"It was my father who encouraged me to learn Japanese before he died. I don't know why exactly but I did so and completed the course in three years. I became rather popular because of it thanks to the underground anime bootlegging stuff which I was beginning to dip my toes in at a time. I've even translated a few movies" Journal dated 1998.
October 9th 1999. Toronto.
The room smelled of old cardboard and plastic. Down one of the store Isle's was a man around 20. He had dark brown shaggy hair with steely blue eyes. He was also healthy, skinny and wearing blue jeans and a red shirt with a logo on the back. 'KLAATU: 3:47 E.S.T' read and showed a sun with a face. Jacob continued looking about the video store, his eyes drifting from VHS to Laserdisc to the new DVD format which was expressive as hell. Moving up a row of tapes on shelves he saw a shrink-wrapped box set which had caught his eye. It had 4 women of varying visual design and hair styles in slick power armor. Crouching down he pulled the set out. The price was around 100 and there were eight VHS in total of the main series and a spare VHS for some special stuff. You've been hearing the enemies name for sometime now mainly at conventions and other anime fans. He'd been incognito looking for for the past few weeks now and here it was in his hands.
Jacob boyishly grinned. "Subbed and for a nice price how can I not" he muttered to himself standing up with the box in hands.
Moving to the cash he was met by a woman in her mid 20s. She had dark brown hair and gleaming green eyes.
She then scanned the object. "That will be 100 dollars" she informed him.
Jacob pulled out the cash. "Have a nice day" He said his wallet felt much lighter but that was offset by the boxset.
The woman smiled as he left. Hopefully he enjoys it. She thought as the store then fell quiet.
Only 5 blocks and his apartment was only on the fifth floor. Parking he hauled the small set up to the two bedroom apartment. His roommate was out on a family trip in the heart of the country so Jacob was alone as he slowly closed the door behind him. Stepping across the wooden floor to the living area he laid the shrink wrapped box onto the coffee table.
"Heavy little things aren't ya" He thought aloud as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Quickly carrying the shrink wrap away he tossed it into the wastebasket. Now for the popcorn and Pepsi. He thought quickly moving to the kitchen. It was very small and not much room but he maneuvered expertly having lived in the apartment for sometime. Sliding a bag of popcorn in the microwave he said the timer and let it go. Moving to the fridge he grabbed a bottle of Pepsi and poured it into a cup. Setting the full cup on the table he heard the microwave ding. Grabbing the popcorn he slid tape one in. Turning on the TV he began to watch. Hopefully the hype was worth it.
October 10th 1999.
He had watched the first episode before going to bed. He had slept rather well knowing his expectations had been met and hopefully the series would continue on that upward trajectory. Now he was driving down the road in his car on a busy city street. It was early morning and his job was about 12 blocks away and he was reasonably on time. He was currently behind a red pickup truck with the exhaust sticking up rather than under and out the back of the truck. Odd but I've seen crazier. He thought, waiting patiently. The engine of the truck had been modified from what he could hear and it sounded a bit much. For the country he could understand but for the city it was a bit unreasonable. Reaching for the radio turned the knob.
"In better news the abnormal weather we've been having for the past few days has finally calmed down. Everything is due to return to normal by the end of the day" News reporter said before he quickly switched off. Glancing up at the overcast sky made him shiver.
The light flashed green and the two began moving through the intersection. Suddenly a honking sounded loudly from the right. He looked to see a semi truck barrelling towards him. His eyes widened in terror as the truck raced towards him. He didn't have time to react when the truck slammed into him, sending the car spinning into a street lamp. His whole body was thrown forward hitting himself on the steering wheel. The breath was suddenly knocked out of him as it had collided with the dash. There was a loud cracking sound and then total blackness.
The first thing he could hear was his heart beating. Slowly opening his eyes he noticed green in front of him. Looking around he saw he was in a bathroom stall but there was something strange about it. The whole stall looked as if it was drawn on an animation stand. Rubbing his eyes he looked again to see no change.
"Ok this is fucked" He muttered softly.
Slowly he touched the wall feeling the metal surface despite its hand drawn appearance it felt absolutely normal. Shaking his head he looked at his jeans to find them also hand drawn. A lot of the detail has been replaced by hatching and even simpler methods at producing the effect of texture. Slowly he pulled himself from the bathroom floor and opened the stall door. Taking a few deep breaths he felt absolutely fine. He stepped towards the window only to see his whole body had changed. His face is almost entirely smooth with most of the detail gone. His eyes were still blue and hair was still brown but a lot of it had been cut and was less hairy in a sense.
He looked at his animated self and grimaced. "Must've slipped into a coma..." he commented, turning on the water.
Slipping his hands underneath the water he felt the chill and his gut began twisting. A slow nagging feeling began creeping from the back of his mind as he washed his own hands clean. Splashing some water on his face only caused his nagging feeling to grow even worse. Leaning closer to the window he inspected his forehead.
Pushing the hair away he was surprised to see nothing out of the ordinary. "Neat" was he could muster.
Walking towards the door he exited the bathroom. Outside he found he was in a restaurant. It was a fast food joint that was rather empty. Stepping out from the hallway he could hear noises from the kitchen of people working.
Every word said made him raise an eyebrow. "Boomers aren't that bad, it's just a few defective models" The words were said in Japanese which he understood flawlessly. The term 'Boomer' he could've swore he heard before.
There was a snort. "Sure there are and I'm Paul McCartney" Another person said sarcastically in Japanese.
Jacob peeked to see more animated people talking amongst themselves. Each of them had enough detail to hold up in HD but not enough to be overwhelming to the eyes. Backing up to the front door Jacob exited without even being noticed. The sky was dark and the only illumination was from the brilliant shining city lights. Beginning down the street his eyes swept across everything he could possibly see. every sign was in Japanese but also had an English tacked on as well. People moved about wearing clothes not too far off from his own. Most of it was pretty casual stuff aside from the occasional man or woman wearing a suit and the odd person wearing something so odd he couldn't even describe it. There's something strangely familiar about all this. He thought the nagging feeling growing even more harder to ignore. Rounding a street corner he saw a club. People were filing into the building like ants to a hill. Reaching into his pocket he found his wallet still there and grimaced. He was definitely gonna need cash. The cool night air brushed up against his skin as he looked from side to side.
Then an idea came to mind. "I could liberate some yen from the drunkards" He mused to himself aloud as he crossed the road.
He didn't want to risk starving to death in case this wasn't a coma. Reaching the entrance he slipped in with a crowd of people completely avoiding paying. He saw a poster and at first was confused by it. He'd seen it before and was growing more weary. Priss and the replicants. Christ, my mind must have plopped me in Mega-Tokyo. He thought pinching himself only to feel the brief pain. He shook it off. Inside there was a stage at the far wall and the place had two levels. One called the stage floor and the other was the dining area. Stick to the low end. He told himself as he melded into the crowd. It was a strong presence of cigarette smoke along with some weed mixed in. He shuffled through the crowd and swiped yen after yen slowly building up a collection. Making sure to take breaks he could see from the corner of his eye a bad beginning to take the stage. The leader caught his full attention. Her shoulder length blond hair (which got darker the more it got to the shoulders) in the style of Priss from Blade runner and had a short black mini-skirt, tan leggings, black boots, red sleeves and a red top with absolutely no bra underneath.
"Good to know nothings changed" He sarcastically remarked as the crowd began going nuts.
Counting the cash he had he realized he accumulated at least a couple hundred in yen. A few extra hundred and he would probably be able to check into a hotel or he could be the cheapskate and crash at the homeless shelter. Pocketing the cash he remained rooted. He could at least enjoy the show.
It was then Priss began to sing. To his surprise it was more intense than what he'd seen on tape. "On the stormy highway. You were spinning in the lonely night. Elusive dreams, memories of yesterday. Was my way of life. The howling wind strips them all away!" The other band members followed in the backing vocals.
Jacob watched, surprised at the live rawness of it all. It wasn't as polished as the studio version and certainly didn't have the power of the Beatles rooftop performance. He bought the bootleg of it back in 97. Suddenly he felt somebody bumping into him from behind. Jolting forwards he looked back and nearly choked on his own breath. Black hair held up in its position by a yellow headband and light blue eyes much like Jacob's. She wore yellow pants and a green shirt. Her dress shirt was on her shoulder as she also had suspenders more or less for style. Linna Yamazaki. It clicked for him like two lego blocks being put together.
She looked a bit startled but his face held no annoyance or anger. "S-sorry I'm trying to get closer to the stage" She stuttered.
Jacob nodded. "Let me help. These places can get a bit rowdy, especially when she's singing" He jutted his thumb to the stage.
Linna nodded in agreement. They began slowly making their way through the crowd. "What's your name?" She asked him as they moved.
"Jacob Wilson, just a nomad" He responded casually.
A nomad eh?. Linna thought, seeing a deeper reason behind his eyes. A mix between 'I don't fucking know' and 'I'm trying not to have a fucking mental breakdown' looks in his eyes. She also noticed his Japanese is pretty good for a foreigner his age.
She nodded. "So what brings ya to Mega-Tokyo?" She inquired.
Jacob shrugged. "Dunno, just fell though everywhere else till I landed here. Arrived last night. I had to sleep in a fucking bathroom stall" He laughed.
Linna winced. She couldn't imagine herself sleeping like that. "Must've been hard," She paused, noticing he had brought in her almost a dead front of the stage in clear sight of Priss. She couldn't help but think if he knew what she had truly wanted. "Thank you, how did ya know?" She asked him.
He faked confusion but she wasn't buying it. He could see it on her face. "Am I in a coma?" He asked her to her confusion.
Linna shook her head wondering what he was all about. "Did you hit your head or something?" A bit of concern crept in her.
She watched Jacob go pale and then slapped himself in quick succession. He looked at her with terrified eyes and then spoke softly. "O-oh god" He looked sick as he then turned to avoid looking at her.
Before she could even say a word he began moving back to the crowd towards the exit. On the way he bumped into an older man who was also on his way out.
"S-sorry," Jacob said, rushing through the door like a madman. He began down the street as the man he bumped into meters away to the nearest payphone. He looked and saw him more clearly. Quickly looking forward he raced down the road. "I can't believe this is real!" He cursed as he continued walking.
Back in the club Linna was on the way out as she remembered Jacob's terrified expression. She continued up the stairs seeing Sylia's red truck. She now had a job to do. Pushing Jacob from her mind she reached Sylia.
"Priss ain't gonna like this. She'll be mad like a bull" Linna said to Sylia who waited.
The leader of the Knight Sabers was currently somewhere else in her mind not really paying much attention to the words being said. Her dark blue hair and brown eyes glinted brilliantly in the dim light.
She placed a cigarette in her mouth. "There's something highly unusual about this Boomer. We must be cautious" She said her focus on destroying the monster.
She herself was slightly augmented thanks to her father before his demise at the hands of Brian J Mason. It was her father's desire to have those punished for his death and the misuse of the boomers he created. The daughter fighting the fathers sons and daughters... it was Linna which pulled her from her thoughts.
"Here comes Priss. We've got a boomer to fry" She said hopping in through the back.
Sylia nodded. Priss then stepped to the side of the red truck. "Some days I really think those fuckers have it out for me" She cursed before moving into the back compartment.
So do I Priss. More than you can possibly imagine. Sylia thought grimly mused. She began taking the truck down the road, closing the window she activated the police scanner. Pushing all of her thoughts to the back of her mind she focussed on the job ahead.
He had been sitting outside the burger joint for what seemed to be an hour. His head was swimming in a sea of doubt and frustration. He was probably the only person in history to make a burger last so long. He felt like his head had been slammed up against the wall by a muscle headed brute. He gazed up towards the starry night sky, what little of the stars he could see he treasured their presence. It was like a painting which still needed to be completed. Bringing his days down to half eaten hamburger he took a small bite. He had to make it worth his money. He honestly felt sick. He wasn't in a coma, he was awake and alive in Mega-Tokyo in 2032!. How such a thing was possible was beyond him. All he could remember before passing out was banging his head on the dash of his car, but yet there was no trace of it. It wasn't even sore. Continuing to eat he looked aimlessly about the place. The smells, lights and grimy nature fitted the aesthetic he had seen on the TV. If only I had had a first generation film print. He thought knowing it would've held the most detail. He cursed himself for not watching the entire thing in one night. His tiredness would most likely be the death of him.
He grimaced. "Fucking brilliant isn't it?" He said aloud to himself.
There was no response. He then returned to eating as if it hadn't happened at all. The low humming of a motorcycle engine began growing closer. Jacob paid it no mind as he continued eating and drinking. His hands lightly shaking as he took more bites of his food. Then a red motorcycle came into the parking lot. Glancing Jacob's expression darkened. Of the places I had to be here. He thought seeing Priss. She parked close and dismounted. Taking off her helmet her brown hair fell loose. Her red eyes found him sitting and eating. She recognized him as the one that brought Linna close to the stage. The same man that left in a fright.
Both my eyes for only a second. The boy quickly turned his eyes away and continued eating. "Food tastes like somebody ran it out of a tube sock" he commented before falling silent.
Priss was taken aback by the comment as she strode to the door. "Thanks for the warning" She said before entering.
Finishing his meal he stood and tossed what was left in the trash. Any minute Leon would be here and he sure as hell didn't wanna be around when that happened. Not because he disliked the officer but because the last people that knew what he looked like the better he felt. Marching across the street he moved onto the sidewalk and began whistling as he walked. Tomorrow I might just swing by silk doll. He mused as he walked. He didn't exist in this world and we need all the help we could get. Possibly the only person who could help him was in a war against the evil corporation Genom. Jacob sighed, explaining his story wasn't gonna be easy. Something he would have to think about before he would get to the hotel.
No less than five minutes later Priss exited the restaurant to see a A.D police officer wearing a black jacket and blue jeans step off his own motorbike. She stepped to her bike leaning against it as she ate.
Leon recognized her. "Pirss!, I saw most of your show... had to bail to deal with a boomer who ended up being taken care of by those Knight Sabers" He said unintentionally rambling.
Priss kept silent. She'd heard about Leon from Nene. A bit head strong but not as corruptible as others. He was a clean cop all things considered. A miracle. She sarcastically thought.
Leon saw she was eating and knew asking her to eat with him was out of the question. "So what do you think of the Knight sabers?" He asked her opinion.
Priss smirked sassily. "Actually competent at their jobs. They also look good in armour" She said after finishing eating.
She mounted her motorbike and fitted her helmet on. Leon nodded in agreement.
"Can't argue there. I'd love to get my hands on Mason and wring his neck for all the people that got killed by his boomers" He muttered before walking inside of the restaurant.
Priss agreed only silently. Backing up she started the motorcycle. Turning it around she raced towards home.
The next day.
The sound of car horns stirred him back to reality. Jacob groaned meekly as he pulled himself from the bed. Sitting on the edge he glanced up to the mirror seeing his new self. He was still in Mega-Tokyo. Continuing to stare at his naked flesh he narrowed his eyes in anger. If you had gone faster he would've never been here. He continued staring at himself, his stomach beginning to turn and twist violently. Something suddenly snapped inside of him and he lunged for the mirror slamming his fist into the center of it. There was a loud cracking sound and the whole thing just came apart. Blood began trailing from his knuckles as he felt tears running down his face. Staggering back to the bed he sat back down and continued to weep. It's all my fault. He lamented his grim fate. Looking down to his left hand he saw the glass had left its mark. After a minute he stood and walked to the shower. Trailing blood as he went he slowly prepared the shower. Looking at himself in the bathroom mirror he sighed. How in the hell was he gonna convince Sylia and the others of his story?. Today would begin a good chunk of the first episode so he did have plenty of time. But after this would be a complete blank slate for him. He would be pretty much useless to them. He slowly pushed it from his mind for now and slipped into the shower with hot water that instantly touched his skin. A bit of his worry melted away as he slowly relaxed.
Later.
Linna waited with the others the thought of the job keeping her mind busy. A missing girl worth 20 million to the USSD. Whoever she was, she was clearly important enough to warrant such a price. Gazing out the window it was already dark out and Priss still hadn't reported in. Clasping both hands together Linna could imagine what she would do with her share. I could finally get a decent place. She mused wondering what she would get with the cash. She would have to be careful on how much she spends but having that cushion would be nice in case of the worst to ever happen.
Nene was practically grinning from ear to ear. "We split that five ways and we would still end up with more than 1 million each. God knows why she's worth so much but who am I to complain when it comes to money" Nene said, her eyes meeting Linna's.
Sylia kept a calm and cool expression. "Yes but it would be under the radar of course," Sylia told Nene who would probably update our computers to the newest thing and blow through all the cash in a matter of minutes.
Nene innocently smiled. "I'll be careful. So Priss is already looking?" Nene responded and Sylia nodded.
Mackie, who was turning a small mechanical part, looked up at the girls. "Hopefully she can keep a low profile while doing it" He commented knowing her capacity for getting into fights.
Sylia nodded in agreement with her younger brother. She did have a tendency for it. Glancing down at her watch she knew Priss would probably hold off on reporting for sometime. God knows how she was getting info but hopefully it was inconspicuous.
He stood at the exit of a cafe as he watched Priss ask around for the girl. She was wearing her biker outfit and you could probably see her from a mile away in that red. It also clung to her body just like what he saw. Jacob shook his head. Focus. If she knew the truth she would probably bail out at the first opportunity. Priss's hatred towards boomers was second to none. The only place where they belonged in her eyes was the ground. Shifting slightly he leaned against the lamp pole beside Priss's motorcycle. It was an impressive machine and clearly made for speed. I'd probably kill myslef trying to ride that thing. Giving him speed like that would be a nasty combo.
Suddenly the door opened and out strode Priss. She saw him waiting there. "Who ya looking for, lost cat?" He grinned softly with a joking tone.
Priss shook her head holding up the picture in front of him. He knew who it was but played coy. "You've seen her?" Priss asked him.
Jacob shrugged. "I see many faces walking the streets. But hers I remember not too long ago" Jacob said, earning some skepticism from her.
"If you're pulling my leg I'll make sure you never walk again" She threatened, sliding the photo back into her pocket.
Jacob held up his hands innocently. "I would never do such a thing. Besides, the 20 million reward alone would go a long way for you, the other Sabers" He said In a low voice so no one else got here but her.
Priss suddenly went cold. "How do you..." She tried to say before suddenly being cut off.
"I'll explain in a minute but you won't believe me. I can assure you I'm not with those Genom cocksuckers" He bluntly said.
Priss continued looking him in the eyes and lowered her hand away from her pistol. Jacob felt his heart pounding in his chest as Priss prodded her finger where it would be. "I better get an explanation" She hissed at him.
Jacob half smiled. "Shall we" he said gesturing to the alleyway.
Both moved into the alley. Jacob kept his hands in view as he then leaned up against the garbage bin. Priss moved across from him watching him with a suspicious eye.
"Shoot," She said, staring directly into his soul.
Jacob then folded his arms across his chest. This is gonna be rough. He thought as he cleared his throat.
"Where I come from, it's 1999. You and your friends are fictional characters and so is the very wild around us. At first I thought I was in a coma after a nasty car crash but the more time that passes the more I doubt it. You were employed by the USSD to find the girl but I know where she is and what she is," He stopped letting it simmer.
Priss looked completely stunned by the bonkers explanation. See hadn't expected anything else aside from this!. Yet there was a certain and truthfulness in his eyes. Does he really believe that nonsense?. She wondered as he continued to explain.
"To be fair I've only seen one episode and this is that episode. All I really know is the events of what is going to happen and that Brian Mason most likely killed Sylia's father for his research. You won't believe me anyway so I'd best be going. I highly recommend you check Aqua city. Either way you'll end up there eventually" He finished his long winded explanation slowly turning towards the exit of the alley.
Priss knew she couldn't let him go. He knew far too much. "Hold it," she said, making him stop. "I can't really let you go. So we'll find the girl and then after it's done you'll explain this to Sylia. She'll squeeze the truth out of you" she responded skeptically.
Jacob nodded meekly. "Use a lie detector" He told her as they exited the alley.
One down three to go. He thought as they moved to the motorcycle. Priss mounted first and then Jacob wrapped his arms around her waist. Guy's would kill to be in my position. He thought with a shudder. They began down the road with Priss occasionally looking at him through the mirror. He looked nervous as if he wasn't sure how to hold on without upsetting her. He was always looking around to take in the sites as if he'd never been here. If his story was true then she was in the presence of someone who didn't exist. Somebody who could die and there would be nobody to mourn the loss. Easy girl, wait till Sylia gets through with him. She thought. Continuing down the road a car tailed at an unnoticeable distance. The two inside were boomers in human flesh.
"Looks like there are more than we thought" The one driving a muscular man said.
The other one nodded a much skinnier man made from less harder materials. "We'll nab them both and squeeze what we can out of them. My money is on the A.D police" he replied.
"No, I'm thinking more about USSD. No way they would go to the A.D police with something this big" The larger one responded keeping his distance from the two on the motorbike.
The skinnier one actually nodded. "Yeah I see that. Either way we'll find out soon enough" He comments as he begins drumming his fingers on the dash.
After Priss stopped she entered a pay phone. Jacob waited outside as he knew what was about to happen. I'm gonna regret it. He thought with a tap of his foot. Priss was already taking and telling Sylia about Jacob but he really wasn't paying attention to what was said. His eyes were scanning each person hoping to find a boomer which would take them to Aqua city... well halfway but still it would prove Jacob right. When proven right she would probably be more accepting of him. Yeah right, I might as well stick my head up a rocket engine. He thought sardonically. Then he saw the boomers, a large muscular one and a skinny one. Fuck me this is gonna hurt. Sometimes he could swear the universe was against him.
He cleared his throat and moved his head into view. "Priss we've got company" He warned her.
She looked when suddenly Jacob was grabbed by the skinnier man by the neck. Jacob gagged in pain as a fist collided with his face knocking him unconscious.
Priss suddenly became enraged. "Who the fuck are...Boomers!" She growled before being grabbed and punched in the stomach. She groaned in pain for losing consciousness.
End chapter.