Cyborg 009 – Lost Soul: Chapter One

Summary: Dr. Gilmore is trying to find an old friend of his, Dr. Kirshner, only find he is dead and survived by his granddaughter who has no idea what the Doctor left behind. The race for his secret research has started between the Cyborgs and Black Ghost. Only time will tell who will win.

Warnings: I only have access to the first few episodes to reference, none of the manga, and I'm going to cheat to just commenting if they say something in another language and someone translates it. This is mostly because my German and French sucks and I don't wish to anger any of the French and German speaking populace. Yes, I speak very basic French and German and no, it isn't because of this anime. When I become fluent in both, then I'll write what they are saying in that language.

There is also violence.

Chapter One

The house was a simple one, nestled about a mile out of the town. An older gentleman sat in his chair by the fireplace, the mantle decorated by pictures of him and a young woman. He settled more into the chair and let out a content sigh.

The sound of breaking glass and the sound of a silencer broke the peaceful scene. He jerked a little as blood began to spill from his injury. The stain grew slowly as two men in black suits entered.

There was no talking as they began to search through the house. They focused on their task. The pair took no notice of the old man's last act of life. He wrote something in German on the arm of his chair. It smeared as he slumped over.

As the two men shifted through, one took all the letters he found on the kitchen counter. They were forced to leave, however, when the distant sound of a motorcycle reached them. The obvious leader shook his head, and they took their exit through the back.

In the shadows, they went unnoticed by the young woman riding it. Parking next to the front door, she got off and walked up. She pulled off her helmet, strands of her hair still clinging to it. Reaching into a pocket of her motorcycle jacket, she pulled out a key.

Walking in, she kicked the door shut behind her. As she hung up her helmet next to the door, she smiled cheerfully. "Hallo, Grandfather!"

Confusion passed over her face as she turned. She only saw disoriented shadows and sighed. Pulling her tan messenger bag over her head, she carefully hung it up next to her helmet. She walked forward with heavy steps from her steel-toed boots. She moved past the fireplace to the odd placement of their light switch.

"Grandfather, did you fall asleep?"

Turning the lights on, she let out a scream when she saw him. Pushing against the wall, she stared in shock at his body. She shivered and began to cry, slumping down to the ground.

It would be awhile before she managed to call the police. Once they came she was sitting on the porch, the door open behind her. She looked up and one of them gently rested his hand on her shoulder. "My condolences Miss Kirshner."

She nodded her thanks and he led her off to be questioned. She sat out of the way as they went through her house, all wondering how the good doctor had been shot. When her questioner realized she did not know if nothing was missing, he waited for the body to be removed before he escorted her in.

They started with the top floors, though things were a little out of place, they were not missing. Her music box was untouched and she smiled with relief. It was valuable in the fact it had been hand-made from before World War II. Its sentimental value was far higher in her heart then any euros.

As they entered the living room, her lips trembled as she looked at his favorite armchair. He didn't question it when she turned into his side to cry again. He patted her head awkwardly, allowing her to cry once more.

"Maybe this wasn't the best idea now."

"No…I'm fine."

The lie was obvious though he let it go. It would do no one any good to stress her farther. He gently pushed her along, out of the room. As they passed into the kitchen, her eyes fell on the empty kitchen counter. "Now, that's strange…"

She strode forward and let her hand rest where she had placed the mail that morning. "The mail is missing. Grandfather said he would look at it later."

The officer nodded a bit. Looking around, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Miss Kirshner, are you sure you'll be all right?"

She turned to him and nodded. "Yes, eventually. In the meantime, I'll call a friend from work."

"Pack what you need Miss Kirshner. I'll have one of my men escort you to where you will be spending the night. We'll contact you when you can return home."

The girl nodded her thanks and picked up the phone. Being careful, she rotary dialed the number. "Hallo, Grace Thompson here!"

The voice on the other end was very high-end British with a slight German influence to it. "Hallo Grace. It's Alice. Can I spend the night there?"

"Naturally. What's wrong?"

"I'll explain when I get there."

"Don't take too long."

"I won't."

Exchanging good-byes, Alice hung up. Turning, she was allowed to pack her small suitcase with things from her room alone. Once she had packed the suitcase, she paused from going back down when she saw the music box.

Gently taking it in her hands, she sat on her bed. She traced the cravings. Roses and edelweiss intertwined together to create a frame around twin swans in flight. She stared at it, smiling a little. She was about to open it when her escort came up.

"Miss Kirshner, its time to go."

"Of course. Thank you."

The younger man smiled and tipped his head in respect. He took her suitcase for her and she stopped by the doorway, getting her helmet along with the tan messenger bag. She tucked the music box into her bag, carefully, and exited.

It was a long walk, but she couldn't abandon her motorbike.

End Chapter One