It was a cold, miserable winter's day, and it was snowing heavily. At section 9 HQ, Everyone was busily working, sorting through paper work, everyone that is – except The major and Batou, it was their day off, but didn't fancy the cold weather, so instead hit the recreation room, to get a bit of fake sun.
"Come on, Batou" Yelled Motoko from her relaxing chair "Hurry up with those drinks"
"Alright, already!" snapped Batou "Anyway, are you sure you want to drink? You know being 7 months gone and all."
"Oh, relax Batou" Motoko yawned "A drink every so often won't hurt, and besides, it's not like I go out on the piss every night."
Batou walked towards Motoko holding a trey with two cocktails and a bowl of strawberries.
Motoko took her drink and was about to take a sip when she noticed something tucked under Batou's arm.
"What's that?" Asked Motoko pointing to Batou's arm "Is that a Nintendo DS?"
"Yeah" Smiled Batou settling himself down in his chair. "It's a lot of fun, especially if you jack yourself in, wanna try?"
"Err, no thanks" yawned Motoko.
Hours past, Motoko laid trying to relax, but for some strange reason, she couldn't stop looking at Batou. He was always playing that DS, but she just couldn't understand why he liked it so much; he always seemed to be in his own little world, while obsessively pressing buttons. She was desperate to know what was so fun about it but didn't want to show it.
"I'm going for swim," Yawned Batou stretching
Motoko slowly sat up. She turned towards Batou's chair and saw his DS just sitting there. She paused and looked to see if he was looking; and quickly took the opportunity and grabbed the console. She wasn't really sure what to do with it or which terminal to plug it into, so, she just plugged into her main terminal (The one she used for everything)
"Okay, so far so good" whispered a puzzled Motoko "Now if I could just turn the bastard thing on" but then she saw a little button at the side that read 'On/off'
"Bingo" again, She took a quick glance at Batou, to see if he wasn't looking, and then quickly flicked the switch. The DS turned on. She wasn't sure what to do, usually with most consoles, it would go straight to the game, but with this one you were greeted with a menu.
"Oh shit" Motoko whispered loudly "Now what do I do?"
She was very confused. She placed her hand over the DS screen and thought for a moment. Suddenly, the game started beeping.
"Oh crap" gasped Motoko quickly lifting her hand of the games console.
She could feel her whole body twitching, and before she knew it, her ghost flew straight into the DS. Motoko's empty body fell into the chair, while still holding the DS.
Sometime later...
"W-what's going...on?" Motoko opened her eyes and sat up. But she wasn't at section 9, but a strange, colourful world.
The sky was a deep blue colour and there were huge orange mountains that looked like giant warts, there were bizarre little creatures wearing different coloured cloaks, with big black eyes and snow white faces. And even weirder, a small little man with a goofy looking moustache was running around, bashing blocks that floating in the air.
"Oh, you're awake"
Motoko (still half dead) quickly turned her head and saw a big, green dinosaur – like animal smiling at her.
"Huh-wha...who or what are you?"
The green dinosaur laughed.
"I'm Yoshi, pleased to meet ya!"
Motoko stumbled to her feet and paused, she was so confused. She was starting to regret ever spending the day with Batou. She was sure that he had hacked her cyber brain, trying to make her think she was insane. It was obvious that she wasn't in the real world, and it scared her.
"I'm Motoko – Motoko Kusanagi".
The green dinosaur paused and looked puzzled at Motoko
"Motoko?" He said "Are you from Japan or something?
"Yes I am" Motoko muttered, sitting up "Where am I?"
Just then, she saw the little man bashing blocks.
" what the hell is that little moustached midget doing," She grumbled " he looks like a plastered umpa-lumpa!"
Yoshi folded his arms and began tapping his feet.
"You're not from around here are you, sweetie?"
"You're damn right I'm not" Motoko yelled.
By now, Motoko was starting to panic. Why would Batou do something like this? She could feel her heart racing and the sweat was pouring of her.
Yoshi sighed "Well if you really must know, you're in mushroom land, and that moustached midget, happens to me my best friend!"
Motoko paused and stared at the strange little man. She was sure that Batou was doing this, but why? Was it to teach her a lesson or something? Or just for a laugh.
"I'm sorry," Motoko sighed. She wrapped her arms around one another and pondered. Then, at the corner of her eye, she saw a huge castle, with trees and little houses surrounding the whole area.
"Hmm, tell me Yoshi" said Motoko lifting her hand over the top of her eyes "Who lives in that castle in the distance?"
"You don't know?" Gasped Yoshi "Everyone in mushroom kingdom knows Princess Peach"
"Princess who?" replied Motoko, knitting her eye brows. "Is she some kind of fruit fanatic?"
Yoshi widened his eyes and gasped in horror.
"How dare you!" He snapped angrily "No one insults the princess, I ought to eat you alive on the spot!"
Motoko stepped back and reached into her pocket, ready to pull out her weapon
"Listen, you over grown pea" Motoko growled "I don't know where I am, but be warned...I'm well protected!"
Yoshi arched his back and launched his long, pink tongue at Motoko. Motoko dodged and drew out her seburo. She then grabbed yoshi's tongue and yanked him in, and – without much hesitation, pointed her gun at the little green dinosaurs head.
"I told you I was well protected" She said and with a quick blink, she shot Yoshi dead. Blood spurted everywhere. Motoko smiled slyly"
"Heh" She sniggered "Now I know why Batou likes this game.
Just then Yoshi's body disappeared and then reappeared before Motoko's eyes. Her jaw dropped, at first she thought she was going to go into labour.
"Wha the...I just killed you" She gasped "How did you do that!?"
Yoshi looked angrily at Motoko
"Well what do you expect?" He said brushing himself with his hands "It's a game!"
Motoko paused
"...Okay..." She piped up taking a few steps back
"Oh and while we're on the subject sweetheart" Yoshi growled "This is a kids game rated 3, not a third person shooter, you got that? There could have been 5 year olds watching, what kind of example are you setting? And you're a mother-to-be, shame on you!"
Motoko's jaw dropped again.
"How do you know I'm pregnant?"
Yoshi laughed.
"Well no offense honey, but with a sack full like that, who wouldn't notice?"
Motoko blushed and gritted her teeth, she was close to ramming her seburo up the dinosaur's rear, but she knew that her getting so wound up was no good for her growing baby; so she simply took a deep breath.
"Look Yoshi," She sighed "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be offensive, but I really need to find a way out of this world...please will you help me?"
Motoko couldn't believe what she had just said, but she was desperate, and still very confused. She felt like some kind of low life, talking to a computer animated dinosaur, but she was willing to do anything, if it would get her back to reality.
Suddenly, everything went blank, and before she knew it...she was unconscious again.
Sometime later...
"Wha..." Motoko sat up and rubbed her eyes. She looked around, but she wasn't in mushroom kingdom anymore.
"Yo...yoshi...?" Motoko stood up and looked around. It didn't take her long to figure out that she was in a park. It looked very similar to the one in Nihama. Children playing and people sitting on benches. But she also noticed something else...all of the animals. The birds were huge compared to the pigeons in Nihama Park. They varied in colour, from brown and white, to navy and red. And the dogs were red with black rings around their eyes. And their tails were big and bushy.
"Come on Growlith" said a boy in the distance
Motoko was very puzzled
"Growlith?" Motoko said "What kind of name is that?"
All of a sudden, she heard a loud bang coming from behind some trees, which made her jump.
"Hey!" yelled one of the kids from the playground "Another battle let's go!"
Now Motoko was even more confused than ever. Why weren't people running and screaming in terror away from the blast. There was no way she could be back in her world. She followed some kids to the bang sight. At the sight was a huge battle arena, where two boys were standing opposite each other.
"Pikachu" cried one of the boys "Use thunderbolt"
"Piplup" cried another "dodge it!"
Motoko pushed through the huge crowd that had gathered. There were a lot of cheers and excitement.
Pikachu jumped and launched a huge thunderbolt at his opponent
"PIKAAACHUUU!!" The thunderbolt struck. Piplup couldn't dodge in time. The bolt of lightning shot through his whole body and completely paralyzed him.
Motoko was stunned; she had never seen anything like this. She looked around as the crowds cheers grew louder; it was very confusing. In the distance she could hear one boy saying "I bet you £5 Piplup loses." And then it hit her...this was animal fighting or in other words...cruelty to animals. She pushed right to the front of the crowed to get a better look at the situation.
She could see the little blue penguin frozen, trying desperately to move.
"Hmm" Motoko thought "This looks like cruelty to me"
Motoko took a few steps back and yelled holding up her police badge
"Come on folks; move along, nothing to see here"
Her voice bellowed. The cheering stopped and everyone stared at Motoko. Someone from the front shouted, nearly as loud as she did.
"Get lost toots," He sniggered clutching a round, red and white ball.
Motoko quickly turned her head and stared at him. She would tolerate many things but the one thing she wouldn't tolerate was someone mouthing off to her, then she saw the ball. She quickly pulled out her seburo and pointed it at the ball.
"Drop it." Motoko said. She was so scared; her hand was shaking as she struggled to keep the seburo steady, and the sweat was again pouring off her. The crowd screamed. They all ran in fear like maniacs. One of the boys who were battling stared at Motoko in disgust and nodded to his Pikachu. "Pikachu" He cried "Use Iron tail!"
Pikachu jumped up, Motoko caught him at the corner of her eye. She held up her seburo ready to fire. Again, she was shaking. She pulled the trigger now the bullet and Pikachu were both heading towards each other.
"Knock it away cried the boy.
Pikachu spun his tail, just as he and the bullet were about to make contact and hit it back towards Motoko. It hit Motoko's weapon straight out of her hands.
"Now Pikachu" The boy yelled Thunderbolt
Pikachu jumped and coiled his body; and launched a massive bolt of lightning straight down at Motoko, just like he did at piplup.
Motoko was terrified. She was frozen to the spot. She tried to dodge, but it was no use, she was too scared, the most she could muster was shielding herself with her arms. The thunderbolt got closer and closer with each passing second, Motoko's heart was pounding like mad; she could feel it right up to her throat, she wanted to cry but she was even to scared to do that. Then, suddenly she fell and hit the ground.
Everything went quiet – and dark. As Motoko lay lifeless on the cold ground, she could hear the sound of people gasping and yelling to call an ambulance; it was then that she realised she had been hit by the charging thunderbolt. Her whole life flashed before her eyes and all she could think about was her baby. Had it also been hit by the thunder, was it also scared and in shock, and most importantly – was it still alive? Motoko slowly closed her eyes and a small tear rolled down her cheeks as she drifted off to sleep...
Sometime later...
"Major, Major...Hey major wake up."
Motoko slowly opened her eyes and saw a familiar face looking at her.
"B...Batou...?"
"Are you alright?" Batou said holding a warm mug of tea
Motoko quickly sat up and looked around. She wasn't in that strange world of animals or mushroom kingdom, but back in the recreation room with Batou
"Where's Yoshi?" gasped Motoko shaking
"Who?" Said Batou puzzled "Oh, you mean the little green Dinosaur in super Mario bros he's..."
But before he could finish his sentence, Motoko grabbed him and stared viciously
"So it was you!!" She shouted "You Bastard, How could you do such an awful thing, and to your partner and baby!!"
Batou paused
"Whoa hold on major" I didn't do anything. You just fell unconscious while playing my DS. It sometimes happens when you jack yourself in.
Motoko paused and thought. At the beginning, she didn't think that Batou would ever do such a thing...well maybe to one of his buddies for a laugh, or even to the old ape; but not to his heavily pregnant girlfriend. She had been doubting her thoughts all along, she knew that there was no way, so she slowly let go of Batou and turned her head away in guilt.
She saw the DS sitting next to her. And without much thinking, grabbed the Console and threw it at the wall. It snapped and broke the screens.
"Hey!" cried Batou "It's bad enough having you accuse me, now you go and trash my DS!"
"No, Batou" Motoko sighed "I did the right thing, that game was no good for us. I mean, look what it just did to me."
Batou sighed and looked sadly at the broken console.
"Yeah..." Batou admitted "It can mess you up big time."
Motoko and Batou looked at each other and both agreed that their baby, instead of playing video games, was going to read books.
I hope you liked it, feel free to review it. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask