[two hours ago]

  Takemichi mizuka yawned, feeling bored. He had been on patrol for hours, and he was getting tired of just sitting in the car. He took a sip from his coffee, trying to stay awake. Takemichi was a 30 year old police officer, he had a muscular build, which was typical of his profession. He was wearing the standard police uniform, complete with a bullet proof vest and a laser handgun. Currently he was sitting in his police car, the car was driving itself through the streets of Neo-tokyo’s District B, which was a relatively quiet part of the city.

  Takemichi sighed again as the car came to a slowdown. It seemed he was getting close to the border between District B and District C. He took another sip of his coffee, his ears picking up some faint music playing from a nearby building.

  As he looked around, he could see a few people walking on the streets, some of them were also in office attire. He couldn’t help but feel a little envious of them, they looked like they were actually doing something interesting.

  Just then, the lights of the street started flickering. Takemichi frowned, it was a little strange. Street lights rarely ever did that, especially during the day. He dismissed it as a technical issue.

  As Takemichi continued looking at the flicking lights, he couldn’t help but think about that strange light he had seen the previous night. It had been so bright, and it had disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. The news had brushed it off as a solar flare.

  However, Takemichi found himself wondering if there was more to it than what had been reported. He didn’t have the highest level of education, only having studied until the 8th grade due to financial constraints, limiting his understanding of scientific phenomena.

  This was because...in the year 2086, following the Sixth Civil Corporate War, education had become a privilege. The war had caused a great deal of destruction, and the education system in Japan had been one of the hardest hit areas. Public schools were practically non-existent after the war, and the few private schools that remained had jacked up their tuition prices. They were all owned by subsidiaries of the Kusonoki conglomerate, which had emerged as one of the most powerful corporations after the war. Due to these circumstances, middle-class families could only afford to send their children to school till the 8th grade.

  This meant that the majority of the population had limited formal education. Many people dropped out of school at a young age to enter the workforce, and those who could afford it often resorted to online courses or self-study to continue their education. However, this had created a large section of the population that was poorly educated, making them susceptible to manipulation and exploitation by those in power.

  The lack of education had also had a negative impact on the economy, as many companies struggled to find skilled workers to fill various roles. The government had tried to address the issue by offering some free adult education programs, but these efforts had been largely unsuccessful due to a lack of funding and poor organization.

  He shook his head, dismissing the thought. He had a job to do. Just then, his radio crackled to life, breaking the silence in his car.

  That surprised him and he spilled some of his coffee on his shirt and pants.

  “Dammit...” he muttered, looking down at the stain on his clothes. He picked up the radio mic and pressed the button. “Takemichi here, what is it?”

  The radio crackled again, and then a voice came through, it was his superior officer. “Takemichi, come to the HQ in District F. I repeat this is not a drill, come to the HQ at district F.”

  Takemichi’s eyes widened and he straightened up in his seat, a chill running down his spine. He had never heard that command before, it must be serious. Takemichi was puzzled. It was rare for him to be called to the HQ, that too without any pre-notice. He wondered what could be so important that he needed to go to the HQ at District F. “Copy that, I’ll be there shortly.” He quickly put down the radio and looked out of the window. District F was on the opposite side of the city, it would take at least 40 minutes to get to there even with all traffic lights on green.

  He put down the radio mic and then flicked a switch on the console, switching the car from automatic to manual control.

  The car came to a stop as Takemichi took control. He took a moment to glance down at the stain on his clothes, but there was no time to do anything about it now.

  He floored the electric pedal and the car lurched forward, speeding through the streets of District B. He couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was off, what was happening at HQ?

  He took a turn and got onto a highway, his eyes widened as he merged onto the highway, the entire stretch of the road was filled with police cars all heading towards district F. The road was completely blocked by police cars, as far as he could see. It seemed like the entire police force had been summoned. He had never seen anything like this before, even in his 10 years of service.

  “What the hell...” he said under his breath as he expertly manoeuvred his car through the sea of vehicles. He realised that there was only one reason that the entire police force would be called in.. something major had happened. Could it be a major crime happening? A city wide attack?

  He could see a few familiar faces in other cars, his colleagues, but they were all focussed on their own driving, not paying any attention to him.

  Finally, after 50 minutes, he arrived at the District F HQ. There were even more cars here, and the place was a hive of activity. He parked his car in one of the few parking spaces still unclaimed and a holographic barrier surrounded his car, showing this spot had been taken by him.

  He got out of his car, his mind still racing as he walked towards the entrance of the HQ.

  The building was a massive structure that loomed over the surrounding area. It was designed to be intimidating, with its angular, grey, concrete exterior and sharp edges. The windows were made of a reinforced glass, tinted to hide what was happening inside. The front entrance was flanked by two holographic screens that showed the news and some propaganda on repeat.

  As Takemichi approached the building, he noticed that there were armed guards stationed outside the main entrance, checking the Ids of everyone who tried to enter. He patted the badge on his chest, his own ID, and made his way towards the entrance.

  Just as he was about to go in, his superior. Inspector Satoshi Kato called out to him, he was a short man, around 40 years old, with graying hair and a permanent frown on his face.

  “Takemichi, over here!” He called out, motioning for him to come over. Kato was standing next to a stature made in the year 2090. It was the statue of the brave hero “hideki anki” who once sacrificed himself to save a building filled with around 2000 people from terrorists. In honour of his sacrifice this statue had been placed and erected in front of the police HQ.

  Takemichi made his way over to Kato, who looked like he had been there for a while, his hair was messy and he had a look of exhausted irritation on his face.

  “You took your sweet time getting here,” Kato said gruffly as he saw Takemichi approaching.

  “Sorry, sir. I was on the other side of town when you called,” Takemichi explained, his heart still racing.

  “Doesn’t matter now, you’re here,” Kato said, waving off his apology. “Come on, follow me. We’re going through the side entrance, the front is too crowded.”

  Takemichi nodded, falling into step behind Kato as he led the way towards the side entrance of the building. The side entrance was much quieter, with only a few officers going in and out.

  As they walked, Takemichi tried to keep up with Kato, who was walking quickly and seemed to be in a hurry. “Sir, what’s going on? Why did you call everyone? Is there a terrorist attack?” he asked, unable to contain his curiosity any longer.

  Kato grunted, but he didn’t seem surprised by the question. “I wish it was that simple. But even I haven’t been told what we have been summoned here for.”

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Takemichi felt his heart sink. If even Kato, a higher rank, didn’t know what was going on, it had to be something serious. “Then why are we being called in? If you don’t know anything either...”

  Kato stopped walking, and turned to look at Takemichi squarely. “We’ll find out soon enough. The higher-ups have called a meeting and they want every available officer present.” He paused, eyeing the stain on Takemichi’s shirt and pants. “What happened to you?”

  Takemichi looked down at his clothes, he had forgotten about the coffee stain. “Spilled some coffee on my shirt and pants,” he mumbled, feeling self-conscious.

  Kato raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment any further. “Right. Just clean yourself up when you get a chance, you look like a mess.” He started walking again, at the entrance one singular guard was checking the Ids of everyone, same as the front gate.

  Takemichi nodded, trying to smooth out the wrinkles in his shirt and pants as they approached the guard. The guard took one look at their Ids and waved them through. As they walked through the door, Takemichi eyes widened. The entire hall, which was roughly a 700 meters in size was filled with the brim with atleast 40,000 police officers.

  Takemichi couldn’t believe it. He had never seen so many police officers in one place before. The hall was buzzing with activity as officers milled around, talking to each other, sitting on the chairs, or just standing. It was a sea of uniforms.

  Kato led the way through the crowd, heading towards a stage that had been set up at one end of the hall. There was a podium with a microphone in front of it, and a row of chairs positioned behind it. There were a few people seated on the chairs, but their faces were hidden from view by the bright spotlights above them.

  They made their way to the side of the room, Takemichi noticed that the seats were arranged in a tiered fashion, with the higher-ranked officers sitting towards the front. Kato led him to a row of seats near the back, where there were a few vacant seats. Kato took one of the seats and gestured for Takemichi to sit next to him. He did and then looked around and recognised a few of the officers, but most were unfamiliar faces.

  “We’re lucky we found empty seats,” Kato said, eyeing the sea of officers. “This place is packed.” Takemichi nodded.

  Just then, a sudden hush fell over the crowd, and all eyes turned towards the front of the room. Standing on the stage, illuminated by a single spotlight, was the superintendent general Aakayuki Akio.

  Takemichi recognized him from the news. Akio was a old man. He was dressed in a smart black suit, his expression grave as he surveyed the crowd. “I’m sure you’re all wondering why I have called you here today.” He began, his voice echoing through the room.

  Takemichi leaned forward in his seat, trying to get a better view of Akio. The room was deathly silent, everyone waiting eagerly for the Superintendent General’s next words.

  Akio took a deep breath, as if bracing himself for the words he was about to say. “I have terrible news, and I will ask that you all remain calm as I say this.” He paused, as murmurs spread through the crowd.

  “A very deadly disease is spreading through our great country of japan. It is extremely contagious so a complete lockdown is going to start after the next ten minutes. The entire country is going into a lockdown for an indefinite period of time.”

  The reaction to the news was immediate. The room erupted into chaos as officers began to talk loudly among themselves. Akio shouted “silence.”

  The officers hushed, but there was a tension in the room that had not been there before.

  The Superintendent General continued, “For your safety, you will all be given protective gear to wear. A hazmat suit will be given to every single one of you. Also, we will be shutting down the internet connections for both the civilians and the police force, so radios will have to be used for communication.”

  Takemichi felt his heart skip a beat at the mention of the internet being shut down. He had lived his entire life in the digital age and the thought of being cut off from the virtual world was terrifying. Takemichi was single for the most part but he did have a daughter, a adopted one as he was impotent and couldn’t have children of his own. Thankfully he kept a spare radio in his house and could communicate with her and she knew how to use it.

  “I understand this is a huge adjustment, but it is necessary to contain this deadly disease.” Akio said in a solemn tone. “Every officer here is expected to enforce the lockdown and follow the guidelines given to us by the government and one more thing. Please do this last thing as if it’s your duty and don’t be clouded by emotions but if you see any civilians in the street. You are to gun them down immediately or apprehend them and immediately call 145. That is the number of a special task force created to handle them.”

  Takemichi couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Shoot civilians on sight?” he whispered to Kato.

  “You heard him clearly. We have our orders,” he said flatly

  Takemichi felt a knot in his stomach. He had always signed up to the force to protect people, not to shoot them down in cold blood. “Can I resign right now?” Takemichi asked Kato.

  Kato gave him a stern look. “You know the rules, Takemichi. Once you sign up, there’s no way out. You belong to the force until you retire.”

  “This is insane,” he muttered under his breath.

  But Akio wasn’t finished yet. “I’m sure you all have questions, but time is of the essence here.” He turned to the side and nodded to someone. “Now, I will hand over the floor to an esteemed guest, someone who took time out of his extremely busy schedule to come here. The vice president of the kusonoki conglomerate.”

  Takemichi didn’t know what to expect, but he wasn’t prepared for who stepped on the stage. It was a 50 year old man in a tailored suit with sharp eyes and an even sharper presence. Vice President Hideki Kusonoki. The son of the president, Arai Kusonoki.

  Takemichi had never seen the vice president in person before, but his face was well known to him. He was the golden child of the conglomerate, a brilliant mind and a ruthless businessman.

  “Thank you for that glowing introduction, Superintendent General.” Hideki said, his voice low and gravelly. He looked out over the sea of uniforms. “For those of you who don’t know, I am Hideki Kusonoki, Vice President of the Kusonoki conglomerate – the largest conglomerate in the entire country.”

  “I won’t waste your time with pleasantries.” He continued. “I am sure you all are wondering what role the Kusonoki conglomerate has to play in a government affair, right?”

  Officers nodded, intrigued.

  “I am glad you are curious.” Hideki said, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “My father, President Arai Kusonoki, is directly working with the government on this lockdown.” He paused, letting this sink in.

  “We will be providing the police force with the necessary equipment and supplies needed to support the lockdown. You and your families will receive regular food and water deliveries, courtesy of the Kusonoki conglomerate. But that is not all,” Hideki continued, taking a step forward.

  “The Kusonoki conglomerate will also be funding the special task force that Superintendent General Akio mentioned earlier. That soldiers for that special task force are being provided by our private military company.”

  Takemichi eyes widened. He hadn’t expected this. A private military company? Was the government really relying on the Kusonoki conglomerate for this?

  The officers around him were whispering among themselves, some looking shocked, some looking impressed. Kato, who was sitting next to him, leaned over and muttered in his ear, “The Kusonoki conglomerate runs this country.”

  “Yeah, a real shocker I know.” Said Takemichi in a sarcastic tone.

  “I’m sure you are wondering why the Kusonoki conglomerate is putting so much effort and money into this.” Hideki said, his gaze sweeping over the room. “It is simple. We care for the people of this country.”

  Takemichi rolled his eyes. The Kusonoki conglomerate was many things, but altruistic was definitely not one of them.

  But the officers around him didn’t seem to agree. Some of them looked up in awe at Hideki, as if he was some sort of saviour. Takemichi couldn’t believe it. Were they really buying this act?

  “We care about every person in this country.” Hideki repeated, his voice filled with a passion that seemed almost too good to be true. “We will do whatever it takes to ensure the safety and well-being of every citizen. That is why we have set up quarantine camps around the country.” Hideki said, his voice going into a solemn tone. “Any civilians not gunned down who are found on the streets will be picked up and taken to one of these camps for their own safety.”

  Hideki wasn’t done yet.

  “And if any of you are wondering that they wont recieve sufficient care, I can promise you that this is not the case.” He said, his gaze meeting the eyes of the officers in the room. “The Kusonoki conglomerate will be providing food, water and shelter to everyone in the quarantine camps. You can rest assured that no one will be treated unfairly. To us, everyone is equal. Everyone is family. We are one big happy family.”

  Everyone in the hall suddenly began to clap, applauding the conglomerate. Except for a few people but to not get to their bad sides they too alongside Takemichi and Kato began to clap.

  Takemichi bit his tongue, holding back his true thoughts. He forced a smile on his face, clapping half-heartedly. He looked over at Kato, who was clapping enthusiastically.

  “Now,” Hideki said, his voice going into a serious tone. “I want to talk to you all about the special task force and the soldiers that will be helping the police in this lockdown.”

  The room fell silent, everyone listening.

  “As I mentioned earlier, the soldiers for the special task force are being provided by our private military company.” Hideki said. “These soldiers are highly trained and highly efficient. They have all sorts of cyberware in them to help them.”

  Takemichi heart skipped a beat. Cyberware? That was heavy stuff. He knew that the Kusonoki conglomerate had some involvement in the military industry, but this was something else entirely.

  “They are the best of the best, hand picked by our military experts. They are equipped with the latest technology and weapons.” Hideki continued. “They will be working alongside the police to enforce the lockdown, all of you will be given data-books about them so you can get to know about your allies and how to best work with them.”

  Takemichi looked over to Kato and asked, “hey how many soldiers do they have?”

  Kato thought for a second, “Around 100,000 men.” He said.

  Takemichi eyes widened, “That’s an army, how are they even allowed to have that many soldiers?”

  “Private military companies have more lee way than you think.” Kato said, with a smirk, “they’re a conglomerate after all, they have pull.”

  Takemichi groaned, “of course the—”

  Hideki spotted Takemichi and Kato talking.

  “Excuse me.” Hideki said in a polite tone, but his eyes bore into takemichi. “You there, what’s your name?”

  Takemichi felt his heart sink as all eyes turned to him. He knew he shouldn’t have been talking during the meeting, but he had been unable to help himself. “Uh, I’m Takemichi mizuka, sir.” He managed to stammer out.

  “Takemichi, that’s a nice name.” Hideki said, a small smile on his face. “Would you mind coming up here to the stage for a moment? I want to ask you a few questions.”

  Takemichi felt a sense of dread wash over him. He had a feeling he knew what kind of questions Hideki wanted