Polynya

He stands there admiring it for a good ten minutes until he naturally focuses in on his reflection. Kodai runs his hand through his short black hair, fixes the crease of his collar, and turns away from the glass.

His thoughts shift to his younger brother at the very moment Tamana betrayed his shitty little guild. A natural smile forms on Kodai’s face. It feels good to be in control again, it feels good to remind Ryuk where he stands in the pecking order.

A message from Gorira flashes on his iNet screen.

Gorira: She’s here.

Kodai: Send her up.

“Live feed.” The cameras in the lobby of the apartment complex play out on his retinae.

He purposefully doesn’t zoom in when he sees his new humandroid, hoping to save the close up for when she is standing directly before him. However, through the feed he can tell that she is just under two meters tall, lean, with short black hair pulled into two tight ponytails at the back of her head.

He moves to his coat rack to put on his suit jacket. Kodai checks his tie, makes sure the knot is pulled all the way up, and smooths his hands over the front of his shirt.

A video feed on his iNet screen alerts him that she is now in front of his door.

With a simple thought, the door clicks open, and the thin humandroid enters into his apartment.

She has western features with eastern European cheekbones and dark green eyes. She’s in a tight black bodysuit with the word SECURE in offset gunmetal gray on her sleeve and a slim-line pair of minimal combat boots.

She bows deeply. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Kodai Matsuzaki,” she says in flawless Japanese.

“Your name?”

She smiles at him and his heart flutters. “You can name me whatever you’d like, or you can call me by the name used during my training.”

“Which was?”

“Tesla.”

“After the aeros company?”

“My handler was fond of a Model T from the 2020s that he restored.” She takes a deep breath and steadies her gaze on him.

“Before we go any further, I’d like to test what you can do. Then I have some business to attend to in a Proxima world.”

“Tritania?”

Kodai takes a step back and regains his composure. “How did you know?”

“I was briefed on your recent interests by MercSecure.”

“I see. One moment, please.”

Kodai: Who is on the way out?

Gorira: Of our own men?

Kodai: Yes, best to start there.

Gorira: Yugio. He’s been late twice in the past three months.

Kodai: Bring him up. If he asks any questions, tell him you are escorting the droid back down.

“You are sending someone?” Tesla stands perfectly still, poised on her heels with an undecipherable look on her face. The more Kodai stares at her, the more he can’t tell what ethnicity she was modeled after. While earlier she looked western, she now looks Central Asian with her cheekbones and the cold look on her face.

She is, without a doubt, a most incredible work of art.

He’s startled when Gorira knocks twice and lets himself in. Gorira is joined by Yugio, a thin but muscled thug in a freshly pressed suit. His hair is slicked to one side, shaved on the other. Like the humandroid, the look on Yugio’s face is indecipherable.

Kodai approaches Yugio. “May I have your weapon?”

Yugio double-checks the safety is on and hands his weapon to Kodai, who then clicks the safety off and points the gun at Gorira.

“Give your gun to Yugio,” Kodai instructs his biggest thug.

If Gorira is surprised or scared, his visage doesn’t give it away. Kodai keeps the gun trained on him as the big man hands his firearm to Yugio.

“Good,” Kodai says, “now take off your jacket and kill her.”

“Hai.” Gorira removes his jacket, places it on the coat rack, and rolls up his sleeves. He looks to his shoes.

“You can keep them on,” Kodai says.

Gorira approaches and once he’s just outside of striking range, he lifts his brick-sized fists. He pauses, moves his fist back to his side, and bows. Tesla does the same and as she comes up, her eyes dilate and return back to their normal dark green color. She lifts her much smaller fists as well, and ever-so-slightly shifts one foot behind the other.

Gorira swings, and having seen Gorira kill a man with a punch to the face, Kodai knows just how powerful and fast the big man can swing.

Seconds later, he’s doubled over, trying to move away from the humandroid, who has avoided his swing by meeting it with a very precise knee to the gut.

The big man staggers back, sucks in a big gulp of air, and charges forward. Tesla levels him with a fist to the face. Gorira hits the ground hard enough to shake the floor. Blood dribbles out of his lips as he tries to lift himself.

“Finish him,” Kodai tells his new humandroid, his eyes narrowing on the blood that has started to pool on his floor.

With the speed of a striking cobra, Tesla steps slightly in front of Gorira, lifts her foot, and brings the back of her heel down on the big man’s neck, cracking his chin against the ground and killing him instantly.

“Good.” Kodai turns to Yugio. “Get two of the others and get this body out of my home. Also, don’t be late again.”