REASONS
"This all started years ago, after I lost my only child, my daughter. She died of an illness I couldn't cure; she was the only one I have left and she meant everything to me." The old doctor started but after that he stopped. A moment of silence and he pursed his old lips and continued this time with a wan voice.
"Even though I had watched her die, I could not accept it and later on I had dedicated my study on human resurrections and cryogenic technology in hopes and attempts of reviving her.
"I did not forget about my daughter…or rather I couldn't forget. After her death a question always nagged me: 'You call a child who lost his or her parents an orphan, you call a man who lost his spouse a widower and a woman who lost hers, a widow…then what do you call a parent who lost their child?'" Dr. Bosconovitch looked sadly at Lars and said "Is there any word for that?"
"And so I built Alisa. Years ago I was forced to labor for the Mishima Zaibatsu. I didn't have a choice back then but later on it worked to my advantage on building Alisa, I suppose that was the only reason why for the past years being forced to work for the Mishima Zaibatsu was a little bearable to me; the Zaibatsu's robotic research facility has all the latest cutting-edge technologies and I exhausted all those to build Alisa including all my findings in my previous researches …" Dr. Bosconovitch faded and he entered a few moments' contemplation and continued "…no, not just technology and my findings… I poured my heart and soul into it. Love. Yes. I made her with love." He said rather more to himself than to Lars.
"I made Alisa to be outwardly indistinguishable to my daughter. But for me that wasn't enough; I programmed her with my daughter's likes, dislikes, her mannerisms and actions and all the memories I had with her. It was an amazing success. If people hadn't known my daughter had died, you would say that Alisa is my daughter.
"I remember it so well when Alisa first woke up. It was on that day, years ago, when my daughter died in her sleep. There was only a few seconds left before the progress bar was completely full. When it beeped signaling its completion….she opened her eyes….smiled at me and called me papa….
"I was so happy. It was if my daughter just fell into a deep sleep and woke up.
"After that, Alisa lived with me in the Zaibatsu's research facility. She was like a new born infant at first; she knew nothing of the world, but slowly she began learning. If you'd seen her then, oh she grew more and more adorable every passing day. Even if it was just Alisa and me, in a bland environment…we were a family. I was a father again to a lovely child." Dr. Bosconovitch once again fell silent for a few moments, and then he added, once again, more to himself "It was more than I could ask for. That was more than enough."
"However…there were things that gave me signs that it wasn't meant to be…I should've known."
"Signs?" Lars asked, though already having a hunch what it was.
The old doctor nodded and his aged and knotted hands quivered and he clenched them, he sighed, his eyes behind his thick grimy glasses looked very exhausted than before.
"When the new leader of the Mishima Zaibatsu came to power, Kazama Jin, the once dormant military research facility was once again on its feet…and I would be reprimanded for using the facilities for my own needs, not the Zaibatsu's requirements. If they found out about for what purpose I had built Alisa, I know they would regard her as rubbish in terms of military ammunition and weaponry. It only meant that they would dispose of her." Dr. Bosconovitch paused again and this time, Lars saw, looked suddenly angry. "Is it so wrong to feel the joy of being a father again? Is that so bad? I always wondered if they have ever lost a child, an only child. I wondered have they ever felt watching their own child die with their own eyes when you stood by and there was nothing you could do."
For a few more moments, Dr. Bosconovitch was incensed in silent anger. Lars could not offer any tactful words to ease the tension of the circumstance.
"I wasn't afraid if they would kill me…" he said in a weary voice. "I am old, I lived my life and I'm not afraid of death and if it wasn't for me the Zaibatsu wouldn't be so confident in taking on the entire world." Dr. Bosconovitch gave out a small, humorless laugh and continued "…But Alisa…Alisa is my child, no matter what other people say that she's a robot, a machine that's built … android or not, produced not conceived, created not born… but to me, she is my daughter. They were going to take my lovely child away from me…I do not want that to happen….
"So, I have to make it look like I had made her for the Zaibatsu's leader….
"That purpose had not raised a question why I had made Alisa in the image of my daughter. Of course, it was the perfect cover story: I had kept her in the most secretive room of the facility and I had exhausted and used every equipment up to their limit. Alisa was the very epitome of how advance the Mishima Zaibatsu research facility could be; she was the heart and soul of my research. No one had raised a question why I had used my daughter's image and why not a faceless machine devoid of any emotion."
"I placed her once again in her clear capsule to install several programs that are required in combat and serve Kazama Jin without question and kill without discernment…
"I remember the time when I placed Alisa back into her capsule; she told me that everything was going to be alright. She so naïve, so innocent; she doesn't know the situation she was in.
"I thought I was going to break…for the first time in years being forced to work in the Zaibatsu. Their death threats, their guns, their power…none of it scared me…but the thought of taking Alisa away from me or making her into a weapon…It was unbearable.
"But I had no choice. As always.
"I was very angry at myself; I wanted to protect her from everything that could harm her. Yet, there I was making her a weapon that I know would hurt her more deeply. I thought of myself as an incompetent father: I couldn't do anything about my wife years ago, I couldn't save my daughter from an illness when everyone calls me 'doctor'…and now I couldn't save Alisa." He paused for a moment. "I think I don't deserve to be called a father at all…a creation that I made with love was now a mere object for spreading someone else's hate." Dr. Bosconovitch told himself (There he goes again. Lars thought).
Lars wanted to say something that would quell the sadness and guilt of Dr. Bosconovitch but before he could open his mouth, Dr. Bosconovitch started once again.
"Even if she was now installed with software required for combat…I kept track of everything. Even she is now regarded more like a new type of gun; I still made sure that program would be removed someday. I had hoped that when all of those things would be over, somehow, we can go back to being a family again…."Dr. Bosconovitch's voice once again faded. He sighed as though collecting himself. Lars waited patiently as he watched the old doctor remove his grimy glasses and wiped them with his lab coat.
"An old fool's hope." He said while wiping them. The glasses' cleanliness had not improved even one bit but he placed them back on his face regardless and continued.
"I have to make it very believable that Alisa was created to protect the Mishima Zaibatsu's CEO and even parrot it herself. I made it look like that I made Alisa for Kazama Jin's protection and the Mishima Zaibatsu's benefit; everything she hears, sees, and interactions with other people, all of it are routed to the Mishima Zaibatsu's central mainframe archives and also to Kazama Jin.. It wasn't meant for information gathering, it was my way of keeping track of her … it was a way of watching over my daughter. Even though I can't do anything…at least, I can see what's happening to Alisa…."
"The additional software I had installed could only be activated by Kazama Jin's voice print. Even when her safe mode is deactivated her initial program is still running. I didn't completely install it as a permanent program in her system, when activated, it's only a façade. A plain acting that she's under his control."
"Which means?" Lars asked the reason still a little vague for his understanding.
"This means that she is still conscious of what the command is making her do. This means she is still completely aware of the person she is fighting against. When she was forced to fight you… the fighting software became incompatible with her initial programming. For the briefest moment, her 'safe mode' went back after you defeated her for the first time. It wasn't only of the hits you delivered, but she also fought against it. That software is temporary; it is a foreigner in her main system. The command given was clear, the program processed it well in her system…but she didn't want to. It was like being pulled apart by horses in opposite directions.
"Bit by bit the program was crashing. Alisa identified who you really are. However, she was still forced to fight. And in the end…"
Dr. Bosconovitch's voice trailed away. He swallowed and continued. "The fighting software finally crashed. Her initial programming prevailed…if given the choice; Alisa could've just disobeyed that command and still fight by your side. That software I had installed for combat…the moment she was forced to fight you…contradicted her initial programming. I did not expect the person that she least of all wanted to wound…was the person she's forced to kill.
"It was an internal struggle for her. That software, made her fight you and it…was giving her that emotional burden: guilt. That ordeal resulted to such stress on her CPU. Alisa's programming wasn't built to harbor such stress and she wasn't made for combat to begin with. And altogether…she shut down…."
After those three words where said, silence fell. Lars cast his gaze at the floor and was once again reminded of that event. Having heard of Dr. Bosconovitch's reasons on why he had made Alisa and on how he had felt about making her into a weapon made him angry again at Jin. So many lives were destroyed and so many families were torn in order to achieve his goal…despite the sacrifice he had made…he just couldn't help it…
I'm no saint to judge him. I'm no saint to judge him. He quietly repeated to himself in his head. Gradually, his anger dissipated and was reminded on the hatred Jin took on himself to save the world and getting rid of the Devil Gene in him…on how much he had suffered.
"I apologize for that combat programming which was very inconvenient and unkind to you." Dr. Bosconovitch said, brining Lars back from his reverie, now looking at him and smiling lightly. "I know that program made you to make hard decisions."
"In the line of duty there are hard decisions I need to make on the spot or else the result would be more deaths of my troops; it was…nothing new…" Lars replied truthfully, not wanting to give Dr. Bosconovitch another reason to blame himself. "I'm sorry for hitting Alisa." He added.
"I'm sure my little girl understood. The thing is it nearly cost you your life."
"It was always like that. It doesn't matter now. What's done is done. I'm still alive."
Dr. Bosconovitch looked at him for a moment. "I'm sorry Mr. Alexandersson; I don't wish to burden you with my guilt and problems. Please do pardon an old man's droning complaints."
"There's nothing to apologize, doctor. It was only natural that you want to do something to save Alisa, there's nothing wrong with that."
"Thank you for saying that. But on the contrary, it makes me frustrated sometimes that my creations which I've intended neither for good nor evil fall unto the wrong hands."
Lars looked at the Dr. Bosconovitch, at a loss of what to say. Dr. Bosconovitch went back on stroking Alisa's hair looking very despondent as Lars retreated in contemplation. Throughout their conversation, the old doctor had a habit of talking more to himself than to Lars; it was obvious that the Mishima Zaibatsu's research laboratory had no sentient in it that the old doctor had no means of having a meaningful conversation such as family and love. He had been very happy having Alisa; she was his source of life and soul in an inert environment where he was trapped for years. Lars breathed in slowly. Another difficult choice, but he has to. He had numerous experiences of these kinds of situations in the combat zone, but in this case, it felt heavier. Sadder. Lonelier.
"Dr. Bosconovitch…is it alright with you if I could at least be with Alisa…for just a few moments… after she's reactivated…I would like to talk to her….there's something very important I would like to say to her before she goes home with you."
"Goes home with me? Oh no, I'm not here to take Alisa back. I came here for you, Mr. Alexandersson."
"Me?" Lars said, slightly surprised.
"Yes. You. Alisa told me so much about you." Dr. Bosconovitch said, peering at him over his grimy glasses, smiling lightly.
"When..?" Lars asked in confusion; he couldn't recall Alisa meeting with her father personally at that time they were together.
"In Alisa's every waking moment, everything is routed to Kazama Jin…and also to my private computer system. The Zaibatsu's CEO can access Alisa's interactions and gather information, but Alisa can only access the internet, the Zaibatsu's archives, the files but she cannot access any information on the user; a one-sided communication. She cannot interact. What does the CEO care about what Alisa thinks or wants to talk about? But for my personal computer system…it also works the other way around." Dr. Bosconovitch explained. "Chatting, video messaging, live webcast for example."
Lars stared at the doctor, and then looked at Alisa. Alisa's lips, even though static for months, looked as if its corners were slightly curled, as if giving a small, proud smile, as if she had been eavesdropping on their conversation. He looked up again at Dr. Bosconovitch who was looking at him; he was also giving a small, rather sheepish smile. He felt blood rushing up to his face. Wonder what Alisa had said about him that made her father smile like that?
"All the things she's been saying to me about you made me want to meet you. I've never seen her so happy." Dr. Bosconovitch said still wearing that small sheepish smile. He suddenly looked stern, folded his arms, and gave a 'back-off-or-else-I'll-bite-you-in-the-nose' look. "But I'm sorry; I'm not the type of father who would just approve any boy my daughter shows me."
"Now you know my reasons why I made Alisa that way and why I love her. Now tell me yours."
A/N: This is the part where it sounds like Chobits….this was supposedly to be uploaded 2 weeks ago, but the pc and laptop broke down…so…anyway, please review. I'd appreciate it. Chapter 4's coming up.
made some corrections (03/26/'10) sorry...
