said.
“Correct.” They wanted Hosuke to dive into the unconscious man’s mind so that he could dredge up his identity.
“Have you notified the police?”
“We have told them nothing.” Enjaku’s fists tightened. “We have no wish to make this public.”
“Why?”
“Because of the nature of the item stolen.”
“What was stolen?”
“I...” The old man’s face twisted in apparent conflict, “...we have not yet reached the point where I can reveal this to you.”
Hosuke was silent.
“We are prepared to discuss it further once you have accepted the job.”
Hosuke sighed. “Sounds fishy.”
He stroked his chin. He had shaved his beard clean off and even combed his hair; all traces of dirt from the mountains had been washed away. His 30 year-old features looked uncomfortable, like he missed the dirt now that it was gone. His thick chest gently rose and fell under a new cotton shirt. He seemed ill at ease in the room, but even more so inside his own clean body.
“You’re not really selling this very well.” Hosuke turned to look at Biku, still watching from his place at the window. He seemed content to stand back and let Enjaku carry the meeting. If anything, it looked like he was enjoying the proceedings.
“Mr. Kumon, please,” the old man entreated.
“It’s just...” Hosuke relaxed back into the sofa, releasing some of the tension from his shoulders. “...look, I hate all this secrecy crap. If you can’t tell me what was stolen, I can’t give you my answer.” He reached up and began to scratch his scalp. He had been resisting the urge the entire time. He ruffled his hair into a mess.
“If you do not deem the compensation sufficient, we are able to further increase the amount discussed.”
“That’s all well and good, but it’s not about the cash.”
Enjaku looked deflated.
“I mean...why me?” Hosuke sat up again, leaning forward. “I’m sure there are other people that would dive to your heart’s content, especially for the amount you’re offering.” Why had Biku gone to go to all that trouble to search for him that deep in the mountains? If the job was as simple as the old man made it seem, B or even C-grade Divers would suffice. Why had they gone to such lengths to seek out an unlicensed Diver?
“Actually,” the old man sucked in his cheeks, “we already sent someone in.”
“You what?”
“And”
“And?”
“He hasn’t returned.”
Hosuke raised an eyebrow.
“He is A-grade, Mr. Kumon, and he is still in there. I am sure you know what this means.”
3
Psyche Diver: A person who is able to send his or her own consciousness directly into another person’s mind to gather information; this can be used, for example, in the treatment of mental disease.
Anyone can dive into a human mind with the use of a Psyche Converter, but not everyone can retrieve useful information. Information in the human mind exists in a state of constant flux. It mutates and warps, merging with other chunks of data to leave an impression without meaning in any conventional sense. Depending on the mental state and character of the Diver and host, the same object can appear in an almost unlimited number of forms. The word ‘appear’ is used metaphorically, it would be more accurate to say the object takes on a feeling.
Imagine someone with no experience hunting or being outdoors asked to hunt for a specific animal in the mountains, a unique type of antelope, for example. Not just any antelope, but this antelope. The task would be next to impossible. If this example was transposed from the mountains to the mindscape of the human subconscious, there would no longer be any guarantee that the antelope would even resemble its original form. The hunter would be tracking a shapeless object with only fragments of awareness such as a day old footprint or some excrement as a guide. On top of that, a dive is much like injecting a foreign object into the host’s body. A tiny grain of sand
“Correct.” They wanted Hosuke to dive into the unconscious man’s mind so that he could dredge up his identity.
“Have you notified the police?”
“We have told them nothing.” Enjaku’s fists tightened. “We have no wish to make this public.”
“Why?”
“Because of the nature of the item stolen.”
“What was stolen?”
“I...” The old man’s face twisted in apparent conflict, “...we have not yet reached the point where I can reveal this to you.”
Hosuke was silent.
“We are prepared to discuss it further once you have accepted the job.”
Hosuke sighed. “Sounds fishy.”
He stroked his chin. He had shaved his beard clean off and even combed his hair; all traces of dirt from the mountains had been washed away. His 30 year-old features looked uncomfortable, like he missed the dirt now that it was gone. His thick chest gently rose and fell under a new cotton shirt. He seemed ill at ease in the room, but even more so inside his own clean body.
“You’re not really selling this very well.” Hosuke turned to look at Biku, still watching from his place at the window. He seemed content to stand back and let Enjaku carry the meeting. If anything, it looked like he was enjoying the proceedings.
“Mr. Kumon, please,” the old man entreated.
“It’s just...” Hosuke relaxed back into the sofa, releasing some of the tension from his shoulders. “...look, I hate all this secrecy crap. If you can’t tell me what was stolen, I can’t give you my answer.” He reached up and began to scratch his scalp. He had been resisting the urge the entire time. He ruffled his hair into a mess.
“If you do not deem the compensation sufficient, we are able to further increase the amount discussed.”
“That’s all well and good, but it’s not about the cash.”
Enjaku looked deflated.
“I mean...why me?” Hosuke sat up again, leaning forward. “I’m sure there are other people that would dive to your heart’s content, especially for the amount you’re offering.” Why had Biku gone to go to all that trouble to search for him that deep in the mountains? If the job was as simple as the old man made it seem, B or even C-grade Divers would suffice. Why had they gone to such lengths to seek out an unlicensed Diver?
“Actually,” the old man sucked in his cheeks, “we already sent someone in.”
“You what?”
“And”
“And?”
“He hasn’t returned.”
Hosuke raised an eyebrow.
“He is A-grade, Mr. Kumon, and he is still in there. I am sure you know what this means.”
3
Psyche Diver: A person who is able to send his or her own consciousness directly into another person’s mind to gather information; this can be used, for example, in the treatment of mental disease.
Anyone can dive into a human mind with the use of a Psyche Converter, but not everyone can retrieve useful information. Information in the human mind exists in a state of constant flux. It mutates and warps, merging with other chunks of data to leave an impression without meaning in any conventional sense. Depending on the mental state and character of the Diver and host, the same object can appear in an almost unlimited number of forms. The word ‘appear’ is used metaphorically, it would be more accurate to say the object takes on a feeling.
Imagine someone with no experience hunting or being outdoors asked to hunt for a specific animal in the mountains, a unique type of antelope, for example. Not just any antelope, but this antelope. The task would be next to impossible. If this example was transposed from the mountains to the mindscape of the human subconscious, there would no longer be any guarantee that the antelope would even resemble its original form. The hunter would be tracking a shapeless object with only fragments of awareness such as a day old footprint or some excrement as a guide. On top of that, a dive is much like injecting a foreign object into the host’s body. A tiny grain of sand
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