Only a few minutes from Corporate's HQ stood a three story palace with Japanese structure and decoration, it looked like a palace straight out of Kyoto. This palace was not only the Yakuza Headquarters of the Houston Branch, but also the home of the Yakuza oyabun, Kaito Takizawa. On the top floor, in a room with a gorgeous view of Houston, seven men sat at a wooden table placed in the center of the room, all lined up and positioned with perfect symmetry. Kaito Takizawa sat at the end of the table as the other six bickered amongst themselves. Mr. Takizawa sat quietly, with his hands folded under his chin, and merely listened. Normally such a meeting would've been spoken in Japanese, but over the years English had unintentionally become the common language among the Houston Yakuza branch.

[b]"They're a bunch of barbarians!"[/b] shouted one of the six. [b]"An attack like this will only provoke them, and they'll be an even bigger nuisance than before! Our numbers far outweigh theirs, let's just storm the damn place and get it over with."[/b] Another member chuckled at the suggestion. [b]"That sounds like the plan of a child. Do you really expect it to be that easy? A firefight like that will have serious repercussions for both sides. I pray you've never led a platoon of soldiers."[/b] The two continued to argue, along with support from the other members, causing a three on three argument, and neither side seemed to be convincing the other. Mr. Takizawa eventually cleared his throat, causing the six members to slowly cease talking. Mr. Takizawa addressed both sides of the argument. [b]"We cannot underestimate their heart. They consider each other family, just as we do, and will surely fight us with a heart of fire. But we cannot overestimate their ability. Compared to us they are small, and dwindling rapidly. We have given them an ultimatum, now it is their time to decide."[/b]

[b]"You all sound like you could use a vacation."[/b] The voice came from none of the seven men sitting at the table, but instead from a young man, sitting on a chair at the end of the room with his leg propped onto the window overlooking Houston. He eyed a trail of smoke in the distance. [b]"Why do we have to handle the matter so violently? If we just asked politely we could avoid all this bloodshed."[/b] The young man spoke in a nonchalant tone. [b]"If we all relaxed a bit, maybe we could think of some more rational decisions."[/b] One of the seven men from before that encouraged a full on assault spoke up in an angry tone. [b]"Relaxed? Boy, you do not get anywhere in this line of work by being relaxed. Mr. Takizawa, you need to control your brat, he speaks like a fool![/b] As the words left his mouth, Mr. Takizawa immediately stood up and quickly walked towards the Yakuza member, grabbing his head and slamming it into the wooden table, chipping the surface. [b]"Do not speak of my son in such a way when he is merely voicing his opinion."[/b] Mr. Takizawa spoke boldly. The room remained awkwardly quit for a brief moment, Akira Takizawa sat in silence, focused completely on the Mayor's mansion. Two hours later smoke still rose from the site of the attack. Akira was confused and his mind was racing. What good could come from such violent actions? Putting the people of the city in danger in the name of improving the city, it didn't make sense. [b]"Akira, leave."[/b] Mr. Takizawa said blankly. Akira casually stood up and walked out of the room as the member that had his head smashed in gave him a dirty look. 

[i][b]"we shall burn away all that is impure, and corrupt, and wrong with this fair city, for the good of all"[/b][/i] The words kept ringing inside Akira's head as he walked through the palace. Such an attack, it didn't wasn't right. Fighting corruption with senseless death and violence. It felt like there was no hope for this city, which was really a bummer, standing by and watching a city destroy itself. Akira couldn't fight the urge to want to help, and he knew where to start; Operation Freedom. He knew they couldn't be the ones behind the attack today. Or, maybe he just hoped. But he had no knowledge of the organization, and the Yakuza didn't seem to have any history with terrorist groups, or at least, he didn't think so. This day to day gang violence seemed to be going nowhere. How could everybody sit by and watch a city lose itself? It would be nearly impossible to convince his fellow gang members to take up arms with him, and even so there isn't much they could do. A bunch of criminals with guns are nothing if you don't know who to shoot. 

Realizing that there literally wasn't anything he could do, Akira walked among the palace, searching for his fathers private bedroom. He knew that was where he kept his computer, along with loads of USB's filled with information that could tear this branch down in an instant if in the hands of the right person. If there was anything about Operation Freedom anywhere in this palace, it would surely be in his fathers archives, and so Akira decided to finally make a move, and walked casually through the palace, greeting his fellow Yakuza members as he would any other day, but all the while searching for his fathers room.