-M~~T~~P-

The Mad Tinkering Peach Ch. 23

"Time Slip" story arc pt. 13

The Mad Tinkering Calf

The following day, Hana awoke at the local inn on the east end of Gantz, not far from Bison's shop. She felt that despite Bison's massive ego, he was indeed very skilled in his trade. Once she properly explained how it was laid out, he took very quickly to her schematic and made decent headway getting started on the housing for the focusing lens. She also took note that while he was indeed every bit of an insufferable prick, it turned out he actually wasn't so bad at explaining what he was doing as he was going. No doubt lending from his ego, Bison's way of getting the information across was fairly long winded. However, that actually worked in Hana's favor. Because Bison took the time to explain every step in his process in a way that accentuated his own prowess at his craft, it also meant he was going about saying every specific detail in how he was working the heat, utilizing his tools, and manipulating the metal. Being of a very detail oriented mind, she was absorbing everything he had to teach.

Having felt like the previous day's start was a good step down the right path to their goals, Hana decided to go see Eichichi to apprise her of their progress. Before they arrived on the island, Eichichi had let everyone know where her workshop was in the rear of the settlement, so Hana didn't have to wander aimlessly or ask the townsfolk. She was thankful for that as she knew she did not want to have to deal with snide remarks from the people of Gantz about her peer, colleague, and friend. When Hana arrived at Eichichi's home, she knocked to announce her presence. After waiting a bit, she knocked even louder. Not getting an answer clued her in. She realized that Eichichi was most likely either elbow deep into some kind of work in her lab or lost in some study in her library.

Wanting to make sure Eichichi was kept abreast of her progress with the focusing lens housing, Hana let herself in. She saw right away that Eichichi's home was most definitely the dwelling of a fellow egghead. There were books strewn everywhere, machine parts all over the place, and tools of all shapes and sizes. While it was a bit cluttered, it certainly wasn't exactly messy. There was a sort of organized chaos to it all, and Hana instantly seemed to understand it. Then, as she continued to look around at Eichichi's glorious nerd clutter, one of Hana's ears perked up. Coming from toward the back of the house, she heard a telltale sign of hands at work; the therapeutic sound of a ratchet cranking away. She followed the mechanical music to what she assumed was Eichichi's workshop or lab.

"Eichiiiiichiiiii!" she called out. Before entering Eichichi's work space, Hana wanted to make sure the Iron Ox egghead knew she had company. Thanks (or more specifically NO thanks) to Ryu, Hana knew all too well the kind of damage that could occur as a result of a jump scare from feeling the sudden unannounced presence of another person while actively working in a lab space. She particularly wanted Eichichi to know she was there because she had never been in her lab before and had no idea what she was working on. As Hana continued down the hall, she noticed the sound of the ratcheting stopped. Then, she crossed into Eichichi's lab area. There, minus her usual lab coat, sporting a set of denim overalls that presented her in a manner that would have been very much appreciated by any male not from Gantz, was Eichichi. Ratchet in one hand, her goggles she had just taken off in the other, a big grease smudge on one of her cheeks, and her normally low hanging bright orange hair tied up and out of the way in a neat bun.

"You're up early today, huh?" Hana said.

"Still up is more like it," Eichichi replied. "I was burning the midnight oil on this last project before I leave Gantz for good."

Hana wasn't present for her friend's nervous breakdown the day before, so she wasn't aware of Eichichi's plan to finish up and have all her gear transported to Township. Without that context, Hana didn't put any other thought into her colleague's statement. But as she looked around the lab, she noticed that what Eichichi was working on looked incredibly familiar. Dissimilar, but still familiar. Even still, she paid it no mind. "I wanted to stop by to give you a quick update," she said.

"Oh?" Eichichi grabbed herself some water and took a seat at her workbench. "Have you decapitated Bison yet?"

Her response elicited a quick chuckle from the White Bunny. "Not just yet. I was thinking I'd wait until he's done, then sic Ryu on him. Knowing him, he probably wanted to smear Bison all over the walls of his own store after seeing how he treated you."

Eichichi had a quick flash to the previous day. "Yeah. I know what you mean," she said, pointing to the freshly patched section of the wall.

"Goodness! Really?"

"I remember the day you all first arrived when you told me how protective he can be," Eichichi said. "I saw first hand just what that means to him yesterday."

Adjusting her weight and cocking a hip to the side, Hana said, "Yeah. I know he means well, but I think I'll cart him back to Rand and the Amajina crew to keep him occupied for a while."

"Teepo suggested the same," Eichichi replied. "When Ryu acknowledged the fact that he had essentially thrown a tantrum, he hung his head in shame like a child being scolded in school."

Looking at the repaired portion of the wall, Hana said, "Hell of a tantrum." They both giggled a little from that. "Well, in any event, I wanted to come by to let you know that despite his unending smugness, Bison is actually pushing this thing along at a good pace."

She hated to admit it, but Eichichi knew Bison was an expert, unrivaled in his field. "Merely seeing him sets me off into tears, but I knew he would be the right pair of hands for this task."

Hana nodded in agreement. "There's a story to be told about that, but for now, I won't pry. I'll leave you to your work then."

"Okay," Eichichi responded as she put her goggles back on. "The sooner I'm done, the sooner I can get out of here and leave Gantz behind."

With that, Hana waved and left Eichichi's workshop, making her way toward Re'em Finery and Eichichi got herself back to work.

~-Back in Township-~

Ryu was dressed and ready to fly. He had a rucksack packed to be gone for a few days. As he stood in the open space of Township's fountain square ready to take off, he thought back to his previous thoughts and actions. He recalled having behaved so inappropriately in response to Bison. He thought of how he had harbored the thought of bringing real harm to another. Harm previously reserved for enemies of peace and the common good. These thoughts brought with them a painful bout of shame and remorse. What would have happened if Hana hadn't stepped in? The thought of the mere possibility he might have done something reprehensible plagued him. Even more so when his imagination bombarded him with visual imagery of what the aftermath may have looked like.

No... NO! I have to behave. I can't allow myself to do anything that could even hint at proving Myria right.

With that thought, Ryu transformed and took wing. He meant to make his way back to the Amajina camp. He found working in the mine was not only a practical and meaningful conduit for all his strength, but also therapeutic. Chicken soup for his soul. His plan was to start an offshoot tunnel in the mineshaft so he could be by himself and go absolutely ham to vent his anger and frustration. That way, he would be adding to the crew's productivity while also getting to cut loose without the chance of anyone getting hurt.

~-Hours later-~

Eichichi stood proudly in front of her work. There before her stood a recreation of the birthing tank and cloning apparatus Momo had created to give life to Hana and Teepo. While not a one to one facsimile as she had to accommodate for what space was available to her, she was eager to see if she had done well enough to copy its function. As she went over the finished product, she thought of the process it took to get her to that moment. She looked back at the intrigue of the cloning process Hana and Momo introduced her to. After months of thoroughly studying Momo's design notes, blueprints, and the birthing chamber itself within the genetics wing of the Tower, Eichichi had painstakingly replicated every facet of its design.

Then, she thought of the additions she created to smooth out the rig's efficiency. "Improvement through iteration," she aloud to no one in her lab as she fired up the DNA analyzer. As the machine came to life she stood over a tube that served as the sample intake. 'PRESENT COLLECTED DNA SAMPLE' flashed on the panel next to the intake. Eichichi placed a hermetically sealed glass ampoule containing the DNA sample she wanted to copy; a single strand of brilliant blue hair.

'SAMPLE RECEIVED. COMMENCING PROJECT LU LONG'. As the cloning rig analyzed her sample, multiple different readouts of different aspects of the DNA showed on several screens she had connected. Eichichi's iteration of the cloning rig included readouts that made it much easier to identify (and therefore manipulate) the various characteristics of a being that were governed by DNA. When she settled in at her terminal, the first adjustment she made was one she was one that was immediately brought to her attention when Hana and Momo described the cloning process the day they arrived. She changed this line from BL1982-CERULEAN to GR1911-SEAFOAM.

After saving that change, Eichichi pored over the personality profile. Her tireless study of every nook and cranny of the original cloning rig's design and program lead to her being able to individually target specific aspects of the clone's physical and psychological make up more easily than the twins could. Aggression. Compassion. Curiosity. As she continued to scroll the list of pinpointed traits, she had thought to make adjustments, but then she realized the original was already set up in a highly optimal way. However, a quick flash of insecurity crept its way through. And in that moment of slight weakness brought on by her insecurities, Eichichi made two changes to the personality profile. On the entries marked Loyalty and Affection, she added +50% to them.

Before she closed out the personality checklist, Eichichi wanted to make one more addition. Though she had cranked up some aspects of the clone's make up, she wanted to ensure that it understood the situation. She managed to pre-program in the knowledge of the fact that the clone was indeed a clone and fully capable and allowed to do as they well saw fit. She was not making a slave, merely a new person. Along with that, she also program in the clone's new name. The same name of the project that will give them life; Lu Long.