Knowledge is Power


I could see a crowded street through the thin vertical slab of light at
the end of the cul-de-sac, but at the moment my face was a far more
captivating sight.

Simple, smooth lines, spiky hair, and two huge eyes looked back at me
from the broken mirror on the ground.

I slowly scanned my dark surroundings. Not much to see, a few garbage cans
and a couple of brick walls. They too were different but strangely
familiar at the same time: mostly strong, solid colours brushed upon
rather featureless objects.

A ran towards the mouth of the alley, and was greeted by a blinding sun.
After a few moments my eyes adjusted to the brightness, and my suspicions
were confirmed. Hundreds of people passed by me, every single one just as
colorful and deformed as I. Some men looked like me, while others were
somewhat more realistic (or at least they would have been, in my previous
reality), but the women left no doubt: blue, red, green and purple hair
everywhere, uniform cuteness as far as the eye could see. It was a fact, I
was in an anime world.

The question was, which one?

The answer came almost immediately as I saw the huge, sinister pyramid
looming in the distance.

Bubblegum Crisis.

I stood there for a few minutes, baffled. Suddenly, I looked up across the
street, and I knew what I had to do as I saw destiny unfold before my very
eyes.

I recognized the small redhead immediately. The shop she was entering left
no doubt whatsoever, as the "Silky Doll" sign beckoned me from the
opposite sidewalk.

My plan was simple, but required careful execution. I knew Sylia's first
thought would be to kill me, but I would be prepared. I had seen the OVAs,
written a couple of fanfics, and I knew all the right buttons to
push. Besides, Nene was also there. They wouldn't trust me at first, but
they would have no choice, I'd make sure of that. Knowledge is power, and
I intended to make full use of it. Beautiful Sylia and myself would soon
be designing a new hardsuit for the Saber's newest member or,
more precisely, their newest leader.

I glanced to my left as I began crossing the busy street, heading towards
the lingerie shop.

The bus and my last thought struck me almost at the same time: in Japan, I
suddenly remembered, they drive on the _left_ side of the road....


_________________________________
marco@chinook.physics.utoronto.ca
Gunnm: Broken Angel
http://128.100.80.13/marco/alita.html