Having received several responses to my question about getting a
non-attached version of this fic, I decided it merited a repost. Since
most of you already have it (the ones who want it, anyway), I decided to
throw in something for all of you, too... namely, I fixed the formatting
problems this time.
Authors notes:
Bubblegum Crisis is not mine. I figure you all know that. This story,
and the character of Christine "Starblade" Stevenson, are, and I ask
that you not use them without my permission. Thank you.
With all my 'fics, I list the music that inspired them. In this case,
it was primarily five CD's...
1) and 2) The Bubblegum Crisis Complete Vocal Collection vols. 1 &
2.
-- 3) Soundtrack : Star Trek VI : The Undiscovered Country, by
Cliff Eidelman
4) Soundtrack : Star Trek II : The Wrath of Kahn, by James
Horner
5) Score (as opposed to Prince "soundtrack" music) : Batman,
by Danny Elfman
This story went through a lot of development. When I first developed
it, it was little more than a veiled otakufic. Thankfully, I realized
this before I let anyone see it, and I went back and completely rewrote
it. The character of Christine Starblade was originally created as an
emotional copy of myself. As I wrote, though, and filled in her
background, she outgrew me. Faced with her own trials, carrying her own
secret pains, she became a whole person in and of herself. By the time
I was done, she was unlike me in more ways than she was like... and far
more interesting than she would have been otherwise.
Many thanks to Nightelf and Jeanne Hedge for their C&C, without which
this work could never have been done. I especially thank Jeanne for her
harsh critique of the original part six, which resulted in a total
rewrite and much more plausible work.
Thanks to all of you who take the time to read this. Even though the
work is finished, I would still appreciate any comments you have, so
that I might take them into account in future work.
Most of all... enjoy.
Stormwalker <stormwalker@airmail.net> presents...
Bubblegum Collision
A Bubblegum Crisis fanfiction by Douglas A. Reeves
Part One : Head On!
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 her battlesuit, she ran through the tactical
data in her mind. The client had provided her with detailed
readouts on the combat capabilities of the targets, which she
promptly adjusted upward as always, 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 do not learn
to defend yourself you will become a danger to us all."
"Ok, ok," Nene groaned and pushed open the door to the
training chamber.
"Level five again," Sylia's voice boomed in the chamber as
Nene assumed a fighting stance. "Begin."
At first, things did not go well. Nene's movements were too
slow and too ill-timed to be effective, and she narrowly escaped
being eliminated on more than one occasion. About halfway
through the simulation, though, something seemed to click in her
mind. Suddenly, she knew where to attack, and when; her body's
responses seemed more sure. Weeks of training under Linna's
supervision suddenly snapped back into her mind, and when the
target appeared she struck quickly. 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, heading for 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."
Linna nodded. "You're learning. I guess that training
we've been doing is finally paying off."
"I guess so," Nene smiles wearily 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 she had been provided with was
supposedly accurate, and she had enhanced it somewhat beyond
that, but something didn't seem quite 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
the 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, quickly came to mind. 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 realizations of what she gave up for this thrill.
She was quite pretty, with long, flowing brown hair and emerald
eyes, and her body was desirable - she could have almost any man
she wanted, but she allowed herself little time for romantic
pursuits. With her money and her resources, she could go
anywhere, see and do anything she desired, but this 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, she considered, but at such thoughts another
familiar emotion rebelled, and she remembered why.
* * * * * * * * *
"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 local USSD
base, and they have hired us to protect the prototype from a
possible Boomer attack."
"Sounds simple enough," Linna agreed. "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 sort 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 as 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 it was.
Even she had to admit, though, that the pay was too good to pass
up. Another reason to be suspicious, to her mind.
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 the megacorp would be willing to
hire them to protect it. Also, why would such a largely American
company work on this sensitive of a 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 the
nevertheless. "Keep your eyes open."
"Nothing to see so far," Nene reassured.
A few minutes, and a few kilometers, passed without event,
and even Priss allowed herself to relax a bit. Still, suspicion
was strong in her mind. Suddenly, a voice cut through the
relative silence.
"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 C-types."
"Brace for battle," Sylia ordered. "Knight Sabers, go!"
With a flash of blue, she fired her motoslave's thrusters and
charged toward the incoming boomers. Glancing right she saw
Linna, already on the ground, and she instinctively knew that
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. It raised its gun to fire, but
she was coming much to fast. Using her left hand to brace
herself, she drove her 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, and dodged, but it was only intended as
a distraction. The true threat was behind, as Sylia's sword
pierced the back of its his head. Hydraulic fluid and sparks
flew as the boomer collapsed in a heap, and 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, she cried out, "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 thick, black
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, "There's something still down there...
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
just as she saw it. Her heart seemed to freeze in horror when
she realized -- missile!
An eternal second later, 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,
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 her momentum, she dropped to the ground hard.
"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 consciousness from the pain.
Priss watched with angry satisfaction as the mercenary fell
amid 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, at any rate. Let's go."
* * * * * * * * *
"OPERATOR DISABLED. RETURN TO BASE," Doctor James
Boston read from the monitor screen.
"Damn it all, Christine. I knew this would happen
eventually," he muttered, shaking his head an preparing for the
worst. As he walked into the secret garage exit, he saw the
mauled battlesuit fly in. It set down on the ground in front of
him and opened, and Christine slumped out into his arms, still
unconscious.
"Dear God," he breathed, 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. With help, they had managed to stabilize her, so at least
she would live... but the doctor's prognosis had not been good.
"Lower arm broken in six places... wrist shattered beyond
repair, hand crushed," she echoed, shaking her head in
near-despair.
"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. "and it would
be my fault."
"NO!" Priss turned violently, barely suppressing an urge to
slap Sylia across the face. "It is NOT your fault! She knew
this job was dangerous when she took it! Get a hold of
yourself!"
Sylia sighed. "Maybe... perhaps 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?"
"APDS shell. Designed to disable a boomer in one shot - I'd
say you came out of it pretty well."
Looking over to her left side, she said, "Cybernetic
shoulder?"
He frowned. "You can tell?"
"If it was real, it wouldn't look that good... unless I've
been out a lot longer than I think."
"Just over a day, actually. You're recovering pretty
quickly."
"What about the armor?"
"You intend to use it again?" his voice took on a very
disapproving tone.
"Certainly. I have a score to settle."
"You damn near died, Chris." He reminded.
"That's why I pay you so well," she smiled weakly.
"Whatever," he sighed, obviously frustrated, 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 slumber. 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 someone has 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 warzone. She
had spent a great deal 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 fire its machine
gun. The missile launcher swung up over her shoulder,
immediately registering a lock, and she fired. The boomer
swiftly dodged the missile, and it was 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, the adrenaline in her
system cancelling all her pain as she warmed to the battle.
"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 to Bu-12-B
military-type boomers on the estate of Christine Stevenson this
afternoon. 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.
"Maybe so... looks like Genom gave her the short end of the
deal, though."
"Quincy has never been particularly tolerant of failure,"
Sylia commented. "This could get very 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."
"And would be more likely to get killed in the effort, thus
covering the trail. 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. Even if I
don't continue this, they're not just going to 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?" she asked fearfully.
Sylia's smile faded, and she hesitated before responding.
"I'm sorry. The doctor says that your 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 solemnly. "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 once choice she could make. Steeling herself to the
decision, she said softly.
"Go ahead."
*********
END PART ONE
*********
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Stormwalker <stormwalker@airmail.net> and <stormer@utdallas.edu>
Computer Science student and Anime fanfic writer (sometimes, anyway)
Storm Warnings - http://web2.airmail.net/a0011387/
"As a matter of fact, I do think I'm Batman, Miss Asagiri."
- Batman, "BGC/Batman : Darkest Knights" (draft)
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