Oni2:OniZero

OniZero refers to a prequel to Oni, but not necessarily as a stand-alone game. It may simply be fodder for flashbacks in an Oni 2.

Two vignettes are all I have so far.

(A)

Setting: Laboratory. A room with, among other things, a capsule, inside of which is a quiet seven year-old girl with a Band-Aid on her arm from a fall she got while running yesterday. Today she has been implanted with an alien life-form in her appendix. A middle-aged man is hovering over her protectively, as the instruments continue to monitor her. His name is Dr. Kerr.

Kerr, thinking back to earlier in the day, remembers the spasms Konoko went through, and how her little body almost gave out under the stress. The readings on her vital signs were fluctuating wildly. Now, they are even and low, normal for a sleeping girl.

Kerr, sad: I'm so sorry, Mai. I promise, I'll protect you from now on. I promise.

Griffin walks in unexpectedly from off-camera, startling Kerr. He pauses.

Griffin: We don't know what it will do to her. But don't think I'm a cold man. This is for a greater good, don't forget that.

Griffin seems resolute, as always, but not cruel in his appearance. He speaks softly so as not to wake Konoko, giving him a slightly sympathetic edge. He looks down at Mai for a while.

Griffin: Remember, she's 'Konoko' from now on. I don't want to hear the name Mai spoken in these premises or anywhere else after today. (turns to leave, pauses) And, Kerr, be careful making promises you can't keep. You can't protect her from the world or from what's inside her.

Griffin exits scene. We cut to a sudden close-up of Kerr, showing true anger in a way we didn't think he was capable of.

Kerr, gritting teeth, in undertone: I meant I'd protect her from you.

(B)

Setting: Bathroom, somewhere in the TCTF Regional HQ. Present are Mai (now Konoko) and Kerr. This is the day after the implantation. The readings they've taken on her body are strange and in flux, but externally, she's a healthy young girl, seemingly unchanged.

Mai gets into the bathtub, which is filled up so she can take a bath. She starts to sink into the sudsy water.

Kerr: Oh, Mai -- Konoko -- don't forget to take off your bandage.

Mai: Oh!

She peels it off, wincing at the sensation. Cut to Kerr's face as she does so, and his startlement, which he hides from Mai. Cut to her arm, which is more or less completely healed.

My comments:

Scene A ends on a note which will be ominous if one remembers how Kerr will later give his life to save Konoko from the TCTF. Even if one doesn't remember that, it's a scene that shows how strongly Kerr can feel when he is moved sufficiently. He's not the sort to get angry for any reason, but if he ever does get angry, it's because of his compassion.

It might seem weird in Scene B that Kerr is giving her baths himself. But ask yourself, would Griffin hire a nursemaid to care for Mai? She was just a tagalong that Kerr brought with him. Griffin isn't so cold as to kick her out, but he definitely wouldn't be willing to do much for her. Perhaps it was his one concession to install a tub in one of the HQ bathrooms so Mai could take baths like a normal kid. But as far as raising her was concerned, he'd be more likely to suggest using a robot to care for her, and Kerr would end up saying, "Oh, I'll do it myself." The only other option would be that a female scientist would take Mai under her wing as the daughter she never had. That could be an interesting angle, too. But of course, for this scene's purposes, I wanted Kerr there to see the first external evidence that the Daodan is working. Later on, as she reaches her teenage years, she'd be taking care of herself, of course. It would definitely have an effect on her development to grow up in a police complex. She'd be unattached to more or less everyone, and used to being independent from dawn to dusk.

Also, patients who have appendectomies go home after one or two days according to my one minute of research, so it's not too odd that Kerr would want to get her out of the lab as soon as possible and back into her "normal" surroundings. I do, however, think that she would still be all bandaged up from her surgery, so she wouldn't be taking a bath. That's a plot-hole, right there. Well, I'm throwing this out there for now as a rough idea. I'll think of a way out of the plot-hole later.