The Case of the Mad Scientist

Chapter 18: Disappointment

Chapter 18: Disappointment

“Okay, who are you?”

We were in the car, driving away from Koriyama Pharmaceutics. Aiko was at the wheel, and I was in the seat next to her, filled with questions.

“Not that I object to your help. You saved those three men’s lives as I was about to blow them away. So, who are you and why did you happen to be there?”

“I am an agent for the Company,” she said as she pulled up to our hotel and parked. “The Company” is a term used to describe the CIA by those in it, I reminded myself. This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

She turned to me. “My assignment is to watch over you two and give you any assistance I can. A certain person in the Company headquarters contacted me directly and gave me those orders. That is why your boss told you to call my company to rent a car and driver.”

“Oh, I’ll bet it was Mark!” squealed Blaze. “He’s very protective, you know.”

I noticed that Aiko did not confirm Blaze’s assumption. Instead, she told us: “I would suggest that you get your things from here and that we get on the road back to Tokyo. There were surveillance cameras in that building, and it is likely that the police in this city will be looking for you.”

Blaze began getting out of the back seat. “I’ll wait here for you,” Aiko said. I nodded and walked to the hotel entrance in the light rain. In five minutes, we were back at the car, suitcase and overnight bag in hand. Five minutes after that we were on the freeway heading south.

We were all silent for a long part of the drive. In my case, it was because I was terribly disappointed that I would not be spending the night in that hotel room with Blaze. Sometimes a guy can’t get a break!

When my disappointment reduced to a mild simmer, I told Blaze that it was a good thing her shot happened to hit that guard’s gun. “That’s what I was aiming for,” she said. It has been my experience that most women can’t shoot worth a damn, but I didn’t say so out loud. If she wants to think she is that good of a shot, let her.

It was after midnight when we got back to our hotel in Tokyo. The rain had increased, which added to the gloom we were feeling. Truth was, the trip had been a wasted effort. We did not find any evidence that Sorren was working at that place. We had a run-in with security guards and were lucky to get out alive. And as I dashed from the car to the hotel, there was probably a police bulletin out for us in Koriyama. Well, that was just another city where I was not welcomed.

We agreed to meet in the morning, and went to our rooms. Aiko said that she would join us then before she drove off into the rain. I lay on my bed for a long time before falling asleep. I couldn’t clear from my mind the images of that nice looking Blaze struggling in the hogtie I had put on her. Damn! It would have been nice to return from a successful mission and see if she was up for a little more practice before retiring for the night. I had another form of punishment (should she fail again) in mind that would fit right in with what a bad guy would do to her.