[In-Character] Truth & Justice, Episode 11
It's been a long day. And a long night. After the water nymph incident was finally done with, everyone broke off to do their own thing. I went to look at motorcycles, and learned that I don't have anywhere near the funds to get something that would actually support my armor. I picked up a book on metahuman genetics to give me something to do in my free time (I need a new hobby), and wound up having dinner with Glenn, Sam, and Jack. Over dinner, Glenn suggested we look into getting some kind of superhero costumes, for anonymity. Considering that Pinnacle and who knows what else are out there, in principle this sounds like a good idea. No tights for me though. I'm thinking a motorcycle riding outfit.
I'd suspected that Raz had slipped off somewhere to indulge his martyr complex, and it turned out he had in fact gone off hitchhiking to the south of Aegis. The guy from the Super-Mentors gave us a lift to go look for him, and we found him on the side of the road. He got his powers back (as I was sure he would, one way or another) and then some, so at least he's got one less thing to complain about. When he was in the car, Raz handed me something he'd picked up, a folder of experimental data. And the watermark on every page was the twin snakes and sword of the Perseus Project.
Now, here's the funny thing. He insisted that the two of us talk about it in private. He's confiding in and trusting me. And reminding me a lot of Ryo, actually. Anyway, from what Raz told me and what was in the file, it looks like the project has facilities in the U.S., including an abandonded one that's too close to Aegis to be a coincidence. The files showed chemical, genetic, and radiological experiments--stuff that the project's stated ethical guidelines expressly forbids--being used on human subjects. The data is incomplete, a sheaf of surviving pages from at least a dozen different lab reports, and the chemicals and processes being used are exceedingly complex, but I've started trying to piece it together. More importantly, Raz said that in the facility -- which was left wide open -- he found another clone, only this one had been left in a tube of some chemical compound, and telepathically begged him for release, for death. He also found out the locations of some of the other clones, most in the Americas, but a couple in Japan. I told him about what they were planning with the Mega-Brace. I keep thinking I left something out.
He told me to call him "Razmus." I don't know what that means exactly, but I suspect it's the beginning of the end of the friction between us.
Does the cellular breakdown that the Mega-Brace would cause to humans have some connection to the way the clones of Raz turn into a dehydrated black goo? I need to go over that data again. Plus Raz brought me some new samples. Having him around really is like having another little brother at times.
I need answers. This whole thing is driving me crazy. And now more than ever I think I'm only going to find those answers by going back to Japan. If I don't get some kind of answer, some kind of sign, I may just decide to drop the superhero act and try to live some kind of normal life. It's not too late to apply to Todai again.
I've been a different person once before. There was that little space between when my father died and when I started middle school, when I was the klutzy crybaby, and apart from the teachers, the only one in my class who wore glasses. Oneechan (who was actually my best friend Chiaki's older sister) was the one who helped me grow up a little. She also exposed us to a fair amount of second-hand smoke, but nobody's perfect. Chiaki, Miho, Karen, Oneechan, and me. I think Chiaki's family is still in Yokohama.
I had that dream again. I really miss my father.
I'd suspected that Raz had slipped off somewhere to indulge his martyr complex, and it turned out he had in fact gone off hitchhiking to the south of Aegis. The guy from the Super-Mentors gave us a lift to go look for him, and we found him on the side of the road. He got his powers back (as I was sure he would, one way or another) and then some, so at least he's got one less thing to complain about. When he was in the car, Raz handed me something he'd picked up, a folder of experimental data. And the watermark on every page was the twin snakes and sword of the Perseus Project.
Now, here's the funny thing. He insisted that the two of us talk about it in private. He's confiding in and trusting me. And reminding me a lot of Ryo, actually. Anyway, from what Raz told me and what was in the file, it looks like the project has facilities in the U.S., including an abandonded one that's too close to Aegis to be a coincidence. The files showed chemical, genetic, and radiological experiments--stuff that the project's stated ethical guidelines expressly forbids--being used on human subjects. The data is incomplete, a sheaf of surviving pages from at least a dozen different lab reports, and the chemicals and processes being used are exceedingly complex, but I've started trying to piece it together. More importantly, Raz said that in the facility -- which was left wide open -- he found another clone, only this one had been left in a tube of some chemical compound, and telepathically begged him for release, for death. He also found out the locations of some of the other clones, most in the Americas, but a couple in Japan. I told him about what they were planning with the Mega-Brace. I keep thinking I left something out.
He told me to call him "Razmus." I don't know what that means exactly, but I suspect it's the beginning of the end of the friction between us.
Does the cellular breakdown that the Mega-Brace would cause to humans have some connection to the way the clones of Raz turn into a dehydrated black goo? I need to go over that data again. Plus Raz brought me some new samples. Having him around really is like having another little brother at times.
I need answers. This whole thing is driving me crazy. And now more than ever I think I'm only going to find those answers by going back to Japan. If I don't get some kind of answer, some kind of sign, I may just decide to drop the superhero act and try to live some kind of normal life. It's not too late to apply to Todai again.
I've been a different person once before. There was that little space between when my father died and when I started middle school, when I was the klutzy crybaby, and apart from the teachers, the only one in my class who wore glasses. Oneechan (who was actually my best friend Chiaki's older sister) was the one who helped me grow up a little. She also exposed us to a fair amount of second-hand smoke, but nobody's perfect. Chiaki, Miho, Karen, Oneechan, and me. I think Chiaki's family is still in Yokohama.
I had that dream again. I really miss my father.
posted by Ewen at 5/15/2006 10:44:00 AM
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