Chapter summary: This is only the prelude, a sort of look into the future
of Earth after the Armageddon. This part may be a little boring for most,
so I suggest, once the part is up, you move onto chapter one. That is, if
it's boring you. To make it a little more interesting, I'll let you know
that these two in the prelude are a certain brother and sister of the
series (yes, Trunks and Bura). Confused? I know you are.That's the point.
^_^
One more thing- Isha-san means doctor, imoto means little sister, and oniisan means older brother.
Now, (if you're still here) on to the story...*evil laughter*
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Empty as the life within...
Darkness filled the laboratory. It covered tanks and machine - to
endless wires that ran in bundles from every outlet possible -
coating with its thick, heavy blanket. Within the massive room, only
the tiny blinking lights of the few battery-powered items were still
vigilant at such an hour. Tiny, still glows of red, blue and green
breathed in with faint power and out to fade, seeming to nod off
slowly in sleep.
And the silence was nearly as thick as the darkness. It stretched its
gaping fingers even beyond the vicinity, filling the building, whole.
Only the space beneath the tightly locked security entrance allowed
the tiny sliver of light within, willing it to dare its shimmering
entrance. Nevertheless, nothing moved and nothing made even a peep of
a sound to be heard by the ears.
With exception of her shallow breath.
The laboratory room was filled with gadgets and gizmos of all shapes
and kinds. Nearly corner to corner of the floor was wound with the
tight, solid cables that wrapped like venomous snakes around each
other. They rolled and they knotted, trailing off to tables and
different mechanical items, keeping them alive while their master was
away.
Bound and wound, tumbling over and over, this way and
that...Nevertheless, no matter where the cables started, they all
ended at the same obvious destination. The slow hum of power groaned
from their plugs as they met her being and supplied all that was
theirs to her command.
Bending like men to the dominant woman...
The main computer-her very body-rested as the center piece to the
entrancing room that was. Two prime computers at either side
generated the real power, while only a screen rested in between. But,
how striking it was. Her gigantic proportions added to the pound of
fear within the heart, the soul's emersion into the cold awe as eyes
lay upon her body.
However, none of those feeling could ever compare as eyes fell upon
her entrancing face.
Beautiful...One. Simple. Word...upon the tongue. Though the darkness
shrouded her too, nothing else could describe. Her head nearly filled
the whole screen, and only that, proving her a woman with no body but
the wires, data and electricity that ran through her. Trapped within
the metal binds...
Her head was bent. Her eyes were closed. One side of her slightly
shimmering bangs fell to cover her right eye almost shyly in a way,
while the other was nearly equally hidden. Soft features and the
slightly dimpled chin gave her quite the mysterious appeal, holding
the mind's curiosity. Breathing was slow and steady, making this
magnificent creature appear idle like every other machine and toy
within the walls. But, still, not completely so.
For not every machine was equipped with such a mind.
Yes, she was one of a kind indeed. A being that had seen her time...
Silence remained strong...but, the darkness slowly began to creep
backwards, dancing its way to hide in cracks and crevices. The light
pushed, giving shape as the heavy door to the laboratory calmly slid
to the side. Hallway lights shone through, almost dully.
A small, mechanical voice whispered responsibility along with access,
lapsing into silence only once the warning had been made.
He stood in the light with a frown on his face.
"Wake up..."
The whisper was gone as soon as it snuck out from the quiet. Lights
still faintly blinked within the remaining black.
"It's time to wake up..."
His dark silhouette seemed calm as the hallway lights gazed lightly
behind him. His face remained hidden in shadow, his head held high
with staggering pride. Shoulders were square and arms hung limply at
his side, one resting faintly on the metal doorway with almost a
tired appearance.
Nothing responded. Only her shallow breath sung within the jungle of
machine, deliberate and relaxed.
A tiny beep from beyond...its source unknown. One, small light
flickered on within the empty ebony...And...
She was alive!
The face within the screen swiveled up, eyes locking onto their
creator with ferocity. Her head bobbed in the black behind her as
pupils dilated and a slight light engulfed her skin, magnifying the
angelic appearance.
She simply stared towards the body, her expression nearly completely
non- existent. The doctor took a careless step into the room and let
go of the frame, standing freely while leaning on his sturdy steel
cane. His wrinkled fist clutched it possessively. They stared without
words, the doctor shifting as the swoosh of the door closing behind
him echoed loudly. The darkness bit back the light, ensuing its
position.
The woman's face behind the screen was all that barely glowed in the
penetrable night.
"You're up late, Isha. I thought you said you were resting."
Her voice, soft upon the pungent scent within the room-the smell of
burning and electricity in the air. The movement of her lips seemed
bewitching as she mouthed the words with a feminine purr.
"I was..."
She sighed a breathless sigh. Her hair glistened in the mysterious
light as her head dipped with the action.
"Then what are you doing up? It's barely sunrise."
The man slunk from the doorway, making his way to her console. Her
eyes followed him deliberately, the brilliant blue glowing like stars
in the night sky...Though, unlike the stars, they same brilliancy was
not reflected beneath. Only the emptiness that was her, deep within,
could be seen in the spiraling pupils.
"I have things to do...responsibilities."
Her smile slowly crept across the expressionless void. "You always
seem to have these so called 'responsibilities', Isha-san...Why not
leave them behind and get the rest you need."
His anger bubbled as he lowered himself to the cushioned console
chair, resting his cane on the control panel that lay in front. She
looked down upon him, amusement trickling in her gaze with every
casual blink she took.
"Enough! No games tonight..."
"Who's playing?" she whispered. He frowned.
"You know as much as I, the responsibility that lays upon my
shoulders. You realize how little time..."
"What is it that you came here for."
He looked up into her massive eyes, feeling her gaze penetrating his
skin, watching his blood pump its ugly black through veins, watching
his muscles shiver with the strain of fatigue. And he himself
penetrated all that was her, seeing the slight pain and concern in
her eyes...
He saw the invisible tears that never could be...never could
fall...because she was only machine.
"Imoto..." he whispered. A wrinkled hand lifted to place itself on
her hard, metallic console. Buttons and signal lights slowly lit up
and flickered around the limb, almost in recognition.
"I have something to say...Something that needs to be heard."
"Mmm..." Her eyes closed in an unreadable emotion, opening to slivers
and then shutting with a smile upon her thin lips. The two prime
computers at her side suddenly lit up with startling lights, an array
of colors dancing with themselves. The console in front of the doctor
lit itself as well, casting light over his old face.
"Do you have a specific file you require?"
He closed his eyes as well. "Choose what you think would suit best."
She peeked at him slightly, her mouth falling into a straight line.
Immediately, her head shrunk in size, only taking up less than fifty
percent of the screen. A small box appeared to her left, the
words 'processing request' readable on its gray surface. It
disappeared and the program appeared in its place.
He watched for only a moment, observing her now still face with deep
thought. "Thank-you," was his murmur, the green lines upon the screen
bouncing as it recognized the sound.
"Please begin, Isha-san...I am listening."
"The whole world shall be listening," he whispered in reply, crossing
his fingers in sadness.
"Yes...let us begin."
(Recording started - 324 A.D.2, August 13, 2:00 a.m.)
(Unregistered noise. Time allotted 23 seconds.)
Maybe...even Chikyuu is listening...
This gap...this strange reality...It all seems so distant. The
destruction and the corruption...
To open your eyes is to see fire everywhere. Every face is contorted
with the same cruel-fated expression. We are shattered with the same
pain that has buried itself in your soul. Chikyuu, your blood runs
rivers from your core, reaching out to touch the still hearts of the
remaining population. You act like the vein that shares your poisoned
blood with all who still remain.
With all that have survived...
Buildings lie in ruin. The streets lay in tatters, split against each
other in strain. Bodies remain strewn across the destruction, like
broken dolls. I see children weeping by their dead parent's
carcasses, and the elderly slowly dieing in the shadows. Many
adolescents now revolt, bringing on their pain against each other
with spears and shields of agony. Putrid is not enough to describe
the rank of lost souls within the depths of what we now all call hell.
I hear you, Chikyuu...and we are not so misled. It was foretold. Many
a man through time has seen fate it the so-called "crystal ball" of
the mind. We were informed and we were warned of the inevitable, our
future. Yet, no words could have ever described the rancid horror; no
vision could have experienced your near shattering destruction, or
the beat...the beat
(Error. Error. Pause in file. Rewinding...00:65:02)
Sigh. The dieing beat of my young heart as I watched it...as I
watched...
Nobody has anything anymore. No happiness, no hope...and dare I say,
their fear may even be crushed. What more is there to be afraid of
than death? Besides, in all of these circumstances, we seem to have
lost as well as thrown away. We so share in this brutal pain that
we've...we've become the same.
(Pick up in volume. Raise 0.2.)
All difference and discrimination, no matter what we the perceived
image, has been thrown to the ground. It has left us with the same,
dull existence, left us to share the same horrid fate! And, in the
end...it is said we will share the same death.
Humanity is coming to and end. An END, Chikyuu...I know you feel us
die.
Please remain...please remain...
Until I find that miracle.
We're going to do the unbelievable, Chikyuu.
It's not going to end like this...
No...
(Program ceased. End - 05:06:02, 2:05 a.m.)
"Isha-san?"
Nothing.
"Isha-san?...are you all right?"
"I'm fine, imoto," he trailed. "I'm fine..."
"You're crying," she stated, her voice nearing a whisper of concern.
His body now sat hunched in the chair, pronouncing that he was
truly...becoming old. One hand now covered his worn face, trying to
hide the wetness that dribbled to his palm. But, censors could never
be lied to.
"These are tears that need to be shed," he simply stated. The program
had fully removed itself, allowing her being to once again fill the
whole of the screen.
"Don't cry..."
"You don't know what it was like." he shuddered, bringing his hand
from his face and staring at the console in front of him. "Even you
don't know what it was like...What it is like."
"I think I'll call down an escort to your room..." she decided. Her
eyes closed once again as if reaching back for some piece of
information.
"You don't know what it's like! You don't!" And he watched her
virtual lids shoot back open again with subtle surprise. Yet, he
continued.
"To watch them all die? To live in this hell! My tears are like
everyone else's...pooling into the agony of it all!"
"Isha-san, calm down!"
He stood, nearly falling over in the sudden movement, clutching at
his cane to steady himself. His eyes narrowed and his light, gray-
filled hair fell about his glasses in his rage. His shout echoed
through the room, causing a few other machines to beep and chortle in
response.
"I've lost everything! Even you!" Her beautiful mouth closed into
silence as those words left his lips.
"You can't even call me...what I deserve to be called."
She remained calm in the midst of his sudden outburst. Even as he
fell quiet, she refused to utter a word.
"Everything..." he whispered, his voice breaking under the emotional
strain.
"What is rightfully ours..."
"Isha?"
He glanced up into her massive face, noting the slightly confused
expression in the bright blues. The trickling moisture was gone and
only the redness in the whites of his eyes lingered, still giving him
the appearance of tears. It was unusual for him to be expressing such
a soft, touching emotion, let alone allowing tears to fall. In his
own way, the doctor was like machine, cruel, cold and hard. He
resembled his creations like they were his children...embracing them
like kin. It made her circuits whine with a strange sensation to see
him so fallen...so...
"We will be victorious," he stated simply, not taking his gaze
away. "Faith shall be our guide into the future of our souls."
"We will prove to be the miracle..."
"Faith will be our guide..." she repeated almost mechanically. Her
head bowed with a smile, her circuits crackling and whisperings words
of agreement and excitement.
"Then I have faith in you..."
The doctor blinked back his slight surprise. But, a smile was soon
what wallowed across his thin, dry lips.
"The world rests upon my shoulders."
"I know, Isha-san..."
"We are going to do the unthinkable...the unbelievable."
She nodded briefly -softly, but completely.
"It's going to be beautiful, imoto." Suddenly, he was standing again,
bracing his large hands upon the ball of his cane. His long, white
lab- coat wisped about his strangely muscled legs, clinging loosely
to his elderly frame. He gave one last determined look to the
gorgeous face before him...exchanging hidden expressions of his own
anxiety for the coming day...before he pushed away from the console
in front and turned his back to the final memory of his past. She
smiled subtly as he stepped towards the only door to the laboratory,
knowing how tired his feeble body was growing...and how much he
needed the rest he so deserved.
"I'm to turn in," he said, stopping just before he reached the metal
blockage that would eventually lead him back to his quarters. Turning
back, his eyes remained locked to the floor, knowing that she still
watched him attentively. "I'll be back to access you later...We'll
discuss more then."
"I suppose," she whispered, her expression blank and dull. "But..."
They both paused.
"But, what?"
"I..." She hesitated, forcing the doctor to raise an eye brow in his
own curiosity. He stepped away from the door, removing his hand from
the hard metallic surface to look at her questioningly. She merely
stared back, searching her data banks for an excuse to her outburst.
She came up with none.
"But, what?" he repeated.
For a moment, the visual screen which held her seemed to flicker with
unseen error, distorting the beautiful image that she was. But, as
soon as the problem had surfaced, it had disappeared, back within the
system. Her mouth slowly opened.
"Nothing...Merely a system error."
"I don't believe you..." he frowned, planting his black shoes
squarely on the ground. The point of his cane rested between them
defiantly. "Besides, imoto," and he almost smiled. "Trust your
Oniisan...You can tell me anything."
She paused again. He pushed the statement, arching his brow a little
higher beneath the length of his hair. And she sighed.
"I don't...understand."
"Understand? My words? My message?"
"You describe it as...unbelievable...The unreachable...yet the only
thing that is our final hope. It all seems to much a fantasy to me."
"It's more than merely a fantasy, imoto," he corrected, the skin on
his forehead pulling together. "We reach for the skies and the
freedom...We reach towards the standing gates that hold us
down...that have trapped us in our own damnation!"
"But, is it within our reach?"
"Believe me, I can almost feel it in our grasp," he whispered
excitedly, seeming to delve into a world within his mind, his eyes
growing slightly glazed with the chill that ran up the spine.
"We're finally going to do it...
"We're going to break down heaven's doors."
His arm, as if acting on its own accord, quietly moved towards the
door's access panel and abruptly de-mersed him from thought. Pushing
against one of the buttons with his thumb, there was a light beep and
the doors opened with an exhausted "whoosh". The light, once again
bravely clawing in, dragged the bright shape of the doorway
across the floor.
She watched him walk through, a sort of awe glistening in her own
eyes...
It's going to be a glorious, new beginning," the doctor finished,
turning back with his finger on another button. He paused,
momentarily, deciphering the controlled emotion she emitted. Then,
his mind satisfied, he turned his head
"Good-night, imoto," he said. Her censors caught the slight whisper
of the door, only to observe it close in his wake.
"Good-night," she called before he had fully disappeared from view.
No sooner, there was a click as the locks replaced themselves,
shutting her within the walls that were her sanctuary.
Slowly, lights everywhere began to fade, dipping lower and lower as
they died, swirling down into the darkness of submission. They beeped
and whined until their connection failed and the black consumed them
like everything else...
Her wires writhed up...The electricity running through her veins
slowed to a near crawl. And she herself began to fall, everything
else shutting down around her.
"I'll be here," she murmured to no one in particular, knowing the
doctor was more than out of ear-shot. Still, the words felt good on
her non- existent lips.
"...like always..." The smile upon her face faded back into the
expressionless void as she spoke. "Have a good rest. Hopefully, the
morning shall be a new awakening...For us all."
The woman's head bowed, final words emerged, while virtual hair
cascaded down over her face and the glow that was her essence, died
with complete disconnection.
~Sleep tight...Oniisan...~
Ultimately, her last breath fell sluggishly...before the room pitched
into pure darkness once again.
To be continued in chapter one - Earth's Corruption. The dragonball
team faces a startling final Armageddon. But, who is to survive?
One more thing- Isha-san means doctor, imoto means little sister, and oniisan means older brother.
Now, (if you're still here) on to the story...*evil laughter*
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Empty as the life within...
Darkness filled the laboratory. It covered tanks and machine - to
endless wires that ran in bundles from every outlet possible -
coating with its thick, heavy blanket. Within the massive room, only
the tiny blinking lights of the few battery-powered items were still
vigilant at such an hour. Tiny, still glows of red, blue and green
breathed in with faint power and out to fade, seeming to nod off
slowly in sleep.
And the silence was nearly as thick as the darkness. It stretched its
gaping fingers even beyond the vicinity, filling the building, whole.
Only the space beneath the tightly locked security entrance allowed
the tiny sliver of light within, willing it to dare its shimmering
entrance. Nevertheless, nothing moved and nothing made even a peep of
a sound to be heard by the ears.
With exception of her shallow breath.
The laboratory room was filled with gadgets and gizmos of all shapes
and kinds. Nearly corner to corner of the floor was wound with the
tight, solid cables that wrapped like venomous snakes around each
other. They rolled and they knotted, trailing off to tables and
different mechanical items, keeping them alive while their master was
away.
Bound and wound, tumbling over and over, this way and
that...Nevertheless, no matter where the cables started, they all
ended at the same obvious destination. The slow hum of power groaned
from their plugs as they met her being and supplied all that was
theirs to her command.
Bending like men to the dominant woman...
The main computer-her very body-rested as the center piece to the
entrancing room that was. Two prime computers at either side
generated the real power, while only a screen rested in between. But,
how striking it was. Her gigantic proportions added to the pound of
fear within the heart, the soul's emersion into the cold awe as eyes
lay upon her body.
However, none of those feeling could ever compare as eyes fell upon
her entrancing face.
Beautiful...One. Simple. Word...upon the tongue. Though the darkness
shrouded her too, nothing else could describe. Her head nearly filled
the whole screen, and only that, proving her a woman with no body but
the wires, data and electricity that ran through her. Trapped within
the metal binds...
Her head was bent. Her eyes were closed. One side of her slightly
shimmering bangs fell to cover her right eye almost shyly in a way,
while the other was nearly equally hidden. Soft features and the
slightly dimpled chin gave her quite the mysterious appeal, holding
the mind's curiosity. Breathing was slow and steady, making this
magnificent creature appear idle like every other machine and toy
within the walls. But, still, not completely so.
For not every machine was equipped with such a mind.
Yes, she was one of a kind indeed. A being that had seen her time...
Silence remained strong...but, the darkness slowly began to creep
backwards, dancing its way to hide in cracks and crevices. The light
pushed, giving shape as the heavy door to the laboratory calmly slid
to the side. Hallway lights shone through, almost dully.
A small, mechanical voice whispered responsibility along with access,
lapsing into silence only once the warning had been made.
He stood in the light with a frown on his face.
"Wake up..."
The whisper was gone as soon as it snuck out from the quiet. Lights
still faintly blinked within the remaining black.
"It's time to wake up..."
His dark silhouette seemed calm as the hallway lights gazed lightly
behind him. His face remained hidden in shadow, his head held high
with staggering pride. Shoulders were square and arms hung limply at
his side, one resting faintly on the metal doorway with almost a
tired appearance.
Nothing responded. Only her shallow breath sung within the jungle of
machine, deliberate and relaxed.
A tiny beep from beyond...its source unknown. One, small light
flickered on within the empty ebony...And...
She was alive!
The face within the screen swiveled up, eyes locking onto their
creator with ferocity. Her head bobbed in the black behind her as
pupils dilated and a slight light engulfed her skin, magnifying the
angelic appearance.
She simply stared towards the body, her expression nearly completely
non- existent. The doctor took a careless step into the room and let
go of the frame, standing freely while leaning on his sturdy steel
cane. His wrinkled fist clutched it possessively. They stared without
words, the doctor shifting as the swoosh of the door closing behind
him echoed loudly. The darkness bit back the light, ensuing its
position.
The woman's face behind the screen was all that barely glowed in the
penetrable night.
"You're up late, Isha. I thought you said you were resting."
Her voice, soft upon the pungent scent within the room-the smell of
burning and electricity in the air. The movement of her lips seemed
bewitching as she mouthed the words with a feminine purr.
"I was..."
She sighed a breathless sigh. Her hair glistened in the mysterious
light as her head dipped with the action.
"Then what are you doing up? It's barely sunrise."
The man slunk from the doorway, making his way to her console. Her
eyes followed him deliberately, the brilliant blue glowing like stars
in the night sky...Though, unlike the stars, they same brilliancy was
not reflected beneath. Only the emptiness that was her, deep within,
could be seen in the spiraling pupils.
"I have things to do...responsibilities."
Her smile slowly crept across the expressionless void. "You always
seem to have these so called 'responsibilities', Isha-san...Why not
leave them behind and get the rest you need."
His anger bubbled as he lowered himself to the cushioned console
chair, resting his cane on the control panel that lay in front. She
looked down upon him, amusement trickling in her gaze with every
casual blink she took.
"Enough! No games tonight..."
"Who's playing?" she whispered. He frowned.
"You know as much as I, the responsibility that lays upon my
shoulders. You realize how little time..."
"What is it that you came here for."
He looked up into her massive eyes, feeling her gaze penetrating his
skin, watching his blood pump its ugly black through veins, watching
his muscles shiver with the strain of fatigue. And he himself
penetrated all that was her, seeing the slight pain and concern in
her eyes...
He saw the invisible tears that never could be...never could
fall...because she was only machine.
"Imoto..." he whispered. A wrinkled hand lifted to place itself on
her hard, metallic console. Buttons and signal lights slowly lit up
and flickered around the limb, almost in recognition.
"I have something to say...Something that needs to be heard."
"Mmm..." Her eyes closed in an unreadable emotion, opening to slivers
and then shutting with a smile upon her thin lips. The two prime
computers at her side suddenly lit up with startling lights, an array
of colors dancing with themselves. The console in front of the doctor
lit itself as well, casting light over his old face.
"Do you have a specific file you require?"
He closed his eyes as well. "Choose what you think would suit best."
She peeked at him slightly, her mouth falling into a straight line.
Immediately, her head shrunk in size, only taking up less than fifty
percent of the screen. A small box appeared to her left, the
words 'processing request' readable on its gray surface. It
disappeared and the program appeared in its place.
He watched for only a moment, observing her now still face with deep
thought. "Thank-you," was his murmur, the green lines upon the screen
bouncing as it recognized the sound.
"Please begin, Isha-san...I am listening."
"The whole world shall be listening," he whispered in reply, crossing
his fingers in sadness.
"Yes...let us begin."
(Recording started - 324 A.D.2, August 13, 2:00 a.m.)
(Unregistered noise. Time allotted 23 seconds.)
Maybe...even Chikyuu is listening...
This gap...this strange reality...It all seems so distant. The
destruction and the corruption...
To open your eyes is to see fire everywhere. Every face is contorted
with the same cruel-fated expression. We are shattered with the same
pain that has buried itself in your soul. Chikyuu, your blood runs
rivers from your core, reaching out to touch the still hearts of the
remaining population. You act like the vein that shares your poisoned
blood with all who still remain.
With all that have survived...
Buildings lie in ruin. The streets lay in tatters, split against each
other in strain. Bodies remain strewn across the destruction, like
broken dolls. I see children weeping by their dead parent's
carcasses, and the elderly slowly dieing in the shadows. Many
adolescents now revolt, bringing on their pain against each other
with spears and shields of agony. Putrid is not enough to describe
the rank of lost souls within the depths of what we now all call hell.
I hear you, Chikyuu...and we are not so misled. It was foretold. Many
a man through time has seen fate it the so-called "crystal ball" of
the mind. We were informed and we were warned of the inevitable, our
future. Yet, no words could have ever described the rancid horror; no
vision could have experienced your near shattering destruction, or
the beat...the beat
(Error. Error. Pause in file. Rewinding...00:65:02)
Sigh. The dieing beat of my young heart as I watched it...as I
watched...
Nobody has anything anymore. No happiness, no hope...and dare I say,
their fear may even be crushed. What more is there to be afraid of
than death? Besides, in all of these circumstances, we seem to have
lost as well as thrown away. We so share in this brutal pain that
we've...we've become the same.
(Pick up in volume. Raise 0.2.)
All difference and discrimination, no matter what we the perceived
image, has been thrown to the ground. It has left us with the same,
dull existence, left us to share the same horrid fate! And, in the
end...it is said we will share the same death.
Humanity is coming to and end. An END, Chikyuu...I know you feel us
die.
Please remain...please remain...
Until I find that miracle.
We're going to do the unbelievable, Chikyuu.
It's not going to end like this...
No...
(Program ceased. End - 05:06:02, 2:05 a.m.)
"Isha-san?"
Nothing.
"Isha-san?...are you all right?"
"I'm fine, imoto," he trailed. "I'm fine..."
"You're crying," she stated, her voice nearing a whisper of concern.
His body now sat hunched in the chair, pronouncing that he was
truly...becoming old. One hand now covered his worn face, trying to
hide the wetness that dribbled to his palm. But, censors could never
be lied to.
"These are tears that need to be shed," he simply stated. The program
had fully removed itself, allowing her being to once again fill the
whole of the screen.
"Don't cry..."
"You don't know what it was like." he shuddered, bringing his hand
from his face and staring at the console in front of him. "Even you
don't know what it was like...What it is like."
"I think I'll call down an escort to your room..." she decided. Her
eyes closed once again as if reaching back for some piece of
information.
"You don't know what it's like! You don't!" And he watched her
virtual lids shoot back open again with subtle surprise. Yet, he
continued.
"To watch them all die? To live in this hell! My tears are like
everyone else's...pooling into the agony of it all!"
"Isha-san, calm down!"
He stood, nearly falling over in the sudden movement, clutching at
his cane to steady himself. His eyes narrowed and his light, gray-
filled hair fell about his glasses in his rage. His shout echoed
through the room, causing a few other machines to beep and chortle in
response.
"I've lost everything! Even you!" Her beautiful mouth closed into
silence as those words left his lips.
"You can't even call me...what I deserve to be called."
She remained calm in the midst of his sudden outburst. Even as he
fell quiet, she refused to utter a word.
"Everything..." he whispered, his voice breaking under the emotional
strain.
"What is rightfully ours..."
"Isha?"
He glanced up into her massive face, noting the slightly confused
expression in the bright blues. The trickling moisture was gone and
only the redness in the whites of his eyes lingered, still giving him
the appearance of tears. It was unusual for him to be expressing such
a soft, touching emotion, let alone allowing tears to fall. In his
own way, the doctor was like machine, cruel, cold and hard. He
resembled his creations like they were his children...embracing them
like kin. It made her circuits whine with a strange sensation to see
him so fallen...so...
"We will be victorious," he stated simply, not taking his gaze
away. "Faith shall be our guide into the future of our souls."
"We will prove to be the miracle..."
"Faith will be our guide..." she repeated almost mechanically. Her
head bowed with a smile, her circuits crackling and whisperings words
of agreement and excitement.
"Then I have faith in you..."
The doctor blinked back his slight surprise. But, a smile was soon
what wallowed across his thin, dry lips.
"The world rests upon my shoulders."
"I know, Isha-san..."
"We are going to do the unthinkable...the unbelievable."
She nodded briefly -softly, but completely.
"It's going to be beautiful, imoto." Suddenly, he was standing again,
bracing his large hands upon the ball of his cane. His long, white
lab- coat wisped about his strangely muscled legs, clinging loosely
to his elderly frame. He gave one last determined look to the
gorgeous face before him...exchanging hidden expressions of his own
anxiety for the coming day...before he pushed away from the console
in front and turned his back to the final memory of his past. She
smiled subtly as he stepped towards the only door to the laboratory,
knowing how tired his feeble body was growing...and how much he
needed the rest he so deserved.
"I'm to turn in," he said, stopping just before he reached the metal
blockage that would eventually lead him back to his quarters. Turning
back, his eyes remained locked to the floor, knowing that she still
watched him attentively. "I'll be back to access you later...We'll
discuss more then."
"I suppose," she whispered, her expression blank and dull. "But..."
They both paused.
"But, what?"
"I..." She hesitated, forcing the doctor to raise an eye brow in his
own curiosity. He stepped away from the door, removing his hand from
the hard metallic surface to look at her questioningly. She merely
stared back, searching her data banks for an excuse to her outburst.
She came up with none.
"But, what?" he repeated.
For a moment, the visual screen which held her seemed to flicker with
unseen error, distorting the beautiful image that she was. But, as
soon as the problem had surfaced, it had disappeared, back within the
system. Her mouth slowly opened.
"Nothing...Merely a system error."
"I don't believe you..." he frowned, planting his black shoes
squarely on the ground. The point of his cane rested between them
defiantly. "Besides, imoto," and he almost smiled. "Trust your
Oniisan...You can tell me anything."
She paused again. He pushed the statement, arching his brow a little
higher beneath the length of his hair. And she sighed.
"I don't...understand."
"Understand? My words? My message?"
"You describe it as...unbelievable...The unreachable...yet the only
thing that is our final hope. It all seems to much a fantasy to me."
"It's more than merely a fantasy, imoto," he corrected, the skin on
his forehead pulling together. "We reach for the skies and the
freedom...We reach towards the standing gates that hold us
down...that have trapped us in our own damnation!"
"But, is it within our reach?"
"Believe me, I can almost feel it in our grasp," he whispered
excitedly, seeming to delve into a world within his mind, his eyes
growing slightly glazed with the chill that ran up the spine.
"We're finally going to do it...
"We're going to break down heaven's doors."
His arm, as if acting on its own accord, quietly moved towards the
door's access panel and abruptly de-mersed him from thought. Pushing
against one of the buttons with his thumb, there was a light beep and
the doors opened with an exhausted "whoosh". The light, once again
bravely clawing in, dragged the bright shape of the doorway
across the floor.
She watched him walk through, a sort of awe glistening in her own
eyes...
It's going to be a glorious, new beginning," the doctor finished,
turning back with his finger on another button. He paused,
momentarily, deciphering the controlled emotion she emitted. Then,
his mind satisfied, he turned his head
"Good-night, imoto," he said. Her censors caught the slight whisper
of the door, only to observe it close in his wake.
"Good-night," she called before he had fully disappeared from view.
No sooner, there was a click as the locks replaced themselves,
shutting her within the walls that were her sanctuary.
Slowly, lights everywhere began to fade, dipping lower and lower as
they died, swirling down into the darkness of submission. They beeped
and whined until their connection failed and the black consumed them
like everything else...
Her wires writhed up...The electricity running through her veins
slowed to a near crawl. And she herself began to fall, everything
else shutting down around her.
"I'll be here," she murmured to no one in particular, knowing the
doctor was more than out of ear-shot. Still, the words felt good on
her non- existent lips.
"...like always..." The smile upon her face faded back into the
expressionless void as she spoke. "Have a good rest. Hopefully, the
morning shall be a new awakening...For us all."
The woman's head bowed, final words emerged, while virtual hair
cascaded down over her face and the glow that was her essence, died
with complete disconnection.
~Sleep tight...Oniisan...~
Ultimately, her last breath fell sluggishly...before the room pitched
into pure darkness once again.
To be continued in chapter one - Earth's Corruption. The dragonball
team faces a startling final Armageddon. But, who is to survive?