Of Light and Shadow: Life After Sibyl

Chapter 4

Psychopaths are social predators, and like all predators, they are looking for feeding grounds. Wherever you get power, prestige, and money, you will find them.

-Robert D. Hare

Recruitment was hard work. 

Charlie Wu collapsed on a plush sofa in his hotel suite and loosened his tie. He raised his cold, dark gaze to the interior holo-display hovering in front of him. It bathed the dimly lit room in a soft blue light. He'd customized the room's holography to track the key players in his game. Players who either joined his side or were promptly crushed beneath his boot. They ranged from the remnants of criminal organizations to the upper echelon's of government. Most had one thing in common...ambition. 

Thanks to the information supplied by his Yakuza captains, Charlie had gotten a rough idea of where to start his little enterprise. The criminal underworld was ripe for the taking. Most of the people he'd encountered thus far were rank amateurs. However, he'd found a few promising candidates to add to his syndicate. Daisuke and Yoshiro had done a decent job of culling the undesirables from his list.

That only left his more legitimate sources of power. 

He directed his attention away from the smattering of criminals he'd acquired and focused instead on the string of politicians and civil servants vulnerable to his brand of business. Which of these government officials would fall first? Would it be a politician hungry for power and eager for advancement? Or would it be an MWPSB bureaucrat fueled by the foolish desire to do good? A sly smile curved his lips as he once again examined the members of the MWPSB's personnel roster. 

His mining software had turned up quite a few interesting facts about the people who'd been chosen to protect the citizens of Tokyo. Charlie's interest had been piqued by the former inspector who'd fallen from grace and had ventured into the chaotic world outside of Sibyl. Shinya Kogami. There was a haunted look in that man's eyes that told of unspeakable horrors. That was a man who had gotten his hands dirty. His handiwork with the guerrilla units in Shambala Float had been impressive. He could use a man with those skills.

A decisive knock on the door broke the silence. Mildly irritated at the intrusion, Charlie stalked to the door. The intercom display showed Nathan Burke patiently waiting in the hall. Sighing, Charlie opened the door. "Come in."

The hired assassin followed him into the suite. Burke was a reliable employee. He always did as he was told, no questions asked. If he had any misgivings about his job, he usually kept them to himself. An ideal tool, but hardly a stimulating one. Charlie stopped by the wet bar for a drink on the way back to the sitting area and his candidate list.

"You called for me, sir?" Burke inquired, his voice neutral, his expression unreadable.

As he poured finely aged scotch into a crystal glass, Charlie replied. "Yes. I wanted to ask you about your time in the SEAUn. You spent more time on the ground than I."

"I did. There was a lot of money to be made." The assassin replied, simply.

Charlie smirked. "Yes, there was." He turned and led the way to the sitting room with the holo-display. "Did you ever hear of a Shinya Kogami?" He pointed to the photo glowing in the darkness.

Burke paused a moment as he regarded the image. "He looks familiar."

"From what I understand, he was fighting with the guerillas at the time. I believe he had a few run-ins with some prominent mercenaries. Like Mason King."* Charlie was rewarded with a look of surprise on Burke's face. It wasn't often that the assassin could be caught off guard.

A light seemed to dawn behind the assassin's eyes. "He's the one who took down King's operation." Burke added. He'd heard a few rumors about a man who had masterminded the destruction of King's network. The once prominent mercenary had been made a laughingstock in their community.