The Heart of the Sun

The Heart of the Sun
(A Fan Fic Based On the “Ghost In the Shell: Stand Alone Complex” series on Adult Swim.)

By

Garrison Haines-Temons

Chapter 1: Cyberland


The weary writer known as Garrison Haines-Temons earned his adjective by taking part in the most brutal battle between videogame characters ever to occur on the streets of Metro City. As a result, himself and all of the other fighters were thrown in jail Garrison ultimately busted himself and his buddies (Sora, Zidane, Crono, and the kid from Secret of Mana (whatever his name is)) out of prison by way of paying the bail. Knowing that his money situation was turning him into what sociology calls the “underclass”, he had to get his videogame idea (Final Fantasy Hardcore) off the ground and the commercial he and Sora made for it made the two of them enough money to not only return money from the bail, but also give them a little something extra so that they can do something extra. Sora and Garrison had different ideas as far as what should be done with this mountainous pile of cash is concerned. Sora and Kairi decided to invest their money into something called “Stocks and Bondage”. No, you heard it right. I didn’t make any mistakes. It’s called “Stocks and Bondage”. It’s a legitimate stock market firm except for the fact that they tie and gag you then spank you with a paddle while they’re giving you financial advice.
“So what you want to do is start off with a good $2,000 just to be safe, then invest more as the stock value increases. You WILL invest $2,000, you little bitch! Isn’t that right! Isn’t that right, you worthless little worm!”
“MMMMMMMM!!!!!!!”
“That’s right! Cry for me some more! You’ll be crying a lot harder if you don’t take my fucking advice, you insolent little prick!”
“MMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!”
So anyways, those are Sora and Kairi’s lives. Garrison’s life is slightly different from what the two childhood friends had in mind. Garrison took his money and decided to take a vacation in Japan for a good couple of weeks. He needed the R&R after all that he’s been put through compliments of his obnoxious rival, Edgo Reinhardt and his band of pretentious videogame thugs. The plane ride was part one of the R&R where he got to listen to “Crow Left of the Murder” by Incubus, “Getting Away With Murder” by Papa Roach, and “Lest We Forget” by Marilyn Manson all the way over. Nothing tames the wild beast like a little hard rock during a god damned long flight. The beast would need taming after a flight that fucking long. But when Garrison finally touched down with Japan, he noticed that the world around him was a little…how shall I put this…advanced! The Jetsons could never top what was the world of Japan. Japan can only be described in one word: cyberpunk. With this fabulous cyborg’s paradise laid out before Garrison’s eyes, Garrison started to have more questions than answers and one of his questions was “Why is it called cyberpunk anyways? Why isn’t it called cyber asshole or cyber putz or cyber queer?” Well, that question was never going to be answered even if somebody dug up Aristotle’s corpse, stuck their hand up his ass, and moved him around like a hand puppet to at least pretend like he’s really alive. Garrison didn’t have a multitude of questions per say. He was somewhat familiar with the cyberpunk culture. He knew that in a cyberpunk culture, the word on the streets is the only thing you’ve got to go on. But what Garrison never understood is how street wisdom is obtained. How does one become one with the streets other than having his head pounded against the road as if he was a vandalized pumpkin? Okay, so maybe Garrison can’t go to the streets, so he lets the streets come to him. A cyber doctor was on a nearby street corner preaching his latest cybernetic product to whoever cared. It turns out that Garrison happened to care deeply seeing as how he a.) was so interested in this cyberpunk culture and b.) had god knows how much money burning a hole in his pockets. Garrison listened intently to what this doctor had to advertise and decided that turning his precious, hard earned money over to this lofty gentleman was indeed the right move to make. What this doctor was advertising was something called the Berserker’s Intent. Basically, it can turn an average fighter like Garrison into a super soldier at the command of “Berserk: Activate”. When asked what side effects it had, the doctor said there were about as many side effects as there were steakhouses in India. When asked how much it was going to cost, the price was as low as the level President Bush stooped to when he sent those innocent troops to Iraq. What this techie was basically saying was that he is handing over the power of the gods to this young candidate for practically nothing. It was a steal! Garrison gladly forked over the nickels and dimes and let the techie install the Berserker’s Intent into his system. Within a matter of hours, the power of the gods was in the hands of this crusader of the pen. Garrison now walks the streets with a hidden strut about him. Where would he go to celebrate this new bestowed power? The bar of course. He’s only 19, but the bouncer didn’t need to know that. Garrison spotted Drick Dark’s Bar and strolled on inside minus suspicion on his face.
Garrison didn’t exactly flaunt his ego around like a flasher with a new bra. Knowing that he was vacationing in a cyberpunk society, his natural shy aura was probably the best way to present himself. He took a seat at a nearby table and rested his head on his elbow supported arm. He had no idea who these people were, but sitting in the table near him was none other than Japan’s own military unit, Section 9. There was the leader, Major Kusanagi Motoko, and then there were her two minions, the hulking animal, Bateau, and the ex-police nut, Togusa. At first, there was nothing wrong with being in the company of these three lawful soldiers. But when they started giving suspicious looks to Garrison, things began to look down, much like Garrison’s head was when he tried to evade their haunting looks. To take his mind off of the tension and take the tension off his mind, Garrison noticed that there was a sign up sheet for performing onstage. Well, this was perfect seeing as how Garrison happened to have a copy of “The Best of Wham!” with him and the DJ was right there. Garrison thought “what the hell” and with a stroke of the pen he is so used to using all the time, he was as good as ready to go to the show. When it came around to his turn, Garrison put his gentle voice to good use and put the audience at great ease when the sounds of “Careless Whispers” came out of his mouth.

I feel so unsure
As I take your hand and lead you to the dance floor
As the music dies, something in your eyes
Caused to mine the silver screen and all its sad goodbyes

Chorus:
I’m never gonna dance again, guilty feet have got no rhythm
Though it’s easy to pretend, I know you’re not a fool
Should have known better than to cheat a friend and waste the chance that I’ve been given
So I’m never gonna dance again the way I danced with you

Time can never mend
The careless whispers of a good friend
To the heart and mind
Ignorance is kind
There’s no comfort in the truth, pain is all you find

(Chorus)

Tonight, the music seems so loud
I wish that we could lose this crowd
Baby, it’s better this way
We’d hurt each other with the things we’d want to say
We could have been so good together
We could have lived this dance forever
But now, who’s going to dance with me?
Please stay!

(Chorus)

Now that you’re gone…
Now that you’re gone!
Was what I did so wrong, so wrong that you had to leave me alone?

The music died down and welcomed the new and enriching sound of cheers and applause. Garrison gladly accepted the warm reception as he got off stage and returned to his table. He even took in the applause from Bateau and Togusa. Kusanagi gave a little golf clap, but then cut it short as her cold personality would allow her to do. Garrison, satisfied with his stage presence, collected his Wham! CD and started his way out of the bar and onto the streets again. Where he would spend the rest of his wonderful night was going to be up to him.

Chapter 2: I Need an Adult! I Need an Adult!

Garrison did some thinking as he was walking down the streets. He was mistaken when he thought singing Wham! was going to ease his soul of the stares from Section 9. He kept wondering what the hell they wanted and if they were so mad at him, why did they applaud his performance? He was just as mystified by Section 9’s presence as he was thinking about why cyberpunk is called what it is instead of something else. His mystification wouldn’t last forever, for he didn’t get a few feet further down the empty, rainy streets when suddenly, a car pulled up next to him. Getting out of this car were none other than Bateau and Togusa. The very idea that Garrison was being confronted by these two military dogs gave him the idea that he was in deep trouble. But seeing as how Garrison comes up short every time he thinks of what he might have done wrong, he maintained his cool for the conversation that he and Togusa would have.
Togusa started off the wayward conversation with something along the lines of a compliment for Garrison’s romantic performance. “That was a nice performance you put on back there. I haven’t heard a good Wham! song in a while and finally, this kid comes up and sings for us.”
“…Thank you. I appreciate it.”
Bateau was next in line to speak and what he had to say was nothing more than a simple declaration of innocence. “Hahaha! You don’t have to be nervous, man. You aren’t in trouble. We just wanted to pull over and talk to you.”
“Oh, okay.” said Garrison, masking the presence of his bullshit detector.
“So, what’s on your mind? You going somewhere? Maybe we can give you a ride.”
“…” The last thing Garrison wanted to do was have anything to do with these people. He never did trust military people and they didn’t give him creepy looks because they’re trying out for Phanto in the remake of Mario Bros. 2. Garrison didn’t want to show his bullshit detector too soon to these people. But then again he was getting kinda tired and desperately needed a hotel room with a soft bed.
“Actually, I could use a hotel room after that Berserker’s Intent surgery.”
“…Say that again.”
“I said I could use a hotel room after that Berserker’s Intent surgery. I got this sweet ass system…”
“Heard enough. Get him!”
With his grizzly bear arms and his gorilla strength, Bateau grabbed hold of Garrison and kept him held at every attempt to break loose.
Garrison would have none of this barbaric strength and yelled out, “Hey! What are you doing! Let go of me, you big baboon! Go shove a banana up your ass!”
“Shut up!”
“You shut up, you big ass!”
This was an old joke told by the Chappelle Show: what did the five fingers say to the face? SLAP!
“Ow! You son of a bitch! What did I do?!”
Before he could become a serious pain in the ass, Bateau and Togusa threw Garrison in the back seat of the car and got in before Kusanagi hit the gas pedal and drove off into the stormy night. Garrison had no idea why he was being detained by these monkeys and as long as his mystery remained untouched, there would be loud rebellion.
“What the hell did I do wrong?! I’m just a fucking kid! Just tell me what I did so I won’t do it again!”
Kusanagi put on her cold persona and spoke to the confused and bratty Garrison as he was struggling like a fish in a vice grip. “You want to know what you did wrong? I’ll tell you what you did wrong! That Berserker’s Intent you’ve got in your system is illegal software and low and behold, you, a punk kid, are a super soldier.”
“So what? If it bothers you that badly, just remove it from my system. But don’t tell me that I’m worthy of jail time.”
“First of all, only the doctor who gave it to you can remove it from your system and there’s no telling where the hell he is. And secondly, yes, you are!”
“Alright. This whole thing is stupid. It’s a cyberpunk society! Everything’s legal to buy! I didn’t know what I was doing was illegal! Just give me a chance to explain! You know what? I don’t want to explain anything to you. You guys are a bunch of idiots! You know what I think? I think you don’t want anyone more powerful than you because of your own deflatable egos. You morons want to remain king of the jungle so that you can use this city to sell cigarettes or coca-cola or whatever it is you jockey shorts molesting corporations do! These corporations even molest people to the point where they dress them up in cybernetic lingerie and call them leader of two buffoons who actually need a leader to begin with! I don‘t know if you‘re aware of this or not, but you‘re wearing a one piece with pantyhose on the job! Sure, it makes you look hot, but it proves my point that corporate scum like you are getting it up the ass everyday and you don‘t give a rat‘s hairy, dirty…”
“Just shut up and we’ll make this as painless as possible! Your mouth is getting you in enough trouble as it is! ‘Cybernetic Lingerie‘. Where do you come up with this crap?!”
Garrison had nothing else to say to these siv-headed people. He instead let out groans of frustration only to have announced to him that it sounded like he was being raped by a tiger. This didn’t sit too well with the enraged kid and he continued to flip out and argue until there was a sudden dead silence that fell over everyone in the car. It was a rare, quiet moment if you will. But soon, the car would turn back into a makeshift WWE ring once Garrison put the race card on the table.
“Hey! Hey! Do you guys know what we would be called if we had our own TV show?”
“I’m not interested,” said Kusanagi in a snooty and unappealing manner.
“Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex?” Bateau mockingly guessed.
Garrison would give an answer that would keep these guys away from Warner Brothers for a long time. “Gooks of Hazard!” After Togusa was done spitting coffee all over the dashboard, Bateau was finished gasping for oxygen, and Kusanagi was done bringing the car to a screeching halt while skidding sidewards on the empty road, all attention was focused on the now sadistic giggling Garrison, who went from the immature rebel to once again the act of the night. Kusanagi didn’t take too kindly to Garrison’s sophisticated brand of humor and pointed her handgun at him, ready to fire at a moment’s notice. As shocked as he was to hear that international incident starting epithet, Togusa actually tried to calm the volcanic Kusanagi down. It took god knows how many attempts and pleas, but eventually, the hardened lady put the gun down and started the car again without incident. It came around to another rare quiet moment in the car when suddenly, Garrison provided the reason why they’re rare moments.
“Hey! Hey! Do you know what we’d be called if we had our own band?”
Togusa wasn’t going to settle for another fiery cataclysm, which is better referred to as an argument, so he tried to suppress Garrison’s unyielding will with disinterest and disgust. “For Christ’s sake! We’re doing our best to keep our cool! Why don’t you try to do your best in SHUTTING THE HELL UP!”
“Well, let me ask you this, Andrew Ridgeley,” retorted Garrison. He then gave another one of his show stopping musical performances in the style of “Everything She Wants” by Wham!, hence the name calling of Andrew Ridgeley. “If my best isn’t good enough, then how can it be good enough for two?”
Togusa reacted with a combination of expectancy and disbelief as he slapped his own forehead and closed his eyes tightly.
Garrison asked Togusa, “You do know who Andrew Ridgeley is, right?”
“Yes, I know who he is!”
Garrison’s silly tactics were giving everybody in the car a headache. Pretty much everybody was ready at this point to put a cap in Garrison’s skull for his rudeness and his distastefulness. But at the same time, Bateau couldn’t help but be at least on the edge of curiosity and asked what this band name would be. Kusanagi and Togusa advised heavily against Bateau’s blatant curiosity, but it just couldn’t be helped. But by the end of Garrison’s reign of blatancy, he might be the only one who needs helping. The name of this makeshift musical group is…“Cunts & Roses”!
“Oh, that’s cute.”
“Hey, Major! Are you going to do something about this kid?” asked Bateau, who was getting sicker and sicker of Garrison’s loudmouthed antics every time he makes a crude joke.
“Don’t worry, Bateau. If he keeps up his act, I’m going to bind and gag him with duct tape and then stuff him in the trunk.”
This would upset and keep a normal guy in line if these were equally normal circumstances. But guess what: they’re not! Garrison’s bondage fetish was far from normal circumstances. He didn’t actually come out and say he had a bondage fetish, he was slightly subtle in his reaction to the threat that was no threat.
“Say that again.”
“I’m going to stuff you in the trunk.”
“No no, before that.”
“If you keep up your act.”
“No no, after that, but before the trunk part.”
“I’m going to bind and gag you with duct tape.”
“Well well well! We’re riding with a fucking dominatrix here. Are you going to give me stock tips as well? I‘m thinking about investing in G-Corp.”
“That’s it!”
Kusanagi finally was broken to her limit and decided to draw the line here. She stopped the car in pretty much the same way as when Garrison said “Gooks of Hazard”. She got out to approach Garrison’s door and jerked him by the arm out of the car. She carried him like a baby over to the trunk. How an appropriate carrying position seeing as how Garrison was kicking and screaming all the way over. However, his kicking and screaming was finally laid to rest as Garrison was popped into the trunk and Kusanagi did as she said she was going to do and bound and gagged him in duct tape. The trunk was closed and so was the case. Kusanagi got back into the car with an aura of long awaited tranquility about her. Togusa and Bateau pretty much felt the same way and had their wills to ride along in the car again renewed. It’s a good thing they’re not annoyed anymore, because the car ride continues.
The car ride was nothing short of peace and quiet ever since Garrison was tossed into the trunk. But you know when a situation pops up where it gets too quiet? After a good forty-five minutes in the car, that situation was starting to arise. They surprisingly haven’t heard a noise from Garrison and they wouldn’t have even if he wasn’t bondaged by Kusanagi. The only thing scarier than the dead silence was why there was dead silence. Kusanagi, Togusa, and Bateau decided that a surrendering Garrison was good, but too good to be true. The car came to a stop and the threesome went around back to open the trunk. No shit they were hearing nothing. He wasn’t there! But that doesn’t mean he lacks the manners to say goodbye, for there was an unfurled note where Garrison once was. Kusanagi picked it up and started reading it aloud to her two tag team partners.
“To the one called ‘Major’: I cannot begin to thank you enough for the wonderful bondage session you put me through. I’ll remember to repay you someday except I’m going to do it with a ballgag, a foot feather, handcuffs, and a diaper.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“What’s the matter, dawg? Does this freak you out? Well guess what! You deserve to be freaked out after all that you’ve put me through tonight. You’ve captured me without taking my case seriously, you yelled at me for things that you deserved anyways, don’t expect me to turn my ass over to you so easily. I hope this message finds its way to you and I hope you at least took that seriously. Goodbye forever and thank you for the wonderful bondage treatment. Love, Garrison. P.S. I left a little snack for you in the back of the trunk. It’s my own secret recipe of tapioca pudding. A sweetheart like you deserves a little reward for your efforts. Bon Appetite!”
They looked in the back of the trunk as instructed and sure enough, there IS a mess and it’s not tapioca pearls, but it is pearly. That’s right, ladies and gentlemen. Garrison was pulling his hot man chicken while he was in the trunk. The sight of his tapioca surprise sickened the militant trinity to no end. They knew Garrison was raunchy and disgusting, but this sinks to a low that lies right under that level. Leaving a semen sample in the back of the trunk, we know it’s not for analysis. What they need to analyze right now is what they’re going to say to their boss, Daisuke, and how they’re going to explain this mess to them…not that mess, you sick fool!

Chapter 3: mOBSCENE

If this wasn’t an empty highway, Garrison could be seen stumbling down the road in the pouring wet rain. He had nowhere to go and had nowhere to hide. These guys were military, they’re going to look for him everywhere he goes. He can run if he wants to, but he can’t hide. This dubious law didn’t say anything about him taking a rest somewhere and that somewhere happens to be underground freak bar, the Foot Bar. It has nothing to do with feet, it’s just that if you say it really fast, it sounds like you’re saying FUBAR, which stands for “Fucked Up Beyond All Repair”. Garrison happened to be accepting of people’s lifestyles no matter what they might be and he needed a place to stop and rest, so this was perfect. Garrison walks into the Foot Bar and takes a seat by himself. As he looks around, he sees all sorts of people from pretty much every walk of life under the sun. Drag queens, guys in white makeup and top hats, gay guys, lesbians, guys in Boy Scout master uniforms and leather masks with zippers on the mouths, Nathan Bedford Forrest would refer to this place as a circus simply because of the coming attractions. Unlike our friend, Mr. Forrest, Garrison has no problem being around these people as opposed to getting around them. He gladly takes a seat in this fine establishment and lets somebody take his order. While Garrison was being served his fried egg and bacon sandwich, the homosexual bartender started making conversation with the weary punk kid.
“Hey! I saw you sing at Drick Dark’s! I have a secondary job there. You have a really beautiful voice. If I didn’t already have a boyfriend, I would have fallen for you at the start!”
“Thank you.”
“It wasn’t right that those Section 9 guys were making faces at you though. They’ve never been in a solid mood.”
“Yeah! Tell me about it! They actually want to arrest me because I bought the Berserk…cough, cough, cough.”
“Oh, it’s alright, sweetie. We don’t care that you have the Berserker’s Intent. You have a great soul and I know you can put it to good use.”
“Thank you. So now, I’ve gotta run from these Section 9 assholes and get the hell out of this country if need be. I can’t wage war with them…”
“Why not? You’ve got the Berserker’s Intent. You could kick their skinny asses in no time at all.”
Suddenly, a chilling voice entered the conversation and said, “No! He can’t do that! They’ll kick his ass for sure! What he needs is a little help along the way.” This creepy voice belonged to none other than Unreal Championship competitor, Mr. Crow. For those of you who need Laymen’s terms, Mr. Crow is one of those guys I mentioned earlier who has white makeup and a top hat. He’s also got useful advice for the young upstart known as Garrison. “Before you go into the battlefield, you have to take them off their game first. This is done through psychological warfare.”
“And how exactly do I get inside their heads?”
“Well, you know the pretty one with purple hair? She’s obviously a woman, so getting inside her head doesn’t take a whole lot of imagination. To get inside her head, you’ve got to realize that she’s nothing short of a pretty pistol with fragile feelings!”
“Are you kidding me? Her milkshake brings all the boys to the refund counter.”
Everyone in the freak bar overheard Garrison’s usual jests and laughed their asses off. It was raunchy, it was despicable, but it was very, very true and everybody knew that. This is their official entry into the conversation.
Mr. Crow continued his lecture on psych warfare with a detour at first. “Hehehehe!! That’s a good one, Mr….”
“Haines-Temons. Garrison Haines-Temons.”
“Mr. Crow. Nice to meet you. Now, about that psych warfare: this girl leader isn’t hard to like as far as attraction goes. Doesn’t that black bikini bottom turn you on?”
“Well, yeah. Who doesn’t it turn on? But she’s Frosty the Snowman!”
“True. But that still doesn’t exclude her from the psychological torture. In fact, it makes it all the more better! What I’m proposing is that you try to get inside her head with…how shall I put this…a gift!”
“A gift? What are you saying?…Do you want me to…you know…w…woo her?”
Garrison’s guess at what Mr. Crow means was right on the money and he knew it was right on the money when Mr. Crow shook his head “yes”. But just because Garrison knows the plan, doesn’t mean he approves of it.
“Did you not hear me say she’s Frosty the Snowman? She’ll fucking hate me for it…ah-ha! I see now! I could do it just to spite her and make her angry! It’s total genius! Thank you, Mr. Crow!…But what do I get her?”
“A teddy bear!”
“Flowers!”
“Chocolates!”
Garrison finally hears something he likes. “Chocolates! That’s a good one. But how in the hell do I deliver the fucking things? She’s a corp zombie, which means lots and lots of security.”
Mr. Crow had this one in the palm of his hands. “I know of an underground passage that leads straight to Section 9’s base of operations. I know it because I dug it myself! You see, Kusanagi (the pretty pistol) shot my friend, Harlequin, in the eye one time and his wound hasn’t healed ever since. I’ve been waiting for a perfect opportunity to get revenge on her and then you come along. It’s wonderful!”
The consensus among the group was pretty much unanimous and the psychological hammer would be dropped immediately. After getting these evil purposed candies, Mr. Crow and Booster, a pumpkin headed guy who sounds like Starscream from “The Transformers”, lead Garrison into the meat locker, where there was a meat hook that once pulled would open a secret compartment into the floor that leads to the underworld obviously. The underworld was a sewer passageway with mice, rats, and some stray cats infesting the floors and waters by the millions it looked like. But none of these creatures’ unappealing odors would put the screw crew out of their malicious moods. In fact, a good couple of yards of shitty water later, they were underneath the Section 9 headquarters’ bisexual locker room. All they had to do was press up the shower floor above them and wah-lah, they were inside. The room was completely dark and empty of people, little stealth is required. But being as cautious and as smart as they were, they decided to use stealth anyways and sneaked over to Kusanagi’s locker, completely ducking underneath the cameras and keeping their damned feet off the security tiles. Then came the problem of a tight padlock on Kusanagi’s locker. But then again, it was nothing that a little jiggle job couldn’t do. Heh, jiggle job sounds like some kind of sex move you do on somebody. Maybe it’ll play well in these mind games if you know what I mean. But now that the locker’s open, maybe the chocolates will do just fine. Mr. Crow didn’t forget to attach a hidden camera in the locker before they implanted the object of vile intentions in visible view. Everything was set and all that was left was for somebody to become upset.
The next day, the crew at the Foot Bar were watching intently upon the unsuspecting Kusanagi, who was just now opening her locker. The deeper she got in her boiling soup, the wider the smiles of the watchers. These guys loved watching…the TV. It didn’t take long to notice the brown surprises in her locker…no, not those brown surprises, you sick freaks! I’m talking about the chocolates! Yes, she finally found out they were in her locker and looked upon them with suspicious eyes. It was here that the preverts watching this entertaining spectacle had smiles that evolved into a hideous round of laughter. They were feeding off of Kusanagi’s misery when suddenly, it turns out she didn’t have misery. She just shrugged her shoulders and tossed the chocolates to Bateau and Togusa, who dug right into the succulent treats. The laughter suddenly devolved into total shock knowing that their plan to engage in these disgusting mind games was never realized. She wasn’t even fazed by the “innocent” gift, she just shook it off as if she had a spider on her arm. Nobody was more upset about this than Garrison.
“Dammit! How in the hell did she just shake that off? It’s a box of chocolates! A box of chocolates are supposed to be romantic and I’m the last person she wants romance from! Is there any part about that she does not understand?!”
“Don’t worry, Gar. It doesn’t mean we stop the mind games, it just means we need what psychologists call a stronger stimulus. So chocolates won’t even faze her. So think, what could be more romantic than chocolates? I’ll give you a hint: think of chocolates as temporary and think of what I’m thinking of in terms of permanency.”
“…..A wedding ring!”

Chapter 4: To Love and To Hold

That’s right! A wedding ring! Getting one is a piece of cake in this cyberpunk culture and delivering it was just as easy as last time, so no detail is necessary. Where the detail IS necessary is when it was time again to turn on the TV and watch Kusanagi open her next present. They smiled like panting dogs on a hot summer day, having full confidence that this gift would surely set off her fireworks. She opened the locker, giving everyone in the Foot Bar the same kind of excitement as if she was instead opening the envelope announcing who actor of the year was. Just like the Academy Awards, what she would find inside would be a definite shocker. She opened her locker and pulled out the wedding ring. She couldn’t push this aside like she did with the chocolates; this time, it was serious. Her eyes opened wide and her hands were shaking. But it gets better, she takes the wedding ring and the box it came in and crushed them in the palm of her hand like a walnut. This was the exact reaction that Garrison, Mr. Crow, Booster, and everybody perverted enough to get off at this video wanted. They showed their appreciation for this ghastly sight with rolling on the floor laughing. They could have sworn that Limp Bizkit’s “Rollin’” was about them. But by the time the video came to its conclusion, the only thing that would be rolling were heads. For she found the camera. Everyone knew she found the camera because she said, “what is this?” and picked it up. She even said something about tracing the camera to determine where exactly the electrical residue leads, which will in turn give away the position of Garrison, Mr. Crow, and Booster.
“Oh my god. We’ve got to get out of here! Come on guys, they’re gonna find us!”
They didn’t have to be told twice of the dangers that come with staying in the Foot Bar. The threesome ran out of the bar certain that they could evade the fleetfoot militants, but they were dead wrong as they the other threesome were outside waiting for them. This was an even bigger shock than when Kusanagi refused the chocolates. How did this happen? The camera was set by Kusanagi to play the tape at a later time and while that tape was being played, that would give them enough time to come to trace the camera’s electrical residue and boom, here they are. Another thing, Kusanagi took the wedding ring and threw it back at Garrison, saying it belonged to him. Garrison threw it back only to have it thrown back again. This went on into a cycle until Kusanagi nailed Garrison in the forehead with it and made him blaspheme. Knowing this situation was going to turn to shit, Mr. Crow and Booster instructed Garrison to run, which he did. Kusanagi wouldn’t let the slippery human being get away so easily. And she didn’t either. As soon as they got back inside the Foot Bar, Kusanagi had Garrison by the arms like she did when she was going to bind and gag him with duct tape. Garrison struggled in the same way as that particular incident and it proved to be useless until Garrison was able to get one of his arms free and slap Kusanagi across the face.
“Come on! Whatcha got?! Whatcha got?! Whatcha got?!” Garrison hastily said as he was shuffling further into the Foot Bar. Kusanagi watched the raunchy kid prance away from her like a puppy in a poppy field. Kusanagi smiled and giggled for a minute while holding her red face before lowering her eyebrows to signify that Garrison was a dead man. She quick walked her way to what Garrison was leading her to: the stage, where there would be a heated brawl between the two. It may have been heated, but that doesn’t mean it was any contest, Garrison being an average kid and Kusanagi being a cyborg soldier. Garrison started off by throwing a few left and right jabs at her followed by a quick karate front kick. Kusanagi ended his illusion of victory by first dodging his human attacks and firing back by slapping him across the face multiple times. By the time she was done, Garrison’s face was red and he was literally slapped silly. He spoke to the angered lady as if he had one too many martinis.
“You listen to me and you listen to me good, young lady! Because you went on a hunger strike, I’m gonna punish you by sending you to bed with no supper!” His fuel tank was as empty as his threat and he showed it by plumping backwards into what appeared to be unconsciousness. The audience in the Foot Bar booed her off stage, but the only exception was that she actually wanted to get off stage. She had Garrison by the ankles and dragged him all the way to the front entrance to the company of booing, hissing, spitting, shouting, and otherwise unwelcoming expressions. But all the boos in the world would be nothing compared to what Kusanagi would hear next. “Berserk! Activate!” That’s right, Garrison would finally be able to use the weapon he was being investigated for. The sudden burst of energy that went through Garrison’s body boosted Kusanagi backwards into the wall as Garrison let out a beastly yell to signify his animal rage. Garrison got up from the slapping and was ready to have a serious fight, one that would at least last more than 10 seconds. And a fight they shall have. The fight started off as any fight would, a few punches and kicks exchanged, nothing more, nothing less. When it started to get rough was when Garrison head butted Kusanagi repeatedly and spun her around before flinging her into the wall. Kusanagi looked like a battered wife by the time that little attack was over. Garrison expressed his deadly rage by beating his chest like a gorilla and growling like the love child of an ogre and a lion. Everybody in the Foot Bar went crazy with him and cheered him on as he beat the female cyborg. The same battered cyborg was surprisingly able to get up from the attack only to have to hear the crowd doing some sort of cheerleader chant to him.
“Be obscene! Be be obscene! Be obscene! Baby! Not heard! Be obscene! Be be obscene! Be obscene! Baby! Not heard!”
Kusanagi wasn’t enjoying Garrison’s “puppetry” and decided to talk back to this obnoxious crowd. “Yeah, go ahead and cheer all you want. You guys should cheer for the Dallas Cowboys instead. You look cute in skirts!”
“Did you hear that, everyone? She thinks we’re cute!” yelled out one of the freakish audience members. Everyone in the Foot Bar that wasn’t beating the living crap out of anybody was either beating on their chests like gorillas or yelling like the Dallas Cowboys themselves before they play a big game. Anybody who was getting the crap beaten out of them was too busy slapping their own heads in disbelief. With that being established, the fight continued. Not surprisingly, the same thing happened: Garrison would give Kusanagi a devastating beating by throwing her around, smashing her into the ground, head butting her god knows how many times, kicking her in the crotch, this guy makes a wife beater look like Mahatma Gandhi. Needless to say, Kusanagi’s fuel tank was running on a minimum. She gave her best efforts being somewhat of a super soldier herself, but none of them were ever credited enough for it to be considered a victory. It didn’t take long for Kusanagi to fade to black like a movie scene. She was out of her conscious state in no time at all. If this were a movie, we would simply fade out from her point of view and fade into the next scene. Okay, so I plan on using this in a movie someday so why the hell not?

Chapter 5: To Hold and To Hold


“Wake up…Wake up!”
Kusanagi refused to respond to the “wake up” command, so she was squirted down with water so that refusing was no longer an option. She woke up to find herself with a red rubber ballgag in her mouth and strapped down to a chair. The three sickos who put her in this situation were standing right in front of her in the flesh: Garrison, Mr. Crow, and Booster. Knowing that her fate was dire no matter what exactly it was that these guys thought up of, she struggled, squirmed, and grunted in rebellion of her bindings, but none of it worked. She was officially left in the mercy of these three perverts.
Garrison would be the first to introduce Kusanagi to this scary environment with, “Well well well! She’s finally awake! Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you to open those sweet little eyes of yours? You wanna know how long you were out? Three hours. Three…fucking…hours! Do you honestly think I can get a hard-on while my woman doesn’t even react to what I’m going to do to her? I can’t fuck an unconscious woman! But now that you ARE awake. The three of us are going to play a little game with you and it’s called…Pulp Fiction!”
Kusanagi has obviously seen Pulp Fiction before, because she’s reacting properly to the stimulus by widening her eyes and grunting through her gag. The three sickos approached the helpless lady and were ready to give her the treatment. But just when they were getting too close for comfort, Garrison bent Mr. Crow over the table and started spanking him. Mr. Crow screamed as if he were Garrison’s daughter, but that didn’t last long as Garrison announced that he was “done playing Pulp Fiction.” Kusanagi breathed a sigh of relief, but it wasn’t very well deserved, for Garrison decides he wants to play another game. Candyman 3: Day of the Dead!
“We had an epiphany to bring TJ back, to shed insolent blood!”
“Innocent!”
“What?”
“Innocent blood, you fool!”
Kusanagi noticed that Garrison was caught off guard and laughed her ass off at his folly.
“Oh, you think that’s funny? Well, tell me if you think this is funny: this is the part in the movie where we summon CANDYMAN!!”
Once again, she knew better than to take this clown seriously and laughed at his silly antics again. She wasn’t even convinced when Garrison was saying “Candyman” 5 times in the mirror like in the movie, she just continued to bust a gut. Garrison was royally pissed that his “scare” tactics weren’t working. It’s a good thing he had a plan B or else he would have been screwed faster than Kusanagi in his fantasies. His plan B was simple: if he couldn’t summon the Candyman, then he’ll do her one better…the infamous…the ruthless…the vile…LAUGHING MAN!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA!!!! It was here that Kusanagi started to worry for her life in this one. The laughing man was despite his name no laughing matter. In fact, you know he’s for real when he comes in the room chuckling like a squirrel in a gigantic brown trench coat with a black hat darkening his face and holding a meat hook with a fresh liver on it. Slowly, the laughing man advanced toward the frightened hostage with stalking precision. The meat hook was raised along with Kusanagi’s panicked voice and unlike the voice, the hook would actually be brought down again…or at least it seemed that way. When the meat hook was ready to slice Kusanagi’s head off her shoulders, the laughing man fell apart and turned out to be nothing more than a mannequin with a motor behind it. Who’s laughing at the others’ foolishness now? Kusanagi easily knew the answer to this question and fired back with angry yells through her ballgag.
“Okay, okay, fine! If you’re not happy, we don’t have to play Candyman anymore. Let’s find another game to play…I know! Let’s play…CHANDLER AND COMPANY!!”
Mr. Crow and Booster jumped up and clapped like Highschool Cheerleaders at the announcement of this next game. This was beginning to be an evil game of “Whose Line Is It Anyways” where Garrison was Drew Carey, Mr. Crow was Ryan Stiles, and Booster was Colin Mochrie. Whenever you’re ready? Take it away! Take what away? The scene or Kusanagi’s dignity? That question was an easily answered one as the threesome uncovered a table with all sorts of food on it ranging from fried chicken to simple P&J sandwiches. The threesome brought the table over to Kusanagi and removed her ballgag. Kusanagi yelled curses at the trio of tyranny, but was silenced as some of the food was stuffed into her mouth, making her gag and choke with every “delicious bite” of food, while really the only thing looking delicious according to Garrison, Mr. Crow, and Booster is Kusanagi. Kusanagi continues to choke down her food until she is introduced with the grape juice, where she really has a hard time swallowing what is thrown at her. This went on until Kusanagi nearly passes out from the lack of oxygen. It was here that the trio decided that the best way to go isn’t necessarily playing Chandler and Company…it was going to be through playing Abductors!
As soon as the ballgag was put back into her mouth, the fun would continue. Anybody whose seen “The Abductors” before knows how this game is played…and what exactly is played with. Kusanagi’s breasts were released from her top and were repeatedly squeezed by the three perverts running the show. Kusanagi screamed at the top of her lungs as if she herself had the Berserker’s Intent running through her system. She obviously hated having her breasts squeezed, but what she would hate even more was pondering the next phase in the game. I’ll give you a clue, it involved Mr. Crow taking out a cushion pin and squeezing Kusanagi’s nipple to the point where the tip is swollen. Mr. Crow was about to shove the needle through when suddenly, Garrison put a stop to all that.
“Dude! That is not how we play Abductors! Put that thing away before you hurt her! That’s it, we’re done with this game! You just ruined the moment!”
“Lighten up! It’s not like I’m doing anything that hasn’t been done already.”
“And neither will we as we play our final and favorite game of all…JUNGLE GROUND!!”
Not many people have seen Jungle Ground before, so here’s how the game is played. Step one: take a roll of duct tape. Step two, wrap a strip around her head starting with the mouth and ending with the back of the head. Step three…well…step three deserves a little more showing and less telling. Kusanagi’s eyes widened and her voice went to town as she anticipated what was coming to her. And what was coming to her was another strip of duct tape only this time, over her nostrils. Kusanagi was suffocating underneath all of that tape and shook her head around as she struggled for air. Just when she was about to fade to black again, Garrison peeled the tape off her nostrils and let her breath the fresh air she needed. But her enjoyment of this pseudo freedom was short lived just like her life would have been if Garrison didn’t peel the tape off when he put it back on for the second time. This was nothing short of a vicious repetition of teasing for air and making the heart pump faster with every breath needed. Just when Kusanagi was ready to pass out and snuff it for sure, a bullet came through the window and cracked Mr. Crow in the collar bone, changing him from predator to prey the moment the bone shattered. Mr. Crow let his pain be known in the form of an octave shaking scream, but by doing this, they’re letting the guys outside know that they’re winning. If he was truly a super soldier with the Berserker’s Intent, Garrison would take these firefighting lunatics on.
“Berserk: Activate!…I said Berserk: Activate!…What’s the matter, you got shit in your ears?! I said Berserk: Activate!…What the hell’s the matter with this thing?!”
The Berserker’s Intent failed to be there for Garrison, but what is there is a bullet in his stomach, which is leaving him bleeding and on the floor. Booster was literally the last man standing and he was going to be figuratively the last man standing if it meant getting Garrison and Mr. Crow out of here and compromising their ultimate goal of fucking up Kusanagi for good. Booster put the two wounded warriors on his shoulders and started bolting out of the premises. They were able to get out of the sights of the oncoming Bateau and Togusa, who immediately ran in to undo Kusanagi’s bindings and gag. Kusanagi was left panting for breath and holding her aching mouth at the same time. The screw crew wanted to torture her and they did. What they didn’t do was rightfully estimate Kusanagi’s strength. She is a strong woman and it’s going to take more than a few fetish pranks to break a soldier like her.

Chapter 6: Suicidal, Homicidal, Genocidal…Mostly Suicidal

While Kusanagi, Bateau, and Togusa were trying to regroup and get up to a vertical base, the remaining soldiers of Section 9 were scouring the building in search of the three perverts who had molested their Major. They searched damned near everywhere and didn’t blink for a moment. But let’s face it, even hawk eyes experience Ray Charles syndrome every now and then. The three horny bastards were nowhere to be found. Little did the soldiers know that these three guys were actually hiding in a secret room behind the laboratory’s table stack. This would be their secret compartment so that they themselves can regroup too. Booster was in there patching the wounds of Mr. Crow and Garrison. But there’s more to the regrouping process than simply sewing up holes. They knew they couldn’t stay in there forever and that they needed to get out of dodge before they either get spotted or become grease spots. Mr. Crow and Booster are used to a life on the run, but Garrison was not. They needed to get him out of Japan, period. As Winnie the Pooh would say, “Think, think, think.” Well, that’s exactly what the three did, think, think, think. So far, they came up short. They were left with a bigger mess on their hands than Booster had when sewing up the wounds. It was at this moment of opposition that Garrison’s light bulb finally went on in his head.
“I got it! I think I’ve got a plan. What we need to do is get me out of here and leave behind a goodbye card. What we do is I pretend to commit suicide in the streets and they’ll think I’m dead and what I’ll really be doing is getting out of here. What I’m going to do in the streets before I ‘kill myself’ is preaching on how difficult of a time this Section 9 has been giving us over a stupid thing like a bad purchase. It couldn’t be better!”
“But how are we going to stage the death? We don’t have blood bags…wait a minute…yes, we do! Except they’re not ‘blood bags’, they’re bags full of blood!”
Mr. Crow and Booster are the kind of people who would carry such things around. It’s a shocking thing to find on them, but at the same time, it’s not REALLY a shock. But nonetheless, they’ll do. Besides, it’s more convincing if it IS real blood. The plan was in motion as soon as Mr. Crow and Garrison were ready to be in motion and get the hell out of this place through the ventilation cell.
An hour later, the plan was taking shape as Garrison was in the street preaching his case to the people of the streets. He had a gun in his hand and a depressed look on his face to match.
“What are you all looking at? Can’t you just let a guy die in peace like he’s supposed to? Yes, that’s right! I’m about to blow my brains out with a magnum piece. Now unless you want to hear the story of my life here in Japan, which most of you don’t, I suggest you clear the streets right now!…Does that mean everybody wants to hear what’s going on? Fine, I’ll humor you! There’s a military unit out there called Section 9. They are supposed to be the most elite group out there. They have captured me against my will because I have purchased a street surgery called the Berserker’s Intent. It basically turns me into a super soldier every time I say the key words. I had no idea this was supposed to be an illegal procedure and as the phrase goes, ignorance is not an excuse. I’ve been waging a mini-war with these people because of this and now that my Berserker’s Intent doesn’t work, I have to resign to being killed anyways, so what I’m doing is merely a.) choosing my own method of death and b.) hastening the inevitable. All because I bought something I didn’t know was illegal…So this is it, huh? This is the crime of the century, eh? Ladies and gentlemen, in the late 60s, Charles Manson and his ‘family’ murdered famed actress, Sharon Tate, a few of her friends, and Sharon’s unborn baby. When he was a kid, Henry Lee Lucas started his killing career by killing his prostitute mother. In September 11th, 2001, Osama Bin Laden crashed a commercial airplane into the World Trade Center and killed a total of a hell of a lot more people than Henry Lee Lucas and Charles Manson put together. And I’m supposed to be ranking as high as them? I don’t think so! But Section 9 fails to agree. And guess what, unless I kill myself right here and now, I’m going to either live a life on the run, which I don’t do very well, or I’m going to be executed in a brutal manner by the military. I don’t like either of those options, so I’m making my own option.” It was here that Garrison’s drama skills proved to be more than useful. “I’m sorry I have to leave the world like this, but it’s the only way. I have so many people I want to say goodbye to, but I’m not going to get that opportunity. Mom, dad, James, Jack, Robin, Robert, too many people to name. I guess that news travels pretty quickly and that’ll be goodbye enough. As for the rest of you, saying goodbye is all I’ve got. Goodbye. Goodbye and forever!”
Garrison’s words were able to captivate the hearts of those around him. They understood his plight, but also understood that there’s another solution to this than the one Garrison’s choosing. A little boy came up to the dramatic soul and pleaded with him to reconsider his fatal option in the form of a teary “don‘t do it!” and big puppy eyes to match his big heart. The plea was more than moving to Garrison as he showed it with a little tear of his own. It was moving until somebody gave Garrison enough reason to blow the plea out of the water. Behind the crowd trying to get through were Bateau and Togusa armed with their favorite pistols. When asked to step aside, the crowd refused. One of the people took a stand right there.
“I don’t think so! Let this guy die in peace like he’s supposed to! You’ve done enough damage already, so let him do the rest. Beat it, copper!…Or whatever you leash dogs are!”
The crowd actually did a good job of blockading the two soldiers, but like all forms of security, there’s a loophole and this crowd’s loophole was that they were only protecting Garrison’s front. Coming in from the back was Kusanagi with sunglasses, handgun, and all. Kusanagi took off her sunglasses to reveal her serious eyes that penetrate Garrison’s soul with their deadly gaze.
Kusanagi made her introduction with a serious tone to match her serious eyes. “Okay, Garrison. Now you listen to me and listen to me good…”
“Or else what? You’re going to shoot me? In that case, I better cover my ears and yell ‘blah blah blah’!”
“I’m not here to shoot you, Garrison.”
“Then what are you here for? To negotiate with me? Your debating 101 skills are useless compared to the power of this magnum I’ve got!”
Kusanagi‘s voice speed changed from a steady tempo to a slower precision. “I’m not here to negotiate with you either. I’m just here because I’ve got something to tell you. You’re being controlled!”
“You don’t have to talk to me like I’m retarded, I can understand you just fine! And what you just said was a load of bullshit! I mean, you just now figure this out? When did you learn this load of crap?! Besides, I’m always this disgusting and raunchy!”
“I bet you are, but that has nothing to do with it. And we learned it after running a blood sample we got from when you were shot. Does that answer your question? Good, now answer mine: are you sure that Berserker’s Intent has no side effects?”
“Yes! That’s what the guy told me and so far, there are none!”
“Did he also tell you that you’ve got a hand sleeve in your ass specifically designed for puppetry?”
“What do you mean?”
“Garrison? Think about it for a minute! I’m assuming you’re a pretty logical guy, so if you are, then why would you wage war with us instead of trying to clear your name? That makes no sense to me at all.”
“Okay, so I do things a little rash, but that’s my MO, that’s what keeps me going!”
“Obviously.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?!”
“It means that you just proved my point. The guy who’s controlling you is a little rash himself.”
“Dammit! I’m not being controlled! The Berserker’s Intent is working perfectly fine! Now quit being so damn…well…bad!”
“Bad, huh?” Just when the conversation was getting dry, Kusanagi’s sarcasm was even drier. “That’s right. I HAVE been bad. I need a spanking.” It is reminiscent of Stephanie in the movie Sideways. But all kidding aside, that actually had a point to it. “Is this something the real Garrison would do? A writer pushing 20 years old that has it all: a loving family, a steady career, good grades? Is this the Garrison Haines-Temons we all know and love? Sure, there were times that the Berserker‘s Intent didn‘t work properly like the time you sang that beautiful song at Drick Dark‘s. And there was that time that you couldn‘t activate it when you had me tied and gagged in the chemical plant. So what does the puppeteer do? He decides you‘re no good to him anymore and tries to make you kill yourself so that he doesn‘t have to. Sounds like a master plan to me if I ever heard one.”
“If you think a ‘solid argument‘ is going to turn me over to the light side, then you’re dead ass wrong! Face it! There’s nothing you can do to convince me not to go through with this. Maybe it IS the best solution if I’m supposedly being controlled.”
“Hold on a second. I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.” Kusanagi directed her serious aura at the people now that he’s got Garrison’s attention. “You hear that people? This isn’t Garrison’s usual self. Somebody implanted something called the Berserker’s Intent in his system and is now using it to puppet him around. Of course, Garrison, being under that guy’s control, doesn’t realize it just yet. So what I need to do is bring out the guy who did this to him and execute the son of a bitch. He’s not hard to find; he’s perverted, he’s sick, he’s filthy, he’s a degenerate…and part of his disgusting personality is that…he likes to watch! And guess what? He’s watching right now. I don’t see any news cameras around here, so I guess that means that he’s somewhere around here. We’re going to search your little crowd here to see where that guy is and we’re going to take him in. We’re going to search every square inch of the crowd, so if you ARE in there, then you might as well come out and give up, because there’s no chance of escape.”
Actually, the scientist who did this likes to think differently as he tries to sneak out the back door. Little does he realize that in this game, there is no such thing as a back door even if they build one into the building. Togusa and Bateau noticed this guy trying to weasel his way out of the consequences and chased after his boney ass. He’ll have better luck trying to weasel his way out of the line of fire. Actually, he does! As soon as he was trapped in an alleyway, he ejected rockets from his cybernetic torso and started taking off into the air. He waved goodbye to his adversaries as they shot at him and missed every time. A goodbye would have been more appropriate if they had actually got him, but their aims failed to reach their mark…at least it seemed so for a while. Just when the wicked scientist was going to have his victory dance, he was going to have to face the music of his consequences as he faces the ground almost dead. A bullet went up the rocket’s tailpipe and made him spin out of control. It wasn’t long before the poor son of a bitch hit the ground from a good 30 feet in the air. Togusa and Bateau ran over to pick up what was left of the cruel and perverted doctor.
Meanwhile back in the streets, something happened to Garrison that still escapes explanation of any sort even after logical analysis. First, a golden aura surrounded the shaking body of the young poet. He was too confused and too nervous to make sense of what was happening to him and showed it by taking a few paces back. But his nervous reaction was nothing but an omen of what was to come. His arms, legs, and torso muscles started to bulk up ever so slowly. It was here that he was starting to worry that maybe something WAS happening to him. After the next phase of…whatever was happening to him, it was no question that he was transforming into a super freak. Brown metal wings spread from his back, which signified that his transformation was coming to an end, much like Garrison’s sense of security. When the final step of his transformation finally came to fold, Garrison was definitely not going to be himself and he didn’t need Kusanagi to tell him that. A whirlwind of golden energy swirled around him and gave him the angelic appearance that was his transformation. Garrison became the golden angel, a being of peace, a being of holiness, a being of serenity. It is a definite change from being a raunchy smart ass. The golden angel’s duties were to prove that his transformation wasn’t just to look pretty. His demonstration of his holy spirit was first shown as he walked up to Kusanagi, who had suffered great physical and psychological wounds at the hands of the former Garrison. He extended his arm so that his fingertips were barely touching her face. A glow of spiritual energy was emitted from his hands and surged gently through Kusanagi’s body. The spiritual energy had changed her battered body and mind into a brand new machine with no kinks and no sparks. Kusanagi couldn’t believe that this was the same kid who had squeezed her tits, masturbated in the back of her car, gave her a wedding ring, and nearly suffocated her with his duct tape fetish. But then again, she has no reasons to complain now that she was restored to full health. She didn’t complain either when Garrison put his soft hand upon her shoulder and looked into her eyes. It was enough to melt that ice cold personality of hers like a fudge sickle in the middle of Bombay. But Garrison had no time to show what true romance was like, he immediately took off with the flap of his angel wings in search of the doctor who had fell to…probably his death.
Bateau and Togusa were already on the scene with the doctor lying on the ground, obviously injured.
“So, my good doctor. Do you like feet?”
“What?”
“Do you like feet?”
“Are you kidding me? I love feet! I have pictures of feet on my laptop!”
“Good!”
Sometimes, you don’t get what you want in this life. In this case, the doctor does as Togusa and Bateau were stomping the hell out of him like they were shooting an episode of “The Shield.“ But just before they could seriously injure the evil doctor, the paladinly Garrison flew in on the scene to the same evil doctor’s surprise. The guy tried to get up and run and he got pretty far even without interference from Bateau and Togusa. Garrison wouldn’t let the malicious human being (if you can call him that) get away so easily. He let out his hand and the doctor stopped right in his tracks. When he couldn’t resist anymore, the doctor flew right into the powerful hand and landed in a chokehold. Regardless of the doctor’s best efforts, this case was pretty much closed as Garrison took off in flight to bring him to justice. But just when Garrison was going to make that famous wild west exit even with the sun down, suddenly, his transformation was over.
“Oh shit.”
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!”
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!”
As Drowning Pool once said, let the bodies hit the floor!

Chapter 7: Baby, Don’t Hurt Me

There was a few moments of black…and a few moments of black some more. Don’t get me wrong, Garrison is still unconscious, it’s just that he’s in a dark hospital room laying in bed. Since he likes being a warrior of peace so much, he can sleep peacefully for god knows how long. However, just because Kusanagi came inside the room to see him, doesn’t mean that the peace is interrupted. In fact, it’s a continuation of the peace when Kusanagi slowly approaches the fallen warrior and even more slowly reaches out. She was debating with herself whether or not she should do this and the debate turned out to be as easy as when Kerry defeated Bush in the debate. Kusanagi reached out and started petting Garrison’s soft face. She wasn’t used to being this affectionate, so something must have triggered this strange behavior. Maybe she really believed that Garrison truly was an angelic human being instead of a monster being puppeted by a crazed doctor. She had a perfect opportunity to share this belief with him as Garrison woke up after Kusanagi ripped her hand away really quick.
Garrison introduced the conversation with, “Hey.”
“Hey.”
“I’m glad that you came in here to see me. I’ve got something to tell you…I’m sorry about everything that happened. I know I wasn’t myself when I did those things, but I still feel somehow responsible.”
“Hey…as us cyberpunkers say, stuffit. You do know what stuffit means, right?”
“Of course I do, it means to forget about something.”
“Right.”
“I certainly hope the rest of Section 9 is as forgiving as you are.”
“Don’t worry, they are.”
“What about when it comes to Mr. Crow and Booster?”
“Not a fucking chance, Garrison.”
“Ah…Hey, do I still have the Berserker’s Intent in my system?”
“No, I had the scientist remove it in exchange for a lighter sentence. I wouldn‘t say we‘ve gone completely soft on him. He‘s been demoted from a death penalty to 20 years. I‘d say that‘s a pretty fair exchange.”
“That it is!”
“So what are you going to do now?”
“I don’t know. Go back to America and continue my writing career. I’m working on Final Fantasy Hardcore 2, you know. It’s going to be a blockbuster!”
“I hope it will be.”
“Hey, Kus. Can I ask you something?”
“Shoot.”
“Why did I become a god damned angel?”
“Well, you didn’t become it by saying god damned, I’ll tell you that much.”
“Hehehehe. Good one.”
“Thank you. But seriously, you wanna know why you become an angel? Well, the angel form is supposed to be the ultimate form of the Berserker’s Intent. You reach the ultimate form by being the most evil you can be. The Berserker’s Intent amplifies your evil side, which we all have, but that’s why it makes you so easy to control. It’s just like that episode of Dragon Ball Z when Bobbity took over Vegeta’s mind. You’ve seen Dragon Ball Z before, right? Good. But anyways, you couldn’t become the ultimate evil because deep inside, you’re too good for that. So the angel effect backfired on him. And that’s how you became an angel.”
“How in the hell did you find all this out?”
“It’s amazing what a blood sample, Mr. Daisuke (my boss), and some tech know-how can bring.”
“Kus?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t want you to think that I’m a perv in real life as well as in the Berserker’s Intent fantasy and please don’t send your boys in here, but…”
Remember how I said Garrison didn’t have time to show what true romance was? Well now, he’s got nothing but time on his hands. He also happens to have Kusanagi’s hand in his hand, which he brings up to kiss. Surprisingly, Kusanagi didn’t flinch or complain. She was perfectly still and perfectly calm and had no problem telling Garrison that.
“Hey…you’re not a perv. And Togusa and Bateau are just as worried about you as I am.”
With that, Kusanagi returned the favor and kissed Garrison’s hand back. Keep your Polaroid cameras handy, because this is the only time you’re going to see an episode of GITS: SAC where Kusanagi is…well…soft. Soft…like Monster Ballads.
“Speaking of Monster Ballads, don’t you think that Togusa looks like the guy from Warrant?”
“Stop it.”
“Heaven isn’t too far away…”
“Stop it!”
“Closer to it everyday!”
Kusanagi couldn’t stop giggling at Garrison’s sense of humor, for it was although raunchy at times like he was in the Berserker state, it was very warm like a penis in sweatpants, which in and of itself is an interesting thought.
Kusanagi had nothing left to say to the sleepy warrior and closed the conversation with, “Well, I do have to get going. Mr. Daisuke’s going to want a full report on those Mr. Crow and Booster guys as soon as I get back. I won’t be around to see you go back to America, but…”
“Wait a minute, why the hell am I going back to America?! America sucks! Besides, I’ve still got a couple of weeks left in my vacation! This whole scenario was only a few days long! I’m going over to…Norway!”
“Hmhmhmhmhmhm! I see. Well, have fun in Norway and one more thing: if you call me ‘dawg’ one more time, I’m going to piss on your leg and beg for your food.”
“Hahahahaha! Gotcha!”
“But seriously, other than that, I guess this is where we separate.”
“I hope we can see each other again.”
“I hope so too, but it probably won’t happen. Well…goodbye.”
“Goodbye, Kus. Good luck catching those guys.”
“Thank you. Good luck with Final Fantasy Hardcore 2.”
In conclusion, the scene between Kusanagi and Garrison was a cherishable moment indeed that neither will forget, but as soon as it was over, it was right back to real life for the two of them. Sure, it lies in their memories, but ultimately, they think nothing of it. They are still friends, but they are obviously not going to marry. They have their own agendas and neither of them match properly. Knowing this, Garrison continues his vacation in Norway where he comes across the house of a familiar girl whom he sees on the internet all the time, but never meets face to face. He knocks on the door and answers…
“Marianne?”


The End