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TOKYO, JAPAN -- APRIL 12
10:00 P.M.
Brian

"This is never going to work," I argued for about the millionth time as Nick and I inched our way forward toward the customs gate. Nick was fumbling with the holster belt for the gun, trying to undo it. I felt sick to my stomach. Mine was already hanging over my elbow.

I'd almost blown our cover in the first ten seconds of trying to play the game.

We'd arrived at the airport in Stockholm and a very polite security officer had patiently put up with me trying to walk through the metal detector with the gun still holstered to my ass. Course the only reason I hadn't ended up arrested right then and there was because of the FBI identification that I had shoved into my suitcoat's breast pocket, which Nick had to remind me was there.

"Kyle," he'd said, coming over, "Show the man your badge."

"Oh..." I'd muttered, digging for it.

"He's a rookie," Nick had said to the officer.

Now we were in Japan and my palms were soaked. "Someone, somewhere is gonna catch on to this," I mumbled.

Nick shook his head, "I'm telling you, I covered all our bases."

"Next."

Nick shoved me forward. I stumbled up to the petite woman, whose wide almond eyes were kind. I glanced to her left and saw a pinched-looking, sour-faced guy. I was glad I got the doe-eyed woman for my customs agent. I dropped the gun and the badge on the counter, along with my passport. "Hi," I stammered.

She didn't answer, just started processing my stuff.

I imagined the silence to mean she was secretly calling security and trying to keep a straight face. My heart raced. "I'm in the FBI," I stammered. "In Los Angeles," I added. She glanced up. "My name is Kyle." She blinked. "I'm solving a murder. Someone murdered a guy in Sweden and we're investigating here. My partner Ni---- Preston, he's - he has blonde hair. My hair is red."

We'd dyed them before leaving.

"I like sushi," I added.

She stamped my passport and pushed it across the counter to me.

Nick was waiting by a vending machine, buying Hi-Chew. "Hey, there you are," he said as I approached him.

"I don't like this," I whispered.

Nick laughed, "Br--Kyle, you're being paranoid. Relax."

"See? Even you are messing up the names now..." I glanced around nervously.

"Stop that or they'll think you're doing something illegal," Nick said, hitting my arm to keep me from turning left to right any more.

"I am doing something illegal," I hissed.

"Well stop acting like it," Nick snapped, and turned on his heel, shoving a piece of mango Hi-Chew into his mouth and leading the way into the thick mass of the crowd. I followed along, feeling like every security camera in the place was aimed at me... certain I was about to be jumped by a thuglike security officer.


**********


Nick

"How come you got to keep the blonde?" Bri hissed as we stood side by side pissing in a McDonald's right across the street from the airport. Our duffel bags were sitting by our feet.

"It's more a light grayish brown," I said out of the corner of my mouth.

"Grayish brown? That's two different things."

"Well, it's different isn't it?"

We both zipped up and kicked our bags to the sinks. I wished my hands and stared at my reflection in the mirror. I wasn't used to the silver frames and the thin zig-zag scar that spread across my cheek."

"I look twelve."

"You needed to look younger than me."

"These contacts are driving me nuts. They keep floating."

"You look pretty with brown eyes."

Bri hit the air dryer with his elbow. "Never tell me I look pretty. Ever again."

"Sorry," I said. I kicked my bag to the second air dryer and held my hands under a second. I shook off the rest and wiped them on the back of my pants. We both grabbed the straps of our bags and swung them up over our shoulders.

"So?"

"So?"

"What's your plan?"

"In the big scheme of 'bad guys who might want to hurt AJ,' the first people that came to mind were those Japanese bookies that AJ owed a big hunka change to after he picked the loser in that championship robotics match."

"I didn't know anything about that. AJ bet on robots?"

"It was right after Wall-e came out," I explained. "He thought anything metal with big eyes was cute."

"So you think they killed him?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. But I know AJ. He loved Japan. He had a lot of old girlfriends lying around the city, too. If the bookies don't pan out, I say we go visit a couple of them. Who knows what other shit he might have gotten into?"

"Drugs?"

I shrugged. "Maybe."

We walked through the restaurant and hit the doors. Once outside, Bri began to walk like he had a pack of dogs chasing him.

"Slow down!"

"I'm nervous!"

"Pretend this is a movie and you're an actor. For God's sake act calm."

He slowed. His hand went to his gun.

"I got us a room at a cheap hotel. We're going to have to rough it. If the Foolish Brainless Insiders actually start tracking us, they're going to be looking at medium-to-higher priced lodgings."

"You've got a point."

It was the first compliment he had given me. I smiled. "Why, thank you."



"This is gross."

"It's not that bad."

"This is like your bus if someone closed it up tight for three months and then opened it and a whole bunch of cats had come in and chased mice over and under every square inch."

"You're a drama king. I'm sorry we don't have golden stairs and fancy pictures of naked fat chicks from 200 B.C. hanging on the walls like the friggin' entrance hall of your mansion."

Bri threw his bag down. A large cloud of dust lifted up. "You're talking like you're poor! You have money to decorate!"

"I have more important things to do! Besides, you know deep down you'd rather have a whole bunch of b-ball memorabilia and some Budweiser Girl posters up."

"I would not."

I snickered. "You can deny all you want Red, but I know the real you. The you that use to do the sniff test to judge the re-wearability of your socks."

"I grew up."

"Well, Mr. Grown Up," I said, gesturing towards the one bed in the room. "I hope you're mature enough to share. I'm exhausted and I've packed a lot into our agenda tomorrow."

I slid off my black slacks and tossed them on the chair. I scratched my ass and crawled into bed. Bri still stood there dumb-founded. I patted the pillow. When nothing crawled out, I smashed my head down.

"Remember, Sheppard..."

"No funny business."