Steel Rain Read Online Free
but she gives it great reverence.
The Chairman gazes at her sternly. The weight of his responsibilities shows clearly in the deep-etched lines of his face. The force of will that brought together the three main clans comprising the Nagato Combine burns fiercely in his eyes. "Machiko-san," he says in a tone both grim and momentous. "I now have the preliminary report of the Nagato Security Directorate. You must know that Mitsuharu-san and Jiksumi-san did not survive these despicable attacks. Sukayo-san's condition is very grave. For the immediate future, you, Machiko-san, must be prepared to act as senior member of the Guard."
"Yes, Honjowara -sama ." Machiko swallows. Breathes. Nearly puts the Tachi Monarch into the trees standing just beyond the exit lane of the SDF checkpoint. "I am prepared." Again, the Chairman watches her. This, the man who rose to control of the Honjowara-gumi by the age of eighteen, who founded Nagato Corporation and extended its holdings throughout North America, into Asia, Europe, the Middle East, who alone condemned anti-metahuman sentiment and brought his New Way to the clans. This man pauses to watch her, evaluating her reaction, perhaps seeing so deeply that he scrutinizes her spirit. Then he says, "Machiko-san. I know that Sukayo-san would give the Guard willingly into your hands. Do not doubt your ability. You are ready."
"Yes, Honjowara -sama . Thank you."
The telecom link ends. Machiko feels her pulse racing, her back and hips are drenched in sweat.
Command of the Guard.
Till this moment, it had not seemed real.
By Buddha's mercy ... let her be ready.
4
The broad lane leading to the Chairman's estate is lined by the private vehicles of GSG, Nagato security cars, and armored shock vans. The lane ends at a cul-de-sac. A wall of reinforced stone rims the broad circle, rising high to embrace the gateway at the rear of the cul-de-sac. An MVN-17 armored personnel carrier with turret-mounted hard points sits squarely before the gates. More troopers in body armor wait beside the carrier. Lights atop the walls fill the circle with daylight; gun ports in the walls stand open. Armored drones and Yellowjacket light-attack helos buzz and thump, sweeping by overhead.
The manicured parklands flanking the approach lane are full of troopers, some accompanied by paranatural hounds.
Machiko slows the Tachi Monarch to a quick halt just short of the cul-de-sac, pulls the car onto the grass beside the lane, and parks. The sight of the vehicles, the armed and armored personnel, gives her pause. She has played a part in many alerts, both for real and for purposes of training. This time is different. This time the responsibility is uniquely her own. She is the one who declared the alert. Was she right to do that? Would Sukayo-san have initiated Rapier Wind? the highest level of alert? The enormity of the forces she has called into action brings her a twinge of anxious uncertainty.
But she remembers one essential fact. That was no gutter punk who attacked her. An assassin so lavishly augmented as the one who attacked her would not come cheaply. And no unprincipled "samurai" of the streets murdered two GSG and brought a third, the most senior, Sukayo-san, near to death. Assassins so highly skilled and so fortunate as to succeed where others have failed could only be purchased by those with serious resources, dire motivations, objectives that must be identified and plans that must be neutralized.
No . . . she must dispense with uncertainty. There is a threat in the events of this night. A threat that must be answered. A threat that goes beyond the attempted assassinations of the senior five members of the Guard.
A threat against the Chairman, perhaps all Nagato holdings. And therefore against all that she values, all that has ever had meaning, and all that she serves.
What must she do? Is Rapier Wind enough? Or does duty demand she go further? Machiko is unsure. The express purpose of the Guard is to defend
The Chairman gazes at her sternly. The weight of his responsibilities shows clearly in the deep-etched lines of his face. The force of will that brought together the three main clans comprising the Nagato Combine burns fiercely in his eyes. "Machiko-san," he says in a tone both grim and momentous. "I now have the preliminary report of the Nagato Security Directorate. You must know that Mitsuharu-san and Jiksumi-san did not survive these despicable attacks. Sukayo-san's condition is very grave. For the immediate future, you, Machiko-san, must be prepared to act as senior member of the Guard."
"Yes, Honjowara -sama ." Machiko swallows. Breathes. Nearly puts the Tachi Monarch into the trees standing just beyond the exit lane of the SDF checkpoint. "I am prepared." Again, the Chairman watches her. This, the man who rose to control of the Honjowara-gumi by the age of eighteen, who founded Nagato Corporation and extended its holdings throughout North America, into Asia, Europe, the Middle East, who alone condemned anti-metahuman sentiment and brought his New Way to the clans. This man pauses to watch her, evaluating her reaction, perhaps seeing so deeply that he scrutinizes her spirit. Then he says, "Machiko-san. I know that Sukayo-san would give the Guard willingly into your hands. Do not doubt your ability. You are ready."
"Yes, Honjowara -sama . Thank you."
The telecom link ends. Machiko feels her pulse racing, her back and hips are drenched in sweat.
Command of the Guard.
Till this moment, it had not seemed real.
By Buddha's mercy ... let her be ready.
4
The broad lane leading to the Chairman's estate is lined by the private vehicles of GSG, Nagato security cars, and armored shock vans. The lane ends at a cul-de-sac. A wall of reinforced stone rims the broad circle, rising high to embrace the gateway at the rear of the cul-de-sac. An MVN-17 armored personnel carrier with turret-mounted hard points sits squarely before the gates. More troopers in body armor wait beside the carrier. Lights atop the walls fill the circle with daylight; gun ports in the walls stand open. Armored drones and Yellowjacket light-attack helos buzz and thump, sweeping by overhead.
The manicured parklands flanking the approach lane are full of troopers, some accompanied by paranatural hounds.
Machiko slows the Tachi Monarch to a quick halt just short of the cul-de-sac, pulls the car onto the grass beside the lane, and parks. The sight of the vehicles, the armed and armored personnel, gives her pause. She has played a part in many alerts, both for real and for purposes of training. This time is different. This time the responsibility is uniquely her own. She is the one who declared the alert. Was she right to do that? Would Sukayo-san have initiated Rapier Wind? the highest level of alert? The enormity of the forces she has called into action brings her a twinge of anxious uncertainty.
But she remembers one essential fact. That was no gutter punk who attacked her. An assassin so lavishly augmented as the one who attacked her would not come cheaply. And no unprincipled "samurai" of the streets murdered two GSG and brought a third, the most senior, Sukayo-san, near to death. Assassins so highly skilled and so fortunate as to succeed where others have failed could only be purchased by those with serious resources, dire motivations, objectives that must be identified and plans that must be neutralized.
No . . . she must dispense with uncertainty. There is a threat in the events of this night. A threat that must be answered. A threat that goes beyond the attempted assassinations of the senior five members of the Guard.
A threat against the Chairman, perhaps all Nagato holdings. And therefore against all that she values, all that has ever had meaning, and all that she serves.
What must she do? Is Rapier Wind enough? Or does duty demand she go further? Machiko is unsure. The express purpose of the Guard is to defend
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