Chapter 1: Discovery
„Hi Dad." Haruka spoke, entering the living room with her sports bag slung over her right shoulder. "Hi, Haruka." Her father replied, smiling at his daughter so brightly that the blonde seriously considered to put on sunglasses. "Let me guess, you won again." Hiroshi spoke, his grin widening when his daughter nodded. "Yeah…seems like that accident somehow increased my abilities even more." Haruka replied, throwing her bag into the next corner. Her father seemed to flinch at that remark, then he gave his daughter an obvious fake smile. "You think that, huh? Well, I think that you now let out your real talent and don't hold back anymore. You almost died, I don't think that your racing colleagues can intimidate you anymore." Haruka chuckled and nodded. "Maybe. Anyway…it's not important. The only thing that counts is that I'm alive…and that I'm on the best way to become the world's first female formula one racer." Both grinned at each other before Haruka ran one hand through her short cut blonde hair and made a vague gesture towards the bathroom. "I'll go and take a quick shower. See you later." "Okay…I have to leave for my shift now. See you tomorrow." Haruka and her father smiled at each other once more before Haruka left the room, silently thanking the Gods for the fact that her father now fully accepted her. Although she somehow was mad at him for the fact that she nearly had had to die until he approved her life style, she was more than happy that he finally did at all and had stopped his nagging. The blonde entered the bathroom and just bent down to pull off her socks when an odd noise suddenly came from her right knee. Frowning, Haruka remained in her lightly bend position and looked down on her knee. She slowly bent it a little more, and the noise repeated itself, a weird electric *chrrrk* sound. "What the…" Haruka mumbled, straightening up again and leaving the bathroom. "Dad?" the blonde called out, but received no answer. "Great, he's already gone." She mumbled to herself while she walked over into her father's working room. Without even noticing it, the blonde sat down at her father's desk, staring at her knee frowning. Then, her eyes fell on a blue folder that laid in the first drawer of the desk, with the stamp "TOP SECRET" on it. Her frown deepening, Haruka pulled the folder out and opened it. On the first page, she saw herself grinning from one of her passport photos, the photo itself attached to a formula where almost everything about her was noted. With shaking hands, Haruka turned the page, and her eyes widened at what she read next. "No chance to survive…only possibility to save her is to replace all the damaged parts of her body with technical spare parts from Terminator Inc…" Slowly, Haruka turned the page again, afraid of what she would read next. "List of replaced body parts." Was the headline of the next page, followed by a long inventory: "Both eyeballs, both optic nerves, leading to an increase of 200 percent of Haruka's sight - 75 percent of her bones – right and left biceps and triceps – right and left leg muscles – right knee – left wrist, leading to a possible weight holding of the fivefold of Haruka's bodyweight…" "I can't believe it." Haruka mumbled to herself, staring at the folder in horror. "They…they turned me into some kind of Robocop!"
When Hiroshi returned from his shift at midnight, he was surprised to see that the lights of Harukas room where still on. Thinking that his daughter simply had fallen asleep without turning them off – wouldn't be the first time – he entered her room, his surprise increasing when he saw Haruka sitting on the bed, staring out of the window. "Hey, Dad." She finally spoke, looking at him with an odd expression in her eyes. "Hey, Haruka. Why are you still…" Hiroshi started, but suddenly he stopped in mid sentence when Haruka threw an all to known blue folder over to him. It landed on the ground, sliding the last half meter until it came to a stop at his feet. "Care to explain that to me?" Haruka now asked, her voice cold and harsh. Slowly, Hiroshi bent down and picked the folder up, his hands shaking so strong that most of it's content fell out of it and landed on the ground. "It was the only way to save you." He finally spoke, his voice so soft that it was almost inaudible. "And why didn't you tell me?" Haruka asked, her voice not cold anymore, but now full of grief and disappointment. "Why? You put enough metal into my body to build a car with it, and I have to find out that way." "I wanted to tell you." Hiroshi replied, looking into his daughter's teal eyes. "I really wanted to…but I didn't know how." Haruka let out a shaky sigh before her gaze returned to the window. "And you say that this", she made a vague gesture at the folder's contents that still laid on the floor, "was the only way to save me?" Hiroshi nodded, walking over to his daughter's bed and sitting down next to her. "You were hurt so badly in that accident that there was no chance you would live. I kept you alive with the machines we have at the hospital, but I knew that sooner or later, I would have to let you go." He softly spoke, putting a gentle hand on Haruka's shoulder. "And then, the owner of Terminator Inc. visited me. He guaranteed me that he and his people would leave you alone, in case you survive the operation, and that it wouldn't affect your life at all. Of course, now you're stronger then any person alive at this planet, but that's not too bad, is it?" Haruka smiled a little at her father's last remark and shook her head. "It isn't. It just would have been nice if you'd told me." Hiroshi sighed and nodded. "I know. Are you mad at me…?" Haruka let out a sigh and shook her head. "No, not really…that all is pretty cool in a very odd way." Hiroshi chuckled and ruffled his daughter hair. "Is it true that I can lift things that are five times my weight now?" Haruka asked, sudden interest in her voice. Hiroshi shrugged and nodded. "Technically, it should work. Just try it, but make sure that no one sees you. That all is top secret." Haruka grinned and nodded, slowly starting to cope with the fact that she was some kind of Cyborg.