Chapter Text
"Is everything all right?" Fuuka asked.
Masa sat down across from her. He took off his glasses, something he never did unless the two of them were alone, and rubbed his eyes. There was a long, stretched out pull in Fuuka's heart, like gum being stretched too far, a sensation full of yearning to comfort her fiance. He carried so much stress, so much pressure on him all the time, and while she admired him for it, she also worried.
"Yes, yes, everything is all right. Or it will be. There's an incredible opportunity here for us - for you, especially."
He set his glasses back on his face and recomposed himself.
"I was just in a cybersecurity briefing. They have verified that the threat from Medjed is legitimate."
Fuuka took a long breath.
"I was worried about that. I spent all day yesterday on the phone with clients ensuring them that they were going to be safe. Now I may have been a liar..."
"Not exactly. While our people think that the threat from Medjed is legitimate, they source is different."
"What do you mean?"
"What do you know about the first time Medjed was stopped?"
Fuuka gave a little shrug. "They were a hacker group focused on cyberterrorism. They attacked corporations that felt that were harming the people. Sometimes they outed government corruption, so they had a bit of a folk following for a while. Then the attack on Kasumigaseki happened...police records were rewritten, government files were in total chaos. The virus had an insane propagation rate and it travelled out of control - possibly more than Medjed wanted it to, because it started hitting major hospitals, like Mitsui Memorial and Nihon University. Medical records were rewritten. Procedures were missed, medication mixed up - people died. Soon after that the PSIA found the ringleader and he was arrested."
"Yes. That's right. The ringleader was a man named Sadao Kobayashi. He's still imprisoned and not allowed any access to technology. So I can say with full assurance that while this Medjed is a threat, it is not with the same man at the head...I'm curious though, why did you say that the virus travelled more than Medjed wanted it to?"
"Oh, uh...well, it just didn't fit their methods or their mission. All of their previous attacks were based on bringing light to corruption from corporations or government officials. They never did anything to hurt the common person, so I can't see why they would've wanted the virus to attack hospitals. And as I said, the propagation rate on that is like nothing anyone has ever seen, whoever coded it must've been a genius."
"So something like that can't be stopped?"
"Of course not, everything can be stopped. If you can program something, you can deprogram it."
"I was hoping you would say that."
Masa reached into his coat pocket and slid a small USB thumb drive across the shiny desk. Fuuka picked it up. It was warm from his body, and smelled like him - a combination of whisky and his cologne.
"What is this?"
"A fragment of the code that was used in the attack. The virus is apparently called FAIRY RING. The technical guy explained it to me, but you know I'm a luddite when it comes to computers. I'm sure you can figure out what to do with it without his explanation. After all, you're the genius."
"I don't understand...what are you suggesting?"
"That we take a stand, my love. Medjed has publicly declared that they are going to attack the Japanese banking system. And while yes, some may see the banking system as greedy and problematic, fixing it needs to come from reform, not from destruction. As I understand it, FAIRY RING doesn't destroy data, it rewrites it, correct?"
"Yes."
"Then a lot of ordinary people are going to suffer if Medjed unleashes an attack on the banking system. But you can stop them."
"Well...yes, theoretically, I can, but that assumes they're going to use FAIRY RING again...if they don't, I'll have to think of all the other methods and angles of attack, and to do that I'll need access to the banking systems computer architecture and - "
"We can arrange all of that. But think of what could be done with this. We make a public declaration that Ganymede Protection Systems is going to ensure that all of the bank are protected, that everyone's data and money will be safe. This is easy to do, since Medjed has made a public declaration. If nothing happens and Medjed says nothing more, then we can declare victory. If they attempt to attack again and claim victory, but you thwart it, then we also declare victory. And with a victory like that, it would be easy for me to get you government contracts. You'd be the primary cybersecurity company for the entire country of Japan."
"That's...that's incredible...and scary..."
His large, warm hands wrapped around hers - tiny and frail as they were. The anxiety started to melt away under his touch.
"I know this will be an ordeal. But I believe in you. You can do it. And this would solve your financial problems. You don't want to have to go back to the Kirijo Group, do you?"
She set her jaw in determination. No. She had made her decision. She told Mitsuru that she was going to stand on her own two feet, that she would make her own way in the world. And this was her chance to prove it - to Mitsuru, to the Japanese people, to Masa, to the Diet - to herself.
"Okay. Let's do it."
He leaned across the table and kissed her.
"Shall we get dinner?"
"Dinner? No, I have to start looking at this code right away. Who knows when Medjed is going to strike."
Masa chuckled.
"I'll order delivery, then."