Helps if you've read The Fall of Heaven (and all the rest of 2096.


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[2032]

    The building shook with the force of the explosion, fire
fountaining into the night sky.  The force of the blast blew out
windows within 200 feet and shook the entire block.
    Alarms went off all over, people suddenly swarming the street
to see just what had happened.  Fiery debris rained down around then,
scattering them to hide in the safety of the buildings they had just
run out of.
    Almost as abruptly as it had happened, it was over, and the
only thing left was the fire still flickering at the top of what was
left of the Kunou Foundation building.
    The sound of fire emergency vehicles filled the streets as
they rushed to save what they could of the possibly the most important
building in the world.

    The news the next day was solemn, the anchors nearly in tears.
People all over Japan, all over the world mourned as the terrible news
traveled the globe.
    The Global Saviour, Kunou Tatewaki, was dead.


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                                                                /
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       |    \    |   \      /\   | |   /\   /\   |   \        /   /\
       |     \   |    \  . |  \  | |. /  \_/  \  |    \       \  /  \
       |  __  \  |  _  \   |   | | | |         | |  _  \    /\ \/   /
       | |  \  \ | | \  \ .|   | | |.|         | | | \  \  /  \ \  /
       | |  /  / | |__\  | | |  \| | | |\   /| |.| |__\  |/   /\ \/
       | | /  /  |       | | |\  | |.| | | |.| | |       |\  /  \
       | |/  /  .|  ___  |.| |.|   |.| |.| | | | |  ___ /\ \/   / 
       | |\  \   | |  .| |.| |.|   |.| |.| |.| |.| |  ./ |\    /
       | | \  \ .| |   | |.| |..\  |.| |.| |.| | | |  /| | \  
       |_|. \__\ |_|. .|_|.|_|...\/..|_|.|_|.|_|.|_|. \|_|  \  
                                                    /\ \    /
       Created by Christopher Willmore.            /  \ \  /
                  <4cw6@qlink.queensu.ca>         /   /  \/
       Based on a story by Rumiko Takahashi and      /
       Developed by C. Michael Schumacher           /   /
                                                    \  /
       R2096 pages: http://qlink.queensu.ca/~4cw6/   \/(Logo:Armakuni)

============================================================================
                          The Vengeance of Heaven
============================================================================
                   by Lara Bartram <lara@emunix.emich.edu>
                           Edited by C. Willmore
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 R2096 characters and situations used with permission.  Takahashi's aren't.
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     "In youth he had felt the hidden beauty and ecstasy of things, and
      had been a poet; but poverty and sorrow and exile had turned his
    gaze in darker directions, and he had thrilled at the imputations of
                         evil in the world around."

                              -H.P. Lovecraft

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Lights and sound and heat swirled around him in a chaotic
mess.  She hadn't seen him, and for that, he was grateful.  He still
needed, wanted her, but the desire was lessened.  He knew she would
not be happy to see him again, that she wouldn't understand all that
had happened.
    He hadn't had the chance to give her an appropriate farewell,
but...  Before he could reflect on his regrets, there was that sensory
chaos again.
    Strange.  He didn't know it was possible for ghosts to fall to
unconsciousness.

    It wasn't so much awakening.  It was more... return of
awareness.  Though, that didn't help much either.  The chaos was still
there, but this time, it was rushing all around him, through him.  It
was... confusing at first.  There was so much, too much, for him to
understand.
    Streams of information flew in all directions, some 
concentrated into blue beams, while others seemed to meander by in
less concentrated, nebulous clouds.
    Being in this less than solid form, incorporeal,
insubstantial, was liberating.  So much more versatile.  Versatile
and, finally, free.  Finally free of the shackles they had put on him,
that he had put on himself.  He was finally free to do things the way
he wanted; free to do the things he wanted, even if it meant he would
spend eternity like this.
    It was clear to him that ghosts were not simply left-over thoughts,
desires, dreams, or even simply souls...  There was a power in being a
ghost, one which Akane had obviously never explored.  He could feel it
pulsing through him.  Maybe it was that desire that chained him to the
earth, maybe it was that power, or maybe it was his burning need for
vengeance.  Either way, he would not fail to use the power bestowed
upon him.
    When the next stream of information struck his form, he didn't
resist its pull, and let it carry him off to some part of the network
to truly reclaim his rightful leadership of the Kunou Foundation.
    There was no way Kyoofu could have the complete and utter
control he had now.  Where they had controlled him, he now controlled
them.  The puppet and puppet-master had switched positions, and the
puppets didn't even know it.
    Oh, how he would make them pay.

    It was true, he could admit it, that he wasn't always the
fastest thinker in the world.  Maybe if he had been, it wouldn't have
been so easy for Gosunkugi to take advantage of him.  He would have
certainly tried to make it more difficult.  But that time was gone.
    That time was gone, and now it was his time.  It wasn't
possible to start right away, as he was quite unfamiliar with the
surroundings, and his limits and capabilities.  If he had known this
would happen, he would have asked Akane more about being a ghost.
    Yet, that would have seemed tacky and uncalled for.  And that
was one thing that had changed as he had grown older: he was able to
see many of the things he wasn't before.  Things that hurt him deeply,
but he couldn't deny them.
    The worst, no matter how much he desired the pig-tailed girl,
was Akane.  Naturally, he had been enraged to discover Ranma had been
the pig-tailed girl, but it was the rage of humiliation.  And Akane...
To be denied the only thing he had ever sought after, wanted, needed
with his entire being...  He had been devastated.
    His illusions had been shattered and he was left an empty and
bitter man, still yearning for the affection of a girl who could never
give it to him.
    But now.  Now, he had purpose again.  He didn't have Akane,
but he had a piece of her, the show of her feelings for him.  That she
could actually be compassionate toward him after all that had happened
in the past and actually give that small part of herself...
    Well, while his own wants and desires were first, as long as he
knew she still wandered the physical realm, he would try to do his
best to help her.  Help her, make her own vengeance come to fruition.
Even if it meant revenge for Saotome, he could not deny her.

    It felt like he traveled along the stream for an entire day,
which he could not abide by.  The whole place seemed to warp the very
concept of time, and that simply would not do.  Perhaps it was time to
start testing out his abilities and find what he was truly capable of.
After all, he was sure the most intelligent engineers were currently
maintaining the system, and the power available to him was probably
close to limitless.
    Concentrating on his simple desire to know what time it was,
he reached out into the streams and felt.  Felt it all pass through
him until...  There.  Like a fever-induced hallucination, a huge clock
appeared before him, wavering the air.  Interesting.
    And now to find out where he was exactly.  It was the first
time he wished he had really learned how the whole Kunou Foundation
computer system was set up.  He knew it controlled a bit of everything
all over, but exactly what, he had no idea.  And where to begin?
    What could he do to hurt them?  What could he do to make them
pay?

    The clock was always floating around him, the silent movement
of the hands almost audible to him.  It was a reminder of the what was
left of the world before Kyoofu and Tofu had complete control of it
slowly counting down.  Short of murder, he didn't honestly think he'd
be able to stop that.  He couldn't destroy everything.
    He traveled in random paths, getting an interesting picture of
the system.  There was one spot he could sit and monitor the entire
city, or the workings of the Kunou Foundation.  He could watch when
people got paid, when someone was given a traffic ticket, when
employees arrived late for work, when people checked their e-mail, and
just what that e-mail was...  None of it was a secret to him.
    Not even...
    Security meant nothing to him.  He was not some data packet
trying to slip through.  He was not a piece of information.  He was
not a part of the system.  He WAS the system.  What higher clearance
was afforded than to him, the Global Saviour, his very soul?  None.
    And there, all their precious records and data.  All their
tests and formulas and torture methods...  Tofu's private notes even,
detailing... everything.  Private notes.  They were his dirty secrets.
Those little nuggets that Tofu thought safe from prying eyes were not
safe from him.  One e-mail, that was all it took.
    He grabbed onto it, taking it into his form, becoming one with
it so it would stay with him forever and eternally feed his hatred.
He would never forget why he was doing these things, never forget his
need for vengeance.  Never.
    Never would he forget the words Kyoofu and the good doctor had
exchanged about slowly pulling the rug out from underneath him, how
stupid they thought he was, how insane his sister was, the entire
family line, the blackmail, in perfect clarity...  It was all there.
    It would be the cause of their pain.

    Another test.  He had gotten in, but could he get out again?
Not that he really wanted to, but it was a good thing to know.  The
limits of his power of manifestation were important to be aware of.
There were so many aspects of his new existence to explore so he would
know just how much he could torment those that had killed him.
    He bumped around like a person in a dark room, trying to find
an exit.  If it was only through exposed wires, that could be a
problem.  Yet, he controlled it all, and could do that if necessary.
In fact...  A wavering, half-formed map of everything he knew about
the system appeared, which he then overlaid with the plans of the
main Kunou Foundation buildings.
    He wasn't totally sure what he'd do with that type of access,
but then, he couldn't say when it would come in handy either.  And he
could always... arrange more if necessary.
    No sense in getting ahead of himself...  There, in an
electrical closet, were a batch of currently unused connections,
awaiting usage in the newest dorms at the University.  Perfect.
    Getting there and knowing how to get there were two completely
different things though.  Even though it took less than the time it
takes to blink an eye to arrive, the fact that he ended up someplace
he didn't want to be was the problem.  Everything in life (or
afterlife) being a learning experience, he made note on his map where
this control room was.
    Ending up there had been like running down a tiny hall only to
emerge into the Taj Mahal.  The area was cavernous.  But empty.  It
wasn't in use yet, but it was obvious that this would be a place of
great importance considering where it was situated.
    And where it was situated, the dorms shouldn't have been too
far away.  Leaving the space in a vaguely eastwardly direction, he
finally found his way to the closet.  And while it had seemed like an
hour in his reality, it had scarcely been five minutes.
    The concept was strange.  Take something that is ethereal and
visualize it.  Simple, but strange.  How was he supposed to visualize
it?  What form should it take?  It didn't matter.  Just... do... it.
    The hazy landscape before him seemed to ripple, and popping
into clarity, a giant sized version of an old-style network hub
appeared.  It would take only moments for him to know if it worked or
not.
    He pushed his essence into the image of the hub, through it,
expecting any moment to be stopped in his efforts.  But he wasn't.  It
was like he was squeezing through a window just a few inches too 
small, but he was soon free and...
    All the sensations of the "living" world were upon him once
again.  It was something he never thought he'd have to go through once
he had left it all behind.  Left it all behind, only to reach back
desperately for it and hold onto it with all his strength.  Fear,
revenge, madness, love... lust.  For all those reasons, he had stayed.
    For the first time, he was overcome with doubt.  Standing
alone with nothing, even if he was a ghost, he was suddenly lost.
There was no one that could possibly understand his pain and torment,
all the things that had driven him to be in the position he was...
None of them knew.  None of them understood.  None of them cared.
They had never cared.

[2033]

    Ellison Meadows, Ellie to her friends, was a practical girl.
A practical young woman.  College was not something to be taken
lightly, and not when she was attending a very prestigious university
half way around the world.
    To think that she, out of all the others, had been given the
school scholarship to come to Japan and study at the University of
Tokyo.  It wasn't so much the University itself as the reputation the
university held.  It was where the Global Saviour had attended, and it
was the school that was reaping the rewards of his untimely passing.
    From a terrorist's bomb.  It seemed that true world peace was
a lie, and that it might never be accomplished.  Who could have
possibly wanted to kill the man who had done so much for the world?
Politics and religion aside, he had done so much...
    She opened a door to the new and unfinished dorm, and headed
down to the access tunnels.  It was the shortest way from her current
dorm to the building where her non-Euclidian geometry class was,
especially in the rain showers that had developed that morning.
    Clearing her damp hair from her face, Ellie walked quickly
through the "tunnels" the length of the building.  She always felt a
bit nervous about using the underground short-cut, but lots of students
did it and no one seemed to mind.  The doors had never been locked,
and nobody had ever discouraged the use of the tunnels...
    This time, Ellie felt more than the usual nervousness though.
Maybe it was from being alone with no one nearby.  There could have
been some sort of...  Criminal?  That should have been the last person
hiding in the half-built Kunou Hall.  But there was always that
nagging worry in the back of her mind.  If there were terrorists who
actually had the nerve to blow up the top floors of the Kunou
Foundation executive building, then surely there could be some petty
thief hiding in the basement of this building.
    Inhaling sharply, Ellie picked up her pace.  Still she had
only walked half the length of the hall and...
    From out of a door... from THROUGH a door, a figure stepped
that brought Ellie to a stop.  It was a man, his body slightly
translucent and surrounded by a deep blue aura, and if Ellie's eyes
weren't deceiving her...
    He looked down to the right of the hallway he had stepped
into.  So this was the hall they had named in his honour.  A dorm was a
dorm, he didn't expect much of anything special.  He turned to look to
his left down the hall and was brought up short by the girl standing
there, staring at him.
    There was no mistaking it.  She was staring at him.  Her mouth
worked, opening and closing, and she started backing away from him.
    Suddenly, Ellie knew she was in trouble.  There was no way
she should be seeing this... this ghost?  A ghost of...  Ellie
blinked.
    The ghost was standing there, looking at her.  He seemed
surprised too.  It was just... downright weird.  It was him.  There
was no mistaking it.  A ghost of Tatewaki Kunou?  Ellie crumpled to the
floor in a dead faint.
    He looked curiously at her inert form on the floor.  Strange
that she would faint, but maybe not that strange.  He approached her,
just to make sure she was okay, but he also felt a morbid wonderment
at seeing someone who was actually... alive. Funny, he never felt this
way when he was alive, but then, things were different back then.
    Kneeling next to the girl, a student he would guess from the
bag she was carrying and the UT sweat-shirt she was wearing, he peered
at her as if she were some sort of alien.  A foreigner, a girl, and
quite unconscious.  And now what was he supposed to do?  He couldn't
just leave her here like this.
    He reached out to touch her hand with his, not entirely sure
what would happen when their two "bodies" met.  At the last moment,
his aura caressing her skin, he hesitated.  But his curiosity got the
better of him.  He had felt the firmity of Akane's hand at the end,
and that strange tingling warmth that her touch seemed to radiate.
    Had that been her, or him?  Did her aura do that, or was it
just his imagination?  He had to do this.  He had to test his limits.
There was no other way he'd know, and if he was to end up spending
eternity like this...
    It was a gentle touch at first, though it wasn't even really a
touch.  His fingers traced the surface of the girl's hand, feeling to
him like some sort of warm rubbery gelatin.  He applied a bit more
pressure, so to speak, and pushed his fingers into, through the girl's
skin.
    There.  Life.  Flowing...  He could feel it.  Flowing inside
of her, through him.  Truly it was one of the things that could not be
appreciated until it was gone.  Appreciated...  He plunged the rest of
his hand into the girl and felt the life flow through, inside his arm.
    He closed his eyes and simply enjoyed the sensation.  How he
wished he had known about this, could experience it before he had
died.  If Gosunkugi or Ono knew about it, they'd be killing people
left and right to bottle and sell it.  It was the literal meaning of
having someone else's life in your hands.
    It wasn't enough.  He withdrew his arm and felt the pangs of
regret as the feeling subsided.  Situating himself, hoping no one did
come down the hall and find the unconscious girl, he laid down on top
of her, going inside her.  Too far.
    The feeling was glorious.  This was better than being alive.
He could even...  Something tugged at him, pulled at his essence,
pushed him, then the feeling started to fade.  What was happening?
Why was it stopping?  Was the girl dying?
    And then darkness.  The hallway had faded to leave darkness.
The feeling of the girl's life had gone to be replaced by...
comforting warmth, cocoon-like and sheltering.  What was going on?
What had he done?
    Something in his mind stirred.  His mind?  He was not composed
of parts like mind and body any longer; he was a single entity.  Any
feeling in his "mind" was felt throughout his entire self.  But no,
this was something in his mind.  He had done something wrong, very
wrong.
    He tried to move, and there was the sensation, limitation that
he thought he had discarded.  There was weight to his body.  And the
darkness must mean...
    He opened his eyes for the first time in he didn't know how
long.  And when he saw the ceiling of the access tunnel, it all became
crystal clear.  The stirring in his mind again, and this time, it was
uncomfortably clear just what that stirring was.
    It was the girl, trying to fight him.
    'Forgive me.  I will relinquish your body soon enough.'  Life
was tempting, but not that tempting.  This was just a joy ride, not
something he would make permanent... if it was even possible.
Besides, this body, the body of the girl was not to his taste.  If,
for some reason, he planned on taking on a permanent body, it would be
male, first thing, and it would have to be powerful, physically fit.
    Sure, the girl was probably fine in her own right, but how
could the Global Saviour re-emerge in such a... dainty condition?  Fine
in its own right, but unacceptable.
    He stood on shaky legs, the sensations unfamiliar after what
seemed like years in an environment he had almost complete control of.
Now he was at the whims of the natural environment, a fairly frightening
prospect for him.
    He looked left and right, feeling the body react to his mental
commands, each muscle, tendon, bone working...  It was an incredible
effort to actually make the body (his body for the time being) move
with short, stiff steps.
    Everything felt wrong, but what could he expect in a borrowed
body?  He could only work with what he had.  At the moment, this body
was his to deal with and he wasn't having a very good time of it.  In
truth, he was afraid that if he got too comfortable, he'd want to
stay.
    Not necessarily in the girl's body, but in the living world.
He wasn't sure he could deal with that again.  But that raised another
interesting question... if the body he possessed died, what would
happen to him?
    Would he get a second chance to leave the mortal world or
would he just be kicked out of the body?  An interesting question
indeed, but one he didn't plan on discovering the answer to for quite
some time, if ever.
    Instead of letting himself become comfortable in the body, he
maintained the awkward carriage.  It was how he assured himself that
he was separate from the girl and wouldn't be tempted.
    Down the hall he walked, slowly, almost painfully.  He
struggled up the stairs and found himself outside in the clean air
again.  It was better the second time around, now able to appreciate
the freedom he hadn't known in the waning years of his life.
    The rain was coming down gently on him, and he closed his
eyes.  Lifting his face to the sky, he felt the moisture as it hit his
skin.  The elation he felt was short-lived as he realized this was all
a false existence for him.
    He was a ghost and would never know what it was like to be
truly alive again.  A sudden scowl on his face, Tatewaki wiped the
rain-water from himself and pushed aside idle thoughts of things more
pleasant.
    He didn't even know why he was bothering.  This world wasn't
for him, not any longer.  It was filled with memories of things he
wished had never happened, things... people... ghosts of his past.
    "Ellie!  What are you doing standing there in the rain?"
    Looking automatically at the person who had called out, not
realizing they were actually calling out to him, Tatewaki spied a
group of what appeared to be fellow students about to enter a
building.  They waved at her.
    "Hurry, Ellie!  You're gonna miss class otherwise!" one young
man called out.
    Curious, Tatewaki made his way to the group of students who he
assumed to the be the young lady's friends.  They quickly filed into
the building and into one of the big auditoriums.
    They all took their seats, whispering to each other, with
seconds to spare as the lights dimmed and the day's lesson appeared on
the huge display wall at the front of the auditorium.
    Watching with amazement and disbelief, Tatewaki couldn't
comprehend any of what was going on.  The concepts were completely
foreign to him, mind-boggling in their complexity.  He hadn't touched
anything nearly so complex when he had been in college.
    The class didn't end soon enough for him, and as the lights
slowly raised, Tatewaki couldn't wait to escape from the torture room.
    "Hey, Ellie, are you going to see your boyfriend later?"
another young man asked her.  The question was followed by some
good-natured giggling.
    Tatewaki looked at him strangely, not having a clue what he
was talking about.  That was the problem.  He was in control of the
body but had no knowledge that the owner of the body did.  If someone
had asked him what node controlled the timed locks of the University's
administrative offices, he could have answered that without a problem.
This girl's boyfriend?  No clue.
    "Are you feeling OK, Ellie?" a girl asked as they exited the
building.
    He shrugged in response.  "So-so."
    "You don't look so good.  Maybe you should just go back to the
dorm," the original young man asked, looking at him worriedly.
    Tatewaki shook his head.  "I'll... live."  It appeared that
there was something unspoken the young man was considering, but he
said nothing further.
    "If you're sure..."
    "I am."
    The young man nodded his head.  "OK, well, we better get to
class.  You remember what today is, don't you?" he asked, mood
changing from concerned to excited.
    Tatewaki shook his head.
    Another girl grabbed his arm.  "How could you forget?  This is
the chapter we've been waiting for all semester!"
    "Yeah, 21st Century History wouldn't be complete without the
section on the Global Saviour!"
    "My mom met him once, at a rally in... what was it?  I don't
know, 2028 or so," another young woman said, almost wistfully.
    "That's so cool.  Let's go so we can get good seats!" the
young man said, and, grabbing Tatewaki's arm, began jogging off to the
building their class was in.
    The others followed, still talking about what might be
discussed in their class, beginning their own banter about the now
deceased Global Saviour.
    "How popular is he in America?" the second man asked Tatewaki.
"Is there a lot of stuff about him over there?"
    "Er... I don't..."
    "The government over there is nothing but a bunch of
tyrannical fascists," a shrill-voiced woman said from the back of the
bunch.
    Several of the others turned and gave her cross looks.
    "Oh, uh, sorry about that, Ellie.  That's what I heard in my
Comparative Government of the Americas class," she apologized lamely.
    "Man, Hiroko, can you be much more rude?"
    "It's not my fault that's what Mr. Kawamoto said.  I think
he's got a serious chip on his shoulder."
    "Gee, do ya think?"
    "Not much," another girl said and snickered.
    "Oh, can it, 'Neko-chan'."
    "Ladies!  Can both of you just shut up for five minutes?" the
man pulling Tatewaki along said.
    "Yes, Gaku-chan," they replied in unison and began giggling.
    "Please, PLEASE don't call me that," he said, his cheeks red
with embarrassment.  "My name is Manabu, not Gaku-chan, or Bu-chan..."
    "Yes, Gaku-chan," they repeated, laughing even more.
    He was saved by the group arriving at the building their class
was in.  Slowing down to a fast walk, the group entered the building
through the classical double doors and made their way down the hall.
    The auditorium was about a quarter full and filling up slowly.
The best seats had already been filled, but there were some decent
ones three rows back available still.
    The group all filed in and sat, their whispering joining the
rest that filled the large speaking hall.  As the others all got out
their books and notes, Tatewaki turned and looked at the rest of the
auditorium.
    It was huge, appearing to hold at least a thousand people.
This couldn't have been just a lecture hall, not when it was this
size.  There had to be some alternate purpose for it.
    "I hear the later classes are screwed because the KF limited
the available information to only 2500 copies," Minaro whispered to
the rest of the group.  "We got our copies, same with the second
class, but only about half the third class did, and the rest got
jack."
    "That's the price you pay for not being able to wake before 2
in the afternoon," Hiroko whispered, earning chuckles from the rest.
    It took about 15 minutes for the auditorium to fill; there
were no late-comers as the professor took his place at the front and
waited a few moments for everyone to quiet down.
    "Good to see you all today," he said, his voice amplified to
be clearly audible for everyone.  "This class appears much more filled
out than usual.  I'd almost think it was an exam day."
    There was scattered laughter as many guilty parties tried to
blow off the implication.
    "Today we will begin our section on who has come to be
commonly referred to as the Global Saviour.  In truth, the title is
well-deserved, but I think we'll see, with thanks to the Kunou
Foundation for their generosity, that things were not as simple as the
media would like us to believe."

    Tatewaki watched and listened in shock as the class went over
details of his life.  Thankfully, those early years were pretty much
glossed over, labeling him as an average high school student.  Ranma
and Akane were completely absent from the initial narrative, a point
he thought was strange considering they had been the catalyst for...
everything.
    He raised his hand.  "What about..."
    "Please, save your questions until we get through today's
material.  We'll have discussion then," the professor said, then
continued talking.
    Events that he had lived through, suffered through were
presented as spectacles for the mass of college students.  The fact
that they thought it was all the most fascinating thing they had ever
heard was of no comfort.  His life was on display, and he didn't care
for it at all.
    The lecture stopped at the year 2008, the year his father had
died.  Strangely, that memory caused him more grief than he would have
thought.  His father, who he had always hated, was gone.  Maybe to a
better place, maybe someplace worse, but...
    There was something that made him nervous about being "out" of
his hiding place.  To an extent, he wished he was back in his own
little world, where it was safe and stable.
    And maybe if he would have just... gone on, he would be safe
and stable somewhere.  Heaven, limbo, or just plain dead, he had to
wonder.
    "Now, young lady, what was your question?" the professor
asked, shaking Tatewaki from his contemplation.
    "I wanted to know..."
    "Please, stand up so everyone can hear you."
    Letting out an exasperated sigh, Tatewaki stood and repeated
his question.  "I wanted to know more about Saotome Ranma and Tendo
Akane.  What part did they play?"
    The professor narrowed his eyes for a split second before
shaking his head and assuming an amused expression.  "Classmates of
his.  Nothing more."
    This girl... he didn't even know her name...  She was a
potential thorn in his side.  It had been because of the KF that he
had gotten his job, their warehouse's of information that never saw
the light of day...  Sure, it was altered to be acceptable for public
consumption, but...
    This girl knew things.  "Is that all?"
    Tatewaki wasn't done yet.  "What about..."  It was shameful
and evil, but there was no getting around it.  "What about the
disappearances of Gosunkugi Hikaru and Unryu Akari?"
    "What about them?  Young lady, if you want me to answer
questions, they have to make sense."  This was definitely suspect.
    There was a quiet murmur in the auditorium that was beginning
to build in volume.
    "What about..."  This would probably blow the lid off the
place.  "What about the drugs administered by Gosunkugi Kyoofu and Ono
Tofu..."
    He stopped speaking as the room erupted.  Waiting a few
moments as the professor stared daggers at him.
    "What about the drugs they administered to gain control of the
Foundation for themselves, relegating Kunou Tatewaki to the role of a
mere pretender?  What about them?"
    "Ellie!" Manabu hissed at her.  "Stop it!  You'll have the KF
on your ass!"
    "What about, on the night of the 'terrorist bombing', the men
that were also killed in the blast, that were sent to kill Kunou
Tatewaki by Gosunkugi Kyoofu and Ono Tofu?  What about them!" he ended
up shouting.
    The room was filled with the sound of almost a thousand
students all talking at the same time, much to Tatewaki's pleasure.
Yes, let the truth come out.  Let them all see how they had been
fooled.
    "QUIET!"  The look on the professor's face was unpleasant to
say the least.  As the auditorium silenced, he looked at Tatewaki, a
very evident sneer on his face.  "Young lady, who do you think you
are, slandering the names of the Chief Executor of the Kunou Foundation
and the founder of Onocorp?  What do you know that has been hidden
from the rest of us?  Hm?  And just what lends you any credibility at
all?"
    The man was smooth.  He knew how to direct the conversation,
to turn things around.  "I know more... than I would like to.  And
what I know hasn't been filtered and approved by the Foundation to
show them in a brighter light.
    "What I know is the truth.  The real truth.  Not the truth the
Foundation would have you believe."
    The whispering throughout the auditorium picked up again.
    "And what is your name, young lady?  I think I shall shortly
be recommending you for psychiatric care."
    That brought a few nervous laughs, but nothing more.
    "I should ask who are you, sir, to be lecturing lies about
someone you know NOTHING about other than what's been fed to you?"
    "Ellie!  What the hell are you talking about?  Sit down!"
Manabu whispered vehemently, pulling on her arm.
    Hearing Manabu's voice, the professor could finally put a name
to the face.  "Ah yes, Miss Meadows.  This is an interesting thing for
you to be saying, considering your... ethnic background."  That was
said with a definite tone of disgust in his voice.
    "You," Tatewaki said in a low and dangerous voice, "are
nothing more than a lap-dog for those villains, and spread lies to hide
their crimes.  You are not an educator, but a simple charlatan."  He
snorted.  "Corporate sponsored history...  Your lies do not fool me."
    "Miss Meadows," the professor said, his voice calm, but not at
all friendly, "I suggest you sit down before you disturb the class
further.  Your... foolish comments have no place in an institution of
learning."
    "Unless you wish to learn the truth," Tatewaki retorted and
began exiting the row.  "I will stand for no more of this."
    Every person in the auditorium watched him leave, some amused,
others curious, and the professor with slitted eyes.
    Her name would go into a report to be turned in to the
university and the Foundation.  That had been one of the conditions of
being allowed access to the information; he had to keep an eye on the
students who showed... uncommon interest in the topics he talked
about.
    Ellison Meadows ranked very high on his list of suspicious
students at the moment.

    It didn't matter where he went.  Back to where the whole mess
had started would probably be best because he was guaranteed a way
back to his hiding spot.  After what had happened in that class, he
was ready to completely give up on the world.
    The rain was really coming down, large drops splattering on
the sidewalk, soaking through the clothes on the body he was wearing.
He couldn't let himself get too comfortable because that would just be
the quickest way to misery.
    "Ellie!" the young man, the interfering young man, called from
behind him.  "Wait up!"
    Tatewaki kept going, ignoring the pleading in the voice.  He
wouldn't stand for any more lies.  His life was not something that
people could just change around because it looked better that way.  If
people wanted to know something about him, they should know it all.
    "Ellie!  Hold it!"  Manabu grabbed who he thought was Ellie's
arm and turned her around.  "What's wrong with you?  Don't you know
what kind of trouble you get in saying stuff like that?  That goes
right to the KF!"
    Tatewaki snorted.  "Then so be it.  They should know that
there are people who are aware of their lies."
    "Ellie, what's wrong with you!  Don't you get it?  They can...
They'll..."
    He turned and looked hard at the man.  "I know what they are
capable of.  Now if you'll excuse me."  Tatewaki shrugged out of
Manabu's hold and walked back toward the unfinished hall.  Though he
was right, and Tatewaki would have to do something about that.
    He smirked.  That was as simple as one minor manipulation of
some rather insecure data, and this student would be free and clear.
Ellie Meadows, if he heard the professor and her friends right, would
soon be on the receiving end of a full scholarship and immunity from
the Foundation's terror squads.
    Foundation.  What a laugh.  There was nothing left of what he
had started; it was all the doings of Gosunkugi and Ono.
    And this poor, misguided fool that thought everything was as
they taught it to him.  They all thought that.  Tatewaki suddenly
broke into a run, not looking behind him, not looking ahead... just
running blindly.
    A building, he ran inside, not seeing which it was, and
slammed into someone.  He fell to the floor roughly, grimacing, and
looked up.
    "My dear, what's come over you?  Don't you have a class now?"
    It took all of Tatewaki's self-control to not attack him and
rip his throat out.
    He leaned down a little and held his hand out to her.  The two
men on either of him stood impassively, an umbrella held in one of
their hands.
    Wanting to take the offered hand and crush it, Tatewaki,
trembling with rage, stood on his own and brushed himself off.  "What
do you want?" he asked in as neutral a tone of voice he could manage.
    "I was just on my way to lunch.  As you don't appear to be in
class, why don't you join me?  I was planning on going to the club,
but if you would prefer, we could go... someplace more private."
    The very thought made Tatewaki almost vomit right there.  "No,
I don't think so," he answered, snarling slightly.
    He smirked.  "Very well.  Is our appointment still on for
tonight?  The penthouse is so... achingly empty and could use a
visitor... or two."
    Tatewaki opened his mouth in preparation to tell him to rot in
hell, but he closed it quickly.  Steadily trembling, he shook his
head.  "No," he said through gritted teeth, "I don't think so."
Turning quickly, almost running, Tatewaki left the building, hoping
that he wouldn't be followed.
    "Chief Executor, should we..." one of the men started to ask.
    Kyoofu watched his young mistress break into a run through the
rain.  "No, there's no need.  Some flowers to her room should do."
He watched for a moment more.  "I have business to attend to anyway."
With that said, he waited for the door to be opened then stepped out.
One of the men held the umbrella over him, and they started their way
off campus.

    Finally.  He sat down with his back against the wall and
relaxed.  Now to escape the prison, get as far away from the living
hell he had somehow gotten himself into.
    It was a bit of a struggle, separating himself from the girl,
giving him the distinct feeling of ripping away...
    And then he was himself, or what was left of himself again.
The girl stirred at his feet, and he knew he had to hide as quickly as
possible.  If she believed it was only a dream, or some sort of
sleep-walking, then she wouldn't talk.
    There was no doubt that he would be a hunted animal if there
was even a chance that he was still around.  While he was still a
presence, he was still a threat to Gosunkugi and Ono.  That was
something they couldn't allow.
    Before Ellie's eyes opened, Tatewaki faded back through the
wall and fled back into his little world.

[2034]

    "We're here to escort you from the building."
    There were five men, all dressed in dark, conservative suits
standing around his desk.  "What's... what's the meaning of this?"  He
was holding the arms of his chair almost protectively, not planning on
letting go any time soon.
    "You're being terminated and we're here to escort you from the
building.  You have 15 minutes to collect your things."  The large man
crossed his arms over his chest and stared down impassively.  "Mister 
Ishigane, if you don't..."
    "Professor or Doctor, if you must.  I have a Ph.D. and I demand
that I am treated with the respect my stature warrants!"  His face was
red, and everyone around was subtlety staring at the goings-on.
    "Very well, _Professor_ Ishigane, let me make this clear.  The
KF wants your butt out of here PDQ.  Get it?"  The men were completely
oblivious to the look of fury on the professor's face.
    "Damn you!  I'll take this over your head!  I'll take it right
to Chief Executor Gosunkugi!  He..."
    A piece of paper was held out to him to read.
    'In light of certain facts that have come to my attention
regarding your dealings with the media concerning sensitive materials,
you are hereby dismissed from your KF-sponsored position at Tokyo
University.'
    "What?  WHAT?"  Ishigane ripped the paper from the man's hand
and stared at it.  "Dealings with the media?  This is a lie!  I've
never..."
    Standing suddenly, Ishigane grabbed his suit jacket.  "I'm
going to talk to the Chief Executor NOW."  He marched out of his
office, past the other faculty of the history department, with a
determined look on his face, leaving all his things behind.

    "I demand to see the Chief Executor!"  He pounded his fist on
the desk, staring angrily at the secretary.
    "I'm sorry, Mister..."
    "PROFESSOR Ishigane."
    "I'm sorry, Professor Ishigane, but the Chief Executor is in
the middle of an important meeting and can't see you.  If you'd like
to make an appointment for a later date, he can..."
    "Screw this!  This is my LIFE he's fucking up!" Ishigane
yelled and marched to the door.  Not giving the secretary a chance to
stop him, he practically kicked in the large double doors.
    "Gosunkugi!  What's the meaning of this?" he demanded, still
holding the paper in his hand.
    Kyoofu looked up from his video conference, the screen
blanking quickly to hide whoever it was on the other end, and smiled.
"Well it's good to see you, Mawashi."  It was evident that he didn't
mean that in a friendly manner.  "What brings you here?"
    "This!"  Ishigane walked up to the huge desk and slapped the
paper down.  "What is the meaning of this?"
    Kyoofu gave it a cursory glance.  "It's your termination
notice.  Did you remove your things from your office?  I hope all your
little plaques didn't get thrown away."
    "How could you...  I want...  I DEMAND an explanation for
this!  I want to..."
    Kyoofu stood up and planted his hands on his desk, leaning
forward to shout right in Ishigane's face.  "You will NOT make demands
of me!  You will sit down, shut up and hear what penalty you are going
to pay for taking advantage of MY generosity!"
    Ishigane shrunk back under Kyoofu's verbal assault and sat
weakly in the chair.  "I never..."
    "Au contraire, my dear professor.  As recently as, oh, let's
say, yesterday, I received an anonymous mail that included an
interesting variety of materials.  Most of these were pieces of
sensitive information from the KF to a certain media group.  So, you
see my position.  I simply can't allow you to..."
    "I never did such a thing!  I wouldn't!  I've always been..."
    "Yes, we know.  This information goes back quite a time,
almost six months.  That's not a good thing."  Kyoofu sat back down
and leaned back in his chair, his eyes on Ishigane.  "It's a very bad
thing."
    Ishigane's face paled.  "But I didn't..." he protested weakly.
    "That won't do it.  The evidence I have that says you did far
outweighs your feeble denials."  Kyoofu pushed the intercom button.
"Mutsumi..."
    /*They're on their way, Chief Executor.*/
    "And since you've taken advantage of the access we've granted
you, we need to... rectify that.  And you've done us the favour of
coming here yourself instead of making us send for you."  Kyoofu
smiled then, a smug, disgusting smile.
    A look of panic appeared on Ishigane's face.  He stood up,
almost knocking the chair over.  "It's a lie!  It's all a lie!" he
yelled, then turned and ran for the doors.
    Before he could open them, they were flung open in his face,
one of them smashing into his nose.
    With a strangled yelp, he fell backward, hand on his face,
blood gushing out of his broken nose.   
    The four men that entered the room looked quite similar to the
ones that had been at the University, big, burly, dressed in black
suits, looks of distaste on their faces.
    "Gentlemen, please remove him to the Onocorp facilities as
discretely as possible," Kyoofu said.  "And next time, Mawashi, be a
little more careful with your treachery; you'll live longer."

    The next day, the campus of the University of Tokyo seemed
unchanged except for one class.
    "Cancelled?  What?" Manabu exclaimed as he looked at the signs
posted on the doors to the auditorium.  "Why is class cancelled?"
    Kaneko stood at his shoulder, shaking her head.  "I heard from
someone in one of the later classes that Ishigane got fired.  It's all
over the history department."
    "Fired?  For what?"  Manabu stared in disbelief at the notice.
    The girl shrugged.  "I wouldn't believe anything I've heard.
Just that when it happened, Ishigane was pretty pissed about it.
Guess you could hear him yelling through the entire building."
    Manabu ripped the sign off and crumpled it in his hand.
"Damn!  So much for this class.  And I was looking forward to..."  He
trailed off when he saw Ellie approaching.  It wasn't likely, but it
was possible that Ellie's outburst had been one of the reasons for the
termination.
    She looked distinctly tired and unhappy, unusual for her, even
under the circumstances.  She waved tiredly as the others just looked
at her.  "What's up?" she asked.
    "Class is cancelled," Manabu said sourly.
    "Ishigane sick?"
    "No, fired.  Class is cancelled for the rest of the semester."
    Ellie seemed to deflate.  "That's... too bad."  The others had
their doubts, but she knew.  Whatever had happened while she had
been... unconscious that day, known only to her by what the others had
said, had something to do with it.  "This sucks," she said quietly.
    "Yeah," Kaneko added, shifting her bag to her other shoulder.
"I hope we won't have our financial aid pulled for this."
    Ellie nodded in sympathy, not daring to tell the others about
the letter she had gotten from the University.  To say she had been
shocked when she had read it was an understatement.  To get a letter
from the University when she had been fearing some severe
consequences and reading that she was getting a full scholarship...
    "Well, I guess I'll be heading back to my room.  I'm not
really feeling well," she said instead.  The entire situation was just
sitting like a ball of iron in her stomach, and nothing seemed to make
things any better.
    "You're not looking so good.  Did you go to the clinic?"
Manabu asked, noting the dark circles under Ellie's eyes that hadn't
left for over a week.
    She hesitated for a moment.  "Sort of."
    Kaneko shook her head and leaned over.  "You haven't been
taking anything that..."
    "Just leave him out of it.  I don't want to bring him into
this.  He's got nothing to do with it."  He had told her they were
only vitamins anyway.  There was nothing wrong with that.
    The group fell into an uneasy silence, all pondering the
cancelled class.

[2040]

    That had sealed it.  As unappealing an idea as it was, it was
something Tatewaki thought he had to do.  He had put his revenge on
hold, he had to put what he had died for aside.
    The upside was that if his plan worked out, he could influence
future events more directly than just simple revenge.  His future
plans would be the... re-education of society.
    Yet, to actually do such a thing, he needed a vessel, and
frankly, he wasn't willing to cut someone down just for that.  He
wouldn't use the tactics of Gosunkugi for such a thing (even though he
had with Ishigane), he refused to stoop so low.
    He was better than that, had always been better than that.
Even in his darkest hours, he was better than Gosunkugi.  Better than
all of them and their lying, manipulative, greedy...
    The hate and anger and anguish swelled, and instead of the
pleasant glowing blue his environment normally was, it took on an
unhealthy blackish hue.
    He was better than them.  And he was more dangerous than they
would ever suspect.

    "We've got power failures all over the grid!  Computer access
is blocked!"
    "What about override?"
    He typed in a few commands.  "Nothing!  Block 636 is going
red!"
    "Alert the police and fire emergency.  Have them prepare for
traffic alerts and fire hazards."  It was the main engineer's job to
assure that things got done.  It was his job not to panic.
    The operator picked up the phone and punched the emergency
number.  He waited as the phone made an odd buzzing in his ear, and
then the computer monitor began to flicker wildly.
    "Oh shit!  We're going red!  Everything across the board
is..."
    The lights died then, along with all the other electronic
equipment, phones, air conditioning in the room.  Even the emergency
lights failed to turn on, and the entire room was a black hole.
    "What the HELL was that?" the engineer asked, finally losing
his cool.
    "I... I don't know.  Everything just started dying for no
reason.  There weren't any alerts or hot spots before...  It just
died," the operator responded in an awed voice.  Never had he seen
anything so abrupt, so final happen like that.  Not even an earthquake
or tsunami could kill the building so completely.
    They sat in the dark for five minutes, unable to leave because
the electronic doors to the building's operation center were sealed
and could be opened only by key-cards.
    After those five minutes, they began to get nervous.
    "Do you think we're the only ones?  An attack on the
building?" the operator asked.
    "Could be, but if 636 went down, it's probably got a wider
range than just us.  There's nothing on that block to attack, just
some small businesses and stores."
    "Do you think the whole city is down?"
    Silence reigned for a minute.
    "I hope not."

    Block by block, the city of Tokyo and much of the surrounding
area went black.  Completely and utterly dark, devoid of all power.
    It stayed that way for almost an hour.

    "Will we run out of air down here?"
    "We shouldn't, but..."  With no power at all, it was hard to
say.  If it was all pumped in oxygen with no real ventilation, they'd
only live as long as their current supply of air lasted.
    "I didn't touch anything.  It just started doing it all by
itself."
    "I know.  I'm not sure it will matter though.  When we get out
of here, they'll need someone to blame.  If we're lucky, it'll just be
a permanent black mark on our records."
    "I've got a kid."  The operator thought his voice sounded very
weak in the blackness.
    "We'll manage something.  Something."  The worst result would
be the problem his kids faced.  Losing his job was... awful, but a
strike on him would be a strike against all of them too.  "Shit."
    And as if that was the magic word, there was a chugging sound,
whirring, and the lights flickered to life.  All the monitors in the
room flared on, popping with electricity, and a sudden blast of cool
air came from the vents.
    The two men looked up at the ceiling, wondering what had
happened, but more importantly, thanking whatever gods there might be
for getting them out of the situation.
    "Quick!  Status check!" the engineer barked, and dropped down
in a chair in front of another machine.
    The operator began rapidly typing as the prompt came out.
"System status is go."  More typing, sweat drenching his face as he
worked to put everything back the way it had been.  "Power... all
grids green."
    "Good.  Organize police and military to sweep the city for
anything suspicious.  Have medical and fire emergency on top alert;
there's bound to be something going wrong."  His fingers jabbed at the
keys, going deeper into the system.
    "Diagnostic spider going," he said tensely.  If a problem
appeared, it would probably be here, and it would probably be severe.
His eyes were glued to the monitor as numbers and almost meaningless
lines of code scrolled up the screen.
    The first break would mean trouble.  He was waiting for it.
    "Issue an official report," he commanded, knowing the media
would be all over the incident, and probably laying a heavy blame on
them.  "Tell them... tell them anything.  Hackers, terrorists,
marauding squirrels...  Anything!"
    "I'm on it."
    The sharp ringing of the phone shook them both.  They looked
at it with dread.

[2046]

    Tatewaki had to wonder just how long this little project had
been stewing in the minds of nemeses?  Had this been one of the
purposes for his removal by Gosunkugi?  That couldn't be so; that was
far too simple for the complete take-over that had taken place.
    He made his own investigation of the files, unknown by anyone.
It was an... interesting scheme, to say the least.  Genetic
manipulation, an army of supersoldiers, completely loyal, throwaway
people basically.
    The idea almost made Tatewaki laugh.  Complete loyalty would
only carry a person so far.  He knew from first-hand experience.  He
hadn't been any sort of supersoldier, but his heart had carried him
further than any genetic cocktail ever would.
    But...  The idea did indeed have potential, but not safely in
the hands of two madmen.  It would be better if he had ultimate
control over the fate of such a thing.
    A few more gentle touches, shifts, manipulations and that was
that.  It would be years before the plan would ever come to fruition,
but he could wait years.  They were the ones who could not afford
those years spent on extensive research.  They were the ones with such
limited lives, such limited vision.
    In the end, it would be their downfall and his resurgence.
    Of course, he had to wait until the project was actually set
in motion to exert a more complete influence over it, but it would be
worth it.  This was definitely improving his mood from before.  If
only it had been so easy when he was actually alive, then things would
have been different.

    "Did you see that?"
    "See what?"
    "I just had a glitch flash across my monitor.  There it is
again!"
    The screen flashed for the barest moment, almost impossible to
see with the naked human eye.
    "Screen capture it and we can take a look.  It's probably just
a weird power spike."
    A few moments later, the monitor flashed and the incident was
captured.  The two men opened the first file in the series of screen
captures.  It was as the screen should have been.  They moved on to
the next one, and the next one.
    "Maybe there wasn't anything to pick up.  It probably was just
a power spike."
    The next picture appeared and the two men stared.  Very
clearly, emblazoned in red across the regular text...
    "What the hell?"
    "I don't know, but I don't think I want to work down here any
longer."
    'vengeance = happiness'

[2047]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"...truly, this dark cradle of civilization was ever the wellspring of
horrors and marvels unspeakable."  - H.P. Lovecraft

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The University tried it again with plenty of urging from the
Foundation.  Urging and support that never made it to the University's
secure account.  The details of the Global Savior's life would not
become a spectacle again.
    In fact, all electronic communication between the two parties
was disrupted, making it impossible to work out what had happened.
Even face to face meetings were troublesome, something consistently
delaying one party or the other for hours on end...
    It was as if they were purposely being kept apart, but that
was just silly.  If there was _any_ sort of tampering going on, surely
they would have found it.  No one could hide their tracks that well.
    That had caught Ishigane, they had caught a number of other
fools who thought they could take advantage of the size of the
Foundation, try to lose their evidence amongst all the electronic
information being passed around...  It never worked.
    And now, there was something going on that was more than
suspicious.  Combined with that near disastrous blackout, there was
nothing left to doubt.  There was a very clever person with their
fingers in the system, and they were good.  Too good.
    "I think it's an inside job."  Kyoofu scowled as the picture
started to get fuzzy, Tofu's face warping out of recognizability.
    /*Not from my end.  You need to take better care of who you
let into the system.*/  Tofu's voice was garbled by static, but still
audible, still understandable.
    Scowling, Kyoofu stopped himself from disconnecting right
then.  "Look, do you know how far we got set back by that blackout?
It's not just my problem!"
    The picture winked out for a moment, then reappeared.  /*I
know what's happened.*/  His voice sounded on the edge of yelling.
/*I've been overseeing it personally, and I'm sure you can't even
imagine the research dollars...*/
    Kyoofu snorted.  "The research dollars that went into it.  And
you think I don't know where those research dollars you complain about
so much came from?  Practically out of my pocket!"
    Tofu looked angry for a moment, the colours warping, then he
laughed a little.  /*Don't be so angry, pot.  You are just as black as
I am, and just as guilty.*/
    "I've got my people working on it," Kyoofu snapped before he
did disconnect.  Ono was no help.  He hadn't even seemed that
concerned about the problems the blackout could have potentially
caused, let alone the ones it had.
    The reports had come in after the power had come back on about
the several small detention centers in Tokyo.  No criminals had
escaped, but there had been rioting, and even a few deaths.
    He sat in his chair for a moment, eyes closed, meditating.
Hopefully, an answer would come to him, a solution to all these sudden
problems.  One hand went to his desk drawer and opened it before
pulling out a small bottle of pills.
    He skilfully opened the bottle with one hand and fished out a
pill.  Opening his eyes slowly, he looked at what he held in his
fingers.  It was tiny, small enough that he could dry swallow it with
no problem, and green.  A sickly, pale green that reminded him of
dying leaves.
    Kyoofu opened his mouth a popped the pill in, swallowing, not
even feeling it go down his throat.  Tofu's little cocktails.  It
worried him sometimes, when he bothered to think about it.  Those
little home-made concoctions worked so well, and here he was, taking
them without a second thought.
    "Ono, I'll kill you if these pills have any side-effects," he
vowed quietly.  "That is a promise, and I'll flush all your stupid
projects right down the toilet.  Screw you and your facilities...
This is my money now."

[2047]

    It had gotten to the point where torturing the two was no
longer enjoyable.  They were so persistent, so unrelenting...  It was
enjoyable to see their frustration, watch just how hard they tried,
but they didn't actually DO anything.  And they couldn't.  They
couldn't find him, didn't even know he was still watching them.
    Even if they did, there was nothing they could do.  They
couldn't shut him down, couldn't keep him out.  What they considered
their network, their computers... it all belonged to him now.
    There was still one thing eating away at his curiosity.  A
thing only ghosts could see.  No surveillance cameras, no computer
imaging could show it to him.  Only he could see it with his eyes.
That meant...
    He quivered, excitement and anger and fright surging through
him, disrupting the display of the giant display in Tokyo square,
sending lines of interference through the picture there.
    He had to leave his safety again.  It had been... too long, he
thought.  He hated leaving, but it was that moment of excitement, like
free-fall, that teased him.  To stand there, feeling naked, in the
world, with no protection...  It was a nightmare, and yet, it was
something he dared to do.
    But just this time.  This couldn't become a habit for him; it
was too dangerous for that.  Why, Tatewaki wasn't sure.  There was
just something in him that told him it was better to stay inside where
no one could touch him, no one could get close to him.  Stay inside,
as far away from the living world as he could get.
    Less than the time it would take for a heart to beat, he
traveled from his home spot in the city operations center (a thinly
disguised KF front) to the USE building.
    Tatewaki flitted from computer to computer, like a a bee to
flowers, but none of them had the nectar he desired.  Even the project
head's machine was amazingly sparse.  A trip to the immense mainframe,
and that was a disappointment.  Nothing but financial records,
estimates, schedules, garbage.
    Deeper then.  He had taken a fork in the network to look at
the more standard computers, but there was a path that he suspected
would lead him to the entire core of USE and Ono's plans.  The good
doctor did not disappoint.
    He found them, all the disgusting details, on the second
mainframe, ten times larger than the more pedestrian one upstairs.
And on that mainframe, Tatewaki saw, with more clarity than he wanted
to, what he had funded for all those years.  This was what all that
blackmail money had gone too, and he had agreed on it.
    He had seen the beginnings, and they had been... hideous.  But
that had only been the surface.  Digging beneath it proved to be much,
much worse.  No longer was it a silly dare to himself, a joyride into
the world.  It was now necessary to either assuage his fears, or to
shame himself for what he had done.
    No one else could, but no one else needed to.  Though he
wanted to be wrong, he had existed long enough in a ghost state to
understand a little more about what had happened.  And if he applied
that theory to the data he was looking through...
    Tatewaki had to see, he had to know the truth.  And if that
truth was as horrible as he feared, then he would need to do something
to make things...  Not better, surely, but more right than they had
been.  It was a fate no one deserved.
    He located an exit point, one that he hoped would not be
occupied any time soon, and forced himself out.  In an annoyingly
primitive way, it was like birth, the way he forced himself out of
the nearly dormant electrical conductor and emerged in a place so
achingly white, his eyes hurt.
    The room was sterile, clean to the point of insanity.  This
was it; he recognized the decor from his previous visit, and it was no
better now than it had been.  And then, that door must be...
    Looking briefly for anyone he might have missed, Tatewaki
steeled himself, pushing down the alien nervousness, and passed
through the thick door.
    It was almost as he remembered it.  Not quite, but almost.
Things had changed with the advancement of science, of technology, but
still, those awful tanks.  And worse.
    Finally he saw what Akane must have seen, what had driven her
to thirst for vengeance.  A thirst that had surpassed his own by far.
It was worse than he had feared, and it had nothing to do with the
deteriorated tissue he saw in those tanks.
    Here was a far worse punishment than anything any living
person could imagine.  He scowled as her lifeless, half-lidded eyes
stared through him.  This... this was intolerable, like looking at
someone in a vegetative state and not allowing nature to take its
course.
    "I never knew," he whispered, his voice sounding very loud in
the empty room.  "It's not too late; you can still go... go to
wherever."  He spoke to the unresponsive soul, hoping that she would
acknowledge his words in any way, any way other than the rippling of
her ethereal limbs.
    Tatewaki approached one of the tanks that contained a ragged
arm.  It was much deteriorated, more than what was related to the
explosion it had gone through.  His doing, no doubt.  If he had known,
he would have kept the power out longer, let all the pieces die.
    If someone wanted to die, they should be allowed that much.
There was punishment and consequences even after death, but in this
perverted stasis, there was nothing.  No guilt, no anguish, no regret
or remorse.  No feeling, no being, no nothing.  It was oblivion.
    With a look of sick anger on his face, outrage at the
disregard shown to a human, Tatewaki strode to a small panel that
pulsed with multicoloured lights.  That walk across the room changed
him inexorably.
    He had crossed paths with one of those tentacles, and he
felt it throughout his entire body.  A cold, frigid, numbness that he
related more to the vast blackness of space than the experience of
death.
    Heaven forbid that he would ever be in such a position, and if
he was, pray that someone would remove him from his misery.  Yet, it
would be a misery he would not know, which seemed far worse to him.
What could be worse than to be robbed of life, and even death?  What
could be worse than to be turned into a meaty equivalent of a rock?
    Tatewaki's aura pulsed a dark blue, like the depths of the
sea, as he stood at the panel.  It was a simple monitoring system, a
regulator that could be changed by someone in the room instead of
having to go to a workstation.  It was a simple device, something he
could destroy in his sleep.  If he slept anymore.
    He pressed his hand through the panel and felt the inner
workings.  The fools didn't have any idea just how unsafe the little
chunk of wires and pretty lights was.  With just his hand in the data
stream, he turned all controls to zero level, which sent a bevy of red
lights and alarms off.
    A simple surge of his own energy made the electrical
components short circuit and a small fire was started.  It wouldn't be
anything too damaging, nothing that couldn't be put out nearly
instantaneously, but it would serve as a warning.
    The alarm was still going off, and he could see the liquid in
the tanks turn a strange dusky orange.  Tatewaki laughed suddenly.
Ono must have been shitting himself when the power had been out that
time!  That gave him joy, to know that he had hurt them in some small,
middling way, to know that they were all so pathetic and foolish,
relying on their little devices to save their souls.
    When that time came, their deaths, their souls would get a
special treatment.  That was something he could arrange, something he
would enjoy doing.
    It was all quite simple.  Things had been set in motion,
before he had been born even.  The proliferation of technology meant
that the world would become more dependent on computers and their
limited capacity.  It was still a fragile thing, but Tokyo was all
wrapped in the web of the Foundation's network, and while all the
others thought they had things under control, it was all under his
control.
    A group of men dressed in white suits rushed into the room,
passing right through him so he could feel everything about them.
Each one was a machine, a complicated neural net that utilized
electrical impulses... a lot like a computer.  Infinitely more
complicated, but then... it takes time to learn.
    Shaking himself from his sudden thoughts, Tatewaki knew it was
time to go.  He was about to return the way he had entered, but then
considered what he had just done in the panel.  A small smile creased
his face.  This meant he had the power to come and go as he pleased,
causing a minor amount of damage in the process, but nothing serious.
    Things just got better and better as he pushed the limits of
his existence.  Akane was still out there, and there had to be
others...  He wondered if the knew of the things he did, if they were
capable of the things he was.  Did they know or care about the power
they could hold?
    Akane had thought she was helpless, with no influence over the
things she saw happen around her.  A ghost might have been a
physically intangible thing, but it was far from helpless.  If only he
could find her and show her the things he had learned, then...
    Nothing.  He would not do such a thing.  He just couldn't.  
    The world flowed past him in what seemed to be slow motion.
People walked like they were mired in quicksand, and words were
slurred as they spoke.  It was an interesting feeling, being pulled
between his world, at least what he thought of as his world, and the
regular world.
    One light and dancing with energy, the other slow and heavy,
bogged down in the constraints of misunderstanding and ignorance.  His
world was water and air, their world was earth and fire.  One day, he
could probably change that though.  He immersed himself fully, back
into the safety he was familiar with.  With enough time, he would be
the puppet-master and the entire world his stage.

[2057]

    Again, he tampered with the files they thought were most
secure.  The fools had programmed in their own faults to make their
little toy easier to control, which he promptly removed.  There was a
small increase in height and strength, something that would more befit
the resurrected Global Saviour.
    Mental capacities, bumped just a tad.  He could get along fine
with the way he was now, but he didn't need to limit himself either.
The greater the potential, the more that opened up to him.  And it was
getting to be that he simply absorbed information, not even pretending
to himself that he read anything.
    That had started happening... too long ago for him to
remember, just knowing things that went on.  He had started out as a
tiny entity, self-contained, afraid and small.  As he had learned
more, he had extended himself, become larger than just his former
corporeal body.
    It must have been shortly after he caused the blackout,
realizing that he affected things he didn't mean to.  He affected
things because they were, in a way, a part of him.  It wasn't anything
as clear cut as becoming a part of the system, it was more of a...
sharing.  Nothing as far as a gestalt, though sometimes he could feel
himself slipping into such a thing.
    He needed to stay apart, to be able to separate himself.  To
be one or the other was too limiting.  But to be able to be either/or
at any time he wished, that was what he wanted.
    But this, this was tempting.  A vessel, a body for him to use
as he saw fit.  A way to impose his will directly upon people.  They
thought he was dead and gone, but little did they know.  It might not
look like him, but it would be him.
    He would rise from the grave and take what was owed to him.
Project R.  So small and insignificant to him, but obviously very
important to the others.
    Project R.  Reiraku.  Stupid.
    Project R.  Resurrection.  Much more fitting.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 "... but in sleeping the Gods have grown kind and will not hurl him to the
   gulf made for deniers of Gods.  Instead will their vengeance smite the
    darkness, fallacy and ugliness which have turned the mind of man..."

                              - H.P. Lovecraft

============================================================================
                          END VENGEANCE OF HEAVEN
============================================================================
_________________________________________________________________
Christopher Willmore      http://qlink.queensu.ca/~4cw6/2096a.htm
"The world is not a spherical cow." - Prof. Gooding
      http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Bistro/2653/index.htm