BGC Fic Ghost in The Shell By Battlekrome Warning this can be considered a DARK fic reader beware! --------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 2: Rude Awakening Intro - music: Invisible Man by Queen ---------------------------------------------------------- Nene woke with yet another splitting headache. She was lying in the boomer recovery area of the AD police. Seems her SEP field had made her unconscious body seem like boomer bits. Well boomer chunks. "Well, Missy, you're finally awake." An unfamilliar voice stated. With a start Nene sat up and looked at the speaker. "You must be one of those fabled Knight Sabers. Peter Raeder at your service." "You can see me?" "Of course I can, Missy. I've been able to see you ever since they carted you and the boomer parts in." "But.... " "Yeah, I know, no one sees you. Tried for five minutes to get one of the other mechanics to see you but he couldn't. Probably have to do with what I do for a living. Chief Mechanic of the AD police at your service, Missy. Nothing gets by my eyes." "Oh." "Now the problem is what to do with you. I can't turn you in, and I can't exactly in good conscience toss you out on the street." "Why can't you turn me in? You are AD police after all." "With that effect you have on people. I wouldn't get five minutes attention for you. I don't know how to take your suit off let alone if it's safe for me to do so." "So what are you going to do then?" Nene inquired. "Well, I thought I could sneak you out when I went home." "Sounds fine to me, how long before you're done for the day?" "That's what the problem is i have to finish this work on a detective's K-12 upgrade, and its gonna take me till late tonight to do it." "I might be able to help with that." "We have and deal then you help me with this suit and I'll drop you off after we're done where ever you want." *** Taras was comfortably set up in her hotel room and had decided to drift off into cyberspace while she searched for traces of the other being. There seemed to be footprints of them all over the place leading to high tech research databases to AD police personnel files. All of these were accessed at the speed only one of her kind could master. Something seemed off the data all was boomer and hardsuit research why would the being need such data when they could get cybernetics done in Newport? Then it clicked the being wasn't military or even special goverment ops. They were a civilian! "That changes quite a bit one would think." *** The K-12 suit stood there gleaming and shiny with new armor bulging on its surface and weaponry semi concealed on it. Nene and Peter stood before it. Peter smiling and Nene grinning. "Well, Little lady, we got it done now where was it ye wanted to go?" Nene replied somewhere far enough from Linna's place to not be too close but close enough not to be too far a walk to Linna's apartment. *** Getting a ride to near Linna's was alot better than having to walk all the way to her place. Waving to Peter she made her way up the stairs. >SYSTEM. Alert!! downtime needed within next 5 minutes >Query. How long of a downtime? >SYSTEM. Estimated at 3 hours + or - 30 minutes It was just as she finally knocked at Linna's door that the five minutes expired so as Linna opened the door Nene slumped to the ground. *** When Nene awoke from her forced slumber things seemed clearer. >Query. Downtime length >SYSTEM. 3 hours and 5 minutes. external appearence has been reset to original configuration >Query. Why? >SYSTEM. Downtime was to upgrade systems after combat evaluation. original appearence was optimal for upgraded systems She seemed to be standing upright in a closet. Attempting to move she found herself restrained. "What the?" Using a bit more force the restraints snapped free. Nene now recognized where she was. "They put me in the suit holding cell? something is wrong here." With a dismayed look she remembered no way to open the cells from the inside. >Query. Any way to open door? >SYSTEM. Three choices currently available. 1) force the door (unadvisable) 2) hack into controls and open electronically (if purely mechanical locks used at all unusable) 3) wait >Query. Attempt 2) >SYSTEM. Working.... Lock command found Executing... With a hiss of CO2 the door swung out and up to reveal the docking bay of the HQ. Looking around she decided to find out what was happening. It was then she say what was on the work bench. *** Nene woke up on the floor. "What the?" >Query. What just happened? >SYSTEM. Unexplained downtime. Visual receptors picked up red haired female lying on table Standing up onto her feet Nene look down in horror upon her own body. >Query. HOW THE HECK IS THAT POSSIBLE? >SYSTEM. Inner suit failure was read two days ago. possible cause was massive breach in torso of suit. >Query. So I'm dead? >SYSTEM. Error... Syntax error unable to correctly respond >Query. Life signs on female on table >SYSTEM. Analyzing... Done Female is non-functional. Estimated time of death more than a day ago >Query. So what am I? >SYSTEM. Error... Syntax error unable to correctly respond Nene clenched her fists in frustration. She couldn't be dead. She COULDN'T! How was she alive to see her own body as well. Sobbing she sank to her knees and began going over then events of the past two days and the events during the boomer fight. She remebered getting hit bad enough to throw her into the building. Then the walls around her collapsing as a blue flash filled her vision and she felt... felt a spike drive right through her. "I'm dead... I'm alive but my body is dead? How? how? ho..w?" Pulling herself together Nene finally was able to stare over her own body. Her chest was caved in and had a hole completely through it. Suprisingly her face was unmarked. She ran her fingers over the face and shivered as her metal fingers touched the cheek. She then looked as a drop of moisture hit the cheek of the body. Poking at it with her finger she realized she was crying. "H.. o.. w?" >Query. How am I crying? >SYSTEM. Upgrade 238: tear ducts in head unit near optics Looking around she found a reflective mirror on the wall. Looking closely at herself she saw wet streaks down the front of her helmet from exactly where her eyes would of been inside. She unconsciously wiped away her tear and turned toward her body. "OH NO! The.. The.. others would think I was dead." "HEY!" Nene turned to see Priss entering the room. Reaching down to her jacket Priss had her Member-II hangun out, assembled and pointing at Nene. "Priss, It's me..." "What?" "It's me.. I'm somehow in the suit." Priss tightned her grip on the Member-II "You have ten seconds to explain how you are in that suit and how you got in here. Or I'm going to blow holes out of you." >Query. Is it possible to remove helmet? >SYSTEM. Dislocation of head unit will cause some dislocation of visual perseptions >Query. My eyes are in the head unit and I'll have to point them to see correct? >SYSTEM. Essentially correct. Nene reached up to remove her head from her shoulders. A weird sensation followed by a few clicks as the connecting latches unhooked. Placing each hand on one side of her head Nene lifted and her perspective shifted up wards and then down as Nene moved to hold her head in front of her. Priss watched as the intruder raised the helmet off, but instead of the expected face there was nothing. Priss's brain reached overload as the helmet now held at waist level spoke to her "Priss? Priss? ... Yo you in there?" Nene watched as Priss froze walking forward and shifting her grip on her head to one hand she waved her hand in front of Priss's now glazed over eyes. Then suddenly Priss's eyes rolled back and she began to collapse. Nene reacted as she would as if she were in a normal body. She dropped what she was holding and caught Priss and steadied her. The difference was she watched her body catch Priss and as her body supported Priss she saw he viewpoint descend to the floor then bounce once, then roll towards Priss's feet. "Whoah, That was weird." Finding Priss lighter to keep up than expected Nene reached down and replaced her head on her shoulders. Shaking her head to clear the memory of such a strange event Nene turned and sat Priss down onto a nearby chair. Walking over to Priss's Member-II she picked it up took out the ammo in it and placed it within easy reach of her unconscious team mate. Idly looking at the ammo she placed them on the countertop and pulled up a seat to wait for Priss to regain consciousness. ***-***