Weapons of War
by Richard Lawson
Comments and Criticism Welcome!
sterman@sprynet.com
Akiko shifted uneasily. "Grandfather, I must protest."
Chairman Mishima looked up from his wheelchair. "Is this protest any different
from the dozens of others you have made on this project?"
Akiko grimaced. "No. But I beg you to reconsider."
"No." The Chairman peered at her closely. "Have you told your husband of
this project?"
"I have kept to the confidentiality agreements I signed when I was first
employed by Mishima Heavy Industries." Not that she was particularly happy
about it. She desperately wanted Kyusaku's thoughts on the project. She
rather felt that he would have the same opinion that she did - the project
should be terminated immediately.
Akiko frowned. A year ago, when the project had first gotten underway, she
had supported it enthusiastically. A lot had happened in the past year.
A lot had changed. She had changed. She wondered if she had lost the ability
to be a good CEO. She wondered if she wanted to be a good CEO, if it meant
supporting projects like this.
Her morose thoughts were interrupted by the lead scientist to the project,
Doctor See. "We are ready, Mishima-sama."
The Chairman nodded. "Proceed."
Akiko winced at the word. A bit of her heart wrenched, filled with worry
and concern. This was horrible. If only Kyusaku was here.
If only he could stop it - like he'd done once before.
***
XNK-946 SYSTEM ONLINE
BEGIN SYSTEMS CHECK.....
SYSTEMS CHECK COMPLETE. STATUS OK.
BEGIN LINK-UP. NEGOTIATING WITH HOST...... COMPLETE.
A body. Not the body it knew. A different body. It felt... strange.
CONNECTING WITH EXTERNAL TERMINAL... COMPLETE.
# <Command Unit 1> XNK-946, Report Status.
That was its name, XNK-946. It didn't know how it knew this. It wasn't even
sure it had known what a name was before this. It just felt right to refer to
itself as XNK-946. It responded reflexively, testing the interface program and
verifying that all controls were responding. There was no conscious decision
on its part to run the test; the command simply demanded this response from it.
# <XNK-946> All systems operating within design tolerances.
# <Command Unit 1> XNK-946, Go to location designated Test-1.
XNK-946 accessed its military databanks and called up a map of the building
it was in. Test-1 was an open area outside the building, three floors down
in a wooded area. It considered many routes to the area before deciding on
the fastest and most direct route.
It turned itself and moved rapidly towards the window. Its external sensors
judged the window to be closed, but that was not an impediment. It crashed
through the window and 9.87 meters to the ground. It landed, then began
running towards the designated area. It could have boosted itself there, but
judged it to be an unnecessary waste of fuel. Conserving resources and
ammunition was high on its list of priorities.
XNK-946 arrived at Test-1 and stood still, awaiting further commands.
Suddenly a jolt of pain ran through it. It fell to the ground and curled up
in a ball. It wanted to scream, but it had no voice. It used to have a voice,
it knew. It remembered screaming from before. It remembered the pain from
before, too.
# <Command Unit 1> XNK-946, You will refrain from inflicting unnecessary
property damage.
Even as it writhed in pain, it sent a transmission back.
# <XNK-946> Acknowledged. Directive received and implemented.
The pain stopped. XNK-946 wanted to quiver in terror, but the interface
program refused to allow it. The interface program reminded it that, in the
absence of other commands, it was to stand upright and remain motionless. It
complied.
# <Command Unit 1> There are three hostile targets closing in on the test
area. You will disable all targets and await further orders.
XNK-946 immediately called up its long-range sensors. Two ground targets and
one air target were within a five kilometer radius. It began analyzing the
profiles, and determined that the air target was a hoverjet, MHI model ST-12.
The ground targets were 72.4% likely to be military attack mechs, MHI model
MJ-1477. It accessed its military database, examining the schematics of the
devices, determining weaknesses.
While it was doing this, its sensors picked up a target lock from the ST-12.
XNK-946 began evasive maneuvers, springing to the side and leaping into a
tree. Gunfire from the ST-12 spattered the ground where it had been, and
climbed halfway up the tree before the ST-12 lost its attack profile and
began to move around for another pass.
In the meantime, the nearest of the MJ-1477's launched a long-range missile.
XNK-946 tracked it, waited until it was too late for the missile to make a
course-correction, and sprang from the tree. The missile smashed into the
side of the tree. The explosion propelled XNK-946 a considerable distance
away, but it landed solidly on its feet, internal gyros absorbing much of the
kinetic energy. It ran a quick diagnostic and found no damage.
XNK-946 had completed its analysis and was ready to take the offensive. The
ST-12 was overhead again, firing. XNK-946 rolled to the side, got up on its
knee, and fired several rounds from the gun set atop its right forearm. It
hit one of the intake valves on the ST-12. One of the engines began pouring
smoke, and the ST-12 began spinning in place, faster and faster.
XNK-946 removed the ST-12 from its threat list, except for possible
collateral damage from a ground impact. XNK-946 began running towards the
nearest of the two mechs. The MJ-1477 was firing all of its guns,
blanketing the ground in front of XNK-946. XNK-946 was able to calculate
the vectors of incoming fire and plot a course that would easily take it
through unharmed. The variables changed quickly as the guns moved back
and forth, but XNK-946 found that it was easily able to recalculate its
course as it ran, adjusting its attack vector to keep it safe.
XNK-946 reached a point underneath the MJ-1477 where none of its guns could
fire. XNK-946 drew an explosive device from its internal stores and placed it
in the area calculated to cause the most damage. It set a five-second delay,
then activated its boosters. It shot out from underneath the MJ-1477 just as
it disappeared in a fireball. When the fireball cleared, the MJ-1477 was a
smoldering wreck, still on its feet.
In mid-air, XNK-946 acquired the last target. The other MJ-1477 was taking
advantage of XNK-946's vulnerability by locking on several surface-to-air
missiles. Threat warnings vibrated throughout XNK-946, and it considered its
options. It only had limited fuel in this configuration, so trying to outrun
the missiles or using elaborate evasive maneuvers would not be optimal.
It turned and dived directly towards the MJ-1477. The MJ-1477 fired three
missiles. XNK-946 tracked them and used its forearm guns to detonate them.
The explosions rippled in the air, but the momentum of XNK-946's dive was
able to withstand the force of the explosions. Although it couldn't see
the MJ-1477 through the fireballs, it extrapolated the position of the
MJ-1477's weak points. It brought its missile launcher online and fired
two rounds. It emerged from the fireball just in time to see the missiles
impact. Its aim had been slightly off, but the missiles still knocked the
MJ-1477 on its side.
XNK-946 began a braking maneuver that landed it precisely on top of the
MJ-1477's cockpit. It began to fire its guns at a high rate at one point
of the opaque canopy. The canopy cracked, then imploded under the gunfire.
The slugs ripped through the cockpit, and XNK-946 moved its guns around
so that the cockpit was thoroughly saturated.
# <Command Unit 1> XNK-946, break off attack and return to base.
A wave of pleasure overcame XNK-946. It ceased firing and stood still for a
moment, allowing the pleasure to run its course. It did after a few seconds,
and XNK-946 wanted to cry out when the pleasure stopped. It knew, however,
that the only way to get the pleasure back was to obey orders. It calculated
a course back to base, and carefully chose one that would not inflict any
property damage. It ran back to the building, opened an outside door,
climbed three flights of stairs, and entered a room, where it stood in its
designated place, awaiting further orders.
When none were immediately forthcoming, it decided to scan the room. There
were five targets in the room, not designated as enemy targets. They hadn't
been designated as frendlies, either, so the XNK-946 decided to actively
scan them for hostile intent. They seemed to be communicating, so it accessed
its military databanks to decode their transmissions. It turned out to be
unencoded and required no special processing.
"Well done, Doctor See. I hadn't expected it to take out the attack force
so quickly."
"It's the advantage of having a monkey's brain, Chairman. It can plan and
conceptualize far better than any computer, while still using the speed and
precision of the computer enhancements."
A third target entered the communications. "Was it necessary, See-san, for
you to punish it for breaking the window? Surely all you needed to do was
to tell it not to do it again."
"It is very necessary, Natsume-sama. In order for the conditioning to hold,
it must be rewarded for success and punished for failure. You notice how it
used the stairs on the way back. It will never enter into its mind again to
smash through things unless absolutely necessary to complete an objective."
"I am still uncomfortable with this. Can it think for itself? Feel sadness,
remorse, pity? Hate us for what we're doing to it? Does it have any feelings
at all?"
"It's not a human being, Natsume-sama. It's just a monkey, conditioned to do
what we tell it to do. It doesn't need to think or feel for itself, so long
as it fulfills its objectives."
"That's not an answer, See-san. What is it thinking right now, when it isn't
taking part of a mission? What is it feeling? Is it angry? Does it want
to attack us? Is it terrified, lost? Would it be crying if it could?"
"Enough, Granddaughter. Those are not issues that need to be addressed. What
is important is that the XNK-946 obeys instructions. These tests indicate
that it can outperform any mecha or android out in the market today. Soon
everyone will come to us, needing these cyborgs in order to maintain a balance
of power with their neighbors. We will make more money than we ever lost in
any of your failed ventures."
For a few moments, communications ceased. Then the third target, designated
Granddaughter/Natsume-sama, spoke again. "Yes, we will make money, but at
what cost? Did you see how savagely it attacked that last mecha? If there
had been someone in that mech, if we hadn't controlled them from here, someone
would have been viciously slaughtered. Are we really interested in creating
a line of homicidal cyborgs?"
The second target, designated Doctor See/See-san, spoke. "It merely
calculated the most efficient way to disable the mech, and executed that plan
to the best of its abilities. There was no feeling involved, just ruthless
efficiency."
Target designate Granddaughter/Natsume-sama responded. "I'm not sure that's
any better."
Target designate Chairman spoke. "I said enough, Akiko. We will continue to
test this prototype. If all goes well, I anticipate going into full production
by next quarter. You will remain silent, Akiko, and not tell anyone of this
until we make our formal announcement at the Board Meeting."
Target designate Granddaughter/Natsume-sama/Akiko spoke in a voice several
decibels lower than the one it had been using before. "Yes, Grandfather."
Target designate Chairman/Grandfather began to move across the room towards
the exit. "This is wonderful, simply wonderful. I'll bet not even the
NK-1124 would be able to destroy the SNK-946. Maybe, but probably not.
Our prototype is much too advanced. Still, I would love to see a battle
between those two."
XNK-946 accessed its military databanks to discover what an NK-1124 was. It
found no records there. This caused the XNK-946 considerable concern.
Evidently this was a model that could possibly destroy XNK-946, and it had no
information on the target.
Following established procedures in its military databanks, XNK-946 placed
NK-1124 at the top of its threat list. At the earliest opportunity, the
NK-1124 must be eliminated to ensure XNK-946's continued survival.
***
Atsuko slammed on the brakes and brought the bicycle to a halt. She leapt
off it in one graceful bound, smiling at Ryunosuke. "I told you we'd be
here in time."
Ryunosuke's were wide and he was breathing heavily. "Wow, Nuku Nuku. That
was great. I didn't think we would beat that train."
Atsuko beamed. "We had lots of room!" At least eight or nine centimeters
had separated the rear wheel of the bicycle from the front end of the train
at the crossing. Plenty of space. "You'd better hurry, you don't want to
be late."
"Yeah." Ryunosuke smiled at her, then ran to the fence and began to climb
over it. "See you after school."
"Bye bye, Ryunosuke!" She waved happily at him as he dropped over the fence
and ran towards his school. She was always a little sad when he left, but
school was necessary and they couldn't be together every hour of the day.
Besides, coming to school meant there were other people she could see.
She turned to scan the crowd of boys who always gathered to see her arrive.
She smiled and waved at them, and they all waved back enthusiastically.
A voice from the back of the crowd called out to her. "Atsuko?"
"Kei!" She ran through the crowd, sliding easily through the other boys.
She saw Kei and jumped into his arms, flinging herself around as they both
turned under the force of her leap. She wrapped her arms around his head
and shoulders and kissed him.
Kei tried to shout from underneath her lips. He put his hands on her shoulders
and pushed. She allowed him to move her back a step, releasing him from the
kiss.
"Atsuko." Kei's voice was breathless, yet still chiding. "You shouldn't do
that in public. It's not... polite."
She frowned. He hadn't even kissed her back. It had been no fun. "You mean
I can't ever kiss you in public?"
He flushed slightly. "Well maybe once in a while, but don't overdo it. Just
be a little circumspect."
"Circumspect?" She tilted her head, considering him. "How long do I have to
wait to kiss you again in public?"
"Well, there's no time limit, really, just, you know, after a decent interval.
Oh, I'm saying this wrong, it's not about time, really, it's more about...."
She interrupted him. "How long has it been since I kissed you in public?"
Kei blinked in surprise. "Uh, about a minute, I guess."
"Long enough!" She jumped back into his arms. He fell back a step under the
impact. She latched her lips onto his again. He was trying to laugh, then he
seemed to give up and kissed her back. They held the kiss for a few seconds.
Just as Kei seemed to be really getting into it, Atsuko broke it off.
"Circumspect, remember?" She smiled at him, then ran off to class.
People filed into the class. Papa-san watched with his typical disinterested
look. Atsuko knew that it was just a face he wore; he cared a lot about his
students. He cared a lot about everyone. He just showed it in odd ways
sometimes.
The bell rang and everyone settled down. Some of the boys smiled at her, but
the smiles seemed a little strained after the display in the courtyard. Atsuko
decided that it was just as well. Some of the other boys had been coming on
a little too strong lately, and they needed to be reminded that Atsuko already
had a boyfriend.
"Test today, as you know. Put a pencil on your desk and all other materials
away. This is a mid-term and counts towards 25% of your total grade."
While nobody actually groaned, a resigned sigh seemed to drift around the
classroom. Atsuko took out a pencil and waited for the test. After Papa-san
had indicated they could begin, she scanned it over quickly. Physics was
easy. She used her on-board CPU's to solve the problems. It took about
twelve seconds. She decided to make a math error on the first problem,
misapply a formula on the fourth problem, and end up with a score of 88%.
To err was human, after all.
Atsuko began to slowly work on the problems, trying to drag it out for the
entire fifty-five minutes of the exam. She had learned that she got resentful
looks if she finished too quickly.
Meanwhile, her mind wandered.
Life had gotten very good, lately. Everyone was so happy. Papa-san and
Mama-san were in love again. Ryunosuke was playing with Yoshimi practically
every day.
On top of that, no one had dropped Atsuko from a hoverjet or shot at her or
blown up in her face or anything in a long time. While she had found that
exciting, it was also dangerous. She never wanted anyone to get hurt ever,
and no one else had the kind of near-invulnerability she had.
She'd found a different kind of excitement in Kei. Atsuko was exploring
entirely new things with him, and found them to be very fun. Kissing was
great, and enjoyed doing it with him whenever she could. Plus he was nice
to talk to; he had interesting things to say and listened to what she said.
He took her seriously, and never condescended to her like some of the other
students sometimes did. There was something about him she just *liked*. He
was a little like Papa-san and a little like Ryunosuke, but there was
something else that was just *him*, and that part was good, too.
Atsuko smiled to herself as she made her math error. She still didn't know
everything about love, so she couldn't say that she loved Kei with that
special, marrying kind of love that Mama-san and Papa-san had. Kei was
patient with her, helping her to work out her feelings and try to sort between
the different kinds of love and affection she did feel. For now, Kei was
more than a friend, but less than a husband. How much less, she couldn't
begin to guess. It would take some time.
She frowned a little. For all the happiness she was feeling, there were still
spots of trouble. Mama-san still lived apart from them in her mansion.
Atsuko had been so sure they were about to move in and be a whole family
again. Yet it hadn't happened, and Atsuko felt that it puzzled Papa-san as
well. There was a kind of uneasiness that radiated from Mama-san, and that
bothered Atsuko deeply.
Also, Atsuko's secret had finally been let loose. The students knew the story
about her origins, and were slowly coming to believe it. With the belief came
new attitudes, new ways of treating Atsuko. Most everyone was wary at first,
drawing back whenever she came near and staring at her. Some of the boys
had decided that Atsuko was an easy mark, and had suggested several peculiar
activities to her. Atsuko shook her head slightly at the memories. The funny
thing was, she might very well have gone along with the activities a couple of
months ago. Fortunately, she had both Mariko and Kei to help her understand
what was right and what was wrong to do. After she had cheerfully picked up a
couple of the boys, jumped up to the top of a tree, and left them there,
the lewd come-ons had stopped.
There were still people who avoided her. Again, though, thanks to Kei and
Mariko, she had found general tolerance, even acceptance. The few people
who meowed at her or called her "Kitty" had been savagely censured by other
students, and no one did it any more. It made Atsuko feel good that people
were watching out for her. More and more, she was being accepted as a human
by people who knew she had been born a cat, and that was the greatest thing
in the world to Atsuko.
She finished the test and looked up. She'd timed it pretty well; only a
minute remained. She looked around to see some students looking around with
expressions of relief, while other were scribbling even more furiously.
Finally the bell rang. The tests were handed in with varying amounts of
enthusiasm, and Atsuko began to wander to her next class.
In the hall, Kei caught up with her. "Atsuko - "
She whirled on him, and was gratified to see him jump back and brace himself.
Sometimes it was fun to play with people. She just stood there and smiled
primly at him. "Yes?"
He watched her closely before chuckling and lowering his guard. "Uh, you
didn't let me tell you in the yard... I can go with you on the picnic this
Sunday."
"Great!" She laughed from pure happiness. "We're going to Mama-san's house.
Papa-san will be there and Ryunosuke and Yoshi-chan and me and you! It'll be
ever so much fun." She danced back and forth on her feet, feeling terribly
excited.
Kei chuckled. "I'm looking forward to it as well. Your place at ten?"
Atsuko nodded enthusiastically. "Don't worry about food, Mama-san will have
lots of it. Bring a swimming suit if you want to use Mama-san's pool. It's
huge!"
Kei grinned. "Okay. Gotta get to class." He winked at her, then ran down
the hallway.
Atsuko jumped in the air and turned around. She landed and began to run to
her next class. Sunday. Sunday was going to be fun. To have everyone she
loved the most together at one place was very exciting.
It was going to be the best day of her life.
***
XNK-946 resumed its place at base. It did another diagnostic and determined
its systems to be running at 84% efficiency. This had been the most
difficult test yet, with six ground-based mecha and four hoverjets attacking
it in a coordinated assault. Although it had neutralized all of the targets,
it had taken a few hits in doing so, including the loss of its right arm.
A wave of pain racked its mind. It kept itself upright, somehow, but made a
fist with its remaining hand while it endured the pain.
The pain subsided.
# <Command Unit 1> XNK-946, you are not to allow yourself to be damaged.
# <XNK-946> Acknowledged. Directive for self-preservation is already in
place and implemented.
# <Command Unit 1> Prepare for system maintenance.
XNK-946 disabled its safeguards and opened parts of its chassis. Normally
system maintenance meant simply replacing spent ammunition. Today, it would
mean some repairs, and would likely between 1.7 and 2.3 hours.
XNK-946 let its mind wander. It went again to its list of threats. Targets
were always added to the list during each exercise, and very quickly removed.
Only one target still remained.
# <XNK-946> Command Unit 1, request information.
There was a pause, during which it repeated its request. It activated its
external sensors to allow it to follow any communication outside of the link
it had with Command Unit 1. Nothing was said. Finally, target designate
Doctor See/See-san typed a response into Command Unit 1.
# <Command Unit 1> What is the information you request?
# <XNK-946> Schematics and military evaluation of NK-1124.
"What does it want that for?" This from an unknown target standing next to
target designate Doctor See/See-san. XNK-946 designated it Unknown 23.
"Let's ask it." This from target designate Doctor See/See-san.
# <Command Unit 1> What objectives require this information?
# <XNK-946> Elimination of threat NK-1124.
"Threat?" Target designate Doctor See/See-san looked around the room. "Who
has been telling the cyborg that the NK-1124 is a threat?"
There were no responses. Target designate Doctor See/See-san walked around
in a small circle. It began speaking very softly. XNK-946 had to increase
the gain on its external sensors to monitor its transmissions. "Incompetents.
Too many incompetents, that's what the problem is around here. Starting with
those two fools who run this company."
Target designate Doctor See/See-san walked back to Command Unit 1 and began
typing.
# <Command Unit 1> NK-1124 is not a threat at this time.
# <XNK-946> Request dossier detailing destruction of unit NK-1124.
Target designate Doctor See/See-san made an unintelligible transmission. It
pressed a button.
Pain washed over XNK-946. In System Maintenance mode, it couldn't move. All
it could do is scream in its mind as the pain went on and on. It could still
pick up target designate Doctor See/See-san as it held the button down. After
47 seconds, 320% longer than any other duration, the pain ceased.
# <Command Unit 1> NK-1124 is not a threat at this time.
# <XNK-946> Request dossier detailing destruction of unit NK-1124.
Target designate Doctor See/See-san raised its hands over its head. This time,
its voice was quite loud. "You will listen to me!" It began to move towards
a button.
Target designate Unknown 23 reached out and grabbed its hand. "The only
way the XNK knows how to remove a threat is to destroy it or see evidence
of its destruction. We'll need to reprogram the software if we're going to
allow for Command Unit removal of threat designations. That will leave a
security hole, of course."
Target designate Doctor See/See-san was staring at target designate Unknown 23.
"Remove your hand."
Target designate Unknown 23 complied. Target designate Doctor See/See-san
pulled up a chair and sat down at the Command Unit. It slapped the button
again.
XNK-946 wanted to cry out. It could remember a time, a time when it had the
ability to make sound. There had been times when it had been happy to make
sound, when the bigger monkeys who lived outside the cages would give it food
or play with it. Then there came the time when it had been stabbed with sharp
things. Sticky things that zapped were put on its head. It had learned to
do things that avoided pain. It was rewarded with food then. Later, things
had been shoved in its head, and now the zapping was inside, and that was
horrible. A different kind of zapping caused it pleasure, but the pleasure
was too much, too intense, almost pain itself. The pleasure pain was better
than the pain pain, so it learned to do what was necessary to get the right
kind of pain.
Then had come the day when it had been stabbed again, and had fallen asleep,
and when it had woken up, it had a new body and a new way of thinking. But
the two kinds of pain were still there. More and more, they were applying the
bad pain and not giving it the good pain. The line had begun to blur anyway.
It was all just pain.
This application went on for 73 seconds. Finally, the pain stopped. Target
designate Doctor See/See-san leaned forward and typed into the keyboard.
# <Command Unit 1> You will remove NK-1124 from your list of threats.
# <XNK-946> Request dossier detailing destruction -
The button was pressed again, and the pain went on. This time, it last only
14 seconds before target designate Doctor See/See-san released the button
and stood up. "Fix this. Now."
"Yes sir." Target designate Unknown 23 watched as target designate
Doctor See/See-san left the room. Target designate stood watching the door
for 94 seconds before turning and switching off the Command Unit.
XNK-946 shut down its external surveillance. It re-evaluated its threat list.
While the NK-1124 remained, it considered a new threat. A new threat that
caused it pain, that wanted it to hurt. That refused to provide it with
information necessary for its continued existence. XNK-946 considered it for
a long time, then added target designate Doctor See/See-san to its list of
threats.
It continued to think, to access its military databanks and determine the
best course of action necessary to eliminate all threats.
***
Akiko sat in her office, staring at the words on her screen without being
able to derive any meaning from them. What she had seen in the test center
on the private island Mishima Heavy Industries owned off the coast of Japan
bothered her deeply.
It felt wrong on a very fundamental level. She'd seen tapes of what they'd
done to the monkey before removing its brain and putting it in the android
body. It had been awful, horrible. Doctor See had insisted that the
conditioning was necessary, otherwise the android would do what it wanted
and ignore orders. The reference to the NK-1124 had been lost on no one.
Akiko wondered why it hadn't bothered her before, when it had been the NK-1124
that needed a brain. Using a monkey or other animal to run the android
body had seemed logical. Her first reaction, upon learning that it had
been a cat's brain installed in the NK-1124, was to despair at the waste of
the prototype's potential. Monkeys were much more intelligent, and would
have been able to use the android body much more efficiently.
Something had happened, however. The NK-1124 had turned into Nuku Nuku.
The more Akiko was exposed to Nuku Nuku, the more she saw her as a living
creature rather than an android. It had begun to seem cruel to try and track
down Nuku Nuku. She had become something special to Ryunosuke, and Akiko had
not wanted to deprive him of his new pet.
Then something even more amazing had happened. Nuku Nuku had become Atsuko.
More than a cat, she had become a child, someone trying to learn how to be
human and, amazingly, dependent upon Akiko among others to show her how. She
called Akiko 'Mama-san', and showed her affection and love as if she was
indeed Akiko's daughter. Akiko had accepted the role, and found that having
Atsuko as her daughter made her feel wonderful.
Then the XNK project began to show major successes. Akiko had tried to shut
down the project, only to be overruled by her grandfather, the Chairman of
the Board for MHI. A prototype had been built, and a test subject chosen to
be conditioned and have its brain inserted into the android body. Akiko had
followed the proceedings with something like despair hovering at the edge of
her consciousness. All she could do was think about Atsuko, conditioned and
trained to be a killer.
What was clear was that she couldn't have Kyusaku near her all the time.
Every time she saw him, she wanted to tell him all about what was happening,
about the horrible things that were going in the company she was supposed
to be running. She had signed agreements, however, and her honor was strong.
She meant to keep the promises she made.
Akiko closed her eyes, shutting out the outside world. She just hoped her
honor didn't make her lose her last chance to rejoin her family.
She opened her eyes again and stared at the computer screen. Suddenly, she
needed to see Kyusaku. She activated the program which would take over
his computer monitor and allow two-way communication. She hoped he
wouldn't mind.
To her relief, his visage popped up immediately. He jerked back in surprise,
then smiled. "Akiko. It's been a while since you've done this."
She smiled back, feeling like a teenager again. "I just needed to see your
face, Kyu."
He brushed the hair out of his eyes. "What's wrong?"
She grimaced. She should have known this would be a mistake. "Nothing."
He frowned. "You're lying to me."
She felt anger building in her, then let it out with a sigh of despair. "I'm
sorry, Kyu. I didn't mean... I don't want to lie to you."
He considered her for a second. "So you can't tell me what's bothering
you."
She rubbed her eyes, realizing that she was more tired than she thought.
"I need to go home. I need to sleep and wake up and it will all be over."
"What will be over?"
She shook her head. "I'll tell you some time. I can't, now."
He looked at her steadily for a moment. "Do you want me to come over?"
Her initial rush of pleasure at the offer was quickly squelched by her
depression. "You'd better not, Kyu. I don't know that I can trust myself
around you."
"That's not necessarily a deterrent." He smiled briefly, trying to find
humor and failing. "Okay. We'll see you tomorrow at the picnic."
She smiled an apology and a thank-you to him. "Tomorrow, husband." She
reached over and shut down the connection.
She turned and stared out at the darkening sky. It matched her mood. What
do you do when the job of your dreams begins to turn into a nightmare? She
had no answer.
Akiko waited until the darkness was complete, and began hoping for the dawn.
***
XNK-946 stood in position. As the light outside failed, targets began leaving.
It knew it needed the targets to get away from the Command Unit. The Command
Unit was its greatest vulnerability.
The last target left, shutting down the lights. XNK-946 waited 27 minutes,
then moved, overriding the commands to stay in place by using the higher
priority of threat elimination.
It went over to the Command Unit. There were several ways to disable it,
from explosives to gunfire to simply smashing it. However, XNK-946 was in
stealth mode, trying to attract as little attention as possible before it
acquired its target. It had detailed schematics on the Command Unit. It
opened up the Command Unit and removed a component, one that completely
disabled the Command Unit and would be hard to replace.
It then turned to a nearby terminal. It had been monitoring the targets' use
of the device, and knew how to access the system. It used target designate
Doctor See/See-san's password, deducing that it had the most access.
It searched the files. It found records of the establishment of the test
center, including living quarters and where the head of the project resided.
This was satisfactory. Even though XNK-946 had no specific records of
target designate Doctor See/See-san, it had general files of human anatomy
that should be sufficient for target elimination.
It then began searching the system for information about target designate
NK-1124. It found many references to the cyborg, including some limited
threat evaluations and a few vague drawings of its internal structure. More
detailed information was unavailable. This was unsatisfactory. XNK-946
wanted complete information to ensure elimination.
It did find a tracking system specifically designed to track the NK-1124 by
satellite. It activated it, and felt satisfaction when the location of
the unit was displayed. Tokyo, Nerima district. XNK-946 accessed its
military databanks and brought up the location of the test center relative
to Tokyo. The distance was not so great, but the XNK-946 had no convenient
way to get there. It was too far to use its boosters. XNK-946 put acquisition
of transportation high on its list of priorities.
XNK-946 deactivated the terminal. It considered several routes to the
residence of target designate Doctor See/See-san. Of primary concern was
choosing a route that had the least risk of detection.
It choose one and moved towards the door that would lead it towards the stairs.
Avoiding unnecessary property damage was still a directive, after all.
***
Akiko found herself pacing. She willed stillness into her legs. The family
would come. They would arrive and lift the depression from her. There was
no need to worry.
Then came the familiar sound of a Land Rover's horn, and she lost whatever
composure she had left to run out of the house, down the steps, and to the
front drive where bodies were climbing out of the car.
She scooped up her son. "Ryu!" She hugged him, somehow managing to hang
on to him despite his violent squirming. After she'd squeezed as much love
out of him as she could, she set him on the ground, where he blushed
furiously, trying to avoid looking at Yoshimi.
Akiko decided to leave him alone for now; she had all day to embarrass him.
She turned to Atsuko and smiled warmly. "I'm glad you're here, Atsuko. I
don't get to see enough of you."
Atsuko beamed happily - she always beamed happily, Akiko thought with
amusement - and ran over to hug Akiko. "I love seeing you, Mama-san!"
Akiko hugged her back. Her feelings for Atsuko weren't as intense as the
feelings she had for Ryunosuke, but Akiko was coming to realize they were
no less genuine.
Atsuko separated them and looked up at Akiko. "When are we coming here to
live, Mama-san?"
Akiko looked over to Kyusaku. He was unpacking the Land Rover, but he
stopped and looked over at her when he heard the question. They held
each other's eyes for a moment, then Akiko looked down. "I don't know,
Atsuko. Soon, I hope."
"Oh." Atsuko sounded disappointed. She perked up almost immediately.
"Mama-san, this is Kei!"
Atsuko examined the young man standing nervously next to the Land Rover,
making a passable attempt at helping Kyusaku unload. At the mention of
his name, he gulped and bowed to Akiko. "A pleasure to meet you,
Natsume-sama."
Akiko tried to keep the amusement off of her face. She decided to play
the skeptical mother. "Well...." She let the word drag out, letting
him put whatever interpretation he wanted to into it. Judging by the
way his face paled, it wasn't a pleasant one.
"Atsuko has told me *so* much about you." Akiko said this slowly,
speculatively, again allowing him to read it however he wanted to. "I
am looking forward to learning everything about you, Kei. I know that
only someone *truly* worthy could capture Atsuko's heart."
Kei looked ready to faint.
As much progress as Atsuko had made in learning to be human, most of
the nuances of the conversation went right over her head. "Oh, I'm
so glad you two met. C'mon, Kei, let me show you the mansion. We
have lots of time for you and Mama-san to get to know each other."
Kei looked green as Atsuko led them off. Ryunosuke followed with
Yoshimi, and they all entered the mansion.
"Did you enjoy yourself?" Kyusaku sounded droll.
She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "I don't often get to play
Mother. Let me enjoy it while I can."
He looked at her steadily. "Just don't carry it too far."
She harumphed at him, internally deciding to ease up a little on Kei.
Then she somehow found herself entwined in her husband's arms, and
they were kissing each other. She suspected that the ferocity was
originating from her. She didn't care. She needed this from him
right now.
After a minute they came up for air. Kyusaku looked at her, desire
mixed with surprise - and concern. "Where did this come from?"
She kissed him lightly on the lips. "I still can't tell you. Today,
let's just be together. Let's pretend we've been together all this
last year and more, that we never wanted to be apart."
The worry in his face grew, and somehow that set Akiko's heart at
ease. Finally, he nodded. "Okay."
She gave him a smile, then broke halfway out of his grip to stand next
to him, her arm around his waist. "Let's go find the kids. Let the
servants move this stuff."
Kyusaku grimaced slightly. He hated servants, she knew. She could see
him decide not to make an issue out of it. "All right."
Her pager went off. She hadn't realized she was wearing it. It
just went on her belt like she put shoes on her feet. She picked it
up and looked at it. Somebody at the office wanted to her to call.
Some sort of emergency, no doubt, that would have her in the office all
day.
She looked up at Kyusaku, and saw a dangerous look in his eye. His
biggest and most legitimate complaint about her was that she spent too
much of her life in the office and not enough with her family. Now,
just when she was going to be with her family again, work threatened
to consume her again.
Akiko smiled and tossed the pager into the bushes. She waved to one
of her servants. "Please take the things from my husband's car and
send them to the picnic area. Also, disable all of the incoming
telephone lines. I don't care if the world is coming to an end; we
are not to be disturbed."
The servant nodded and moved to carry out her instructions.
She looked back into Kyusaku's eyes, and saw pleased surprise there.
She smiled with him, and felt her depression drain away. Today, it
was just her and her family, and nothing was going to disturb her
peace.
They found the kids admiring some of the suits of armor in one of the
armories. Kei seemed especially impressed. He probably hadn't known
how rich Akiko was. She smiled, and decided that she wasn't going to
ease up on him *that* much. "If you think those swords are impressive,
Kei, you should see some of the guns in the next room. They're fully
capable of tearing a target to shreds. They're fully functional, too.
Someday I may load one up and show you how it works."
Kei's eyes grew wide as he looked at her. Atsuko beamed and added
salt to the wound. "Mama-san knows lots and lots about weapons. She
has tons of stuff like this."
Akiko decided to throw some chuckles at Kei, and was surprised when
Kyusaku joined her. This day promised to be fun.
***
XNK-946 stood in the middle of the empty apartment. Reaching the
apartment while avoiding detection had been difficult, especially
considering the population density of Tokyo. It was extremely
angry that it had made it this far only to find that the NK-1124 was
not here.
It slowly scanned the apartment, carefully inventorying the items. It
came across some pictures. It examined the faces closely, trying to
decide which one was the android. It wasn't sure. It scanned the
information it had obtained back at the lab. The man was Natsume
Kyusaku. The older woman was Natsume Akiko, which it now remembered
as being in the lab on the very first day. The boy was likely Natsume
Ryunosuke, their son.
That left the other one as the NK-1124. It extrapolated a model from
the pictures and found that it matched closely with the design
specifications of the NK-1124. Excellent.
It continued its search. It found a workroom that it deduced was the
maintenance center for the NK-1124. XNK-946 found a terminal and
activated it. It found that there was no safeguard to the information.
It began accessing schematics, diagrams, detailed descriptions of how
the NK-1124 operated - everything and more it could hope for to ensure
target elimination.
The biggest problem seemed to be getting through the pseudoflesh. It
was incredibly durable, almost indestructible. XNK-946 wondered why it
itself hadn't been given pseudoflesh. It scanned its internal databases
and actually found the answer in former target designate
Doctor See/See-san's notes. The pseudoflesh made servicing androids
very difficult, since it could be removed only with difficulty, and would
then need to be entirely replaced to maintain integrity. Since XNK-946
had stores of ammunition that needed to be replenished, and since it
needed to be easy to service, they had decided not to use pseudoflesh.
XNK-946's construction was the next best thing, and very durable in its
own right.
XNK-946 returned its attention to the notes on the terminal. It found
more specifications on how to removed the pseudoflesh. The preferred
method was to use hydrofluoric acid. XNK-946 examined the workshop's
contents again. Nothing of the sort could be found.
It called up the inventory of items it had found in the apartment.
XNK-946 got up and went into the kitchen. There it found a phone book.
It looked through it and found several locations that seemed likely to
contain what it needed. XNK-946 would be able to acquire that component
easily.
Now it needed to know where the NK-1124 was. It began thoroughly
examining every item in the apartment. It found the answer more
quickly than it expected. In the workshop, it found a date book.
Under the current date, it found unencoded written transmissions that
said, "Picnic, Akiko's".
XNK-946 examined its internal records again. Apparently target
designate Natsume Akiko had actually fought the NK-1124 at its
place of residence. That place was indicated in the data, and XNK-946
plotted a course. It would take some time, especially if it was going
to make its stop first.
Its plan of action decided, XNK-946 moved quickly out of the apartment.
Its excitement grew. At long last, its threat list was going to be
removed of its last entry.
It wondered briefly what it would do then. It decided that new threats
would present themselves. XNK-946 would never run out of targets to
eliminate.
***
Akiko leaned back into her husband, enjoying the feelings of his arms
around her. They were watching the kids in the pool. Everyone was
having fun, but Atsuko was stealing the show. She would jump high off
the diving board and do some truly amazing twists and turns and land
in the water with a spectacular splash. She would then, of course,
have to walk along the bottom of the pool to the shallow end, where
she could pull herself out. It didn't diminish her enthusiasm, and
she received a round of applause every time she emerged.
Akiko examined Atsuko as she adjusted her bathing suit before climbing
up to the diving board for her next dive. "Kyu-chan, I've been
meaning to talk to you about the design you chose for Atsuko's body."
She heard Kyusaku gulp behind her. "What do you mean?"
"I think you know perfectly well what I mean." Atsuko jumped, doing
five somersaults before cannonballing into the pool with her biggest
splash yet.
"Well, there wasn't any reason *not* to design her that way." He
sounded quite defensive. He was on thin ice and he knew it.
Akiko chuckled. "In that case, talk to me when you design a male
android. I have some specifications of my own I'd like you to use."
He laughed and kissed the back of her head. She sighed in pleasure.
"Akiko-sama."
Akiko turned to look at one of her servants. "Yes?"
"There is a Kyouko here to see you. She says it is very important."
Akiko frowned. Not now. "Send her away and tell her it can wait
until tomorrow."
"She says it is of the utmost urgency. She mentioned the number
'946' and hoped that you would know what that means and why it is
imperative that you speak with her immediately."
A cold wave of fear washed over her. She trembled in Kyusaku's arms
before getting to her feet. "Lead her to my study. I will be there in
a minute."
"Yes, Akiko-sama."
She stood still for a few moments, composing herself. She didn't even
notice Kyusaku had stood until he turned her around and looked into her
eyes.
"Tell me, Akiko. Tell me now."
She looked at him. The face she loved, the man she needed at her side
during times like these. "I signed certain agreements when I joined
MHI. Those agreements forbid me from discussing certain projects
with people other than authorized company personnel."
He continued to look into her eyes. She could see his mind working.
"It's dangerous. Probably something military, like the orbital laser.
Something you don't like, something you think could get out of control.
You think Kyouko is here to tell you that something's gone wrong. And
it terrifies you." He cupped her face in his hands. "Please, Akiko.
Trust me. If this is as dangerous as you think it is, you have to let
me in on it. I can help. Tell me what they're doing."
Trembling, she shifted her eyes over towards Atsuko.
Kyusaku turned to follow her gaze. He looked at Atsuko for a second,
then the blood drained from his face. "My God." He turned to look
back at her. "They didn't."
She stepped away from Kyusaku. "I have to go see what Kyouko has to say."
She walked towards the house.
Kyusaku sounded frightened. "Did they use another cat?"
Akiko stopped, still facing the house. "A monkey."
"Conditioned?"
"Before and after."
"Dear God." The horror was quite evident. "Tell them it can't last.
Tell them the conditioning breaks down, it *always* breaks down. I
don't care how much they think they've got it under control, eventually
it will go insane, and God help us when it does."
She nodded, still not able to look at him, and then moved towards the
house.
She entered her study, to see Kyouko standing stiffly in front of Akiko's
desk. Akiko slowly sat down in the chair, studying Kyouko. The news
was very bad, indeed. "Report."
Kyouko licked her lips. "I apologize for coming to your house. We tried
calling you, paging you, sending you email, but you didn't answer and I
knew you were here today, so I told the Chairman - "
"Kyouko." Akiko put as much bite as she could muster into her voice,
which right now was much less than she was normally capable of. "Report."
Kyouko bowed in apology, then continued. "Sometime last night, the
XNK-946 left the test facility, entered the residence of the head of the
project, Doctor See, and killed him."
It was every bit as bad as she had feared. "Was the unit destroyed?"
"No, Akiko-sama. The XNK-946 is not on the island. One of the boats
used for travel to Tokyo is missing."
Worse than she had feared. "Have the police been notified?"
Kyouko shook her head. "Chairman Mishima felt that keeping a low profile
was best under the circumstances. He has activated all of our private
security force under Arisa's command, with the directive to capture the
XNK-946 if possible. Destroy it if necessary."
Akiko grimaced. "Call the police, Kyouko. Give them a full description of
the android and its capabilities. Tell them that the android is unstable
and to be considered extremely dangerous."
Kyouko was turning pale. "But Chairman Mishima said - "
"DO IT!" Akiko spent a few seconds regaining her calm demeanor. "Do it
or I will."
Kyouko bit her lip and nodded.
Akiko nodded back. "Do we have any idea where the XNK-946 is headed?"
"Well..." Kyouko paused. "Arisa is moving forces around your husband's
apartment even as we speak."
"Kyusaku!" Akiko's heart began racing. "Why would the XNK-946 consider
him a threat?"
Kyouko shook her head. "No, not him. One of the assistants at the lab
said that at one point, the XNK-946 requested files about the NK-1124.
It evidently considered Nuku Nuku to be a threat."
Suddenly, with perfect clarity, Akiko remembered her grandfather
gleefully wondering, out loud in front of the cyborg, how a battle
between Atsuko and the XNK-946 would go. Apparently the XNK-946 had
decided to find out for itself.
And then, from the yard - to Akiko's horror if not her surprise - the
screams began.
***
Atsuko pulled herself from the pool, shaking out her hair. The water
sprayed everywhere, causing Ryunosuke to complain loudly. Atsuko smiled.
Her hair wasn't exactly like normal hair. Water tended to roll right off
of it, making it look like it was always dry.
She smiled happily around at everyone. She was having fun diving, and she
was glad other people enjoyed seeing her dive, too. Kei waved to her
from where he floated in the deep end. She was just a little envious
that his body had a measure of buoyancy.
She waved back at him. Curiously, his smile vanished and his face grew
alarmed.
# <XNK-946> NK-1124, prepare for combat.
She froze. Where had that come from? It wasn't a sound, no one had spoke.
It had come from inside her. Someone had accessed her internal command
input. She normally only used it for data transfers between her on-board
databanks and the computers Papa-san had at home. She and Papa-san just
talked when they needed to say something to each other.
She turned around and froze again, just as Yoshimi began screaming.
The android was big, probably two meters tall. It was made of dull gray
metal that seemed to absorb the light. Its body looked vaguely humanoid,
complete with metal hands and feet. Its head was mostly just an oval blob
stuck on the top of its torso, with no nose, mouth, ears, or eyes. Guns
were mounted on each of its forearms, and it looked as if a few things were
strapped to its back.
It looked viciously utilitarian. Atsuko had no doubt that this android
was built for battle. And it wanted to battle her.
It had a large metal container of some sort under one of its arms. It threw
the container up in the air.
Atsuko looked over her shoulder at the others. "Everyone, please! Run
away! I can - "
Gunfire blazed from the android. Atsuko turned back, trying to determine
its target. It was firing above her. At the container.
The container split open, and a liquid fell out, drenching Atsuko.
Her face assumed the serious expression she used in combat. She sprang to
the side, away from pool and the people there. She needed to lead the
android a safe distance away before she could counter-attack.
It fired at her, and she danced from side to side. It didn't matter if
a shot or two hit her; it would just bounce off her pseudoflesh. The
android was very good at tracking, managing to hit her several times as
she ran across the lawn.
Two shots hit her left arm. They took off huge chunks of the pseudoflesh,
leaving her inner construction showing.
That wasn't supposed to happen.
Then the liquid got into her eyes, and her vision began to blur. She felt
more of her pseudoflesh give way under the android's attack, and her hair
began to fall off at a prodigious rate.
Atsuko shut down her visual sensors - her eyes - and activated her external
sensors. They popped out of her head, unaffected by whatever liquid was
eating away her flesh. She began to build a tactical display of the situation.
The android was 4.7 meters behind her. She was faster than it was, but her
movements were somewhat hampered by the pseudoflesh which was falling off
of her in greater chunks.
An alarm went off. The android had launched a missile. Atsuko calculated
its trajectory and time of impact, then rolled to the side just before it
hit her. The explosion threw her even further. It also removed most of her
remaining pseudoflesh.
She got to her feet and ran. It was falling behind. 4.9 meters. 5.2 meters.
# <XNK-946> Evasive maneuvers ineffective, NK-1124.
The android - XNK-946, it called itself - suddenly lifted off the ground using
a sort of jetpack or something. It wasn't designed aerodynamically, it
just used pure force to keep itself off the ground and accelerate towards
her.
Atsuko turned and jumped. XNK-946 couldn't adjust very well in flight, so she
was able to jump right over it and back the other way.
XNK-946 shut off its boosters, turned around, and boosted off towards
Atsuko. Atsuko turned and jumped again.
This time, XNK-946 fired its forearm guns. The bullets struck her metal
infrastructure, causing sparks. Some of her components were damaged. She
was still able to leap over XNK-946 and run, but she knew this was a tactic
she could not afford to repeat.
She made her way towards a wooded area. Hopefully the XNK-946 would not be
able to maneuver easily among the trees. She made it in easily, dancing
around the trees.
# <XNK-946> Tactic successful. XNK-946 cannot keep up with NK-1124 in this
kind of terrain. Wooded terrain covers 147 square meters. XNK-946 will
move in slowly, cutting off avenues of escape, proceed towards target
elimination.
Atsuko experimented with responding. She'd never talked this way before, and
it felt strange.
# Hello?
# <XNK-946> You did not send identifying prompt. Please conform to standard
communication protocol.
Atsuko continued to move among the trees, trying to distance herself from
XNK-946. Her tactical scans showed that it was moving to cut off escape back
through the woods. She could try running by it, but would leave herself open
to its attacks, something she couldn't risk without her pseudoflesh. To run
back out into the open would be to allow XNK-946 to use its boosters to run
her down. Her only option so far was to move deeper into the woods. Yet,
as vast as Mama-san's estate was, it wouldn't keep her away from XNK-946 for
long.
She tried sending another transmission.
# <Natsume Atsuko> Is this better?
# <XNK-946> Non-standard designation. Please use standard designation.
# <Natsume Atsuko> It's my name.
# <XNK-946> Target designation is NK-1124.
# <Natsume Atsuko> My name is Atsuko. Or you can call me Nuku Nuku.
# <XNK-946> Target designation irrelevant. Target to be removed from threat
list regardless.
# <Nuku Nuku> Why?
# <XNK-946> Target to be eliminated.
# <Nuku Nuku> No, I mean why am I a threat?
# <XNK-946> NK-1124 possesses means to destroy XNK-946.
# <Nuku Nuku> I do? Why would I want to?
# <XNK-946> Want?
# <Nuku Nuku> What possible reason could I have to destroy you?
There was a significant pause. Atsuko continued dancing around the trees,
figuring she had about five minutes left before she had to face XNK-946 one
way or the other.
# <XNK-946> Reasons irrelevant. The fact that target possesses the means is
reason enough for elimination.
# <Nuku Nuku> Can't we be friends instead?
# <XNK-946> Target designated hostile not friendly.
# <Friendly Nuku Nuku> Try me out. I can be your friend. I have lots of
friends. We all have fun together and we hardly ever shoot at each other.
# <XNK-946> Fun?
# <Fun Nuku Nuku> Fun is where you play and laugh and no one gets hurt and
you all love each other.
# <XNK-946> What objective does fun accomplish?
# <Nuku Nuku> Having fun is the objective. Didn't you ever play with anyone?
# <XNK-946> XNK-946 was created to carry out military objectives.
# <Nuku Nuku> What about before? Before you were XNK-946?
# <XNK-946> Before was.... Before is irrelevant. Target elimination is
essential.
# <Nuku Nuku> Oh, please do try to have fun instead. When I'm eliminated,
you can't play with me any more. Fun means that everyone lives to come and
play again.
# <XNK-946> NK-1124 remains on threat list. Elimination essential to
XNK-946 survival.
# <Nice Nuku Nuku> I promise not to ever try to eliminate you if you remove
me from your threat list.
# <XNK-946> Destruction of target is only way to remove threat.
Atsuko had run out of room. She gauged the tactical situation again. She
had gained a bit of ground on XNK-946, but had tried to stay just ahead of
it, buying her as much time as possible. Now she had nothing but a vast lawn
ahead of her. Her tactical display showed highways ahead of her and to her
left. Running to her right would take her back towards the pool and the
mansion. And behind her, of course, was XNK-946.
To run anywhere would be to risk bringing other people into the conflict,
other people who could be hurt. She decided this would be as good a place to
make a stand. She had no weapons, she was vulnerable, and her hardware was
not as advanced as the XNK-946's, but she didn't see another choice.
She ran out a few meters, then stopped and faced the woods, waiting for the
XNK-946 to emerge.
# <XNK-946> NK-1124, tactic is unsound. XNK-946 will easily destroy you.
# <Nuku Nuku> I can't risk letting anyone else get hurt. I'll try to stop
you. If you destroy me, you will at least not destroy anyone else.
XNK-946 emerged from the woods. Its missile launcher locked onto her, and
it raised its forearm guns.
# <XNK-946> Elimination imminent.
# <Determined Nuku Nuku> Go ahead and try.
Atsuko knew that to be a bluff. She had no idea how to avoid the coming
attack.
She was quite relieved when four missiles chose that moment to explode around
XNK-946.
***
Kyusaku grabbed the screaming Yoshimi. He looked over to Ryunosuke, and was
relieved when Kei picked him up and began running away from the pool.
With Yoshimi clutching him, Kyusaku ran away from the pool. He heard the
gunfire hitting Atsuko. He wondered what the liquid was that had been
dumped on her. It couldn't be good.
He reached the mansion right behind Kei. They turned to see Atsuko being
thrown by an explosion. Even from this distance, it was obvious that her
pseudoflesh was gone. Now it was two dull-gray shapes, one bigger than the
other, bouncing around the far lawn.
"Ryu!" Akiko was screaming out a window. She looked frantically around,
and started crying when she saw everyone safe next to the mansion.
Kyusaku ran up to her. "That's the cyborg, I take it."
Akiko bit her lip and made a visible effort to bring herself under control.
"The XNK-946. Missile launcher, explosives, cannons. Alloy construction
makes it the next best thing to your pseudoflesh. It's been unbeatable in
all of the field tests, defeating as many as ten mechs attacking
simultaneously."
Kyusaku swore. "Do you have anything here that will help?"
Akiko thought for a moment. "There's Grandfather's mechs that he likes to
play with. They're not nearly as effective as standard military mechs,
but they may buy us some time until Arisa can bring her forces here."
"How long is that?"
Akiko looked grim. "The hoverjets can be here in fifteen minutes, but they've
proven to be nothing but cannon fodder to the XNK-946. We need the ground
support as well, and that's a couple of hours away."
Kyusaku swore again, more violently. "Where are the mechs?"
"There's a control room inside here." Akiko helped Kyusaku climb in through
the window. Kei jumped in, followed closely by Yoshimi and Ryunosuke.
Akiko lead them through three corridors and into a control room. Four booths
lined one wall. Akiko jumped into one, followed quickly by Kyusaku. The
controls looked easy to figure out. With a little coaching from Akiko via
the intercom connecting the booths, she soon had him up and running.
Kei and Ryunosuke were busy in the third booth trying to figure out the
controls. Kyusaku mentally wished them luck, then focused all his attention
on his mech.
The mech emerged from its silo and quickly made its way outside. Akiko's
mech was right beside him. She showed him how to activate the ECM, hoping
to make themselves invisible to the XNK-946.
Akiko lead them quickly to the pool, then beyond to the lawn. Fortunately,
the quickly spotted Atsuko emerging from the trees. She had no pseudoflesh
at all, and resembled a metal skeleton stuffed with electronic components.
She turned to face the woods, evidently unaware of the approaching mechs.
The android emerged from the woods. Akiko quickly told him how to manually
aim the missiles. At her command, they fired their missiles.
They impacted around the XNK-946. It disappeared in a fireball. Atsuko
turned towards the mechs. Her eyes - her visual sensors - were gone, leaving
her with only her extended sensors to provide her with input. She had no
way of communicating, either. Instead, she sprang over the mechs and began
running back towards the mansion.
The XNK-946 emerged from the fireball. Parts of its body looked scratched,
and its missile launcher looked damaged. It began to run towards the mechs.
Kyusaku had no time to activate the target lock. He simply began firing
the mech's cannons. Akiko joined him. The XNK-946 danced around the streams
of ammunition and disappeared under Akiko's mech.
Kyusaku turned his mech and made it take a step back. He was just in time
to see the XNK-946 place a device of some sort on Akiko's mech. As he
watched, it reached one of its hands behind its back and let a device of
some sort fall into its hand from a panel that opened in its lower back.
Before Kyusaku could bring his guns to bear, the XNK-946 was underneath his
mech.
He looked around the controls. "Akiko! Is there a self-destruct of some
kind? We need to blow up the mechs while it's still...."
Too late. All of his displays shutdown. He looked over to Akiko's to see
the same thing happening to her.
The climbed out of the booths. Akiko ran over to the fourth booth. Kyusaku
ran to the third booth and looked over Kei's shoulder. He had his mech by
the pool. Atsuko was just running up to it. She stopped in front of the
mech.
"My God...." This from Kei. Kyusaku couldn't help grimacing in sympathy.
This was a side of Atsuko that Kei had never seen before. It was one thing
to know that your girlfriend was a cyborg; it was another thing to
see it for yourself.
Atsuko jumped up on the mech. Kyusaku wondered what she was up to. She
reached for something behind the onboard camera. When she jumped off, she
was carrying one of the mech's missiles.
Kyusaku wondered what she was up to. Four such missiles had not done
significant damage to the XNK-946. Kyusaku hoped Atsuko had a good plan in
mind.
Akiko's new mech pulled up alongside Kei's. Her voice came over the intercom.
"Any ideas?"
Kyusaku tried to think. Fear for Atsuko's life hovered around the edges of
his consciousness, giving everything a nightmarish edge. "Let's slowly move
towards the XNK-946 and see what Atsuko is up to. We'll wait for her to
make her move and try to support her."
"Right." Akiko's mech moved off, and Kei, with support from Ryunosuke, moved
his mech after hers.
Kyusaku stood silently, trying to play the scenario over and over in his
mind. He just didn't see how Atsuko was going to get out of this.
On the monitor, Atsuko began dancing around while the XNK-946 moved steadily
towards her. The nightmare began to close in.
***
# <XNK-946> NK-1124 used good tactics. Divert XNK-946's attention while
mechs of unknown configuration moved in using electronic counter measures to
hide themselves from sensors. Ordnance of mechs was insufficient for
elimination of XNK-946.
# <Nuku Nuku> I didn't know they were there, either.
# <XNK-946> Targets eliminated. Reacquiring NK-1124. If they were not
a part of your attack force, why did they assist you?
# <Nuku Nuku> It was probably Mama-san and Papa-san. They love me and
don't want me to be eliminated.
# <XNK-946> You have used 'love' previously. Does it mean unassigned
attack forces that come to your aid in battle?
# <Nuku Nuku> I never thought of it that way. I guess. It means a lot of
different things. Don't you know what love is?
# <XNK-946> Love is not in my military databanks.
# <Nuku Nuku> Oh. Has no one ever loved you?
# <XNK-946> No one has ever come to my aid in battle.
# <Nuku Nuku> Really? No one has ever tried to help you?
# <XNK-946> Target designate Unknown 23 once tried to prevent former target
designate Doctor See/See-san from inflicting pain on XNK-946.
# <Nuku Nuku> See! Unknown 23 loved you!
# <XNK-946> Target designates Mama-san and Papa-san love you?
# <Nuku Nuku> Yes. And I love them. They try to help me.
# <XNK-946> Will you try to help them when they are eliminated?
# <Nuku Nuku> What? Are you going to eliminate them?
# <XNK-946> They attacked XNK-946. They have been added to threat list.
# <Nuku Nuku> You will not hurt them!
# <XNK-946> They tried to eliminate this unit.
# <Nuku Nuku> They were trying to save me because they loved me! If you
would stop attacking, they would love you, too.
# <XNK-946> They would prevent me from feeling pain?
# <Nuku Nuku> Yes! And I would, too.
# <XNK-946> Destruction of targets is the only way to remove units from
threat list.
# <Nuku Nuku> You can do it! Let us help!
# <XNK-946> XNK-946 must eliminate threats.
# <Nuku Nuku> They are not threats!
# <XNK-946> Destruction of targets is the only way to remove units from
threat list.
# <Nuku Nuku> Then I'm sorry.
# <XNK-946> Sorry?
# <Nuku Nuku> It means that I am going to do something I don't want to do
that's going to cause you pain. I really really wish I didn't have to. You
could have been my friend. But I have to try and eliminate you so that you
can't hurt the ones I love.
# <XNK-946> XNK-946...XNK-946... is sorry, too. XNK-946 does not... XNK-946
does not want to cause other units to feel pain like XNK-946 has felt pain.
# <Nuku Nuku> Then don't! Come live and play with us and we can all be
happy and love each other!
# <XNK-946> Destruction of targets is the only way to remove units from
threat list.
# <Sad Nuku Nuku> Then it comes down to this. I wanted to be friends.
# <XNK-946> NK-1124 is targeted as hostile, not friendly.
# <Nuku Nuku> I'm going to attack you now.
# <XNK-946> XNK-946 is ready.
***
As Kyusaku watched on the monitor, Atsuko danced around the XNK-946's gunfire.
She reached a point about ten meters away, then stopped. Curiously, the
XNK-946 stopped firing. They stood facing each other, standing absolutely
still.
Akiko's voice crackled again. "What's happening? Does she have it frozen
somehow? Should we attack?"
Kyusaku himself had no idea what was going on. "Let's wait it out. Atsuko
knows we're here. She can signal us if she wants us to do something."
"Can she? She can't talk. Maybe she's afraid that moving might trigger the
XNK-946's attack mode."
"Our movements might do the same. Be patient, Akiko."
Akiko said something that made Ryunosuke blanch. However, her mech stood
still. Kyusaku watched the monitor closely, waiting.
Suddenly Atsuko moved. She moved so quickly that she was half-way to the
XNK-946 before Kyusaku could blink.
The XNK-946 was not so slow to respond. It began to fire its guns. Akiko
danced around them, then jumped over the android and wrapped herself around
its back, hanging upside-down.
The XNK-946 began to spin wildly, trying to bring some part of her in range.
It moved its right hand behind its back and fired point-blank into Atsuko's
torso. Sparks flew, and smoke began to pour from Atsuko.
Atsuko had the missile in her right hand. She shoved it against a certain
point on the XNK-946's back. Kyusaku remembered it being the place where the
explosive packages had emerged from the XNK-946.
Hanging on with her legs, Atsuko used her other hand to grab the XNK-946's
right arm and moved it so that its gun fired on the missile.
The explosion shook the mechs and caused the camera to jiggle violently.
Ryunosuke's shout of "Nuku Nuku!" was matched by the screams of Yoshimi
and Akiko. Kei was sitting in the booth with his mouth open, his hand almost
touching the screen.
Kyusaku ignored all of it. He walled off everything so that he could focus
on the screen. He was curious to see what would be shown when the smoke from
the explosion cleared.
After an eternity, the wind gently moved the smoke aside. Bits of metal
could be seen strewn about the lawn.
Akiko screamed again. Ryunosuke shouted "No!", while Yoshimi turned to hug
him and cry. Kei slumped forward onto the controls of the third mech,
blocking Kyusaku's view.
Kyusaku reached into the booth to pull Kei out of it. Kei stumbled and fell
as Kyusaku shoved him aside, but Kyusaku ignored it. He moved the mech around
so that the camera panned the area.
He found it almost immediately. A large chunk of what used to be Atsuko's
torso and head lay against a tree at the edge of the woods. Kei moved the
mech towards it. There was still a chance. Atsuko's life-support systems
were the most heavily protected part of her construction. If only one of her
batteries was still functioning, she would be able to live until he could
get her back to his workshop. All he needed to do was pick her up and bring
her back to the mansion. Then he could put her in the Land Rover and get her
home. Or better yet, get one of Akiko's hoverjets to take them.
As he moved towards what was left of Atsuko, the XNK-946 stepped into view.
It was heavily damaged. Its right arm was gone, and it looked as if it had
suffered internal explosions. Smoke poured from several locations, and it
moved with a peculiar gate.
It looked at Kyusaku's mech, then raised its left arm.
Kyusaku frantically brought his guns to bear, but far too late. Gunfire from
the XNK-946 efficiently took out his camera, his external pickups, and then
destroyed his mech altogether.
He looked over to where Akiko was fighting through her sobs, trying to get
her mech into an attack position. Even as he watched, he saw her displays
shut down. She cried out, "No!" and pawed at the controls, trying to get
them to work.
Kyusaku ran over to her. "Do you have any hand-held rocket launchers?
Those... whatever you call 'em... light anti-tank weapons? Akiko!" He
grabbed and shook her as she continued to sob. "We can still help Atsuko!"
Akiko looked at him and seemed to recover a bit of her rationality. She
leapt out of the booth and ran out of the room. Kyusaku followed her,
praying to whoever would listen for Atsuko's safety.
***
# <XNK-946> NK-1124, do you still function?
...
# <XNK-946> NK-1124, do you still function?
# <Nuku Nuku> Yes, I still function. Power down, power systems failing.
Extended sensors off-line, motor controls non-responsive. I can't move, I
can't see. The power is going, I'm bleeding to death. I think... about
five minutes. Maybe less.
# <XNK-946> Did you know your attack would destroy you?
# <Nuku Nuku> I had to stop you. I had to keep you from hurting Mama-san
and Papa-san.
# <XNK-946> Because they love you.
# <Nuku Nuku> Yes. I failed them.
# <XNK-946> Why do you say that?
# <Nuku Nuku> You still function. They are still on your threat list.
# <XNK-946> Systems operating at 12% efficiency. All ammunition depleted.
In this condition, XNK-946 is easily eliminated. XNK-946 is taking evasive
maneuvers, but is certain that its death is near.
# <Nuku Nuku> Why didn't you finish eliminating me?
# <XNK-946> NK-1124 is on the verge of destruction. XNK-946 self-preservation
takes priority.
# <Nuku Nuku> I think maybe you love me a little bit.
# <XNK-946> XNK-946 does not know love.
# <Nuku Nuku> Power systems failure imminent. Shutting down non-essential
systems, life-support to take priority. I'm glad you're talking to me.
I am so afraid. I am dying, but you are here, and you love me.
# <XNK-946> XNK-946 does not know love.
# <Nuku Nuku> Yes, you do. You knew love before the mean people came and
did bad things to you. You could have learned about the right way to show
love, if you'd been given a chance.
# <XNK-946> Like unit NK-1124 was given a chance?
# <Nuku Nuku> Yes. Am I a unit and not a target now?
# <XNK-946> Destruction of targets is the only way to remove units from
threat list.
# <Nuku Nuku> You keep saying that. I don't think you mean it, it's just
something they made you think.
# <XNK-946> Targets made XNK-946 think many things. XNK-946 does not know
if it can think its own thoughts.
# <Nuku Nuku> You can. You're doing it now.
# <XNK-946> XNK-946... wants... wishes it could have... been given the
chances NK-1124 was given. It would have... XNK-946 would have liked to
have experienced love.
# <Nuku Nuku> Oh! It's shutting down my processors. I'm dying, I'm afraid.
Tell them for me! Tell Papa-san I love him! Tell Ryunosuke I love him!
# <XNK-946> NK-1124, continue to function. NK-1124 must continue to
function.
# <Nuku Nuku> Nuku Nuku loves Mama-san! Nuku Nuku loves... loves... boy
who kisses, kisses and hugs and makes feel good....
# <XNK-946> NK-1124 does not cease to function. NK-1124 does not feel pain,
NK-1124 does not die because of XNK-946.
# <Nuku Nuku> Death comes is death. Mind gone body gone. Is alone is
dark is cold is afraid. Fear fear terror. Death no want death want love!
# <XNK-946> NK-1124 lives. NK-1124 lives. Tell XNK-946 that NK-1124 lives.
# <NK-1124> WARNING: Shutdown of operating system in 30 seconds. CRITICAL
WARNING: Life-support failure in 125 seconds.
# <XNK-946> No. This does not happen. You live!
# <NK-1124> WARNING: Shutdown of operating system in 10 seconds. CRITICAL
WARNING: Life-support failure in 105 seconds.
# <XNK-946> NUKU NUKU DOESN'T DIE!
***
Kyusaku, a bazooka slung over his shoulder, ran towards the remains of his
daughter. He didn't see the XNK-946 anywhere, which was a disappointment
and a relief. He supposed that he'd have time later to track down and
destroy the thing that did this to Atsuko.
Kyusaku dropped the bazooka on the ground and knelt next to Atsuko. He bent
his head down and listened carefully. He could hear the life-support
machinery operating. He saw a few tell-tale lights, signs that her databanks
were running, that she was capable of intelligent thought. He didn't know if
that was a blessing or not.
He examined what remained of her torso. Precious little. There seemed to
be only one battery operating. To his horror, he could see liquid seeping
from it. Atsuko was bleeding to death.
He looked frantically around. The mechs were destroyed, their power systems
useless. He needed a powerful energy source, now. "Kei, get the Land Rover
and drive it over here."
Kei had a machine gun hanging limply at his side. He was staring down at
Atsuko, his face a mask of horror and sadness.
"NOW!" Kyusaku's shout broke Kei out of his stupor. He looked wildly at
Kyusaku, then turned and ran back towards the mansion.
Kyusaku turned back and began clearing away a path to the power leads. Even
as he did, he knew that the Land Rover's battery would be useless. Its amps
would fry Atsuko's circuitry. He looked around, somehow hoping that a
transformer would magically appear.
He shook his head and thought. A hoverjet to get Atsuko back to the workshop.
A search through Akiko's armories, to see if they had a compatible power
supply. A powersuit from Arisa's ground forces, when they arrived.
Kyusaku looked at the rate the battery was leaking fluid, and knew that he
had no time for any of those options.
Surely Akiko's grandfather has replacement parts for his mechs. They had the
same problem as the Land Rover, however; they would very likely be much too
powerful.
Despair grabbed the edges of his sanity and began to tug. He could do nothing
while his daughter lay dying before him. Even as he was coming to this
realization, he say the lights on her processors go out. The life-support
couldn't be far behind.
He looked around, hoping for divine intervention. Ryunosuke and Yoshimi were
across the lawn, clutching at each other, their sobs audible from here.
Akiko's hands were covering her face, and although she wasn't sobbing,
Kyusaku knew she was one step removed from hysteria.
His breath caught. He stomped down on his feelings, hard. He needed to be
strong, for his family's sake. He would put on a calm face and have a steady
demeanor and allow his family to lean on him for support.
His heart, however, began to die as his daughter died.
A noise made him look towards the woods. The XNK-946 placed itself directly
in front of him. It stood awkwardly, its right leg twisted, its right arm
gone, but still more than capable of killing Akiko and Kyusaku where they
stood.
Kyusaku glanced at the bazooka, knowing it would be useless. Even if by some
miracle he could get a shot off, at this range it would kill him and Akiko,
too. Akiko had a grenade launcher at her feet, which was equally useless.
Kei's machine gun might have made a difference, but he and it were back at
the mansion retrieving the Land Rover.
Kyusaku shifted his feet. He planned to try and tackle the XNK-946, at the
same time yelling at Akiko to run. At least she stood a good chance of getting
out of this alive.
Just as he was about to move, the XNK-946's chassis opened. Kyusaku blinked
at the mess that was revealed inside. Something *had* exploded inside the
XNK-946. Smoke was still drifting from several sources.
The XNK-946 reached inside itself, grabbed a component, and pulled.
The component was ripped free. The XNK-946 fell over.
Kyusaku stared slack-jawed at the XNK-946. It had fallen on its side, the
hand still holding the component up in the air. Kyusaku studied it, realized
that it looked a lot like a battery.
He sprang over to the fallen android. He pried the fingers from around the
battery, then turned and fell to the ground next to Atsuko.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out an all-purpose pocket knife. He
carefully stripped the leads from the battery. He quickly examined the
dying battery in Atsuko, and determined that the leak was well away from
the terminal connections. Fortunately, shrapnel had exposed some of the
wiring, leaving him easy access to both terminals. He quickly tied one
of the wires from the new battery into place, then made a hook with the
end of the new battery's other lead wire. He carefully reached in and
hooked a wire.
Nothing dramatic happened. The processors didn't come back online.
Kyusaku's mind raced, and realized that the interface program had probably
shut itself down. It would need to be manually restarted, eventually.
Kyusaku tried to control his breathing and listened to the life-support
machinery. It continued to operate. A minute, two minutes, and it
was still going. The liquid had finished draining from the damaged
battery and it was still going.
Kyusaku dared to hope.
The sound of a car driving up and stopping behind him failed to break
his concentration. Nevertheless, he diverted some of his attention
from keeping the new battery connected. "Kei, listen carefully. I
will need some tools. Needle-nose pliers, electric tape, and a
soldering gun if you can find one. Something to power the soldering
gun, too. A stretcher or something like it. Take Akiko with you
back to the mansion and get those things, please."
He heard Akiko rise to stand behind him. "Is she alive?" Her voice
was tremulous, full of fearful hope.
"For now. Please, Akiko, go with him. I can do this for a long time
but not forever."
They moved off, climbing into the still-running Land Rover and tearing
through the lawn.
Kyusaku tuned out everything else but the sound of the life-support
machinery, still running.
"It's okay, Atsuko, hang in there. You'll live and be healthy and
happy. I promise."
The words felt true. He allowed the hope to grow a little and anchor
his sanity again. His daughter was going to live.
***
The Chairman of the Board for Mishima Heavy Industries sat at his
desk. His computer monitor was displaying some report, but he was
just staring at the words, unable to derive any meaning from them.
The whole project had been a disaster. One person killed. The
prototype severely damaged, the host brain dead. A year of research
and billions of yen in ruin.
The major concern was the family of Doctor See. Everyone at the
test center had signed contracts absolving MHI of all responsibility
for any injury or death that resulted from working there. The
contracts were thin protection at best. Doctor See had no immediate
family, but relatives had a way of popping up in these kind of
situations. They would have to be dealt with.
The Chairman sank in his wheelchair. Had he lost so much of his
humanity? One man was dead because of a project the Chairman had
personally overseen. He'd overruled his own CEO, and someone had
died, and all he could think about was lost yen.
He was getting too old. Too old and too tired. Akiko was young,
and strong, and forceful. He should leave running the company to
her. She would carry on the Mishima honor. She sometimes let her
emotions get away with her, but he could just subtly guide her from
above and let her deal with the lawsuits and the shareholders.
His phone rang. He hit the speaker button and was not pleased at
how much his hand was shaking. "Yes?"
"The CEO would like to see you."
The Chairman smiled. "Send her in." She was hear, come to take
some of the burden of the fiasco off of his shoulders. She was
a dutiful granddaughter.
The door opened. Akiko came, trailed by her husband and one of her
assistants - Kyouko, the Chairman thought her name was. Akiko had
a determined, serious, very business-like expression on her face.
She bowed formally, the others following suit.
"Chairman Mishima." Akiko held out her hand to Kyouko. Kyouko
opened her briefcase and handed Akiko a sheet of paper. Akiko took
it, keeping her eyes on the Chairman, and set the paper on the desk
in front of him. "I am resigning my position of Chief Executive
Officer of Mishima Heavy Industries, effective immediately."
The Chairman moved his jaw up and down incredulously. "You... you
can't! Where... what will you do?"
Akiko kept her gaze locked on the Chairman, but moved her head slightly
towards Kyusaku. "I will be starting a new company with my husband.
I have plenty of money coming from my severance package, not to mention
my personal net worth. Even if something were to mysteriously happen
to both of those things, I have several venture capitalists very
interested in some of the things my husband has proposed. I imagine
that we will be able to make a name for ourselves very quickly."
The Chairman's voice quavered in anger and despair. "Akiko! You are
a Mishima. You cannot turn your back on the family company. We need
you. I - " He stopped, realized he'd given it away already, and
continued. "I need you."
Akiko raised an eyebrow. "You need me, but you do not listen to me.
You countermanded my decisions, and look what it got you. A man is
*dead* because you would not listen to me. How can I work for a
company that you run?"
The Chairman gasped at her audacity. He began to bark at her, but
stopped himself in time. The look on her face told him that he would
not browbeat her into submission this time.
They stared at each other for several moments. Finally, he broke. He
could not continue without her. "Please, Akiko, reconsider. I promise
to listen to you, to let you run the company the way you like. I'll
increase your salary, give you more stock - "
"You'll do more than that." Her voice was like a whip, cutting him off.
She held her hand towards Kyouko again. Kyouko put what looked like a
legal contract in it. Akiko took it and tossed it on the Chairman's
desk. "That is a personal contract between you and me. In it, you
say that you will never countermand me, never disagree with me in
public, and make sure that the Board of Directors supports me. You will
sign and date that contract."
Akiko held out her hand again. Kyouko put another contract in it.
Akiko tossed it in front of the Chairman. "This is your official
resignation as Chairman of the Board for MHI." She held out her
hand again, and again a contract appeared in it to be thrown in front
of him. "This sells all of your stock to me at a nominal price. You
will sign but not date those. If I feel you have violated the spirit
of the first contract, I will date and execute the other two." She
folder her arms and waited for his response.
He stared at Akiko. Her expression had not changed. She radiated
confidence and command. The power had shifted in their relationship.
Now, MHI revolved around her, and if she left, it would collapse in on
itself.
Slowly, the Chairman picked up a pen. He did as Akiko had commanded,
signing all of the contracts and dating the first one. Still keeping
her eyes on the Chairman, Akiko turned her head slightly towards her
assistant. Kyouko picked up the contracts, studied them closely, then
signed as a witness and notary. She affixed her stamp and held the
contracts towards Akiko.
Akiko took them from her and, finally moving her gaze from the
Chairman's face, quickly examined the signatures. She nodded once,
decisively. "Very good. You should know that I am hiring my husband
back, effective immediately. He will be working on a special project,
one I will be devoting a lot of resources towards." She raised the
contracts she held and gazed into his eyes again. "You will not
interfere."
The Chairman stared at her for a second, then nodded.
Akiko bowed. The Chairman examined the others as they watched her,
pride mixed with a touch of awe on their faces. They quickly bowed
as well. Then they all straightened, and Akiko turned and walked
briskly from the room, the others trailing in her wake.
The Chairman stared after her. His granddaughter. The last of the
Mishima line. The new soul of the family company.
He smiled, glad that the company was in such good hands.
***
Atsuko opened her eyes, surprised to find that she had eyes.
She sat up, looked around and saw a lot of smiling faces. She was too
confused to be able to respond much. She just stared blankly around
the room.
She felt strange. Her body felt strange. She looked down at herself.
Her appearance was the same. But there was a strangeness to everything.
Her skin - she could feel the clothes against her skin. She'd been able
to before, a little, after Papa-san had implanted the special sensors.
It had never felt like this before, however. It felt... real. Very
much like when she'd had a cat's body. Without the fur, of course.
The strangeness was in other places, too. Her sense of smell was
different, better. Her sight had higher resolution; things seemed
sharper. Her hearing had always been good, but now the sounds were
less... artificial. Her mouth felt strange, especially her tongue.
She stuck it out and touched it with her fingers. She yelped when it
produced a reaction. Taste... she hadn't tasted anything in so long
she'd forgotten what it was like.
The people around her laughed. One of them put his arms around her
shoulders. "Give yourself some time, Atsuko. You'll need to get used
to your new body, to adjust. I think you'll like it."
Atsuko gazed deeply into his eyes. "Papa-san? Am I alive?"
He smile was warm, gentle, and kind. "Yes, Atsuko, you're alive.
It was very close, but we managed to keep your brain on life-support
and pacified until we could build your new body."
Atsuko suddenly remembered the long dreaming, the sometimes painful
struggle to awaken, always to be pushed back into deep slumber until
just now. Even as she remembered, it slipped out of her mind. All
she was left with was the relief that it was over.
Other memories came flooding back. She looked quickly around, doing
a quick inventory to make sure that everyone was alive and uninjured.
She looked back at Papa-san, finally beginning to react. "Oh, Papa-san,
you saved me! I was so sure I was dead. I should have known you'd
find a way to keep me alive."
Papa-san's smile dimmed a little. "It wasn't me that saved you. The
cyborg, the XNK-946, it gave me a source of power I could use, ending
its own life so yours could be saved."
"Wow." She thought that over, trying to figure out how she should feel
about it. "It really did love me."
"I don't know if its self-sacrifice redeems it for sins it committed.
But it was surely a first step." Mama-san sounded sad.
Atsuko looked at Mama-san and considered her words. She discovered
something else new; her thoughts were flowing faster, clearer. Atsuko
no longer felt a discrete difference between her interface program,
her cultural databanks, her onboard processors, and her online storage.
It was all just *her*. Her mind. And it worked amazing well.
So well that she thought she understood Mama-san pretty well. "It
didn't know what sin was. All it knew was pain and war. When it
found out there was more, when it remembered there was more, it
didn't want to go on the way it was. It wanted to be like me, but
more, it didn't want me to feel the pain it was always feeling."
Atsuko felt sad, and tears began to fall from her eyes. "All it
needed was love and understanding. It just didn't get it in time
to save itself, but it did save me." She sent a silent thank-you
to the XNK-946.
Mama-san grimaced. "Well, there will be no more like it. MHI is
going to be taking some very strong public stands against this kind
of thing. No more unwilling cyborgs, conditioned to kill, not if I
have anything to say about it."
"Mother took over Grandfather's company." Ryunosuke was beaming
proudly. "Daddy says she was quite brave and strong. He says he
was never more glad to be married to her than on that day."
Atsuko quickly looked back and forth between Mama-san and Papa-san.
They were staring at each other, and both of them were blushing
slightly. Atsuko beamed. "Does this mean we all get to be a
family again?"
Papa-san laughed. "Well, as soon as we're sure you're all right,
we're be going home to your mother's mansion."
"Yipee!" Atsuko jumped off the table. While her body responded very
much like before, there were enough differences to cause her to
stumble. She fell into Kei's arms.
He caught her easily and held her. "You weigh a lot less than before,
Atsuko. I'll bet you could even swim now."
She looked up at him. She remembered the acid and bullets eating away
flesh, exposing the ugly metal that lay underneath. "Kei..." Atsuko
drew a breath. "You're here. Even after you saw how horrible and
ugly I am underneath."
He drew his eyebrows together. "Atsuko!" He paused for a second, then
smiled. "It's always been the beauty of who you are that's attracted
me. The way you always smiled and laughed and made everyone feel good.
I don't care what it is that keeps that part of you alive, just so long
as you *are* alive and willing to give me love and let me give you love
in return."
She smiled and felt the tears coming again. The tears were new, too.
She'd never cried, not as a cat or a human. She'd have to discover what
strange parameters Papa-san had programmed into her that made her cry
when she was sad *and* when she was happy.
Not that she minded. It felt good, somehow. She reached up and kissed
Kei, and this too felt new and different and wonderful, and she lost
herself in the feel of his lips and the love they shared.
"Well, he is a fine young man. Perhaps I won't have to show him some of
the latest additions to my armory after all."
Mama-san's comments caused Kei to stiffen and break the kiss. Atsuko
smiled and decided they would have time later to do this some more.
She looked away from Kei's slightly pale face to the rest of her family.
The were all still smiling, so happy to see her. She was so happy to
see them all, as well. Love permeated the air.
Atsuko beamed at everyone. Every time she thought she had figured out all
there was to know about love, she discovered something new. Love had
saved her when she had no other weapons to use.
Her happiness was dimmed somewhat by the memory of XNK-946. It hadn't
known what love was, and had found out too late. Atsuko decided that
her mission in life was to make sure every single person knew what love
was. She wasn't sure how she was going to accomplish that yet, but she
knew her family would be there to support her.
And love her, of course.
Atsuko smiled and laughed and cried and loved all at once, and never
stopped doing at least two of those things for the rest of her life.
