Hello all,

My reason for posting (other than to see if WW has my posting-problem fixed
<g>) is to ask for some feedback.  Below is a *very* short story I wrote a
bit ago, posted to RAAS, and it now resides in the BGC directory at the
archive.  But I've only gotten ONE comment back about it.  

How about helping me out and giving me some feedback folks.  Am I as
hopeless as some think I am, or is there some glimmering of ability to type
here?



Jeanne
********
And now, on to the main event:



                            WE JUST WANT TO HELP YOU
                        Another Story of the Bubblegum Crisis


                                   by JHedge


<<FLASH>>  BANG!

    "Yowza....  Anybody get the plates on that truck?"
    Still seeing spots in front of her eyes, she slowly sat up and groaned.  
Fortunately the ground was soft here, and she hadn't hit her head too hard 
when she fell.
    <*Soft* ground?  Wait a minute, I was crossing a *parking lot* when... 
when...  What *happened*?>
    She lay back down, closed her eyes, and tried to think back.  <OK, I 
was walking across the parking lot at the mall, and it was raining, and 
there was this bright flash and a loud bang, and....>  She sat up again and 
looked around in shock at the unfamiliar scenery.  <'Toto, I don't think 
we're in Kansas any more....'>

    Several hours later, though still confused as to how and why she had 
gotten into her current predicament, she at least had a much better idea of 
where and when she was:  Tokyo, Japan.  2035.  She frowned a little in 
thought as she walked slowly along one of the busy downtown streets.  
<OK, this isn't a dream--> and she winced slightly at the memory of 
discovering that fact, <--and I *hope* this isn't the afterlife....  So... am I 
really in the future?  Or... an alternate universe?>  She had to laugh to 
herself at that idea.  <Geez, I've been reading too much fan fiction again.>
    <*What's happened to me?*>

    She continued down the street, now gaping at the sights like a tourist.  
Small town 20th century America just doesn't prepare one for 20th century 
Tokyo, let alone 21st century Tokyo.  But something about this city 
seemed strangely familiar to her, and she began to have some sneaking 
suspicions as to why.
    Soon she spotted a *kooban*, one of those ever-present corner police 
boxes.  <Well, at least I know of a good way to get my questions 
answered.>  Acting before she could dwell on the implications if her 
suspicions were right, she approached the officer standing outside.

    <I don't believe it....  But I *have* to believe it.>
    Having followed *omawarisan's* directions, she now stood on the 
corner at a busy intersection and stared at the shopping complex across the 
street.  The Lady 633 Building.  <Amazing.  Seeing Genom Tower was 
enough of a shock, but this....>  She mentally shook herself.  <Well, I 
guess the question of future or alternate has been answered pretty 
definitively.  I'm not just in Tokyo, I'm in *Mega*Tokyo.  Home of the 
Genom Corporation, Boomers, the AD Police, and... the Knight Sabers.>
    She took a deep breath, and pulled herself together.  <Maybe the lady 
inside that building can help me figure this all out or maybe not, but 
nothing's gonna happen until I go over there and talk to her.>  Gathering 
her courage, she crossed the street and entered the Silky Doll Lingerie 
Shop.

    She immediately noticed three things.  One, Silky Doll was much larger 
than she had thought.  Two, they sold more than lingerie here.  And three, 
the person behind the counter *wasn't* Sylia or Mackie Stingray.
    <Well, what did you expect, dummy?  Just because they didn't show it 
in the anime doesn't mean it doesn't happen.  *Of course* they'd need help 
to run this place.>
    As she approached the counter, a lithe young woman, dark hair held 
back with a yellow headband, stepped out of the changing room area.  
Arms piled high with dance leotards, lingerie, and other stock items, she 
crossed the store and walked through another door marked 'Employees 
Only.'  <Finally, someone I recognize!  But the stock broker job must have 
fallen through if she's working here now.>
    "May I help you?" inquired the clerk working behind the counter, 
interrupting her thoughts.
    "I'd like to speak with Sylia Stingray, please."
    Pushing her long, pink-tinted hair to out of the way, the woman picked 
up a handset behind the counter and held it to her left ear.  "I'll see if Ms. 
Stingray is available.  May I have your name, please?"
    "I'd rather not say.  It wouldn't mean anything to her anyway."
    The clerk looked at her in askance for a moment, then asked, "Could I at 
least tell her what you'd like to see her about.  She *is* a very busy woman 
after all."
    "It's private.  Sorry."
    The woman sighed, then pushed a button on the intercom and spoke 
quietly into the handset for several seconds.  After a long pause, she spoke 
again, then replaced the handset on its cradle.  "OK, Ms. Stingray will see 
you for a few minutes.  Follow me please."

    <Funny, I never thought of Sylia having an office.  Or a secretary.  I'd 
hoped to get to see her penthouse.>  But the clerk had left her with Sylia's 
secretary, who had shown her into Sylia's large, spartan office and poured 
her a cup of tea from the service on the sideboard.  Sylia was running 
behind schedule, so she was told to "please make yourself comfortable."  
The tea was very good, the office sofa *very* comfortable, and against her 
will she began to nod off.  It had been a strenuous day after all, and the 
warm sun streaming through the floor to ceiling windows felt very good.
    Finally, after about 45 minutes, she heard the door open.  Immediately 
awake, she jumped to her feet.  A slightly harried looking Sylia Stingray 
had entered the room and, closing the door behind her, crossed to her 
desk.
    "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Ms. ...."
    "Please call me Colleen, Ms. Stingray.  It's so nice to finally meet you.  
I've been a big fan of your work."
    Sylia sat behind her desk, motioning for Colleen to also take a seat.  
"My work?  I'm sorry, what do you mean?"
    Colleen got directly to the point.  "Ms. Stingray, you may find this very 
hard to believe, but what I'm about to tell you is the absolute truth."  She 
paused and took a deep breath as Sylia looked on expectantly.  "I know 
about your, uh, alternative ideas in law enforcement, and...."
    Colleen went on, telling Sylia everything:  how she had been suddenly 
transported from 1995 New Jersey, USA to 2035 MegaTokyo, Japan 
(though she had yet to figure out how or why it was done, let alone why 
she suddenly understood Japanese), and how Sylia and the Knight Sabers 
were fictional characters in anime, manga, and American comics where she 
came from.  She detailed the Knight Sabers' battles against their various 
foes, and even discussed what she could remember of their personal lives.
    After she ended her monologue Sylia stared at her for almost a minute, 
then stood, walked to the tea service, poured herself a cup, walked back to 
her desk, sat, sipped from the cup, and cleared her throat.  "So, I'm 
supposed to be the leader of a group of... vigilantes?"
    "Uh... well... I suppose you could put it that way.  But I like to think 
you're more a counter-balance to Genom's excesses than anything else.  
And since I seem to be stuck here, I'd like to help you if I could.  See, I'm 
an engineer by profession and...."
    Colleen was interrupted as the office door slammed open, banging back 
against its hinges.  "I'm sorry, but the only person you'll be helping is a 
doctor to help yourself.  You need professional help with these delusions 
of yours."
    Colleen twisted in her chair and stared.  "But... you... you're... DEAD!"
    "Funny, I think I'm pretty lively for a corpse," Irene Chang deadpanned.  
She turned to someone standing outside the door.  "Kou, please escort this 
young lady to...."
    Kou stepped into the office, approaching the now standing Colleen.  
"I'm not going anywhere with this man," Colleen interrupted.  
<Something's definitely wrong here....>  "You don't have any right to do 
this to me."  She ducked away from Kou, and Irene moved to block the 
door.  "Sylia, help me!"
    "I'm sorry Colleen, but Ms. Chang has been monitoring our 
conversation, and she's right.  You *do* need help."
    "But what about the Knight Sabers?  What about the Boomers?  What 
about GENOM?"  <This can't be *happening* to me.  It just *can't*!>
    "They are obviously figments of your imagination," Irene said calmly.  
"The building you describe as Genom Tower is the Government Services 
Arcology, as I'm sure you well know.  Now please, go quietly with Kou.  
We just want to help you, but we *will* use force if we have to."
    Colleen continued to dodge around the room, trying to find a way out.  
<This is a nightmare.  These people are... that's *it*!  The Knight Sabers 
are a *secret* organization you idiot.  Sylia can't tip her hand in front of 
Irene.>
    She dove over the couch, again escaping Kou's advances, and began to 
move in the direction of the door.  "Let me out of here!  You can't *do* 
this to me!  I'm not crazy!  *Help me, Sylia!!!*"  <But Irene's supposed to 
be....>
    Her increasingly panicked thoughts were interrupted when, at Irene's 
signal, Kou drew a pistol and took aim.
    "NOOOOO!!!!!"
<<FLASH>>  FFFFT!  ....thud

    "How long until the sedative wears off?"
    "About an hour, Ms. Stingray," Kou said, as he holstered the 
tranquilizer gun.  He crossed the room and pushed a call button on Sylia's 
desk.
    Irene looked miserable for a moment, then shook it off.  "I really hated 
to do that, but we can't have unbalanced people running free on the streets.  
Things are violent enough out there as it is.  I'm just happy we were here to 
help you today, Sylia.  Remember to keep security tight.  I don't want any 
of my people getting hurt by some loony, especially you."
    As Irene spoke, another man appeared in the doorway.  Noting his 
arrival, she turned back to Kou.  "Please take this poor girl to Dr. 
Romanova's office.  Perhaps she can help her.  *We* certainly can't."
    "Of course, madam."  Kou motioned to the other man, who crossed the 
office to where Colleen lay crumpled on the floor, picked her up, and 
carried her out the door.  Kou bowed deeply to the two remaining women 
and left the room, closing the door softly behind him.
    Sylia sighed loudly and flopped onto the sofa.
    "Well, *there's* something that doesn't happen every day."  Irene shook 
her head as she walked to the nearly empty tea service and poured herself a 
cup.  "Why didn't you tell me your group of vigilantes avenged my death?"
    Sylia looked faintly troubled.  "I've always heard about people with... 
visions... but I never thought I'd run across someone...."
    "Don't worry about it Sylia.  You worry too much as it is; you'll only 
make yourself sick, and what would I tell your parents?"  Irene sat down 
next to Sylia.  "Let alone that handsome new husband of yours?  You're 
not looking for an excuse for more time off to extend your honeymoon are 
you?"  Irene laughed as Sylia blushed a crimson.
    Suddenly serious, Irene said, "Speaking of visions, I spoke with Reika 
last night.  She sends her congratulations on your wedding."  After a pause 
to sip from her cup, Irene continued.  "She also asked me to pass 
something else on to you, and I think you should consider it seriously."
    Irene smiled slightly at Sylia's curious expression.  "She was very happy 
with the way you helped Vision's world tour staff find office space here.  
It's going to be a big help to them during the tour's western Pacific swing."  
Irene stood and walked to the window, gazing into the distance for a 
moment.  She turned suddenly and asked, "How would your husband feel 
if you took a leave from managing the Silky Doll chain for me and went to 
work for Reika as coordinator of Vision's WestPac Tour?"  Irene winked at 
her.  "With an appropriate increase in salary and perks, of course."
    Sylia stared at her employer for a moment, mouth hanging open.  Finally 
she managed to stammer, "I... I don't... know... *what* to say.  Leon's a big 
fan of Vision, of course, we both are...."
    "Good.  That's settled then.  Reika said she'll be in touch with you, but 
until then there's this new singer she wants you to audition for the opening 
act.  She's been performing with the house bands in some of the smaller, 
up-scale rock clubs downtown.  Her name is Priscilla Asagiri, and she's 
supposed to be a class act all the way.  Check her out, will you?"


                               OWARI

Jeanne Hedge

jhedge@water.waterw.com                
================================================================
"Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink..."
    --Samuel Taylor Coleridge, 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'