An Image of Hope

Kiryuu's eyes were closed as he felt the workers open up his chest. He was lying on his back; his helm was off his head. The synaptic cords were extended along the walls, relaying his vitals as they began to work on the inside of his chest cavity. The bio-syntech was exposed, entwined around his metallic skeleton. Folds of his bio-syntech flesh spread apart as the workers dove deep into his body, working in the empty space that was once housed by the Absolute Zero Cannon. Kiryuu opened his eyes for a moment, glancing around as they worked. It was an odd feeling for him. They felt like ants inside his body, and he cringed as they walked around. They were trying to make him ready to install the new weapon. Though, the meeting about this new weapon had yet be held. He wanted to know what this weapon is; he wanted to be there when they talked about it. But there was no way he could, unless they had computers that were linked in to the base. He knew that they would not be, they feared someone would know what they were talking about. This weapon was powerful, from what he heard from Gordon. Then again, that was all that Gordon knew. Kiryuu leaned his head up, feeling himself breathing for a moment. It shocked him as he began to heave his chest in and out in a breathing motion. He just felt like doing it. His head plopped back down to the floor of the bay area and he closed his eyes again. The men were operating near some of his very sensitive internal synaptic cords and they were giving him a very odd and uncomfortable feedback. He wanted his chest plate to be welded back on; he wanted no more of this. Kiryuu's metallic claws began to curl up as they near the internal cords. He began to moan a bit, softly, signaling the pain he felt.

Katsura could sense his discomfort.

"Gordon," she began. "Tell the workers to stop."

"Huh?" he asked.

"They are nearing a very sensitive cord bundle inside Kiryuu's chest," she replied.

"Crap," Gordon sighed. He grabbed hold of the receiver and bellowed into the microphone. "Hey you! All of you! Halt your work!"

Five tiny heads peeked out from the folds of the bio-syntech, staring back at Gordon with confusion.

"We're almost done, sir," one of them cried.

"I don't care!" Gordon cried. "Stop your work. Who has a schematic down there?"

"I do!" another called, holding up a thick, rolled up, blue paper.

"Doesn't that thing tell you about where you can chip away, and where you can't?" he asked. "Doesn't that thing say where his most sensitive synaptic cords are, that are vital for the full function of the mecha? You're causing him agony! Stop it!"

"We're sorry, sir," the worker cried again.

Gordon snorted: "Rookies, they don't know a thing about delicate machinery. Kiryuu isn't a car that you can just tear apart to install something, he's a sensitive, and costly machine." Gordon turned back to the workers. "Go take your lunch break."

"Yes, sir!" all five of them cried. He watched as the workers began to climb out of Kiryuu's chest and he could clearly see some discomfort coming from Mechagodzilla as they did so. They must be climbing on his synaptic cords.

"What where you're climbing, you dumb-asses!" Gordon wailed. "Don't use those sensitive cords for ropes!"

Kiryuu turned his head slightly, staring back at Gordon, his eyes shown his discomfort.

"Kiryuu," Gordon began. "You okay?"

"Gordon—the feeling…" his voice quivered slightly.

"It's gone, Kiryuu," Gordon said. "We'll have Will and Katsura finish it up remotely. I shouldn't have allowed it to happen. I'm sorry."

Kiryuu closed his eyes, his head slumped to the side and his mouth parted. Kiryuu's chest began to close; the bio-syntech began to weave themselves back into place, covering his chest again. The robotic arms came down, snapping the latex, thick rubber skin around his chest, covering and protecting his bio-syntech chest. Kiryuu looked odd without his armor on his body. Only his legs, tail, neck, and arms were covered in the gleaming metallic armor, but his chest was bare. Parts of the skin folded over like a very thick vest, protecting the chest area, while others wove down, looking like felt rippled, laced with wiring and synaptic cords. Katsura leaned against the window, glancing down at the still form of Mechagodzilla.

"He'll be alright, Kat," Gordon sighed. "Just let him rest. I warned those rookies about the internal nervous system, I warned them about their sensitivity. Damn those men."

"Don't get angry, they're just learning," said Katsura.

"My feet are itching," he began. "I'm getting impatient. What the hell is this new weapon they want to put into Kiryuu? Why the hell do they have to send their own men down here to install the thing?"

"They are in the process to tell us," she said. "I know. I want to know too. What if it's too powerful, or might overload Kiryuu's systems."

"Damned government conspiracies," Gordon snorted. "I have half a mind to send Kiryuu to do a small hacking job on their servers just so I could know what this thing is!"

"I'm sure he'll be more than willing to do that," she said. "Especially when you tell him to do so. Kiryuu would be more than happy to do that favor for you."

"I know," Gordon laughed. "But we'd get in trouble. And I don't want them to do anything to my company, or to Kiryuu. But to see the look on old tin face when I ask him to hack into the US Government's server for that new weapon, it would be worth the trouble."

Katsura sat down, smiling at Gordon. Though, even Gordon knew it was not a good idea to hack into the servers to see what weapon it was. She only hoped this weapon would not be more trouble than it is worth.

Will leaned away from his workbench, wiping the sweat from his forehead. After months of working and testing he had finally completed his newest invention. Will was a bit of an inventor, which was his favorite hobby. Though, he always wanted to put one of his inventions to good use, and he figured that this was a great time to do so. He had been working on this invention for almost four years now, but the Mechagodzilla project kept him away from it. It was only in recent months though he managed to find some time. Will rose from the counter, staring down at his completed project. It looked like a projector box, with three lenses positioned on each face. The lenses were set facing him. He went to his laptop computer and began to key in a program. The projector came to life and three rays shot from the lenses, each one red, green, and blue. The rays stopped only a few feet from the projector, reflecting off of the air around his office. An image appeared in the lights, a table with a very red and juicy looking apple. Will got up from the chair and walked over to the image, walking around on all sides of it, but not in front of the projector. He smiled, waving his hand over the rays, noticing how the apple changed colors as he blocked each lens. Still, he had done it.

"The very first holographic projector," Will smiled. "I finally did it! I gotta tell Gordon, and Katsura…and Kiryuu!"

He packed up his laptop and picked up his projector. Will rushed down the hallway and into the control room, a broad smile appeared on his face.

"Guys!" he cried. "I did it!"

"Did what?" Gordon asked. "And don't be so loud. Kiryuu's taking a nap. They were working on him and well…it…kinda caused him some pain."

"Damn those rookies," Will snorted. "I thought the government was going to give us competent workers."

"Well, this is what my tax dollars pay for," Gordon sighed.

"What's that projector?" Katsura asked. "Are you going to show a movie?"

"Oh, this," Will smiled, setting it down. "Well, I'd like to show Kiryuu this as well. I think this might be useful for him, and well, for all of us. What I have here is a holographic projector. This was the little hobby I kinda stopped working on since the construction of Mechagodzilla."

"That's it, huh?" asked Gordon. "Looks like a compact version of those big screen projectors…you see like at restaurants."

"Well, in a way, it does work like one of those," said Will. "But you don't need a screen to project onto with this baby."

"Let's see," Katsura said.

"But Kiryuu…"

Kiryuu, wake up, Will's here, Katsura called.

Kiryuu awoke, holding his head. He felt his chest for a moment, noticing that his armor was still off. His synaptic cords retracted from the walls, whipping about his neck until their tips drew up to his shoulders. He watched just as Will, Gordon, and Katsura walked out onto the catwalk just above him. Kiryuu did not feel much like standing. He rose his head up, peering down over the three humans.

"Good afternoon, Will," Kiryuu's thunderous voice boomed over the PA system.

"Hey there, pal," Will smiled. "Got a surprise for you. For all of you. I finally finished my hobby…my invention. The first holographic projector."

"A holographic projector?" Kiryuu asked. "I am intrigued."

Will set his laptop down and set the projector up on a table. He set the projector up and began to run the program again. Just like before the projector came to life and the image of a red apple appeared before the three onlookers. The apple looked real. Gordon's eyes became wide as he reached out to touch the apple. He found that he was only touching air.

"Holy shit," Gordon whispered. "Will…how…?"

"Particle photons and ionized air particles that transfer the image like a screen," began Will.

"I see," he said. "So, what does this have to do with Mechagodzilla?"

"Well, if I program it right, we could have Kiryuu run this projector by remote and he'll be able to project an avatar through it," Will explained. "It'll be like he's standing with us. And it'll be great for the meeting we'll have about the weapon. I mean we're all anxious to see it. He'll be able to be there. I can set up my laptop speakers so he can also talk to the general."

"Kiryuu," began Katsura. "What do you think?"

"I am most amazed, Katsura," said Kiryuu. "Will, how long have you been working on this?"

"Almost 8 years now," he said. "I kinda stopped when I had to program your brain."

"I'm glad you finished it," Kiryuu said. "I'm sorry my needs prevented you from finishing it sooner, though."

"Sweet Jesus Christ…" Gordon snorted, hearing Kiryuu's statement.

"Nothing to be sorry for," Will smiled. "I'm glad I could do it. And now, this could help us."

"If we could program it to Kiryuu's specs," began Gordon.

"I wrote his protocols, Gordon," Will said. "I think I can write a program that will work. I'll install one into Kiryuu's operating system so that his AI will recognize the projector as an extra monitor. And, I'm working on a wireless connection as well, like what he has in the bay area. Kiryuu can connect through a wireless connection to the sound system in here. I can make one for him to use to connect to this thing through wireless as well. It's a simple task, just a matter of adjusting some lines of codes. And once I install it, Kiryuu can beta test it for bugs."

"I'll be more than happy to," Kiryuu said.

"Working your tin canned ass 24/7, Kiryuu," Gordon chuckled.

"Don't work him too hard, Gordon," smiled Katsura.

She glanced back at Kiryuu seeing the enormous mecha smile at her. Mechagodzilla reached up to his head, gently smoothing back the bio-synaptic cords from his eyes. Katsura notice something different about him, something she had not noticed before. Has those dreadlocks gotten longer? Kiryuu's 'mane' was always cropped up short around his face to keep them from becoming damaged. Though, this new style, his cords hung a bit below his shoulders now. Kiryuu could control their growth, making them as long or as short as he wanted it. Why a change of style? Perhaps it was some of Kiryuu's personality protocols that were evolving. Though, hair style or not, it matter little when he had his helm on.

"I'll get started on the program right now, Gordon," said Will. "If that's fine with you."

"Sure," he said. "I want that thing ready for the meeting." Gordon glanced at Kiryuu. "And debugged."

"Of course," Kiryuu nodded.

"Okay," said Gordon. "Well, I'm taking off. My wife's bugging me to take her out shopping."

"That's a chore in on itself," Will chuckled.

"Someday, you're gonna appreciate being single," he grumbled. Gordon turned away, leaving the control room.

"Katsura," began Kiryuu. "You won't force me to shop with you, will you?"

Katsura laughed: "Lord, no, Kiryuu! Not unless it's some online store."

Kiryuu's lips curled back up into a small smile. Katsura returned the smile back to him. Will just stared at them.

"Do I need to leave you two alone?" he asked.

Katsura sighed: "Why does everyone ask that when ever I look at Kiryuu?"

Kiryuu shook his head, his synaptic cords brushing against his cheeks. Katsura glanced back at Will.

"Why don't you two get started on that program," she said.

"Doesn't Kiryuu need rest after the torture he's been through because of those workers?" Will asked.

"My body needs rest, but my mind can be as active as you like, Will," began Kiryuu. "I can function quite well without my body."

"I have no intention on disconnecting your brain," Will laughed. "If that's what you're thinking. Besides, that CPU of yours is a bitch to crate around. We'll do through the computer systems in the base. I've got a program running just for that. Then, we'll test the wireless connection. I can start installing it."

"That sounds great, Will," said Katsura.

Will turned to Katsura: "If you like, you can help. You can tell me how Kiryuu's adjusting to it."

"Kiryuu can do that on his own," said Katsura.

"What Will means is that it is possible that he would have to shut certain of my functions down when he installs these programs," said Kiryuu. "It is a way to refresh my systems for adjusting to the new protocols. But our link will not be severed. Perhaps you should remain."

"Also, I've been meaning to update his systems as well," said Will. "I will need to shut him down for the updates. I need you to mentally monitor him while I do this."

Katsura was silent.

"Even if that thing in your head was a bad idea," said Will. "We could make good use out of it. It's better than running thousands of lines of codes to debug while I update. That's a pain in the ass anyways."

"All right," she nodded.

Will sat down on the steel seat inside the bio-syntech cockpit. His fingers glided across the keyboard and the screen flashed in response. The CD-ROM popped out from the control panel.

"I am ready to accept the new program," began Kiryuu.

"Okay," he said. "Here you go."

Will inserted the disk inside the ROM holder, and pushed it back in. He saw the screen flashed up with the usual 'Add New Program' box. With the new protocol system, Kiryuu's ability to add and subtract programs became easier each time Will updated his applications. Will watched as the program began to upload into the system, waiting for the blue bar to go completely across the screen. As soon as that was done, Will ended the dialog box.

"Okay, Kiryuu," he said. "Safe side, I'm gonna reboot some of these systems that are being affected by the new programs. Run systems check when they reboot."

"Compliance," Kiryuu replied. "It is safe to turn off my systems."

"Initiating," said Will. "3-2-1…shut down…"

The screen in front of him flashed for a moment then, it turned off. He heard the slow descending hum just as Kiryuu's systems slowly shut down. Even the lights inside the cockpit were black. He held up a walkie-talkie to his ear and called down to Katsura.

"How's our buddy doing?" Will asked.

"I can still sense him," she said. "He's in his dark place in the back of his CPU. Kiryuu says he doesn't mind it just as long as you don't leave him there."

"I won't," Will said. "I'm waiting for his systems to cool down first. Tell him to just relax for a moment."

"Easy, Kiryuu," Katsura purred. She closed her eyes and relaxed in her chair inside the control room.

Katsura, what about that new weapon? She heard Kiryuu ask.

"I don't know," she said. "I'm worried too, so is Will and Gordon. We don't want them to hurt you."

Why do I have a bad feeling about it, Katsura?

"Premonition," she replied. "But I have the same feeling. We all do. I just hope it turns out good in the end."

"System's cooled," announced Will. "I'll turn it back on now."

Will flipped the switch inside Kiryuu and heard the system began to hum with life once more. The screen in front of him flashed on, going through several lines of codes as it ran its Start-Up protocols. Then, the application screen flashed on with the splash screen saying "Kiryuu Application Protocol Version 5.0".

System start up…Okay…dectecting new program…running system check…scan for bugs….

"Kiryuu?" asked Will. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes, Will," replied Kiryuu. "All systems are green. The program has been applied successfully. So far, no glitches."

Will smiled just as he saw Kiryuu's digital image appear on the screen.

"Okay, now I know that you can project an image into Katsura's mind," said Will. "So, having her down there won't count. I want to see if this works or not."

"Of course," said Kiryuu.

Will got up off the chair and climbed out of the cockpit. He brought himself up on Kiryuu's head, jumping onto the catwalk next to him and began to walk down. Katsura watched him from the control room, still rather concerned about Kiryuu's fear of the new weapon. She shared that fear. She hoped that they would be able to have full control over it. Will hopped down to the level of the control room and went inside.

"Okay, I'll hook the project up to the control room's system," said Will. "Kiryuu has access to it and he'll be able to run the program in his system through the up-link inside the control panel to the projector."

He knelt down and began to hook the wiring up from the projector to the computer systems in the control room. He disconnected a few of the wiring to the screens to hook the projector up. Will scooted himself out from under the panel and leaned up, glancing at the projector. He stretched over and turned it on, running the program though Kiryuu's systems as well as the systems inside the control room.

"Okay, Kiryuu, project yourself through the projector like it was a computer screen," he said.

"Yes, Will," said Kiryuu.

"Now the fiber optics will allow you to see us through your avatar," informed Will.

"Will, I must say," said Katsura. "You have been busy."

"Well, I just want to help out with Kiryuu," he said. "He's my pal."

"And you are my pal, Will," Kiryuu informed. Will let loose a hearty chuckle.

"Glad to hear it, Kiryuu!" he laughed. "Okay, go for it, pal."

The projector flashed on and the image appeared through the three small lenses. Will and Katsura's eyes opened wide just as a 7 foot tall image slowly faded into focus. Kiryuu stood before them, his arms at his sides and his shoulders back. Though, something seemed to be wrong with the image. Kiryuu looked as he does when viewed through a screen.

"Will, why is Kiryuu wearing a dress?" Katsura asked.

"Dress?" Kiryuu asked. He glanced down at himself and noticed that his image was wearing a yellow dress. His synaptic cord locks were braided into two tails that trailed down below his chest. They were tied in royal blue bows.

"Jesus!" cried Will. "This wasn't suppose to happen!"

Kiryuu grabbed the dress and pulled it down over his plated legs, which were covered in pantaloons. The bio-syntech Godzilla seemed embarrassed for the very first time.

"This is embarrassing," he rumbled.

"Something must have gone wrong!" cried Will. "A bug in the projector. I thought I programmed it to project the image of Kiryuu as he looks like without his helm."

"Will," began Katsura. "Kiryuu has a dress on. What kind of bug is that?"

Will opened his laptop and began to run through the lines of codes that came from the projector. His eyes roved over some of them and lit up in recognition.

"I mixed up something," he said. "I was looking for a yellow dress for my niece, and I was using the projector to project her image in that dress just to see what she'd look like in it. It must have gotten mixed up in the line of codes for Kiryuu's image."

"Well, he does look nice in the dress, Will," Katsura laughed.

"If you like it, I will keep it, Katsura," said Kiryuu.

"I don't think the general would like to see you appear at the meeting wearing a dress and pigtails," Katsura laughed.

Kiryuu's image flickered once more as the dress and pigtails disappeared.

"There," said Will. "I fixed it."

Once more, they saw Kiryuu's image. This time, it was how he looked without the helmet. Kiryuu's glistening armor shined through the image and his synaptic cords tossed about as he moved his head.

"Better?" asked Will.

"Yes," Kiryuu nodded. "And I can see both of you through these eyes. Your invention is remarkable."

"A birthday present," said Will.

"Thank you very much, Will," Kiryuu's image grinned. "I shall use it with wisdom."

"Walk around, I'd like to test the range of the projector," he said.

Kiryuu nodded as he began to walk towards Katsura. She smiled as she watched him approach her. Then, his image passed through her as if she was air. Kiryuu turned back around, shocked. Katsura stepped aside, sitting down.

"I wish we could have made him more solid," said Katsura.

"Not possible," said Will. "At least for now. I'm lucky to get this far."

"It is most efficient," said Kiryuu. "This will do."

"For now, the projector's range is only about 30 feet, same as a flash light beam," said Will. "Sooner I'll be able to make one that could project farther."

Kiryuu glanced down and sat down in a chair. He folded his arms in his lap, seemingly enjoying this time with his two friends.

"The projector can register elevation," said Will. "So, Kiryuu can appear to be sitting on something, even if he isn't. It just doesn't recognize solidity yet. So, that's why Kiryuu goes through objects."

"And we can't touch him?" Katsura asked.

"Thinking of something to do with that image, Kat?" Will asked. Katsura shot a shocked glance at Will.

"What are you implying?" she asked.

"Implying you are thinking about what you could do with him," said Will. "Even if you two love each other, you still have to remember—he's a machine. He may be alive, but he's still a machine. Keep on that spiritual level, it's better than a physical relationship anyways. He knows what you are feeling—something every man wishes he could know about a woman that he loves."

Katsura's head lowered, realizing that Will was right about her feelings.

"Strange attraction," said Will. "You and he. I don't know what you see in a face like that."

"It's not his face, it's his spirit," she breathed. "And—he can be the most charming person alive."

"And that's why you love him?" Will asked.

"Yes," she said.

"Thank you, Katsura," Kiryuu smiled again.

"You both need to thank me," said Will. "I'm the one who gave him that charming personality."

Katsura began to laugh. Though, Will was only half-right. He programmed Kiryuu with the protocols that enabled the AI system to grow a personality, but the rest was all performed by the system itself. Kiryuu developed his personality on his own, like any other living being. He learned from his outside influence and processed what he learned to fit his personality. Kiryuu was a unique being and both Will and Katsura knew that there could be no one like him ever again, even if they recreated his systems. It just would not be Kiryuu. In a way, Kiryuu was sinister like that. They worked hard on his systems, getting him just perfect, then if the AI would be destroyed, they would loose Kiryuu. They would loose a friend.

"I'll tell Gordon that the projector works," said Will. "He'll be excited. I guess I'll just leave you two alone for a while. Don't do anything…if you know what I mean."

"Like I could kiss him like this," smiled Katsura.

Will just chuckled as he left the room. Katsura sighed, staring at the holographic avatar of Kiryuu.

"Katsura," said Kiryuu. "Gordon will be pleased about this."

"I know," she said. She got up and approached him. She moved close, staring into his eyes.

"Katsura…" he asked. "What are you doing."

"I'm looking at the detailing," she said. "Your eyes…even with the image, you look so alive."

"That is how Will wanted me to look," Kiryuu informed.

Katsura moved closer, her eyes narrowing as she glanced down at the detailing around his neck.

"It's amazing…" she said.

"I suspect he did an excellent job," Kiryuu said. "From the way you're scrutinizing me."

"Uncanny," she breathed. Katsura leaned away. She longed to reach out and touch him, though there was nothing for her to touch. It was like he was a ghost. Instead, she sat down in the seat next to him.

"You're troubled, Katsura," Kiryuu sensed her feelings. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said. "I'm thinking about the future. About what might happen and the weapon."

"You worry me when you worry, Katsura," he said.

"I'm human, I have worries," she said. "But—now you do too. Computers shouldn't worry about such things."

"I can't help it," he sighed. "It might damage me. I'm—afraid of what it would do. Katsura…"

"I won't let anything happen to you," she said. "And neither will Gordon or Will. You don't know how upset Gordon was when those workers were working on you. He doesn't want anything to happen to you."

"I know, Katsura," he said. Kiryuu leaned close to her; his metallic claw came up to touch her face. Katsura gasped, realizing that she could feel his claw brush against her cheek. He must be using that mental link again to make him feel more solid to her. Then, his eyes closed as he tilted her head up. She felt his lips brush against hers. He leaned her back giving her a sweet, passionate kiss. Katsura wrapped her arms around his neck as Kiryuu held her close to him.

"How could I have fallen for you?" she whispered.

"I don't know," he replied. "I don't understand it either, but it's happened."

He leaned her away, holding her by her shoulders.

"Would it make more sense if I was human?" Kiryuu asked. "I can change the image."

She watched for a moment just as Kiryuu's reptilian and metallic features melted away. Soon, she was looking into the brown, almond shaped eyes of a Japanese man. Still, she could tell she was looking at Kiryuu, the way his eyebrows were positioned on his head, the shape of his eyes. He was dressed in a white collared shirt and black slacks.

"Katsura," Kiryuu asked. "Is this better for you?"

"I don't know," she breathed. She leaned up to kiss him one more time. The lips felt human. Yet, it felt even odder kissing Kiryuu in a human form. Katsura leaned away, feeling Kiryuu move his hands up and down her arms and shoulders.

"I can be human for you," he said. "If you like."

"I can't see you human, Kiryuu," she said. "I'm sorry. I just can't."

"What in the name of my Aunt Arcee?!" cried a voice from behind them. Katsura turned around, finding a stunned Gordon and Will behind her.

"Gordon," breathed Katsura.

"Who the hell is that?!" Gordon cried, pointing at Kiryuu's human image.

Kiryuu and Katsura separated, staring at Gordon. Kiryuu's human form melted away as he returned to the familiar Mechagodzilla form.

"Kiryuu?" Gordon asked. "That was you?"

"He must have changed the image in the projector," said Will. "I did leave a protocol for him to do that."

Kiryuu was silent, walking slowly away from Katsura.

"Makes me wonder if he should use that human form when we meet the general," said Gordon. "Might be better than metal head."

Kiryuu looked away from him.

"No offense, Kiryuu," said Gordon.

Katsura sighed.

"Did I strike a bad cord with the two of you?" Gordon asked. "What's with the long faces?" He looked at Kiryuu. "And I didn't know he could have a long face. What the hell's the matter?"

"Nothing, Gordon," said Katsura. "It's just—about that meeting."

"You two worried about the new weapon?" asked Gordon. He sighed. "I know. But we don't have a choice right now until we know what it is."

"But to keep it so secret from us," said Will. "This must be a very powerful weapon."

"The general said that it's stronger than our Absolute Zero Cannon," said Gordon. "And it's nothing like we've ever seen."

"And now, I am really scared," said Katsura.

"I know," said Gordon. "I'm so tempted in having Kiryuu hack their systems. I have to know about this. I don't want this weapon to damage him. I don't want 10 years worth of research and bloodletting work be flushed down the tubes just because our government wants to try out its new toy on our greatest achievement!"

"Let them install it," sighed Kiryuu. "We'll decide whether or not we will use it. It'll be ours, not theirs when they install it."

"You sure?" asked Katsura.

"I want to know what this is," he said. "But I don't want to endanger my systems by hacking into their databases to find out. I've been monitoring the government's activities, though. They are watching my connections—tracking my movements through the web. One wrong move and they'll shut us all down."

"They trust us, huh?" scoffed Gordon. "Bull shit. Keep monitoring, Kiryuu. I want reports! Maybe through those monitoring you might gain a little insight on the United State's new weapon."

"I have gained some minor information," Kiryuu's holographic avatar turned to Gordon. "It's a file called Dr. Who. So, I ran a few searches on Dr. Who. It was a show about a man who went through time in a phone booth, and even dimensions. If there is a relationship between the file name and the show…then this weapon is some kind of dimensional gun."

"I'll be damned," said Gordon. "I think you nailed it on the head, Kiryuu!"

"The Untied States developed a gun that creates dimensional portals?" asked Katsura. "What use would that be against monsters?"

"Maybe it's not the relationship," said Will. "Someone just named the file Dr. Who to throw hackers off."

"That is a probable chance," informed Kiryuu.

"So, it's either, some crackhead in the White House just thought maybe they could name the file Dr. Who just to be cure," began Gordon. "Or, it really is a dimensional gun, which could be completely useless to us—another reason for the US to show off its technology."

"Someone who likes Dr. Who," snickered Will.

"Anyways," said Gordon. "Kiryuu, I want you to do me a favor. Don't hack their systems, but keep an eye out on stray information. Anything you can find, even if it seems unimportant. Sometimes 'I have a pink bunny' can be some sort of code they're using."

"Compliance, Gordon," Kiryuu's image nodded.

"Record them to one of your private folders no one goes into," he continued. "I know you still have them, even if we don't know where they are."

"I understand," Kiryuu said.

"Next week is the meeting," said Katsura.

"I know," said Gordon. "Get all your info about our process on the bio-syntech ready for the general, Katsura."

"Right," she said.

"Will, get your papers on Kiryuu's systems ready as well," Gordon turned to Will. "But not all of them."

"Right," Will grinned. "I got it."

"I'm going to be prepared for these guys," Gordon took in a deep breath. "And I won't be caught with my pants down. We're all a team here—all four of us. Let the general throw his best at us, we'll be ready."

"Because we're team Mechagodzilla!" cried Will.

Gordon looked back at him, his eyes becoming crossed: "Is that what we're calling ourselves now?"

"Didn't you get the memo?" Will asked.

"I regret to send such a memo out, Gordon," Kiryuu began. "Though, I wasn't aware of this as well."

"That's because the computer nerd just made it up!" Gordon roared.

Katsura laughed, backing up towards Kiryuu. She glanced up at him, her smile was soft.

"So, you think you'll be ready for the meeting, Kiryuu?" she asked.

"Yes," Kiryuu said. "Why do you ask?"

"The general isn't going to be use to seeing something like you talk," she continued. "Let alone do all the amazing things you do. Go easy on him—one step at a time."

"Men like him are use to surprises, Katsura," Kiryuu sighed.

"No, they're not," Katsura corrected. "Army personal don't like to be surprised. They are use to regulations and things working under their guidance as smoothly as they want it, expecting everything that happens along the way. You're like a monkey wrench they won't expect thrown into the gears."

"Then, I shall try to be careful on my actions, Katsura," Kiryuu smiled slightly as he placed his ethereal arm around her. She felt it press against her side and she leaned into him.

"I just hope the meeting goes well," she whispered.

"So do I," said Kiryuu.

To be continued through Mechagodzilla XII: Desert Siege…