Saga 1 Episode 43: "One Small Step"

The Microverse

## **Participants**

**Connor RyojiLeon RyojiTetsuo Ryoji**
I

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfia3kquI\_4&list=PLYNBny7IRlVlLDqDkFhRceh8d\_F8\_q7al&index=14 )Saturday evening, in the middle of one of the months of winter. Leon Ryoji sat on a stool with wheels on it. He was sitting at his desk, magnifying goggles on his eyes as he rested his elbows on the table. Wearing a pink dress shirt, with slacks and dress shoes, there was a utility belt at the edge of the table. That had a few gadgets hanging out of it. Some bladed disc, specialized disc, a few attachments, and some pellets. Leon took in a deep breath as he was sitting inf ront of the giant basketball sized cylinder that seemingly had nothing but a glowing blue light in the center of it. Leon had his hands on two handles, that seemed to be controlling three arms on the inside of it.  Leon looking inside, with a very stern look on his face. “This is it…this is what he was trying to steal earlier…let’s see what he had on him…”

::Flashback:: 8 o clock at night in downtown district 2. The KPF were surrounding the Physics Research Center with their guns and rifles all pointed at the building. One of the left over cops would’ve been yelling into the bullhorn. “You! In the building! Come out with your hands up, or we will not hesitate to bust in and swarm you. Is that understood?” The villain inside, a man whose face was wrapped in bandages, and dawning a long drawn out trench coat would’ve protected an image of himself holographic outside of the building so everyone outside could see. He would’ve been standing up menacingly holding a brief case in his hand, and pointing his gun at the head of 3 tied up scientist. “You dingy cops will do no such thing to interfere with my plans. I have almost single handedly cracked one of the greatest discoveries of this century. There is one final step I’ve been stumped on for years…and now I will finish it! I refuse to give up! You set one FOOT through this door and I’ll kill these scientist here as we speak! The hologram disappeared and the one with the megaphone slammed his fist on the roof of the KPF squad car. “Alright here’s the plan…we’re going to send Bravo team through the back and make sure they sneak in without being detected you understand? This is a delicate mission we can’t afford casualties here!” “Uh boss. I think he’s got it” the cop would’ve pointed to none other than Black Dusk, planting himself on the edge of a rooftop, with his cape fluttering lightly in the wind. He nodded to the Kasaihana police department and glided his way down through the alleyway only to land on the ground in a squat. Slipping into the shadows and making his way to the back of the building…

The man whose face was in bandages, made his way over to the cabinets of the lab, and began taking things out of it. Caped chemical containers, and resource materials for his experiments, stuffing them into his bag and into trench coat. “Now, now I’m almost done here. I’m taking this research and I’m high tailing it. The world will know of my brilliance and this god damned city will NOT be the reason I don’t make my mark!” The scientist would’ve looked around in fear trying to search for an easy escape. Something, ANYTHING! The man with bandages on his face would’ve hoisted the bag around his shoulder  and prepared to make his way out. “Well it’s been fun. The police will be here soon. “ he put a gask mask over is face and dropped a canister into the room. “This nerve gas will kill you faster than you can blink. So you can thank me later for harboring your miserable research into this life time!” That’s when the sound of a vent falling down to the floor, clanged and rumbled a few times! He turned his head to look!...but nothing was there.  He with drew his gun and pointed it around the room. “WHO’S THERE!” he continued turning around until the sound of something whizzing through the air caught his eye. A small black disc whizzed through the air and shut the light off the moment it hit. It was now pitch black and the scientist even looked a bit worried themselves. “It’s over Ukrane.” A voice broke the darkness. Ukrane drew his flash light and began pointing it around the room frantically. “Come out! I KNOW YOU’RE ONE OF THOSE CAPE WEARING FREAKS!’ he got frantic kicking over tables and knocking down cabinets shooting into the darkness.

“Are you afraid?”

The voice spoke. “NO! I fear nothing but death! My work is the next step in human mobility! You can’t take this away from me! He put the  gun up and pulled out a grenade! “I’ll blow this place to bits before I let someone take me to jail and take away my work! Now then! WHERE ARE YOU!!” That’s when he felt a hand grab his own. …he’d dropped his flash light and it rolled along the ground slowly until it turned around. All he’d seen on the wall behind him was the shadow of a black figure that leaned into his ear and whispered. “Here.”

The KPF all waiting outside would’ve heard a blood curdling scream! They all got their guns ready to fire, not exactly sure of what was going on here! That’s when a body fell from the window and landed on the ground. The scientist known as Victor Ukrane was laid out on the sidewalk unconscious. The scientist that were being held captive all ran out of the facility and the police swarmed inside to look for any evidence that might have been vital to them. Leon would’ve been standing back at the top of the building he started on nodding to the police before walking off. Taking the documents himself and looking over them. “Victor Ukrane is regarded as one of the best physicist on the planet. He had a wife, two children, and a family fortune most only get every once in a lifetime. What could’ve made him throw all that away…” Leon looked over the notes. “Atoms…molecules….whatever it was he complained not being able to crack it. Let’s see if I can give it a whirl.” Leon didn’t want to tell Ochigi about this. As much as he trusted his grandfather, he trusted himself more than any other human being on the planet. As such he hade his way back to the law firm, gliding abroad to do research for the rest of the night.

::Flashback End.::

II
--

Leon began to move the particle inside as he thought back on that night. “Activate Dusk long.” The voice command activated the dusk log and began recording Leon’s voiceover. “Dusk log 749. I’ve been tinkering with this particle for about 8 hours since 4 a.m yesterday. I’m trying to disciple Ukranes work. See if I can do what he could not. He was on to something important in his physics research. He was very secretive only describing the process as “making America’s problems smaller and it’s capabilities larger.” Leon paused for a moment as he began to see something.  The sample of molecules he’d inserted from what the Doctor himself had acted funny. “A chemical change? Acquired from pushing the molecules together. Still a bluish color. Adding another bond to the process…now.” As Leon did this, suddenly the molecule he’d been picking at… Disappeared . Leon’s brow furrowed. “What is this? It’s gone.” Leon would’ve adjusted the goggles to try and zoom in a little bit more but he wasn’t having any luck with hit. He then took another pair of molecules looking at them and pushing them together as well. But they disapeared to. “Things don’t just…disappear….” Leon took the goggles off and put them down. Looking at the beaker the original liquid was in. “What was Ukrane on to…it was something he couldn’t discover or figure out. This is ridiculous matter can’t be destroyed it can only be changed. For some to leave..” Leon rubbed his temples. “For something to disappear it either gets moved or shir-“ Leon’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding me…” Leon put the goggles back on. “magnify to atomic levels.”

The goggles did just that and Leon saw them! The particles he’d shrunken down earlier were there! “I see…this is why he never made the discovery. He was so focused on what he wasn’t seeing, not what he was seeing. “ Leon stood up, stretching his hands along the table. “This…Particle. When applied to any form of matter, shortens the distance of it’s molecular composistion. Thus shrinking it.” Leon looked at the chemical mixture in the cylinder. “I need to figure out what creates this effect…”  Leon from then on spent hours, running test, formula’s algorithms and theorys to try and crack the code on why this particle was able to shorten the distance between molecules in the first place…and how it came to be. Hours and hours passed until Leon’s son Tetsuo entered the room. “Evening Tetsuo.” “Dad it’s..4 in the morning. You’ve been up for 12 hours.” Leon rubbed is stubble on his chin. “I’m…sorry did the assistant pick you up from school?” Tetsuo noded. “She did. Are you okay? You look more stressed than anything. And poor.” Leon at this point had been wearing a bathrobe with white boxes, a white wife beater and pink bedroom slippers. “Yes son I’m fine…could you put on a cup of coffe for me?” “Yes sir.”

Few minutes Later Leon would’ve been sipping on his cup and Tetsu would’ve been at the work desk reading comic books. “Shouldn’t you be in bed son? You have school tomorrow.” “Tomorrow is…well today is Sunday father.” Leon blinked a few times. “I’ve got to start resting at night.” He rubes his face. “I can’t crack this code. Tetsuo, mind if I bounce some ideas off of you??” “Sure thing dad.”

Leon took the time to discuss how he came about the process of the particles shrinking the atoms space and making something smaller. Tetsuo nodded. “So you’re trying to…figure out why it’s here? And how to mass produce it?” “Essentially yes. I’ve been making some…modifications to my gear. With all that’s going on in the world today, the city especially I won’t always have the luxury of coming back here for there or anywhere for supplies. I need to be prepared at all times. I can double my weapons cache by shrinking and regrowing it. The possibilities are endless…but limited with a cylinder supply. I need to know either how to make them, reproduce the, or at least where they come from…but out of all my knowledge I’m expanding on lose clues I got from an old man’s notes.” Tetsu adjusted his glasses. “Well dad I’m not to big on this  kind of thing um. It’s a particle right?” “Right.” “So…it exist right?” “Yes son it exist. I’ve been able to tamper with it and it effects earthly matter or any matter for that mannor. It shrinks things.” “Well…idk. Little people come from little places like in kids movies. What if the little particles come from a little place?” “Son that’s a kids movie.” Leon….stood there for a moment. “…I’m such an moron!” Leon erased what he’d had on the board, writing an entirely new formula. “You were right! They’re little. When it’s substance, it’s very mass connects with our own larger one, it shrinks it to form it to a size that fits the innital space it’s from! I know what must be done….but I don’t want to put myself in harms way to do it…I need help. A test subject who is used to throwing himself in harms way for the sake of stupidity.”

“You want me to do what?” Connor answered the phone, as he was laying in his bed. His hand above his head and under his pillow as he was resting up from a long hard day. “I need you to come to the lab and try out this experiment I have. Your special adaptation is of the vaccum type, so if I send you to this new realm, the oxygenless air or pressure won’t have any effect on you as  a whole. Please Connor, I need this favor.” Connor scratched his chin. “I dunno man…last time I had 3 eyeballs for a week. Yumi thought it was hot but that’s….that’s fucking creepy man.” “I’ll pay you 10 grand….hello? Connor?” Leon then heard the alarms of his lawfirm buzzing as someone had broken down the door. Rushing over to the computer he’d look on screen to see Connor…in a pair of black boxers with kissy lips on them. “HAHAHAHA!” Tetsuo laughed seeing this and Leon rubbed his temples slowly closing his eyes. “I just…fixed those doors.”

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3FqwLFhs4U&list=PLYNBny7IRlVkGIvnkPjuzjEbsd-FMC8T9&index=7 )Connor strolled into the lab, finding it almost too quickly. “I’m here give me the juice.” Leon sighed. “Repair systems 0539. Please repair door and…hidden entrance pathway please.” The small robots would’ve made their way up the broken in door and with glass sheets in hand and tools on deck they began fixing the doorway. Leon looked at Connor. “Okay. Step over here onto the blanket here.” Connor strolled over still wearing his draws and popping his neck from side to side. “Ngh, I hope you know how to grow me back.” Tetsuo ran up to Connor. “Here uncle Connor. Some sweatpants.” “Thanks kiddo.” Connor put the sweats on standing there shirtless as the mechanical arm began to move it’s self along the grooves of the roof hovering over him. Connor swallowed a lump in his throat. “Ten grand…ten grand…ten grand.” He uttered to himself repeatedly. Leon and Tetsuo stood behind enhanced Plexiglas as Leon operated the controls. “Ready?” “You know I’m starting to reconsi-“ “ZZZZZZZZZZZAP” Suddenly Connor was gone. Just that quick he was gone out of view. “Whoa!” tetsuo spoke. Leon ran from behind the glass, getting on his knees and looking down. He could finally see him using his contact lenses. He’d put a mic by Connor and speak. “Connor can you hear me?” “YES I CAN HEAR YOU AND THIS IS FUCKING REDICULOUS!” Tetsuo squatted down using a magnifying glass. “He’s so…small.” “good god, I’ve discovered the secret to shrinking matter.” Leon nodded in approval. “Yeah yeah look! This works! Now can you grow me back or not?!?” Leon stood up. “Grow you back? No, not yet…I need you to get even smaller.”

“Smaller!?!?! What kind of game you playing here!!!!!” Leon went over to the machine and zapped it again. Connor then….felt funny. Leon looked to Tetsuo. “Let’s get the power microscope. We need to keep track of him.

## III

Connor would’ve been diving downwards…into…something. He didn’t even know what the fuck it was. “This is some trippy shit.”

Connor's descent
He sat in the air inidan style, becoming more or less bored than excited as he finally stopped….somewhere unknown. He sat down there. He could breathe because of his vaccum adaptation. Hell Connor could literally swim around a black hole if he wanted to. Looking left and right all he saw were red golf ball sized particles. “Hmm.” Connor reached out to touch one and it bounced of of his hand. “Leoooooooooooon. LEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON. CAN YOU HEAR ME?!?!” Leon would’ve been magnifying the telescope as much as he could muster in order to try and see Connor…but he couldn’t. he couldn’t magify it any higher than it was. “He’s…gone. Well not gone.” Leon got up. “He must’ve shrunken so small, he’s entered a completely new sub space…some kind of Microverse maybe. I’ll dub it that for now.” Leon got up and began to walk over towards the armory. Tetsuo got up and followed him. “Where are you going dad?” Leon would’ve pulled up a brand new suit, looking at it Tetsuo’s mouth dropped. “Whoooooooooooooooa!” Leon smiled a bit. “Cool huh? This one’s been in the works since my last trip to space with Nathan. The metal is called Onyxlorian. The suit could be depowered and hit atmopsheirc re-entry without so much as a scratch on me. “ Leon would’ve squatted down and began tinkering with the utility belt. “Son get me a Philip head screwdriver, a microchip, and the smallest circuit board I have.” “Ossu!” Tetsuo saluted.

Connor after what he’d thought was a few hours would’ve been sitting there in that same position with his eyes closed. Washi sitting beside him. “Know anything about this place?” “Washi looked around. “This looks like the microverse. This isn’t anything new. This realm of physics has exsisted long since the beginning of a planets formation. The only reason it’s just now advent is because someone was able to manipulate one of these rare particles. A process that eludes me, but with all the tears in reality it’s not hard to imagine these particles slipping out in clusters and mixing in with something on the regular plains.” Connor nodded. “I see. Hm.” Connor narrowed his eyes for a moment thinking he heard something coming his way but he wasn’t sure. That’s when he heard what sound like jet thrusters coming. Lo and behold he turned around to see a black silhouette coming down before it landed in front of him. “Sorry for the wait.” Connor whistled as he stood up. “Daaaaaaaaaaaamn. Bro, that suit is legit!” Leon looked at his palms. “Thanks. Latest invention. Come on.” Leon holds his hand out. “Let’s get you back to normal size.” “Fucking finally. I want that 10 grand cash to.” Connor held his brother’s hand and the two of them returned to normal size. Tetsuo would’ve been asleep with his head down on the desk. Looking at the clock Connor blinked a few times. “It’s 8 a.m. ‘ Stretching his arms out and yawning Connor would’ve smacked his lips a couple of times. “Give me one of those back up cots bro.” Leon snapped his fingers and a third cot popped up and Connor would’ve fallen back on the mattress with his arms above his head. “Mmm.” He began to head back to sleep. Leon walked over to Tetsuo and picked him up, holding his bottom with one arm and securing him with the other. “Let’s get you to bed son. Both of us.” Leon smiled as the cot Connor laid in absorbed all of the “Ryoji” particles that his body had been soaked in from coming back. Looking at the 13 gallon container full of the shrinking liquid Leon nodded. “One small step for man Ryoji.” He walked off with the dusk hut doors shutting behind him. The lights cutting off.

“One small step.” He repeated.