TENCHI MUYO! : "Mother's Day" by Ryan Mathews CHAPTER SEVEN The shaft of light extended down from the heavens until it touched the ground, at the exact center of the main courtyard of the Jurai Royal Palace. Two glowing forms descended the shaft, resolving themselves into Lhim-Zen and Ryoko as they reached Juraian soil. The light then vanished, leaving the two of them behind. Washu stepped forward to greet the newcomers. Behind her were six officers of the Palace Guard. "Welcome to Jurai, kids! Have a nice trip?" Lhim-Zen looked around. "Where is the royal family?" "Oh, they'll be out. They just want to be sure it's safe first. In the meantime they've assigned me to greet you. You both are my children, after all, and besides, I'm considered a trifle more expendable." Washu walked up to Ryoko. "How ya doin'? I've been worried about you, y'know!" There was no response. Ryoko seemed not even to notice Washu's presence and stared blankly ahead. "She won't talk to you, or anyone. I've deactivated her autonomous motor systems." Lhim-Zen held up the controller. "I hope your plan isn't to distract me, with the idea that I am now trapped behind the Juraian force field. With one touch of this device, I can send Ryoko on a berserk killing spree. With another, I can detonate her body, vaporizing the royal city. And with another, I can destroy every Juraian power tree in this system. Give me the slightest reason, and I will." Washu waved her hands. "Come now! There's no need for threats. You have something I want, we have something you want. Let's do the deal and get on with our lives, okay?" Lhim-Zen glared at her. A bead of sweat formed on Washu's temple. "Yes, let's," Zen said. "Bring Sasami to me." thought Washu. "In a moment. First, we need to talk." Zen blinked. "But you just said--" "I know, I know! I promise, it'll be quick! Ten minutes, tops! It has to do with your experiment!" Zen stared. "Surprised? Oh, yes, I know *exactly* what you're planning. And I have some important stuff you should know. Interested?" "Go on." "First, send Ryoko away." "I don't think so." "Look, this is personal stuff. I'd rather she not know about it. You said yourself you can bring down the hurt with the touch of a button. That won't change just because she's out of sight for ten minutes, will it?" Washu scanned the grounds for a suitable place. She found one, a small, wooden shack used by the palace gardeners to store their tools. "We can put her in there." Lhim-Zen thought it over, then nodded. One of the guards led the docile Ryoko toward the shack. Zen held up the controller, his thumb touching the pad, and spoke up. "The moment I let go of this device, Ryoko will go berserk. I have programmed the royal family as her primary targets. Think about that before you try anything." He turned to Washu. "So. What do you wish to discuss?" Washu sent a thought in her daughter's direction. * * * Many kilometers above Washu, the crew aboard Mihoshi's ship was having no luck finding the hijacked Ryo-oh-ki. They were about to complete their third high-speed orbit of Jurai, yet they had found no evidence of the ship. Aeka was swiftly growing impatient. "What is the matter, Mihoshi?! You assured us you knew where it was!" "Well, I did, but it's not there anymore!" Mihoshi whined, frantically checking all the scanners. "I don't understand it!" Tenchi sighed. "Washu said Lhim-Zen was using the interaction of Jurai's natural magnetic field with the planetary force field to make some kind of super cloaking device. I guess it must work pretty well." "Indeed it does," said Yukinojou, the computer extending its vocal interaction unit from the ceiling. "According to the data Washu supplied, we could be within 1.27 kilometers of Ryo-oh-ki and still not see it." Aeka grabbed Mihoshi. "Think! How did you find it the first time?!" "It was an accident." It was all Aeka and Tenchi could do not to fall down. "I was supposed to approach at vector 5-7-2, but I keyed in 5-7-3 by mistake. When I made a manual correction, I made it in the wrong direction and was going to crash into the force field. I just managed to pull out of the dive, and when I stabilized, there it was!" Aeka groaned. "An accident. How typical." "It's a shame we can't recreate the accident." said Tenchi. Yukinojou made an odd noise. Tenchi turned around to see the vocal unit retract into ceiling. Before the "face" disappeared, Tenchi could have sworn it winked at him. Suddenly alarm claxons blared all over the bridge. One console exploded in a shower of sparks. A panicked Mihoshi called for Yukinojou, but received no response. All three struggled to remain standing as the ship spun insanely and dove toward the planet. "What's happening?!" screamed Aeka. "I don't know!!" Mihoshi bawled, frantically working the controls. In the viewscreen, the rows of wooden pillars orbiting Jurai were growing dangerously close. "We're gonna hit the force field!" yelled Tenchi. "Contact planetary defense!" Aeka shouted. "Make them lower the field!" "There's no time," Mihoshi shouted, and Aeka knew she was right. Impact was only a matter of seconds away. Mihoshi hit a control, and a set of manual controls extended. She took hold of the twin joysticks and pulled. "Hang on!!" Aeka and Tenchi were both thrown to the floor as Mihoshi violently corrected the ship's course. The force field grew closer and closer, but the angle became more and more shallow, until finally, the ship skipped off the surface. Mihoshi pushed the throttle to full. The ship climbed and gained speed until it had once again achieved a stable orbit. "Whew!" sighed Mihoshi with relief. "Is everyone okay back there?" With effort, Aeka and Tenchi peeled themselves off the floor. "I'm okay," said Tenchi. "How about you, Aeka?" "I'll be sore for awhile, but..." Her voice trailed off as she saw the viewscreen. "Tenchi, Mihoshi, look!" In the center of the screen was Ryo-oh-ki. * * * Sitting on a chair in a small wooden room, surrounded by gardening implements, Ryoko contemplated her next move. She was beginning to doubt that she had a move. She was paralyzed. No matter how hard she tried, her body would not respond to her commands. She couldn't even move her eyes. The view of the front door remained steady in her field of vision. Internally, she kicked herself. She had engineered this encounter with Washu in the hopes that her genius "mother" would be able to save her. In effect she was calling Mommy for help. She laughed at that thought, but only on the inside. On the outside, her face remained immobile. In the end, though, all Washu could offer her was a chance to save herself. That would be enough, if she had any idea how. She tried to remain calm and consider the problem some more. What could she do? She couldn't move. Not even the smallest muscle was under her control. Her telepathy was blocked. She had received Washu's telepathic message, but faintly, and was unable to respond. Telekinesis wouldn't work either... Dammit! She "kicked herself" again. That's the wrong way of thinking! Ryoko thought... Well, that was one thing. She could think. He hadn't rendered her unconscious. She wasn't sure why not, but she'd worry about that later. So she could think, so what? Then it hit her, hit her like a brick. She couldn't think unless she had something to think *with*! There *was* part of her body she could still control! Her brain! And as Lhim-Zen had repeated so often, her body had the property of "complete cellular homogeneity". Each and every one of her cells could transform itself into any other cell. It was a difficult concept to grasp, but she was sure she could pull it off. Ryoko had the ability to split into two identical versions of herself, simply by dividing her mass. Now she did the same thing, only at the cellular level. Ryoko's mind melted, splitting into millions of single- cell Ryokos that left the brain and entered the bloodstream. As each single-cell Ryoko made her circuit through macro-Ryoko's body, she encountered other cells that were not under the direct control of Zen. Here a muscle cell, there a lymph cell. These cells were "recruited", made to transform themselves into independent micro-Ryokos themselves. One of the micro-Ryoko's was lucky enough to happen upon a cellular power node that was not under Zen's control, and began using it to make millions of copies of herself. The process continued for about ten minutes. By that time, the micro-Ryokos decided their number was sufficiently large enough to proceed to phase two. They reunited, becoming one will. A thin, pale, naked Ryoko phased out of her main body and collapsed on the floor. She looked back at the rest of herself, still sitting motionless on the chair, and laughed. She'd done it! "Now to contact Washu!" she said, getting up and heading toward the door. "And just where do you think *you're* going?" came a voice from behind her. * * * In a small tea room, Washu and Lhim-Zen sat, alone. Guards could be seen through every window. A force of ten waited outside the door, but were not allowed inside, at Washu's request. "You want some of this Juraian tea? It's pretty good stuff." She sat down on a small sofa and poured herself a cup. "No thank you," said Zen, annoyed. "Please get on with it." "What a rude way for a son to talk to his mother. Come on, sit down." She patted the cushion next to her. Zen let out angry breath through gritted teeth. "That is *it*. I think you're forgetting who's in control here. I refuse to deal with you any longer. If the guards won't let me see the royal family, we'll see how they feel after I let Ryoko have a little fun." He turned and stomped toward the door. "So, you're researching the third power item, are you?" said Washu, not looking up from her tea. "Yes," said Zen, continuing toward the door. "And you think I haven't?" Zen stopped. He slowly turned back to face Washu. "Don't look so surprised," Washu continued. "After all, I've had access to both the ruby power gems and Tsunami for well over a year now." She smiled. "Are you *sure* you don't want to sit down?" * * * Mihoshi maneuvered her ship until, with a slight bump, they were in contact with Ryo-oh-ki. A seal was established and Aeka and Tenchi, standing ready, opened the airlock. Behind it was a solid black crystal wall. Unlike most ships, there was no direct way inside Ryo-oh-ki. One had to be brought in or out via the ship's molecular transport. The transport would not respond of course, so Tenchi cheated, using a device Washu had provided. He aimed it at the crystal wall and the wall softened, allowing the two of them to pass through. Once on the bridge, Tenchi and Aeka both gawked in amazement at the laboratory it had become. The cabbit Ryo-oh-ki noticed their arrival, "Miya"'d happily and hopped into Tenchi's arms. Tenchi stroked the animal's fur. "Glad to see us, huh? The feeling's mutual." Tenchi walked over to the center of the bridge, where the crystal cylinder that had once powered the Souja now hovered above the ship's main crystals. "That's it. That's what Washu says we have to disable." He produced another small item from his pocket and approached the core. A hissing noise came from behind them. It was Ryo-oh-ki. The little cabbit hissed, back arched, fur bristling, at what appeared to be Ryoko. She was so pale as to be almost transparent, and her eyes had no visible pupils, but it was unmistakably her. "Ryoko?" Aeka approached her slowly. "Are you alright? I thought you had traveled to the surface with Lhim-Zen." Ryoko ignored her and walked toward Tenchi. "That's not Ryoko," said Tenchi. With a flash, the energy sword appeared in the creature's hand. She flew through the air, aiming to cut Tenchi in half. The Tenchi Sword burst free of its compartment and flew to Tenchi's hand, already deployed. Tenchi brought it up just in time to block the blow. Aeka shouted. "Tenchi, leave her to me! Deactivate the core!" Tenchi nodded and pushed the Ryoko-creature away. Aeka immediately extended her force-field around it, but the creature teleported before she could get a grip. Suddenly, it was behind her. The sword slashed as Aeka dodged, and some violet hair fluttered to the floor. Tenchi approached the core once again, attempting to place the small device on its surface. The core resisted. It was like trying to force together two magnets with the same charge. He put his back into it, gritted his teeth, and pushed. The Ryoko-thing flew toward Tenchi again. "Oh, no you don't!" Aeka yelled. She cast her force-field again, and this time it held tight. The creature growled incoherently as it tried to break free. Aeka restricted the force-field tighter and tighter. Tenchi continued to push the device toward the core. The harder he pushed, the harder the core resisted. He shifted the device to his palm and pushed as hard as he could, every muscle straining. It was a mistake. The device squirted out of his grasp. He turned and grabbed for it, but as he did so, he struck the core with his other hand. He had just enough time to wonder where the force-field had gone before the universe fell out from underneath him. Aeka put all her strength into tightening the force field. She screamed, a vein bulging on her forehead. The Ryoko-creature cried out in pain as it was crushed, finally losing all shape. Aeka let go, panting, as her enemy splattered to the floor as a pink puddle. "Take that, Ryoko! Did you see that, Tenchi? Did you?" Tenchi's fingers were in contact with the core. He stared wide-eyed at the ceiling, his mouth open. "TENCHI!!" * * * "What are you?" Ryoko asked herself. The pale copy she had fashioned to escape Lhim-Zen's control struggled to her feet and faced her own body, which had only moments ago been sitting motionless. She didn't like the look on "her" face. The clothed Ryoko laughed. "What do you think I am?" "You're my body." "Uh-uh-uh," admonished the stronger Ryoko, wagging her finger. "You're part of *my* body." "How can you move?" asked the naked Ryoko. "All the parts I left behind are under Zen's control." "Only because I want to be. Zen realized he couldn't make Ryoko do anything if he turned her mind off, but curiously, if he only shut off autonomic motor control, she'd follow any commands given. I'm the reason why." Ryoko thought she understood. "You're my subconscious." "Could be," grinned the other Ryoko. "But I prefer to think of myself as Ryoko's stronger half. You know, the part of you that enjoyed attacking Jurai? The part that hates how weak you feel around Tenchi. The part that felt a rush when your sword sliced open that young security guard." Ryoko shuddered at the memory. "Well, if you're me, let's rejoin. We'll kick Zen's ass and put an end to this." The dark-Ryoko laughed, a chilling laugh. "Rejoin with you? Not a chance in hell. Getting rid of you was like taking a shit!" "What are you planning to do?" asked Ryoko, suddenly *very* scared. "Let's see. Hmm." Dark-Ryoko put her hand on her chin. "First, I'll be a good girl and follow Zen's orders. Then, the first chance I get, I'll kill him. Then Ryo-oh-ki and I will teach the universe the true meaning of terror! It'll be a blast, the first real fun I've had since Tenchi offed Kagato!" Ryoko made a break for the door. Dark-Ryoko effortlessly pulled her back with telekinesis. Ryoko found herself held from behind, the energy sword at her throat. "Unlike before," said dark-Ryoko, "I don't think you'll survive having your head cut off. Not enough mass in that puny body. Shall we see?" "You talk too much," said Ryoko. She grabbed the hand holding the sword to her throat and concentrated. Her hand exploded. Dark-Ryoko howled in pain and pulled back a stump. Her hand, still holding the sword and with a gem embedded in the wrist, thumped to the ground. Ryoko picked up the hand and attached it to her own arm. Immediately, the power of the gem flowed through her body. She increased her mass and generated some clothing. "Not bad at all," said dark-Ryoko as a new hand grew into place. "Now you have a gem. The guards will be here in no time. Let's move this somewhere we won't be interrupted." Ryoko nodded, and they both vanished. * * * Washu began to tell Lhim-Zen the story of the two gems, how she'd had them ever since she could remember, how millennia had gone by before she had bothered to study them, and how she had been amazed and frightened by what she had discovered. Zen looked impatient at first, crossing his arms and scowling, but as her story continued, he relaxed, his arms falling to his side. Finally, he did sit down. * * * "Mommy, you're hurting me." "Oh! I'm so sorry!" Misaki released her grip on Sasami. They waited in an alcove just inside the palace, surrounded by well-armed security. "That's okay." Sasami turned to smile at her mother. Misaki was not doing well. The color had drained from her face, and she couldn't stop shivering. "Mommy," said Sasami, taking her hand, which was ice-cold, "it's gonna be okay." "I know," said Misaki, returning the least convincing smile Sasami had ever seen. Sasami wished her aunt Funaho was still around. D'Guerran had ordered her sent back to her cell. It was for her own protection, but she had kicked up a fuss anyway. Funaho had always been good at comforting Misaki. With her gone, Sasami felt the job fell to her. She hugged her mother, feeling like she had become the mother herself. "Seven hundred years," mumbled Misaki. "What?" "Oh, n-nothing." Misaki hastily wiped a tear. "You're right, Sasami. We just have to trust your friends. They'll save the day." "Please God, let it be so," she added under her breath. * * * "Well, shall we begin?" said the dark Ryoko. The two Ryokos floated in the air a kilometer above the Imperial Palace. Both women manifested swords. "Well?" repeated the dark half. "You first," said Ryoko. "Why, thank you! Don't mind if I do!" Dark-Ryoko rushed her twin. Ryoko got the sword up in time to block. Dark-Ryoko turned to avoid the counterattack, but none came. She fired an energy blast. Her doppelganger deflected it easily, but still, there was no offensive move. "What, are you just going to sit there?" "You wish!" said Ryoko. Dark-Ryoko smiled. "Fine! Let's make this interesting." She split herself into two, each copy with one gem. One of them teleported behind Ryoko and the two women began blasting Ryoko from both directions. Ryoko just floated in place and took it. "Come on! What's with you! Do you *want* to die?!" thought Ryoko, desperately trying to keep her force-field from collapsing under the combined assault of her two doppelgangers. "This is getting boring," said one Dark-Ryoko. "Let's finish her off." "Agreed!" said the other. Ryoko cringed, waiting for the attack, lacking the willpower even to run. she screamed in her mind. * * * Tenchi fell through hell. His mind was adrift in a raging river of images, sounds, and data. Just he got a grip on an image, the river would yank him in another direction. Everywhere he looked, he could see worlds being destroyed. Kagato had apparently kept very good records of the atrocities he'd committed, and now Tenchi was witnessing them first hand. Before him, cities burned, people screamed, worlds died. Seizing on the river analogy, he ceased his attempts to grab hold of the data as it flew by, and instead swam "upstream", trying to find something more stable, something his mind could better deal with, something he could easily hold onto. He found it. It was, of all things, a familiar scent. The scent of Ryoko's hair. He moved toward the familiar scent and was surprised by what appeared to him to be a 20-meter-tall nude Ryoko. Wiping his nosebleed, he adjusted his sense of perspective so that the image shrank to a more reasonable size. He reached out to touch her, and triggered a video playback. Kagato entered the laboratory and was greeted by Washu. "There you are! What took you so long?!" "I was working on calibrating the gravity coefficients for our next quantum field experiment. I didn't want to lose my train of thought. I was unaware this was urgent, whatever it is." "Kagato, I'd like you to meet the newest member of our little family! Ryoko, say hi to Uncle Kagato!" Ryoko stepped forward and approached Kagato shyly. "Well, go on!" encouraged Washu. "Um, h-hi." Ryoko extended her hand. "Charmed, I'm sure," said Kagato. He took Ryoko's hand and kissed it. Ryoko blushed and pulled her hand back. "Hey!" Washu yelled. "Take it easy! That's my daughter you're hitting on!" Kagato blinked. "Your... daughter?" Washu nodded. "I thought this was the assistant you were talking about. The one we were picking up at the last port." "No no, she just helped me set up some equipment and left. This here is my own flesh-and-blood!" Kagato walked around Ryoko, examining her. Ryoko blushed nervously at the attention. "This must have taken you years. Why didn't you say anything?" "I wanted it to be a surprise." "Well, I must admit, I am indeed very surprised. Pleasantly surprised." Ryoko suddenly turned towards Tenchi and shouted. "TENCHI! HELP ME!!" Tenchi started. He didn't think anyone could see him. Washu and Kagato continued talking as if nothing had happened. Ryoko, however, continued to fix Tenchi with a pleading stare. Tenchi walked toward her and touched her. He understood. * * * The two dark Ryokos gathered strength and fired twin full-power blasts at their cowering double. There was an immense explosion. The dark Ryokos smiled as they observed their handiwork. "That's that!" The light faded, the smoke cleared. Ryoko was still there. Protected by lighthawk wings. "What?!" both dark Ryokos screamed in unison. Ryoko smiled back at them. On her face were the markings of a Juraian warrior. One of the dark Ryokos brought out her sword and rushed into attack, determined to finish Ryoko before she could master this new power. It was too late. Ryoko grasped one of the three glowing white wings in front of her, and it transformed into a sword. With one swing, she broke her opponent's sword and cleaved her in two. The dark Ryoko screamed in agony and dissolved into energy. Ryoko absorbed the energy. A gem appeared on her other wrist. She could feel her edge return. She faced off against the other dark Ryoko. "You have one gem. I have two. I also have Jurai's power. Wanna dance?" The dark Ryoko swallowed hard. "No. I give." "Then let's do it." The two women grasped hands. The dark Ryoko dissolved and was absorbed into the other. The last gem appeared on Ryoko's forehead. A moment later, the lighthawk sword vanished, along with the facial markings. "Thank you, Tenchi," Ryoko said. She was herself again. * * * "Tenchi! Tenchi, are you alright?" Tenchi's vision cleared to show Aeka staring down at him. "What happened." Aeka helped him to his feet. "You touched the core. Washu told us never to do that." "I can see why. How long was it?" "I pulled you off as soon as I saw it happen. It couldn't have been more than a minute." said Tenchi. "Um, guys?" said Mihoshi's voice. The two looked up to see her on the monitor. "I'm having a problem here!" The bridge shook. "Ryo-oh-ki's kind of eating my ship! The crystals are growing all over the outside! I'm trying to break loose!" "Don't!" said Tenchi. "You're knocking us around!" "But if I don't, my ship's gonna be crushed!" "We have to shut down the core!" said Aeka. Tenchi found the nullifying device and picked it up. "I can't push this thing onto the core. It won't let me through." Then he had an idea. "Hey! Aeka! Your force field! It made of the same stuff, isn't it?" "I guess so." "Could you use it to cancel out the field around the core?" Aeka brightened. "It's worth a try!" Aeka concentrated. The small wooden cylinders appeared around her body. She raised her arms over head, then brought them forward. As she did, the cylinders flew over and in front of her, forming a pipeline between herself and the core. Sparks flew where the two fields touched. Aeka strained, her eyes shut. "I think... Yes. Yes, I can do this! I've almost..." The sparks stopped, to be replaced by a strobing effect and a loud hum. Aeka's eyes flew open. "Tenchi! Now! HURRY!" Tenchi held the device in the center of Aeka's pipeline and let go. It flew to the core, smacked onto the surface and lit up. The bridge shook violently, throwing both Tenchi and Aeka to the floor. "I don't think it liked that," said Aeka. Tenchi stared at the core. They'd done all they could do. All that was left was to wait, and see if Washu had built well. * * * Washu finally finished her story. Lhim-Zen stared at the floor, lost in thought. "I'm not sure I understand this connection between the gems and divinity." "I'm not sure I do either," said Washu. "But the Juraians claim their power was given to them from God. Or 'the gods', depending upon which sect you talk to. And there's certainly evidence for that. Many studies, including those of my own, have come to the conclusion that the Juraian power is not quantifiable from inside the universe. If it was made, it would have to have been made by a higher-dimensional intelligence. "Now, it's possible that the Juraian power is simply a product of evolution. However, the ruby gems? Clearly artificial. Yet they share the same higher-dimensional property as the Juraian seeds." Zen was silent for a moment. "But you said the ruby gems have the same biological energy signature as your own. I know this to be true, because it's similar to mine. This implies--" "It implies something I'm not willing to think about." "But--" "But nothing!" shouted Washu. "I've been through this before. When I first learned of the gems' properties, I began to wonder where the gems came from. I'd had them with me for as long as I could remember, but I couldn't remember where I'd gotten them. Then it hit me: I couldn't remember *anything* before enrolling in the Science Academy. I did a brain scan on myself and found that my memories had been perfectly and completely erased." Zen scowled. "You can't perfectly erase memories. They can always be recovered." "Not if you perform a brain transplant." Zen's jaw dropped. "That's right. At some point in the past, all my memories, starting with my enrollment, were copied into a new brain. My old brain was removed, the new one installed, and hey presto! Goodbye, past! And there's only person I know who could have pulled that off." "You." "Bingo! And I trust me to make good decisions. If the old me was so concerned about me finding out the truth that she essentially killed herself, I'm not about to do anymore digging." The two of them sat in silence. Finally, Lhim-Zen spoke up. "You've given me much to think about." "So, are you going to stop?" "Of course not. I've come too far to quit now." He stood up. "Even if it means screwing with God?" Lhim-Zen smiled. "Isn't that every scientist's dream?" The two of them exited the room and walked back out into the courtyard. Washu was beginning to get nervous. She'd stalled for as long as possible, but the Souja's core was still active aboard Ryo-oh-ki. She knew this by the small sensor she held in her hand, which was still detecting the protective field around Lhim-Zen. "Alright!" Zen shouted to the guards and anyone else listening. "I've waited long enough. Bring Sasami before me now!" "Hey asshole!!" came Ryoko's voice from above. Lhim-Zen looked up just in time to be flattened by an energy blast. The blast cascaded off his force field, knocking him to the ground but leaving him otherwise unharmed. "What the hell? I don't know how you reactivated yourself, but--" "Shut up!!" Ryoko pounded him with several more blasts, knocking him across the courtyard. D'Guerran fixed Washu with a glance. His expression asked "Now?" Washu shook her head vehemently. The snipers would have no effect. Zen materialized the controller and touched it. Ryoko laughed. "Your little toy won't work on me anymore, bonehead!" Zen touched the controller again. Ryoko screamed, grabbed her head, and fell, bouncing as she hit the stones. She lay motionless. "It will now," said Zen. "I simply needed to reset it, that's all. You can't deny what you are, Ryoko. As long as I have this, I own you. Still, I am very curious to learn how you did that." He got to his feet. "I have had ENOUGH! You have ten seconds to bring Sasami before me, or else I will detonate her! My force field will hold! Will yours?" Washu checked the sensor. The field was still up! Lhim-Zen began counting down. "Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven!" "SASAMI, NO!!" Misaki screamed as Sasami ran out into the courtyard. "Okay, mister, I'm here!" shouted the little girl. "Just leave my friends alone!" Zen smiled and reached out towards Sasami... Behind them, Ryoko groaned and stood up. Washu checked the sensor, then screamed one word. "NOW!!!!" The snipers opened fire. One beam pierced Zen's shoulder. Another grazed his temple. His hand flew to his belt where he touched a small box. More beams bounced off a new force-field. He turned to run and came face-to-face with Ryoko. "Do you really think that pathetic little field will protect you from me?" she asked, getting right in his face. Zen put his hands in the air, surrendering. Ryoko accepted his surrender by punching him in the face, knocking him backwards. Her sword came out. She walked toward him. Washu got in the way. "Ryoko, no!" "Out of my way, Washu! He's had this coming for a long time!" "I surrender!" called Zen to the guards. "Now are you going to take me into custody, or let her kill me?" One of the guards snorted. "I say let her kill him." D'Guerran vetoed that motion and ordered the guards to restrain Lhim-Zen. As the guards moved forward, a small, cylindrical device appeared in Zen's hand. He pressed a contact and beam shot out, striking the nearest guard, who quickly dissolved. Zen bolted through the space left by the guard, Ryoko moved forward to attack, but the guards were in the way. Lhim-Zen shot another guard, who vanished, leaving a gap in the line. Zen broke through. One more shot, and the guard protecting Sasami disappeared. The guards concentrated their fire, and Zen's force-field generator exploded in a shower of sparks. Zen scooped up Sasami with one hand and held the cylinder to her head. "I really hate to do it this way. So... messy," said Zen, out of breath. "But you leave me no choice. I need a ship. Now, or the princess dies." Lhim-Zen felt a tickle on the wrist holding the gun. He looked down to see that he appeared to be wearing a bracelet. A bracelet of little wooden cylinders. The "bracelet" contracted violently, shattering Zen's wrist. He yelled in pain, dropping both Sasami and the weapon. The bracelet vanished, to be replaced by a similar one around his neck. It constricted, cutting off his air supply. He pulled at the cylinders, choking and gagging, but could not budge them. Misaki slowly walked toward him, her entire body shuddering with rage. As she moved closer, the guards all gave her a wide berth. "You. Filthy. WORM!" She kicked him, knocking him on his side. Washu ran up. "No! Don't kill him!" "Stay out of this!" "He's my son!" "HE'S A MONSTER!" Washu got on her knees. She prostrated herself before Misaki, the palms of her hands and her forehead touching the cold stone of the courtyard. "Your majesty. I beg you. Please." Misaki stared. Finally, reluctantly, she released Zen, who collapsed, sucking air. "Thank you, your majesty." She helped Zen to sit up, then leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Zen laughed, then coughed. "Do I really mean that much to you?" "I'm afraid it's not as simple as that." Zen jerked as if in pain. A glowing energy mist began to seep from his skin and evaporate into the air. "What... What did you do to me?" Washu smiled, sadly. "A virus. It was in my lipstick. I'm afraid this is goodbye, Zen." "What?" Washu stood up and backed away. "I want my son back." "What are you talking about? What do you--" Zen's words were cut off with a choke. The energy effect exploded from his body. It suddenly looked as if he was on fire. Zen staggered to his feet and tried to run. He managed three wobbling steps before collapsing. The guards wisely got out of his way, staring at him in equal amounts of fascination and horror. "No," muttered Zen. "No, it can't end this way!" Zen turned his attention back to Washu. "Please, stop this! I know you can stop this!" Washu looked away, her expression unreadable. Zen continued pleading, "Please mother! I beg you! Just--HURGLPH!!" His mouth bulged, then he vomited. What appeared to be gallons of red-matter splattered onto the stones, then evaporated like so much steam. Washu took Sasami and forced her to look away. On his hands and knees, Zen choked and gagged. His face began to melt off. Drips of liquid flesh fell and evaporated away. When an eyeball fell out, it was finally too much for the crowd. Several guards threw up. Misaki screamed. Sasami buried her face in Washu's chest. Zen's hands melted away, then his arms. His chest fell closer and closer to the ground, dripping and melting as well. Finally, all that appeared to remain of Zen was a puddle of slush and his clothing. After less than a minute, the clothing was all that remained. "Why?" Misaki asked Washu. "Why didn't you just let me kill him? I thought that--" A soft high-pitched cry came from the pile of clothing. Washu walked to the clothing, carefully unfolded it, and removed a crying, naked infant. She held the baby close, and soon was crying herself. "Is that...?" began Sasami. "No," said Washu, sniffing. "This is Monshu, my son. I cloned him from Lhim-Zen's cells." "Washu?" It was Ryoko. She sounded weak. "Oh, my! I almost forgot! Hold him for me, will you?" Washu handed the baby to Misaki before she could object, and ran over to Ryoko. "How are you feeling? You've been through quite an ordeal, you know. You should let me give you the once-over in my lab." Ryoko stared past Washu, her eyes unfocused. "Mommy? I feel awful." Her legs folded underneath her and she collapsed in a pile. Seconds later, her body began to glow. "GET BACK!" screamed Washu. She dove away as Ryoko's body shot out an intense blast of heat, vaporizing her clothes and setting a guard on fire. It wasn't over yet. END CHAPTER SEVEN