Nene sighed happily.
	Although she had been worried about Bert ever since he was
kidnapped and tortured, somehow tonight was like it was before, almost
like when they had first started to date. For the past week he seemed a
lot better, getting along with everyone and, surprisingly, not arguing
with Priss like he usually did.  This in itself was an unusual, but
pleasant, surprise.  It was almost as if he had been doing some growing
up.
	She looked up at him as they walked back to the car. His red hair
was in a slight mess due to the light breeze and his green-brown eyes had
a calm, peaceful look to them. For the first time in weeks she was getting
a feeling of contentment from him.
	Of course, she did not yet know what he had gone through.
	As Bert looked down at his companion, he had to smile. To him,
Nene was the most beautiful, most wonderful sight in the world.  After
what had happened, and his fears of never being able to see her ever
again, he had come to a decision that he was finally ready for.  He felt
his pocket for the diamond ring that he had been carrying for the past
month, at least for him.  It was unlike any stone in this world, probably
in this universe and a gift from a person who turned out to be a good, if
strange, friend.  He wondered a bit at how Twister was doing, but put the
thought from his mind.  It was unlikely they would ever meet again, at
least in this lifetime.
	*I'll give it to her tonight.* Bert thought to himself and he gazed
into those wondrous emerald-green eyes, *I hope she likes it.*
	He was just opening her door when things went wrong. 

***

	Hollister looked at the monitor, staring at the man he hated.
	It hadn't been that long ago that the bastard on the screen had
fouled up his plans.  For no reason he could understand, the person, who
they had identified as one Bert Van Vliet, had rescued two 33-S sexaroids. 
He had claimed that they were friends of all things!
	He thought back to all they had learned of him; and all that they
had not learned.
	"Who are you, you bastard?" he muttered under his breath, "No
traceable past except for the last three years, independently wealthy, and
obviously working for some damn covert group."  Hollister wondered once
more if this guy could be a Genom special agent.  The company seemed to
have a lot of people on the payroll that were never officially
acknowledged, but put the thought aside.  If this guy was part of Genom,
then the Mega-Corporation would have been more technically advanced than
they already were.
	"There's no use speculating until we get our hands on him.  I would
like to examine that weapon of his, it was unusual, but
somehow...familiar."  Doc told Hollister as he tinkered with the controls
on the remote cameras.  "We've been waiting for him to show himself, and
now we can acquire him.  After what he and that machine did, I'm going to
enjoy experimenting on him."
	"Shut up and release the boomers." Hollister grated out. 

***

	Two people started to run across the street at the red headed
couple as they approached their vehicle.  The screech of tires caused by
cars attempting to stop suddenly caused their target to turn towards them. 
When he saw them, he pushed his companion out of the way as he got ready
to fight.
	*Oh shit!* Bert thought as the two approached at high speed, *What
the hell is going on?* A faint suspicion in the back of his mind, he
quickly gave each of them a scan and noted the high electromagnetic
signatures.  He smiled.
	Bert quickly ducked the arm of the first boomer as the punch came
towards his head.  "So you want to fight, eh.  As a master of mine once
said, 'Try? There is no try.  Only do; or do not.'"  Putting some space
between him and the biomechanoid, he mentally called for his suit; not the
SkyKnight armour but his soft suit undergarment.  A purple glow started to
form at his feet and quickly surrounded him.  When it had dissipated he
was wearing some type of black raiment, faintly reminiscent of something
from the martial arts.
	Nene had looked up and saw the boomers coming after Bert.  The
normal, smart reaction would have been to run, but he just stood there as
they approached him, waiting to fight them.  She started to scream,
"BERT!!!  NO!! DON..." when a swirling purple light surrounded him.  As it
disappeared, she looked on with open mouthed shock.  She recognized the
outfit; she had seen the LD with him too many times not to recognize it,
it was the same costume that Luke Skywalker wore in Return of the Jedi.
	And he was holding his lightsaber in his hand...
	The two boomers looked on, studying their opponent. The lightsaber
had been expected and programmed for, after all, Doc had seen the weapon
in use against a boomer before, but the energy display and the clothing
change was an unknown.  It hardly registered on their sensors, but the
burst had to have been powerful to change the molecular structure of what
he had been wearing.  The opponent had somehow...transformed for lack of a
better word and there was no way that he had been distorting his looks
before. They would have detected the slow energy release.
	Bert, with a wry grin, held the lightsaber up to his face in
salute.  As he activated it he said, "I wish thee good grace and good
battle.  May the Force be with you." 

***

	Hollister looked on in shock at what he saw, "What the hell!!"
	His companion was a lot calmer about this, "It seems that he is
more than what he looks like, and now I know where I've seen such a weapon
before..." 

SkyKnight Productions
Proudly Presents
A NonTechnical Film
MegaTokyo 2036
The Knight Sabers
"An Alternate History of The Bubblegum Zone - Episode #12"
Copyright (c) 1995, 1996 Bert Van Vliet

The characters of SkyKnight, Bert Van Vliet, Hollister, Doctor Ikagawashii
and Hitomi Ichinohei are Copyright (c) 1995, 1996 Bert Van Vliet

The characters of Twister, Darlene Stefanson, Professor Kitamura and
Natsumi are Copyright (c) 1994, 1996 Darren Steffler. 

The characters of Ranma and Akane are Copyright (c) 1987, 1996 Rumiko
Takahashi

The characters of Master Skywalker, Skywalker, Solo, Jedi, Master Yoda,
The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars are Copyright (c) 1976, 1996 George
Lucas

Written by Hitomi Ichinohei

Chapter One:  The adventure begins...

	The blond-haired man in a smart business suit whirled around to
face the scientist at the control console.
	"You know where he got the damn thing then?  Who does he work for?" 
Hollister grunted in anger.  He didn't like surprises, and the man shown
on the screen had presented too many to him already.  He stared at the
white haired scientist who had put a pipe to his lips.
	"I cannot say for sure," Doc began, looking at the screen with some
amusement as the boomers decided to shed their skins and attack in
earnest, "but if I'm right about this, then we can say good bye to those
boomers.  As a matter of fact, we can count ourselves lucky he didn't
cross over to the Dark Side considering what we put him through."
Chuckling, he watched the boomer's sensor readings as Hollister looked at
him as if he was crazy. 

***

	Bert smiled as the two boomers shed their skins. Finally! 
Something normal that he could deal with.  Albeit in a new way, but normal
none the less.  Lowering his high- tech sword a bit, Bert reflected that
he hadn't had a good fight in a while, and this was the perfect way for
him to relax.  He had to admit that he was getting as bad as Priss in that
department, but then again...He flipped backward using a move that a
certain young man taught him to avoid the slashing claws that tried to
eviscerate him.
	"A Jedi does not flee from fighting evil, foul ones. Indeed, a Jedi
gladly eliminates it from existence.  As you have chosen the Dark Side, I
will now have to remove you from this reality," Bert said in a bold voice
while swinging the saber around in a tight arc which removed the offending
arm.  As he took off the head of the boomer in front of him, he felt the
energy build up of the second one.  Apparently it had decided to use its
laser array against Bert.
	Swinging around, he stepped towards the biomechanoid. 

***

	Nene had opened the car door in the meantime, activating the
dashboard control panel as Bert had shown her the week before.  Luckily,
their identities probably were not compromised as everyone had started
running when the boomers emerged from the plas-skin.  She quickly started
the vehicle and turned it around to gather her Knight Errant.
	*But,* she worriedly thought to herself, *Is it really Bert?*

***

	Doc watched silently as the being he assumed to be human seemed to
casually catch the laser blast on his light sword, something that should
have been an impossibility. From what he saw and heard, he realized that
his theory was not far from the truth, and if that was the case, then this
person probably was not from this planet, possibly not even from this
galaxy.  Of course, IF this supposition was true, then they were going to
have to be more careful in trying to acquire him.
	Hollister watched as the second boomer was taken off-line and then
screamed in anger "WHO ARE YOU!"  He slowly turned, smoldering, to the old
man who seemed more interested in keeping his pipe lit than in what the
screens had shown.  "Ok Doc.  You said that you had an idea who he really
is.  Let's hear it."
	"I said no such thing," the scientist calmly replied while blowing
a smoke ring, "Actually, I said that it was lucky he had not gone over to
the Dark Side."  He sat up, looking the younger man in the eye, "As to
what he is, he is a Jedi Knight."
	"What the hell is that?"
	Smiling to himself, Doc remembered the movies that played across
the large screen when he was very young, "Well, the story begins a long
time ago in a galaxy far, far away..." 

***

	Bert stood over his handy work, and was about to make a comment
when a car pulled up next to him.
	"Get in here!"  Nene shouted to him from the drivers seat.
	He grinned saying, "Your wish is my command, M'lady." and bowed.
	Nene rolled her eyes as he climbed in and put the car in gear
before he could close the door.  As she did so, she touched the camouflage
switch which activated the car's electronic surface, changing it's colour. 
"You have a lot of explaining to do buster..." 

***

	"...of course the last Jedi of that time created a new academy...And
thus began a new age of chivalric enlightenment that was the mainstay of
the New Republic.  Of course the forces of the Empire, and those that had
followed the ways of the Dark Side, were an ever present treat, but more
than adequately held in check by the Skywalker and Solo families.  Of all
the Jedi, they were the strongest in using the Force."
	Doc slowly and carefully took a puff on his pipe, savouring the
last bit of the blended tobacco within the bowl.  He was completely
relaxed, reliving the excitement he had felt when he saw the films for the
first time, saw the special effects that were the start of a whole new
industry that had led to the computers and the sciences that they now had. 
He remembered the ambitions the movies raised in him, the almost immediate
love of mysteries and science.  Somehow they had fallen aside and, in
recent years as he had gotten involved with this group, had completely
disappeared.  This young man, Bert Van Vliet, seemed to make those dreams
come alive again.
	He chocked his pipe on the rim of the ashtray and began filling it
up once more, starting to infuriate Hollister who had listened to the tale
with an unusual intensity.  "Of course, that is where the story ends.  The
books continued for a while, but somehow, there was a lack of enthusiasm,
of spirit in them if you will."  Doc lit a match and puffed a few times,
getting the pipe going again, "What I just saw however, reminded me of the
movies.  His uniform was straight out of the third film, 'Return of the
Jedi', and that's when I remembered the weapon, 'an elegant weapon from a
more civilized age' as it was put and a Jedi Knight's main weapon of
choice."
	"Of the Jedi, their codes of honour were similar to the codes of
Chivalry in medieval Europe, with one major difference.  They could not
allow themselves to get angry. If they ever got angry, ever got into an
uncontrollable rage in which they killed indiscriminately, then they would
enter the Dark Side of the Force.  This was a great danger as the Dark
Side allowed more power, more abilities to manifest and the one who
entered the Dark Side became a menace to all life.  It was, after all, the
fall of one Jedi to the Dark Side which led to the destruction of the
first alliance of worlds known as the Republic."
	"This man," the white haired scientist continued, "Bert Van Vliet
is, quite possibly, not from this planet and I would surmise has a longer
lifespan as well."
	Upon hearing that, Hollister started and turned to the desk to get
the file they had amassed upon their red headed antagonist.  He quickly
flipped through the documents until he got to one obscure reference which
had not made sense at the time and that he had assumed to be some sort of
joke to throw him off track.  After he heard that Bert had, on occasion,
visited the ADP building and had been allowed access, he had checked to
see if someone there had been helping him, or possibly using him in some
special manner.
	"Doctor, when did those films you were talking about first
appear..." 

***

	Sylia sat in her chair sipping her tea and looking across at an
upset Nene who was pacing back and forth in the living room.  She couldn't
blame her for being somewhat angry after hearing what Bert had done, after
all, she was peeved at him herself, especially since he took it into his
head to confront two combat boomers without his armour. Sylia was,
however, curious as to how he did it.  She was sure that Nene was keeping
something back.
	Nene had told her about the sudden attack, as well as the fact
that Bert was now carrying his personal lightsaber around with him all the
time.  That in itself was not a good sign since his mood had changed when
he had been held captive and tortured by Hollister a few months ago. 
Sylia supposed it was one of the reasons that he had been in a better mood
for the past week, but it did not excuse the fact that he was now carrying
a potentially deadly weapon where ever he chose to go.  While it served
him well in this case, it was a danger to his identity since, outside of
the head-hunter boomer, SkyKnight was one of only two people who was known
to have such a weapon.
	*Bert,* she thought to herself, *You had better have a damn good
explanation for this*
	There was a knock at the door, and Linna, with Priss and Sylvie
close behind, came into the apartment.
	"What's up Sylia?" Linna asked the leader of the Knight Sabers.
	Sylia sighed, "It's Bert.  He was attacked by two boomers earlier
tonight when he and Nene were coming back from his archery range."
	Priss sucked in her breath.  Turning to the still pacing Nene, she
said, "Shit!  How badly is he hurt?"
	Nene looked at her friends and they could see an expression on her
face that they could not quite recognize. There was anger there, and
worry, and something else.  The expression on her face hardened a bit.
	She didn't know what was happening, but she was not happy with
Bert.  After they had started to drive off, she was about to give him a
royal ringing out because it seemed like he was now carrying weapons with
him where ever he went.  Before she could say a word to him however, the
same mysterious swirling energy had covered him and the garment that he
had been wearing disappeared.  She had been about to ask where everything
had gone when he told her that it would be best if he explained what had
happened to everyone at once.
	"The stupid, moronic, idiotic, idealistic, jerk is perfectly ok,"
she fumed.  "It turns out that he is now carrying his lightsaber with him
all the time, that's all."
	Sylvie frowned at that.  Although she was quiet about it, she had
been very concerned at Bert's attitude during the past several months, one
of the reasons that she had been quietly monitoring Priss and Bert's
activities since joining the fighting team.  If their
'Knight-in-Shining-Armour' was starting to carry what had become his
favourite weapon with him, then he could be reverting back to the out of
control personality that had gripped him just after Anri, Bert, and her
had been kidnapped.
	It was at that moment Bert entered the apartment, carrying a teak
box.  He looked better than he usually did these days, face smiling and
eyes bright.  Bert took one look at all the faces in front of him, three
of which were concerned, one with a smile of grim satisfaction, and one
which was still angry, and grinned.  "So...Who's the patient?"
	Sylia looked at him and before anyone could respond said with an
icy calm voice, "Bert, you better have a good explanation for why you were
carrying that energy sword around with you."
	The only male fighting member of the Knight Sabers sighed. 
Apparently, they were not in the mood for his jokes at the moment.  "Ok,
everyone.  For once, no jokes."  As he said this, he placed the box on the
table in front of everybody.  A peculiar looking standard was on top of
the box, showing two crossed sabers that seemed to be made of diamond. 
The metal upon which the sabers were attached seemed to shine more than
normal, and it caused the others in the room to let out a small gasp.
	Placing his hand on top, he opened the lid of the box .  Inside
were twenty indentations, each, except for two at one end, held an armband
with the same diamond like insignia as on the box.  They seemed to be made
of some precious metal and almost shone under their own power.  "Gathered
Knights, If I may be so bold as to ask a boon of thee, I would present you
each with two of these bands to adorn your most delicate arms." 

	Priss rolled her eyes at the words...
	Sylvie raised an eyebrow and looked at Bert...
	Linna closed her eyes in frustration...
	Sylia looked evenly and closely at him...
	Nene eyes had opened wide and remained on the box... 

	"I think this deserves some sort of explanation," Sylia said
evenly, looking at Bert and then to the box containing the armbands.
	Bert smiled wryly.  "Well, it all began about a week ago when I
went out flying in my SkyKnight armour..." 

***

	"You're telling me that he's been around as an adult since at least
1995."  Doc stated in a flat tone.
	"Yes." Hollister replied, "It was some information that one of the
ADP officers had noted concerning an incident with him.  At the time, I
thought was placed there to be purposely misleading, a joke or something
to waste our time. As it now turns out it may explain a few things, like
where he got his money."
	The white haired scientist sat still for a moment before quietly
muttering, "Perhaps more than you can imagine."
	Hollister turned to his companion, "What do you mean?"
	"What I meant is that we may have found a potential wealth of
scientific and philosophical information if we can capture and control
him."  Doc stated as he stared off into space, "Remember when I told you
the person who designed the self- regulating blood system in those two
33-S sexaroids was a genius?  I think we now know who designed the system
and why he called both of them friends.  It's quite possible that they are
now more than ordinary sexaroids, with a much better AI system and
abilities that were probably hidden from the scanners.  It's also possible
that he was responsible for a lot of things that we now take for granted."
	Chuckling a little at the suddenly blank expression on Hollister's
face, he leaned back and started to puff on his pipe again.  "To
understand what I'm talking about, we have to take a look at how our
technologies have advanced since those movies came out."
	"For the most part, a lot of our thinking, and a lot of the designs
for modern technology and ideas is based on two sets of idealistic shows. 
The first being Star Trek and all the associated spin-offs, and the second
being the Star Wars saga.  The two series happened to catch the popular
imagination of both the public and the scientific community in a lot of
different ways.  One of the biggest was it's effect upon research
directions.  Several items from Star Trek started to be created in Canada. 
The Mediject, a type of early hypospray unit designed in Winnipeg and the
early Tricorders, created and built in Toronto are prime examples. In the
90's a lot of other technologies were designed and built in that country,
innovative items that had never been seen before."
	"Robotics, however, remained behind the times until the development
of boomer technology.  As a matter of fact, boomers can be looked upon as
a type of Android, a combination of biological and mechanical materials. 
The main difference between boomers and androids was always thought to be
that an Android was a being which had free will and could make
intelligent, sometimes intuitive decisions on it's own.  Currently
available AI technologies do not allow boomers to really have a free will,
although the programs they are installed with allow them to be able to
imitate a living human to a certain extent."
	Doc pulled on his pipe once more, "If he considered these two
sexaroids friends and not machines, in his own words, 'physiologically a
little different', but a person with feelings, then he was probably the
one who modified them.  Thinking back to the reactions that they had, one
seeming to suffer rape trauma and the other being surprisingly
independent, I would say he was probably grooming them for something
special."  Doc looked straight into Hollister's eyes, "What I mean by that
is that he would not need to work for any covert group, he probably
creates them to follow his ideals and gives them anonymous "gifts" of
slightly advanced technology."
	Hollister could not bring himself to give a reply. 

***

	"...and then Darlene, with the help of her teacher, was able to send
me home,"  he concluded as everyone in the room stared, varying degrees of
disbelief, worry, and curiosity being evident in their expressions.
	Sylia looked at Bert, very concerned about the young man possibly
losing his mind.  The story he told, of going to another universe where he
had been magically connected with his hardsuit, fighting a gargoyle, and
meeting people who changed sexes with water was an indication of
delusional tendencies.  She had assumed that he was over the ordeal that
had taken place, but now...She would have to take him off active duty once
more.  "Bert.  I hate to do this to you, but until we can... confirm... 
what happened to you, I do not want you up in your hardsuit." 
	Bert silently sipped his tea and looked at everyone. The only one
in the room who had an expression other than concern and worry was Nene,
and that only because she had seen visual effect of the 'Wild Magic' field
that surrounded him every time he called for his soft or hard suit. 
Twister had been correct about their reactions.
	He sighed wearily, "You really can't do that these days.  If I
need my hardsuit, I can always call for it.  The only way for me to be
with..."
	Priss grabbed him by the shirt collar at that point, her face a
combination of fear and anger.  "Don't give us that shit.  Listen little
brother, _You_ _Are_ _Staying_ _Out_ _Of_ _Your_ _Hardsuit_."  She dropped
him back to the couch and started to pace, the rest of the team surprised
at the intensity of her feelings, and the fact that she finally admitted,
out loud, the relationship that had developed between her and Bert.  She
didn't notice him stand up and head towards the centre of the room, as she
was pacing away at the time.  "Magic doesn't exist you idiot.  If it did,
don't you think we would have found some way to destroy Genom by now? 
Damn it, if you want somebody to put you into an asylum keep this up!"
	Bert looked at Priss' back, a slight smile creeping across his
face.  "Oh really?"
	Priss spun around to glare at Bert, "Really.  Do you thi..."
	BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!
	There was a blinding flash of purple-white light and a sudden
increase in air pressure.  Priss was thrown off her feet as the rest of
the team was plastered to their seats. Shrieks of surprise were torn from
the assembled Knight Sabers as, blinded, automatic combat reactions took
over. Linna had grabbed for Nene and pulled her away from the couch, Sylia
automatically moving back and left, and Sylvie going into a combat crouch. 
Priss had rolled, drawn her gun, and started to search for a target
despite the spots in her eyes.  When she could see once more, her mouth,
as well as those of the rest of the team, had dropped open in surprise.
	Standing in the middle of the living room, where Bert had been a
second before, was a polished silver and blue piece of modern armour.  The
glowing red eyeslot on the helmet turned slowly on everyone in the room
and the amused, modulated voice of SkyKnight asked, "Believe me now?"
	Priss' hands dropped, the gun loosely gripped, and stared at the
impossible.  She wasn't sure anymore if Bert was the one losing his mind
or she was.  A purple glow surrounded the figure, and a now grinning Bert
appeared, reaching down to help her up.
	He smirked, "Well, there were several ways I could have proved
this to you, but that was the most fun."
	Priss wanted to strangle him.
	Turning, Bert noticed everyone else staring at him, and Sylia's
questioning gaze.  He chuckled, reached over and closed the box.  "If
everyone will come over to this side of the room for a moment, I'll show
you something that will make what I said a lot more believable."
	Nene looked at him as everyone moved over to his side of the room. 
She had believed his account, having seen that purple field of energy, and
understood why he had changed, at least she thought she did.  While she
knew he didn't have a choice in what had happened, she was none the less
feeling jealous of this Darlene, who had experienced a part of his life
that she never would.  *I'm going to get the full story from him
later...And he had better tell me the truth!*
	Bert reached forward and touched the diamond sabers saying, "The
Knights have gathered."  A panel in the front of the box opened and a
purple beam started to come out of the diamond.  Soon the beam had
coalesced into the image of a young, red-headed, blue-eyed girl who's face
dimpled as she smiled at them.
	"Hello everyone!"  The image said as it waved to the assembled
Knight Sabers, "This may be a bit of a surprise if Bert has not told you
what happened yet,"  the girl giggled, "As a matter of fact it may be a
surprise even if he did tell you.  In any case, my name is Darlene
Stefanson, a magical friend of his."
	She smiled at them, "Any ways, I suppose I should start off with
what those armbands can do."  The image held up her left wrist,
demonstrating, "The one for the left hand contains a communications array
that allows you to be able to have audio and visual communications with
each other. And before you ask, no, a lot of it is not magical.  The only
magical sequences of the communications method is the three dimensional
imaging and the signal band width.  The rest is a communications system
which Bert and I came up with."
	"Of course, this is a great improvement over your old beeper system
as it allows you to be able to contact and update one another right away. 
One of the major improvements that I had suggested was to eliminate the
beeping in the first place.  I disliked the way those communications
devices worked when Sylia used it to contact Linna, Priss, and Nene that
way.  It used to disturb us at the oddest times and was _much_ too
obvious."  The women in the room looked startled.  This girl was talking
as though she knew them although they had never met before.  There was
more going on here than either Bert or Darlene had revealed.
	"Instead, the new system provides a vibration along the arm."  The
visual communication function disappeared and she giggled, "I also
included watch functions on it.  To activate any of the functions, touch
the crossed sabers and think about what you need."
	Darlene held up her right arm.  "The right hand armlet has a
vastly different function.  Within is a space for a few small devices, one
of which Bert installed in every one of them.  To retrieve any item, all
you have to do to is think 'weapons band activate' and the name of the
weapon."
	She now had a wry smile on her face, "I think Bert has been
watching too many movies since he came here however, considering the
standard weapon he built."  A lightsaber hilt appeared in her right hand. 
"The weapon will always appear in your right hand in an inactive mode.  By
the way, if it needs to, the parts can be upgraded and replaced, the bands
are bigger inside than they are on the outside."
	"Now, by Bert's request, there are ten sets of bands here.  The
first six are for you, the fighting members of the Knight Sabers.  There
are also bands there for Doctor Raven, Mackie, and Anri."  She looked
serious for a moment, and Sylia noticed that the girl seemed to run a
gamut of emotions, never seeming to stick to one, "The last one is in case
you ever need another person.  Remember Sylia, choose your people
carefully since you cannot get more of these bands."
	Darlene suddenly looked contrite, "I almost forgot, I placed one
more feature in both bands so that only the person who wears the armband
can see or feel it."
	She suddenly giggled and grinned impishly, "In any case, I have
some personal wishes as well as some gifts for everyone except Bert.  He
already has his gifts"  Darlene smiled at them, "Sylia, knowing you, or
rather, knowing your analog, I realize how interested in the sciences you
are. This being the case, I prepared some information files for you.  I
hope you enjoy them."  A small disc came out of the opening in the box.
	"Priss, I know how much you like speed, so I prepared a copy of my
motorcycle for you.  You'll find it a bit faster than yours. To make it
full size, touch the gas tank and say 'grow'."  With that, and a small
giggle, a perfectly formed miniature of Priss's motorcycle came out. 
Priss stared at it as though it would bite.
	Composing herself, Darlene continued, "Linna, knowing how much you
practice the martial arts, I asked a friend of mine to help me prepare a
set of information on some...advanced...techniques you might like.  To
view the information, touch the diamond at the top of the box to see a
list of available files.  Think of the file and then it will start to
play."  A small box with a diamond top appeared from a white mist.
	A moment later, a small sheathed sword appeared, a perfectly
detailed miniature with a pair of intertwined dragons.  "Sylvie, I really
do not know what else to give you, other than this.  You can enlarge it to
full size just by thinking about it.  It cannot harm a human being
although, if you wish it, it can harm a boomer.  This is _not_ it's
natural mode however, and you must concentrate on it being able to do such
damage.  You will be required to place a drop of your blood on the blade.
From that point on, it will be with you until your death when it may be
acquired by one of your bloodline or designated heir."
	A small black case appeared, "Nene, I made a small computer for
you and stored some code breaking techniques in it that were worked out
against Genom a while back.  I hope that you will find them useful.  Now,
although the pocket computer is small, it is very powerful, being
optically based.  I'm sure that you will figure out several uses for it." 
The girl in the image suddenly looked a little sad, "Nene, from what Bert
has told me about you, you are similar to one of my best friends, your
analog, and a person I miss."  She looked down and said in a rush, "I....I
placed a few personal messages on a disk for you."
	Darlene then looked up and forward, although her lower lip was
trembling a bit.  "Well, That's all.  Perhaps someday we'll meet.  Take
good care of the big lug.  He needs looking after."
	The image faded at that point leaving everyone in silence. 

***

	The door to the apartment opened and a tall, brown haired figure
came in and turned on the lights.  Looking around quickly, as if he
expected intruders, the man, who's back showed a very well structured
musculature through his shirt, closed the door, hung up his jacket, and
went over to the small liqueur cabinet on one side of the room.  Pulling
out a glass, he filled it with a small amount of scotch, less than half a
shot and all that he really allowed himself these days.
	*God damn it Bert, what the hell are you doing now?* the figure
thought as he flopped down on the couch, taking a sip of the drink.  *What
the fuck was that energy field and why were those boomers after you.* The
brown haired main suddenly froze in shock at a stray thought, something
that he hoped was taken care of with the elimination of one of his old
police reports.  *Ah hell!  Did those bastards at Genom figure out that
he's SkyKnight?*
	He closed his eyes, deciding there was nothing he could do
tonight, and that it would be best to talk to Bert tomorrow at his club. 
Smirking to himself, the figure ran his fingers through the brown thatch
at the top of his head, thinking of what he knew, and had promised himself
never to reveal.  *It's a good thing that I 'bounce ideas' off of Bert in
order to get an 'outsiders' point of view to cases.*
	Leon sat back and tried to relax. 

***

	Sylia was the first to break the silence.  "That
was...Interesting, but I take it she left out a lot of details.  For
instance, how to place a weapon inside the band and how to make it return
to a neutral state."
	Bert grinned, "She did at that, but then again, she _is_ a little
ditzy as a girl."  Seeing that Sylia was still not in the mood for his
particular type of humour, and that everyone else was looking at the items
in front of them, he decided to can the jokes for a while longer.  "To
place a weapon inside, you hold it in your hand and think 'Weapon band
deactivate' and the name you want to give it.  The item then vanishes from
your hand and ends up stored inside the armband.  As Darlene said, all of
them have lightsabers inside of them, so go ahead and take a pair.  I
already have mine on, although I have to be careful when I use them."
	Sylia caught on that and said curiously, "What do you mean by
that?"
	Bert looked uncomfortable for a second, "Well, the Wild Magic that
hit me has an unfortunate side effect if I use a magical item and call for
either of my suits at the same time.  I can use them separately, but
dangerous and sometimes unpredictable results can occur otherwise.  It's
fairly controlled now, and no one knows exactly why the magic affected me
in this manner, but spells cast around be tend to go awry.  I don't think
we really have to worry about that however unless we come up against a
magic user."
	Linna was looking at Bert and wondering if _she_ should be worried
about that.  Looking at the small magic box, she considered activating it
immediately.  She was curious about the techniques the girl, Darlene, had
mentioned, but was not really feeling in the mood to explore it at the
moment.  Linna still had an unusually bad head ache from when that armour
had appeared.  To be honest, she wasn't really feeling up to learning
anything more, as her brain was currently overloaded with new information.
Reaching forward, she took the armlets and placed them on her wrists.
	"Hey!  Where's they go?"  Priss exclaimed looking at Linna's arms. 
She was hoping that none of this was really magic, but some form of highly
advanced science.  People having the power to change the way the universe
operated scared the shit out of her.  To have _magical_ devices as a
normal part of a personþs life...Priss shuddered, pitying Bert, and
wondering how being in such a universe had affected him.  She couldn't
deny the evidence in front of her eyes, but she _really_ hoped that none
of it was magic.
	"It's Magic Priss, Remember?"  Nene bubbled and quickly got the
computer and a set of armbands for herself.
	Everyone else slowly got the items assigned to them as Sylia came
to a decision.  "I do not want any information on magic going outside this
room.  Doctor Raven, Mackie, and Anri are _not_ to know how the armbands
work.  As far as they are concerned, they represent a top-secret and
highly experimental technology. Now, for the rest of this," her arm swept
the new devices, "they are definitely _not_ to know where this equipment
came from.  The knowledge is too dangerous."
	Bert snapped his fingers, "Oh, before I forget, this is for you
Nene."  He pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket and gave it to the
young red head who opened it up. "I asked Twister to make this for you.  I
hope you don't mind, but I fig...Unf!"  Bert was cut off suddenly as Nene
had grabbed him in a tight hug.  Before he could say anything more, she
pulled his head down and kissed him long, loving, and sensuously.  All
thoughts, in fact, all coherent thinking abilities, left his mind as he
responded to that kiss.  It was unlike any kiss he had before and he was
stunned.
	Nene pulled back and, almost shouting in happiness, said, "Yes!! 
Yes!!  Yes!!  My answer is yes!" She quickly pulled the diamond ring out
of the box and put it on her finger.
	Everyone gasped, and before Bert could collect the shattered
remnants of his mind together, Priss grabbed him by the shoulders.  "If
you don't mind, I'm going to borrow Bert for a little while."  She pulled
him away and out of the apartment while the rest of the women were looking
at the ring that Nene now wore, the large diamond that had a faint purple
sheen to it. 

***

	Priss pulled Bert into his apartment, locked the door behind her
and shouted, "ARE YOU FUCKING NUTS!"
	Bert, who had been slowly recovering from Nene's affections, was
brought violently back to reality by that. "Uh?  What are you talking
about Priss?"
	Priss was slowly getting red as she looked into his face, it was
as if he didn't know what...It slowly dawned on her that he really didn't
know.  "Bert.  Why did you give that ring to Nene?"
	"Well the ring serves several purposes," he replied.  "The first,
and most important, being that if I am _ever_ pulled to another dimension
again, I can home in on it and come back.  The second is that it will
provide her some personal protection.  The ring will project a small field
of force if a bullet, or some type of projectile, is shot at her.  It will
also deflect most of the impact of any energy weapon, something I felt she
should have."
	Sitting down in his recliner, Bert continued, "The only drawback
is that it needs to be exposed to light to recharge itself.  Neither
Twister or myself could figure out any other way to power it."
	Priss shook her head, "But why make it out of diamond?"
	Bert looked at Priss, wondering what she was getting at.  "Well,
it was a readily available material, all of the crystalline structures on
those armbands and the boxes are diamond.  Besides, as Darlene, she took
some time to design it, thinking that Nene would like something that
looked pretty.  From her reaction I think she was right."
	Sitting down in front of him, she took hold of his head and looked
into his eyes, "Bert.  Do you know what a _diamond_ ring means?"
	He looked puzzled, "What does..."  Bert trailed off as he
remembered, in _this_ dimension, diamond was not as easy to get a hold of. 
Come to think of it, it wasn't easy to get a hold of in Twister's
dimension either.  That was when he remembered the traditional usage of a
diamond ring, and he started to shake a bit.
	"Oh no!"  Getting up suddenly and shaking off Priss, he leaped for
the door and tried to open it.  Being locked, he started fumbling around,
allowing the brown haired singer to catch up with him.  A small smile
started to twitch at the sides of her mouth.
	She turned him around, "Forget it little brother. She's now your
fiancee."  Grinning Priss then started to rub it in, "At least you won't
have to look for a band, I'll do it for free."  He groaned at her words as
Priss' grin threatened to become a full fledged gloat.  "It seems Darlene
was right, you do need looking after."
	Bert didn't reply. 

THE NEXT DAY...

	Naoko couldn't help but stare at the huge diamond that Nene wore.
	She had been a little surprised at how overly excited that her
friend had been that morning, and had noticed the new ring that she had
been wearing.  Asking about the large, slightly purple diamond, Naoko
learned that Bert had surprised her with it the night before.  Talk about
things being totally unexpected!
	Shaking her head, Naoko admired the stone.  It was about two
centimetres long, one centimetre wide, and half a centimetre thick.  The
setting the stone was sitting in was a pair of intertwined gold dragons,
wonderfully detailed and seeming almost alive.  Moreover, the stone was a
purple diamond, a _very_ rare type of diamond.  She knew Nene's boyfriend
was some type of high-priced engineer, but she never imagined that he
could be _that_ rich.
	"So, are you going to marry him?", Naoko asked.
	Nene smiled happily.  "Of course!  I've been waiting for him to
ask me, and it's finally happened!"  Her thoughts strayed to what marriage
would be like, and the children she wanted to have.  She realized that she
might have to drop out of missions now and then, but it would be worth it.
Nene's eyes shone with excitement as she looked at the ring. "I'm going to
make extra sure he's happy once we're married."
	Naoko shook her head, realizing that she'd have to cover for Nene
over the next little while.  Obviously she was so caught up in thinking
about the future that she wasn't really paying attention to her work.  It
was a bit surprising, after all; it was hard to believe the ever so
innocent redhead was going to get married. 

***

	Leon walked into the archery range, going over to the locker and
getting his bow.  He smiled to himself as he considered the fact that he
was using such an ancient weapon in an age where an ADP officer's survival
depended on high tech weaponry.  Somehow, Bert's infatuation with Europe's
chivalric age had spread to himself, and he now enjoyed being able to hit
the target.  Although it wasn't too different from holding a gun and
firing it, Leon had found that he needed more skill to get an arrow to hit
the target, and that provided a lot more satisfaction than just being
quick on the draw.
	Going over to the range, he saw that Sylvie, Priss and Bert were
in adjacent lanes.  Leon noticed that, as usual, Sylvie was out for fun
while Bert and Priss were trying to outdo each other.  He still hadn't
figured out why they felt the need to argue, compete, and generally annoy
each other. Shaking his head, he took the lane next to Bert.
	"Congratulations Bert, I saw the ring you gave to Nene last night,"
Leon said as he sent his target down the range.
	Bert's arrow went wild, hitting the floor halfway down as he
started to get a little green.  He didn't want to think about his
accidental engagement.  Neither did Bert want to think about how excited
his red headed girlfriend was.  The very thought of marriage, and the
responsibilities that went with it, scared the hell out of him.  The big
problem for him was that he couldn't tell Nene it was all a mistake. 
Disappointing her was something else that Bert did not want to
contemplate.
	Priss smirked from where she was.  She and Leon had been getting
along better for the past few months, especially since he had decided to
stop trying to ask her out on dates.  Priss wasn't sure what had finally
gotten through to him, but she was glad.  Leon turned out to be a good
friend, once you got past his obsession for trying to go out with anything
that wore a skirt.  "Well, I already told him I'm going to sing at the
wedding."
	Bert's next arrow also went wild.
	"Would you two mind?"  Bert said irritably, "I'm _trying_ to relax. 
Reminding me that I'm now engaged is _not_ helping."  Grumbling a bit, he
recalled the target.  Pulling the arrows out and placing them in the
quiver, he wondered how long Priss would bug him about this.  Knowing her,
probably for the rest of his life.  Bert then thought of the perfect way
to get Priss back, and, since she had called him little brother...
	Grinning a bit, he turned to the brown haired officer, "Sorry
Leon.  It's just that my _Elder_ sister has been bugging me about it all
day.  Isn't that so Sylvie?"
	Sylvie giggled getting the idea, "Yep!  Apparently Priss is trying
for a new record in 'How does one annoy _Younger_ brother?"
	Priss looked at the two of them, "Hey!  I'm not _that_ old."
	"You're the one that keeps calling me _little_ brother."  He
grinned, "You know, you'd look a lot younger, and a lot cuter if you wore
a frilled dress once in a while..."  Chuckling, he started to turn towards
his office. It was the last thing he remembered for a while.
	Priss had taken the opportunity to deliver an uppercut that
knocked Bert out. 

***

	Hollister pondered the information that Doc had given him the
night before.  He hated Bert, but Doc was right, he had to look at the
long term view.  If Ikagawashii was correct, then this...being...could
help them with several projects currently underway, providing there was
sufficient motivation.  He looked through the file on his desk, examining
the stills of those people who consistently went into the archery range. 
Of these, there were five people whom he was known to be friends with. 

The first picture was of Sylvie: 

	The sexaroid they had captured before.  According to his
information, she was consistently in the company of the person in the
second picture... 

Priss Asagiri:

	A minor singer with a strong following.  She had several
reputations, and a past that was in some ways as mysterious as that of
Bert's.  It was known that she liked to fight, loved weapons, and was
friends with at least two people from ADP, one of whom had tried to date
her several times... 

Leon McNichol:

	Currently an Inspector with ADP.  He had a reputation for being
very officious, very law abiding, but was also known to have
a...strange... relationship with people wearing various types of powered
armour.  He had been reprimanded several times for letting the Knight
Sabers, and specifically SkyKnight, go when he had been ordered to detain
them.  There was also the time he was brought in for emergency surgery by
a black armoured figure.  He was known to get most of his information from
a young woman within the ADP... 

Nene Romanova:

	She was a bit of a mystery.  She wasn't a fighter, nor was she
violent.  Her reputation for various types of chocolates and sweets was
legend, even among 'doughnut loving' police officers. She was highly
intelligent, with unknown, but extremely good sources of information.  It
seemed as though she was Bert's girlfriend.  However, if his supposed age
was accurate, it was very possible that she was his daughter or
grand-daughter.  She was also known to have a love-hate relationship with
a former aerobics instructor and stock market expert... 

Linna Yamazaki:

	Here was another mystery.  She was known to be a friend of Bert's,
an able dancer, and a practitioner of the martial arts.  Records indicated
that she knew quite a bit about the stock market and how to make it work
for her.  There was also an indication that she handled more money than
was officially reported.  When in the club, she usually talked to... 

Anri:

	Although she now had a last name, and a history, he knew she was a
sexaroid.  However, things had changed the most for her since they tried
to operate on Anri and Sylvie..  According to records, not only was she the
one of the clubs managers, but also a skilled helper and nurse at a local
clinic.  Still, she wasn't of much military use considering that she
didn't have any weapons enhancements. 

	Beside these pictures were individual photos of the six armoured
individuals collectively known as the Knight Sabers, five of which were
women.  Although he wasn't able to confirm it, he suspected that Bert was
the one who formed the Knight Sabers, a covert group of operatives who
were technically a mercenary organization.  If the assumption was that he
created these groups, an assumption that made too much sense once the
pieces were put together, then these six people were possibly the start of
a new team of covert operatives.
	Looking them over, he picked up Nene's picture.
	"If we had the right incentive..." 

***

	The main computer room in Sylia's building now had several piles
of output folders spread out.
	Sylia sat up in her chair, sipping tea from a cup placed beside
her keyboard.  Getting up, she stretched, looking at the mess she had
created.  The leader of the Knight Sabers had to smile; it was usually
Bert that made a mess like this, but the disk contained some fascinating
files, technical specifications, plans, and weapons.  Some of which were
very...advanced.
	As an example of that, on the main screen was the picture of an
amazing super computer system.  She knew that optical based technologies
were theoretically possible, but to have plans of a complete system,
including all the chips, was something that she had not imagined could be
contained on such a small disk.  And that was one of the smaller files.
	Sylia looked at the screen, with a bit of wry amusement.  At the
moment the system would be impractical, if not impossible to build.  While
it was interesting, and she might be able to develop a similar system
based upon the pictures, notes, data, and technical specifications, it
would take an incredible manufacturing setup to produce the current
system.
	Shaking her head, she wondered _where_ they found enough pure,
flawless, diamond to build the original machine. 

***

	Bert slowly opened his eyes to view the ceiling of his office.
	"I take it you're feeling better Bert?"  a voice chuckled.
	Groaning a bit, Bert sat up, and swung his feet to the floor. 
"Yeah,"  he winced, "Although my head feels like if it fell off.  What hit
me?"
	Leon continued to chuckle as he handed his friend a mug of tea.
"Priss.  Who else."
	Bert took a long pull from the mug, rolling his jaw slightly as
the pain of Priss' punch entered his brain.  It wasn't the first time that
she had been angry enough to hit him or smash him against something, but
it was the first time she had knocked him out.  He put his cup down and
started to rub his jaw.  "So, where are the tornado twins?"
	"Sylvie took Priss up to the lounge to try and get her to calm
down."  Leon looked at his friend for a moment. "Tell me something.  Why
do you keep trying to annoy her?"
	Bert shook his head and went back to sipping his tea. "Force of
habit I suppose.  We've sort of gotten used to trying to find things to
annoy each other with.  The more annoying the better."  He looked up at
the brown haired police inspector, "So, how long was I out?"
	"About fifteen minutes."  Leon grew serious, "Do you have some time
at the moment Bert?  I need some advice and to warn you about an incident
that happened near here last night."
	"Sure Leon."  He chuckled silently to himself.  For the past few
months, since his business opened to the public, Leon had been visiting
and telling him all sorts of interesting information.  Small tidbits
which, unknown to the ADP officer, helped him out with his SkyKnight
duties and functions.  Bert had reciprocated, offering some advice and
some technical help now and then.  It was a good easy relationship with
both of them relaxing more than anything else.
	"Well, during the past few months, new weapons have been showing up
in the international marketplace.  According to some...reliable
information, these devices originate from here in Japan."  Leon started to
pace, seeming agitated. "Some of the information coming to us isn't good. 
Whoever they are, they've brought back the DD Battlemover."
	Bert jerked suddenly, spilling his tea.  Leon was talking about
the group that had one person who had become the bane of his existence. 
He was talking about Hollister, the one who had hurt Nene and Priss,
tortured him, planned to enslave Sylvie and Anri, and was responsible for
the most inhuman weapons and devices ever created by man.  Bert and the
rest of the Sabers had seen the plans for the new Battlemover, and it had
been sickening to say the least.  The inhuman bastards had designed the
thing to either drive a human pilot crazy or to condemn a sexaroid pilot
to slavery.
	Leon looked at Bert, "Yeah, the same device that almost destroyed
Mega- Tokyo a while back.  This version of the armour is...more insidious
to say the least.  According to our counterparts in Korea, the thing is
utterly inhuman."
	Bert paled, knowing what the plans were.  Given what Leon just
said, and the fact that most beings did not consider boomers people, he
could just imagine what the Korean version of ADP had found.  He silently
cursed himself.  It was bad enough that Hollister was a constant torn in
his side, but he had forgotten the organization that backed him.  Given
what Leon just said, Hollister was now the least of his concerns.  Despite
the fact that Bert wanted to kill him, the bastard would be needed to get
information on these people.  "What...did they find Leon?"
	"You don't want to know Bert.  You _really_ do not want to know." 

***

	Hollister looked at the picture of the red headed girl. Of all the
possible targets, she was the most likely to bring Bert to them.  This
would mean capturing her, despite the complications that could cause with
the ADP.  "Well Doc, what do you think of the plan?"
	Doctor Ikagawashii looked at his copy of the file, and sat
pondering the advisability of procuring this young woman.  If they did get
a hold of her, it was possible that she would have the same abilities as
those of Bert.  It would be too dangerous to simply kidnap her and bring
her to their main facility.  He thought a bit at the supposed abilities
from the movies he had reviewed that morning, as well as the tapes of what
had happened.  Doc reviewed what he had learned. 

One: 

	The light sabers differed.  This was to be expected as each Jedi
designed their own Sabers to suit their individual personalities and hand
grips. 

Two:

	He had mentioned his teacher, and the quote exactly matched those
from the movie. 

Three:

	The lightsaber had presented the same impossibility as that of the
film, that of deflecting a laser blast. 

Four:

	Bert's physical conditioning was similar to that of the movie's
Luke Skywalker. 

	He glanced at the intensive, yet scanty psychological profile that
they had put together from the little available information.  Three
hundred pages, which boiled down to the fact that he was a chivalric
person.  Bert was more than willing to put himself into danger for others,
and would frequently seem to go out of the way to rescue people.  He had
to be an innovative engineer who tinkered circuits together out of
available materials, which meant at some time he learned spitball
engineering.  His combat skills and weapons of preference were ancient,
being bows and arrows, swords, or bare hands, indicating an honourable
disposition and a preference to battle with a personal edge.  No one was
sure if it was because he liked to see someone bleeding up close, or
because he wanted to remind himself of the human factor.  The latter was
most likely, given that however practical he might be, Bert steadfastly
refused to kill if he didn't have to.
	Doc then thought of the energy that changed his clothing and
caused the saber to seemingly appear.  He shuddered, as there were only
two real explanations for it; either a highly controlled, highly accurate
teleportation technique, something that would have to be centuries ahead
of their own technology, or control of the mysterious 'Force', which he
apparently had access to.
	It would be a dangerous gambit.  If the girl had even minimal
training in the abilities of the Force, and the possibility existed, then
she would be as dangerous as Bert. They could not keep her awake, since
the Jedi were able to find their friends though feeling them.  There was
also the strong possibility of some psychic abilities.  He thought of that
for a second.  The Jedi's powers were similar to what Terrans would call
psychic abilities. Admittedly psychic abilities on a scale never before
recorded, but psychic abilities none-the-less.  If they kept the girl
sedated then he should not be able to detect her.
	"It's possible,"  Doc stated, "but it will require a lot more
planning.  Are you sure that the surveillance team will be able to give us
her entire schedule?"
	"Yes."  Hollister replied.  "They are to watch her, and where she
goes for the next two weeks.  That should give us enough time to come up
with something.  I'm already arranging for two safe-houses for whenever we
are ready to go.  What I want to know is, given what you told me last
night, is there any way to hold him?"
	"We'd have to keep him drugged to prevent his escaping and this
might be a problem.  The drugs that would keep him complacent and the
truth drugs are not completely compatible."  The white headed scientist
commented. "Despite the fact that he looks and acts human, there is also
the strong possibility that his physiology may act unusually with the
drugs.  We have to be extremely careful about this, and make certain that
_we_ have control of his lightsaber."
	The smile on Hollister's face was not pretty to look at.  "Count
on it Doc, count on it." 

***

	The underground chamber, which was a large darkened area, was as
silent and as deathly still as a tomb.  What little light there was had
several strange items under them. Items which seemed familiar, yet
unusual.  Prominently featured were three unusual vehicles, one that
looked something like a motorcycle without wheels, another that looked
somewhat like a car, and a very strange one that resembled a type of
aeroplane.  Another set of lights along one wall displayed a series of
armour suits, each in an individual glass cylinder, and their designs and
appearances was unusual to say the least.
	An elevator opened and a red-headed man stormed out, walking to
the lab area.  Unhappy, angry, and filling the air with a number of
scathing remarks, Bert pushed open the door and almost slammed it behind
him.  He was responsible for the hurt a lot of people suffered.  Him.  No
one else deserved the blame.  Moving to one of the highly adjustable
tables, Bert tried to get his mind on putting together the armour suit
lying on top of it.
	He soon gave up.
	Looking down at what was supposed to be his latest hardsuit
design, he snarled with disgust.  It wouldn't matter what he built, what
he came up with, the new DD Battlemover removed the options of retrieving
the pilot alive.  Taking a piece of the unoffending armour plate, he threw
it against the far wall of the lab with some self- hatred at what he had
failed to do.
	Bert sat down, wondering what the hell he was going to do.  He had
spent so much time redesigning the team's suits, adjusting them to each
person's particular preferences and abilities, that he forgotten what they
were facing...Bert now realized how hard a job Sylia really had.  Not only
did she keep the team going, get assignments, and ensure their safety, but
she also had to keep the overall picture in mind.
	Bert had concentrated so hard on Hollister that he had lost sight
of what they were really facing.
	He recognized that his problem with what was happening was part of
his overinflated feelings of responsibility.  If Bert had been successful
in removing Hollister and his group, shutting down where ever the bastards
were selling, designing, and building these new weapons, the people
trapped inside the DD's would still have their freedom.  He couldn't
imagine a worse crime against humanity that removing a person's right to
be who and what they were.
	"What the hell can I do?"  he snarled to himself as he looked out
the lab window into the rest of his underground complex.  "No matter what,
people like that will still be around."  Somewhere in the back of his
mind, a voice whispered seductively that it didn't have to be that way,
that he could somehow fix things by putting on his suit and simply
blasting people out of existence.
	Bert got up quickly and started to pace.  He had to come up with a
new plan of attack, something that would end Hollister's operation once
and for all.
	"Be not so angry, my student.  Go, calm your mind and your heart
and then will your answer be." a voice said, coming from near one of the
larger laboratory tables.
	Bert spun, recognizing the voice but not really wanting to listen
to it at the moment.  On the chair behind the table was a short figure
wearing an outfit similar to the peasants clothes from ancient Japan.  He
held a small irregular cane in front to him and his pointed ears twitched
with some amusement.
	"Oh shut up Yoda!"  he exclaimed to the solid looking apparition,
one of the fortunate, or in this case unfortunate, side effects of the
Wild Magic that Darlene had accidentally blasted him with.  While the
little guy offered a lot of good advice, he wasn't really there, at least
not in the sense of being a real person.  'Yoda' was a part of his mind,
given life by Bert's own needs and emotions.  "In case you didn't notice,
designing hardsuits and the associated equipment helps me to relax.
	Yoda hopped down to the floor and walked around the table. 
"Troubled you are by things that could not be helped.  A Jedi must learn,
to his regret, that he cannot solve every problem.  A Jedi can only do
what he can to aid those of the light."  He pointed to a seat over on one
side of the room.  "Quiet yourself and understand that what has happened
is done.  You may change the future as it is unformed, but you may not
change the past."
	Bert took a seat and growled irritable at himself.  He had learned
the hard way that it wasn't always wise to argue with this part of
himself.  His mind tended to make what Yoda wanted to do a reality, at
least for him and any other person who was magic sensitive.  "So what
_should_ I do? It's my fault that people were used in those damn machines.
If I had come up with some way to get rid of those... inhuman... 
bastards, that armour would not be out there now.  Unfortunately, with one
already being in use, there are probably more out there, and that means
that people will be able to copy the thing."
	Yoda shook his head, "Built this place, you have."  He waved his
staff at the entire complex, "The time comes when it will be needed, but
calm you must be.  You must at terms be with your limitations." 
	Bert got up suddenly and walked towards the door, "I suppose, but
then again, I have a hell of a lot of limitations, and I don't intend to
let any more people get hurt."  He went into the elevator followed by the
pint sized midget and pressed the button for the entrance to his
recreation centre. 

***

	On the second floor, behind the closed door of a private exercise
room, Linna concentrated on the movements of the two red-headed figures in
front of her.  She had marveled at the grace and ease with which the two
girls moved.  It was like watching the ocean; a smooth, unbroken rhythm of
blocks and blows, strike and counter-strike which spoke of a large amount
of skill and training.  The pig- tailed girl was obviously better, more at
ease while her sister, Darlene, was on the defensive more often than not.
	Of course, the _very_ high leaping that they were able to do was
what interested her at the moment.
	Linna had looked at several of the visual and audio files that
were in the box, seeing attacks that at first glance did not make sense. 
Fists moving faster than the eye could easily see, fireballs being fired,
and diamond-like shields. The section on avoidance moves was uncannily
eerie. It seemed as if they could sense an attack before it had truly
begun, before the opponent gave a single muscular indication.
	Knowing that most of this was well beyond her current, and quite
possibly future, abilities, she decided to start with something that
seemed relatively simple.
	There was a knock on the door to the room, and Bert's voice wafted
in.  "Linna?  It's me, can I come in?"
	"Sure, come on in."
	He opened the door and stepped in followed by a short, pointed
eared companion.  Linna rubbed her eyes, thinking that somehow her vision
had been affected by the magic of the crystal.  She couldn't really be
seeing what looked like a combination martial arts master and alien being
rolled into one.  As Bert closed the door behind him, she sat down,
looking up and continually rubbing her eyes.
	Bert looked at her with some concern, "Are you all right?"
	Still covering her eyes, she said, "Bert.  Please tell me there
isn't some sort of alien midget next to you."
	Bert started, somewhat warily at that statement.  "You can see
someone besides me?"
	Yoda looked at her, his face crinkling with a small smile, "See me
she does, student will she be."
	She looked at the small being who had made that comment and said,
"Student?  What do you mean by student?"
	Bert looked uncomfortable as he slowly asked, "Linna, when my
armour arrived, what _exactly_ did you hear?" 

***

Hitomi

Ichinohei Hitomi
Hitomi@terminal.autobahn.mb.ca
http://204.112.189.3/~hitomi
"The beginings of wisdom is the ability to always ask questions."