Niko’s Eye

Chapter 5.

Niko rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and sat up straight. She glanced at her wrist watch that was neatly placed on the bedside table and read the time. 05:43. Niko was a light sleeper and one that always woke up just before 6am, ever single day. She didn’t know whether it was her military training that got her body used to waking up early or if it was just the anxiety that she took to bed with her every night. During the day, she was a Doña. But at night, she was fighting with the demons of Hades and insomnia. She did not even realize that the remnants of her past haunted her like the ghost of a Korean king that had been executed by poison, or worse, beheaded. The dusty pink-painted sky gave an aesthetically pleasing hue which brought relaxation to Niko as she exfoliated her skin in the shower whilst listening to Maxwell. Her love for the R&B auteur with a supple voice came about during her years in the United States. Even her “co-workers” would have been shocked if they had to learn of her love for Kem, Jill Scott, Erica Benét and D’Angelo. She never came across as one with a softer, gentler scene than the one she always put up. Moments later, she made her way down to the hotel reception and had herself and her team booked out. In 3 hours, they were on a plane back to Japan, heads buried in the next part of their mission. She amusingly watched Kenya and Akimitsu as they both scratched their chins, figuring out what goes where and who does what, occasionally juggling flashbacks of her s****l shenanigan with the stranger. As she shifted her mind back to her team members. She smiled. It was quite cruel to watch them rattling about, trying to put the pieces of her own jigsaw puzzle together whereas she was holding the missing pieces close to her chest. Niko had everything figured out, right to the tiniest detail. There were some things that she had decided to keep to herself. After all, this was her fight. Still smiling to herself, she eventually felt a small sense of deep appreciation for the way that the two of them were doing their best to make sure that Niko accomplishes her mission. It warmed her icy heart. “Master Akimitsu, the footage was taken care of right?” Akimitsu nodded and bowed, respectfully. She didn’t understand why he always treated her like his elder, and yet he was the oldest one of them all. “Yes Jin-Ae, tampered with, incriminating parts cut out, wiped out every trace and safely placed back,” he said, his Japanese accent heavy, and his crooked front teeth visible as he smiled. Akimitsu was old enough to be Niko’s father, but he was as wise and as sharp as an Egyptian king’s cat. “Here.” He stretched out from the opposite side of of Niko’s seat, handing her a business plan. “So we’re buying shares in Belacci and Milento, companies that Akio Asahi owns. After that, we move up from there. I want this one to be nice and slow.” He quickly rephrased and licked his lips, as if realizing that he had overstepped his boundaries, or role. Niko gestured, as if to let him know that it was okay. “This mission belongs to all of us.” A lie of course. She just needed to make sure that everyone feels like a boss, in order to avoid conflict. Master Akimitsu relaxed his tense body and breathed out. There you go. Akio Asahi was their next target. He was a fashion tycoon and a business mogul who dealt in illegal importing of fabrics made by children that he had trafficked from all over the world and placed in a factory, having them abused and mistreated. He was also a part of a Russian syndicate that imported and exported materials used to make armors that were to be attached to illegal vehicles used to create accidents and assassinate people. He too, was a part of the Japanese mafia that had killed her father. “This one will be easy. I despise people that mistreat children who are nothing but helpless and innocent.” She glared at the photograph of Asahi, that was attached to the document filled with all of his dirty laundry. Why not let justice take its course? Why not tip off the officials and higher authorities to take this matter into their own hands? Justice is weak, and empty, thought Niko. She had always been asked such questions. Questions she thought to be quite ignorant and preposterous because she believed that even higher ups were bribed and tempted. It was no use to sit around and wait for a miracle. “You’ve got patience boss,” said Kenya, her lips curling into a smirk. “If I could wait for so many years after the death of my parents, then patience is an understatement.” In little to no time, they were back in Japan, all cooped up in their secret hideout, filled with all of the information they could possibly need to pin down the men that ambushed what was once a happy childhood. Their secret hideout was a place that nobody else knew about besides the three of them. Situated miles underground, separated by the maritime border of North Korea and China. The place was filled with highly unusual forms of technology and weapons all invented by Akimitsu. It looked like a futuristic science lab that had given birth to a military arsenal. They were screens everywhere, displaying the movements of all of the men and all of their family members. It wasn’t in Niko’s plan to harm their innocent wives or children but the sins of the father was bound to visit the sons. She consider her own sufferings as a direct epitome of that saying.

With a quick glance at her watch, she put up a number "7" and held it just underneath her right eye. "It's time."

“Has it been a couple of months or more?” Asked Kenya.

Niko looked at her calmly. “A couple of months since what?” Niko knew exactly where the conversation was going but she opted to play dumb. Kenya asked looking at Niko, while Niko was hoping she was not talking about what she suspected. Kenya smiled and pointed at her cunt. “What? We f**k all the time…” Niko opened her eyes widely after realising how that had came out. Kenya crossed her legs. “Huh. Will you look at that.” Niko looked at herwondering whether to scream out in anger or just stay cool. Why the f**k is she always interested in my s*x life? I don’t ask whether she really f****d the janitor last Christmas or not.

Niko cleared her throat, “Nothing actually. I mean, nobody. Just club soda and my vibrator,” she said.

“And can we stop now? I like having a clear mind when I’m meeting people,” she said. Kenya smirked and let her be.

Niko and her team were getting ready for a flight to Italy. A vital part of the mission.

“Uh Kenya, what’s the address again? Of Belucci Enterprises?” She asked as she went through different files and data.

“4126 Boulevard Drive,” she said in a small voice. Niko smiled at her and dived her head back into the papers in front of her. Niko quickly glanced at Kenya, who was now seated in front of her, watching her. Every so often, she could tell that she was looking at her with lust again. She ignored Kenya. Niko knew that Kenya had been in love with the curve of her body, with the curls of her hair and the timbre of her commanding voice. She could have spent an eternity merrily in her embrace, but that just was not destiny.

“Niko, to restore order to the world it is essential to stablise lore via the reemergence of love, truth, logic and self control via role modelling.” I believe that the marriage of two concepts has the roots of peace. The first is that debate is verbal war, that active listening and seeking to learn and understand is the way forward. The second is to know that concept is master and that language is only a crude tool of thought.

Niko c****d her head to the side and sighed, exasperated.

“I don’t have time for this. We leave in 2 hours.” Niko fixed Kenya right in the eye for a tense 30 seconds before walking away.

I can’t worry about love. Not right now. Maybe not ever.