MHG-V1-2 (Initial Draft)

Chapter 3 - This is my home

A.3

Ken couldnt believe he was doing this. He was sitting on a subway train travelling to an industrial area complex he had never visited before, without any real address, all for this mysterious girl. She had insisted on giving directions as he went so that his route couldnt be tracked. It seemed all too much like a spy movie and not at all like something a twelve year old boy should be doing.

It was a long trip too, and Ken was feeling sleepy. His eyes began to close as the monotony of the journey wore at him.

"Dont fall asleep!" Teruko's voice came suddenly. "You have to get off soon."

Ken snapped awake.

"How can you see me?"

Teruko giggled softly.

Ken sighed.

"Dont be so sad." She said. "You'll be amazed once you get there, I promise."

"Okay, get off at this station."

Ken stood up and got off.

"Keep going straight till you get out of the staton."

Ken followed her orders through the industrial complex until he came to a large, empty looking warehouse. "New hope promises" was written on a billboard that was so old the colour was fading and it was rusting at the edges. The entire complex was surrounded by brick walls and looked like it had been in disuse for a very long time.

"Theres a maintenance door about a hundred meters to your right." Teruko said. "Ill grant you access temporarily so you should just need to turn the handle."

Ken walked right along the wall until he came to a very small metal door. He turned the handle and went inside.

"Shut the door behind you."

It was pitch black inside but he did as he was told. Then there was a flash and the lights turned on, showing him to be in a narrow hallway that went some distance and turned right.

"Good, this will take you underground to the place you need to go. Just follow the yellow line on the floor."

Ken noticed the yellow line, together with a brown and blue line. He went down the hall and turned right and then continued to follow the yellow path as he came to forks in the corridor. Eventually he ended up at a rusty looking elevator that suddenly hummed to life as he approached it. The door opened and he stepped inside.

The doors closed creakily and then it began a slow painful ascent up about three or four floors. When it finally stopped Ken was glad to be out of it.

He was now in a less hagard looking building, with blue tinted walls. It still looked as if it had been empty for a long time though.

"Turn left." Teruko said. "And go to the door that says 'experiment #1'."

Ken did so and pushed the door open. Inside was a small waiting room with another massive door at the back. There were lock pads on each aide of the door, which lighted up as he walked forward. The buttons started pressing themselves, and then the hand scanner flashed blue and then the doors slid open.

Ken walked apprehensively into the next room, which consisted of two parts. The first part was a small empty space with a wooden table and some chairs. There was a holopad in the center which suddenly started warming up. The second part was a massive metal cylinder that hummed gently. Monitors were attached to the outside, which streamed with logs of data, and a single massive light shone from the side of the cyinder, illuminating the dark room.

The holopad flashed on suddenly, amd Teruko stood there before him.

"Im so glad you came." She said, her eyes watering slightly. "I was a little afraid you wouldnt."

"What is this?" Ken asked, looking at the massive machine before him.

"This is where I'm stored." Teruko said. "All my memories and the mechanism for entombing my soul."

"Entombing your soul?" Ken asked with disbelief.

Teruko nodded. "I was born a human being like you," she said, "but right after I was born the doctors told my parents that I wouldnt be able to live. They told them the only hope was an experimental technology that could transfer my soul from my body to a mahine, thus allowing me to continue to live, although without a human body."

"Then you have human parents?" Ken asked.

"I had." Teruko said. "They both passed away about four years ago. Since then I've been alone. Until I found you."

"Found me?" Ken asked.

"I dont know why," Teruko said, her cheeks becoming red," but ever since I saw you I just felt attracted to you. We seemed to like the same things, and you're quite handsome. Plus you dont seem to have many friends, so I could sympathise with your feelings."

"Handsome?" Ken asked, blushing. It was the first time he had been told something like that, especially from a girl.

"Don't you think so? I do.." Teruko said blushing.

"What about me? Do I suit your taste?"

She held her arms out and spun  around for him to see.

"But.. its not real.. is it?"

Teruko looked at him sadly.

"Not real?"

"If you dont have a real body then thats just something you made up?"

"Mm." Teruko said, nodding. "So if you don't like it I can change it."

"Thats not what I meant." Ken said quickly.

"But personally I like it. I feel like it *is* me, even though its just something I made up. But isnt that what everyone is like? Always wanting to change what they look on the outside to match what they feel on the inside?"

"I guess.." ken said. "But most people, if they could really change anything, would choose an image far from reality.."

"Because thats whats inside." Teruko said. "For me, what I want most is to be a normal person, just like you. And to be treated as normal by others."

Ken looked at her sadly. She really did have a poor existence.

"But living a normal life.. it has many problems too. And people dont necessarily treat you as normal anyway."

"I know." Teruko said. "Ive seen your pain. Thats why I like you. I think among the millions of people in the city, you are the one that can understand me the most. Together we can treat each other normally no matter what we are. What do you say?"

Ken gulped.

"Still not sure?" Teruko said, crossing her arms. "Tell me what you dont like and ..."

"Its not that, its.."

"What?"

"I can't... touch you..."

Teruko looked at the ground.

"Thats true." She said. "Im trapped in here and you're free out there. Any relationship we have can be in words only.."

Ken looked at her akwardly. He wasnt sure what to say.

"I understand if its too much for you." She said.

"We can still be friends.." Ken said.

Teruko shook her head. "I need someone I can trust, and I can only trust you if you give me your whole heart, not just a part of it."

"Then.."

"Ill show tell you how to get back home."