*****Dallas-2319hours, March18, 2047 (Alternate)*****
Sylia was interrupted from her thinking by a knock at her door. "Who
is it?" she asked.
"Guess." Now the only Linna's voice answered. "Can I come in?"
"Yes." Sylia called as she picked up her book she hadn't touched
since last night. A book that chronicled the events of the Human-Boomer
war.
"How are you doing?" Linna closed the door behind her and sat on the
edge of Sylia's bed.
"Fine, I was reading this book on the future." Sylia smiled.
"It's okay Sylia, you don't have to lie to me, I won't tell anyone."
Linna walked over to a window. She wondered why they even had them, the
artifical light was the same outside as it was inside. The brown walls
depressed her.
"What are you talking about?" Sylia looked over.
"You like to drink your tea when you read your book. That tea is
cold." She poineted to the cup on her nightstand.
Sylia replaced the book. "I can't fool you." She picked up her tea
and emptied it in the bathroom sink. "How did you know it was cold?" She
asked absentmindedly as she stared at the empty glass.
"I didn't." Linna smiled, "I saw you crying today at the burial. I
was just hoping you didn't dismiss my death THAT quickly."
Sylia smiled. "No, I didn't. It's strange."
"Why?"
"I didn't even know her that well, and..."
"Oh, don't fool yourself Sylia. She's me and I'm her, and that's all
there is to it. You knew her as well as you know me."
Sylia sat back down. "I know. I guess....I'm just afriad of losing
you."
Linna sat down next to her. "I should be honored, Sylia Stingray is
actually worrying herself over me."
Sylia smiled as she turned to Linna. "Don't ever change."
"Well, I was thinking of growing my hair longer..." Linna laughed as
Sylia rolled her eyes.
*****Atlantis-0121hours, March19, 2047 (Alternate)*****
"Computer, how many artifical life forms are there on Atlantis."
A-002 found it easier to speak to the main computer than uplink with it.
The boomers still had not returned from the battle days ago. Tenative
information suggested that one of the main leaders of the Knight Sabers
was killed. Repairs had taken much longer than thought, and were still
not complete, though the lower floors were almost up to their usual
effiency.
"139."
"How many would be destroyed if the shielding on levels 2 through 21
were disengaged?"
"Unable to calculate. Depends upon individual boomer response time."
"Hypothetical answer."
"94."
Fourty-five boomers? Would that be enough.
"Computer, is there any way I can force boomers in levels 22 through
43 up into the higher levels?"
"Affirmative."
"How?"
"By causing an uncontrolled overload in the main reactor."
"Computer, shunt power from life support on all decks to the main
reactors."
"Transferring power will cause an uncontrolled overload in the main
fusion reactors." The computer couldn't put the pieces together.
"Transfer it anyway." As the computer beeped out the warning of the
overload of the reactors, A-002 opened a communications channel.
As a figure appeared on the other side of the screen, A-002 smiled.
"Atlantis will be destroyed within a half-hour. I will return to the
tower with the information that we were attacked by an unkown group."
"Good. Stay at the tower. Do not let them transfer you."
"There will be an investigation. I will be forced to remain there
during that."
"The Knight Sabers will attack again in a few days. When they do, we
will make our move. I expect you to do the same."
"Yes sir." A-002 terminated the communication.
"Computer, deactivate the shielding around Atlantis on all decks
except this one."
"Doing so will cause a hull breac-"
"I know that. Do it anyway."
"Shielding deactivated."
"Computer, how long until deck one's hull collapses?"
"Four minutes, thirty-six seconds."
"Computer how many artificial life form are functioning on
Atlantis?"
"54, correction, 46, correction 38, corr-"
"That's enough computer, prepare a single jettison pod."
"Pod prepared on deck one."
"Lock all other pods. Do not allow any pods other than my own to
leave the station. Access code: Omicron, Omicron, Alpha, Tengo, Delta,
Six."
"All pods locked down."
A-002 climbed into it's escape pod. "Computer, how many artificial
life forms are functioning aboard Atlantis, just a single number this
time."
"21."
"Computer, deactivate all power except for power to the escape
systems. Delete the entire computer core except for all files required to
keep my previous lock-down order intact and the escape files."
"Entire erasure will require 22 minutes. Beginning now."
"Computer, eject this pod."
"Affirmative."
A-002 smiled to itself. There was no possible way that any
information could be recovered from Atlantis. If the hull didn't
completely break with the rush of water, the core would be gone along
with anything that might tell A-002's little secret. The investigation
would pose more questions, but there would be no reason to believe A-002
was telling a lie.
*****Dallas-0700hours, March19, 2047 (Alternate)*****
"It's time we tried another strike on the tower." Sylia said bluntly
as she walked into the meeting.
Vision jumped to her feet, this time fully ready to combat Sylia's
decision. "Are you crazy? We lost enough in the first strike. Linna's
body is bearly-"
"Shut the hell up, Vision." Priss pushed her chair back and put her
feet up on the table.
"You want to see us all killed?"
"No, just you." Priss shot back.
"Stop bickering like little children." Sylia was using her stern and
resolute voice, it would be hard for Vision to keep her ground against
Sylia now. "Largo will not expect another attack so soon. Especially if
one of the boomers brought back word of Linna's death. We were beaten
back last time because the support caught us off guard. Now they don't
have any more surprises."
"Are you sure of that?" Vision asked.
"I don't know, let's ask Vision's boss." Priss smiled from her seat,
rather enjoying cutting Vision down.
Vision flew into an outrage. "Are you suggesting I-" Mackie and Nene
stood up to hold her back.
Linna saw her chance to shut Vision up for the rest of the meeting
right now. She stood. "I don't know about you, but *I* agree with Sylia."
Vision was caught off guard by Linna saying something, along with
what was happening and her Linna's death, she decided to back down before
she did something that would make Sylia win over her Nene and Mackie.
They were essential to her plan, and she needed to have both of their
cofidences...
"Whatever you say, you're the leader." Vision said sarcastically as
she sat down.
**Largo's Headquarters-1343hours, March 19, 2047 (Alternate)**
"I am very dissapointed in this news, A-002." Largo swiveled in his
chair to face his underling.
"As I said sir, we were already damaged from the Knight Saber
attack, and this new group completely destroyed us."
"You realize that I now have no way of producing new boomers?"
"Yes sir."
"I will be forced to withdraw all my boomers to this area while I
build another factory power?"
"Yes sir."
"Do you have any idea what freedom that will give the humans in
other parts of the world?"
"Permission to speak freely sir."
Largo was intrigued by the request, nobody had ever asked him that
before. "Granted."
"It wasn't my fault and you're blaming me for it, sir."
"Are you suggesting it was my fault?" Largo eyed A-002.
"Permission to speak freely again, s-"
"Yes. Yes. Yes."
"You are the one that transfered the boomers, sir."
Largo leaned back to consider this new information. "As usual, you
have welcome insights, A-002. You will remain here at the tower while an
investigation is conducted."
"Of course, sir."
"Dismissed."
"Thank you, sir." A-002 bowed and turned to leave. It smiled as it
waited for the elevator.
*****???*****
"Sir, the Knight Sabers have moved from Dallas, it appears they are
attacking the tower again."
"Good. We leave now. Try and get a message directly into A-002's
CPU, but only if there is a zero percent chance of it being detected, do
I make myself clear?"
"Yes sir."
A large supersonic jet plane took off from Megatokyo.