Celestial Orchestra

“So, how was your first night?”

The guide was already waiting for them as soon as they stepped foot outside the hotel that Wednesday morning. Somehow, neither of the sisters questioned the cyborg’s commitment.

“Great!” Frankie lied. That said, the sleep itself wasn’t bad minus the jet lag.

“Saiko.” Tala nodded, shooting a thumbs up to the girls. They even activated her trickery just to make it an (arguably cooler) cyber thumbs-up. “I got plenty planned for you two today. We’re gonna see everything.”

Katie jumped and nodded like a puppy. Now there was an idea she could get behind. Frankie was just stuck on the silver finger reflecting the sun straight in her eyes.

“Where’d you… get that thing? Nobody else had one like that.” She analyzed how the contraption worked as Tara exercised it. By gritting their teeth, sliding their jaw back and forth, they could easily send the gloves seamlessly hiding underneath their skin or covering everything from the wrist to the fingernails.

“No, you won’t see these for sale here. One-of a-kind universal nullifying tech. Don’t ask me how they work- guessing something with nanobots- but they can stop any wired-up otaku right in his tracks.”

“If you didn’t buy them, where did you get them…?” She thought of all the other trickery she’d seen in her life- custom metal all living inside wealthy bodies. Was Tala like that?

“Got ‘em from the most interesting person I ever met.” They flexed the metal knuckles, again extending them just to admire their craft. “Only catch was, they asked me never to tell anyone who they were.”

“Why’d someone want that? You can’t create an invention like that and be forgotten.” Lightly steamed Katie.

“Some people wanna be forgotten. I think that’s what made him so interesting- sorry, forget I said anything.”

“If you say so…” Frankie could live not knowing this one little thing, and though Katie was annoyed, the park was calling to her. Tala easily detected this hunger.

“I wanna show you something.”

A short walk was all it took to reach the cordoned-off drop tower, a far cry from the parks in the sister’s stretched-out homeland. It shot so high up it surpassed every building in the city, and seeing the top was impossible no matter how hard you tried. Not a single guest was on the ride- they could only take pictures of the defunct attraction.

Frankie found herself staring at the singular cart of the ride… a red rock, inscribed with alien runes.

“Is that… the Termina Comet?”

“But of course. I’m sure even your sister knows what show this ride’s based on.”

“Do I…?” Katie’s interests seldom overlapped with her little sister’s.

Frankie ogled up the machine as it hit her.

“Does it even need an introduction? There’s nothing that hasn’t been said about Celestial Orchestra… even if people like you and me might try, Frankie.”

“Mhm…” she nodded. “I loved this show. Changed my… well, it never changed my life, but it made it make a little more sense.”

It wasn’t even that long ago when she’d first seen Miyano’s opus, but it felt like something that had always been with her. A story of confusion… a story of challenges, and, above all, loss. Hit her in a way she never could’ve imagined before turning it on.

“You like it that much?” Tara nodded. “Not surprised…”

“Usually, I just wish I was the only one in the world who’s ever seen it…”

“Where’s the fun in that? You would’ve never heard of it if it weren’t for idiots complaining about it, how it ended and all.”

“Yeah… but… sucks that they can take part of that impact out of that ending in the first place.”

“How would they do that? I smile every time I see it.”

“You… smile?” Images of the hellishly animated Earth caving in on itself were recalled from Frankie’s mind. “I mean… I love it too, but…”

“Who cares if it’s sad? Better than it going on forever.”

“At least we can agree there…” Frankie conceded. Katie was busy looking at something.

“Frankie! Frankie!” Again she hopped. More like a frog, this time.

“What’s up, Kate?”

“Aren’t those the guys from that show you like?”

She whipped around. Behind them, all three original Die Rangers were approaching.