L09-2 Purge

The enormous biotope was enshrined, as ever, in the center of Blue Ship's headquarters.

Kujo idly watched the creatures skittering inside the glass as Maki's words swirled inside her head: "I wouldn't be happy living in a peaceful world that was created by sacrificing people's lives." Are these creatures truly happy? Or are they better off living shorter lives, completely free in the outside world? Kujo shook her head and turned her thoughts back to reality.

"He used decoys to divide our manpower and then broke into this hideout to steal back the Death Note. L...he's not one to be taken lightly. " said Matoba, who had been given an account of the night before. He shrugged and let out a quiet sigh. A heavy silence hung over the room as the Blue Ship members ruminated on their failures. Sensing the hit they had taken to their morale, Matoba opted not to rebuke them for their failed efforts. Instead he asked rather genially, "So what now Dr. Kujo? With the Death Note gone, we've lost our best weapon against L."

Kujo nodded and calmly replied, "There's nothing to worry about. Konishi and I have already taken the next step."

'And what might that be?"

"We're going to kill L, and it'll be perfectly legal." There was a buzz of skepticism as the members looked to Kujo. "Konishi hacked into the Kira Investigation Headquarters' system and delivered a threat to the president of the United States posing as L."

"What kind of threat?" asked one of the Blue Shippers, his anxiety obvious in the quiver of his voice.

"Payment of roughly the equivalent of the U.S. national budget. If the president doesn't comply, we threatened to use the Death Note to kill him—after we compel him to pick up the red phone and drop the bomb."

Matoba leaned forward, crossing the other leg. "And what happens then?"

"The president will make it look like he is complying with our demands, but will take covert action to eliminate L. Then with L out of the way, getting our hands on Maki will be easy."

"I see. I am looking forward to seeing how this plays out."

Kujo looked at Matoba's hands. His manicured nails, befitting the man who valued order and unity above everything else, had a look of artificiality. Matoba looked to Kujo like a man of plastic, a bit less than human.

Professor Kagami stood up and gazed at the biotope. "The perfect cycle of nature exists only here in this miniature garden. In order to restore the earth back to the pristine state symbolized by this biotope, half of the world's population must be eliminated. It is precisely the reason I had such high hopes for your proposed global cleansing, this negative population growth plan, with the virus, Mr. Matoba.''

"I'm well aware, Professor Kagami."

Kagami directed a stern gaze at Matoba's back. "Then why are you seeking a buyer for the virus?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Don't play dumb with me. The European Union, the American establishment, Russia, the Middle East. You have been weighing their bids."

Matoba smiled the serene smile members of Blue Ship had seen many times before."I would never do something so disgraceful," he said. "I am merely looking for a group to establish a long-term partnership with. As you know, the virus must be scattered simultaneously in key areas. To enable that, we need to become partners with an entity who has resources sufficient to distribute the virus across the ecosystem. We need someone with a global network." Matoba's peaceful demeanor remained unchanged.

Kagami knew full well that this was the horrifying aspect of Matoba's personality. But he could no longer idly stand by and watch the goals of the group being derailed. "Is that how you plan to drive up the selling price of the virus? You want the antidote data, not for our cause, but so you can increase the virus's value. In the end, you're only after money and power. Don't you understand that this very kind of greed and self-interest is what brought the world to the brink of total oblivion? That is what we are trying to stop!"

Matoba let out a sigh and gestured to Hatsune with a look. Hatsune approached Kagami. "Why, you look a little tired, Professor Kagami," she said as she rested a hand on the professor's shoulder.

"Maybe you'd like to take a nap—'' Then her stiletto sank into the man's heart. For a moment, Kagami stared at Hatsune with a bewildered look. He didn't even have the chance to feel pain. Looking down, he realized that the knife had been plunged inside his body to the hilt. Hatsune twisted the blade, filling Kagami's heart with air, then pulled it out. His eyes rolled to the back of his head. Kagami crumpled to the ground. Hatsune didn't have a drop of his blood on her.

Hatsune bent down next to the body and closed its eyes. "Have a good sleep," she said. The blood welled up and spread out around the body in gradual ripples, perhaps in time to a heart that no longer pumped.

Matoba looked down at Kagami's body from the sofa where he sat, stone-faced. "Unavoidable, I'm afraid. I'm sure it was apparent to all of you that the old man was beginning to doubt our plan. One person's doubt will spread through the group like a virus and eventually lead to its collapse."

Inwardly Matoba had to gloat over Kagami's timely death. With morale low as a result of L countering their plans, the group was in dire need of either some positive or negative reinforcement. To that end, Professor Kagami had become a sacrifice. Negative reinforcement it was.

The Blue Ship members looked down at the dead body, stares vacant, faces numb. This was the third purge since Matoba had joined the group and radicalized their activities. Without a word, two of the stronger-looking men took hold of Kagami's ankles and wrists and dragged his body to the biotope, and flung it in, as usual. Ravenous eels swarmed the body at once.

When Kujo returned home, the phone rang. She picked it up and spoke to her caller in English. "If you're calling, it must mean that you got out. Yesterday? Just in the nick of time. Can you come to Japan right away? You're wanted? Okay, what's the alias?" Her tone was friendly as she let out a carefree laugh.

Can I hold them off until you arrive? Don't worry. Matoba has yet to get his hands on it. The elusive detective is prolonging the chase.' The calculating smile of a woman with a secret came over her face. L has managed to keep them guessing, as might have been expected. Worthy of the title of world's top detective, yes," she said, sarcasm coloring the words. "You and I can work together again, thanks to him. Now's our time to move ahead with our plan. Don't worry, the plan is fail proof. Yes, I'll see you when you get here. I'm going to destroy this phone now, so you'll receive the new number through the usual method. Right, bye."

Kujo deleted the call history before putting down the phone. Then she opened the desk drawer, removed the false bottom, and produced two photographs from the hidden compartment. One faded picture showed her parents smiling over Kujo as a young girl as she blew out the candles of a birthday cake. It was the last picture they had taken together as a family.

Suddenly one image came back to her: her younger self, standing helplessly before a burning building.

"Mom, Dad, it took some time, but we're nearly there..." There was a childlike innocence in Kujo's face as she spoke to the image of her parents suspended in time. Then she stopped to look at the man in the other photograph. He had been an indispensable presence, who supported her and believed in her when she had lost the will to live after losing her parents. She recalled what he had said to her in parting: —Keep your way. Though she tried to forget the words, they only echoed louder the more she tried to lock them away. The words conveyed the man's recognition of her ability to change the world as well as the man's trust in her to use her abilities to change the world. "Please understand, Watari. This is the only way I believe...I can change the world," she said, as much to convince herself. The entryway's security alarm went off. Hastily, she put away the photographs and checked to see if there were anything suspicious lying around. Then she waited for the doorbell to ring before she answered the door. "Konishi. What are you doing here so late?" Detecting the effect the purge had on Konishi in his helpless face, Kujo let him inside. Sitting him down in a chair, Kujo tried to calm him down. She could not afford to lose such a useful pawn now. "Am I really going to be...safe?" Konishi had his head down and appeared more nervous than usual. She reached across the table and took his hand. "Konishi, do you think there's any future in being a lackey for Matoba and Yoshizawa? Neither values you as person. They're only using you for your programming and hacking skills, you know that. I don't want to have to tell you this, but once this plan succeeds, I guarantee you, Matoba will toss you out on the street." "I know, but I'm terrified that I'll end up like Professor Kagami." Konishi was more traumatized than Kujo had imagined. Kujo stood up and went to his side. Konishi buried his face in her chest like a child. "It's all right. Leave everything to me. You don't have a thing to worry about." She cradled him in her bosom and stroked his hair. There was not even a shadow of a smile on Kujo's face.