I look at my arm, and into the mirror over the wall. I see not a single scar on my face, less any hints that it was sometime burnt enough to kill me. My arm doesn't even look tanned. In the mirror, the same face I remember looks back at me. I pass my hand through my cheeks, fearing about my neck. Nothing. As soft as I remember it to be. Then, what happened? If I had third degree burns, was in coma for a week... where did all the normal symptoms go? I should feel dizzy, which I'm not. I should be kinda groggy, but I'm perfectly well. I should have a scar of the surgery, which I don't. Even the dumbest doctor in the world wouldn't mistake that kind of symptoms... then what happened? I forget about all these questions when I see what I think caused that horrible pain. As I look at myself on the mirror, I see something on my neck. It's a red spot, no bigger than a yen, but it's there. I move carefully, lifting my hair so I can see better. It's on the middle of the neck. It's as if I had been implanted with something... but there are no strange swelling on any near part.

Only then do I realize that I'm in great danger. Any nurse could come in here and see me, and I don't even wanna think about what would happen. My injures healed by miracle, I being out of coma... questions that even I can't answer. I bet I would be called the Medical Miracle. And publicity is something I don't want now. Oh, God! I hear steps coming. I have nowhere to hide, there's no time... the door opens, and a young nurse enters. She doesn't see me at first. Then, when she looks at the bed and sees it empty, she looks around and her eyes land on me. What a show I must be. Bare-footed, wearing the hospital robe, with my hair uncombed, with no plumbs or bandages, a piece of cloth tied around my arms, as red as a ripped tomato, and most of all, awake. She says nothing, just stares at me with a bewildered look. "How... you're... impossible..." is what she tries to say. My mind works fast trying to find an excuse, when I see the perfect way of escaping unnoticed. I can't just leave wearing this robe. It's greenish color is unmistakable. But, she's about the same size I am... and she's alone... and scared... I grin openly, trying to make her feel better. "Don't worry. It'll be Ok," I say. And then, I jump forward, and before she can react, I hit her. She immediately falls unconscious, and lands heavily on the floor I close the door, and pull her near the bed. I strip her off her clothes, and put them on. They fit me quite well, and the little hat she was wearing serves to hide the mess of my hair.

I wash my face, and breath deeply before I go out the door. No one is on the corridor. I ran quickly to the other side, and I'm abut to reach for the stairs when a female voice reaches my ears: "Haruno-san, where are you going?" I stop, but don't turn around. "You know it isn't lunch time yet, so come on, get back in here." I remain quiet. "Hey girl, are you Ok?" I don't move, thinking of what to do. "Haruno-san, since when did you dye your hair? Haru... you're not Haruno! Security!" Damn. There goes my nice and quiet escapade. I forget all about silence, and ran through the stairs, leaving the building with the police cries behind me. I loose them quickly. Seems I haven't lost all my abilities after all.

I hide behind a corner, smiling at myself. It's very early in the morning, about seven or seven and a half, and not many people are on the streets. That's weird. I wonder what day of the weeks it is. And then, I see a newspaper on the floor. Someone must have dropped it. It's brand new, because it isn't wrinkled or dirty. I pick it up, and the first thing I do is read the date. May, 13, 199X. May 13?? I was in coma more than three weeks! About a month more or less!! Then where was I those two or three days? Everything is so strange... the headlines catch my attention, as I see a familiar picture on it. It's a picture of me! I seem to be fainted, and laying on the floor. "MISTERIOUS GIRL FOUND UNCONCIOUS STILL IN COMA." I start reading, and I gasp as I see that yes, it was what I had feared. They're talking about me. I read carefully, drinking in every detail:

"The mysterious girl that was found in downtown Tokyo is still on the hospital. Doctors say her possibilities of survival are none, because of the injures she received and the deep coma she is in. It seems she could be a witness of the Kimono factory's fire and consequent destruction, which until now, the police is unable explain the origin of. Her injures were the result of her being too close to some type of fire, but the coma that affects her is something that can't be explained. The girl has no identity, known address or relatives. She's a mystery to everyone. Some firemen that arrived at the scene of the destruction of the Kimiko Inc. actory claim to have seen here laying there, but there are no proofs of that. They say an ambulance came and took her away. But, where was she all that time? Please remember that the fire on the Kimiko factory occurred more than three weeks ago, and the girl appeared two days later. Where was she those days? Why didn't she appear earlier? Where did she go? Those are questions we can't answer now, but we will soon discover."

I was so surprised. I had been walking around, with no memory for two days? That didn't seem possible. Someone must have taken me someplace, and then left me so that the police would find me and take me a hospital. That was so bizarre. But not impossible. Yes, it could've happened... . specially if it involves me... the agency... but... I've seen so many strange things done by them, that I grin as I try to imagine what could they have used me for...

Reiko finished talking. Her eyes closed, and she leaned backwards, relaxing on the couch. Hiroshi's arm was over her shoulder, and she cuddled against him like a little girl. He hugged her, trying to make those ugly memories go away. "So, what I had discovered was true," was all he said, breaking the silence that had set on the room. Reiko opened her eyes, and looking up at him, said: "Discovered? what are you talking about?" "Well, you see, since I recovered, I have been looking for you. I searched every hospital, every police office, every place I thought you could be in... but I found nothing. No girl of your age had entered any of those... and now I know why."

Makoto looked at him questioningly. "You know? Then please, tell us what happened, 'cause I don't get anything!" Hiroshi smiled, and answered: "After I healed, I returned to the agency, and managed to enter without anyone noticing me. I went into the secret files, trying to see if they had found out anything about you (and I knew they had. They always knew everything there was to know about everything). While checking through some files, I came into one called. 'Project Reiko'. Unusual name, specially having your name on it, sweetie. So, I took it, and left. I had a feeling that whatever had happened to both of us at the factory wasn't a casualty, that they had planned everything. And it was. It had been a set-up. When I read that file, I knew my feeling was true. So, as soon as I arrived home, I made sure no one had followed me, and opened it. I was so surprised by what I saw that I immediately tried to contact you, Reiko. But I had taught you well, and you had disappeared from sight... even the agency couldn't find you... and that was something no one else had ever done before."

Reiko looked at him. "What did that folder say about me?" Hiroshi sighed, and answered: "It's very painful to remember. What I am about to say will make you see clearly in what we were really working. Project Reiko was a project that the agency had developed to make the perfect warrior. One that would obey orders without thinking; one that had no emotions, one that could be controlled by them like a puppet. One that could stand hellish heat, freezing cold, speeding bullets and physical attacks. But, it also had to have beauty, to charm and enchant the enemies; intelligence so it wouldn't be just another robot, and human reflexes. And why, do you ask, it had your name? Because you were the guinea pig they used. Yes, they were doing an experiment on you, and neither of us realized it. Even since you were brought to that room underground, where we first met; when you accepted entering the agency, when your training started... at that time they had been looking for the perfect subject to try their experiments on. And when you arrived, they saw you were perfect. They started what they called the process of insemination. That means that ever since you started your training, they started introducing small quantities of a new substance in your food. That substance was suppose to put you under their control.

But, it seems you were tougher than they had thought. You never experienced the symptoms, and so they finally decided to do it the hard way. They sent us in that kamikaze mission, on where the spinsters had permission to shoot and kill me, but not to hurt you. If we had both gone into that factory, I would've surely died, and you would've survived. But, we seemed to have altered their plans when I took you down. They managed to get you anyhow, and took you to their lab. The sedative I had given you wasn't strong, but in there they gave you something that took you to the brink of death. You literally were in the doors of the next life.

To perform their experiment, they needed you to be almost dead, so that your inmunological system wouldn't react on what they were going to do. They had constructed the tiniest mind-controller that had ever been built, and they had done so in the shape of a black crystal, no bigger that my little finger. What they did was open your skin, by your neck, and implant you that little thing. It had never been tested, it was the first time it was tried on a human being, but they had great expectations on you. The process lasted a day, but they kept you two more under their scientists observations, so they could see what effects did the controller had on you. When they literally returned you to life, the devise seemed to have caused a complete breakdown, because you never woke up. You had entered a coma, and the scientists couldn't make any tests if you weren't conscious.

They weren't the best doctors, because while implanting you that thing, they made a mistake, and they burnt your head and arm. They decided to leave you like that for two reasons: One, it explained that you had been in some sort of accident. That way, they could return you to society with an easy explanation of where had you been. And two, because if you were as disfigured as you would end, you would be controlled easier. They thought your self esteem will dive down to the floor, and that's the moment on which they would start commanding you. So, they left you on the door of the Tokyo Central hospital, where you were taken to surgery immediately, and the doctors tried their best to save you. But, the burns were too deep, and finally they quitted. They put you in a bed, and left you there, waiting for any relatives of yours to appear, or for you to wake up. But, none of that things happened, and you coma went on and on. Three weeks passed and you continued unconscious. They had decided that if you didn't wake up or some relative showed up by the fourth week they would disconnect you. Luckily for you, you did wake up.

Your injures were healed by your Mercury powers, which were always latent on you, even though you never knew until long after. That was one of the major fails on the agency's plan... not that they could've expected it anyhow. So, that red mark you had on your neck was the scar of the mind controller you had on you, and you never felt it. You escaped the hospital, and the agency lost all track of you. They didn't quit looking for you, they needed you to fulfill their experiment. But you had just vanished from Earth. The last note on the folder said that until you appeared or were found, the project was closed."

Rei had a thoughtful expression, and asked: "So that was what you did at the cliffs. You extracted the devise from her, didn't you?" "Yes. I knew how to do it by reading that file." Mamoru was awed. "You mean they actually controlled her from distance?" Hiroshi smiled, and pride was evident on that grin. "No. They couldn't. They tried several times to make her return to them by controlling her, but it never worked. Why? The only explanation I can think of is that her Mercury form and her great will power were interrupting the signal and somehow cut short the order. So, the device went crazy, and started sending her weird thoughts. It made depression take over her, and that, added to the continuos sadness she felt, made her mind go suicidal. And that was why she decided to kill herself. And why she hurt you so badly and treated you so harshly. She just wasn't being herself."

Reiko spoke for the first time since Hiroshi had told them what had happened. "You mean that I actually had a metal thing inside me, and that was what caused me to try to jump?" "Yep." Reiko slowly caressed her neck, not believing that she had been controlled by a thing... it was out of this world. That spot she had had there had slowly disappeared with time, and the pain only returned once, when she accidentally brushed her shirt collar into it. But, that was soon forgotten too... now that she thought of it, there were sometimes on which she did things she didn't want to, as if something was making her do so... and now she understood why. Everything seemed so clear now... those head aches she sometimes got, that appeared to have no explainable cause... the crick her neck always got when moved it unexpectedly... the blurred vision she got when she turned her neck too much... everything was being explained as she realized her life wouldn't be the same from now on... and not just because she no longer had that mind controller on her, but because of everything that had happened that day.

"Man, this was a day full of surprises," she said, looking around. "Aha," was the general comment. They all fell silent, not quite knowing what to say. Since there was no noise inside the room, they started listening to the outside noises. Some birds were singing, announcing the day's beginning. A low rustle on the entrance's bushes indicated them that a cat was walking nearby. At least, that was what everyone thought, except for Reiko and Hiroshi. Their heads bolted up immediately, a panicked look on their eyes. "It can't be..." was what Hiroshi said, his voice showing (if that was possible), more fear than his eyes. Reiko was squeezing his hand tightly, her body trembling in horror.

"Please... no...." her whisper chilled everyone; they didn't know what was going on, but if both of them really felt the fear they were showing, they were in deep trouble. "What's happening?" asked Rei, looking around to try and identify the cause of the fuss. But, nothing appeared to be wrong; not even the wind was blowing. "They are here..." was the only thing Reiko could say before all hell broke loose.