My Ride is a Bitch (The Kurtherian Gambit Book 13) (7 page)

The meeting room was large, and could easily hold a couple of hundred in the surrounding seats. But the table at the bottom would only accommodate fourteen, tightly packed.

The doors opened, and everyone turned to see a young Japanese woman enter. Some of the men around the table had dismissed her before they noticed the man who arrived right behind her.

Then, everyone at the table went from polite inactivity, to actively being very polite.

Bobcat raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected Akio and Yuko to join them for the meeting, so he straightened up in his chair. The Queen was up to something. He tapped William who nodded slowly and then passed the alert onto Marcus.

Marcus looked up and noticed Akio and Yuko sitting on the front row of the auditorium. He turned to William, his face confused and mouthed a ‘what?’ and shrugged.

William winked at him, so Marcus turned off his tablet and set it down. Apparently, his friends wanted him to pay attention.

—

Akio whispered, “You represent our Queen, you are no timid flower Yuko, and you will not dishonor us both in this effort. Are we in agreement?”

Yuko nodded and whispered almost imperceptibly. “Yes, understood.”

—

Bobcat was still making mental notes when the doors opened a second time.

John came in first, and his presence never failed to bring about a reaction. However, Bethany Anne coming in behind him made most of the attendees forget about the large man.

The study in minor facial movements from the people around the table was starting to fascinate Bobcat. He watched as many of the men as he could while Bethany Anne strode to the single chair waiting for her at the end of the table. When she didn’t sit in it, he could almost feel the men's calculations running rampant in their heads. Bethany Anne didn’t sit, rather stood behind her chair, resting her hands on the tall back and looked down the table to those sitting.

“I understand,” she started, “that there is a particular way of communicating and adhering to certain customs when working on business deals with those in Japan.” She paused a moment before continuing, “Unfortunately, I’m neither polite nor do I have a desire to follow formal ways. I have to be in another meeting, with another representative from your country who is also ‘not’ presently here on our ship just like the ten of you are also ‘not’ here right now.”

She looked up and down the table, “I am her Royal Highness Queen Bethany Anne. My lineage is varied and in a way, I’m both from this century, and centuries before me. I understand you have all been individually instructed in how we are going to work with your companies?” She received ten short, sharp nods, “Excellent. Now, here is something not in the original download.”

She turned to her side and raised an eyebrow, “Yuko?”
 

This time, those that could, watched as the young Japanese woman strode down from her seat, affecting an air of competence and assurance she did not exhibit when she entered earlier. Bethany Anne pulled out the seat and offered it to her as she spoke, “In your country, the Emperor appoints the Prime Minister. In these transactions, Yuko is my designated representative to confirm all things and speaks with my authority to accomplish the goals I and my team,” she nodded to Bobcat, William, and Marcus, “so designate.”

She looked over to her side again, “Akio?”

As Akio came down, Bethany Anne stepped back and to the side, allowing Akio to stand behind and to the left of Yuko, “I am not blind to the potential issues that can affect a project such as this one. So, Yuko has the wisdom, guidance, and protection for her person and her project as represented by my Elite’s leader and half of his team. Trust me in believing that you have no idea the amount of wisdom Yuko now has at her call, should she feel in need of it.”

Bethany Anne paused, pursed her lips and then said, “I trust every one of you gentleman will provide the appropriate level of respect to all of my representatives on this ship, and in your country. I will not be pleased should either side not act honorably. Akio will accept any complaints you have that should originate from those on my team. He will take up those issues, with you, personally, if there is a problem with any of you or your representatives. Have a fruitful discussion.”

And just like that, Bethany Anne left the room, and Bobcat wished he had a handful of antacids to give out to his new Japanese partners.

Apparently, having Akio as part of the group had just thrown a William-sized monkey wrench into their negotiation plans. He wasn’t sure, but Bobcat had an inkling that these guys were screwed.

Yuko started the discussion, “I am very aware,” she said, forcing her voice to remain calm. Years of effort on the dark web didn’t prepare her for this, but this is what her Queen wanted. “That you may be personally affronted with being required to deal with a young woman. However, you will have the opportunity to make your displeasure known in a few minutes. First I have something to say and something for you to watch.”

The men, expecting the young woman to force her title and authority were curious. They had been notified that working with the Queen was potentially dangerous, but all laughed it off. As leaders, almost conquerors in the business world, what did they have to fear from a thirty-year-old looking Queen? Now, she substituted a woman ten years her junior.

“They say, knowledge is power,” Yuko’s voice turned cold, “and in the realm of knowledge you are but swaddling babies to me.”

All of the men’s eyes narrowed in annoyance, but then a feeling of fear hit. It wasn’t much, but it was real.

“Pull out your communication tablets, pull up the email that I just sent to each of you. This information I am sharing is what I found out about you in the last twelve hours. This is my effort, not even asking for support from the team of which I am part, or my friend, who could have helped me.”

The men, a few cautiously, some quickly, pulled out their phones or tablets and went to their emails. Sure enough, each had an email with an encrypted document.”

“What,” Shimizu Yuma asked, “is the password?” All of the men noticed the tiny smile on the young woman’s face.

“Why, what would you expect from someone who has hacked your computers? It is your own, of course.”

A few were annoyed. A few stared with disbelief. In a few seconds, however, all believed.

Then the reading, the annoyance, and the irritation occurred.
 

“This!” Shimizu Yuma spat, pointing at his phone, “is not honorable!”

“That,” Yuko spoke in a calm voice, “is what I do. I point this out because I am here to save you from yourselves!” Yuko’s voice had risen at the end before Akio placed his hand on her shoulder and she calmed down. “My Queen cares nothing about our country’s long history and the proper way to do things. She cares about results and time. In her mind, you get results more quickly without the efforts to hurt each other, whether that means in business, or personally.”

Yuko waved a hand towards them, “I can hurt you by releasing this information.” She turned to look at her watch, “In four more seconds, it will not exist.” The annoyance of a couple of the men turned to astonishment when the very documents they were reviewing, disappeared.

“I do this not to upset, or dishonor you. I seek to make a point. A point, I might add, that is only known here within these walls. My Queen does not know I did this, and you can feel free to tell her if you would like. But, here is the second and more important lesson you must know.”

Behind her, Akio touched a button on his watch. He had been introduced to the technology by Yuko, and it appealed to the stoic warrior.

The lights dimmed in the room, and the main screen behind the table lit up. Those with their backs to the screen turned in their chairs.

“Wow,” Bobcat quipped, “I didn’t know we were doing Friday night movie night, who has the popcorn?”

William chuckled, but that was the only response from those in the room.

The screen, dark, showed a very tiny point of white in the center as a female voice emerged from the loudspeakers, “This information has been brought together by Ms. Arakawa Yuko for those who have been invited to participate in the exchange of technology and knowledge.”

The white dot opened, and multiple scenes showed Bethany Anne fighting, using swords or guns. A few times, the video seemed to be coming from her very eyes. At one point, Bethany Anne’s voice, cold with menace was speaking. Those at the table saw it was a night in what looked like a middle-eastern city, perhaps. A man was in front of her, scared, “Jahannam is calling for you Dawid! Jahannam is CALLING!” She screamed the last word and the man got back up and continued running. The camera person was walking towards the man as he turned to look back. The voice said, “Dawiiid, the blood of the innocent is on your palms!” The man seemed to suddenly try to halt his running when he turned back. He backed up towards her, obviously fearing something in front of him.

Then, the man stopped moving. There were muscle contractions that suggested he was trying to run, but that it was impossible.

The man, blocking the sight of a body in front of him, let out a sob as the camera had now moved behind him. Two of the men sitting at the table jerked when the camera person thrust a Katana through Dawid. The view changed, the person leaning forward and put her lips near his ear, “The cries, for justice, of the dying, have been heard! The dead have come to claim you, Dawid. France’s children shall have their justice!”
 

She yanked the sword out of the man who fell to his knees. She pulled him back up by his hair, “Tonight you are the lesson, Dawid, tonight you are the note!” She pulled the man up. A fraction of a second later, her blade sliced through the night, leaving the man headless. She kept the head, the body falling to the street. “You, Dawid Zadeh, shall not have a proper burial!” With that, she pushed the head, and it disappeared into the night.
 

A few of the men realized they never heard it hit the ground.

The room lights came back on, and the men turned towards Yuko again. “Do not believe that Japan is the only people who understand honor, or justice, or retribution. You do not wish to make me upset with your actions, but you had better pray you never, ever make my Queen get involved.”

Yuko paused and spoke calmly and slowly, “She doesn’t have any patience for bullshit.”

The fear receded.

Yuko smiled, looking like a young, fresh-faced Japanese lady, “Now, do any of you feel dishonor working with me?”

None of the men, however, were fooled. School was in session, and as old as they were, they were the students.

There is no dishonor in learning from masters, even if they come with young bodies and beautiful faces.

China

The four friends stayed close together, as much as they could during the march.

“How come,” Bai asked, “we are in the front hacking at plants again?”
 

“You aren’t holding the machete correctly, Bai,” Zhu told him, “you are going to tire your arm out too fast.”

“That is because those of us born in the cities, don't have to learn how to use a machete to get to work!" Bai answered, hacking a second time to clear out the vine in front of him.

Second Lt. Zi Shun turned around and spoke to his two men, “Bai, Zhu is just trying to help. Don't let your frustration cause you to dishonor his help. And everybody,” he spoke a touch louder, making sure to get their attention, “keep your eyes open for anything above us,” punctuating his command by using the machete to point up. He then turned around and continued working his way through the undergrowth.

Bai looked up as he pulled out his canteen and took a drink of water, “Have I mentioned how much I hate jungles?”

Zhu answered, "I stopped counting at thirty-two.”

—

The army men were loud, Geming twitched his tail in annoyance with the poor sport. From the four Kings came the command to eradicate those trailing their people. The Army had tried to use air power, but it was fruitless in the deep of the forests and the dark of the nights. So the Army’s plan switched to tracking the clan through the forest.

Now, he and eleven others were waiting to cause as much damage as they could to this group following their King.

Another soldier’s voice reached his sensitive ears, another irritated twitch of his tail.

They had already scouted the men and knew there were two trackers in this group. Those two were the first targets. Two of his clan brothers lay in the undergrowth, waiting. Three more were hiding behind the trackers, along the path they had hacked from the jungle. First, those in the back would attack. Swift, lightning strikes to get the group focused on the rear so that those in the front might turn, and not see the killing hits so close to the guards up front.

Otherwise, healing was going to be a pain.

They had heard the talk, the whispers, the prayers even as the army men kept checking their guns and their silver ammunition. A concern, to be sure, and pushed this effort from easy to at least challenging and potentially deadly for a few. However, the Kings needed the time to hide the four treasures. It was decided the best of their people, the smartest, would eventually bring the pieces together and work to continue the prophecies.

Because the Sacred Clan was patient if nothing else.

—

Shun’s arm, tired as it was, swung hard to chop down the limb in front of him. The trees were small and thin but still took up space as their branches connected, making it very difficult to walk.

He slid his sword into the scabbard and pulled around his canteen. While drinking, he looked up into the canopy above them and noticed two yellow eyes looking down at them through leaves from over forty feet away. “Xi
ǎ
ox
ī
n!” he cried and dropped the canteen, reaching for his rifle.

That was the same moment that there were growls of wild cats and screams from those in the back.