"What will you do now? Practice, and then get your revenge?"
Who: Mayuri and Motoko What: We can make her stronger, faster...Mayuri puts Motoko into her cyberbody When: After Iroh killed Motoko Where: Shinigami R&D Status: complete Rating: PG-13 for nudity, and glossed descriptions of burned bodies
Deep within the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, under the highest security lockdown, Mayuri had set to work stabilizing Motoko long enough to transfer her memories into the cyberbrain. It had been an arduous task and involved an induced coma long enough to confirm the data transfer was complete and intact. Then it had all been a matter of putting...her...into the body, and making the necessary adjustments and tests, before he flipped the switch.
The lab was dimly lit and Mayuri was standing by the large array of equipment holding Motoko’s robotically enhanced body upright. The pieces weren’t light. A long enough jump onto concrete could crack it, and calibrations had taken longer than expected.
Without further deliberation, Mayuri flipped the switches on a console and stood in front of her, his head tilted and eyes round and unblinking, as he waited for any signs of activity.
He was confident that the brain would work - having made his own backup copies - but what about the body? While it was intriguing to figure out how it worked on a much more detailed level, it would all be for nothing if she didn’t spring to life as expected.
Motoko couldn’t describe the feeling of returning to consciousness. It was like waking up from a long sleep. Everything felt heavy and strange, and even the smallest movements took a great deal of effort. Opening her eyes, which now glinted purple and icey into the lab, was a monumental effort.
She gasped as her new body took in it’s first air. She could last a long time underwater, but not indefinitely. Even moving her mouth and her voice required conscious thought.
It was near instantaneous and the amount of information she suddenly started to process was almost painful.
Not as bad as burning alive, but close.
Twitching her fingers, she tried to lift her hand.
“How long was I...?”
Mayuri tilted his head even further, so everything in his neck made a series of popping noises. His eyelids blinked once, twice, and then his lips pulled back to reveal the gold-plated teeth in his mouth. It was meant to express his delight in the midst of scientific curiosity. It came across as kabuki creepy. Especially when one arm raised, an index finger extended, and he pointed toward her lifeless burned body nearby, which had pretty much been flayed open and was now more like an empty, cooked husk.
"Long enough for the data transfer and to hook the cyberbrain into the body's system," he explained, his voice more like he was singing a song of science to someone who might not fathom what it all might mean. "There was no time to waste, by the time I located your corpse. And while your brain download was a success, your body may require more recalibrations It appears that the movements are sluggish. Do your limbs feel heavy?"
“I need a piece of paper.” Motoko’s eyes moved over towards her body, and she managed to look ill. “Heavy... my ghost .. my soul needs to adjust, as well. But I need a piece of paper...”
"Ahh, my my, you will need some adjustments. Now. Paper, did you say? Hmmmm. I'll see what I have." He disappeared out of view and came back with a rolling cart that had some long needle-like instruments for making adjustments to conductivity, and several slips of blank white paper. Before he moved out of view again to make any adjustments, he held out one piece of paper and asked, "This?"
“Yes. Thank you.” She took the paper, and tried to test her fine motor control. She got half-way through an origami crane before her hand spasmed and crushed it. “Shit. I’m going to need more practice again. It took me years, before...”
There were definitely some adjustments that needed to be made. Mayuri frowned a little, before thoughtfully tapping a finger against the golden adornment hanging off his chin. Hanging was probably a bad word for it. It was actually locked in place with embedded brackets.
There was little time to waste, since whoever did that to Motoko had to be dealt with, before they did it to others. Mayuri had little tolerance for usurpers, uninvited interlopers, or those who disrupted the natural flow and order of things. He moved another table over, placing the paper on it within her reach, and rolled the cart with the instruments around her.
"...I will see if I can lessen the time it takes," he explained as he opened various ports and compartment doors that were hidden in the body, some of which were accessing the cyberbrain. He began to insert the long needle-like instruments and prepared to delicately turn them with a twist of his fingertips for the necessary adjustments. "Tell me when you feel the movements are improving, before I move on to the next setting. We have some time. I think we are both beyond sleeping at this point. We barely qualify being alive."
“I suppose that depends on your definition of alive.” She was able to make a crude crane, and set it down before another muscle spasm. “Better.” Motoko could still feel things. Physical sensations, emotions. What he was doing hurt. She simply turned off her pain receptors.
Handy.
That was good and handy, because Mayuri was actually - for once in his life - not trying to cause pain to Motoko. He looked as though this was serious business and the pain he would inflict could wait for other test subjects. He continued working quickly, exchanging the instruments, and then inserting an cord into the back of her neck. He began typing on a nearby computer, as he spoke.
"Tch. Definitions," he scoffed as he worked, as though the thought of defining themselves was distasteful. "You are you and a sentient being, the same as I am. What our bodies are is inconsequential, even if yours is made of industrialized materials and I'm primarily comprised of reishi. Now try again and tell me if that is an improvement, after that secondary nervous system sync."
She nodded, and the movement felt easier. Motoko worked her fingers again, and this time she held a perfect origami crane in the palm of her hands. She smiled. “It took me years, in the dreams, to achieve this level of motor control. I was in a plane crash as a child. They put me in a cyberbody.”
Mayuri finished another adjustments, readying to move onto her legs and balance systems, before releasing her from the frame that was holding her up. As he passed by to fetch some more instruments, he cast a glance over at her.
"I haven't found anything to explain the dreams or why they mirror our lives in other places, which is profoundly frustrating to a scientist," he explained as if he was irritated beyond belief, but not at her. Her body and brain were amazing, on a strictly technological level. While Mayuri liked women, he simply liked science more and could only appreciate them from a scientific perspective. "In your dream life, you did not know me, nor I, you."
He passed back by, his robes swishing softly on the floor, cruel looking instruments held in both hands.
"I was imprisoned for being a danger to an entire society, until someone I hated let me out with great reluctance on my part, and he all but handed me an entire research facility. If he had not done so, then I would not be here, now, with more than a hundred year's worth of knowledge to be able to do this. The universe works in mysterious ways. In sixty seconds, move your legs if you can."
She nodded again, looking down past her bare breasts at her legs and toes. She was less self-conscious in this body, especially since Mayuri was so clinical about it.
“I’ve come to the conclusion that sometimes you need to sleep with the devil. Figuratively.”
Oh, Mayuri was always clinical. Human bodies were merely a steadily degrading series of muscle, sinews, blood, organs and bone, stuck together and animated until time took it's inevitable toll and the body shut down. But Motoko and his own body? They were incredibly difficult to harm or damage now. It must be a family thing.
"So I'm the devil?" he asked, sounding a little too amused. "I know the difference between right and wrong, Motoko. Surprisingly, even if my methods are questionable and I've a scientific inclination to study corpses and such? I keep to myself but do things for the better good of society. Even, sometimes, for those I loathe, immensely."
He made another adjustment. "Did that free up more movement capabilities?"
She wriggled her toes, then shook her legs out. Her purple hair dangled into her face and she shook her head to clear her view. “I think so. Do you have a raw egg? I want to make sure I can handle something delicate.”
"I don't keep those on this level of the institute. That's where I create vaccines." He looked around, wishing he had some of the test mice in this area as well. Instead, he found a thin glass vial without a stopper, and moved to hold it out to her. "Try this first. I will get you some eggs to practice with, shortly."
Before she could take it, though, his eyes narrowed considerably and he asked her, "What entity did that to your frail mortal form?"
“Someone who can breath fire,” Motoko replied, flexing her fingers. Her voice turned cold. “Next time, I’ll put a bullet in him from a distance. I can handle heat, but I’d rather not test that theory.”
"It may compromise some systems, if the temperature is considerable enough. You will not need to worry about that level of bodily destruction, ever again." He understood that coldness and smiled, knowingly. "I will also be able to repair and upgrade your cybernetic body when you need, and have started work on replacement limbs and components." There was a pause and a twitch in his left eye, to show that fire breathers irritated him. "I hope you obliterate him. I would enjoy wiping his soul out of existence, as well. This is one case where a small charred tissue sample would suffice for me to study, but I know that revenge would be more satisfying."
Mayuri went from vindictive to downright pleasant.
"How many eggs would you like?"
She looked at him, then nodded. “I’ll consider it. I’m not sure he deserves to have his soul obliterated, but I might have no objections to the shell. Four eggs. If I can’t crack an egg on accident, I think it would be safe to hold delicate things.”
"I do like seeing the hell gate claiming the damned," Mayuri sing-songed as he retreated to put in a request to an assistant, followed by disappearing for a minute or two. He came back with four eggs, methodically placing them on the table in a metal tray, so they didn't roll off. "If you believe it requires further adjustments, do inform me? Your body is a fascinating array of constructed neuro-pathways and mechanics. That you exist wholly within it is a scientific miracle."
“A lot of people only have the brains, or just parts of their bodies. A sniper with prosthetic eyeballs, a man with inputs to jack into a computer. Most have those.” She lifted a finger to touch the ones on the back of her neck.
There were wires there, which Mayuri was using to run diagnostics. He moved to look at the string of numbers and made a cooing noise like it was all terribly interesting, as well as things seemed to be running smoothly.
"Our dreams are drastically different," he noted, and then turned to remove some of the adjustment instruments. "When you feel you are ready, I can lower you from the frame and you can attempt moving around without any supports. You appear to be quite well-balanced in this body."
“I can’t wait to try out the acrobatics,” Motoko admitted. She didn’t even mean sexy flexibility, either, though she knew that would be nice. She wanted to leap, run, and dive off of very high objects.
"There have been stress tests," Mayuri mused aloud. "If you want to jump off the high silo of the research institute, your body will withstand the force when you hit the ground. Pity we aren't in Tokyo. The buildings there would be so much more suitable for acrobatics and shunpo."
“I’d have to head downtown for anything really serious, but Tokyo would have been perfect.” She rolled her shoulders. “I’m ready to come down.”
"It is a very high tower, but not as tall as what's in larger downtown areas. Tokyo would have been preferable, or even New York," he grudgingly admitted, and released the wiring and all of the clamps that had been holding her in place. He stood back, keeping a watchful eye on her movements, to see if they were fluid and natural, not choppy or robotic.
“New York.” Motoko snickered. Like that Spider-man movie. She slowly stepped from the palette, and took a few test steps. She relaxed, and began to move a little more naturally. She did a few stretches, as well. “What’s the readouts say?”
"That everything is operating at optimum capacity. This experiment has been a success." He turned his head to look from the monitors to Motoko. "What will you do now? Practice, and then get your revenge?"
“Practice yes. Not revenge, justice.” Motoko gave him a faint smile, and then added, “there are times that revenge and justice will coincide.”
Mayuri was quiet, but looked as though the golden wheels in his mind were turning, and that was often a dangerous time for people he hated. Instead of saying that, he pointed over to what used to be Motoko's body, cracked open thing that it was. The ribcage was split wide open from when he attempted to keep her heart beating and bodily functions going long enough for the memory transfer, and the skull nothing more than an empty bowl that once held her brain. In the far corner of the room was one of his long white robes, covered in blood splatter and clumps of flesh.
That was statement enough that - this time - maybe justice needed to collide with revenge.
"You have basic use and clearance of the facilities from basement level two, to floor twelve," Mayuri told her, but was certain to add, "if you see any doors with purple lights on the access panels, do not enter or attempt using your access code. You won't have the clearance."
At least he trusted her that much? He simply hated it when parts of his facility went boom and he had to replace lackluster lab assistants with new lackluster lab assistants. Bah humbug.
She followed his look, and understood a bit more. If she'd still been human, her stomach would have roiled. She still looked disgusted, as she walked over to her body. "God..."
She just nodded at the rest of what he said. She seemed distracted but she was able to process it anyway. "Understood."
Mayuri waved a hand, almost dismissively. It was now simply discarded waste. Most of the genetic material had been burned or subject to intense heat, so it wasn't even useful for samples. It was basically waste material.
"A human's mortal body has always intrigued me, primarily by how frail it is, and the many ways it can be injured or infected. But if you think of it as a temporary cocoon for a soul," he pointed out with a smile, "then you can see that you have now metamorphosized into something quite extraordinary."
That coming from a shinigami whose soul sword was represented by a gigantor caterpillar with a poison spewing baby’s head. Because yes, of course it would make some sick and twisted form of sense.
Turning, Motoko smiled at him, and fingered her hair. "The bright colored ones are the most deadly, right?" Her smile turned dark.
“I’ll need some clothing. I don’t know how to repay you.”
"That is nature's warning system," he remarked, since his own hair was blue and his eyes an golden amber hue. The face painting and stark black and white robes didn't help much with the effect. Now they were both deadly creatures.
Mayuri pointed over to a robe while saying, "You're family. We antagonize one another whenever we come into contact, but we realize that there is a bond there, however tedious or tenuous it is. That's the way of things." There was a moment’s pause before he continued to speak. "I prefer to eradicate and eviscerate all troublemakers, even if you prefer a more just route. So that is why I'll help you, in the ways in which I'm able to. Do you need any experimental high-powered explosives or any canisters of temporary nerve gas?"
His eyes practically sparkled like he hoped she would field test them.
She pulled the robe on while she thought about it. “Two of each. What sort of side effects on the gas?”
"Burning eyes, excessive drooling, muscle contractions, involuntary urination and defecation, and difficulty breathing. It's much, much less than the standard forms and can be used for crowd control purposes, because the effects in open air environments last only an hour. If it is a closed space," Mayuri said, "then death can occur in less than ten to fifteen minutes, based on the general health of the person who's subjected to it."
He put in an order on a computer, his fingers moving quickly even with that very long fingernail on one hand. When he was done, he made sure to say, "They will be locked behind the front desk in a safety container, waiting for you. Instructions for use will be inside the case. Simply tell one of the receptionists who you are."
She nodded her head, and didn’t offer to shake his hand. “Thank you, Mayuri. I’ll let you know how the field tests go.”
"Do that, and it will be thanks enough." He nodded his head in response, the action also doubling as a farewell. For the time being. "There will be sensors to monitor the explosive charge and the gas dispersion. I could use the test data to make adjustments to the chemical mixtures and casings. Goodbye, Motoko-chan. If you are in need of supplies, repairs, or adjustments...you know where I am."