TMiL! Alterverse Pride and Survival (part 1) ------------------- Tantei A let out a scream of pain as he felt himself slowly coming apart. Literally. He struggled, trying to free himself from Kain's deadly grip. Then, suddenly, Kain was gone. Operative A landed on a heap in the corner of the room. He lay there, panting, trying to catch his breath, but finding it difficult. His enhanced hearing picked the sounds of a battle a few floors down, but he was too weak and too hurt to help. "Damn it all to hell." he snarled softly, eliciting another pain from his midsection. He was sure he bleeding internally. He'd have to find some way back to his own time. But how. After some time, he realized that Ryoko was the key to getting home. But that would mean he'd have to apologize for his part in their little misunderstanding earlier. Forcing himself to stand, he staggered down the impossibly long staircase. Then he passed out and fell down a great number of steps, finally coming to rest about halfway down. Only luck saved him from a broken neck. "Ryoko?" Tenchi asked. "Just a second," Ryoko told him, "I think that idiot cop is here." "A cop?" Tenchi asked, "Galaxy Police," Ryoko replied, "and I don't mean Mihoshi or Kiyone." "Another G.P.?" Kiyone asked. Ryoko nodded. "Yeah. Going after Kain." "By himself?!" Kiyone asked. "What is he?! Out of his mind?!" Washu nodded. "With grief no doubt." Kiyone nodded. "Poor guy probably saw everything that happened at H.Q. It must've been too much for him." "Found him!" Ryoko called, carrying the injured Draalthi into the room. "Kiyone," Tantei A coughed, in pain, "I guess its just us and Mihoshi now." "I'm sure there are other survivors." Kiyone told him. "But don't try to talk. Just rest. You're hurt." "Kiyone, it's time to go back." "You read, A?" Kiyone asked her colleague. "He's not going." "WHAT?!" the others shouted in surprise. "My machine only sends people back through time. To pull you forward I'm using the same principl as that of an elastic snapping back into place after the pin that's holding it is removed." Washu turned to Tantei A. "I'm sorry." Tantei A nodded, and sighed. "How will he get help for his injuries?" Washu handed Tantei A an address and a map. "You'd better hurry. And leave the mask off. You don't want to block air passages and cause additional fainting." "But, if he's spotted..." "It'll just be another one of those alien sightings everyone claims to have." Washu shrugged. After Washu and the others had left, Tantei A made his way to the address Washu had given him. When he arrived, he took one look at the sign and suddenly thought up a couple dozen nasty things that he wanted to say to Washu. After forcing himself to calm down and look at it from Washu's point of view, he realized it made sense. All the same it was rather humiliating. Swallowing his pride, he walked into the building. "May I..." the receptionist stopped. "You're..." "Yeah. I am." Tantei A nodded. "Please fill out these forms." The receptionist handed him the forms in question, attached to a clipboard, reacting in the only way she knew how. Tantei A took the forms, then passed out. The receptionist rushed into the vet's office. "Sir, we have a rather unusual patient out here who requires immediate assistance." The vet followed her to the lobby and found the alien operative lying there. "Help me carry him back to the examining room." He said. ****** Tantei A woke several hours later. There was a needle bandaged into his arm and a bandage around his midsection, a bit of which had been shaved bare, presumable for surgical purposes. It looked ridiculous. "Well, my uniform will cover it." he told himself, "And the fur will grow back." "Good morning," the vet told him. "Thanks." Tantei A replied. "You saved my life." "Of course I did," the vet replied, "I'm a doctor." Tantei A smiled. "So, how long do I get to stay here?" "A couple weeks." The vet replied. "You got a place to go after that?" "No." Tantei A sighed. "I'm afraid I'm stranded here. Thing is, I don't know what I'm going to do. I could go back into disguise I suppose, but to be honest, I really don't want to. That mask is very uncomfortable." "My grandfather passed away recently," the vet said, after a moment's consideration, "he had a farm out in the countryside. Its not much, but you'd have privacy and food, though you'd have to grow it yourself. I don't know if you'd be interested in something like that, but..." "No." Tantei A told him. "I can't take that from you. It wouldn't be right." "Then consider yourself a tenant," the vet suggested, "you can pay me for staying there by allowing me to take a percentage of the crops each year. Tantei A considered, then nodded. "Not quite the life I'm accustomed to," he admitted, "but its better than no life at all." "Once you get used to it, you'll love it." the vet told him, "the fresh country air, the peace and quiet. You look like you could use some of that." "More than you could possibly know." Tantei A nodded. "Then its settled, " the vet concluded, "I'll drive you out there as soon as you're well enough to to leave here." TMiL Alterverse Pride And Survival (part 2) --------------------------- "Well, there it is." The vet pointed to the farmhouse as it came into view. It was just down the road from them, now. Tantei A looked. He sighed. It was far from what he was used to. He'd grown up in a world of noise and metal, and he told the doctor just that. "Well, if its noise and metal you want," the vet smiled, "there's a tractor in the back that'll give you hours of fun." "Yippee." Tantei A muttered. "I know how you feel." The vet nodded. "I used to be that same way until I started spending time there with my grandfather. Once I had a chance to really experience life on a farm, I was really quite happy. Especially working with the animals." "So, why didn't you stay?" "I loved the animals so much, I decided to become a vet. I got my license as a dog doctor, however. Dogs were my favorite. I also treat cats and other small animals." "How did you know how to heal me?" Tantei A asked. "Ah, here we are." The vet pulled his car up to the farm house. "Everything's as they left it," he told Tantei A. "There's some clothes you can use. They'll be cooler than that uniform you got on and the shoes will be more comfortable." "Thank you," Tantei A nodded as he stepped out of the car. "I'll come by now and then to see how you're getting on." The vet promised. "My grandfather had a list of chores up on the fridge. You might want to follow that as a sort of guideline. That way you won't miss anything." "I will." Tantei A promised. "Okay." the vet handed him some bottles. "That's to prevent infection and some painkillers. Standard post surgical stuff. Instructions are on the labels." "The painkillers aren't addictive are they?" "No," the vet reassured him. "Most of my patients can't take aspirin. This is just an alternative." Tantei A took the bottles and put them into his pocket. "I have to run." the vet told him. "Its close to noon and I have a two o'clock appointment." "Okay," Tantei A told him. "And thanks again." The vet drove off, leaving Tantei A on the porch of the old farmhouse. Tantei A waved his cybernetic arm at the vet. He realized he must look very surreal at this point. He waited until the vet's car was out of sight, then he went inside. TMiL Alterverse Pride And Survival (part 3) --------------------------- The kitchen was a bit dusty, having not been lived in for some time. Still, there were no major repairs needed and it looked fairly clean, dust notwithstanding. There were curtains in the windows. In one window, a small cat, a calico, sat and groomed its fur, regarding the farm's new occupant with a quiet curiosity. He retured cat's gaze for a bit. Finally, the cat jumped down off the sill and trotted over where it began to nuzzle his leg. He bent down and picked up the small animal. "Well, I guess this means you wish to be friends." he said. "Okay. That's fine." Still holding the cat and stroking its back, he went over to the refrigerator to look at the list of chores. "I suppose I have to do all these things every day." he sighed. "Well, let's see," he read the list, "milk the cows, clean the barn, put down fresh hay, clean out the henhouse, gather any eggs, put out feed, slop the pigs, tend to the crops (tilling, sowing, tending, reaping), take crops to market." He stopped, then smiled. That was easily dealt with. The vet would be stopping by regularly, so he could bring the goods to the market for him. "Hmmm... well, I guess I'll do okay." he decided. "But I might mess up now and then until I get the hang of it. Well, might as well meet your friends." he told the cat. He set the animal down and went outside and down to the barn. He'd expected the animals to be alarmed at such an usual presence as his own, but they weren't. Far from it. He wondered why that might be, but this concern was quickly overridden by delight when his small newfound feline friend showed him to a small nest of baby kittens. "They're adorable." he smiled. As hard-boiled an operative as he'd been, he still melted at the sight of a small kitten. TMiL Alterverse Pride And Survival (part 4) --------------------------- After spending several minutes with the kittens, Tantei A looked around at the other animals. In one of the stalls, a cow was nursing a calf who was a few days old at best. Tantei A watched for a few minutes, then moved on, checking the other animals. Many of them had had babies. "Did you see the puppies?" Tantei A spun around. There was a female Draalthi standing there. She was slightly younger than he, with light fur and blond hair, almost unheard of in his species. "You're..." "My grandparents were from Ratala IV." "But we didn't have interstellar travel. How...?" "Well, for one thing, that's a lie. Grampa told me a story. The Draalthi had been capable of interstellar travel for centuries. Then, they encountered a race of space pirates known as the Jurai. There was a scuffle in Sector 5 and afterward, the leader of the Second Council decided to outlaw space travel." "So it was decided that sweeping it under the rug and pretending it didn't exist would be easier than discouraging it?" Tantei A guessed. The girl nodded. "My grandpa and grandma left Ratala IV before the law was passed. They couldn't bear the thought of not being able to fly amidst the stars. Finally, however, they ran out of fuel and food. They couldn't go back home, so they came here. A few years later, my father was born. "Your hair..." Tantei A asked. "I have my mother's coloring. She was from Berne." Tantei A nodded. "You're a hybrid, too, then." "You...?" "Half Juraian. On my father's side." Tantei A replied. "So, where do you live?" The female Draalthi pointed at a neighboring farm. "You should come over some time. The people are very friendly. They've been like family to me ever since my parents died." "You're an orphan, too, then." "Yes, my name is Ainoko, it means 'child of love'." "Tantei A." Tantei A replied. "What was it before?" "I didn't have one before then." Tantei A replied. "I was... or so I thought... the last of my kind. The GP, Galaxy Police, who found me were kind enough. But they were always too busy to name me." "How did you manage?" Tantei A shrugged. "How do those kittens manage?" he asked, looking over at them. "So, how long are you here for?" "I just moved in today." Tantei A replied. "Think you'll need help?": "Tons of it." Tantei A let out a long sigh. "I don't know the first thing about farming." "I'll be more than happy to help you get started." Ainoko told him. TMiL Alterverse Pride And Survival (part 5) --------------------------- Tantei A was awakened by a knock on the door. Sleepily, he climbed out of bed and got dressed. Wearing a pair of stonewashed denim jeans and a plain white t-shirt he went to the door. "Ainoko?" he asked, yawning half way through. "Kami-sama, how can you be so chipper this early in the morning?" "You get used to it. Well, come on. I'll show you how to milk a cow." "Don't the cows sleep in on Sundays?" Tantei A asked as he followed Ainoko to the barn. Ainoko sat on the stool in the barn, beside a milking cow, with the pail beneath the animal's udder. "Now watch carefully. You don't pull, you just squeeze like so..." she demonstrated. "See?" "I get it." Tantei A nodded. "Here, give it a try." Ainoko relinquished her stool to Tantei A, then stood clear. "Ow!" Tantei A yelped, more surprised than hurt as the cow gave him a kick. Ainoko laughed, amusedly. "Kicked over by a cow." she smiled. "Congrats. We have an old saying. You're not really a farmer until you've been kicked by at least one cow." Ainoko showed him again, this time placing her hands over his and guiding their movements, the way a parent might guide a child doing their letters for the first time. When he finally got the hang of it, she moved her hands away and smiled. "There, that's got it." she told him. "And another trick. Always make sure your hands are warm when you milk a cow." TMiL Alterverse Pride and Survival (part 6) Ainoko helped Tantei A pour the milk into bottles and carry it into the house. They put it into the refrigerator, then went back out to the barn. After spending an hour or so sweeping out the old straw, which was starting to smell a bit, they put down fresh straw and gave fresh hay and water to all the cows. With the cows and the barn taken care of for the moment, Tantei A and Ainoko moved on to the next item on the list. Walking up the small ramp, they entered the henhouse. They spent an hour there cleaning it, changing the feed, sweeping away anything that didn't belong. "Remember," Ainoko told him, as they gathered the eggs, "you don't want to take them all. You need to leave at least six eggs per laying cycle to hatch so you'll always have chickens here." Tantei A nodded. "Anything else?" "A lot." Ainoko smiled. "But let's take things slowly, shall we?" Tantei A smiled back. "This is hard work." he remarked. "I never knew life on a farm was like this." Ainoko gave a brief nod. "Lots of city people think if they move to a farm it'll be a simpler life. They have this mistaken idea that everything's easier down on the farm. Of course we know better." she and Tantei A left the henhouse, each carrying a basket of eggs. They brought the eggs to the house and set them on the kitchen counter. The cat leaped up to investigate. "Oh no you don't." Tantei A said, firmly, as he removed the cat from the counter and placed her firmly on the floor. The cat walked around his ankles in a figure-eight for a little bit. "I think she's hungry." Ainoko suggested. "Thirsty." Tantei amended. "She's a barn cat so she probably cats vermin for her food." Ainoko thought about this, "You're probably right." she decided as she put a saucer of milk out for the kitty." TMiL Alterverse Pride and Survival (part 7) ---------------------------- Ainoko watched the cat for a moment, then turned her attention back to Tantei A. "There's going to be a barn dance over at the Nagasaki farm this Friday." she said. "Why don't you come along?" "A dance?" Tantei A asked, sounding far more nervous than he would've liked. He pulled some things out of the refrigerator and began to make a small lunch for the two of them. "Oh, I'm not asking you for a date or anything." Ainoko reassured him as she went to his side to give him a hand with preparing their meal. "That wouldn't be proper. I'm just a young farmer asking a new friend and neighbor if he'd like to attend the regular barn dance. What do you say?" "Well... okay." Tantei A hedged. "But I'm not a very good dancer." "Have you ever danced before?" Ainoko asked. "No." Tantei A admitted. "Then how do you know you're not any good?" Ainoko smiled. "But what about...?" Tantei A asked, as they brought the lunch to the table and knelt down together. "Oh, that. Don't worry. I've lived in this area all my life as did my parents and grandparents before me. They're used to us. Of course, I'm sure Mrs. Takahashi, she's the town matchmaker, self-appointed of course, will be just thrilled. She's be waiting to match me up for quite some time, but there aren't many boys around that are near my age." She took a bite of her food. "And here I am your age, and your species." Tantei A remarked, after swallowing a bit of his own. "Oh, the species match will be an added bonus. She'll basically say its a sign from Kami-sama that we're meant to be together." "Who's to say it isn't>" Ainoko smiled. "So, you'll come to the dance, then?" Tantei A nodded. They finished lunch, and washed the dishes, putting the scraps into some buckets. "What's next on the agenda?" Tantei A asked. Ainoko checked the list, "Slopping the pigs." she replied. She picked up the bucket and led Tantei A out to the pens. "Not much there." he admitted. "True. Check that little cabinet," she pointed to a small cabinet in the corner of the pen, "the farmer who used to live here always kept a supply of commercial pig food for when the slops ran low." "Found it." Tantei A replied. "Its heavy." "I'll help you with it." Ainoko offered, going over to him. Working together, they lifted the large bag of feed and poured it into the trough. As it fell out of the bag and into the feeding trough, a measuring up fell out with it. They both set the bag down, looked at the scoop, and began to laugh. The pigs gathered around the trough and happily ate their meal as Ainoko and Tantei A replaced the bag and scoop and then headed out to the fields to tend to the crops. TMiL Alterverse Pride And Survival (part 8) ----------------------------- Tantei A stopped swinging the scythe and paused to inspect his handiwork so far. A few rows off, Ainoko was helping out with a scythe of her own. "How're you doing?" she called out to him, smiling. "Great," Tantei A called back, "I feel like the Grim Reaper." "You'll get used to it." Ainoko shouted across the rows of wheat they were currently harvesting. "Something I'm looking forward to." Tantei A rolled his eyes, "The day I get used to gathering wheat instead of criminals." "What was it like?" Ainoko asked. "Gathering criminals I mean." "Very exciting in a falling off a cliff sorta way." Tantei A replied. "Its also very rewarding when you hear that people can sleep at night because some sadistic jerk has been put away and you know you're the one who got them there." "Why'd you quit?" Ainoko wondered. "It sounds like a wonderful job." "I'd still have it if I could." Tantei A replied, returning to his work with the scythe. Ainoko could tell he didn't want to discuss the matter any further and decided to drop the subject. They worked together in the field a few more hours, making the occasional small talk to pass the time. Finally, Ainoko put her scythe away. "Would you mind if I made dinner for you before I head home?" she asked. "I don't want to be a bother..." Tantei A hedged. "You're not." Ainoko smiled. "I'd love to make dinner for you. At least then you'll have a nice meal all ready for you when you're finished." "I like the sound of that." Tantei A smiled. "Okay, thank you." "You're welcome. " Ainoko replied as she headed into the house to prepare dinner for Tantei A. By the time Tantei A was finished and his own scythe had been put away, Ainoko had a nice old fashioned Japanese vegetarian dinner made for him. "I know you're probably used to meat, but its not a good idea to eat heavy stuff after you've been working in the sun all day." "Concerned for my health, hmmm.." Tantei A smiled. "You know, if the town gossip were to hear you talking like that, they might think you liked me or something." "Oh no!" Ainoko laughed. "We can't have *that*!" Tantei A joined in. "I have to get home." Ainoko apologized. "If I stay any later, the town gossip will have a field day. I'll see you tomorrow." "I'd like that. But you don't have to," Tantei A told her."I don't wish to take time away from your own schedule. Surely your family must need your help." "With three grown sons of their own, I think they can spare me." Ainoko shrugged. "Okay, then." Tantei A told her. "I don't suppose I can talk you into staying for supper?" "No," Ainoko replied, "I have to get home for dinner. Our family likes to eat together. I would have invited you, but my sister-in-law is visitting with my two nieces so..." "You don't have to explain," Tantei A smiled. "Its okay. Besides, I'll meet them at the barn dance, right?" "Right." Tantei A took a bite of the meal Ainoko had prepared him. "This is delicious." he told her. "Excellent job." "Thank you." Ainoko blushed. "I have to go now. But, like I said, I'll see you in the morning." She left the house and returned to own home. Tantei A finished the meal she'd made him, savoring every bite as though it were a gift from the kami. Then, he washed the dishes and retired to the living room to relax for the evening. TMiL Alterverse Pride and Survival (part 9) --------------------------- The rest of the week leading up to the day of the barn dance was pretty much the same as the first day. Each day, Tantei A would look forward to seeing Ainoko. The two of them quickly became good friends and slowly, as time progressed, they began to become even more. The first indication that their relationship had passed beyond that of mere friends was when one of the calves had wandered into the moutains and they'd worked together to get the poor thing home. It hadn't been difficult or very treacherous, but Ainoko had slipped and had fallen, with a shriek, into a mud puddle. Tantei A had helped her up and their eyes had met. For a moment, there had been something... a spark of romance perhaps... then the reality of the situation had set in and the two of them had burst out laughing. But though the spark of romance hadn't erupted into full flame just yet, it didn't go out, and its embers continued to warm their hearts, bringing them to that level that somewhere between friendship and love. "So, what's he like?" Chibiko asked. "Who?" Ainoko asked. "That boy you're seeing." Chibiko smiled. "The one like you." "Well, he's very nice." "I hear you invited him to the dance." her uncle, Mr. Tachibara, asked. "As a new neighbor." Ainoko replied. "Oh?" her aunt asked. "Is that the only reason?" "What?!" Ainoko found herself blushing under her fur. White fur doesn't hide blushing very well, however, and Chibiko spotted it. "Ainy's got a boyfriend! Ainy's got a boyfriend." the little girl sang merrily. "I do not!" Ainoko protested, with absolutely no conviction behind her words. "Oh, so you *do* love him." her aunt smiled. "Auntie, please!" Ainoko yelped. "We just met." "So?" her aunt shrugged, taking bite of her own meal. "Your uncle and I only knew each other a few days before we married." "It was an arranged marriage." Ainoko pointed out. "Its not the same." "Maybe the gods arranged this one." her uncle offered. "I mean you both are of the same species and all..." "Well... if the gods show up and hand me a wedding kimono, I'll be more than happy to..." Ainoko blushed as she realized the full import of what she was saying. Her aunt smiled. TMiL Alterverse Pride and Survival (part 10) ---------------------------- As a mixture of Eastern and Western musics played, Tantei A leaned against a wall and watched as friends and families danced and clapped, and even sang along. "Please?" Ainoko asked him. Tantei A followed Ainoko onto the 'dance floor'. There were a few couples' dances. Then their host, a man of Japanese-American descent, treated them to a Western-style square dance which they all enjoyed immensely. After a while, they took a break and enjoyed a tasty afternoon meal. "Are you my sister's boyfriend?" Chibiko asked. Tantei A blushed a little. So did Ainoko. "I hear you used to be a cop." Ainoko's uncle asked. "Something like that." Tantei A nodded. "So, why'd you give it up?" "I got stranded here." Tantei A finished his meal and set his plate aside. "Plus I was injured in the line of duty and couldn't continue to serve as an operative." "Operative." Ainoko's aunt asked. "Like that British fellow, Jack Brown or something...?" "James Bond." Chibiko offered. "James Bond?" Tantei A asked, he looked to Ainoko for help. "I have a couple of the novels." she told him. "One of my second cousins goes to college in the city and she sends me books now and then. You can have one if you like." "Thanks." Tantei A agreed. With meals out of the way, the dancing and merriment resumed. Finally, the moon began to rise and everyone bid each other a cheerful goodbye and returned to their own homes. Ainoko's home was between Tantei A's and the Nagasaki farm, so Tantei A walked her to her front door. "I'll see you tomorrow." Tantei A told her. "Wait here. I'll get you one of those books." Ainoko left the door, returning a few minutes later with a copy of a book. "Thanks." Tantei A smiled, "Sleep well." "You, too." Ainoko replied, as walked back into her house. Tantei A returned to his own home and got ready for bed. Once all was done, he settled down to read the book Ainoko had given him. As he sipped a cup of tea, he looked at the book's title, 'Supai Watashi-ga Ai Suru.' TMiL Alterverse Pride and Survival (part 11) ---------------------------- "Are you enjoying the book?" Ainoko asked as she and Tantei A carried fresh bundles of wheat into the silo that Tuesday afternoon. "Yes, thank you." Tantei A replied. "I'm almost finished with it. This Bond fellow is quite impressive. Though not as impressive as Hoshiki Kindai." "Who?" Ainoko asked. "You wouldn't know him." Tantei A tossed his bundle into the silo and wiped his brow. "He's a character in a series of novels by Takarei Takasei, an obscure author from Nekowakusei. On this planet, he might be classified as a 'chosupai'." "Do you have any novels by him?" Ainoko asked, tossing him another bundle. Tantei A caught it. "You're very strong." he smiled. "No, unfortunately they were destroyed when the headquarters went up." "Went up?" Ainoko asked. "Kain, the creature I chased back here, destroyed our headquarters and murdered most of my friends. That's why I went after him." "I'm sorry." Ainoko frowned. "Oh, Tantei A, I didn't realize..." "It's okay." Tantei A told her. "I miss them, a lot." "Do you ever think about going back?" "Sometimes. And I've deciced that even if I could, I wouldn't. If I went back, I'd miss you more than I would miss the Galaxy Police if I stay here." Ainoko blushed. "Tantei A, I..." "Would you mind if I courted you?" Tantei A asked. "If its okay with my uncle, then its okay with me." Ainoko replied. "I'll ask him when I walk you home this evening." Tantei A decided. "Why don't you stay for dinner this time?" Ainoko suggested. "All right." Tantei A agreed. TMiL Alterverse Pride and Survival (part 12) ---------------------------- "I hope you're enjoying the meal." Ainoko's aunt told Tantei A. "Immensely." Tantei A replied. "I can see where she gets her cooking skills." Ainoko blushed a little, then saw Tantei A's smile and blushed a little more. "She'll make a fine wife for somebody some day." Tantei A noted, casually. "She's kind, gentle, a good cook and a good listener. And she's very helpful." "Indeed she is." Ainoko's uncle nodded. "Pity no one seems interested. I guess she'll just have to live out life as an old maid." "Guess so." Tantei A nodded. "Unless..." "Hmmm?" Ainoko's aunt raised an eyebrow and her little sister drew closer. "I don't know if I can do this. I'm kinda rusty. It's been a while since I did a rescue mission. Still," he began to speak int the exaggerated tones of a comic-book superhero, "I must. I must save this poor young woman from becoming an old maid." His voice took on a more subdued quality, as he spoke on. "If she'll have me, that is. And with your permission." "What are your intentions toward her?" Her uncle asked. "I wish to court her and, eventually, to marry her." Tantei A replied. Ainoko was blushing so deeply, everyone thought her fur was going to turn pink. "You have our blessings." Ainoko's uncle nodded. TMiL Alterverse Pride and Survival (part 12) ---------------------------- "Watch this." Tantei A winked as he aimed a perfect pitch at the bull's eye on the "Dunk the Banker" tank at the county fair that weekend. Ainoko giggled as the 'banker' went into the tank. The man who ran that particular game handed Tantei A a stuffed panda dressed in a yellow kimono with a matching umbrella. Tantei A, in turn, handed it to Ainoko. "Oh, its so cute." Ainoko squealed in delight. "Thank you, Tantei A." "You're much cuter." Tantei A replied. Ainoko blushed, then went even redder as Tantei A kissed her forehead. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with love. He looked back down, and for a moment, it seemed as though they might kiss. Instead, he drew her close and whispered in her ear, "We'll save *that* kiss for our wedding, my beloved." Ainoko nodded in agreement. They shared a stick of cotton candy and a seat on the ferris wheel. Then Tantei A played a few more games and won a couple more stuffed animals for Ainoko. They were on their way to play one more game before returning home, when a hand tapped Tantei A on the shoulder. "Yes?" he asked, as he turned, "What can I do for..." Then he stopped dead. The uniform was different. That was to be expected given that this was a different time period. But it was still recognizable. The man standing in front of him, holding up a silver hand that matched Tantei A's own, sea-green eyes blazing brilliantly with the effects of the adrenaline rush of his occupation, his thick waist-length hair woven into a samurai braid, was a member of the Galaxy Police. The one Tantei A had taken his own name from when he'd joined up. "Tantei Alpha." Tantei A gasped. "I sensed your implants and came to investigate." Tantei Alpha said in a very firm no-nonsense tone. "The girl is native to this place and time, so she can remain. You, however, must come with me." TMiL Alterverse Pride and Survival (part 13) ---------------------------- "No." Tantei A said, firmly. "I'm not going back with you." "Galaxy Police are not permitted..." Tantei Alpha began. "I'm from the future." Tantei A whispered to the other operative. "These people don't really care about such things, but if I return with you, there's too great a chance that people might try to use my knowledge of things to come to their advantage. Good in some cases, not so good in others." "They know you're from an advanced time." Tantei Alpha pointed out, keeping his voice to a whisper also. "They intend to do a full memory wipe." "That'd wipe out all my abilities, too." Tantei A reminded the new arrival. "What use would I be to them as an operative then?" "You're not going to be an operative." Tantei Alpha explained. "They're going to put you in their sanitorium. It's nothing personal, they just want to get a potential contaminant under lock and key." "Forget it." Tantei A shook his head. "No way. I'm not going to be locked away like some criminal when I've done absolutely nothing but serve as a loyal member of the Galaxy Police." "Tantei A and I are engaged," Ainoko pointed out. "I'm sorry, but the engagement is off." Tantei Alpha said, as he fired a stun-bolt into Tantei A's chest. Tantei A slumped over against Tantei Alpha. A moment later, the two of them vanished. Ainoko collapsed onto her knees, and wept. TMiL Alterverse Pride and Survival (part 14) ---------------------------- Ainoko's aunt looked up as a middle aged woman walked in with a very distraught Ainoko. "What happened?" her aunt asked. "Where's Tantei A? Did you two have a fight?" "He took him away." Ainoko sobbed, inconsolably. "Who did?" Ainoko's aunt was distressed at this turn of events, though clearly not as distressed as Ainoko. "Who took him." Ainoko tried to think, then looked up. "Tantei A called him Tantei Alpha." "Ainoko," Ainoko's aunt wished she could say something more positive, but she didn't want to give her niece false hope, "I'm afraid you have to face the possibility that you'll never see Tantei A again." "No..." Ainoko sobbed. "Oh, please tell me that's not true!" But that was something her aunt could not tell her. ***** Tantei A opened his eyes and rubbed his temples. "What in the universe..." he stood up from the floor of the shuttlecraft and went over to Tantei Alpha. "Hey, take me home." "I am." Tantei Alpha replied. "I mean to Earth." Tantei A snapped. "That's my home now." "You don't belong..." "I belong there more than I belong where you're taking me." Tantei Alpha set the shuttle to autopilot, then went over to Tantei A. "Tantei A," he said, "The non-interference law..." "I know about it already." Tantei A cut him off. "I wasn't interfering with any human lives. You had no right to take me away from Ainoko." He went over to the window and looked out for a while, then he returned and turned his attention back to Tantei Alpha. "Scan my implants." he said. "They'll tell you what kind of operative I was. After you see, then you decide." Tantei Alpha and Tantei A touched the palms of their cybernetic hands together, fingers splayed. Between their fingers, small slots opened and cables snaked out, from between the first two and last two fingers of Tantei A's hand and into the two corresponding parts of Tantei Alpha's hand. Another cable snaked out from the area between middle two fingers of Tantei Alpha's hand and into the corresponding part of Tantei A's hand. Tantei Alpha closed his eyes, switching his focus to the images passed to him by Tantei A. He saw Tantei A's memories of the academy, graduation, Tantei Alpha's death and Tantei A's selection as an operative a year later. He was touched that Tantei A had named himself after him and a rare smile played upon his lips for a second. Then he saw a sudden burst of rapidfire information, a montage of images of people screaming and vanishing as lightning filled the Galaxy Police Headquarters and those present fought to contain the evil that had escaped. Tantei Alpha quickly disconnected and both operatives' hands went back to normal mode. "Oh my kami-sama..." was the only thing Tantei Alpha could say. "Look, I'm taking you back to Earth. I'll tell them that you've suffered amnesia and don't remember the future so you won't be a risk." "Thank you." Tantei A replied. "But why the change of heart?" "You'll know in the future." Tantei Alpha smiled.