Author's Note: Well, at long last here is the next Cyborg 009 epic tapped out by me. Believe it or not, this story had been planned for about three months but life and writer's block contrived to keep me from completing the plot synopsis so it was shelved until inspiration hit. And (barring any other writer's block or life situation) it has so this will be updated timely (I hope!) It's a journey into Joe's past that uses friends from his past at the orphanage seen in ep 43—I always wanted to explore his feelings about being an orphan since he's so very sensitive and compassionate toward others. I'm portraying him as he is in the anime as an adult but in flashbacks to his childhood I am using the manga as my guide. And as usual, I don't own Cyborg 009, or its storyline and characters, they are owned by TokyoTV, Avex-Mode and Toei Animation and was created by the late Shotaro Ishinomori.
I SHALL BE RELEASED
PROLOGUE--MALICOUS SCHEME
The barren clearing in the uninhabited countryside was widely spread out, just brown grass as far as the eye could see but upon closer inspection, the sod was actually synthetic, concealing a vast underground complex that had a skeleton crew where once it teemed with activity. Yet although it was not as full in occupancy, the activity continued, especially in the chambers used as laboratories. There, scientists were busily at work conducting tests, drawing schematics, and working out hypotheses as the insidious organization known as Black Ghost continued its relentless pursuit of weapon design and hope of world domination.
In another section of the complex, a cavernous auditorium was partially full with uniformed personnel and lab coated scientists seated in a semicircle around a podium where a sinister black garbed figure appeared silhouetted against an eerie blue light. The figure turned around and a skull like visage with glowing yellow eyes and a hideous grin regarded the group, suddenly silencing the low murmur of conversation in the huge room.
"It absolutely amazes me," Scarl began silkily, "that an illustrious genius such as I, Black Ghost, can be surrounded by such a multitude of incompetents and bunglers constantly outsmarted and easily thwarted by nine cyborg prototypes. Really, it boggles the mind, don't you agree?"
A mustachioed minion had the nerve to stand up and answer, "But, sir we--,"
"SILENCE!" Scarl bellowed. "It was a hypothetical question, fool. If I wanted a response I'd have asked for one!"
Cowed and totally humiliated, the man sat meekly down. Scarl began to pace behind his lectern and continued in his soliloquy, as the auditorium remained deathly still.
"Nine prototypes that are not even final designs. And every time, they manage not only to escape, but to soundly and completely defeat you. Extraordinary." He stopped and leaned over the lectern to address the silent legion.
"And moreover," he paused for effect. "The many, many creations of the greatest scientific minds that we could recruit from the finest academic institutions and research labs still can't defeat these lowly prototypes. And my army of Mensa candidates can't seem come up with a viable solution. That is incomprehensible to me."
The group was frozen in time, shame written on each visage as their heads were lowered, unable to look at their leader as his verbally displayed displeasure came at them in tsunami sized waves. The auditorium was a sea of humility save for one burly figure seated near the front who cleared his throat and spoke up tentatively.
"Signore Black Ghost, ifa I may speak," he said, his onyx eyes bright yet beady coupled with his shiny black hair giving him a chilling appearance like a fat rodent.
Scarl turned and stared at the one brave enough to speak and interrupt his vicious diatribe. "Dr. Monstore, I realize you are a new member of my team and being such I will afford you the excuse of not knowing any better than to speak."
"Mille scusi, Black Ghost. But I believe the cyborg menaces can be destroyed by my finely crafted assassins." The portly coal-haired scientist spoke with confidence bordering on arrogance, eliciting a titter and scornful murmurs from his colleagues.
Ha, who the hell does he think he is?!
Uhh, excuse me, been there, done that. Next!
Obviously this guy has never had a run in with the 00 cyborgs. They're unstoppable.
Poor slob, he'll learn when he fails too.
Scarl ordered, "Quiet! Give the man his due, it's better than the dumbstruck responses from the rest of you!" The room immediately fell silent once more and he directed his gaze at Dr. Monstore as he bade, "Continue."
Monstore took a deep breath then pressed on. " My assassins are crafted to be absolutely ruthless. I fabricated them from the dregs of society, the worse inmates of the worst penal colony off the coast of Italy and the worst women's correctional facility in the world, and any trace of humanity has been totally overwritten in their memory banks."
"Interesting," Scarl intoned thoughtfully. "Go on."
Monstore gave a slight oily smile as he continued, "As I said, these cybernetic assassins have no emotions but can feign the entire specter of the human emotional psyche. They are quite convincing, I assure you. If you'll permit me, I'll demonstrate."
He pulled a device that resembled a folded cell phone from his lab coat and punched in a sequence of numbers. A door slid open into the amphitheater and a beautiful auburn haired young woman stepped in and glided gracefully to stand before Scarl. She curtsied and smiled charmingly, as her voice was a husky alto purr.
"Hello."
Scarl was captivated in spite of himself. The woman was breathtaking, with sparkling warm eyes the color of jade and satiny tanned skin. He watched as she rose and then with the same delicate grace she took a seat offered by a smitten uniformed Black Ghost soldier.
Monstore's smile widened as he punched in another number and a tall young man with a wholesome face liberally sprinkled with freckles sauntered in. He had guileless blue eyes and a warm smile that portrayed him as the typical boy-next-door. He took a seat opposite the young woman.
Monstore then punched in another numerical sequence and the door opened a third time to admit a burly young man with a jovial countenance that made him appear harmless. His was a smile like a clown as he bowed theatrically and giggled like a schoolboy.
The doctor then hit another button and each of the youths came to the front, facing the audience, seemingly drawing laser rifles from thin air. The acoustic walls echoed with the ominous sounds of the high-powered laser rifles clicking as they were cocked and aimed randomly at members of the audience.
Monstore nodded and the trio fired into the audience, felling three individuals; two scientists that had scoffed at Monstore earlier and the chivalrous young man who gave his seat to the girl. The three lifeless bodies fell down with consecutive thumps as the rest of the audience collectively gasped.
Scarl chortled in delight. "Excellent demonstration my dear doctor. I never would've suspected that three such innocent looking young people could be so deadly. Marvelous!"
Monstore gave a self satisfied grin as he replied, "You're too kind, signore."
The audience was stunned as they silently filed out. Monstore approached Scarl who had bade he come forward.
"Dr Monstore, I believe that your creations might just be the winning element that will finally destroy those meddling renegades once and for all," the Black Ghost commander said with satisfaction.
A short time later, Monstore was in his lab, sitting before a large high definition flat screen adjusting the controls to get a clear picture as the tall, caped form of Scarl watched with interest. . . .
It was sunset in the area in Tokyo, just to the south of the business district, which was a rundown section that had some ancient dwellings that were crumbling and seedy. A red Kharmann Ghia convertible crept along the deserted street and stopped at the fenced in area that had enclosed within a burned out shell of a building that looked forlorn and bleak. The driver cut the engine and then a door opened and he exited, a tall lean young man with long mahogany hair that obscured one cinnamon brown eye. He stepped over to the fence and after glancing furtively about, reached up to scale over the fence and dropped down behind. He got to his full six feet and then approached the scorched hulk.
Joe Shimamura, Cyborg 009 squeezed between the rotting wood that once was the church's double oak doors and walked into what once was the sanctuary of the catholic church that for eighteen years of his life, had been home.
Joe looked about the destroyed place of worship with a mixture of sadness and fury, his emotions tossing about in his heart as he was beset with bittersweet memories. . .
Flashback:
"Hey Joe!" a youth with a bulbous nose bearing a cross shaped scar yelled.
A younger version of himself answered, "Hey Scarnose, what's happenin'?
Scarnose sided up to him and said in a whisper, "Rumor has it that there are some people coming to look us over for adoption. Maybe we'll be blowing this pop stand."
Joe shook his head as he said resignedly, "Ahh it'll just be the same. They'll go for the babies and little kids and totally ignore us. Just like always." He kicked disgustedly at the gravel in the play area and sent the tiny gray pebbles to bounce against the wire fence.
Scarnose wiped a sleeve across his marred proboscis as he said defensively, "Maybe not this time. Maybe somebody wants an older kid to help with chores around the house."
Joe snorted, "Yeah right. Don't your balloon ever land, Scarnose? We're here for life or at least till we reach the age where we can't stay here no more. Then what ya think'll happen, huh? We'll end up in some crappy job or begging on the street." His face was drawn into a dark scowl.
Scarnose said morosely, "Ya really think so?"
Joe sighed deeply. He didn't want to admit to the reality behind the scenario that he just described but he could not help it. At the age of thirteen now he was far beyond childish hopes of having some childless couple take a liking to him and bring him into their home to be their son. But Scarnose for all his assumed toughness was really quite gullible and he couldn't fault him for having hung on to the hope that he himself had since discarded. He flashed a grin at his buddy and slung an arm around the dejected boy's slumped shoulders.
"Well, ya never know, Scarface. Maybe the people will see you and fall in love with your ugly mug and bring you home. So don't give up hope, pal."
Scarface grinned widely as he perked right up. "Yeah!"
Then three other youths joined them in the playground. Sam, Jan, and Merry all scampered over to the two boys and began talking. Joe and Merry exchanged surreptitious admiring glances at each other. As the other three boys chatted about, the boy and girl separated and strolled over to a different corner to talk.
The pretty auburn haired girl gushed, "Didya hear, Joe? We're getting visitors coming to look at us for adoption. I hope we'll get picked to have a new family." She gazed at her friend's dubious expression and asked, "Don't you, Joe?"
He sighed as he replied, "Merry, I've been left behind every time. I've given up hoping that it will change."
Her jade green eyes softened as she reached for and squeezed his hand. "Oh Joe."
End flashback
Joe reached in his wallet and withdrew a snapshot of him, Jan, Sam, and Merry during one of their outings with the Father. They all had carefree smiles on their faces as if they had lives like other children with families. He ran his fingers over the surface as he sighed and then replaced it back in his wallet, opposite the recent snapshot of his present family, the 00 cyborgs. He smiled as he viewed the picture of the nine of them, with him standing with his arm around the lovely blonde 003, who as usual cradled 001 in her slender arms.
"He really is quite sentimental, isn't he? For a cyborg that is." Dr Monstore commented.
Scarl sneered, "It's that fool Gilmore's fault. He wanted the 00 cyborgs to retain their humanity by making sure that the regions of the brain that controlled useless aspects like emotions stayed intact. Which is why they all rebelled, they still had most of their brains and thought processes untouched from when they were still human. Totally useless to us."
Monstore shook his head pityingly as he turned his attention back to the screen. . .
Joe then sighed as he stepped over to the ruined altar area, and suddenly spotted a faded leather book, seemingly tossed aside as if someone had glanced at it, deemed it of no value and discarded it. He knelt down and picked it up, recognizing it as the Father's bible. He thumbed through the volume that had survived the worse of the blaze and again remembered . . .
Flashback:
Joe was sitting in the Father's office with arms crossed, a sullen expression on his face as he waited for the reprimand that was impending. He didn't mean to start trouble this time but all the talk about adoptions had made him fed up so he lashed out at his friends and made Merry cry, just like she always did when someone would say something to shatter her dreams. He had snapped at them that they were all fools to believe that anyone wanted them, causing general pandemonium among the children. The Father, to quell the potential riot had split them up and sent Joe to wait for him in his office.
After a few minutes, the door opened and the tall benevolent man known affectionately by the children in the orphanage as the Father walked in. He sighed as he took a seat beside the silently hostile boy and began gently.
"Joseph," he said, shaking his head. "Why do you act so whenever the news of visitors coming to see you children is told? You know that it means that you could be adopted."
Joe sighed as he stared out at nothing, scowling. "Nobody's gonna come for me, Father. You know that so don't try to kid me."
The kind man sighed as he suggested, "That may not be the case, Joseph. There may be someone that wants a wonderful boy like yourself one of these times."
Joe turned and glared at the man who loved and cared for him since he was abandoned as a tiny infant. He opened his mouth to retort but then sighed as he said forlornly, "With all due respect, Father, I'm not a kid anymore so don't tell me fairy tales. I'm alone now and that's how I guess I'll always be."
The Father nodded as he reached on his desk for the black leather bible that was always there. He thumbed open the book to John 16:32 and read: "Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me." He closed the book and gazed at the half Japanese boy who had become like a son to him for although he loved the other children in his charge, Joe held a special place in his heart.
"Joseph, remember the first time I read that passage to you?"
Joe nodded. "Uh-huh."
"What did it say to you then?"
Joe took a deep breath as he murmured, "That no matter what, God is always with me so I'm never really alone. But I can't help but feel that I am alone Father, because there's nobody for me alone, nobody to call me theirs and nobody to call my own." A tear slipped out of a cinnamon colored eye and trickled down the boy's cheek.
The priest wrapped his arms about the thin shoulders of the now sobbing boy and let the lad get his grief out. He said softly, "You're not alone, Joe. I'll always be here for you."
End flashback.
Joe wiped away a stray tear as he took the bible and rose slowly to turn and leave. He made his way back to the fence, climbed over it and headed to his car. As he started the engine and pulled away, unknown to him two individuals had observed his quiet contemplation and sad reminisces.
In his lab, the weasel like Dr. Monstore and the malevolent Scarl both chuckled in pleased satisfaction as the Black Ghost head mocked, "Ohh, the poor boy. We really should put him out of his misery, shouldn't we?"
Dr. Monstore nodded as he keyed in data to his computer. "Indeed we shall, Signore Black Ghost."
NEXT----HEAVY HEART
