text in English: surveillance protocols, reports, meeting transcripts, orders, administrative notes, and so on."""
text14320;"""Many of them had the signature of Catherine's mother."""
text14321;"""While I was reading, Himitsu stood there like a statue."""
text14322;"""There was a lot of information, but the general idea was clear: Sheryl Winters knew about the surveillance of my parents. <w>Moreover, she was in charge of it."""
text14323;"""In all these documents, they were identified as Soviet spies."""
text14324;"""Why would spies be allowed to work on the Project in the first place…?"""
text14325;"""And what conclusion did you think I'd draw based on this?"""
text14326;"""I messily stuffed the papers back into the folder and threw it on the table."""
text14327;"""Niko-kun…"""
text14328;"""Himitsu finally flinched and wearily sat on the chair."""
text14329;"""I can't figure out what you and your father are trying to achieve, but if she had wanted to harm me, she would've done so a long time ago."""
text14330;"""Sorry to say, but your dad was much less persuasive, swinging his pistol around."""
text14331;"""And why me? I know nothing, I don't have the documents or information everyone seems to need!"""
text14332;"""Do I have a honeypot strapped to my back or something?"""
text14333;"""Niko-kun, do you think that I…"""
text14334;"""I didn't let her finish."""
text14335;"""I don't know what to think anymore, sunshine! Didn't you make a scene on my porch a few days ago?"""
text14336;"""Of course, I'm grateful (to some extent) for knowing that I could've been a father, but…"""
text14337;"""I was running out of air and had to take a deep breath."""
text14338;"""I don't blame Catherine! There's nothing to blame her for! Neither the miscarriage, nor for having a mother like that!"""
text14339;"""And you aren't the one to blame for your father's sins."""
text14340;"""Himitsu burst into tears again."""
text14341;"""By now I was ready to join her."""
text14342;"""But everything worked out the way it did…"""
text14343;"""And right now I just want to save the girl I love. And I doubt your father intends to help me with that."""
text14344;"""Especially considering he is the one who kidnapped her."""
text14345;"""What was even the point of sending you here?"""
text14346;"""Himitsu cast her head as low as she could as if confessing her sins."""
text14347;"""Niko-kun, I did everything I could."""
text14348;"""She said in a stranger's voice."""
text14349;"""You could've tried to influence your father — maybe, he would've stopped using innocent people to achieve his dubious ends!"""
text14350;"""Suddenly, I heard the sound of a key turning in the keyhole."""
text14351;"""I froze, and Himitsu raised her head and looked at me in fear."""
text14352;"""Nikolai?"""
text14353;"""I hadn't expected Mrs Winters to return so early."""
text14354;"""Although, why would today be the same as yesterday?"""
text14355;"""She took off her shoes, entered the living room, and stopped with an expression of genuine surprise on her face."""
text14356;"""You've got a guest?"""
text14357;"""Ito's girl…"""
text14358;"""She finally said with contempt."""
text14359;"""Mrs Winters, Himitsu has nothing to do with all this!"""
text14360;"""Was I supposed to protect her after all she'd done?"""
text14361;"""Was I supposed to trust Sheryl Winters after what I'd read?"""
text14362;"""It was clear she had committed a lot of sins — she never tried to convince me otherwise — but Himitsu's papers spoke for themselves."""
text14363;"""In the heat of the moment, it was hard to draw the right conclusions, but my intuition was telling me that this woman was capable of worse!"""
text14364;"""How did you have the nerve to come here?!"""
text14365;"""I'm sorry…"""
text14366;"""Instinctively, I wanted to defend Himitsu, but the voice of my suspicious mind was telling me not to trust anyone at all."""
text14367;"""Stand up for Himitsu"""
text14368;"""You don't have to apologize to her."""
text14369;"""I said with determination in my voice."""
text14370;"""Even the mothers of serial killers try to justify their children's deeds — and similarly, I took Himitsu's side almost in contradiction of common sense."""
text14371;"""And what would you say about this, Mrs Winter?"""
text14372;"""I took the folder and slammed it on the table."""
text14373;"""About what?"""
text14374;"""I learned a lot about you today. For example, that you were signing off on my parents' surveillance."""
text14375;"""And?"""
text14376;"""She replied without pause."""
text14377;"""Somehow I expected nothing else."""
text14378;"""I was just doing my job, and if you think your parents were without sin…"""
text14379;"""Anyway, it doesn't matter. She has no reason to be here!"""
text14380;"""Himitsu kept standing there with her head down, like she was looking for something in the cracks in the floor."""
text14381;"""Sorry…"""
text14382;"""She was about to leave, but I abruptly stood up and grabbed her by the hand."""
text14383;"""Maybe you should be the one to leave, Mrs Winters?"""
text14384;"""You're in my apartment."""
text14385;"""Oh, right…"""
text14386;"""I caught myself and let go of Himitsu."""
text14387;"""There's nothing else I can do, Niko-kun. It's your decision."""
text14388;"""She walked past Catherine's mother and silently closed the door."""
text14389;"""I really want to yell at you for letting her into my apartment!"""
text14390;"""Mrs Winters pulled out a cigarette and lit it."""
text14391;"""But I realize there's no point."""
text14392;"""You were protecting the girl so ferociously — is there anything between you two?"""
text14393;"""We're just friends."""
text14394;"""I replied, embarrassed."""
text14395;"""We've know each other since we were little, live next to each other…"""
text14396;"""Although you must know all that."""
text14397;"""Of course."""
text14398;"""She waved me away and walked off to the kitchen."""
text14399;"""Say nothing"""
text14400;"""<i>Sorry</i>!"""
text14401;"""She threw her hands up and smirked."""
text14402;"""You know, I'm surprised Ito didn't think to show up himself! What a father."""
text14403;"""Not that Mrs Winters could compete for the \""Parent of the Year\"" award either."""
text14404;"""Not any worse than you! In these documents, there's a lot of interesting stuff you forgot to tell me."""
text14405;"""I grabbed the folder and waved it in the air."""
text14406;"""Like the fact that you were signing surveillance reports on my parents!"""
text14407;"""I don't know what he wants to achieve with this junk."""
text14408;"""Mrs Winters said in response, as if she had been expecting those words from me."""
text14409;"""Really now, what did he want to achieve?"""
text14410;"""It was as if all (or nearly all) of my acquaintances put money on me believing them!"""
text14411;"""Well, so what?"""
text14412;"""She asked me."""
text14413;"""I don't know, there's a lot in these documents that…"""
text14414;"""And you must believe your parents were free of sin?"""
text14415;"""Anyway… That doesn't matter right now. You need to go."""
text14416;"""She looked at Himitsu with contempt."""
text14417;"""Excuse me…"""
text14418;"""Himitsu stammered and almost ran out of the apartment, leaving the front door wide open."""
text14419;"""Things didn't go as I'd planned."""
text14420;"""And what had you planned, Mrs Winters?"""
text14421;"""I finally came to my senses, and the burning feeling of shame for not speaking up for Himitsu suddenly cut right though me."""
text14422;"""Had you planned for Catherine to get kidnapped by the Japanese while you try to convince me everything's fine?"""
text14423;"""She just scoffed in response and left for the kitchen."""
text14424;"""Sure, I couldn't ignore the information in the documents Himitsu had brought, but for some reason my attitude towards Sheryl Winters didn't change much."""
text14425;"""Maybe because those were matters of the past, and Catherine was still alive."""
text14426;"""I sat back down on the sofa and stared at the crumpled folder."""
text14427;"""I didn't know how <i>integrated</i> the CIA, Japanese intelligence, and Kobayashi Corporation were, but thinking about it, it was pretty strange that Ito ended up with documents belonging to an American intelligence agency."""
text14428;"""I doubted he'd get a note of gratitude for it…"""
text14429;"""Then why risk so much for me?"""
text14430;"""Mrs Winters returned to the living room with a cup of coffee in her hands."""
text14431;"""Everyone drinks coffee… Litres, even gallons of it! Five, ten cups a day…"""
text14432;"""I could never understand what people see in it. Just another drug if you ask me."""
text14433;"""She spent some time looking at me like at an idiot,<seq mrs_hands1> then took a sip and sighed."""
text14434;"""Whatever it is you're thinking, Catherine had nothing to do with anything."""
text14435;"""She's not connected to my work and had no idea what I had to do."""
text14436;"""…"""
text14437;"""I kept silent. Apparently, Mrs Winters misinterpreted my reaction and, for some reason, rushed to make excuses."""
text14438;"""I don't personally care what you think, but since you're so important to Catherine…"""
text14439;"""You can blame me if you want — go ahead! You're not the first and won't be the last."""
text14440;"""Are you actually the one to blame, Mrs Winters?"""
text14441;"""I asked carefully."""
text14442;"""Nikolai, your parents were spies! Double agents, if you will. You can't protect national security and keep your hands clean!"""
text14443;"""So you're the one who killed them?"""
text14444;"""Will it make you feel better if you accuse me of all the mortal sins?"""
text14445;"""It would make me feel better if I knew the truth."""
text14446;"""Everyone has their own truth. Everyone believes that what they're doing is right. It's all about your point of view."""
text14447;"""Mrs Winters, this is all just sophistry."""
text14448;"""I was trying to figure out what I was feeling having read Himitsu's documents."""
text14449;"""But I found no resonance in my heart — it seemed that I had long known the terrible truth."""
text14450;"""I'm a diplomat, sophistry is my job."""
text14451;"""She suddenly smiled."""
text14452;"""You're not afraid at all."""
text14453;"""What would I be afraid of?"""
text14454;"""The two of us are here alone, Japanese intelligence is already looking for me, and after what I've just found out…"""
text14455;"""Nikolai, watch yourself."""
text14456;"""Catherine's mother smirked with contempt."""
text14457;"""She might've been a woman, but Michael had been quite successful in giving my self image a reality check."""
text14458;"""What if she had a gun…"""
text14459;"""You aren't even denying it anymore!"""
text14460;"""Would it help? You've already decided everything for yourself, what's the point in trying to change your mind?"""
text14461;"""Then I have nothing more to do here!"""
text14462;"""I'm not keeping you."""
text14463;"""When she put it that way, I actually felt no desire to leave."""
text14464;"""Because beyond the front door lay the unknown, and in this living room were only sins of the past that could no longer be changed."""
text14465;"""Mrs Winters, don't you think that you owe me at least something after everything that's happened?"""
text14466;"""If you hadn't taken Catherine away that time, by now you could've been a grandmother."""
text14467;"""We had barely discussed Catherine's pregnancy — it was hard for me to talk about it, and as for her mother…"""
text14468;"""Oh gosh, now wouldn't that be just wonderful!"""
text14469;"""So you don't care that she lost the child?"""
text14470;"""Nikolai, what's the point in discussing this right now?"""
text14471;"""Do you really think not talking about the problem will solve it?"""
text14472;"""I don't have any problems."""
text14473;"""Apart from Catherine's disappearance, your conflict with Ito, and however many other things that exist but I don't know about."""
text14474;"""I grinned maliciously."""
text14475;"""I thought you were about to leave, Nikolai."""
text14476;"""Are you kicking me out?"""
text14477;"""Apparently I struck a nerve."""
text14478;"""You kicked yourself out when you let Ito's girl in!"""
text14479;"""Okay, and what next?"""
text14480;"""I don't know what you're going to do next. It's none of my concern anymore. Not that it ever was."""
text14481;"""I can't go back home, can I?"""
text14482;"""I think Ito needs you alive. But not necessarily sound."""
text14483;"""Thank for the encouragement."""
text14484;"""Honestly, it seemed like I had gone too far, and it would've been safer to stay here."""
text14485;"""Are you going to show me the door just for telling the truth?"""
text14486;"""How fortunate that I don't need to explain my decisions to you."""
text14487;"""It didn't look like there was much I could do — angering Sheryl Winters wasn't the best idea."""
text14488;"""Well then, goodbye."""
text14489;"""I said and walked out of the apartment."""
text14490;"""…"""
text14491;"""So, now every bridge had been burned and I had no way back."""
text14492;"""However, I wasn't at all blaming myself for what I'd done — Catherine's mother wasn't particularly eager to tell me the truth anyway."""
text14493;"""And would keep looking for Katya even without me."""
text14494;"""I wouldn't be able to help anyway."""
text14495;"""But just sitting in the dark and hoping for others to do something was unbearable."""
text14496;"""Besides, I had nowhere else to go!"""
text14497;"""I called Michael from a telephone box."""
text14498;"""This time, he picked up."""
text14499;"""Hello?"""
text14500;"""The line could be tapped, so I was trying to be careful."""
text14501;"""It's me. Everything went to hell! I can't go home…"""
text14502;"""Okay. Tonight, at ten. Come to the place where you used to meet with Catherine."""
text14503;"""Extremely fortunate of him to remember that. <w>And very good I'd told him about it that time."""
text14504;"""Understood."""
text14505;"""I hung up and ran away from the telephone box as quickly as possible, as if the five seconds our conversation lasted for were enough for the Japanese to locate me."""
text14506;"""…"""
text14507;"""There was still too much time left until ten, and it seemed to drag on terribly slowly."""
text14508;"""It felt as if I'd walked half of Tokyo, and the minute hand was yet to go a full circle once."""
text14509;"""It was surprising how quickly my friends became foes and then friends again."""
text14510;"""Himitsu, Michael, even Sheryl Winters."""
text14511;"""I was stumbling from one person and to another, looking for help, support, or at least understanding."""
text14512;"""Did I really not care about <i>who</i> exactly they were, as long as they were telling me what I wanted to hear?"""
text14513;"""Are there principles more important than life?"""
text14514;"""I could be mad at Michael or Mrs Winters as much as I wanted, but if they could help me…"""
text14515;"""But I still let Himitsu in and heard her out — and this got me into a conflict with Catherine's mother."""
text14516;"""So, was my connection with Himitsu stronger than my concern for Katya?"""
text14517;"""I knew perfectly well how it could end!"""
text14518;"""The first day of October in Tokyo turned out to be surprisingly autumn-like — not very cold, but cloudy and damp."""
text14519;"""The air was filled with that particular aroma of wet leaves that can only be felt for a couple of weeks of the year."""
text14520;"""Soon, the rains would wash away the remaining smells of summer, the night frost would take away the remaining warmth of the earth, and the autumn of Pushkin would give place to the one of Tyutchev."""
text14521;"""I spent a good hour hiding behind a tree, having chosen a spot with a good view on the footpath."""
text14522;"""These precautions were probably excessive, but I'd better be safe than sorry."""
text14523;"""At ten and change, I saw a lonely silhouette in the dim light of the lanterns — it was Michael."""
text14524;"""He was walking slowly, as if on his evening walk."""
text14525;"""You got a tail?"""
text14526;"""When he came closer, I stepped out from behind the tree."""
text14527;"""Michael jumped."""
text14528;"""Don't think so."""
text14529;"""You don't think so, or you don't have it?"""
text14530;"""I don't work for the CIA so I can't be exactly sure."""
text14531;"""Well, some do…"""
text14532;"""I briefly told him about Catherine's mother, her real job, and the things that had happened today and yesterday."""
text14533;"""You didn't know?"""
text14534;"""No."""
text14535;"""Michael didn't respond immediately, but didn't look particularly surprised either."""
text14536;"""And how's it going with Ellie?"""
text14537;"""Seems like they're finally taking us seriously."""
text14538;"""That <i>\""us\""</i> was so grating that I unconsciously winced, like I'd bitten into a lemon."""
text14539;"""There was something in it like the disgusting little desire to be a part of something bigger than you are."""
text14540;"""Like how a petty thief feels invincible once he's in a gang."""
text14541;"""Really?"""
text14542;"""I got a reply from Kobayashi Jun. He asked for some time to think it through."""
text14543;"""Well isn't that nice and dandy…"""
text14544;"""But that's not the most important part!"""
text14545;"""He suddenly smiled and started talking quickly, stumbling over his words, as if telling me about winning a lottery."""
text14546;"""I found out where they keep Catherine! And we're going to save her!"""
text14547;"""He hoisted a big black handbag I hadn't noticed before over his shoulder."""
text14548;"""Hold on a second!"""
text14549;"""I waved my hands."""
text14550;"""How could you manage to learn where she is just so easily?"""
text14551;"""Nobody said it was easy. But my father also has some leverage!"""
text14552;"""Events I didn't understand kept happening around me."""
text14553;"""Moreover, I was finding it hard to believe that they were actually, really happening at all."""
text14554;"""I thought he was going to blackmail Kobayashi to do whatever it was that he wanted to do. Why would he need Catherine?"""
text14555;"""Well, let's say our interests aligned."""
text14556;"""\""This shit won't end well\"" — was what my mind was telling me."""
text14557;"""But my mental breaks had long since been cut and I was rushing down a slope hoping there wasn't a cliff behind the next bend in the road."""
text14558;"""How very convenient. Alright, I'm all ears."""
text14559;"""Catherine was kept in an abandoned warehouse on the edge of town."""
text14560;"""According to Michael's info, she wasn't heavily guarded, because no one expected guests."""
text14561;"""In the bag there were two black turtlenecks, balaclavas, a crowbar, flashlights, a coil of rope (why?), and even a gas gun."""
text14562;"""I mean, I also think that it's better to be prepared for the worst, but a gun…"""
text14563;"""Mike, what the fuck, how?!"""
text14564;"""Dad keeps it in his desk just in case."""
text14565;"""With every second, whatever it was that was happening to me resembled the reality I was used to less and less."""
text14566;"""But it was still a chance to save Catherine, if a reckless one."""
text14567;"""Okay, and what then?"""
text14568;"""We'll hide at my place — the Corporation and Japanese intelligence don't seem to know I'm involved, so it should be safe there for now."""
text14569;"""<i>We</i> — including me?"""
text14570;"""He frowned for a moment.<seq mi_normal>"""
text14571;"""Of course. But I don't want you to get the wrong idea — I'm helping Catherine, not you."""
text14572;"""I'm trying not to get any ideas at this point."""
text14573;"""You seem to have doubts."""
text14574;"""It's strange that you don't! Your aikido or whatever you learned is one thing, but this…"""
text14575;"""Mike, things won't get better for Catherine if they shoot us there!"""
text14576;"""I can go alone, but we have a better chance of success together."""
text14577;"""Zero multiplied by zero is still zero."""
text14578;"""I grumbled and snatched the turtleneck out of his hands."""
text14579;"""It turned out to be too narrow for my shoulders, and at the same time the sleeves were too long."""
text14580;"""…"""
text14581;"""We got to the place by taxi, having spent the entire trip in silence."""
text14582;"""I was staring out the window the entire time, unable to shake off the feeling that I was doing something wrong."""
text14583;"""Meanwhile, Michael was carefully studying the plan of the area printed on a huge sheet of paper that, unfolded, covered the entire back seat."""
text14584;"""Even though rescuing Catherine was the only thing that mattered to me, our plan appeared to be pure madness."""
text14585;"""It was as if I was walking a plank with the tip of a rapier at my back."""
text14586;"""Down in the water were sharks, behind were a hundred frenzied pirates — whatever choice I made, it was the end."""
text14587;"""But in the first case, there was at least a chance that the sharks had already had breakfast…"""
text14588;"""It seemed that there used to be a factory in this part of Tokyo, but then it was abandoned, and in the dark of the night the area resembled a cemetery."""
text14589;"""A huge industrial cemetery of the upcoming post-industrial era."""
text14590;"""Except for us, there didn't seem to be a soul for kilometers around."""
text14591;"""The moon hid behind the clouds, and silence descended upon us — a silence that couldn't be broken by any sound."""
text14592;"""The silence of a thousand year old tomb beneath a Gothic cathedral, the silence of the dead, a centuries-long quiet able to absorb any sound."""
text14593;"""We walked for about a kilometer until Michael stopped and pointed at a large building overgrown with ivy."""
text14594;"""It was as silent and dark inside as it was outside."""
text14595;"""Are you sure?"""
text14596;"""I whispered to him."""
text14597;"""According to the map, yes."""
text14598;"""He tried to unfold the map again, but I stopped him."""
text14599;"""Okay, and how are we going to get in? I'd guess not through the main gate!"""
text14600;"""Besides, it turned out to be locked shut."""
text14601;"""Michael started thinking, while I came closer and squinted, trying to see anything in the pitch-black night."""
text14602;"""Look!"""
text14603;"""In the wall of the building, I noticed a small door."""
text14604;"""Let's give it a try."""
text14605;"""The door could be slid aside on wheels that had long rusted through and made a loud screech at the slightest push."""
text14606;"""Quiet!"""
text14607;"""Michael hissed at me."""
text14608;"""Unless you've brought some grease with you, I see no other options."""
text14609;"""Wait a minute… Help me!"""
text14610;"""He tried to lift the door on one side."""
text14611;"""I understood his idea and grabbed the other one."""
text14612;"""Together we soon managed to move the door to the side and make a narrow opening, which was, however, big enough to make our way in."""
text14613;"""We were standing, panting, and looking at each other, listening to the silence of the abandoned warehouse."""
text14614;"""Even if there's someone here, doesn't seem like they noticed us."""
text14615;"""Michael nodded."""
text14616;"""Or they're just pretending to lure us into a trap…"""
text14617;"""After a few more moments of hesitation, I squeezed myself through the opening."""
text14618;"""…"""
text14619;"""The inside was even darker than the street, and it took some time for my eyes to adjust."""
text14620;"""Using flashlights didn't seem like a sensible idea, but how else would we search for Catherine in this huge space if we couldn't even see what was under our feet?"""
text14621;"""I took a few careful steps forward and stopped, stumbling on a crate."""
text14622;"""Michael was walking behind me, and, once I stopped moving, bumped into me."""
text14623;"""What is it?"""
text14624;"""It's pitch black in here, can't see a thing!"""
text14625;"""So turn on your flashlight."""
text14626;"""<i>Turn on your flashlight</i>…"""
text14627;"""I mocked him."""
text14628;"""So they'd see us?"""
text14629;"""Nick…?"""
text14630;"""I heard a familiar voice, or rather a whisper."""
text14631;"""Nick, is that you?"""
text14632;"""Forgetting all caution, I threw myself in the direction of the voice and found Katya tied to a massive steel beam."""
text14633;"""I'm here, wait…"""
text14634;"""I tried to untie the rope with my hands but failed."""
text14635;"""Take the knife."""
text14636;"""I turned around, looked at Michael in befuddlement, failing to understand what he wanted of me, but still took the swiss knife he handed me."""
text14637;"""When the rope was cut, Catherine fell upon my neck and broke into sobs."""
text14638;"""Nick, I thought I was going to die! I thought they'd kill me…!"""
text14639;"""There, there…"""
text14640;"""I was trying to calm her down, even though I was shaking all over myself."""
text14641;"""Where are <i>they</i>?"""
text14642;"""I don't know… They come and go… Bring food and water once a day."""
text14643;"""Indeed, next to her there were a few small empty water bottles and food wrappers."""
text14644;"""Let's discuss this later. Right now we need to get out of here before <i>they</i> come back."""
text14645;"""It would be stupid to argue."""
text14646;"""Can you stand?"""
text14647;"""I helped Katya stand and held her up when her legs failed."""
text14648;"""No longer much caring for the noise and the light, we got outside and started walking away from the abandoned warehouse as quickly as we could."""
text14649;"""I had only been to Michael's apartment once or twice before, so the relative neatness of his room made a good impression on me. <w>Especially compared to Kyosuke's dwelling."""
text14650;"""The entire way, I kept thinking that coming here wasn't the best idea, but after seeing Catherine's condition, I knew that healing and regrouping mattered most right now."""
text14651;"""Where is your dad?"""
text14652;"""Katya lay down in bed and put a wet towel on her forehead. I sat down next to her, while Michael sat on the chair in front of the computer."""
text14653;"""He's not going to be home for a couple of days."""
text14654;"""That's not an answer."""
text14655;"""He's… handling some work-related issues."""
text14656;"""Michael glanced at Catherine, hinting that I shouldn't talk about it in her presence."""
text14657;"""I didn't understand why but decided to let it go…"""
text14658;"""Do you feel better?"""
text14659;"""I asked."""
text14660;"""On the way here, Katya was constantly in a half faint, and the driver even refused to take us at first, so Michael had to pay him double."""
text14661;"""It's your goddamn Japan! I wish I'd never see it again!"""
text14662;"""I remembered her mother's words, that Catherine was the one who wanted to come back, and smiled."""
text14663;"""Do you know who kidnapped you?"""
text14664;"""You won't believe it, but they were Japanese!"""
text14665;"""But who exactly — Kobayashi Corporation or Japanese intelligence?"""
text14666;"""They didn't introduce themselves."""
text14667;"""She scoffed."""
text14668;"""I was just coming back home, and right at the entrance to the house somebody put a bag over my head and stuffed me into a car…"""
text14669;"""Catherine shuddered."""
text14670;"""What do they want from me?"""
text14671;"""Not from you — from your mother. I spent the last few days enjoying her company and learned a lot of new things."""
text14672;"""Not that much, to be honest, but enough…"""
text14673;"""Mom… Is she alright?"""
text14674;"""More than alright, I'd say. Even too alright for the situation."""
text14675;"""Nick, you don't think that…"""
text14676;"""Of course I don't!"""
text14677;"""I carefully took her by the hand and managed to catch Michael's annoyed glance."""
text14678;"""There was a lot about him that was making me worry…"""
text14679;"""Well, what exactly did he expect?!"""
text14680;"""But I'm not going to pretend that I understand her."""
text14681;"""Of course, the documents Himitsu had brought changed my opinion about Mrs Winters but this wasn't the time to talk about it."""
text14682;"""In any case, mom will help us!"""
text14683;"""I'd like to think so… Except I wouldn't say we parted ways on friendly terms today."""
text14684;"""Besides, Ito is waiting for me at home… I didn't want to dump it all at you at once…"""
text14685;"""Ito. And Himitsu. Why am I not surprised?"""
text14686;"""Catherine suddenly smirked."""
text14687;"""Well, Himitsu didn't do anything wrong this time. We can even thank her for…"""
text14688;"""I caught myself."""
text14689;"""I mean, Ito has been spying on me for a while anyway…"""
text14690;"""So what are we going to do?"""
text14691;"""Katya gripped my hand tighter."""
text14692;"""I was about to answer, but Michael didn't let me:"""
text14693;"""It would be safer for you two to stay here for the night, and tomorrow I will have to meet my man and hear Kobayashi's response."""
text14694;"""Catherine looked at me, puzzled."""
text14695;"""Michael is working on a clever plan to influence Kobayashi Corporation, you see…"""
text14696;"""I smiled dumbly."""
text14697;"""I am very grateful to you, too."""
text14698;"""Catherine slightly pushed herself up and turned her head towards Michael,<seq ca_head1center> but immediately gasped and fell back onto the pillow."""
text14699;"""You're welcome."""
text14700;"""He replied in a cold and even irritated tone, as if he was accepting a thank you for fulfilling a difficult obligation."""
text14701;"""To be honest, I can't say I expected it. We don't know each other at all…"""
text14702;"""Now it was my turn to clench her hand."""
text14703;"""We only managed to save you thanks to Michael!"""
text14704;"""My unnaturally enthusiastic tone sounded fake."""
text14705;"""It's lucky you figured out where they were keeping me…"""
text14706;"""I couldn't hear any skepticism in Catherine's voice, but I doubted that meant she completely trusted Michael."""
text14707;"""You need to rest, let's talk tomorrow."""
text14708;"""She removed the towel for a second, looked at me, but didn't argue."""
text14709;"""Okay. But please, don't go anywhere."""
text14710;"""I cast a quick glance at Michael and smiled apologetically."""
text14711;"""He sighed and walked out of the room, saying:"""
text14712;"""You two should sleep."""
text14713;"""You don't trust him?"""
text14714;"""I asked Katya when we were left alone."""
text14715;"""I don't know. Call it intuition, but it seems that he is pursuing his own goals."""
text14716;"""I think so too… At least, romantic goals."""
text14717;"""Are you jealous?"""
text14718;"""You bet!"""
text14719;"""I leaned over and kissed her, but Catherine immediately let out a groan."""
text14720;"""Ohh, don't! My head is splitting!"""
text14721;"""Sorry…"""
text14722;"""What do we do next?"""
text14723;"""Michael has photos… of Kobayashi Jun's granddaughter, he's the head of Kobayashi Corporation. Photos of her buying drugs."""
text14724;"""He was trying to use them to make these people let you go."""
text14725;"""But why is he helping us?"""
text14726;"""Good question…"""
text14727;"""Although I would phrase that differently: why wasn't he taking all the credit? <w>Why was I here?"""
text14728;"""However, right now Catherine needed to rest."""
text14729;"""I'll sleep… I don't know, on the floor."""
text14730;"""Just lie next to me."""
text14731;"""She tried to lightly pull me to her."""
text14732;"""I have serious doubts that this fuckpad would fit two people."""
text14733;"""Wanna test that?"""
text14734;"""Katya asked me playfully."""
text14735;"""I thought you had a headache…"""
text14736;"""Oxytocin is a well-known painkiller."""
text14737;"""Oxy… what? How do you know this shit?"""
text14738;"""What if I want to go to medical school?"""
text14739;"""Do you?"""
text14740;"""What if?"""
text14741;"""I kissed her again, and this time Katya reciprocated."""
text14742;"""You know, when mom said that she had to go to Japan again, I could've stayed with my grandma in the US…"""
text14743;"""I know…"""
text14744;"""I blurted out without thinking."""
text14745;"""How?"""
text14746;"""Catherine suddenly pushed me away."""
text14747;"""Well… Your mom told me."""
text14748;"""Interesting. Doesn't sound like her."""
text14749;"""What if she suddenly started believing in our love?"""
text14750;"""Uh huh, sure."""
text14751;"""She smirked."""
text14752;"""About your mom…"""
text14753;"""Since we'd become so open with each other, I decided not to postpone this difficult conversation."""
text14754;"""Although I don't understand why she was so seemingly passive after you were kidnapped, that isn't a crime in itself…"""
text14755;"""But I have also found out that she may, possibly, have had something to do with my parents' death."""
text14756;"""How did you find that out?"""
text14757;"""Let's say I saw some evidence."""
text14758;"""What evidence?"""
text14759;"""Sufficient evidence, Katya! I doubt the CIA has an official form that you need to fill in and sign to kill a person."""
text14760;"""I agree that my mom is no saint, but…"""
text14761;"""Suddenly, she went silent and turned to the wall."""
text14762;"""I don't even know who to believe anymore."""
text14763;"""When they caught me, I thought I'd die!"""
text14764;"""In that warehouse… How much time has passed?"""
text14765;"""Around a week, I think."""
text14766;"""It felt like a lifetime to me!"""
text14767;"""When you don't know what will happen to you the next minute…"""
text14768;"""Catherine started to cry. <w>I lay next to her and hugged her."""
text14769;"""You said a week. Do you think that's enough to lose your mind?"""
text14770;"""I didn't know what to say."""
text14771;"""It's probably enough to look back and see the mistakes you've made."""
text14772;"""This isn't your fault…"""
text14773;"""No, it is. At least my indecisiveness and cowardice are!"""
text14774;"""I'm just pretending to be all responsible and mature, but at the most important moment I got cold feet and let my mom decide everything for me…"""
text14775;"""Katya, if this is about the pregnancy again, I'm not blaming you for anything!"""
text14776;"""But I am blaming myself! I felt ashamed, understand?! I returned to Japan and saw no hatred in your eyes."""
text14777;"""You just didn't know anything because you never read that letter, but I sunk so deep into self-loathing that I couldn't react sensibly."""
text14778;"""See, I returned to walk upon the gallows and accept my just punishment — but the executioner happened to be on holiday."""
text14779;"""I wasn't prepared to keep living with that sense of guilt, I was desperately waiting for the day when you would just spit in my face and say that you don't want to know me anymore…"""
text14780;"""I would never…"""
text14781;"""And then, when I found myself so close to death, tied up, alone, I suddenly wanted to live so badly!"""
text14782;"""Has everything I've done really earned me a second chance…?"""
text14783;"""Of course!"""
text14784;"""I hugged her so tightly that Catherine let out a moan."""
text14785;"""Don't… I'm so dirty — I haven't taken a shower in forever!"""
text14786;"""I don't care!"""
text14787;"""Nick, if we could start everything over again and just forget the last two years…"""
text14788;"""Like we'd met each other yesterday. You'd make lame jokes and I would pretend I'm not interested at all."""
text14789;"""But can we… Do I deserve forgiveness?"""
text14790;"""But we don't need to forget! We can just leave the past behind and move forward, and in ten years we'll look back and laugh at how silly we were!"""
text14791;"""Ten years… Nick, are you sure?"""
text14792;"""I've never been so sure about anything in my life!"""
text14793;"""My hands were long living their own life and unfastened a few buttons of her blouse."""
text14794;"""Won't Michael mind?"""
text14795;"""Screw him!"""
text14796;"""…"""
text14797;"""Catherine fell asleep and almost stopped breathing."""
text14798;"""I put my ear against her chest and only then heard the gentle beat of her heart."""
text14799;"""The bed was indeed too small for two, and I had to push myself against the wall, so that Katya would have enough space to sleep comfortably."""
text14800;"""Deep inside I had wanted to believe that we would be together again, but even in the most foolish dream I couldn't have hoped for such a degree of openness and intimacy."""
text14801;"""This day brought our relationship to a level where, it seemed, nothing could ever stand in the way of our love."""