Chapter 96: Finally Got It
One week later
Aoi stepped off the plane, the warm California air hitting him immediately as he descended the stairs onto the tarmac. The airport sprawled out before him—terminal buildings gleaming under the bright sun, the constant roar of jet engines overhead, crowds of travelers moving in every direction. He adjusted the strap of his small carry-on bag over his shoulder and thought:
—Well, now that I've arrived here thanks to Morgana's research, I discovered where Star and Stripe (Cathleen Bate) was when she was a child. In the city of Santa Monica, California, United States.
Aoi walked through the crowded airport toward the exit. The terminal was packed—families dragging suitcases, business travelers rushing with briefcases, tourists snapping photos. The noise was overwhelming: announcements echoing overhead, rolling luggage wheels clattering against tile, voices overlapping in a dozen languages. He thought:
—Honestly, I hate places full of people. But what can I do? I had to come to this country to get her blood for the Jupiter terraforming plan and for the safety of Rumi and Nemuri's pregnancies. I really am a great dad, no way around it. Well, let's get her blood from the municipal hospital that Morgana managed to find. Three hospitals she went to when she was a child.
Aoi reached the outside of the airport and flagged down a taxi. The yellow cab pulled up quickly. He got in, sliding into the back seat as the driver glanced at him in the rearview mirror.
Aoi smiled and said:
—Good morning, friend. I need you to take me to the city of Santa Monica.
The driver smiled back, nodding.
—Right away, boss.
He pulled away from the curb and merged into the flow of traffic heading toward the city.
At that moment, Aoi's phone vibrated. He pulled it out and answered the video call. Eri's face filled the screen, her eyes wide and bright.
Eri said:
—Brother, can you hear me? Hello?
Aoi laughed softly, the sound warm.
—Yes, little one. I can hear you. You can talk.
Eri looked at Aoi smiling and said:
—You know, brother, I'm super happy. The older sisters said they're going to take me to the movies and that I'm going to school. Do you think I'll make a lot of friends?
Aoi, hearing this, smiled wider.
—Yes, of course. You'll make a lot of friends. After all, our little Eri is adorable.
Eri, hearing this, got shy and smiled, ducking her head a little.
At that moment, Nemuri's voice came from off-screen.
—Eri, let me talk to your brother now, sweetheart.
Eri smiled and said:
—Yes, big sister. Here.
She handed the phone to Nemuri and ran off to play, her footsteps fading quickly.
Nemuri appeared on screen, looking a little tired but smiling.
—So you arrived okay? How are things there? Everything alright?
Aoi smiled.
—Yes, no need to worry. I already arrived. I already know the place where I have to do my work. It's just get there, do the job, and come back. Simple as that.
Nemuri said worriedly:
—Just be careful with this, okay? We're waiting for you to come back soon.
Aoi's smile softened.
—Well, no need to worry so much. I'll finish solving this work and catch the plane back home. Tell Rumi and Ryuko that I'm fine. If they're worried, they can just call me anytime.
Nemuri smiled.
—Yes, dear. We'll talk to Morgana if any emergency comes up. So you can stay calm.
Aoi said:
—Well, thank you. So you can stay calm. I arrived here on Saturday. If everything goes right, Sunday night I'll be returning home.
Nemuri smiling said:
—Yes, so good work, dear. And see you later.
She then hung up the phone.
The driver, who had been listening quietly, smiled through the rearview mirror.
—Was that your wife and your daughter you were talking to?
Aoi smiled.
—Well, it was my little sister and my wife. I came on a business trip. They were left a bit alone.
The driver smiled.
—Yes, a family man can't stay away from home for too long.
Aoi smiled.
—Yes, but we have to go out to solve problems so they can have a good life, right?
The driver smiled.
—You're right about that. We go out to handle these things. So what do you do?
Aoi said:
—Well, currently I'm a company owner and I'm coming to visit my branches here in the United States. After all, I'm from Japan.
The driver said:
—I see, a businessman.
He then said:
—Well, we've arrived in the city. So do you want me to drop you off at some hotel?
Aoi said:
—Yes, you can drop me near the hotel that's close to that medium-sized hospital, Blue Sky. Do you know it?
The driver said:
—Yes, I know the place. Well, then let's go.
He then drove toward the hotel.
After a few hours of driving through traffic, past palm-lined streets and busy intersections, they arrived at the hotel entrance.
Aoi said:
—Well, then, big man, how much was the ride?
The driver said:
—Well, it came to 200 dollars.
Aoi smiling said:
—Here.
He then said:
—Take 1000 dollars. Keep the change. I liked you, man. You're good people.
He then got out of the car and headed toward the hotel.
The driver smiled and said:
—Well, thank you, man.
Already inside the hotel, Aoi approached the receptionist and said:
—Well, good morning. I'd like to reserve a room for myself.
The receptionist smiled.
—Yes, of course. I'll just need your information.
After all that boring process, Aoi got his room key. Arriving there, he threw himself on the bed in the room and said:
—How tiring. I hate taking planes. If I could fly, I would have arrived here in minutes.
Aoi then looked at the ceiling of the room and said:
—Well, at least I'm already here. Now all I have to do is wait until night and I'll go into the hospital to get Star and Stripe's blood, Cathleen. At night there should be less movement of people. With Morgana's help to disable the cameras and alarms, with my speed I can grab that blood and get out without anyone noticing anything strange.
At night, Aoi got up from the bed. He then got ready and said:
—Well, let's go. It's time to get the blood.
He then headed toward the hospital.
Arriving there, he saw that it was half empty—the hallways quiet, only a few nurses moving between rooms, the fluorescent lights casting long shadows.
Aoi looked at Morgana on his phone screen and said:
—Morgana, now it's with you.
Morgana said:
—Yes, sir.
After a few seconds she said:
—Sir, you can proceed with the plan. I already found the location where the blood is and already turned off the alarms and controlled the security cameras.
Aoi said:
—Understood.
He then followed the location indicated by Morgana. He moved silently through the corridors, avoiding the few staff members on duty. He entered the genetic materials room—a small, refrigerated storage area lined with labeled vials and secure cabinets. He began to search methodically, scanning each shelf.
After a few minutes, he found the material from Cathleen Bate when she was a child—carefully labeled, sealed, and stored in a cryogenic vial.
Aoi then checked to make sure everything was correct. He stored it in his backpack and slowly left the room.
While walking slowly through the hospital corridor, Aoi said:
—Morgana, it was a good idea to use this strategy. I got the New Order power. without war with the United States, my presence won't be discovered by anyone. After all, I didn't expose myself.
Morgana said:
—But, sir, how are you going to take the blood back? After all, it's prohibited by the airport to take blood without permission.
Aoi leaving the hospital toward the hotel said:
—Simple, Morgana. I'm going to store this genetic material in the container I brought in the suitcase that's waterproof and I'm going to swim from here to Japan with my speed. In one hour or more I'll be home. This advantage of being strong.
Morgana said:
—Well, it seems you've thought of everything.
Aoi finally arrived at the hotel. He then took the genetic material from his backpack and put it in the correct container and closed it directly and said:
—Done. I got the New Order power. without to fire a shot. Now I just need to start copying it only from the blood for the bacteria to start my Jupiter terraforming plan.
He then lay down on the bed and said:
—Well, now I want to sleep. It was a very boring day.
Aoi closed his eyes and thought:
—Well, at least I solved this easily. Now I'm going to sleep.