____ ___ _ ___ / | \ | \ /\ | | /\ /\ | \ / /\ | \ | \ . | \ | |. / \_/ \ | \ \ / \ | __ \ | _ \ | | | | | | | _ \ /\ \/ / | | \ \ | | \ \ .| | | |.| | | | \ \ / \ \ / | | / / | |__\ | | | \| | | |\ /| |.| |__\ |/ /\ \/ | | / / | | | |\ | |.| | | |.| | | |\ / \ | |/ / .| ___ |.| |.| |.| |.| | | | | ___ /\ \/ / | |\ \ | | .| |.| |.| |.| |.| |.| |.| | ./ |\ / | | \ \ .| | | |.| |..\ |.| |.| |.| | | | /| | \ / |_|. \__\ |_|. .|_|.|_|...\/..|_|.|_|.|_|.|_|. \|_| \ /\ \ / Written by Christopher 'Ratiko' Willmore. / \ \ / / / \/ Based on a story by Rumiko Takahashi and / Developed by C. Michael Schumacher / / [Kensu: cschumac@waun.tdsnet.com], \ / with the aid of Animax Enterprises \/(Logo:Armakuni) [formerly TAAC]. ======================================================================= A RANMA 2096 SIDE STORY: A WINTER'S TALE ALPHA ======================================================================= ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "I wear the chains I forged in life; I made them, link by link." -Charles Dickens, "A Christmas Carol" "Full fathom five thy father lies; Of his bones are coral made; Those are the pearls that were his eyes; Nothing of him that doth fade But doth suffer a sea-change Into something rich and strange." -William Shakespeare, "The Tempest", Act I Scene 2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For Zeitgeist, who couldn't wait until the next legitimate episode, and Kunoichi, to show her what happens when I try to write something serious. This was written to answer two questions: First, What ever happened to Nabiki? Well, I wasn't originally going to include her, but I got too many requests to pass up... Secondly, how on earth did the HIBIKIS ever get rich enough to own the largest security company in Japan? Many thanks to Ryouga@RanmaMUCK. An IC conversation between him and my 'Ratiko' was the seed for this story. As always, C&C and flames are very much appreciated. This is the ALPHA version of the full story. Due to the many differences between this and my usual writing, comments on this piece are especially welcome. Please note: This text file now has LINE WRAP! (TM) ^_^ -Christopher Willmore A.R.S.E. C.A.S.K.E.T. 4th Acolyte of Ryouga - 'Ghoul Killer' ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Tokyo: December 2095 - Friday ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Nabiki Tendo awoke, or so she thought... The world around her half-closed eyes was puzzling, a swirling eddy of blurred and unfamiliar images, in which she floated stationarily. She tried to turn, to gather more of where she was, but none of her limbs would recognise her mind's authority. Even her eyelids would not budge from their current state, but chose instead to stay ajar, and taunt her with the fragments of that she would have whole. "Sire; the subject is awake." "Already? Very well. Sedate her, and then prep her for interrogation." "As you will, sire." Sounds... Voices? She couldn't be sure... What had happened? How had she come to... Where? Nabiki strained herself, and tried to think, and to remember. In this, at least, she did not fail. Recall Nabiki did, and wished that she had not. ; she thought. . Before a tear could form, the chemicals took hold, and 'the subject' once again lapsed into darkness. "You've checked the brain?" "Aye, Sire." "Enough of the original so that we may say this is THE Nabiki Tendo?" "Over ninety-five percent, Sire, and none of the lost areas are in the mnemonic regions." "Good. How are her muscles? She hasn't moved in a few decades, after all..." "Her own are rather weak; I doubt she can manipulate them unassisted. However, once we initialise the bionics, she should be fully operational." "Perfect. Drain the tank, dress her, and have her in my office by 2100. Leave the dampers on. I want her revived only at the beginning of our interview." "As you will, Sire." With practised motions, three men in identical white uniforms moved to the tank where the reconstructed body of Nabiki Tendo was floating in an electrolytic soup. One pressed a button, and a harness wrapped itself around her. A flip of a switch, and the fluid oozed out through a grate. Then, the tank's clear plastic walls came down, and the functionaries took the woman to the room where she'd be clothed. At 21:59:59, Nabiki was seated in a chair opposite the desk of the director of the Kuno Foundation. A second later, she came back to consciousness. "Nabiki Tendo?" The voice was gruff, but cultured. "Where am I?" "First, you will answer me. Your name?" "Ten... Tendo Nabiki... You just said it... Why..." "What do you last remember?" "I... I..." Nabiki began to cry. The memories were painful. And the last ones... She had finished all of this, had she not? Then why? She started, and looked wide-eyed at the director. "I killed myself. That's the last thing I remember." The man smiled. "Not quite. You can't get away THAT easily, you know." "I don't..." "Oh, but you DO. We know all about your crime, Ms. Tendo. And you DO realise, that if you ARE guilty, something of that magnitude demands the death penalty." "H-hai... But... I thought I had destroyed myself. Why am I still alive?" "We couldn't let you get away THAT easily! The guilty MUST be punished. Granted, your little bomb made it a nightmare for our squad to put you back together, but we managed it." Another smile. "Eventually." "You mean... I _did_ die?" "Clinically, yes. But we got to your brain before it had a chance to even begin to decompose. Well, we got to ninety-five percent of it, in any case." "Ninety-five? I am not understanding much of this..." "The other five percent has been replaced by microcomputers." Nabiki blinked. This was surreal... The director sighed. "I suppose I'll have to spell it out for you. It's too bad, in a way... With your reputation for intelligence, I felt sure you would figure it out." Before Nabiki could protest, he continued. "I am sure I have no reason to go over your crime. You know it well enough, and the Consistency Trial will be sure to extract all the gruesome details... I've been following your case for decades..." Nab raised an eyebrow. "Yes. Decades. It's 2095. December, 2095." The other eyebrow. "Don't look so surprised! You think we could have brought you back with your own time's technology?" "Why bring me back? If I am guilty of that crime, and if its penalty is death, why not just leave me be?" "My dear Ms. Tendo," smiled the director, "we are not barbarians, who simply dole out merits and demerits according impersonal behavioural codes set down in a book... Our 'laws' are now much more humane... Even in your time, I am sure, you would have heard of the 'Consistency Movement'?" Nabiki's face, already grim, sank even lower. "Not that... Anything but that..." "I'm afraid you do not have a choice. That is how we deal with criminals in 2095. You are only guilty of a crime if your actions violate your own behavioural ethic." "I am... I am..." 'Ms. Tendo' said softly, tears streaming down her cheeks. "To establish that is beyond my jurisdiction. The Consistency Trial will deal with it... Even if you _are_ guilty, we do not have 'set' punishments... We apply use what YOU believe to be an appropriate reprisal... Now, far more than in Dicken's time, 'You wear the chains you forged in life'." "But I TOLD YOU! I KILLED MYSELF! I'll even tell you how I did it! I..." "Oh, we know all about the bomb, Ms. Tendo. One cannot work on you for eighty years and not know what it was that caused the trouble in the first place." "Isn't it OBVIOUS? I KNEW what I'd done, and I KNEW that the only appropriate penalty was DEATH! Why didn't you just let me BE?" "It seems you would prefer to be stone-cold right now, instead of facing me." A smile, and twinkle of his eyes. "Oh, deity, yes!" "Then, clearly, it is not half the punishment you are trying to convince me that it is. If you are guilty, Ms. Tendo, you deserve to suffer. And suffer A LOT. I will be frank, and tell you that I find you utterly despicable. Were you another person, with a different history, I would have long ago stopped the project short and left you dead. But, as the saying goes, 'Death is too good for you'. You will pay for what you did, Nabiki Tendo. And, what is more, you will be put through pain that only you yourself can contrive the likes of. Once THAT is done, I'll think well-spent the years and funds that went into your reconstruction. The guilty WILL be punished." Halfway through the speech, Nabiki had lost whatever control she had, and had become a sobbing, pulsing mass. "Why do you hate me so?" she asked through salty lips. "I know that I've done wrong, but why do THIS? Why take me even from the GRAVE?" The director looked at his watch. "Only four minutes before the trial. Very well, I will humour you." A pause. "I detest you, Nabiki Tendo. I, Tanaro Ono, hate you." "Ono... You are..." Wide eyes from her, a nod from him. "For having destroyed the life of Kasumi Tendo, you will pay." Nabiki examined Director Ono. He had Dr. Tofu's eyes, now that she thought of it, and Kasumi's general features. She probably hadn't noticed it before because she had been too busy trying to make sense of his grandiloquent speeches. Being the director of the Kuno Foundation seems to have taken its toll... They continued to look at each other, motionless and silent. The lack of conversation was not due to want of content, but rather, to its excess... How could she possibly explain to this man why she had acted as she did? How could she summarise and cram into some scant four minutes thoughts, debates, and judgements that'd been swimming in her mind for what were relatively aeons? How could she justify herself to him when she had not yet done that for herself? There were far too many questions for one answer to be made... A buzzer rang, and then a voice came from a hidden speaker. "Sire, the trial room is ready." "Excellent. We will be there shortly." He turned to Nabiki. "Get up, Ms. Tendo, and follow me." Nabiki tried to stand, but couldn't. "My legs..." "Oh, dear! I'd QUITE forgotten! Tsk, tsk... Such an oversight...." He pressed a button on the desk. "Activate the bionics for Ms. Tendo." "Aye Sire," came the reply. "Bionics?" "Come, now, you don't think we reconstructed you with ORGANICS, do you? We might have made a lot of progress in these eighty years, but we still can't regenerate nerve tissue, and cloned eyes are EVER so unreliable..." "How much?" "The monetary figures would mean nothing to you, but let's just say you couldn't have afforded it even in your prime." Nabiki scowled. Would her reputation follow her even HERE? "I MEANT, how extensive are the replacements?" "I wouldn't worry about it. If all goes as planned, you won't be using them for long." she said to herself. She put away the thought. She had already shown far too much weakness. The only thing left to do was confess, get this over with as quickly as possible, and go back to her eternal rest. If she was going to die a second time, it was going to be with dignity, not tears. "But, to answer your question..." The director smiled. "As I've already mentioned, five percent of your brain has been replaced by microcomputers. Not to worry, it's mostly the primordial areas having to do with simple motions, habitual actions, and the like... THOSE we replace quite routinely now, actually, thanks to the research we've done on you... You've been quite a boon to medical science, Ms. Tendo." Nabiki arched an eyebrow. "Yes... I wouldn't expect a ruthless entrepreneur like yourself to think we'd let all that R&D go to waste... Ono Enterprises is now one of the three largest prosthetics companies in the world." A ring from the intercom. "Yes?" "Sire, bionics will be operational in two minutes. I apologise for the delay." "Quite all right; quite all right... I've waited all my life; a few more minutes won't hurt. Carry on." "Aye, Sire." "Now, where were we?" "Ono Enterprises," said Nabiki. "Oh, yes... You wouldn't BELIEVE how many people come to us to have that kind of brain surgery... Pilots, surgeons, anyone who needs to do things accurately and precisely, in fact... The new habitual motion areas allow for the creation of what we like to call 'physical macros', and the others let one do wonderful things with speed reading, and... Oh, but I haven't the time to go into that... Maybe I'll have one of our sales reps explain it to you before your execution." "What happened to 'innocent until proven guilty'?" "That only applies if you are innocent, ne, Mademoiselle Tendo?" "Touche." A weak smile. "Anything ELSE I should know about?" "Not much. Your eyes, nervous system, most bones, right arm, left leg, and heart have all been replaced. Your innards have been cloned from your genetic material, and engineered to be in sync with your prosthetics... Oh, yes! Your biochem's synthetic... Apart from that, nothing I can think of." "I see..." A red light blinked to life next to the desk. "They're ready for us. Get up, Ms. Tendo." She did, and was mildly surprised not to hear the sounds of whizzing gears and expanding pistons. Tanaro Ono also stood, and motioned to the door. They left. The corridors looked like a hospitals'. White. Antiseptic. Cold. Nabiki had a fundamental distrust of things that seemed this clean and pure, but she had to admit it was an appropriate setting for her final judgement. "How far?" she asked. "Just a few more doors." When they finally arrived, the dreaded portal ended up being just another innocuous-looking standard-make door. The only thing that distinguished it from any other was its number: 416. The director pulled a keycard out of his breast pocket and slipped it into the appropriate spot. The door slid open with a soft hiss. The interior of the room was nothing like what Nabiki had expected. There were no juror's benches, no audience chairs, no television cameras, advocate's boxes... In fact, all there was, was a desk, a computer terminal, two old wooden chairs and one plastic-and-metal chair-like contraption. As for people, only one young man in a white lab-coat stood in a corner, holding a medical bag. "Is this IT?" "I'm afraid so, Ms. Tendo." "I don't understand... Where are the lawyers? Jurors? JUDGE?" The director's eyes twinkled as he smiled. "Have you been paying attention? We ARE a consistency court. You are your own advocate, prosecutor and judge. I am merely here as... Court stenographer. Yes, that is quite the proper analogy." "Sire," the man in the lab coat spoke up. "Is she ready to be prepped?" "Go ahead." The underling nodded. "What? 'Prepped'? I don't..." "You may explain, Jonathan. I'm sure you'll do a better job than I could." "Thank-you, Sire." A bow. Then, to Nabiki. "It used to be that consistency trials took a long time... A speciality team would spend months, or years doing research into every aspect of the accused's life to come up with an accurate picture of hir moral code, and would then determine in an old-fashioned trial whether the plaintiff was guilty according to said code.*" thought Nabiki to herself. "Thanks to the technology developed for your reconstruction, we can now do away with the Consistency Squads. We merely put the appropriate machinery into the accused's head, and link them directly to a computer. As the subject speaks, hir thoughts are displayed in visual format on the monitor, as seen by 'the mind's eye'." "You've rehearsed this, haven't you?" Nabiki asked. "Many times, Ms. Tendo." he answered. "You frighten me..." She took a deep breath. The sooner they started... "Plug me in, then. I want this finished." The attendant motioned to the metallic chair, and Nabiki sat on it. Straps were tightened over her wrists and ankles, and then... "A syringe? What's that for?" She grimaced. "Don't tell me they give the lethal injection BEFORE the verdict's out, now." "Lethal injection?" The director looked at her. "We wouldn't be that lenient. That would cause at most a moment's pain, after all... No, Ms. Tendo, this is just some valium and Demerol... To loosen the tongue." "I'll talk anyways. No need to prick me." The attendant paused. "We want to make sure. Proceed, Jonathan." Jonathan nodded and began to inject the serum into Nabiki's left arm. The needle bent. "That's her prosthetic, Jonathan. I'm sorry. I should have warned you." "It's quite all right, Sire. I have replacements." He tossed the used syringe into a nearby waste-bin, and took a new one from his bag. This time, the solution went into Nabiki's left arm without incident. It was only a short time before she began to feel disoriented and light-headed. "The drugs are quite strong, so I doubt you'll be able to keep track of the outside world. Don't worry about it... Just concentrate on my questions, and your memories." Nabiki nodded. Her vision was beginning to blur... "Jonathan?" "Yes, Sire?" "She seems to be going under. Connect her." "Yes, Sire." He reached for the back of Nabiki's head and pulled loose a hair-covered panel. To the now-exposed circuitry, he hooked up one end of the cable, and connected the other end to the computer. "Done, Sire." "Good." Nabiki frowned. The voices were sounding... Strange... More or less like when she woke up from a Saturday afternoon nap, in the early evening, and heard her sisters speaking around her... Her sisters... "Sire? The subject is crying." "She must be thinking about the crime in question. Onscreen." Jonathan flipped a switch. The monitor flickered for a few seconds, then showed shifting pictures of Akane, Nabiki and Kasumi... All three of them at the beach, three young girls with their mother... The screen zoomed into Mrs. Tendo's face, which morphed into that of Kasumi. "Interesting... This puts quite a new slant on the case..." Then, a sudden shift to a graveyard scene. The Tendo family was standing in the rain around a freshly-dug grave. The perspective moved to the front of the memorial stone, where the name of Nabiki's mother was clearly visible. Another pan-out from the tombstone, to a changed scene. It was still a burial, but this time, it was the youngest Tendo.. Akane? Who was being laid to rest. Nabiki was beside the coffin, crying... She lifted the lid, and inside was Kasumi Tendo's body. Nabiki screamed. She screamed, as on the screen her elder sister's corpse reached out to hug her... Always forgiving her... Even for THIS... The screams grew louder. "Sire? What shall I do?" "Direct mike, please." "As you will, sire." Jonathan handed Director Ono a microphone which was also connected to the computer. "Is it on?" "Hai." Jonathan blushed. "I mean... Yes, Director Ono." Tanaro smiled. "No need to be so formal when it's only the two of us." He winced as another scream erupted from the chair. Clutching the mike, he spoke: "Nabiki? Can you hear me, Nabiki Tendo?" Silence. Then, a nod from 'Ms. Tendo'. "Good. I will guide you, Nabiki. I will ask you questions, and you will answer me. Do you understand?" Nod. "Very well. First, I will ask you to remember something. Think back to just after your father's death..." The director's voice transported Nabiki, sending her back through the years, back to the dismal winter following Soun Tendo's death. With Ranma and Akane gone, Kuno in the clergy, and Kasumi married to Dr. Tofu, Nabiki was once again left alone. Of course, 'oneechan' would never turn her away, and would always be ready with a tray of cookies and a listening ear when she needed one, but it wasn't the same... Nabiki had lost her home. She'd tried to replace family life with entrepeneuring, but even THAT couldn't fill the gap she felt inside... She'd lost her family to death, and the only member who remained had started one of her own. Kasumi had a daughter, already. It always cheered Nabiki to see her... Little Bell was so sweet... The perfect combination of her older sister's tenderness and Dr. Tofu's rugged handsomeness... Not that she was so little, anymore. Bell had turned into quite the young woman... Quite a fortunate one, too, with a set of caring parents and a stable home. Having the Ono household so close to her only served to remind Nabiki of her loss, and she devoted herself heart and soul to her enterprises. "Yes, Nabiki. That's it... Tell us about your business..." Business... The money she had made over the years, selling pictures of her sister to Kuno and blackmailing others had allowed her to buy some very profitable stocks. In just a few years, she had risen to the ownership of a large Security company. She always found that amusing... Her securities were what had allowed her to take control of Universal Security Equipment, Inc... The director twisted a few knobs on the computer's controls. He'd better log this. They were getting close to the target. "And how did that company do?" he thought to himself. The company did well... For a time... While it was expanding, taking care of it filled Nabiki's vacant hours, and occupied her thoughts, which would otherwise be filled with depression and loss... Once it stabilised, however (and it stabilised SOON. Nabiki was too adept at business for her own good), it ceased to keep her busy, and she needed another project. Real estate... "Real estate? What real estate?" In response to the question, a fuzzy picture of about twenty Tokyo city blocks appeared on the computer screen. Nabiki held the deeds to all the land around the abandoned Tendo Dojo for a radius of two kilometres. She had bought these while the property was worthless, but as Nerima grew, it had transformed (as she had predicted all along, of course) into prime real estate. Even the Ono clinic/residence belonged to her, at least technically... When the doctor had run into some monetary difficulties, she had 'bought' the property off of him and covered its mortgage, leaving him with live-in rights, and everything, in fact, but actual ownership. "My, my... That was unusually kind of you, Ms. Tendo. You took control of his property, and didn't even kick him out on the street? Most kind." The comment made Nabiki frown, even in her delirious state. thought Tanaro. "I apologise for the interruption. Go on... You had plans for that land, did you not? Tell me about them..." Plans... Of course she had plans! Great ones... Nerima had a lot now. Lawyers, doctors, dentists and such found it an optimal area to set up their practices, but as of yet there wasn't much in the way of shopping malls, or recreational complexes... With the land she had, and the money from USE, she could build one... It would help everyone, make life more pleasant... But... "But?" Most of the land was no problem. Only Nabiki ever used the dojo, so demolishing it would not present a difficulty. As for the rest, in planning this she had allowed her tenants' leases to expire, then had refused to renew the contracts... No one lived there now, except... "Jonathan, take secondary notes. We're almost there." "Aye, Sire." The Tofu clinic, still booming, was right in the middle of the property. She had approached the couple (subtly, of course) about moving to a more luxurious location she would pay for, but they had refused, arguing that the clinic had always been their married home... It looked like the plan would have to be given up, but if she gave up... "If you gave up, then you'd have to face and deal with your pathetic life. I see..." If she could find an excuse to demolish the place while they were gone, and then relocate them... It wouldn't harm them; she'd set them up in a beautiful condo... There wasn't a way, though. She couldn't destroy the property without their consent, or knowledge. "But you DID, didn't you? How, Nabiki? How did you do it?" In the chair, Nabiki shifted uncomfortably. "Tell me, Nabiki. It is important." She had... She had gotten an idea when she went to visit Ukyou in the Sanatorium... The poor girl had gone mad after giving birth to Ryouga's son... He reminded her too much of Ranma, and the fact that they'd been rivals... The nurse had been telling Nabiki about how the ex-okonomiyaki chef had demolished half the town in her insanity, using only a spatula... Then, she had commented on how they were fortunate it was the wife that had gone crazy, and not the husband... If Ryouga was ever _that_ depressed, his Shi Shi Houkodan or the 'Blasting Point Technique' would have probably inflicted a lot more damage. But Ryouga was still sane, wasn't he? "And the Blasting Point Technique reminded you of something at USE, did it not?" Ono hated to prompt, but the drugs would begin to wear off soon, and they had to be through by then... The Blasting Point Technique... At the security company, they would test new equipment by detonating small, government-approved bombs next to them in a desert area... Whenever she was present at one of those trials, Nabiki couldn't help but think of Ryouga's special attacks... The effects were nearly identical... On the screen, a picture of a bomb exploding, and the smoke clearing to reveal a spent Ryouga. "I see..." said the Director. "You intended to frame Ryouga for the destruction of the clinic?" Nabiki nodded. She would frame him, yes, but it was for the better good of Nerima... Besides, she could pay him back for any legal fees or bail charges after the profits started rolling in, and maybe even add a generous compensation bonus... "And how, exactly, did you manage this?" On the chair, Nabiki began to sweat. It had been all too easy... With his wife incarcerated, Ryouga had been an easy target for seduction. Nabiki smiled. The poor boy had been no match for her, when she tried to be appealing... One night was all she needed... She had the... 'genetic material' she had gathered cloned at the USE labs, until she had enough to legally place Hibiki at the blast site. The final touch was to fake a note, purportedly from Akane, blaming her suicide on her hatred of Ryouga. The director turned his eyes away from the monitor. These were pictures he did NOT want to see... "Oh, deity..." he muttered. He had known she was sick, but THIS... Nabiki had waited until a day when Dr. Tofu and Kasumi had scheduled a trip to the beach, then she had set the cloned material, bomb and letter in Akane's old room at the dojo. In the early afternoon, she detonated the explosive... But... She hadn't known... She hadn't... WHY? WHY? WHY did Kasumi have to come back? On the monitor, Kasumi returning for a forgotten item. Picnic basket? Beach towel? No one knew, and after the incident she was in no condition to tell... Then, a cycle of imagined pictures of 'oneechan' dying a thousand horrible deaths, as the walls of the clinic collapsed onto her, and the shock-wave burnt her flesh... Oh, deity. She hadn't known... When she found out, it was too much... To lose KASUMI. To lose her MOTHER, her FAMILY... She'd killed her... She'd... Nabiki began to cry. After doing such a thing, she could not allow herself to live. How would she, after destroying everything that she lived FOR? She settled on a suicide - via bomb; it was the only proper way. Before that, of course, she left her affairs in order. All outstanding debts were paid, a luxury condominium was signed over to Dr. Tofu and Bell, and ownership of USE was transferred to Ryouga Hibiki. Hopefully, its wealth would be enough of a compensation for having put him in his present unfortunate position... The director looked at the monitor. She HAD been thorough in settling her accounts, spiritually and otherwise... That was a problem... She had paid Ryouga back to the best of her ability, and submitted herself to the same fate she had put her sister through... "Sire, the drug are wearing off." Tanaro turned to face the attendant. "It doesn't matter. We have enough. In point of fact, wake her up completely. There's been a... development..." "Aye, Sire." He pulled another syringe out of the bag, and injected the sobbing Nabiki. She promptly stiffened up, and tried to mask her tears. "You know?" she asked. Ono nodded. "We know." "When is the execution? I would like it done as soon as possible, please." "Execution?" The director smiled. "I'm afraid not, Ms. Tendo. There will be no execution." "WHAT? But you said..." "We can't kill an innocent person, Ms. Tendo, no matter how vile they may be." "Innocent?!? I thought you'd seen... What I just... Didn't you say you could see what I was thinking?" Another nod. "We can. We did. You passed. You are not guilty, by your own moral code." "I don't understand..." "The crimes you were accused of were the incapacitation of Kasumi Tendo, and..." "Incapacitation?" Nabiki smirked. "I haven't heard THAT used as euphemism for death before. Just say I killed her." "Oh, but you didn't..." "WHAT?!?" "Not quite." Ono smiled. "She lived. For six moths, she lived. She was paralysed, blind, and mute, but her mind still worked, and she was kept alive through intravenous feeding." "Oh, deity..." "You see, now, why I hate you so. Death would have been bad enough, but you sent her to a living Hell." "I didn't know..." "Precisely. You didn't know. Invincible ignorance has been your saviour. By your own moral code, you took all necessary precautions, and would provide the Onos with ample compensation... You wronged Ryouga, yes, but transferring the ownership of USE paid him back in full, since it covered his bail and legal costs, AND left him and his descendants... How does the phrase go? 'Set for life'..." "What happens now?" "You live." "You realise, I'll only kill myself. I can't live in this world...Wouldn't YOU rather have the pleasure?" Director Ono's eyes twinkled. "Oh, so you'll kill yourself?" "Yes. As soon as you let me go, I will kill myself. If you try to rebuild me again, I will simply commit suicide a third time." Without warning, Tanaru slipped a small dagger out of his jacket and threw it straight at Nabiki's head. Without thinking, she plucked it out of the air with their thumb and forefinger. "What?!?" She could not understand... "I'm afraid, Ms. Tendo, that we can't afford to let you die... You will find that you now have a very well-developed self- preservation instinct... This, combined with your mechanical reflexes, leads to some interesting effects, as you have so kindly demonstrated." "If you were ready to kill me anyway, why do this?" "Come now, Ms. Tendo! If you kill yourself, how will you ever pay us back?" "PAY YOU BACK?!?!?!?" "Of course! You may be innocent of the crimes, but this is still a consistency court... In your first life, you never gave anything for free..." Nabiki glared at him. "Well.... Seldom... In any case, why should you expect US to give you a second chance, and not charge for it?" The woman sighed. "Point taken," she said. "How, exactly, am I supposed to pay? I _did_ sign over my company to Ryouga, after all..." "That you did. In fact, the Hibikis are now one of the richest, and most respected, families in Japan... But, don't worry... We've found a way... You will work for us." "Work? What kind of work?" "Not the kind you'll enjoy, I'm afraid... Ono Enterprises has no need for financiers, deity knows we have enough of them... Instead, you'll be working for the Kuno foundation, as part of the government of Nerima." "Which part?" "The computer control centre?" "But... I don't really know how to handle a computer..." "I don't think you understand, Ms. Tendo. You will BE the computer control centre." "WHAT?!?!?" "Your cerebral bionics, added to your natural intelligence, make you perfect for the job. You'll be hooked up to the main computer system, just like you were hooked up to this computer," he waved at the monitor, "today, and with a little conscious effort, will take care of everything from traffic lights to food supplies." "That's insane! How will I keep track of it? And I'll need time to eat, and sleep, and..." The director interrupted. "Don't worry. We have others in roughly the same position, and they all do an admirable job... As for eating and sleeping, well, you'll get the minimum government requirement, but that's only to comply with regulations... Thanks to your modifications, you don't really need to sleep, though you can, if you like, and eating shouldn't take up more than half an hour a day." "Minimum government requirement?" "You'll work for us sixteen hours a day, six days a week." "I take it there's nothing I can do about it." "Absolutely nothing." "When do I start?" "Today is Friday, so we will give you tomorrow off. Let Saturday be your rest day." "What about accommodations? Lodging?" "Don't worry... All that was taken care of long ago." Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "We _did_ prepare for this eventuality, Ms. Tendo. Remember; none of us alive now knew you personally; we had no idea what your moral code was like... Congratulations. You're sicker than I gave you credit for." "Thanks. I think..." "Oh, yes... One more thing before I let you go." "Hm?" "Your name." "Tendo Nabiki." "Exactly. You can't use that anymore." "Why not?" "To the world at large, she's been dead for eighty years. Plus, your little antics left quite a stain on that name..." "Then what..." "You will now be known as Perdita." "Perdita?" "Latin. Feminine for 'Lost One'." Nabiki gave him one of her patented 'looks'. "You _must_ be joking. There is _no_ way I am being called 'Lost One' in Latin." "Too late. You're already registered." He turned to the attendant. "Jonathan? Take Perdita to her quarters." "Aye, Sire." "And, brief her on her new stats, will you? Birth date, parentage, and so on..." "As you will, Sire." With that, Jonathan unhooked Nabiki from the terminal, replaced her head panel, unstrapped her and led her out the door. Tanaru Ono was satisfied. Perhaps, he thought, perhaps it was BETTER, after all, that she had been found innocent. It seemed to him that she CRAVED death; that she couldn't stand to face the consequences of her actions. To Live... Now, THERE was her worst nightmare. To be alive in a world where she had killed her sister... Not only that, but one she thought of as a second mother... He shook his head. It was poetic justice that she would now know more about that very part of the world that so concerned her, thanks to her new- found employment... A smile. Nabiki Tendo... Pardon. PERDITA had paid in full. Whistling airs from Beethoven's ninth, the director smoothed his jacket and went out the door. ====================================================================== Epilogue: Nerima Graveyard, Saturday Afternoon ====================================================================== [To be written... Maybe...] *[Author's note: This is a brief description of a non-fanfic series of mine, which I'm hoping to tie into my R2096 universe with this story.] ======================================================================= A while ago, someone else did this... I thought it was a neat idea, so here goes... This is a list of the music I listened to while writing the alpha: * Alan Menken's musical version of "A Christmas Carol" * Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" and "Night on Bald Mountain" * Danny Elfman's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" * Highlights from Mussorgsky's opera, "Boris Gudonov" (If you haven't heard it, do so! It's dark, but beautiful...) * Tchaikovsky's "Queen of Spades" * Philip Glass's opera, "La Belle et la Bete" (this might as well be the R2096 soundtrack... I listen to it continuously while I write the eps...) * Philip Glass's "Itaipu" * Prokofiev's "Alexander Nevsky" Hopefully, this will help explain the tone of the story... ^_^