Prototype Zero

Shun: “Dammit! It feels as if I don’t know my father anymore! How is the company and research facility involved with your dad’s company?! ARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!”
Shun punches the same steel beam again.

Takahashi: “Shun stop! *Grabs Shun’s arm and pulls it down* Your only hurting yourself right about now. What we need to figure out is how they’re connected by opening the contents of this box.”

Raijin: “Want me to drop it off to you Kohana?” I can send it off with a lightning bolt.”

Kohana: “No thanks Raijin. Last time you dropped something off by Air Lightning, I had to duck away from the package that fell from the sky.”

Shun: “I’ll bring it.”

Everyone stares at Shun.

Shun: “I have to find out what this is about and why my father is involved with this corporate business. I’ll be there asap so I can get to the bottom of this.”

Shun takes the box and walks away from the group as everyone’s faces grew worried.

Aione: “I hope Shun’s alright.”

Mirage: “Me too. Are you going to do something to cheer him up?”

Aione: *Sigh* “I don’t know. It seems like he should have time to himself to think right about now. But I will check on him later to see if he’s okay.”

Takashia: “We should all just head home and regroup in the morning you guys. It seems that we have been through a lot today and we need to get some rest. I’ll see you guys tomorrow and I’ll let you know if anything comes up.”

Iteza: “Ok guys. Kaida, Gabriel, Tri-Blaze, and I will see you tomorrow at school.”

Daijiro: “We’ll get going too.”

Daitaro: “We have some matters.”

Aione: “Corporate matters with your father?”

Daitaro: “Handled that already.”

Daijiro: “We have other plans.”

Takashia: “I see. G’night guys.”

Meanwhile

Shun: “Why didn’t he tell us? Why didn’t he try to stop this in the first place? Why was his department working with Saito Inc? Why? Why? WHHYYY?!”

Shun yells into the emptiness of the night sky as he walks his way to Kohana to bring her the safe. Zero walks behind him watching Shun as he vents his frustrations. Shun kicks a can across the street as a cat screeches and runs of the top of a garbage can in response to the noise.

Zero: “Calm down, Shun.”

Shun: “Calm down?! Calm down?! How can I calm down when I might be discovering that my father has been keeping his projects secret from me and Mom? Who knows what the hell is inside this case?”

Zero: “I understand but worrying about your family and the contents of the case but we should wait to see what’s inside of it before we jump to conclusions.”

Shun: “Yeah your right. We should wait first to see what’s inside. Here we are.”

Shun and Zero start to make their way up the walkway to Kohana and Takashia’s house. Shun places the box under one arm as he rings the doorbell. Shun waits for the door to open. Shun looks at his watch wondering what’s taking so long for Kohana to answer the door. Shun turns to walk away from the door when he hears the sound of the front door opening to reveal a young girl with long black hair, bright brown eyes and a cute face, a big printed t-shirt with a video game character on the front, and shorts that rested upon long smooth fair legs. Kohana stood in the doorway looking shy as if she was trying not to be seen from anyone outside. Shun’s face turned red blushing as he gazed at her in the moonlight. Kohana’s lips finally separated as she began to speak.

Kohana: “Are you coming in or not? I have other things to do then stand in the front door staring.”
Shun snapped out of the trance he was in due to her beauty. Shun’s heart started to skip a beat as he proceeded into the house. He stumbled as he stepped over the threshold of the entrance as his knees felt weak. He caught himself quickly as to not worry Kohana.

Zero: *whispering* “You ok?”

Shun: “I’m alright. I don’t know what’s wrong. I just couldn’t stop looking at her and when I walked in my knees felt weak. There’s just something about her that makes me feel weird inside. She’s just so beautiful.”

*Thump, Thump*

Shun grabbed his chest as he felt his heart beat louder than it’s ever done before. Shun, Kohana, and Zero walk further into the house after Shun and Zero had taken their shoes off.

Kohana: “Follow me.”

Kohana started up the stairs as Shun and Zero followed behind. Shun watched as she walked gracefully up the stairs and she seemed to have floated up the stairs in his eyes. Shun’s face turned red again as they walked up the stairs and walked into her room. Zero found himself a corner and proceeded to take a nap.

Zero: “Wake me up when we get something good.”

Zero closed his eyes and went to sleep.

Shun: “This is a surprise.”

Kohana: “What did you expect my room to look like?”

Shun: “More like a tech-head’s room. More computers and books everywhere and badly lit.”

Kohana: “You make me sound like a complete shut-in who does nothing but read books and be on the computer all day.”

Shun: “I didn’t mean it that way, but its way different than what I expected.”

Shun chuckles and Kohana joins in for a small laugh while they get settled in. Shun places the box on her table next to the computer and plugs a cord into the front of the box. Kohana starts to decrypt the code to the box so they can open it.

Kohana: “My program is state-of-the-art and is the best in its class. De-coding this box shouldn’t take long but it seems to be a long line of coding and encryption on this code. Who ever made this box didn’t want it to fall into the wrong hands. This could take a long time. Would you like something to eat?”

Kohana rose out her chair next to Shun and gave him a smile. Shun blushed again as he open his mouth to speak.

Shun: “S..s…sure. What’s being served?”

Kohana: “Ummm. Let’s see. I think there is some leftover ramen from dinner.”

Shun: “I love ramen! I don’t mind a big bowl of it. Do you have extra servings of egg and pork?”

Kohana: “You have a huge appetite for someone so small.”

Shun: “I can’t help it sometimes. Heh heh”

Kohana: “No problem. One hot bowl coming up.”

Shun watches her prepare the ramen as he starts of the past when Kohana used to argue and bicker with him which usually left him hurt and bruised.

Shun: “Why’re you being so nice to me all of a sudden? Before you barely talked to me and always gave me the end of your fist. But now, you’re being nice and serving me ramen.”

Kohana stiffened from the shock of the question. Her heart started to beat loudly in her chest as she swallowed and began to answer.

Kohana: “Well…it’s cause we’ve grown up.”

Shun: “Huh?”

Kohana: “We’ve both grown and we’re almost adults. But there are times in which we shouldn’t always argue, no matter how opposite we are from each other. Right now, you’re trying to solve a mystery and I’m providing the tools necessary to help you. At this difficult time in your life where you’re trying to figure out what’s going on around you, you need a friend who’s going to be there for you.

Kohana walks the bowl of ramen over to Shun as he watches her move closer to him. She places the bowl on the table next to his chopsticks as she grabs him and gives him a hug. Shun’s entire face grows bright red as his hands slowly wraps around her waist. Shun stands up and hugs her back as time seems to slow down for Shun.

Shun: (What’s gotten into her? Why is she holding me so close? She smells…sweet. I wish this could last for a long time.)

Kohana lets go of Shun. They stare at each other for a few seconds as she parts from him and starts to walk out of the kitchen.

Kohana: “I…I’ll be back. I’m going to go check on the encryption and see how much progress has gone by.”

Shun: “Ok.”

Kohana starts up the stairs as Shun prepares his chopsticks and says his thanks.

Shun: “Itadakimasu!”

Shun chows down on the ramen that is sitting in front of him. He starts slurping the noodles rapidly and eating around his favorite parts, the pork and the eggs. He’s already eaten most of the ramen when a voice comes down from upstairs.

Kohana: “Shun, it’s finished!”

Shun rushes most of the food into his mouth as he tries to race up the stairs.

Shun stands in the doorway of her room with a huge piece of pork in between his teeth and struggling to eat while talking at the same time.

Kohana looks at Shun and lets out a small giggle.

Kohana: “Look at the screen. The box contained files and discs with information that is highly classified and really old. These files are recordings from a long time ago. I’ll play it now.”

Kohana presses the play button as Shun hears his father’s voice.

Hideaki (on recording): “We’ve finally perfected ROBO technology and created the perfect Machina. His capabilities exceed anything we have out in production right now. His model will change the face of ROBO and humans forever.”

Shun’s father steps aside to show a half-built machina with black hair and a blue shirt.

Shun: “Is this all?”

Kohana: ‘No. there’s another one from about three months after the first video.”

Kohana presses play.

???: “This is Professor Daiki Akihiko along with Professor Yuta Tatsuya. We’re studying the electron waves going through the processors of our perfect machina. We’ve decided to call him Project Genesis. His skills are second to none in his combat ability. His human interaction is as normal as any human talking to another human. We think that we have perfected what it takes to bring man and machine closer together.”

Shun: “So that’s where this one ends?”

Zero appears from the corner.

Zero: “So Genesis is the first true project? I wonder what happened to him.”

Kohana: “Let’s find out. This is dated about 9 years ago. This is the day that the Research Facility was destroyed!”

Shun and Zero exclaimed simultaneously.

Kohana presses play on the video. There are signs of chaos and mayhem throughout the background. Professor Tatsuya appears on the screen this time.

Professor Tatsuya: “We were horribly wrong about Project Genesis. Something went entirely wrong and now he’s on a rampage. Our system doesn’t show any signs of malfunction or viruses within his systems. We think that his programming of free will has influenced him to want to spread destruction and chaos. We’ve enclosed the plans for Genesis inside this box and these plans for another project in another box. Whoever find this…don’t repeat our mistake.”

An explosion occurs closely in the background as Genesis swoops past and causes another explosion. Shortly after the explosion, the video ends.

Zero: “Hold on rewind that!”

Zero rewinds the video and catches a small glimpse of a man holding a box running out of the room.

Zero: “That’s Professor Akikhiko!” He stole the plans?”

Kohana: “Why did he steal the plans? What was the project he stole?”

Everyone stared around pondering the answer to the question when Shun breaks the silence.

Shun: “That Project was Project Prototype…otherwise known as Zero.”

Reasons and Feelings-End