Kodoku no Angel

(The Angel of Loneliness)

By Charles Drake

Dream 2, Descending into Destiny

Two weeks earlier...

"Agent Konvar Rabiki," Marver Yachavich said, leaning back in his office chair, "It's good to see you again. Doing well, I see."

"Yes, Sir," Konvar replied, making no move to sit in the comfortable looking chair that sat across from Yachavich's desk. The rich cheery desk was only one small part of an office ensemble that was designed to subtly intimidate anyone who entered. Two supposedly ornamental crystal pillars added to the effect, as did the sweeping view of Tokyo Bay. Lights from the city played around the room, reflecting from strategically placed silver pieces onto the desk chair which Yachavich currently occupied. If stone torches on either side of the desk and volcanic geysers outside the window had been a possibility, Konvar was sure that Yachavich would have had them added as well.

"Sit down already, Rabiki," Yachavich prompted, "We have a mission briefing to get too."

"Yes, Sir," Konvar said. Slowly, methodically, with as much lethargy as he could manage, Konvar sat. He also kept his eyes locked onto Yachavich, waiting for a reaction. He got none.

"Very good," Yachavich said greasily, "Now, let me fill you in."

Yachavich leaned back slightly farther, pulling a cigar from his pocket and lighting the brownish cylinder. After a few puffs, he returned his attention to Konvar.

"You already know all about Io," Yachavich began, "So I'll skip on to your main objective. There are two items of extreme value on Io. One is the item hidden beneath Dis. It is some kind of ancient battle cruiser, biological in nature. I'm sure you heard the rumors before your little accident."

"Yes, Sir."

"Good, good," Yachavich muttered, "Anyway, the other item is the woman Nikira Stinglay. She is to be protected at all costs."

"Understood, Sir."

"I'm not finished yet," Yachavich noted, blowing a smoke ring in Konvar's direction, "there's a little glitch. See, if I just sent you or one of my other agents, Nikira'd probably shoot first and worry about legalities later. But not Alita... or any of Alita's friends. That is the only reason I cloned the little bitch."

"I do not see the glitch, Sir," Konvar noted.

"Let me get to it!" Yachavich snapped. "Anyway, the problem is that as soon as Alita makes contact, there's a high probability that the infamous 'Angels of Death' will begin to run amok, quite possibly getting themselves killed! That is where you come in, Agent Rabiki."

Yachavich suddenly sat up, extinguishing his cigar as he leaned forward.

"I don't need Nikira alive, per se," Yachavich informed Konvar in a slightly hushed voice, "I simply need her primary CPU."

"I don't understand, Sir," Konvar said slowly, "I thought Mrs. Stinglay was a Cyber like yourself."

"Not quite," Yachavich stated, "Nikira is a Third Generation Artificial Intelligence, a Prototype G3 Class. Her brain runs off of a series of interconnected miniature computers, each performing the on/off function of a single human brain cell, with the same ability to change synaptic pathways with Axons and Dendrites. However, to increase her capabilities, each 'cell' is also equipped with its own hard drive. In this way, she keeps track of bulk data and performs all Cybernetic functions.

"However, to keep track of all this, Nikira's systems require a secondary CPU to run all the other, smaller systems. It probably resembles a chip of some sort. In actuality, it is a single neuron that has been expanded in size to act as a staging sight, as well as her main CPU. Unlike the other neurons, in addition to disk space the CPU also contains RAM and back up data of all her experiences. It is that back up that I need to recreate her research in the field of Android DNA, in how to create it from scratch. It is the one item of modern Pure-Cybers that I have not been able to back-engineer.

"So," Yachavich concluded, taking a big breath, "You understand what you need to do, yes?"

"Yes, Sir," Konvar stated.

"Good," Yachavich said, nodding, "Now, let me tell you about your partner..."


Konvar gazed out the space transport's window in silence, watching the planet Jupiter slowly fill the view. A tiny yellow orb was barely visible against the color of the swirled planet...

"Home..." Konvar whispered.

***

"It's beautiful, is it not?" a hawk-nosed man with violet hair murmured, gazing into the huge cavern. Within, a massive creature lay crippled by the rotting of its own flesh. Looking like nothing so much as a beached whale, only the massive excavation mecha working around it gave the proper scale of it's size. Stretching nearly a mile, the creature's body was lost in the darkness of the cavern.

"Yes sir," the short man at his side agreed. Even through the environmental suit he wore, it was clear that the short man was losing his already thin black hair.

"It is perfect, you know..." the hawk-nosed man murmured, "Perfection personified. God..."

"Um, Minister..." the balding man began.

"The face of God," the hawk-nosed man whispered, gazing into the creature's green eyes. The creature gazed back, watching its watchers. "I have looked into the face of God."

"Minister Taskrel," the balding man said slightly louder, "The committee awaits your presence. A report of your progress is in order."

"Yes, yes," the hawk-nosed man, Taskrel, replied, "I'll be along in a moment." Taskrel cast one final gaze into the eyes of "God", then turned to follow the balding man from the observation deck.

"Very good, Sir," the balding man said, nodding. Taskrel closed the airlock door, waited for the green light, then began removing his pressure suit. The balding man merely removed his helmet, then followed Taskrel into the executive suite.

"I'll be back in a few hours," Taskrel stated, adjusting his uniform. Then, satisfied with his trim, Taskrel headed for the room's far door. There, he paused and turnd back to the balding man.

"Odanov," Taskrel said softly, "ready the key."

"Yes, sir!" Odanov stated, bowing. Taskrel nodded, then headed out.

***

-Hell's Gate Spaceport, 9:25 AM, GMT.-

"Sir," the radio operator began, "Flight EIE-9583 is on its way in. Should I clear them for landing?"

"Go ahead," the flight controller stated.

"Flight 9583, you are cleared for landing," the radio operator sent, "Happy landings."

"Sir!" the woman at the radar exclaimed, "we have unknowns coming in on all sides! It looks like an attack!"

"An attack?!?" the controller sputtered, "By what kind of forces?"

"Unknown silhouette, Sir!" the radar operator cried. "They don't have transponders either! They're heading in fast! Too fast! Holy mother of-"

A tech screamed as the main view screen shattered. A white, spine covered talon tore through the alloy of the walls. The creature's head followed, emitting a throaty screech from its fang filled jaws. A cycloptic eye scanned the room, unblinking behind its transparent, chitinous eyelid. Its white chest rippled as the creature tore the hole in the command center yet wider, allowing it to step fully into the small room. As it moved, the crew stood transfixed.

"Demons..." the controller whispered, terror in his eyes. The monster turned towards him, its eye fixing on the commander. With a growl of rage, the Demon leapt forward and sank its teeth into the commander's guts. The commander managed a gurgle before falling dead to the deck. As the Demon turned, entrails hanging from its jaws, the spell on the space port's crew was broken.

The radar operator screamed and dived for cover, but a single claw swipe felled her in mid air. Utter chaos followed as the Demon's murderous rampage continued. Through it all, the radar station bleeped softly away, tracking the progress of flight EIE-9583.

***

Torn...

Alita nodded her head slowly, her fingers completing the fadeout with expert precision. Finally, as the last echos faced, Alita raised her head and removed her hands from the keyboard perched in her lap.

"That was great!" Naomi bubbled, clapping. In the seat next to Alita, Konvar added his own applause to the equation. Alita flashed them both a wide grin, then flipped off her keyboard and slipped it back into its satchel.

"Thanks, both of you," Alita said once the instrument was stowed again.

"With a voice like that," Naomi told her, "you could be a top Idol!"

"Me, an Idol?" Alita scoffed, "I think you're mistaking me for Mima Tokiko. That wasn't even my song!"

"Oh, I'm sure you could write some of your own," Naomi assured her.

"She has," Konvar interjected softly. Alita shot him a glare, at which he only smirked.

"ETA, HELL'S GATE SPACE PORT IN- *crackle* ahem... this is your captain speaking. I'd like to thank you all for flying with Omega Space ways. Please fasten your seatbelts and prepair for landing. Thanks again...

"Stupid computerized voice gives me the creeps..."

"Captain, the intercom is still on."

"Oh hel- *click*"

Alita, Konvar, and Naomi exchanged a quick glance. "I like him," Alita said at last, "He's silly."

"I thought we were going to stop with the literary reference," Konvar murmured, arching an eyebrow. Alita shrugged, smiling offsidedly up at him. The smile vanished as the ship shook violently, jerking Alita roughly in her seat. Naomi yipped and grabbed onto her chair's armrests, trying to steady herself as the ship suddenly changed course.

"What the hell was that?" Alita asked, trying to maintain her composure. For all she knew, it could be normal turbulence. A big old clunker like this couldn't be very aerodynamic, after all.

"Something hit the ship..." Konvar murmured, unbuckling his seatbelt. The tall man stood, his blonde hair swinging slightly as he pulled his pack from the overhead compartment. Alita allowed herself to watch his hair bounce for a second, then moved to follow suit. Naomi, seeming rather lost, grabbed her own pack and followed the pair out of the cabin.

"Um, where are we going?" Naomi ventured to Alita.

"The Bridge," Alita told her, grabbing a-hold of the wall as the floor under her dropped a foot. "You should have stayed put," Alita scolded, trying to steady herself on the bucking ship, "this isn't your job."

"I can take care of myself!" Naomi snapped indignantly. "Besides, I don't want to sit alone in that cabin waiting to crash or something!"

"Fine, fine," Alita said, "just be careful." Following her own advice, Alita grabbed a nearby handrail and hauled herself forward. Konvar was still on foot, and gaining on them. He walked over the moving decks with a precision that screamed long experience. A true man of the sea... or space. Nearly the same thing at times.

"Here we are," Konvar announced, putting his hand up to a complex looking keypad. He quickly entered the pass code, 3582-2739, which Mr. Yachavich had provided them with before leaving. With an annoyingly happy ping, the door slid open.

"Whoa shit!" Alita yelled as the blast of air hauled her forward. A gapping hole in the ship's bridge was rapidly depressurizing the previously comfortable hallway, sucking them into the room. Konvar stumbled over the threshold, grabbing onto the captain's chair. Naomi fell past, but Konvar managed to grab her arm before she went out the hole. Alita, meanwhile, grabbed onto the door frame and frantically punched at the interior keypad.

"Three five eight two, dash two seven three... nine," Alita recited as she entered the code. The door circuits groaned as they attempted to work against the force of the air. With an agonizing slowness, the door slid shut. As it re-locked, the door pinged happily once again.

"Cutting it a little close there, weren't you?" Konvar inquired, helping Naomi up. Alita was about to reply when Naomi screamed. It was about then that Alita took a moment to actually examine the room they had entered.

They appeared to be just behind the bubble, which was fortunate since the bubble itself was half shattered. Though none of the crew remained, both the captain's chair and two of the main consoles were covered in deep red blood. There was more blood on the remains of the bubble, making it all too apparent where the crew had ended up.

Moreover, the ship itself was plunging towards the surface of Io; at least partially a good thing since it allowed them to breathe. However, unless they did something rather quickly, breathing would be the least of their worries.

"We've gotta get this ship back under control," Alita stated, moving to the nearest console. Ignoring the blood, she scanned her eyes over the controls. Konvar did likewise, checking another console. Naomi merely stood and shivered, trying to keep her eyes away from the blood soaked chair she'd used to pull herself up.

"I've found the navigation controls!" Alita exclaimed. Konvar turned from his console and ran to join Alita. "I hope you know how to fly one of these thing, cause I sure as hell don't," Alita murmured when he was at her side.

"I flew transports on Io before..." Konvar fell silent, immersing himself in the ship's controls. Alita stepped back, frowning slightly. She'd have to extract the rest of the story later.

"Um... should it be getting so hot in here?" Naomi asked, her voice shaking.

"The heat deflectors may be misaligned," Konvar said, still working on the navigation console, "but it shouldn't matter at this stage. If we haven't burned up yet, we probably won't... till impact, anyway."

"Some comfort you are!" Naomi snapped, walking over to sit down in a non-bloody chair. Alita sighed, then went back to watching over Konvar's shoulder. She felt rather useless... there didn't seem to be anything she could do. Then, a slight smile crossed her face.

Alita pulled her pack off and quickly removed her keyboard. If she couldn't help Konvar, she might as well try to calm Naomi down. At least, it was something to do.

Someday... Kanashimi o koe
Someday ... Tadoritsukitai
Remember... Yasashii
Remember... Ude no naka e.

"That was beautiful..." Naomi murmured.

"I learned it from an old friend," Alita said, smiling mysteriously.

"Got it!" Konvar exclaimed, "Engaging landing thrusters, now." The ship shuddered again, and suddenly Alita felt herself whapping into the deck. Her keyboard skidded across the deck, out of her reach. Clinging to the deck plates as the ship tried to pull out of its dive, Alita muttered a few dark curses about G-forces and their mothers.

Rather suddenly, and very spectacularly, a nearby console exploded. "We've got a short in the system," Konvar stated, clinging to his console with one hand and controlling it with the other. "We're losing what's left of life-support and food-services."

"Fuck the damn kitchens," Alita snapped, "just keep those thrusters working!"

"Communications is about to go too," Konvar shouted above the growing roar of the engines. Alita was about to reply when a sudden image registered in her head. She turned back to look at Naomi, who was clinging to the console behind her. A radio headset hung from its cord next to her.

"Naomi!" Alita shouted, "Watch--"

An explosion ripped through the wall, tearing Naomi from her seat and throwing Alita back. Covering her head, Alita dropped into a roll, then sprang up into a combat stance. However, all that faced her was burning air-tank and the remains of the communications station. Naomi lay a few meters away, burned and bloody. From the angle of her neck, Alita judged her to be dead.

"Dammit..." Alita murmured, slipping from her fighting stance.

"Unless you want to join her, get your ass down!" Konvar shouted. Not waiting for her to respond, he grabbed Alita by the waist and pulled her to the floor. Overhead another console exploded, taking out the navigation system. Konvar pulled her head against his chest, rolling to put himself between her and the fire. Too stunned to resist, Alita merely held on.