MHG-V1-2 (Initial Draft)

Chapter 15 - Don't let me be alone

A.15

"Ken?" The man sitting across the desk asked as Ken walked in and shut the door behind him.

"Yes." Ken replied.

"Please sit down." The man said, smiling kindly. He was dressed in a plain black suit and had brown hair gelled and combed over to one side.

Ken sat in the chair in front of him as the man turned to look at the flat holo screen in front of him that only he could see. He looked up suddenly.

"Im sorry." He said. "My name is Mark. I see you also have European blood?"

Ken's eyes widened. How could he possibly know that?

"Assuming you this really is you?"

"Yes." Ken replied, "My grandmother on my mother's side was American."

"Its not so uncommon in this city." Mark said kindly, "But sometimes people do treat you differently if they find out you're not purely Japanese. Of course my name gives it away but without the records in front of me I wouldnt be able to tell about you."

Ken wanted to ask how he had access to those kind of records, but he was afraid he might not like the answer.

"Now, to get to the point. You have submitted what looks like very serious accusations against a certain scientific organisation located in the western district. May I ask how you came across such information."

"I cant disclose that." Ken said, somewhat fearfully. Thats what Teruko had told him to say. She'd said that with these people, honesty was the only possibility. But was it really okay to be so forward?

"Thats fine." Mark said quickly. "You dont need to identify your source to make a submission here. But you must realise that since you are signing this submission with your identity, you will be held personally liable if any of the informatiom we find in your submission is untrue. Are you okay with that?"

Personally liable? So that was why they required real people to sign submissions? To mitigate against false submissions? But Ken trusted Teruko. All the information she had collected would certainly be acurate.

"You can take your time." Mark said, noticing Ken's pausing.

"No.. I.."

'Ken? Will you help me?'

Ayaka's words surfaced to his mind. Her desperation, her suffering. Was it all a lie? Just a ruse to get him to falter at a moment like this? Or was it the truth?

"If you're unsure about the validity of your submission.."

"No, its not that." Ken said. "There's someone.."

"Ken," Mark said firmly. "If you have something to say, say it. Its best to be honest here."

"There's someone I know who is implicated by this evidence. But I dont know whether she is really guilty or not.." ken said suddenly. Straight after he said it he regretted it. How could he be so careless? But Mark just replied kindly.

"What does your heart say? Do you think she is guilty?"

"No." Ken said with a resolution that shocked even himself.

"You know," Mark said, "People often have an inner ability to determine others' truthfulness but they dont realise it. Truthfulness isnt in what you say, its how you say it. Theres a certain flavour to the way that someone speaks, if you can detect it you can know whether its the truth or not."

This, coming from an officer of the national intelligence agency? Why was he speaking like this? But now that Ken thought about it was true. The tears, the emotion with which she spoke. Even the clumsy way that she handled herself even though in other methods she was a professional. Surely, shebcouldnt be lying. She needed his help, she was reaching out to him, and unless he did somethind about it noone would.