TSAB08 Sample - The Beast Who Ate His Beauty.pdf - Adrian P.

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THE SILENT ASSASSIN | ACT II: LAGOON BLUE You’re ugly. He thought. You’re fucking ugly. To be rejected so easily. What the fuck are you, you piece of shit? He gritted his teeth. You’ve been around her for years, with all that opportunity to woo her into your embrace, and yet here you are, the genius, still managing to get rejected. He struck the mirror so hard until it cracked. Broken shards jammed into his fingers, forcing blood to leak out to his fist’s in- between. A sharp pain blasted through his arm, but Ming-Kiat’s aching chest thundered an even harder slow blunt pain. He punched again. Punched. Punched. How. The fuck. Did. You. Manage. To get. Rejected? He punched again. Are you stupid? Are you fucking stupid? He kept punching. The ledger has balanced, and 10 BOOK EIGHT | PROLOGUE yet you flunked like a pathetic piece of shit! How? Why? What on Terra is wrong with you? He smashed through the cupboard. I should kill you. He glared at shards of mirror with his reflection. Your failure and pathetic existence has inflicted such an embarrassing humiliation upon me; being rejected by someone I’ve had almost my whole working life to woo. That ugliness. That stupid looks. If only you look like a handsome actor or celebrity, than this wouldn’t have fucking happened—! A huge slam struck his room’s door inward. As the door struck the floor, two figures emerged from the bright outside. One was a bob-haired woman in dark blue blazer and trousers, while the other was a man wearing bandana and holding a pistol. They entered the room and froze in place; stunned at the destruction within and massive sprinkles of blood staining the floor. “What the hell?” the bob-haired woman said. 11 THE SILENT ASSASSIN | ACT II: LAGOON BLUE “Tae-Hee,” Ming-Kiat’s voice was coarse and monotonic. She walked forward with shaking steps while examining the room. “Are you out of your damn mind?” Tae-Hee yelled. “How the hell did this place end up like this?” “I—don’t know,” Ming-Kiat rested his arms down; blood dripped out faster from his hands. “Things just…happens.” “What did?” Silence. “Damn it, MK. This is not normal,” she frowned. “You’re not the kind of person who would implode like this.” “How would you know?” Tae-Hee stopped. “Aren’t you full of prejudice? Assuming my nature from your daily, menial observation of what I do and say?” he said. “Maybe I am like this. Maybe I am always like this. Maybe I finally gathered the courage to admit, to act like what and how I am supposed to be—” The man with bandana chuckled. Ming-Kiat frowned. “What’s funny, Audi?” Audi Prabian walked to his work desk and picked up a UFX-PDA gadget. 12 BOOK EIGHT | PROLOGUE “Hey—!” He turned the display on. An application window was opened—a table comprising list of Ming-Kiat’s personal quality such as looks, amount of money, social status of family, and some numbers assigned to them. Another table showed Mei- Lin’s quality, almost mirroring Ming-Kiat’s one, but with extra columns indicating ‘Boyfriend existence’, ‘Home distance’, and others. At the bottom of the column were two equal numbers: 94. Audi glanced at Ming-Kiat. “Did you confess your feelings to that woman you fancy?” He kept silent. “And you got rejected?” Ming-Kiat flinched. “I see,” Audi turned his eyes onto the screen. “So this is some sort of pseudo- accounting system to judge when you will be attractive enough to earn her love. I see, I see,” he paused. “And you screwed up.” “Shut up,” Ming-Kiat’s voice became tiny. “Like you’d understand my situation.” “Mind if I criticise your methodology a little?” Audi asked. “You tried to translate 13 THE SILENT ASSASSIN | ACT II: LAGOON BLUE personal qualities and material conditions into attractiveness value by assigning numbers onto them, which can only be arbitrary. How, for example, can you ever equate the quality of family background and looks? How do you differentiate a 1, 2, and 20?” The man glanced away. “Perhaps the reason of your failure is your reliance on this pseudo-accounting numerical method, which is faulty at best,” Audi continued. “Even if we accept the premise that the numbers can accurately represent attractiveness scores, the presence of this…’Boyfriend Existence’ multiplier…requires you to be twice as attractive as she inherently is, in order to gain her love. If you’re able to reach this level of attractiveness, wouldn’t you be better off going after others who are twice as attractive as her, but single?” “There is only one of her,” Ming-Kiat glared at Audi. “Don’t you fucking turn her into commodity you can toss and replace.” “I’m not the one who commodified her. You are.” Ming-Kiat flinched. 14 BOOK EIGHT | PROLOGUE “This entire scoring system nonsense, aren’t you the one who tried putting immaterial human qualities into numbers? And making judgement according to how balanced your attractiveness values are so that you may trade each other; is this not commodification at its purest?” “Shut the fuck up, bandana boy,” Ming- Kiat stepped forward. “I can break the cupboard door with my fist, so imagine what I can do to your face.” Audi smirked. “Try me.” Ming-Kiat clenched his fist and pulled it back. “Enough!” The two men stopped and turned to Tae- Hee. “What is wrong with you morons throwing childish banters at each other?” Tae-Hee said. “Everyone has gone through enough bad days, months, and years! The last thing we need is us at each other’s throat!” 15 THE SILENT ASSASSIN | ACT II: LAGOON BLUE Ming-Kiat pulled his fist down and relaxed it. “MK,” Tae-Hee said. “I understand that you are heartbroken. I can feel your anger and sorrow mixed right between your words,” she paused. “But destroying your room like this? Hurting yourself? Give me one, just one reason how it can fix your problem.” “You can’t fix a hope that’s been shattered to dust,” he replied. “This pain is nothing compared to what I’ve felt.” Audi sighed. “Self-affirmation through pain, huh? I see now—“ “And you too, damned desert barbarian,” Tae-Hee glared. “The last thing MK need is needless berating of what’s been done in the past.” “Well, are you not the slightest bit curious about his scoring system? Are you approving of it?” “Not the slightest,” Tae-Hee frowned. “I am planning to talk to him about that, but the time for cold criticism is not now. He doesn’t need your heartless hammering of his meaning in life.” “Even if the way to obtain such meaning is nonsense?” 16 BOOK EIGHT | PROLOGUE “He was in love with her, you idiot!” Tae- Hee yelled. “To be rejected by someone you love. To come to a realization that your long- held feeling was but nothing in the face of the person you cared about the most in this world. That. That is one of the most devastating things a human can ever feel in their life.” Silence. “I don’t expect a dull bore like you to understand love. Had you do, those two wouldn’t need to go to an entire debacle like now.” “Huh?” “For now, go away,” Tae-Hee shooed him away. “I’ll take care of MK. Your presence will only make things worse.” The world was strange to Audi Prabian. Human emotion, he thought, was highly irrational. Thirst for power. Hunger for recognition. The need for daily affirmation. Why? The boy thought. Most of these things are empty gesturing aimed at satisfying personal ego. Can’t humans do away without them? Unnecessary conflict. Unnecessary pain. 17 THE SILENT ASSASSIN | ACT II: LAGOON BLUE He stopped in front of a lift which door panels reflected his own image. The boy was of average height with olive skin, black hair, and brown eyes. His nose shape was average. His ear size was average. Truly a common, unimpressive fellow with no extraordinary feature worth speaking of. At least that was his thought. And I’m not even complaining. The boy was content with his averageness. His ability to blend in with the crowd, turning invisible without a notable presence. It matters not, for the boy would rather spend his time in solitude, away from the faceless masses he couldn’t care much about. While the commons engage in high-octane and visually-enticing activities, the boy’s favourite pastime hobby was sitting near the window; a gaze at the vast, static panorama of Kitagane Capital Territory skyline. He contemplates. He thinks. Without a word. Ten languages combined in his head to express trillions of different ideas and observations. Like a calm river. Like a speck of flame. Like a tiny breeze. Like the still soil. 18 BOOK EIGHT | PROLOGUE Then the lift door opened. In front of him stood a woman with long blonde hair. She was one head shorter than him, and her skin tone is several shades lighter than the boy. Her aquatic blue iris swam amid the pristine white eye, constantly veiled in frequent blinks as the woman stared at Audi staring at her. “You okay?” she spoke with a South London accent. “Milady,” the boy stepped into the lift and turned half a circle, standing right next to her. “My bad. There’s a lot going on in my mind.” She sighed. “Presumably not about calling me by my name.” He turned. “What was your name again?” She glared at him. “Ah yes. Jane. My bad, my bad,” he pressed a button and the lift closed. The lift began its descent. “I just realised our conversation never contain a mention of your name,” he continued. 19 THE SILENT ASSASSIN | ACT II: LAGOON BLUE “Why did you start calling me ‘milady’ anyway?” she pouted. “It’s so sudden and uncalled for.” “I don’t know,” the boy glanced up. “A bit catchier, perhaps—” He stopped. The darkness surrounding the lift vanished, and the window behind exposed a vast panoramic view of Kitagane Capital Territory. The winter night sky brightened by the light reflection of the megalopolis below; a lively concrete jungle with skyscrapers concentrated on two business districts, surrounded by low-rises with blasting lights as if they were part of a parade. The lift stopped at ground floor; its door opened. “Why are you suddenly quiet?” Jane stepped out. The boy remained silent while walking off the lift. The view of the luxurious central tower lobby unveiled itself, with tall pillars striking the ceiling high up, covered in marble coating and brightened by glistening diamond chandeliers. He turned to Jane and gazed at her face for ten seconds. 20 BOOK EIGHT | PROLOGUE “Eh,” Jane’s cheeks suddenly flushed. “Wha—” “Why are we drawn to beauty, milady?” he asked. “T—that was sudden,” Jane looked away. He took a tiny, yet deep breath. “Strip away all the fancy chandeliers, marble coating, and luxurious furniture; this lobby is simply a dull and boring grey concrete. Not particularly in useful arrangement either. Just a space. To put things in. To display embroideries. A spectacle.” Silence. “I’m sorry. Told you I have a lot in mind,” he took a step away from Jane. “Forget I said anything—” “Wait,” she grabbed his hand. Audi turned. “This idea of spectacle you talked about,” Jane said. “Tell me more.” “Nothing much, really. I just meant that people have the tendency to prioritise good image over true substance. Style and rhetoric, over content of being.” “Why?” “I…don’t know?” he replied. “Perhaps it’s easier to judge and infer a building’s quality 21 THE SILENT ASSASSIN | ACT II: LAGOON BLUE by its decorative works? It’s less mentally taxing to infer a confident person’s speech as correct?” he paused. “Analysing a building’s true quality requires time-consuming technical work. Breaking down a person’s true argument requires in-depth expertise in critical thinking and skill in bypassing rhetorical technique.” “What about a person’s look?” Silence. “This company is on its way to upgrading its matchmaking service, Red String, to categorise its clients to different class: Silver, Gold, and Platinum.” The boy cocked his eyebrow. “Silver-class clients are barred from accessing Gold-class clients, and Gold-class clients are barred from accessing Platinum- class clients,” she continued. “If you have average looks and unimpressive career, then you will automatically be a Silver-class.” “And who gets to decide who’s in which class?” “Algorithm.” He frowned. “Some artificial intelligence?” “Yes.” 22 BOOK EIGHT | PROLOGUE “How the hell would a damned program decides who has average looks, and who’s good-looking?” “I’m still not sure, but I suspect by collecting billions of data on attractiveness polls. The juxtapositions of those data on each other may create a picture of what kind of face and body people consider beautiful.” “So, a data-based beauty standard.” She nodded. “Fucking hell,” Audi frowned. “So they’re going to categorise people based on how much their looks and image deviate from these standards? What a way to industrialise romance,” he chuckled. “Quality Assurance process. On people.” “I…what should we do, Audi? I don’t want this to happen.” “Wrong question: what can we do?” “Eh?” “Both of us are actors too small in the face of such a large scale project. A lot of money, funds, and capital must’ve been committed in order to make this go. Unless you’re willing to face the giant corporate machinery which will crush us within an instant, then anything is not worth doing.” 23 THE SILENT ASSASSIN | ACT II: LAGOON BLUE “You’re just going to give up despite understanding its ludicrousness?” “Like I said, there’s nothing we can do.” “You can’t just bloody step back!” she raised her voice. “I never said it’s going to be easy, but the insanity must be stopped!” “Stop how?” Jane paused. “If you want to stop it, then you need to know the framework. Stop which feature? The entire thing? Just the commodifying part?” he said. “And you’re assuming this is just the corporate leaders pushing in their nonsense to the public. Have you ever thought of the idea that maybe, just maybe, the public actually wants it? A fast-food style romance? In an age where everyone needs to work from dusk to dawn in order to live?” She glanced away. “The thought of living and dying in solitude is terrifying,” his voice flattened. “Having someone by your side, attached to you, eases the burden of existence. That Red String stuff is actually quite appealing, the fast-food aspect of it, how you can browse romantic partner in a supermarket aisle. Easy. 24 BOOK EIGHT | PROLOGUE Practical. Instant. To be in love without the pain of falling into it.” “And what do you know about love?” Audi stopped. “You speak all this like you’ve understood every aspect of love. Is that the case? If so, tell me right here, right now, on what love is.” No reply. Jane sighed and turned away. “If only you know how painful love can be, you wouldn’t have said all those things.” “And I wouldn’t have to keep silent all this long,” she whispered to herself. 25 ACT II: LAGOON BLUE 26 ACT II: LAGOON BLUE BOOK EIGHT CHAPTER ONE “Today’s children and young men and women have sexual identities that spiral around paper and celluloid phantoms. They are being imprinted with a sexuality that is mass- produced, deliberately dehumanizing, and inhuman.” - Naomi Wolf – 27 ACT II: LAGOON BLUE ONE YEAR LATER 28 BOOK EIGHT| CHAPTER ONE Chapter 1 / Part 1 The Capital City of Kitagane was bustling with corporate workers stuck to their consoles. Wherever one go—café, collective working space, office, even the park and sidewalk bench—no one was ever separate from their work. In Kitagane, one proverb said, humans lost their soul when the office hour ticks. And they recover it after 5 o’clock less sane than when they left. The proverb was written over three hundred years ago, when working hour was 9-5. In the 28th Century, particularly during the Galactic Economic Crisis, a typical day runs from 5-9. Seven days a week. Six for the lucky and the cheaters. Chizuru was spared from such life. Guarded by her company’s security staffs, the young CEO ventured through the streets of Kitagane’s CBD without being bogged down by work. No. She left her job back in her office. The city adventure was her only chance to wind down from the hectic days of a chief executive. The lady wore a pale green suit and aquamarine turtleneck sweater—a contrast 29 THE SILENT ASSASSIN | ACT II: LAGOON BLUE to the black-and-white costumed corporate crowd around her. She stopped next to a boutique and watched her reflection on the mirror. She frowned. The green-rimmed specs sitting on her head was skewed. She fixed it with a nudge, turned sideways, and faced a figure covering herself under a hooded sweater. “Want to stop in, Jane?” Chizuru asked. “We can have a bit of look inside.” “Am not looking at the clothes,” Jane replied. “I’m looking at myself.” “Oh, right,” Chizuru stopped. “The…glass windows here sure are reflective, aren’t they? They’re a bit annoying for people who want to take a peek inside. Man, they need a complete redesign of the shop.” Jane kept silent. They stood next to each other and stared at their reflection for ten seconds. A minute. Five minutes. Ten. Chizuru kept glancing at Jane, but she remained still without a finger moved. The silence continued for another three minutes, when the itch in Chizuru’s chest exploded and she heaved a ton a breath out. “What’s on your mind?” she asked. 30 BOOK EIGHT| CHAPTER ONE “Nothing,” Jane replied. “Just how ugly I am.” “We’re here to fix that,” Chizuru replied. “The clinic we’re going to have a full-scale dermatological cosmetic procedure than can mask your condition. It’s not invasive, so I can assure you that everything will be fine—” “So ugliness is a medical condition to fix?” She flipped her hood open. Yellowish-black crust of cracked skin covered her entire jawline and cheeks. Hundreds of dense blisters spread equally atop the skin like a smallpox victim. The crust and blisters continued down her neck, to her shoulders, to her chest—only the central part of her face was spared. Crowds around her flinched on sight; many visibly shivering and stepping away, increasing their pace and avoiding even a glance. The cold tingle still affected Chizuru. After a full night of research, she knew the feeling of disgust is just natural to human; her brain subconsciously perceived Jane as 31 THE SILENT ASSASSIN | ACT II: LAGOON BLUE mimicking signs of diseased individuals. Even when she knew no pathogens were involved, Chizuru couldn’t help feeling the natural impulse trying to throw her away from Jane. But she resisted. She kept her face neutral. She kept her breath regulated, though the stress of fighting against the instinct increased her psychological burden every second. “L—look,” Chizuru began. “All we’re doing is to cover your mutated skin with an all- natural mask so that people won’t be shocked by it. That’s it. Nothing more.” “I don’t bloody care about other people,” Jane replied. “They can damn shiver at my sight all they want, but I am not going to entertain their comfort by covering my body with whatever bollocks you’re trying to make me do.” “Jane, you’re the head of our R&D. That means you must constantly work with other people,” Chizuru said. “They are complaining to me; they can’t work with such discomfort being around you.” “Tell them to be comfortable and get over it,” Jane replied. “Why the bloody hell should I be the one who caters to their comfort?” 32 BOOK EIGHT| CHAPTER ONE “Well, that…” Jane slammed a palm onto her chest. “My condition isn’t my fault. If not for your stupid directors and their Red String bollocks, this wouldn’t have happened.” “You’re the one who rampaged against them, causing your power to go haywire,” Chizuru crossed her arms. “I thought years of experience possessing this power would’ve informed you of its side-effect.” “I didn’t know this could happen, you twit! And why are you defending the directors? You know how ridiculous their proposed upgrade of the Red String service is! Turning every damn people into market products to trade in the marketplace of romance or whatever the bloody hell it has become—” “The only one who defended you in that meeting room was me,” Chizuru replied. “I absolutely agree with you; how ridiculous their proposed new trajectory for Red String is. But you must know that fighting them requires more than just a fit of rage—you were trying to kill them.” Jane gritted her pale yellow teeth. 33 THE SILENT ASSASSIN | ACT II: LAGOON BLUE “Your frustration is understandable. Everyone refuses to be around you, or even look at you. That is abhorrent, that is despicable,” she paused. “But you must also understand that their reaction is not totally uncalled for. They were shocked at the change; how a beautiful woman like you suddenly transformed into—” “Into what?” Chizuru paused. “I…look. It doesn’t matter. Don’t think about what people say, because deep inside you are still you. Jane Drake. The most brilliant woman, no, person that I’ve ever met,” she said. “For me that’s the most important quality, this inner beauty that may overshadow however you look on the outside. So don’t—” “Enough with your positivity nonsense!” Chizuru flinched. “Don’t think about what people say? That brain of yours is just a filling for your skull, is it?” she pointed at her. “It doesn’t bloody matter how much I tell myself that I’m 34 BOOK EIGHT| CHAPTER ONE beautiful, if every single damn day, everyone kept reminding how ghastly I am! It doesn’t bloody matter how much faux positivity pumped into me, if the world made it obvious that I am not a sight that they would rather see!” Silence. “Don’t you dare try that motivational bollocks on me, ever,” Jane’s voice stiffened. “You people in the corporate and business world love all this nonsense on the atomised version of the world—where everything can be solved if the individual works hard enough, thinks positive enough, and all that. Cleaning one’s own room, before you criticise the society or whatnot.” Chizuru looked away. “I’ve tried. Cleaning my room. Only for bastards from without to come in and ransack the entire place back to mess. How many times do I have to go through that? How many times do I have to sort out my life in a world that makes me go through hell?” No reply. “And so I’ve done the next best thing,” Jane said. “Covering the damn window and 35 THE SILENT ASSASSIN | ACT II: LAGOON BLUE shut myself away, so I never have to deal with what the world keep throwing at me—” A bullet struck Jane’s head. Chizuru’s fast reflex slowed down time in her mind as Jane’s figure fell sideways towards the window; seemingly in slow motion. Within this millisecond frame, Chizuru’s eyes turned to the direction of the bullet. Three men with helmet had guns pointed right at her. She focused her power on her legs. Throwing one hand into her suit to grab a hidden pistol. Jumping backwards towards a blind spot behind a car. Then streams of bullets showered her position within a second. That was close! She grabbed her communicator and turned its power on. 36 BOOK EIGHT| CHAPTER ONE “Guards! Code Red! Armed assailants across the street!” The channel crackled. “Ojou-sama!” a man said. “We have been ambushed by ten attackers! They’re pinning us down!” “How on Terra did they figure you out?” “Not sure!” the man yelled. “We’ve followed every protocol to mask ourselves as bystanders, but they managed to identify us all!” She looked at Jane, still lying on the ground motionless. Please don’t tell me she’s gone. Damn it, damn it! Why does it have to be when Audi is gone? Chizuru turned to her communicator. “Alright, hold your position,” she said. “I’ll shake off the enemies and regroup with you. Call Captain Ming-Kiat to send reinforcement, now!” She hung up. Fully automatic railgun; they can’t be petty outlaws. Chizuru thought. I’m facing one of this planet’s top tier organised crime. 37 THE SILENT ASSASSIN | ACT II: LAGOON BLUE Chapter 1 / Part 2 Chizuru sprinted from car to car while streams of bullets flew around her. The attackers moved forward and spread out, gaining a large angle of firing range. She’s pinned, hiding behind an advertisement board. Six men. Five Bushi-44 rifles and one Kaminari Light Rocket Launcher. She peeked ahead. They were all weapons manufactured by my rival conglomerate, Yeonhabgun United Holdings. High chance that they sent these people, but— A flute-like screech echoed. She flinched; it was a familiar noise. With her reflex, time seemed to slow down and the lady pushed her leg forward, sprinting away as fast as she could. Chizuru crossed her arms in front of her face and lunged forward, crashing through a glass window into a bakery and laid low. She put both hands behind her head and covered her ears with her arms as tight as she could. 38 BOOK EIGHT| CHAPTER ONE An explosion shocked the air. The shockwave blasted piles of debris, rubbles, and concrete into the bakery; some falling onto Chizuru’s back. Her ears buzzed and blunt pain travelled through her body. The ground trembled for seconds. The wall shook. Then there was quiet. I would’ve died had I stayed on ground floor. Damn. That was a powerful rocket! She loosened her arms’ grip. Yeonhabgun United Holdings doesn’t have the capacity to build that kind of powerful munition. Did they develop one without me noticing? Her communicator vibrated. “Ojou-sama!” a guard yelled. “The enemy brought in reinforcement! Five of them are heading towards you!” “What about the ones outside?” “We’ve been surrounded. Damn it! Damn it!” the guard yelled. The channel suddenly went silent. 39 THE SILENT ASSASSIN | ACT II: LAGOON BLUE “Hello?” Chizuru flinched. “Answer me! Hello?” No reply. This is bad. She stood and readied her pistol. Even if they’re part of massive organised crime, it is still ballsy to attack Nagisawa Corporation. And me, of all people. Chizuru climbed up to ground floor, but footsteps from outside echoed. Five pairs of steps. She hid behind a pillar and took a deep breath. I’ll be exposed in ten seconds. She gripped her gun tight. If this is the case, then I have no choice. The attackers stepped closer. And Chizuru fired her gun. The bullet hit his head. Amidst confusion, she struck another man with her gun’s butt and kicked his stomach, spontaneously snatching his automatic rifle and firing it at the others. A bullet hit one, but the rest took cover. Chizuru 40