Welcome again! Looks like some of you actually do like my work!^_^! Anyway, I don't own the Tenchi Universe or the OAV rights; just the DVD's themselves. Pioneer/AIC owns all things Copy write to Tenchi (Except Victor and this actual story, but hey.) There has been a MASSIVE re-write of chapter 2, so go and read it before you go any further. Enjoy; and while the chapter is NOT done, at least from where I stand, Feedback is essential for me to continue. On with the Fic! -DREZ Illusions of Life - Chapter the third: Illusions of Simple Choices The clang and hum of machinery mixed with the sounds of animals both large and small, filling the air with an alien symphony. In the midst of this chaos, a small, carefully tended, garden bloomed. The garden was filled with beautiful flowers and plants of every description, and had a small stream running down its center. Sitting near the edge of this picturesque piece of landscape, a small figure was perched on a large pillow that hung in the air with no visible means of support. Her most notable attribute was the absolutely massive mane of pinkish-red hair that hung almost to the floor. The girl, by all appearances only about 13 years of age, was dressed in a black, short-sleeved shirt and a pair of khaki shorts. The diminutive figure was typing away at an ethereal computer that floated in the air in front of her. Washu sighed as she typed on her holo-computer. she thought to herself with a yawn. "This is gonna be great!!!" the diminutive scientist cackled. Suddenly an insistent beeping started emanating from her holo-top, indicating that she was being sent a secure transmission on one of her private frequencies. Looking at her computer in surprise, Washu rapidly typed in a few commands. Within moments, she had traced the message back to its source and determined who was sending her the message. The diminutive scientist blinked in surprise when at the name displayed on her holotop's screen. Washu mused. She shook her head in disbelief. The computer beeped again, forcing Washu to stop her speculations, at least for the moment. The red headed scientist pressed a key on her holotop and a rough voice blared from a nearby speaker. "Washu. Come in Washu." She was a bit surprised to hear the voice of the bounty hunter, Victor. "I have the coordinates that I needed, but I need a place to send the crew and the ship. Over." Washu smiled a bit. Grinning from ear to ear, Washu opened a channel and responded to Victor's communication. "All right, I copy that," she said in a good imitation of an air-traffic controller. "Relay them to coordinates X5673, Y89032, Z74219. I'll rig a hanger fro you ship, and a cellblock up for them." Before Washu ended the transmission, she added, "One more thing, young pup. You have to call me Little Washu!!" Washu could almost see the bounty hunter's grin. "That'll be fine Wash...err, Little Washu. Thank ye again." The little scientist that could began typing furiously at her holo-top, the chant "I think I can, I think I can" running through her mind like a mantra. With a few delicate keystrokes, Washu materialized a fully functioning copy of a standard issue Galaxy Police detainment facility in an empty section of her lab. "Washu, you *are* such a genius!!" She cackled madly to herself. ******************** A pale-blue haze slowly lifted from in front of a shocked young man's eyes. As his vision returned, Tenchi Masaki, caretaker-in-training of the Masaki shrine, noticed a small, squat building and a landing dock appear before him... and nothing else. Looking around hurriedly, he was a little disturbed to find nothing but a black, swirling, inky darkness. Tenchi nearly jumped from his skin when he felt a large hand settle on his shoulder. "Aaugh!!" the young prince screamed as he spun around, immediately breathing a sigh of relief upon seeing the grinning bounty hunter standing behind him. Victor started to chuckle as he brought his hand back down to his side. Well, me boy, yer reflexes haven't dulled much," Victor said as he chuckled. Motioning to the building, he began walking in its direction. "Come on lad, time to play good cop, bad cop." Victor looked over at Tenchi as the young boy began following him. "Guess who gets to be the good cop, eh?" "Let me guess," Tenchi replied with a smirk, "I get the honors?" "Oooh, the boy does have a sense of humor. There's hope for him yet!" Tenchi looked at the bigger man and grinned. He began thinking about the briefing Victor had given him on the way into Tokyo. Victor had told him what sort of armaments the pirates had, as well as a little bit about their tactics. Thinking about it, Tenchi was a little bit curious as to exactly why this man knew so much about his 'prey', as Victor called it. "Victor," Tenchi called out as the two walked towards the building, "Why did you know so much about the pirates? I know it's your job, but you seemed, well, a little too well prepared." Victor stopped abruptly, nearly making Tenchi run right into his back. The bounty hunter turned to Tenchi, his eyes cloudy, and his expression unreadable. Tenchi swallowed hard at the set of Victor's face, but stood there unmoving under the scrutiny. Finally, after the silence seemed to envelope and smother the duo, Victor spoke. "Do ye really want to know why I know so much about them, Tenchi?" the grizzled veteran asked. Tenchi swallowed again and nodded. "Fine, I'll tell ye. These pirates stole something. Something that is more valuable to me than anything else in this life. And I want it back. I will have it back." Victor said in a low growl, with the first real hint of emotion in his voice. He looked away and began walking toward the building again. Trying to recover from his shock, Tenchi hurried after the bounty hunter and fell in step alongside him. Tenchi thought. Tenchi stopped his train of thought when he two of them reached the small gray building. Taking a deep breath to compose him, Tenchi followed Victor into the room to begin the unpleasant act of interrogation. ********************* Warm, comfortable. Kiyone felt both as her consciousness returned from the dreamless void the Denistropine had sent her. As her sense of touch slowly returned to her, she also noticed tell-tale prick of an IV in her arm, a mask of some sort secured over her mouth and nose, and about a dozen other things she didn't recognized attached to various parts of her body. And then it hit her, she was completely submerged in something a little too thick to be water; and she was completely naked. Kiyone's blue eyes shot open in a panic, her arms moving to cover herself on reflex. For a moment all she could see in front of her was a diffuse green glow. When her eyes had had a few seconds to adjust she realized that what she was seeing was merely the cloudy liquid she was suspended in. Leaning forward a bit, she realized she could see beyond the glass of the tube she was in, even if everything was fairly blurry. Squinting her eyes, the green haired detective could see someone in a lab coat walking around and checking readings. She could also just make out a massive ponytail of long, pinkish-red hair. Kiyone let herself relax when she realized she was in Washu's lab. Deciding to get the scientists attention, she moved her arm through the green liquid and tapped on the glass. Kiyone watched as Washu's head snapped around immediately at the sound of tapping glass. The diminutive scientist smiled and strolled nonchalantly over to the tube Kiyone was floating in. Checking the readouts, Washu nodded her head once, satisfied, and looked up to make eye contact with her blue-eyed patient. "Well Kiyone, looks like you heal faster than I thought you would," Washu said, waving her hand over an empty patch of air. Her spectral computer winked into existence at the gesture, and she began typing. "The nano-probes worked better than I expected. Good, maybe you can help Tenchi and Victor out with their interrogations." Washu continued typing, and soon the liquid in the tank cleared until it was as clear and as thin as regular water. "Alright, out you go," and with that, Washu hit a single key on her holotop. Kiyone gasped as all of the cables and tubes connected to her to disappeared in an instant. She looked down as the bottom of the tank opened up and all of the liquid rushed out. Kiyone closed her eyes and began to pray as she was sucked down along with the water... and splashed down an instant later. Opening her eyes and taking a deep breath, Kiyone was shocked to find herself in the floating Onsen. She wasn't nearly as shocked as the occupants, though. Ryoko, Ayeka, and Mayuka were sitting in a group only a few feet from the newest visitor to the Onsen. Mayuka was crying in Ryoko's arms as both of the now soaked young women stared daggers at Kiyone. Mustering up what little pride and self-esteem she had left, Kiyone smiled at them. "Uh, hey girls. What's up," she said timidly while trying to maintain a smile. Hearing a familiar voice, Mayuka stopped crying. Ryoko just looked at Kiyone and sighed. "I take it 'Mom' let you out of the tube then?" She said to Kiyone. Ayeka just humphed, muttering something about insane geniuses and their twisted senses of humor, and went back to bathing. "Looks that way." Kiyone replied with a sigh. "She also said that Tenchi and the bounty hunter are questioning the pirates that got caught." "Yep. Haven't seen either of them since they went to Tokyo," Ryoko sad amicably as she washed Mayuka. "I think they're somewhere in Washu's lab. I was gonna go over there after my bath." Ryoko tickled the baby and got a giggle in return. She looked back up at Kiyone. "Wanna come with me?" Kiyone, meanwhile, had been watching the way that Ryoko had been tending to Mayuka. Kiyone thought to herself, a warm smile on her face. After hearing Ryoko's last question, she smiled a bit more and said, "Sure, Ryoko. I want to actually see the creeps that messed with my ship." Relaxing into the warm water, Kiyone let her gaze travel over her surroundings, taking everything in. It looked as though it were early morning, so Kiyone figured she couldn't have been out for more than 10 or 12 hours total. After completing her perusal of the surroundings, she noted that a few people were missing. "Where's Sasami, Ayeka?" Kiyone asked, mildly curious. The Amethyst haired princess looked over at Kiyone as she bathed. "I believe that she is making breakfast for everyone Kiyone. She was worried about you and Mihoshi. She will be happy you asked about her." Ayeka replied, flashing her a smile. Kiyone paled visibly at what Ayeka said. Her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh Kami Sama!! What happened to Mihoshi?" Ayeka and Ryoko looked at each other, both of them perplexed at the change that had come over Kiyone. Both were even more surprised when Kiyone jumped out of the water, grabbed a towel, and ran out of the Onsen almost at a sprint. Ryoko just shrugged her shoulders as Ayeka shook her head. "What's with her?" "I really haven't the slightest idea," Ayeka replied to the cyan haired girl. "She is normally the most level headed girl out of all of us...." *********************** Detective First class Kiyone burst into the room that Mihoshi and she shared at a run. Frantically stumbling through the disorganized mess that was Mihoshi's part of the room, she practically dove headlong into her closet, dressing as fast as she could. In less than a minute, Kiyone had thrown on a white shirt with a mid length black and red checkered dress. Running her hands through her damp hair in an attempt to restore it to some semblance of order, the blue-eyed detective dashed out of her room and down the stairs, headed for Washu's lab. Stopping her mad rush at the door to the broom closet, Kiyone took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves and knocked on the door before opening it. Seeing nothing but a dark void in front of her, she took a deep breath and stepped into Washu's laboratory. Kiyone walked through the garden that usually appeared at the entrance to the pink haired scientist's lab. Looking around, she saw a crude sign that said "Medical Wing" taped above a small archway on the right-hand side of the garden. Sighing a bit, Kiyone walked through it, her body language displaying her nervousness for all to see despite her best efforts to control it. The sight that greeted her was one Kiyone would not soon forget. Washu was standing beside a tall cylinder filled with a glowing green liquid, checking various gauges and displays set into a small panel on the tube. She was wearing a white lab coat over he usual attire, and was checking the readouts on a screen next to the tube. Kiyone, however, was not looking at Washu. She was staring at the tube, or more accurately, what was inside of it. Floating in the cylinder was the still form of Mihoshi. The blonde detective looked mostly whole except for the large gash in her stomach. Even as Kiyone watched, small machines were busy passing some form of energy over the wound. The liquid was solidifying after each pass of the beams, slowly replicating the missing flesh, bone, and blood. A tear trickled down Kiyone's face as she watched her partner ever so slowly returned to the land of the living. Acting mostly on instinct, Kiyone began stumbling toward the cylinder as if in a stupor. Washu glanced up when Kiyone neared. After seeing the look on Kiyone's face, the diminutive scientist respectfully backed away from the cylinder that held Mihoshi's unconscious form, giving the teal-haired detective a little privacy. Kiyone reached out her hand, and placed it as near to Mihoshi's face as she could. Tears she couldn't explain rolled down her cheeks as she gazed at her partner. Washu took all of this in and hmmmmm'd in thought. Sighing a bit, she shook her head and walked over to Kiyone. Placing a hand on the jade haired detective's should she gently guided Kiyone away from the cylinder and to a small lounge that Kiyone KNEW hadn't been there when she'd walked in. After seating Kiyone and pouring her a cup of tea, Washu sat down on the seat across from her. After gathering her thoughts for a moment, the green-eyed scientist began to speak. "Don't worry Kiyone, it's better than it looks," Washu said to the quietly crying detective. "Her injuries were pretty bad, but I have my Regeneration cylinder working non-stop to heal her. She'll be fine." Washu continued to console Kiyone, even as she wondered at the reaction from the blue-eyed young woman. Washu mused, collecting her thoughts as Kiyone made to stand up. When Washu put a restraining hand on Kiyone's arm, the detective looked right at the smaller woman. Kiyone could almost see Washu shudder as their eyes met. "Where are they holding the pirates, Little Washu? Ryoko said she'd be going there, and I intend to be there for this." Kiyone pulled her arm away and stood with her arms crossed over her chest. "Now where are the pirates?" She growled menacingly. At just that moment, the air shimmered next to Washu and Ryoko phased into view. "What's up, Washu?" Ryoko queried as she surveyed the surroundings. "What's got you so nervou......Oh!" She exclaimed when she turned met Kiyone's hardened stare. "Shall we go pay a visit to the pirates now Ryoko?" Kiyone asked, her voice icy. Ryoko looked over at her mother and saw Washu nod her head slightly. "Well, I guess, if you really want to..." "Yes I do." Ryoko looked from Kiyone to Washu, and then to the cylinder holding Mihoshi, before returning her gaze to meet Kiyone's. Shrugging her shoulders a bit she put a hand on the teal-haired girls shoulder. "You ready?" Ryoko asked. Seeing a nod from Kiyone, she waved at Washu. "See ya later...." And with her last words echoing in the cavernous room, the two women faded from sight. Washu looked over at the Cylinder that held Mihoshi and sighed. "I really wouldn't want to be in the pirates shoes right now," She muttered to herself. With a shrug of her shoulders Washu waved a hand and brought her holotop into existence. "Might as well add this new data into the system. Maybe then I can figure out what is going on with Kiyone." ********************************** In a squat gray building in some dimensional fold of Washu's lab, three humanoids sat bound to chairs. Across from the pirates, who sat fuming in the bleak room, Tenchi and Victor stood fixing them with hard glares. Tenchi sighed in resignation as he looked in the direction of the Pirates. "We aren't going to get anywhere with them, Victor," Tenchi whispered in defeat. "I'm just not good enough at this 'Good cop, Bad cop,' stuff to be any real help. Maybe we should go and get some of the others; I'm sure Washu or Ryoko would be able to help." Victor crossed his arms in response. "Yeah Tenchi, why don't you go and get Ryoko." Tenchi nodded in the bounty hunter's direction and headed out of the building. Tenchi shut the door behind him as he exited the building. Looking around, he was only slightly surprised when Ryoko and Kiyone phase into view a few feet in front of him. "Oh!" Ryoko exclaimed. "Tenchi! How'd you know we'd be here?" Tenchi just shrugged his shoulders as he looked at the Cyan-haired girl. Looking at Kiyone, Tenchi inadvertently shuddered at her hard and empty stare. The young, teal haired woman walked past Tenchi with barely a nod to acknowledge his presence and grabbed the handle of the door. The door didn't so much as budge, no matter how hard Kiyone pulled on it. "Tenchi, did you lock the door?" Ryoko asked in an uncertain voice. "Ummm......No." **************** As Tenchi walked out the door, Victor began grinning. He thought to himself. Moving quickly to the door, Victor turned the latch, the 'click' of the lock practically echoing in the cramped room. He turned to the three pirates, a cruel smile on his face. "I tried to be nice. Now you *will* talk...." ...To Be Continued