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Upset that he had lost yet another argument with his father -- right down to the fact that he was sulking in the corridors of power rather than putting his new solar-darter through its paces, as he'd wanted to do today -- Yami didn't notice the other man until he had collided with him. They went down in a tangle of limbs and a flurry of paper print-outs -- real paper, too, not the usual plastifilm flimsies."Oops, sorry!" The other guy was a short, chunky redhead in an ill-fitting brown suit and a sheepish grin. "I guess I wasn't watching where I was going.""Neither was I." Yami shoved himself to his feet and offered his hand to haul the redhead upright. "Here, let me help you with those…"Together, they gathered up the scattered pages and the redhead tucked them back into a bulging manila folder. "Thanks," he said, and stuck out a hand to be shaken. "I'm Ray, by the way.""Yami. Nice to run into you, Ray." Glancing around to make certain they had gotten all the papers, Yami spotted a glimmer of light on metal near a potted palm against the wall. He bent to retrieve the metal object -- which emitted a shrill beep and flashed an obnoxious light in his face so that he nearly dropped it again."Wow!" Ray reached for the still-beeping device, which looked a little like a 'sat-phone on steroids. The thing's tiny lights blinked in frantic time with the noise. "Let me see that!" He peered at the diminutive screen on the top of the device, then looked up at Yami with wide eyes. "Wow. This is great!"Yami raised an eyebrow. He had no idea what the guy was getting so worked up about. "What is that thing?""Oh, it's a machine for detecting certain forms of energy. It's set to sound an alarm when it picks up a Tycho-Epstein signature."Okaaay. Yami had heard of Tycho-Epstein energy -- the patents on the TEM technology used in satellite communication and jump-gate systems had made Kaiba Corporation Interplanetary the most powerful company in the solar system -- but he had an MBA, not a degree in physics. He had no idea how the things actually worked. "So, why is it beeping at me?""That's the amazing part! I've never seen anyone with such a high reading, it means you have an elevated concentration of T-E energy in your body. We think -- well, mostly me and Otto, but Piotr will come around -- that a greater concentration T-E energy could mean a correspondingly greater affinity for the Tycho-Epstein Matrix, and that could mean a better chance of successful interface with our test frame." He took a deep breath and beamed at Yami. "Could I get you to come down to the lab with me? I'd love to run a few tests."Having only understood one word in three of that explanation, Yami remained skeptical. "What kind of tests?""Nothing invasive, I promise. We'd just take a few readings, check to see if you really do have an affinity for the TEM interface, stuff like that.""I don't know…""Have you heard of the E-AI, uh, the Enhanced Artificial Intelligence program?" Ray asked suddenly. To Yami's relief, the redhead switched off the meter, silencing the annoying beeps."Yes." The E-AI project was the talk of the mecha division, an ambitious attempt at true human/computer interface. Since the mecha production arm of KCI was his father's domain, Yami knew more about it than he cared to. "What does the E-AI project have to do with anything?""We're looking for test pilots for the new enhanced mecha," Ray said. "So far, we haven't found anyone with a high enough TEM affinity rating to actually connect with the E-AI, but I'm betting you'd qualify." His smile took on a sly cast that seemed at odds with his round, innocent features. "If you're interested, that is."Pilot one of the new enhanced mecha? Of course he was interested! His father would never allow him to actually go through with it, but… "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to let you run the tests," Yami said, speaking mostly to himself.Ray beamed. "That's the spirit! I'm on my way down to R&D -- if you have the time, we can perform some of the tests right now."Before he could change his mind, Yami nodded. What was the harm? After all, even if he passed the testing, it didn't mean he would end up as a pilot. Right? He probably wouldn't even be able to connect with the E-AI.Still, Yami thought, his mind off in the stratosphere as he followed Ray toward the research department. Wouldn't it be amazing if I could?
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"Okay, Yami, just relax." Piotr Korone's voice was soothing over the comm. Korone was a psychologist and partnered with Ray Katz on the E-AI project. "Are you comfortable?""Yeah, I guess so." The helmet and leads pressing against his scalp were a distraction, and the close confines of the interface pod were more claustrophobic than the cockpits he was accustomed to. He tried to ignore them. "This pod isn't exactly a luxury lounger, Doctor."Korone chuckled. "Just get as comfortable as you can. Tell me when you're ready."Yami squirmed a bit, attempting to ease the pressure points on his back and skull. "Ready as I'll ever be.""All right. Now, I want you to close your eyes--" He waited a beat for Yami to comply. "What do you see?""Nothing." His eyes were closed; what was he supposed to see? Then, much to Yami's surprise, he did see something. "No, wait-- I think I see something -- A ribbon?"The lab had gone still around them, though Yami was only peripherally aware of it. Korone's voice, when he spoke, was hushed. "Describe what you're seeing, Yami.""It's…" Yami mentally squinted at the thing glimmering in the distance. How he could tell it was "distant" when it was a mere mental projection, he didn't know. "Well, it's this… ribbon or streamer, I guess. Only, it sort of looks like it's made of light or energy or something." In an attempt to be helpful, he added, "It's purple."Hushed laughter, then Korone murmured, "That's very good. Can you see the 'ribbon' clearly?""Yes.""Good. Now, I want you to reach out to it with your thoughts -- try to touch it.""Okay." Cautiously, Yami projected his thoughts outward. The 'ribbon' shimmered and danced in the distance, coming no closer, but not retreating, either. Yami imagined his thoughts were a second ribbon, reaching for the first. After what seemed like an eternity, he realized that there were now two ribbons -- one purple, one gold -- and they were almost touching. Holding his breath, he carefully stretched his 'ribbon' until one end just brushed the edge of the purple light.Yami gasped as something like electricity shot through him. The jolt shattered his concentration and threw him out of contact with the purple light. He blinked up at the eyeshield on his helmet and realized that Korone was peering down at him with a mixture of awe and concern on his face."Yami? Can you hear me? Are you all right?" Korone asked, reaching down to untangle the leads and disconnect Yami from the interface pod."Yeah…" Yami sat up with a groan and scrubbed his hands over his face as Korone lifted the helmet free. "What was that?!"Korone looked at him for a second, then broke into a grin. "That was one for the history books.""Huh?""You just became the first person to successfully initiate direct mind-to-AI contact.""Which lasted all of two seconds, if that." Yami frowned. He wasn't going to be of much use to the project if that was the best he could do.Korone scoffed. "Yami… Until today, no one's been able to get that damned thing to work for even one second -- hell, one half-second!""He's right." A tall blond man, taller even than Seto, suddenly loomed at Korone's shoulder. "I'd have to say you've just single-handedly saved our project from early termination, young man. Of course, now it will be necessary to see if your success can be duplicated -- and extended. And we will also need to conduct tests to set a baseline for recruiting possible candidates for the gestalt interface…""Otto means we want to see if you can do it again, for longer next time," Korone translated. "And we'll want to create a test based on your results for screening future interface users.""All right." Taking a calming breath, Yami settled back into the pod. "Okay, let's try this again..."This time, when he "reached" for the AI's ribbon, the AI reached back.
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"Some days, it just isn't worth chewing through the restraints, is it?" said a voice from the doorway behind Yami.Startled by the droll voice, Yami jerked away from the conference room window and frowned at the intruder."Sorry." Grinning at Yami's expression, Dr. Piotr Korone made himself comfortable at the conference table, leaning back in his chair and crossing his ankles. "Psychologist humor.""What are you doing here?""Oh, I drew the short straw." At Yami's look, he added, "I get to be the one to explain to your father why we have to have you for the E-AI project or KCI can write the whole thing off and go back to designing new gaming platforms.""I'm sure you could find someone to take my place." It pained Yami to admit it. He didn't want to abandon the project, not when they were so close to genuine success. And, he had to admit he got a thrill out of merging with the E-AI, becoming something else -- something more. He didn't want to give that up.Korone shook his head. "Eventually? Yeah, probably, at least with a new AI. I'm not so sure about this one, honestly. But in time to save the project? Doubtful. Especially with competitors like Schroeder Corp breathing down our necks. Frankly, I think it's now or never.""Unfortunately," said a heavy male voice from the doorway, "Dr. Korone is correct."Both Yami and Korone turned to face the newcomer. Korone rose to offer a respectful bow -- the first sign of respect for his superiors in the company that Yami remembered seeing -- and said, "Good morning, Mr. Kaiba.""Doctor." Kazuki Kaiba's dark gaze flickered to his son. Yami successfully resisted the urge to straighten his tie or try to smooth his hair. That look in his father's eyes always made him feel about five years old. Kazuki's lips pinched into a disapproving line. "I do wish you would do something about your hair, Yami."Short of shaving it off, there was little Yami could do to control his wild mane. His mother had tried when he was younger. Professional stylists had tried. No spray, gel, or mousse yet invented could tame his thick, unruly hair enough to please his father. Yami had resorted to gelling it into its current spiky style out of sheer self-defence -- and, okay, a touch of defiance. He frowned, but kept his voice flat as he said, "It's good to see you, too, Father."Kazuki raised an eyebrow at that, but let it pass. He gestured to the table. "Be seated, both of you." His gaze shifted to pin Korone. "How long has my son been involved with this pet project of yours, Doctor? And exactly what enticements did you offer to lure him in?""Whoa, now! That's not how it happened--" Korone protested.Yami interrupted, all resolve to keep his temper flying out the metaphorical window. "No one lured me into anything. You make it sound as if I'm incapable of thinking for myself!"His father gave him another look. This one made Yami feel like a small child who had just been caught splashing in a mud puddle while wearing his best clothes. Since that had actually happened to Yami -- more than once -- it was a look he was quite familiar with. With effort, Yami reined in his ire. "Dr. Korone isn't even the one who told me about the project in the first place.""Oh? Then who was?" A certain note in Kazuki's voice hinted that this person would soon find themself in the unemployment line."It doesn't matter." Yami's hands wanted to clench into fists. He forced them flat on the table. "You said yourself that Dr. Korone is right. If we don't proceed with the E-AI project, some other company will, most likely Schroeder Corp or that conglomerate on Mars that keeps sniffing around and trying to lure our best minds from R&D. Do you want to be responsible for losing KCI that particular patent -- or that talent?"Both of Kazuki's eyebrows went up and a faint hint of a smile twitched at his lips. "I had no idea you had such concern for the future of our company or such knowledge of the current business climate, Yami. I must say it is a welcome surprise."Embarrassed, Yami tried to downplay it. "I may have picked up a few things while hanging around the labs." He took a deep breath and forced himself to continue speaking in a calm, rational tone. "Will you at least tell me your objections to my participation in the program, Father?""If you like." Kazuki steepled his fingers, regarding Yami over the pyramid formed by his hands. "My most strenuous objection is, of course, that your role in the project is a potentially dangerous one.""I assure you, sir, we're taking every precaution--" Korone began.Kazuki spoke over him. "Yes, I'm sure you are, Doctor. However, we're talking about the safety of my only child. I do not relish the idea of my son playing guinea pig.""I can take care of myself!""Yami..." Kazuki stopped, sighed, and started again in a more moderate tone. "You are an intelligent young man, so I know you will not insult me by trying to pretend you do not realize that your behaviour can, at times, be somewhat... reckless."Yami opened his mouth to protest, but couldn't find the words. Because his father was, as much as he hated to admit it, right. He managed to rally a weak argument in his defense. "Mother says I'm just... exuberant.""Your mother always did indulge you far too much for your own good." The stern set of Kazuki's mouth softened slightly. "You are much like her...""I'll take that as a compliment."Kazuki frowned at him. "As, indeed, it was meant to be." He shook his head. "We will continue this discussion later, in a more appropriate setting."Not, Yami thought, if he had any say in the matter."In the meantime," Kazuki glanced at Korone. "Dr. Korone, I have read over the reports and proposals from your team.""Then you know why we have to have Yami as our test pilot. Without him, there is no project."Yami held his breath as his father appeared to consider Korone's words. Finally, Kazuki gave a short nod. Yami almost relaxed, but his father's next words put him right back on total alert."I will allow it -- on one condition."Almost afraid to ask, Yami narrowed his eyes, tilted his head, and said, "What condition?"The slow smile that tugged at Kazuki's mouth told Yami he had been right to be wary. "You will continue to 'pick things up' that will serve you when you take your proper place in the company--""Oh, well, I can hardly avoid--" Yami began, relieved to have gotten off so easily, only to have his father continue speaking over him."--and you will agree to meet with the go-between."Oh, shit. Yami blinked at his father in stunned speechlessness for a long moment, mentally groping for a way out. "Uh... I'm sure that, in a day or two, I can--""Tonight."And, once again, his father had won. Yami stared at the smug expression in dark eyes so like his own, and weighed his choices. He could refuse to meet with the go-between -- and the woman his father had chosen for him to marry -- but in doing so he would forfeit his only chance to continue as the pilot for the E-AI program. So, which should he choose? Lose his bachelorhood and his freedom -- or lose his dreams of making a real difference in the world and let his father shoe-horn him into some stuffy VP position where he'd be groomed to become a carbon copy of Kazuki Kaiba?Yami took a deep breath, let it out slowly, acutely aware of the scrutiny of both his father and Dr. Korone. Holding his father's unflinching gaze, Yami made his choice. He straightened his shoulders and met his father's gaze head on."I'll do it."
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If asked, Yami would have denied his fascination with the technology behind the machine he interfaced with on an almost-daily basis. His denial would have been even more vehement that he understood any of it. Despite that, he couldn't hide his instinctive grasp of how to use that technology. He seemed to have some kind of innate "feel" for the tech that none of the other potential pilots had displayed. The TEM responded to him -- and he to it -- in ways no one else in the R&D labs had been able to duplicate. Some of the scientists seemed half-convinced it was magic, and Korone had taken to jokingly calling Yami their very own "Dark Magician", after the game card. Yami just rolled his eyes and got on with his work, though a part of him wondered just what it was about him that the TEM responded to so well.Thanks to his affinity, he soon found himself drawn into the scientists' discussions. Maybe he didn't know all the theory behind the TEM or the gestalt interface, but he could tell them things none of them had ever -- or could ever -- experience firsthand. Like what it felt like when the gestalt interface settled smoother than silk in his mind -- or how it felt like his head would explode when the damned thing glitched. His input helped to refine the interface and to make the original (exceedingly uncomfortable) pilot's pod bearable for a body that couldn't shift to ease stiffening muscles. He worked with the AI experts, explaining how the E-AI "felt" to him when he interacted with it in VR and full gestalt.Gestalt. Yami was, quite literally, writing the book on it. After each session, he wrote copious reports that would eventually become protocols for the use of future pilots. They were learning quickly, and not everything they discovered was positive. As Yami's attempts to interface with the E-AI increased in duration and depth, they found he was having greater difficulty disengaging his mind from the machine. After the last session, during which it had taken Korone and Ray an hour to extract Yami's mind from the interface, Korone had called a halt to all further gestalt testing until they not only understood the process better but had also figured out a way to ensure Yami's safety.While Yami appreciated the concern -- the "hangover" he had suffered from that last, forceful removal from the gestalt interface had not been pleasant -- he chafed at the restriction. Never one to sit around idle, he hated having nothing better to do than catch up on paperwork and avoid his father. Plus, he missed interacting with the E-AI, and he was a bit worried about the personality he had come to regard as almost a friend. The AI had become accustomed to his presence, to their almost-daily interface. It had been just over a week since their last gestalt attempt. What did the AI think of his forced absence? Did the AI miss him? Could even an enhanced AI experience an emotion like loneliness?Would it really hurt anything if he just made a quick stop by the lab to check? o0o Afterward, Yami could never say exactly what it was that made him put on the helmet. He just knew that when he touched it, the vague, niggling worry for the AI spiked like a physical blow. He had the helmet in place and was settling into the pod before rational thought -- or caution -- could catch up.The purple VR ribbon that represented the AI had seemed to bound toward him with all the eagerness of a puppy, the AI's frantic greeting of lossabated-joyfulwelcome! overwhelming in its intensity.And then pain crashed through his head, black shadows spiraled in from every direction, and Yami knew no more. o0o Emphatic-distress!"Hey, it's all right." Yami tried to make his mental "voice" soothing, but the pain in his head wasn't making it easy and the AI's distress was only making it worse. "I'm okay. Calm down, my friend. It's just a headache."Negative-negative! Emphatic-denial distressdistressdistressdistress...Yami tried to reach for the AI, but in the next moment felt himself falling out of rapport with the machine. The pain in his head ratcheted up about a million notches and it was all he could do to keep the groan behind his teeth. He squinted up as someone pulled the helmet and leads from his head. "Doc?""How are you feeling?""Like I have the granddaddy of all hangovers," Yami admitted, letting Korone help him to sit upright. His head throbbed along with his heartbeat. He was pretty sure he could feel his eyeballs vibrating in time with each pulse. "Is the AI okay? I think he's kind of upset that he hurt me.""The technicians are dealing with it," Korone assured him. "Can you stand? Let's get you something for that headache.""Okay." A little unsteady on his feet, Yami followed Korone away from the interface pod and across the lab. "You sure he'll be all right?""It's a machine--""Yeah, but it's a machine with feelings." Yami no longer had any doubts about that. He glanced back at the white-coated techs swarming around his abandoned pod. It looked as if the AI was in good hands… and he really wanted some painkillers before his head decided to actually explode. He turned back to Korone. "About that painkiller--""One analgesic coming right up," Korone said, and hurried to get the first aid kit.
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Kazuki Kaiba wanted his son to marry a nice, traditional (some would say old-fashioned, if not archaic) Japanese girl. Amelia Emerson-Kaibawanted her son to have the freedom to select his own future spouse, which (as her ex-husband kept pointing out) Yami showed no indication of doing any time soon.When Yami finally caved to his father's demands to at least meet with a go-between, it seemed that Kazuki had won the first round.Kazuki's first choice of potential spouse for Yami was a retiring young woman who was, in fact, so retiring that even Kazuki kept forgetting she was in the room. Amelia's first choice was still for Yami to find someone (gender not withstanding) that he loved. This, as Kazuki pointed out with some acerbity, was not helping.Yami pointed out that he was perfectly capable of resolving his own love life, including any future marriages, if they'd all just leave him alone. Kazuki pointed out that this was even less helpful and that Yami had had plenty of time to sort things out on his own before he agreed to the matchmaking. Yami pointed out that he'd been blackmailed into agreeing to anything to do with marriage. (Amelia listened to them go on like this, trading barbs and blame, for thirty minutes before announcing that she needed pizza, stat! -- and thought rather longingly of her quiet garden at the expedition house in Egypt.)Eventually, they all compromised on Anzu Mazaki. o0o Anzu had never meant to fall in love. She had agreed to the meeting arranged by a go-between and the prospective groom's father because her family had been pushing her to settle down -- or, as her great-aunt Keiko insisted on putting it, "you need to find a good man to take care of you, girl!" -- ever since she had graduated from college, and it was beginning to make her crazy. She thought of the meeting as a sop to her family's concerns, a way to get them off her back for at least a little while by seeming to consider the prospect of marriage.She hadn't counted on falling for Yami Kaiba the second she laid eyes on him.He was handsome, which she had expected. What she hadn't counted on was the intelligence shining in those stunning dark eyes or the way his deep voice made her shiver when he spoke her name in greeting. But it was the kindness she saw in him that was her undoing. He held her hand, looked into her eyes, and she knew she was lost. When he asked if she would have dinner with him the following night, she only just managed a casual "sure, why not?" rather than the enthusiastic "yes, of course!" which was her first impulse.Dinner went well. As did breakfast the next day. For Anzu, it felt as if a strong red string was binding them together, pulling them closer with every look and touch.A week later, she met him for lunch, at the R&D labs where he worked, and was just in time to save him from the consequences of another act of reckless kindness on his part. Her voice and her touch pulled him from what, everyone assured her, could have been a disastrous merging with the AI he was helping to test, and she thanked her lucky stars that, somehow, she had been able to use the technology to pull him back.That was the day Anzu Mazaki joined the E-AI project and became Yami's Anchor.Three days after that, she became his fiancée. o0o Less than a year later, she became a hero.
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The first shot came without warning, because apparently the bastards had enough countermeasures to ensure they could circumvent all available sensors. Fortunately, they had to come out of hiding in order to use their weapons or the war would've been over before it had even really started. And with the new OSYRES sentries, at least now they could spot the alien machines before they made it all the way to the inhabited planets.General Mark Anthony Anderson stared at the report displayed on his desktop. Things did not look good for the SSDF. The alien robots were simply too maneuverable, too agile for conventional fighters. The newer Valkyries were holding up better but even they were not nearly responsive enough to take on the aliens and win with any kind of consistency. He needed something better, something faster -- something that could respond with the speed of thought and with enough firepower to take those SOBs out before they could reach the inhabited zones of the Sol system.He looked up when his XO burst into the office without knocking and waved a handful of data threads in his face."General!" Giles was out of breath and flushed as if he had been running. "You have to see this."Anderson gave him a Glower, at half-wattage. "Have you lost your mind, Colonel?""If I have, sir, you will too once you take a look at this vid." A data thread was practically thrown at the reader built into his desk and, when the menu sprang to life in the air above it, Giles reached over to tap the 'play' without waiting for Anderson.Before Anderson could object, the holo display was active and showing him something that made his heart beat a little faster and his breath catch in the back of his throat. He leaned over the desk, focused intently on the images spinning and darting in the display area. "New mecha?""Enhanced mecha, sir."Enhanced? "What the hell does that mean?""Real, direct human/AI interface. Reaction time is off the charts." Giles tapped another command and the vid skipped forward to show the 'enhanced' mecha practically dancing through an obstacle course, taking out VR and solid targets alike with a precision that warmed Anderson's weary soul. Beside the vid, boxes of statistics and explanatory text popped up, and he leaned forward to read some of them.Anderson caught words like primary TEM interface and epigenetic factors, but paid them little mind. His degree wasn't in engineering or human genetics, so the jargon meant little to him. If these new mecha were what he needed, if they were the key to repelling the invaders... If he needed experts in those particular fields in order to make this thing work -- to ensure the safety of the worlds he was charged with protecting -- well, he would bring them on board. Hope flared in his chest. Ruthlessly, he crushed it back down. Questions first. Hope could come later, if warranted.He tore his gaze from the display and looked at Giles. "How many?""At the moment? Two." Some of Giles' excitement bled away. He frowned at the miniature holo mecha darting about in the air above the surface of the desk. "However, the company that developed them is a major manufacturer. I'm sure that, with enough incentive, they can gear up for mass production in no time."In the display spot, one of the tiny mecha transformed from humanoid to dragon mode and blasted a target into space dust. This time, Anderson let the spark of hope burn. "Which company?" Which company held the future of the Sol system in its corporate hands?Giles met his gaze, and that same spark glittered in his eyes. "KCI, sir."Anderson nodded. He knew of them, of course. Everyone did. Kaiba Corporation Interplanetary didn't just manufacture robots; they were also the sole supplier of the proprietary TEM components that made everything from the jumpgate transportation network, to gate-dependent satellite systems, to interplanetary GS-phones work. Not to mention they owned roughly a quarter (if not half; he'd have to check to be sure) of Mars...He suppressed the urge to sigh. It might have been easier had the company been one the SSDF already had under contract to supply military spacecraft, such as Schroeder Corp, which supplied the Valkyrie mecha that were currently the frontline defense for all three of the SSDF's operational space stations. But he doubted even a successful company like KCI would turn down a lucrative defense contract. They would probably insist on leasing the mecha, though, just as they did with the TEM systems...As for incentive... Well. Monetary profits aside, he couldn't think of a greater incentive than saving the worlds. After all, the Kaiba family needed somewhere to live just like everyone else. And it was dffcult to make a profit when all your potential customers were dead.Nodding to himself, he said, "Get me an appointment with someone at KCI, as high up in the relevant department as you can on short notice.""You personally, sir?""I'm not taking any chances with this. We need those two mecha -- and every single one that they can crank out to go with them -- ASAP.""Yes, sir." Giles disappeared to work his magic.Anderson's attention drifted back to the mecha fighting on the vid spot. Both were now vaguely humanoid: one in the shape of a slender man in purple armor so dark it was almost black, the former dragon now a stockier humanoid in shining white. He shook his head a little and smirked. Well, he'd seen stranger. Most of their Valkyries were pink, for some damn reason.Hell, if they gave the SSDF a fighting chance, he didn't care if they were candy-striped and topped with bows.