Hi again Fanficians!
Here's Part 12 of BG Cross for your enjoyment! C&C is welcome (feel free to
post it to the list!).
Andy Skuse
"BubbleGum Cross"
Volume 1- "Metal Heart"
(c) 1995-6 by Andy Skuse
Email - askuse@execulink.com
Based on characters copyrighted by Youmex, AIC, Artmic
12. Fight or Flight
Mackie sighed and shook his head as he mulled over Nene's hasty
departure. "You could have handled that better Stingray," he said to
himself, tossing the rag in his hand in disgust at the oil-covered face that
stared back at him from the mirror over the sink.
After locking the back door to the garage, the young mechanic looked at
the motorcycle frame that waited patiently to be completed. As much as he
loved working on motorcycles, he didn't feel like working on this one at the
moment. Strangely he didn't feel much like doing anything constructive.
Angry with himself and feeling a little over whelmed by the night's events,
he decided to check on his sister's progress with their "new relative". Who
knows who this guy really was. . .
As sudden, horrible thoughts about the stranger's motives swept through
his head, he descended the stairs to the basement with 3 quick bounds and
landed in front of the thick, steel door that barred the way to the training
facilities. After tapping in the key code, Mackie double-stepped down another
short flight of stairs and landed in front of the databank room. A second
glance at the room's interior stopped him in his tracks. Through the window,
he could see Sylia seated in front of one of the computer terminals with her
back to him. From his viewpoint it appeared that she was holding her head in
her hands, as if she were crying.
"Sis? You alright?"
Sylia turned abruptly to see Mackie standing in the doorway. She paused for
a moment to dab under her eyes with the side of her hand, and then replied,
a hint of surprise in her voice. "I'm fine . . . now. I thought you'd left
already?"
Mackie's expression turned sour. "Yeah, but I kinda lost my ride."
Sylia's own expression turned from one of weariness to mild surprise.
"Oh? Did Nene have somewhere else to go tonight?"
Mackie didn't reply. Instead he gazed at the display on the computer's
monitor screen, and then at the data unit sticking out of the computer's
slot. "Is this... another data unit?" his voice trailed off as he pointed to
the computer. Sylia smiled, and nodded slowly.
Mackie entered the room and shut the door behind him. Stepping closer
to the computer, he continued reading as Sylia looked on. "This is a journal
of some of Dad's research!" he blurted out, his excitement quelled by
Sylia's finger on her lips. Sylia pointed at the bank of security camera
monitors on the wall in front of them. Mackie looked up to see an image of
Blackie in the rest-area lounge, wandering about the room and inspecting the
room's furnishings with an idle interest.
"The data unit- it's his? You mean he's really . . . ?" Mackie stammered.
Sylia's only answer was a silent nod.
Mackie echoed her nod and added an expression of sudden understanding
as he seated himself beside Sylia in the room's only other chair. The two
sat in silence for a moment as Mackie pondered the implications, while Sylia
made some quick decisions on what to tell Mackie about their new relative's
"background".
Rubbing her tired eyes again, Sylia began tentatively. "Mackie- you
remember how father was always working late when we were younger?"
Mackie nodded and narrowed his eyes, already sensing that his sister
was trying to tell him something of a delicate nature. "Yeah. I do."
Sylia smiled sadly at Mackie, and continued. "You might be wondering
then just how Blackie could be our brother if we never knew anything about him."
Mackie sat up straight and looked Sylia straight in the eye. "What are
you getting at Sis? Is he for real or not?"
Sylia nodded yes again, causing Mackie's brief understanding of the
situation to melt away.
Sensing her brother's confusion, Sylia spoke the rest with a firm
voice. "He is our brother, but he's not entirely human. He's a cyborg.
Father created him."
Sylia watched Mackie's face and waited for a shocked response, but his
initial reaction was of fascination.
"Ah. I wondered why he didn't seem so freaked out when he realized he
was still holding onto that finger in the van. That would have creeped me out."
Sylia smiled at Mackie. "Me too. . . But now that you know this you
mustn't let anyone know what he is, especially Priss."
Mackie's eyebrow raised. "Oh geez!! You mean she doesn't know? How
could she not- ?"
"I'm not sure," Sylia replied. "But from what Dr. Raven has told me,
father felt pretty strongly about Blackie being perceived as a normal human
being. I think we should honor his wishes."
The younger Stingray sat nodding in silence, and then looked back at
the computer's display idly. While thoughts of what his sister had just
revealed to him swirled around inside his head, words on the screen in front
of him began to catch his eye. ...consciousness... download...
experimental... research... "Um, Sis? Have you read this whole thing through
yet?"
Sylia turned back to the monitor screen and scanned the journal's text,
suddenly seeing what Mackie had just read. "Hmmm," was all she could reply.
'Hmmm.'
Blackie returned to his seat on the couch and sat down, as random
streams of thoughts entered his restless mind from somewhere outside him.
This time the thoughts were coming from close by. Not like the streams of
thoughts that plagued him at night in his dreams. Thoughts of a shapeless
entity. Void of any emotion except for distorted anger. His normal dreams
would be interrupted abruptly by a strong presence, then the streams of
thoughts would begin, moving in a quick but filterable flow. Images of a
young boy on an operating table in a crimson hued room. And a voice that
repeated two words in an endless loop, "I know... I know... I know... "
Blackie started as the door to the lounge swung open suddenly,
revealing Sylia and the man he had seen driving the van he had arrived in.
"Sorry to keep you waiting Blackie," Sylia said as she and the van
driver sat down across from him. "I'd like to apologize for doubting your
story," she continued. "But you must understand that, after sixteen years,
Mackie and I had little reason to believe that we had any other family
besides ourselves."
Blackie glanced quickly at Mackie, and grinned. "He's your brother too?"
Sylia flushed slightly with embarrassment and smiled. "I'm sorry- you
weren't introduced yet. Yes, this is my younger brother Mackie."
Mackie extended his hand and Blackie took it in his, giving it a firm
shake. "Nice to meet you Blackie," the younger man said, taking note of the
warmth and "human-feel" of the other's hand. Blackie's eyes narrowed
imperceptibly for a fraction of a second at Mackie as they finished shaking
hands.
Sylia interrupted Blackie's sudden wave of suspicion with a strange,
melodious tone to her voice. "I noticed your interest in the test equipment
earlier. Would you like to see how it works?"
Blackie looked from Sylia to Mackie, suddenly feeling as if he were the
target of some kind of experiment. Sylia watched the cyborg's eyes as it
glanced back and forth between her and Mackie. Blanking her mind of any
thought was not as easy as she thought it might be. After skimming through
their father's research journal, it was clear to Mackie and herself that she
had probably been "infected" with the same weak telepathy that her father
had experienced. Somehow, the process of downloading the information on
her data unit using the neural headset had given her the ability to "hear"
the strong thoughts and emotions that others around her created. It was also
prudent to assume that Blackie had this ability as well, and if her father's
own words were correct, he would be much more adept at "sensing" the
thoughts of others than she. Moments ago in the databank room, she had
hastily warned Mackie to keep his thoughts clear while around Blackie to
keep the cyborg from learning about its identity. Straining slightly from
the effort it required, she wondered how Mackie was fairing.
"Really?" Blackie replied. Sylia smiled again and nodded. "What about
your questions? I have a few myself- and it is getting kinda late..."
"The questions can wait until tomorrow," Sylia responded flatly. "Now
that you've found us, we have plenty of time to get acquainted. Maybe I was
wrong. I thought I detected a slight gleam in your eye when you first saw
the test equipment . . ."
Blackie grinned. "Well, yeah, but are you sure? The others looked
pretty tired when they left. You guys must be pretty bushed too."
"You're not bushed yourself?" Mackie queried. Sylia frowned.
"Nah! I'm a bit of a night-owl anyway. You have to be, to play in a
band." Blackie winked at Mackie as the younger Stingray smiled and nodded.
"Okay! Why not?" Blackie enthusiastically ejected as he abruptly jumped to
his feet. "If you guys are game?"
Sylia looked at Blackie with a cold smile. "Then let's begin."
It was well past 3 am when Sylia began typing in the commands to start
the holographic simulator's "dual-opponent" scenario at Level 10. Mackie
continued to watch in amazement as the simulation began, and the
black-haired figure spun, whirled, punched and kicked his way through the
computer-generated onslaught without breaking a serious sweat. Leaning
back in his chair and closing his heavy eyelids for a moment, Mackie began
to drift off into a light sleep when he was awakened by Sylia's hand gently
shaking his shoulder. "Don't fall asleep on me now. We're just getting to
the good part."
Mackie looked over at his sister's face, her eyes open wide despite her
tired appearance. In those eyes he thought he saw a faint trace of
fascination as she stared at the "battle" in front of them.
"Sis?"
Sylia continued staring through the window that looked into the
simulation room. "Yes?" she replied slowly.
"I think I may have screwed things up with Nene tonight."
Sylia turned to look at Mackie with a puzzled look on her face. "What?
How do you mean?"
Mackie looked down at his hands. "She wanted to go out tonight... with
me, and she had this really great outfit on and... I laughed at her."
"Mackie! You didn't!" Sylia exclaimed, as the simulation ended and
Blackie stood waiting in the test room. "Just a moment Blackie. I'm setting
up for the next test!"
Blackie nodded at Sylia through the window, and turned back to face the
center of the room as he waited for his opponents to appear.
Sylia typed in the commands for the Level 10 "triple-opponent" scenario
hurriedly, and then stabbed at the blinking green "START" switch. The test
room was suddenly host to three pink-colored translucent blobs, each bearing
a vague resemblance to a body mass. Blackie immediately lashed out at the
two nearest blobs as their glowing targets appeared, scoring a hit on one
and narrowly missing the other. The third blob moved in to take advantage of
Blackie's movement but was robbed of an offensive strike when Blackie rolled
to the floor and came up behind it.
"Mackie!" Sylia began again as she sat down hard in her chair. "Nene
asked you out and you laughed at her? How could you?"
Mackie looked up from his idle study of his hands to be met by Sylia's
imploring gaze. "It was stupid, I know. I just couldn't stop it in time.
There she was looking so... so... and I laughed at her! I feel like such a
jerk! Before I knew it, she was gone and I was wiping oil out of my mouth."
Sylia's puzzled look evolved into confusion, only to be waved off by
Mackie's hand gesture. "Long story. But I guess I just hadn't ever thought
about Nene like... that. I mean, I've known her for so long she's kinda
become a sister to me, ya know?"
Sylia smiled warmly, and nodded.
"I guess she's not the Nene I grew up with anymore," Mackie stated
soberly, to which Sylia responded with a knowing look.
"You might be able to make it up to her," Sylia offered teasingly, as
she adjusted a control on the simulator's function panel.
"How? Tell me!" Mackie said brightly.
Sylia smiled once more, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Alright. But
you'll have to get up early." Sylia laughed as Mackie leaned back into his
chair and groaned.
Suddenly the room seemed oddly quiet, drawing Sylia and Mackie's
attention to the test room. The chamber was empty except for a lone, black
hard-suited figure standing in a fighting stance near the center of the wide
room. "I'm ready!" came the reverberant voice through the control panel's
speaker. Sylia stared at the number "11" illuminated under the "LEVEL
ACHIEVED" display and sighed. Sylia flicked on the intercom switch and
grinned at Mackie. "Blackie, I think we'd better call it a night."
*****
"Hey gorgeous! How are ya this morning?"
Linna, outfitted in a baggy green and pink sweatsuit, giggled and
looked up from the park bench where she was finishing her leg-stretching
exercises. A familiar muscular figure, clad in a faded police-blue sweat
suit with "AD POLICE" inked in bold white letters on the front of the shirt
and along one pant-leg, jogged up to her from the adjacent parking lot. The
two joggers embraced warmly, and, after a quick kiss, set off down the
pathway under an early-morning drizzle.
The pair progressed along the park's winding asphalt trail silently,
each engrossed in their thoughts about the night before. Leon glanced
furtively at Linna a few times before he finally broke the silence. "I was
really worried about you last night."
Linna looked over at Leon and smiled. "I know. I was worried about you
too."
Leon grinned back at her briefly. "It's been a long time since I've
worried that much about you."
Linna looked straight ahead without replying.
The light, rhythmic pounding of their feet on the trail suddenly
seemed to get louder in their ears, as the two joggers wound their way
through a group of small trees. Exiting the tiny forest, Linna wiped the
drizzle and sweat from her face with a small towel draped around her neck,
and frowned. "It was pretty bad for a while, I admit, but we came out okay."
Leon sighed and shook his head. "Linna, I couldn't see you or hear you
in there at all. When the weapons started firing inside the building my
heart stopped."
An awkward silence fell between them as Linna and Leon made their way
up a gentle slope. To their right the relatively calm waters of Tokyo Bay
rippled like molten lead under the grey, sunless sky. Rounding a wide bend,
the paved trail turned away from the bay, and began to double back to the
path's starting point. The two joggers continued the thirty minute circuit
in peace, each of them contemplating the changes that their short
conversation might inspire.
As the parking lot came into view, Linna grinned momentarily at Leon,
then broke into a sprint. But the police officer had been expecting the
move, and reacted instantly. A small flock of pigeons took to the air as the
sprinters raced past the park bench and then checked their own flight, their
feet making loud clomping noises as they slowly came to a halt.
Circling back to the bench the couple continued pacing to slow their
heartbeats gradually. Leon stopped after a moment and placed his hands on
his hips. Linna finally sat down on the bench and took a swig of water from
a plastic flask, then set it down on the bench beside her with the top off.
Leon paused, looking at Linna as she wiped herself down with her towel. I
know we made an agreement," he began as Linna looked up at him. "About
worrying about each other while we're on the job. But I guess I've gotten
used to the last few years. No boomers, no worries." Linna nodded and patted
the bench with her hand. Leon smiled and picked up the water flask. Taking a
short draught, he handed the water back to Linna and sat down beside her.
"I've gotten pretty used to it myself," Linna replied after taking
another drink. "But you're still out on the streets chasing bad guys, and I
still worry if my phone is going to ring late at night."
Leon glanced at Linna's shadowed face and placed his arm around her. "I
know. But those bad guys aren't half as dangerous as an out-of-control
boomer my dear."
Linna looked a little indignant for a moment, and then responded slowly,
"I still worry though."
Leon looked out over the misty park, trying to think of the best way to
say his next words. "Listen Linna," he began, his throat tightening a bit as
Linna looked at him with an intense gaze. "I want you to promise me something."
"What?"
"I want you to promise me you'll tell Sylia you're through with the
Knight Sabers after we've dealt with these new boomers."
Linna's blue eyes widened, then blinked a few times as she silently
contemplated Leon's request. Her life had never been better up to this
point. A successful career in teaching dance and part ownership in a handful
of profit-making aerobics centers had made life without "boomer hunting"
very fulfilling these past few years. But she had never taken the time to
think about what life might be like without a role in the Knight Sabers.
Time had just seemed to pass the question by, and perhaps the Knight Sabers
themselves.
But there was something inside her that wanted more than a comfortable
life. She had joined the Knight Sabers, on Sylia's request, not to use up
any excess energy or exact a ripening desire for revenge. She just didn't
want anyone to get hurt, and that included the other Knight Sabers. The
night that she had cradled Irene Chang's crumpled, lifeless body in her
arms, she knew she had made the right choice to join. As a member of the
Knight Sabers, she would have the power to prevent a senseless death like
that again. The afternoon she had given Irene's ring to her sister Reika,
and then stopped the singer from continuing on her road to a revenge that
had already resulted in so much death, had only reaffirmed her belief.
For the last five years, few incidents had arisen where her choice to
join could be tested. But now her choice to quit was the question. Unless
the problems with these new cyborg-boomers were bigger than they thought.
Suddenly, amid all the reasons to quit and not quit, Linna's memory
brought forth a single image. The image of the twisted, headless body on the
floor at the military base. The limbs had been distorted beyond their normal
limits of flexibility, and the severed head itself had been forever etched
in a grimace of pain and agony she could never forget. Whoever that person
had been, their hurt had been great. And Linna had failed to prevent it. She
knew better than to blame herself for something that had happened prior to
the Knight Saber's arrival, but that fact did little to console her. The
image of pain was still fresh in her mind.
"I can't make that promise to you Leon," Linna finally replied. Leon
looked at Linna as if he were about to protest, when Linna placed her hand
gently over his open mouth. "But- I will think about your request after
we've dealt with these boomers, or whatever they are. The Knight Sabers are
all that's left to stand in their way, and I don't want to see anyone else
get killed because of them."
The police officer sighed again and looked at Linna resignedly. "Priss
made me painfully aware of that last night... Alright. You think about it
Lin. Let's just enjoy the rest of the morning together then, shall we?"
Linna smiled brightly, and grasped Leon's hand with her own. "Sounds
good to me."
The two huddled together for a few minutes until the drizzle turned to
rain, sending them running for the dry interior of their cars. As Linna
struggled in the downpour with her mini-van's door lock, Leon grabbed her
about the waist and spun her around for a quick kiss good-bye. Laughing
childishly at their soaked appearance, Linna wrapped her arms around Leon's
neck and met his lips with hers. Suddenly the rain seemed no more than a
faint hissing sound in their ears.
*****
End of Part 12
-----------------------------------
"Bubblegum Cross"
"The Dark Traveler"
"The Dragon's Tower"
askuse@execulink.com
BG Crush & Raven's Garage web sites:
http://www.netzone.com/~ozymand/