ULTRASEVEN X REIMAGINED

                       EPISODE 6 part 1

                      TRAVELERS

We open on a fight. Jin and Co. Are being pursued by the unknown soldiers. Elea shoots at some, while K and S beat the crap out of a couple. The bulk of them, however, are dealing with Jin as Ultraseven. They are firing their weapons at him, and he uses his shields to deflect their bullets. One tries to taser him, but it bounces off his body. He glances at the soldier, who bolts. Another, a big muscleman, charges him and they briefly trade blows till Seven knocks him into a wall. The man cracks his head against it and falls. The remaining soldiers bolt. Seven walks around and is scanning the soldiers. K asks if any are dead. Seven says no. Some will be laid up for some time but no casualties. S is glad. K expresses surprise, saying that these guys would not hesitate to kill them. Seven says that she shouldn't sink to their level. Elea says that these men are simply following orders. They are being lied to and manipulated. S looks at her, and replies that she seems very certain about that. Elea looks from her to Seven, and says she is certain that the world is being lied to. She says they need to go. Seven changes back to Jin, and S quietly tells him that she is getting more and more curious about what Elea knows. Jin says nobody is more curious than he is, as she holds the key to everything for him.

A man is working in a futuristic office. It appears to be some kind of game development company. There are fifty other workers in the office. The sounds of near constant typing is almost the only sound. The man is clearly bored. He stretches, leaning back into his chair against the desk behind him. The woman behind him tells him to sit up, and shoves him forward. He apologizes. He types and looks at the clock.

The clock strikes five and a buzzer goes off. As one, the office workers get up and start preparing their desks to end the work day. The man is still sitting. A video phone next to his computer goes off, and a computerized female voice says, "Takao, your efficiency is down 5.4%. Your pay is cut for 3 weeks by 150 yen. You must work hard to regain your pay. Avoid typos and try to get to level B." He groans.

Takao is at a small bar not far from his job. There are only a few people in the bar as its still daytime. An attractive bartender is mixing Takao a drink as they watch a wall monitor showing a news program discussing what Ultraseven is. Theories are given ranging from robot, alien, or even an angel or demon. Takao looks at the bartender, whose name is Alisha, and asks her what she thinks the Red Giant is.

She look up, thinking. She says the most logical idea to her is some kind of giant alien cyborg. Takao grins, and says he thinks he's an alien too. He sighs and watches her finish making his drink. He says that he wishes just once he could see space, to BE in space. Alisha smiles and says he has always had that dream.

He smiles and says ever since he was a child. She responds that while interesting to her, being on Earth and having strong relationships with people is more important. She says that they have a strong relationship, having known each other now for three years, since he burst in one evening talking to anyone who would listen to him about having seen a comet. She says that ever since, he not only has been a reliable customer but a friend.

He scoffs and says that men have bigger dreams than simple friendship, and takes a swig. She smiles, but she is clearly hurt. She moves down the bar to attend another customer. He pays no attention.

Takao sit on the living room floor of his tiny apartment. All around are models of spacecraft old and new, replica moonrocks, and the tiny patio attached to the living room has a telescope set up on it. He sits there, loking at the sky, a look of utter depression on his face. He thinks about how tiny he is compared to the vastness of the universe, comparing his importance to the brightness of a star's light that is on the other side of the galaxy, whose light is barely visible as it reaches his eyes after possibly a million years of travel.

The gang have checked into a motel.  K has gone to bed, exhausted. Elea is taking a shower, after S did likewise. Jin is standing at a railing at a viewpoint near the hotel, looking at the stars. He is thinking almost exactly the same thing about himself that Takao was.

Suddenly someone brushes next to him. He turns to see S, dressed quite differently than usual. She has traded in her leather, miniskirt, knee high biker boot, leather duster, white tanktop and her animeish hairstyle for a tshirt, jeans and sneakers. And her hair is loose about her. She looks stunning, and smirks slightly as Jin takes notice. In response to his unasked question she says that this is the true dresstyle of hers. The other is her "business look". She feels comfortable enough around them to let a bit of her real personality show.

He nods, and says its nice to finally meet her. She grins. He looks back up at the stars. She asks him why he is so morose. He says he is frustrated. She says it is his amnesia, to which he nods. She asks if he recalls anything, and he replies. "It's flashes. Nothing I can get a firm grasp of, and just bits and pieces. What is weird is that I keep seeing my other form. Fighting enemies, saving people... And I keep seeing some woman. Anne. And what is really strange... Is I know I know her, yet also I know beyond all doubt I don't know her. And Elea, as always, won't give me more than the most surface level scraps of information."

S looks at the stars, pondering this. She pops a chocolate into her mouth. Suddenly she says, "Honestly, I think you are an alien. You somehow have wounf up on Earth, and have lost your memories. Maybe some of these flashes you're getting were planted." Jin replies that he suspects something not unlike that himself. And he suspects Elea had something to do with it. S shakes her head, and says she was trained to read people. Elea, depsite her mysteriousness has his best interest at heart. Jin says he's still not entirely sure he can trust her, even though he keeps instinctively doing so.

S says she can tell Elea cares alot for him. And she believes soon enough he, she and K will get from Elea want she is keeping from them. He says he hopes so. She chuckles and says he is too mopey. She leans against him as they stare at the sky. Neither see Elea walk up towards them, staring, with a mix of sadness, anger and fear. She turns and walks back into the room she and S share and quietly shuts the door.