(Nothing: The absence of objects – animate or otherwise – or people. I.E.: “…We call it white because we need a word, but its true name is nothing.” Quoted from “Duma Key” by Stephen King.

That would be my definition of the word “nothing” if I had a say in what was written in the damned American dictionary. Yes, it would be that simple, that easy to remember. In the dictionaries in Japan, my homeland, words have simple definitions instead of long, drawn out ones that are in the American dictionary. Would it really be so hard to give words simple definitions so that one wouldn’t have to find the definition for words in the definition of the originally looked up word?

Oh, I bet you’re wondering when I’ll stop rambling on and on about dictionaries and actually get to the point. Well, the point is quite simple actually; I’m being hunted. To those who are hunting me, I am nothing – hence why I would change the definition of the word. Though most humans would look at me in disgust or fear, the Emperor of Japan looks at me and my comrades and sees nothing but an infantry of monsters: robotic monsters.

We were created for the current world war – World War Three – so that Japan could become the unquestioned rulers of the world. For the most part, we succeeded at that. The only country left to conquer is the United States of America, and they’re just too damn stubborn to back down like the others did. I’ll be honest, though this war is costing my country so much money, I really did enjoy it while I fought.

Yes, I said did. Some years ago, the infantry I served in broke away from the Japanese before we disbanded to protect ourselves from the Emperor and the new androids he created to destroy us all.

Recently, they discovered my position in Miami, Florida and came to shut me down. So, currently, I’m on the run.

I must stop writing for now so that I can run, for death is eminent if I’m caught.

Sergeant Takeshi Mizuhara
1st Soldier Infantry Division (the Lightening Infantry))

…

“Yes, Colonel…Right away, sir.” A man with short dirty blonde hair and silver eyes so bright they could’ve been made from crystal – which, in fact, they were – leaned back gently against one of the glass walls of the payphone booth. “Believe me, sir, I understand the danger.”

He sighed heavily, his huge shoulders moved up and down with the gesture. “Yes, Colonel, sir, I’ll meet you at the rendezvous point ASAP.” He looked over and smiled at a couple of children who were staring at him like he was Superman, but they ran away once they saw his eyes. He sighed again. “No, sir, I’m not sighing at you.” He held the phone a bit away from his ear as this came from the other end:

“DON’T YOU LIE TO ME! YOU MAY BE AN ANDROID, LIKE ME, SERGEANT MIZUHARA, BUT THAT GIVES YOU NO AUTHORITY TO—“

“Sir, I was sighing at a couple of American children. They seemed fascinated by me, but then reacted as all others do. They ran away, scared.” The Sergeant had cut off his formerly highly respected superior, so had hardly anticipated the conversation to continue civilly. When it did, the two briefed each other on what had happened since they last talked, nearly three years before.

“Yes, sir, that’s what I believe too. It’s just hard to imagine the American’s are beginning to give up their incentive for protecting their freedom to protect those who are free within the country’s borders.” The Sergeant waited a moment before saying, “Alright, sir, I’ll speak with you later then. Sergeant Takeshi Mizuhara, signing out.”

Takeshi hung up the phone and turned to open the door of the payphone booth. As he did, one of the two children from earlier hit him on his shin with a large stick. He hadn’t felt the blow, but had heard a faint (duuum) sound in his ear. He looked down and sighed at the two kids again, both with large sticks in their hands, and pots on their heads like helmets.

“What’d you two want?” Takeshi sighed at the two boys as he crossed his “muscular” arms across his chest plate, covered by a camouflage t-shirt. He spread his legs out shoulder width for a traditional battle stance to try and scare the kids away again, the only thing he succeeded in doing was almost getting his baggy blue jeans pulled down by one of the boys.

He grabbed the one who had tried to de-pant him by the neck of his baggy blue shirt with a picture of some wrestler on it. “Listen, you brat! Get away from me!” He glared down at the other boy with the glossed over silver eyes that had once pierced through even the most hardened human soldier. “That goes for you too!”

Takeshi dropped the boy he had in the air and watched as they scrambled over each other trying to get away. He turned and began to walk towards the bus station a block away. He put on the dark purple sunglasses he used to hide his eyes while traveling as he approached the station. He walked up and bought a ticket to New York City, the rendezvous point his Colonel had set up for the infantry. Considering he was in Louisville, Kentucky, it wouldn’t take too long for him to get there.

Takeshi paid for his ticket and sat down near where the bus would pick him up in an hour time. He leaned back, reclining in the plastic seat. He was staring at the ceiling, not paying attention, not expecting anyone to approach him and say:

“Hey there.” A young woman who looked like she could’ve been Takeshi’s age if he were human sat down next to him. “Where’re you going?”

He glanced over at her, only seeing the same color sunglasses on her face. He deemed her to be human so he replied, “New York City.”

“Oh, the Big Apple! That place is the best in the whole country!” She giggled. “Judging by your accent, I guess you’re not American-born…?”