Endless Winter
By Ammadeau

Chapter 1

***

      Snow fell lazily out of the sky.  It had been falling every 
day for roughly eight months now, in what people had come to call 
the One Year Winter.  It was having devastating effects in the less 
developed parts of the world, but in Tokyo it seemed no more than 
a constant and accepted annoyance.
      Kyo walked along the sidewalk aimlessly, letting his feet 
carry him along.  He was a nondescript man somewhere in his mid 
twenties with wild black hair, and a lean frame.  A worn leather 
jacket, an old T-shirt with the logo from his former high school, a 
loose pair of jeans, and heavy boots were his protection from the 
cold.
      It was his first day off from work since he started as a 
omni-bike courier and he didn't want to waste it indoors like he 
wasted his weekends.  He wanted to do something, but he really 
had no idea what to do.  So he just trudged along, head down and 
hands in his pockets, as he struggled to think of something.
      Only to collide with a woman, knocking her down into the 
thin layer of snow that had accumulated on the sidewalk since the 
last time it had been cleared away.  She stared back up at him 
vacantly, the snow already beginning to blanket her maid uniform.
      "I'm sorry.  I didn't see you," Kyo said in embarrassment 
while bowing deeply in apology.
      "You don't need to apologize to her," spoke a gruff male 
voice nearby.  "She isn't even turned on."
      Kyo blinked to realize what he had thought to be a woman 
was actually an android.  In the twilight of an overcast sky, it was a 
bit hard to tell how pale her artificial skin was; white like snow.
      The first consumer models had started to emerge when Kyo 
was only a few years old, but they had remained mostly a luxury 
item until recently.  Now it was hard to find a middle class family 
that wasn't at least considering one.  They also filled in the most 
menial of government jobs, especially as soldiers in the war 
against the snow, which seemed determined to bury all of Tokyo.
      The man who spoke was squat and balding, seeming even 
smaller with the way that he was muffled up against the cold; 
though oddly he had left his head uncovered.  The layered coat he 
wore gave him almost a bell shape and the gloves made his hands 
appear bloated like an enormous baby's.  The boots he wore were 
stiff and he more waddled than walked, while the snake-like scarf 
that was wound around his neck almost hid his grey beard from 
view.
      "I'll apologize to you then for tipping over your 
merchandise," Kyo told him with a smile, still slightly 
embarrassed, though now for an entirely different reason.
      "No harm done.  She's bound for government work anyway 
and they're not exactly picky about the condition they come in with 
the discount they get," the man explained, as with a heave and a 
great gasp for air, he lifted the fallen android out of the snow and 
carried her to the van that was parked by the roadside.
      Kyo then noticed they stood before a small storefront, 
whose sign had already been torn down and the majority of its 
contents removed, leaving bare walls behind.  The only thing that 
remained were a stack of androids, either still in their colorful 
boxes or display models like the one he had just knocked over.
      "I suppose they're aren't many people shopping for an 
android after New Years," Kyo mused out loud.  He had once 
worked in a seasonal store to make enough money for the perfect 
Christmas present.  The store hadn't done very well, but at least he 
had been able to get her something; though he doubted that she had 
kept such a cheap trinket.
      "Especially not last year's model.  No matter what 
discounts we offer, people just aren't interested," the man agreed, 
leaning on the van to catch his breath.  "Say, are you busy now?  
Because I could really use some help loading and unloading these 
things.  I forgot how much they weighed."
      "Why don't you turn a couple of these on to help you?" Kyo 
asked, though he was already venturing into the darkened store and 
testing the weight of one of the boxes.  Heavy, but the life of a 
omni-bike courier had kept him in decent shape.  He could 
manage.
      "Bureaucracy," the man spat out the word.  "My employers 
won't let me open any of the untouched ones and all the display 
models have already had their power cells removed.  I guess 
because they lost so much money on these already.  Damn, I 
should have just bought a cell out of my own pocket."
      "It's really no big deal," Kyo told him, gently cradling the 
large box in both hands as he left his brief shelter from the constant 
snowfall and placed it in the van.  "I've got nothing better to do."
      "Thank you, thank you.  By the way, I'm Ryosei Asamoto," 
the man said with a grin, which quickly turned to discomfort as he 
hauled up a box himself.  "If it's not asking too much, I was 
wondering if you would drive the van for me to the warehouse I 
have to drop these off at.  I'm really not such a good driver.  I'll pay 
you, of course."
      "Sure, I guess," Kyo replied with indifference as he picked 
up a unmarked box, light blue in color, that seemed to be a bit 
lighter than all the rest.  Probably just a different model.

      Kyo lost track of where they were sometime after leaving 
Tokyo to the snow behind them, though in this weather it was hard 
for anything to seem distinct or recognizable.  Ryosei navigated 
their course via a handheld GPS system, staring at it intently their 
entire slow journey through the snow-filled countryside.
      The small group of warehouses squatted alone in a field, 
dotted with trees half concealed by snow.  The area around the 
warehouses themselves had been carefully cleared away several 
hours ago, though no one seemed around at the moment.  The 
massive doors of warehouse B opened with a push of a button from 
Ryosei's keychain and they drove right inside as the lights 
flickered on high overhead.
      The warehouse was about half-filled with large wooden 
crates and black steel drums, their labels smeared and badly 
printed, making it hard for Kyo to make out from a distance.  As he 
started to unload the androids onto the palette that Ryosei 
indicated, he couldn't shake the feeling of eeriness to be the only 
two people around in such a vast space, with the only sounds as the 
light scuffle of the boxes as he set them down and his companion's 
labored breathing.  Before he knew it, it was all over.
      "Let's see, your services should be worth about...," Ryosei 
began to say as he pulled his credit card out of his wallet and 
tapped the screen display a few times.  "Damn, I don't believe this.  
There's only a hundred yen left on this card.  I must have forgotten 
to update it before I left home."
      "Hey, that's okay.  I wasn't really expecting a reward," Kyo 
told him.  It was something to do to keep him busy until tonight, 
and he wanted to get out of the creepy warehouse as soon as 
possible anyway.  After too many late night movies, he couldn't 
help but feel like he was being watched.
      "Here, take this instead," Ryosei said, shoving the light 
blue box into Kyo's arms.  "That's just an odd model that got mixed 
up with the rest of these by accident.  The figures will turn out 
better if I got rid of it, so you're better off just taking it."
      "That's pretty generous of you," Kyo replied.  Even 
discounted, he couldn't afford an android on his meager salary.  He 
only just recently finished paying off his new omni-bike.  "Are you 
sure?  I mean, you could always keep it for yourself."
      "Believe me, I'm sure.  If you worked with androids as 
much as I have, you wouldn't want one either," Ryosei explained 
with a grimace, but then smiled and added, "Not that I don't think 
you won't get some use out of her... or him.  Not sure what that 
model is, but you can always buy new romsets and add-ons if its 
not programmed to suit your needs."
      Kyo idly wondered if an android was capable of being 
bored.  There wasn't even enough to keep him occupied in his 
banal life.  He already pitied his new possession.

      Kyo entered his apartment, undergoing the daily ritual of 
cleansing himself of the snow which had accumulated during his 
sojourn outdoors.  Thankfully, Ryosei had dropped him off only a 
block away from his apartment so there wasn't much.  He still 
couldn't believe he had gotten a free android for doing such little 
work, even though it was probably an oddball model.
      "Ack!" Kyo exclaimed as his watch alarm started to blare.  
He couldn't believe that he had been wandering and helping that 
old man for that long.  Setting down the light blue box on the floor 
and slipping off his snow-encrusted boots, Kyo raced into the main 
room of his small apartment, leaping onto his couch and turning on 
the TV all in one motion.
      Suddenly, Reiko filled his vision and his heart.  The name 
listed in the credits and the name her legions of fans knew her by 
was 'Risa Akashimo', but to Kyo she would always be sweet, 
gentle Reiko, who had lightened the otherwise unbearable hell that 
had been his high school experience.  Then she was scouted by a 
talent agency just before they were to take the entrance exams for 
the college in their home town together and he hadn't seen her in 
the flesh since.
      Luckily, Kyo had managed to scrape together enough 
money to buy a digital recorder in time for 'Risa's' first public 
appearance.  He had an archive of every moment she had graced a 
TV, the recorder preset to seek out any appearance no matter how 
slight, so he could play them back at times that he felt empty and 
alone.  He knew what a pathetic loser he was for doing this, but he 
couldn't help it.  He missed Reiko.
      "Excuse me, who are you?" suddenly spoke a female voice 
behind him.
      Kyo turned slowly, his eyes widening in surprise to see a 
strange humanoid woman standing before him.  She was vaguely 
fox-like, with pointed ears and narrow, cat-like eyes.  Even her 
hands and feet looked like a halfway point between paws and more 
human hands, covered in soft fur that faded away half way up her 
forearms.  She had longish purple hair tied off in what looked like 
nine ponytails and was dressed in the tight fitting uniform of a jet 
pilot from some nation with a fetish for pastels.
      She was also short.  Kyo was only a little over average 
height and she was at least a head shorter than him.  However, he 
couldn't help noticing that she was more than fully mature in at 
least one aspect, since her jumpsuit was loose everywhere except 
her chest, which it strained to conceal.
      *You idiot, that's the android,* Kyo thought to himself with 
some chagrin.  The old man had said it was probably some odd 
design, but he hadn't really been expecting this.  Androids were 
sometimes dressed up to look like animals, but no one had ever 
built one to resemble an animal before.  There was some reason for 
it, probably the work of animal rights' groups, but he couldn't 
clearly remember it at the moment.  Especially with a fox android 
poking him in the nose as she stared back at him with wide, 
curious eyes.
      "Since that old guy gave you to me, I guess I'm your new 
owner," Kyo explained, somehow feeling like a complete moron 
for saying it.  He wasn't the sort of person that should be the owner 
of anything.  It was why he didn't have any pets.  He knew he was 
too unreliable to take care of them.
      "I see," the android replied with a small nod, taking a few 
moments to digest this information before asking, "Then who am 
I?"
      "Hmm, you must have only been preprogrammed for basic 
functions," Kyo deduced.  Though he never owned an android 
before, he knew some things about them, mainly because Reiko 
had a android sidekick on her TV show; though that android was 
actually played by a live human.
      Some androids are made to perform specific duties right 
out of the box, like the maid android he had accidentally knocked 
over.  Others are sold for general use, shipping with various 
romsets so the owner could pick and choose their functionality.  
Some people didn't even like their androids thinking of themselves 
at that, preferring them to be servants, employees, and occasionally 
something more deviant.
      Kyo found her box where he had left it, though there was a 
large rip on the top where the android must have clawed her way 
through it, which was odd since she didn't seem to have very sharp 
nails.  It was odd enough that she had activated herself, though he 
supposed that with all the jostling around, she might have been 
turned on accidentally, which was probably why most androids 
don't ship with their power cell already installed.
      The strangest thing, however, was the fact that there was no 
manual or software in the box, no matter how hard he looked for 
them.  There were slots where they were clearly supposed to go, 
but it looked like someone had forgotten to add them in.  Maybe 
this android was a factory reject, a mistake like the odd clothes 
Reiko used to get from thrift shops.
      "What you are is an... ahh, I'm missing Reiko!" Kyo 
shouted in panic as the woman he loved suddenly flashed across 
the screen.  He quickly sat down next to the android, who was 
already watching attentively, and he was enchanted by Reiko's soft 
brown eyes once more.

      "What you are is an android," Kyo started to explain once 
the TV had turned itself off.  As the android continued to stare at 
him with wide, innocent eyes, showing not a glimmer of 
comprehension, he added, "That is, you're a machine made to 
perform various tasks in order to make life easier for humans.  
Like a microwave... only much more complicated."
      "I see," the fox-like android replied after considering the 
man's words for a few milliseconds.  "And since you are my 
owner, it is my duty to make your life easier.  Correct?"
      "Well, I guess so," Kyo replied hesitantly.  Being called 
owner, even by an android, just didn't sound right to him.  He also 
didn't think it would be possible to make his life any easier.  Ever 
since the end of high school, he had been walking the path of least 
resistance, seeking only creature comforts.
      His courier cell phone rang, startling him and cutting off 
the android's next question.  Kyo had gotten so used to wearing the 
thing that he had even taken it with him on his day off.  He 
considered just ignoring the call, since it was probably a mistake 
anyway, but it wasn't like he had anything better to do.  "Kyo 
speaking."
      "Kyo, my man, it's so good to hear you.  'Cause I've got this 
one little job that's begging for your special attention," said a voice 
that Kyo immediately recognized as a dark-skinned Asian man 
who called himself MC.  Kyo always thought of him as some kind 
of crazy, wannabe rap star, but he was a regular customer who 
always tipped very generously, so it was hard to complain.
      "Didn't the office tell you it was my day off, MC?" Kyo 
replied with a hint of annoyance.  He might have had nothing to 
do, but a vacation was a vacation.  He didn't want to have to deal 
with the usual irritations of work today.  "If it can't wait until 
tomorrow, I'm sure one of the other couriers would be happy to 
help you."
      "No, no, that's no good.  Got to be today and those other 
delivery boys and girls ain't got the groove down, you know what I 
mean?  All I'm asking for is an hour of your time, bro.  Just a short 
job in the city limits, that's all.  And I'll be willing to triple my 
usual bonus to compensate for your vacation time."
      MC's usual bonus took care of rent for a month.  Triple 
wasn't something Kyo could really afford to pass up, especially 
when he now had romsets and other android accessories to buy.
      "All right.  Send me the details," Kyo said with a small sigh 
as he connected his PDA to the cell phone.  Looking up because 
the android was poking him in the nose again, he told MC, "I'll get 
on this soon, but there's something I've got to take care of first."

      Omni-bikes were portable scooters, specially designed to 
be light weight and folded up into the size of a briefcase.  Their 
ability to go anywhere and on just about any surface had made 
them a common sight in snow-covered Tokyo.  Kyo's was a 
custom model, more expensive than the off the shelf breeds, but 
the improved traction, handling, and extra horsepower was worth 
it, even if the added weight made it a little less portable.
      "What shall I do while you are away?" the android asked 
her owner politely after he had explained the errand he needed to 
run, and also why she could not do it for him.  It was true though 
that she did not know this city and would easily become lost.  It 
was good to have such a sensible master.
      "Umm, do whatever you want," Kyo replied, already half 
way out the door and head filled with all the wonderful things that 
a triple bonus could buy him.  Maybe a plane ticket to Reiko's next 
on location shoot, if he could get time off again.  "There's not 
much in my apartment that needs doing, so maybe you should go 
online and pick up some android basics until I get you a few 
romsets."
      "Understood," the android replied, but then added urgently 
as a thought occurred to her when her master was nearly out of 
sight, "But you haven't named me yet!  Aren't I supposed to have 
one?"
      "Why don't you decide that for yourself?  I'll go along with 
whatever you like!" Kyo shouted back before the elevator doors 
finally closed on him, not feeling worthy enough to decide 
something as important as a name.

      Sliding his PDA into a convenient holster on his omni-bike, 
Kyo set it on GPS mode and let it guide him through the snow-
coated streets towards his next job, as he did every day.  This time 
it led him to one of the many skyscrapers that dotted Tokyo's 
skyline, the cooperate offices of too many businesses to keep track 
of, especially since he had to go there often, for both pickups and 
deliveries.
      The office he eventually arrived at was one he was sure he 
had never been in before, though the six dark-suited, middle aged 
men looked like every other corporate exec he ever had to deal 
with.  Oddly, there was no ID checks this time, no making sure he 
wasn't a bogus courier out to steal their corporate secrets.  Package 
probably wasn't important anyway.  Just a jet black briefcase they 
handed over to him without saying a word.  Heavy though.
      Not liking the atmosphere in the room brought on by this 
silence, Kyo bowed politely as he accepted the briefcase and 
hurried to the exit, only to pause as the man at the head of the table 
asked him, "You're one of those fallout children, aren't you?  What 
is it that they call them now... Blessed?"
      "It's not a blessing," Kyo replied bitterly as he walked on, 
letting the door slam shut behind him.
      Being Blessed had been a big deal when Kyo was younger.  
It made him different from the other kids in school and most of 
them had shunned him for it.  There was only one girl who had 
been willing to be seen with him back then, but now that he was 
older it didn't seem to matter much to anyone anymore.  No need 
to conceal the strange birthmark that encircled his throat like a 
collar made of thorns.  He was just some courier now.

      Kyo had no idea what MC did for a living, but he guessed it 
was something illegal, since he had a lot of money to throw around 
and definitely wasn't the suit wearing type, though it was hard to 
picture him as a gangster either.  MC was one hundred percent 
Japanese, but had regular melanin injections to give his skin a 
chocolate brown look.  Kyo dealt with him so much that he could 
tell the last time MC had his booster shot by the shade of his skin.
      "My man!  My man!" MC greeted him even more warmly 
than usual as he opened up the door, dressed in a French fashion 
designer's idea of ancient African tribal gear.  Kyo was pretty sure 
that the real ones hadn't been made of silk.  "And right on time as 
usual.  I made this little program to predict your ETA based on 
current weather conditions and you are right on the dot!"
      MC did something with computers, but there wasn't a 
person in Tokyo who didn't these days.  Even public works had a 
small army of androids to program.  MC's secret career had to be a 
little better than sanitation though since he lived in one of the 
swankiest apartment blocks in the city, though it was a bit eerie for 
Kyo since he had never seen anyone else on that floor.
      "Here's you package, MC," Kyo told the eccentric with a 
small smirk as he slid it out of the snow guard and handed it over.  
Normally, it was pay first, service second, but he doubted MC was 
going to start stiffing him now.  Then he held up his credit card 
and asked, "Did you say something about a triple bonus?"
      "For the heinous crime of breaking your vacation, I do 
plead guilty and here is my fine in full," MC replied in his usual 
musical tone as he punched a few digits on his own credit card and 
swiped it against Kyo's.  A beep later, the transfer was accepted of 
more money than Kyo honestly knew what to do with. 
      "No big deal.  I wasn't doing much anyway," Kyo told him 
with a shrug, deciding not to mention the android he suddenly 
found himself in possession of.  MC might start thinking Kyo 
didn't need his generosity anymore, and besides he was a little 
afraid that a mystery man like him might want to take her apart to 
see what makes a fox android tick.  Kyo didn't want to be an 
irresponsible owner.
      "In that case, maybe you'd be willing to spare me a little 
more of your precious time," MC said mysteriously as he backed 
up a little to reveal a darkened hallway behind him, ending at a 
closed door, thought a flickering bluish light leaked out all around 
it.  "If you will accompany me thought yonder portal, I will show 
you something that will blow your mind."
      "Really?" Kyo asked in surprise.  MC was always secretive 
about just about everything he did.  The guy wouldn't even talk 
about what he had for lunch.  The chance to find out something, 
whatever it turned out to be, was too tempting for Kyo to resist.  Of 
course, that's when his phone made it's presence known again.
      "KNR?" spoke a teenage girl, who was easy for him to 
identify since she was the only person who ever called him by that 
nickname.  It had become a tradition with omni-bike couriers that 
when they pull off a near impossible job that they've become far 
too cool to be referred to by their first name anymore and instead 
are given three letters, usually connected to the event, as their 
handle.
      All the other couriers were punk teenagers though, either 
nearing the end of high school or beginning college.  Kyo was the 
old man of the crew and so was unworthy of their respect, so they 
refused to refer to him by name or handle; he was just 'that old guy' 
to them.  All except for one girl who was similarly ostracized from 
their social order, for reasons Kyo had never delved into, out of 
respect for a fellow outcast.
      "KLS?  What's up?" Kyo asked curiously, since the girl 
was the last person he expected to break the vacation taboo.
      "I'm really sorry to call on your vacation, but I've got a 
make or break delivery and my omni-bike just fell apart on me," 
KLS explained in her usual meek tone, always fearful of giving 
offense, which was probably why she got more important packages 
that everyone else.  Businessmen thought that the other couriers, 
with their strange lingo and even stranger fashion sense, were 
aliens from another planet.  A poor joke considering the real aliens 
all died in that explosion a little before Kyo was born.
      "I kept telling you that prefab rig was going to give out on 
you at the worst time.  Guess we all need to learn that lesson the 
hard way.  I've got a fix on your location.  Stay put and I'll be there 
in a minute," Kyo said to her before hanging up.  Then her turned 
back to face MC who had been standing there waiting the whole 
time and told him regretfully, "Sorry, MC, but I'll have to take a 
rain check on the mind blowing today.  Ladies first."
      "Heh, I dig.  You wouldn't be the man if you were anyway 
else," MC replied with a smile, though he seemed to be a bit 
disappointed.  "This is a one time only showing, but you know I've 
always got something special going on."
      "You're something special all right," Kyo replied with a 
slight smirk before picking up his folded omni-bike and making 
towards the elevator that arrived immediately, almost as if it had 
been waiting for him.

      KLS's omni-bike was composed mostly of recycled 
materials, hard plastics and mixed metal alloys, which was good 
enough for the average kid who begged their parents for one on 
Xmas, but just wasn't up to the sort of punishment a courier goes 
through on his or her daily runs.  It's like living on nothing but fast 
food; something is going break down sooner or later and then the 
whole thing turns to shit.
      KLS herself was in much better shape, though still a little 
disheveled from the spill she had taken when the bike had given 
out.  On the swim team at her high school, he knew, and not just 
from the swim goggles around her neck that she wore to guard her 
eyes from the snow.  It was one of the things she talked about 
pretty often, and something he teased her about; that the male 
spectators all went there to see her in he swim suit.  Her shoulder 
length blonde hair usually made her stand out in a crowd; a small 
en vitro alteration made by her full Japanese parents.
      "Damn piece of junk!" KLS swore as she kicked her fallen 
steed, bending with her blow like no decent omni-bike should 
have.  "If it had just held out for this run, then I'd have enough 
saved to buy one of those custom bikes your friend makes."
      "You mean Rez?" Kyo asked, a little surprised since KLS 
had never mentioned buying a new bike before, no matter how 
often he had encouraged her to do so.  "Look, this isn't really your 
fault.  I don't want to take this delivery from you.  So I'll sell you 
my omni-bike so you can finish it yourself.  Rez built it all by hand 
so this one won't ever give out on you."
      "But you just bought it!  I can't take it from you," KLS 
protested KNR's not unexpected kindness.  She knew that she 
could always count on him if she were ever in a jam like this, but it 
always made her feel guilty with how far he would go to help.
      "Yeah, but this on didn't turn out to suit me too well, so I 
was thinking about getting another one soon anyway," Kyo lied, 
but he could afford to after MC's earlier generosity.  "I think it'll 
suit you a lot better than me."
      "Well, okay, since you insist, but I'll pay you every last yen 
for it tomorrow, I swear," KLS insisted as she hugged her 
newfound possession.  When KNR first showed up with his new 
bike, it had been love at first sight for her, which was why she had 
to have a Rez-crafted ride of her own.  Somehow, receiving that 
very bike from KNR himself was even better.
      "I'll just take your old one as a down payment then," Kyo 
said with a smile, even though the mass-produced bike wasn't 
worth much even before it got wrecked.  He couldn't leave it just 
lying on the sidewalk though and he was happy things all turned 
out for the best.  Sure, he was selling his custom omni-bike at a 
loss, but he was sure Rez would spot him a loaner.
      "I think there's a dumpster around the corner over there," 
KLS replied with a smirk as she got herself comfortable with her 
new wheels.  She knew her broken omni-bike wasn't worth the 
trouble of carrying, but she also knew how futile it was to argue 
with KNR's philanthropic decisions.  Revving the motor, she 
turned back to give him a quick peck on the cheek before blazing 
her way down the street, a blush freckling her cheeks.
      *Kids,* Kyo thought with a slow shake of his head before 
hefting the broken bike on one shoulder and starting off down the 
street in the direction of his vehicular salvation.

      Rez's omni-bike shop was an out of the way place tucked 
into some back street that obviously didn't get snow clearing 
services as often as Tokyo's main thoroughfares.  Since its owner 
could never think of an appropriate name for the store, it didn't 
even have a sign, though the omni-bikes in the windows got the 
message across well enough.  Most of Rez's business was by 
reputation anyway, so people already knew what to expect when 
they walked through the door for the first time; more or less.
      "Yo, Rez," Kyo called out to the person slouched over the 
counter, idly flipping through a parts catalogue.  Realizing he was 
still carrying around KLS's cheap mass production bike, he added a 
bit embarrassed, "You got a junk pile I can throw this on?"
      "What the hell are you doing with that thing, Kyo?  
Where's the bike I just built for you?" Rez asked with a frown as 
she looked up at him.  Rez was a woman, though her macho 
attitude combined with her androgynous fashion sense made it 
easy to forget that fact.  She was also tall, with her short dark hair 
ending around Kyo's eye line, and working with heavy machines 
all day had given her enough visible muscle to dissuade most 
people from messing with her.
      "I, umm... I sold it," Kyo admitted, a little worried how Rez 
was going to take this.  She wasn't exactly the most even-tempered 
woman in the world.  "Another courier had an important delivery 
to make and she was saving up to buy one from you anyway, so I 
sold her mine.  You wouldn't happen to have a loaner, would you?"
      "Damn, you're soft," Rez said with a snort as she took the 
trashed omni-bike from him and looked it over critically.  "Last 
year's Tanabishi economy model... Why do people even buy this 
trash?  Still, the electronics seem reusable so I can give you 
something for it."
      "Thanks," Kyo replied, knowing that this was only just 
reaffirming the low opinion she already had of him, which was 
pretty much right on the mark.  Following her into her workroom 
in the back of the shop, he added, "Actually, MC gave me a triple 
bonus today so money isn't a real problem... that is, as long as 
you'll let me pay in installments again."
      "Hmm, I'm pretty booked up right now... was only taking a 
break while I thought my way through a new design problem...," 
Rez mused out loud as she dissected the ruined omni-bike with the 
casual precision of a lobster fanatic separating the tasty meat from 
its useless shell.  "But I have a bike I built for someone who 
thought my prices were open to negotiation.  Should suit you fine 
with a little adjustment.  It's a higher price bracket than your old 
custom was, but I guess I can give you a discount under the 
circumstances."
      "I'll take it!" Kyo said eagerly, starting to think that this 
wasn't such a bad day off after all.

      There were two nervous-looking men in the shop when 
they returned.  It could have had something to do with the gun one 
of them was carrying.  Guns had once been a rare sight in Tokyo, 
but they were becoming more and more common as the snow 
continued to fall and people lost their grip on reality.
      "I want a bike now!  I g-good one...," the armed man 
insisted, only to shiver and shake like a drug-starved junky.  He 
had 2nd stage EWS, which meant it was only a step or two away 
from being fully insane, and his buddy only looked worse.
      The first cases of EWS, Endless Winter Syndrome, actually 
happened before the snowfall had even begun, though these were 
only first stage cases and usually diagnosed as simple paranoia 
with a cold fixation.  It was only about a month or two after the 
snow started that the 2nd stage cases emerged, which was treatable 
with heavy medication.  Thankfully, there were only about a dozen 
reported cases of 3rd stage EWS so far.
      "I only make custom omni-bikes here.  None of these are 
for sale," Rez spoke in a tone that was a little more polite than 
usual, but otherwise unchanged.  "Leave your name, specs, and a 
down payment and I'll add you to my schedule."
      "I need one now!  We need to get out of this damn city!" 
the man practically howled as he aimed the gun at Rez's face with 
an unsteady hand.  "What's wrong this the heating in this place 
anyway?!  I'm freezing in here!"
      His friend's eyes were flat and dead, like they were carved 
of ice, but his fists were bunched up so tightly that a slow drip of 
blood emerged between his fingers, splattering the scuffed floor.  
His whole body trembled, like a spring about to be sprung, or like 
a man about to slip into 3rd stage EWS.
      Fallout children, unborn babies exposed to a strange kind of 
energy when the island home of the aliens mysteriously exploded, 
came to be known as 'Blessed.'  Not for the strange powers they 
gained, but the fact that when using their power, they were 
surrounding in a light blue nimbus, almost like a halo that covered 
their entire body.  Even before the first man fired and the second 
charged forward, foaming at the mouth, Kyo was already glowing.
      Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Kyo leapt forward, only 
feeling the light touch of gravity and a burning around his neck 
like a necklace of fire.  The bullet cut a leisurely path through the 
air as Rez stared back at it, her eyes slowly closing as she blinked 
in surprise.  Moments later, she was on the floor where Kyo had 
knocked her down and the bullet continued its slow journey to 
imbed itself harmlessly in a wall.
      Kyo was back on his feet in one fluid motion before the 
gunman was even able to realize he had missed, or his insane 
companion to notice that he was no longer in front of him.  The 
steel bar felt like ice in Kyo's hands as he picked it up next to the 
counter and charged forward to strike the gunman in the stomach 
as he was finally beginning to react to his missed shot.  The other 
man had only started to turn when Kyo clubbed him on the back of 
the head, knocking him to the floor.  Then time finally returned to 
normal.
      "Kyo, that was amazing!  How did you move so fast?  I've 
never seen anyone...," Rez started to say before Kyo, already on 
his knees, slowly collapsed to the floor.  "Kyo!"

      Kyo didn't like to dream.  The happy ones always left a bad 
taste in his mouth when he awoke and realized what his real life 
was like, and the bad ones, which happened far more often, usually 
revolved around Reiko rejecting him in some way or developing 
EWS and turning into another snow-obsessed fruitcake in a 
straight jacket, medicated into oblivion.
      This dream was neither.  Kyo was standing on a shore, 
staring off at an island just on the edge of the horizon as snow fell 
all around him.  It was peaceful and quiet, up until the moment an 
explosion filled his eyes with smoke and darkness.  When it 
cleared, he looked up into curious, familiar eyes.  Eyes that he 
couldn't place in his sluggish mental state.  They stared at him in 
concern, lips unmoving though he heard someone calling out his 
name, seeming to coming from far off...
      "Kyo... Kyo...  Good, you're finally awake.  You had me 
worried for a minute there," Rez said as he finally opened his eyes.  
She had been letting him sleep off... whatever that had been, but 
then he had convulsed suddenly, grabbing her attention again.
      "Where am I?" Kyo groaned though lips that felt ten times 
heavier than normal, unlike the rest of his body which had gain a 
hundred times its usual weight while he was out.  Blurry glances 
scattered across the room confirmed that it was a place he had 
never been before, though it had the sort of carefully maintained 
dishevelment of his own apartment.
      "My room above the shop.  I brought you up here after you 
passed out," Rez explained, sitting at her drafting table by the 
bedside where she had been working on one of her current 
contracts while he had still been asleep.  "That's my bed you're 
laying on, so don't mess up the sheets or anything."
      "Ugh, now I remember," Kyo said as the memories came 
rushing back all at once.  EWS, bullets, violence, blood, 
everything.  Almost in a panic, he sat up in bed and asked, "What 
happened to those men?  Are you all right?"
      "The police took them away... four hours ago, Kyo," Rez 
replied with a smile as she turned away from him, seeing him fall 
back to the bed out of the corner of her eye.  "Just what the hell 
happened anyway?  I thought it was just two punks trying to pull 
some hair-brained robbery scheme, but they suddenly go insane 
and you turn into some kind of superman.  I was on the track team 
in high school, but I've never seen anyone move half as fast as you 
did."
      "You've heard about EWS, right?  Well those two guys had 
it bad.  They really were insane.  As for me...," Kyo trailed off 
uncomfortably.  It wasn't something he liked talking about with 
anyone.  'Blessed' was such a joke.  It was his curse.  "I'm one of 
those fallout children, the ones with all those crazy useless powers.  
I can move really fast for short periods of time.  Only I have no 
control over it and it always burns me out like this."
      "Didn't seem so useless to me.  Damn, now I owe you one 
and I hate owing anybody anything," Rez lamented, though she 
was still smiling.  "I guess your new ride is going to be on me."
      "I know you work like hell to keep this little shop going.  I 
can't make you take a loss like that," Kyo told her firmly as he 
started to sit up again, more successfully this time.  He was 
uncomfortable with the idea of someone owing a loser like him, 
but he was even more uncomfortable with taking a top of the line 
omni-bike just because he happened to be a freak of nature.  "How 
about you just waive my first payment and we call it even?"
      "I think my life is worth more to me than one lousy 
payment, Kyo," Rez replied with crossed arms, obviously insulted.  
"How about you make three payments and I'll cover the rest.  The 
shop has been doing pretty well lately now that omni-bikes have 
really caught on.  Trust me, I can afford it."
      "That guy's hand was shaking so badly he'd probably miss 
shooting himself and you could have taken apart the other guy 
yourself easy," Kyo argued.  He had reacted so fast it was like he 
wasn't even doing it, like his body was on remote control from 
some higher, far smarter power anyway.  "I'd feel low if you 
rewarded me that much for it.  At least let me pay half."
      "Fine, half," Rez finally agreed with a frown, only to 
change into a crooked smile as she added, "You know, you didn't 
argue nearly as much when I set the price of your old custom.  Are 
you some sort of financial masochist?"
      *Just when I had managed to improve her opinion of me,* 
Kyo thought as his luck came full circle once again.

      It was nearly closing time for most stores in snow-blitzed 
Tokyo by the time Kyo stumbled out of Rez's shop, his new racer 
model omni-bike worn backpack-style on his back.
      While better than some others, Tokyo received more than 
its share of the One Year Winter.  Combined with the city's size 
and the usual budget problems, it was simply impossible to keep it 
entirely clear around the clock.  So the public works department 
chopped it up into zones and organized their small army of android 
helpers and assorted snow clearing vehicles around a 'need to 
access' basis.  Residential zones received light but constant service, 
while commercial zones were cleared away according to traffic 
levels.
      Seeing industrial robots lumbering into a converted troop 
transport, Kyo suddenly remembered the errand that he needed to 
run for the person/appliance/whatever waiting for him back in his 
apartment.  He was a bit thankful now that Rez had talked him into 
waiving the first couple payments.  Like the androids themselves, 
android accessories were expensive.

      The android accessory store Kyo found, tucked into a 
relatively new mall complex, was far too bright and much too 
clean for his tastes.  He felt uncomfortable walking inside with his 
snow-encrusted shoes and rifling though its carefully organized 
shelves, but with only about ten minutes to go he didn't really have 
time to be choosy.  The android was depending on him to be a 
good master.
      Even the air felt cleaner as Kyo finally stepped inside.  
Ignoring the pale-faced android behind the cash register, he headed 
directly for the romset aisles, also trying to ignore the eerie feeling 
of being the only person, at least only human, in the place.
      *Hmm, what does she need?  A basic romset, probably one 
for cooking and cleaning too...,* Kyo mused to himself, only to 
notice that the selection was a bit wider than he had anticipated.  In 
fact, the aisle he was currently in was devoted to nothing but 
cooking romsets, comprising dozens of different styles, cultures, 
and appetites.  General Japanese cooking would have been nice, 
but the romsets were often named to catch the eye instead of 
clearly identifying their contents.  Even reading the backs of some 
wasn't much help since Kyo honestly didn't know much about 
cooking, outside of the phone numbers for the cheapest takeout 
places.
      "May I help you, sir?" asked a soft feminine voice behind 
him, startling him slightly.
      "Yes, I was...," Kyo started to say as he turned around, only 
to notice that what he had thought was an android from a distance 
was actually a woman whose face was painted white like an 
unfinished kabuki mask.  Somehow that didn't seem socially polite 
to point out, so he continued, "Yes, I was looking for a few basic 
romsets.  I just received an android... I guess you could say it was a 
gift, but it didn't come with a manual or romsets of its own."
      "You didn't... steal it, did you?" the saleslady asked, 
sounding both mildly appalled and curious at the same time.
      "Me?  No way.  I don't think I could build one of those 
tazers without electrocuting myself.  I have a hard time changing 
light bulbs," Kyo exaggerated with a small smile, though he was 
pretty much worthless when it came to building things.  The tazers 
that android jackers use to temporarily disrupt their target's 
artificial brain to prevent them from resisting capture had to be 
pretty complex to surpass an android's ECM shielding.  "I was 
helping some guy bring some unsold androids to a warehouse, so 
he gave me an oddball model in exchange for my help."
      "Oddball model?" the woman repeated in confusion.  "Do 
you mean one of those sextoy androids?  I've never seen one 
myself, but there have been a few customers in here that acted like 
they had one.  We don't carry those kind of accessories."
      "No... at least I don't think so," Kyo replied uncertainly.  He 
had been too embarrassed to check, and while the android hadn't 
given him the impression that she was designed for kinky sex, she 
definitely had unnecessarily feminine proportions.  "She's basically 
a fox-girl.  Paws for hands and feet, and pointed ears, though I'm 
pretty sure she doesn't have a tail."
      "That's weird.  I mean that's really weird.  I've never heard 
of anybody making an android like that and working in this place 
you hear about all kinds of non-standard models," the woman 
commented, then catching her reflection in a mirror in the android 
fashion section, added, "By the way, the management makes me 
powder my face like this, to resemble an android.  They wanted to 
staff their chain with a real androids, but it's illegal for robots to do 
non labor-related work.  Hopefully, I'll be accepted into college 
this year and won't have to work here anymore."
      "At least you get to work where it's warm.  I'm a courier, so 
I'm out in the snow most of the time.  Even when it isn't too bad 
out, the customers always give me a cold reception," Kyo 
countered with a small chuckle, starting to warm up to this put-
upon saleswoman.  Probably due to their similar ages and similar 
circumstances.  The few people he knew of his generation were all 
successful in one way or another.  It was a strange comfort to find 
that he wasn't the only twenty-something loser in Tokyo.
      "I guess things are rough for a lot of people with all this 
snow... but I'm supposed to close the store in about five minutes, 
so I should probably help you find what you're looking for," the 
woman changed the subject with an embarrassed smile before 
speed-browsing through the racks to select a few tapes and a book.
      "This is what I suggest.  A cheap book on androids that 
covers all the basics and is recommended pretty highly.  All the 
other books are really wordy or cover stuff you won't need.  This is 
a romset of android basic functions that covers a little bit of 
everything, this one covers all domestic functions for an apartment, 
and this one is a pretty good cooking rom.  I'm actually using the 
book that it's based on myself and it covers all the basic recipes 
along with some pretty interesting alternatives."
      "Thanks.  That should be all I'll need for now.  I'll take 
them," Kyo replied, relieved that what had first appeared to be a 
daunting task was now over so quickly.
      "Whew.  That means I'll be able to close on time after all.  
The manager likes everything to follow his little schedule exactly, 
but I don't like the idea of pushing customers out," the saleswoman 
explained with a small frown as she quickly ringed up his 
purchases.
      "Weird.  I would think he'd be more concerned with sales," 
Kyo idly commented as he nodded to the total and swiped his 
credit card through the slot.
      "Well, he's a weird guy.  I think he wishes he was an 
android or something," the woman replied with a crooked grin as 
she handed him a bag with pictures of gleaming chrome androids 
on it holding the store's logo.  Then she added as she leaned over 
the counter, exposing where the powder ended and her real skin 
tone began, "My name is Madoka by the way.  It was nice meeting 
you."
      "Uhh, I'm Kyo.  It was nice meeting you too," Kyo replied 
a bit awkwardly as he accepted the bag.  Not because this was a 
social situation that he had little experience with, though that was a 
factor, but he couldn't help noticing a mark, half concealed by 
powder, that encircled Madoka's throat.
      She was Blessed as he was, but hadn't mentioned it even 
though he didn't bother trying to hide his own mark anymore.  
They were even more alike than he thought, which made him 
wonder if all Blessed were losers.  He had never met another one 
before, at least not face to face like this.
      Realizing that he had been staring off into space for some 
moments, Kyo quickly and nervously said, "Thanks for the help, 
Madoka-san.  I'll probably be imposing on you again pretty soon.  I 
think being an android's master is a little over my head."
      "I'll be here," Madoka replied with a small smirk.

      "I'm home!" Kyo called out into his darkened apartment as 
he slipped his shoes off.  He was surprised that his greeting 
generated no response, though he could see by the rapidly 
flickering light coming from around the corner that the android's 
box at least had been put away in the closet, which in itself had 
been tidied up in little but still noticeable ways.  It looked as if the 
android had figured out how to do things after all.  Maybe the 
romsets had been a waste of money.
      A moment later he discovered the flicker was being caused 
by the android speed-reading her way through the internet at a pace 
that, just from watching over her shoulder, started to give him a 
headache.  That was when he realized that she was sitting perfectly 
still, with the mouse and keyboard lying untouched before her.  In 
fact, she was so still that he started to get a little worried.  Tapping 
her on the shoulder, he asked, "Hey, are you all right?"
      "Welcome home, master.  I am perfectly fine.  Thank you 
for your concern," the android replied primly without looking up, 
only her mouth moving slightly to form the words.  "I am currently 
learning all that I can about androids online as you suggested, but 
there is so much information available that even at my maximum 
ability, it is taking a long time to absorb and process it all."
      "Well, you don't need to learn everything there is to know 
about androids now,"  Kyo told her, finding this whole 
conversation a bit creepy.  He wanted to turn on the room lights at 
least, but didn't want to break her concentration or anything.  
"Here, I've bought you some romsets that should cover the 
essentials.  Why don't you install these and you can go online later 
for anything else you want to know.  Okay?"
      "As you wish, master," the android replied respectfully.  As 
she blinked, the computer seemed to turn itself off and the room 
lights turned themselves on.  She stood up straight to face him with 
a smile, that suddenly turned into a frown.  "How do you install 
romsets anyway?  I don't believe my research covered that yet."
      "I'm not sure either, but this book...," Kyo started to say 
until his brain finally caught up with what he had just seen.  "Wait 
a minute, how did you do that?"
      "Do what?" the android asked, puzzled, her long pointed 
ears drooping a bit.
      "Using my computer without touching it, shutting it off 
again without touching it, and even turning on the lights without... 
you get the idea," Kyo listed, boggled by this seemingly magical 
act that his new possession could perform.  He was almost sure 
normal androids couldn't do that.
      "Hmm, I'm not really sure.  I just think at the computer for 
instance and it does what I wanted it to do.  I had no idea that this 
was unusual," the android replied.  "Should I activate them only 
physically from now on?"
      "I'd say that's a good idea if you ever go out in public, but 
around the apartment it doesn't really matter," Kyo told her, still 
bemused by this strange talent.  Then he got an idea and said, "Do 
you think you can use the computer at a distance?  Why don't you 
stand over on the other side of the room and try it?"
      "Very well," the android agreed, walking over to the spot 
indicated.  Her ears suddenly shot straight up on her head and 
claws slowly extended from her paws as the computer turned itself 
on and flickered randomly over the internet.
      *So she does have claws after all, and she can use them for 
more than tearing through boxes.  I wonder if she really is an 
oddball model,* Kyo mused in amazement.  Then noticing the 
android was getting that disturbingly vacant stare again, he told 
her, "Okay, I've seen enough.  Why don't we find out how to install 
this romsets,...  Oh, did you think of a name for yourself yet?"
      "Yes I did," the android replied as she turned the computer 
off and turned back to face her master.  She seemed a bit nervous 
as she continued, "I wish to be known as... Milani."
      "Milani?" Kyo repeated in confusion, having expected 
some cute Japanese girl's name, not something that sounded 
vaguely European to him.  Though in retrospect it made sense that 
such an unusual android would pick such an unusual name.
      "Does this name not meet with your approval?" the android 
asked in concern.  "I have selected six hundred and fifty three 
alternatives.  Perhaps I could list them and you could choose one?"
      "No, that's not necessary.  Milani is very nice name," Kyo 
replied with a smile that was a bit forced.  Listening to that many 
names would take all night and probably drive him mad in the 
process.  Eager for a change of subject, Kyo dug out the book on 
androids from the bag and quickly flipped to the section on 
romsets.  "Installing these romsets seems pretty simple.  All I have 
to do is find your rom installation panel, which is usually behind 
one ear or on the lower back of the head."
      With nine pony-tails, Milani had a lot of hair to push out of 
the way, but no matter how hard Kyo looked, he couldn't find a 
panel like one of those illustrated in the book.  It mostly distracted 
him from how soft the android's skin felt and how silky and fine 
her hair was.  "Hmm, looks like you don't have one.  Wait, here's 
something about that in the book...  Says here that some non-
standard models have a universal port instead and use a stand-
alone rom-reader.  I guess I'll have to buy one of those tomorrow, 
but I didn't see any kind of jack..."
      While listening to her owner think out loud, Milani picked 
up the cases for the romsets and studied them intently before 
finally opening the case and carefully removing the small rom 
chips.  With the chips resting in her cupped paws, her eyes went 
blank as he claws extended, staying like this for several moments.
      "... I should probably order out a late dinner and head to 
bed soon anyway, so ...," Kyo continued talking mostly to himself, 
only to trail off when Milani moved away from him, carefully 
putting the romsets back in their cases and stacking those neatly on 
the shelf.
      "I shall begin preparing your dinner right away, master," 
Milani declared firmly as she marched off towards his tiny kitchen 
area, her mind quickly sorting and reorganizing the cooking data 
into a more efficient database than the one it had come in, then 
connecting it with all cooking references she had received online.
      "You read those roms just by looking at them?!" Kyo asked 
in bafflement as he followed the determined android.  The android 
book he had bought was only about a month old and didn't say 
anything about that sort of option, or any of Milani's other 
extraordinary abilities.  It talked of radio-based adaptor kits, but 
those all required some sort of receiver, which he was pretty sure 
his computer and his apartment lights didn't have.
      "Yes.  I'm not entirely sure how, but I was able to peer 
inside them and see the data that they contained," Milani replied as 
she began searching the kitchen area for the proper cooking 
utensils, only to find few implements that fit that category.  "What 
would you like for dinner?  Including all variations, I now know 
how to prepare two hundred and sixty five meals.  Shall I list 
them?"
      "No, you don't have to do that.  Just make whatever you 
want.  I'm not really a picky eater," Kyo replied nervously, 
wondering if Milani was going to list hundreds of options for every 
choice she gave him.  He would need to take another vacation for 
every single question if he ever wanted to decide something for 
himself.
      "Then I will prepare a meal based on the most efficient 
usage of available ingredients," Milani decided as she opened up 
the refrigerator and scanned its contents.  Then she added with a 
slight frown, "Out of two hundred and sixty five recipes, only three 
can be prepared with the current selection of ingredients."
      "Well, I don't do much cooking myself," Kyo admitted, 
feeling embarrassed by his slacker lifestyle.  "Make up a list of the 
things we need and I'll go food shopping after work tomorrow."
      "Understood," Milani replied as the clink of cooking 
utensils began to fill the air.
      Seeing the fox-girl android completely focused on the near 
impossible task of turning the miscellaneous foodstuffs in his 
refrigerator into something edible, Kyo decided to watch an old 
episode of Reiko's show while he waited for the result.  Still not 
fully recovered from using his blessed power earlier, he felt 
himself starting to drift off as he stared into Reiko's smiling face...

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