The universe has always been a source of endless
fascination and awe to any race that had traveled in it. No
one being could ever give the same description of it; each
seeing and interpreting it in their own special way.
To one particular young woman, the universe meant
very little to her. Nothing ever was in her opinion. She
was a being created for the sole purpose of fighting. To
destroy a single opponent that was ironically her older
sister by rights.
That hardly mattered to her as she did what she had
been told.
She did her duty but in the end she died by her
sister's hands.
She did not regret it in any way.
After all, she lived to fight. In the end she did get
her wish: to die fighting.
A sad smile formed on her lips as she remembered her
sister's words: "Fighting means nothing unless it's for a
reason. I have my reasons. Do you, Iczer 2?"
She was born to do battle; gifted with the power to
sunder the very heavens if necessary. A master-crafted
blade tempered and honed to perfection to serve her
mistress. She needed no reasons. All there was for her was
the fight and the need to win. That was all there was - and
in the end, she had lost.
Iczer 2 had closed her eyes one final time.... a
smile on her lips.
It would not last long as another had chosen to
resurrect her. To awaken her from her sleep to once more do
battle. She did not relish being disturbed from her rest
but the irresistible lure to be able to fight her sister
once more had been more than enough to quell whatever
objections she had.
Besides, she could feel Nagisa's life force nearby.
Not even death could rob her of the need to see her. It was
perhaps the only thing she did share with her sisters.
She had chosen to meet what her older sister had seen
fit to send to protect this world. Iczer 2 was quite amused
with her younger sister and could not help find a bit of
herself in Iczer 3 after having tested her little sister
out. Nagisa, she had discovered, was just the same as she
had been when she had first met the human. True, this _was_
her granddaughter but the essence of the old Nagisa was no
less evident in her children.
Neos had wanted the girl and her little protector
dead but Iczer 2 decided against it. All she wanted was a
little rematch with her older sister, Iczer 1.
That was all.
The battle had been fast and furious. Iczer 2 had
fought with all her skill and power and had almost won.
Somehow, Iczer 1 had gained the upper hand and disarmed
her. She had knelt before her sister; waiting for the
inevitable embrace of death.
It did not happen.
Her sister, Iczer 1 had sparred her life.
The words of her sister still echoed repeatedly in
her mind; questioning all that was her life.
She was at a loss at what to say to her sister. Her
sister had left her to help Nagisa back on Earth while she
remained to ponder over her life. She had watched her
sisters fight against the might of Neos Gold. The battle
had been ended in a stalemate until Neos Gold decided to
bring into play her little trump card. The Iczel energy.
The very one Neos had used to create the being called
Atros.
Atros had been merely an experiment of Neos as she
sought to master making use of the Iczel energy which had
paved the way for her resurrection. Iczer 2 had not been
too surprised when Atros chose to side with Nagisa and
Iczer 3.
Iczer 2 had watched and pondered her choices and in
the end had chosen to help her sisters defeat Neos Gold.
Besides, she hated Neos anyway so helping her sisters was a
choice she gladly took. She had left her sisters after that
battle; to sort things out so to speak. She was still
unsure of the path she had taken but there was no turning
back. She had chosen her fate amongst the stars and she
would rather die than even admit she made a mistake.
Or did she?
Iczer 2 could not decide.
She had left thinking she could sort out her feelings
regarding this matter. She had journeyed across the vast
sea of stars; seeking out answers to questions she could
not eveen define fully. Staying with her sisters hardly
mattered to her. She was always alone. Born in the crucible
of battle.
An avenging angel of death.
That was her.
But that had not helped solve her questions.
*Nagisa.*
Iczer 2 frowned. It had been a while since she had
thought about that girl. That single human had managed to
turn the tide of war to her favor. Even Atros, Neos Gold's
daughter had been unable to fulfill her orders and had
rebelled.
Such was Nagisa's power.
A small smile parted her lips at the memory.
*Nagisa.*
A remarkable human indeed.
She closed her eyes, summoning the image of the young
and innocent green-haired girl to whom sisters had chosen
to be bonded to. Iczer 2 frowned, tilting her head so as a
thought came to her mind.
It did not matter.
Smiling, her form shimmered as she slowly disappeared
into the endless abyss of space....
=======================================
Nikholas F. Toledo Zu Productions
Presents:
Another Crossover Fanfiction
by: RADLER
=======================================
NOTES:
This fanfic is brought to you by the demented group
of the Zu.
Proudly Philippine made!!! Hehehehehe...
I've slaved over this monster for eight whole months
through bouts of the deepest blocks any writer is loathe to
put up with and work and subsequent search for yet another.
That's saying quite a bit of my experience. That and other
problems have delayed my return.
Well, you guys wanted it revamped... well... here you
go!!! Massive revisions on every plot point and I have the
distinct feeling this is going to be yet another fic that's
going to take a bit of while to finish....
This fic belongs to the people who created them. You
people know them and I know them too. No need to name names
or anything. C&C and other forms of replies can be directed
to my email address located at the end of this fic.
Also, thanks to a relatively small bunch of people
who helped me out in this one. ^_^
All changes and revisions are thanks to my pre-readers
who were nice enough to stay around and help me in this one.
After all, this is a pretty big fic.
Special thanks to Teknos Warhammer for helping me out
immensely with his ideas. Most of which will likely end up
showing in Once and Future Goddess.
Any other comments shall be reserved later.
Now, on with the fic.
Other notes:
This started out as a simple story but became yet another
tangled web of a fanfic. Those of you who recognize my works may
note some similarities with my Once and Future Goddess story.
You are not wrong.
Some ideas were drawn from that fanfic.
Don't worry.
This fanfic is not related to any others I may have made... yet.
Hehehehehe....
One more thing: This fic is dedicated to those graduates an
others still struggling with their lives and their job.
I know I am. :(
Here's to hoping for something good to finally happen.
======================================================
BUBBLEGUM CRISIS: The Story of the Knight Sabers
and the Zu Productions Presents:
And Iczer 2/BGC Crossover
Angel's Heart: The Light in the Midst of Darkness
======================================================
A young woman gazed out of the huge glass window of
her office, her eyes held a far away look in them as she
quietly pondered this new development. She'd recently
returned from her six month leave - a vacation of sorts the
Chairman had forcibly made her accept.
She had been worried over the possible implications
of it. After all, Quincy never did things without a reason
and this one was puzzling her to no end. Still, she had
enjoyed the time off despite her worries.
Now, she was back once again in her office only to
find a note informing her that Quincy wanted to talk to
her.
She could not shake the feeling of unease she felt.
She'd learned to trust her instincts over time and somehow,
this meeting with the Chairman did not bode well for her.
===================
"Something's not right in this city." Leon remarked
idly as he sipped his coffee.
"And why might that be?" Daley wanted to know as he
drove the cruiser back to headquarters.
"It's just a feeling I have." Leon told his partner.
"This city was never known to be the quiet type."
And indeed it wasn't.
Far form it really.
Aside from the usual run-of-the-mill crimes and
whatnots, boomers tended to add quite a bit of spice to the
lives of everyone. Things had been relatively quiet these
past months or so. Boomer-wise actually. No sudden rampages
as boomers went berserk. No megalomaniac out to rule the
world or destroy the Knight Sabers or both. Even GENOM
seemed to have kept its nose clean.
Something had to be up.
Something always is.
"You seem extremely pessimistic today, Leon."
remarked Daley. "What's wrong with not having to worry
about how many of your men will get back to the office."
Leon shrugged. "Nothing by itself but the fact that
it's too quiet is making me worry."
"Be thankful that it _is_ Leon-chan. We're still
recovering from that last boomer rampage a few weeks back.
Besides, with the new Chief working her ass off getting new
funding for the ADP, we should thank our lucky stars that
the boomers have decided to stay quiet for the time being."
Leon snorted, adjusting his shades as he leaned on
the cruiser's seats.
He really couldn't complain with their current chief.
After the old man retired, he'd left the ADP under the
hands of Chief Kushinada. He'd been skeptical at first but
considering her records....
Didn't think the old man even had relatives. Much
less of a different color.
Not that he was racist or anything. It just struck
him as odd. The only family he remembered the old man had
was Lisa. Then again, he did kept to himself most of the
time unless it was arguing with hotshot idiots like Leon.
The new Chief was a mystery to him. Her records were quite
impressive and it took quite a bit to get Leon to be that
impressed.
Still, Leon knew it would take more than just skill
to be able to do anything within ADP and much as he hated
the old man, Leonknew he would never have couched for this
woman unless he knew something Leon did not.
Not surprising but Leon hated not knowing.
The new Chief had not been sitting around and had
since been arguing with the higher ups for some time now.
She had repeatedly pointed out the ADP's need for a
_larger_ budget if they were to be expected to perform
their duties to the public. From what he'd heard from some
of the others back at the station, the Chief had been most
verbal with her disagreements.
Everyone back in ADP was most surprised at how their
Chief was handling the matter - which was, to put it
bluntly, short of pummeling the old bastards into the
ground. One thing was certain, the Chief held the support
of everyone in ADP. Leon's respect for the new chief went
up a couple of notches.
He hoped the Chief would be able to handle the old
bastards. Gaining new funding would be an uphill battle few
wanted to take on. What's worse, most of those responsible
for the ADP funding were GENOM lackeys. He hoped to God
under heaven she'd be successful. They've taken a fearsome
pounding in the last engagement with those boomers until
the Knight Sabers had arrived. He'd lost quite a number of
his men just trying to keep the boomers occupied long
enough for him to evacuate the area of civilians.
Leon stared outside the cruiser, locking his gaze on
the ever present silhouette of the GENOM corporate HQ as
their car wove through the light traffic of the city.
This was his city. A place that held a thousand
myriad memories and experiences. This city was both home
and battlefield for him and countless others. Whatever its
faults may be, he was fond of this place and would do his
best to protect it from those who would endanger it. And if
it meant taking whatever help the Knight Sabers could give,
so be it.
While most civilians may view the Sabers as just
another mercenary unit, to the ADP, they were the city's
guardian angels. After all, they certainly helped ADP
whenever they were in trouble. And that was a good enough
excuse to turn a blind eye to their continued presence
within the city.
Still, he was beginning to feel the stirrings of
uneasiness in him. A storm was slowly brewing across the
now serene city; growing stronger as time went by. And if
his fears proved true, it would be one that just might be
strong enough to sweep everything away.
===================
She had always been very good at making things.
Building them up from scratch. Hatching up crazy mechanized
ideas and such since she was a child. Her parents said she
had a gift - albeit a strange one as her sister once put
it.
It was something she was proud of and it showed.
Her dreams - little girl dreams as it had been - were
simple and concise as little girl dreams went. Grow up and
become the greatest inventor of all time.
Simple dreams but ones she was dead set into doing.
Until fate decided to hand her the short end of the
stick.
Reality was always a lot more different than what one
would expect it to be. Both her parents had died in Luna
Base fifteen years ago after that disastrous event. Even
now, it remained a mystery to any who bothered to look into
it.
She was one of the two survivors of that incident.
The other had been her 'loving' twin sister who had
abandoned her soon after. The world was a cold and dark
place. Not a place for a little girl to be left alone in
but her sister had done just that. She'd left without a
word, abandoning her to the whims of fate and man.
She would have died had it not been for a kindly old
man taking her in one stormy night.
Grandpa had been very nice to her; taking care of her
when others would not. He offered her shelter and taught
her all that he knew until the time came for her to take
her studies elsewhere. She had left for college, intent on
making her foster father proud of her.
She graduated at the top of her class with a degree
in advanced mechanical engineering. Her professors were
astounded with her ability to conjure up an endless
assortment of gadgets and what nots that should have by all
rights blown up in her face.
She smirked as she remembered those stuck up morons
who had tried their level best to beat her. In the end, she
had won; proving without a doubt just who was the greatest
engineer in the world. Just thinking about it made her want
to cackle with laughter.
It certainly was hard not to.
After all, great geniuses like herself should have
their trademark laugh.
It just wouldn't be right without one.
After graduation, she had been swamped by letters and
invitations to join this or that company. It had been an
easy choice. Just randomly picked one from the tall stack
of letters.
That company just so happened to be GENOM.
What luck.
She tried to be cheerful about it.
GENOM wasn't exactly high up in her fan list.
Then again, she figured it would be the best place to
start. For all its faults, GENOM was a premiere company and
with enough resources to make her giddy just thinking what
she could do with all that. Besides, GENOM _did_ offer a
substantial salary base and benefits package if nothing
else. For a fresh graduate, that had been more than enough
to lure her in - for the time being anyway. If she didn't
like it, she was going to make sure she could get out of
the company without any problems.
Her life in the company had been uneventful at best.
People took an instant liking to her cheerful demeanor -
something most places in GENOM have a lot lacking. It
seemed like she'd entered some kind of mortuary or
something. She'd never really believed in those old tales
of dead people walking and such but just being in GENOM...
was more than enough to dispel her skepticism.
Months passed since her initial hiring. Life in general had
been good for her. She'd carved out a niche in GENOM and
pretty much causing a stir amongst her co-workers. Nothing
she couldn't handle in the end.
GENOM had given her a substantial promotion after her
breakthrough in metallurgy. Her work had substantially
reduced the cost of creating the metal alloy GENOM used in
its space projects. She was put off when her superiors
brushed her off when she volunteered herself for the space
program to Mars.
*Bunk of jerks.*
After that. she'd spent some time investigating the
usual causes of boomer malfunctions. She'd long suspected
the problem to be part of the AI design. She was right - in
a way. Boomers go berserk if its programming does not help
it cope with the demands of its environments. This resulted
in massive synaptic breakdown in its OS causing it to
literally go insane. This was true in most cases unless it
was deliberate.
She'd found a lot of cases of that but she wisely
kept her mouth shut and simply kept her findings to
herself. She was no fool despite what others may think of
her. Whatever the case may be, she went about her research
in AI development; spurned on with her findings. She was
going to built an AI that no one can reprogram that easily
- or if not, at least make the boomer smart enough to
figure out for itself what was right and wrong.
No small feat but one she was confident she could
handle.
Things have steadily gone much the same way for some
time as she went about her research until that fateful day.
Her past... it would seem had finally managed to
catch up with her.
One she had long thought to have forgotten...
Stumbling upon her twin sister after all this time
had been more than a surprise. They were twins, she being
the younger of the two. Encountering each other had been
like looking through a mirror. Both looked so much alike
but so very different at the same time.
At least no one really made the connection.
Good old unassuming Carrie Yushinori could never be
compared to the woman who stood before her now. No one
would ever make the connection had they both stood side by
side. Indeed, she hardly recognized her sister in her
sharp, form-fitting business attire plus the simple
cosmetic changes she'd made on herself.
It was those piercing lavender eyes that gave it all
away.
This woman was her older twin!!
All the pent up emotions of that time seemed to rise
up within her and it was through a supreme effort she'd
managed to keep it all in check. Carrie knew - felt - that
the woman that was her sister also recognized her. That
very day, she decided to find out more about the strikingly
beautiful woman that was her sister.
Upon investigation, she was quite impressed with what
her sister had seemingly achieved in such a short period of
time in the employ of GENOM. It appeared that her sister,
Kate, had seemingly managed to develop the necessary streak
of ruthlessness in her to fight it out amongst the sharks
that infested the upper hierarchy of GENOM - disposing of
them in turn as she saw fit from the looks of it.
She was shocked at what she'd learned. So shocked
that she did not hear the door to her quarters open to
admit her very own sister. When she did take notice, she
found herself rushing up to her older twin, hugging her
tightly as she cried, muttering the word 'why' over and
over.
For all the things her older twin had done, Carrie
knew she could forgive her for it. She was never one to
stay angry at a person for too long regardless of what he
or she may have done.
She did not expect her sister to act the way she did.
Hell, shooting her then and there would have been
better.
Carrie's sister had come by to warn her: She had to
leave GENOM or else. She was fast becoming a liability her
sister could not afford to have. She was giving her fair
warning because of their mutual pasts. She would give no
more once she left this apartment. Carrie heard no more
than the first few words before the world turned silent and
dead. Her eyes could only stare as her world was quickly
crumbling all around her. Everything was fast becoming a
void of despair and loss.
Her sister had simply stood there - watching and
waiting, never saying a word. Her eyes were colder than the
void of space and just as caring.
*Why?*
Carrie closed her eyes as she sought to control the
wave of emotions that those memories evoked. It was a
bitter memory that she could not take. Nothing seemed so
bleak as the world she lived in now. She'd resigned from
GENOM soon after that; her heart filled with sorrow and
utter loss. It had taken a long time for the hurt to die
down. She'd wandered around the city for a time - getting
involved with many of the city's shadier inhabitants.
She had become a lost soul - driven to the brink by
her encounter with fate. There had been nothing more to her
life save for the hell she'd driven herself into. During
that time, she'd done quite a number of petty crimes but
not to the point that she'd kill another human being.
Back then, she called herself the Black Angel. A
young hacker/mechanic/biker who worked for a price. She'd
probably would have went on with her aimless life until
someone happened to drop by to change her life again.
She would be forever grateful to Kyoko for what she'd
done- even if she'd trashed her workplace fighting that
rogue boomer that had gotten out of the quarantine zone to
save her life or what was left of it back then. Kyoko had
brought her back; away from the darkness she'd cloaked
herself in. She'd stayed in Kyoko's home for a bit, trying
to sort out the tangled life she led.
It took a bit of convincing but Kyoko had managed
somehow. She'd joined the ADP as a tech crew and since then
had stayed on with the beleaguered police force. The
painful memories of her life remained fresh in her mind -
wounds scabbed over by time but always there as a grim
reminder of her past.
But one thing was clear: she would find a way to talk
some sense into her twin. No matter what _she_ had done,
she was still _her_ sister. Carrie wanted her sister back
to the way she was before! By gods she was going to make it
happen!!
By hook or by crook she was going to do it!
"Hey, Carrie!!" a familiar voice called out to her.
"You okay under there??"
Shaking out the cobwebs in her brain, Carrie
Yushinori slid out from under the ADP cruiser she was
repairing; smiling at the familiar sight of one Leon
McNichol gazing down at her. Offering one hand to the
stubborn detective, she got up, brushing back stray strands
of her hair.
She liked the rash and capable ADP detective.
Well enough that she actually went out on a date with the
guy. Some had called her crazy, but then again, she was
really bored that night. Bored enough to accept an
invitation from him. She was not expecting how good a date
the guy had been considering his somewhat less than
sterling reputation amongst the women in the building.
She had been very surprised at where he led her that
night. Certainly it did not look like any great date spot
in her opinion but then again had seen worse before. She
had quickly revised her opinion when she'd heard the woman
singing on the stage. The woman was great and surprisingly
even the food was quite good by her standards. By the end
of the night, she'd told herself to visit the place again
when she had the time.
The next time she'd visited, she had been hooked for
life.
Leon never did ask her out again but she knew it was
for the best. She liked him but not enough to actually
marry the guy anyway. Just two lonely adults out on a night
in the city. Besides, from what she'd heard back at the
bar, there was already a lady out there that was for him.
Trouble was, if those two idiots could just try to be
civil to one another, maybe something might happen. After
all, that woman was probably the only one Leon even
bothered coming back to time and time again. He may be a
flirt but at least he knew who he really wanted even if the
woman would just as soon shoot him with his own gun.
"Hey!! Carrie!!" Leon called out again, waving his
hands in front of her face. "You okay?" he asked again,
concern in his voice.
Blinking, Carrie casually stepped back and gave Leon
a small smile.
"Whatd'ya want, Leon?" she asked as she swiped a
nearby clean piece of rag and began wiping her face and
hands of the sweat and grime she had gotten during her stay
under the cruiser. It was a dirty job but she liked it.
"It's not you to go around visiting me like this." Carrie
smiled coyly as she leaned close to Leon and said in a
slightly high-pitched kawaii voice. "Are you going to ask
me to marry you or something like that? Maybe a little
foreplay? Ooooohhhh......." Carrie had both her hands to
her cheeks, blushing a bit at the naughty thought.
Leon tripped in surprise dragging a squealing Carrie
down with him to the floor. Twin globes of flesh cushioned
his face from contact with the ground. Leon gulped in
panic; backpedaling away from Carrie, his breathe coming in
labored gasps as he stared at Carrie's prone, supple form.
"You certainly are bold, eh?" she said in a sultry
tone of voice.
"Gyaaaahhhh!!!!" was all Leon's addled mind could
come up with.
Rolling over on her stomach, Carrie stared at Leon,
one hand cradling her head as she raised both her feet in
the air.
"Tee-hee." she muttered as she toyed with a wrench
with her free hand.
Leon muttered something under his breathe.
"What's up, Leon?!" she asked in a cheery voice as
she slowly got up from her position on the floor. "Anything
I can do for you?" she said in a suggestive manner which
earned a fit of coughing from the detective. She grinned.
"Anything other than _that_, Leon." Carrie added with a
smile.
Everyone else who saw her act began to laugh at the
performance. Leon quickly gathered his wounded pride around
himself as he replaced his coolness shades across his eyes.
Whatever people may say about him, he seemed to always find
himself attracted to very willful women. It was readily
apparent that his usual suave manner did not affect these
women the way that it should with others.
Such was his troubles with women.
"Nothing much, just wondering what kind of sorcery
you seem to be doing around here." he answered, trying very
hard not to look guilty.
Heck, he was a guy and even he could very well see
that Carrie was a prime example of femininity even if she
didn't particularly liked showing it off. Grease stains and
dirtied coveralls tends to put guys off.
The fact that Carrie tended to be slightly tomboyish
notwithstanding. Besides, she was a pretty nice person and
_was_ pretty good with her hands.
That new EarthShaker gun she'd twiddled with some
time ago had saved his life more than once. Leon took note
of the cruiser that Carrie had been fixing, laying a hand
on its hood. "I hear almost everyone here seems to think
you as some sort of miracle worker."
Carrie smiled, her ego puffing up a bit.
"What do you expect, ne, Leon-chan? I'm a genius!!!
Bwahahahahahaha!!!!!"
Leon winced at the sound. There were times he was
worried over Carrie's mental health. Laughing like a maniac
was not good thing in his book.
Eyeing Leon suspiciously, "What's wrong now? Surely
you wouldn't visit me just for a social visit."
Sighing tiredly, Leon leaned on the hood. "Nothing
much really. Just feeling the pressures of my work and
all." Tilting his head towards Carrie, "And the fact that
I'm getting a bad feeling about all this sudden peace and
quiet we're having for some time now."
"And you came here thinking I could offer some sort
of advice, right?" she finished for him.
Leon nodded.
"I thought so." chirped Carrie. "I really am
surprised you'd actually come all the way down here for
that. I really am honored but I can't help you on that
score Leon. I'm just an engineer."
"Yeah. But I kinda heard from one of your 'students'
that you've been spending too much time disappearing these
past few weeks." Leon told her. "I just thought you might
have something up your sleeve."
"And why do you think that?" she asked archly.
Leon eyed her rather soiled overalls. Something that
never should be considering how Carrie tended to like clean
and immaculate clothes - even her overalls which every
other tech ended up getting soiled in the course of a few
hours. Not Carrie. How she did it with her work clothes was
simply beyond him.
But right now....
Well, that and the fact he'd seen her hanging around
the wee hours of the night. Normally, she'd be at home by
nine - unless something came up. Boomer rampages were
always hard on the tech crew as they were the ones that
ended up repairing and/or salvaging equipment from an
encounter; trying to piece back together broken power armor
and vehicles.
Of course, the last boomer rampage was over a month
old. No reason for her to be staying around for too long.
He'd known her for a short time but he knew of her penchant
for tinkering with stuff. Knowing her, she's probably been
putting together something.
Leon gave her that pleading look.
Putting one finger to her mouth as she mentally
debated on what to do. Of anyone, she knew she could trust
the foolhardy and somewhat dependable ADP detective that
Leon was - most of the time. Besides that, he was probably
the only one who actually tried to do something about the
ADP's problems.
That alone was a BIG plus in her book.
Without another word, she clamped one arm around his
wrist and proceeded to drag Leon into the deepest depths of
the repair bay.
"Fine. Come this way." Glancing behind her, she
asked, "Say, did you bring that gun of yours?"
Leon nodded.
"Well..... let's see if I can get you a better one."
Somehow, that made Leon feel better.
Storage Bay 5, located a few levels under the ADP
Headquarters was where most of everything gets dumped into
after any given mission. That was to say, it was where most
of the scrap ended up going. ADP engineers and repair techs
were never one to throw anything out on the off chance that
they might get some sort of spare parts from it when the
time came. It had often proved an invaluable foresight
amongst the engineers and techs a dozen times over. And
with higher up seeming becoming more and more stingy with
the funding that ADP needed so badly, this was the place to
go look for parts.
"Where the heck are we going anyway?" Leon asked
uncomfortably, staring at the hulking piles of rusting
derelicts not to mention the occasional trashed boomer or
two.
"As you can clearly see, this is where we throw every
scrap of metal that goes our way. We've even went so far as
to dump all the boomers you guys have collected in the
streets over the years. I never really went this deep until
a couple of months back." Carrie answered. "No one has
really gone this deep into this place - well except for me
anyway."
"Nice office." he commented dryly.
Carrie shrugged. "You take what you can get. No one
bothers me when I'm in here."
"I can see why they don't bother you that much."
observed Leon, glancing at the multitude of broken boomers
and whatnot. "How you can live in this place is beyond me
though. This place gives me the creeps."
Grinning, Carrie proceeded to drag Leon into the
depths of the ADP building's sub-basement.
Leon's last thought about the subject was one of
wonder: Since when did they get such a bloody big basement
anyway?
===================
A certain red-haired female casually drove through
the downtown area, weaving through the traffic with
practiced ease. Her little scooter happily raced through
the downtown streets well below the speed limit.
Nene hummed a little tune as she drove towards
Raven's for another day of testing and training, Something
she really did not relish. She was the first to admit that
she was not a fighter. But this was not why Sylia had
chosen her to be part of the Knight Sabers. What she lacked
in fighting prowess, her ability to hack through any
computer system more than made up for it.
Still, that did not exempt her from practicing in
Sylia's practice chamber which meant she had to endure
Priss' teasing about her fighting ability. Nene suddenly
gripped her scooters brakes as emerald eyes homed in on a
particular pastry shop she was fast approaching. Another
thing she liked about her bike was that she could
practically get away with these sudden pit stops to stores
like this one.
That chocolate cake would look absolutely divine at
her dinner table, not to mention her plate.
===================
Of course, that was going to be a difficult
proposition considering that she felt bone weary from her
exertion in the training room. She'd lucked out, getting
hit by the digital blob that represented a boomer.
Level 5 again. Ugh. She was getting royally sick of
it. And it was fast becoming obvious that she wasn't going
to get a crack at her recently bought chocolate cake until
she could get over being so very tired.
Somehow, Priss' jibes had gotten into her,
overexerting herself when she went into the training room.
Nene made a mental note to have some words with her inner
self later.
She was angry at Priss and with herself since she had
a feeling she was not going to enjoy eating that cake she'd
bought for tonight. Wincing, she struggled out of her
clothes and into some regular wear, vowing she would at
least take a nice hot soak back home before she allowed
herself to collapse into bed.
Outside, Sylia was examining the data on Nene,
frowning slightly at some of the readings. Reaching a
decision, Sylia turned her attention to Linna.
"It would appear that Nene will be requiring a little
bit of training." Sylia observed; to which Linna merely
smirked having also watched Nene's performance in the
training room.
"Why?" she asked curiously. "I thought she did good
out there."
Nene was a nice friend and Linna just had to stick up
to her - not that it was going to help in this situation.
Sylia nodded. "Perhaps. But I think it is time she
learned a bit more on how to take care of herself. I have a
feeling she will need the extra training in the times to
come."
Priss grinned, seeing an opportunity for fun and a
bit of payback.
"Mind if I helped, Linna?" she offered, a silly grin
on her face. "My week is extremely free for some reason."
A strangled groan came from behind them as all three
whirled to see Nene just exiting the changing room. Her
face drained of blood upon hearing the tail end of their
conversation. To one distraught Nene Romanova, it seemed
that the world had suddenly turned against her for some
reason.
How could such a thing happen!
All she wanted was a piece of her chocolate cake for
crying out loud!!
===================
Scientists theorized that travelling at the speed of
light was somewhat akin to travelling into the future. Many
scientists have been trying unsuccessfully to harness this
theory for interstellar flight. Of course, there were
problems involved such as time dilation and gravitic
disturbances caused by nearby star systems along the flight
path.
It hardly posed a problem for an Iczer.
Iczer 2 streaked towards the Earth, a brilliant
streak of blue light that arced its way towards the Sol
System....
===================
A week or so later...
Leon ducked once again as a fresh wave of missiles
roared passed his much abused cruiser. Leon winced as the
missiles homed in on one of the assault choppers up in the
air, turning it into so much wreckage.
Leon swore as he ducked to avoid any debris from the
explosion. He tend got up; trained his gun on the nearest
boomer and let loose a couple of shots from his EarthShaker
handgun. Not waiting for the results, Leon ducked back
behind his car.
"This sucks." noted Leon as he pulled out a couple of
bullets for his gun.
"Tell me about it." muttered Daley who was arguing
vociferously over the comm to get the backup here before
their position was run over. "Wait a sec." turning his full
attention on the comm, Daley swore at dispatch, yelling his
need for more backup since the last one just got toasted
before they even arrived.
"Remind me to ask Carrie to upgrade my gun again."
said Leon.
"I thought you just did?" Daley shot back
incredulously.
"I know." he deadpanned.
Answering salvos from the remaining ADP personnel
left during first contact. Not that it did little more than
irritate the boomer into once again switching targets.
Chest plates opened up revealing a vast array of lenses
that began to glow with an unholy light. Then the boomer
staggered, its systems overloading from the feedback of its
weapon misfiring. Leon frowned for just a moment before the
answer to his question appeared in the form of four very
familiar feminine hardsuits. Mercenaries who had aided them
during any boomer rampage that might threaten the city and
who generally saved their asses. He still wondered about
the high heels though.
Maybe it was a female thing.
The boomer did not last too long being pulled down by
a combination of rail spikes from the blue and red hardsuit
to the green hardsuit's use of her monomolecular ribbon. As
always the pink and red one stood at the rear, probably
offering some sort of unseen support while the white one
stood by her side, a silent sentinel that acted only when
it was needed.
Leon motioned for his people to stand down. Sighing,
he looked at his partner and rubbed his temples. So much
for a peaceful night on the streets.
"Time for the paperwork on this one." Daley said in a
tired voice.
"Someone shoot me now." Leon complained in defeat.
===================
Somewhere within the upper portion of the conical
corporate headquarters of GENOM, the heavy wood-paneled
door slid open to admit a beautiful young exec with a
somewhat irritated expression on her face. The woman swept
into her apartment; lavender hair swirling behind her as
she sauntered pass the living room and into the adjoining
bedroom.
A small sigh escaped her lips as she tiredly removed
her jacket, flinging it on the bed as she struggled out of
the rest of her clothes and into the baths.
It had been one of those days again. The kind of day
where someone had seen fit to send all their problems to
her desk. She could not believe the level of incompetence
of those under her. It was almost enough to make her go
crazy. Crazy enough to probably order a battalion of 55-C
boomers to take care of the root of the problem.
Ugh.
How she hated days like these!!
Somehow, she had managed to weather the crisis,
bulldozing her way through the pile of paperwork that was
on her desk. There were really times when it certainly did
not pay to be a senior executive. Sighing disgustedly, she
chucked off the last pieces of clothing and prepared
herself for a long, long hot soak on her very large
bathtub.
Rank has its perks and she intended to use them to
the hilt if she had to right now.
===================
Iczer-2 stared dispassionately at the multitude of
lights that played across the surface of the planet,
clearly unimpressed by the tech level humanity had achieved
since she had left after the battle with Neos-Gold.
Humanity was on the brink of interstellar travel as
evidenced by the number of massive space infrastructure and
the beginnings of a base situated on the far side of the
moon.
*Nagisa.* she thought.
Iczer 2 smiled in fond memory of the green-haired
girl that had ruined her life thus far.
Nagisa had been instrumental in defeating both Big
Gold and her daughter Neos Gold. Without her help, her
sisters - Iczer 1 and Iczer 3 - could never have hoped to
defeating them. Ironic that for all of her sisters' power;
they had to rely on the guidance of a single human.
It still amazed her at the lengths Iczer 1 would take
for this world and for Nagisa.
Time manipulation was always a chancy thing but Iczer
1 had done it twice already. How her sister didn't end up
causing massive paradoxes was beyond her. Yet, Iczer 1 took
that risk all for the happiness of one single individual.
*Nagisa.*
Iczer 2 frowned as she could not sense Nagisa's
presence. This worried her greatly considering how Nagisa
or any of her progeny normally stood out amongst the
multitude of other humans on the planet. She was even more
confused of the three weak signals she was getting from the
planet.
Intriguing but she was more worried about her
inability to sense Nagisa.
*Nagisa.*
Without further thought, Iczer 2 flew towards the
island of Japan to begin her search.
===================
A young woman grappled futilely at the keys that
were slowly slipping away from her hands. Hands that could
do little more than struggle uselessly as the keys dropped
to the ground. A small curse could be heard coming from
the woman as she slowly knelt down to retrieve her keys.
She swore under her breath as her groceries she carried
shifted uncomfortably against her sore arms. If she did not
get this stuff onto the counter real quick, she was going
to hate herself.
Besides, her chocolate cake was with the groceries.
Swiping the keys off the floor, she hurriedly
inserted the keys, twisted the lock open, burst into her
somewhat messy foyer and scrambled towards the kitchen with
her armload of groceries that were slipping away from her
grip.
With her precious load of chocolate cake in mind, she
half-stumbled, half-fell into her kitchen; reaching it in
just the nick of time as the groceries slipped free from
her grasp and onto the top of the counter. With a sigh of
utmost relief, she slowly stood up, brushing away the stray
locks of red hair that swayed in front of her face;
mentally taking note that perhaps it was high time to have
her hair cut.
Nah.
She then moved towards her computer, leaning against
the plush chair she'd spent a pretty penny purchasing. It
certainly was well worth it as she tended to spend whatever
time she had to herself jacked into the internet
superhighway.
The computer activated itself, demanding the usual
password protocols and checks she had installed for
security measures. Nothing a great hacker like herself
could handle. Then again, there weren't that many who could
get one over her. Something she prided herself in. A useful
tool to fling to Priss when she went around teasing her
about her weight.
Smiling, she logged on, totally forgetting that
promise to herself to take a long, long hot soak to get the
kinks out of her muscles not to mention the totally
irresistible chocolate cake she had bought for dinner. All
of which had been conveniently forgotten when she got hold
of her computer....
===================
Carrie Yushinori sat by her desk, face set in a
determined frown as she eyed the vidphone warily.
It sat there by her desk minding its own business as
she glared at it; hazel eyes flashing in anger. Her stare
did not waver as she sat there; her mind awhirl with recent
events. Her gaze softened a little as a small sigh escaped
her lips.
A slender arm reached out towards the phone in a
cautious manner much like one would see when a person was
handling a poisonous and irate king cobra. In actuality, it
might have been safer to have handled a king cobra rather
than what she was currently struggling against. She took
hold of the phone, gripping it tightly around one hand as
she inwardly debated on her options.
Questions flitted across her mind; all of which
revolved around the call that had been made.
Her sister had called!!
That in itself wasn't the problem. God in heaven
alone knew just how they parted back then. Kate's words had
hurt. Hurt so much that it had neatly driven her off the
edge. Even got that cute little black angel tattoo on her
back and a little something else - remnants of her past
life before she'd joined ADP.
Her sister had asked her out for the night. As to why
she could only begin to guess. She needed to get away from
the office and maybe grab a bite to eat to settle her
nerves and ponder this sudden situation.
Glancing at the clock, it was still too early for her
to seek out the only decent restaurant near ADP
Headquarters. Half-muttering to herself, she mentally
cursed her sister for making that damn call. Another
string of curses were directed at herself as she had
accepted the proposal to meet at the Regis Hotel tonight.
Ugh.
That meant formal wear.
She hated that.
To top that off, she didn't even have a thing to
wear. The only clothes she had mostly consisted of sweat
shirts, jogging pants, a few decent sets of clothes she'd
bought some time ago with her friends plus her nice leather
biking outfit she'd made herself.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The rhythmic beat of her fingertips on her desk
served to calm her mind a bit but did little to alleviate
her of her little problem. As an ADP tech, she got paid a
decent salary and her little... ahhh... side job helped a
lot with some of her more esoteric works so to speak -
enough she could live comfortably without having to worry
too much about her rent or food.
Her dabbling in the world of the stock market proved
profitable now and then. But most of her liquid assets were
tied up in various little ventures plus she still had that
custom job on her motorcycle to complete back in her house.
All of which pretty much translated into being somewhat
broke at the moment.
*Dead broke.* she amended to herself.
Of course, she could always try and wheedle a couple
of thousand yen from a couple of her friends who owed her
some - like maybe good old Leon.
Leon's always good for a loan or two.
Carrie smiled widely.
*Time to call in some favors.*
Yawning, she stretched her body, removing a few kinks
here and there, stretching her uniform - what passed for
one for her -- a bit across her lithe frame. Feeling a bit
more relaxed, Carrie stood up and walked away in search of
a meal. She made a mental note of dragging good old Hiroshi
with her later on.
She'd need some male advise once she went about
looking for something suitable to wear.
===================
This was most disturbing.
It was an unspoken agreement between the two of them:
Don't bother me and I won't bother you. She'd never
bothered her sister save for those times when she'd
routinely check up on her. She may be a cold hearted bitch
but not enough to ignore her sister for too long. They had
not parted in good terms - the way she'd planned it.
It would not do for her old life to start interfering
with her current one. She'd done what she could to shield
both of them from those who might make a possible
connection. It would not do for her to show any signs of
weakness lest she invite attack from opportunists.
Try as she might; she'd taken pains to keep tabs on
her twin.
Only to insure that she was safe.
Steel blue eyes gazed at the vidphone before her, its
monitor filled with little more than static. She cocked her
head to the side a little, trying to ponder over her sudden
action. It was strange and alien to her to be acting like
this. She had always been cool and methodical in her work;
never leaving anything to chance. The risks she took were
calculated and insured minimal effects on her or GENOM.
She was an efficient woman: cold, ruthless, and
loyal.
It was her way of making sure her position remained
unchallenged by any.
So why?
What reasons could there be for this to be happening?
A sudden attack of conscience, perhaps? Madigan shook her
head, rejecting the thought immediately having junked that
a long time ago as it just got in the way of her work.
Why was she even bothering to meet with her sister
after all this time? Carrie was safe from prying eyes and
there was nothing to connect the two of them. What reasons
did she have for risking it and exposing her sister to
undue risks.
No one could touch her. But by doing this, she would
invite trouble to herself - and possibly to GENOM as well.
It would not do for her competitors to learn of her single
vulnerability. Her sister was smart and doubtless cunning
enough to get out of trouble but even then, how long would
she last before someone got to her.
Why?
What was she thinking inviting her sister to meet
with her?
Swiveling her high-back chair, she turned towards the
large glass pane behind her; staring out into the city
spread out below her. Innocence and morality had no place
in this world. A lesson she had learned early in life.
Things she had discarded over time. For in a world like
this, survival of the fittest was the golden rule. And the
only way to survive was to have power. And if it meant she
had to be ten times as ruthless as anyone else, so be it.
And yet...
Madigan frowned.
The thought persisted; unrelenting.
Was this job the only thing in her life? Was this her
only life? She looked around plush office noting the
expensive furnishings with all the conveniences GENOM could
think of.
But what else was there in her life?
Was this all there was?
Everything that she could confidently speak of?
Frowning, Madigan irritably banished the thoughts out
of her mind. She would not allow such questions to cloud
her judgements not now while she was working. She needed to
finish this before the day ended.
She'd deal with them later.
Crossing her legs, she idly toyed with a lock of
lavender hair, her eyes staring out across the vast city
below her feet, a small smile on her face....
===================
Iczer-2 frowned.
Night had fallen once more upon the city. The
inhabitants were not deterred from their tasks as lights
began to illuminate the streets; banishing the night back
into the corners and alleyways of the city. And here she
was, in a dark and damp alleyway that stank of refuse -
human or otherwise.
She paid little heed to the figures sprawled against
the walls as she trudged across the narrow alleyway, boot
heels clicking on the worn, damp stones.
Cold red eyes stared into the gloom ahead of her.
A sudden gust of wind caught her hair tossing it
behind her like a blazing pennant of blood; revealing for a
short time her delicate pointed ears. The wind died down,
her hair settling behind her like a sea of crimson strands.
A slim hand brushed back the hair, returning some loose
strands back as she continued on her way.
Her eyes suddenly gleamed in the darkness; becoming
thin slits as she glared into the shadows. She was
expecting it somewhat. After all, she was an empath - a
very powerful one - and sensing what these humans were
thinking right now was not above her abilities.
Of course, she was a bit irked they'd taken so long
before attacking. She had tried to avoid trouble whenever
she could. Generally, it would seem that trouble followed
her. Then again, she doubted any of these humans would
leave her alone. After all, a strange woman all alone in an
alley like this would be a definite lure for unscrupulous
individuals like these.
Iczer 2 had earned quite a bit of a reputation
amongst these sorry excuses for humans. She'd taken care of
many of their number since the first time she'd encountered
their kind. She'd dealt with them - without having to
resort to killing them.
It had been a shock to discover that Nagisa had
passed away. The last of her family had died just a few
years back. Further inquiry in the matter were met with
failure. She was puzzled and a little suspicious. While
death was a normal occurrence in any society, Iczer 2 did
not take Nagisa's death too lightly. After all, unlike
normal humans, Nagisa's life essence carried over to her
female siblings. A gift bestowed by her sister, Iczer 1.
But without any issues to transfer that life
essence.....perhaps.
Iczer 2 sighed.
She wondered what her sister might be feeling right
now....
Shaking her head, she dismissed the matter for the
time being. Dwelling over things she had little control
over would do no good. She would stay, if only to find out
what had really happened to Nagisa. Then, there was also
those strange signals she kept receiving from time to time.
They bordered on the same type as that of Nagisa's life
essence but subtly different.
It would seem she would really have to stay if she
were to solve these matters - not that she wasn't
considering staying for a little while on this world
anyway. Even she needed a little rest and relaxation now
and then.
Besides, if she ever got too bored, there were those
strange mechanical creatures she'd heard about in that
paper she'd picked up in the park. Perhaps she could even
find a job somewhere in this city that dealt with those
things as well. After all, if she were going to be staying
on this world for long, she would need a source of income.
Taking care of street trash could hardly be called a job. A
satisfying one but not one nonetheless.
A small sighed escaped her lips as she once again
felt that faint yet all too familiar tugging in her heart.
Try as she might deny it, she had wanted to be with Nagisa
even for a little while - perhaps to learn what it was that
made her attracted to the young woman.
Fate had decided against it.
Nagisa had passed on.
Turning her attention once more to the half dozen
filthy humans that blocked her path. Right now, she was
seriously considering pulling out her beam sword and be
done with these fools. She doubted anyone would miss these.
Loosening the belt on her trenchcoat, she eyed her
opponents critically, gauging their skills. It wasn't
needed but she just did mainly so that she wouldn't strike
them too hard. It would not do for her to be attracting
attention to her now.
Ah well.
That was life. Nothing she could really do about it.
She smiled as charged into the fray.
===================
A young man with an unruly patch of black hair
marched across the street, carrying an armload of stuff
that he'd been forced to collect by his loving sister after
she'd caught him peeping on them last night.
He muttered something about the unfairness of it all.
He was a growing boy and like any other hot-blooded male,
he was becoming ever more curious about the female part of
his species. A little look certainly would not hurt. It
wasn't like he was taking pictures of them and selling them
to other people.
Well, the first part was true. He did try to take
pictures of them while they were undressing. He never could
keep those pictures for long though.
Such setbacks did not deter him from doing it again
and again. What he did managed to get were painstakingly
retouched in his computer.
Of course, doing hentai things were not his only
skills.
He was an accomplished mechanic and was mostly
responsible for the maintenance of the hardsuits not to
mention his sister's errand boy when she needed something
done - most of which involved doing groceries and other
mundane matters.
Like picking up her sister's laundry from the dry
cleaners.
Sighing, he made his way towards his sister's
building. It was hers. The only house that was his was out
of his reach at the moment - not that he'd bother with it
anyway. This was where all the fun was not to mention the
women.
Now, if he could only get home without any of his
groceries spilling into the ground or him tripping and
breaking his neck. After all, he still had those shots of
Nene-chan to edit...
Hehehehehehe.... omph!!
"Yaaahhhh!!!"
"Ugh!!"
Twin cries of pain soon followed as her bundle of
groceries spilled on top of them. It took a few moments for
them both to regain their senses; twin groans of pain could
be heard coming from the sprawled figures against the
sidewalk.
"That had hurt." the first one stated matter-of-
factly, rubbing his much abused skull.
"Y..yeah... " said the other. "Ugh. Greeaaattt..
There goes my dinner not to mention a whole week of food."
Mackie stared in horror at all the spilled takeouts
on the sidewalk. If that was not enough, all his ecchi
magazines were currently swimming around in the muck. He
slapped a hand on his face as he saw all of his sister's
dry cleaned clothes lying on the sidewalk, stained and
soiled much like his ecchi magazines.
"My sister's going to kill me this time!!" he moaned
in despair.
===================
Leon once again found himself wondering why he really
hated his job. If it wasn't for his ideals getting in the
way, he would have quit a long time ago. What little good
he or any of his fellow officers did were buried under the
deaths of civilians and their constant pressures from
higher up.
He persisted and merely pressed on, knowing that
someday he and others like him might make the difference.
It was something that he tried to keep alive. It did not
help he was feeling restless for some reason.
He was feeling really tense.
Edgy even.
That was not good.
Closing his eyes, he laid back on his chair; trying
to ease his mind of imagined problems.
Things couldn't be _that_ worse. Shrugging, he
berated himself for letting his imagination get the better
of him. Or was it?
===================
She roused from her slumber as she felt the familiar
presence of an Iczer. A low, bestial growl sounded from
deep with her throat as she opened her eyes once more.
Long had she slumbered within this prison fashioned
by that human.
Powerless, she could do very little but wait and bide
her time. Time had passed, and with the death of that
human, so did the seals of her prison weaken.
It would take time but it was one she was willing to
wait.
The human was dead.
There was nothing who stood in her way now.
A small smile played across her lips as she watched
the Iczer heading straight for Earth.
===================
Carrie stared dubiously at herself in the full length
mirror; turning this way and that as she examined the long
turquoise gown she wore. She looked nice. But then again,
she never really liked having to wear anything like this.
Jeans, jumpsuits, and biking leathers were her clothes of
choice. This stuff, while they were quite lovely, just was
not hers. She hardly recognized herself in the mirror.
Turning around, she saw Hiroshi practically drooling
on the floor while Rhinoa was smiling at her, nodding her
head in satisfaction.
"Do I really look good in this thing?" she asked,
tugging at the skirt.
Hiroshi nodded dumbly while Rhinoa gave her the
thumbs up. Still, not satisfied, she quickly re-examined
herself in the mirror, gauging for herself how she really
looked.
Carrie possessed a wealth of long, dark hair with
some odd greenish highlights every time the light caught
her hair that framed a somewhat oval face.
Prominent cheekbones gave her a slightly aristocratic
look. Small round eyes of the deepest shade of purple and
graced by long delicate eyelashes gave her a somewhat
mysterious look to her - something that was not readily
noticeable most of the time unless she even bothered to
dress up.
After all, she was comfortable with her looks and her
figure so why bother. Besides, she wasn't all too
interested in guys these days. Maybe someday when she
finally got her sister back.
The gown itself was a simple affair. Deepest
turquoise that hugged her upper body like a glove; becoming
looser as it went down her long slender legs. Long black
opera gloves and four-inch stilettos completed the ensemble
although she could have done without the latter. the damn
things were killing her feet and were very difficult to
balance.
Carrie gingerly took a small step back, careful not
to fall off the small dais as she re-examined herself a bit
more.
Okay, so she did look good. Better than she even
remembered herself. She made a note to thank Rhinoa later
on. Maybe upgrade her sniper rifle for her or even give her
that weapon she'd been toying around with. A brief mental
picture of what Rhinoa would do if she ever got hold of
that weapon appeared in her mind.
Carrie shivered at the thought.
Maybe the upgrade would be better. No sense letting
Rhinoa get her hands on the rifle right now.
Maybe once she perfected its power core....
As for good old Hiroshi....
Hmmmm...
Well, a little kiss should suffice and a healthy
deduction on what he owed her for. After all, he was the
one who brought them to this little shop. It was quite a
ways from the normal shopping area around downtown
MegaTokyo but certainly worth it. Maybe even help him out
woo that girl he's been mooning for some time now.
A small smile played across her lips.
She'd never really bothered playing matchmaker before
but somehow she felt obliged to help out her two best
friends.
Somehow.
"Okay. I'll buy it!!" she declared. "How much."
"That would be Forty thousand yen plus tax." the
saleslady answered her with a perfectly straight face.
Carrie felt her heart take a plunge.
Gyaah!!!!
That was expensive.
"Uhhh...." She glanced at her friends with a sad look
in her eyes.
"She'll take it!" Rhinoa answered for her; pulling
out her credit card from her purse.
"RHINOA!!" she protested; whirling around and nearly
falling flat on her face with those damn heels.
"No buts!" Rhinoa told her, dismissing Carrie's
adamant protests. "You need a nice dress. You never have
one in that place you call an apartment! The only clothes
I've ever seen you wear have been worn jeans and shirts not
to mention those biking outfits of yours. And if this is
going to be the only dress you'll be owning, by God, I'm
gonna make sure you get it even if I have to fork over the
dough for the time being."
"Besides," she added before Carrie could say
anything, "This way, I could get you to fix my bike too. I
know you've been tinkering around down there at the
basement all month long doing something."
Carrie groaned; wondering how many more people would
find out about her little side project. She _was_ trying to
keep it a secret. And with the growing number of people
finding out - eight counting Rhinoa and Hiroshi now - it
won't be long before the higher-ups find out before she was
ready.
"Hehehehehehe...errrr.... what are you talking
about?" she asked weakly.
Rhinoa merely smiled earning a weak chuckle from
Carrie.
===================
Nene found herself with a lot of spare time on her
hands. The paperwork had been finished and sent out to
whatever different departments they were bound for. Her
programs were running smoothly and without any need of
active guidance. No new mysteries to solve or Leon bugging
her about hacking into this or that database.
Basically, a really boring day - if you discount the
fact that she was going to be training under Linna and
Priss after her shift for today at five. Nene laid back on
her chair, arching languidly her much abused back and
relieving some sore muscles. A pleased moan escaped her
lips as she leaned back to relax.
Things had not been going all that well for her.
Between training and her work, she had very little time to
herself. Right now, she was definitely going to get as much
rest as she could with this unexpected break from her work.
She was bone tired. So much that not even her
favorite snacks could perk her up anymore. Nene could
hardly blame Sylia's need to train her in developing her
fighting skills. There would come a time when she would
have to fend off for herself, that much she had to concede.
And if she did not begin learning to defend herself, she
just might get herself killed in the process.
Not a good thought.
Admittedly, she was getting better.
Slowly.
Indeed, a part of her wanted this training. Perhaps
to prove to herself and to others that she was capable of
handling herself in a fight. Besides which, it seemed to
help out trimming down her figure.
Some.
Nene let out a sigh of relief as she relaxed,
luxuriating in the feel of doing nothing.
She knew it would not last long.
Not with her luck.
===================
Evening once again settled across half the world,
blanketing the sky in darkness; lit only by the faint
pinpricks of light spread across the heavens.
The moon was out, glowing a brilliant amber;
illuminating the world around it with its light. The night
sky was clear, allowing for an unobstructed view of the
heavens.
It was a sight to behold and one that had often times
soothed his nerves.
Leon McNichol laid back on the tarmac, his shades
surprisingly absent on his face as he looked up to the
stars. It was a great night to be out under the sky and he
was privately thankful for the absence of any boomer
activity. That wouldn't last but right now he was taking a
break from it all. With his nerves frazzled as it was and
his mind suddenly going overactive with thoughts of
conspiracy and impending danger, he needed a break right
about now.
Pulling out a well worn pair of binoculars from his
jacket, he started hunting for that illusive little star
that reminded him so much of his little nightingale.
The thought of Priss put a small smile to his face.
It's been a while since he'd seen her perform and it would
be nice to talk to her again. Maybe he might get lucky
tomorrow and get a date this time.
===================
7:00PM.
Regis Hotel.
Kate Madigan, wearing an expensive three-piece
business suit sat by the table, sipping her wine slowly.
The suit she was wearing perfectly accentuated her
curves in all the right places, lending an air of beauty
and power. She knew she was beautiful and had ensured that
the people who saw her saw that. It was something that she
allowed to flourish.
People, men or women, she had found she could easily
control with a little application of her natural good looks
and a little touch of that natural scent. A small smile
crept to her lips as she recalled the times she had applied
that little trick.
Taking another sip of her wine, she turned her
attention to the people in the restaurant, identifying some
of the more influential members of society. She quickly
dismissed them, knowing none of them presented any
insurmountable threat to her.
The one she was waiting for; however, did in her own
unique way. Then again, this was Carrie. She'd kept tabs on
her younger sister since she had left GENOM - just to make
sure she was okay. She'd even helped her along when she
decided to enter the ADP. She'd purposefully made Carrie
angry. It had been a risk but one very much worth it. She
may have said some things that she should not but it was
for the best.
Carrie had become too good in her field. Any more and
someone would have done something about it. She still
wondered why she even bothered meeting up with her younger
sibling. She never had the inclination to before.
Never really bothered thinking about it considering
the amount of work she did and the fact her sister would
probably hate her guts by now.
That was what worried her.
Sentimentality would get someone killed in this line
of work.
Her own most of all. She banished the thoughts away as
sipped her drink again. She felt extremely agitated for
some reason. This meeting was certainly robbing her of her
usual icy demeanor.
That troubled her.
She had often prided herself in her self-control. In
her ability to keep cool under pressure.
It appeared this was not going to be one of those
times. How can it be that something so simple as a
promotion be doing this to her. She was frustrated at
having to feel so out of control of herself. Lucky enough
that her secretary had been fixing things up for her.
She reminded herself to give Amanda a raise.
A small sigh escaped her lips as she looked out of
the window; idly wondering if this was really a wise step
for her. Weaknesses were not a good thing to be found out
so late in ones career. She'd learned that early on when
she filed for a position in GENOM.
She -
A shadow fell across the window, interrupting her
thoughts. She turned to stare at a stunning young woman in
an elegant dress that complimented her figure well. Raven
hair with those odd locks of green in them was pulled back
and tied by a white ribbon with the rest of her hair
cascading down behind her.
"Ohayou, Onee-chan."
===================
Sylia Stingray sat by the window of her room, staring
out at the starlit night sky. It had been close to four
years now when she had established the Knight Sabers. Too
short a time for her to exact her revenge but long enough
to know she could never hope to accomplish that task.
She could only hope to make amends to the people for
what GENOM had done to her father's work. Still, it was a
bitter pill to swallow indeed. The reality of it had been
hard to accept but it was one that she had to endure. Her
death would solve very little in the long run. Sylia turned
to gaze at the picture sitting by the drawer. She could not
help but smile in remembrance of that little private party
the others had made for her birthday.
It had been one of those few moments in her life that
she had dared lift the ice queen façade she'd put around
herself. And to put it bluntly, it certainly eased some of
the stress she'd accumulated over the years.
Sylia smiled as she took hold of the picture;
recalling that time not so long ago. A time when she had
finally discovered the family she had gathered around
herself. She may not be able to kill the man responsible
for the death of her father but protecting the family she
had more than made up for the pain of her loss.
===================
"Wonder what's happening up there?" Hiroshi wondered
idly.
"Huh?" came someone's response behind him.
Craning his head; Hiroshi replied: "Carrie's meeting
this sister of hers right?"
"Uh-huh. So what?" the voice asked.
"What's the deal between them? Far as I know she was
an only child or something." he told her as he adjusted the
seat before he got a permanent neck injury from his current
position in the driver side of the van he'd been suckered
into bringing to this place. "So why is Carrie so mad at
her sister that she never mentions her?"
Rhinoa smiled that little smile that women tend to do
when they're telling the males that they're way over their
heads in trouble or something to that effect. Not that
Hiroshi had not seen her do that thing of hers before.
Being partners with Rhinoa was something of an adventure.
You just never knew what would happen next.
Of course, it was nice to know that they tend to walk
out of said adventures in one piece.
More or less.
This was fast becoming one of those days.
"So? Why does Carrie never mention her sister? They
got into a fight or something like that?" he asked
curiously.
"She works for GENOM." came the curt response.
"What's bad about that?" was Hiroshi's confused
reply. "Almost everyone works for GENOM these days."
Rhinoa could not help but smile even further.
"Her sister is the Director of Operations for GENOM."
Hiroshi gulped.
Director of Ops.
A position that many a number people would sell their
souls for or what's left of it. That single post carried a
lot of weight anywhere in the world. Roughly speaking, that
position handled most of GENOM's world-wide operations.
It was the single most powerful position in the world
next to the Chairman himself. It is said that even Japan's
Prime Minister bowed to the wishes of the Director.
And in this case, that meant Kate Madigan.
The Chairman's most trusted employee.
"Oh shit."
Was that an understatement!!
Rhinoa smiled.
===================
Nene let out a sigh of pleasure as the warm waters
enfolded her entire body, easing the aches and pains of the
days training. For weeks she'd been put through a battery
of exercises and martial arts training that left her
feeling beat up. Linna was a very demanding sensei and
there was hardly anything she could do about it when her
friend was in full sensei mode.
Then there was Priss and her really warped sense of
training. With Priss, she'd learned to truly hate Sylia's
training room. The number of times Priss had made her go
through the entire training module was enough to drive her
insane. Then there were those lifting exercises Priss made
her do.
Simple enough really until Priss made her carry a
particularly heavy load of lead on her back while doing
jump rope exercises.
Said exercise had been the last straw that broke
_her_ back.
A very heavy piece of straw to be precise. One that
she wielded like an expert malleter as she chased Priss
throughout the complex. Sad to say even Sylia had been
puzzled as to how she managed that little feat of strength.
A low moan escaped her lips as the water's heat
slowly seeped away her body's pain. Much as she did hate
the enforced training regimen, she was pleased with some of
the results of it. Her figure had managed to trim down
quite a bit.
She could actually wear some of her clothes and not
worry how it made her look. Still, she wished there was
some other way she could do this. She did not relish going
home feeling like she went a couple of rounds with Godzilla
on the Tokyo Complex.
She closed her eyes tiredly; her body subconsciously
settling down for an extended hot soak. She was going to
need all her strength for tonight.
===================
Iczer 2 frowned.
The situation was unacceptable. How it even happened
was beyond her. Somehow, Michiko had apparently convinced
her to go out shopping with her. Normally, she would have
declined citing other pressing matters needed her attention
such as those signals she'd been detecting.
The patterns were similar to Nagisa's but different;
suggesting possible syncro candidates. Iczers, like her,
were created with the specific necessity to find suitable
partners for synchronization. Both her sisters shared
Nagisa but it was now apparent that the young girl that had
changed her fate so much was now gone.
Her search proved harder than expected. The signals
pulsed intermittently and even disappeared entirely for
days on end. Once she had almost had a lock on one of the
signals but had been unable to pursue it with the untimely
arrival of the ADP in the area.
Iczer 2 had been roaming the city for weeks; often
times having to deal with the local street toughs and biker
gangs that infested the area. She'd plowed through them
without too much trouble but would have preferred to be
left alone.
It would be worthwhile to note that Iczer 2's actions
had decreased local crime by a third.
By the end of the third week, she had concluded that
she would need to find some ways to sustain herself in this
city while she stayed here. The money she'd pilfered from
her attackers was enough to suit her needs but staying
longer would deplete it quickly. That would mean having to
degrade herself into working. She did not relish the
thought but liked the alternatives even less.
The street trash hardly gave her a decent workout
anyway. She could have handled some of the boomers that
happened her way but chose not to interfere with the
locals. Attracting undue attention was to be avoid as best
as possible.
As for finding some means of support, her options for
work were severely limited. After all, she was a weapon of
war, bioengineered to be capable of leveling an entire
world without too much trouble.
Unless someone was willing to pay her to conquer the
world....
Not something to consider.
She'd turned her back on that chapter of her life.
But what then?
The answer to her problems had been a surprise. Upon
passing by a small shop, she found a group of roughly
dressed males accosting an old couple. Without a second
thought, she'd gone in and dealt with the fools in the
usual fashion. The couple had been very thankful to her and
had asked if she needed anything.
Seeing an opportunity to solve her problems, she
asked to be taken in to which they readily agreed. Since
then, she'd helped the old couple in the shop. The couple
had even offered to teach her to cook. Doubtful of the need
but nonetheless curious, she'd agreed and found herself
liking it a lot.
She was no master chef but she was learning.
And quickly.
She liked it very much but tried her best not to show
too much enthusiasm.
Back to the matter at hand, Iczer 2 was not pleased
with being forced to wear such apparel. The dress was nice,
even comfortable to wear but she did not approve of the
frilly trimmings nor the hat that went with it. Her choice
of clothes were blouses and pants or jeans as it presented
her little problems if she were to engage in combat.
How in the world she'd allowed Michiko to even make
her wear it was lost upon her. People had died for a lot
less by her hands. So why was she even letting Michiko do
it. The answer came to her without too much trouble: She
was a sucker for the kawaii puppy dog look Michiko had
apparently perfected into an art form.
She wanted to kill something but would probably have
to find a couple of street trash later on and blow off
some steam. Iczer 2 absolutely hated wearing a dress.
It made her look silly - in her point of view anyway.
"You look so kawaii, Iczer-chan!!" bubbled Michiko,
her eyes twinkling in delight.
Iczer2 made a frowned, glaring ruby daggers at the
reflection of her friend in the mirror.
"I hate being called cute." she stated in voice cold
enough to freeze liquid nitrogen.
===================
Mackie Stingray was in a bind.
His sister was going to kill him.
He was dead or will be when his sister finds out
about this. He sighed as he entered the building; wondering
just how the heck he was going to explain this one to his
sister. One thing about having a genius for a sister was
the problem of making plausible excuses. It was a pain
making one especially to Sylia and her icy glare of
disapproval of him.
The dry cleaners assured him that the stains could be
removed but it was going to take a day to get it all out -
at extra cost. That wasn't the problem. How to explain it
to his sister was.
It was an accident.
His sister was not going to like it though. He still
could not understand why women made a fuss about clothes
and more so with Sylia. True, the one that he'd ruined was
perhaps Sylia's best one but he'd have it around by
tomorrow.
Mackie sighed; his shoulders slumped as he tried to
wrack his brain for some kind of excuse. Letting his legs
carry him through the flight of stairs towards the
penthouse, he searched for a way out of his predicament -
petty and inconsequential as it was - his head was on the
line here.
Sylia was not above petty reprisals.
===================
For once, Leon was actually happy with the way things
were going. Ever since that boomer incident a couple of
days ago, no new incidents have occurred. That meant he was
pretty much free to go to Priss's little concert tonight -
as soon as he finished typing up his reports.
God! How he hated doing that. It reminded him way too
much of the good men and women he'd lost and of the
innocent civilians that he could not reach in time. He did
what he could with what he had but he knew just like
everyone else that sooner or later, even that would not be
good enough to save even themselves.
"LEON!!!" a voice hollered from a familiar office
behind him. Only this time it was female. "Get in here!!!"
Leon McNichol frowned as he wondered what could
possibly be the matter with the Chief. Leon glanced at his
partner who was also wearing a puzzled expression.
Shrugging, Leon drew his shades and sauntered into the
office.
The woman in question was their new Chief of Police;
replacing the old Chief who had retired to another country.
Leon liked the woman's attitude and certainly supported her
in her war against the higher ups.
"What's up, Chief?" he asked in a pleasant tone.
Chief Yuriko Kushinada looked up from her terminal,
motioning for the detective to take a seat. One hand moved
quickly over the keyboard as piercing blue eyes regarded
her guest.
"Detective McNichol," she began, leaning on her high-
back chair, "my predecessor had mentioned you to me." She
eyed the monitor, examining the data it held for a bit
before continuing. "A young, brash detective who seems to
have the knack of getting into a lot of trouble and
generally managing to come out of it alive."
Leon smirked, remembering the multitude of scrapes
he'd been in. Personally, he wasn't too keen on getting
himself killed but someone Fate seemed to have taken an
interest in his life - not that he was complaining. It's
filling out the reports that he hated. Nene would be glad
to help him out as a favor but her fees were not something
he had in abundance.
Those meal tickets were extremely hard to come by!
After all, he was only dedicated to his beloved
Priss.
Leaning against her chair, she steepled her fingers;
gauging the young man before her. Investigations by her
people had revealed him to be a trustworthy man just like
her uncle had assured her before.
His record, marred with reports concerning discipline
and attitude, gave her the impression of a man who went to
severe lengths to get the job done. Leon had even refused
promotion a couple of times as it would have removed him
from the field.
Many would have scoffed at such an attitude. After
all, anything that got you out of the firefight was good
enough. Front line men of the ADP had a _low_ life
expectancy salary and benefits aside.
Aside from all that, almost everyone in the ADP had
to admit that the detective was indeed pretty good in his
job - something she could definitely attest to upon
observing the reports she got from the recent firefights.
Just the right man for the job she had in mind.
"You are aware of the recent reshuffling of the
department."
"Yeah." Leon answered. "Not that it would do any good
in the long run."
Yuriko could not help smiling at that quip. Certainly
summed up what she personally felt in the matter. She'd
complained about being kept in the dark about it until she
took over the department barely a couple of months back
after her uncle had retired from the last case he had to
handle. She knew her uncle would have chosen Leon but
knowing the boards reaction to his name not to mention what
Leon would think of the matter, he simply chose the best
option.
Her.
She'd been happily enjoying her R&R from her job when
he'd called and asked her to take over. How her uncle
managed to get her railroaded into it had been a surprise
as she had long ago severed her connections with the police
and military.
At the age of thirty three, she was looking forward
to a retirement of total bliss. Free from the military and
the police. Just lounging around taking care of her little
bakery and stuff. Nothing to do with covert ops and killing
people.
Just another regular citizen.
Afraid not.
Uncle had to drag her right back in.
What greeted her in the ADP had been one complete
surprise after another. She could not believe the condition
the department was in. How in the seven hells her uncle
even managed to keep it all together was simply beyond her.
For the first time since she got roped into the job, she
was pissed off.
The people she talked to afterwards were quaking in
their boots so to speak. The board was by no means off the
proverbial hook as she went to great pains making sure they
got the idea. Having blackmail material on them and
threatening to kill off a few certainly helped in reaching
the decision she wanted them to make.
She did have to regretfully order a few discreet
murders to make her point.
The board had readily agreed after that little
example.
Of course, knowing that she could get away with it
helped as well helped them reached a favorable conclusion.
She could care less if every one of those that
survived her personal spring cleaning of the board wanted
her dead. Her people could handle it and if necessary kill
off a few more to educate them further on the futility of
even thinking about getting rid of her.
She wanted the board afraid of _HER_ totally. Fear
was an ally she would use to the hilt in this little game
she had long thought of retiring from. Aside from the fact
she was a wee bit rusty on execution, she was beginning to
like this job her uncle had dropped on her lap.
Anyway, back to the matter at hand...
"I've considered quite a number of candidates for
what I'm about to create." she pulled out a dossier from
her desk and gave it to a puzzled Leon. "As you seem to be
the best qualified for the position, I'm giving you command
of the new anti-boomer task force."
Leon examined the papers, breezing through most of
them until his eyes caught on to some of the details.
"I've done some of the leg work already. The file
there already contains certain people within this
department with talents in certain areas of police work. As
you can see, I'm taken great pains to ensure that the
people to be involved in this free from any outside
obligations." Leon nodded at that; knowing full well what
_that_ meant. "As for the equipment, they're being handled
by my people. The tech crews being assigned to your group
will be taken care of by Chief Engineer Carrie Yushinori."
Leon blinked at that.
*This is shaping out to be a very interesting day.*
he thought.
"I'm going to let you go over the files. I've
included all the necessary release forms and signed it
already. I'll give you liberty if you choose to add more
people. Of course, they'll have to undergo the usual checks
first. I want the team formed and ready for action ASAP."
"There goes my request for a two week vacation." he
sighed out loud.
Yuriko smiled.
"Get this time ship shape and running smoothly and I
just might push that request through." she propositioned
holding up one request from a certain overworked detective.
Leon chose to say nothing.
"Get to it!"
"Yes ma'am!"
For once Leon was actually looking forward to this.
The satisfied smile on his face as he came out of the
Chief's office continued to puzzle his partner though.....
===================
"What do you want to talk about?" Carrie asked
quietly as they waited for their orders.
Kate sighed; knowing she could hardly get out of this
predicament she got herself into. Perhaps it was indeed
time for her to make amends to her younger sibling. Heaven
knows she owed her big time for some of the things she'd
said to her.
Kate carefully composed her speech. It would not do
to have her sister suspicious of her actions. She glanced
at her sister and saw the light of distrust evident in her
eyes. Not surprising since she would have done the very
same thing anyway. After what had happened before, she
could hardly fault her sister's distrust of her.
"I just wanted to talk. To spend some time together.
You know, catch up on things."
Kate Madigan could not believe her words. It
felt..... it felt so unlike her to be hesitant and unsure.
Why is it that every time she confronted her sister, she
would fall apart like this.
Carrie was taken aback by Kate's words. She blinked
in confusion; wondering if this was some sort of bizarre
nightmare or something. She pinched herself a couple of
times; assuring herself of the validity of the event.
"........"
"You seem surprised." observed Kate wryly - not that
she was feeling any different.
"Shouldn't I be with what you've just said?"
countered Carrie, her voice devoid of any emotion. "I know
you've been watching me in ADP. I'd like it to stop. It's
bothering me at work." Carrie complained in a voice that
demanded immediate compliance.
Kate raised one questioning eyebrow at the request.
"Be more careful of what you're planning, sister
dear." she cautioned. "I cannot protect you if you try to
be stubborn."
"Why even trouble yourself over me, Madigan?" Carrie
demanded coldly.
Kate winced at the use of her name.
"I'm still your sister no matter what happens."
"You lost that right years ago." Carrie shot back.
"Revenge will only destroy you in the end Carrie.
Accept what has happened. The past cannot be changed. I
have chosen my path and you have yours." Kate said. "There
is nothing more you can do. Let it go and lead your life as
you had before."
Carrie hated GENOM. Hated it for what it made her
sister into. She wanted revenge and she would have it one
way or another. Joining the ADP had been the first step in
her plans. It was also probably the safest place for her to
develop her instruments for revenge against the people who
had destroyed her sister.
"Do you really hate me that much?" came the question;
shaking Carrie out of her reverie.
"Yes..... and no."
Kate blinked.
She was not expecting such an answer.
Not with the way she'd treated her _that_ time.
"I am sorry for that." She turned to stare at the
window or more specifically the reflection of the room in
it. "The world is not a place for the naïve. I learned that
the hard way. If you want something, you get it the
quickest possible way. There is no one out there to help
you. You cannot trust anyone save for yourself."
"Nice speech," Carrie drawled as she stirred her
drink, "but it's nothing more than a stupid damn excuse for
what you are! You did this to yourself! And I'd be an idiot
not to know you enjoyed doing it!"
"It comes in my line of work, sister." Madigan said
flatly. "After all, all's fair in love and war."
Especially war.
"......" Carrie stared at her sister with her mouth
hanging wide open. "I think you're reading too many romance
novels in your spare time."
Kate smiled.
"Really now?"
And that was when things got _really_
interesting......
===================
"Wonder what's wrong?" a concerned feminine voice
spoke up.
"Huh?"
"Nothing's happening." she stated.
"And that's supposed to be a bad thing here?" he
asked. "What are you expecting anyway? Bomb blowing up the
entire hotel. Boomers suddenly interrupting their dinner to
lay waste to everyone inside save for one person. That guy
Largo proclaiming another revolution. Well?"
She shook her head in mind amusement. While the
probability of such events happening wasn't that far off,
she was expecting Carrie to come busting out of the hotel
and anxious to bring the entire building down with
something along the lines of a tank or better yet a
particle beam satellite.
Carrie had never been one to share her secrets and
the ones that she did were normally wheedled out of her
through _other_ means. After all, she was Carrie's best
friend, right?
"At least she hadn't blown the entire building over
their heads yet." she replied cryptically.
===================
A shadowed figure leapt across the rooftops; blending
perfectly within the darkness as it sought out those that
would be perfect for its creators plans. Nothing could be
seen of save for a vague outline of black within the
shadows. It was big though. Large enough to even give
hyperboomers pause.
It was out hunting for suitable humans pliable to its
mistress's need.
So far it had only found a single candidate but its
mistress needed more if her plans were to be successful.
Perhaps tonight it would find some more candidates for her.
But first, it required a little snack......
===================
Another door opened somewhere within the suburban
area of MegaTokyo located in the outskirts of the city. It
was one of the few areas left that survived the Great Kanto
Quake of 2025 not to mention the reconstruction efforts of
GENOM.
The quake had killed a lot of people and had reshaped
the future of humanity as well. For within the ashes of
Tokyo; GENOM had risen to power; becoming a world power all
by itself.
Life had moved on since the quake of 2025. The city
had slowly been rebuilt with the help of boomers. But
others had been unable to cope with the loss while others
have resumed somewhat normal lives after it.
Tsutomu Senkawa was one such person.
He'd lost a lot during that incident and had never
fully forgiven himself for it. He had moved on but still
carried the memories of those he had lost.
Especially his wife, Natsumi Senkawa.
He sighed.
*You should learn to let it go, you know.* someone
scolded within him.
*I have, Birdy.* he replied. *But it doesn't mean I
can't stop to think about it. Losing Natsumi hurt a lot and
even time cannot dull the pain completely.*
Birdy could only offer a smile; knowing just how much
Tsutomu did love his wife.
*But not enough for you to chase after that woman,
huh?* she asked.
Tsutomu closed his eyes, shaking his head in
amusement.
*Yes. Erika Won is a very beautiful woman and -- .*
* -- with a mind as sharp as her tongue.* Birdy
finished for him.
*It's part of her charms.* Tsutomu defended.
Birdy shook her head.
Tsutomu smiled as he recalled the first time he'd
come face to face with the mercurial executive secretary of
the president of Nergal Industries, Erika Won. He'd been
working for the company for over a year and had been
rushing to the office when he'd accidentally crashed into
Erika on the way in.
The encounter was disaster made flesh as Erika flayed
him alive for his clumsiness. It had been the worst
dressing down anyone had ever seen. Getting oneself killed
by a boomer would have been a wiser choice than what she'd
done to him.
Of course, it had hardly mattered anyway as he laid
eyes on the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
Tsutomu Senkawa was in love.
And all was right with the world.
For him anyway.
Birdy sighed, shaking her head in defeat as her
'partner' recalled that incident. The woman had all but
called Tsutomu a filthy, stinking, brainless, no-good
bastard that had no right to even stain the world with his
presence.
Then again, she did!
She hardly remembered much of it since she was pretty
pissed off herself at the woman at the time. Of all the
years since they've merged, Birdy had slowly begun to
respect Tsutomu's determination and skill. He may not be as
gifted as many other but it was enough. She doubted she
could have lived through everything she'd been in if it had
not been for Tsutomu.
Of all the time this had to happen!!
What came after that could have made a fortune in the
movie industry. She could have made a bundle of money with
it if she could get away with it which wasn't going to be
possible most of the time.
She sniffed in disdain; her action conveying her
displeasure over the matter.
*I don't know why you even bother with her. I, for
one, would suggest you drop the woman off and start looking
into dating that Hikaru girl from Internal Security. She's
a pretty nice girl and seems your type. That Erika woman
would rather marry a boomer than even consider dating you.*
"I love her, Birdy. Nothing is stopping me from
trying.* Tsutomu said out loud.
*You like her that much?* she asked in disbelief.
"You got it, Birdy." he said confidently.
Tsutomu was never any good with the opposite sex. Too
stuck up in his beliefs and probably watched too many anime
concerning females and perverts. Then again, boys his age
_were_ perverts one way or the other in her point of view.
Natsumi had to be the one to lead in their
relationship for quite some time and even when they were
both married, Tsutomu was as dumb as ever. At least Tsutomu
did one thing right during the wedding night. Birdy
attributed it to all those ecchi mags his friends had
around.
And here he was now; chasing after a woman who wanted
nothing to do with him. Yet, he pursued her relentlessly
much to the Erika's irritation.
Birdy decided to reply in the most appropriate manner
available to her.
*BAKA.*
===================
Iczer 2 sighed as she adjusted the fit of her
clothes. Clad in a simple black silk blouse and weathered
jeans, she hardly looked the part of a weapon of mass
destruction and more like a young woman going out for a
night of fun and relaxation. She smiled at the irony of the
situation.
Iczer 2 wondered what her sisters would think of it.
She was pleased with the way her life seemed to be
developing on this primitive little world. Life, so far,
was fairly simple and enjoyable to a degree -- a far cry
from her nomadic ways. She was; however, inwardly saddened
by being unable to meet Nagisa again but her friend,
Michiko, was someone she treasured just as highly - if not
more.
Michiko had been the very first person she actually
trusted enough to tell her little secret -- not that
trashing a boomer in front of her would have allowed Iczer
2 any means of avoiding the truth. Her friend had been more
than supportive of her; helping her learn more about the
world she lived upon.
Upon introspection, this world appeared to be no
different from the countless others she had journeyed to in
the past. A world driven by the need to expand and by
simple instincts of survival and necessity. Of course,
there were other things that drove a race into the future.
Primal things like greed and lust for power was just
as evident on this world as any.
The only difference she saw would have to be the
people. Try as she might, she could not fully comprehend
the nature of humans. She found the task rather daunting as
she could hardly understand these humans.
Michiko was one such case. The daughter of the owners
of the restaurant; Michiko was a simple young woman with a
quiet fondness for books and art. She was a very perceptive
individual and was intrigued by Iczer 2's icy cold
demeanor. Iczer 2 had blatantly ignored Michiko's inquiry
over herself; choosing to merely stare at her with those
ruby eyes of hers.
Michiko was nonplussed.
Iczer 2 still remembered the time when she had been
so irritated by the young woman that she'd considered doing
something about it like take her to a quiet corner and make
her understand _some_ things. But just looking at Michiko
robbed her of her resolve. Something about those big brown
eyes. It was then that she began to have serious doubts
about herself and the things she'd been doing on this
planet.
Everything seemed so pointless!!
Nagisa was dead and here she was slaving around like
a common human!!
She had made up her mind to just leave the planet
when Michiko asked her out as she had no one to accompany
her to the temple festival held in Kyoto. Deciding to humor
her, she accepted. After all, it would not hurt to stay for
a little bit longer - even if it was merely to satisfy one
human's request. Unbeknownst to her at the time, it was one
of the very first steps she would take to understanding her
sisters and answering her questions.
Iczer 2 smiled as she recalled the one time they'd
spent the night together in some night club Michiko's
friends had dragged them both. Both were apprehensive of
the crowd coupled with Iczer 2's dismissal of the males and
Michiko's inability to hold her liquor. One thing led to
another and things got out of hand. How in the world
Michiko had even managed to hide that bullwhip under her
clothes was beyond her.
Suffice to say that night had been a most
unforgettable night in her life.
Who would have thought that hiding beneath the bubbly
and innocent - sometimes irritating -- exterior could hide
a young woman with a strange fetish with leather clothes
and whips.
Thinking of it sent shivers down her spine - not that
she'd ever admit _that_ to anyone. She'd kill them first
before they ask that question again. Still, learning that a
young, bookish girl with inch-thick glasses who dressed far
too conservatively having an alternate identity that loved
leather and whips and had a body to justify all that _was_
scary - even for an Iczer.
A knock on her door shook her out of her reverie.
Turning around, Iczer 2 saw the door open slightly as
Michiko popped her head into the room.
"You ready?!" she wanted to know.
"Yes." Iczer 2 replied. "Where are we going this
time?"
Smiling, Michiko walked into the room dressed in a
simple beige flannel blouse worn under a red leather sports
jacket she'd recently bought coupled with a black leather
mini-skirt and thigh-high leather boots with two inch
heels. Iczer 2 raised a questioning eyebrow at Michiko's
sudden choice of clothes.
Normally, she'd be dressed in an oversized blouse and
long skirts to conceal her favored attire.
"Ummm... is there supposed to be a special occasion I
should be made aware of here?" asked Iczer 2 curiously.
Michiko giggled as she twirled around in her getup.
"You like?"
"A divergence from your usual choice of attires."
came the rebuttal.
Smiling coyly, Michiko struck a sexy pose as she
replied: "A girl's gotta show off every so often. Besides,
the place we're going tonight is special."
Iczer 2 grinned, shaking her head.
"I certainly hope so. What would your grandparents
say if they ever saw you in that getup?"
Letting the comment slide, she noticed Iczer 2's
apparel. "Iczer-chan, where's that dress we bought? I was
hoping you'd going to wear that one."
An eyebrow twitched.
"Please?" Michiko pleaded in her cutest voice.
Iczer 2 glared cold red eyes at Michiko.
"No."
Michiko was unperturbed by that glare having been
used to it plenty of times.
"Okay." Michiko said dejectedly; her eyes gaining
that awful sad look in it that would have twisted Big
Gold's heart if she had any... which she didn't.
"No." Iczer 2 repeated in a firm tone of voice. "No
frills."
===================
"Is everything ready?" a feminine voice asked within
the darkness.
"It's done! Everything's been prepared as you'd
planned it." another female voice answered in a saccharine
voice.
"How long is he going to take anyway? The party's
going to start without him!" said an exasperated voice -
also female.
"We'll just have to wait." declared the first one.
"He should be home in a little while."
"I certainly hope so. I don't want to miss out when
the fun starts." the third female said hopefully.
"Ummm.... can I asked a question?" the second asked.
"Yes?" the first female asked.
"Why are we talking to each other in the dark,
Sylia?"
Sylia Stingray blinked, apparently caught unawares of
the situation she was in. Actually, she was surprised she'd
only noticed it just now.
Nene-chan was right.
It _was_ dark in the room.
That surprised her.
Before she could adequately formulate a reply, the
lights went on, bathing the entire room with fluorescent
brightness. Three heads looked up to the door where a young
man with an unruly patch of black hair was entering the
room; a defeated look on his face.
Sylia frowned as she noticed her younger sibling's
expression.
She also took note something missing.
"What's wrong, Mackie?" she asked in a concerned
voice.
"Ummm.... well you see.... a funny thing happened on
the way.... hehehehehe....." stammered Mackie.
Sylia frowned not exactly liking where this was
going.
"And... well.... I
kindafellontheroadandgotyourstuffsoiledandeverything."
Sylia's eyebrows twitched.
"Errrr.... the cleaners said they'd get it fixed up
by tomorrow." placated a nervous Mackie.
Sylia stared at her brother; obsidian eyes narrowed
in displeasure.
"That was my favorite dress." she stated in flat
tones.
Linna and Nene cringed at the coldness of the voice.
It would appear that winter was going to be a bit
early this year....
===================
In another part of the city, two sisters stood atop
the observation deck of the Regis Hotel, taking in the
gorgeous view of the city resplendent with multicolored
jewels amidst an inky black background.
This far up, one could almost forget about the
troubles of the real world.
Almost.
Kate could not truly understand what she was feeling
right now. She questioned her actions; wondering why she
had even considered meeting with her younger sibling after
having removed her from GENOM. A small voice within her was
happily cheering her decision; filling her with a warmth
she had never thought she would ever miss again. She closed
her eyes for a moment as she tried to get a firm grip on
her emotions.
Glancing at her sister, she hardened her resolve -
even if it was her sister, it would not do to lose her
edge. That small voice questioned her resolve; demanding
the reason as to why she would so callously treat her own
flesh and blood like some corporate entity to be ground to
dust.
The answer came to her very painfully: Because that's
what she had been trained to do. To recognize threats and
to eliminate them. Kill or be killed. That was the only way
to survive in this world.
Kate glanced at her sister, Carrie, who was leaning
across the forward railing, humming a familiar tune as she
watched the endless procession of lights that flowed like a
river across the city. A smile parted her lips as she
watched her sister.
In all the time she'd watched over her, today was the
only time she saw Carrie laugh like this again. It was good
to see her sister laugh again if only for a little while.
For Carrie, the night felt like a dream come true.
What she had first thought to be a hostile encounter with
her sister had fast become a reunion of sorts for the two
estranged sisters. In a way, she was glad to spend some
time with her sister even if it was only for a little
while. It gave hope for a chance to find some way of
reconciliation. A way to steal back her older sister from
GENOM's clutches.
One arm snaked across the intervening space, wrapping
itself around Kate's arm and holding it with a viselike
grip as she leaned on her older sister. Kate gingerly laid
her free hand on her sister's head, stroking it lightly as
she murmured words of reassurance to her younger sister.
"Don't leave me, onee-chan." Carrie muttered softly.
"Don't leave me alone anymore."
For the first time in her life, Kate Madigan
hesitated, unable to answer.
Closing her eyes, she gave her promise: "Perhaps
someday. "
*Perhaps someday.*
===================
*I wanna go out.* Birdy informed him.
Tsutomu merely smiled as he let Birdy take over for
now. He was expecting it actually. Birdy was never one to
stay cooped up inside of him for too long. The change was
quick as his body suddenly shifted slightly as mass was
redistributed all over. Opening her eyes, Birdy hopped off
the couch; bounding for the bathroom to get a decent
shower and then cut loose in town.
It had been a while since she'd even bothered to go
out like this. Ever since they've merged into one body,
managing who controls the body had been a daunting task.
Most of the time, Tsutomu got control with her tagging
along and generally making his life hell at school and then
at work.
Birdy could not help snickering a bit as she recalled
just what a wimp Tsutomu was back then.
Absolutely no backbone towards women.
Not that the status quo had changed too much since
then. True, Tsutomu's matured by quite a bit but overall he
was still the same old geek she'd mistakenly toasted while
she'd been chasing a criminal. Life had been relatively
quiet since the Revi incident a few years back. She still
hated the woman but had grown to respect her brilliance and
dedication. Without her help, she would have probably ended
up dead already.
Humming to herself, Birdy riffled through her clothes
as she pondered where she was going tonight.
===================
The shadows lengthened as the night wore on. The city
of MegaTokyo was alive with activity as multitudes of
people went about their lives under the light of the moon.
Life took on a different form for many at night as people
from all stations sought some measure of comfort within the
various bars and dens located in the less salubrious part
of the city.
This was hardly any problem for those who seriously
wanted something. This was the part of the city that
thrived upon the base desires of any man. No one city in
history lacked such a place. In terms of economics, it was
there to provide goods and services normally not available
to buyers.
Bu such conveniences came with a price.
Still, like anyone else, it wasn't such a bad place
with its own integral code of ethics that ensured the peace
of the area... more or less.
In a certain bar known to all as Hot Legs, another
form of entertainment quite unlike what its name implied
was about to start. Within the jam-packed bar, people
eagerly waited for their favorite singer to make her
appearance. Hot Legs was widely known around the city as
the best place to be if you wanted music and booze. It
helped that the place had a decent cook to go with the
drink.
Still, what really made the place tick was because of
its selection of bands. Priss and the Replicants had made
quite a name for themselves within the confines of Hot
Legs; attracting all manner of customers to an otherwise
average bar.
Success had been limited for the retrotrash singer
but the money was good as it could get. The rumors had it
that she'd pretty much threw the last producer that offered
her a contract with a records company. The reasons were not
known and no one really wanted to know anyway.
As the crowds grew in number; the Replicants readied
themselves for another night of song and dance.
Priss Asagiri eyed herself critically in the full
length mirror.
She was dressed in a strapless red leather leotard
cut low across the chest but cut high along the waist. Over
it she wore a simple leather mini-vest strapped together by
four buckles along the length of the vest. Gleaming black
leggings made from the softest nylon covered her legs.
Fingerless opera-length gloves and lace up, knee-high boots
completed her getup.
The clothes were perfect; accentuating her curves and
lending a somewhat dangerous look to her.
*Nice.* she said to herself, a smug grin on her face.
Hearing a knock on her door, Priss quickly donned her
trademark blonde wig and snatched her necklace on the
dresser. Whistles of appreciation and awe came from her
bandmates as they save her getup.
"Looking great there boss!!" Poe Gibbson remarked
with a grin on his bearded face.
Whistles of appreciation came from the others.
"The crowd's going to go wild when they see you in
that outfit, Priss-chan." Anita observed delightedly.
"Indeed. I like the getup. She looks hot enough to
eat." a sultry voice said in a near whisper.
Priss turned to see her lead guitarist Reiko Hajime
leering at her. She shook her head giving Reiko a small
smile. "Don't even go there, Reiko." Priss warned.
Reiko pouted.
"Party pooper!!" she accused in a hurt voice.
"You already got me anyway!" protested a slightly
irate Anita.
"Mou...." Reiko complained as everyone else politely
snickered.
Priss shook her head at the two, resisting the urge
to laugh as well. Reiko was a professed lesbian and had
been hitting on her ever since she could remember. Aside
from the fact she was a brilliant guitarist, she was also
pretty good at handling the band's accounts which made her
quite important so most put up with her eccentricities -
not that the others were any better.
Anita, on the other hand, was the darling of the
group so to speak. Priss likened her to a Nene without the
computer fixation mixed in with a little rough, streetwise
attitude. Anita was cute as a button and generally looked
it unless you just happen to piss her off.
Making her angry was not a good idea.
Whereas Nene pouted and complained and generally
made it a point to let everyone else know of her
displeasure when she got angry; Anita simply gave everyone
the _look_ .
It gave Priss the shivers just thinking about it. The
_look_ was enough to give a berserk boomer pause. Both
women seemed to get along fine despite their differences.
At least Reiko kept her libido in check when she was around
Anita - not that Anita's teasings on her choices of
partners helped any.
"Are we ready yet?" she asked her group.
"Five minutes, boss!!" Shoji called out.
"How's the crowd, Anita?" Priss wanted to know.
"The place is packed, Priss-oneechan!! The guys are
going to go crazy see your new outfit." answered Anita,
giggling a bit as she thought about the crowd's reactions.
"Why the change anyway? Is it for that ADP guy that seems
to like you so much."
Priss frowned.
"You know. The guy you usually go with when you eat
at that burger joint." she teased, a smirk on her face.
"I thought it would be nice for a costume change."
she replied cryptically.
"Can I get one, too?" she asked innocently.
===================
Just a few minutes ago, Leon had walked into the jam-
packed bar; his ever present shades glinting under the
strobes of the lights hanging overhead. He casually
sauntered over to the bar ordering a simple scotch to
moisten his parched throat.
He'd almost didn't make it this time, having been
kept too busy reading through the tons of documents the
Chief had given him to review. Most of the documents he'd
sifted through earlier catalogue most of the various
weapons and equipment the Chief had requisitioned from the
government. It also detailed what the Chief wanted him to
do. Specifically, he was to head the new Anti-Boomer Task
Force and Investigative Unit. It wasn't any different from
what he used except this time he enjoyed the full trust of
the Chief which pretty much gave him the ability to cut
through most of the red tape in the police force.
The Chief's people had also provided him with a list
of probable candidates for the team he was assigned to put
together. Like any other organization, the ADP had its fair
share of moles and bad apples.
What did concern Leon was the fact that Nene's name
was _not_ on the list. Of any in the ADP, Nene was the
least likely to be involved in anything illegal save for
the fact that she was the best hacker he knew and hiding
that fact well.
So how come she wasn't part of the list?
Nene was popular amongst everyone in the force and
had little to no enemies to speak of. With her kind of
attitude; it was hard not to like the young woman. He knew
of her skills and had often made use of it whenever needed.
Of course, those coupons he paid her with were very
hard to come by.
*What did the chief know about Nene that he didn't?*
he wondered.
Sighing, he eased himself in a nearby table; shelving
the problem for later. Taking a sip of his drink, Leon
looked around the bar, smiling a bit as he waited for Priss
to start the show.
"LEON!!!!"
Sensitive ears honed by countless duels with boomers
heard the familiar voice over the din of the crowd cheering
Priss's name. Leon craned his neck to see Nene Romanova
waving cheerily at him. He saw the red head plowing through
the crowed like an unrelenting wave of cuteness; dragging
her friends along with her as she homed in on Leon's
location.
"Isn't it past your bedtime already, Nene-chan?" he
teased.
"Hmp!!Biiiii!!!!!" said Nene. "I hate you!"
Laughter met those words she Nene whirled around to
stare at her friends, giving them the evil eye. "HEY!! Why
are you guys laughing at me for?!!!!" Nene demanded, a bit
miffed that her friends would turn on her so.
"You just looked funny, Nene." Linna told her.
Mackie grinned.
"Che!!!! Some friends I have." pouted Nene cutely.
"Ms. Stingray," he bowed, removing his ever present
shades in front of the woman. "I haven't seen you around in
a while." commented Leon. He raised an inquisitive eyebrow
at her current choice of clothes. "And dressed quite
casually too. Now _that_ is a first."
Sylia had a small smile to her lips as she took her
drink from the bar.
"It was all I had in such short notice, Detective
McNichol." she replied, still smiling.
Her eyes; however, conveyed a very different sort of
idea. Her current mode of dress, consisting of a white silk
blouse and black mini skirt, was not what she had in mind
for tonight. She had reserved a table at the Hilton Plaza
for a little celebration and her brother had to ruin it for
her by dirtying her favorite dress.
"You look very nice in that outfit." he remarked.
"Why thank you, Detective McNichol. I'm sure Priss
will appreciate your efforts of honing your skills with
me." she deadpanned.
Leon almost choked on his drink when he heard that
but could not help laughing out loud like the rest as soon
as he got his coughing fit under control.
Mackie cringed as he saw his sister's gaze falling at
him.
Sylia smiled.
*Uh-oh.*
"It wasn't my fault." he muttered to his sister.
Sylia merely smiled wider.
*Why me?* he silently muttered. *I just can't win.*
he thought to himself sourly.
The lights around the bar suddenly dimmed amidst the
raucous cries of excitement that filled the air. The cheers
raised in tempo the familiar beat of 'Konya Wa Hurriance'
began.
All eyes turned towards the stage were Priss stepped
out from within the heart of darkness.....
===================
"Where to now?" Kate wanted to know as they stood in
the hotel's lounge.
She had never managed to get out of the office overly
long and the times she did it had to be with her boomer
escorts. After that incident with Largo, Quincy had deemed
she have some protection against such occurrences. But
tonight had required some privacy and she'd sent them back
to the Tower. She glanced at her sister who wore a
calculating look in her eyes.
"What?" Kate asked suspiciously.
"We need to get out of these clothes first, onee-
chan."
"Huh?"
Without waiting for an answer, Carrie dragged her
somewhat reluctant sister out of the hotel and tore into
the streets at speeds that seemed to defy logic.
"Looks like Carrie's in a good mood tonight."
observed Rhinoa.
"So, where do you think they're both headed?" Hiroshi
asked as they saw Carrie step into a cab with her sister in
tow.
"You know Carrie. Anything goes." Rhinoa replied
airily. "Let's go."
"Where are we going?" Kate wanted to know.
Carrie looked thoughtful for a few minutes, one hand
cradling her chin; her head cocked to one side slightly.
"How about we do some shopping, onee-chan?!!!" she
suggested in a happy voice, something she'd never truly
felt like doing for a long time. "How about that place near
the Hilton?"
Kate nodded; knowing of the place quite well. It was
where she usually shopped for some of her clothes. Fairly
expensive but very elegant clothes.
She frowned.
"Carrie, how are you going to pay for it. ADP doesn't
exactly pay very well."
Carrie smiled like a Cheshire cat.
"You are!!"
Kate merely looked stunned as she allowed herself to
be dragged along mentally tallying her expenses for the
night.
===================
Iczer 2 cheered as loudly as anyone in the bar as the
singer on stage sang with such emotion in her voice that
evoked a myriad of emotions from everyone present including
her. The fact that the singer's outfit was causing as much
a stir as her song was not lost on Iczer.
As the song wove down to its inevitable end, Iczer 2
stood up and extricated herself from Michiko's fervent grip
on her arm.
"Where are you going?" Michiko asked.
"I need a refill."
"Oh. Okay."
Michiko was all smiles again. Iczer 2 shook her head
in silent laughter. Her friend did not like being separated
from her for too long and neither did she. It was startling
to know just how much this bond she'd inadvertently made
with Michiko was changing her inside out.
Still, she was happy.
Making her way to the bar, she bumped into a young
woman with an odd white and pink hairdo. What struck her
immediately was the fact that this woman wasn't human.
"An interesting place to find people." Iczer 2 noted
out loud.
Birdy blinked as she took stock of the woman.
The woman smiled as she eyed the pretty redhead in
front of her. Lithe as a dancer with meter long red - no -
blood red hair and strange piercing reddish eyes framed an
elfin face. She could not place the species of the woman
but for the woman to even know she wasn't human meant that
she was from off planet.
There were only a handful of beings that conformed to
human physiology and those were mostly from her part of the
galaxy. After all, Earth was deemed a special non-
interference zone by the Federation and strictly enforced
by the Galaxy Police and even Jurai.
She didn't know why they bothered anyway. No one
really followed it. Of course, that's one reason why she'd
stuck on this planet - not that she was complaining - but
it would be nice to have time on her own....
*HEY!!* a voice inside her protested causing her to
smile a bit.
Turning her attention once more to the woman, "I'd
say." she replied. "Care to join me for a drink?"
Iczer 2 shrugged as she allowed the woman to lead the
way.
Back at the table where she'd left Michiko, her
friend was quite put out with Iczer leaving her alone like
this. Huffing in displeasure, she left the table in search
of her missing friend.
===================
Mackie was drooling at the sight of Priss. His eyes
tracking every movement Priss made on stage. A thin stream
of drool could be seen dripping from one corner of his
mouth. He wished he'd brought his camera. What a crime that
he could not preserve this memorable event!! He'd known
Priss was a babe but with the outfit she wore tonight just
blew it all away.
Drool began to slowly pool on the table as he stared
at Priss; ecchi thoughts dancing all around his head as a
very put off Nene sat by his side.
Nene was not amused - and it showed.
It just happens that the person it was directed at
was currently eyeing another friend of hers.
The nerve!!
Of all the stupid times, it had to be now that she'd
pull something like this!! Nene was angry! Here she was,
all dressed up for Mackie and he was openly drooling at
Priss!! If he was to be staring at anyone, it should be
her! She tried to reign in her anger. It simply would not
do to get this angry right now. She'll deal with this the
usual way.
But how?
She eyed Priss out of the corner of her eyes; noting
with extreme envy her friend's lush figure.
*sigh.*
A nudge to her side caught her attention.
"Huh?"
"Get him out of here, you idiot!" Linna hissed.
"Why bother?" she muttered dejectedly. "He's too busy
ogling at Priss!"
"So do something!" insisted Linna. "You can't just
simply give up just because Priss looks good in that getup.
Mackie is a male and you know how that works. Grab his
attention. Walk naked in front of him if you have to!"
Nene sighed as she rubbed her temples. She had
prepared so much for this night for it to be ruined by
Priss's trashy stage outfit. Mackie was _supposed_ to
notice her and her only!
"Alright. But can I borrow your van?"
Linna blinked.
"Where do you plan to go?" she asked, worriedly.
After all, she still had three months to go before
she's finally paid the bank in full for the van.
"Anywhere but here." came Nene's answer. She swiped
the keys from Linna's outstretched hand while her right
hand grabbed Mackie's ear and towed him away from the
premises despite his protests. Smiling for once, "Don't
worry, we'll be at the Plaza before you guys get there."
Nene was actually smiling as she dragged her prey out
of the building to somewhere more private like maybe the
park or something.
===================
In a small secluded spot in the bar amidst a sea of
wildly cheering people gyrating to the beat of the music
that thundered across the entire bar, two people from
vastly different worlds sat together, drinking a couple of
beers to pass the time.
"Tell me why you're here then, Iczer?"
"Merely to pass the time." she answered smoothly. "I
was bored and decided to check out this planet once more."
"You've been here before?" Birdy asked with a frown.
"Twice before. Mostly arguing with family and all."
came the amused reply.
"Oh?"
"Piddling matters." replied Iczer as she suppressed
the urge to snicker. "Nothing of consequence."
"I am unfamiliar of your origins, Iczer. I have seen
quite a few of species you might belong to but I don't
think you belong to any of them." said Birdy, her tone
suspicious.
"My people have merely chosen to be discreet in their
presence amongst those of the Federation, Birdy. My sisters
are trying to be careful of those they meet. We've had a
number of _experiences_ with visitors."
*That was saying a lot.* thought Birdy as she caught
the underlying hint in Iczer's tone of voice.
It wasn't surprising as she'd handled cases like
these before but something about all this caused her
hackles to stand on end. She'd figured Iczer to be harmless
- in her own sort of way.
Only a fool would think this woman was anything but
harmless. Iczer radiated a power unlike anything she'd ever
encountered. A tempered blade sheathed in the surety of her
power.
She really did not want to know what she was capable
of. Although she _was_ tempted to see just what Iczer could
do. Wouldn't hurt to have someone to talk to about _other_
things.
"And what about yourself, Detective Birdy Cephon
Altirra?" asked Iczer 2.
===================
Leon was wearing a somewhat shocked expression at
what Priss was wearing on stage. He knew she used somewhat
revealing getups on stage but this one definitely took the
cake. Black leather and lyrca tights made her look stunning
under the throbbing lights.
He stared a bit more as Priss gyrated across the
stage in response to her songs. He looked around the bar
and saw the same looks on their faces. Hell, Mackie was
openly
drooling at the table already and it seemed Nene was _not_
happy about it.
*Very stunning.* he amended to himself. *And more.*
The crowds couldn't have agreed more.
Priss ended her singing an hour later; utterly
exhausted by her singing but extremely satisfied with how
well everything went. Nothing had interrupted her as she
reveled in the release her singing brought her.
The lights, the cheering, and the song brought her a
little closer to her own version of heaven. In the end, she
was pleased but even good things come to an end at times.
Breathing a small sigh, she left the stage and went
back to her room to change. The damn thing was hot to wear
for too long.
"Great job, Priss-chan!!" cheered the owner of the
bar; extremely glad at the outcome of the performance.
"Hope to see you do this a lot more!!"
Priss smiled; knowing it just might come to that
should things remain quiet. For as long as no one in the
recording companies wanted her, she would make her home
right here. It was enough for her right now but it would
end someday as well.
But for now, she was content with things as they
were.
"Looking better than before if I do say so myself." a
familiar voice commented wryly behind her.
Priss grinned as she turned to stare at Leon who
leaned by the wall; dressed as usual in his work clothes
with that ever present shades of his. True, it made him
look devilishly handsome but it hardly mattered to her
anyway.
She did like the guy. Probably more than she's even
willing to admit but she did love those times they went out
to talk and eat out at that burger joint they both
frequented at odd times.
"What's up, Leon?" she asked gruffly, catching the
towel he threw at her.
Leon smirked as he removed his shades.
"You've made quite a stir among your fans, Priss-
chan. I thought I even saw a few of them faint when they
saw you in _that_ outfit." Leon gazed at her choice of
clothes for a bit. "You look hot, Priss."
Priss blushed; surprising herself and rendering her
utterly speechless.
"Well, much as I'd like to talk, Leon, gotta go
change. I still have a party to go to."
Leon smiled as he walked back into the shadows.
"See you around later, Priss."
"Yeah. See you later then."
For some reason she could not fathom, she was happy.
===================
"You are such a jerk!" reprimanded Nene hotly as she
glared at her 'escort.'
"Geez, Nene!" began Mackie, "It's not like you to be
jealous over Priss. I mean, who the heck wouldn't be - well
you know....."
He stopped as he saw - more like felt - Nene glaring
daggers at him and ready to throw it at his heart if he
even uttered another word about Priss tonight.
He sighed.
He just couldn't win with them!
"What wrong?" Nene wanted to know.
Mackie shook his head as he maneuvered the van into
the hotel they were supposed to have a little celebration.
Well, they still had an hour or two to kill before the
others got here. Mackie wondered what to do during that
time.
"What now?" he asked, shutting down the engine before
he turned to Nene.
"........."
"I'm sorry." he apologized at last.
".................."
Silence.
Mackie blinked.
Normally, Nene would have said something already. She
must be really mad by what had happened back in Hot Legs.
Still, he wasn't really at fault anyway since Priss really
was HOT!! Any male could tell you that and possibly a few
of the females too.
Both he and Nene had been skirting around the edge
for some time; exploring possible routes and such but never
really taking any steps into that direction.
Perhaps they just were not ready for it.
"You know you really shouldn't be jealous of Priss
like that." Nene glared at him.
HARD.
"Ummm.... if she ever finds out about it, she'd not
going to let you live it down, ne?"
Nene frowned.
"..............................."
"Aren't you even going to say something to me?"
Mackie practically whined as he also took note of the fact
that it was getting awfully chilly inside the van.
".........................................."
"Nene? Would you please ease up already?!!"
"Jerk."
Great. A Response. Not the best response he was
hoping for but a response nonetheless.
"Two-timing hentai!"
This time a slap nearly took his head off.
Violence had never been one of Nene's strong points;
often times making use of her innate cuteness to aid her in
her problems. But something in her was really angry at
Mackie's inattention. And she was pissed off at Priss for
that little floor show of hers!
"What's wrong with you Nene?" asked Mackie, wincing
slightly at the soreness of his cheek and the slight
ringing inside his ears.
It was Nene's turn to sigh as she stared out of the
window, expression vaguely regretful under the shadows.
"Hey......"
"It's not you, Mackie." Nene began. "It's just - "
A shadow fell in front of them. A huge black
something with gleaming red eyes that burned with an inner
light. It turned to stare at them. Stare at her.
"SHIT!!!" cursed Mackie as he fumbled with the
ignition.
Nene scream tore into the night...
===================
see next page....
Nikholas F. 'Radler' Toledo Zu
email me at: radler@tri-isys.com
"A man's house is his SDF. His car is his Valkyrie."
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