Polynya

Harajuku. Ryuk wishes he could simply step out of his apartment, take the subway, and arrive at Harajuku Station. What a day that would be! He’d have some coffee, walk the back alleys that lead to Omotesando, have some okonomiyaki at Sakuratei, head to Yoyogi Park, and hell, walk a mile south to Shibuya and take in all the sights and sounds.

But for someone like him, someone that can barely get out of the house without security – and for what? Why all the security, especially as of late? – the best Ryuk can do is park his ass in his bed and log in.

Some life, he thinks bitterly.

Hajime finally speaks up as the Uberyota lands. “I will assume that the meeting went poorly.” He clears his throat, a very human gesture for an android that has no reason to do such an act.

“I hate them both.”

“Hate? What did they say that made you hate them?”

“She threatened to take you away if I don’t enroll in university.” Ryuk swallows hard. “She threatened to take you!”

Hajime considers this for a moment. As he does so, the vehicle informs them that they are now clear to exit the cabin. “Well, is university that hard?”

“It’s not that; it’s that I’m not interested in going there, it’s not me, it’s not who I am. I told you what I want to do.”

“What if you enroll and don’t go to any classes and fail? What would happen then?”

“She didn’t say.”

“Did she say what you needed to study?”

“She didn’t, but I assume it’s business, like before.”

“We’ll continue this discussion in a moment.” Hajime exits the vehicle. Once he’s checked the surroundings, he opens the door for Ryuk. They both ignore the thugs in the lobby as they make their way up to the top floor.

“If I were you, I’d enroll,” says Hajime, “and this isn’t about job security for me. To me, higher education is something that I can get in an instant, yet a human takes years to fully appreciate and comprehend. That said, if it weren’t for those years of comprehension, and the subsequent writings that came from them, I wouldn’t be able to enlighten myself as quickly as I’m able to. It’s important that you go. There’s a reason to get smarter and you are looking at one of the many reasons.”

Ryuk shakes his head. He’s not in the mood for riddles, or double entendres, if that is indeed what Hajime is hinting at.

“Anyway, we can discuss this later. My guess is you are interested in logging in. Before you do so, are you hungry?”

“Not in the least bit,” Ryuk says.

“Good, eat anyway.” Hajime’s eyes flash black. “It’ll make you feel better.”

They enter the apartment, Ryuk slips into his house shoes, and after he’s done so, he immediately moves to the kitchen, where he toasts himself a piece of bread with a slice of cheese on top. “I forgot to ask you … ”

“What’s that?” Hajime’s eyes dilate and return to their normal color.

“What happened between you and Kodai’s humandroid?” The toaster oven dings and Ryuk slides the bread out onto a plate.

If the look on Hajime’s face is generally indecipherable, it becomes more so after Ryuk asks his question.

“What is it?” Ryuk asks as he chews the toast.

“Her name is Tesla and I believe that your little conundrum with university enrollment may be solved by her.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it is clear that your brother has hired her to see to it that I am eliminated.” Hajime says this in a calm way, a way that is totally at odds with the implications of the statement. “So you may not have to choose between university and me.”

“She can’t … ” Ryuk shakes his head. “She can’t take you out. You’re the best humandroid there is!”

Hajime’s face softens. “There is no way for you to actually know that.”

“You’re the most enlightened one I’ve ever met.”

“I was designed by the creator of humandroids, Richard Hewman. The others are replicas of me, but many, especially newer models, have been highly tweaked. She is faster than me, deadlier, and stronger.”

“She can’t be stronger.”

“Yes, she can be.” Hajime takes a seat at the table. “But don’t worry about that for now. If she comes for me, I will meet her with extreme force. If she attempts to disable me permanently, I will make sure that it is the last thing she does.”

Ryuk swallows hard. “Did … did you two say anything to each other?”

“Not verbally, but there are other ways to communicate, especially for my kind.”

(0)__(0)

When in doubt, escape.

Ryuk’s avatar takes shape at the entrance to a large cave. Hiccup is reclining on a lawn chair, which could have only come from FeeTwix’s list. Across his chest is a copy of House of Holes, and two empty healing potions aren’t far away.

Across from him, Zaena talks with Enway, while FeeTwix stands near them, petting Wolf. The pony-sized beast has taken a liking to FeeTwix, evident in the way he wags his tail.

As if on cue, Hiccup lets out a low rumble from his nether-cheeks that forces him awake. “Shit!” he says, looking around angrily. “Keep the racket down, Marbles.”

“I didn’t make any noise. It was you,” he says sternly, “you woke yourself up, again.”