Oni2:Caged Birds
Genre-wise Oni is for the most part action and science-fiction and in some parts a detective story and drama. Since action is more suited for movies, games and other visual mediums. The prequal and sequals in their written form concentrate less on action but the others, forenamed genres. Oni CB is meant to close story gaps while exploring possible past events.
Intro
Flashbacks of TV news, images of blogs are shown.
"World Coalition Government finally installed"
"Global markets stabilize after political earthquake"
"Growing world population exceeds ecological footprint two times"
"Pesticides contaminate more and more farmland"
"Class 3 and 4 toxins on the rise"
"Air soon unbreathable in major metropolises"
"Secret decon fails, whole nature at risk"
"World sinks into BioCrisis"
"State program for Atmospheric Conversion Centers"
"Independent scientists criticize ACC effectiveness, just a public sedative"
"Organized high-tech crimes reaches all-times high"
"WCG establishes a new police force"
"TCTF begins work against cyber criminals"
"Boarder skirmishes in the Middle East to be soon settled"
"Horrible bio attack in Suez, Egypt"
"Science prisons meant to ensure global peace"
"Journalist warn against political coordination"
"Activists call for March of Nature"
"Grad student dies - murder or mercy"
|
GRAD STUDENT DIES - MURDER OR MERCY ? NEO TOKYO – A horrible scene unfolded yesterday at the Fuji Region Wilderness Preserve. Jamie Kerr Hasegawa, environment activist, top grad student, mother of two was found dead. Her grief-stricken husband, Prof. Hasegawa, is being held suspect for murder or homicide. Officials from the Center for Disease Control, however, attest that Hasegawa shot his wife to give her a merciful death. Mrs. Hasegawa had apparently contracted a new fatal viral infection that caused complete cellular breakdown. Investigators fail to identify the DNA trace of the virus which has the CDC in a panic. The Hasegawas had embarked on an unauthorized investigation to uncover the truth behind the WPS territories and the government’s supposed land reclamation project. According to Mr. Hasegawa they had gone into the Fuji Region Wilderness where his wife brushed her leg against a little thorned twig of a flowering shrub. They went on with no concern. Within minutes of taking the diminutive injury the little scratch became a swelling wound then changing into a large ulcer. The intense pain overwhelmed Mrs. Hasegawa, the wound infections spread away from the scratch and lanced slowly the ulcers. Mr. Hasegawa applied antibiotic hypos but in less than an hour and wailful waiting the whole leg tissue was wracked wildly by deep chaps. By now it was clear that the virus would cause a total breakdown of the nervous system because of its all-devouring raging. The internal tissue was going to liquefy and bleed out. Mr. Hasegawa stated that it was an unbearable scene. |
BioCrisis
Name: Jamie Hasegawa.
Age: 23.
Death cause: unknown.
Her corpse was examined in one of CDC's own labs. Biosafety level 5 was written in big, fat letters at the corridors. It was in a dark red, blood-like color.
This was the first time they had to use the lab for a real case.
The white suits were running with just electricity which the boots received via inductive coupling from the ground - it was the same wireless technique to power smartphones.
Tubes were not needed anymore as the CO2 was filtered internally. The carbon was captured and the oxygen brought back.
At the gates there were disinfection means. A soft-and-yet-strong blazing rain of particle beams was fired from all directions. The cold plasma shined bluish and killed every possible pathogen on the suit's surface.
They were four, all clustered around the long, metallic table.
When they unzipped the body bag, they stood in a moment of shock and horror.
Nobody has seen such a scene before. The corpse named Jamie had demineralized, porous looking bones, liquefied organs and melted skin.
Her eyes were missing and the mouth wide open.
It was as if she screamed silently.
"From now on we will triple-check our suits before we enter this room", murmured Curtis.
He pointed to Hanna. "When we know how to deal with it send a sample to BSL-4 in Marburg."
"We also have two dead rangers. How did the husband survive?", she asked.
Jefferson: "Maybe only direct contact with blood is contagious. He said he had his gloves on when he applied the hypos. After the head shot he has kept distance. - The ranger rummaged the backpack. It was stained with blood. Probably it happened when she looked for dressing material."
Curtis: "Whatever it is there's a high public interest in getting this cased solved. Walker stands under high pressure to hand over our results to some high-ranked WCG member. Of course Homeland Security is involved as well."
Hanna: "No time to lose then. Laser, TH and CT scans were all done in our absence by the automatic. Time to look what's really inside. I going to open her with a T cut."
Curtis noticed a deformation under the skin. He shouted, but it was too late. "No. Wait!"
The decomposing body had built up some gas. Sprays of liquids splashed over the crew's suits. An alarm went off. Hanna dropped backwards.
Jefferson and Curtis stood in front of some big lockers.
Curtis explained their further actions. "This time we will use the exosuits. Every movement will be transferred to our robot avatars inside the lab. Are you familiar with the procedure."
Jefferson nodded. "Yes." -- "But say how is Hanna doing?"
Curtis entered the exosuit and pulled down the visor. Metal fixations snapped. "Still in quarantine. Martinez has brought her stuff to her room and is monitoring her. There seems to be really an infection but don't ask me how."
Jefferson: "Yea, I checked the suit again. The air pressure test was negative. The MEMBRANE system is intact. Short, the interior showed no sign of damage."
Hanna's quarantine room was in a white gray. It almost looked like one of TCTF's maximum security prison cells. She sat in the corner on her bed, the back leaning against the wall and the legs drawn to the chest. Hanna hold a pen-shaped device in her left hand. A beam of blue light flowed over the other hand. It looked all red and dry, interrupted by yellow patches. The pen moved back and fort but her glassy eyes couldn't find a sign of recovery or at least a subtle change and so she continued.
Curtis' avatar stood in front of Jamie again. He looked a last time at his suit's head-up display ensuring himself he didn't forgot something.
"It's the fourth day, 8 pm, I'm hereby finishing the physical examination. Jefferson and I will finish the preliminary report this Friday. - You can close the back now."
Jefferson took a water hose and sprayed on Jamie's opened backbone. With the other hand he applied liquid nitrogen to freeze the water protecting the remnants from further decomposing.
Martinez was entering Hanna's room without a safety suit. "Your analysis has finished. It's MRSA."
"Worse enough if you asked me", replied Hanna. "The itching makes me crazy. Please tell me your got something."
Martinez: "Yes. You should get into the lab's CP chamber."
Hanna: "Right now?"
Martinez was determined: "Sure, why not, there are no more activities. The case is closed."
Hanna: "That was fast. And I thought I was the motivated one..."
Martinez made a sign to leave the room. "Walker wants to see you after the treatment, he will give your the details."
Hanna nodded. "Okay."
Martinez: "So here's the plan: leave your clothes near the entrance. Go to the mark at the center. The robot will sterilize your upper skin layer with cold plasma."
Hanna: "I see, full body disinfection."
Martinez: "And that's not all. Your strain is quite persistent. In the following the robot will spray you with a mixture of specialized phages and CRISPR-CAS inhibitors."
The two reached the lock. Hanna: "Where did you get the substances from so fast?"
Martinez blinked. "Those were made in advance." He closed the lock behind a Hanna hungering for answers.
Hanna was entering Walkers office. "Hello Arron."
"Hey Hanna, how are you doing, all good I hope."
Hanna took a seat. "Yes, thanks to the extra treatment, I guess."
"Good."
"Martinez said the inhibitors and the phages were made in advance. What's the meaning of this?"
Walked: "We had to cook up a story. Due to the WCG's Secure Technology Act machines such as the molecular printer aren't allowed for medical use, just research."
"Uh... That's ... unorthodox of you. I understand that you were under pressure. But why was my treatment also affected by this situation?"
"Well see, I'm not a friend of their propaganda, actually I just want to stay neutral. So, they got keen on getting replacement for me. For their taste we were too slow and didn't deliver. They now have their pretextual argument. It's only a question of time until they kick me out."
"But we did what was possible in that short time, right?"
"Yeah... Anyway, it wasn't what they wanted. They had their very own opinion what the Wilderness death case should have been. I quite pushed you to do the initial tests, that was a mistake. After your accident, slash, illness, I ordered the rest of the team to strictly follow protocol."
"Well, accept for my own recovery."
"They are withdrawing us from the case. -- I'm so tired of that political bullshit. But my hands are tied. I want you to make a difference."
"You are getting replaced and our team likely rearranged. What can I do if I'm losing my position too? Do you have a last ace in the hole?"
"Officially your MRSA never happened, you will transfer to Green Village and eventually continue to work on the case."
"But I like Atlanta."
"The WCG had acted strangely for some time. They are holding back on the research in live sciences. By now we effectively run out of drugs of last resort. I need you in Green Village to get us new weapons against superbugs."
Hanna was openly amused. "You want me to do espionage on antibiotics?"
Walker: "I just want you to make sure that we have the means to cure people from raging infections. Plain and simple."
Hanna: "How's the wilderness case connected to this?"
Walker: "Whatever killed her, it's very dangerous and an unknown threat. It will be a good test against new counter-measures that you need to find. Green Village is the ideal place for it, a far better choice than any CDC facility."
Hanna: "Green Village, above all other ... the world leading bio research center. How can I enter a GV lab - or any other lab - now that I have a persisting MRSA in the deeper skin layers?"
Walker: "I will let the team work out a solution. We will find a way."
The sample
(notes)
Kimura, Marburg
While Hanna was flying to Russia she received messages from Curtis.
"You wanted me to call you when we know the source of your MRSA strain. I must warn you, it could be an emotional burden if I tell you."
"Hey I'm no sissy like you."
"Charming as always. Well then, here it is. The strain was from your dying mother in the hospital. There wasn't much left of her immune system, easy game for germs. You were there during her last moments. You hold her hand? Right? Maybe the day before you cut your finger somewhere."
"I peeled potatoes."
He laughed. "That's the world we are living in now, watch out for the killer potatoes. ... Ah... Sorry."
"It's okay, Curtis. I asked for it. -- Thank you for telling me the truth."
(notes)
The chat continues with Hanna being told that something happened to the sample that was send to Marburg.
The fact that the sample was stolen from a high-security lab leads to conclusion that the Syndicate or another highly criminal group looks for a bio-weapon.
Hanna used this conclusion in the meeting with Green Village's human resource manager. The director suspects her to be part of that group as her time of arrival seems an unlikely coincedence. They decided to give her a position in hope to learn more about that terror group.
[1 - At a later time Kimura also succeded in stealing a sample from Green Village. The incidence has no connection to Hanna whatsoever so her monitoring is set to standard like that of other GV employees. A nuclear suspicion remains.]
[2 - Hanna visited Walker during her limited days of vacations. She left him messages with reference to GATC, a direct hint to the letters of the genetic code. "Look for GATC." The anti-espionage section of WCG misunderstood this as a reference to GATC, the merc company that partly destroyed GV in an later airstrike. Right after the cataclysm the WCG was in panic and put Hanna due to that misunderstanding on their terrorist execution list. Can Konoko save her?]
[3 - Konoko went to GV in search for her father. Unfortuatly, her presens marks the others sci inmates as also terrorists. WCG had jump to conclusions after finding out that Hanna, Bertram and the others had been using secret communications means. This made the WCG send military in the area.]
[4 - Green Village try to receive outside help by releasing SLD data for mass production. The androids could be used to do outdoor work in the highly toxic environment. The idea is to make technology available to the people so they survive the black season while the civilian support them with things that Green Village does not have. The WCG is raging that their prestige sci prison leaked technologies they kept 30 years secret from civilians and the Syndicate. Meanwhile BGI also entered the quarantine zone of Green Village...]
[5 - META increases SLD production -> Traton plot -> Avatara -> Mind Seal]
Griffin got intel that the Syndicate planned to take over an Iron Demon that was waiting at the docks to change ship.
They wanted to destroy a police school, TCTF facilities and housing blocks. Griffin figured to prevent the take over of ID and forced the local groups to agree on a no-kill deal.
Standoff
[Skipping his doctor title in disrespect.] "Mr. Hasegawa, don't you think your demand of dropping all charges is highly exaggerated?"
Hasegawa: "No. Not at all. It seems you want to sweep everything under the table. The CDC is a capable institution. No results mean something hold them off. I'm burning to know what's the reason for this and of course what killed Jamie. I'm sure others want to know it too. She was eaten alive by the infection. It's unlikely the CDC found no traces. If we really want to do that farce, no problem. The eco activists will be happy to place it into the right light for you."
"... Is this some kind of blackmailing?"
"How that? I thought you are in the right. It's not me blackmailing you. It's the other way 'round. The WP sectors should be free to access but by cloaking them with the Wilderness Preserve Act you cut a common right and turn it into a juristic weapon against oppositionists and any independent scientist who wants to take the probes with his own hands. You don't even allow fly-overs of these areas... You are the ones that are blackmailing us. Actually I don't care which way you want to go. However, it would serve both parties to not waste time on this farce."
One of the men bent over to whisper the other into the ear.
After a moment of thinking, he replied aloud. "Right now the courts are overloaded. It might be indeed possible to shorten this issue. We will call you next Monday about the details. Until then we insist that you don't leave the town."
A pact with the devil
Hasegawa was on his way heading home, a home that missed a certain someone. How would the kids live with this? How would he?
Kerr: "James!"
Jamie's brother stood in front of Hasegawa. He met Hasegawa to hear of his latest meeting and to give solace.
Hasegawa: "It's final now. As expected. I'm leaving university."
Kerr: "Unbelievable that they are doing this to you. Is there nothing we can do?"
Hasegawa: "It's okay, I can work elsewhere. I believe everybody will miss Jamie more than me. She was such a happy nature. I got a lot messages from my older students that shared courses with her. Hell, even from Yamato."
Kerr: "The guy you had an argument with for using uncertified equipment?"
Hasegawa: "Oh yeah, that was a really stupid story. I wanted him to tell me where he got it from. I ended up following him to a Syndicate location. The day ended with me buying stuff from them too. You could smell that metallic D-sprays aroma in the air, and with all their paranoia I figured it would be better to not just ask a ton of questions and leaving them without some credits."
Kerr: "What did they sell you?"
Hasegawa: "A pistol. I did so to de-escalate the situation."
Kerr: "You mean it was that pistol. That Jamie ..."
Hasegawa: "I did it to prevent worse. I should have got rid of it. Who could have thought that it would end that way..."
Kerr: "I know you couldn't stop the infection. Nobody could. But did you really had to shoot her in the head?"
Hasegawa grabbed Kerr at the jacket: "She was screaming in pain, the face was all distorted. Crying, bleeding, dying. She was literally dissolving before my eyes. Skin and organs melting away. I had to do something, Kerr! Something!" He slammed the other man against the wall.
Kerr broke free. "Don't throw me around, I'm not your enemy. - I'm just as mad as you are!"
Hasegawa made a step backwards. "So? Are you? This doesn't look like to me..."
Kerr: "That's bullshit! Don't mistake my inner anger for having none. It also hurts me! You ass!"
Hasegawa realized he did wrong. "Shit. This is all wrong." He turned to a trash container and started kicking it.
"How could the shit happen! -- Shit! Shit! Shit! -- It was a mere fucking plant! A PLANT!"
Hasegawa lifted the half-filled plastic container over his head and threw it to the other side of the allay.
He rushed after it continuing kicking. "This is all SHIT!"
"JAMES", Kerr yelled.
"WHAT?!"
"Let's find the true cause that killed her. Let's find a cure. Let's kill what killed her!"
Hasegawa stood perplexed yet ready to punch or kick someone in the face. "Huh... Yeah! Killing sounds great! I'm really in the mood for it."
A bypassing granny jumped a little when she heard that sentence ripped out of context.
Hasegawa: "Uh, I mean..."
Kerr had followed Hasegawa's eyes and noticed her reaction. His dark expression was possibly meant for his friend but by having turned around the old lady stood to him face to face. She looked like she would freaking out any moment. She pulled at the leash of her Hachiko.
Kerr: "We maybe should discuss the details at another location."
Hasegawa glanced after the old lady as she was all concerned to gain distance with little hasty steps, still pulling at the dog leash.
Hasegawa: "Where?"
Kerr: "I need some sake now. Let's get to Cocoro at the 50th."
The two entered the main street.
After some minutes Hasegawa started mumbling. "It affected her whole body. Every system..."
Kerr: "Apropos system. I can't believe the WCG didn't use more resources to find the cause. I followed the CDC report, there are no conclusive results. Either, for some reason, they don't care, or, they are just incompetent."
Hasegawa: "Too bad there is no cure for THAT."
Kerr: "It must be something new."
Hasegawa: "If the system cannot detect the threat and heal itself, it must evolve so it can."
Kerr: "What about your artificial, re-programmable immune cells?"
Hasegawa: "I never finished that research. The university had kept me quite busy."
Kerr: "It definitively has potential. We just need to find a way for the re-programming to happen on the fly."
Hasegawa: "Detection and computation might be problem."
Kerr: "Your phone has more processing power than Apollo's board computer and ground control combined."
Hasegawa: "Haha, yeah, but that's not a good comparison. Computer tech was at its infancy at that time."
Kerr: "My point is they got to the fricking moon with that little. And today we are wearing supercomputers all around that can connect with all kind of gizmos and even greater supercomputers."
Hasegawa: "Actually, it's a shame. We are able to fly to the Moon but can't grow a damn kidney."
Kerr: "That's not quite right. Today you can, at least in the lab."
Hasegawa: "Hm?"
Kerr: "No, really, last year I was to the annual NextGen science congress. Bertram Navarre showed some throughout tested prototypes for transdifferentiation of any cell type."
Hasegawa: "And? Why didn't I heard of it?"
Kerr: "Soon after the congress Bertram disappeared. Nobody knows what happened to him."
Hasegawa: "I thought they are only after rough elements. I have a very bad feeling about the WCG's moral compass. - We will not make our project rely on silicon transistors. The final product must be independent. Something that cannot be taken away so easily. It must be hundret percent biological."
Kerr: "For development we will definitely need a lab."
They had reached Cocoro's.
Hasegawa: "Looks like we cannot ask the private sector for one. Nobody sane will grant us the means if they cannot make money with it due to some crazy TCTF science act. - Well then, screw this, we are going to the Syndicate."
Kerr: "Don't you think that's a bit too dangerous?"
Hasegawa: "We are not like Wernher von Braun. This won't be a weapon program."
Kerr: "Von Braun wanted to build space rockets. You know how that turned out."
Hasegawa: "We will be extra-cautious."
Kerr: "I hope so. Because there are still Muro and Mai that need you. I would a very bad uncle if I had to tell them that their dad died too because I supported him in doing something stupid."
Hasegawa went to the old Syndicate location. A rotting block of concrete, shattered windows and car wracks.
Nobody was there except for some strange kids playing soccer.
"Hey, yo, where are all the guys that do business here?"
"What business. There's no ... busi-i-ness. This is our yard, go away, old gramps!"
"Don't fool me, brats. It's this place. - I was here some months ago. Just tell me where I can find them."
The leader of the pack directed him to a gate at the opposite side of the yard.
"There. Go there."
Hasegawa hesitated. The entrance was dark. No light shined at the end. He turning his phone light on and went in.
While stepping further and further he noticed that all side doors in the passage were blocked by planks.
For a moment there was an electric noise. Only to be followed by nothing and darkness.
"Shit, they fooled me." He stood in front of a bricked wall. This was a dead end. Hasegawa turned around to leave again.
In the distance he saw a figure. It did not move, it was like he or she was waiting.
Hasegawa's face was turning pale. Was this a trap? He moved cautiously forward, caring that he would not fall over some scrap in the dark. The phone holding over the head, with the other hand he was holding the bag tight.
Five meters to go. The figure had turned clearly visible. The other man made sign to stop. "That's far enough James Hasegawa."
Hasegawa: "What? From where do you know my name?"
Thug: "We do remember our customers."
Hasegawa's mind was racing for explanations. They must have installed some cameras and scanners in the passage.
"Well, that's good, I guess. Then you know we can make business together again. I'm trustworthy and I've money."
Thug: "Possibly. - Say, what happened to the gun we sold you?"
Hasegawa: "I can't use it anymore."
Thug: "Aha. So you want new one?"
Hasegawa: "No, I want to sell you something."
Thug: "Be honest. Are you sure it's not that gun you want to sell back to us?" The thug checked his datapad.
"No, you are not even wearing it right now. Is it hot?"
He took another look on Hasegawa's profile. He frowned. "You killed your own wife with it? You had recently contact with the cops? Do you want to pull some crazy shit here?" He draw his own gun.
Hasegawa: "No, wait, hear me out!"
(Notes)
It got late and Hasegawa hadn't come home yet. Kerr figured to pick the kids from daycare and waited at their home for news. But Hasegawa did not appear that evening. They were all nervous - the kids as their mom had died and their dad did not return, and Kerr as he knew what people Hasegawa went to. Kerr decided to make pizza, big time.
Hasegawa kneeled down as the Thug had told him.
Hasegawa tried to talk himself out. "I'm doctor of genetics. Check your pad! I'm developing new technologies. I need you as a partner. I swear!"
"Shut up", the thug shouted. "Why do I always get the crazy."
Hasegawa noticed how the Thug get nearer while approaching from the back. He thought the thug would shoot him any moment. He panicked.
Hasegawa let himself fall behind while spinning 180 degrees.
Before the thug could adjust his aim the gun had been kicked out of his hand.
The gun felt sideways, few meters away.
They were both starring into one another's eyes.
"What now?", the thug asked?
Hasegawa had hiding something in this hand what he was exiting the passage. He thought that it would now save his life.
"This is a data cube. It contains my works and plans. Here take it."
"Sure", the thug murmured. He snapped with his fingers. The kids from before were swarming into the place. They had been hiding in and between the car wracks. They were holding arms, more exactly their arms were prosthetics, some kind of rifles.
Hasegawa realized what he sensed before. It was their unnatural movements while playing soccer. They were some homeless the Syndicate took in to make them living weapons.
The little killer cyborgs had them surrounded.
"If he starts moving, shoot him", the thug commanded. He slowly picked the cube from Hasegawa's hand. "Now then, second round. I must insist that you kneel down and don't do some stupid."
Hasegawa looked one more time at the weapons pointed at him and figured that he had run out of options.
The thug gave him a hypo. "Use it."
Hasegawa hesitated but then followed the command. In the next moments his mind went black, he fell to the ground.
(notes)
The next day Hasegawa was still missing so Kerr decided to go to the funpark with the kids to get rid of that tension.
Hasegawa woke up again. "Hello sunshine", a familiar yet unpleasant voice said.
He felt still dizzy.
The thug emptied a bucket of water on him. "Sorry, we are out of coffee."
He fixed three thumbnail-sized devices to Hasegawa's head, neck and chest.
"We are checking your data right now. Until validation you will answer our questions. Consider this to be you job interview. A little note of warning: if you lie to us or don't answer questions I will use this VDG. - And for not following my orders in the first place, here's a taste of it."
A blue lightning stroke Hasegawa. His entire body was shaking.
The thug checked his data pad, monitoring Hasegawa's oxygen level, pulse, brain curves and dancing heart rate.
As the curves started to normalize the thug continued. "Are you working with the TCTF?"
"No", Hasegawa gasped and continued to breath heavily.
The Thug watched his pad. "Are you sure? The curves are inconclusive..." He zapped Hasegawa another time.
[...]
Hasegawa unlocked the door and went through.
Kerr saw him from the kitchen and dropped the pizza cutter on the table. "Where have you been, James? Your phone was off, I called you a dozen times. Me and the kids were worried."
Hasegawa just stood there, stoic.
"I got the lab", he finally said.
Kerr noticed his red eyes, he figured that the toll must have been high.
Kerr crossed arms. "What happened to extra-cautious?"
"Shut it, Kerr."
Hasegawa took off his jacket - slowly, every muscle was hurting.
Kerr ignored that rude behavior. "For the sake of your kids, put a smile on. Or you will scare them even more."
Hasegawa let himself lean at the side of the living room door frame for a moment.
Muro played within his karate holo game. "HA. HA. HA." Punching and kicking thin air, practicing self-defense.
Mai was watching her shows on a tablet.
They eventually noticed Hasegawa. "Daddy, daddy, where have you been?" "Don't leave us again!"
"Daddy had important things to do. But now I'm here again."
Kerr watched the scene from the kitchen, it had a wide glass window to see the living room.
"What have you two doing the days?" Hasegawa asked.
Muro was prompt to tell his dad proudly. "Uncle Kerr was with us at Heiwanomori."
Mai added. "We were running all the puzzles. You could climb everywhere."
"We had a big pizza." Muro made a circle with his both arms. "So big."
Kerr and Hasegawa were sitting in their array of fused container and ate instant Ramen.
There were screens in the background running legions of numbers and status messages. In the visuals one protein folding followed another.
"This feels like a science prison", Kerr complained.
"You know one from interior?" Hasegawa asked.
"No. But I imagine it to be like this."
Hasagawa finished his bowl. "I don't think so. They are probably not living in containers if the TCTF keeps them for years."
"We need more processing power."
Thug: "This is the third time! - Give me something to make my boss do it."
"We have the building blocks for the re-programmable immune cells but miss the computational means to combine them in a stable way."
Container wall can be sunk in the ground. ...
[Kimura wants to see Hasegawa and Kerr in person before granting more power.]
Kimura entered the container. A sense of danger was immediately in the air.
"Hello doctors, how are things progressing."
The other Thug left.
Hasegawa tried to bring him back. "Hey Timmy who is this?"
"Timmy?", Kimura asked.
"That's just how we call him. He refuses to tell us his name." Kerr explained.
Kimura organized a sample of Jamie's remnants
Kimura got Pensatore on board.
The prototypes must be based on real DNA.
Kimura: "Imagine you created the Daodan and kids get lethally ill and you cannot help them - just as you couldn't help Jamie - because you used someone else DNA. Then what? Shoot them in the head."
-> Muro first superhuman. Will attract rough elements. But why not control these elements in the first place.
"Muro can lead them. No one can fight him and if they do, they will fail."
H: "Lead to what?"
Ki: "Independence? A better world? Were everyone has a Chrysalis, where no one has to die just because "
They will do whatever he says. Well, not just everything. You have to bait their self-interests.
Thing is, pack your plan in an attractive wrapping and they will buy it."
Let's say we take over the Syndicate. How does that help us to deliver the Daodan to the people.
Ki: "Create the necessity, make the people to welcome it."
Let us work us out the details later.
Ki: "Well then, the ACC, we can repair them and render the WCG obsolete. [Lookup geysers notes?] With them out of the picture we can distribute the Daodan."
"Or if the ACC repair spectacularly fails, the WCG will be no help to the people, but the Daodan will be."
"This or another way the Daodan can be given to them."
They finish the Daodan Chrysalis.
The TCTF is about to raid the warehouse they usually work at. So Kimura sends Syndicate troops to evacuate them.
Hasegawa is evacuated, while Kerr hides(?) with the other prototype. He tells the TCTF as soon as possible to save Mai.
Kimura escapes with Hasegawa in a Van that use a dynamic transponder and kind of artificial cephalopod camouflage.
Kimura kills the thug to cut lose ends. At a saver side he calls a special waste tour. "Yes, express option please."
Hasegawa: "You guys are sick."
Kimura: "Come on, James. You know what you were into when you entered that warehouse."
Kimura tells Hasegawa to find Kerr later. In the meantime they think about Sturmänderung.
In the new lab.
Ki longterm plan is to get Kerr and Mai. But having Ryu, Tomo and the other take his full attention.
Also, Mai would be just potential disruptive. Hasegawa might not be willing to sacrifice Muro if has Mai and thinks of all them to be a happy family, so for the most part Kimura ignores Mai's and Kerr's fate.
Science prison
Because of shortage in manpower Hanna can't do the the research she intended to do herself. Instead she is instructed to monitor and evaluate the work of "sci" inmates.
During Hanna's first medical checkup one of Navarre's sympathizer injects some tiny neural links that attaches to the cranial nerves. The recorded patterns of inner monologues and actual talk are used to first map her voice and then filter out overfluent signals such as those of breathing. The sci listen to her inner monologue to find out more about her motivations and more importantly whether she can be trusted. They later reveal to her that by means of the neural links they can not only hear but also talk with each other silently.
The general director states that they allow the sci relatively great freedom within the research complex to foster results. That is to use their full potential and to not lose the arms race against the Syndicate. On the other hand outgoing communication and traffic at the gates happens under "extreme" standards. Transports can take days to pass the customs.
Green Village has a military defense ring, followed by a ring of customs, and situates everything else in its center. The complex was under construction for three decades and still isn't finished. During the last decade construction workers has been replaced by robots and SLDs.
By the physical dimensions Green Village looks more like a city, though its population counts only 5000. This number includes the 2000 sci, 500 workers and technicians, 500 overseers and certified WCG sci, and 2000 in military service.
When Hanna thinks of the inner security as too weak and therefore reasoning the director as being naive she can hear a laughing but can't recognize its origin.
Self-directed evolution
Hasegawa and Kerr ask for more and more resources. Eventually, after a demonstration of their abilities and some early Daodan building blocks, Mukade provides them the necessary resources. First he steels a sample of Jamie's remnants and then he makes contact with Pensatore and forces him to join the Daodan project. Pensatore realizes flaws within the Daodan concept and proposes an alternative for humans' self-directed evolution. Avatara, an AI Pensatore helped creating, gets suspicious about his master's behavior and traces his whereabouts after a longer phase of absence.
64 equals 20
Hanna and the inmates work on ideas to provide the CDC with new life-saving technologies. They plan to smuggle the information through Hanna's cells, encoded in DNA. (The 64 codons can code only for 20 amino acids.)
Also known as "plan 6420".
A matter of trust
Notes start.
Hanna went to Neo-Tokio to learn more about the Daodan project. As a former CDC employee she is tasked to evaluate Mai status of bio-safty.
But as a member of Green Village she has a second identity outside of the science prison by default and therefor also acts as Mai's psychologist.
Years after Mai's faked OP Griffin forces Maria to leave.
[Don't forget Griffin is kind of a monster. The minds of war vets and agents can become wicked.]
On top of their conflict a question of trust emerged.
Griffin is in the top 10 of TCTF commander having one of the biggest black budgets worldwide. That's because he is in charge of the entire urban region Tokyo while having established Black Ops division and unified all the other TCTF departments there. TCTF Controller Tamte has a hard time doing his duty as Griffin himself is often directly involved in black ops or related affairs which Tamte often has no clearance. Maria tries to help him out with information which Griffin got to know one day.
[Fun detail: The committee grants Griffin's spending on his elevator knowing that he has put his life most front in the battle against organized crime and the Syndicate.]
Griffin was furious. How could Maria have a higher level of clearance than himself. He, a regional commander of the Technology Crimes Task Force.
Tracy: "This clearance is connected to our highest technological domain."
Griffin: "What kind of bogus is this? You are aware that the damn first letter of TCTF stands for technology? Right? It should be within my clearance to know what she knows."
"Afraid, not. We can only tell you she is a specialist and also meant to evaluate Konoko's status of bio-safty."
Griffin figured there was his chance. "So, when Konoko's status is determined, Maria's job is done."
Well, yes, that and it depends on how she thinks of the overall situation."
Notes end.
After Konoko's 17th birthday her bio-safty status was determined. One week later the report was sent out and Griffin called Maria to join him for a meeting in another district.
They passed Yakuza controlled blocks set in the light of dawn. Maria and Griffin watched the scenary. "A few years back we couldn't have taken this road." Explained Griffin. "To extreme were our relations. Sure, per statistics these are still criminal hotspots. But after laborus work and ... harsh negotiations ... things got far better." They passed a generator of the city dome shield. "We even created a new exit strategy for the Yakuza. Those who are willing to leave their clan can work here and resocialize." Another car passed them, another one was behind them. They were some clan members. "You have no idea what it took us to get this far. - You seem unable to see the bigger picture. So I decided to show to you. Not that it makes a difference. The damage is done." Maria felt uncomftable. "I'm suppoesed to comment this? Or congratulate you? Actually I'm pretty sure you just insulted me." "I know of the plan you and Kerr cooked up. I know of the faked OP."
Maria didn't say anything. She just starred at the streets which had become "relatively peaceful".
Griffin continued. "Today, I'm trying to tell you that you don't belong here. The Yakuza is one thing. But the Syndicate is an entire other level of danger and disgrace. We need Konoko someday to stop them."
It was night. Griffin's car came to a hold at an old corner of an industrial complex inside a hangar. It looked all dead. Perfect for cliché-ish gang meeting.
There were other cars parking in a circle, the lights on.
In the middle was a truck. It's loading ramp was down with four open barrels.
They exited the car. Some thugs were chatting and laughing. Others just seemed to wait.
Griffin grabbed her at both shoulders. "Hanna", he said in a very strong tone.
Maria replied afraid. "Yes?" Then she realized. "Oh shit."
Griffin had baited her." Exactly. You were not honest." He dragged her in the middle of the circle where the truck stood.
"Here are your two options of today. Accept your transfer or end in a barrel."
They stepped closer. She red the letter, "Biowaste disposal. 55 gallons (208 liters)."
"That's a joke, right?" Hanna asked.
"Take a closer look."
There were two filled barrels with dead bodies. At the side they could read From: Kumo, To: Griffin."
Apparently, the contents were two dead TCTF agents.
Griffin took a taser and turned to Hanna. "Now then. There is an empty barrel. We did such a long trip here. You should at least test it. It will surely help you make decisions." He pulled the trigger.
Electricity danced through the air.
Hanna: "Griffin, what the hell is this?"
"I do what I have to", he replied and pulled the trigger another time, aiming for her belly.
Hanna went to the ground, overwhelmed by pain. "Help her in."
One TCTF was obviously concerned of further actions. "Sir?"
"In that state, she won't make it on her own. Now!"
The TCTF packed her into the barrel and closed it.
"Undercover mission can end badly if you don't inform your commander in charge. You know how I lead the departments. You know our house rule, my rules. I told you often enough I set them up for good reason."
He took a baseball bat and started to hit the barrel. "Unpleasant things can happen if you aren't honest. You endanger your colleagues, you endanger the mission."
Hanna screamed. "Griffin. What the fuck are you doing?! - Kyyyaaaaa."
"That's right Hanna, that's you in a barrel if the Syndicate gets you! - In fact, they have barrels for all of us! For you because you know Mai. And for me because there is A 10 MILLION BOUNTY ON MY HEAD!" Griffin hit the barrel even harder.
At Takahashi's side a thug tried to pull his guns and looked greedy at the Yakuza boss who hold him back and shook head in a disapproving manner.
Griffin continued in his rage. "And for my all of my agents, to send them in chunks back to TCTF and make and example out of them. - They even have a barrel for Takahashi-san because he turned against them and did not let them take over this city."
There was a water truck nearby. Griffin took a water hose and filled the barrel at a damaged spot on top.
"You may say secrets, but trust is equally important to keep us alive in this business."
Hanna started to panic. "Let me out, you sick bastard."
"Trust, loyalty, motivation, determination. I don't see any of this in you."
"Griffin! Grifffiin!"
Griffin continued to hit the barrel.
"EVERY - TIME - YOU - TRIED - TO - SABOTAGE - MY - ACTIONS"
The barrel started to overflow. Griffin kicked it down.
The barrel rolled over the scene, losing water everywhere, slowly ending at Takahashi. He stopped it with his foot. "Is that it?"
Griffin threw him a sign so that Takahashi knew it was his turn.
He took out two plasma pistols. "Let me make sure she understands your message."
Bam, bam, bam. The barrel started to burn everywhere and moved again. The thugs had fun kicking it forth and back.
"Haha, that's awesome." Takahashi and his men laughed.
"Takahashi!", Griffin demanded.
The Yakuza boss understood. He switched to rapid fire and cut a hole into the water truck.
The barrel cracked at all sides and broke under the clashing wave. Hanna was half rolling half diving through tons of water. As soon as the wave died she fought for air.
They gave her time to recover.
Griffin stepped in front of her and pointed the bat at her. "Tomorrow I await your transfer request." Griffin and his bodyguards took the car and the transporter with the dead agents.
Takahashi crouched down to Hanna. "This might be an awkward moment but let me ask you. Do you want to work for me? I could need some insights into this guy and the TCTF. What do ya say?"
He pulled on her hair so she would reply to his face.
Hanna was crying. "You are all sick."
Takahashi released his grip. Hanna's face smashed by its own weight onto the watered asphalt.
The man reloaded his plasma pistols and aimed at her.
An moment of lethal tension passed.
"You should be more grateful that Griffin let you go so easily."
Takahashi holstered his pistols and made sign to leave.
They all left her alone.
Hanna was slowly standing up. Clothes soaked with water. Beaten up. Wounds of burn. Bleeding scratches. A laceration at the forehead. And yet the night could have ended much worse.
Hanna wanted to leave as well until she noticed that she stepped on something.
A glas-cracking sounded. Hanna picked up the item to just realize it was one of the empty energy cells Takahashi left behind.
Engraved she could read a two-liner.
"Manufactured by BGI in WCG region 49"
"Certified for TCTF equipment and armory"
'Where did Takahashi got this? From Griffin?'
[Besides the obvious question and its implication, long-time Oni fans know that BGI is supposed to be a shady organization and a connection to the TCTF might spice up future events.]
At a later occasion Griffin asked Takahashi. "You almost shot Maria - or Hanna - or whatever her real name is. What was that for?"
Takahashi: "Don't take that too serious, Griffin-san. I couldn't let you act all big in front of my men and me doing nothing."