Ranko lay awake on the hard cot, sleep eluding her despite her
valiant efforts to claim it. The heat in the small, dark room was almost
stifling, which certainly didn't help matters any. She ended up with the
covers on the floor, the nightshirt along with them as she lay in only the
bra and panties she had been given.
She stared into the deep shadows, her eyes having long adjusted to
the absence of light. The vague shapes of the chair and empty wardrobe, no
more than a thin metal cabinet really, her only company aside from her thoughts.
The confusion was almost as bad as the heat. Ranko didn't pay any
heed to the beads of sweat that formed on her body, instead concentrating on
quieting her rambunctious mind as it raced about in circles.
Something was definitely strange about the way Shan Pu acted around
her. Ranko could see torment and anguish in the elder woman's violet eyes
whenever they fell upon her, almost as if she were remembering something
painful from long ago. Despite her explanation of mistaken identity, Ranko
knew Shan was hiding something, but for the life of her couldn't figure out
what. Maybe if she could actually remember...
It always kept coming back to that. Ranko didn't remember. She
sometimes had vague feelings of familiarity, of a life once lived, but the
feelings and images were even more jagged and disorienting than the amnesia
itself.
Growling softly in frustration, she swung her legs off the cot and
rose to her feet. The stuffy room, coupled with the nagging doubts, had
finally won out. She definitely wouldn't be getting to sleep anytime soon,
and just laying there letting her mind jump through hoops was pointless.
Ranko strode purposefully to the door, her hand stopping just short of the
knob. Stepping back over to the pile of sheets, she retrieved her
nightshirt, a white oversized thing with the picture of an absurdly drawn
bear named "Yogi", and put it back on. Other people had to be awake, and she
didn't want them to see her clad in just her underwear.
======================================
Wataru Kuno stood before the hulking Juggernaut, his eyes tracing
every curve with the analytical gaze of a master craftsman inspecting his
latest work. Indeed, Juggernaut WAS his creation, though he hadn't actually
built it.
He often came to the monstrosity's repair bay, dismissing the
technicians upon his arrival. Gazing at the oversized killing machine never
failed to bolster his ego and renew his sense of purpose, not that it ever
dulled really. Juggernaut may have been viewed as a failure by the military,
police, news media, and even the technicians and scientists assigned to it,
but it was in fact a success. Juggernaut was Wataru's first and, in many
ways, greatest triumph.
Only a few people in the whole of Kuno Industries knew about the
human brain that had been grafted into Juggernaut's systems, but none
actually knew whose it had once been. To them, it had been a brain pulled
from a fresh cadaver some years back. They didn't know the truth, didn't
know about the elaborate revenge of which this was the result. Seeing that
man humbled, made into a mindless slave was a satisfyng thing, indeed. The
cost had been enormous, both in time and money, but in the end was
definitely worth it. X, on the other hand, had been a complete failure and
was still a threat.
Pushing X out of his mind, Wataru began to concentrate on other
things, like the rogue R-014-F. The clone was incomplete, the programming
not having taken root when the development cycle had been interrupted. The
current estimates placed her at forty-seven percent, nowhere near as strong
as R-033-M, but still stronger than any three men. Also, she had to have
holed up with that Chinese bimbo, Shampoo.
Therein lay the problem, Shampoo was a sly one. Very few had managed
to evade his wrath for an extended period of time, and she had lasted longer
than anyone. She had also managed to build up a resistance of sorts and pull
off a few successful, if minor, attacks on his corporate holdings. She would
have to be dealt with. Fortunately, he had a plan ready to smoke her out, or
at least one or two of her most trusted lieutenants. From there, he would
learn what he needed, and both that Chinese bitch and the rogue clone would
be his. The clone would be disposed of in a manner fitting any defective
piece of equipment. Shampoo, on the other hand, would become his personal
property. The thought made him smile blissfully for a moment before he
turned to leave the hangar.
He cast one last look at Juggernaut, as per his custom for these
visits, and said, "Sleep tight, father."
==========================================
The air was somewhat cooler on the outside, the sweat drying on
Ranko's skin as she padded barefoot down the dimly lit corridor. Had she
known that only sentries were allowed in the halls at lights out, she still
wouldn't have cared. She needed to walk a bit, to clear her head and maybe
get a little snack if she could find the mess hall or whatever they called it.
The silence was as deep outside the room as it had been inside, the
only sounds being her feet on the stone floor and the whisper of the
nightshirt's fabric as it rubbed against her knees. Had she thought about
it, all she'd have needed was a teddy bear and her hair in twin pigtails on
each side of her head to complete the image of a lost and innocent girl.
Her mind was finally beginning to quiet down, much to Ranko's
relief. Maybe she could finally get some sleep, after a quick nosh and...
Ranko froze in mid-step, the sound behind her almost too soft to be
heard. Her ears had registered it, however, and every sense went on high
alert. Someone was behind her, stalking her in the corridors like a
predatory animal after a kill. Her nerves tingled as her muscles tightened,
preparing for the fight she knew was going to come. The silence went from
deep to deafening as her ears strained for any other signs of her stalker.
Her heart began to beat faster in her chest, from fear and anticipation.
Finally, after a minute, Ranko could stand no more.
"Where are you!" she shouted as she whirled, seeing nothing behind
her. Her eyes scanned every shadow, every nook and cranny they could find,
noticing nothing. Suddenly, a strange distortion moved into a pool of light,
the air almost seeming to warp around it. Ranko took up a stance from
instinct when the figure became fully visible.
"You!" Before her stood a man clad in a black trenchcoat and fedora,
blood-red eyes gazing from beneath a mask of equally dark metal. A strange
feeling of fear began to creep into her shell of anger. This was the one
from Kuno Industries, the one who had tried, and nearly succeeded, to blow
her away. Now he was here, alone with her. What did this mean?
"I am not here to fight you," he said in a ghostly mechanical voice
that sent an involuntary shiver up her spine.
"I don't buy that," Ranko spat, tensed and ready for anything he
might try. The gun was absent, but that didn't mean he wasn't a threat.
"Believe what you want, I do not care. But if I were here to kill
you, I would have done so already."
"You already tried once, pal."
"And I did not succeed, unfortunately." The shadowy figure took a
step closer, Ranko taking one back in response.
"What do you want?"
"To warn you," he said, "I'm watching you. Everywhere you go, I'll
be there. You may be Shampoo's new pet, but that means squat to me. If you
screw up, even once, I WILL dispose of you. Understand?"
"Yeah," Ranko snarled, even though she really didn't. What was this
guy's problem? "Just who the hell are you, anyway?"
"You don't need to know that," he replied, not moving from his place.
"Are you with Shampoo?"
"I'm with myself." With that, he vanished into the air again, the
distortion left behind moving into a patch of shadow and disappearing.
"Ranko!" came a male voice from behind. She whirled about, nearly
lunging for the man until she saw the carbine in his hands. He was about her
height, a long scar runing the left side of his rugged face. "What are you
doing out?"
"Just walking," she replied, bringing herself back under control.
Had he heard? The guard studied her for a moment before moving past her.
"Get back to your quarters, miss," he said politely, "only guards
are allowed here at lights out." He left the same way the stranger had, and
Ranko suppressed the urge to tell the sentry about it. If he hadn't heard,
then he didn't need to know.
//Shampoo's new pet?\\ she thought as she made her way back to the
room. What had he meant by that? the only thing that was certain at the
moment was the need for sleep. Her mind had finally become fatigued, and was
demanding rest. She would get answers from Shan in the morning.
================================
Like I said, this is rough, and was typed in about an hour. C&C is
very welcome.