Saber Dolls G

A Saber Marionette Fanfiction

By BG-57

Program 04: Emulation

Dawn had risen hours ago over the city-state of Gartlant but the smog made it difficult to tell. Industrial and military factories ringed the outer edges of the cities. Cheerless high rise apartments made of concrete formed the inner ring of the city. A massive black edifice with a central tower flanked by smaller pyramidal buildings dominated the center of the city. The Saber Dolls walked down a side street dressed in gray hooded cloaks that hid their faces.

"It doesn't look that different," said Panther.

"The Kanzlei is still there," said Tiger, looking at the central building.

"There are no posters of Lord Faust anymore," said Luchs, sighing.

"Not surprising I guess," said Tiger sadly.

They reached an intersection. On a wall was a picture with a caricature of Faust, with evil eyes, pointy teeth and horns.

"Argh!" said Panther ripping down the poster, crumpling it up and throwing it into a nearby bin marked 'papierkorb'.

"Just as well we told Lord Faust to stay behind," commented Luchs.

"Panther, don't go on a rampage," said Tiger, "We don't want to attract attention."

She was busy stomping the trash with her foot. "Unforgivable! How dare they mock Lord Faust!"

"Panther!" said Tiger sharply.

Panther was breathing heavily as she looked at Tiger. "I hear you," she said huffily.

"Good," said Tiger, "Let's go."

They walked a few more blocks until they reached a high rise, indistinguishable from the dozens nearby except it had a different number on the side.

"It's this one," said Luchs.

They climbed the outside stairwell until they reached the seventh floor. They walked down an outside corridor until they reached an apartment door marked '717'.

Luchs knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" asked a small voice.

"We're friends of Otaru Mamiya," said Tiger.

The door opened revealing a young boy. He had light brown hair and was dressed in a blue shirt and tan pants. His blue eyes widened in terror when he recognized them.

"Ah! The Saber Dolls! Spare me!" he screamed, running back inside.

"Wait!" said Tiger running after him.

She looked around the apartment. A single bed against the wall, no tables or furniture. She got on all fours and peered under the bed. The young boy cowered in the corner.

"Don't be afraid," she said reaching out a hand, "I'm not going to hurt you."

He crawled backwards until he hit the wall.

She sighed and placed a small bag on the floor halfway between them.

"Michael right?" she asked. "I'm Tiger. These are from Otaru Mamiya."

He stared at her fearfully.

She rested her chin on her hands. "Although I think Cherry made them. They're cookies Michael."

"Mikey," he said haltingly.

"Mikey then," she said smiling.

Two pairs of feet appeared on either side on Tiger. One was clad in jackboots, the other in high heels.

"Where's the little pipsqueak?" said Panther's voice.

"Under here," said Tiger sighing.

"You might not want to call him that," suggested Luchs' voice.

Panther peered under the bed. "There you are you little rascal!"

"Panther I think we're scaring him," said Tiger backing out.

"We'd better go then," said Luchs.

Mikey watched them leave then grabbed the bag of cookies.

"I wish this didn't happen to us," said Tiger sadly as they walked down the street.

"I wish Lord Faust would want to leave Gartlant," said Luchs.

"I wish I had Lord Faust all to myself," countered Panther.

Tiger and Luchs glared at her.

"Hey! It's not like you weren't thinking the same thing," she said defiantly.

"We have to share him," said Luchs.

Tiger nodded. "I'd rather have part of him than nothing at all."

"Speak for yourselves," said Panther making a fist, "I'll make him forget Lady Lorelei."

"How?" asked Luchs with a smirk.

"What if." began Tiger.

They both looked at her.

"Go on," said Luchs.

"Let's ask our maiden circuits," said Tiger touching her chest.

"Mine doesn't do fortune telling," said Panther irritably.

"I mean together," she said.

They regarded each other warily.

"I think it's worth a try," said Luchs.

"Nothing to lose, right?" said Tiger.

Panther sighed. "Oh all right."

They joined hands. They felt a strange glow as their circuits connected. In their minds appeared a strange door marked '01A' in a gloomy corridor. The image dissolved to a large tower in central Gartlant.

Tiger opened her eyes. "The Kanzlei!" she said.

Luchs looked over at the center of Gartlant. "Let's go."

They made their way to the Kanzlei, keeping to back alleys and side streets. Eventually they reached the side entrance. Luchs began expertly decoding the security lock. The door rumbled open and they made their way inside.

"Did you ever remember a door marked '01A'?" asked Tiger.

"A long time ago," said Luchs, her eyes glowing a violet hue in the darkness, "Soon after I was made I tried to access that door and Lord Faust punished me most severely."

"Why would he want to hide it from us?" asked Panther.

"It must have been something to do with us," said Tiger.

"This way," said Luchs, leading them down several flights of stairs.

They hid in a darkened doorway as a security patrol marched past.

Eventually they reached a disused corridor. They reached a dead end at a door marked '01A'.

Panther put her hand on the door and brushed a layer of dirt off of it. "Yuck," she said.

Luchs inspected it. "There's no keypad or handle that I can see. No retinal or vocal scanner either."

Panther banged on the door. "Let us in!" she yelled.

"Quiet!" hissed Tiger grabbing Panther's wrist.

Luchs touched the door next to Tiger and Panther and it smoothly opened with a faint hiss. They nearly tumbled into the room beyond.

"It's the Mesopotamia!" exclaimed Luchs, her eyes wide.

Indeed it did look like the computer core of the space colony ship Mesopotamia. A giant beam spanned across the upper third of the room with a high ceiling. Mounted in the center of the beam was a cylindrical pillar that jutted straight out toward them. In the middle were three concave holes in a triangular formation. A staircase led up to a platform beneath the pillar.

"It's a model of the computer core!" said Luchs breathlessly. "It looks just like the real one."

"The Mesopotamia?" asked Panther, "Why would our Master want to build another one?"

Tiger climbed up the stairs and hesitantly touched the recesses in the pillar. She brushed dust off of a metal plate under one of the slots.

"GSM-02L," she read.

She brushed dust off another plate.

"GSM-03P," she said.

She began to dust off the third one but stopped.

"I know what the third one says," she said quietly.

Panther climbed up and brushed off the dust.

"GSM-01T," she read.

"This is designed to hold our maiden circuits," said Luchs from the top of the stairs.

"But why?" said Tiger.

Luchs inspected a terminal nearby. "This still has some data on it. I'll try to restore it."

A small screen lit up with the image of Faust. His mouth was moving but no sound came out. They realized with a shock that it was not their current master, but the very first Faust. His hair was shorter and he was wearing a baggy white spacesuit. The sneer was identical though.

"I can't hear anything," said Panther.

"Give me a moment," said Luchs, typing furiously.

Suddenly Faust's voice came from the speakers. It sounded distant and tinny.

"-ut I'm doubtful it will bring results. At least in my lifetime. Ieyasu is serious about his maiden circuits, which would be more comforting if he didn't just sit on them! But I'm not going to wait around for somebody else to mature them! I'm going to do it myself!"

"Do you think Lord Faust remembers making this message?" asked Panther.

Luchs shook her head. "I don't know."

"I sent blueprints to the others, but they didn't seem interested. Useless fools! Why couldn't have Lorelei been spared instead of these cretins I'm forced to work with? Never mind. Joy seems hopeful he can stabilize the clones' cellular structure. If you are a future clone of myself, I beg you to rescue Lorelei! Nothing else matters except her! This emulator has self-guiding protocols in it. Just insert the maiden circuits in the three slots. If they are sufficiently matured, then the emulation program will work. If it doesn't work use the GSM-02L maiden circuit to perform a diagnostic."

Luchs shivered as she heard Faust speaking of her so callously.

"The prototype Marionettes won't be able to handle these circuits. It will take several years to develop ones that can. Even then, three circuits would be too much for one Marionette to handle. I recommend using three Marionettes. But if you receive my memories you'll know this already."

The image of Faust just sat there glaring silently out of the screen.

"Get started! Don't waste any time! End of transmission."

The image faded into static. The glow of the screen illuminated the Saber Dolls faces.

Tiger turned to Luchs and Panther. "I want to try it."

"Are you crazy?" asked Luchs, "We don't need this thing now that Lorelei has been rescued!"

"Don't you want to know if your maiden circuit has matured?" asked Tiger.

"Is there another way to tell?" asked Panther.

Luchs sighed. "I don't know of one."

"Then I want to know," said Panther striding over.

She took off her jacket and unbuttoned the bottom of her shirt. She flipped open her chest panel and removed her maiden circuit. Tiger walked over and removed her maiden circuit as well. She regarded Luchs evenly.

"We all need to do it," she said.

Luchs stood. "Of course I want to know! But we don't know what this program will do to us!"

"Our maiden circuits told us this was the answer," said Panther.

"Don't you trust you own heart?" asked Tiger.

Luch sighed, exasperated. "All right!"

She walked over and removed her maiden circuit. All three of them inserted their maiden circuits into the slots at the same time. Tiger's maiden circuit began to glow red, Luchs' blue and Panther's yellow. Their eyes became dull and lifeless as steam hissed out of the joints of the emulator. A set of hydraulic lifts whirred into life and raised a metal cylinder out of the floor behind the Saber Dolls. A lid on the front of the cylinder swung open, revealing a Marionette lying inside. Her eyes opened.

"Emulator 01A activated," she said tonelessly, "Downloading maiden circuit data. GSM-01T.complete. GSM-O2L.complete. GSM-03P.complete."

She blinked and climbed out of the cylinder. She turned and looked at the Saber Dolls.

"I remember you all," she said warmly, "You are all a part of me."

She put a hand on Luchs' shoulder. She frowned when she saw that she was staring blankly ahead. She turned and looked at the screen above the terminal. She gasped at what she saw. She saw a reflection of a young woman dressed in a skintight black jumpsuit. Her long hair was a brilliant orange brown and her eyes were a luminous green. She put her hands to her face.

"I look like Lorelei!" she exclaimed, "Wait, I am her! I'm supposed to replace the real Lorelei."

She smirked impishly. "I wonder if Lord Faust will be able to tell?"

Ruebens knocked tentatively on the door.

"Come in," said Faust writing at a desk.

He stepped inside. "How are you feeling my Lord?" he asked.

He looked up. "My head's still splitting but I'm getting better."

Ruebens looked down. "You shouldn't have re-implanted those memories of the First."

Faust held up a sketch of a cylindrical circuit. "It does wonders with the memory."

Reubens took it. "The maiden circuit. Can you really build one my Lord?"

Faust sighed. "Well normally I'd ask Ieyasu, but Lorelei would be able to help. Between us we should be able to manage it."

Reubens started to get misty eyed but managed to reign his feelings back in. He handed the sketch back to Faust.

"I don't want to get my hopes up my Lord," he said, "Still I'm deeply moved that you are trying to do this for Koyuki and I."

Faust regarded him sadly. "I can't live with myself unless I try to make up for my mistakes."

There was another knock on the door.

"Come in," said Faust.

The door stayed still.

"Come in!" he repeated louder.

The door slowly crept open. An old man and a young boy stood in the doorway.

"Little Mikey here wants to say something," said the old man.

They turned to look at Mikey, who gasped at the sight of Faust and hid behind the old man.

"Grandpa it's Lord Faust!" he said, looking terrified.

"Don't worry, I don't bite," said Faust evenly.

Mikey's curiosity got the better of his fear.

"Where's Tiger?" he asked.

"She said she had to run an errand in Gartlant," replied Faust, leaning on his hand.

"She brought me cookies," he said meekly.

Faust tried to suppress a smile. "Were they good?"

He nodded wide-eyed.

"I'll tell her you came by," he said.

"What do we say Mikey?" asked the old man.

"Thank you," he said.

Faust nodded and the door shut again. As the old man and Mikey down the corridor they saw a young woman with orange brown hair walking the other way. She was dressed in black clothing and a gray cape. She smiled at them.

"Hello Mikey," she said.

She walked past them. After she was gone, he tugged at the old man's sleeve.

"Grandpa, who was that?" he asked.

The old man just gaped. "It can't be!"

There was a knock on Faust's door. He pounded his fist on the desk.

"How many people are going to call on me?" he snapped.

"I'll get it," said Reubens hastily.

His green eyes opened wide when he saw who was there.

"Lady Lorelei!" he exclaimed.

Faust rose to his feet. "Lorelei!" he said.

Lorelei smiled to Ruebens and bowed.

"Good evening," she said, "I've come to pay my respects to Lord Faust."

He returned the bow and stood to one side. "My name is Ruebens. I'm on the Provisional Council. Lord Faust is this way."

She walked inside and she and Faust regarded each other.

"Goodnight my Lord," said Ruebens, closing the door after him.

"Goodnight," replied Faust, still watching Lorelei.

He sat heavily in his chair. She sat on the bed gracefully.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"I want to visit all of Terra II," she replied, "Starting with Gartlant."

He shook his head. "It was supposed to be a dream city for you. Now it's more like a nightmare."

"I'm not here for sightseeing," she said, "I want to meet the people of Gartlant."

"You told me that before," he said quietly.

She blinked. "I did?"

He frowned a little. "Yes. It was right before I left Japoness."

She smiled. "That's right."

"I'll talk with the Provisional Council," said Faust, "They'll arrange a visit to Gartlant."

"I'd like a tour guide," she said.

"Ruebens," suggested Faust, "He's very knowledgeable." She shook her head. "I was thinking of asking you Lord Faust."

He frowned. "I'm not very popular there. I'd be a liability."

She folded her arms across her chest. "They wouldn't dare touch you with me there!"

He sighed and held up a hand. "Very well. I never could argue with you."

She smiled. "Thank you Lord Faust."

He nodded and looked over the paper on his desk.

She walked over and looked over his shoulder. "You're making another maiden circuit?" she asked.

He nodded. "For Koyuki. She's Ruebens' Marionette. I was going to ask you to help me with the design specifications. I think we can make an improved model."

She nodded and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. His face reddened.

"L-Lorelei.!" he said.

"I'm sorry Lord Faust," she said hugging him tightly.

He couldn't look at her. "Lorelei, I thought you said you could not accept my love. We agreed it was for the best."

"I was being selfish," she whispered into his ear, "Please forgive me."

He put his hand over hers. "There's nothing to forgive."

He could feel her heart hammering against his back.

"Lord Faust, come with me," she said.

She got up and walked over to the window and opened it. Moonlight poured into the room, bathing her in ethereal light. She looked back and smiled at him. He got up and slowly walked over to her. He put her hands around his neck and tilted her head up. She closed her eyes. He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist. He broke off the kiss and looked at her fearfully.

"Lorelei are you sure about this?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I can't deny myself anymore Lord Faust."

"Call me Gelhardt," he said softly.

"Gelhardt," she breathed.

He kissed her again, this time passionately. His powerful hands on her shoulders felt surprisingly gentle. She pulled his jacket off of his shoulders where it fell to the floor. He undid the snaps on her cape, which dropped behind her. He picked her up in his arms. She smiled and leaned her head against his chest, feeling his warmth. He carried her to bed and laid her across it. He climbed over her and kissed her forehead. He looked down lovingly at her.

"I'm not worthy to love you Lorelei," he said.

She put a finger to his lips. "No more words."

He nodded and undid the buttons on her collar. She ran her fingers through his hair as he kissed the hollow of her throat. He kissed her hands, each in turn and then rolled up her sleeve and kissed her arm. He stopped when he reached her shoulder. He stared in stupefied amazement as he noticed the square seam marking the connection joint between her arm and shoulder.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

He fell backwards off the bed onto the floor.

She sat up on the bed, breathing heavily, her hair in disarray. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"01A," he said almost inaudibly.

She brought her hands together across her chest and began to cry.

"Lorelei," he began, "I mean.01A. You're emulating the Saber Dolls?"

She nodded and buried her face in her hands.

He seemed lost. "The maiden circuits have matured then."

He got up and pulled her into an embrace. "Tiger, Luchs and Panther are all part of you then."

"Forgive me," she said crying on his shoulder, "We all wanted to love you and you loved only Lorelei."

"No, you should forgive me," he said sadly, "I chase after dreams and ignore the love that has always been by my side."

"I don't understand," she said, "How could the First have made me if Marionettes weren't advanced enough?"

"The Sixth made you," said Faust, "He despaired of ever rescuing Lorelei in time so he made you to replace her."

She looked into his eyes. "Will you accept me?"

He sighed. "What about the Saber Dolls?"

She touched her heart. "They are all part of me. All of them are happy to be with you like this. That's all they have dreamed of."

"Marionettes with maiden circuits can only survive with the love of a man," he reflected bitterly.

"You meant it in a cruel way to them, but it is true," she said, "Can you love a Marionette Gelhardt? Any Marionette?"

He nodded slowly. "I.yes. I can love a Marionette."

She smiled bravely then winced in pain.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She clutched her heart. "The maiden circuits.are.overloading the emulator."

A vehicle pulled to a stop in front of the Kanzlei, tires squealing. Faust got out and pulled a young woman out and carried her up the front steps. The guards stared in disbelief at him.

"You're Lord Faust!" said one dressed in a long coat and goggles under a round helmet.

"Let me by," hissed Faust.

"We have orders." began the other guard.

"Let me by damn it!" he yelled, his face contorted in rage.

The guards reflexively snapped to attention.

"Yes Lord Faust!" said the first guard.

The other guard pushed a button and the main door rumbled opened. Faust carried Lorelei down the huge metallic corridor, his footsteps echoing oddly on the floor. He ran down a flight of stairs and reached the dark corridor. He ran to the end and through the door marked '01A'. Once inside he looked up in wonder at the lifeless Saber Dolls, still connected to their maiden circuits by a few cables. The three circuits glowed intensely. He carried Lorelei up the stairs.

"Remove the circuits," she said weakly.

He looked down at her sorrowfully. "Lorelei, no. I can't.kill you."

She shook her head and smiled sadly. "You're too noble for your own good Gelhardt."

He slowly sunk to his knees. "Somehow the maiden circuits are too powerful for the emulator. It's my fault."

She touched his face with her hand. "If I die the Saber Dolls will live."

Tears spilled out of the corners of his eyes. "Lorelei.I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "I'm just a simulation of the real Lorelei. You can't really love a copy."

He rested his cheek against hers. "You're real to me."

She closed her eyes. "Just love them the way you love me."

She fell silent. Behind Faust the computer monitor lit up with the First's visage.

"Excellent! If you are receiving this message it means the maiden circuits are at capacity. Now go quickly to the Mesopotamia and rescue Lorelei! It will accept the maiden circuits in her place. There's no time to lo-"

The message was abruptly cut off by Faust's fist plunging into the screen, shattering the glass. Electricity arced off the broken screen as blood trickled down his wrist. With his free arm he cradled the lifeless Lorelei. He sobbed openly.

Animation returned to the Saber Dolls' eyes. They retrieved their maiden circuits and looked at each other awkwardly. Tiger walked over to Faust and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Gelhardt," She said crying.

He looked up suddenly, his cheeks wet. "Tiger, you called me Gelhardt."

She blushed furiously and knelt down next to him. "Please forgive me!"

Luchs and Panther knelt next to him as well.

"We will accept any punishment you choose to give," said Luchs.

"Forgive our impudence," said Panther.

He cradled Lorelei's head with his bloody hand. "You felt everything she felt?"

"Yes," said Luchs looking embarrassed.

Panther tore a strip of cloth from her shirt and bandaged Faust's hand.

"The only one who was punished was me," he said slowly, "And it was by my own hand."

He stood up and carried Lorelei down the stairs. He put her in the cylindrical capsule and pressed a button on the surface. The door swung shut and the cylinder retracted back into the floor. Tiger, Luchs, and Panther joined him.

"Lord Faust?" asked Tiger.

"Gelhardt," he said firmly, "You are my equals."

"Lord Faust, we're just Marionettes," said Luchs.

"You are equal to any human on Terra II," he said, "I'm just beginning to understand that."

"My Lord, did you mean it when you said you could love a Marionette?" asked Panther.

He nodded, absently rubbing his injured hand.

"Could it be one of us?" asked Tiger.

"Yes," he simply said.

"Have you.chosen one of us?" asked Luchs hesitantly.

He shook his head. "Not yet."

The Saber Dolls looked at each other then back to him.

"Let's go my Lord," suggested Tiger.

She led Faust out of the room. Panther left, followed by Luchs who glanced quietly back to the deserted room. The door silently closed behind them and the emulator powered down. The lights snapped off, plunging the room into darkness. All was silence.

Preview

There's been a coup d'etat! A military faction wants Lord Faust to become Fuhrer again! What if he refuses? Will he succumb to the darkness in his soul? Must we to save him from himself? Next time on Saber Dolls G: 'Dark Mirror'. Lord Faust, I love you!