Watch Dogs 2: Shinji Kyokotsu
7th District, Apartment Complex 3, 8 a.m.
Another night ended. One more where he lived…and another did not.
He had long endured persistent nightmares that plagued his psyche, but he particularly despised the foul taste in his mouth in the morning.
'It was a job.' He tried to justify.
'It had to be done. For the general.'
Amongst other countless arguments, his brain came up with, ranging from somewhat reasonable to simply absurd. His mind did not stop at anything when justifying how ludicrous his job was.
To take another's life.
An act that he didn't hold to much importance. It wasn't as though he was particularly heartless, just that he couldn't comprehend the gut wrenching feeling that he had after every job..
Every instruction that came, snuffed out yet another human life. There was no problem for him...but he knew it was unnatural. As if nature itself was pleading to him,
It wasn't something he should have done.
An act so frowned upon by the many different types of shows and anime he's watched. Alas, he never took anything seriously since they were only fictitious stories.
He faced a perpetual cycle of destruction, killing and dreaming and killing and dreaming and killing and dreaming without an end.
But he still shrugged it off.
It was nothing to him.
Every fright, every scare thrown out the window when he remembered his [master]. The man who taught him everything was like a god to him.
He took him, who had nothing, and gave him everything.
He brought him, who had no roof over his head, and sheltered him from the cold rain.
He taught him, who knew not how to defend himself, and gave him weapons to fight.
That was what pushed him every day.
That and the fact that it was the only way he knew how to live.
He didn't even know what he'd do if the General disappeared.
"I should get up." He rasped, a night of terror leaving his mouth dry.
Minimalism and practicality were emphasised in his apartment. Though compared to the average national wage, he was indeed quite rich, he never quite found a passion for the materialistic side of things.
Indeed his house reflected him, its nearly empty rooms seemed dull and dreary. Except for one room.
The living/dining space.
A place that, contrary to its normal arrangements, was the only one to have furniture that was reflective of any sort of monetary status.
After all, even after 17 long years of life, he never answered all the questions that popped up in his mind every now and then.
He had a lot of books stacked neatly on the wooden shelves in his living room, and a decently wide TV also stood in the middle.
Watching the occasional documentary, the device was more suited to anime in his opinion. The General, despite being Ghost's handler, didn't want the boy to lag behind what people his age were doing.
Shinji too had a phase of anime that stuck with him, an age where he very rarely watched some TV shows, anything that the General would throw at him. Perhaps he should not have viewed them as individual assignments, but rather as something to unwind with.
Many actually exhibited behaviour mainly portrayed in anime, most likely something they grew up with. It helped people become predictable. Some would be subtle, and pick up habits that'd get in Shinji's way of working. Some would try to preach his messages about friendship and the futility of killing someone. Others would think they were Shinobis and try to attack him while screaming a goofy attack name.
Needless to say, they were quickly neutralised.
*Brrr…Brrr…Brrr*
"Hello, who is this?"
["Greetings, Ghost."]
Immediately, a chill swept down his spine, as it always happens with sudden calls. The moniker, which very few were privy to, immediately set his alarms off.
"General Raymes." He responded stiffly.
["At ease boy. The line is secure."]
Visibly relaxing his shoulders, Shinji switched the phone to his other hand.
"Apologies General."
["No need to apologise, son. I know your night frights never went away. It makes sense that you are tense right now."]
General Raymes, a military legend who rose to power from the lowest rank. His contributions to war led him to become a decorated and idolised member of the military, so much so that, even after his retirement he kept his title of general.
Now, he was the leader of Japan's national security...and the master of Ghost.
"Would you like a report on yesterday?"
["Yes."]
"Very well. Yesterday at 1800 I located the target taking pictures of you and your guest from vantage point B. Although elimination was possible through the sniper rifle, their positioning would've led to their body falling onto the street with pedestrians present. I tracked them until they were isolated before eliminating them."
["Hm…was [Cypher] the one that coordinated the clean up as usual?"]
"Yes sir."
Raymes let out a meaningful hum before continuing, ["What are the chances that he was purposely sent?"]
"Quite low sir." Ghost replied with a high level of certainty in his voice. "I had researched the journalist in question. He seems to be quite known as an expert. Some of his calibre would know better than to wear a hot pink shirt on the job."
The entire point of this type of job is to be discreet. The longer you hide, the more solid evidence you will find.
Yet, wearing such a bright-coloured outfit as it approached the nightly dark…it wasn't something an experienced professional would do.
["Very well…warn Cyper to stay vigilant for anything online or news articles…silence any news of it immediately. Am I clear?"]
"Yes sir."
["On another note, Shinji. How have you been?"]
"I'm making eggs." He replied plainly, noticing how this discussion was with him now.
Not Ghost anymore.
["Ah yes you liked eggs in the morning."] Raymes remembered, ["But that didn't answer my question. I asked how are you? Not what are you doing?"]
Contrary to when he spoke with respect before, Shinji sighed heavily, "What do you think? I didn't get to sleep in peace all night long…again."
["A poor habit you have, but at the very least today is a break day for you right?"]
"So long as nothing weird pops up."
["Then come over for dinner, Shizuku has been wanting to see you."] Raymes laughed, ["Sometimes I feel like she misses you more than me."]
"Surely you jest," Shinji chuckled. "How could she ever miss me more than the man who forgot her birthday? Especially when I actually arrived on time and with a gift?"
["Urk, I told both of you I was swamped with work that day. I had no time to plan anything!"] Raymes defended himself, almost sounding offended at the accusation.
"With all due respect, are you forgetting that all Agents know our handler's locations at all times?"
["..."]
"You should just be thankful I didn't tell Shizuku san that you were 'swamped with work' in Richie's Bunny Land."
["Cheeky brat. I'm hanging up now. Come by at the usual time tonight."]
And without waiting for a response, Raymes hung up much to Shinji's hilarity.
If the other agents saw the dynamic of their relationship, Lord knows how they'd react. It wasn't that Shinji didn't respect Raymes enough, no, it was simply that Raymes often regarded Shinji and Ghost as two separate people.
Something the man himself clarified early on, and so it led to a rather comical relationship, where Ghost was the fierce but extremely loyal sword of General Raymes…but Shinji was just a young boy akin to Raymes' son.
"Although, no one would dare say anything to him." He chuckled aloud.
After all, the man was one step away from legend-hood.
Known as the Thousand Brain Tactician, Raymes Igarez, was a half 'hafu' Japanese man who was fiercely loyal to the nation. Perhaps it was his spirit to prove to those who criticised him that he was indeed Japanese. During his army service, Raymes successfully led a thousand conflicts, both on and off the field, leading to his nickname.
His battle feats were nothing to scoff at, but he truly shined when utilising tactics and negotiating for the most desirable outcome.
The Journalist's picture was going to be taken out of context 100%. Yet not many knew that he was simply negotiating for the said terrorist group to come to some level of peace.
One could argue that all Shinji had to do was stop the man and explain things to him. However, fundamentally, Vultures would not listen to such words.
Even if it was the truth.
Especially one that was well known for going to extreme measures to reveal what he thought was the 'Truth'. His words alone could stir people in the community and it couldn't be risked.
If a statement were to be made like this, it would cause a severe uproar in the JSDF ranks and national police services.
But those ideas did not breach his mind. Futile morality held no place on the battlefield, but life had its own twisted ways of messing with people.
And so on that fateful morning, on December 9th 2008, Shinji made plans to leave his home after breakfast…not knowing it'd be the last time he set foot outside this apartment.