*****Megatokyo-10:30PM, December 19, 2034*****
The five Knight Sabers landed on the eastern shore of Japan. The
future suits had been dismantled, their main memory cores crushed, and
most of the futuristic components destroyed. Unfortunatly, there were
some aspects of the suits that even 2034 technology couldn't destroy...
So it was best the components be lost to the waves forever.
As each of the Knight Sabers tossed these "black box" components to
the waves, they all seemed to relax a little.
"Boomer!" Nene suddenly said.
With a thought, the weapons systems to each suit came online.
"Where?" Priss looked around.
"...Nothing. Guess I'm still a little jumpy from the other
universe."
Sylia smiled. "It's alright, Nene. Let's go everyone, there's
nothing more for us to do here."
The Knight Sabers flew away. And in the nearby shadows, the eyes of
a figure flashed red, and he smiled...
*****Megatokyo-11:21AM, December 20, 2034*****
"Computer, personal log of Sylia Stingray. Date: December 20, 2034.
Nene has completely healed from her jump from the limo. The other Knight
Sabers seem to be recovering well from our ordeal, and everything is
slowing turning to what passes for normal around here."
"Hey, Sis! Let's go!" Mackie called from the stairway.
Sylia smiled. "Nene's even taking us on a shopping trip. Computer,
end log and save." She turned toward the door.
*****Megatokyo-12:35PM, December 20, 2034*****
The five Knight Sabers sat around a table in the food court at the
mall. As usual, Priss made fun of Linna, Linna made fun of Nene, and
Sylia sat by quaintly laughing. The only difference was this time Mackie
was here and sticking up for Nene. Today Sylia found herself deeper in
thought than usual, even for her.
"Sis?" Sylia looked up to see everyone looking at her. "You okay?"
Sylia smiled. "Yes."
"What's wrong?" Nene smiled at her from across the table.
"Would you replace me?" Sylia had neither wanted to ask the question
nor know the answer, but she had just blurted it out.
"What?" Linna looked up quizzically from her bananna milkshake.
No point in not following through..."If I died, would you replace
me?"
"Replace you?" Priss smiled. "Her holiness Saint Sylia Stingray?"
The group laughed, except for Sylia.
"Come on, we couldn't replace you, Sis." Mackie slipped his arm
around Nene's shoulder, who didn't brush it off as fast as she usually
did.
"Yeah, Sylia." Priss and Linna were quick to agree with Mackie and
Nene.
"Then what would happen to the Knight Sabers when I'm gone?"
The group looked at each other. A full minute of silence ensued.
"That's one of those no-win questions, right?" Mackie tried to break
the silence, doing a horible job.
"The infamous group, together as usual." Leon and Daley stepped in,
grabbed two chairs from another table, and joined the group.
"Not interrupting anything, are we?" Usually the group was
talkitive, but not today, Daley noticed.
"No, just a thought." Now that Sylia had dismissed the question the
Knight Sabers felt better.
"Good, because there is something I've been meaning to ask you
about..." Leon pulled a sheet of paper from his jacket and gave it to
Nene.
"This file showed up on my computer when I checked it a little over
a week ago. The eleventh, I think..." He handed the paper to Nene.
"Where the hell did-" Nene jumped up and started straight for Leon.
Priss and Linna jumped up, Linna knocking over her drink. They held her
back.
"What's on the paper?" Priss stuggled against Nene. She had never
seen her like this.
"How many other people have you shown this to?!?!"
"Oh, just Daley...And the chief, and..."
Nene knocked Priss and Linna down and charged straight at Leon. She
slipped on Linna's spilt bannana milkshake and landed flat on her back.
Everyone started laughing.
"Here Mackie, I made a copy just for you." Leon smiled as he handed
a sheet to Mackie.
Mackie smiled. "I can see why I married you, Nene..." He flipped the
paper for everyone to see. A picture of Nene in lingerie. On the side was
printed in computer type: A LITTLE GIFT FROM YOUR FRIENDS IN THE FUTURE.
"The other Mackie..." Sylia smiled.
"That also came with this." Leon handed a sheet to Priss. Mackie
scampered over to see if it would be like Nene's picture.
"What is it?" Nene picked herself up off the floor.
"It's a police report. The day you arrested me." She looked at him.
"That's why you hated me so much?" Leon finally put the pieces
together.
Priss sat back down. As long as Leon hadn't known about the arrest,
there had been that sense of mystery in their relationship...That was
gone now...
"Maybe you guys can explain this." Daley leaned back in his chair as
he ordered a beer from the waitress. "This ought to be good."
The group looked at Sylia for permission. True, it was against the
rules, but Leon and Daley knew enough about the Knight Sabers where it
wouldn't matter.
"It's against the rules." Sylia tried to keep a stern face as she
said it.
"Same old Sylia. Time and time again." Nene groaned, along with the
others.
"But sometimes you can bend the rules. After all..." Sylia couldn't
resist the obvious irony.
"...Times change."
Leon and Daley looked on quizzically as the Knight Sabers laughed.
And listened intently as they began to relate the two week-long story
that took place in the span of a few seconds...
Sylia smiled as Mackie started bragging about how *he* had been the
one to go undercover with Genom to make the phaser. As she looked around
the table at everyone smiling and laughing, she knew these were her
Knight Sabers. Reika would never replace her, or any other member of the
team...To do so would be to lose the true purpose of the Knight Sabers.
The Knight Sabers were not a vigilante team. Nor were they a
mercenary unit. The Knight Sabers were not even the hardsuited
individuals that one might see on the eleven o'clock news fighting
boomers. They were close group...a family. And nobody could ever replace
any one of them.
After all, who could replace the Knight Sabers?
*****?????*****
The red eyes shone in the dim light of the closed down laboratory...
"Secondary memory core 73% recoverable." The computer said.
"Recover all available files. Have you finished scanning the other
components?"
"Affirmative. One seems to be a modified and highly-advanced flight
system. The other seems to be some sort of visual and sensor impairment
device."
"Is it possible to create more of them with devices from this time?"
"Affirmative. It is possible to create an older version of these
devices, however, they will not have the effiency of these pieces."
"Understood, begin listing everything it will take to make this
cruder duplicate."
"Listing will take approximatly one hour."
"Excellent." Largo swiveled his chair to face the window.
"Thank you for the gifts, Knight Sabers."
****Megatokyo National Cemetery-7:13PM, December 20, 2034****
Priss' bike slowed near the entrance of the cemetery. She got off
and walked inside.
HERE LIES SYLVIE, BELOVED FRIEND WHO IS PERHAPS MORE HUMAN THAN ALL
OF US. Priss looked at the engraving. She knelt and said a small prayer
nearby.
"One day, Sylvie, I'll find a way to bring you back to us."
*****Megatokyo-1:27PM, December 21, 2034*****
The redhaired woman walked into the room, hit the button for the
answering machine, and set her groceries down.
"Hi, mom? It's Nene."
"Nene??" Her mother nearly froze in surprise.
"Mom, I just called to say that I'm alright...and, I'm going to come
and see you this New Year if you like. I'm so sorry I haven't said
anything, I just...I really don't have an excuse. See you this New
Year...and Mom...I love you."
*****Megatokyo-5:52PM, December 21, 2034*****
"Hey, thanks for the ride home, Priss." Nene smiled. A rare instance
where Priss wasn't making fun of her. Nene couldn't help but think how
much Priss was unlike her namesake.
"Hey, wait." Priss stuck her foot out to stop the door from closing.
"I heard you're going back home."
Nene opened the door again. She was staring at the floor.
"No, I'm just going to tell my mother I'm okay."
"What did Sylia say?"
"She said that if I trust them then I have permission to tell them
about the Knight Sabers."
Priss smiled. "Must be nice to have someone to go home to on New
Years."
"Yeah." Nene whispered. Priss turned to leave.
"Hey Priss." Nene called.
"Yeah?"
"My parents love company, maybe you'd like to come along?"
"Thanks, but I don't want to get in the way of a family reunion..."
Priss called back from the stairs.
Nene nodded. "Always Sylia's, right?" She called as she closed the
door.
"Yeah, always Sylia's..." Priss whispered over her shoulder.
*****Megatokyo-10:00PM, December 21, 2034*****
"You Priss Asagiri?" the man on the other side of Priss' door said.
"Depends on who wants to know."
"Postal Service. We got a letter for you."
Priss opened the door expecting a surprise. Why would someone need
to send her a letter?
Her surprise was that he was exactly who he said he was.
"Sign here."
"Don't you just drop these in mailboxes?" Priss looked at the normal
sized envelope. Nothing special.
"Normally. But this one has been in our possesion for more than a
year. Told us to deviler it to this place, today, at ten."
"Who?"
"I'm supposed to know?" The man drove off.
Priss walked back inside and tore open the letter:
Dear Priss,
If both of us are right with our timing you should recieve this
letter approximately ten days after you return to your normal time. Since
I am not sure I will ever return to my correct place in space/time or see
you again, this was the only way I am sure you will be able to hear what
I want to say.
A few days ago, I saw you bury me, or at least, the other me. I
never knew I could find such a friend. I almost caused your death, and
yet, you cried for me as you might your own sister. I must say that I
couldn't have wanted anything else written on my tombstone.
We didn't have much time to be friends, but you and the Knight
Sabers are the closest thing I have to a family. Does it hurt you that
I'm not there? The day will come when the Sylvie you know, from your
world, will live again. It's all a matter of time.
I sat down with the intention of writing you a long letter telling
you how I feel. Now I can find nothing more to say. Perhaps I won't need
to say anything else. Do you understand what I have been trying to tell
you?
You are a strong woman, and you can take care of yourself, but both
you and I know that it is impossible to go through life alone, without
your freedom to be with your friends. That is what I died for, and that
is what Anri died for. The Knight Sabers will take care of you until I
return, for they are your true friends. Stay safe, for both of our sakes.
Your Dearest Friend,
Sylvie
Sylvie's letter seemed to only make Priss more confused about this
this wreck she had come to accept as her life.
"Sylvie, when you do come back, the Knight Sabers will be waiting
for you. We'll be waiting for you to take you place with us."
Priss picked up the phone and hit number four on the speed dialer.
"Nene?"
Nene appeared, she was sitting on her bed, doing her nails. She
stopped when she saw Priss.
"Priss. Are you okay?"
"Just fine." She wiped away a small tear that was beginning to form
in her eye. "Does that offer to introduce me to your family still stand?"
Nene smiled.
"Yes, it does."