TLPIOED -Written Form- 3

Tomizawa:

He is.
I swear, you two are always together.

Maki:

You were the one who asked me to stay close to him until he gets used to this place.
[She walked in and stopped beside him.]

Tomizawa:

I said that?
By the way, Maki, I'm going to Tokyo tomorrow on business.

Maki:

That meeting to discuss our research findings, right?

Tomizawa:

That too, but it seems they found the key.

Maki:

The key? You mean the one you told me about before?

Tomizawa:

Yeah.
Things could get busy for you and the rest of the Brain Science team.
[Maki turned her head when she heard footsteps, then her face brightened suddenly.
Takuya appeared through the door leading out from the room below, and stopped halfway.]

Takuya:

Maki-san...
[They headed out into the hallway.
The general and the agent were chatting silently to each other a distance down their left.
Maki and Takuya glanced at them before they started walking down the opposite way.]

Maki:

There've been a lot of military officers here recently, huh?

Takuya:

The one in the suit is probably witht he NSA.

Maki:

NSA?

Takuya:

The National Security Agency.

Maki:

Oh?
Well, there have been a lot of rumors about terrorism lately.
[They stopped in front of the elevator and waited for it to come up.]
Did it go well today?

Takuya:

Still not well enough.
We've just barely managed to replace enough matter to see with the naked eye.
We're a long way from the Union's Tower.

Maki:

Well, that can't be helped.
They had a big head start on us right from basic physics.
I saw that Ezo aerial photo too.
[An image popped into her head of her and the other scientists cramming around one monitor with Tomizawa in the chair.
They were all looking at an overview picture of the Ezo island.
There was a gigantic black crater around a white light that represented the tower.
The elevator beeped, then the doors opened.
The waited inside as the lift headed down.]

Takuya:

What we don't know is why the disparate matter conversion stops at a 2km radius from the Tower.
If the Tower was built to be used as a weapon, it doesn't make sense.

Maki:

Maybe an accident or something knocked it out of commission...
Or maybe it's nothing more than a simple experimental facility.

Takuya:

Either that, or the matter conversion is something the designer didn't even intend.
Professor Tomizawa says there may be some external factor
keeping the Tower from functioning properly.
[Outside, it was raining heavily.
Maki opened up and orange umbrella over them, then they started walking together in the rain.

Maki:

Say, Shirakawa... What are you doing tomorrow?
High school's on break, too, right?

Takuya:

Uh, I kinda need to do some research.

Maki:

At the library?

Takuya:

No. At a factory that someone I know runs...
[Okabe was on the phone inside the factory.
He was holding a cigarette in his other hand so he could speak.
The other mechanics were working busily distance aways behind him.]

Okabe:

Someone wants to see the factory? We don't offer tours, y'know!
Huh? What was that?
[Takuya was in a phone booth as Maki waited patiently outside.]
'A girl? How old is she?'

Takuya:

How should I know?
[He turned his head and looked through the glass at Maki.]
But I'd say she's pretty... probably.
[Okabe smiled excitedly.]

Okabe:

Okay then! I'll be waiting.
[He set the phone down.
And inspector agent in black started to pass by as he did.
Okabe turned and followed after him as the other workers continued working.
Sky above was clear blue and cloudless.
A plane streaked across the skies.
A car stopped in front of the factory, then Takuya and Maki stepped out.
Okabe and Takuya were behind as Maki stepped ahead, looking around excitedly.]

Maki:

Wow...
What amazing antennas!

Okabe:

Hehehe, well some of them are a little illegal,
but they can pick up signals from some pretty interesting places.

Maki:

Wow...
[Takuya looked down in surprise when something brushed up against his leg, then smiled and kneeled down to pet the cat.
Maki gazed at him admiringly.
They sat inside the factory around a white table with one of the workers.
A box of cake desserts were placed on the table, as well as a couple of drink cups with straws.]

Okabe:

So you specialize in brain research, Miss Maki?

Maki:

Yes. Things like memories, sleep and dreams.

Okabe:

But you and Takuya work at the same lab?
I thought you were studying the Tower.

Takuya:

I am...
I do research on the Tower and...
How can I put this?
Both of our research deals with parallel worlds.

Okabe:

Parallel worlds?
[Just as Maki was about to take another bit, Takuya looked at her for support.
She placed her fork back down and smiled enthusiastically.
Okabe and the worker watched attentively as she spoke.]

Maki:

You know how a person will have dreams at night?
Well, the universe has "dreams," too.
Our world hides all these different possibilites, things that could have been, inside dreams.
We call these "parallel worlds" or "branch universes."
My research involves studying the effects that these parallel worlds have on people's brains and dreams.
A popular theory states that the Union Tower is observing these same things.
Technology has allowed us to view the parallel worlds,
but the nervous systems of various life forms may have subconsciously sensed them for millennia.
What we call "precognition" or "premonitions" may actually be a kind of exchange of information
about the branch universes that occurs at the quantum level within the brain.
That's the kind of research I do.

Okabe:

Wow.
[At that moment, Takuya was starting to sip at his cup, and the worker was about to light his cigarette.
Okabe had just taken out his own cigarette.]
The dreams of the universe... Sounds romantic, huh?
[The worker and Takuya suddenly stopped and started at him in disbelief.

Worker 2:

"Romantic?"
[Okabe grabbed the lighter from the worker's hand and smiled dangerously.]

Okabe:

Got a problem with that?
[Takuya and the worker quickly looked away.]

Takuya and Worker 2:

[color=green]Nope...[/color]
[color=blue]No...[/color]
[Okabe lit his cigarette, and placed it to his mouth.
He exhaled the smoke through his nose as he bent forward and spoke.]

Okabe:

I think you're amazing, Maki.
[Maki stopped when about to take a bite of her cake, and blushed.]
Imagine, being a researcher at a facility
that does consultation work for the government at such a young age!

Maki:

Please, it's nothing special.
The Tower fascinates me,
it's fulfilling work.
[Takuya gazed at her in wonderment.]

Okabe:

To tell you the truth, it used to fascinate me, too.
[The worker watched him in embarrassment, then set about concentrating on his cake.]

Maki:

Anyway, the one who's realy amazing here is Shirakawa!
[Okabe and the worker gasped in surprise, Okabe's face a look of horror.
Takuya blushed.]
He's not just the youngest outside researcher we have, he's the most enthusiastic one!
Right from the start, I thought he was really cool!
[The worker smiled teasingly at Okabe's horrified face.]

Takuya:

What? No...
I'm not like that at all.
[The black cat was laying on its back a distance aways near a plate of crums, sleeping contently.
The sky grew orange as the sun reached the edge of the sky.
The box of desserts was empty except for a few crums and crumpled pieces of paper.]


Maki:

I'd better be going now.
Oh, I'm sorry.
It looks like I ate most of them.

Worker 2:

Hehe, don't worry about it.
[Okabe stood up.]

Okabe:

Takuya, you going to the city?

Takuya:

Yes, I'm taking Maki home.

Okabe:

Give me a ride too.
[Maki and the worker looked at him in surprise.]

Maki and Worker 2:

Huh?

Takuya:

Sure.
[They turned to Takuya, stunned.]

Maki and Worker 2:

What?!
[The cat turned over and took a big stretch as it yawned.
A car headed down the road.
When they reached Maki's home, they waved her off before heading back into the car.]

Okabe:

Can you drop me off at the station?

Takuya:

Aren't you going home?

Okabe:

No, I'm going to Tokyo tomorrow on business.
[When they were waiting at a red light, Takuya hesitated for a moment, then looked at Okabe.]

Takuya:

Mr. Okabe...

Okabe:

Huh?

Takuya:

Have you thought about that favor I asked?

Okabe:

What was it again?

Takuya:

Uilta.

okabe:

Ah. Persistent, aren't you?
Anyway, it looks like the lab is keep you pretty busy.
And the work is good, right?

Takuya:

That's not really the point.
[Takuya gazed at the Tower in the distance.]
I just want to settle this Tower business... and soon.

----------

[b]September, Tokyo[/b]

----------

[Tomizawa gazed out a hospital window at the Tower.]

Nurse:

What's the matter?
[Tomizawa turned his head, just noticing the nurse had come in.]

Tomizawa:

Well, I didn't think you could see the Tower from Tokyo, too.

Nurse:

Well, there are days like that sometimes.
But the air's quite clear today.
This way, please.
[Tomizawa headed after her.
He stopped at the door, and looked back.
A grown Sayuri was sleeping in the hospital bed at the end of the room.
Tomizawa sighed, then followed after the nurse.]

Tomizawa:

So that's the progression of her condition since she was admitted to this hospital.
[Tomizawa was boredly looking through a stack of papers.
He sat across from the doctor at the other end of the table who was waiting patiently.
Tomizawa read aloud monotonously as he flipped through the stack.]
She began showing symptoms in the summer of her eighth grade.
Cause: unknown.
Her sleep cycles gradually grew longer and in just the first two months
she was only able to stay awake for limited periods of time.
She's been sound asleep for the past three years.
[He looked up at the doctor.]
So she's been having some sort of dream?

Doctor:

That's what the brain waves we've recorded would indicate.

Tomizawa:

Ah. And what about the DNA test?

Doctor:

On page six.
[Tomizawa searched through the papers and stopped when he found the right one.]

Tomizawa:

I see...
Her family's seperated, eh? Fine.
[He tossed a folder onto the table.]
Well! These are the documents requested from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
You'll receive the official documents as soon as the transfer date is decided.
[He noticed an envelope lying near the stack and picked it up.]
What's this letter?

Doctor:

Something the patient was writing at the start of her hospitalization, it seems.

Tomizawa:

Have you read it?

Doctor:

No.
[Tomizawa turned the envelope over and looked at the writing on the back.]

"Mr. Okabe
c/o Emishi Plant
5-32-8 Ookawadai,
Tsugaru County,
Aomari Prefecture"

Tomizawa:

Emishi Manufacturing...
[Okabe sat in a car, staring ahead of him as a man in a military uniform sitting next to him spoke.
The officer handed him an envelope.
Inside was the aerial photo of the Ezo Tower and a picture of a big missile.
Two jets flew overhead.
It sped over a huge building in the distance.
Inside, Tomizawa was making his speech to an audience of scientists from up on the stage, where there was a huge screen display.]
Thus, by analyzing the deviations between the multiple universes,
it becomes possible to render a highly accurate prediction of our own future.
Herein lies the ultimate goal of my own research laboratory.
This is not a conventional theoretical model or probability theory;
this is information based entirely on the results of an actual future.
The influence it could have on decision-making
in the political and military arenas will likely be incalculable.
However, to be perfectly candid,
we must also consider that the Union
has already applied quantum gravity theory to technology far superior to our own.
Construction of the symbolic Ezo Tower is thought to have started in 1974,
immediately after the North-South Seperation.
Its operation started in 1996 or so.
It is ironic to us, in the Alliance,
that Ekusun Tsukinoe, said to have played a central role in its design,
is originally from the mainland.
[He paused when he noticed Okabe in the back of the room, looking down at a newspaper.
He smiled slightly to himself, then continued.]
Mm... Next, I'll explain some of the technological innovations
we've already used to glean information ont he parallel worlds.
[Okabe and Tomizawa started walking together out of the building.]
When I saw you, I thought, "Now there's a guy with a bad attitude."

Okabe:

Hey, I was listening.
Basically, you wanna have a peek at God's dreams and do a little analyzing, right?

Tomizawa:

Well, that's more or less correct.
What's this, Oka-chan? You find this interesting?

Okabe:

I've done my homework.
Anyway, what do you say we do something tonight? It's been a while.
[They sat in front of a restaurant stall, eating their food.
The bustling of people in the big city could be heard all around them.]

Tomizawa:

Shirakawa's excellent. He's definitely got talent.

Okabe:

You're glad you talked to him, right?

Tomizawa:

Yeah. But tell me, Oka-chan,
just when did you start helping students find jobs?

Okabe:

Well, these two are a little special.

Tomizawa:

These two?

Okabe:

Yeah. There's another one who should be in Tokyo by now,
but I can't get ahold of him. I'm a little worried.
Y'know, those two were building their own airplane.

Tomizawa:

Hey, that brings back memories!
Wait. you came to Tokyo for that?
I thought you were here for something completely different.

Okabe:

Like what?

Tomizawa:

Uilta.
[He took a sip of his tea.]

Okabe:

Actually, you're right. That's the main reason.
We're going to get our hands on a PL outer-shell bomb.
Don't ask from where.

Tomizawa:

I don't have to. I already more or less have an idea.
So what are you getting at?
Don't tell me you're asking if it'll work against the Tower?

Okabe:

Bingo.

Tomizawa:

I'm sure it will.
The exterior of the Tower will likely vaporize instantly.
The interior is supposedly made up of huge nanonet ribbons,
but it'll probably go down in flames too.
Yeah... A PL outer-shell bomb may be the best suited for the job.

Okabe:

Ah.
[There was a slight pause as they resumed eating their food.]

Tomizawa:

You know...
You might want to reconsider.
If Uilta does this, it will increase the chances of starting a war.

Okabe:

That's why we're doing it.

Tomizawa:

It's already been decided on?

Okabe:

More or less.
A lot of powerful people are eager for war.
[The old lady who had made the food was nearby with her arms crossed, smiling with her eyes closed as she snoozed.]

Tomizawa:

I thought Uilta's philosophy was reunification witht he North.

Okabe:

Still is.

Tomizawa:

It just feels like destroying the Tower would be such a waste.
From the Alliance standpoint, it's the product of unbelievable technologies.
Besides, it's just standing there. Its impact on us is negligible...

Okabe:

Don't be coy with me.
The Tower appears to currently be out of commission,
but it's possible that it's an extremely powerful weapon...
one that can turn the space around it inside-out.

Tomizawa:

You knew about that?

Okabe:

Yeah.

Tomizawa:

It sure makes for a beautiful view, though...

Okabe:

Every once in a while, there's bound to be a romantic who thinks like you.
[There was a short pause as Okabe blew his cigarette.]

Tomizawa:

Can I ask you a question, Oka-chan?

Okabe:

Hmm?

Tomizawa:

Not too long ago,
they found someone who might be connected to the secrets of the Tower.

Okabe:

Is that so?

Tomizawa:

A girl, still in her teens.

Okabe:

I see. And?

Tomizawa:

...
You know her, don't you?
[Okabe walked into his house as Tomizawa's conversation sounded out in his mind.
It was raining heavily outside.]
'I'm not trying to pester you,
but it'd be better to keep this from Shirakawa until we know more about her,
especially if they were close.'

Okabe:

'He'll find out eventually.'

Tomizawa:

'Even so, we don't have to worry him about it now, right?
and anyway, this has already fallen under the NSA's jurisdiction.
It'd be best if you stayed out of it.'
[Okabe stared out the window at the dark grey clouds up in the sky.]
'What kind of dreams does the universe have?
I'd like to have them, too...'

-------------

Sayuri: [i]A cold, deep wind blew there, a wind that seemed as if it had come from a distant universe.
Even the air had the smell of a different universe.[/i]
[The Tower could be seen in the distance.
The sky was unnaturally dark and colorless.
The sky was filled with several small patches of clouds slowly swirling in a spiralling pattern around the Tower far off.
Sayuri was laying sitting against the back of a roofless carved out, round, crooked structure.
Her arms rested on her knees, and her face was buried in them as her hair flapped in the wind.
She appeared as the young Sayuri from before.
She suddenly made a small gasp and looked up.
She looked over at the Tower and stood up.
The view before her suddenly disappeared, then standing before her was the High school.
The entire city around her looked to be in ruins.
It was dead, and lifeless, and damp.
Even the highschool looked aincent, and some of the windows were broken.
There was a golden light shining out of one of the fourth story windows.
Several glowing white birds flapped around it.
She gazed at it for a moment, then quickly started running towards the school, almost desperately.
She made her way in the front entrance, then looked around for any signs of life.
Seeing none, she continued to run forward.
She made her way up the stairs and down the hall.
She could see the light coming out from the hall window of the classroom she had seen outside.
She stood in front of it, a hand over her heart, praying for a slight moment as she gazed at the door.
She opened the door, and looked inside.
Across the room was a desk sitting away from the other desks against the window, and it had been the source of the light.
It was the desk that once belonged to Hiroki.
The birds turned and started to flap away.
The glow from the desk faded off.
She watched sadly.]
[i]The sky... The clouds...
A city in ruins...
There are no people, no matter how far I walk.[/i]
[She was sitting against the wall near Hiroki's desk, staring up at the window towards the dank clouds outside.]
[i]I'm cold...[/i]
[She turned her head towards the floor, and grasped her arms for warmth.
There she sat alone in the dimly lit darkness.]
[i]What am I doing in a place like this?
Someone...
Hey...
Someone![/i]
[She buried her face in her hands, whispering tearfully.]
[i]Hiroki-kun...[/i]
[She didn't move as the vision of the classroom around her disappeared.
She was once again inside the crooked structure she had been in before.]

Hiroki:

[The Tower could be seen through the classroom window, but the sky wasn't colorless, but was only a little lighter.
Hiroki, three years older, was sitting in a desk, with his arms resting on top of it, and his hands held one over the other.
His head was resting on it until he opened his eyes and looked up slightly.
The room was completely silent except for the far off sounds of a chalk on a chalkboard.
The teacher was writing up on the board.
Hiroki placed his hands down on the desk, his face expressionless.]
[i]That dream again...[/i]
[The door bells rung.
A jet flew overhead.
Hiroki placed his belongings in his bag as a girl skipped over.
Hiroki pulled his pack over his shoudler, then headed after her out of the classroom, waving off one of his friends.]
Though the girl walking beside him was chatting away animately, her words were muffled, and he couldn't hear a word of it.
He kept his eyes fixed forward; his expression hadn't changed.]
[i]We ended up not flying the 'Bella Ciela,' after all.[/i]
[He lowered his head slightly, his eyes going dark.]
[i]It was kind of a shock when Sayuri disappeared without saying anything three years ago.[/i]
[The girl looked at him when he hadn't said a word.
They made their way across a railroad towards where the street continued.
The girl skipped across the tracks to the other side, and turned, laughing as she spoke.]
[i]Because of that, we stopped working ont he plane,
and I think that in turn made us angry at ourselves.[/i]
[Hiroki didn't say a word as he walked across the tracks after her.
Red sunlight pierced the sky.]
[i]After graduating from middle school,
Takuya entered a high school in Aomori Prefecture,
And I entered one here in Tokyo.
From here, I thought, I wouldn't have to look at the Tower anymore.
But I was in for a disappointment.[/i]
[Hiroki was smiling as he was chatting actively back with the girl, but he couldn't hear his own words come out.
He didn't even know what he was saying.
He helped her put on her headphones.
She closed her eyes as she listened to her music.
Hiroki looked sadly into the distance where the Tower rose up into the sky.]
[i]Sometimes, when the weather was nice, I could still see it in the distance...
and I'd be overwhelmed by a depression that would last all day.[/i]
[Hiroki looked down, darkness clouding over his eyes again.
They were suddenly waiting in the street as one tank after another passed by across the crossroad in front of them.]

Girl:

These tanks are going all the way to your hometown, right?

Hiroki:

Yeah, I guess.
[The girl smiled mischievously and looked at him.]

Girl:

Hey, this looks slow enough to jump on, don't you think?
What do you say we hop a ride to Aomori together?
[Hiroki smiled at her, and nodded his head side to side.
The last tank passed by.
Several black birds gracefully landed on a light post nearby.
Hiroki stood alone behind a fence, watching as a small crowd of black birds flew in the sky over the skyscrapers.
He turned his head back towards the ground and walked on.
He opened the door of an apartment, and walked in.
He turned his head when he noticed mail in his box, and took the envelope with him as he continued towards the stairs.]


Hiroki:

[i]Sometimes Mr. Okabe would send me letters, letting me know how things were going.[/i]
[He made his way up the steps.]
[i]I've never once written him back.[/i]
[He opened the door of his apartment and walked in.
He closed the door behind him, then dropped his bag and slumped against the door.]
Every time I get to my room and shut the door,
I feel a stabbing pain in my heart as if all the bones in my body are breaking through my skin.[/i]
[He slowly sank lower and lower against the door, his eyes still covered in darkness.]
[i]And I wonder when it was that I became burdened with something like this.[/i]
[The TV was on.
Several empty trays of food were cluttered all over the ground.
Hiroki had headphones to his head connected to a black electric violin he was playing.
His eyes were closed in concentration as he moved the conductor against the strings.
He was sitting on the ground up against his bed.]

News:

And now the latest news on the highly tense international relations.
At the UN Security Council held on the 19th,
America once again demanded that the Union allow a UN inspection group into its Ezo Tower facility.
In response to this, the Union Government stubbornly maintained their staunch refusal...