Two oneshots
The first one is pre-XS, the second one is Pied Piper related.
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Mainpulating Destiny
14-year old Kevin Winnicot looked around nervously. Mizrahi had forbidden him access to this room, but he couldn’t help it. Making sure that the security cameras were turned off, he hurried over to the bio-tube that was the dominating feature of the room. Punching in a code on the nearby console, he watched as the tube opened, revealing a sleeping young girl.
“Hey Shion.” He whispered. “I’m sorry, Mizrahi’s…” He trailed off, unable to say any more. Scowling, he turned back to the console, starting to input some commands.
Mizrahi’s lost his damn mind. I know it sounds callous of me, but it’s been a year! Sakura’s dead and gone, she’s not coming back! And he’s asking too much of that Realian. And now this… The ‘this’ was the sudden order from Ormus to allow them access to the Zohar and the Emulators. Thankfully, Mizrahi was blocking them for now, but Kevin had found out the reason why they had taken such a sudden interest.
You can’t just go off and activate the Original! That’s the reason why we humans lost the mother planet! He gritted his teeth. And now they’re starting to snoop about in our work, and they’re coming too close to Shion! We both know that we didn’t hide her properly in the paperwork. The minute Ormus finds out who she is…or what she is… His fingers fisted, and he fought back the urge to hit the console. He’d had the bad luck to assist Sellers with some work once, the man was clearly jealous of Mizrahi and not kind towards those that he considered his ‘specimens’. No, if Shion fell into their hands, she’d soon be dead. But if things continued in this vein, she’d be dead…
We worked our fingers down to the bone to make things perfect, and now he’s throwing it away. As far as he could see, Sakura’s death had driven the wedge that had developed between Mizrahi and his wife in even deeper, and now his obsession with MOMO was threatening to destroy it, him, Kevin’s life, and Shion’s. Kevin would only see one other alternative, to go to the one who had helped Mizrahi financially when it came to Shion.
CEO Wilhelm. Kevin turned his head, looking at the sleeping brunette. Surely Wilhelm could do something; it galled Kevin, having to result to this. But he didn’t see any other alternative. Sighing, he pressed a button on the console, watching as the tube closed, ensuring that Shion stayed locked in slumber.
“…”
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Wilhelm stayed quiet as the teenager recited his tale.
“I see.” He said softly. “He…from the looks of things has all but abandoned her. And you’re afraid that your protections, both yours and his, won’t hold up for very long.” Kevin nodded.
“They won’t. I would do it on my own, but Mizrahi would find out. He’s got me working almost night and day on the data for the prototype, and then the data from the Zohars, both the Original and the Emulators…” The words were tumbling out, he couldn’t stop them. “I’ve had to sneak around to take care of her; he won’t even do the maintenance on her bio-tube! We worked so hard on her all those years, and he’s just throwing it away! Surely you’ve seen this, why haven’t you done something instead of sitting up here like you’re king of the world!” The minute the words left his lips, Kevin immediately knew he’d crossed a line…somewhere.
Oh no. The only person who could help Shion, and he’d gone and lost his temper. I’ve gone and done it… However, soft chuckling snapped him out of his thoughts and staring at Wilhelm with disbelief.
“You’re quite the passionate one, aren’t you? They certainly didn’t mention that in your file.” The white-haired man rose, going over to a window.
“Mr. Wilhelm, I’m-”
“No, no, don’t apologize, you’ll ruin the effect.” The room was silent for a while, and then Kevin looked up.
“I…I won’t lie, sir. I’m not only down here for Shion, but I’m also here to save my own hide, I’ll admit it. I’m afraid for myself and for Shion, I know who they’ll give her to if she’s discovered, I know what could happen to me if Mizrahi gets discovered, he’s so far gone they can’t get anything decent out of him, and as for me…” He trailed off, drawing in a deep breath. “I just…”
“It’s only natural for you to feel that way.” Wilhelm replied. “Self-preservation is strong in all of us.” He turned, surveying Kevin. “What do you think needs to be done with the girl?” The teen started, Wilhelm was asking for his advice?
“Uh…well…for starters…” Kevin shook his head, trying to get a grip. “For starters, she can’t be taken off-planet, security gets tighter and tighter every day. She can’t be turned over to anyone else, and so…the only really good opinion left is for her to be awakened.”
“Can she be hidden?” Wilhelm asked.
“That’s…” Kevin winced. “That’s hard to tell.” He fidgeted. “Even after she’s out of the bio-stasis, she needs intensive training to get her up to the standards normal children at her age are at, she’d need memory modifications, and we can’t just place her with anyone.” Wilhelm nodded, turning to the window.
“Hmm. Very well then.” He moved back behind his desk. “I’ll talk to Mizrahi. The child is technically under Vector’s care, I’ll order him to tend to her safety. In the meantime…Winncot, was it?”
“Yes sir.”
“Thank you for bringing this to my attention.” Kevin nodded. Bowing, he moved to the lift and went down, leaving Wilhelm alone in the office. Or so he thought. A shimmer of light, and Voyager appeared.
“You were right. He did come.”
“Yes. A pity he’s so young though.” Wilhelm murmured. “He and the other one. We’ll have to wait a bit for them.”
“And the girl?” Voyager’s voice was raspy from much silence.
“I anticipated that Mizrahi would reject her from the prototype. It was only natural; the death of a child is very harsh. But he seems to be going too far.” A frown crossed Wilhelm’s features. “He may deviate from the plan.” That he could not allow. Things were reaching a delicate turning point, and it would take all his attention to ensure that he and Vector came out advantageous.
Perhaps a personal visit is in order. Wilhelm pondered this; it seemed like a good idea.
“…I’ll be heading for Miltia.”
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The laboratory was silent, almost tomb-like. While Wilhelm found the quiet appealing, it also held an air of the suspenseful. But from the general air, it wasn’t a good place to keep a child.
Anguish and madness linger here. He silently removed his gloves as he walked down the hall. Disorder lurks around the corners, intermingled with jealously and hatred. The door hissed open, revealing a circular room. Images of the twelve Emulators were stationed at various points and in the middle of it all, a bio-tube with a small girl inside.
The prototype. Curious, he stepped forward and looked up at her sleeping face. She even looks like her. The door hissed open again.
“Who are you! Oh!” Wilhelm turned around. “Mr. Wilhelm.”
“Dr. Mizrahi.”
“What-what brings you here?”
“A very important matter.” Wilhelm replied, carefully examining Mizrahi’s face. The man looked as if he had aged ten more years, lines of grief bracketing his mouth and around his eyes. Grief and insanity tainted his aura; it was becoming impossible to distinguish between them. “How is the girl?”
“Oh.” Mizrahi came over, looked up at MOMO. “She’s doing fine.” But this was a mistake, no sooner than the words had left his lips Wilhelm’s eyes narrowed.
“The other little girl, Dr. Mizrahi.” A confused look crossed Mizrahi’s features, and he turned to look at Wilhelm.
“What other little girl?” Wilhelm didn’t reply for a moment, and then reached into his pocket for his gloves.
“It seems I must now take care of her myself.” His eyes lifted, pinned Mizrahi’s own. “The little girl that you’ve hidden for eight years. The little girl that you didn’t want falling into Ormus’ hands. The little girl that you and your assistant worked tirelessly on all these years. The one that was born from your revival of Dmitri’s experiment.” Comprehension was slowly dawning on Mizrahi, and a shocked look crossed his face as Wilhelm calmly palmed the gloves. “The little girl you now endanger, as Ormus demands access to all your work. The little girl who is a ward of Vector.”
“I…I…I can’t do that! Too much security!” Mizrahi stammered out. “She’s doing well, everything’s been-”
“Please, Dr. Mizrahi.” Wilhelm said, shaking his head. “Let’s not have lies between us. You don’t even have any idea of her condition. She could have died these past several months and you wouldn’t have even cared. And you are right; there is too much security about. Thus risks have to be taken until it is possible to move her someplace safe.”
“I can explain.” Mizrahi started. Wilhelm turned away, starting to put one glove on as he headed for the door. “Mr. Wilhelm!”
“You will awaken her from bio-stasis.” Wilhelm begun, turning back around. “She will have the necessary therapy needed for her to interact properly with outside society, as she will be living with her father. As for memories, she should simply remember that her mother’s been ill ever since her birth, and that her father’s been taking care of her. Those should be sufficient until it’s possible to get her off planet.” He put on the other glove. “She’ll have a caretaker for when he’s busy, and who will also protect her if she’s in danger.” The door hissed open. “I expect that she’ll be ready to go to her father within two months.” The door hissed shut.
That should take care of things. He increased his pace. He’ll do it grudgingly, for it’s time taken away from his ‘child’. But he’ll do it. Passing though the entrance, he stopped and took a cleansing breath. The air outside had a sharp taste of frost, but it was heaven compared to the cesspool of negativity that was collecting inside of Laybrinthos. He has, or will soon go utterly and completely mad. And because of that, his usefulness will soon be out-lived. Turning up his collar, he started to walk into the night.
The sooner Shion’s away from him, the better.
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Les Deux Frères (The Two Brothers)
He’d seen the need for help. The Compass had shown him that those of the shining wills would soon step onto the stage. And further away hidden in the wings, the key to all that he desired was waiting to be born; he’d see her will very soon. But yes, he’d had his hands full. Vector was growing in power; he’d won the trust and respect of the Federation Parliament. They would overwhelmingly clamor for him to lead them, as Executive Committee Director he could make sure that the affairs of the Federation were aligned with his own. He would also still be the head of Vector, but paperwork always had this nasty tendency to pile up.
And he’d just finished creating his program. The use of Realians had just been introduced, many of them models lent to the military for experimental and test runs. System ‘Canaan’ had been designed for Realians, and it would be a good ideal to see how it performed. Just in time for a certain investigator as well…but beyond that, there was something he wanted to confirm.
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It was an odd little order, sibling Realians? But it was done without question, all records and traces erased. The younger one Wilhelm had activated as a civil-servant Realian, placing him within good proximity of the investigator. The older one he kept, assigning him as a personal assistant. While this was very odd given the current human mindset, Wilhelm knew he was setting a silent example, both for human and Realian alike.
Keila was the name of the one he kept, and Lactis the name given to his brother. Both were equipped with the ‘Canaan’ program unlike their mass-produced counterparts, and also had been given the capacity to experience a wider range of emotions. This was another experiment by Wilhelm, a part of the plan for the future. The results gave him a rather pleasant surprise. Keila was very intelligent and performed his duties flawlessly. He was the calmer of the two, his mindset very logical. Lactis was similar, but looked like he would develop a tendency later on to become very passionate and emotional. His ‘Canaan’ programming was active, but Wilhelm had chosen not to activate his brother’s own. So Keila was kept restricted to handling Vector’s affairs for Wilhelm, while the white-haired man focused on making sure the current Parliament would vote him into the ECD slot. But eventually…
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He’d been lonely. Had been ever since he and Yeshua had parted ways. But there had been the promise that when he gained and elevated the wills he would find and choose to assist him, that he wouldn’t be lonely anymore. But it seemed to have come to a head, as on a sudden impulse he entertained the thought of having Keila watch over his brother, to tell him of his plans. And it would also be another good experiment, for later on down the line the others would be aware of what he was doing. So without Keila’s knowledge he activated his ‘Canaan’ program and allowed the Realian to puzzle out what his master was truly up to. Again Wilhelm found himself pleasantly surprised. Keila actually approved of his plans given the evidence he had found, and was eager to help in any way possible. Wilhelm allowed him to do so, and the two found themselves in a quasi-friendship.
But with the arrival of Voyager though, Wilhelm found that Keila wouldn’t be able to help him for much longer. The policeman had rejected his offer and killed himself. But Wilhelm knew he wouldn’t succeed, the Compass had shown him his fate. The other wills wouldn’t come into existence for a while yet; Lactis had been brought back to Vector and put into stasis for the time being. But once again Keila was a surprise, coming to Wilhelm in his office one day.
“Thank you Mr. Wilhelm. For everything.” Taken aback, Wilhelm looked up from his computer screen.
“Keila? Is something the matter?” Of course he knew what just the Realian had on his mind, but it was a small surprise that he was taking action about it. Keila smiled sadly.
“Mr. Wilhelm, I know my time is up. I just wanted to thank you for all you’ve done.”
“I should be thanking you.” Wilhelm replied. “And I want to reward you.” Keila’s head shot up in surprise at this, his eyes widening. “Anything you want.” A pensive look crossed the Realian’s face, and then he nodded to himself.
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Keila’s wish had been simple. He had picked up on the connection between him and Lactis, asking Wilhelm if they had been related. When Wilhelm had said yes, Keila had asked that after his memory wipe and reprogramming, that he be with his brother. Wilhelm had granted it, sending the two to work together in the Federation police force. But his wish had also been granted in another way. Wilhelm had included a small part of his programming mixed with Lactis’s own in Lactis’s desendant, Canaan.
It was the least he could do for those who had served him so well.