On Tuesday, Aug 19, 2003, at 01:13 US/Central, Ammadeau wrote:

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

Always winter, and never Christmas!

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.

You might want to re-arrange the last sentence, since
"Only to collide with a woman" links with "he just trudged along", not
"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

"blinked to realize" doesn't sound quite right. perhaps you might try
"blinked as he realized", or some such

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

I had to read this two times to figure out what you meant... "the first
consumer model androids" might work better.

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

He's not "the only two people", he's just one of them!

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.

How's he get it home? It can't be that small a box, or is the omni-bike
different enough from current bike-type vehicles that it's no problem?

      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.

A mi me gusta el telephono.

      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.

But France doesn't _have_ any jet pilots!

      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.

Gotta love lonely hardware designers.

      *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

They don't object to people dressing up as anthropomorphic animals
as mascots for sports teams, do they?

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.

This paragraph has some good info, but it has no relation to the
ones before or after it. It would work better in the flow of text as 
he's
maneuvering through traffic or something.

      "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

"you" - "your"?

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.

Nice money system, but I don't know if you should be calling them
"credit cards", since they don't look like they actually handle credit,
just pre-stored cash. Also, try "the transfer of more money ... to do
with was accepted." Flows better, methinks.

      "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

Aw, come on, do you have to use "Xmas"? Nobody pronounces it like
that, anyhow. Especially average kids.

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.

I like the small mentions of advanced tech; it's a good touch.

      "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.

Um, is this a nuclear winter or something, and will it be explained?

      "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

Perhaps. "Fallout children, exposed to a strange kind of energy during
gestation"?

energy when the island home of the aliens mysteriously exploded,

This island home wasn't known as "Macross", was it?
This line needs a little more explanation. First mention of aliens, and
why are they living on Earth?

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.

tapes? seems a little low-tech for the future.

      "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

rang.

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 androids are holding the logo? You probably don't even need to
describe the bag.

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."

"Madoka, by the way."

      "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

I think this is the first place you use honorifics - shouldn't you be 
using
them earlier?

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...

Wow. Very inventive. Your style is also very polished. The story reminds
me a bit of the beginning of Chobits, but I'm sure you'll be able to 
make
it distinctive.


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