Story c 2001 by Buggyness Tenchi and co are the property of Pioneer and AIC Comments? Reviews? Buggyness@hotmail.com Chapter 8: Last Rites Tenchi sat in a very cold metal room. He was being attended to by several equally cold men wearing what looked like doctor's coats. They had taken his T- shirt and he sat there, valiantly trying to appear brave when he had no idea what his decision meant. Suddenly, the electronic door swooshed open and his family rushed in, lead by Ayeka. "Lord Tenchi!" She wrapped her arms around him. "Please reconsider, you don't have to do this." "Miss Ayeka, it's the only way to save all those people. I've thought about it a long time. Grandpa and I can fight and fight, but I can't let any of those people die because of me." "Tenchi, you are going to be a hero to the people of Jurai," uttered Kiyone. "Waaaaa!" Mihoshi started crying. "Come on, Mihoshi, quit it!" Kiyone hugged her. "Grandpa if there was any other way." "I know, Tenchi, I know." The old man put his hand on the boy's shoulder for comfort. "Masaki!" General Kenji entered the room. "Follow me." Tenchi got up and followed the General to the next room. The others followed Tenchi. They came upon a huge console with several cavernous holes upon its surface. Directly across from the device was a chair of sorts with all types of electronic contraptions emanating from its surface. "Sit!" Ordered Kenji. Tenchi took a deep breath and bravely sat down on the hard, metal chair. Immediately electricity sparked about him and he could not move. "Tenchi!" yelled Ayeka rushing toward him, she was stopped by two men in white coats. "Ayeka, it's ok, I'm fine!" Tenchi reassured her as the General smirked. Kenji pressed some buttons on the console and up shot a beam of blue light between Tenchi and his family. "What?" Asked Kiyone. "Let us in, please," pleaded Ayeka. "We can not have any further interference. Lord Zephr was nice enough, if not foolish as well, to let you be with this boy now, so quiet down." The General turned to a computer console and typed furiously. Suddenly, several gigantic metal arms, each holding rectangular objects, shot out of the holes on the console. Tenchi stiffened as the arms made their way toward him. The armrests upon which his own arms were restrained extended back, fully to his sides so that his arms were outstretched, almost painfully. He strained, but could not move his head to see what the metal arms were doing or going to do to his own limbs. Slowly, the rests just under his hands started to retract into the chair until they rested just under his elbows, leaving his forearm and hands out in the air. "Gentlemen, phase two!" Ordered Kenji to his assistants in the room. Tenchi then realized that his upper body was reclining, the chair was turning into a table of sorts. He felt the part supporting his legs retract into the chair stopping only at his knees leaving his legs exposed. Two of the white coated men removed his shoes and stepped back quickly. Suddenly, the metal arms carrying the metal boxes descended upon him. One arm to each of his restrained and exposed limbs. Tenchi could make out that the boxes they carried had large holes in each. Mechanics clicked and lights flashed and quickly, the arms slid each box onto Tenchi's arms and feet. He strained his eyes to see what was going on, each of his hands up to his elbow and each of his legs up to his knees were engulfed in cold metal. A bead of sweat trickled down his brow. "Now, Tenchi," whispered Kenji into the boy's ear, "you don't want to move. This will hurt terribly if the machine is out of alignment because you have moved. We don't want you to lose a finger.." Tenchi gulped. The General nodded to his assistants and a terrible thud escaped each of the boxes on Tenchi's limbs. Tenchi had held his breath and squeezed his eyes shut. He could hear the metal arms retracting and he could feel the arm rests and feet rests slide back under his limbs. He slowly opened his eyes afraid he would not see his hands but stumps. He exhaled happily to see that his left arm, at least, was intact. However, surrounding his hand to his elbow was some sort of gleaming metal cast. It surrounded his hand so that only his fingers and thumb were free. There was a huge red diamond-shaped stone on both sides of his wrist. "There, we're almost done." Next, the part of the chair supporting Tenchi's head began to retract, leaving his neck exposed. A similar arm ascended up from the floor and rested below his neck. From the ceiling and in his line of sight came the mate to the other arm. It too, held a form of some sorts that rested around his neck. Thump! He felt cold metal around his neck as the arms had just riveted a cold metal collar with a red stone secured at his throat. "Now, all done. Lord Zephr will be here shortly." With that, the blue beam retraining the others fell to the floor and Tenchi was also freed from his chair to look at the bands upon his hands and feet. The General pressed a few more buttons and the chair Tenchi had been sitting on descended into the floor as did the console across from it. The far wall dematerialized revealing an enormous room. For as far as their eyes could see, there were large, circular, green platforms, in rows and terraced up to the ceiling for hundreds of feet. "Tenchi!" Ayeka ran to the boy. She hugged him and sobbed on his chest. "Ayeka." "What have they put on your hands?" "That enables him to focus the energy to those gems, or specific release points so that he doesn't burn up in the extraction process." Answered Kenji. "Lord Zephr is too humane for his own good." He sneered again as a door to the right opened and Tokimi's warrior entered the room. "Are we ready, General?" "As we will ever be." "Tenchi. Now's the time." Tenchi nodded sadly. He looked to his family. "Grandpa, tell dad I love him." He hugged Yosho and turned to Mihoshi and Kiyone. "Girls." he could not say anything further as the girls engulfed him in tearful sobs. He then turned to Ayeka. "Ayeka, please be brave." He caressed her pale cheek as tears streamed down upon his fingers. "You have a special place in my heart, always, my friend." "Tenchi, I..I.." she could not finish. "Please, Ayeka, give this to Ryoko." He held up a folded piece of paper. "And make sure Washu, Sasami, and Ryo-Ohki know I will miss them too. The princess grasped the paper as she was too sad to speak her mind. "Come with me, Tenchi." Zephr ushered Tenchi to follow him toward a platform. They had to walk a distance to get to it. "You will free the Juraians." Tenchi stated. "Yes, as soon as you are in the extraction process we will transport them all, including your friends back to the planet and we will continue our mission." "What is your mission?" "To follow the will of Tokimi." Zephr whispered. "Tenchi!" Ayeka ran from where Tenchi had left her toward him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed. "I can't let you go! I can't let you do this!" "Ayeka, I have no other choice." Tenchi replied holding the beautiful princess tightly. "You! You can take me instead!" She turned to Zephr. "Princess, you are very brave to offer yourself, but his power surpasses your own greatly. You would not suit our purpose. Tenchi, please." He raised his arm toward the platform, ushering Tenchi to continue his valiant walk. "Grandpa, help Ayeka, please." Yosho came to the distraught Princess' side and steadied her weak body as they both watched Tenchi bravely face his destiny. "She loves you very much." Zephr whispered as they came to the platform. He carried a very sad look upon his face. "I know, and I hate you for what you are doing to her." "Tenchi, just stand in the middle there." Tenchi stood to face his enemy, expecting an evil sneer. Instead, he came face to face with a boy, just like himself, in a horrible situation. "I am truly sorry it had to be this way. Like you, I have billions of lives resting on my shoulders. Please forgive me." Zephr whispered again. "Get on with this." Tenchi snarled. Zephr slowly turned his back to the brave boy and nodded at Kenji. The General's eyes gleamed at his chance. He pulled a lever. Suddenly, a green beam of light illuminated Tenchi and surrounded just the platform and the boy. Zephr held his head down and slowly walked toward the others. He was not brave enough to stay and watch. The brightness of the beam intensified and sparks of energy engulfed the boy. Tenchi began to feel terrible pain, like his bones were being ripped out of his flesh and through his skin. He strained to hold that pain in but failed to restrain his screams. Searing heat soared through his flesh and he fell like a heap to the floor. An invisible force raised him up, by the metal casts on his hands and neck and hung him suspended several feet in the air above the platform. There he hovered, his arms and legs outstretched as if he were crucified on an invisible cross all the while being bathed in that sick green light. His eyes were still open, and he gazed toward his family. The last thing he saw before his slipped away was Ayeka running past Zephr to him.