I walk into the room, and in the distance, I can hear the piercing sounds of gunfire. I wonder if anyone from The Resistance is being killed at that moment, and I pray that that is not the case. Walking is difficult now without my cane, but I didn't plan to enter and face this man hunched over like some invalid. I stand as erect as I can, and feel the strain in my back.

"Miss Nakagawa," he says and rises from his seat behind the massive desk. It takes a second to realize that he's speaking to me, because I haven't been called by that name in a very long time. In fact, if I remember correctly, the last time was I was addressed in that manner, it was by Mr. Kamon.

A chill races up my back. That man had been terrifying. Not in a traditional sense, like when you watch a scary movie and know that someone was about to get killed by the serial killer hiding in the closet. Mr. Kamon was frightening in that he was absolutely crazy, most likely a sociopath. I remember feeling relieved when Shogo told me he'd killed Mr. Kamon, and I feel that relief again, knowing that he's still dead.

"Please, take a seat," he says and motions to a smaller chair facing his desk. I glance behind me, and see Ryoko standing on one side of the door, Yoshitoki on the other. My two children look uncomfortable, but they've been training for this moment for years. I wouldn't want anyone else with me at this moment.

We've been able to storm The Program building with very little trouble. With my oldest son, Shogo, leading the mission, we'll have this whole building in rubble in no time. There will be casualties on both sides, but once this tower has collapsed, the last remaining symbol of The Program will be destroyed. There will be other obstacles to face, of course, but there will no longer be a shadow cast over this whole country from this horrid building.

But first…

"If you don't mind," I say, stepping forward a little further, "your chair looks so much more comfortable. Would you care very much, handing it over to an elderly woman?"

The smile on his face falters only slightly, but he walks around and even lends me his arm. I see my two children tense up at seeing me so close to him, but I assure them with a slight nod. And then, to remind them, I raise a finger to my lips. They are not to speak. At all. They are simply here to escort me to this office, and then safely out again.

Truthfully, this man's chair looks very uncomfortable, but that isn't the point. It is simply a power play – he's not in control of the situation, and I will sit in his seat to drive that point home to him. I settle into the cushion and discover, to my dismay, that it is a very uncomfortable chair. He moves around to the other side, and then sits in the chair he offered me. I hear a slow exhale emerge from his lips. And I don't miss the soft tremble it makes at the very end.

"I'm sure you know why we're here," I say, leaning forward. The man stares at me, and I see an iciness in his eyes that seems a little familiar. He doesn't like that I've taken control away from him. Even something like this, this utter surrender that he will be offering, he wanted it on his terms. I suppose I would expect nothing less from the Director of The Program.

"I know why you think you're here," he says, reclining as far as he can in his seat. "You think that destroying this building will change things. That killing me or taking me hostage will eradicate The Program. Sorry, but I'm just the latest head of the hydra that is The Program. Cut me off, and another will take my place." He chuckles softly to himself. "I hate to break it to you, but you cannot change how things are. All you've done is shed some blood, furthering our evidence that this so-called Resistance is nothing but a terrorist group-"

"You're close," I say, interrupting him. His face reveals an intense anger at having been stopped mid-sentence. But I don't plan to let this man run the show. Too many people are counting on me to get this done. "You're right about thing though – after you, there will be another Director. And she's right over there." I point at my daughter Ryoko, and the man turns his head to gaze at her.

"And just how will she become the next Director?" He turns back toward me, smiling wide. The smile reminds me of someone, but I can't remember who. All I know is that it sends shivers down my aching back.

"You're going to pass the flame to her," I say, "Right here, right now."

He stops, frowns. He opens his mouth to speak, and then closes it. Slowly his face relaxes.

"Brilliant," he says, "Almost incredibly so. You force me into naming her as my successor. And once that's done, you have her dismantle The Program, piece by piece. Legally." He takes a breath. "I'm impressed."

"Good," I say, "then you can stop wasting our time and get on with the ceremony."

"You've overlooked something, though," he says, reclining as best he can in the chair. "This plan only works if I agree to it. You can't take the position from me – I have to relinquish it to her."

"I know that," I say with a nod. He leans forward now, trying to intimidate me the best he can.

"What if I refuse?"

Yoshitoki cocks his gun, as if to answer the question without speaking. I can't get too angry, because he's fulfilled his promise not to say anything. And actually, by this action, he allows me to say the answer without talking either. This man, the Director, will give the title to Ryoko now, or die.

"If death is all you threaten me with, you can save your breath," he says with a sigh, almost like he's disappointed with us. "Dying in the name of my government would be a welcome addition to all the services I've done for them. Your group will look even worse because of my murder."

He gazes behind himself at my two kids, and I take the moment to glance at my watch. We don't have much time left before Shogo and the rest escape and detonate the bombs they've planted.

"This is all the follow-through you have?" he says, "Such an ingenious plan – and this is the best you could come up with to implement it?" He chuckles into the dark air. "How so very…disappointing."

I knew it would probably come to this. There was no way that a person could become the Director of The Program and still be completely sane. This man clearly would rather become a martyr than to keep his life. Everything for his image, his reputation, his honor.

He stands up, as if to tell us that the meeting is over. To get out of his office. He looms over me, and lights flash before my eyes. Have the bombs gone off? No, that's not it at all. I'm back in my old school uniform, and even though I'm not looking at it, I can feel a bullet deep inside my calf. I'm kneeling over Yoshitoki's body – not my son, no, the first Yoshi, one of my best friends. I see him standing over me, the big lips, the curly hair, the flat nose, the pudgy cheeks.

And suddenly, I'm back. Back at the desk, staring at the Director. With his big lips, curly hair, flat nose, pudgy cheeks…

My eyes fly to the name on the door. No, it's not his name. But I'm sure of it. I'm positive. And then everything comes together. The pieces all fall from the sky and land exactly where they should be.

"Have you heard of the Bastard Act?"

His face drops. It takes a moment, but suddenly, he knows. He knows that I know. And he knows that I've got him cornered.

"It's a rather unfair act, don't you agree?" I say, also rising from the seat, "It was used to deter men from bearing children out of wedlock. Can't have bad morality in the best country in the world, can we?"

He still hasn't replied, so I continue. "The law states that any child created out of wedlock has certain restrictions placed on it. A second-rate citizen. One of those restrictions-"

"You bitch," he finally speaks.

"-is that no bastard can hold a government position."

He doesn't reply. His hands are clenched into fists, and I've noticed that he's sweating.

"Mr. Kamon was my Instructor for The Program," I say. I pause, "Did you know him?"

I don't get a response, he's clearly trying to think of some way out of this. But he won't find one. It's his worst fear – losing all the power, all the prestige, all the glory he'd built up to that point. He knows it too – he's about to lose everything he cares about. Does he give up his position as Director to save face? Or does he let us ruin him, knowing that he'll be stripped of all honors?

"He told us that he'd raped a woman when we were all introduced," I say, "God knows how many women he raped throughout his life. I don't know you got around the system. Maybe your mother never reported the rape, said that you were your father's biological child."

He's shaking with fury. If he could get away with it, he'd kill all three of us. But that won't happen, and even if he tried, he'd die and we'd still stain his name. He'd still fail.

"If it's any consolation," I say, "even if you never knew him; you're exactly like your father."

I'm lucky. I realize that – lucky that I recognized this man as being an illegitimate son of Kamon, lucky that this man knows of his bastard status, lucky that this man cares more about his good name than anything else. I don't know if I believe in fate – but this is the best evidence for it that I've ever witnessed.

Shuuya, if you could only see me now.

The ceremony was quicker than I imagined it being. A few recited texts, the Director hands Ryoko the badge, and then he moves to the computer, inputting the passing of rites officially into The Program database. When all is said and done, only three minutes have passed. We turn to leave, a triumphant smile on my face. We did it! We have the power to officially eradicate The Program, once and for all. The war will not be over so easily, there would still be other battles, legal or otherwise, but this is the biggest leap The Resistance has made ever since Shuuya and I founded it, all those years ago.

A take one long sigh of relief.

"Do you know," the ex-Director says, seated at his desk in his uncomfortable chair, "what that breath says to me?"

I realize that he's talking to me, and I turn to face him, Yoshitoki immediately stepping forward at my side.

"It tells me that you're nothing but one lucky bitch," the man says, rising to his feet, "That stuff about the Bastard Act, true that it is, is just something that you realized here and now, and that it is not common knowledge throughout The Resistance."

My aching body tenses. I realize that there's something in his hand, an object he pulled from his desk. Before anyone can react, he fires the gun, and I hear Yoshitoki grunt in pain. I scream something, although I don't know what it is.

"When the Director of The Program is killed," he says, aiming the gun at Ryoko, who is frozen I place, "Power reverts back to the previous Director, provided that said person is still alive."

He smiles in glee.

"Once you three die, my secret is safe, and I'm still Director! I win!"

I watch him pull the trigger. I don't know if I moved before him, or if time slowed down, just for me. All I can see is my daughter's face, watching her age from a happy, high-energy little girl, to a talented and intelligent woman. I can't let her die, I can't let any of my children die! How could I face Shuuya? What could I possibly say to justify the death of one of our children?

NO! NOT MY BABY GIRL!

The bullet hits me – I know because I've been shot before. I topple to the floor, and before I know what I'm doing, I pull out a memento I've been holding onto for a long time. I aim the revolver, the same revolver I used to shoot Kiriyama in the face, and pull the trigger.

The ex-Director recoils, but I don't see him drop. He's aiming the gun again, but a few quick pops emerge from the other side of the room. Yoshitoki comes into view, a hand clutching a bleeding shoulder, but otherwise he's fine. I hear the man's body hit the floor, followed by silence.

Ryoko is at my side, trying to lift me up, apologizing for hesitating, for almost getting herself killed, for getting me shot. I steal a glance at my watch and gasp. We've wasted too much time here – the bomb will detonate soon! Too soon for a young woman and a young man who has been shot to escort an injured elderly lady out of the building. My daughter is still talking a mile a minute, but I smile at her and shush her with a soft caress to her cheek. I stare up at Yoshitoki with conviction in my eyes.

"Make sure the both of you get out of here alive," I say. I see the pain in my son's face, the realization of what I'm asking him to do. But he smiles and nods, and quickly scoops up Ryoko, carrying her on his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" she cries out, but she knows full well what is happening. The priority is to get her out alive. We can deal a devastating blow to The Program with the power that Ryoko now wields.

After all, who's going to miss an insignificant old lady anyways?

"I love you," I say as two of my children disappear from the room. I push myself to my knees, feeling the pain arch through my entire body. I've never felt as old as I do now. I climb to my feet, and stagger over to the large window. I stare out at the city surrounding us. I realize I'm crying, and I feel ridiculous. Today was a victory – more so than we could have ever imagined. This is everything we could have wished for – and more! I have no regrets dying today.

There's a flash from far below, and it encases me in its pure glow. I shield my eyes, letting them get used to the glare. When that happens, I see a hand reaching out to me, and I take it, watching as the figures appear before my eyes.

"It appears our class is now complete," Mr. Hayashida says with a soft smile. I grip the hand tighter, and smile at Shuuya as he squeezes back. I let my eyes wander, taking in the smiles and grins of my classmates, feeling their joy surround me.

"I did my best, everyone!" I say, my voice young and high. It appears I've been transformed too, back to that time when we were all brought together, when we were all torn apart. Some of them nod, some smirk, some say nothing at all, they just exist.

"I knew I couldn't face you all without…" I trail off, hoping that my actions speak for themselves. I bite my lip nervously, "I hope I did good enough. I hope I made you all proud!"

"You did good, kid," Shogo says with a smirk.

"You were worth it," Kazuo says, and I'm not exactly sure what he means, but it sounds supportive. I hear similar phrases from others, and their voices are just like I remember them. I don't think I realized how much I missed them all, how I carried them around with me every day. They're all here – each and every one of them. I guess we were meant to be together, and The Program is the string of fate that bound us all.

"Okay, class," Mr. Hayashida says, "Gather around. It's time for us to go."

"Finally!" Mitsuko says, followed by a wink in my direction, and then everyone chuckles along with her. I discover that, once again, I'm crying. And I still feel ridiculous.

"Anything wrong, Nori?" Shuuya says, pulling me close. I try to say something, but a noise that's half sob and half giggle emerges from my throat. I take a deep breath, and shake my head.

"No," I say, "Everything's perfect."