Chapter 5: Hidden Love
Once again, clear images were hard to fully understand, everything came thick and fast. Flashes of bright light, explosions, people crying out in agony.
Then the images flicked to a research laboratory, people walking around in white coats and electronic clipboards, in the middle of this gigantic room was a clear cylinder with a form floating freely inside of it. The person whose memories that Thunderchild was experiencing walked over to a fellow scientist and said
"The subject is displaying an advanced cranial capacity"
The other scientist, a small bald headed person with thick spectacles took a close look at his clipboard and nodded.
"Yes, this is the best result we've had so far"
Thunderchild then felt himself walk over to the cylinder and look inside. Inside the cylinder, Thunderchild saw, to his horror, Domino, or someone who looked a lot like her floating, head bowed, life-less inside this tube of a watery substance.
"Jara!" he heard someone call and he felt himself turn around
"Nigemo," he heard himself say "What's the matter?"
Nigemo walked up to him and smiled, she was a young woman in her late teens, and she smiled as she said
"Are you going to the pilots ball tonight?"
Thunderchild felt himself reply
"Of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world"
Nigemo giggled slightly and ran back to her station
Jara, Thunderchild thought, Oh my God, this must be Jaras memories…but how?
"Ok people, we're ready to began the animation process." Called out an older graying man in one corner of the laboratory, Thunderchild knew somehow that he was the main person in charge of the project. Thunderchild also knew that this was "Project Recall" the well published attempt at the creation of a superbeing with a transferable memory. Eventually, it was suggested that there would no longer be anything such as death, life would continue but in another form, another body.
"Beginning cardiac stimulation" announced a scientist that Thunderchild couldn't see because he or indeed she was hidden by a large rack of computers.
"Activating cranial functions" he felt himself say
The form inside the cylinder began to stir slightly, fingers moving slightly.
"Readings are indicating normal activity, beginning stage two." Announced the chief scientist
The laboratory had gone a deathly quiet, as everyone looked at the cylinder, Thunderchild had a feeling that this had been the most successful experiment so far.
"Removing stasis water" announced Nigemo as the water drained out of the tank, suddenly the genome slumped against the tank walls.
"She's going critical!!" warned a scientist behind Thunderchild
"Increasing cardiac rate, stimulating blood flow" countered the scientist behind the computers.
The genome staggered back upright and then opened her eyes, examining everyone in the room closely, Thunderchild felt a chill run down his spine when he was observed. She stood back, tail swishing uncertainly, as if unsure what move to make next.
"Secondary phase is complete, well done people"
Everyone around Thunderchild began to slowly and quietly clap their hands, it was the first time the experiment had worked properly.
However the genome appeared less than pleased, it began to thump the glass with one fist, then transferred to both fist, smacking the glass repeatedly. Then one of the scientists screamed and fell to the ground clutching his head, another followed and then another. Then someone realised what was happening
"It has physic powers!!"
Another scientist fell to the ground
Thunderchild felt himself say "Shut it down!! Pump in the gas!!"
Someone stabbed at a few buttons and then a hissing noise filled the room, the genome continued hitting the glass, making little progress. Suddenly it's eyes rolled back in its head and it slumped to the floor unconscious.
"Thank goodness for that" someone sighed
"Experiment suspended at 14:89" said the chief scientist
"Are they still alive?" asked Thunderchild, indicating the still forms on the ground
A scientist walked over and checked the victims pulses
"No, that physic power must have fried their minds"
Thunderchild noted with regret that Nigemo was one of the fallen.
A bright flash of light, city towers falling, rubble raining down on terrified people.
A party, Thunderchild recognised the occasion, "The Pilots Ball" he then found himself in an unusual circumstance….talking to himself. He suddenly knew more about himself now too, his name on Terra was Yissan Gojenta, he was just under 19 and a new fighter pilot in Echo Squadron. Although he hadn't flown many of the 100 missions that the other pilots were now celebrating, he has respected because of his skills as a fighter pilot.
Thunderchild felt strong feelings for Yissan, even though he knew it was himself.
It was a most curious feeling, Thunderchild wasn't quite sure how to feel. Though he respected that this was how Jara had felt about him.
He still wasn't sure just how he was experiencing her side of events though.
Thunderchild knew what was to come, albeit from the other side of events; the talking, the flirting, the sitting under the moonlit stars, the call to return to base and the sorrow of goodbye.
More flashes of light, explosions tearing across the city, smoke blotting out the noonday sun.
Thunderchild now found himself in a staff room, inside the same laboratory he had been in earlier he presumed. The television was switched on, a news broadcast was in progress.
"The Borg cube has now arrived in orbit, sooner than expected. Echo squadron of fighters scrambled to intercept and some even tried a suicide run at the cube but all sadly were destroyed. We've lost contact with Hallis now, last reports indicated that casualties were extremely high. We will continue to bring you reports as soon as we…."
The picture suddenly cut off.
"Damn," someone swore "There goes Guitsburg"
Thunderchild could feel himself crying uncontrollably, someone had their arm around his shoulder
"There, there Jara. I'm sure it would have been a quick death, he probably never even knew what had hit him"
"Why? Why does all this have to happen now? Why couldn't it have happened later!?"
"Who knows why things happen Jara, perhaps we'll be alright out of this"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, we're miles from the nearest city, we might not be found by the Borg here, we might just make it out alive"
Thunderchild knew that there was a possibility that she was right, that they might get lucky, the Borg might never detect their laboratory.
"This is Yinzi to all scientists, we're going to go for the personality transfer now, please report to the main laboratory immediately, it's now or never people."
A bright flash of light, a hand outstretched causing destruction by the force of the mind.
In the next memory Thunderchild was back in the lab, for what he presumed was the DNA transfer. He also remembered that a year or so ago they had created another genome, a male variant and something had gone wrong during the experiment, it had escaped. They presumed it hadn't gone far though but no-one could find it.
"DNA splicing is complete, we've appeared to had done this one" announced a scientist on the far left of the room.
"Congratulations people, we've finally cracked the secret of eternal life" cried the chief scientist.
Thunderchild looked at the genome in the tank again, he right uneasy about this new creation, bearing in mind what had happened with her before.
The chief scientist, Thunderchild could remember his name now, Lawrence, spoke up again "Right, lets begin construction of them all, maybe we can use them to defeat the Borg!"
"What!? As an army!?" Thunderchild felt himself shout
"Yes, now we can finally take control of Terra"
A few other scientists were agreeing with Lawrence and walking over to him, the majority though were disagreeing. Lawrence didn't appear to like the idea of this and he pressed a few buttons on the side of the tank. The tank started to open up!
"No! What are you doing!!?" cried Thunderchild "Shut the tank back up, it's not ready!"
But the damage was done, as the tank opened up the genome leaped out and walked over to Lawrence, kneeling before him.
"I await your command" she said
Thunderchild knew with an increasing dread that Lawrence had planned this all along, that this was the end result of Project Recall, not eternal life but eternal war. Their boss was a mad man.
Thunderchild ran and hid behind one of the control matrixes as the genome began the destruction of those unfortunate enough to be in its way. Thunderchild heard people scream and fall to the floor, quite obviously dead. No-one with the top of their head missing like that could ever be alive.
Thunderchild felt himself hit several buttons on the matrix, he saw that the genome was still partly connected to the machine, if he could just transfer his own personality over he could stop what Lawrence had started.
He put on the transfer head gear, he had to be quick now he could see the genome walked his way, computers exploding as she walked past them.
25%
"Come on, Come on" he muttered
50%
The genome knew something was up as she turned and looked straight at Thunderchild and began to walk over to him with a look of hate in her eyes.
75%
The genome jumped onto a desk in front of Thunderchild and raised her hand in preparation for a physic blast that would split Thunderchilds head open much like the other unfortunate souls in the laboratory.
100%
FLASH!
Suddenly Thunderchild saw the scene from the other side of the looking glass, from the eyes of genome, he knew that he had successfully transferred his personality over, but it was having no effect, he couldn't stop the genome from being who she was.
"Leave that one" Lawrence said
Thunderchild felt himself stop and realise the charge he was building up and turn to Lawrence
"As you command"
"Come genome, we have a planet to take back, and I don't mean Terra"
The smell of burning hurt Thunderchilds nose as the scene flickered again, this time to a city, much like Ankh-Morpork. He could feel himself walking and felt rage and fear inside of himself, he knew that Jara still couldn't take control of this genome. Something inside was stirring though, hidden emotions that could take control, Thunderchild could feel these emotions, of hate and anger, he knew that they couldn't be allowed to take control.
"Destroy this city" she had been commanded, and that was what she had to do.
There was no regret, no sadness just a cool calm rage. Thunderchild felt his arm raising and a blast of energy turned a tower into a pile of rubble.
People ran into the streets screaming and pointing at him, with a wave of his hand they spontaneously exploded into flame. Stepping over burnt corpses, and ignoring the smell of burning fresh he continued, shattering another building into fragments, setting fire to the survivors.
Before long the local army turned up, she felt their consciousness before they arrived, then they came into view running around the corner of the street up ahead swords raised. When they got near to Thunderchild they shouted out
"Stop or we will be forced to kill you!"
Thunderchild turned and stared hard at them, as one they screamed and fell to the floor clutching their skulls. Then he continued, creating a fireball that set fire to a building, as the occupants of the building ran out into the street Thunderchild also cried out. They were children, it must have been a school of some sort, Thunderchild begged with whatever was controlling the body he was in not to kill them. For a moment it seemed as though he was winning and that they would be spared. Then his hand came up and the children disappeared into a fireball, when the flames cleared nothing could be seen of them.
He continued like this until every building in the small town was levelled, and every occupant was dead. There was nothing he could do but watch as atrocity after atrocity was committed by the body he was occupying.
Then he was back in a laboratory with Lawrence, he was studying him from the corner of the room they were sitting in.
"Well done my Mithril Yugami, you did well. Now all of Gaia knows my power"
He stood, his grey eyes scruntising every small detail, every part of Thunderchild.
"Something troubles you my Mithril"
Thunderchild felt his mouth open and close but had no control over what was being said
"Why?"
"Why? They had to be shown, there is no use having power unless you're prepared to use it"
Thunderchild could feel doubt in his sub consciousness, knew that the control over this body was weakening, now he thought now is the time.
Actively he began pressing in on the consciousness of the genome, feeding in his thoughts, his emotions until it overwhelmed the original programming and finally he took control.
"But, surely there was another way" he said
"THERE WAS NO OTHER WAY my Mithril, people have to be shown or else they would not fear, and fear is the pathway to power, DO NOT DISAGREE WITH ME Mithril, I made you! I OWN YOU!!"
Lawrence looked Thunderchild long and hard in the eyes and sighed
"Maybe you are not as strong as I designed you to be, perhaps we should create another"
"NO" came a voice from the door behind Thunderchild "You promised there would be no others with a soul"
"Ah, Kuja, how nice of you to join us" smiled Lawrence
Kuja walked in, he was a genome too but pure evil, something must have gone badly wrong during his creation but it had worked out to the benefit of Lawrence who was equally evil. Kuja scanned Thunderchild briefly and sneered.
"So this was the best you could do? With my DNA!? Ha, it's useless, melt it down and make another"
"She's not useless, why yesterday evening she single-handedly destroyed Gilfon and Tyrent"
Kuja seemed unimpressed, and stood next to Lawrence with his back turned, he murmured something to Lawrence and Lawrence acknowledged it with a nod.
"Ok Mithril, you may go, return to me this evening, I will have more work for you."
Thunderchild walked out, once outside he looked around. He had to escape, but where? He ran, his mind scanning the building around him, he was in that way able to avoid anyone walking past, as he ran down one corridor he suddenly ran into another genome, jumping he turned to run away but something made him look back.
It was Zidane.
He continued walking as if he hadn't even seen Thunderchild.
Strange thought Thunderchild obviously he hasn't got a soul yet
It took him a long time and many dead-ends but finally Thunderchild found a hidden exit, smashing open the door with his physic powers he ran off deep into the forest outside.
Then the memories started to come thick and fast.
Wandering through the forests, running into a bunch of humans who called themselves "The Bandits" Alex and Sam.
Staying with "The Bandits" encountering many creatures along the way, including a foray into another world consisting of strange monsters called Pokemon.
Meeting up with Zidane and the Tantalus crew during that adventure.
All the time fighting that killing urge within him, the urge to destroy and to conquer.