/ ____ ___ _ ___ / | \ | \ /\ | | /\ /\ | \ / /\ | \ | \ . | \ | |. / \_/ \ | \ \ / \ | __ \ | _ \ | | | | | | | _ \ /\ \/ / | | \ \ | | \ \ .| | | |.| | | | \ \ / \ \ / | | / / | |__\ | | | \| | | |\ /| |.| |__\ |/ /\ \/ | | / / | | | |\ | |.| | | |.| | | |\ / \ | |/ / .| ___ |.| |.| |.| |.| | | | | ___ /\ \/ / | |\ \ | | .| |.| |.| |.| |.| |.| |.| | ./ |\ / | | \ \ .| | | |.| |..\ |.| |.| |.| | | | /| | \ |_|. \__\ |_|. .|_|.|_|...\/..|_|.|_|.|_|.|_|. \|_| \ /\ \ / Written by Christopher 'Ratiko' Willmore. / \ \ / 4cw6@qlink.queensu.ca / / \/ 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]. ========================================================================== The R-Files, Volume I: Reiraku *ALPHA* ========================================================================== This story is dedicated to Marisa Price. -CW [BEGIN FILE OT-1-R-26: ALPHA CLEARANCE] She reached for him, her long brown hair swaying in a nonexistent breeze. A harsh white glow surrounded the form, making it an almost painful pleasure to look at her for any length of time, and yet he could not tear his gaze away. Not for a moment. Not from... Not from his wife. Tofu put his hand out to meet hers, and then felt It. The Barrier. A crystal shield; an invisible, infinite plane that separated his night from her day, a division which She didn't seem to notice... He pounded on it, shouting, but his screams were as inaudible to Her as her own mutterings to him. Throughout the whole ordeal, she only smiled and giggled, oblivious to the pain the isolation caused him, cupping her hand over her mouth, as if to say, 'Oh, what a silly husband...'. But she could say it no more. Green tendrils sprouted from the ground and wrapped around Kasumi, dragging her away; away from sight, away from touch, away from hearing... "Otoosan?" The room's light came on with a click, bringing Dr. Ono Tofu back from the surreal meadow and into the mundane world of drapes and comforters. His body was covered in a layer of cold sweat. "Belladonna... I..." Bell-Chan smiled weakly. Kasumi's smile. "The same dream again?" "H-hai..." She looked so much like her mother... Except for the lighter-coloured hair, and the slightly firmer features from HIS line, they could have been sisters... "It was okaasan... I..." Belladonna sat down next to him on the bed, and placed her arms around his neck. "It's been hard on us both," she said, then stopped. Somehow, there was nothing comforting, nothing appropriately warm or sympathetic, to say after that. There was an awkward pause. "I don't think either of us will be going back to sleep," she continued, after clearing her throat. "I'll go down and make some tea." Belladonna disengaged herself from her father, stood up, and walked a few steps towards the door before turning back. "I'm not mother, but I made some cookies earlier today." She grinned. "I thought you'd like them." "Oh, Bell-Chan... I..." Tofu covered his face with his hands, and cried softly. "I know,otoosan," whispered Belladonna. "I know..." * * * * * They sat silently in the kitchen for a long time, each one staring at the tea leaves gently swaying in their cups' thermal currents, and deliberately avoiding eye contact. There was nothing that needed to be vocalised. They understood each other; they knew what each was thinking, and they also knew that what they needed now was to be alone. To reflect. To look back. To think ahead. And yet... There was ONE thing that had not been shared. A single fact that turned this nightmare into more than that; into a twisted fantasy. And now the time had come for its disclosure. Tofu sipped his oolong brew, then leaned back in the wicker chair. He sighed, adjusted the folds of his dark blue kimono, and looked up. "It wasn't Ryouga," he said absently. Belladonna blinked. "Otoosan?" "The explosion... It wasn't him..." "Father, I think you've had too little sleep; the stress is getting to you... Why don't you take the day off tomorrow? We can go to the beach, and..." "NO." The doctor's voice, now. Commanding, not paternal. Bell-chan knew better than to try to interfere when her parent was in this mood. She would wait, as she always did, let him speak his fill, and then tell him precisely why it was that she was right and he was wrong. Then, he would acquiesce. For almost twenty years, that had been the way of it. No matter how firm his initial resolution, how stubborn his opinions, the dear man couldn't ever go against the wishes of his wife or daughter. So, she smiled, smoothed her nightgown, and prepared to listen. "You know that Nabiki left USE to Ryouga. Tameshi is a salaried president; he doesn't actually OWN it." "Hai. So you've told me. All her relatives were dead, except for us, and Auntie Tendo KNEW that you didn't want to have to run the company... Hibiki-san was the only person she could think of... Especially since she wasn't counting on that accident." "That wasn't why she did it." "What do you mean?" "She had a reason." "Oh?" Tofu closed his eyes, as if to bring past events closer in his mind. "After the trial, I spoke with Kioku. They wouldn't let me see Ryouga, but his son... He told me something about his father." The eyes opened, and focused on Belladonna's own. "They have a very close relationship, those two. More like brothers than anything else. They share everything." "Who else would they share it WITH, otoosan?" The elder Ono nodded. "Exactly." A pause. "Kioku told me of his father's guilt." "I thought you said Ryouga was inno..." He waved her comment into silence. "I did. He is innocent of the explosion." "Father, there was a trial. With evidence. They found that letter, and the DNA tests confirmed it. You YOURSELF ran the scans! YOU were the one who told me that it had been his full Shishi Houkodan!" The doctor ignored her. "When Nabiki died, I was there for the clearing of her office. They needed her next-of-kin, and I was the closest match. I found something in her desk. A note pad." "Note pad?" "Yes. The pages were all blank, but at the bottom of the first one, I saw the impression of a word that had been written on the previous sheet." "Which was?" "Akane." Silence. "Her forged signature." "A coincidence," said Bell-Chan, shaking her head. "Auntie Nabiki... She... I mean... She COULDN'T!" "I ran it through the computer. After I removed all the numbers that had been imprinted, all that was left was a copy of the letter that supposedly had angered Ryouga. A perfect copy." "Chichi, STOP IT!" Belladonna was crying. "Okaasan is hurt, and we're both in pain WITH her, but that's no reason to... To..." "To tell the truth?" "What truth? There's NO ONE TO BLAME, otaasan. You wish there were. *I* wish there were, so I could wring their necks, but you have to FACE it! Ryouga found an old letter, he exploded, and without meaning to trapped mother!" "There's more." "I won't listen to it." "After that, I went through the medical department's records. There had been cloning done without my permission. A lot of it, and the rest of the sample was still in the freezer, almost as if I was MEANT to find it. No one had bothered to hide the records, or even the evidence." "I'm not hearing this." "The cloned material was Ryouga's." "Otaasan..." "It was Ryouga's sperm. THAT was his guilt. Nabiki had seduced him. And now, I know why." Tofu took a cookie from the plate on the table and nibbled on it. "She was even MORE vicious than I had given her credit for." Belladonna looked at him, unmoving. Her face was blank, and her eyes cold. "It was an ACCIDENT," she enunciated carefully. "Nothing more." "No? Then why do I see your mother?" "See her?" "She comes to me, every day. I'll be at work, and she will stand in front of me, smiling, reaching out... Would her ghost be haunting me if there was nothing to be avenged?" "Okaasan is ALIVE!" "You call that LIFE?" "She breathes, she thinks! She is not DEAD, father! And even if she were... The only 'ghosts' there are are those created by your own mind. PLEASE father... PLEASE snap out of it! I need you... I can't THINK of... Of LOSING you this way... Not NOW..." Tofu shook his head. "I am not mad, Bell-Chan. Not yet. In fact..." He looked down, then up, and the kitchen's fluorescent light reflected for a moment off his glasses. "In fact, I don't think I have ever seen more clearly." Belladonna wiped her tears dry, and pushed aside the chestnut strands that had fallen over her face. "It's almost dawn," she said. "Let's start a new life today. Promise me you will see someone about this, Otaasan." "About what, Bell-chan?" "Your dreams. Your visions." Tofu nodded, and smiled. "How can I say no to my little Beru?" "Today, this ends." "Today it ends." * * * * * Tofu knocked on the decrepit wooden door, sending a few chips of green paint flying as he did so. "Come in, Ono-san." He swung the portal open, and cringed at the resulting squeal of rusty hinges rubbing against each other. "It always surprises me how easily you identify me." He shook his head. "I've been a doctor for decades, and STILL I don't know how you do it." "There can be sight even when the eyes are lost," said Cologne. "Sight beyond the limits of your 'medicine'." She smiled. Grotesque, that anything that looked so twisted still could manage to turn up the corners of its mouth into a skullish grin. She'd had the appearance of a ghoul, before, but now that Shampoo had plucked out her eyes, she looked like Baba Yaga out of some child's fairy- tale. And yet... She was the only one who could help him... "What brings you to ME, _Doctor_ Ono?" There was a deliberate emphasis on the honorific. She was well aware that Tofu preferred not to meddle in magic. "It is not often that I have the... pleasure... of your distinguished company." "A ghost." "Oh?" Cologne raised an eyebrow. "Whose? Nabiki's? Akane's?" "Kasumi's." The edges of the ancient Amazon's eye sockets contracted in a now- unnecessary reflex. "She is still _alive_, Ono-san. Or is she?" Tofu nodded. "For the moment. She cannot move, or breathe alone, but she is kept alive. Her heart beats, she thinks... But STILL she haunts me." "Sit down, Ono-san," Cologne said quietly. He did. "Tell me all about it." "I'll be at work, and she will walk into the room... She'll nod, and smile, and twist her head to the side like she always does... And I'll just stand there, paralysed, almost as delirious as when I was a lad of twenty... SOMETHING disturbs her soul, Cologne. SOMETHING does not allow her to rest, and so her spirit stays... WITH her body." "You do not think she ought to be alive?" "Her wounds are bad. There's nerve damage, which we can't clone... Not yet..." "And still you leave her on those machines of yours." "I have my hopes. Nabiki left instructions that she was to be kept alive at ANY cost, and that's what I've been working for, with the rest of the company. I was hoping that..." "That you could use the knowledge gained to bring Kasumi back to health. I see..." "H... Hai, Cologne. That was my plan." A pause. "That IS my plan." The two-foot witch absent-mindedly fingered her staff, and stroked her chin. There was a minute or two of silent contemplation before she spoke again. "It is not a ghost that you are dealing with, Ono-san, but the spirit's SHADE. It is merely her impression on your mind. You will not let her go; a part of her remains attached to you, and it is THAT you see; it's THAT which visits you. Kasumi herself is on that hospital bed. I have known of cases in which the living have ghosts, but..." She shook her head. "This is not one of them." "A shade of a spirit?" asked the Doctor. "The ghost of a ghost, if you will." "You can not help me, then? I promised Bell-chan I would..." "I did not say that, Ono-san. Though not a spirit, it can yet be put to rest." "How may I do that?" "Only YOU can know, for it is a projection of YOUR essence. You know best what thing it is that keeps it on this plane; that links it to your soul instead of to her own." "I think I know, Cologne." The tears welled in his eyes. "I think I know." "It is not seemly for a man like you to cry in front of me, doctor." She smiled again. "It's getting late. Your colleagues are expecting you at work." "I thank you, Cologne... How much..." "You owe me nothing. I used no magic. This was only the advice of... Of one friend to another." "Arigato." "You are welcome, Ono-san." * * * * * Doctor Ono had barely placed his shoes at the entrance to his office when Gosunkugi Kyoofu sprang from his monitor and ran towards him. The fact that he knocked over his chair in the process only meant that he stumbled slightly while doing so. "Tofu-sensei!" he shouted. "Where have you been?!? We've been trying to get to you ALL MORNING!" "I've been busy," he replied, then frowned. "Is something wrong?" "It's... It's your wife..." "Go on. What about Kasumi?" He knew what was going to be said, but held no fear. He'd dreaded this moment for so long, that any panicking had long since been over and done with. "She's..." "Sou desu ka..." "She's dead, Tofu-sensei." His body went rigid for a moment - but only a moment. In less than a second it was limber again, and the only difference from his previous stance was a moist covering over his eyes, just barely noticeable through the glasses' lenses. "When?" The tone was firm. "About an hour ago." He considered this. Not bad... And if everything had gone as planned... "Begin Project R." "We... We can't." "If it's funding, don't worry about it. I don't have much right now, but Kunou Tatewaki owes me a favour or two, especially since I now have access to Nabiki's files." Kyoofu shook his head. His skin seemed even paler than was usual for a Gosunkugi. "It's not that." "The scorching, then? I told you... It shouldn't make any difference after what we've learned with Nabiki. We'll still be able to clone and regenerate it; it'll just take a while." "No we won't." "I doubt that, but even if that's the case, that's what the buffers are there for. Retrieve the old samples, and use THOSE. It'll take longer, granted, since we have to simulate the aging, but we have all the time we need..." "We have NO time, Tofu-sensei." Ono's blood froze in his veins, and his arteries seemed to stop pumping. "What... What do you mean?" Every syllable was emphasised. "The brain's gone." "WHAT?!?" "The brain is gone. She... Your wife did not die on her own, Tofu- sensei. She was euthanised." "On who's orders?!? And how?!?" The son of Hikaru and Akari took a deep breath, then focused his black-lined eyes on the doctor's own. "No orders. It was Bell-chan. She injected Kasumi with a strong basic solution, then unplugged the machines." Tofu's mind flashed back to that morning's conversation. "Today it ends," she had said, and he had agreed. But... He never thought... He'd never told her. He KNEW that she wouldn't have agreed to it, would've called it a travesty of nature, a perversion, but... Deity... What now? "The... Basic solution... It..." "Corrupted all the tissues, including the brain. We don't even have one percent." Kyoofu shuffled his feet and looked down. He looked uncertain as to what to do with his fingers. "I'm sorry, sensei." Kasumi... Gone... It didn't quite sink in, emotionally. On an intellectual level, even, it was difficult to assimilate. He knew that she would die; the wounds were fatal, but he always assumed that he'd be able to bring her BACK. That was impossible, now. The brain could not be cloned. But NABIKI'S... NABIKI'S mind had survived intact - or almost so... SHE was going to be resurrected, as the result of a project under HIS control. It wasn't fair! The victim punished, and the murderess let loose... No. It would not happen. If he could not heal his wife, he would not do so for the cause of his unhappiness. His face hardened, and he looked at his protegee. "Stop the Lazarus Project. Now. I want it all halted. Wipe the data, destroy the machines, and cremate the body parts." "Impossible, sensei." "What do you MEAN, impossible? I'm CMO of USE, and I'm ORDERING you to dismantle the project. I'm also Nabiki's next-of-kin, and it's under THAT capacity that I ask for the body's cremation. STOP THE PROJECT!" "The law won't allow it." "WHAT law?" "That card Tendo-san signed. The one which started the project." "Yes? What about it?" "She was thorough. You and I BOTH know that, sensei. It's legally binding. We can't do a THING that would endanger her possibilities of being brought back to life." "Deity..." "It's perverse, I know... I've already drafted my resignation. If you go, I will follow." He waited for an answer, but his mentor simply stood there, looked away, and clenched his fists. "Leave me." He bit his lip and closed his eyes. "Sensei?" "Leave me, Kyoofu. I... I need to be... Alone." "H-hai... But... The funeral arrangements... Cremation... Belladonna said..." "She may do as she likes." "Understood." Gosunkugi Kyoofu bowed, slipped on his sandals and left, not bothering even to right the overturned chair. The door closed softly behind him. "So THAT'S why you haven't come to me," Tofu said to Kasumi. "You've been busy." His late wife had walked into the office wearing the pale lavender dress he'd given her on her birthday a few years back. She simply giggled at his comment, then smiled. "She didn't know, Kasumi. Belladonna didn't KNOW what I had planned." A cock of the head, and another smile. Ono slammed his fist against the wall. "And NOW I'm going to have to allow Nabiki to be resurrected, after what... After what she did... I can't bear to let that happen. It's not RIGHT that she should survive, while you..." He gestured at the shade. "Well, LOOK AT YOU! Neither here, nor there, not dead, nor alive, and about as able to communicate as when you were on that hospital bed!" He was inexperienced at dealing with anger, and his amateurish attempts to deal with the novel emotion led only to a trickle of blood from his lower lip. "There's still time... I could... I could tamper with the systems... Let her brain decay... Then..." Kasumi gasped soundlessly and cupped her hand over her mouth in shock. Her accusatory glance was almost too much for Tofu to withstand. "You're right," he sighed. "You always were..." He corrected himself. "You always ARE. That wouldn't solve it. It'd only make me as bad as SHE. But you MUST be vindicated! There has to be SOME way to make things even; to make her go through the same pain she's put us all through... You, me, Bell- chan, Ryouga..." His late wife shrugged, and smiled, and walked away. He reached to her. "No! Wait! Don't go!" She paused only long enough to turn and wave goodbye, then proceeded through the computer bank on the far wall. She was gone. Tofu stared at where she'd disappeared, lost in thought, and then something caught his eye. Kyoofu had left his terminal on, and the monitor was currently diplaying information on their latest 'find'. "Yatto!" whispered the doctor to himself. He picked up a nearby handset. "Dialup? This is Ono Tofu, CMO. Connect me to the Kunou Foundation." * * * * * [A few days later; USE medical HQ receiving room] As expected, Kunou Tatewaki's entrance into USE was grandiose. An escort of cowled, shaven monks preceded him, and formed two rows to flank their master. When he came into the room, they all fell prostate before him, letting their orange robes sweep around them in a vaguely B-ish pattern. The Blue Thunder's stride was obviously rehearsed. He took long, equally measured and paced steps, and kept his eyes firmly on the one who had summoned him here. "It's been a while, Tatewaki," said Tofu. "You will address me as Kunou-sensei." "I'll do no such thing. I was healing your wounds when your only thoughts about the clergy were to wonder why they'd ever swear off weapons, AND I am your elder, so I have the right to call you what I wish." "Insolent cur! Thou darest insult the Blue Thunder, founder of the Kunou Foundation, poet Laureate, and Global Saviour?" Ono nodded. "I dare," he said. "And... Tatewaki, it IS 2026. Stuff the archaisms." "Methinks thou needest a lesson in manners. Seiji! Uta! Attack!" Two of the acolytes stood, one on either side, and rushed the doctor. Without bothering to look at them, he placed practiced fingers on the the crucial acupuncture points, and sent them into the dreamless sleep of the unconscious. "It is YOU who will call ME sensei." Kunou bit his lip. "I laid my wife to rest today, 'Waki, and I don't have the time or patience to put up with this. I need a favour from you; as a business partner, not a friend." "Why should I deal with someone like yourself, after the indignities to which you have submitted me and my noble followers?" Tofu reached into the folds of his kimono and pulled out a yellow- labeled diskette. "Because I have unlimited access to Nabiki's files. Would you rather I tell the world what your sister has been up to all these years?" "The Blue Thunder will NEVER submit to blackmail!" "Oh, no?" He picked up a wall-mounted handset. "Dialup? This is Ono Tofu, CMO. Kindly send a copy of file TN-102-KK-A to the..." "Wait!" Any thunder that there might have been seems to have collapsed into a whine. "Yes?" "I... I will hear your request. Just... Do not send that file. Please." "Dialup? Cancel that last command." *Click* "I'm SO glad that we understand each other." "What is it that you wish?" "It is something that must be discussed in private." "Those with me are my... Privy council, if you will. If I may hear it, so may they." "Very well, then... I take it you've already told them about Kodachi's religious values?" The monks looked up at their master, who paled and began to sweat. "And if they may hear EVERYTHING that you may, I'm sure that it'll be alright for me to brief you on her... Activities..." "Monks, disperse! Listen to the commandments of your Master! I, Kunou Tatewaki, Blue Thunder, Poet Laureate and Global Saviour, have decided to grant this unworthy vassal's most humble request, that he may know that even the Mighty may shine their benevolence upon those who they have far transcended." "I take it my threat worked." Kunou scowled, and did not answer. The monks stood, dusted off their robes, then marched out of the room in single file. * * * * * Ono Tofu led the self-proclaimed 'Global Saviour' through seven levels of retinal scans, password IDs, security checkpoints and voice-activated gates, until they finally arrived in front of an innocuous-looking white door. "We're here," said the doctor. "And where, pray tell," asked Kunou, "is HERE?" "USE Alpha labs." "Alpha labs?" "Alpha clearance only." He paused. "And those with special permission, of course. Such as yourself." "NO ONE DENIES THE BLUE THUNDER!" "Oh, no?" Tofu grinned. "After you, Kunou." He bowed and swept his hands in the direction of the door. "I thank you for your sudden graciousness, though indeed this change in your behaviour doth puzzle me. I..." *ZAP* Tatewaki staggered back as he was hit by a strong bolt of electricity. "What's wrong?" asked Tofu. "Was the 'Blue Thunder' denied by the doorknob? Let me try." The CMO of USE walked to the portal, and easily turned the handle. "What sorcery is THIS?!?" "No sorcery, 'Waki. We ARE a medical research facility. This door will only answer to MY genetic material, or Kyo... Or one other person's. Anyone else will get zapped. Like you." "But... But I am..." Tofu cut him off. "I know who you are; I've had to hear you proclaim it loud and clear at least three times today. Now, however," he narrowed his eyes, "you are in MY domain, where _I_ make the rules. Remember that, 'Waki." A rare glint of comprehension crossed Kunou's eyes. In a split-second, it was gone, but he nodded. "I will remember. Lead on; I follow." * * * * * The lab, when the entered, was dark. Tofu stopped a few feet from the entrance, then closed the door. "Even one of mine own greatness cannot see within a place which holds no light." "I... I have to warn you of something, before I activate the lights." "What have you need to warn me of? Hast thou drawn me into a trap? If so, know that I am well protected, and that..." "If I wanted to get rid of you, 'Waki, I would've done it long ago." "Methinks thou dost think too highly of thine own abilities." "And ME thinks that you should learn how to speak properly." "You CUR! How DARE you..." "Remember the files." "Blackmail is illegal." "So are most of the Kunou Foundation's activities." Silence. "Out with it, Ono. What is it that you need?" "I need money. A lot of it." "I never thought that you would sink to this level... To think that someone who married the sister of the peerless Akane should..." "It's NOT blackmail money. USE pays me more than I can spend. I need it for... For something ELSE." "I do not enjoy being kept in the dark." A pause. "Either figuratively, or literally." "It's only for a little while longer. When I switch on the lights, you may find the scene somewhat... Disturbing. I need you to promise, upon your honour as a monk and samurai, that you will listen to what I have to say before coming to any conclusions." "You doubt that *I*, the Great Pacifier, can be reasonable? AGAIN you insult me, Ono, and AGAIN I am surprised at your forwardness... First you taunt me, and blackmail me and now you ask me to agree to something unknown by swearing to it upon my highest values?" "In a nutshell... Yes." "Surely, you jest!" "I do not. I merely ask that you listen to me before coming to a hasty conclusion." "In that case..." Kunou stroked his chin. "In that case, I agree to your terms. The Blue Thunder is never unreasonable, and is willing to stake his honour upon that claim." "Say it." "You do not trust me?" "Computer, Voice Check Ono Tofu. Begin record. Now." From somewhere in front of them, as speaker blared out a monotonic, synthesised voice. "RECORDING SESSION COMMENCED. LOG FILE OPENED WITH NUMBER 3750-2-1. SECURITY CLEARANCE ALPHA." "Say it, Kunou." "Very well." He cleared his throat. "I, Kunou Tatewaki, Blue Thunder, Poet Laureate and Global Saviour, do hereby swear upon my honour as a monk and samurai that I shall listen to the arguments of this insolent man before judging and condemning him for any of the vile scenes which he may hereafter present before me." "Good enough. Computer, Voice Check Ono Tofu. End record. Now." "RECORDING SESSION COMPLETE. LOG FILE CLOSED WITH NUMBER 3750-2-1. SECURITY CLEARANCE ALPHA." "Canst thou shed light upon the room, now?" "I can. Computer, lights on." The fluorescent strips on the ceiling crackled into life, and bathed the laboratory in a sterile white glow tinged with blue. In front of them were all the usual accouterments of such a place... And more. There were, of course, the computer banks, the stools, the benches, sinks and beakers, and one must not forget the fume hoods, cloning 'chines, and genetic samplers, among other equipment straight from one of last century's worst 'mad scientist' movies. That much was expected. What had NOT been foreseen, were the Tanks. There were six of them; two rows of three. Great glass cylinders rose the eight-foot height at the ceiling, with their metal base and top turning the group into a grotesque parody of an ancient temple's Doric columns. They were filled with a pale grey liquid, noticeably thick and slimy even by the sight alone. Immersed in it were shining tentacles - sensors of some sort - which thrust themselves through the murk, from the AI banks above and below, to finally end in.... In what? Kunou squinted... Surely it couldn't be... Not even the sorceror Saotome would have been this gruesome in his prime... Hesitantly, he walked a few steps forward. And stopped. He had NOT been imagining things. The tank in front of him held what was very obviously a human leg. Or, had been. Chunks of fless were torn off randomly, and several of the obscene unguals dug their way into the mutilated limb, leaving mounds of reddened, hardened, crusty meat wherever they made their entrance. If the first held a leg, then the others... Tatewaki quickly moved to check the neighbouring tank. This one bounded several pieces of what might have been a chest. A female chest; he thought he could make out a single breast (well, half of one). Thankfully, another piece, less recognisable, obscured his view. The Blue Thunder's stomach began to rumble. He turned to the doctor, but Ono simply stood there, stoic and impassive. The artificial light reflecting off his glasses' lenses made it impossible to read his expression, and his mouth was simply a straight line. And now, the next. An arm. And hand. The hand was the worst part. Its tensed fingers, miraculously whole, showed signs of pain and suffering at the time of death for whoever had once owned them. They seemed so human, so once-living... He could not look anymore. Even a warrior like himself had limits. But, still, he was drawn to examine the remainder of the 'collection'. The following two cylinders were not too bad... Matching left limbs for the right- sided ones which he had already scene. A shock repeated loses its effect. But, in the last... "Go on," said Tofu. "Closer. It won't bite." A pause. "Not yet." The poet pressed his palms against the smooth, transparent surface of the tube, and looked. A head was there. A severed head, with spinal column trailing down, and probes, electrodes, everywhere. Its eyes were open, and they looked at him. Nabiki looked at him. Tatewaki was in shock. Of all the people in the world, that an ONO should do this... This was a desecration of the dead; a disrespect of hallowed memory - Not to be tolerated. The Blue Thunder's brow twisted itself into a frown, and his face grew contorted with rage. "Ono... For this... For this TRAVESTY, for this PERVERSION, I will..." "You will what?" "I would have you suffer." "You will listen to me, first." "WHAT?!?" "You gave your word, upon your honour, that you would listen to me." "It would be a greater dishonour to allow this to continue. I, Kunou Tatewaki, DEMAND that you give the lovely..." He gulped, and looked at the tanks. "The ONCE-LOVELY Tendo Nabiki a proper burial, such as one of her refinement deserves! Even a DOG would be treated better than this, at its hour of death!" The doctor shook his head. "I will not," he pronounced. Kunou sputtered, clenched his fists, and bit his lip. To rush upon the cur, or wait and listen patiently as he explained? That was the decision facing him. He rushed. Tofu stepped aside, and as the dark-kimono'd figure dashed past him, he pressed a single finger to his neck. All movement stopped. "I told you, 'Waki, that I don't have time for this. I will explain this to you only once, and you WILL help me, so listen carefully." Kunou tried to protest, but to no effect. He had been paralysed. "You are in the heart of the 'Lazarus Project' control center," began Tofu. "Before she died, Nabiki left instructions that her life was to be preserved at any cost... Being head of USE, said cost ran very high." He took a stool and sat himself in front of one of the computers, before going on. "The company and I are bound by law to grant her wish, and so we use the full resources of her wealth to bring her back to life. " Another brief glint from the spectacles. "She does not deserve to live." The halted figure twitched slightly. "Let me show you something, 'Waki." Tofu pressed some keys on the computer, and a picture came up on the monitor. A blank sheet of paper. "This is a computer scan of a notepad found in Nabiki's office after the Ryouga incident. It's in the sensor chamber right now. Computer, enhance depressions." The image shimmered slightly, and grey lines appeared where there had been none before; confused masses of numbers, symbols, and more. "These are the impressions left by Nabiki's pencils on the pad. Computer, erase all mathematical symbols." A window popped up onscreen. [SEARCHING...] [SEARCH COMPLETE. REMOVING REQUESTED FIGURES. MATCH ACCURACY: 85%] The display was redrawn, and an entirely new document appeared. Tatewaki's eyes widened slightly. "Surprised? So was I. Nabiki forged a letter in Akane's name, claiming she had killed herself because she had found out... Certain things... About Ryouga." He looked at his prisoner. "I see you want to tell me something. If you promise to be courteous, I will allow you movement of your head. Blink once for no, twice for yes." Kunou promptly blinked twice. Tofu stood up, walked to him and pressed his hand to a point on his shoulder. "I... I..." "Go on..." "Nabiki... How.... How DARE she? How DARE she desecrate the sacrifice of the beauteous Tendo Akane, who gave her young and virginal life for me, that I would not have to choose between my two loves? This... This cheapens it, makes her holy action a mere whim... I... You are right, Tofu. She cannot be allowed to live. Why do you persist in this project, then? Unplug the machines!" "Not so fast, Kunou." "I do not understand..." "If I let her die, that'll be the end of it. She must pay for what she's done; I can't allow her to get away so easily." His eyes watered over. "Her actions took Kasumi from me, 'Waki." "I... I had forgotten." Tofu raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you KNEW. " "I... Have my MEANS, Tofu. " "They were enough to tell you about Kasumi, but not about Akane? Interesting... " Tatewaki's face assumed a dangerous look. "Never mind that... With what I've learned of your little 'Foundation', I'm not surprised. Either at the information, OR your callousness. There are OTHER aspects of your operation that interest me a lot more... For example... " He turned back to the console to punch a few keys, and a text file appeared on the monitor. He glanced through it cursorily. "Right now you're advocating a 'Consistency' project." "I do not know what you are..." "Stuff it, 'Waki. I know all about your Foundation's activities. In fact, I'll help you. Decades in this business have allowed me to set up quite the network." "You would help me in my plans for reform?" Tofu nodded. ` "I would. In return for YOUR help." "What dost thou need?" "Financial assistance. I need to break away from USE and work on the project on my own." "Still thou wouldst bring Nabiki back?" "Only to be punished, Kunou. Only to be punished." Tatewaki looked at him, surprised, then hardened his expression. "The guilty must be punished," he agreed. "And she is guilty of a most base deception; one which lays low the exalted the events which led to my conversion." "That means you'll help me?" "I would fund you, Tofu." "That's all I needed to know." * * * * * [The office of Kurenai Tameshi, President of USE. Two weeks later.] Kurenai looked out the window, his hands behind his back. "You realise that you'll have to take Nabiki with you." "I know that, Tameshi." "I'm sorry about that.... But the law... And when you leave, we're shutting down USE's medical department... I never saw the use for that in a security company..." "Neither did I. I guarantee you, Kurenai, that if you need anything done, I'll have Onocorp provide it at cost." "Thank-you, Tofu." He pivoted to face him. "Could I have that in writing?" "Of course." Ono smiled. The son of Tsubasa and Azusa had inherited his mother's acquisitiveness, and his father's... versatility, making him a natural businessman. Not quite Nabiki, but he came close. "As soon as you give me legal ownership of the USE medical equipment. I've taken the liberty of transporting it to the new lab sites." "It's been done. We DID agree on that as a preliminary, to your resignation, after all." "We did. Where are the deeds?" "The originals are in the city's record department. You can verify that online. Certified copies have been sent to your new office." "Everything was included? The cloning machines? The samples?" "Everything. We have no use for it, Tofu." Ono nodded. "That INCLUDES the Lazarus material, I'm afraid. You'll have to pay for that on your own, now. Neither the Hibikis or USE are responsible for it, and quite frankly, we can't afford the expense." "I know. I have no problem with that." Kurenai raised an eyebrow. "No? We mst be over-paying you." He grinned. "Never mind. I'll not question you on it. Deity knows we all run our little 'side-games'. Scotch?" * * * * * [Onocorp Labs. A month later.] Kyoofu hammered away at the keyboard. "It's AMAZING, Tofu-sensei. Simply AMAZING!" "What is it?" Tofu walked over from his microscope. "Take a look at this." The Gosunkugi pressed the 'Enter' key and reclined as a graph appeared onscreen. "These are the ki-flow charts for Kioku and Ryouga. Kioku's green, Ryouga's blue." "Kyoofu, I asked you to examine viability for the cloned sperm, not acupuncture pathways." "I KNOW... The two are related, though. Take a closer look." He pointed at some peaks in the chart. "See this? They're mostly identical, except for these heights and depressions here, here, here... And HERE. THOSE must be where Ryouga's special abilities come in... The Bakusai Ten Ketsu, the Shishi Houkodan..." "That was to be expected. Any training of the sort is going to alter the ki pathways. What does this have to do with the cloned sample's viability, though?" "Well... Assuming we CAN get a viable clone..." Some more keys were punched. "I'm pasting the genetic data with the acupuncture stuff. See here? If we CAN get one point oh viability, then we should be able to DOUBLE those abnormalities in the clone with no side effects." "Yes. And?" "Don't you SEE, Ono-sensei? Think of it! An ENHANCED Ryouga! BORN with all the ki-potential that it took the original YEARS to learn!" "It sounds dangerous, Kyoofu." "Not at all! It sounds PERFECT." "I don't follow your reasoning." "You keep on telling me that you want to have Ryouga's genetic son and Kasumi's descendant be there when Nabiki wakes, to make sure that she is treated as she deserves." "That's a blunt way of putting it." "But accurate, ne?" "More or less." "We both know what I mean. Think of it... What if we had not only a Ryouga descendant, but one with his POWERS there to wait for her? She destroyed your life by what she pretended was a Shishi Houkodan... It's only fitting that she be faced by someone who can actually PERFORM it." "Deity... Kyoofu... You're sounding like your father... That's..." Kasumi walked into the room, and drifted towards Kyoofu. She cradled his head in her hands, and smiled. "Yes?" asked Gosunkugi. "That's... I...." "It's poetic justice. She clones the sperm, and fakes the ki-blast, while we make the samples viable and turn the ki-blast real. Perfect revenge, and in full accordance with that Consistency Movement of yours." Kasumi nodded, and giggled. "I... I cannot say no." "You'll go ahead with it?" "Do as you will. It is not my choice, and she whose it is has spoken." Kyoofu smiled. "Hai, Tofu-sensei." * * * * * [2052. Onocorp labs, late at night.] Tofu sighed and ran the checks one more time, as his late wife smoothed his hair. A trenchoat was thrown casually over the back of his chair, and the sharp stubble on his chin grated his hand as he rubbed it. "I've almost got it, Kasumi... If I could just..." The screen came to life. [VIABILITY EVALUATION: 100%] Ono blinked. "I... It can't be... After all this time..." He typed away furiously, running pathway checks, zygote creation simulations... Everything pointed to the same conclusion. He was done. "Computer, recalculate viability for sample." [VIABILITY EVALUATION: 100%] It WAS finished. The enhanced material could survive... It could be implanted... Into his daughter, or his daughter's daughter... "We've done it,Kasumi..." His eyes welled up with tears. "We've done it." With trembling hands, he pressed the final keystrokes, and spoke his last command. "Computer, initiate project R." [PROJECT REIRAKU: AUTHORISATION ALPHA CONFIRMED. BEGIN PROJECT. CLONING START.] The 'chines whirred into life, taking the data stored over decades and spinning it into organic fibres. It would work. She could rest... He looked at her... So beautiful... Forever young... Her long brown hair without a trace of grey, still soft and smooth and flowing around her pale and perfect skin. She gave a smile, and cocked her head, and slowly disappeared for the last time. She blew a kiss, but was not seen, for Tofu fell asleep. [END FILE OT-1-R-26: ALPHA CLEARANCE] This is still VERY rough... I'll go through it later, adding description and emotions, but I had to get the plot out of the way for some other projects I'm working on... As always, your input, comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated. -CW