Whether or not Jisoo wanted to accept it, she had to at the very least be civil with her cousin from across the sea. Satsuki was not only a higher ranked official within the organization with powers that overrode operations specialists, she was also charged with the approval of Jisoo’s marriage. By extension that meant she would be the one to determine if Eren was allowed to be anything more than a glorified concubine.
Since the apparent return of Chen Keqing, Jisoo had been forced to spend most of her time away from Eren to deal with the threat. That meant it fell on Eren’s shoulders to form an amicable relationship with the internal investigator. When he was first interviewed for his position in Eureka, he and Jisoo had spent several days together beforehand practicing questions she expected he would be asked. That had been a very stressful process since Jisoo’s experience with careers came from her time with the corporate side of her family’s company which was extremely selective with their potential candidates. Moreover Eren had practically no experience with job interviews.
Fortunately, Maddie took a much more casual approach and was not even dressed in business casual in the interview. She had even been in the middle of cooking something. At the time it seemed as though all that preparation had been wasted, although now that Eren sat at a dinner table across from the immaculately professional Nishidate Satsuki, he was grateful to have some experience.
Between bites of food Satsuki remained silent, although her dark eyes never once looked away from Eren. Each piece of sushi she skillfully plucked from the plate in front of her was approximately the same size as he was. He could imagine how effortless it would be for Satsuki to reach across the table, squeeze him between her chopsticks and pop him into her mouth if he made any small mistakes. She certainly seemed like the kind of person who would do that sort of thing.
No. Remain calm and don’t let her intimidate you. Eren could hear his fiancé’s voice say in his mind. He maintained steady eye contact and appeared relaxed while their now empty plates were taken away by a waitress in the expensive restaurant.
To his great surprise she had readily agreed to meet him for a casual lunch. Eren hoped to make their relationship less antagonistic, however expected that Satsuki would make it a difficult process. Fortunately the young woman had been extremely cordial and even suggested the restaurant. Apparently she was not particularly fond of the local dishes and preferred to eat at exclusively Japanese establishments while she was in Beijing.
Satsuki swallowed a speck-sized piece of sashimi then washed it down with some water. “You never answered my question from dinner a few nights ago.” She recalled and broke the heavy silence that still lingered between them. “What was your first reaction when you learned that our family was responsible for The Diminution?” She inquired and clasped her fingers together.
Eren did not answer immediately. He took a few precious seconds to consider an answer and where he expected the conversation would go, then replied. “I was in disbelief. I thought the true cause of The Diminution would remain a mystery forever.”
“A fair answer.” Satsuki mused and nodded. “Now that you understand the truth, I wonder if you believe The Diminution was justified or not.” She pondered.
That depends. What answer do you want to hear come out of my mouth? Eren set his chopsticks down while he quickly thought of an appropriate response. From the corner of his peripheral vision he ensured that the waitress who attended to their table was not in earshot.
“I do not believe there was a more ethical solution to the global issue that the Fang Sisters were presented with.” He proclaimed.
“Even if their solution indirectly led to the death of your parents?” Satsuki pressed and raised her brow. Somehow Eren managed to keep his composure as she continued. “If The Diminution never happened then your parents would never have been born as specks. It stands to reason that they never would have died in such a horrific way if they were like everybody else.” She suggested.
She did her research about me as well.
Eren had considered that when Jisoo first told him the truth behind the world’s greatest mystery. His parents never would have died if they had not been born as specks, however they were so far removed from the original outbreak that it hardly mattered. “Perhaps. Although it would be unjust to blame either of the Fang Sisters for that, they could not have foreseen how cruel humans would be.” He said.
Satsuki rolled her eyes at the clearly practiced response. “That is what so many of my cousins say when we consider the moral dilemma of The Diminution.” She dismissed curtly. “We say there was no way Daiyu or Baochai could have foreseen that specks would be mistreated, yet in the same breath we praise their foresight to have created the xírâng and render our own bloodline immune as a precaution. Clearly they anticipated that normal people would have more power.”
“That is… also a very fair point.” This time Eren agreed with Satsuki in earnest. It was strange since it contradicted much of what he had learned from Grace and Jisoo, and did not sound like something a member of the Amrita Corporation would ever say.
What is she getting at? Eren thought with a perplexed frown. “So you believe that the Fang Sisters knew what would happen to those that shrunk?”
“Absolutely. It was a conscious decision.” She replied and cocked her head to the side. “You and Jisoo first met when she saved you from people who intended to kill you because you are a speck, correct?”
“She did.” Eren replied with a nod.
“People despise specks due to propaganda peddled by interest groups or politicians who profit from a group to scapegoat and dehumanize.” Satsuki explained. “Do you believe the Amrita Corporation is different? Do you consider our clan righteous arbiters of justice who exterminate unworthy degenerates like the ones who attempted to kill you?” She asked.
Eren was taken aback by the inquiry. When he had first prepared for their lunch together he expected that Satsuki would ask him a few questions about his career or education, then interrogate him about his utter loyalty to the family he was to marry into. Instead she seemed to ramble on in the opposite direction. Everything she said seemed contrary to what he was supposed to say to her.
Was this all a trick to determine if he would debate with her and insist that everything the Amrita Corporation did was perfect? Or did she want to see if he had a backbone and would show some semblance of independent thought?
Just answer honestly this time. Eren grimaced. “I think it’s very complicated. On one hand I am eternally grateful to Jisoo and Grace. I believe what they did to the people who intended to harm me was entirely justified~.”
“And what of the others?”
“I… Pardon?” Eren could not help but stammer this time when confronted by that last remark. He was confused as to what Satsuki meant by ‘others’.
Satsuki took a break from the conversation to finish the rest of her glass of water. Her expression was still neutral despite her otherwise argumentative tone. “Jisoo exterminated numerous people while she was in Norwich.” She informed him. “I imagine you won’t shed a tear over the girls who tried to kill you. However, what of the bartender from that night who didn’t say anything when those girls tried to kill you? Do you believe that she deserved to die as well?”
Jisoo killed that bartender? When?! Eren thought in shock. “I-I suppose that since she facilitated the assault on my life, it was justified.”
“I suppose that is also true. However, what about the other employee that night who saw Jisoo kill the bartender the next morning? She was collateral. Did she deserve death too?” Satsuki inquired. “Granted, Jisoo did not kill her directly. However, because of Jisoo’s clumsiness, that girl had to be disposed of.”
“Satsuki… maybe you should lower your voice.” Eren said numbly as he struggled to process that information. She said everything conversationally and although they were away from other guests in the restaurant on a quiet day, there was always the possibility someone could hear them.
To his surprise she simply shrugged. “There is no need for that. If someone finds out then I can always shrink them down and ask the chef to add them into my next sushi roll. That would just be my carelessness getting someone killed as well, wouldn’t you agree?” Satsuki replied. “How about those nasty gentlemen from the Greek restaurant you both went to? Should they have been murdered right before Christmas over vile remarks?”
“N-No I don’t think that-!”
“And how about all the other ones? Some thugs in a park who killed a speck girl. Same with a team of construction workers who killed lots of speck children. I would have probably killed them too.” Satsuki said and ignored him. “Although I wonder about those related to the deceased in those situations. We had to come up with so many lies and stories to explain to young children why their big brother wouldn’t be home for Christmas, or tell sobbing mothers why their child died in a construction accident…”
“Specks undergo the exact same thing everyday. Those people made our lives terrible and Jisoo simply gave them what they deserved.” Eren suddenly cut in firmly.
Satsuki chuckled as Eren finally lost his temper. “I won’t patronize you with a schoolteacher's version of how two wrongs don’t make a right.” She responded. “However for a moment as you are probably wondering why I’ve told you all of this, let’s look at the bigger picture. Every single person who your fiancé killed in some way shape or form did something to warrant her ire through their views on specks.”
“Correct.”
“Consider why those people hold those views to begin with. They’ve been subjected to decades of propaganda from their respective nations.” Satsuki said. “Yet in other countries there is no such prejudice from normal people towards specks. I assume that either Grace or Jisoo suggested this is somehow a result of the Amrita Corporations influence? They told you that our family keeps specks safe and happy in the countries where we are strong?” She pressed further.
That’s one of the major reasons why Jisoo wanted to bring me away from the United States, because specks are treated a lot better here. Eren thought to himself. When they had first met, Grace had made it clear that in her homeland specks were given rights and privileges which befitted any other citizen.
“The Amrita Corporation is more powerful than you likely realize. Jisoo was able to get away with all of those executions because the local government in your city is under our control.” Satsuki revealed. “As are the upper echelons of your government which exist because we allow them or choose who is elected. Yet the laws of your countries which supposedly protect specks are not enforced. Your politicians who we put in place do absolutely nothing for your people.”
“Grace couldn’t help my Commune when we were about to be shut down because of property laws. That can’t be true.”
“Yet when she wished for a police officer to become her pet she simply had the State Attorney General make it so. Surely with that kind of influence our family could improve lives for your people around the world?” Satsuki suggested.
Eren crossed his arms and hesitated. “So… If that’s the case why don’t they? If the Amrita Corporation has the power to stop specks from suffering then why not use it?”
“That goes back to my original point about the Fang Sisters. The truth is that they anticipated how specks would be treated. As a matter of fact it was their plan for half of humanity to develop great resentment towards their oppressors, hence why we select politicians who ensure that specks are a downtrodden demographic.” Satsuki revealed. “It is also why we only chose to shrink half of humanity for now.” She said.
Eren frowned. “Why is that then? Why not just shrink as many as you possibly could?”
“Hmm… I’m afraid you’ll need to ask Jisoo if you wish to know.”
“You could also be lying to drive a wedge between me and Jisoo.” Eren said bluntly. Isn’t that the most likely scenario here?
Satsuki strongly disliked Jisoo, that much was obvious already. Perhaps she wanted to do more than just ensure that they could not be married, it was possible she wanted to hurt their relationship and start an argument between him and Jisoo.
Satsuki regarded him knowingly. “Ask yourself. From what you have personally seen her do, is this really that difficult to believe?”
Maddie normally made it her New Year's Resolution to eat healthier towards the end of the holiday season, and invariably she gave up midway through January when she began to crave sweets and baked goods. Gradually one cookie after a quinoa power bowl became two. Then she missed a day of her hot yoga classes. Eventually she would have a rough week and sit on the couch to eat an entire tray of homemade brownies or wolf down a bowl of ice cream. Fortunately she never seemed to gain much weight despite her awful eating habits, much to the envy of several colleagues who seemed to balloon after Thanksgiving.
This year would hopefully be different. In part because of her usual reasons to feel better and more active, and also because an innocent comment from Maeve one day made her feel extremely self conscious.
‘Your tummy is a lot softer than Tae’s. Like a really big water bed!’ She had said one night while they had lounged on the couch together. Normally Maeve reclined on Maddie’s stomach, and it just so happened that Maddie also had a mouthful of potato chips when Maeve said that.
Of course she knew her roommate and best friend meant no offense by the remark, which had actually been a compliment. However it did make Maddie look at herself very differently in the mirror afterwards. She was not as skinny as she had been before everything with Eureka seemed to consume her personal life. There was even a bit of pudge on her belly now.
Maddie tried not to compare herself to other women and instead focused on herself, however she always felt inadequate when she noticed Tae in the background of Eren’s video calls. The woman was over six feet tall, absolutely gorgeous and had a six pack. Usually she was fresh from a workout when she came to say hello, while Maddie was in her fluffy slippers and had a donut in her hand.
Even Maeve was in phenomenal shape. A lifetime of hard labor had left with her ridged muscles and an athletic, admirable physique which had greatly improved since she was no longer starved at her Commune.
Maybe I can ask Tae for workout advice? I think she’s finally started to warm up to me… Maddie thought as she stepped off the treadmill of her apartment gym. She was still hesitant to get a proper gym membership since admittedly the thought of a gym terrified her, so for now she jog-walked for at least twenty minutes every day and did not eat carbs until the weekend.
Maeve pushed her water bottle closer to her at the edge of a nearby bench, which Maddie happily accepted. “Why don’t you run outside? Does the machine help you that much?”
“It’s cold outside.” Maddie replied, out of breath.
Maeve shrugged and hopped onto Maddie’s yoga pants to climb all the way up to her shoulder, unbothered by how sweaty her big friend was. “Well that’s why you workout! To warm up. It worked for me back in the Commune whenever it was cold.” She said.
You were left to freeze out in sub-zero temperatures and literally had no other choice. That’s not something to be proud of. Maddie thought but decided not to dampen the mood. She was convinced Maeve could make light out of the end of the world.
In one of the few conversations she had with Tae, she offered some advice on how to make specks comfortable since the online guides were ‘mostly bullshit’. Her shoulder was a safe place for Maeve, and to keep her hidden Tae suggested that she use her hair like a curtain.
Fortunately Maddie had long red curly locks to keep Maeve hidden, and there was practically no chance she would be seen there.
Initially Maddie did not want to take Maeve anywhere when she left her apartment out of concern something might happen. If someone tried to hurt them, she had a taser for self defense and some pepper spray, but doubted it would do much against a genuine attempt on Maeve’s life. However after the close call at the hotel room in Norwich, Maddie only felt safe when Maeve was in her sight. If anything bad ever happened to her…
“Are you alright?” Maeve suddenly asked right next to her ear, as if able to read Maddie’s thoughts.
Maddie nodded. “Yeah I’m just… I'm a little tired. I think I’ll order us something to eat.” She mumbled.
I can’t imagine how Tae felt when she and Eren were together here. Every single day she must have been so worried. And her fears were completely justified… I was almost one of those people who hurt someone close to her. Maddie thought shamefully. But I’m trying to be better. I want to atone for that.
It was a brisk walk from the apartment gym to her building, and the cold air on her sweaty clothes was extremely unpleasant. Maddie shivered and hurried up to approach the front entrance where the lobby was. Just as she was about to turn around the corner, she noticed a familiar car parked in the visitor spot. A gunmetal colored 2098 Ibex Voyager. She had seen the exact same car a few months ago in Norwich.
That’s Giulia’s car. Maddie realized and shifted her weight uncomfortably. When they had met for the first time in person, Giulia had struggled to find parking and made a few circles around the restaurant. Maddie still remembered the distinctive bumper stickers. What is she doing in Philly? Why is she at my apartment?
Cautiously Maddie tucked her hair further over her shoulder to ensure that Maeve was out of sight. She still remembered her last encounter with Giulia. Wasn’t her boyfriend or something a bodybuilder? Did they come all the way here to beat her up since she had been fired? Whatever the case was, Maddie wished she had thought to bring her pepper spray in her gym bag. Her insulated metal water bottle would have to serve as a club if it came to it.
Maddie’s recognition of the car parked outside saved her from the surprise when she entered the apartment lobby. Her former employee was dressed in many layers to keep warm, seated near the front desk in a chair. Right as she walked into the otherwise empty lobby, Giulia looked up from her phone and locked eyes with Maddie in surprise.
Giulia blinked, clearly taken aback to have run directly into her. “H-Hey Maddie! Um… Long time no see huh?”
“Why are you in my apartment building?” Maddie asked as menacing as she could. Try to sound like Tae when I first showed up in Norwich… That scared the shit out of me. She could feel Maeve try to get a peek from behind her shoulder, but turned her torso slightly to keep her away.
Giulia sighed. “Look, I didn't come here to cause any trouble. You blocked me on pretty much every account so I couldn’t reach out to you~.”
“So you found my address somehow and just turned up at my doorstep? What exactly do you hope to accomplish?”
“...I wanted to understand why you changed your view on specks.” Giulia said after a brief pause. “A few months ago, when you found out that speck was working with us-.”
“His name is Eren. You know his goddamn name so call him by it.”
“Look, just hear me out!” Giulia shot back exasperatedly as Maddie crossed her arms then moved to walk past her. When she was ignored she marched purposefully down the hall after the redhead.
Giulia caught up to her, clearly frustrated. “It’s really fucking rich that you of all people want to play the activist. You had a mental breakdown when you found out Eren was a speck. And you tried to fucking kill him!” She shouted angrily. “Then out of nowhere you come back to us and take on this holier-than-thou attitude about specks. So what’s the fucking deal?”
“I realized my mistake. Something you clearly haven’t since you couldn’t apologize when I asked you to.”
“You know, maybe this is all a ruse? Maybe you realized that you need Eren to make your failure of a company work so you came back to him on your hands and knees. Maybe you don’t actually give a shit about him and just want to line your pockets.” Giulia accused.
“Will both of you shut up?!”
Maeve’s voice came with a startling degree of intensity for a person less than three inches tall. Maddie had not realized it since she had been bickering with Giulia, however the speck on her shoulder had been trying to interject for quite some time. Finally when it was clear neither woman could hear her, she snapped.
For a few seconds Giulia was confused by where the noise had come from, Maeve brushed aside a handful of her friend’s long red hair to reveal herself on Maddie’s shoulder. Her mechanical leg whirred as she repositioned in order to be seen more clearly.
The brunette crossed her arms. “Maddie saved my life. She’s made every effort to help specks from the moment we met. She gave my friends and family food when we were starving, and provided us with clothes, medicine, and supplies which got my Commune out of a harsh winter.” Maeve proclaimed firmly. “So you can shut up about this all being an act.”
Maddie smiled. “Thank you Maeve. Now let’s~.”
“But let’s not pretend like you were always like this.” Maeve cut in. “She’s right about one thing at least, you tried to kill Eren and freaked out because he was a speck. If anything you started from a worse place than Giulia.”
Now it was Maddie’s turn to shoot an incredulous glare at her best friend. Surely she couldn’t be serious about that?
Giulia crossed her arms. “You’re that speck from the conference call… I wondered what your relationship to Maddie was.”
“She’s my best friend. And that means I’ll still hold her accountable when she is making a mistake.” Maeve declared. She turned to Maddie. “Stop and think for a moment. A few months ago you were just like Giulia. It wasn’t until you saw my Commune that you changed your mind. Giulia is in that exact same situation right now and is clearly conflicted. Shouldn’t you at least hear her out? Give her a chance?”
Before Maddie could reply, Giulia interjected. “Look… I’m sorry for blowing up a moment ago. I shouldn’t have shouted and said those things. And Maeve is right. I just wanted to have an open minded conversation with you, who I used to count as a friend.” She said. “I didn’t know how to approach you any other way since I thought you would ignore me. Smith and Adrian have both stopped talking to me altogether and I feel alone. I thought we at Eureka had solidarity with one another and frankly, I miss that.”
“So you want your old job back?”
“I want to see whatever you saw that made you this way.” Giulia admitted. “It changed you significantly. I told you that I’m not a bigot, and I really mean that. But I have no idea what you were talking about just now. Specks starving in the cold? If there is something I don’t know about specks then tell me why you and Leah are both so adamant about their lives and I promise you I will listen to every word you say.”
Maddie hesitated. “It would be easier to show you exactly what I saw.” She said and shivered slightly. “If you are free right now I can take a quick shower upstairs and we can go. It’s not far.”
“Where are we going exactly?”
“The Jefferson Speck Commune. I want you to see it with your own eyes before you say anything else. Perhaps it will also change your perspective.”
Since she had landed in Philadelphia, the third of the three targets on the hit list had been surrounded by people almost perpetually. Ruiwen carefully followed Giulia from the crowded airport to a hostel, where she shared a small room with three other people. One of the other women in the hostel was a night owl and was normally awake well past midnight, and by the time she was ready to sleep a different roommate had woken up early in the morning. Giulia did have her own car and did not exclusively use the subway, however she normally carpooled with other people for various reasons. She was an extremely social person unfortunately, and thus far that had kept her safe.
It had been a rookie mistake to not make her move when Giulia finally set out on her own one day. The first time she was alone in her car and not surrounded by others, Ruiwen had hesitated and thought she would immediately go pick someone up. Now she had run right into another person, a ginger haired woman who drove them both away from the apartment complex. Still, this was probably the most favorable circumstance that had presented itself so far.
In hindsight it would have been much easier to have gone after Giulia second, instead of Adrian. Although there was no way I could have known she would suddenly make a road trip to Philadelphia… Ruiwen cursed.
She had long since hacked into Giulia’s phone and laptop, so she was aware of pretty much everything the woman searched. Her location, destinations and other information were extremely useful. Or at least they would have been if Giulia actually texted people or used her phone. For a person her age in the information technology field she was remarkably independent from electronic devices.
Ruiwen frowned. Why does that redhead seem familiar? I could have sworn I read something about her during my research…
Ideally there would be no collateral damage. Killing random people who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time was not the sort of thing that Ruiwen was comfortable with. However if the opportunity presented itself for her to eliminate Giulia and there would only be a single loose end to take care of, it would be entirely justifiable in a strictly pragmatic sense. Ruiwen watched the pair drive away a few minutes later.
I don’t have to kill her if she gets in my way, come to think of it. And it would be nice to have a pet of my own…