Stones (Data) (51 page)

Matt notes to himself that when he walked around the outside of the entire structure, there were no
shoji
doors, no plum trees, no cherry tree, no garden.

“The normal laws of physics do not apply here.” Naganuma’s gaze drifts out past the open doors to the garden. “There are limits to the perfection one can achieve in an imperfect world. No such limits apply here.”

“Sorry about the motorcycle.” Matt swallows hard and drops his gaze to the tatami floor. He fully expects Naganuma to berate him for stealing the bike.

But Naganuma only laughs. “No need to apologize. I enjoy riding through the mountains myself. You passed the first test by making it here. Now, come see what I have been working on.”

Matt moves closer and looks over Naganuma’s shoulder at the black calligraphy on white paper.

He is stunned.

Two columns of Japanese kanji float on the paper’s surface. As Matt stares at them, they move and shimmer as if written on water, each brushstroke altering and distorting the paper around it, sending out ripples in a field of gentle chaos.

“What do you think?” Naganuma’s head turns, and his eyes rise up to Matt. “It’s an original
tanka
poem about the choices we make. Each flows into the others, like a pebble dropping into a pond.”

“It’s incredible. How…” Matt is at a loss for words.

“The same way this house floats on grass.” Naganuma motions to the open shoji doors. “The same way the garden is here, but not here.” He points to the tatami at his side with an open palm. “Please, sit down.”

Matt’s knees drop to a blue
zabuton
mat, and the rest of his body sinks down Japanese style, kitty-corner around the low table from Naganuma. “Where are we?”

“Ah, that
is
a good question.” Naganuma lays the brush down onto its holder and picks up the rice paper by its top corners. He stands, walks to his left and gently presses it to the wall where it sticks without a wrinkle. The ripples on its surface fade and become still. “I’ve often wondered myself exactly where this is, but I’m not sure. I doubt it’s the same galaxy. Perhaps not even the same universe. But I must confess I really don’t know.”

Matt reaches into his pocket, pulls out the Stone and puts it on the table. He looks up at Naganuma. “It’s because of the Stone, right? That’s how I got here.”

“Yes, of course.” Naganuma moves just to the left of the hanging paper where he opens a small cabinet and takes out a teapot and two cups. “Everything here is possible because of the Stones.” He comes back to his spot at the table, sits down, and pours tea for Matt and himself.

“
Arigato gozaimasu
.” Matt lifts the cup to his lips and draws in a generous amount. “It’s very good.”

Naganuma takes a sip and puts the cup down, looking straight ahead through the open doors at the garden scene. “
Sencha
tea from Shizuoka.” He takes another sip. “Still the best in Japan.” The cup goes back down to the table. “You have questions about many things. I’ve brought you here so we can have time to talk.” He points down at the Stone in front of Matt. “I am still learning myself, but I
may
have answers to
some
of your questions.”

Matt’s eyes drop onto the Stone, and then rise back up to Naganuma. “Tell me everything. I need to know before I go.”

“Go where?” Naganuma says. Then a look of understanding flashes in his eyes. “Ah, yes. You are very worried about her. Your beloved. Put your mind at ease.”

Matt’s eyes open wide. “Tell me where she is and what they have done to her.”

“I know they have taken her to New York, back to company headquarters, and given her a job. For the moment, she is safe, content and remembers nothing about the events of yesterday. All that will change if you go to see her.”

“How do you know?” Matt’s eyes focus squarely on Naganuma. “Please tell me how you know.”

“I know because I
see
.”

“You see things with your Stone, the Magatama, right?”

“Yes.” Naganuma’s head drops down. “That which I need to see or want to see. But not everything and not all the time. Even for me, much remains hidden from view.” His gaze drops into the contents of the teacup. He swirls it around and drinks a small amount with great relish.

Trying hard to be patient, Matt is getting tired of the slow pace of conversation with Naganuma, who seems to be intentionally speaking in riddles. There isn’t time to sip tea in a magic house talking in circles with an old priest feigning deep wisdom and hiding the truth. Matt needs information. He needs real answers. And he needs it now. He decides to accelerate the conversation.

“Who are the Allehonen?”

Naganuma stops drinking and puts the cup down, rather loudly. “What do you know of them?”

“I saw a Woman in a white robe, on the top of the mountain yesterday where you found me. She came and showed me incredible things. The formation of a planet and its biological life. She had a Stone just like mine and yours.”

“I see. Impressive.” Naganuma’s gaze drifts up to the rice paper hanging on the wall, where the kanji starts to ripple gently back and forth. “I’ve never heard of it starting so quickly,” he mutters.

“Who are they? What’s their connection to the Stone?” Matt’s eyes fall down on the table. “Can they help me get Jessica back?”

Naganuma lets out a long sigh. “I’ve spent most of my life studying the Stones, seeking answers. It was years before I knew of the Allehonen. It’s supposed to take a long time, to be a slow process of searching, learning, growing, testing.”

“I don’t have a long time.” Matt’s fingers stretch toward the Stone. “It’s my fault she’s in this mess. I have to find her before Ryzaard hurts her. Before he—”

“Kills her?”

Matt nods. “I know he can do it. He
will
do it. I saw him murder Professor Yamamoto.” His eyes close, and the images move like shadows on the back of his eyelids. The dry scraping sound of the knife going in. The open holes of raw flesh. “It’s my fault he’s dead. I brought Ryzaard to him.” His face drops into his hands.

“Yes. You did bring Ryzaard to him. For that, I am sorry.” Naganuma lets out a long sigh. “But you are innocent. The blame falls on me, not you. I encouraged him in his studies of the Stones and then failed to protect him. Yamamoto-
kun
was an old friend. He sent me an emergency message yesterday.” Naganuma reaches inside his robe, brings out a jax and places it on the table. “It had all his research on the Stones. He said Ryzaard had suddenly come and was angry, accusing him of holding things back, demanding a full copy of everything. I told him to give Ryzaard whatever he asked for. But the old fool refused.”

“He sent it to me too. But Ryzaard took my jax.” Matt makes a fist around the Stone and clenches his jaw.

“Ryzaard is a dangerous man with a powerful Stone. And he will only get more powerful.” Naganuma looks directly into Matt’s eyes. “You must stay hidden from him, and keep your Stone hidden as well. You are not strong enough to fight him.”

“But he has Jessica!” Matt slams his fist down on the table. “He’s evil. Pure evil.”

A brooding silence overtakes Naganuma, and he stares out on the garden scene, eyes slightly narrowing as if squinting at the glory of its perfect beauty. Bringing the teacup up to his lips, he takes one sip and then throws his head back and drains it like a shot glass. “I can help you learn more of the Stone, but what you do with Ryzaard will be done on your own. I cannot do it for you.” He puts the cup down and slowly stands. “Come with me.”

Matt’s eyes follow him across the tatami floor. “Where are you going?”

“For a walk. Bring the Stone with you.”

Matt grabs the Stone and walks behind Naganuma past the open shoji doors and down the steps out into the dreamy landscape garden. At the bottom of the steps, they each slip into wooden
geta
sandals and walk past a granite lantern as tall as Matt. He follows slightly behind Naganuma on his right. They make it out past the cherry blossom tree before Naganuma makes a sound.

“You mentioned the Allehonen. The Stones are older than the Allehonen. They found them already part of the fabric of the universe.”

“Teach me to use mine against Ryzaard.”

Naganuma shakes his head. “Relax your monkey mind. To use the Stones, you must first understand them.” He beings to walk through the trees. “Come with me. The ocean is not far away. The water will help calm your fears. Only a mind without fear can understand the meaning of all things.”

“W
e tracked him to a store a few blocks away from his office.” The tall man stares up into the night sky. “All he bought was fishing line.”

Little John drops his eyes down from the stars and shakes his head. “Fishing line? Why would he need that in downtown Manhattan?”

“No idea. 1,000-pound test monofilament Spysyn. Just generic stuff. Nothing special.” The tall man puts his sunglasses back on and strokes his chin with an index finger.

Little John rubs his forehead. “What would he be doing with fishing line?”

“Hard to say. Maybe he plans to go fishing.”

“I doubt it. He’s got something else up his sleeve.” Little John lifts a cold beer to his lips. “Did he go anywhere else?”

“They lost him on the way home, but they confirmed he made it back to his office. The Children say he was hard to track.”

“Did he know he was being followed.”

“Nope.” The tall man shakes his head. “No sign of that. The Children are good at what they do.”

Little John takes another drink from the can. “Any idea what he’s doing in his little office?”

“The Children are setting up monitoring equipment next door. They should have some idea in a day or two.”

“Tell them to hurry,” Little John says. “We may not have a day or two. And make sure they don’t get caught. We need to know whether this guy is a player or not. It may come in handy later, when it’s time to move. Any idea what he’s been doing in his office?”

“Sending out demand letters and notices of default, that sort of stuff.” The tall man looks back at his slate. “As much a part of the Complex as anyone else. Maybe he lied to us.”

Little John runs an index finger back and forth across his lower lip. “Or maybe that’s just camouflage. I don’t think he drove all the way across the country with a truck loaded full of high-end surveillance equipment to collect a few bills.”

“Of course not.” The tall man’s face wrinkles behind the sunglasses. “He’s spying on the building across the street. MX Global world headquarters.”

“So how’s he doing the spying? And why MX Global?”

The tall man shifts back and forth on his feet. “No idea.”

“Men like him are dangerous to the established order.” Little John brings the beer up to his mouth and takes a long draw. “He may be just what we’ve been waiting for. Keep an eye on him.”

“The Children are watching him around the clock.” The tall man turns to leave the tent. “If he steps out of the office, we’ll be right on his tail.”

T
he two of them emerge from the cedar forest and stand on the edge of a sea, the water as still as glass.

Matt breaks the silence. “So, this is your world, uniquely connected to your Stone. You come here to create. And you have achieved perfection.”

“Who told you of this connection?” Naganuma’s eyebrows lift.

“Ryzaard. He showed me his world. Very different from this one.”

“Each world is a reflection of its Holder.”

“No doubt.” Matt recalls images of Ryzaard’s dark world with its city of neat geometric shapes and the people controlled by the implants. He pushes away memories of the woman made to look like his mom. “I wonder where my perfect world is.”

“You will find it. If you live long enough.”

There is no trace of irony or humor in Naganuma’s voice.

“You said you can see the future.” Matt’s pulse quickens. “Will Ryzaard kill me? Will he kill Jessica? Like the professor.” He turns to face Naganuma. “Tell me what you see. Please.”

“I see some things. Not all.” Naganuma’s eyes drop to the water. “And only if I choose to look. In your case, I choose not to look.”