Part 4

-1-

I was surprised how well I slept in the cold desert. Maybe it was the fact I wasn’t surrounded by 4 walls and a ceiling.  I reached over to take a drink of water when I felt someone tug on my shoulder. I turned to see Elle’s hand on my shoulder. It was the first time I had seen her without Milo.

She put her finger to her lips in a shushing motion and came closer to me.

“Are you okay ?,” I asked

“No.” she said,” We are in danger.”

“What happened ? Where is Milo ?”

“This is about Milo. He is the danger,” she said

She looked into the distance where  Milo was sleeping, a good 20 feet from us. She got closer to me and lowered her voice.

“I’m not a mimic.” She confessed,” I am human."

I sat up.

"What ?," I said.

" I'm human," she repeated, " I was kidnapped by the company that made Milo as a control for the mimic project. Milo knows this and the reason he wants to get back is so the company can kill me. They have no use for me and they will kill you for knowing to much as well. There is a mental block inside me stopping me from harming him or being away from him so you have to disconnect him to stop the block. This has to be done by morning or he may kill us.”

“Kill ? Are you sure ?,”

“Yes ! Please, I am like you. I’m sorry I lied I had to. Feel my skin,” She said,” Please, I’m human. I have a family that may still be waiting for me in the East. It has been 20 years but, I just want to see them. My daughter was one so, I suppose she is your age. I don't know just,  please believe me. Help me  disconnect Milo.”

“I don’t get it. Why do we have to kill him ?,”

“Not kill. We will short circuit him and it will short circuit my block. I will take his shell and leave it near the company.”

“I don’t unders-,”

She  took out a pipe from under her shirt. The edge was jagged and sharp, she cut her arm and blood came out.

“You see the blood ? Mimics don’t run on blood but, uranium noxide gas. I made this pipe from a piece in the plane.  You can press this into his heart and the gas will come out and it will deactivate him. You have to do this. Please. You have to believe me.”

She came closer to me and I could see her tears and hear her labored breaths. I looked at her skin and her body. It was strange Milo had never left me alone with Elle and he seemed to know more about the Mimic program than she had. I should have  had my suspicions.

“I believe you,” I said.

“Thank you ! Will you help me deactivate Milo?,” she asked

“ I can try,” I said.

“We have to do it tonight. I will wait until he is in a deep sleep and then I will come and get you and talk you through it. Okay ?,”

“Yes,” I said.

I said it just to say something I am not sure if I wanted to agree.

“Thank you. You are saving my life,” she said hugging me and wiping away tears," I was so desperate I thought you would never believe me."

She was asking me to save her life but, to do that  I was going to have to take another life. I know Milo wasn’t really human but, still . . .  He was close enough.

The prospect of killing scared me. I had never killed, that was  normal for most people but, unheard of in my family. No, I had never killed but, I had been close enough.

It was the catalyst that put me on my path of leaving home.

I had graduated from high school 3 months ago and spent most of my summer doing nothing. Any plans I had for the future I kept putting on the shelf for later.

I was hoping it would be a typical day but to my surprise, I was woken up by the harsh sunlight and shoved out of bed.

“I can’t believe you are still in bed ! ,” Mom shouted ,” I need you to find something to do,”

I opened my eyes to see, she had opened all the  expansive windows that bordered the room. The sun was just barely in the sky.

“I could be away at school.” I said putting my arm over my eyes.

I had missed the deadline on the school because I had yet to make a decision and was wait-listed for next semester.

“Drive Twyla to school.” She said,” Come on. Get up!”

“Doesn’t someone else do that ?,” I asked through tired eyes.

My mom had a housekeeper, driver and maid at her disposable---all of them courtesy of Rayne. If there was ever a mundane task she couldn’t perform like driving Twyla to school she would call one of them to do it..

“Well, today you are doing it.” She said.

I wasn’t going to fight so,  I begrudgingly got out of bed,  dressed in an old gray t-shirt and pants and joined them for breakfast. I was clearly under dressed, Mom was dressed in her usual black slacks and white blouse, Twyla had on her green and white skirt and blazer that made her  school uniform and Luce was wearing a shirt and tie, like he did everyday since he turned 18.

The walls in the apartment were made almost completely out of glass making the space look even larger than it already was. Everything was neat, clean and minimalist, we have very few personal affects lying around.

Breakfast usually consisted of cereal or some kind of pre-packaged food because Mom refused to cook. Mom and Twyla were sitting at the kitchen table and Twyla had a school book open in front of her and she was flipping through it curiously.  Luce was sitting on the couch facing away from us watching the muted television. He never joined us to eat at the table unless he felt like it, which was mostly never. I had no idea why he still lived with us to begin with, he was a few years short of 30 and had more money than he cared to spend.

“Mom, were you alive during the Republican War ?,” Twyla asked.

“Of course.” She laughed ,” I was around Luce’s age,”

“Did you do anything ?,”

“Do anything ? No, Twyla.  I just stayed out of the way.”

“Well, we are learning about the war in school. They had a lot of nuclear weapons. Were you ever scared of your home getting attacked ?”

“No.” she said,” They were just after military bases and places that mattered. Besides, before all this Republican Independence we used to have these air raids in the city all the time. Those were scary. “

“Alan says a lot about the war--,”

“ Lord have mercy, he is just bitter son of a bitch, because he was in prison for a little while," she sighed,"Just eat your cereal."

The silence didn't last too long.

“What did Uncle Jean and Alan do wrong ?” she asked

“Um, hmm . . . I don’t really remember. Probably something stupid.”

Luce stood up from where he was sitting, walked to the table and placed a small glass flask on the table. It was filled with a cloudy gray liquid.

“What is this ?,” Mom said snatching it.

“Vellocet.” He pushed the computer screen to her.

“Luce, where the hell did you get this ?” she demanded.

Vellocet was the new drug on the market and the new competition for the Yakuza’s cartel for numerous reasons. Vellocet mixes with lactic acids and increases ultra violent tendencies,  libido and provided a euphoric high among other things. It could give you all the highs and escapes associated with other drugs but the best part was how easy the was intake was ;  mix it with milk and drink it.

I  knew Mom was about to get pissed. Despite the involvement with the cartel no one close to the Yakuza was ever supposed to touch the drugs. It was not only discouraged but, strictly against the policy.

“Kris.” Luce said.

"Kris ?," Mom said, like she didn't believe him.

“What ? No ! That is not mine.” I said

“Is this what you do all day ?,” Mom asked.

She picked up the flask and poured it down the sink, her face scrunched in anguish like she was going to cry. It wasn’t the reaction I was expecting.

“ Haven’t  I said, I don’t want any drugs in this house ! “ she shouted,” Do you all want to fucking end up like your god damn Uncle Jean ? So fucking dependent you can barely function. Do you ? Is that what you want ? You don't ! ”

“Mom, it’s not mine. Where would I even get that ?,”

“Where wouldn’t you get that ?," she sneered, " Let me see, Alan? One of his hookers ?  You spend so much time in the city. Drugs are practically falling off the roof there.”

“I would never.” I said

She already headed for the apartment door.

“You know maybe I don’t really know you anymore.” She said.

She left the apartment without another word to anyone.

The drugs weren't mine. It pissed me off that she so easily believed they were.

I had to find a place to get rid of the anger. I could never hit Luce or yell at him--- it just wasn‘t done.  We weren’t best friends but, I had never known him to try and get me into trouble on purpose.  Sure, he was smart enough to do it but, he wouldn’t.

“I’ll drive," Luce said, "No. I’m sorry. Drive me. Come on.” He said  heading for the door with his jacket.

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” I said to him coldly.

I grabbed Twyla and pushed her out the door.

The drive was a long one and Twyla was quiet. I’m sure the little fight upset her some but, I had no words of comfort.
Twyla went to the same school I used to go to.  A private school where people didn’t ask a lot of personal question. By the time I got to the school  she was in tears.

“Twyla, stop it’s no big deal.” I said, ” The drugs weren’t mine. Mom isn’t that upset. Luce is just being an asshole,”

“It’s not that.” She said,”Kris, it was mine, the Vellocet.”

“No.” I said, “No, it wasn’t.”

I kept repeating the last two words but,  she kept nodding her head.

“How ?,” I asked

“I asked Uncle Jean’s friend when I saw him at the restaurant . He told me how to get some and when I went to see Aunt Minnie I snuck out and got it,”

“Why ? Twyla Why would you ?," I had to stop myself from yelling.

“I don’t know, I guess I was curious ” she cried, “ I wanted to try it, just a little. I wanted to show Mom I could be like her and Luce and I---

“Oh, god. Twyla, no.  How did you pay for it ?,”

“I didn’t pay yet. He said I could pay later depending on how much I took. I didn’t take any yet and I was going to give it back but, then Mom threw it away. He is going to  want 1800$.”

“Damnit.” I said hitting the steering wheel.

It was a  selling technique commonly used by the dealers. Give people a full sized dose telling them to try only  what they can pay for. A person ends up getting addicted and taking the whole thing. They end up paying the dealer or having a bone broken for every missed payment.

I swerved the car backwards out of the school parking lot  and drove back to the apartment complex. We snuck back in through the complex’s  back door so, we wouldn’t run into Uncle Jean at the bar. I was glad to see Luce was still at the apartment. He was reading the daily news with his coat still  draped over his arm.

He looked quizzically at Twyla who was crying harder now and went back to his daily.

“Luce, that Vellocet you found. It was Twyla’s.”
 

He looked up from the daily and she began to sob more. I was certain she was afraid he was going to hurt her.

“No,” he said to me ,”How ?,”

“It‘s true,” Twyla cried, “A friend of Uncle Jean’s he showed me where to get it  and when I went to visit--,”

“Stupid girl.” Luce interrupted her, ”Stupid, stupid little girl,"

He stood up and came towards us, Twyla ran to the back of the room but, he wasn't going after her. He  picked up his computer from the kitchen table. He typed quickly and projected a set of holographic images  on top of the kitchen table. They were crystal clear but, clearly surveillance images.  The images showed what appeared to be a group of men and women entering an apartment after a night on the town.

"Twyla." he said in his same cold voice.

Luce had no idea how to communicate with people who weren't adults like me or my mother. Twyla stayed where she was in the corner of the room. She had stopped crying and stared at him fearful.

Luce projected the images over to where she was and briskly walked over to her.

“Who gave it to you ?,” Luce asked.

“What are you doing ?,” I asked but, he ignored me," You are scaring her."

Twyla searched the image and  pointed to a man on the screen, he was the youngest of them all. In the image  he was smiling looking at his friends next to him.

“Constantine Motavi,” Luce said. He took Twyla’s hand and lead her to the  door,”Come, Kristopher.”

I could have killed him for talking to me like a child but, I followed him out the door, pass the restaurant and to the parking garage.

-2-

"Where are we going ?," I asked.

"Field trip," he said

“Why is Twyla coming ? Why don’t you just go and pay off  that guy and I take her to school.”

“No.” he said

 We got to his red sports car and he opened the backdoor and pushed Twyla in and fastened her seat belt. Then got into the driver’s seat. He waited and I reluctantly  got into the passengers’ side and he took off down the road before I could get another word out.

“What the hell are you doing ?” I asked

“Constantine Motavi is Mjollner.” Luce said.

He was telling me something I kind of already figured out. The biggest reason Vellocet was such a threat to the Yakuza was because it was made and sold by the Mjollner. Wherever Twyla had gotten it from she had unknowingly walked into Mjollner territory  and that could have gotten her killed or worse if they knew who she was.

We got into the city and Luce drove quickly through the streets, expertly weaving through the traffic and narrow alleyways.
Any attempts at asking what he was up to were futile with him. We drove a few blocks pass the area we usually hung out and into an area well known for it’s Mjollner bars. While most Yakuza and smaller cartels kept in Mojave, the Mjollner lived in the city displaying gold crescents on their property.

“Luce turnaround !,” I shouted, trying to sound authoritative,” Not with Twyla in the car,”

“Shut up.” He said.

“I’m calling Mom.” Twyla said.

“Fine,” Luce responded.    

She wouldn’t. She couldn’t, not without telling Mom the Vellocet was hers.

Luce backed the car into a dark alley, across from a row of apartments with a golden crest on each  door.

 Luce opened the glove compartment, took out cold cash and handed it to Twyla.

"1800.," he said although he was  really asking a question.

She nodded her head and then he gave her an extra $200 as  well.

He got out of the car , opened the trunk and came back inside with what looked like a case for a cello or other large instrument.  He  unsnapped the case and inside was an artillery of weapons.

“What the fuck ? “ I said, shutting it, " No. No. What are you doing ? This isn‘t a hit.”

He opened it back up.

“We needed a reason.” He said.

He took Twyla’s pink gingham bookbag and put the neatly folded cash into it as well as one of the smaller machine guns.

“Twyla. Trust me,” he said.

He gave her the backpack and she nervously made eye contact with him, he awkwardly brushed her eyelashes.

“Shhh.You pretend like you will pay Constantine. It's okay. You take off the bag. You put it on the step. You kneel to take the money out. When he turns his back you will shoot him. The gun spits in rounds. One will hit. We will be behind you. Protecting you. Now again. Pretend like you will pay. Put the bag on the ground. Bend away from him to get money. Take out gun and shoot. Shoot anywhere. One will hit. Kristopher and I are  watching. ”

“No.” I said,” No. We are not killing anyone. Why do we have to kill him ?”

Luce turned to me and non-nonchalantly adjusted his  tie.

“One. He is Mjollner shit. Also, we must protect our sister. And others. They sell Vellocet to babies like her.  I don‘t like that. Do you ? ”

“Bullshit !," I said,  " You are just afraid they will cut into Rayne’s profit. You are trying to make good with him.”

“Yes. That, too.”

“You can’t make Twyla kill. She doesn’t know--,”

He took the gun out of her book bag and put it in hand. The weapon was practically bigger than she was.

“Remember this. This is a Hyperion Reaper M12. Automatically shoots all the rounds. Stay kneeled when you shoot. Brace yourself and let the weapon do the work. He won’t have a weapon. Just like when you play with Mommy.”

“Enough. Stop. I’ll do it,” I said,” I’ll kill him.”

“ No. She will not be suspect. He will be off guard. He expects her.”

I wanted to stop it. I wanted to stop this but, I was just losing control.

“No, Kris, I will do it. I want to. This is my problem.” Twyla said.

Her tears had stopped and she  didn’t look afraid anymore. I don’t know why I felt the need to protect her, I’m sure it was in her blood to kill. Luce had his first kill at 16, Aunt Minnie said she got her first gun at 13 but, Twyla was still only 12, she seemed so different, so innocent.

Luce seemed happy with this decision and patted the back of her head. He took out a large rifle and handed me a small pistol. I took the gun reluctantly and Luce and I hid in the alley beside the building while Twyla went to the front door.

She knocked on the door and glanced over her shoulder at us. Luce signaled for her not to look in our direction and she stared intently at the door.

Constantine Motavi answered the door and I saw something uneasy in Twyla’s stance but it lasted for only a second.

"Hi," she said nervously, like she was going to his door to sell cookies.

"Well, hello," Constantine laughed,“You have something for me, pretty girl ?"

Constantine put his hands on her face and pulled his fingers through her wispy blonde hair. I suddenly decided to take a stronger grip on my weapon.

“ I have 1800 dollars--, oh and 200$ extra,  is cold okay ?,” she said.

Her voice was quiet.

“It’s best.” he smiled, “ Did the naughty girl decide to skip school today ?,”

She kneeled down to open her back pack and the way he looked at her while her back was turned was beginning to sicken me.

“You can always come inside and hang out with us.”

“Oh--um, no thank you,” she said.

He was reaching out a hand to touch her bare leg  when she turned around with the large gun in her hand.

He was in shock for a second and took a step back and I closed my eyes praying he didn't kill her.  Within seconds I hear her  pull the trigger and bullets were spraying out of her weapon and inside the apartment. She wasn't kneeling down all the way and the first shot sent her a few steps backward forcing her to fall on her knees. Constantine fell dead, face first in front of her and I heard some screams and then louder shots that were coming from a weapon inside.

“There are other armed people in there ! ,” I shouted to Luce.

Luce began to say something but, I ran over to Twyla and knocked her out of the way. I saw Motavi was clearly dead in a pool of his own blood but there was another Mjollner coming towards me. A bald man who had spikes portuding from the sides of his arm  and a large knife in his hands--he was a street samurai, the preffered body guard for the Mjollner.

They were black op junkies whose occupation was killing as many people with as little as possible. I stepped back with my meager pistol aimed to shoot him. The street samurai  kept getting close a look of vengeance in his eyes.

Before I could pull the trigger Luce ran  in front of me and  shot the man in the head. The street samurai kept coming at us until one ricochet bullet finally hit his spine and took him down.

"Fucking idiot," Luce said, I knew he was talking to me

Luce went inside and I heard a cacophony of gun shots. After a while I heard him call my name and I went inside.

There were 6 dead men and 2 dead women lying in grotesque positions on the floor and couch, a bunch of weapons lying beside them. The room was filled with blood and bullet holes.

This was the unglamorous side of it.

We had lots of money and power and control but, this was the cost of it.

Twyla came in after me, I wanted to shield her but, she had already seen and looked less disgusted than I had. She looked around dropped the weapon and ran over to Luce putting her arms around his waist in a hug.  Luce ignored her embrace, he had a small smile on his face as he began  taking pictures off all of the  dead bodies and I knew he was sending them to Rayne.

“Show me the Vellocet,” Luce said finally acknowledging Twyla.

Twyla tip toed across the blood and into the kitchen where she opened a small ice box, inside were a series of old fashioned milk glass jugs filled with millions of dollars of Vellocet.

We took the drugs back to Rayne and ended up telling Mom what happened. Only we kept the lie it was me who brought it and not Twyla who originally bought it.

That routine morning had become an impromptu amateur mission of sorts for the Yakuza. The first time Twyla had seen that side of things and after that I think is when she started this big brother worship of Luce and her fascination with weapons and death. Rayne always said she was too young to be of any real use to him and I can only hope Luce is keeping to this philosophy now that Rayne is dead.

I never talked about it with anyone and that winter I was happily on my way to Windrose Academy.

The most vivid moment for me is standing in the blood soaked apartment with the pistol in my hand. The weapon was cold.

I could have done it.  I should have protected my sister from the psycho who was coming after her. I wanted a second chance.

I could have killed.

That whole incident was nearly a year ago.

I had to remind myself that what Elle was asking of me wasn’t exactly killing, it was just a deactiviation. Still I would be doing something against another man’s will.

I stayed in a sleeping position and waited until Elle came back to me.

“Are you ready, Kris ?,” she said.

I didn’t say anything put nodded my head.

She handed me the pipe and said all I had to do was press it into his chest. It would not have to be hard and soon I would smell a gas that had the same odor as fresh paint on a wall. She said I would know almost immediately he wasn’t human.

As I walked over to the sleeping Milo, Elle stayed at a distance. She had her arms wrapped around her and she was clutching them to herself.

I kneeled over Milo, I realized I couldn't hear his breath. I slowly pressed the pipe into his chest, he opened his eyes and out of fear I pressed it harder.

To my surprise blood pooled around the pipe and he woke up with staggard breaths.

Blood ?

“Oh, god. What the hell ? Are you human ?”

His eyes went from side to side in shock

“Yes,” Milo breathed,” She got to you. She did this. She told you. The mimic. Elle. You see, I am her creator . . . .I made her more intelligent than me. She forced me to lie. If you I die she will go on a spree. She has no conscious, she is a failed experiment and must be shut down. She will kill you next . . .she planned this . . .  she can't be trust . . .”

His speech became raspier before he was unconscious. I turned around to see Elle was coming up close to me grasping something in her hand. She was silent and came closer to me, I reached for the pipe inside of Milo and attacked her before she could get any closer.

In my frenzy, I just stabbed the closest thing to me and the pipe went into her head. She began to seize as blood spilled out of the wounds. She fell next to Milo’s body and a bottle of water rolled out of her hands.

I looked out at the pair of  bodies around me. Had I gone crazy ? Was I insane ?

He said---

She had said--

They had said---

They were---

I don’t----

I had lost my mind.

I sat next to the bodies, my head was a mess, I was waiting for my own death to come for me,  waiting for this to end. I sat with my eyes closed for what felt like eternity when I heard a car coming,

I stood around looking from side to side for the source of the noise.

I had blacked out, it was daylight now.

When had that happened ? How many days had I sat there.

“Help ! Help me!” I shouted

I knew I would be arrested. I killed a woman, I could be put to death but, at least that would make sense.

A black and white  4 door car with an official  logo appeared out of  the distance, it was followed by a series of vans. A short curly haired woman in a suit came towards me. I saw the woman was holding a pair of handcuffs.

I didn’t fight and I let her handcuff me and put me in the back of the car. The woman sat next to me  in the backseat and rolled up all the windows in the car as the car took off.

“ I didn’t do anything,” I said for good measure.

“I know—relax,” she said,” I know. Now, what is your name ?,"

"Kristopher." I said.

"Alright well, I'm Loretta Rogers, I’m with the FBI. The piece of land you crashed on is under federal watch. We couldn't get aircrafts up because of the storm. I'm sorry it took us a while to find you.”

I looked over at the car’s clock. It was 8 AM New Year’s Day.  I had been out there for less than a day. I remembered the car was moving.

“Where are you--,”

“We will get to that later. Just relax for now.”

She stayed on her Syndicate and it was a 3 hour drive until we ended up in Fort Perch, I still couldn’t make sense of anything I had done or seen.

She took me into a high rise building and up to an empty office where I sat on either side of a desk.

“I’m sure you have questions but, not as many as we have for you.” she said.

“What is going on ?,” I asked

“The reason that land is being watched by the FBI is because we believe there are still some illegal projects there leftover for the Life Summit pre-war days. We know what some of the project are but, we don’t have the money to just go look for them,” she said. She began to scroll through a screen with her syndicate,” You came across the remains of the Mimic Project. A highly illegal and unethical pre-war project.”

"You know about it ?," I asked

"We have the field notes from the original creators. They died in the Life Summit Incident. We also had an informant who come forward on his death bed and told us about it. We could never actually find it."

“Please tell me Milo and Elle were robots. They were, right ?,”

“No. It's unfortunate but, it seems the Mimic Project wasn’t about robots who can mimic humans but rather, humans who would mimic robots. Making human beings truly believe they were machine would in turn make them believe they were indestructible. The creators called it revolutionary thinking. Revolutionize the human not the machine. It was a piece of war technology apparently. Mental warefare. The informant said the company went into a rehab facility and took two people at random. We will identify these Elle and Milo people and send their bodies back to their families.”

“What ?,” I said,” So, why did they want to kill each other ?  ”

” You know how hamsters cannibalize their young if they are contaminated by human touch ?," said Rogers " Well, those mimics were made with the same trigger. When they come in contact with another human the mimics must find a way to kill the other without the other knowing. It was their creator's security measure, kind of like self-destruction. It was their nature, you were a pawn.”

“So, I did kill them ?,”

“They were already dead. There was no way to reverse whatever the people who created them did to them.  As you can imagine this is classified information.” she said,” You have to sign a confidentiality statement and we can get you transportation anywhere you need.”

“What about the plane ?,”

“We have reported the crash and local authorities are taking care of it.You were the only survivor. I’m sorry this happened to you,” she said.

She asked me more questions about what happened and finally pushed a confidentiality statement towards me and I sloppily signed it

“This is so fucking crazy," I said under my breath, " Are there other projects like them out there ?,”

“Not exactly but, similar,” she responded,” Now, should I get you on the next flight back East ?,”

I shook my head.

“I’ll find my own way.”

I got up and headed for the door but she stood in front of me.

“ I need you to understand the sensitivity of this--,”

“I won’t tell anyone. I understand, I'm good at keeping secrets.” I said.

She moved out the way and I let the front desk man point me in the direction of the nearest train station.

-4-

Milo and Elle had been humans to me, human enough for me to tell them things about my life that I could never reveal to the people at my school.  Those little secrets and stories about me that kept me from having any real friends. Yet, those same secrets and stories  defined who I was right now. Or rather, were defining who I was becoming.

I wasn't a kid anymore. I was more of an adult now; I had lived without the shelter of Aunt Minnie and Alan,  without the sordid drunken advice from Uncle Jean, without my mother and brother's protection and lived without looking out for Twyla.

I began to wonder if God creates us like the mimics.  Put on this Earth with one another, only to end up finding every way to kill---or in most cases disappoint---each other.

I heard a train preparing to depart  and it interrupted my thoughts.I quickly ran down the track and  boarded the train to Mojave just as the doors shut.

The only other person on the train was a  skinny brunette woman in a gold party dress and matching heels, a sequined little purse sitting next to her, her hair was piled into a neat bun on the top of her head. She took her large black shades off and saw me sitting across from her.

“Happy New Year,” she said as she adjusted her dress.

“Happy New Year,” I responded

End

I think the title in the blog entry refers to a Colombian Cartel that the Yakuza in Veritas is based on. They call themselves a "family cartel" and forbid members from doing drugs and talk about the church a lot.  You know what now that I write this I don't think it has anything to do with it . . . . nevermind.

A/N-- Okay, so I don't want to make a big deal about this but, with that I am pretty much ending the Veritas series (I guess ? I always have a tiny idea buzzing in my head) . This was always just an extra piece to add on.