Bubblegum Crisis Fan Fiction / Urusei Yatsura Fan Fiction / To Heart Fan Fiction / Sentimental Journey Fan Fiction / Tokimeki Memorial Fan Fiction ❯ Illusions (vignette) - Heart of the Dragon ❯ Prologue

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Akimena High School gymnasium, 30 October 2024, afternoon...

Teaser...

* * *

"Illusions" Vignette - "Heart of the Dragon"
a fanfic of the Bubblegum Crisis - Megatokyo 2032
by Fred Herriot
fherriot@yahoo.com
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Editing/C&C by...
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Based on situations from "Bubblegum Crisis," created by ARTMIC and Youmex; "Urusei Yatsura," created by Rumiko Takahashi and Kitty Films; "To Heart," created by Leaf and Aquaplus/KSS; "Tokimeki Memorial," created by Konami; "True Love Story," created by ASCII Corporation and Bits Laboratory; and "Sentimental Graffiti" and "Sentimental Journey," created by NEC Interchannel and Bandai
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This story is also based on my UY fanfic series "The Senior Year" (co-created by Mike Smith) and "The Ishinomaki Years," as well as the BGC fanfic series "No Armour Against Fate" by Shawn Hagen
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Kume-jima, west of Okinawa, 3 January 2032, mid-morning...

The islet, located eighty kilometres west of Naha, forms part of the central group of islands in the Ryuukyuu-shotou (Ryukyu Islands), a string of volcanic islands separating the East China Sea from the Pacific. Tear-shaped, ten kilometres wide, it is sparsely inhabited. Kume-jima's remoteness from Japan, not to mention Okinawa, made it perfect in Genom's eyes when it saught to establish one of its many storage facilities there four years ago.

In Gushikawa-mura (Gushikawa village), forming the west end of Kume-jima, lies an airport. It once served as one of the two ways by which the island's residents could keep in contact with Okinawa (the other being a ferry which directly connected with Naha). When Genom appropriated much of the land for their storage area, the airport was transformed into a private use strip. Hangars erected along the service runways would serve as the storage sheds. To ensure no one would become too suspicious over what exactly was stored here, security was kept at a bare minimum. That error in judgement would not come to light for a long time to come.

But that is another story...

* * *

Hangar Five...

"My, they're all so beautiful."

"Yeah, Yoshio went out of his way when he created them," Koji Tamura nods as he escorts his guest through the large space. "Kind of a shame to store them nearly starkers, but to haul them outta those tubes just to dress them up in cryostorage suits, especially with them being in cryosleep for over a year..." he shrugs.

"When do you expect to transfer these remaining ones over to Toratotaka's control, Koji?" Gillian Greaves wonders.

"I can't BEGIN to predict that one, Gill," Koji shrugs, then notes the chief scientist of Genom's American Southwest Division has stopped before one cryostorage unit, gazing intently at the sleeping form within. "Found something interesting?"

Gillian hums. "I like her," she points to the young-looking woman with the long brown hair.

Koji pulls up his NAVI, then scans the information there. "Okay, you want to reserve this one?" he highlights a line on the screen stating 33-S 2ND GEN UNIT AC22B.

"Please. Oh, I'll take that one, too!" she points to another storage unit holding a brunette tomboy.

Koji looks, then highlights the line for a first generation 33-S, Unit Ay-Ee-Forty-three-En. "You want six altogether, right?"

"Yes," Gillian nods. "Dan should've transferred the funds to the account you indicated this morning."

"Yeah, I confirmed it before meeting you over at the Naha Tower. Mind if I ask you something, Gill?"

"Why are we purchasing six Sexaroids?" Gillian's face breaks out into a warm smile, then she crosses her arms. "Let me ask you a question in return, Koji. How many times has your life been threatened since you started working directly for the Chairman?"

Koji blinks, then snorts. "Shit, I've lost count, to be honest with you. Lucky for me, though, I've got loads of friends inside and outside the company to watch my back."

"Yes, you are lucky," Gillian gently parts her wavy auburn hair. In her late thirties, she looked years younger thanks to a vigourous personal training regimen, one followed by her husband of five years, Daniel Heydt. "Not all of us are so well blessed, I'm afraid...! Oh, please, I want her!" she points to another chamber.

Koji looks, then smirks. "Yeah, Gill, she's really cute, that one!" he chickles, highlighting the file for a first generation Sexaroid, Unit AV62D. "So you're getting these girls for extra protection for you guys and the kids, right?"

"More for the children than us," Gillian walks down a row, then stops, pointing. "This one here, please." As Koji marks off 33-S second generation Unit AC27J, the professor hugs herself. "Dan and I know we could be targetted by some hotshot who only wants to advance himself. Or perhaps it might be some fool who thinks we've caused him to lose face, so he has to do something to restore his honour. We know the risks, Koji. But we'll be damned if we allow our children to endure the same risks we do."

"And you don't want to lose your twins to your ex, much less Dan not wanting to lose his son to his ex, right?" Koji muses.

"Definitely...! Oh, please, her!" Gillian points. As Koji marks off the file for a second generation 33-S, Unit AU79B, Gillian heads down a row, pausing before one unit. "And her."

Koji looks, then nods. "Second gen Unit Ay-Ee-Sixty-four-El. Okay, I'll have them out of this place tonight. Where do you want them to be sent to? Straight to Neo-L.A. for you to work on 'em?"

"No, send them to Vancouver," Gillian shakes her head. "I've made arrangements with Tomoko Hoshina about them."

The Megatokyo computer security chief pauses, then stares at the scientist. "I thought Dame Nicole wasn't gonna allow 33-S's employed in Genom to be fourth-gen upgraded just yet."

"Well, that's the reason they won't be officially taken on by the company," Gillian winks conspiratorally at Koji as they head for the service doors. "And to be really truthful, given that Dan and I want the best type of protection for our children (both physical and psychological), the only time we'd use these girls in any 'official' capacity is whenever it'd be natural to have the kids nearby. Nothing too overt, but hell! You never know."

Koji rolls his eyes, glad that he and Kate Madigan had long ago decided against solidifying their relationship until such time as things could be really safe for both them and any potential offspring. "Yeah, you can say that again..."

* * *

Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada; the Vancouver Toratotaka Tower; 5 January, an hour after dawn...

"Ohayou, Hoshina-sensei. Delivery from Genom."

Tomoko Hoshina looks up from her work desk, then smiles as several of the Tower's boomer security force wheel in six man-sized crates. A quick scan with her MFS confirms who and what now sleeps inside each of the crates. "Have them placed there, please," the CMCO (Chief Medical/Cyber-Medical Officer) points to a clear spot in the general examination room of the Tower's medical station. "Did the pilots indicate any problems concerning this shipment?"

"No, ma'am, it was all clear," one of the guards replies.

"Soo ka (I see). Arigatou."

"Shitsurei shimashita (Please excuse us), Sensei," the guards bow before walking out of the medical station.

A side door opens, revealling the senior 33-M nurse for the Western North American Division, Mikoto Orisaka. "Oh, six 33-S's fresh from storage," the nurse clicks her tongue, then turns to Tomoko. "I'll have the operating theatre prepped and ready."

"Arigatou, Mikoto-san. Oh, advise Shooko-san that all six will undergo the FULL fourth generation upgrade," Tomoko sighs.

Mikoto pauses, then stares intently at her superior. "Ma'am, that's not authorized concerning 33-S's working inside Genom."

"They won't be working inside Genom," Tomoko shakes her head. "Oh, I'm sure Heydt-san and Greaves-hakase wouldn't hesitate in getting their help in case the situation warrants it, but these girls'll be spending most of their time taking care of Heydt-san's son and Greaves-hakase's twins. That's within the rules."

"I..." Mikoto takes that in, then nods. "Hai, wakarimasu (I understand). The theatre'll be ready in one hour."

"Arigatou, Mikoto-san," Tomoko nods, then turns back to her paperwork as the chief nurse heads off...

* * *

Neo-Los Angeles, that evening...

"Give it back! That's mine, you creep!!"

"Says who?!"

"It's mine!! MOM!!!!"

Gillian jerks, then glances over her shoulder as Michael's and Celine's shouting penetrates the door to her study. Standing, she throws open the door to glare intently at her twin twelve-year olds, arms crossed. "What's going on here, you two?!"

Michael instantly cowers from his mother's warning look. Celine flashes a brief triumphant smile at her brother before turning to Gillian. "Sorry about that, Mom! Mikey here..." she sneers at Michael, knowing how much he hated to be called "Mikey," "...took one of my video CDs without asking!"

"Geez, you don't have to make a damned federal case out of it, ya know!!" Michael protests, then winces again on sensing Gillian's dark brown eyes (the twins shared their mother's eye and hair colour) rake over her. "I...! Mom...!" he stutters.

Gillian sighs. "Which video CD was it, Celine?"

"'Terminator 3,'" Celine sneers.

The scientist groans. "Alright, alright!" she waves her hands peacefully. "Michael, you have something to say?"

Michael jolts, then turns to his sister. "Sorry for taking your CD there, Celine," he bows his head.

"Just don't do it again!" Celine snarls back.

"Fair enough. Michael, I'll get you a copy of that soon. And DON'T borrow Celine's stuff without asking her, alright?!" Gillian gazes intently at her son, wagging her finger.

"Okay, Mom, okay!" Michael motions reassuredly, though Gillian realizes that he might not take her words fully to heart.

The twins head off as a door leading to the downstairs den opens, revealling a bespectacled boy of thirteen, possessing black hair and blue eyes. Watching his step-siblings shuffle off into their bedrooms, Neil Heydt then turns to Gillian. "Mom, those two fight like cats and dogs," he whispers at her.

"You know they've always been like that," Gillian smiles as Neil follows her into the professor's study. "How were classes?"

"Pretty okay, I guess," Neil sits in his step-mother's lap. "The teachers aren't so mad now that Dad isn't sending any boomers to stay close to me while I'm in classes."

"The other kids bothering you about it?" Gillian asks.

"Nah," Neil shakes his head, then sighs. "Not yet, at least."

The presence of a C-55 guard boomer (in human disguise even though in a crowd of organics, he was as obvious as horse manure on a rug) had effectively shielded Neil from the hazing and bullying common to children his age, especially if said child was seen by the "in" crowd as a "nerd." Both Michael and Celine had also been given boomer bodyguards. The former's was another C-55 while the latter's was a 33-C styled to look like your average executive secretary. Unfortunately, since Neil and the twins attended a public high school in Pasadena (the family owned a mountainside home in nearby Altadena), school authorities were quick to crack down on having bodyguards of THAT nature on school property.

Daniel and Gillian weren't interested in sending their kids to a Genom-funded private school in nearby Glendale, where security was airtight and the children of the local economic elite were guaranteed a safe learning environment. While both had achieved respectable places in the megacorp's hierarchy, they never wanted to force their children down the same path they had trod over the last two decades. For Neil, Michael and Celine, they would be given as many opportunities as possible to see the WHOLE world with their own eyes, not look at it through the narrow-view lens being part of Genom forced on so many. Yes, there were risks in taking that route, especially in a city like Neo-Los Angeles, a place almost as wild as Megatokyo at times. But the potential benefits of a "normal" life were too much to ignore.

Hopefully, Gillian privately muses, what she and her husband had just arranged with Toratotaka would better guarantee that.

"So how was your trip to Japan?" Neil then asks.

"Pretty successful," Gillian smiles, gently embracing him. She had got back to Neo-L.A. early that morning after taking an overnight hyperluminal from Fukuoka.

"Why'd you have to go yourself? Couldn't you've asked one of your friends at GCRC to handle it?" Neil wonders.

The scientist smiles, gently embracing her adopted son. Neil had gravitated well to Gillian after she married Daniel, in effect treating his step-mother much better than his birth-mother, Caryn McMurray. Deep down, Gillian knew, Neil wanted nothing to do with Caryn ever again. Neil faulted his birth-mother for the break-up of his father's first marriage, not to mention faulting Caryn for the pain that break-up caused Daniel. "Well, I'm not sure if I have any friends in that place," Gillian sighs.

The directorship of the local Genom Corporate Research Centre, located in Huntington Beach, had been given to Gillian on the merit of her work a year ago. However, many of the scientists working at GCRC adamantly believed that Gillian got the post because she had brown-nosed to Phylis Derrick, not to mention her own husband. To trust something as vital as her childrens' safety to subordinates whose loyaties were questionable at best was a VERY stupid thing to do inside Genom, Gillian learned long ago.

"Anyhow, why don't you try to get to bed early tonight, okay?" Gillian gently pats Neil's shoulder. "We're going up to Vancouver tomorrow after lunch so we'll be getting up early."

"Why're we going to Vancouver, Mom?" Neil asks as he slips off his step-mother's legs, turning to leave for his bedroom.

"It's a surprise," Gillian winks.

His eyebrow arches. "What surprise?"

"Well, if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise then!"

Neil snickers. "Yeah, okay! G'night, Mom!"

He leaves. Watching him go, Gillian sighs, then as the door closes, murmurs, "Yes, it'll be quite the surprise..."

* * *

The Vancouver Tower, 6 January, early afternoon...

"How long are you going to keep them down for, Tomoko?"

Tomoko looks up from her notes, then smiles on seeing Akira Endou gazing through an observation window into the Tower medical station's surgery recovery ward. Beyond the plate glass, six young women remain asleep in bed, leads connecting their neck datajacks to wall programming units. Setting aside her pen as she slips on her glasses, she walks over to stand beside her girlfriend. "I'm downloading current historical and social information datafiles to catch them up on the last year or so, plus a 'Try This' emotional program prompt so we can start identifying any personal interests they'd like to pursue right away."

"Hmmm..." Akira nods, arms crossed. "So who popped the idea about their using 33-S's to keep watch over their children?"

"Helena Norden, or so I was told," the CMCO replies, gently grasping Akira's hand. "Then again, that's really not surprising, isn't it? Comparied to our friends back in Japan and what they've had to deal with, we've had it really easy."

"Might change, especially if Wakana's predictions about Hojo Takeda come true," the local SPD-C&A (Special Project Director for Culture and the Arts) chuckles, then she stares wryly at Tomoko. "Hear the latest rumours about him?" an eyebrow arches.

"No, I try my best to ignore that sort of thing since it's not really in my perview," Tomoko clicks her tongue. An intercom then whistles. The CMCO walks over to tap a wall control. "Hai, Hoshina desu (this is Hoshina)," she calls out.

"Hoshina-sensei, this is the front gate," a man's voice calls out. "Airport tower control reports Heydt-san's party is arriving. Do you wish them sent to the medical station right away, ma'am?"

"No, send them to my apartment. I'll receive them there."

"Hai, wakarimasu."

The link is cut. Tomoko turns to Akira. "Care to get a camera so we can get pictures of the kids when they see their new playmates, Akira-chan?" her eyebrow arches.

"Definitely!" Akira smirks...

* * *

Downstairs...

"Hi, Aoi...! Oh, Ms. Kerasus, what are you doing here?!"

The elderly woman in the wheelchair blinks, then smiles on seeing Daniel Heydt and his family walk in from the moving sidewalk connecting the Tower foyer with the aerodrome. Unlike the other division headquarters complexes, the Vancouver Tower's remoteness from public airfields demanded that a private runway be installed for the use of the inter-division shuttle service. "Oh, hello there, Daniel!" Janice Kerasus reaches over to fondly grasp his hand. "I was just visiting young Sheila upstairs before taking my tired bones and heading home for a bit." Her eyes then fall on the three young teens standing beside Gillian. "I assume these bright young people are yours and Gillian's pride and joy?"

Neil, Michael and Celine blush. "Oh, yes, they are!" Daniel laughs, then nods at the raven-haired tomboy who had been wheeling Janice's wheelchair from the executive elevator. "You're looking more chipper than usual, Aoi. She's not wearing you down, is she?"

"No, of course not!" Aoi Matsubara smiles. "Anyhow, I think Doctor Hoshina's waiting for you up in her apartment. If you'll excuse me, I have to get Ms. Kerasus to her jet."

With that, the SPD-SLA (SPD for Sports and Leisure Activities) takes up Janice's wheelchair handles, then guides the investor onto the mobile sidewalk. Janice waves at Daniel and his family, then sits back in her chair as they head for the executive elevator. "So what brought their whole family up this way, anyway?" she glances up at Aoi, her grey eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Oh, that's enough, Oba-san!" Aoi chides, blue eyes twinkling with mischevious delight. Even if she presently spoke English, Aoi would always address Janice by the Japanese term for "aunt." "It's just something Daniel and Gillian arranged for their children with Doctor Hoshina's help, that's all!!"

"What could that be?! Those kids looked alright to me!"

"That's a surprise," Aoi winks.

"Oh, you...!"

* * *

Upstairs...

"Welcome back to Toratotaka Vancouver, Mister Heydt, Professor Greaves. I trust it was a safe flight from Los Angeles."

"Always is, Doctor Hoshina," Daniel shakes Tomoko's hand, then Akira's. "Good to see you again, Ms. Endou. I hear you were just accepted by Choun-bal to do your doctorate in musical rhetoric."

"Yes, I was," Akira smiles, then she shakes Gillian's hand.

"What's musical rhetoric?" Celine wonders as everyone moves to the living room coffee table, sitting down.

"Well, Celine, music, regardless if it has word lyrics or not, always conveys a message," Akira explains. "The course I'm doing now allows me to learn how to interpret the messages in songs. It'll even allow me to seek out and understand what the person who wrote the song felt like. What were his interests, what was his worldview and all that. It's all very fascinating. Getting a PhD in this best helps when we deal with traditional music."

"What traditional music?" Neil asks.

"Well, the music that normally doesn't have a known composer. You know, songs like 'Auld Lang Syne' and all that."

"Oh!" the teenagers nod.

"Atop that, kids, getting her PhD will give Ms. Endou here a better chance at getting a House Matriarch's slot," Daniel smiles knowingly. "I hear you're eyeing the post in Vienna."

Akira blushes. "Well, I've always wanted to go to Austria. Before the 2025 quake, I was actively scouted out by one of the Vienna Philharmonic's senior directors."

"He's still hoping she'll consider playing for the orchestra on a full-time basis," Tomoko adds, squeezing Akira's hand.

A knowing chuckle waifs through the room. Daniel then clears his throat. "So, on to business. Are they ready?"

"Yes, final preparations are underway as we speak," Tomoko nods. "We'll have them on their feet very soon."

"Wonderful!" Gillian beams.

The children blink, exchange looks, then Celine stares at her mother. "Mom, what did you do?! Get us some Cyber-Nurses?!"

"No, Cel, we didn't," Daniel answers for his wife. "We can't buy a 33-M since Toratotaka won't sell them on open market."

"Oh, that's good!" Michael breathes out.

"Why?" Akira's eyebrow arches. "You don't like them?"

"Well..." he looks sheepish, then sighs. "Look, I've met a few MKs in the Los Angeles Tower daycare centre. I mean, they're cute and all that, but they like playing with young kids, y'know."

"Yes, that is true," Tomoko nods. "Unfortunately, despite all the forward-thinking the Project directors made when we started making 33-Ms some years ago, certain age and cultural groups (such as your own) were missed out. Don't worry about it, Michael. What your parents have in mind for you three will be a lot more nicer."

Celine is quick to draw conclusions. "Mooooooooooooooooom!!! You know they won't let us take Kathy and the guys to school!!"

"Yes, dear, we know that," Gillian gently scolds. "But be assured, they will NOT object one bit to these ones!"

"What are they, then?!" Michael demands.

The adults laugh. "Okay, okay, sport, we'll tell you," Daniel waves his step-son down, then he sighs. "We got you each a pair of 33-S boomers. The very same type Doctor Hoshina's and Ms. Endou's friend back in Megatokyo created for Genom two years ago."

Silence.

"You got us a pair of Sexaroids?!" Celine asks. "EACH?!!"

Her parents nod. "Daaaaaaaaaaaaad!" Michael groans, gripping the sides of his head. "Don't you know they're illegal?!"

"Not exactly, Michael."

The children turn to gaze on Tomoko. "It depends on how the restricted boomer laws are exactly interpreted in the States, does it not?" the CMCO smiles conspiratorally. "You see, the statute states that 33-S's fitted with a C-class heart are not to be active anywhere in the sovereign territory of the United States. However, the girls your parents obtained for you do NOT have those hearts. Furthermore, once they're fully awake, we'll run them through a standard Canadian citizenship test. Under our company's Directive Five policy, that is mandatory for all boomers woken within this Tower. Once they have been granted Canadian citizenship (that'll be done first thing tomorrow), all that is then needed is approval from the American government to give them permanent work status for them to come live with you on a full-time basis. That, of course, is something your parents can handle easily enough."

The teenagers consider that, then Celine sighs. "So we don't have to worry about their being taken away, right?"

"Exactly," Tomoko nods.

"Wow!" Neil gapes. "That's...! Well..."

"Radical!" Michael breathes out.

"Incredible!" Neil augments.

"Too cool!" Celine finishes off.

"Well, I for one am glad that you approve," Tomoko beams, then blinks as a side door opens, revealling Mikoto Orisaka. "<<What is it, Mikoto-san?>>" she switches to Japanese.

"<<Sumimasen, Hoshina-sensei, but we've finished with the final programming concerning the girls in the recovery ward,>>" Mikoto bows, then nods to Daniel and his family. She then hands Tomoko a datapadd. "<<Here are their names and stats.>>"

"Arigatou," Tomoko nods, then scans the information there before her eyebrow arches. "<<You're kidding me!>>"

She points to one particular entry, that one for the 33-S born as Ay-You-Seventy-nine-Bee. Mikoto flusters. "<<Gomen ne. That's the name the RNS (random name selector) program came up with.>>"

"Oh, soo ka," Tomoko nods.

"Something wrong?" Gillian wonders. She had a good command of Japanese (that being somewhat mandatory for senior personnel now that Genom's headquarters is located in Megatokyo), so she was able to follow what was being said between the CMCO and her chief nurse.

"Oh, nothing much," Tomoko sighs, turning back to English for the teenagers' benefit. "Other than I'll be sharing my name with one of the girls you obtained, though."

"Can we see them now?!" Celine asks.

Tomoko considers that, then she turns to Mikoto. "Have them shifted into one of the larger guest rooms so we can give the kids a chance to choose which ones they want," she orders.

"Right away, ma'am," the nurse nods...

* * *

Three hours later...

"Ooooh! Where am I?"

Grey eyes flutter as Tomoko Honda reaches up to her forehead. Sensing that she didn't have perfect vision, she slides herself into a sitting position, scanning around. Sure enough, a pair of reading spectacles sit on the desk beside her bed. Slipping them on, she blinks several times as her vision clears up, then she glances around the room. "Hello...?" she calls out.

"Hello, there."

Tomoko jolts, then turns right to see a slender boy, just entering puberty, gazing at her. Like she, he had black hair, though it was cut stylishly short. He had blue eyes under glasses, they now locked intently on her. The Sexaroid feels her cheeks heat, then she hesitantly asks, "Er...? Are you my new owner?"

An older man chuckles, causing Tomoko to look left, she now gazing on who has to be the boy's father. "No, Tomoko, you don't really have an 'owner,' per se," he shakes his head. "But you were woken for a reason, that being my son right here."

Introductions are then made. Tomoko acknowledges that, then gazes on Neil. "So I'm to be his babysitter, so to speak."

"So to speak," Daniel confirms. "And, if something should happen to my wife and I, we're trusting you and the others..." he waves to a door leading to a common room, "...to take care of our children, ensure they have a good life ahead of them."

"I see," Tomoko breathes in, her mind whirling at what had just been dropped onto her shoulders. To be given that level of RESPONSIBILITY. To be given TRUST. Even after she learned of her primary purpose as a "personal companion" (as her father/creator termed it when she was first woken), she never expected to find herself in THIS situation. "Well," she breathes out, then feels her shoulders square off in determination. "I will do my best to ensure your son has the life he deserves, Mister Heydt," she nods.

"That's all I can ask," Daniel smiles, then pats his son's shoulder. "I'll let you and Tomoko get better acquainted."

"Er..." Neil feels his voice freeze for a second, then he jerkily nods. "Th-thanks, Dad!"

Daniel heads out of the room. Neil breathes out, then feels himself sitting on the bed beside Tomoko. A glance at her provokes a sigh of relief. At least she was covered in nice pyjamas that didn't show off what might lay underneath. Much that he was now starting to discover what girls REALLY were all about, his own innate shyness prevented him from dabbing TOO deeply into that forbidden subject. He stares into her eyes. She remains silent, allowing him the chance to collect his thoughts. Her only expression is a calm, content smile as she draws her legs closer to her. Finally, he gulps to clear his throat, then begins. "Ah..."

His voice trails off. Tomoko gazes intently at him, then she reaches over to gently squeeze his shoulder. Neil's cheeks redden at that contact, then his eyes lower. "It's alright," she reaches over to gently trail her finger down his nose. "I won't bite."

"Er...! R-right!" Neil stutters, then he gazes once more at her. "Um...! Well, do you, er, read books?!" he then blurts out.

Tomoko blinks, then her smile broadens. "No, I really haven't had a chance to read any books. Before waking now, I've only been 'active,' so to speak, for three hours back two years ago, when I was initially activated. I've been in cryosuspension ever since that time. Still, I'd like to read some books since it's very obvious to me that's something you like to do, Neil."

"Ah...! Y-yeah, r-right, it is!" Neil jerkily nods.

"Hello!"

Neil jolts, then spins around to see a girl Tomoko's height standing at the doorway leading to the common room. Unlike the girl he now sits beside, the newcomer has brown hair and eyes. Part of her hair has been braided from her temples, tied off at the back of her head with a pink bow. She now has a housecoat draped over her pyjamas. "Oh, Akane!" Tomoko smiles.

"Hello, Tomoko," Akane Katsuragi beams, then gazes intently at Neil. "So, you're Neil, right?" her eyebrow arches amusedly.

Neil does his best to not faint...

* * *

Aspen, Colorado, 7 January, early evening...

"So there's nothing you can do, Doctor Pritchett?"

Janice Kerasus gazes tranquilly at her personal physician, Glen Pritchett. She is now relaxing in the living room of her spacious cottage, located on the western slopes of Mount Elbert east of Aspen itself, overlooking Independence Pass. The land itself, once part of the White River National Forest, had cost the investor a fortune to obtain from the federal government, but it had been worth it. Few who wanted to deal with her never really wanted to expend the effort to confront her here, among the tall peaks of the eastern Rockies. It gave her privacy, something she needed now, at the very twilight of her life, more than ever.

"No, ma'am," the doctor ruefully shakes his head. Glen was very dedicated to his craft, Janice knew. To admit failure even in the face of hereditary bone cancer, which had now spread over most of Janice's body, hurt badly. That was the type of service Janice always wanted from her doctors. People who cared more for serving their oath to Hypocrates over any possible personal gain. Well, he deserved all the breaks he would get. Janice had secretly seen to that. "If I'd caught this a few years earlier..." he adds, then pauses before continuing, "...or if certain advances in bone marrow treatment hadn't come sooner, I could've done something more."

"it's alright, Doctor," Janice gently squeezes his hand. "I've lived a long, satisfying life to this point, thanks in part to you. But sometimes, Mother Nature has other ideas. No use railing about all the 'might-have-beens.' Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to speak to the lawyer now. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Of course," Glen nods.

He heads out. A second later, Charles, Janice's C-59 boomer butler/primary bodyguard, escorts in a plump, middle-aged man with briefcase. "Good evening, Ms. Kerasus," the visitor hails.

"What news about my son, Martin?" Janice sighs, then glances at Charles. "You may go, Charles. This is private."

"Of course, ma'am," Charles nods, then leaves.

Martin Greeley sits down beside his client. "He's lodged a formal suit in district court in Denver concerning the terms of your will," he draws out a NAVI, tapping controls before showing the screen to Janice. "He told the judge that you had no right to give EVERYTHING over to Mr. Heydt and his family on your passing. I tried to question him about how he found out about the will, but his attourney's a real smart cookie. Raising objections left, right and damned centre. The judge had to cut everything short, leaving it for another date. I realize what your son's lawyer's doing, ma'am. He's trying to steer towards assassinating your character in court. Asking why is it that you, who gave so much to charity, investing in companies to ensure people can have jobs and all that, wouldn't give a nickel to your own flesh-and-blood."

"I explained the real reason why to you a long time ago, Martin," Janice sighs, sitting back in her wheelchair.

"Yes, ma'am, you did, but how can that hold up in court even if I was crazy enough to bring it up?" a smile crosses the lawyer's face, then he relaxes. "How long did the doctor give you?"

"Long enough. At least to Aoi's birthday," Janice nods, then glances over. "Did you satisfy your own curiosity about her?"

"Yes, I did," Martin takes his NAVI, then taps controls to draw up a new screen. "Aoi Matsubara. Born 19 January 2009 in Fujiyoshida, Japan. Moved to Tokyo when she was six, settling in Katsushika Ward. Parents were both martial artists, teaching an old school of ju-jitsu mixed with kung fu and Thai kickboxing. Very keen when it comes to sports and all that. Just finished her first year at Akimena High School when Second Kantou hit the city. Her parents were killed in the quake. She has no living relatives. Of course, there's the big blank between 2025 and 2029, when in all effect, she was in a coma." A knowing smile then crosses his face. "And that is the way anyone with a computer and access to public information records will read it. She was revived by a radical operation proceedure perfected in 2028 by her friend Yoshio Saotome on her twentieth birthday. Did her high school equivalency exam, then went to Canada to obtain her BSc and MSc in physical education and kinesiology, both via the Quickprogram education system. All financed by Toratotaka International, all up-and-up. On New Year's Day last year, Miss Matsubara was assigned to the Vancouver Tower as the division SPD-SLA, where she works to this day."

"Did you do a background check concerning relatives or friends she lost before the quake?" Janice wonders.

"Yes, I did. I came up with one possible candidate when you finally pop the 'wish' on her," his eyes twinkle mischeviously, then he taps controls on his NAVI to draw up another screen. "This is Yoshie Sakashita. Born on 5 May 2008, she was a year ahead of Aoi in Akimena High. Expert in her own family martial arts, plus dabbed deeply into a radical form of Shintou-ryuu (Way of Nature) called 'Extreme Fighting.' I've seen videotapes of people doing it, Ms. Kerasus. Whoo!" he breathes out. "Brutal to say the LEAST of it! Anyhow, she and Miss Matsubara were friendly rivals or so it's been remembered by those I've questioned. In truth, I'd say they were very close acquaintances if not real friends. That all ended in October of '24 when Miss Sakashita died of a massive heart failure during a friendly bout she was having with Miss Matsubara. It was later determined by the coroner that Miss Sakashita actually died of complications from biomechanical augmentations to her arms and legs. Miss Matsubara didn't have those 'plugs,' of course."

"Alright," Janice nods. "Where is she buried?"

"That's a problem," Martin sighs. "The local graveyard was located near Akimena High School. However, it is most likely that Miss Sakashita's remains were kept in the family home. That was located about a half-kilometre from Akimena, on the eastern shore of the Shinnaka River. That whole area was destroyed when Second Kantou hit the city. The ground just caved right into the river. It took Genom Construction a year just to dredge the place clear. When the city was rezoned, the whole area got a serious makeover. What remains weren't recovered are no doubt buried way deep in the soil. Few in Japan have made any decent attempts at trying to recover what might've been bulldozed over." A pause, then, "I guess with the number of people who died that day, I can't really blame them for wanting to forget what they lost and press on."

"I see, then," Janice sighs, closing her eyes. "Well, then, I have something more to think on..."

* * *

The Vancouver Tower, 8 January, after midnight...

"You have just GOT to be kidding me, Sempai!"

Eyes lock on Serika Kurusugawa, many widening in disbelief. Many of the senior staff of the Vancouver Tower, along with three special visitors from the Saint Catharines Tower, were now in Serio Hinayama's office holding a private meeting. Conspicuous by her absence is Aoi Matsubara, but since this meeting concerned her birthday ten days away, her not being here was understandable.

The person who just uttered that exclamation was one of the two men in the room, Hiroyuki Fujita, O/P (Operations Patriarch) of the Vancouver Stock Exchange. "It is true, Hiroyuki-san," Serika replies in the timid whisper she normally spoke with. The women in the room were to the end 33-S prototypes, so they could hear the wicca/SPD-CCA (SPD for Civil-Corporate Affairs) quite well. As for Hiroyuki, not to mention his best friend and SPD Vancouver, Masashi Satou, they had their own means of interpreting Serika.

"How long has this power existed, Serika-san?" Wakana Ayasaki wonders, sipping her cup of sencha (green tea).

"As far as I've been able to divinate, Wakana-san, this power has existed within the Kerasus family since the days of the Roman Empire," Serika explains. "And it is understandable. Compared to the Romans, the Germanic and Celtic tribes then active in northern Europe and on the Empire's fringes were more inclined to practice magic. This power Janice-san now wishes to give to Aoi-san is an example of the more extreme forms Germanic mysticism took."

"But why Aoi-chan, Sempai?" Shiho Nagaoka wonders. She was one of the visitors from Saint Catharines, currently serving as SPD-MM&C (SPD for Mass Media and Communications). A year ahead of Aoi at Akimena High, the brown-haired, brown-eyed karaoke singer had always been a strong fan of the young martial artist. "I just don't get it! If this ability's been in Janice-san's family for so long, why just give it away to a total stranger?!"

"Perhaps because she feels her son isn't the right sort to receive this gift," Ayaka Kurusugawa proposes.

Eyes fall onto the younger of the Kurusugawa sisters. "I believe you've done some investigating on your own, Ayaka-san," Serio crosses her arms, sitting back in her chair.

"Hai, I have," the raven-haired, dark-eyed SPD-EHW (SPD for Education, Health and Welfare) lightly smiles. It is not a very friendly smile. "It appears our friend's son, Thomas, has been a naughty boy as of late. Getting into gambling debts. Promising, then renegging, on questionable deals with less-civilized parties. All the usual 'bad rich boy' stuff. He probably figures if he can gain control of this secret, he could parlay that into getting some of the potential heat off his tail since Janice-san doesn't want (for understandable reasons) to bail his scrawny ass out."

"But he does not realize that this power can only be passed on at the time of the welder's death," Serika adds, her smile matching her sister's. "Atop that, it can only be used once and it must be done in such a way that the targetted spirit has a mortal shell awaiting her when she is brought 'back' from the dead."

"Didn't Janice-san tell him the whole story?" Serio asks.

"Iie, Serio-san," Serika ruefully shakes her head. "At the time Janice-san began to look on her son as a potential heir for that gift, his other problems were just coming to light. She only gave him part of the story, then cut him off."

"So why Aoi-chan?" Hiroyuki repeats.

"Isn't it obvious, Hiroyuki-san?" Serika gazes on him. "It would be easy for one possessing Janice-san's resources to properly determine the many truths behind Aoi-san, much less the rest of us. She will also, no doubt, understand what Yoshio-san would want to do with us as soon as he makes the necessary arrangements with the Board of Elders. Put simply, Aoi-san is guaranteed a very long and productive life. This would ensure that the gift Janice-san will bestow on Aoi-san would not, barring any serious tragedy, have to concern Aoi-san for a very long time to come."

"That could potentially make our planned present to Aoi-chan even better," Lemmy Miyauchi then perks up.

Eyes lock on the blonde, blue-eyed Saint Catharines SPD-SO (SPD for Special Operations). "How so, Lemmy-san?" Wakana asks.

"Well," Lemmy winks. "It'd be a lot better for Aoi-chan if she got herself Yoshie-san..." she holds up a finger, "...the REAL Yoshie Sakashita in lieu of a mere physical replica, ne?"

The others consider that, then noting there were no objections to Lemmy's proposal, Serio sighs. "Fair enough," she turns to Serika. "Serika-san, please go to Janice-san. Inform her of what we know, then ascertain what measures are necessary to ensure this matter may be done with the least complications possible."

"I'll speak to her later this morning," the wicca nods...

* * *

Later...

"Oi, Akari?"

Akari Kamigishi glances at Shiho. Hiroyuki had already turned in for the night, while his fiancee had decided to forego a full night's rest to get caught up on some vital paperwork. "What is it, Shiho?" the SPD-PA (SPD for Personnel Affairs) stands up from her dining room table, then approaches her best friend.

"You remember when Sakashita died?" Shiho gazes at her.

Akari blinks, then sighs. "Can't forget it now, can we?" she leans on the windowsill (Shiho was half-sitting on it beside her).

"Yeah. Sucks, having an eidetic memory like we have now, ne?" Shiho leans her chin into the palm of her hand, then she gazes tranquilly at Akari. "How's Aoi-chan taken it?"

"Eh?"

"You know," Shiho sighs. "Adjusting to what's happened to us and all that. Don't you remember how it was before the quake? After Sakashita died, Aoi-chan just withdrew into herself."

"Hai, I remember," Akari faintly nods. "She's come out of it pretty well, especially now that she helps out with all sorts of sports teams. The thing with the 'Guangzhong' really helped, too."

"Yeah, that was just priceless," Shiho chuckles, then takes a deep breath. "Still..." her voice trails off.

"Nani?"

"How's Sakashita going to adjust to being flung eight years into her own future, not to mention getting a 33-S body along the way?" Shiho gaze at Akari. "It was hard enough for us, remember."

The SPD-PA considers that, then nods. "Hai, true..."

* * *

Somewhere in San Francisco, before dawn...

"So you want these kids targetted?"

"Yes," the grim-looking man nods, handing the fixer three photographs. "Nothing serious in the long term. I just need to use them to make someone see the light about certain things."

"Neil Heydt, plus Michael and Celine Greaves..." the fixer quietly announces, then stares at his contact. "I hope you realize whose children these three actually are?"

"Not relevant," the other makes a dismissive wave with his hand. "First of all, all three of them attend a public high school in Pasadena. Their parents tried to arrange to have boomers keep watch over them, but the school authorities shot that down pretty damned quick. Even better, neither of their parents won't consider putting them into a private school Genom sponsors. REAL dumb, which should make things easier for the groups you represent."

The fixer considers that, then he sits back, gently breathing out. "I hope you realize that Heydt is, outside Derrick herself, the most important man Genom has in North America. Do you really, seriously think Genom's going to let you get away with this, even if you ultimately let these kids go? I don't think so."

"By the time they start thinking of breathing down my back, it'll be far too late. I'd've gotten what I want."

"From who or what?"

"That's not relevant. Don't worry. I know that whoever takes this assignment's going to be running some serious risks here. I'm willing to pay extra, MUCH extra, to guarantee good service."

"I gotcha," the fixer, Joseph Anderson ("Joe Ace" to those who normally made use of his services), gives the man across from him a steady, even glare. *So where the fuck're you going to get the money to pay for this, shit-for-brains?!* he mentally wonders. Oh, yes, he knew exactly who the person across from him was. It was one of the things he had checked out before agreeing to this meeting. *If what Wakana's people in Vancouver're saying is true, your well's as dry as fuckin' Death Valley in mid-summer!* "Okay, I'll get in contact with some people and see what happens."

"Soon as you can, Ace," the other man reminds him.

"No problem..."

* * *

Pasadena, Huntington Junior High School, after breakfast...

"Mister Heydt, Mister Greaves, Miss Greaves, what were you three told about bringing combat boomers onto school property?"

Neil, Michael and Celine jolt, gazing warily at Huntington's assistant principal, Jacob J. Pershing. A retired Recon Marine and drill sergeant, he was the most feared member of the faculty. If you got into any sort of trouble at this school, it was Pershing who dealt out the punishment. Even with a growing liberalization of education facilities over the last few decades, the stern hand Pershing often brought down on delinquents was welcomed by parents.

"Er..." Neil stutters, then straightens himself, glancing back at Akane and Tomoko before facing the assistant principal. "Well, you see, sir, they're not boomers, Mister Pershing, sir."

Pershing hums, then his steely eyes fall on the six teenage girls now bracketing their charges from both sides. They wince under that stare, but hold their ground. His eyebrow rises, then he glances curiously at Neil. "Cyber-Nurses, son?"

"Er...! Y-yeah! Ah, yessir! I...! Well, almost...!"

Pershing's eyes flare. "'ALMOST?!!'"

"What Neil is trying to say, Mister Pershing, is that we're BuTT-33S cyber-bioroids," Akane places a reassuring hand on Neil's shoulder. The soothing touch quickly allows the eighth-grader to relax. A smile crosses her face. "Be assured, sir, their parents do fully respect the desire of other parents to keep combat and guardian boomers off the school campus grounds."

"But at the same time, given how many people would like to target their parents for all sorts of crazy reasons, they do want to do everything they can to keep them safe," Tomoko finishes.

The assistant principal takes that in, then nods. He had worked with Cyber-Nurses in the past; the school had an MS series educational facility nurse and an MP series preventive medicine technician persently on staff. He also knew what the model code "33-S" meant. "Why aren't you girls in space?" he asks.

"Unlike many of our sisters, sir, we weren't built with the hearts that got them into trouble," one of Michael's chosen pair of guardians/companions, Yayoi Minami, impishly smiles.

"And we do have these as well, Mister Pershing," Yayoi's counterpart, Nozomi Hirose, reaches into her jean jacket pocket to draw out her wallet. Flipping it open, she reveals both a Canadian citizenship card and an American "green card."

Taking her wallet in hand, Pershing draws out the green card, then scans the information on it. Sure enough, Nozomi Hirose had been taken on permanent employment with Daniel Heydt and Gillian Greaves to act as babysitter for Michael Greaves.

Glancing at the others, he nods, then returns Nozomi's wallet. "Well, in that case, I think we can make some sort of arrangement," a light smile crosses his face, then he waves them towards the school building. "Let's let the kids go inside, then go to the office. We should talk this over with the principal, first."

"Thank you, sir!" the six 33-S's chime, bowing...

* * *

Aspen, before lunch...

"How on Earth did you discover THAT, young lady?!"

Serika Kurusugawa eerily smiles as she sips her coffee, now sitting beside Janice Kerasus in the latter's study. The wicca had teleported to Colorado from British Columbia twenty minutes before. "I learned of your family's secret from several Amerindian shamen three months ago. Ever since your family migrated to this land from Prussia well before the American Revolution, the native shamen have always sensed the power you now possess. At first, they were gravely concerned. It was bad enough that European migrants were destroying so much, but to bring their own magic across?"

"What made them change their minds?" Janice then wonders.

"The level of security your family has always exercised when it came to this power," Serika replies, sipping her coffee. "It is passed from parent to child. It has never been exposed to outside forces. And when the wish is made by the potential recipient, the person saved is usually a beloved immediate relative, one whose impact on society as a whole is ultimately quite small."

Janice takes that in, then tranquilly nods, her eyes turning to an oil portrait hanging on the wall. Glancing at it, Serika is quick to conclude that it depicts a younger Janice with an older woman who was most likely her mother. "It's all relative in the end, isn't it, Miss Kurusugawa?" the elderly investor muses.

Serika stares at her, then her eyebrow arches. "You used your wish to save your mother's life," she quietly concludes.

"Yes," Janice nods. "My father had the 'Gift' (as we call it) before I did. Mother..." she pauses, then slowly exhales. "Mother died giving birth to me. For the first ten years of my life, I had no idea what she was like, who she was. Could you imagine what it was like for Father and I in the long term, Miss Kurusugawa? I always asking him questions about Mother and he..." another pause, "...would always choke up whenever he thought of her."

"What happened?" Serika inquires.

"Shortly before I turned eleven, Father was involved in a bad car accident. He could afford private hospital care, but the total damage was just too great. I was rushed to his side, having not been told anything about the Gift. Then he..." Janice's voice fades for a moment, before carrying on. "He asked me what my fondest wish was. Naturally, I said that I wanted the chance to meet my mother. He then said 'So be it.' That's when he died."

Silence falls for a moment, then Janice stares at the picture again. "I was taken home by Father's manservant and put into bed. I don't know the exact details about how Mother was brought back, but the next morning, I felt this soft hand on my shoulder. I woke up, looked up and..." her voice catches, tears flowing down her cheeks as a content smile crosses her face. "There she was."

"Your mother."

"Yes. Oh, it was so WONDERFUL to be with her!" Janice closes her eyes, then she turns back to the wicca. "But, since she was legally dead, she had to take on the name of the person whose body she was made to inhabit. Mother never asked about where the body came from. Neither did I, but whoever she was, I hoped that her passing into Heaven was peaceful and painless."

"It was."

Janice's eyes widen. "You know?"

"Yes," Serika nods. "Elder White Moon of the Cherokee now in Oklahoma told me about how you used your Gift. That you and your family took such care about obtaining replacement bodies, ensuring nothing untoward happened to them before needed impressed many."

"Like how people who die in accidents allow their body parts to be used for organ transplants. Just taken one step further."

"Indeed. If you wish, I could investigate about..."

"Please don't," Janice shakes her head. "That she is now at peace is enough for me." A pause, then, "Now, have you told your co-workers about what I wish to do with Aoi?"

"I have. They do not object. In fact, Serio wishes to know how this process can occur without needless complications."

The investor takes that in, then she nods. "Well, thanks to the work your friend in Megatokyo did, most of all for yourself and all your friends -- oh, yes, Miss Kurusugawa, I'm quite aware of what happened there -- that's quite easy. I strongly suspect that Aoi, when I give her the right to weld the Gift, will choose her fellow martial arist, Yoshie Sakashita. You know of her."

"A passing acquaintance. My sister Ayaka knew her better."

"Well, that's the soul. Now, we must concern ourselves with a body..." Janice's voice trails off as a knowing smile crosses Serika's face, then her eyebrow arches. "What?"

"That will be easier than you presently suspect, Ms. Kerasus," the wicca muses. "You see, if you asked him, Yoshio Saotome would list two main mistakes when it came to Genom's 33-S project our company assisted in. The first was the problem with the C-Class hearts fitted into so many. The second..." her voice trails off, "...is that when it came to one particular 33-S, he made use of an old sample of Yoshie Sakashita's DNA in her creation."

Janice's eyes widen. "How on Earth did THAT happen?!"

The wicca sits back in her chair. "After Yoshie died, Yoshio contacted the local coroner and had a cell sample taken from her to fully determine the physical affects biomechanical augmentation had on one's DNA and RNA. This was part of our group's overall battle against the Cybercraze, of course. I'm sure Yoshie would certainly have not minded Yoshio doing that. Her parents didn't object when they were asked, of course. When Second Kantou struck, Yoshio's laboratory was badly damaged, but a liquid nitrogen vat containing his cell samples survived. Yoshio had that eventually transferred to his lab in the Nerima Tower after its completion. Since he devised the base DNA codes for the 33-S's there, it was..." a wry grin crosses her face, "...inevitable that he would make a slip-up along the way. He did. One Sexaroid, Unit Ay-El-Twenty-two-Bee, was created based solely on Yoshie's DNA sample."

"I see! So where is this girl now?"

"In storage at the Kume-jima site," Serika replies. "When he saw her emerge from gestation, Yoshio immediately ordered her placed in storage without awakening. She is the only 33-S other than the third generation girls, not to mention the 'double-oh' girl in several prototype and fourth gen series, who has never been woken. As our friend Koji Tamura informed us sometime ago, all the programs are there, but they haven't been initialized."

Janice considers that. "So you people have been intending on getting this girl woken as a birthday present for Aoi all along?"

"Exactly."

"Well, then," a delighted smile crosses her face. "I think, Miss Kurusugawa, we can work together to see this become the best birthday present young Aoi has ever received."

"Agreed..."

* * *

The Vancouver Tower, that moment...

"AH-CHOO!!!"

"Bless you, Matsubara-sempai. Daijoubu (Are you okay)?"

Aoi moans, then rubs her nose before looking over at Marina Hojo, seated with her in the Tower cafeteria. The local SPD-C/SBA (SPD for Consumer/Small Business Affairs) is an upgraded second generation Sexaroid. She escaped an abusive supervisor a month before the recall was ordered in late 2030. One of the first to receive the Toratotaka fourth generation upgrading, Marina chose to pay her rescuers back by offering her services to the company.

"Hai, Marina-chan, genki ne (I'm okay)!" Aoi mutters before turning back to her lunch. "Someone must be talking about me."

"Let's hope it's good talk," Marina's eyes twinkle.

"You can say that again..."

* * *

Pasadena, Huntington Junior High, after lunch...

"Who are you?!"

Akane blinks, then smiles. "Hello, there! I'm Akane," she cheerily announces, lightly bowing to the group of grade nine girls streaming into the gymnasium for physical education.

This particular class is scheduled to play volleyball today. "Where's Mrs. Osborne?" another girl wonders.

"Mrs. Osborne is getting things for class," Akane replies. "She asked me to keep you girls company until she gets here."

"So who're you?" a third girl crosses her arms.

"Oh, I'm Neil Heydt's babysitter," Akane lightly shrugs.

The girls exchange looks. The Huntington rumour mill being quite efficent for those who attended this place, they knew all about Neil, his step-siblings and his parents. "Gee, never knew they made razordolls to look as young as you do," a girl hums.

"How'd old J.J. let you into the school?" another snorts; "J.J." was one of the assistant principal's many nicknames.

Akane blinks, then snickers. "I have a bit of a news flash for you, girls," she winks. "I'm not a Thirty-three-Sea."

Silence.

"No way..." one girl's jaw drops.

"Freaky!" another blinks.

"Man, I never thought boomer emotional emulation programs were THAT good!" a third whispers to her friend.

"So what ARE you, anyway?" a fourth demands.

Akane explains. The girls nod, their blank looks telling the Sexaroid that not everyone had come to know about her particular model. She then changes her words to draw up the similarities between Sexaroids and the Cyber-Nurses. Comprehension then flashes in their eyes. "So you really ARE a babysitter for the guy, huh?" one girl comes up, giving Akane's shoulder a friendly squeeze. "Geez, that must be really boring for you, girl!"

"It's better than being in cryostorage," Akane meekly replies.

"Eh?!"

"Never mind," the Sexaroid shakes her head, then sighs, gazing nowhere in particular. "Um..."

"You okay?" another girl asks.

"Well, I..." Akane flusters, then sighs. "Could you...?" she pauses, then breathes out. "Show me how to play volleyball?"

The students gaze at her, blinking surprisedly, then one smiles. "Sure! Guess they never bothered programming stuff that like that into you! Oi, Terri, let's get the balls!"

"Right," another girl heads off to the equipment locker...

* * *

The library...

"Oh, darn..."

"Is there something the matter?"

Deanna Blake jolts, then looks right to see a tall woman with black hair and glasses gazing concernedly at her. A seventh grader placed in the special needs class, Deanna had braces on her legs thanks to muscular dystrophy. Though she could walk with the help of crutches, her frequent lack of energy most often forced her to remain in a "smartchair," a robotic wheelchair.

Unfortunately, that couldn't help her get at books on the top shelf. "Yeah! Could you get 'The Old Man And The Sea,' please?"

She points up. Tomoko blinks, then smiling, takes the book and hands it to the younger woman. "Here you go."

"Thanks," Deanna flips the book to the back cover, then hums, noting who else had borrowed the book recently. "Damn, I wish Ms. Coltraine would put these books where I can get my hands on them!"

"From what Ms. Coltraine explained to me about how the books were placed in the library, it would disturb the order by which the books are filed away. Most students would become frustrated if they couldn't find what they were looking for," Tomoko muses, her smile growing a fraction wider. "However, if you do need help in getting books you can't reach, I'll always be around to assist."

"Do you work here now?" Deanna asks.

"As a volunteer, yes," Tomoko nods, then catches herself. "Oh, my name's Tomoko Honda," she offers her hand.

Deanna introduces herself as they shake hands, then both make their way to a table. "Guess you like to read, huh?" Deanna asks.

"Yes, I am discovering the joys of reading," Tomoko replies. "Neil introduced me to that when we first met."

"Neil? Neil Heydt?!" Deanna gazes quizzically at her, then her eyes widen. "No way!! You can't be a boomer! I thought the assistant principal told Neil he couldn't bring boomers here!"

"Actually, technically (or so I've been told), I'm not a real boomer, so to speak," Tomoko smirks. "It's complicated. So why do you like this book, Deanna?" she points to the novel.

"I just like the writer," Deanna replies. "I did an English essay on 'The Sun Always Rises' and I really like his style."

"Oh..."

* * *

Art class...

"Here you go, Mr. Sullivan! All fixed up!"

"Why, I only had to show you that once, young lady!" the art teacher chuckles, glad to see that all the paints and brushes were now cleaned and neatly stacked on the back counter.

Nozomi Hirose and Yayoi Minami both volunteered to assist here since Mr. Sullivan was the eldest teacher on the faculty (he was due to retire in two years). Arthritis had started to creep into his joints and his eyesight was beginning to fail. However, the art teacher was quite popular with the students, mostly because he allowed his charges to go all out in expressing themselves on canvas. It had got him into trouble from time to time with the "moral minority," but he had beaten them back every time.

"Maybe if you two'd consider it one of these days, you could become teachers yourselves," he adds.

"Mr. Sullivan!!" Yayoi blushes embarrassingly, clapping her cheeks as her dark blue eyes sparkle.

"Well, we could only do that up in Canada after taking the necessary courses in university," Nozomi chuckles.

"Ah, yes, it is a pity in the long run, isn't it?" the teacher sighs, then blinks as the school bell rings, announcing the change of classes. "Here come the new kids, now."

They turn as a group of grade seven kids stream in. Among them are Michael and Celine Greaves. "Hi, Michael! Hi, Celine!" Yayoi instantly chirps, waving as they take their seats.

The other students blink, then gaze at the twins. "You mean these are the two your dad got for you, Mike?!" one boy barbs.

"Er...! Y-yeah!" Michael flusters. "Everyone, this here's Yayoi Minami and Nozomi Hirose," he indicates each girl.

"Pleased to meet you," the Sexaroids bow pleasantly.

"Mr. Sullivan, are they volunteering to help out in your classes?" a girl turns to the art teacher.

"Yes, I'm pleased to say that Miss Minami and Miss Hirose are," Mr. Sullivan nods, waving to the back of the room. "As you can all see, they've already made quite an impact and this is only their first day here. However, that doesn't excuse the rest of you from properly policing your desks when we're done with classes."

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw!!" the students moan.

"Will they model when we do live portraits?" a boy wonders.

Yayoi and Nozomi exchange a curious look. Hearing that and realizing what the guy was possibly aiming for, Michael feels his cheeks flame as nascent jealously rips through his heart. Celine shakes her head. "Well, I'm sure they'll be more than happy to do so if you ask them very nicely, Oliver," Mr. Sullivan muses.

Yayoi and Nozomi gaze on Oliver, then exchange another look before the latter walks over to gaze into the student's eyes. "Why, yes, Mr. Sullivan, we'd be more than happy to model for your students. But, Oliver, dear," she leans close, her eyes narrowing with faux amusement, "...if you want us to model nude, I hope you'd be willing to take it ALL off yourselves. Fair's fair, you know."

Oliver gargles, leaning back from Nozomi as the other students stare wide-eyed at the raven-haired tomboy. Celine then shudders as a giggle escapes her. Soon enough, everyone is laughing...

* * *

Behind the school...

"So most of the kids in this class are overweight, right?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Maeka Hokari, the school's preventive medicine technician and assistant health teacher, nods as she leads Ikumi Gotoh and Midori Amano, Celine Greaves' companions, onto the football field. Neil's class was scheduled for physical education.

A fifth generation MP series 33-M, Maeka's primary task was to ensure that the school's cafeteria didn't accidentally poison the students. Like many schools in the United States these days, Huntington had one organic chef with a small staff of GS-R cooks to handle lunch. Unfortunately, in the last year, there had been six incidents where boomer cooks malfunctioned, spoiling lunches along the way. Fortunately, no one had died because of that. Yet.

In response, various education departments across the States allowed local school boards to obtain both MP and MS series 33-Ms to better ensure the students' safety. Maeka had been assigned to Huntington Junior High for the past six months, eventually seeing her role expanding to include helping out in gym, plus delivering lectures on proper eating habits to all the classes.

"Neil seems in pretty good shape," Ikumi notes.

"Well, Neil's an exception to the rule in this class," Maeka muses, setting down her wicker basket by the start line, then she slips off her track suit to reveal a white, form-fitting gym suit one might expect to find on a 100-metre sprinter. "Most of the kids in this class, from what I've learned, have both their parents out working to make ends meet. Even with two fixed incomes, it's not enough for those families to purchase even a used GS-R or FS-H (family services-housekeeping) boomer to help with chores. The kids end up raising themselves in a way, which has both its bad and good points. One of the bad points, unfortunately, is that they don't acquire the proper eating habits they need to stay healthy."

"So how would you want us to help out?" Midori asks.

"Trust me, girls, when they see you two in those suits I got you, they'll be more than willing to do whatever you say," Maeka winks as people start streaming out of the change rooms. "A little sex appeal used in the right way goes VERY far even if the puritans on the school board might end up having a coronary over it," she holds up a finger in emphasis. "SHOULD they ever truly come to comprehend what we're doing, I should add."

Ikumi and Midori fluster, their cheeks reddening, then both jolt as Neil calls out, "Ikumi! Midori! Hi!!"

Sure enough, the two Sexaroids find themselves surrounded by a pack of curious eighth-graders. "So these are Celine's girls, right?" one boy gazes quizzically at Neil.

"Yeah," Neil nods, then quickly does introductions.

"Pleased to meet you all," Ikumi and Midori beam.

A whistle blows. "Alright, that's enough of that," Maeka comes up, a whistle and stopwatch slung around her neck. "Let's get ourselves warmed up first, people, then it's time for a little jog to loosen up the legs. Into formation, everyone!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaw!!" many moan as they form four ranks of five, keeping two metres apart from each other on all sides.

As Maeka moves to take charge of the warm-up phase, Ikumi and Midori exchange a look, then they both slip off their track suits. Underneath, much to the total shock of everyone in the class, the Sexaroids wear a grey spandex-like, sleeveless bodysuit that almost leaves NOTHING to the imagination. The only colouring on them are running stripes along the sides (light blue to indicate that both Ikumi and Midori are second generation 33-S's), their names written in blue thread on the right breast and a letter-number combination on the other breast (Ikumi's reading AC27, Midori's AE64).

"How do we stretch ourselves, Maeka?" Ikumi asks.

"Just follow me and the class," Maeka smiles as she glances at the others. "We can make a good example, can we, people?"

"YES, MA'AM!!!" all the boys and some of the girls shout.

Ikumi and Midori blush...

* * *

The Vancouver Tower, after supper...

"Aoi-chan?! Aoi-chan, are you here?!"

The main door to Aoi's apartment swings open, revealling Akari Kamigishi. The SPD-PA glances around the room, then on not hearing a response from her friend, sighs. Taking a bundle of folders she had brought down from the secretaries' office, she heads upstairs to Aoi's private office. Most senior directors in Toratotaka who worked at either an Annex or a Tower often liked staying close to her private quarters when she did work. Aoi was no exception, nor were most of the other SPDs who lived in the Vancouver Tower.

Knocking again on the open doorway leading to Aoi's office space, Akari pauses, then hearing nothing, heads inside. Placing the files in the SPD-SLA's "in" basket, she turns to leave. Her skirt catches on a ruler sticking out from the edge of the desk. As it topples, it causes a small pile of papers to spill into Aoi's chair. "Oh, darn!" Akari sighs, setting the ruler back on the table, then she takes up the papers, stacks them neatly, then sets them down. Her eye then picks out another paper having slipped all the way to the floor. Kneeling, Akari picks it up, then turns it to face her as she moves to place that atop Aoi's other papers.

Her eyes are quick to catch some words on the paper, causing Akari to pause. Her other hand comes up to hold the sheet steady as she scans down the letter, her eyes widening. Deep down, she knew that if Aoi discovered her friend doing this, it would cause problems. Even after all the things they had endured together, the transformation over the years from being a group of good friends to a vast family-in-all-but-name, there were times when each of the prototype 33-S's and their loved ones needed time to themselves.

"Aoi-chan...!"

Akari lowers the sheet as she gazes nowhere in particular. Yes, it was a good thing that Aoi was becoming close to her. After all the pain and loneliness Janice Kerasus had endured over the years, she deserved all the friends she could get, especially now that the end was so near. And Aoi was a very friendly, outgoing person, one who was quick to open her heart to those who needed it.

Yet to believe...!

Akari shudders, placing the letter back on the desk, then she hurries out of the apartment, heading down the emergency stairs to Serika Kurusugawa's apartment several floors down.

To believe...!

* * *

Minutes later...

"I was afraid of this."

Akari kneels before Serika. Both are in the wicca's private scrying room, a more advanced version of the Occult Club office at Akimena High School. Lit candles lined all the walls; the room would've been pitch black without them. On the floor between the two women, a beautiful pentagram had been painstakingly etched into a hardwood floor, marked with the names of mythical angels, one of the names for the Judeo-Christian God at the head of the pentagram. Serika's favoured conjuration book is in the wicca's lap. Nearby, Nicodemus, Serika's black-furred cat and personal familiar, dozes.

"I didn't realize that Aoi-chan would develop those sorts of feelings for Kerasus-san, Sempai," Akari shivers, hugging herself. "I mean, yes, it's been pretty lonely for all of us who lost our families that day, but to go so far as that..."

"Most people don't fully realize that death is but a simple transition, Akari-san," Serika sighs. "These days, concepts of faith are harder for people to comprehend as the exacting nature of science and technology steals all their attention. As I've told both you and Hiroyuki-san many times when your own buried feelings for your loved ones come forth, it is natural to yearn for things you may never have again. There are times that I, too, wish that what happened in 2025 never claimed so many so close to us."

"Your own parents?"

"Sometimes," Serika admits. "But more often, I find myself thinking of Sebastian," a wistful smile crosses her face.

Akari hums. Terrance Sebastian, the Kurusugawas' personal valet, had been a fixture at Akimena High from the day Serika first began attending classes there. Loyal, stern-faced and honourable to a degree which impressed many, the silver-haired Englishman was the classic gentleman's gentleman. "Hai, I can understand that," Akari nods. "I find myself missing him, too, though I can assure you Hiroyuki-chan doesn't," she adds with a knowing wink.

Both women laugh. Sebastian had become a serious bugbear to Hiroyuki Fujita in that last year at Akimena. Like many of the other girls who'd later become XH series 33-S's, Serika had taken interest in Hiroyuki. To Sebastian, this was NOT a good thing. As Serika's valet, he saw it as a sacred duty to shield his mistress' virtue from such an uncooth lad. Many times had Sebastian scared Hiroyuki out of a year's growth by popping up behind the latter, bellowing out "OJOU-SAMA!!!" in greetings to Serika.

"I can see that," Serika sighs, then sets her conjuration book aside. "But let us turn back to Aoi-san."

"What can we do, Sempai?" Akari wonders. "I mean, now that I saw that letter, I don't think bringing Yoshie-san back might be enough for her now. I..." her voice trails off as she shrugs.

"No, I doubt it will be enough for Aoi-san's case," Serika nods. "For those like you and I, Akari-san, it has been difficult to adjust to our dearth of relatives. But we have good friends to fall back on just in case. You have Hiroyuki-san. I have my own interests, plus a way to communicate with my parents and Sebastian should I feel it right to do so. The others either have their own love interest or interests in other areas which could keep their minds occupied. We assumed our plan to use AL22B to 'resurrect' Yoshie-san might've been enough for Aoi-san to help her better adjust to the way things are now. It appears we were mistaken."

"Aoi-chan and Kotone-chan are the youngest of us all except for Serio-san and Multi-chan (for obvious reasons)," Akari sighs, crossing her arms. "Sometimes, I don't dwell on that. I should."

"You've not had real cause to dwell on it, Akari-san," Serika cautions her. "Further, Kotone-san has both her relationship with Masashi-san and her need to explore the limits of her powers to occupy her. She has had the chance to meet those more experienced than she, seek the advice such people can offer. I don't believe Aoi-san ever had such a chance until Kerasus-san came."

"And soon, she'll be gone..." Akari's eyes bow, then they suddenly widen. "Chotto (Wait)...!"

She glances into Serika's dark eyes. The wicca smiles...

* * *

Minutes later, Serio's office...

"You wish to authorize a personal assistant for Aoi-san?"

Serio stands by the north windows, gazing out into the Frazer River valley, the urban sprawl of Chilliwack hugging the river's edge, plus the Coast Mountains lining the horizon beyond. Akari and Serika stand close to the House Matriarch. "Hai," Akari nods. "Serio-san, we CAN do this if we have to. Yoshio-san managed to arrange that for all of us last year. We should use it."

"It seems too extravagant to me, Akari-san," Serio objects.

"I really don't believe that seeing to the emotional welfare of a co-worker should be seen as an 'extravagance,'" Serika sighs. "Speaking to Kerasus-san earlier, after I informed her of our plan to use AL22B to bring Yoshie-san back, she did agree to help in the procurement of that particular unit from Kume-jima. That would allow Yoshie-san full freedom of choice when she is restored. If we explained this to Kerasus-san, I think she would agree to it."

"But the memory-replica would be required to serve the company once she is woken," Serio warns. "That is sacrosanct, Serika-san."

"True, but that can be alleviated if we choose the right body correctly," Serika nods. "An MX series 33-M would certainly fit the bill in this case, due to the flexibility inherent in her base programming. Aoi-san does have the combat augmentations to her own body, so there would be little difference in performance."

"Yoshie-san can get the same thing," Akari adds.

Serio considers that, then she sighs. "Alright, if you both believe this is the right thing for Aoi-san, I won't object..."

"Serio?!"

All three turn as Wakana steps upstairs. "What is it?" Serio wonders as the SFIO holds out a folder for her fiancee.

"Something Anderson-san passed on to us now," Wakana explains.

"What does Joe Ace want?" Akari wonders.

Serio flips open the file, then scans through it. Her eyebrow then arches. "So Thomas Kerasus desires to hire someone to attack Heydt-san's and Greaves-hakase's children," she announces.

"There are several biomech-augmented mercenary teams who would have the best chance at succeeding in this case," Wakana sighs. "I believe, and Anderson-san does concur, that our friend knows of those people, too. If Anderson-san doesn't make a contact, the chances are there that Kerasus might decide to go it alone."

"And if that ever got out, Joseph-san's effectiveness as a fixer for local mercenary teams will be lessened," Serika adds.

"The risk we run doing things like this," Serio sighs, then hands the file back to Wakana. "Wakana, tell Anderson-san to make a good choice, then see the deal through."

"I assume we'll upset the game later on?" Wakana smiles.

"I'd upset it now if I felt it absolutely necessary," Serio replies. "This 'gift' Kerasus-san has can be potentially dangerous if it was misused. I wish not to risk that sort of thing."

"Hai, wakata (I understand)."

"There are ways to make our younger friends harder targets for potential assassins," Serika notes.

"True," the House Matriarch nods. "We will do that. In the meantime, Akari-san, make the necessary preparations for Aoi-san. Serika-san, will taking a personality copy of Kerasus-san threaten the transfer of this 'gift' to Aoi-san in the long run?"

"Iie. The Gift is transferred only when a wish is made."

"Soo desu ka (I see). Then make the arrangements."

"Hai!" Akari and Serika nod...

* * *

That evening, Aoi's apartment...

"A personal assistant?! For ME?!!"

"Hai!" Akari sits across from Aoi in the latter's spacious living room. The SPD-SLA had gone to Seattle after lunch to make arrangements concerning the future of the Mariners. She had just returned a half-hour ago. "You've always complained a lot about not having a good sparring partner to keep up in martial arts after Tomoko-san did the combat fourth gen upgrade for you. Besides, you're so busy running around from here to L.A. to Saskatoon and everywhere inbetween trying to keep up with the demands of sports teams across the board. Who runs the office while you're gone?"

"Does Serio-san know about this?" Aoi wonders.

"Hai. It's already been authorized. The body's being shipped in from Oshika tonight and we could have her up by tomorrow after lunch. Serika-sempai's handling the programming."

"Serika-sempai?!" Aoi's eyes widen. "Why her?!"

"Well..." Akari's voice trails off. Damn it, she just HATED lying, especially to someone like Aoi. "Aoi, gomen ne..."

"Akari-san...?"

Hands fall on Akari's shoulder, steadying her. The SPD-PA gazes on her friend, then sighs, rising to gather her thoughts. Looking away from Aoi for a moment, Akari takes a deep breath, then announces, "I saw the letter on your desk."

"Eh?"

"The one you're writing to Kerasus-san."

Silence.

Aoi feels her cheeks pale, then she looks at the table before gently breathing out. "Soo desu ka (I see)..."

"What are you going to do with it, Aoi-chan?"

Aoi blinks, then senses Akari gazing concernedly at her. The younger woman sighs, then rises, heading to the east-side windows to gaze at the surrounding countryside. "I read a story once where this fellow..." she quietly begins, then closes her eyes. "This fellow recently lost someone he deeply cared for. He wrote a letter to her after she died, then put it into a bottle and threw it out to sea. I..." tears trail down her cheeks, then she stares misty-eyed at her friend. "I don't want to lose her, Akari-san. I..." another pause, then Aoi looks away. "When I heard that the cancer in her bones had become terminal -- oh, this was about a week after we first met -- I wanted to offer her a chance to live her life again. Like how Yoshio-san saved all of us."

"She turned you down?"

"H-hai," Aoi nods. "I..." she sniffs, then wipes her face. "I can understand it even if I don't like it deep in my heart, Akari-san. I..." her voice chokes, then she leans against the window as sobs gently shake her body.

Akari moves over to comfort her. "Daijoubu (It's okay)..."

"Iie!!" Aoi shakes her head. "I..." she takes a deep breath as her housekeeping computer helps her remain calm, then she stares into Akari's chestnut eyes. "Oba-chan told me about how her son just walked out on her one day. Didn't say good-bye, didn't ask how she was doing. He just left, the creep! And..." she closes her eyes. "I saw the pain her eyes, Akari-san. It was the most awful thing! I hated him for what he did to Oba-chan, Akari-san. And I..." she leans her head against Akari's shoulder.

"Hoped you'd take his place as Kerasus-san's child?"

"W-well..."

Both bitterly laugh. Even if she had not become as close to Janice Kerasus as Aoi had, Akari could sympathize with what was now going through the younger woman's mind. To meet someone so wise in the ways of the world. Someone kind, caring, willing to offer a helping hand to those in need. Janice Kerasus lived and breathed *noblesse oblige,* something so rare in this age. To lose someone like her seemed extra tragic to Akari now that she thought of it.

"We have to respect her wishes in the end, Aoi-chan."

Aoi blinks, then sadly nods, turning away from her friend to gaze once more out the window. "I'll miss her so much, Akari-san. So soon after meeting her, she'll be gone..."

"Not totally," Akari reminds her.

Aoi gazes on the older woman, then nods. "Hai!"

* * *

Aspen...

"To give me a daughter?"

"Yes, if you so desire her to be that, such can be arranged," Serika nods, sitting once again beside Janice Kerasus.

The investor takes that in, then she sighs. "Miss Kurusugawa, why on Earth would you do that for Aoi? I mean, as soon as Miss Sakashita is back on her feet, wouldn't that be enough...?"

"Sometimes, a little extra effort is needed for those who truly need it, Ms. Kerasus," the wicca explains.

Janice considers that, then she nods. "I hoped she wouldn't actually go all the way into seeing me as a replacement mother."

"Not that far, I suspect," Serika chuckles. "But in her eyes, you are someone who is very wise in the ways of the world. Aoi is still innocent in certain matters. It's understandable, especially since she was only sixteen when Second Kantou put her life on hold, not to mention that event taking her parents away. She knows it and she wants to deal with it, but she also knows she can't do it alone. In the short time she's come to know you, Aoi has sensed that you might be able to provide those answers she would desire."

"I see..." the investor nods, then sighs. "Well, I must say I am quite flattered. So..." she gazes on the wicca. "What sort of 'daughter' am I exactly going to get...?"

* * *

Somewhere near Neo-Los Angeles, 9 January, after midnight...

"Someone wants Heydt's kids taken out?"

"Not all the way."

"What the fuck does THAT mean, Ace?!"

Joseph Anderson breathes deeply, then gazes at the man across the table from him. "All it means is that my employer wants you to kidnap, NOT kill, Heydt's children and hold them in a safe place until such time as he gets what he wants from his real target."

"Who the fuck's that?!" the other man snorts, taking a deep drag from his marijuana cigarette.

"He didn't tell me."

"And you expect me to accept that off the bat? Get real!"

The fixer hums, then reaches into his pocket and draws out a bank book, placing that in front of his contact. The other man picks it up, then scans it. His eyes widen as the current amount registers deep inside his brain. "Holy shit!"

"It's all yours, amigo," Joe smirks.

The other man blinks as the gears inside his mind start to turn over. "All this, just to KIDNAP three kids? What the fuck is this guy really after, Ace? C'mon, you GOTTA know that!"

"I think he's got a thing with his momma," the fixer smirks. "His momma happens to be none other than Janice Kerasus herself."

The other man whistles. You couldn't think that all street punks were stupid, Joe knew. To assume that could cost a lot if one made a bad call. "She's one real rich bitch from what I've heard," the other man muses, closing the book and handing it back.

Joe pockets the bank book. "It seems she left him outta of the will. Matter of fact, so I hear, she's leaving all her money and all that shit to Heydt's kids. Can you dig that?"

"Fuck!!" the other man spits out. "God, Ace, lemme tell you somethin'! Hedyt's as much a bastard as that Takeda asshole up in Portland! Always comin' off like he's Mr. Regular Guy to the rest of the sorry fucks who spend all that time in the freeway gridlock, then he turns around and fucks people outta their homes, businesses and all that shit!! Believe me, Ace, I'd LOVE to see that sorry motherfucker SQUIRM!! Just ONCE, man! Let him know what it's like to be at the fuckin' receivin' end of it, know what I'm sayin'?!"

"Yeah, I gotcha, man," Joe sighs. He didn't personally know Daniel Heydt, but from what he did know, the guy was pretty okay. Yeah, he walked the walk and talked the talk when it came to doing business for Genom, but hell, that was doing business. Sure, he probably had loads of skeletons in his closet -- when you got to the level Heydt did, who didn't in the long term? -- but if working for Toratotaka International had taught Joe Anderson one thing, it was this: sometimes, skeletons were just best left alone. "But like I say, all my client wants is for them to be KIDNAPPED and HELD until he talks some sense into his momma. Y'dig?"

"Yeah, I dig, but if Heydt does somethin' stupid...!"

The fixer lances the other man with a steady gaze. "Then make fuckin' sure it happens in a way where you don't have to hurt them! If you do, my client ain't gonna bail your asses out and you'll be alone facin' Heydt's troops. Take it or leave it, amigo."

Silence falls as the other man considers it, then he takes another drag of his cigarette. Damn, that was a shitpot full of money the boy was bringing onto the table. And kidnapping kids wasn't as unhealthy in the long term as killing them, even if you did a dorky thing like dragging them across state lines.

Well, why not?

"Okay, we're in. What day you want it done?"

"Anytime before the seventeenth."

"Cool. We can take our time on it. We'll keep you posted."

"Deal," Joe smiles, though deep inside, he wasn't too sure. *Wakana, I hope to fuck you know what you're doing, girl!*

* * *

Pasadena, Huntington Junior High, before first class...

"'Morning, Tomoko!"

"Oh, Deanna, good morning," Tomoko beams, waving as Deanna Blake scoots up the front walkway in her smartchair.

The handicapped student slows down beside her new friend as they head for the front doors. "So where's Neil?"

"He's coming in this morning with Akane," Tomoko explains. "Did some extra studying last night and forgot to go to bed in time. Akane had to drag him out of bed this morning."

Deanna giggles. "Yeah, I've done that before. Mom ALWAYS rags me out about it. Say, do you 33-S's ever sleep?"

"Yes, but we don't need to do it as much as you pure-organics do. We can even dream, too, which is really nice."

"Wow! You're just like Maeka and Kelli!"

Tomoko nods. Kelli Valladingham was the school's full-time MS series 33-M nurse and Maeka's current girlfriend. "Yeah, pretty much so, but I wasn't programmed with all that extra stuff they got since they're meant from the start to be nurses."

Deanna considers that, then nods as she guides her smartchair up the special access ramp to the doors. Tomoko falls in behind her to ensure that if the chair failed, Deanna wouldn't be hurt. As they pass the doors, the handicapped student then looks up at the Sexaroid. "What would you want to do with your life, Tomoko?"

"I..." Tomoko pauses, then sighs. "I haven't had much of a chance to think about something like that, Deanna. Maybe I should change that. What do you think?" she returns her friend's look.

"Well, you work in a place where you can find that out pretty fast enough," Deanna reminds her.

"True, true..."

* * *

Outside...

"There he is!"

"Yeah, I see the little punk," the man raises his binoculars, then takes a look. He blinks a couple times, then whistles. "Oh, man, now THAT'S a pretty dish beside him!"

"What?"

"Check out the chick beside the punk!"

He hands the binoculars over. The other man puts them to his eyes, then he looks. A whistle escapes his lips. "Damn, now that's one nice looking piece of ass...!" his voice trails off, then he blinks. "Boomer?" he hands the binoculars back.

The first man looks. "I dunno," he hums, watching as Neil finds himself laughing at something Akane just told him. "Seems way too talkative for a razordo-...!" he jolts. "Wait!"

"What?!"

"Just spotted the twins," he reports, then blinks. "Shit, they've got some pretty ones with 'em, too!"

"Lemme see!"

The binoculars are passed over. "Fuck me, that's weird!" he hums, watching as Michael escorts Yayoi onto the school grounds, her arm wrapped around his. Behind him, Celine is chatting a mile a minute, Ikumi hanging off every word. "Organics?!"

"Possibly. Heard the assistant principal in this place threw out the boomers Heydt put on his kids," the other hums as he takes the binoculars back. "This might be easier than we first thought."

"Let's keep watch, just in case they posted somethin' off the grounds," the other man proposes.

"Yeah, good idea..."

* * *

Some distance behind the twins and their companions (thus not immediately seen by the observers in the car parked some distance away), Nozomi and Midori purposefully remain clear of the other students. They were chatting avidly away themselves, though their eyes scan everywhere for anything which might potentially threaten their charges. The latter swings her head around, then pauses, seeing a car parked in a cul-de-sac about fifty metres away.

It hadn't been there yesterday.

Further, it had shaded windows all around, even up front.

While that wasn't illegal in California, it was still unusual.

<<See something?>>

Midori jolts, then turns back to Nozomi, who had called out to her sister through the OMS-2 transmitter in her mind. <<Saw a car with shades all-around, off to my left,>> the former reports. <<Once we're inside, I'll call someone and have the tags run.>>

Nozomi takes a lazy look around, spotting the car in question out of the corner of her eye. <<Saw it. Okay, let's go in.>>

* * *

Nearby...

"Hello, hello, check THAT out!"

"What?!"

The binoculars are handed over, then risen to eyes for a look. "Oh, now, that's pretty smart. Two hangers-back for extra eyes."

"Organics."

"Definitely. Want to find some way to ID'em?"

"We need pictures first. Shit, we forgot a camera. Let's worry about it when they get out of school tonight."

"Right..."

* * *

"Heading off."

"I see them," Nozomi hums as the car drives off, she and Midori now perched by a third-floor window giving them a good view of the school's front yard. "Who do you suppose they were?"

"We'll find out soon enough," Midori fingers her NAVI, now perched inside a pocket of her cardigan sweater.

Nozomi nods. "You hope..."

* * *

Aspen, Janice's retreat, after lunch...

"Aoi..."

"Thank you, Oba-chan! Thank you!!"

Janice grunts, trying not to show too much pain as Aoi gives her a warm hug, then she playfully kisses her new friend on the forehead. "Oh, you're so sweet!" she chuckles, then relaxes as Aoi lets her go, sitting back in the wheelchair. "Aoi, why...?"

"Well, why not?" Aoi impishly shrugs, then looks down as she wipes her cheeks. "You've showed me and told me, about so much, Oba-chan. All the things you did when you were younger. Deep down, I haven't even thought of what I might do with myself once I'm free from working in the company and all that..."

"How long do you intend to stay with Toratotaka, dear?"

"Probably not until after I have a wholly-organic body again, but that won't come for a while yet," Aoi points to herself, then sighs, drawing her legs in to hug them. "It doesn't matter to me, Oba-chan. If it wasn't for the company helping Yoshio when he needed it the most, I'd still be a frozen soul locked inside dead grey matter in a freezer somewhere. The company bent itself over backward for us. We owe them for giving us our lives back. You can't expect us to turn our backs on that, can't you?"

"No, I really can't," Janice clicks her tongue, then glances over her shoulder as Serika emerges from a side room. "Well?!"

"Ma'am," the wicca smiles eerily, then steps aside.

Janice and Aoi watch as a tall woman with golden-brown hair and coppery-gold eyes walks into the room. She currently has on a gold Toratotaka T-shirt and track pants. Her hair is tied up in a short ponytail with a black cord. There seems to be a content yet jovial look etched into her face. "Sugoi (Wow)...!" Aoi gasps.

"Oh, my Heavens...!" Janice softly exclaims.

The newcomer gazes on Serika, then Aoi, then Janice. Her eyes widen suddenly as they seem to loose focus, then she feels her body firm up as she walks over to sit beside Janice, opposite Aoi. Her hand gently grasps the older woman's, then raises it to gently touch her cheek. "Hello, Mother," she then smiles.

Janice blinks, blinks again, opens her mouth to speak, then blinks several more times before finally shaking her head. "Oh, dear..." she draws up her free hand to cover her mouth, then reaches over to gently cradle the younger woman's cheeks. "I never thought it would be something like this! She..."

Her voice trails off as her eyes focus on the portrait of the younger Janice and her mother. Indeed, the newly-woken Cyber-Nurse could easily be a younger version of Gwendolynn Kerasus. Seeing that, Janice feels her eyes tear as she brings the girl into her arms. "Oh, this is so wonderful..." she whispers. "A daughter. I have a daughter. I have a daughter now..."

"I love you, Mother," the younger woman smiles contently.

Aoi and Serika remain respectfully quiet. Finally, the two pull apart, then Janice stares at her other guests. "She has...?"

"All your memories and experiences, plus a fair emulation of your feelings, dreams and opinions," Serika finishes. "That is exactly what making a personality copy can do. It's much more accurate than a simple memory scan copy. However, to ensure she doesn't find herself in some sort of emotional conflict in the future in case she should encounter someone you might know, she also possesses the Descartes Protocol. This will make sure she will always see herself as separate from yourself."

"I see," Janice nods, then gently strokes her child's hair before turning to Aoi. "Well, then..."

"Is there something wrong?" Aoi tenses.

"Well, nothing important..."

"Save my name!"

Eyes lock on the newly-woken Cyber-Nurse, she now exchanging a knowing look with Janice. The older woman nods, then stares at Aoi. "Well, since in a way, you are her godmother, Aoi, would you care to do the honours?" she waves to her daughter.

Aoi's cheeks instantly flame, then she calms herself. She then smiles, reaching over to grasp her new assistant's hands. "Okay. I give you the name..." a pause, "Theresa Jamie Kerasus."

The newly-named woman blinks, then smiles. "I like it, but where did you get the name from, anyway?" she asks.

Aoi gently shrugs. "Just a couple books I read."

"Oh?!" Theresa's eyebrow arches, then she pulls her hands back, crossing them as an exaggerated hum escapes her. "Well, then..." she sighs, then huffs. "I suppose I'll just have to accept being called 'Terri' instead. I like that better."

"Okay," Aoi giggles, winking mischeviously. "Terri-chan!"

"Hey!!"

Janice starts to laugh. Hearing that, Terri and Aoi exchange a look, then giggle. Serika tries desperately not to join in...

* * *



*** The End ***

WRITER'S NOTES:

1) Save for the teaser (which occurs before Second Kantou), this story is set about ten months before the first BGC OVA (I set that particular story to occur in October of 2032). Inspiration for this story comes from Al Steiner's wonderful "Doing It Over Again" (to be found at www.storiesonline.net) and two novels from Nicholas Sparks, "Message In A Bottle" (later remade into a movie staring Kevin Costner and Paul Newman) and "A Walk To Remember."

2) The "combat" fourth generation upgrade, as it would apply to prototype 33-S's like Aoi, involved three things. First, the basic 33-S heart is replaced for the same type of heart a third gen 33-S like Domino Odotte has. An adrenal pump is also added, plus the necessary hardening to the body's organs is done to allow them to perform at a heightened level for short periods of time. Also, special combat programming is added to the brain, which allows the recepient the chance to better react in case of emergencies. Of course, not all the prototype 33-S's receive this augmentation.