The lab was quiet, as Washu settled
herself back down in front of her computer monitors, keying in a quick
sequence of commands as she ran her gaze swiftly over the screens
before her. She frowned, tapping her fingers idly against the keyboard
as she waited for the computer to process her requests. It had been a
long night, she mused...and yet she knew she could not sleep just yet.
"Washu-san?"
Yume's voice from the doorway made her turn, and she offered her
protegee a faint smile, beckoning for the droid to join her. Yume did
so, coming to stand behind Washu's chair as she evaluated the data on
the computer screen. Then,
"So you are still interested in this exploding planet, then?"
"Yes." Washu nodded, swivelling her chair so she faced her companion
fully. "I learnt that things like that can have knock on effects. Look
at Kihaku's explosion - that released the demon Yugi from her prison. I
want to know what's behind this, so that if something is going on, we
can be well prepared."
"I suppose that makes sense." Yume perched on the edge of the unit.
"But you're tired, Washu-san. You need to take some rest, you know. Why
don't you let me proceed with this? You can always come back to it,
when you're refreshed."
"No, I don't think I would sleep too well knowing this was an
unanswered question." Washu shook her head. "Planets don't generally
explode on their own, not as a rule. Something must have caused it. I
want to know what...and if it's a threat to anyone else."
"Washu." Yume sighed, then, "All right. Then at least let me help you."
"You know your help is always welcome." Washu nodded, as a space map
flashed up on the screen. "There. That's what we're taking about."
She clicked to zoom in on a particular section of space, revealing a
solar system of seven planets as she did so. "The fourth planet from
this sun is a planet called Heiwa. Or at least, it
was a planet called Heiwa. Late
last night, it imploded, seemingly without warning or reason. Patrols
have been sent there to investigate, but it seems they've so far found
nothing. I checked the police scanners, but they don't know what caused
it either."
"Heiwa?" Yume's eyes flickered with recognition. "That was the name of
the planet that exploded?"
"Yes." Washu eyed her keenly. "Do you know something I don't?"
"Planetary system #65-445, orbiting body 04, correct?"
"Yes, if you want to put it that way." Washu nodded. "What about it,
Yume? It's obviously somewhere you're familiar with. Something from
your past as Zero, perhaps?"
"No, not really. I don't believe I ever went there." Yume shook her
head. "But I do know the name and the code ident of the planet in
question, Washu. It's in my data-banks. It was the planet from which Dr
Clay originated. That's all."
"It was, huh?" Washu frowned. "I didn't know that. I never really
bothered to find out what world spawned him, to be truthful. You're
sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure." Yume confirmed. "#65-445, 04. Planet Heiwa."
Washu sighed.
"Well, if I didn't know that Clay was very, very dead, I would be
making him prime suspect number one in the explosion of his homeworld."
She said with a sigh. "But he is past all plotting, so I suppose it's
probably a coincidence. Some coincidence, mind you. It seems strange
that this would happen, and in such a way."
"It would take a lot of force to destroy a planet." Yume reflected.
"Who has that kind of technology?"
"Me." Washu said sheepishly.
"Other than you."
"I don't know. I'm not familiar with any of the latest developments at
the Academy...and besides, such weaponry contravenes a lot of space
laws."
"Maybe it was just a natural implosion. Perhaps due to extreme volcanic
activity." Yume suggested. Washu shook her head.
"That's the thing that bothered me." She admitted. "Seismic activity
can make a world volatile and unstable, but Heiwa doesn't seem to have
been that kind of planet. In fact, even though the landscape was
mountainous, I can't find anything in any records
which suggests Heiwa even had volcanoes. It was a notoriously stable
ecosystem. That's what makes the whole business confusing."
"I see." Yume bit her lip. "So that's why you were so short with
Tenchi-kun this morning."
"I wasn't short with him." Washu frowned. "I just told him to stop
assuming, that's all. He doesn't understand as much as he thinks he
does."
"I suppose that's true." Yume reflected, getting to her feet and moving
across to a further screen. Her fingers glittered and glowed, and as
she ran them over the scanner, Washu was aware of the computer
accepting her finger print. "But then if you don't explain things, it
must be difficult for him to understand. That's basic logic."
"I wish you wouldn't mimic my finger print scan without my say so."
Washu said frankly. "And as for not telling Tenchi anything, are you
taking sides now? Do you think I've been a big bad mother, who's
concealing secrets from my daughter?"
"I have no idea." Yume obediently withdrew her hand from the control
panel, folding her arms. "That is beyond my comprehension...I cannot
read your mind. But I can read the emotions Tenchi and Ryoko have. And
I think that it is unreasonable to expect them to understand your point
of view if you refuse to explain it to them. That's all."
"Well, perhaps you're right." Washu sighed, shrugging her shoulders.
"But after so much time, I don't even know what good it will do. I
don't want to go back to that time, Yume. My memories...well, let's
just say I don't bother with them so very often. I was confined and
sent here a prisoner...long years of being trapped in darkness can
affect you in many, many ways. So some things are better left alone.
And Tenchi has an unwavering faith in people, that much is for sure.
But he doesn't see that not everyone sees the world like he does. And
not every family is the same way. We don't all come from loving and
supportive family backgrounds. I'm not that kind of mother, and I think
Ryoko understands that more than Tenchi does. He's going to cause the
problem, not solve it, if he persists in trying to make Ryoko think
like an Earthling."
"You have affection for Ryoko." Yume objected. "I know you better than
that."
"Yes, I do. Of course I do." Washu nodded. "But the past isn't
important. What happened then...is not important. If Ryoko and I have
any bond now, it is in the present and it should stay there. Not in
days long since gone."
"
Do you remember when Ryoko
was born?"
"Imprisonment makes you forget many things, Yume-chan." Washu shrugged.
"And we have many more important things to work out than suitable dates
to call in Ryoko's horoscope. If you don't mind, I'd rather focus on
Heiwa
for the time being."
"I'm sorry." Yume looked abashed, and Washu offered her a smile.
"Your ambush technique was very human." She said with a shake of her
head. "You're getting far, far better at refining your thoughts and
impulses, you know."
"I know." Yume smiled. "And I take pride in it...living here has taught
me a lot. But there is a difference too between Ryoko and I, in this
respect. I am a project - an experiment who continues to progress and
develop all the time. I am not human...not truly alive. Ryoko is a
living being. She is not a project. She is a person. However
sophisticated I become, it is not the same thing."
"You think I hurt Ryoko's feelings, too?" Washu looked startled. Yume
nodded slowly.
"Tenchi-kun thinks so, and I believe he knows a different Ryoko than
the one you do." She agreed. "In this regard, I believe he is right.
Even with your Kii sight, I don't believe you have as close a
connection with Ryoko as he does. It's almost telepathic, on occasion -
I am not sure quite how to properly explain it."
"Perhaps." Washu acknowledged. "But it's done now, and I won't dwell on
it. Ryoko is a big girl, after all. If she is upset, she'll get over
it. She's taken worse blows before and lived - I really doubt it
matters to her as much as all that."
She gestured towards the screen.
"Meantime, I'm wondering if this needs further investigation. I'm
almost tempted to take a trip."
"Then perhaps you should not have upset Ryoko, if you want to use Ryo
Ohki." Yume said astutely. Washu laughed.
"Perhaps not." She acknowledged. Yume shrugged.
"If it helps, I can go for you." She offered. "I can fly there and back
in a day or perhaps a little more."
"You said you haven't been to Heiwa before, right?" Washu frowned. Yume
nodded.
"That's true, but I'm sure I can find my way."
"No...it's too dangerous. If something is volatile in that sector, you
could be taken unawares." Washu shook her head. "Thank you for the
offer, but I'd rather not put you in harm's way if I can help it. I'll
just find some kind of official scanner to hack into, once the Galaxy
Military begin their formal investigations."
"You're worried that something might befall me?" Yume looked startled.
"Really?"
"Yume, give me some credit." Washu said dryly. "Just because I might
not have all of Ryoko's details ready to spill at a moment's notice
doesn't mean I have no regard for the people around me. And I have sent
far too many people into dangerous situations in recent history. So no,
you'll stay here, if you don't mind. At least until I know better what
exactly it is that's going on out there. Okay?"
"Okay." Yume agreed cautiously. "But if you do decide to investigate,
Washu, I am at your disposal."
"I know that." Washu smiled. "But I'm not really looking to dispose of
you any time soon."
She stretched, stifling a yawn.
"Perhaps I will try and get some sleep." She admitted, looking
sheepish. "Will you tell me, if anything important comes up on the
scanners?"
"Yes, of course." Yume nodded. "Sweet dreams, Washu. If anything
happens, you'll be the first to know."
-------------
So, this was the place.
The man walked slowly through the dusty, abandoned streets of the city,
stifling a shiver as a brisk wind whipped and whirled around him,
sending scraps of torn paper and old food wrappings rustling across the
road. He paused to pick up a sheet from a newspaper, grimacing as he
read the date across the top. It had been many years since this world
had last been inhabited, he knew that, and yet the signs that creatures
had once lived here were everywhere. In some houses, the lights had
been left on until they burnt out completely, and as he peered in
through the occasional window, he saw tables laid out for evening meals.
The population had left in something of a hurry.
"Nuclear storm." He murmured, gazing up at the heavy fog cloud that
even now clung lovingly to the upper echelons of the planet's
atmosphere, tinging the clouds a strange yellowish grey. "Everyone was
evacuated. I remember hearing about it on the news at the time, when I
was just a boy. A perfect place to have a secret base, and a hidden
workshop...a laboratory beyond a laboratory. Noone would think of
looking in a place such as this. The world is dead, the air is poison
to anyone who can't breathe in space. It's a very clever ruse indeed.
But then, I suppose I am dealing with some element of genius. That
should be a given."
He smiled bitterly, reaching in his pocket for the small black box and
pressing a couple of buttons on the surface. A screen glittered and
spread out before him, and he focused on the blue and white of the
digital map, taking careful note of where he was. A yellow dot flashed
at the furthermost point of the street, and he nodded in satisfaction,
dispersing his map and sliding the device back into his pocket. It
would come in useful again, he was sure of that. And thanks to the
intensity of his training, he knew how to use it.
"But will there be anything left here for me to find?" He wondered
aloud, as he finally stood before his destination, gazing up at the
ruins of an old feudal castle, crumbling and rotting at the
foundations. Brushing his hand over the remaining stone columns, the
flagstones shimmered and parted, revealing a staircase leading down
towards the planet's core, and slowly he descended, flickering light
from his fingers as he went deeper and deeper into the darkness. The
further he travelled, the more narrow and claustrophobic the tunnel
became, and he bit his lip, forcing the thoughts out of his mind. This
was a different quest, he reminded himself. He wasn't a prisoner, not
now. It had been a long time since he had been poked and prodded, but
the memories still unsettled him.
"Memories I didn't need to return." He muttered darkly, placing his
hands gently against the steel panels that blocked his path. A buzz of
energy flooded through him, and with a loud clatter, the doors flew
backwards off their hinges, creating a huge cloud of dust as he did so.
"Well." The man murmured. "So here we are. After so long, we're here
again, Zakari."
As the dust cleared, he gazed around himself, taking in his
surroundings with a mixture of apprehension and relief. The lab had not
changed much, he realised. In the furthest corner, the big computer
system stood dormant, cloaked in a grey layer of neglect, and spiders
of various sizes and species had begun to congregate around the edges
of the walls. To one side, engraved steel panels marked containment
chambers and as rage flooded through him, he flung his arm in their
direction, watching with little satisfaction as, one by one, the doors
imploded inwards, causing the entire structure to collapse into a heap
of steel rubble.
He drew a deep breath into his lungs, calming himself as memories
threatened to overwhelm him once more.
"I mustn't." He muttered, closing his eyes as the energy surged within
him. "I mustn't remember...that's not why I'm here."
With some difficulty he turned on his heel, approaching the mainframe
computer and running his fingers carefully over the keypad. The machine
did not seem damaged, he mused, and as he reached in his pocket for his
black device, he placed it firmly against the machine's main data
drive, pressing buttons as the screen whirred and flickered into life.
"Well, this really was a useful discovery." He murmured. "Who would
have thought that technology built by the same hands that kept me a
prisoner here would now help me to take my revenge? I will fix this - I
will put everything how it should be. And you...you're going to help
me!"
He hesitated for a moment, then he slowly keyed a sequence of letters
and numbers into the computer.
"Tell me what I want to know, computer." He said quietly. "Tell me who
I really am, and whatever else you know."
The computer whirred and clicked as it obeyed his request, and at
length a file appeared on the screen before him. He bit his lip, eying
the long string of digits with an angry heart.
"Just a number." He murmured. "I suppose that fits. I suppose I always
knew that I was nothing more than another experiment. That's not what's
important here. Zakari died when Heiwa exploded, after all...that life
is gone and over. If this is my true self, then this is my true name.
And I will remember that, now I know what it is I must do."
He skimmed through the file information, his brows drawing together as
he read further and further through the report.
"Unstable." He whispered. "Yes, and that's no surprise to me, either.
There had to be a reason why you evicted me into the cold to die like
you did. Even being here, locked up in one of your cages for the first
four years of my life was preferable to being thrown out to starve in a
world I didn't even understand. If not for my family..."
He hesitated, tears touching his eyes as he remembered the faces of the
space gypsy family who had taken him in without asking questions or
making judgements about his unusual appearance. Then he shook his head.
"Gone. Over. Finished. Dead." He said blackly, light flickering around
his body as he spoke each word. "I must forget. I must eliminate that
part of my thoughts. I have only one focus now...and I must not let my
mind deviate from that path. I haven't much time - this report confirms
the thing I already feared was true. But if I truly am a wasted lab
experiment - and if I truly am as unstable and as doomed as the report
says, I won't go down without a fight. I'll take you with me, for
deciding you can play God. I will stop you - I will stop all of this."
He closed the file, flicking slowly through the rest of the computer's
contents. Most of the files were of no interest to him, but as he
reached a final folder, he frowned, pursing his lips as he opened the
documents before him.
"Ryoko." He murmured. "There was another one? One like me? In space?
Another experiment? How far did this business go?"
He skipped forward, hunting for more information, but the file was
blank beyond the summary, with no attached image or genetic data, and
he frowned, shaking his head in frustration.
"Erased!" He exclaimed. "Or never here at all? Why is it whenever I get
a clue or a lead, there's always something in my way to fox me?"
His eyes narrowed, as his gaze was caught by another heading.
"Professor Washu Hakubi." He murmured softly. "Well, there is always
another avenue of investigation, isn't there? Let me see. What can you
tell me, computer?"
The computer whirred and clicked again, loading a final document, and
the man stepped back, meeting the gaze of the woman whose face stared
out at him from the screen. A slow smile touched his lips and he
nodded, touching her image on the cheek and sending a faint ripple of
energy through the hard glass divide. The computer image flickered, but
it did not disappear completely, and the man let out a cold, humourless
chuckle.
"Well, Professor. It seems we have business." He murmured. "If you
truly are what everyone has said you are, then I will not rest until I
find you. I will know everything, and then I will know how to take my
revenge...I will know how to prevent these mistakes from ever being
made. Reveal your secrets to me, computer...I will know everything that
you can tell me about Washu Hakubi and the Science Academy."