i'll be sending a corrected version of the first three
chapters to Studio Aesir soon if anyone missed something.
(as soon as i come up with a better title)
Third Labor, fourth chapter (prologue)
"Clockwork Apple?"
The following chapter includes bits and pieces from a number
of series. Oh, and it's been pointed out that by putting in
a "perfect Akane" (in this, the heroic Sailor Red in
Featherbrite's, and AVSB's Akane) i have placated the "all
or nothing" Akane-ites not at all. That being the case, i'll
stop trying...
WHAT'S HAPPENED: Attempting to enter his Third Labor (fixing
a pair of Demonic Interventions in a non-anime timeline),
Grey has been sidetracked by a Gate malfunction (caused by
most of his fiancees trying to sneak along and Son Usagi's
power fluctuation during the transport process). Due to
Eris' (Greek goddess of discord and misery, Ares' sister)
secret plan, his attempt to find the scattered fiancees is
falling apart from several sources. (a strengthening of the
Widdershins curse, a discordance spell on Ami, and loosening
the bonds of some sealed memories for a few.) The latest of
which is a discordance in the Binding (a spell placed on
Grey by an Elder god of mischief) which now has the boy
reincarnating through time and space, but as Duty is a major
facet of his existence- still trying to safely gather the
fiancees.
This is still the prologue because they're still trying
to get to the mission.
---------
a timeline that is NOT usually connected to SM or RN:
Mamoru Tengoku thrashed in his sleep, consumed by odd dreams
as he had for years, though there seemed to be an urgency in
them tonight.
In one dream he was a warrior associated with a minor House,
related vaguely to some golden haired girl! There he became
the consort of the Queen, which was much like being her
personal slave in many ways. There he was eventually dumped
by the Queen, as she viewed an emotional attachment to a
single man to be a weakness. In that dream he was approached
by a ponytailed girl in a green dress, and then by a girl
with long green hair. Eventually the ponytailed girl went
off after another who more fit her ideals, only to return
and find that the girl with a staff had consolidated her
hold over him. Then the staff-wielder was called away to a
long duty, and he was alone again. The dream ended in
nightmare as the Kingdom fell, beneath the force of
something called the Invincible Shadow.
In the second dream he was a metal man, working alongside
the reincarnated princess he had been related to in the
first dream. That dream ended happier, with the enemy
vanquished and the princess engaged to the hero, and as for
himself- he walked off citing Duty elsewhere.
The third dream had elements of the first two. Many of the
same faces, yet subtly different. Instead of being related
to the blonde girl, he was her cat and then changed to her
"boyfriend" in human form. The same girls were now friends
and comrades-in-battle and if some seemed to want something
more from him, he wasn't quite sure what that something was.
There were broken flashes of this dream, and he ended up
with a profound feeling of loss.
Mamoru slowly picked himself up, wondering what his
subconscious was trying to tell himself.
"Mamoru-kuuuunnn!" Kyusu twirled as he entered. "Good
morning! How are you, my love!"
"Put a sock in it, Kyusu." Mamoru groaned, feeling like he'd
just been pounded by a unskilled masseause. "Ain't your
love, never have been, never will be. Just give it up."
"Ah, eventually you will change your fickle heart, and
realize that we are meant to be together. Forget your
obsession with Otaru's marionettes and realize that only two
men can find" *WHAM!*
The book (a heavy tome on marionette engineering) hung for a
moment against Kyusu's face before the two fell.
"This is MY workshop, Kyusu. YOU are merely my annoying
neighbor who clings to the old ways. What about Doctor
Lorelei's clones and the rebirth of the woman?" Mamoru
grunted and dragged Kyusu out. No WAY was he going to change
out of his pajamas with THAT hentai watching.
All in all, it was shaping up to be a typical day, and
Mamoru Tengoku was heartily tired of typical days.
Kyusu proved that he could recover quickly. "Mamoruuu-kun!"
*GLOMP!*
Mamoru frowned, slammed his elbow into Kyusu's nose, and
then threw the offending person through the window. As it
was just a split cloth covering, it was not as dramatic as
it could have been.
Allowing that he wouldn't be able to get any work done
today, as Kyusu was getting entirely too annoying, the
repairman/inventor decided to make housecalls and do
research. He was just barely sixteen, after all, and there
was much to learn.
Mamoru smiled, thinking that this would work out. Maybe he'd
even have a chance to see Otaru's marionettes again! They
were fascinating, their special circuit giving them emotions
and independence that a regular marionette didn't have.
Mamoru would allow Kyusu one thing, a marionette without a
"virgin circuit" was just a mechanical doll. However, Mamoru
was one of those like his sempai Gennai or Otaru himself
whose opinion varied from those like Kyusu in what happened
*with* the addition of that circuit. In their opinion, a
marionette with the circuit ceased being a doll and became a
person...
"Mamoru? I have tickets for the festival!"
Yep, sounded like a good day to be conducting business away
from the shop.
-----------
Akane Tendo faced Akane Saotome, the rain coming through the
open hole in the wall of the dojo making the floor slick
between them.
"Why do you look like me, anyway?" The sixteen year old
demanded of the supermodel version of herself. It was easier
to face this older woman than the mess she'd made in the
back yard by decapitating a boy named Ranma.
"I see no resemblance," said the twenty year old. "You're
stupid, needlessly violent, pushy, arrogant, and lacking in
discipline. You're a brawler, not a martial artist."
"I was good enough to..." Akane Tendo bit that comment back,
turning pale.
"Good enough to kill Ranma?" The evolved version finished
for her. "Let's see how good you are then. Or was it just
luck?"
Nabiki looked back and forth between the two, seeing the
resemblence but not understanding any more than Akane.
"Begin..."
Akane T started across the floor at a run.
Akane S seemed to blur and appear behind the teenager. "Too
slow," she said, tapping a spot in the back of her younger
self's head.
Akane T swung around and tried a wild punch.
Akane S swiveled her hips slightly, moving effortlessly out
of the way. "Too clumsy," she said, tapping the other's
elbow as it passed by. "I know an old Chinese woman who
could chew you up and spit you out like bad rice."
Akane T launched another attack, going for an all out axe
kick.
Akane S swept the leg up with enough force to flip Akane T
in the air, tapping her neck, back, and left knee during the
"hang time." As Akane T picked herself off the floor, Akane
S went back to her corner. "Didn't retract quickly enough,
overextended yourself, and got fancy when you should be
concentrating on the basics."
"SHUT UP!" Akane T launched herself at this infuriating
imposter. She knew what was going on now, this person was
trying to replace her!
Akane S weaved around the flurry of punches. "Anger rarely
serves its wielder. A true martial artist seeks control: of
her environment, of her battle, and of herself." Another
lightning fast jab landed on the younger girl.
"Fight me for REAL! Stop playing (gasp) around!" Akane T
started forward again only to have her fist caught in the
other girl's palm.
"Okay," said Akane S, "so you want me to go all out?"
Akane T tugged her hand free. She was especially good at
counterattacks. The training from the idiot squad at
Furinkan's gates every morning saw to that. "That would make
me ecstatic."
Akane S dodged another attack, but smiled. A little sadly it
seemed. She really didn't like to hurt anyone, given the
choice, but some lessons could only be learned the hard way.
"Lesson five: be careful what you wish for. You might get
it."
Nabiki blinked as the older Akane suddenly went "all out."
----------
Elseworld:
Mamoru sighed. The Japonesse Historical Museum was just one
of the places that he knew Kyusu would avoid normally given
any choice. It was...
Mamoru's train of thought derailed as he stared. He wasn't
even aware he'd walked forward until he was in front of the
marionette.
"APPLE! APPLE!" The man whose marionette this apparently was
growled at the frozen figure. "Damn, if I could find anyone
stupid enough to buy this useless..."
"How much?" Mamoru blinked as he realized he'd spoken.
"Who? Tengoku? Gennai's pupil, aren't you?" The fellow,
Mamoru recognized him as Safiel, one of the volunteer
caretakers. "Are you sure? This marionette keeps
malfunctioning, and I doubt even Lorelei could keep it
running."
Mamoru rose to the challenge. "Hey, if i don't try to do
difficult things, i'll never learn as much as i could!"
Safiel frowned as he realized that Apple had frozen except
that it's eyes continued to stare at the tinkerer. A
suspicion formed and he remembered the rest of his
instructions. "Well, I've got to get a new one, so how about
sixty four hundred?"
"C'mon, Safiel, i'm just a fixit man. There's rent and food,
parts, and all the rest. Besides, she's a defective unit and
used. Twelve hundred."
Safiel considered and admitted that this kid probably
couldn't afford much more than that, and he had his orders.
"Twelve hundred then. I can get a rebuilt unit at a junk
shop for less than that."
"C'mon Apple..." Mamoru didn't understand it, but he HAD to
fix this unit. And there was something just unbearably sad
about the dull lifeless green eyes as if SOMETHING should be
there. Maybe he could get that prototype Virgin Circuit to
work...
Safiel waited until the two were out of sight before using a
shortrange radio. "This is Safiel. Apple is prepared."
---------
Akane Tendo hit. She hit the ceiling, the floor, the walls,
the ground outside the dojo, the koi pond, the compound
wall...
The problem was that she was hitting them in the manner of a
projectile and not in the manner of a martial artist.
"And this is a manuever known as the Rising Dragon
Uppercut..." Akane Saotome demonstrated, still adopting the
manner of a teacher. *WHAM!*
"Oh!" Soun gushed. "The Splitting Cat Hairs, the Chestnut
Fist, the Breaking Point, the Dragon Sky Ascension, the
Roaring Tiger Backflip, the Deadly Tarantula Palmgrip, the
Mantis Scissors Grip, the Blind Man's Bluff, the Rising
Dragon Uppercut! To think that I would live so long as to
witness them!"
"Ahem," Nabiki interjected, "she's actually showing them to
Akane and even I can tell she's still not using full force."
"Huh?" Soun blinked. "Oh, right."
Genma stared at the floor. "I'm dead. I am SO dead. No,
No-chan is going to find something worse than seppuku for
THIS." Everyone ignored him, he'd been repeating variants of
this for some time.
Akane S finally put her counterpart over one knee and hit a
paralysis point. "Maybe I ought to change my name. Oh, by
the way, Akane. This is called... the Xi Fang Gao shiatsu
technique!"
Soun blinked again. "Amazing!"
Nabiki nodded, impressed. "I'll say. She washed Akane's hair
and dried it in less than five seconds. What it's supposed
to do, I don't know..."
Akane addressed her native father and sister. "Oh, by the
way. I also consider the blame here for not reigning in Miss
Tendo to fall on other shoulders..."
Nabiki gulped. Soun sweated. The two turned to flee.
---------
Elseworld:
"...so anyway in that Kingdom place, i called you Jupiter,
which is kinda funny 'cause you don't look like i'd expect
Zeus to look like," Mamoru continued to talk to the android
as he worked on her. He had her back open and little
connectors leading from the opening to various diagnostic
scanners and equipment. "However in that one where you're
chasing after that guy with the flaming hair, he calls you
'Lita' - short for Lightning i'd assume. Then there's that
fragmented one, but you're there and smiling and i got the
name 'Makochan' out of *that* so i'm not sure which is
correct."
The android, of course, didn't reply. Merely sat there
staring blankly at the wall. Only by reading displays would
one be able to tell that she was listening.
"Okay," Mamoru said and pressed a switch, "bringing up
systems. Designation of unit?"
"Apple," said the marionette in a thick voice.
"Hmmm, need to make an adjustment to the voice circuit...
OK. Try now. Give unit parameters."
The marionette seemed to stir slightly. "Unit designate
Apple. Primary function: Domestic. Classification: Sabre
Marionette Special. Manufacture: Classified. Status:
Unfinished."
Mamoru frowned. "Manufacture is classified? By whom?"
The marionette's voice was flat and emotionless, though less
mechanical sounding. "Data classified."
Mamoru considered that but realized he likely wouldn't be
able to get the data without information from another
source, or ripping out the memory circuits. "Never mind, for
now. What remains unfinished on status?"
"Construction of unit was interrupted. Data classified.
Passcode required for full activation."
Apple had remained emotionless in voice, but Mamoru noted
something that nearly made his heart stop. "Apple, why are
your tear ducts operating?"
"Malfunction noted. Correcting."
Mamoru *knew* something was up. Why did this marionette look
like one of the females in his dreams? Except for the blank
expression, eyes, and that thing she had her in hair. Mamoru
got a little accessory and fixed the hair, increasing the
resemblence. And the malfunction? It had looked as if she
was crying! Maybe if he approached from an oblique angle.
"Apple. List primary skill packages."
Apple nodded. "Gardening, Basic. Cooking, Basic.
Maintenence, Basic. Basic Domestic."
Mamoru frowned, no clue there. He suspected Safiel wasn't
the first owner at the very least. Hmmm. "Apple, prepare to
shut down for maintenence cycle. i'm going to check and see
if i can repair your movement coordinator."
Apple complied, slumping forward slightly.
---------
Another universe entirely:
Nabiki's hands shook as she approached the school. A month
had gone by since Akane Saotome had struck with a single
shiatsu attack. The effect had long faded, as Doctor Tofu
had said, but the damage was done.
"The Babble Point" she'd called it. Any time, any question,
and Nabiki would answer truthfully and completely without
hesitation.
At first it had been HELL for Nabiki. She had suddenly had
no secrets. Just Goemon asking "how's it going?" had opened
a floodgate. Every and any aspect of her existence had
become a matter of public scrutiny. Her pride and reputation
had been destroyed within hours.
Then the questions slowed, and stopped. A few continued for
a time, enjoying the sight of the cold mercenary witch
Nabiki Tendo squirming helplessly. Someone had intervened,
and the reason had nearly destroyed Nabiki all over again.
Pity. Four days later, she discovered that the effect had
stopped and she could answer or not, back to normal again.
Except that her empire had been destroyed, her careful use
of blackmail and tricks had been uncovered and defused, and
that she was still the subject of Pity among other things.
As she'd been the victim of something horrible, people still
tried to befriend her and look out for her. People still
tried to protect the Ice Queen...
Nabiki had been devastated, broken, driven to the ground,
but the Tendo family were samurai in ancestry and had a core
of iron. She survived. As Akane Saotome had abruptly
disappeared (speculation was that as Genma had run off
during the seppuku required of him, she was out there
somewhere still chasing after him) revenge against the
fighter was something Nabiki could entertain herself with
planning but couldn't commit. At the moment.
Instead, Nabiki smiled, ducked her head, and was greeted by
some of her new friends. She could eventually rebuild her
empire, but that might just get knocked down around her head
again. Her eyes caught her sister's form and shuddered.
Akane had come to school the morning after the fight, not
suspecting a thing. Then she'd started stumbling. Every time
she'd tried to punch or kick, she'd gotten pounded. She'd
ended up going out with most of the boys in her class, most
of whom had turned out to not have enough nerve to try
anything. Those that HAD tried something had found out that
Akane was still strong enough to break groping fingers.
Akane had ended up going out with Kuno the first night but
apparently Miss Saotome had kept an eye on the proceedings.
When Kuno had attempted to take liberties, well, Nabiki had
never heard of a "Ice Cold Libido" shiatsu spot before but
apparently it worked. Kuno had since dropped pursuing Akane
or even any female companionship. That was prior to Akane
Saotome's disappearance at least. Who knew what would happen
if *that* wore off.
And her father... Nabiki twitched a little. Apparently Miss
Saotome had spent a lot of time around the Amazons. Her
father was now undergoing "bridal training" from some "girl"
named Dowel.
As for Kasumi... Nabiki twitched again. The last she'd seen
of Kasumi, she'd been recruited by some Amazon Healers and
taken on a training trip.
Nabiki noticed one of her new "friends" had just asked her
something. Unsure of how to act with people actually
concerned about her well-being, Nabiki just tried to smile
back and muddle through. First that Akane Saotome had
vanished, now from the sound of it, so had that Rei Hino
girl. So if the other two vanished...
-----------
SMJ Timeline:
"Mamoru-kunnnnnn, it's such a lovely day outside, how can
you...?!"
Mamoru noted that Apple had already done something useful.
Kyusu had shut up.
Kyusu's eyes were bugged a little. "That marionette, she
looks like..."
"One of the girls in my sketches, yes." Mamoru had been
sketching the girls from his dreams since Middle School.
He'd gotten fairly good at it and had actually sold some.
"Uncanny, isn't it?"
"Oh, someone saw one of your sketches and recreated a
marionette based on it?" Kyusu grabbed the most likely
explanation. "And now you get to fix it? Well, Japonesse is
fairly small."
Mamoru *wanted* to tell Kyusu to just go away. It had never
worked in the past though. Hmmm. There were several circuits
and systems he wasn't familiar with. One actually looked
like a virgin circuit, though that was likely wishful
thinking. "Stay out of the way, Kyusu. I'm not interested.
Apple, bring primary systems up to 50%."
The marionette straightened from her slump as she brought
herself out of 'Standby'.
"Ah, Mamoru-kun, it's such a nice day out today, the plasma
percentage is low. Let's go to that festival and leave your
stuffy work behind!"
"Apple, bring systems up at 5% increments until at 100%.
Start." Mamoru turned towards the displays. "Let's see if
replacing the gyro-balancer worked..."
"Mamoru-kun, you talk to your dolls. Ah, but that
sentimental streak is why I care for you so much!"
"Systems at 100%," Apple said, "thank you, sempai."
Mamoru froze. Kyusu looked puzzled.
"Apple, explain use of term 'sempai'?"
"Sempai, used for a social superior or upperclassman or
mentor that one is not related to. It can also be used to
denote a boyfriend though koibito or kareshi are more
commonly used." Apple's voice wasn't mechanical anymore,
though her phrasing was.
"Pfeh, Mamoru-kun, this unit is still defective. Let the
customer wait and let us take our pleasure at the fair."
Mamoru continued to check displays with a puzzled
expression. "Spending time with you hardly counts as a
pleasure. Besides, this isn't a customer's marionette. She's
mine now."
Kyusu turned an angry glance towards the android. "'She?!'
Mamoru you forget. This is just a wind up toy. A marionette,
a thing made of nanotechnology and metal and plastic. What
are you going to do next, kiss it? And how could you
purchase some defective marionette? Didn't you tell me you
had no money?"
Mamoru stopped, pulled the cables, and closed the back of
the unit. This *would* scandalize Kyusu. "Apple, stand up."
The marionette did so, and Mamoru looked her over. Looked a
lot like one of the girls in his dreams. The one who'd
picked him up after that silver-haired Queen had dumped him.
Except that this one was wearing a very nice kimono instead
of that strange outfit. Tall, just under six feet in height,
brown hair, green eyes, quite shapely in form. "Apple,
respond appropriately." Mamoru moved in and kissed the
marionette's lifeless lips.
"Ahhhhhhhh! Mamoru you hentai! How could you, and in front
of me?!"
-Program 1-
-Apple-
-activate-
Mamoru began to smirk at Kyusu's discomfort when he felt a
tremor go through the marionette and her arms locked around
him. She was kissing him BACK! Mamoru had never been kissed
before, and there was a hunger and intensity in the
experience he hadn't expected. It took him a moment to break
free, and he was only partially aware of Kyusu standing
nearby with his jaw hanging open.
Those green eyes, formerly dead, now danced with liquid life
and the marionette was... smiling?! "Sempai!"
"Huh?!" Mamoru's brain had shut down from the shock, but he
was trying to rally. "Apple?"
"Hmmmm!" Apple smiled even more, nodding and making a happy
sound. "Sempai, I'm *so* glad you awakened me!"
Mamoru, confronted with something he'd wanted ever since he
had heard of Otaru Mamiya and his three virgin circuit
enhanced marionettes, did shut down at that point -
fainting.
--------
Another timeline:
"It's been two years since our lives were impacted by Akane
Saotome..." Nabiki said to her elder sister as the two sat
at the kitchen table and sipped tea, "the Amazons took you
and made you... this."
"Not completely," answered Kasumi. "There was more to it
than that. What has happened here?"
"Father got married, to Mrs Saotome oddly enough. Thereby
uniting the two Houses and getting him out of marriage to
that Amazon Dowel. They'd planned it that way, didn't they?"
Kasumi nodded. "Dowel didn't actually want to marry him, too
much crying."
Nabiki shuddered at the thought of what would have happened
if Dowel had chosen instead to cure her Father of the
emotional outbursts. "Genma Saotome is still missing, of
course. Akane Saotome vanished shortly after she started
insisting people call her 'Scarlet' instead. Rei Hino
apparently went into a closet to pick up some spare futons
for a slumber party with her friends and never came out.
When her friends checked, the closet was barely big enough
for someone to fit in and there was no trace of her."
"Yes, I heard about that," Kasumi said with a nod, looking
into her tea.
"Akane, our sister not that demon, regained her ability to
fight six months later when Doctor Tofu finally got all the
rare extracts he needed to put together a bottle of cure for
the Xi Fang Gao technique. By then though, well, she had
pretty much resolved the whole 'beat Akane to date her'
routine. She had taken it as a challenge and found
nonviolent methods of resolving conflicts, and she's now
engaged to marry some guy named Hikaru. Me? I'm working
part-time at a restaurant named Akie's and going to college
after a Business Admin degree. Your turn."
"Well, I came back to Japan last year." Kasumi looked off
into the distance. "I started working at the Hino shrine
after Rei's disappearance. Makoto was devastated by Rei's
disappearance, but Rei hadn't been too happy since Ranma's
death. With both Rei and Ranma gone, plus their Akane,
Makoto and Ukyo have gotten to the point where they're
almost like sisters. They tend to pursue the same guy a lot,
despite their age difference, and they visit the shrine
frequently with their friends." Kasumi returned her
attention to her sister. "They're thinking of becoming ghost
sweepers, that way maybe they can find out what happened to
Rei."
"Guess Juuban is as weird as Nerima," said Nabiki. "You
happy?"
"Relatively," Kasumi said with a secretive smile, "I'm still
getting tutored in a number of subjects by the Amazons but
they've given up on ever making a warrior out of me. I feel
I'm appreciated and useful where I am, so that's not too
bad. Ukyo and Makoto talk to me a lot. They've never
forgiven our sister Akane, and they suspect their own Akane
was hunted down and killed in retaliation for what was done
that evening, but have no evidence of such a thing."
Nabiki snorted. "Akane? No, she was ready to join a nunnery
when she finally came to realize that she had killed and in
anger over some petty issues. I talked her out of it, but
she's gotten rather anti-violence since then.
Overcompensation, I guess."
Kasumi nodded, and declined to tell Nabiki about exactly
*how* weird her new friends and life in Juuban had gotten.
---------
The SMJ timeline:
"Kasumi! You're not a fighter! Get back in your PokeBall!"
"I don't want you to be turned into a doll, Master Ash.
Sabrina, I challenge you!"
"Oh? A half-Eva with some psychic talent? How...
interesting. The frilly apron doesn't quite work, though..."
"Go Kasumi! Kick that wench's backside! Never underestimate
the power of a Japonesse housewife!"
Mamoru groaned inwardly, he'd fainted in front of Kyusu.
That could be bad. Hmmm. That was that odd anime program
they showed in the wee hours of the morning from the sound
of it. He blearily cracked an eye open to see Apple sitting
in front of the set, raptly cheering on the furry little
homemaker as she defended her Master from the evil Sabrina.
"Uhm..." He'd never been fond of that particular series,
though he had to admit that it wasn't as bad as some of the
other hentai/sentai series out there. "Excuse me."
"SEMPAI!" The tall marionette was kneeling at his side in a
heartbeat. "Apple was so worried about you! You function
OK?"
"Urk!"
"Sempai? Do you need something? Some food maybe? Maybe some
fresh cloths for your forehead? I kept that strange man away
from you!"
"Unnnnn!"
"Sempai? What is it? Whatever you want, Apple can get!"
Apple made a muscle gesture.
"...please... Apple..."
"Yes, Sempai!" Apple leaned closer, eager to be of help.
"...your knee's on my chest... heavy..."
Apple looked down. "ooops."
-----------
Elsewhere:
The 'Dewclaw' had seen better days.
Vena walked out of a shower cubicle, drying her hair and
complaining about the chemical smell of the water, when she
noticed someone in her room. As it was not anyone she knew,
she ran through a short list of responses. Ah, that one
seems appropriate.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaa!"
"Rigid like an iron shard,
Paralyze you long and hard!"
Edema nodded at the result of her 'Hold Person' spell,
patting the paralyzed Minako analogue on the cheek as she
inspected her. "Tsk, look girl, I'm here to fix a few things
and then go. In about twelve standard hours your time,
there'll be a new operative here who can help you get into
your new roles." Edema took a thin bandage-like device out
at put on the girl's forehead. "This is mnemonic teacher,
set for basic repairs using the sort of tech stuff you've
got here. Now be a good girl and just stand there until it's
done."
Edema went out into the corridor, disliking all this high
tech mumbo-jumbo, but what can you do?
"Hey you, what are you doing?"
"View me now as trusted friend,
my buddy until spell doth end."
Julie stumbled to a halt. Why was she attacking? This was
her good friend... what was her name again?
"Hi, I'm Edema." The darkskinned woman shook Julie's hand.
"I'm here to help you."
Julie nodded happily. How nice. Her friend Edema had dropped
by to help her out.
Edema led Julie into Vena's room, and both Vena and Julie
began learning mechanical skills. Within a few minutes,
Edema had added Meria to the group- learning piloting
skills.
Edema waited until the three were done, put the few items
away that she'd used and decided to make the group
comfortable.
"Into Morpheus' quiet grip,
Speedily you now shall slip."
The drow archmage smiled at the results. One third level
spell, and three first level spells. Nothing major but
running an ice cream parlor, she had thought she might be
getting a bit rusty. Nice to know she still had the touch.
"One mess down."
-------
Mamoru watched as the busy little marionette happily hummed
some odd music and went about her self-appointed task of
tidying up his home/workshop. This was... nice. Strange, but
nice.
He'd found Kyusu locked in a closet, and let him out. Apple
not only kept Kyusu from interrupting his work, but was
proving useful. Rather like Otaru's marionette Cherry. A
relief to Mamoru, as her speech patterns sounded more like
Lime's and a superpowered child in his workshop was not
something to contemplate.
She also had tried to help him a couple of times but was
quickly proven to be mechanically... all thumbs? There was
also continuing trouble with her SRO (servo-reflexive
overseer) module, indicating that it possibly needed
replaced. (Translation: she tended to overreact and smash
things.)
Still having a cheerful, helpful, marionette around was
definitely odd. Mamoru had spent most of his life living
alone. He'd learned to take care of himself by the time he
was six, when he was ten he had met Gennai ojiisan. The old
man didn't see HIM that often, but Mamoru had practically
lived in or around the dump. Whenever the old man was out
(such as that picnic with Otaru after Lime's virgin circuit
had been retrieved) Mamoru would keep an eye on his shop.
It hadn't been a happy life. The kids had teased him about
"Big Name, Little Destiny" and how because he was "street
trash" he wouldn't amount to anything. He'd fought and
starved and struggled most of his life. Then he'd started
fixing things around Japonesse and things had changed. The
opinion of him was slow to change, and many still looked
down on him. Including Kyusu, who insisted that Mamoru was
incapable of looking after himself. Pfeh!
Mamoru was doing fairly well by himself. He'd made a fair
amount of money, was in a business of his own, had a home of
his very own, had resources accumulated for years, and
practically Gennai's heir, and now he had a marionette of
his own. Which reminded him. "Apple?"
"Hai, sempai!" Apple gave a sloppy but cute salute, grinning
at her Master.
"We'll go visit *my* sempai, Gennai-ojisan. i think he's
going to be very interested in meeting you."
"Hai, sempai!" Apple grinned again. Her Master was smiling.
It made her circuits feel all warm inside to have a Master
who actually cared about her.
---------
"Oh, Mamoru-kunnnnn," whined Kyusu. "Now I know how cousin
Hanagata feels!"
"Hmmmph, to feel affection for a doll. Not right, not right
at all. A perversion against nature!" The older man next to
Kyusu grumped, almost to himself.
"That's right. It is aberrant behavior and should be
corrected. For the good of the society, of course." Another
older man adjusted his glasses. "Unfortunately, *legally* I
can't do anything about it. Such a shame."
"Come now, Doctor," said the first old man, "you are one of
the leading psychologists in Japonesse today. Surely such a
bizarre fixation could be moved against. Obviously with that
Mamiya fellow being such a popular hero, any action against
HIM would be stirring a hornet's nest. But this is a
gutter-rat who repairs marionettes. Few would protest his
disappearance for a few days while you remove such
afflictions from his psyche."
"Nein," the Professor said, showing his Geltland heritage
for a moment. "As I am not his physician, and he has done no
wrong doing in the eyes of the law, correcting his delusions
and restructuring his mind into a correct frame cannot be
done legally."
"You mean there is a way Mamoru-kun can be cured? That he
will accept my love?" Kyusu leapt for the chance. "Do it!
Money is no object!"
"Well then," said the Professor. "It just *may* be
possible."
--------
"So, Gennai-san?" Mamoru smiled and sat back as his mentor
examined the marionette.
"What? Oh, hmmm. Very interesting, and the unit just has one
of your emulated circuits?" Gennai turned back to continue
his examination only to find two green eyes blinking back at
him. "Apple, if you'd sit back on the table again?"
"Boring." Apple started sulking but got up on the table
anyway.
"It couldn't be my Ishi Kairo," Mamoru said wryly, "the
design was never intended to do this much. i don't
completely understand how a Virgin Circuit works, only that
it has something to do with engram emulation and feedback
learning loops. Basic self-awareness and the ability to
learn and act on their own. No more than that. At best, some
basic emotions and development of a rudimentry personality."
"Eh?" Apple looked up, curious.
"Rather more than rudimentry," Gennai agreed. "Do you know
why she looks like one of those girls you've sketched? The
gardener, I think."
"She's the twin of one of the girls in my dream. i don't
understand it at all." Mamoru watched Apple buff the top of
Gennai's head.
"Sempai, what's a dream?" Apple asked, turning her attention
from the current task.
"Uhm, well. When you sleep, it's like seeing and hearing and
feeling and smelling but you're really asleep. It's sort
of..." Mamoru broke off, not sure how to explain this.
Gennai rescued his pupil. "Apple, you've only been active
for a few hours. I understand Otaru's marionettes dream,
especially Cherry, maybe tonight you'll dream."
Apple enthusiastically shook her head, sending her ponytail
bobbing around. "Unnnn! Apple hope so!"
----------
"You understand your orders?" Professor Weissman adopted a
professorial manner before the Japonesse Wrecking Crue. As
they were simply a youth gang with pretensions of being
organized feared criminals, and as their collective
operative intelligence was roughly on the level of a
refrigerator's temperature there was a distinct possibility
of them not getting this right. But one works with the tools
one has, true?
"Yeah, yeah, we does a snatch-n-grab on this repairguy,"
Hammer (the leader) said, making a dismissing gesture. "If
we cans we wreck-a this guy's marionette while he's watchin'
we do that too. No problem-o."
Chisel smiled, even more idiotically than his compatriots,
and held out a double handful of edged blades. "We take good
care of it, yeah! Chop chop kill kill Nyuk nyuk nyuk."
"Good. I take it the first half of the payment was...
satisfactory." Professor Weissman nodded. They had the right
idea, of course he had to keep it as simple as possible. And
of course, he hadn't used his correct name. Why give these
rejects any clue?
"If it wasn't, did you think you'd be leaving here except in
a pine box?" Hammer snorted. "Don't you worry, Professor
Dingle. We'll get that guy for ya by noon tomorrow!"
----------
Eyecatch #9
A framed picture of the Pheonix Mage. Click/flip: the
picture is of Jared Saotome, Devilhunter. Click/flip:
Skysaber, the superspy adventurer. Click/flip: the Veritech
pilot Jared. Click/flip: buried under a horde of fiancees...
Eyecatch #10
A framed picture of Akane Tendo chasing Ranma with a large
hammer. With a click it flips to reveal Akane as Inferna.
Click/flip: the fireball throwing Akane from "A Very Scary
Bet". Click/flip: the heroic Sailor Red from "Featherbrite's
Tale". Click/flip: the Shinto priestess from "Saint Akane."
Click/flip: a sign that says "Deleted - as none of these
have satisfied even for a moment the various pro-Akane
readers. Since they have set an all or nothing standard, and
i'm not willing to give them all... Thank you."
----------
Apple smiled contentedly. If she reached out, she'd be able
to reach her sleeping Sempai who looked so cute like that.
Tomorrow was a big day, however. She'd be spending time with
Sempai and HIS sempai and go to see *their* sempai - some
girl named Lorelei. So she needed to get some sleep despite
being all wound up from the excitement. How she'd... (yawn)
get some sleep when it was all so new and...
Apple slept, and she dreamed.
----------
"Jupiter? What are you doing here?" A green haired girl
wearing pajamas opened the door and stretched sleepily.
"GAH?! Pluto?! What are YOU doing here?"
Pluto smirked, apparently amused at the way Jupiter's
ponytail was sticking straight up. "I *was* trying to sleep.
Again, what are you doing here? Didn't you dump Nebula for
that fellow, what was his name? Oh yes, Narcissus."
"He's just soooo handsome!" Jupiter momentarily gushed, then
deflated. "But he also can't hold a conversation that
doesn't involve how good he looks, and all he ever does is
look in that mirror of his. So, I'm back to pick up where I
left off!"
"Tsk," Pluto made a dismissing gesture, leaning in the
doorframe and "accidently" blocking Jupiter's progress. "Do
you have any idea how crushed he was? First the Queen
dismisses him as a consort (like she does all her consorts
when she starts developing feelings for them) then, after
*you* manage to pick him up, you go chasing after every new
pretty boy to join the court."
"Not *every*... only three..." Jupiter winced. Okay, maybe
she just had a *little* problem in that regard. But
Narcissus was *so* fine, and Nebula was okay and a nice guy,
but he wasn't a *hunk* like Pheonix or Hermes.
"So, you knew I was interested but you decided to dump him,
then when your pursuit of Narcissus didn't work out, you
thought you'd just come back a week later and pick up where
you left off?" Pluto flicked an errant strand of hair back,
managing somehow to look more tousled than when she'd opened
the door.
"Well... yeah..." Jupiter's hair wasn't toinging any more
but she was still in shock.
"When you passed him in the Queen's Market, hanging on that
guy's arm, how do you think he felt?" Pluto seemed to
inspect her nails as if the answer was of no consequence to
her. At Jupiter's silence, she continued. "He was
devastated, you know. Twice now he's given his heart freely
and without restraint. He has a great capacity for love, you
know. The Queen's got that personal rule about not letting
any consort get too much inside her heart. *You* took him
for granted."
"Well... I..." Jupiter fidgeted. If only Narcissus hadn't
been *so* cute!
"Well, I've got a meeting with the Queen tomorrow. Some new
job." Pluto straightened and inclined her head. "Sorry, but
if *I* were to betray his trust and leave him to *you*, I
honestly doubt he would ever be able to love again at this
point. Much less trust you."
Jupiter stood there, helplessly staring as Pluto slid the
door shut. She could barely hear the words that followed,
though it penetrated enough to bring Pluto's hold over the
Knight Of Duty clear.
"Who was that at this hour?" Nebula's voice, sounding
sleepy.
"Oh, just someone lost and asking for directions. Thanks for
letting me stay here while they fumigate my apartment."
Pluto's voice conveyed her smile.
"No problem, Pu-chan. Ohhh, that couch isn't good on my
back." Jupiter felt a measure of hope as Nebula said this.
"We could share the bed," Pluto indicated, dashing Jupiter's
moment.
"Wouldn't be proper, Pu-chan."
Jupiter walked away, hearing Pluto's throaty chuckle and
knowing exactly how Nebula would be reacting - and that
she'd lost. Next time, next time for sure! She'd be
faithful, her name would be a testament to faithful! If
there was a next time.
Unfortunately, she'd later learned that Pluto had been
assigned to the Time Gate, Nebula had been abandoned again
and he'd quietly withdrawn from society. And then the
conflict between Earth and the Moon Kingdom had escalated
and Beryl's Invincible Shadow...
--------
Apple awoke. What a strange thing. So that was what a dream
was like? It had been like she had been there! Except she
had a funny name.
Mamoru-sempai was still sleeping, so maybe she should get
some sleep. Apple considered the boy sleeping nearby with a
proud smile. No matter what that dream self said, SHE
wouldn't abandon her Sempai!
No... she'd... just catch a little more sleep.
--------
The three members of the Japonesse Wrecking Crue followed
their prey with every bit of stealth available to them.
(Translation: they following about fifty feet behind and
ducking behind every available statue and bit of cover they
could.)
"Sempai..." Apple said hesitantly to her Master.
"I don't know, Apple." Mamoru had a bit of trouble admitting
ignorance, he was used to taking pride in being self-reliant
and admitting *any* weakness wasn't that easy. Still, those
three were perplexing. And it might be weird, but he felt
comfortable around apple as if he'd known her for years.
"Don't stare at 'em though, you might encourage them."
"But..." Apple glanced back as one of the three tripped over
a potted plant. "Okay, Sempai..."
"Besides, we'll meet Gennai-san at the castle gate. There's
no way those three will follow us into the Imperial Castle,
right?" Mamoru thought of those three trying to sneak into
the palace and winced in sympathy. "Be ready if it looks
like they're going to try and catch us before we reach the
gate."
Apple blinked. "They're getting closer."
"They've got some sort of weapons," Mamoru noted, studying
their reflection in a window. "That might be a length of
pipe, or it might be some kind of cobbled weapon. Best if we
can avoid them using that if its ranged."
"oh..." Apple noted the three men sneaking closer. A hammer,
a pipe that might not be a pipe, and whatever was in that
fat fellow's sack. She stumbled, her SRO not completely
working still.
Mamoru noticed. "We'll try that abandoned building over
there. We may be able to go through it and out the other
side."
"Unnnn," Apple agreed. Close range combat was her specialty.
-----------
The two targets went into a rickety-looking building.
"Hey, Hammer, what're we gonna do?" The fat one fingered his
buzzcut. "They couldst be layin' an ambush like..."
Hammer stopped and regarded his rotund companion for a
moment. "You know, numbskull, you might actually have
something there!" Hammer waited until Chisel looked proud
before slapping him in the noggin. Then waving his hand
around in mid-air as that had really hurt him worse than
Chisel. "Listen up, knucklehead. You go around back and make
sure they don't get out."
"GRrrrrrrr... Okay, I'm going, I'm going! Yeeeshhhh."
"Drill," said Hammer motioning the third member of their
party forward. "You got the stuff?"
"Yeah, but I don't see what we're gonna do with this. Didn't
the boss say he wanted that guy delivered to him?"
Hammer got Drill's attention by pinching his nose hard, then
slapping with the other hand. "Who's getting paid to be the
brains here? The boss wanted this guy 'dealt with' right?
Just a little 'snatch and grab' right? Well, we're gonna put
a few of these babies in the windows, then when they go off,
the guy'll come out and we grabs him, see?"
"Ohhhhhhh!" Drill nodded and grabbed and lit a bundle of
dynamite, tossing it in the window. "You think that's
enough?"
Hammer considered briefly. "I don't know. Some of dese old
houses can be pretty sturdy."
"Good point," agreed Drill, throwing three more bundles into
the house.
"HEY, didn't you save any for me?" Hammer glared at his
sidekick.
"Sorry, Hammer," Drill handed his boss a bundle of dynamite,
thoughtfully lighting it for him.
"Thanks." Hammer blinked, watching the little sputtering
fuse at the end. "Hmmmm? AAAAAAA!" He threw the bundle into
the house just in time.
BOOOM BOOM BOOM BOOOOMMM!
Staring at the now-collapsed pile of burning rubble, Hammer
did what supervisors have done for centuries when their
plans fail to work out. He blamed his subordinates.
------
Mamoru dragged his marionette down the stairs into the
cellar, coughing as smoke began to seep down into the closed
area. "Apple. Run self diagnostic."
Apple's eyes glowed slightly. "Damage to right knee joint.
Mobility decreased by 45%. Damage to right shoulder cable.
Apple will be unable to use right arm until repairs are
made."
Mamoru groaned. Just wonderful. "Stay here. Let me see if I
can find anything that can help us escape..." Mamoru's voice
broke off as he stared. There were marionettes down here.
Four of them in display tubes.
There were also a lot of empty display tubes. Mamoru stared,
trembling, long enough for Apple to get curious and look
herself. She gasped.
There was one that was immediately recognizable to both, an
image out of dreams.
Mamoru coughed, a little weaker as the smoke began
infiltrating the air of the cellar. If he could just awaken
this one...
Glassy eyes opened as power was reconnected. Then, because
it had been what had worked on Apple, Mamoru kissed the
marionette.
---Program 2---
-->Blueberry<--
-----START-----
====================
hmmm. well, this managed, i think, to throw a few
interesting ideas out.
be well!
-------------------------------
"Don't forget that for the acorn to
become the mighty oak, it starts with a
little nut that decides to stand its ground."
-Anonymous
metroanime@mindspring.com
http://metroanime.home.mindspring.com/