Bubblegum Collision
A Bubblegum Crisis fanfic by Douglas A. Reeves
PART ONE
Looking over her newly-rebuilt armor, Christine Starblade was
feeling rather proud of herself. The data supplied by her client had formed the
basis for some simple modifications, and now she felt more than ready to take
on the task at hand. This time, her quarry would be like nothing she had ever
hunted before, and she savored the anticipation of what was to come.
"Computer, prepare simulation 3863827, using datapacket ZA21."
As she donned the battlesuit, she ran through the tactical data in her mind.
Her client had provided her with detailed readouts on the combat capabilities of
the enemy, which she promptly adjusted upward as she always did, but she
wondered what surprises this group might have in store for her. The computer
usually simulated her opponents' tactics well, but if anyone would escape
prediction, it would be they.
Glancing around the holographic cityscape, she whispered, "Begin
simulation."
Her sensors gave her the locations of four targets, and the fight was on.
* * * * * * * * *
"Do I have to?" Nene tried to beg her way out of it, but to no avail.
"Yes!" came the unanimous response. Priss scowled at her and said, "Get
in there and do it again! I'm sick of having to save your ass."
"Calm down, Priss," Sylia spoke from the control console. "Nene, I know
how much you dislike this, but if you don't learn to defend yourself you will
become a danger to us all."
"Very well." Nene opened the door to the training chamber.
"All right, level five again. Begin on my mark." Nene assumed a fighting
stance.
"Go."
At first, things did not go well. Her movements were too slow, too
ill-timed to be effective, and she narrowly escaped being eliminated on more
than one occasion.
About halfway through the simulation, though, something clicked in her
mind. Suddenly, she knew where to attack, and when... and her body knew,
too. The target appeared, and she turned to the attack, striking with a
backhand chop. The hologram froze, registering a successful strike, and she
nearly fell over from surprise.
In the control booth, Priss's jaw dropped. "She CLEARED it?!"
"So she did," Sylia said, then spoke into the microphone, "Well done,
Nene."
Exhausted, Nene just nodded.
"That's enough for today. We'll test you again tomorrow, and if you can
clear it again I will make some adjustments to your hardsuit."
Nene nodded again, then walked to the door.
Linna met her there. "That was much better than you've ever done before.
What was different?"
"I really don't know... it just felt different that time."
"You're learning. Maybe that training we've been doing is finally paying
off."
"I guess so," Nene smiled weakly then turned to head for a well-earned
shower.
* * * * * * * * *
Reviewing the details of the simulation in her mind, Christine smiled... it
was too easy. In fact, she realized, it was exactly that. The data her client
had provided her was supposedly accurate, and she had enhanced it somewhat
beyond that, but something didn't seem right about it. Still, the performance of
her new armor was well above the levels she felt necessary for this job, so she
was satisfied. Stepping out of her battlesuit, she decided it would be a good
time for a shower.
As the hot water flowed over her, relaxing her sore muscles, she allowed
her thoughts to drift a little. It was at times like these when the questions
came... "Why do I do this?" "Why do I not seek a normal life?". The
answers, too, were always the same. Ever since her parents had died she had
been bored with the life of a rich, spoiled child. The rush of excitement that
came with her hunting filled a void in her spirit, and her competitive nature
thrilled to the rigors of combat. Of late, though, even this had gotten boring.
It had been a long time since anyone could challenge her; perhaps this was
why she was so thrilled about this new job.
As she dried herself off and looked into the mirror, she again faced the
realization of what she gave up for this thrill. She was quite pretty, with long
blonde hair and sapphire eyes, and her body was desirable - she could have
almost any man she wanted, but she had little time for romantic pursuits. With
her money and her resources, she could go anywhere, see anything she desired,
but that was not the life she chose. Sometimes she wondered if perhaps she
would enjoy that sort of life... perhaps she could find an adventure of a
different kind; always, though, when she looked into her own eyes, she saw the
truth. She was a warrior born.
* * * * * * * * *
"This should be a relatively simple job," Sylia spoke to the assembled
Knight Sabers. "As you know, the Japanese branch of Stevenson Incorporated
has been at odds with Genom for some time over a military contract. The
Stevenson entry in the competition is being transported from their corporate
complex to a USSD base, and they have hired us to protect it from possible
Boomer attack."
"Sounds simple enough." Linna commented. "Are we supposed to be
visible or secret?
"They didn't say, so I'm assuming visible. Better if we can deter an attack
rather than fight it off."
"Something seems wrong about this, Sylia." Priss spoke up. "Why would
Stevenson need us to guard their equipment? They have the resources to do
this kind of work in-house."
"I wondered that myself. Perhaps they don't trust their own security?"
"That's a comforting thought."
* * * * * * * * *
"No activity so far," Nene commented.
"Confirmed," Mackie answered, flying far above in the KnightWing.
Looking down on the convoy, he could see each of the Sabers. Using their
motoslaves for flight capability, they hovered above the Stevenson trucks. The
passers-by looked up at them in awe, but then just moved on as if it was
nothing truly new in Megatokyo.
At the front of the group was Priss, who wore a scowl beneath her helmet.
She did NOT like this job... something just didn't add up about it, but she
couldn't quite tell what that was. Even she had to admit, though, that the pay
was too good to pass up.
The pick-up operation had proceeded smoothly, and they were about
halfway to their destination. Priss could not help but wonder what was so
valuable that Stevenson would be willing to hire them to protect it. Also, why
would a largely American company work on such a sensitive project in Japan,
right under Genom's nose? "Too many variables," she muttered to herself.
"Agreed," answered Sylia, realizing that Priss had not meant to vocalize
her feelings but finding validity in them nevertheless. "Keep your eyes open."
"Nothing to see so far," Nene reassured.
A few minutes, and a few kilometers, passed without event, and Priss
allowed herself to relax a little bit. Still, suspicion was strong in her mind.
"Incoming!" Mackie called. "Two C-class boomers about half a kilometer
back."
"I see them," answered Nene, turning to face the attackers. "They look like
standard types."
"Brace for battle," Sylia ordered. "Knight Sabers, go!" With a flash of
blue, she fired the motoslave's thrusters and charged toward the incoming
boomers. Glancing right she saw Linna, already on the ground, and she
instinctively knew Priss was right behind her. The boomers were at ground
level, so she separated herself from the motoslave and used her jump unit to
land.
Seeing them, the first boomer turned to fire at Linna. Nimbly dodging, she
performed a front handspring and vaulted into the air. Her leap carried her
completely over the first boomer and she fell toward the second. As she
descended on it, it raised its gun to fire, but she was coming much to fast.
Using her left hand to brace herself, she drove the right into the boomer's head.
The Knuckle Bomber flared, and explosions gutted the mechanical monster.
Turning in the air, Linna dropped softly to her feet.
The first boomer, not even noticing the demise of his partner-in-crime,
charged on toward the convoy. Meeting him halfway there, Priss fired her
flechette cannon at him. The boomer had expected this move, but it was only
intended as a distraction. The true threat was behind, as Sylia's sword pierced
the back of his head. Hydraulic fluid and sparks flew as the boomer collapsed
in a heap. Priss fired another pair of flechettes into his exposed circuitry just
to be sure.
Looking back, they saw that the convoy had gotten well ahead of them, as
had
Nene, who had remained nearby to monitor for more attackers. Suddenly
Nene cried, "Power surge in the lead truck! It's going to--"
KA-BLAM! The first truck in the convoy was ripped from its chassis as
the trailer it was carrying went up in a massive fireball. Debris rained on the
street around it and smoke filled the air. Struggling to see, Nene glanced
around in a vain attempt to locate the source of the explosion.
"Careful, Nene!" she heard Sylia warn, "We're coming!"
"Sis," Mackie warned, "whatever caused that explosion is still down there
somewhere... can't tell what or where, though... there's too much
interference!"
"My sensors don't show anything! I can't see for all the smoke!" Nene
yelled in desperation. Firing her motoslave's thrusters, she attempted to fly
above the clouds of smoke which enveloped her. Suddenly, on her left, she
saw a bright plume of flame.
"Nene! Incoming!" Mackie warned, far too late. Nene's instincts took
over, and her left arm flew up to block the attack before she even saw it. A
look of horror crossed her face when she realized -- missile!
The weapon exploded, its proximity fuse detecting her arm as she
attempted to deflect it. The blast crushed the arm of her hardsuit, shattering
her lower arm and wrist, and she screamed. Losing all control, she fell from
the sky.
"NENE!" Linna screamed as her jump unit propelled her into the air. The
emitters on her gauntlet glinted as she leapt toward the armored figure which
emerged from the smoke, and she drove her attack home. The Knuckle
Bomber made contact... and nothing happened.
"Nani?!" she managed before her adversary's backhand flung her away.
Turning, the armored figure... apparently a woman, though Linna could not
see well, aimed at her with her right arm. Linna braced herself as best as she
could while trying to right herself with her jump unit, and a bright flash
exploded from the hand of the enemy.
The pulse cannon struck Linna with all of its fury, driving her backwards
through a nearby building. Christine could not help but laugh at the futility of
the Knight Saber's attack... she was well prepared for that particular weapon, at
least. Her laughter stopped, however, when Linna came back through the wall
she had just met, her hardsuit undamaged.
"Just go AWAY!" Christine screamed, taking aim this time with her left
arm.
The Knight Saber kept coming, no longer fearing her, but was brought to a
sudden halt when Christine's energy web surrounded her. Stripped of
momentum, she dropped to the ground.
"You bitch!" she heard a shout from her right, turning to face, she saw
Priss charging her. Raising her arm to fire again, she saw a blinding flash and
was suddenly thrown backwards.
"Aaaahhh..." she managed weakly as she felt her left shoulder disintegrate
under the force of the blast. The APDS shell ripped through armor and flesh,
nearly severing her left arm, and Christine immediately lost conciousness from
the pain.
Priss watched with angry satisfaction as the mercenary was thrown against
the remains of the destroyed truck. She turned around, and all her anger fled
her. "Nene!" she cried as she saw her fallen friend.
Nene was in a bad way. Her left hand and arm below the elbow were
crushed inside the hardsuit, and she was losing blood rapidly. "Damn... I
KNEW this was a trap," Priss whispered. Nene only groaned, stirring slightly.
Sylia dropped to the ground beside her and picked up Nene. "Let's go.
We've got to get her some medical help, quickly."
Linna walked up, having freed herself from the web. "What about her?"
she pointed at the armored form of their opponent, lying in a rapidly expanding
pool of blood.
"She's dead anyway." Priss answered.
"Probably," Sylia agreed, though not so certain. "We don't have time to
deal with her anyway. Let's go."
* * * * * * * * *
"OPERATOR DISABLED. RETURN TO BASE," Doctor James Boston
read from the monitor screen.
"Damn you, Christine. I knew this would happen eventually." he shook his
head and prepared for the worst.
As he walked into the secret garage exit, he saw the suit fly in. It set
down on the ground in front of him and opened, and Christine slumped out
into his arms, still unconcious.
"Dear God," he gasped, looking at her wounds, and he carried her to the
medlab.
* * * * * * * * *
Sylia was distraught as she looked over the X-rays of Nene's arm. They
had managed to stabilize her, so she at least would live... but this was not
good.
"Lower arm broken in six places... wrist shattered beyond repair, hand
crushed." She shook her head and started to cry silently.
"We knew this would happen eventually," Priss pointed out. "This is a
dangerous business."
"But I... I walked us into a trap. Walked her," she indicated the sleeping
Nene, "into a trap. She's so young... and this has to happen to her."
"It could have been much worse," Linna comforted. "If that missile had hit
her body instead of her arm..."
"Then she would be dead..." Sylia finished, then added, "and it would be
MY fault."
"NO!" Priss slapped Sylia across the face... hard. "It is NOT your fault.
She knew this job was dangerous when she took it! Get a hold of yourself!"
Sylia sighed. "Maybe... maybe you are right. Still, it is time we rethought
some things."
* * * * * * * * *
"Ohhhh...." Christine moaned as her eyelids fluttered open. "Ouch."
"Ouch," Doctor Boston repeated. "It's good to see you awake again."
"What hit me?"
"My, she's recovering her head quickly," he thought before responding,
"APDS shell. Intended to disable a boomer in one shot... you came out of it
pretty well."
Looking over to her left side, she said, "Cybernetic shoulder?"
"You can tell?"
"If it was real, it wouldn't look that good." After a second, she asked,
"What about the armor?"
"You intend to use it again?"
"Certainly. I have a score to settle."
"You damn near died, Chris."
"That's why I pay you so well."
"Whatever," Doctor Boston sighed as he turned and walked out.
"I guess he just doesn't understand," she thought to herself, then lay back
to get some more sleep.
* * * * * * * * *
The blare of Klaxons jarred her from her sleep. Rolling out of bed, she
moved
to the wall intercom. "What the hell is going on out there?" she demanded.
"We're under attack!" came the frantic response from the gate guard.
"Type 12-B boomers!"
Slapping another button, she shouted "Prep the backup battlesuit. I'll be
down in two."
"You're in no condition to fight, Chris," Doctor Boston objected as he
strode into the room."
"Maybe so, but nobody else is going to stop them from ripping this place
apart."
"True," he acquiesced. "But be careful."
"Always," she smiled at him.
Two and a half minutes later she was suited up. The doors opened to show a
front lawn that looked more like a battlezone. She had spent a lot of money on
the
luxury of a lawn in this city, and the sight of it being torn to pieces infuriated
her.
"Go to Hell, Genom!" she cried as she charged into the fray, ignoring the
pain which flared through her left arm as she lifted it. Turning to face the
nearest
boomer, she fired her energy web. The cyberdroid stepped right into the
transparent
mesh, and it closed around him. A quick burst of the pulse cannon shattered
the metal
beast's armor like so much glass.
A flash on her right attracted her attention, and she nimbly stepped aside as
the second of her adversaries fired his rail cannon. The missile launcher swung
up over her shoulder, immediately registering a lock, and she fired. The
boomer swiftly dodged the missile, and itwas taking aim for another shot when
the weapon swung around and struck it in the back. Gouts of flame shot from
its joints as it collapsed.
"Two down, how many left?" she asked.
"None left. Apparently Genom wasn't expecting you to put up much of a
fight."
"Bastards... attacking a woman when she's down. They'll pay for that."
* * * * * * * * *
"Sylia... take a look at this," Priss indicated the news announcer.
"... a mysterious armored figure fought off two Bu-12-B military boomers
on the estate of Christine Stevenson. Miss Stevenson, 21 years old and the
majority owner of Stevenson Incorporated, could not be reached for comment,
but it is known that her corporation has been one of Genom's few competitors
in the market for military hardware. Genom executives declined our request
for an interview regarding the incident..."
"Interesting."
"At a glance, that battlesuit looked very familiar," Linna commented
nervously.
"Perhaps our adversary yet lives," Sylia answered.
"Maybe so... looks like Genom gave her the short end of the deal, though."
"This could get interesting."
* * * * * * * * *
Looking over some blueprints, Christine took a sip from her coffee and
grumbled.
"The data Genom provided me on the Knight Sabers' capabilities was
woefully inadequate. On top of that, they tried to kill me to cover their own
ineptitude. I cannot let this go unanswered."
"I doubt that it was ineptitude, Chris. More likely, they deliberately gave
you false or obsolete data, knowing that you would be more likely to take the
job."
"Probably true. Either way, they are going to hurt for this."
Doctor Boston sighed softly. Once Christine had set her mind on
something, he knew, she could not be deterred. Time after time, he had
watched her don her armor and go to battle, and time after time he feared that
she would not return. This last time had hurt him... the sight of her as she
collapsed into his arms had burned his heart, and he did not know if he could
deal with that again.
"You know I have to do this, James. I have to. They know my identity,
and they are not going to just let me go."
"I know, but... be careful. I almost lost you last time." A tear formed in
his eye as he spoke in a near-whisper. Quickly, he looked away, hoping that
she had not noticed. She gave no indication of having seen it...
...but she had.
* * * * * * * * *
"Nene."
Stirring slightly, Nene slowly opened her eyes. "Sylia... I'm alive?"
"Yes, you are alive," Sylia could not help but smile. "I was worried about
you for a while, but you are a good deal stronger than you let on."
Nene smiled weakly, then cringed as she began to feel again. Her left arm
was a solid mass of pain from the elbow down. Looking over at it, she saw
that the entire lower arm was in a cast, which prevented all movement.
"How bad is it?"
Sylia's smile faded. "I'm sorry... the arm will heal but your wrist and hand
are beyond repair."
Nene sighed, and Sylia could see that she was holding back tears.
"I'm sorry, Nene. I really am."
Nene nodded. "I guess I'm finished as a Knight Saber, then."
"Perhaps not. There is one possibility."
"A possibility?"
"We could construct a cybernetic replacement for the wrist and hand."
Nene bit her lower lip, considering that... "What would it be like," she
wondered, "to know that a part of you was not really you... But then, what
will it be like not being able to use my hand, or be a Knight Saber... and how
would I explain the injury at work... and how am I going to explain my
absence?" Her mind reeled with the rampant worries and thoughts, but there
was really only one choice she could make.
"Go ahead."
* * * * * * * * *
END PART ONE
* * * * * * * * *
