Life Will Be What It Was
By Ryoko Kashino & Kitana blade studios
What's up my peoples? I know I had fun writing this one! I had a whole crazy brain fart when I wrote this chapter! I added some new characters. I actually wanted to have a story that was more than your clear SxF get together I figure I'd add a new bounty just to get all the bebop crew in on the adventure! Oop, almost forgot here's the legal voodoo, I don't own bebop (but wish I did) so please don't sue me! I'm so very poor.
Chp 5 He's a Small Wonder
Everywhere around him the lab was a silver coffin. Dr. Ash quietly did his work. He knew that if he didn't want to end up like the rest of the team that he'd better keep his mouth shut and do as he was ordered. The door opened and a flash of fluorescent light beamed in. He turned his head only to see from the corner of his eye a young woman with a gun in her hand. "Hey, how long is it gonna take you?" she asked.
"It's delicate work it, you can't rush genius."
"Genius; is that what you consider yourself? You're lucky to still be breathing."
The armed woman walked over towards the elder man. She placed the gun to his temple. "Hurry up. I need to get him back. If you don't talk back maybe I'll let you live after you've finished uploading him into his new host."
The only sound that filled the air was the hard gulp from the doctor's throat. He trembled a little and nodded his head slowly. He could see her eyes just glaring at him. After a minute she walked out of the room but not before shooting off one round. The shot startled him so badly he almost fell off the stool he sat upon. He took a deep breath then straightened his lab coat. Her laughter rang in his ears as he stared at the swinging door.
"You, bitch. I hope he fucking kills you when he wakes up." He said to no one in particular.
*****
The machines beeped rhythmatically. Nothing had changed. The glass and wall stood between her and her lover. She walked to the doorway and looked at the two guards. They both nodded and let her enter the room. His eyes were closed. His chest raised and lowered at a slow pace. She had barely gotten used to this body, but change could be good.
"Darling, Marius, my love. Can you hear me? The doctor will have your new body ready. I think you'll like the new body better than this one. I can't believe that I'll have you back in my arms again. I cannot wait. Do you want to tell me about your new body?"
Her hands reached out to take hold of his closest hand. She gently stroked the hand then bent close to kiss the hand and touched her cheek to it.
"Yes darling, you and I will become the ultimate power! Nothing will lay in our way. The advancements we have achieved are marvelous. A human body with cybernetics weaved throughout the tissues. You'll have the strength of seven men. And your intelligence will clearly surpass any genius that ever lived, perhaps even my own." She touched the sleeping man's forehead and then gently pressed her lips to his.
****
A light voice came ringing in. He tried to open his eyes but it was no use. He felt someone touching him, his hand then more talking. Familiar, who was it? He listened and again the more he heard the voice the clearer picture became. He felt her touch his forehead and then her lips on his own. The touching stopped and he heard soft steps going away from him. Scream, he told himself, do something before she leaves you. I can't be with out her any longer! Ayame! He tried to scream, but nothing came out. His body wasn't responding to his demands. Quiet, no sounds except the steady beep sounding from a machine. Images came to mind, a young woman in a lab coat, the same woman laughing, and then her lying in the bed next to him. Ayame, he needed to feel her again. He needed to see her smile. That was the only thing that was his solely, her smile. She never smiled for anyone else. Just for him. He got flashes of her with a different man. Yet, he knew not to get angry with each new face. He had been each man that she was with. How? Why? What was going on?
New images flashed in his head. He was running on a tread mill hooked to various machines. He was at a shooting range firing different guns. Taking tests; timed and not timed. Strategy tests, any test you could think of he had taken. In each body they tested him. He remembered the test taking period being months at first and with each new body the testing period had become smaller. Now, maybe it took about four days to run the basics. How long had he been out of commission he needed to know. He tried to remember the last day he was awake.
~~~~~* flash back*~~~~~
The morning hours had produced a beautiful sunshine and a slight breeze passed. A few loose strands of his dark navy hair brushed a little on his cheek. He stood on the balcony. The apartment was at the top of the skyscraper. Marius was looking down on the city. Ayame still lay slumbering. He walked into the living room and then walked to the kitchen and began to make coffee. The day so far hadn't been any different than most. He went into the room and looked at his sleeping lover. He really couldn't believe that his creator was the one lying there.
Most experiments usually never saw out side of their base. Not him, he'd been the brain child of Dr. Ayame Katsukida. She had been a child genius; at the age of 15 she had three degrees, one in advance biology, a second in robotics and the last in the human genetics. Dr. Katsukida had been working for the I.S.S.P. in a special research division. They had wanted to develop a new agent. Heads of the I.S.S.P. had found human agents became greased by the different syndicates and as sad as it was to admit, too many officers had left behind families. The new age of space travel had created the I.S.S.P. and this new law enforcement needed a new type of soldier, one that couldn't be bought and one that could be disposable. With the new type agent there wouldn't be that problem. One gets picked off simply go to storage and pull out a new one, just scan the bar code and boom. A rather crude way to look at it, but it was a truth brought on by the new millennium.
Marius had been the 7th stab at the humanoid agent. His first body had been 65% mechanics and 35% percent tissue. Simply, skin to cover the robotics. He remembered he closely resembled a giant Ken doll, something Dr. Katsukida had teased the robot about. Mostly he had just looked at her trying to process the joke. He was to serve and protect, what the hell was humor to him?
Now he was in his 15th prototype. This body was 80% tissue and 20% mechanics. He was definitely a full man. The robotics were mainly used to enhance strength. His I.Q. tested at 178. Genius; Ayame's I.Q. still reigned at the astonishing 220 mark. Marius was the only test subject to leave the white and silver walls of the labs. Dr. Ayame had been the one to take charge of his living situation. She needed to see if he could pass for human. This had been the final stage of the project. If he could pass for human then the project could start mass production and slowly but surely the I.S.S.P. would rid it's self of the greased palm and save a few men in the field.
Marius walked into the bathroom and began his morning regimen, shower shave and dressed. Thirty minutes later he was lightly touching Ayame's shoulder. She turned to face him and smiled. "Well, aren't we the early bird." She said.
Marius simply smiled then said, "Get up; we need to get to the lab early today. The chair men of project New Age, is coming to inspect your progress."
"Hey, whose the scientist here?" she chuckled.
Marius kissed her cheek and said, "You are."
Ayame sat up then walked to the bathroom. She turned on the hot water in the shower the phone rang. Damn it! She ran into her room and answered, "Hello, Katsukida."
"Dr. I just got to the labs. Everything is gone. No samples, all the data, not even the back up data is here. They took the comp..."
A loud bang was heard and Ayame dropped the phone. As she scrambled around her room getting dressed Marius walked in with a cup of coffee. He watched her and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Marius we need to get out of here," she was breathing heavy and her eyes seemed to be searching for an answer, "Something isn't right. I just heard Carey get killed. He was calling form the labs, he said…"
"What did he say?"
"Do you have any of your arms with you?"
"Yes, I always carry my knives and gun."
"We're gonna need it."
"Tell me what's going on." He pressed.
"I will. C'mon I need to get my lap tops and," she ran to her closet, "God, I never thought it would come to this." She grabbed a small box and pulled out a standard issue I.S.S.P black handgun.
"What are you doing?" Marius asked.
"I…Oh god, this can't be happening!" she screamed as tears began to stream down her face.
Marius walked over next to her. Suddenly, the front door was knocked down. In rushed fifteen well dressed and armed men. Five men rushed Marius he fought off two. The other three pinned him down while another man came at him with a syringe. "No! Leave him alone!!!" screamed Ayame.
Another goon walked into the room and backhanded Ayame, her head spun so fast from the force of the slap that she fell to the floor. Marius' rage was becoming full throttle as he saw Ayame whimpering on the floor. He threw one man at the syringe wielding fiend. He fell back pinning one man to the bed. As the man below him tried to squirm free Marius was able to grab the man that had been to his right, he snapped his neck and grabbed the body's gun from the holster. He used the body as a shield as he stood he filled all enemies in the room with led.
He dropped the body and ran over the Ayame. She was holding her cheek. Her lip had been busted and was bleeding. Nine other men ran in and another wave of men came in the front door. Marius stood fighting everyone that came at him. When four men rushed at him three tackled him while the fourth ran past him and grabbed Ayame. She smacked and scratched at the goon but he was stronger then her. He put a gun to her head and said, "I suggest you stop fighting. I wouldn't think twice to put a bullet in your head." She stopped fighting and so did Marius.
"He's coming!" shouted a random man from the living room.
The men stood up strait and along the hall that led to the bed room. Marius stood there his breath haggard from fighting. He stared at the idiot holding Ayame. Her eyes were filled with terror. The tears just kept falling; her sobs began to fill the room. This was irritating her captor he pistol whipped her just as a tall white haired man walked into the room. Ayame's cry was a knife to the gut for Marius. He wanted to rush over and break every limb of the asshole that was hurting her, but he know she would die if he was to act out. The white haired man stood there and watched the scene. He looked Marius up and down; then he looked at the Ayame. A thin trail of blood was trickling down from her forehead and her lower lip had already started to swell. He walked over to the girl and looked the man holding her. "Who else hit her?" his voice was and low growl.
"I don't know. Her lip was already busted when I got to her."
"I see," He looked at the girl. His hand went to her chin. He smiled and said, "I apologize for the actions of my men. I told them to simply gather you and your things. No harm was to come of you or your lover."
Ayame was gasping for breath. Her eyes were reading his face. She was so scared. His hand was icy cold, as were his clear blue eyes.
"Please come with me." He removed the iron grip of his man from her arm. He brushed back a few strands of her hair behind her ear. More blood had begun to fall from the small gash on her forehead.
"My name is Vicious. I sincerely apologize for this attack upon you. I do hope that you haven't received too much abuse."
"Yeah, every girl wants to be pistol whipped first thing in the morning." Said Ayame
That comment brought a smile to Vicious' face. "I'll take care of that."
Just as he finished those words he spun around. Out came his kitana, he rushed the guard that had hit her. Blood came up out of his mouth. The guard eyes bulged out and his last word were, "Sir, why…" His body fell limp to the floor.
Vicious wiped clean his sword on the bodies coat then put his sword in its sheath. He then stood up and looked at Marius, "Come, friend, I have new and better things for you."
Two more men entered the room. Vicious nodded and they rushed past everyone. They found the syringe and as Marius walked past them. The syringe was plunged in, seconds later the man was out. The loud thump made Ayame's head turn. She saw Marius on the floor, "Marius!" She screamed.
"Calm down. He took out almost twelve of my men and was barely heavy breathing. I had to ensure he wouldn't harm me or anyone else."
"He never would've touched you, unless you were gonna hurt me!"
"There's no proof."
"What do you want from me!?!"
"In due time my dear; in due time."