The Hidden Adventures of ECHO

Chapter 9

Nakimura followed his sister-in-law to the medical office, closing the door behind him as ordered. "I sent Yuki on an assignment with Pacu," he offered.

"I know," she nodded then reminded him, "he calls whenever he has the chance. You're training Mariko as a tracker?"

"No, Yuki is." Nakimura was very aware that his brother often called Patches, since he himself did the same thing. He wondered what she'd called him in to discuss, since she knew as much about her husband's mission as his superior did. He grinned when she gave him the look that meant she thought he was splitting hairs or trying to change the subject on her.

"Fair enough. Yasuo, I wanted to give you the details on this girl you've taken up as your responsibility. She appears to be around nineteen or twenty years of age, based on her teeth, but given her overall lack of medical care and inadequate nutrition, I could be off on that.

"I suspect she has a chronic lung infection but whether it's bacterial, viral or fungal in nature, I won't know until the test results come back. In the meantime, you should be wearing a surgical mask in case she's contagious. Without the basic childhood immunizations, she could be a hotbed of disease."

Nakimura interrupted gently. "I will take that risk. Do you plan to immunize her?"

"Perhaps, once I find out what's wrong and get the infection under control, because she'd be a health risk to the entire base otherwise. Her vital signs are alarmingly weak. I'm going to need her monitored around the clock until her signs improve."

Nakimura nodded, accepting the task. "I'll call you if she needs anything." He stood and made to leave, but Patches stopped him.

"If you plan to spend that amount of time with her, then there's more you should know. She's been raised her entire life in that 'merc' camp. I can tell you from my two examinations of her that she's led a rough life.

"She's been attacked more than once and the last time recently, possibly connected to whoever cut her hair, poor thing. If you truly want to help her, teach her the basics of our nation.

"Obviously, she's an expert at what she does- you saw the charges she placed- so she's smart. She asks questions so she's curious. And even though she's been raised her whole life on American soil, she knows very little about her own country.

"I'd be surprised if she knew more than the basics of reading or math, certainly not much in the way of American or world history." Patches paused thoughtfully. "Where do you think she'll end up?"

"Detention of course, once she's well enough."

Patches shook her head. "No, I mean in the long run. She'll do some time here, be released because she's not that important in the organization she belongs to, but what about after that? Don't you think, if you want to help that girl, that you should make sure she has options available to her?

"I mean, I came back here; You and Black Hawk did the same. She doesn't know the first thing about America and the American way of life, so how would she be able to defend those morals, that way of life?"

Nakimura waited for her to finish, seeing no need to answer what he viewed as a rhetorical question. Patches grinned at him. "If you truly wish to make amends, then don't merely fix her body, fix her whole life."

Nakimura bowed shortly but there was a grin in his voice. "Very well then, I shall do as you suggest. For a round-eyed white woman, you certainly have a solid grasp of Eastern philosophy." He turned and left with Patches' laughter bouncing off his back.

Kae was sleeping when Nakimura returned to her cubicle, so he opened his device and began typing up his reports.

"Do you always have your cell phone strapped to your wrist?" Nakimura looked up to see Kae looking at him.