Bubblegum Collision
A Bubblegum Crisis fanfiction by Douglas A. Reeves
Part Four - The Enemy of my Enemy
Christine Stevenson was dead; there was no debate on the matter.
She was known to be in her mansion at the time of the fire, and it was
known that neither she nor Dr. James Boston had escaped when the flames
consumed the building. Three days later, funerals were held for the two of
them on the grounds of the estate.
When her lawyers went to execute her will, many people were
stunned at how freely she had distributed her wealth. Having no known
heir, she had given large sums of money and property, seemingly randomly,
to individual citizens of Megatokyo. In fact, it seemed that the only pattern
in the gifts was that none of them were given to employees of Genom. Among the beneficiaries of the heiress's generosity was a young
officer of the AD Police by the name of Nene Romanova. She was
surprised when she received an envelope from Miss Stevenson's lawyers,
and she would be more surprised later when she opened it. The contents
included some legal documents and a note.
Miss Romanova,
I am truly sorry for the pain that I have caused you. If you have
received this, it is likely that I will never be able to convey my apology in
person, so please accept this means as the best I may offer. I realize that
this is a small compensation for your pain, but it is the best that I can give.
With your signature, the enclosed documents will transfer fifty-one
percent of the Stevenson, Inc. stock to your name. I hope that you will
find it useful.
Admittedly, I have an ulterior motive in bestowing this particular
gift upon you. I feel confident that you will not allow it to fall into the
hands of Genom; this is a fate which I would not wish to befall the
corporation my father built. I trust that you will not grant our mutual
enemy such a boon.
Again, I truly and deeply regret the day that I harmed you, and
while I doubt that you will forgive me, I hope that you may at least find
some comfort in this gift.
Sincerely,
Christine Ann Stevenson
(a.k.a. Starblade)
Upon reading this note, Nene nearly dropped the envelope. Once
she had recovered her composure, she immediately phoned Sylia, who said
she would be there shortly to help her decipher the paperwork.
* * * * * * * * *
The very next day, Sylia found an ad of interest in her morning
newspaper. It was encoded, but the code was relatively simple. Sitting
down at her computer, she had deciphered it whithin a few minutes.
To the Knight Sabers,
I wish to speak with you. I may be found at my new home, which
is not far from my old, anytime after midnight. The matter is urgent.
Starblade
* * * * * * * * *
As the clock struck one, Starblade found her gaze drawn to the
tombstone beside her. It was an odd feeling to gaze at one's own grave,
she reflected, but she considered it appropriate. Indeed, everything that had
been Christine Stevenson had died in that explosion, her life slowly
bleeding from the wounds of the only friend she had ever known. Looking down at her scarred armor, the only thing she had salvaged from
her home, she realized that it was truly all she had left. Here, she would
gamble even that on the possibility of more.
The minutes passed slowly, seeming as hours, until the chimes
sounded again at one fifteen. It ws then that her scanner registered the
approach of her former enemies. After another tense moment, she could
see them approach. Once they stood before her, she extended her arms in a
gesture of non-aggression and popped the seals on her suit.
Once she was free of the armor, she stood and faced the
white-suited one she knew was their leader.
"So, you do yet live," Sylia addressed her softly.
"If you can call this a life," was her embittered reply.
"Why did you call for us?"
"I wish to join you."
The silence spoke more than any words could. Only Sylia was not
shocked by the request - indeed, she had expected it - and she was not
given to rash speech. After a moment, she responded, "We will have to
discuss this matter among ourselves, you understand."
"I understand," Starblade responded, her voice taking on a somber
tone. "Please, though, decide quickly. I will wait her each night until you
return."
* * * * * * * * *
"Absolutely not!" Nene screamed. "Surely you do not trust this...
this... BITCH not to betray us!"
"Calm yourself, Nene," Sylia interrupted firmly, her voice as ice.
"Why do you assume that she would turn on us, Nene?" Priss shot
back. "You just don't like her!"
Nene rolled her eyes. "She already tried to kill us all once!"
"Yes, and she was hired to do that - "
"By GENOM!" Nene cut her off.
"Who then proceeded to stab her in the back. She bears as strong a
grudge against them as any of us. She also saved our lives, if you don't
remember," Priss answered, her voice rising.
"Priss, it goes double for you," Sylia chastised. "Calm down. I can
see both of your positions on the issue... there is no need to shout. What
do you think, Linna?"
"It is difficult to say. My personal feelings say no, but if I am
objective I think I have to say yes."
Sylia nodded. "She brings many valuable things to us as a team,
should we admit her. She is a competent fighter, her understanding of
powered armor and the relevant technology is superb, if my research is
correct, and she gives us access to new weapons and armor improvements
which could potentially be incorporated into our own designs.
"Exactly," Priss cut in. "I think Nene's just pissed to find out she's
still alive."
"Priss!" Sylia glared at her.
"I am NOT!" Nene insisted, but a quiet voice in her mind asked,
"Am I? Do I hate her that much?"
"And I thought I was the angry one here," Priss sighed. At that,
Nene almost exploded again, but managed to restrain herself when she
realized she would only prove Priss right. Instead, she just sat there and
turned a deeper red than she already was.
For a moment, silence hung heavily in the room. Finally, Linna
softly spoke up. "Nene, I understand how you feel... well, actually, I don't.
But I can see why you feel the way you do. Still, we have to make the
decision that is best for the team."
Feeling her anger crumbling under the weight of truth, Nene only
nodded. "Not being terribly objective, are we?" the voice inside her
prodded - not taunting, not mocking, just pointing out the fact.
"Nene, if we do allow her to join, she will be closely observed,"
Sylia tried to reassure her.
"Very well," Nene sighed, resigning herself to the facts. "My vote
is still no."
Sylia nodded. "Priss?"
"I say yes."
"Linna?
"I say..." she looked indecisive, glancing at Nene, then Sylia, then
back at Nene. With the thought, "Forgive me, Nene," she said, "Yes."
"And I must say yes as well. I am sorry, Nene, but that is the
decision I feel I must make."
Nene only nodded, accepting the facts, but she could not help but
feel a little betrayed.
* * * * * * * * *
Roughly twenty hours later, Sylia was introducing Starblade to the
Knight Sabers' main headquarters. The decision had been made not to
show her the alternate complex at Raven's Garage until she had proven her
loyalty.
"This," Sylia explained, opening a door, "is the design system. The
computers in here are where all of our equipment is designed, to be
constructed in the next rooms. You and I will be spending a good deal of
time here, creating a hardsuit design for you and incorporating some of
your technology into the existing suits.
"Very good," Starblade smiled, looking around the maze of
electronics which occupied the chamber. "Very advanced system you have
here."
Sylia smiled slightly, "No more advanced than your own, I am
sure."
"No, not more... but certainly its equal."
"Did you design your armor alone?" Sylia inquired.
"No, I had help..." her voice faltered, then she recovered, "but he
was taken from me."
"I am sorry," Sylia apologized. "I am... not unfamiliar with loss."
"I know," Starblade smiled wryly. "I had a rather detailed file on
you... or more correctly, on your family. I probably should have guessed
your role here, but it never occurred to me."
Sylia smiled slightly. "To my knowledge, only one person has
guessed."
Opening another door, she continued. "This is the construction
chamber. As the name implies, much of our equipment is built here..."
* * * * * * * * *
The design of a hardsuit for Starblade proved to be a challenge
indeed. She was bent on retaining the energy web and razor disc systems
from her old armor, and fitting them into a hardsuit shell was not an easy
task. Eventually, however, they were able to work the componets in. The
size of the disc magazine was reduced from thirty to fifteen, but otherwise
the weapons remained unchanged. Also, she was able to accept some of
the communications duties originally assigned to Nene, creating space for a
larger arm cannon in that hardsuit.
In terms of style, Starblade's hardsuit was closest to Sylia's. It was
moderately armored, and thus sacrificed only a small amount of mobility.
Starblade was amazed by the sheer freedom of movement which the suit
allowed, and while it was less armored than her old battlesuit, she quickly
became quite comfortable with it. The largest adjustment was the loss of
full flight capabilities, but this would be solved when she received her
motoslave.
Starblade's major contribution to the Knight Sabers would prove to
be her own design for a power reactor. Although slightly larget than the
one currently used, it was readily downsized and, even in its modified form,
produced a significantly higher extended power curve. The peak output
remained roughly the same, but as the system had been designed with a
flight rig in mind it was capable of maintaing maximum output for longer
periods. While not as impressive as the Genom prototype reactor, it was a
significant improvement.
As all this work was being done, Starblade found herself admiring
the Knight Sabers more and more. Sylia, with her fantastic intellignece,
reminded her of her lost friend, and the two began to grow close quickly.
Priss, while distant, seemed the most willing to trust her; perhaps this was
because they were so much alike. Linna was a true artist on the field of
battle, and Starblade respected her skill deeply. Finally, Nene, who was so
young, possessed a genius with electronics like none she had ever
encountered. She was strong at heart, too; Starblade knew the young one
did not welcome her, yet she could also see that she accepted her presence
in a professional manner.
Starblade desperately wished she could find a way to ease Nene's
pain, but she knew that there was little she could do. She was the cause of
that pain, and it seemed that her very presence would only serve to irritate
the wound. Never before had Starblade really sought to be forgiven for
anything she had done, but she coveted Nene's forgiveness, and she knew
she might never have it.
* * * * * * *
Starblade had been faced with another problem as well. Christine
Stevenson was dead, with all her property distributed to others. It would be
simple to relcaim it, but she would rather that Genom believe her to be
gone. Since her hostilities with the megacorp had begun, she had feared
that the conflict would be extended to her own financial empire, and she
would just as soon not see her father's company harmed. Also, once she
had given all her possessions away, she did not have the ruthlessness to
reclaim them.
Sylia, sensing this difficulty, offered her a place to stay. Starblade
did not wish to accept any more charity than necessary, but Sylia had
insisited, calling it payment for the use of her designs. Once that was
agreed on, she rarely left the base of operations.
Each night, her sleep ws tormented by nightmares, visions of death
repeated time and time again. When she could sleep no more, she would
simply lie in bed, wondering why she had to relive the worst moment of
her life each night. "Was not once torture enough?" she would whisper,
crying herself back into the tortured slumber.
Eventually, her weeping was heard by another soul. Sylia, who was
awake late that night, knocked on her door.
"Yes?" she managed.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" Sylia asked quietly.
Starblade didn't answer, so Sylia quietly opened the door.
"Christine?" she asked softly, using her name for the first time. "Christine is dead!" was the reply. "I am only Starblade now."
"Perhaps," Sylia answered, her voice soothing. "Perhaps you wish it
were so. I know the feeling well."
"Do you?" the bitterness in Christine's voice cut deeply, but Sylia
persisted.
"More well than you might imagine." Sitting on the bed, Sylia
extended her hand to Christine. "We all have our dark hours."
"And I am the cause of many."
"You are not responsible for his death, Christine."
"I am! He died because he stayed with me... because he loved me."
"And Nene was harmed because I led her into a trap," Sylia
responded, cautious of bringing up the incident but having no better answer.
"A trap that I laid!"
"Then perhaps you are responsible for that. I would not say so,
however. Nene knew the risks when she joined us, as did your friend when
he chose to assist you."
"But he died for my love..."
"Then his death was happier than most."
"But..." Christine was stunned by the truth of that statement. The
only thing James had ever desired, to her knowledge, was her love... and
she had given that to him. "...but he didn't have to die."
"All things end. My father's death was pointless, his life's work
stolen by a power-hungry madman. He never lived to see his dreams."
"I don't know how to go on without him."
"Day by day. You will find new life. Perhaps you will find it here,
as did I."
There was her answer. All her sorrow, her agony, was over her
own loss. The knowledge did not lessen the pain, nor dull its impact, but it
eased her tortured conscience.
"And Nene?"
"... will be fine, in time. She, too, has lost something dear, but loss
is a part of life."
Christine nodded. "Thank you. I think I feel better now."
Sylia smiled and rose, "You are welcome."
As she left the room, Sylia realized something. Finally, she had
faced her own pain, and beaten it, by helping another with hers. Each of
her Knight Sabers - and they really were 'hers' - needed her, and she was
determined to be there fore them, because that was the new life she had
made for herself.
* * * * * * * * *
"So, is this a field test for the new hardsuits or are we actually after
something here," Priss asked.
"You might call this a scouting mission," Sylia answered. "The
objective is to sneak in close enough to the facility or Nene to record some
data on the production of the 34-CX." Pausing for a moment, she added,
"PREFERABLY without being detected."
Priss scowled. "And here I was hoping for a combat test." Another
of Starblade's improvements to the basic design was in explosion-protection.
While not as effective on the thinner hardsuit shells, this was the same
design feature that had allowed her to shrug off the blast effect of Linna's
Knuckle Bomber. She predicted that it would also cushion impacts from
explosive projectiles, assuming the projectile did not penetrate the shell
before exploding.
"I'd just as soon get this information without that sort of distraction,"
Nene commented.
"No questions?" Sylia waited a few moments. "All right. Let's get
suited up and go."
* * * * * * * * *
"There's the target," Nene said, pointing to the secluded installation
through the trees.
"Excellent. Be careful, the security is probably very tight here,"
Sylia warned.
"I don't know why Genom started building these production plants
out in the middle of nowhere... this would have been impossible in the
city," Priss interjected. "It's hard to be stealthy in combat armor on the
street."
"Because in the city, we could just pull up across the street and
record data from the truck?" Nene shot back, her voice laced with sarcasm.
"We need to get closer, Sylia."
"All right... move in." The five figures slipped between the trees,
approaching the electronic frontier which surrounded the facility. A few
feet from the laser fence, Nene said, "I have a signal... establishing a link
now."
"Very good. Priss Starblade, fan out to the east and west and watch
for setnries."
"Got a link... this is going to take time, Sylia."
"As quickly as you can, Nene."
Ten tense minutes later, Starblade's voice broke through the silence.
"There's a patrol headed this way. Looks like its just human guards, but
you never can tell."
"How many?" Sylia inquired.
"Four."
"Can you stay concealed?"
"Not if they're boomers."
"All right. Nene, can you scan them?"
Nene looked up with a scowl, "Not if you want me to keep the
stealth on this link."
"How much longer, Nene?" Christine asked.
"Three minutes."
"You don't have that long. I can web them down, but if they have
comlinks, they'll just call for backup."
"Do it." Sylia ordered.
Using her jump unit to get up in the trees, Starblade scrambled to
get directly above them. Aiming for the center of the group, she fired her
energy web down.
"Got them," she smiled, looking at the tangled mess of Genom
guards trying to free themselves fromt he web. "They're calling for help,
but it will take a minute for any to arrive."
"All right, you and Priss pull back in," Sylia ordered. "Get ready to
move out. Nene?"
"Working on it," she answered, the frustration showing in her voice.
"I can only do this so fast."
"Here comes trouble!" Christine called as she dropped to the
ground. "I see six Twelves coming out the front door!"
"All right... try to hold them off as long as you can," Sylia sighed.
She had been hoping to avoid combat, but it seemed that fortune did not
smile upon them so.
"I'm coming in from the other side, Starblade," Priss informed.
"Maybe we can catch them in a crossfire."
"Right." Picking out the nearest of the approaching boomers,
Starblade fired off another web. Invisible until it made contact, the net
opened directly in the cyberdroid's path, ensnaring it and causing it to fall.
The next of the boomers opened fire with his machine gun, spraying the
ground around her, and instinctively she took to the air.
It was a mistake. Accustomed to a full flight system, she found
herself coming back to the ground much more quickly than she had
anticipated. The boomer quickly closed, bringing its heavier gun to bear.
Frantically, she began to fire her disc launcher over and over, emptying half
the magazine, but her aim was wild and only one of the shots hit. Bracing
herself for the inevitable, she gasped as the boomer exploded, its insides
blasted through the front of its torso.
"Thanks, Priss," she breathed, pleased to be still alive. Regaining
her composure as she touched the ground, she pivoted and fired her disc
cannon at a nearby boomer. Two of the microserrated blades neatly sliced
through the target's head, and it fell on its face, shut down.
At that point, Linna entered thefray. At a dead sprint, she charged
the nearest boomer. It turned to fire on her, but she neatly dropped forward
into a roll. Coming up on a knee, she fired her arm cannon. Laser fire
scored the boomer's armor as it attempted to bring its weapon down to her,
and it sudenly exploded as the shots burst through to its power reactor. "Got it!" Nene called triumphantly. "Let's go!"
"Move out!" Sylia ordered, turning to face one of the two that had
gotten past Christine, Linna and Priss. Deploying her sword, she lunged
straight at the metal monstrosity, only to have it dodge. Stepping in the
opposite direction to avoid its counterstrike, she brought the weapon across
in a backhanded motion, strking the boomer in the center of its back.
Sparks flew from the point of impact, and she pressed forward,
driving the blade deeper until it punched all they way through the front
armor. Withdrawing the blade, she watched with satisfaction as her
adversary collapsed.
Retracting her data-probe, Nene rose to confront the last of the
boomers. With nobody to protect her, she knew she had a fight on her
hands. Immediately it opened fire, splintering trees and throwing up clouds
of dirt around her, but she was quickly out of the line of fire. A mental
command activated the electronic warfare system, and suddenly the boomer
found its scanners clouded with static. Pivoting to relocate its quarry, it
faced her right as she began firing. A surprised satisfaction filled her as
she watched her newly-boosted laser tear into the boomers armor, and after
a few seconds it was down.
Just as it fell, the other three members of the team joined Sylia and
Nene, and they disappeared into the trees.
* * * * * * * * *
"Well done, all of you," Sylia said. "Nene, the data you recovered
will prove most useful."
Nene smiled at that. Of late, she felt that she had really come into
her own as a member of the team. The electronic systems in her hardsuit
were improved with almost every job now, and they had finally reached the
point of providing her a challenge.
"Christine," Sylia continued, deliberately using her given name,
"Your improvements to the hardsuits were very helpful. Your presence in
battle also made a considerable difference. I doubt we could have
completed this mission without you."
"Thank you," she smiled slightly, glancing at Priss. Priss nodded at
her, as if to imply that her mistake would be kept between the two of them.
"If any of you need me," Sylia concluded, "I will be in the databank
room analyzing this information." That said, she turned and left. Once she
was gone, Christine turned to Priss and said, "Thanks. You saved me out
there."
"That's what we do," Priss responded. "We all look out for each
other."
Christine smiled, "I appreciate it, anyway." Looking around, she
noticed that Nene had already vanished. "Does Nene hate me as much as I
think she does?"
Priss nodded slightly. "She'll be all right, eventually. She's never
had to deal with real anger before."
Christine frowned. "I've been there before... I hope she comes out
of it better than I."
* * * * * * * * *
Outside the Silky Doll, Nene thought, "Well, she seems to have
worked her way in easily enough." Jealouy began to surge through Nene's
thoughts. Why had Priss taken to Christine so quickly? And why was
Sylia so insistent that she was good for the team? The familiar anger
began to build within her again, and she found it almost comforting. "Nene!" Linna's voice cut through her jumbled thoughts. "Wait for
me!"
Turning, she saw Linna running toward her. "I thought you might
need someone to talk to," she said.
"Yeah, maybe," Nene replied, uncertain.
"Come on," Linna tugged on her arm. "Let's go for a walk."
Nene nodded, and the two of them set off down the street. After a
few seconds of nervous silence, Linna spoke up. "I know how you feel,
Nene. It can't be easy for you to see us accept her so quickly, after the
pain she caused you."
"You would think that she and Priss were best of friends or
something."
"They're a lot alike, Nene. They understand each other well."
"I suppose..."
"And she's not trying to supersede you, Nene. She would like
nothing better than to be your friend. I heard her telling Priss that, but she
doesn't think that it's possible."
"It isn't... at least not now."
Linna nodded. "That's why she's leaving you alone. She doesn't
want to hurt you than she already has."
"Then why did she come here?" Nene burst out angrily, a tear
forming in her eye, "Just... seeing her is a reminder."
"Because she had no choice. Think about it... Genom was just
going to keep hounding her until they killed her, as long as they knew she
was alive. At least this way she can fight back."
"I... when I heard she was dead, I thought this was over. I thought I
could just move on. Now... it's not that easy anymore."
"I know. She knows. Nene, she trusted you with the most precious
thing she had."
Nene stopped. "That's true, isn't it?" she asked herself out loud.
Suddenly, a realization dawned on her. "She gave me... before she "died"...
she KNEW?"
Linna nodded. "She found out, anyway. She hasn't said it, but I
think knowing hurt her. She's not as heartless as you think."
"Maybe," Nene said, her mind racing. "I... need some time to think
about this."
Linna said, "I understand. Take care of yourself, Nene."
"I will. I've gotten a lot better at that lately."
*****************
END PART FOUR
*****************
