Author's Notes

Enjoy, and tell me what you think.

Human Nature

AU There are times when humans are the worst monsters of them all. There are some who would do anything for wealth and power. Even resurrect an age that could destroy them all. But not everyone's going to let that happen.

Kouichi K & Junpei S

Genre/s: Sci-Fi/Action/Adventure

Rating: T

Chapter 2

'Damn them,' one of the technicians cursed shifting his hand underneath his head as everybody began to resettle for the new voyage. 'Those androids are going to run us out of our jobs soon.'

'I wonder how many people actually like them,' Junpei mused, doing the same on the lower bunk. 'You notice the scientists always call one of us first. And the digger squads take one of us regardless of whether they have an android flying the thing. Half the time, we have to fix them.'

'Not anymore,' a third, from the other low bunk, rolled his eyes. 'Haaven't you seen the latest model? Deployed with the last squad before fall-back?'

The brunette shook his head. 'I know I haven't because I was fixing one of the microscopes when the goods came back.' He looked at his peer closely. 'Why Teppei?'

He scowled. 'They're getting better,' he said ominously. 'There and back without a single problem. Once upon a time, flying those things was our job.'

'That's one job we've already lost,' the first guy, slightly older than the rest and older still then Teppei, who was essentially the baby of the bunch. 'They're cheaper labour.'

'-once all the kinks are worked out-'

'-and they're programmed to perfection. Not to mention they'll be able to build them by the dozen. Where'll that leave us?' Katsuharu finished, glaring at Teppei for the interruption.

'Easy.' Junpei took his hands out from behind his head and held them up in front of him. 'They've got a long way to go before they're good enough. We'll be old men at the least by then.'

'That's true,' Katsuharu sighed. 'But think about what that means for future generations. People at this institute will be losing jobs, and if they expand the market to the normal sectors, there's going to be a lot more unemployed people.'

Teppei sighed nasally, folding his own arms behind his neck. 'They'll never be able to replace humans,' he said confidently. 'They're artificial. They can't think.'

Junpei raised an eyebrow. 'I thought you said they'd run us out of our jobs?'

'That was him.' The younger boy jerked his thumb at the eldest before his hand returned to its previous position. 'They're probably no real jobs to be taken right now anyway, just leaving Tokyo and all-'

Their door slid open, proving them wrong.

'Shibayama Junpei,' the android intoned, a hunk of aluminium alloys that had two arms, a head and a computer like body and two disk plates that functioned for mobility using voltage gradients.

Junpei scanned his IDA (Identification and Access=s) card through the slot proffered to him, and within seconds the code was processed, approved and the blinking like switched from red to green.

'Your presence is requested in conference room H-15,' the android droned. 'Tome 0900 hours.' A burst of static divided the actual message from the routine confirmation. 'Message delivered, 0857. Confirmation requested.'

He slotted the card through again and tapped in the appropriate sequence. Scans and codes everywhere; that's how the place worked. It also meant no-one could get to where their noses weren't wanted.

'0857?' Teppei repeated once the android had left. 'That's only three-'

The expected was gone before the sentence was complete.

His two roommates (their last was currently doing some maintenance on a lacking messanger already) exchanged glances, then frowned simultaneously.

'Why do they want him?'

'You're asking me?' The brown eyes looked after their peer. 'Maybe it's a job.'

Katsuharu frowned. 'In the conference room? At this point, they normally call us directly. Besides, have you ever been to a briefing in the H sectors? That's like all hush-hush.'

'That's true,' the other agreed. 'And we're still in Hokkaido. They can't be deploying a scout or digger team already.'

The elder rolled his eyes. 'The term is archaeologist,' he reminded. 'And they could. Research calibration.'

'They normally get the scientists to do that.'

'Joint mission?'

An eye roll. 'They're researching dead specimen. Why would we possibly need a joint mission?'

'Virus? Bacteria? Some other life threatening thing?'

'Point.' He looked towards their joint door. 'Why are we racking our brains anyway. He'll tell us.'

'Sooner we don't get called for something broken.'

The door slid open again, admitting another android, this one smaller and more primitive...which meant volunteer for the usual repairs.

'Speak of the devil.'

When Junpei arrived at the conference room, he found several people in various uniforms. There were two black-suited security guards which somewhat surprised him, as he had never seen them inside the facility before. There was another man looking quite important, which led him to assume he was a representative of the government. There was another in military uniform with the stars indicating the rank of a Colonel, a rather young fellow by the looks of things but stern nonetheless. And on the other side were a pair frowning over some paperwork. Well, one of them was frowning, the other's expression was, on the whole, unreadable.

Being the only two he recognised, he marched over to them and offered a salute.

'You requested my presence sir?' he asked, fighting down the nervousness as he addressed the head scientist and highest in research preceding.

The older scientist looked at him. 'Shibayama Junpei?' he asked.

'That is correct.'

He nodded, gesturing at the seat across from the younger. Junpei took the seat, looking at the frown still gracing Kouichi's face, but the other didn't notice, absorbed in his own thoughts.

Once the young scientist finally looked up, the elder spoke.

It sounded simple enough. They had found a trace of life at their last stop, and the government wanted further investigation and development of the embryo.

'Perhaps I am not using the correct term,' he confessed. 'The embryo had not been damaged, and it developed during the six weeks that refuelling, major repairs, and updates took. As a technician, the details are not your concern, however as this is a collaborative research project, I would like you to join them.'

Junpei blinked. That had not been what he had expected. 'Why?' he blurted out, for a moment forgetting his company.

'So we don't have to return to base for every technical problem,' the Colonel replied in a patronising tone.

'Iie,' the brunette made to clarify. 'Why me specifically?'

'Because you're the most experienced in field situations,' the older scientist replied. 'You may have only worked in this institute for five years, but you've apprenticed with the military for years before that. The others apprenticed in government sectors and remained therein.'

'Not many young ones,' Kouichi added, looking at his father. 'The only other was with the archaeological team.'

'Only one archaeologist, the pilot and the android made it back,' the elder finished. 'They described an earthquake of some sort, but the seismologists detected no shift in the tectonic plates. That, and the confirmation of the egg-' He looked at his son, before continuing. '-led us to believe that these Digital Monsters may yet be alive.'

'And dangerous,' Junpei muttered, thinking about the lives that had been lost.

'Not necessary,' the younger scientist said softly. 'It could have just been a mother protecting their young.'

'Indeed,' the elder nodded, looking over at the government official and the Colonel from the Japanese army. 'Either way, the government wants further exploration of the area, and any living specimen brought back, or if they prove too dangerous, exterminated.

He wasn't too sure how he felt with the military being involved, but he fathomed they had more experience with surviving the unexpected.

'You have given him more than enough information.' The colonel crossed his arms. 'What information did you get from that egg?'

Kimura Yoshiyo looked at his son, who understood what the other wanted without any words being exchanged.

Colonel Minamoto Kouji wasn't sure what to make of the entire situation as he was led into a smaller conference room, this one more like those used in corporate meetings with a laptop and projector connected, amongst other things. While the other tapped into his system, he took his time to reflect on the pieces which didn't fit as well as they should. The thing that bothered him first and foremost was that they were sending somebody of his rank who was only deployed for active duty when there was either a state emergency or war, or else the lower ranks had failed to complete the task. In fact, he didn't quite buy into the military's involvement altogether, but he supposed the loss of seven personnel on an archaeological dig that discovered the living remnants of a believed to be extinct race was enough. What was so important about the research though, he had to think, that required a higher link in the chain of command to get involved.

On top of that, why was the scientific institute and the military dispatching their younger, more potential personnel. That was normally only done if the mission was the sort that could turn the tide of war or power in their favour, or else it was a simple mission as far as safety was concerned. The only time a team of younger members were thrown into the lion's den was when their loyalty was questionable, or else there was some larger trouble brewing.

He may be military personnel, but he wasn't a slave dog. He was sure however he hadn't done anything to get him into hot soup, so that left the second option. However, his hope for some enlightenment on the situation was sorely dashed.

'That's it?' he asked sceptically. The mission was actually more complicated than he had originally thought, mainly because some of the structures varied drastically from one another. Which meant that there wouldn't be a fit one, fit all method that could be used. However, that also made things interesting. What he was disappointed about however was that there seemed to be nothing worthy of causing any sort of trouble – except of the loss of three quarters of an archaeological team.

Another thing that was bothering him was the fact that the scientist looked a good ten years younger than hi, though he was certainly not acting consistent to that assumption.

The said scientist looked back at him. 'Were you after anything specific?' he asked.

The Colonel frowned. 'What happened to the embryo?' he questioned. 'Where is it now?'

'At the main research centre.'

The frown turned into a scowl. That meant it was practically unreachable except to a few select. Not necessarily suspicious; it was one of a kind after all, but he couldn't get his mind off the notion that there was something missing. Something important.

His scowl deepened and he snapped back to the archaeological scientist regarding him curiously.

'Can you use a weapon?' The question was somewhat snapped, mainly because of the physical appearance. He did not want to be babysitting on a military expedition; there was already an eighteen year old Sergeant on board. He may be a legal adult in the eyes of the country, and he may be only four years younger than himself and his two Lieutenants, but he was also four years less experienced. Hence why it was almost reflexive for there to be somebody keeping an eye on him when he was on the field (he normally did the Intel because he was best at that), even if the newbie could take care of himself.

It would be a lot worse with a legal child that couldn't. Even if they would spend most of their time on base.

'Just a stun gun,' the other replied.

Well, that was better than nothing.

'Shibayama?'

'You'll have to ask him.'

'Call him,' the Colonel ordered.

The scientist regarded him, not exactly intimidated but taking care all the sam, before withdrawing the pager and sending a request.

Junpei arrived after a silent five minutes had passed, bowing politely at the door.

The raven haired Colonel fired his question again, being met in the affirmative. Further details showed he was as adept as his male second Lieutenant (the more experienced first lieutenant was a rare find), which was good enough for him.

'Be at Tokyo Launching base at 0600 tomorrow,' he commanded. 'And you.' He looked at the scientist who was now reading a new message on his pager, waiting till he was done before continuing. 'Report to First Lieutenant Orimoto in the left-most hanger.'

'Hai Taisa-san,' Kouichi replied. 'Anything else?'

'Sort out the access,' Kouji ordered, scowling again at the red light beeping on the other's pager. 'And have a brief ready.'

'Hai,' the other repeated, before bowing to both, saluting to one, and leaving to where he had been called.

He wondered about the other's obvious suspicion, but at the same time understood. He was somewhat uncomfortable about the new mission as well. If it was such an important mission, why separate it from the mainstream. Very few people overall were involved; half an archaeological team, a military subunit, the main board and himself and a single technician and the Government, which included the ones who ran the facility, including his father. His mother had died when he was five, of some sort of infection.

It almost seemed like they wanted as few people as possible involved and knowledgeable of the situation. Or maybe they were just safe-guarding against a hoax. After all, one egg didn't constitute a civilisation, and they weren't quite sure, as far as he knew, if it would survive long enough to be useful. Or to live its life.

Part of him felt sorry for the creature. Even before it breathed its first breath, it was a prisoner. But in the eld, they all were. Prisoners of the earth.

Author's Notes

Tomoki, Takuya and Izumi are sort of based off Sergeant Feury, 2nd Lieutenant Havoc and 1st Lieutenant Hawkeye in Fullmetal Alchemist. Kouji however is not like Colonel Mustang. But as their personalities develop more, they'll further develop, and there are marked differences. It was just the military starting point for me.