Ch 1
Wakening up General Hughes
Machine ran down the hall to the main laboratory with a giant smile on her face. It was the first time in a very long time that she was smiling. She ran past MerLin, and startled her. "Hey no running in the lab!" But then she noticed the smile. "…Why are you so happy?" she answered her while still running "Because there's hope. There's hope and there's change. Change doesn't always have to be a bad thing. It can be a good thing, a wonderful thing even. Change can be the best thing in the worlds you just have to get past the bad change and always look forward towards the good change. And the Major's alive!" "Well that (pant) I knew. (huff huff)" MerLin stops to catch her breath. Under her breath she mutters, "Darn cyborg has the advantage." Then she yells. "WHY/WHERE ARE YOU RUNNING?" "TO WAKE UP HUGHES," she yells back. A puzzled look came across MerLins face. "Hughes? BUT YOU TOLD ME TO KEEP HIM ASLEEP FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE! IT'S ONLY BEEN 3 MONTHS! Hey, wait a second." She pulls a small remote with many buttons out of her pocket. She clicks a button near the top and a large screen appears in midair. She clicks an arrow button a few times until she came to a spot that talked about the "Ghost in the Shell" dimension. "It's been about 3 months since the incident in that dimension. Our time matches up with this be coincidence?" Then she threw her arms up in the air and screamed, "AWW! Why am I worrying about time! If she keeps running she's gonna break somethen! MarLin started running after her again. "MACHINE! STOP RIGHT NOW! MOST OF THIS STUFF IS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN YOU WERE!" She turned a sharp corner then, WHACK! "…Otay, I'm etty ure (urk) pop gasp that there wasn't a wall in the middle of the hall! Wretched little alchemist,"
Machine is a cyborg originally from the "Battle Angel Alita" dimension. Machine was dieing after some event that she can't quite remember and MerLin just happen to be in the dimension at the time. So what is one to do when one sees a child dieing from severe and futile injuries? Take her home and repair her of course. Normally this would be seen as a dangerous and illegal move because by taking something out of it's natural born dimension and move it to another with out any permission granted or precautions taken, well let's just say it could have catastrophic consequences. (Say catastrophic consequences 5 times fast and win a cookie.) Luckily since she had been dieing and had not played a major role, or any role at all for that matter, in the basic "story-line" the matter was overlooked. MerLin, now with legal permission, fully restored the girl to what she had pretty much looked like before the incident that had wounded her so severely, although the incident alone probably did not do all the damage that was done to her for MerLin noticed that some of her wounds were very old. The end result, a beautiful 4-year-old girl with long blonde hair, that's normally up in a ponytail, and large gray blue eyes that see everything that's going on around them. After she was fully restored she was asked about her life, or technically speaking her "past" life. She couldn't remember much. She knew she had no parents but she could not remember what had happened to them. She couldn't even remember her name. The only thing she was completely sure of was that she had lived her whole life on the streets. No one had ever paid much attention to her, unless she was stealing food. She was always stealing food it seemed, no one would feed her so she had no choice but to steal. While that little girl lived in that world she only had one thing driving her, the will to survive and against all odds she was doing it. Luckily for her she was able to learn at a fast rate. At the age of 2 she had learned to talk, steal and stay away from people because they are more than likely to beat you. She learned all this from experience and it was her lived by code for the next 2 years until, she died. She was walking in a junkyard to see if there was anything worth selling, she had started to learn to sell things right before she died, when she came across two cyborg's fighting. She can't remember anything after that until she woke up in the lab. MerLin decided to name her Machine. Why? Because it's terribly appropriate, one cause she's from "Battle Angel Alita", two because she's a cyborg, and all the good names were taken. Really, they have no more names left. They had to name this one girl Penicillin. Don't ask. They have this weird obsession with everyone having a different name so they don't have to resort to numbers. Machine lived the next phase of her life in the lab with other experiments being raised by MerLin, her mother, and her friends. MerLin's father would have helped in raising her to but he's normally away for long periods of time on business trips. After a few months MerLin thought it would be wise to have Machine start going to school. She suggested the idea to her and she was delighted to accept. Machine had never been to school before, in fact when she had lived in the "Battle Angel Alita" dimension she hadn't even known what a school was, although since then she has become quite the wiser. If you're wondering why MerLin doesn't go to school I tell you the reason. It's because she doesn't have. MerLin is said to be a genius and apparently geniuses don't have to go to school. Her friends get very upset about this because even though they are far more intelligent than the average being their intellect is minuscule compared to hers. She often rubs that in. She often gets slapped for rubbing that in. She often tries to remember not to rub that in so she wouldn't get slapped any more.
Guide: person or persons assigned to a dimension
Machine loved everything about school, she was especially happy when they told her she could move up a grade. In the course of slightly over a month she was moved from kindergarten to 9th grade. (She's a quick learner remember?) All of MerLin's friends that had helped raise her were there so she felt very much at home. 403 years have passed, since then (in there time that's not very long) she's been appointed to be the guide of the "Full Metal Alchemist" dimension and so far she's been doing a very good job there, well…at least a better job than Vice and Mary. Vice and Mary are 2 sisters that have a bad habit of blowing things up, breaking the rules, and over all causing utter chaos and confusion. "Hey what can we say? It's fun." Hey! You're not in the story yet! "Oops, sorry. I leave now."
If you are now thinking this story is about Machine you are wrong. This story is not even about Full Metal Alchemist, Battle Angel Alita, or even General Maes Hughes. To tell you the truth I have absolutely 100, no idea at all what this is about. (Everyone just anime fainted in their minds, right?) But nonetheless I am writing their story. Why? Because I believe I'm suppose to tell "their" story. Who are "they"? Well, you'll just have to read and find out now won't you. (evil soft laugh: hehe)
"Is his body fully restored?" Machine asked an exhausted and out of breath MerLin who had finally managed to catch up to her. The point of arrival was in front of a large glass cylinder tube-tank that held General Hughes.
"What (pant) was with (pant) all the (pant) walls!"
"I like to hack into the cameras and watch you run into them."
"You (pant) don't (pant) have a (pant) cyberbrain!"
"Correct but I have a cyber like casing that allows me to perform most of the same functions as a cyberbrain."
"Oh, that does work. (huff) Don't talk like that. Your 407 years old for Pete's sake. Don't make your self sound like an old croon. Wooo, now I can breath."
"Now is not the time to be correcting my etiquette. Answer the first question, is he restored or not?"
"Yes, yes," she walked over to a pad with many keys and a small screen that was located next to the tube. "He'd only been dead for about 2 days so there was hardly any decay, the body was completely dehydrated though. The hardest part was updating his brain and healing the bullet wound. He was shot…wasn't he?"
"I can't remember but I'm pretty sure he was. It was either that or a knife but I'm almost positive he was shot."
MerLin shrugged then answered, "Aw, who cares? He's alive now so it really doesn't matter."
"You can revive him, yes?"
"HA! I can do more than that. I can make him think he's Elvis give him 5 tentacles 26 eyes and a Harley Davidson tattoo sell tickets and call 'em a freak show!" Machine glared at her. "Or I could just wake 'em up, hehe."
"That," Machine lightened her gaze, "would be an excellent idea." MerLin then proceeded with her typing, then, after a few minutes, stop. "……………….um, why isn't he awake?"
"Well," she rested her head on her hand, "to tell you the truth……," she then turned to Machine and smiled a far to happy smile, "I have absolutely no idea. " Machine fainted then quickly got back up. "Then why the frilly hey are you smiling!"
"Because I see no reason to get upset."
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE'S NO REASON TO GET UPSET! THIS IS A PERFECT TIME TO GET UPSET! GREAT, NOW YOU'VE RUINED MY GOOD MOOD!" MerLin started backing away a little.
"Hey now, let's not over react. Just stay calm-"
"I AM CALM!" Machine crossed her arms and pouted.
"If this is calm then what's angry?"
"Angry is when my arms turn into giant guns and I start shooting everything up." They were both silent for a moment.
"…Can you really do that?"
"I have no idea, but I should try it sometime."
"That would be so awesome!" she smiled brightly and did the rock on sign. You know, the sign where your thumb, index finger and pinky are out. Some might call it devil horns but I call it rock on.
"Yeah, it would," Machine also smiled and nodded her head, but then remembered why she had been upset. "Hey no changing the subject! Do ya know how ta get him out of the stupid…tank…thing, or not!"
"Hmm, hm hm hm hm hm." She rested her hand on the pad and started drumming her fingers. She accidentally hit a button that triggered a small glass full of red liquid. "Awesome! Kool-Aid!" She picked up the glass and started to drink. Machines temple started to throb.
"THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT MATTER AND INSTEAD OF TRY TO SOLVE IT YOUR DRINKING Kool-Aid! HOW CAN YOU BE DRINKING Cool-Aid WHEN I'M HAVING A NERVOUS BREAK DOWN!" She was yelling this at the top of her lungs and waving her arms around when she said this. MerLin faced turned to disgust. She turned her head to the side, as not to hit Machine, and spit the drink out.
"First off, (gah) this isn't Kool-Aid." She took another sip, this time swallowing. "(smack) Yeah, it's blood." She took another sip.
"…….Your gonna keep drinking it?"
"Yada." Takes another sip.
"(sigh) Oh, we're great roll-models. Kids, and other people reading this, I'd advise not drinking blood but if you absolutely must, make sure it pasteurized."
"Wait. I think (slurp) I remember how to wake 'em up (slurp). Woo, that's strong. Wonder who's blood this is?"
"You do?" Machine perked up and classssssppppedededed her hands together. Her eye's became big, bright and chibi.
"Yada. Hang on a sec." She threw the glass to her right and spit out the contents of her mouth. She clapped her hand s twice; a small robot that looked like something out of Star Wars came rolling up. A toothbrush and toothpaste popped out of its head. "Ahh, gut danke!" grab (squirt) scrub scrub. (Spit!) Bleah! Dang, how old is that blood? It tasted like; it had been decaying or lit on fire or somthen. And I drink blood, normally with vodka, sometimes I'll drink it straight up though but….. are you ok?" Machine was banging her head angst's a nearby wall.
"No, I'm not ok, because my good mode is completely gone, and instead of trying to solve the problem before us you're encouraging people to drink!" MerLin just looked at her with distaste and confusion.
"No I'm not. I'm telling them that I drink. I'm over 21, it's legal. And I drink responsibly. I've never ever gotten wasted. Not once." From nowhere comes the sound of applause. MerLin takes graciously takes a bow.
"I can't believe this!" Machine was now leaning her head against a pillar and crying her eyes out. "You clearly don't understand the gravity of the situation otherwise you wouldn't be goofing off drinking blood that's probably been fumigating in a toxic waste dump for 5,000 years! You're so cruel! You only think about yourself!" She leaned her head on a pillar and started crying. I gotta be less irritating or I'm not going to have any friends. Wait does that mean I'm thinking of my self since I'm thinking that I have to be nice? Or am I thinking of my self now because I'm wondering if I'm thinking of my self? Or since I'm thinking I'm thinking that I have to be nicer and that involves my self thinking of my self………What was I thinking about? Oh yeah cheer up Machine so she starts paying rent. da da domdrum sounds ( I don't get that last part at all, which is kinda scary considering I'm writing this.)
"SOooooo", she crouches down next to Machine, "mind telling me why you were in such a good mood this morning, Miss.Dour?"
"Hai, te ni ireru soto e watashi no makau, baka." (Translation from Japanese to English: No, get out of my face you idiot.) Japanese dictionaries are very helpful MerLin shrugged.
"Fine. I just won't tell you how to wake up Hughes." A look of terror came to Machine's face.
"Alright! Alright!" She waved her arms up and down franticly, "I'll talk! I'll talk!"
To be continued