Issue 1 Downtime

Mizuki's standing at the cliff above the waterline, throwing pebbles at, well, more the horizon than the water really.

"What? No one your age worth hanging out with?" John asked as he walked up.

"I don't really know anybody here."

He stopped next to her. "You have to at least try sis."

"Did you come all the way out here to micromanage my life?"

"No. No I did not," he admitted, slightly apologetically.

"Cool, cause I can call Dad a visit for that."

"Anyway," he said, grinning, "You were dead on about looking in the HDT employee database."

"You found something?"

"His name is Benjamin Takahashi, and he works at HDT headquarters. Some crummy cubicle job, but close enough to the top to keep an eye on things. But... I dunno... either this guy is really good at playing the average working stiff or that familiar was jerking us around after all."

"Seems like an awful lot of work to make up something like that."

"It does, but I'm going to look further into him before I try making contact. Just in case."

"Makes sense, I guess."

"It'll help me figure out how to approach him too. I doubt he'll readily admit anything."

"Throw him through a wall?"

He laughed. "Not usually a good way to elicit someone's help."

"I thought he was one of the bad guys?"

"No. He's the one who's supposed to be keeping the cult from finding us."

"Oh! But... then why wouldn't he talk to you?"

"He's bound to have a good reason to have stayed hidden from us."

"So now what?"

"I'll know that after making contact."