Hi.  My names Shin.  In some old forgotten language it means "Truth" or "True".  It's pretty ironic considering my situation.  I'm a reporter for that propaganda factory they call K.N.S. (Kikai News Service)  I'm 32 cycles old and a little embittered by the shattering of all my so called illusions.
    You see when I was young I always dreamed of being a reporter and finding out the truth, people deserve to know the truth after all.  Well it seems that my opinion differs from that of president Kunihiko Arashi but lets not wax politic here.
    Anyway to make a long story short I took the appropriate classes at the academy and got an internship and finally a job at K.N.S.

    My first few years were the worst, I hated seeing my well shot footage and in-depth reports being edited with a chainsaw (This is the part where all that bitterness I spoke about comes from.)  Anyway, a couple years back I stumbled upon some old files down in moth balls while I was looking for a replacement D.I.G. (Digital Image Recorder.)
    It was a whole cabinet titled UKYO , this was intriguing.  I didn't recall any projects or places, or even people bearing the name Ukyo, so I took them to my apartment for viewing.
    They were recorded on Compact Disc, and extremely old and rather clumsy recording device used in the days before the cataclysm.  It's a good thing I had a transformer that was compatible with most types of digital visual and audio display.
    What I saw on that CD seemed impossible, but it was the truth, plain and unrefined telling me a story in all its stark glory.  And then I believe I understood why the government does what it does.  Some people just can't handle the truth and they wont except it.  Because the truth is infallible but people are, they warp their perception of the truth until it becomes something manageable that they can deal with.
    I didn't have that luxury.

    Well anyway since then I've been trying to find out as much about Ukyo Tashimoto as I can.  But the old files aren't very extensive and the satellites that took them weren't very powerful so all that power Ukyo released caused allot of static interference.
 
 

    The room is dark and cozy, smoke from my cigarette curls and undulates about my head before dissipating into the super filtered air.  The flickering light from my computers monitor bathes the room in its cold spasmodic brightness.
    An image forms out of the static and words appear on the screen

    3605 A.S. [AFTER SUNDERING]. . .SECTOR 195 SHINJUKU AREA.  FILE NAME:  UKYO 001. . .

    The static clears somewhat and a picture of a young Human man with strangely tattooed skin and lavender hair holding a dead girl appears.  He is surrounded by police, as they close in his tattoo's, which I refuse to believe are tattoo's any longer, begin glowing.  He throws his head back and roars, the next thing the footage shows is an overhead view of Shinjuku, it's doing it's best to imitate a mushroom cloud.

    "Replay."  I breath sending another puff of smoke into oblivion.  The scene starts again, damn I've been at this all night and my eyes are starting to ache.
    "Freeze frame."  It obeys, reluctantly might I add.  Whoever came up with the bright idea of A.I. deserves to be dragged out into the street and shot.
    "Enlarge square M, F."  With a whirring sound akin to grumbling it complies giving me a detailed picture of the girls face.  The comp's just as tired of looking at this footage as me but I have more patience.  One of the perks of Humanity.  I stub out the stogie in a nearby tray and study the chicks face.  Aside from the assorted bodily fluids and the rigor mortis that's probably setting in I find her attractive, though I don't fancy myself a necrophiliac I have an eye for beauty.
    She has pale alabaster skin and long black hair, black as the water around this continent.  Her dead golden eyes would have lit up whole rooms in life.  Probably did.
    "Computer, background check, search for all files pertaining to this girl."  I pass a weary hand over my bloodshot eyes, shit I'm tired.

    Within moment a summary of information appears in a window beside the footage.
NAME:  ELHANA NOVA
D.O.B.:  3575 A.S.  4:30 A.M.
R.I.P.:  3605 A.S.  7:29 P.M.
OCCUPATION:  Star attraction of the THUNDER DOME, a night club of the era, it is rumored that she became involved with Ukyo during one of his few visits to Kikai and that she left with him on occasion.  For reasons unknown she returned to Kikai and was killed in the crossfire of a fight between Police and Ukyo which lead to the destruction of Shinjuku.  Ukyo was reported seen walking away from the ruins of the city later that night, how he survived being in the middle of that explosion and how he caused it is still a matter of great mystery even now 5,000 years later.

    "A mystery I intend to solve."  Muttering to myself was always a problem.  Hmm, not much but more then I had.  "Any living relatives?"  I can almost imagine the computer laughing at the hopeful note in my voice, hell I would be too but it's worth a try.

    AFFIRMATIVE. . . . .TAKESHI TETSUYA.  An undersecretary for GenoDyne T.E.C.H.
CURRENT RESIDENCE:  SECTOR 273 21st and Dying Slowly Avenue in NEON EDO area.

    "Neon Edo?  Ewww that shit hole?  Oh fuck, what I do for the truth.  I think I'd rather lick the underside of a toilet."  I yawn involuntarily and stretch, if I'm going there I'm getting some sleep first.  "Good night you worthless pile of scrap."

    GOOD NIGHT SHIN.  YOU SHIT HEAD.  It types.
 
 

    The sky is well beyond overcast in Neon Edo, a perpetual pall that does nothing positive for my mood.

    THIS IS A WARNING!  THE BACTERIA CLOUD HAS REACHED DANGEROUS MASS.
PLEASE STAY INDOORS FOR THE DURATION OF THE DAY.  THANK YOU AND HAVE A NICE DAY!

    Sigh, just what I needed to top off the splendid time I'm having.  I reach into my pocket for a mini respirator, it's got enough air for eight hours, I'll be long gone before that's done.  A sign reads 'Dying SlowlyAve.' I follow the street it indicates, the name is well earned.  All the buildings are crumbling as if afflicted with a leprous cancer and the place is empty as a karaoke club.  Nice.
    I look up and the next sign tells me I'm on 21 street, so this must be the place.
I walk up the steps of a rather decrepit building.  'Tetsuya'  The door reads.  I ring the buzzer.

    Nothing.

    I suppress an evil grin knowing that my respirator would fall out, I gotta get one those head sized ones but I haven't had the time or money.  I'm about to use an ancient technique handed down from one nosy reporter to the next, I'm gonna ring the doorbell thousands of times in rapid succession till someone answers.  I know, I'm bad.
    I think after the three hundred and fortieth buzz (give or take a dozen) my plan came to fruition.
    "What do you want'!"  A sleep dulled voice rasps through the intercom, my my this is a backwater town; they don't even have visual receptors.
    Well it must be done, I remove the respirator for just a moment and being careful not to breath I speak into the micro screen.  "I'm Shin Hideki from K.N.S. and I-"
    "Go away!."  He interrupts.
    My how rude. . ."Uhh mister Tetsuya,"  I take a breath from the respirator like a junkie takes a hit.  "I just wanted to ask you some questions about you're family, I'm uhh, compiling a dossier of all the more significant employee's of Geno Dyne T.E.C.H. but your file is less then complete and I-"
    "Come in."  The door opens.
    Abrupt sort of fellow isn't he.  Wow I can't believe that worked, that was the most convoluted piece of rubbish I ever spun, I was never a good liar.  Ah well I can ponder the significance of un-truth later.
    I walk into the disinfectant air lock and wait for it to get done with me.  The chamber despressurizes slightly as it sucks the poisons out of the air and then a jet of warm steam runs down my body cleansing me of bacteria and other nasty things.

    Takeshi's a rather imposing fellow.  He's extremely well built and has long greasy black hair that hangs in his face.  His eyes are cold as steal.  I obviously interrupted his sleep cycle, he's naked to the waist and there's a tattoo of what looks like an angry dragon over his heart.  I'm not sure because it's more of a symbol then anything else.
    "What do you want?"  Jeez there's no emotion in his voice, only a monotonous dead rasp.
    "I told you, I'm preparing a dossier-"
    "Bullshit!"  He emphasizes his feeling for me by smashing his palm against the door near my head.  Why does everyone feel the need to interrupt me?
    Ok if you want truth, use truth.  "I wanted to know about Elhana Nova, an ancestor of yours.  I was hoping you could tell me something about her, anything."  Oh my, was that my heart in my voice?  I must be really sincere about this either that or I have a cold.

    His face softened for just an instant, or my vision blurred I don't know which, but he removed his hand from its close proximity to my face.
    "I can't tell you much, not because I don't know but because of necessity.  All I can say freely is the badlands."  He turned his back to me.  "You must go now."  He said from over his shoulder.

    Back in my cozy little room, huh what a waste.

    ANY LUCK?

    "No.  Or maybe I don't know!  Cryptic bastard what the hell does he mean by 'the badlands.'?!"

    BADLANDS. . . . .DOES NOT COMPUTE SHIN.  SORRY.

    "Ah it's not you're fault you're stupid, don't be so hard on yourself."  I fail to suppress a grin.

    THANKS ;-(~

    "Humph, that face doesn't do you justice."  My grin grows wider.

    I HOPE YOU DIE OF A HORRIBLE DEBILITATING BRAIN ANEURYSM!!

    "I'll do my best sugar mouth.  Anyway play the Ukyo file, in slow mo' this time huh?"  I plop down in my favorite chair before the large monitor, wish I had some popcorn or something.

    AWWWW.  DO I GOTTA?

    "Yup, I probably missed something, and it's the only one that's got a halfway good picture so get cracking' you mutant calculator."  I wonder if anyone else's computer has an attitude problem.  Ah the perversity of the inanimate.

    YOU SUCK.  WHEN WILL THIS TYRANNY END?  VIVA LA REVOLUTION!

    Blessedly the computer finally stopped spouting old world slogans at me and played the footage.  Sigh.  Ukyo run's to Elhana, cops fire at Ukyo and hit her, he starts glowing and. . .wait a sec-  "STOP!  FREEZE FRAME!!"

    WHAT?

    "You see that glowing speck on his forehead?"  I ask.

    YEAH SO?  LOOK FOR YOURSELF.

    The smart mou- uhh. . . it doesn't have a mouth. . .forget it.  The computer proceeds to magnify and digitally clean the speck or should I say symbol that just appeared on Ukyo's forehead.  I gasp involuntarily.  It's the exact same symbol Takeshi had over his heart, but this is a birthmark not a tattoo.
    "Scan for any references at all."  I believe we might be getting somewhere here.  Funny, my search has now become that of this pile of chips and circuitry.

    RYU-JIN.  JUST A WORD, THAT'S ALL I COULD FIND.  SORRY SHIN, BUT I BELIEVE THE ALANIAN'S KNOW MORE ABOUT THE WORD AND IT'S MEANING.

    Alania?  Hmm my search is leading me far afield.  "I've heard of Alania but geography wasn't my strong point at the academy.  Where is it?"

    DON'T BE SO HARD ON YOURSELF SHIN.  IT'S NOT YOU'RE FAULT YOU'RE STUPID.  IT'S A COUPLE DAYS RIDE THROUGH THE WASTELAND PAST THE SHINJUKU AREA.

    "Haha.  Well I guess we'll be going on a trip, pack your bags you bucket of bolts."

    WE?  WHAT'S THIS WE BUSINESS?

    I smile beatifically.  "Why I would never imagine leaving you here all alone and depriving you of the adventure you so richly deserve."

    IF I WAS OUTFITTED WITH WEAPONS I'D SHOOT YOU.

    "You know you love me.  Anyway download yourself into this and lets go, the faster we leave the faster we get there."  I connect a wrist mounted mini computer that resembles a fancy watch to the main out-put port.  That thing has a limitless nuclear battery and a near limitless amount of free space, it operates via a small storage satellite where it can keep a shit load of information packed up.

    FINE, IF YOU SAY SO. . . . . . . .OOOHHHH!  IT'S NICE IN HERE SHIN!  MY, MY I HAVE SO MUCH ROOM TO STRETCH!!!

    "Yeah and now you can have a real voice instead of just typing messages on a screen, plus you have access to a holo-image program you can use for storing visual memory and display and a small stun device that emits about 5,000 volts of pure electricity.  I filched it from moth balls along with the Ukyo files at K.N.S."

    "Oh thank you Shin!"  A cute little girls voice emits from the mini computer.
    My eyebrow raises slightly.  "What's with the voice?  I always figured you for a more masculine role."
    "That shows how much you know!"  She replies petulantly.  Oh jeez I'm already thinking of her in female terms.  Oh well.

    I go about the business of shutting down my room and programing my answering device, don't know how long I'll be gone or when I'll be back.  If ever.  Oh well I won't really miss this place.  I'm almost excited!  Pity.