chapter twenty one

Kitsune is trying to organize data. Signals have been flying across the globe, from Boston to Hakodate and back. The shouts seem to have become chats. Translation efforts are still unsuccessful, but they have the idea. "Hello?" became "Hello!?" became "Hello!!" followed by "Yes?" and "Ah!" Takahashi could explain it properly, but it still boils down to that in her mind. Most aggravating is that the signal has been pinned down to a small area, almost right next to the coffee shop she's been to the last two days. Her hunch was right, but being close to the thing is a far cry from having it in her hands.

The Executive Administrator is very close to sending support personnel, if she cannot show more results. The lead she is following may be good, but it almost has to pay off, and soon, if only to justify a very expensive dinner. His message is clear. She scans email and listens to voicemail, finds that one scrap from the Archives seems to be of some help. Something about a soldier monk and a three-day fight as the Americans were at Hakodate. Beyond that, they have nothing to go on.

Guilty from having had a wonderful 'date,' she dives into the material to see if she can synthesize anything new. But she can't. There's nothing but a signal going out that they can't pinpoint, a signal returning that hasn't been found yet, though that will happen soon, and nothing else to go on. Could it be just some manner of natural anomaly that is causing their very specifically-calibrated sensors to say "Demon Activity!"? Weather records show that the events occurred under varying conditions, different times of day. Well, most happened at night. There was one event that happened in the late afternoon. Anomaly? Weather charts, moon phases. Yes, there. The moon's been waxing to full and now is waning. So if moonlight is a trigger, how could it trigger when the sun is overpowering? Could there be some other manner of triggering an event? Well, obviously, she thinks, but what? What what what becomes her mantra.

Calls room service for more tea, though she thinks she'd much prefer coffee after such a good meal. But time to push those thoughts aside and come up with yet another plan.