Bubblegum Collision

     A Bubblegum crisis fanfic by Douglas A. Reeves

PART TWO - Midnight Ride

      "Nene!" Leon called, smiling.  "Nice to see you back!"
      "Thanks," she answered, "It's good to be back."
      "How's that arm holding up?  I understand you had a fight with some
stairs."
      Nene had to smile slightly at that- Sylia had set that story up nicely.  "Oh,
it's doing better."  Flexing her cybernetic fingers, she again marveled at just
how natural it felt.   "I should be able to get the cast off in a few days."
      "Great!   See you around!"
      "Bye." she said, waving to him as he left.  As she entered the tower, she
couldn't help but think, "It IS good to be back."  In spite of her frustration
with the AD Police at times, she really did like her job, and she had been
anxioius to return to it.
      The first hour or so of her day was occupied with answering people's
questions, and by the time she actually got to doing any work she was feeling
even more cheerful than usual.  Settling down with a stack of paperwork that
had piled up in her absence, she set to work.
      By the time she had done, it was getting late.  Weariness crept over her,
but she knew she had one last thing to do before she went home.  Walking into
the computer room, she sat down at the terminal and typed in the command to
access a file.
      "NAME:" flashed on the computer screen, and Nene began to tap out the
letters. 
      S-t-e-v-e-n-s-o-n, C-h-r-i-s-t-i-n-e-ENTER
      "Stevenson, Christine.  Majority owner of Stevenson Incorporated. 
Estimated net worth of 15 billion dollars American.  Citizen of the United
States, but resides in Megatokyo for much of the year.
      "Date of birth: 14 April 2012, Height: 5' 8", Hair:Blond, Eyes:Blue"
      "No criminal record."
      Nene's mood darkened as she read the file, and she could feel anger
building up inside her.  Clearing the file, she shut down the terminal and left,
seeking solace in the night.
                   * * * * * * * * *
      "Nothing at all?" Sylia asked.
      "Nothing.  No record, not even a statement regarding the fighting at her
estate the other day," Nene scowled.  The mere mention of this woman's name
had brought a violent hatred bubbling to the surface, a fury so strong that it
frightened Nene herself.
      "Odd... I'll have to see what I can come up with on my own, then." 
Seeing the change that had come over Nene, Sylia added, "I'm sorry.  I
shouldn't have asked you to do this."
     Nene sighed, "We do what we have to," and left.
     Once she was gone, Sylia slumped into a chair and wept.
                   * * * * * * * * *
     Looking over the shattered battlesuit, Christine said, "There's no way we
can repair this... we'll have to build a new one."
     "What about the backup?" Dr. Boston asked.
     "It's good enough for a backup, but not for a primary... I wouldn't want to
go out in it."
     "Well, at least she is exercising some concern for her own safety," he
thought, then he responded, "Well, what do you have in mind for the new
one?"
     "First of all, we need a projectile weapon of some sort... I had no idea that
armor existed with that kind of energy-reflective properties."
     "What kind?"
     "The Knight Saber that I hit with the pulse cannon... I hit her dead on and
her armor wasn't scratched."
     "You might also consider some sort of melee weapon, if you are looking
for physical damage."
     "That thought had occurred to me also," she said, then stopped and looked
at him oddly.  "I thought you wanted me out of this."
     "I do... but I can't stop you.  Maybe at least I can keep you alive."
     "All right," she said, looking for a way to change the subject.  "Come on...
we have work to do."
                  * * * * * * * * *
     "Sylia?"
     "Come in," she answered quietly, and the door opened to reveal Priss and
Linna.
     "Sylia, we need to talk."  Linna said softly.
     "About?" she asked, struggling to regain her composure.
     "About you," came the response, from Priss this time. She had a look in
her eyes that Sylia had never seen before.   What's happened has happened...
but you have to face up to it."
     Sylia looked up at her friends... no, her family, and realized that they still
believed in her, even when she couldn't believe in herself.
     Priss extended her hand, and Sylia took it.  Pulling her to her feet, Priss
said, "We need you, Sylia.  You're the one who makes this happen."
                   * * * * * * * * *
     Days passed, and Christine smiled as she observed the new battlesuit in
construction.   The early stages of the building proceeded quickly, as the frame
and power system of the armor were largely similar to those of the damaged
one, but when the time came to install the weaponry, the process slowed to a
meticulous crawl.  The weaponry was carefully thought out; the energy web
remained, as did the missile system, but the pulse cannon was dropped in favor
of a hypervelocity razor-disc system in the right gauntlet.  As before, twin
lasers were mounted on her left forearm for defensive puposes.
     Other modifications had been made as well.  A new, more powerful flight
rig had been installed, taking advantage of the power savings from the removal
of the pulse cannon, and the joint structure was altered to further protect her. 
As the systems took shape, Christine found herself thrilled at the prospect of
returning to battle, and she began to make plans.
                   * * * * * * * * *
      "So, how does that arm feel?" Sylia asked, smiling, as she laid the pieces
of Nene's cast aside.
      "Wonderful.  Thank you... I didn't expect that it would heal this quickly,"
Nene said, tentatively moving her arm about, rotating the wrist.
      "Well, thank the computer, not me... my medical abilities are rather
limited."  Sylia's eyes flickered as she said it, as a twinge of guilt ran through
her for putting Nene in this situation.  It did not go unnoticed.
      "Sylia... this isn't your fault... i-it's... my fault." her voice cracked, then
hardened as she added, "and hers."
      "Oh, Nene," Sylia fought back tears as she was reminded of the anger that
so tortured her young friend.  No matter what Nene said, Sylia would always
believe that it was in part her fault, and that thought was devastating.  "You are
so much stronger than anyone knows."
      Nene's anger evaporated as quickly as it had come on.  "I'll be all right,
Sylia," she comforted, putting her arms around her.  Over the time they had
been together, Sylia had become like a second mother to her, and she loved her
dearly.  Even so, she had never realized just how much Sylia cared for her and
felt responsible for her... and it touched her heart to see it.
                   * * * * * * * * *
      "So.  What have we learned?" Sylia asked.
      "That a certain Christine Stevenson is a bitch?" Nene tossed in, the hatred
still audible at the edges of her voice.
      "Besides that."
      "That Genom is looking for new ways to get rid of us," Priss commented,
"and that other people out there have tech that can match our hardsuits."
      "Which we therefore need to improve," Linna added.
      "Agreed, but we lack the means," was Sylia's response.  "Our hardsuits
suffer from a single major weakness, and that is in the area of power
production.  The systems which comprise our suits have a very high
energy demand, and the space restrictions make that demand very difficult to
fill.  There is, however, a potential solution that I see."
       "And that is?" asked Linna.
       "Genom is, according to rumor, working on a new power reactor for their
next generation of boomer."
       "Are you suggesting we go and take it?" The question came from Priss
this time, and Sylia could detect a hint of hope in her tone.
       "Indeed.  The question is, are we ready for that kind of fight?"
       "I am ready," Nene volunteered.  "We've played nice with Genom for too
long."
       Priss agreed, but her expression registered only surprise - surprise that
such a strong statement would come from Nene.  Still, it was the same
argument she had been making for as long as she could remember, and her
opinions had not changed.  "I am ready."
      "They have gone too far," Linna agreed.  "It is time we took action."
      "Very well," Sylia rounded out the discussion.  "Our midnight ride
begins."
                   * * * * * * * * *
      The storm that raged overhead paled in comparison to the one in Nene's
heart.  At the first site of the Genom research and development facility, a swell
of anger rose up from within her like she had never known.  Ultimately,
Genom was to blame for all her suffering, and she would make them hurt for
it.
      Less than a meter to her right, Sylia's thoughts were more
tactically-oriented.  Get in, get the device, get out.  Quick, simple, and with a
minimum of noise - the sort of plan that works, which left her with one
question.  Why did she doubt it would happen that way?
      Priss certainly had different ideas.  She had been spoiling for this fight for
a long time, and now she was ready to dish out the damage.  The mission
objective was first, certainly, but if she happened to destroy half of the facility
along the way, so be it.
       Linna's thoughts ran along another line entirely.  When she first
started doing this, it was for the money and the chance to show off.  Then
Genom killed Irene, and it became personal.    She'd finally started to get over
that, and then they hired that... mercenary... who hurt Nene, and the anger
flared all over again.  Her anger, though, was not like Nene's... it was cold and
calculating, and burned long.  Tonight she would get some payback.
     Nene was the first to speak.  "One kilometer to target; Enemy is engaging
defenses."
     "Defensive strength?" Sylia asked, trying to ignore the chill in Nene's
once-cheerful voice.
     "Weak at the gate... two twelve-B's and some sort of mobile gun
platform."
      "Right.  Mackie, as soon as we're clear make sure you're well away from
that gun."
      "Right, Sis."
      Looking at Nene to her left, and knowing Linna and Priss were inside the
truck, Sylia called, "Knight Sabers, go!"  With that, the side panels opened, and
Linna and Priss shot forward and away on their motoslaves.  Firing her jump
unit, Sylia leapt forward and looked left to make sure Nene had followed.  As
soon as they had jumped, Mackie slammed on the truck's brakes and turned it
off down a side street.
     "Here we go!" Priss shouted as the boomers themselves came into view. 
Pressing a button on the motoslave's panel, she launched two missiles from the
right side.  Her target boomer dodged the attacks easily, having anticipated
them, but in so doing he failed to notice as she vaulted off the motoroid and
into the air.  Underneath her, the machine transformed and pressed the attack
while she lined up her shot.  A single shot from her arm cannon disabled the
boomer, and she dropped to the ground right beside its smoking hulk.
     Linna had just shot right by the boomer on her side, going for the gun. 
She could see the weapon come to bear on her, and just as it fired she
abandoned the motoslave for the air.  Falling on its side, the motoslave skidded
underneath the cannon's fire while Linna sailed neatly over it, above the
weapons limited vertical tracking range.  Dropping to her knees beside the
mammoth weapon's barrel, she neatly sliced off the front end of the gun.  The
operator, realizing that he could no longer safely fire, throttled up the
minitank's engine in an attempt to run her down, but she neatly sidestepped,
driving the Knuckle Bomber into the vehicle's side.  Sparks flew, then the
whole machine went up in a massive fireball that she had to jump back to
evade.
     Behind her, the other boomer had its hands full, too.  Nene had hammered
it with a continuous stream of fire from her arm gun, then ducked when it
attempted to return fire.  As it tracked her movement, a sudden white blur was
followed by a brilliant flash as Sylia severed its cannon with her sword. 
Before it could even turn to face, she had struck again, this time planting the
blade deep in the boomer's back.  Still not quite beaten, the boomer flipped
forward, throwing Sylia over its head, but the move put the boomer on the
ground to, and Nene finished it with her cannon, point blank to the head.
     Stepping back as the cyberdroid's body sprayed hydraulic fluid everywhere,
Nene savored the satisfaction of the victory.  Never before had she been truly
aggressive in a fight, and it was an odd feeling to her, but the adrenalin rush of
battle had just intensified her anger, and she wanted more.
     "Here's the front door," Priss called to the others.  "It's going to take a lot
of firepower to crack it, though."
      "Allow me," Nene answered, touching her palm to the door.  The
electronics in her suit whistled and beeped as she deciphered the entry code,
then with a wave of her hand the door slid open.
      "Good work, Nene.  This place is sure to be trapped, so be careful," Sylia
warned as they entered the complex.
      "I'll see what I can do about that, too."  Nene's sensors weren't calibrated
for this sort of work, but she could pick out the electronic signatures of
targeting devices, one at a time.  It took a couple of minutes, but she was able
to map out the entry hall's defenses.
       "This place is WEIRD..." Linna said, looking around.  "I've never seen
so much machinery before."
       "We should take this place apart," Priss commented.  "There are things
here that should never see the light of -" An explosion far above cut her off. 
Instinctively she raised her cannon arm, but then realized that it was several
floors up.
       "Apparently someone agrees with you," Linna commented as she looked
around for threats.
       "It's HER!" Nene shouted.  "She's here!"
       "We've got to get that reactor before she tears this place apart.... go!"
Sylia ordered.  Gripped by a new sense of urgency, they Knight Sabers sprang
into action.   "Priss, you take the point, Linna, guard the rear... Nene, have you
locked in on that reactor yet?"
       "Working on it... got it!  Third floor, west wing!"
       "Let's go!" Priss shouted, raising her arm up over her head.  Firing
straight upward, she blasted a hole in the ceiling, then stepped aside as debris
rained on her.  The automated fire-suppression systems activated, spraying the
hallway with water, and more importantly triggering the alarms.
       Priss jumped up through the hole first, then called, "It's clear."  Nene
followed, then Sylia, then Linna leaped through and they ran through the
twisting corridors toward the west wing.  Suddenly, they skidded to a stop,
where a seemingly important hallway terminated with a blank wall.  "Oh,
hell!" Priss shouted as she blasted through the wall.
       "She's headed this way, too," Nene said.  "And she's wrecking everything
in her path."
Indeed, the building was wracked with the tremors of multiple explosions, and
the sounds of destruction seemed to be getting louder.
       "Move!" Sylia ordered.  Stepping over the debris of the destroyed wall,
they found themselves in another corridor which headed straight west. 
Sprinting toward their objective, they listened to Nene's directions.  "Ok, I've
tapped into their computers.  We still need to go up one floor before we enter
the wing... you can't go up once you're in."
       "Easily accomplished," Priss commented, blasting through another
ceiling.  Leaping upward, she heard a shout behind her, "YOU?"
       Whirling, she found herself face-to-face with Christine.  "What the hell
are you doing here?" asked the mercenary, taking aim with her right arm.
       "I might ask you the same question," Priss countered, making no hostile
moves but not hiding the anger in her tone, either.  As she spoke, Linna came
up through the floor as well and assumed a fighting stance.
       "This doesn't involve you, Sabers."
       "Oh, doesn't it?" Nene asked as she too entered the room, the rage
making her voice tremble.
         Christine realized she was outnumbered.  The possibility of fighting
with them had occurred to her, but reason had dismissed it immediately.  "My
fight is with Genom, Sabers."
       "Perhaps mine is with you," Nene's voice rose still further.
       "No, Nene."  Sylia's hand rested on her shoulder.  "No personal
vengeance; you know the Code."  Looking up, she faced Christine, "Do not
interfere, mercenary.  I do not want to fight you again."
       "I have my business here as well... and you will not hold me back from
it."
       "Try us," Priss challenged.   Christine only fumed.  She knew she could
not win, but to be taunted by the one who had injured her...
       "Wait." Sylia's voice cut through the tension which was building between
them all.  "We only want the reactor.  Once we have it, you may have your
way with this place."
       "Very well," Christine aquiesced.  The reactor would have been nice, but
it was in truth no better than her own, and certainly not worth fighting for. 
"Go on your way."
       "As if we needed your leave," Priss said as she walked away, still
keeping an eye on Christine as the others continued down the corridor.
       "Are you looking for a fight, Saber?"
       "Maybe."
       "Be careful what you wish for."
       "Right."
       Down the hall, Nene was working her magic again.  "This place has the
oddest security I've ever seen.  The other halls were not well secured at all, but
this is going to be tough to crack."
       About that time, Priss caught up to them, standing back as a rear guard. 
"I don't trust her."
       "Neither do I," answered Sylia.
       "Got it." Nene interrupted.  "We have four minutes."
       "Before?" Priss inquired as the doors parted before them.  The rooms
inside were almost totally dark, with only the light of the computer consoles to
illuminate them.
       "You don't want to know."
       "It is enough," Sylia said.  "Go."
       Back down at the other end of the hall, Christine was searching for the
complex's computer core.  Without the benefit of Nene's ability to access that
computer, it was a difficult task, but eventually she found it.  Tapping into the
system, she started downloading the core.  As she scanned the data she
accessed, a feeling of horror swept over her.  Sprinting to the intercom system,
she shouted, "Get out!  This whole building is trap!  Get out now!"
       Hearing the desperation in her voice, Sylia said, "Locate her, Nene." 
Instinct told her that Christine was telling the truth, but she had to verify.
       "She's... in the computer core, Sylia."
       "Abort mission... let's go!"
       "You sure?" Priss asked, "We went to a lot of trouble for this."
       "I'm sure.  Now go!"  Shoving the other Knight Sabers back out into the
main hallway, she ran after them.  Just as she stepped across the doorway, a
resounding explosion tore through the west wing, shredding the floors upon
which they had just been standing.
        "Damn!  I knew this was too easy," Priss shouted as they ran from the
blast.
        Taking a second to check the quickest way out, Christine fled the
computer core.  As she ran through the hallways, she found herself wondering
why she had saved the Knight Sabers.  "The enemy of my enemy..." she
whispered to herself.  As she rounded a corner, she found herself face to face
with a pair of boomers.
        "Thirty-four CX!  I thought those were still in development!" she
thought as she instinctively raised her left arm and fired.  The energy web
surrounded one of them, and as it struggled to free itself she dodged the other's
attack.  Using her flight jets to leap over the still-active boomer, she spun and
brought up the missile system.  Targeting one on each, she fired her two
missiles and watched with satisfaction as the prototype boomers exploded.
        "Boomers around the corner, Sylia... new type," Nene warned.  "Three
of them."
        "Priss, take point."
        "Got it." Bursting around the corner, Priss fired seversal shots from her
arm cannon.  Armor piercing shells ripped into the first two boomers, strinking
one on the shoulder and one on the hip.  The second boomer's leg buckled, and
she finished it off with two flechettes in the back of the head.
        While the boomers were occupied with Priss, the others came around the
corner as well.  Linna immediately took to the air, though her vertical space
was limited, and went straight to the Knuckle Bomber.  Unsure of the new
boomers' weaknesses, she chose to attack the head, but it dodged and she hit
the shoulder instead.   Flame shot from the joint, and the arm was severed, but
the cyberdroid's other hand caught her while still in the air.  Thrown against
the wall by the backhand blow, she fell to the floor.
       "Linna!" Nene cried and charged the boomer, who now stood over her
friend.  Driving her right hand into the mess of wires that was the 34-CX's
shoulder, she fired her cannon.  The boomer had been too intent on finishing
Linna, and her surprise attack decimated its internal systems.  It collapsed in a
heap.
       Priss was still fighting with the first boomer she attacked, so Sylia went
after the other one.  Extending the sword, she slashed for its head, but it
dodged.  On the backswing, she clipped its shoulder, but it caught her sword
arm and threw her into Priss.   As the two of them scrambled to get up, their
respective targets closed in.
       "Get UP, Linna!" Nene shouted, hauling her friend to her feet.  Though
her mind was still a bit hazy from hitting the wall, she immediately realized
the danger and sprang into action.  The nearest boomer had just drawn a blade
of its own and had Sylia backed against the wall, so she chose to attack it first. 
Leaping in front of the boomer, she used her smartmetal "whips" to neatly
slice off the boomer's knife-arm, then began to drive him backwards with her
arm cannon.  Nene came in from behind, striking the cyberdroid in the back,
and it fell to the combined assault.
       Back on her feet, Priss was taking no quarter.  Using her hardsuit's
enhanced strength, she was delivering punishing blows with her hands and feet,
pushing her adversary back until it was pinned to the wall, then riddling him
with flechettes.  Hydraulic fluid and flame poured from gashes all along the
boomer's body, and it collapsed in a heap.
       "Sylia, this whole building is going to explode, and quick.  We need to
be moving!" Nene warned.
       "Then let's go up.  Priss?"
       Less than a minute later, they were standing on the roof of the research
facility.  Looking around, they could see the flames which were consuming the
building, burning from west to east.  A small explosion flared a few meters to
the right, and Christine emerged from the resulting gap in the roof.  Walking
over to face Sylia, she said.  "We're even.  I tried to kill you, and that was
business.  I just saved you all.  Don't forget it."  With that said, she flew off
into the night.
       "We'd best be going ourselves," Priss suggested.
       "Yes, let's go home."  Sylia agreed.

***************
END PART TWO