-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Note:
' ' denotes English
" " denotes Japanese
// // denotes use of electronic communication of sorts
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

We were a family.  Priss was the fiery rebel.  Linna was the money
maniac with her feet firmly planted on the ground.  I was the little
kid in the group.  Sylia... she was our big sister.  If something went
wrong, she was always there for us.  In times of peace, she was the
calm voice of reason.  In times of war, she was the strong voice of
hope.  She helped us all so much in many different ways, some small
and some grand.

I only wished that she let us do the same for her, but she always kept
the burdens of her heart hidden from us, as best as she could anyways.
Considering the tragedies of her childhood, I guess that's the only
way she knew of to handle such things.

	-Nene Romanova, 'A Dangerous Life' (2075)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

First, the shot, streaking through the dark towards two glowing red
eyes.  Those eyes went wide as it saw the blast heading its way, and
so it dodged. 

Then there was the sound of shattering ice and a scream of horror. 
The lights turned on.  Everywhere... there was ice everywhere.

Red ice.

Sylia stood there, numb to it all, in shock, as a particularly large
chunk rolled towards her feet.  It hit her boot, making a hollow thump
echo through the silent room.

She looked down at the head of Nora Freys.

It looked back up at her.

Nora opened her lips, struggling to speak.  "Why?"

Sylia had no answer.  Nora opened her mouth again, and this time there
was a hideous mechanical buzzing noise. 

*WHAM*

Sylia lifted her hand slowly from the alarm clock and sighed.

=====================================
Megatokyo is about to freeze over...


	  ----------------
	  Bubblegum Crisis
	   Frozen Knights
	  ----------------


  A BGC/Batman:The Animated Series
	      crossover

	       Part 3
          Dark Reflections

=====================================

[Sylia Stingray Apartment - 8:45 a.m.]

Mackie frowned.

Sylia was acting weird.  She just seemed... numb, sort of.  He asked
how the mission went last night but she had refused to comment.  Priss
and the others, however, had plenty to say, and none positive, about
it.  It dealt mostly with 'missing person' cases and how much the
three -really- hated them now.  There was nothing, however, that
helped in revealing why Sylia was behaving oddly. 

And then, this morning, Sylia had woken him up to do some net
searching. 

That struck him as odd.  Normally, she was the one to do that, but
instead she said she'd be looking over the hardsuits.

And so there he was, looking up a bald American crygenics expert
that was known to wield an 'ice laser' (something he wished he saw,
the concept was fascinating to him) and called himself 'Mr. Freeze'.

Search: Mr. Freeze
searching...

Sylia said that this person yelled something about being reborn, that
he wouldn't be used again... 

If that was the case, then why was he with Genom?

Search Results:
<<none>>

No, that couldn't be right.

Then Mackie realized the problem.  He was using Genom On Line.

He switched to the Undernet and everything went much better.

*

[Genom Tower - 9:35 a.m.]

Before, she had made him feel uneasy with his cold demeanor and
emotionless manner.  Now, something had changed.  Underneath the
droning voice, behind the red-goggled eyes was a definite _anger_ to
him.  It seethed just under the surface of his icy persona.

The fact that he remained in his power suit, complete with all of its
little sound quirks, didn't help.  There was the occasional mechanical
grinding of his fingers as they were constantly clenched into fists. 
His voice was tinged slightly by the use of the comm system in his
suit, giving it a somewhat disturbing hollowness. 

"Is she beyond help?" asked Mr. Freeze.  Madigan could swear that his
eyes glowed for a moment.  He stared at Nora's head, currently on an
examining table and undergoing various scans.

"Her brain is intact," said Madigan.  "If your cryogenics process is
as good as you claim it to be, we can proceed."

"How long?" asked Freeze.  

"You'll have to de-frost her first," said Madigan.

"That will take a few hours," said Freeze.  "I will oversee the
procedure personally."

"As you wish," said Madigan.

Mr. Freeze stomped towards the controls, his boots thudding heavily on
the metal floor.  "Stand aside," he grumbled, and the technicians in
the room quickly scattered.

Madigan wondered how many technicians he'd kill by the end of the day. 
She quickly departed for the top floor.  Quincy was awaiting her
report of the situation. 

"One more thing, Miss Madigan," said Freeze, almost yelling.

"Yes?"

"I want to know who they were," said Freeze.  "I want to know where
they are, where I can find them.  I want to know who their friends are
and what they value most.  I want to crush their frozen heads with my
own hands.  The Knight Sabers must die."

*

"So he wants to try what so many others have failed at," grumbled
Quincy. 

"We don't have his 'freeze process' yet," said Madigan.  "Our
Antarctic project can't proceed without it." 

"I know that all too well."  Quincy tapped a few buttons on his desk
and the monitors of the back wall flickered to life, all focusing on
Mr. Freeze.

"So... what do we do now?" asked Madigan.

"Tell me, Madigan, what would you do?" asked Quincy.

She could tell he was testing her.  He had that slightly amused look
in his eyes.

"I would offer... a few boomers and one of our deserted labs, perhaps. 
Emphasise to him that Genom's ties to him MUST not be revealed and
that he would be without our support once his plan begins." 

Quincy smirked.  "Generous, you are."

"I would also remind him, firmly but politely, that we still have his
wife and we still want his cryogenic process in exchange for our
troubles." 

"Smart, Madigan.  That was exactly what I was about to do... except
with a few more conditions."

The various screens in Quincy's office flickered on, all looking at
different angles of one man as he worked in his lab: Mr. Freeze.

"Sooner or later he'll ask for our support and resources," said
Quincy. "When the time comes, act surprised.  We want him to think
he's pushing us into doing something we don't like.  He dislikes large
corporate entities like ours, according to his psychological profile. 
Then we'll set the gears turning."

*

[10:30 p.m. Raven's Garage]

Dr. Raven had rarely seen Sylia brood in the mechanic bay of the
Knight Saber base.  When she did, it usually meant that the suits had
been beaten by something that she hadn't planned for, and that a fair
amount of mechanical upgrading was in order.

At the moment, Sylia was staring at Nene's hardsuit, lost in thought.

"So, what's got you bothered this time?" asked Raven.

Sylia blinked.  "Hm?  Oh... just a new enemy," she murmured.

"Must have been quite an enemy.  I heard Priss's weapon arm was ruined
and Nene's suit needs extensive repairs."

"Yes, Nene's suit," said Sylia, lifting a leg.  "The armor's intact,
with just a few cracks, but the internal circuts and a bit of the
musculature is damaged.  The hydraulics system is completely shot."

Dr. Raven lifted an eyebrow.  "What could have caused that sort of
damage?"

"He called himself Mr. Freeze."

At the mention of that name, Dr. Raven's eyes widened.  "Surely,
you're joking," he said.

Sylia suddenly focused entirely on him.  "You sound like you know
this Mr. Freeze."

"Yes... yes I've heard of him, but... it can't be.  Must be someone
using his nickname and technology."

"You're familiar with the name?" asked Sylia.

Raven nodded.  "Yes... but it was long ago and in another land.
Gotham, U.S.A., fourty years ago."

Sylia nodded.  That theory, in her mind, was the more likely
explanation.

"Tell me, what was his appearance?" asked Dr. Raven.

"Pale white skin, bald, wearing small red goggles," said Sylia.  "His
face was lean, hinting that he's probably rather skinny.  He was
wearing a dark blue power suit of some sort."

"That sounds quite like the original," said Dr. Raven.

"Could have just been a boomer replica," said Sylia.  "The readings on
him indicated that the inside of the suit was 40 degrees below zero."

"But a boomer wouldn't function well at those temperatures.  You know
that as well as I," said Dr. Raven.

"I know," replied Sylia quietly.  "I was just hoping."

"Hm?"

"Nothing."

"Hrm."  Raven shook his head and stroked his mustache.  "You know... 
it just might really be him.  One of his unique traits was that he had
to have a sub-zero environment to live.  Given that he was a
cryogenics expert, and his disappearance was hardly conclusive..."

"Imagine that," said Raven, "the likes of him appearing in MegaTokyo. 
We live in interesting times." 

"Tell me about the original," said Sylia.

Dr. Raven took out a cigarette and lit it.  It briefly reminded Sylia
of Fargo whenever he was about to talk.

"For a brief while, 40 years ago, I was employed in the United States
with the Gothcorp company.  I didn't know the man well, but we crossed
paths briefly.  He struck me as a quiet man.  Polite, reserved, yet
friendly enough.  He was VERY devoted to his beloved Nora."  Dr. Raven
raised an eyebrow as he saw Sylia's expression turn a shade darker. 
He was tempted to ask why, but assumed he'd best finish his tale
first. 

"I found it something of a shock to learn from the papers that he'd
become the infamous Mr. Freeze," said Dr. Raven.  "After his capture
and imprisonment in Arkham Asylum, a prison of sorts for the
criminally insane, the facts came out about what had happened to Nora,
which explained things to those who had known him earlier." 

"What happened to Nora?" asked Sylia.

"Terminally ill.  Incurable disease of some sort.  Her husband had
hoped to preserve her until a cure could be found. Unfortunately, he
used Gothcorp money and equipment to do so, and the company frowned
upon that.  They valued their money over her life, so they went to
Fries' lab and tried to shut Fries down.  There was a scuffle between
Gothcorp thugs and Fries, and it ended in an explosion." 

"The security cameras caught it all, and that footage was eventually
leaked to the media.  The sight was unforgettable.  I imagine if you
look hard enough, you might find a copy of it in some archives.  There
were explosions.  Mr. Fries was hurled by the blast into a freezing
chamber filled with experimental coolants.  Mrs.  Fries was hurled
from her cryogenic tank by another explosion.  If you guessed by
security footage alone, you'd assume those two had died."

"A year later, Mr. Freeze made his first appearance.  In his attempt
to avenge his wife, he built an ice cannon and hit Gothcorp
Headquarters with it.  He hurt a great many innocent people that day,
he did.  Batman eventually stopped him, though." 

"In light of all that Gothcorp had done to him..." Dr. Raven shrugged. 
"While I couldn't condone his actions, I couldn't condemn them
either."

"Do you know when he disappeared?" asked Sylia.

"Sorry, I don't recall what had happened to him since.  It was, after
all, many years ago."

Sylia had a puzzled look on her face.  "So... Nora Fries is dead?"

"As far as I recall, she died in that lab explosion."  Dr. Raven was
puzzled.  Something was definitely bothering Sylia.  "Are you sure
you're okay?"

"Yes... just thinking about things."  She turned her attention to
Nene's suit once more.  "Now, about the armor-"

//Sis?  I've got that information you were asking for,// said Mackie,
his voice crackling through the intercom system. 

"I'll be there in a few minutes," replied Sylia.  Turning to Dr. 
Raven, she said, "Could you and Mackie work on something to counter,
or at least resist Mr. Freeze's laser?" 

Dr. Raven rubbed his chin.  "A laser that causes cold... you know, I
always wondered exactly how he did it.  Tesla waves, most likely. 
I'll try, Sylia, but in the end the best defense against any weapon is
to not get hit."

Sylia began walking to the exit, then paused.  "Dr. Raven... what
happened to the Batman?"

Raven shrugged.  "That, my dear Sylia, is a mystery."

*

Cables of a hundred varieties swarmed over the table, into a human
brain floating in a tank filled with blue fluid.  Many technicians
were swarming about the place, checking on monitors and graphs to be
sure that everything was going well.

Fries couldn't bear to watch it.  He didn't want to believe all that
was left of his Nora was a pulp of flesh in a tank.  It felt like
blasphemy.  If anyone had been watching him, they'd say that Mr.
Freeze was looking a tad ill.

"Mr. Freeze, are you feeling well?"

He glared sidewards.  "I witnessed them tear apart my beloved's face.
All that is left is her brain, and even that is being violated.  No,
Miss Madigan, I do not feel well.  I do not feel much of anything
anymore." 

"You don't have to stay here and watch the process," said Madigan.
"It will take quite a while."

"How long?" asked Freeze.

"Perhaps... another 48 hours."

"I see."

"Here is all the relevant data on the Knight Sabers," said Madigan,
handing Freeze a small disk.  "You can view it in any open GT
terminal."

As Madigan walked away, Freeze called to her again.  "Miss Madigan?"

"Yes?"

"I noticed two frozen boomers last night."

"Ah... yes... those were part of the security detail last night."

"It appears that their weapons systems failed," said Freeze.

"Yes, they did.  The engineers that incorporated your laser used
different alloys and incorrectly copied parts of your design."

"If you wish for your boomers to be fitted with my weaponry, you
should have consulted me."

"We didn't want to trouble you excessively," said Madigan.

"Where are the engineers responsible for this embarrasment?"

Madigan frowned.  She knew what was going to happen next.  It happened
all the time in the Tower.  She just didn't like the idea of an
outsider doing it. 

*

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Shin Koyashi?"

"Yes, I-"

That was the last thing he said.

Mr. Freeze stared at the other engineers in the room, then idly
shattered the now frozen Koyashi into pieces with a swipe of his arm.

"Because of Mr. Koyashi's incompetence, my wife was put in danger," 
said Freeze.  "His fate serves as a warning.  I hope I do not have to
repeat that warning." 

He looked each technician in the eye, just to make the point clear.
"That is all."

*

[5:30 p.m. Knight Saber HQ]

"Feeling any better?" asked Linna.

Priss looked at her arm, noting the bruise-like marks on her elbow.
"A bit sore when I play guitar."

"How about you, Nene?"

"I'm gonna be wearing turtleneck sweaters for weeks," moaned Nene.
She had a clear case of frostbite along her neck, elbows, knees,
abdomen, and right wrist, although she was doing everything in her
power to hide it.

"The minute I heard it was a search and rescue, I _knew_ something bad
was gonna happen," grumbled Priss.  "From now on, I hope we just take
search and destroy jobs."

"After yesterday's experience, we just might," said Sylia, entering
from the computer room.  "I have new information that'll shed some
light on what we were conned into last night." 

The windows around the apartment closed and a holograph unit emerged
from the ceiling above the living room table.

An image of a lean, bald, pale blue face wearing red goggles flickered
into view.

"There's our Mr. Freys," said Priss.

"Not quite," said Sylia.  "This is Mr. Victor Fries."  His name was
quickly displayed underneath the face.  "He is better known as Mr. 
Freeze, a criminal mastermind who disappeared forty years ago.  'Mr. 
Freys' was just a false identity to keep us from rejecting the job." 

"Great, sounds like one'a Batman's villains," mumbled Priss.

"Actually, he is," said Sylia.  The three fell silent for a moment.

"You're kidding, right?" asked Priss.

"He was born in 1961 in Gotham, an only child," continued Sylia, as
the data on Fries' life began appearing in the hologram.  "He's a
known cryogenics expert, but showed his aptitude for 'freeze guns'
only after he became 'Mr. Freeze'."

The hologram flickered again, this time showing a 2 dimensional
display of Mr. Freeze in action, as he froze several people with a
sweep of his gun.

"His known weakness is his unique physical condition," said Sylia.
"He can't survive for long outside of sub-zero temperatures."

"Why is that?" asked Nene.  "Some sort of freak lab accident?"

"Boy, that'd be stereotypical," replied Linna.

"Actually, Nene, you're right," said Sylia.  "He was bathed in odd
chemicals during a lab accident, which caused his current state."
A hologram of some old newspaper articles regarding Fries appeared,
including details of his accident.

"So what's he doing here now?" asked Linna.  "He looked like he hadn't
age much at all... and he'd have to be about around 70 years old by
now." 

"He was a known cryogenics expert," said Sylia. "His current
appearance could easily be attributed to being put into cryogenic
sleep."

The holo-display flickered, then showed a domed city of sorts sitting
in the ocean, connected to the mainland by a single long bridge.  The
word 'Oceana' appeared next to it.

"His last known appearance before vanishing 40 years ago was aboard an
aquatic arcology known as 'Oceana'.  The details are sketchy, but what
is known is that Grant Walker, the creator of Oceana, had requested
Freeze's alliance in exchange for help in curing his wife, Nora."

The hologram flickered to show several pictures, among them images of
an old man, labeled 'Grant Walker', various schematics of 'Oceana',
and a young blond lady, asleep in cryogenic freeze labeled 'Nora
Fries'.

"Hey... was that the-" mumbled Priss, before getting cut off, she
assumed accidentally, by Sylia.  

She wasn't sure, but Priss thought she saw a brief flicker of...
something strange... in Sylia's expression.

The holo-display changed to that of large metal ruins scattered and
floating in the water, along with giant ice formations.

"Freeze destroyed Oceana and stayed within the city as its parts
drifted across the atlantic and sank into the ocean," Sylia stated, as
several newspaper articles appeared in the holographic display.

Nene's eyes widened.  "The Atlantic?  Then THAT'S what the Poseidon
was looking for!  The remains of the Oceana."

"But why would they bring him back?" asked Linna.  "I mean, he
destroyed an entire city.  He's obviously dangerous.  With today's
technology, who knows what he could do?"

*

'What can I do to hurt you?' mumbled Freeze.  Images of data on the
Knight Sabers flickered on the screen before him.  'What do you hold
dear?'

Most of their actions were vigilante strikes, usually against rogue
boomers.

'Rogue boomers they shall have, then.'

The one time their strike was aimed at a person, it was Brian J.
Mason.  Genom investigators speculate that it was in retaliation for
the destruction of a housing project that Mason had personally
overseen just days before his death. 

'They will find I am not as easy to kill.'

One of their more famous actions was the saving of the Advanced Police
Headquarters from an attack by a rogue Genom scientist and his
personally created boomers. 

'The Advanced Police Building shall be destroyed.'

Just as he suspected, they were much like his former adversary, and
yet not as noble.  Batman had never been known as a mercenary before.
These women, they were in it for the money.  Certainly.

"Madigan, are you there?"

//Yes, Mr. Freeze.//

"I need some things..."

*

High above in his offce, Quincy smiled.

*

"I suspect they'd need his expertise for use in military technology
specialized for use in the Antarctic conflict," said Sylia.  "After
all, Mr. Freeze lives casually in sub-zero temperatures.  If they can
replicate Mr. Freeze's current condition and apply it to biological
boomer parts and to human soldiers, the war for the Antarctic might be
won."

"Last time we had a search and rescue it was a military thing," said
Priss, "and THIS time it's a military thing." 

"I have reason to believe Mr. Freeze may take actions that will
endanger MegaTokyo.  You can expect to be called to duty during the
next few days."

"Why do you say that?" asked Linna.

Sylia's gaze strayed to a corner of the room.  It seemed to them that
she was trying to avoid looking at them.  There was a flickering hint
of indecision, then her face became the familiar, commanding, calm
Sylia that they knew well. 

"I killed his wife," she said.  Linna and Nene looked shocked.  Priss
frowned.

"It was the girl in ice, wasn't it?" asked Priss.

"Yes, it was," said Sylia, still holding firm.

"The girl in ice?" asked Nene.  "What girl?  When did this happen?"

"It was an accident," said Sylia.  "It was dark, I was firing around
the room, I didn't know his wife was there.  I didn't know."

"But my sensors didn't show anyone else in the room," said Nene.

"She was cryogenically frozen, Nene," said Sylia.  "There was no body
temperature or heart beat to sense."  She could see the others looking
at her with some sympathy.  No, she couldn't have that happening.  She
was the leader.  Had to be strong.  "It was an accident," dismissed
Sylia.  "Happens in every war.  People get hurt.  Even the innocent." 

The others hesitated.  Nene didn't like the way Sylia was just
sweeping it aside.  Nene felt something was wrong, but wasn't sure
what.  Priss... she knew what Sylia meant when she said innocents got
hurt, she knew it all too well.  There was Sylvie, Anri, Reika, Sho... 

It wasn't too bad, though, thought Priss.  After all, this time it was
the wife of an enemy.  She was one of _them_.  She'd be a Genom stooge
sooner or later.

"The last time someone made him mad he destroyed an entire city," 
said Sylia, bringing the wreckage of Oceana to the screen again. "He's
certain to be angry right now." 

*

"We understand you're angry, but please try and look at things from
our viewpoint," said Madigan.  "We can't just give you what you ask
for right now.  Taking on the Knight Sabers is a high-risk action, in
more ways than one."

"Spare me your corporate diatribe, Miss Madigan," said Freeze.  "I am
no fool, nor am I ignorant of what this corporation will do once I am
no longer of any use." 

"What?  I don't understand..."

"Genom is no different than any other business I have dealt with," 
said Freeze.  "It uses people until there is nothing left, then it
casts them aside.  For me to give you all of what you want immediately
would be suicide, to myself and Nora." 

"Mr. Freeze, I can assure you that isn't the case!" protested Madigan.

"Your assurances mean nothing," said Freeze.  "I will give you the
data you seek only after you give me what I want."

Madigan scowled.  "Allow me to consult with Mr. Quincy on this."

"Do as you will."

As she walked away, turning her back on Freeze, she began to smile.
_How very predictable_.

*

//Dr. Raven, Mackie, how are things coming along?// asked Sylia.

Mackie looked up from the machinery he was tinkering with.  "Oh, hey
sis.  Things are going okay, I guess." 

//Have you found any way to lessen the damage from Mr. Freeze's
device?//

"Well," said Dr. Raven, emerging from behind another suit, "we have a
few ideas."

"They'll keep you guys from being frostbitten again, sorta," said
Mackie.

"We can line the insides of the suits with thermal mesh that'll heat
up should the suit be hit by a cold blast," said Dr. Raven.

"The downside of that is it'll be an additional drain to the battery," 
said Mackie.  "The sudden change in temperature is bad enough on the
battery, but when the suit tries to keep itself operational after
being hit, it puts out energy fast trying to keep itself on.  Nene's
battery was really low.  It probably would've run out of power after
several more minutes."

"Should we install them?" asked Dr. Raven.

//If they get hit by the cold laser, it won't matter much.  Might as
well put it in, if only to avoid frostbite damage.//

"Now, as to the problem of Freeze's gun," said Dr. Raven, "He _has_
to be using Tesla waves.  I can't think of any other way, and it _is_
theoretically possible to do what he does via specialized Tesla
waves.  It had been explored often, but never made possible, aside
from his work."

"Assuming we're correct on that," said Mackie, "we've come up with a
device that'll act as a shield of sorts.  It produces counter-waves,
causing the freeze effect to happen _before_ it hits you."

"You see," said Rave, "for the freeze effect to occur, two Tesla waves
of _very_ specific frequencies are required.  All you need to do is
identify one of those waves and disrupt it, and the freeze effect is
nullified."

"However, it's not a sure thing," warned Dr. Raven.  "Mr. Freeze
probably can adjust the frequencies he's using as well.  The sensors
of the ice laser countermeasure need a couple of seconds to analyze
the frequency being transmitted before being able to counter it."

"We've made sensors that'll hopefully adjust them for you, but it's
definitely not a sure thing," said Mackie.  "So don't rely on it."

//So we have to get Freeze to fire and miss before the countermeasure
works?// asked Sylia.

"His laser is capable of making metal fragile.  The ceramic armor
won't fare any better.  However, it's likely the internal systems
would die first.  That can't be helped," said Dr. Raven.  "Also,
there's no hope for your hydraulics." 

//Have you made the weapon I requested yet?// asked Sylia.

"Oh, that," said Raven, frowning.  "I'll get to it after I'm done with
the armor."

//Thank you, Dr. Raven.//

Raven smiled as he leaned against a wall.  "You want to thank me?
Take better care of your harsuits, eh?"

*

The music at Hot Legs was as loud and bombastic as ever, full of youth
and city angst. Three figures weren't listening, however, as they had
their own problems to mull over. 

"Something's eating at Sylia," said Priss.

Nene and Linna nodded solemly.

"It's rare to see her disturbed about something," said Nene.

"Definitely something to worry about," said Linna.

"Yeah," mumbled Priss.

"So," said Linna, "one of us should talk to her."

"Definitely," said Priss.

"Yeah," said Nene.

*

The images flickered across the dozen of displays in Sylia's computer
room.  They were more than images to Sylia.  They were ghosts. 

There she was, first grade school photo, small and young and oh so
innocent.... 

It shouldn't really matter, she thought.  It never mattered before.

There she was, high school prom, a dreamer's eyes bright with the
promise of a better tomorrow... 

This is war.  People die.

There she was, blushing bride all in white, the happiest woman in the 
world, with the future looking so bright...

"People die," she said quietly, as if to reinforce the idea... to
convince herself. 

Her thoughts were derailed by a gentle tapping, rapping at her chamber
door. 

*

She really didn't want to do this.  She felt she SHOULDN'T have to do
this.  It wasn't in the job description.

But... Sylia _was_ there for her when she was down and out.  It would
be only right to return the favor.

No, it was more than that.

Priss really was worried about her.

It didn't mean, though, that she looked forward to this.

"Hey, Sylia?  You there?"  Priss knocked on the door once again.  A
moment later, Sylia emerged.

"Hey, can we talk?"  Priss wasn't used to the whole talk-through-
your-pain concept, and was terribly uncomfortable with it.  But she
was sure Sylia wasn't the type to express her problems over some beers
and a hard drive through the canyon, so it was the only option she had
in mind.

"Something on your mind, Priss?" asked Sylia, keeping a fairly neutral
but not unpleasant face on.

"Actually, that's what I was gonna ask you."

Sylia frowned, more of a confused frown than a disapproving frown.
She was a good actor, thought Priss.

"What're you talking about, Priss?"

Priss sighed.  "Um... hey, can we talk about this inside?"

"Oh, sorry."

*

"Are you mad?" asked Quincy.

"I know what you want," said Freeze, "and you know what I want.  The
exchange, I would think, is only fair."

"You are asking us to risk our reputation," grumbled Quincy.  "In the
business world, that is most fatal."

"You could start or stop wars on a whim, Mr. Quincy," said Freeze.
"You can dethrone kings, appoint presidents.  Such matters as those I
request from you are small in comparason."

Quincy fell silent for a while.

"Guarantee that Genom Tower and several other important Genom
facilities are not effected, do not reveal our involvement with your
actions, give us the 'freeze process', and I will agree to most of
your requests." 

Freeze narrowed his eyes.  "Most?"

"We will support you for one operation, one strike only.  If you fail
to defeat the Knight Sabers and wish to replenish your resources, you
will be on your own."

"I will not fail," said Freeze.

"Then you agree?"

"Yes.  Is that all you ask?"

Quincy grinned.  "Well... there are a few other things... minor,
really."

*

"Look, Sylia, something's bugging you and I think I know what it is,"
said Priss, sitting down in the couch.

"Really, Priss, I'm fine," said Sylia from the kitchen, although the
slight flicker of a frown betrayed her words.  "Care for a drink?"

"No, thanks."

Sylia poured herself a small amount of brandy, then with glass in hand
went to the living room and looked out to the artificial stars in the
night that was MegaTokyo.

"It's Nora, isn't it?" asked Priss.  "The girl that was in the ice."

"Yes, it was," said Sylia.

"I mean... if you wanna talk about it..." said Priss awkwardly.

"At first, I was feeling guilty," admitted Sylia.  "Horrified,
really."

"And now?" asked Priss.

"Rationally, I know it was an accident," said Sylia.  "That doesn't
mean I feel better about it."

*

"You know, we should have gone with her," said Nene.  She and Linna
were in her apartment, watching the news and just generally hanging
about.

"Maybe," said Linna.

"Maybe?  Why maybe?"

"Because," said Linna, "because sometimes it's easier to open your
heart to one person than to a crowd."

"I guess that's true," admitted Nene.

They slowly finished their drinks in silence.

"You know, it's kinda romantic," said Nene.

"Eh?"

"Mr. Freeze, I mean.  Desperate to save his love, he put her in
cryogenic sleep and fought against higher powers."  Nene sighed.  "All
in the name of love." 

Linna laughed.  "How many pina coladas did you drink while we were at 
the club?"

"Only three!" protested Nene.

"Hrm... a person as small as you," said Linna, "three of those just
might be enough." 

"I am NOT drunk!"

Linna smirked.  "Whatever you say."

"Hey, Nene."

"Hm?"

"You know, Mr. Freeze was considered a 'super villian' back then,"
said Linna.  "So if he decides to take us on as his new foes... that
make us the new 'super heroes'?"

Nene blinked.

Linna stared at her drink.

Nene grinned.  "But then we'd have to wear capes."

Laughter and snickering soon followed, but that ended all too quickly.

"Hey," said Nene, "you think Sylia's okay?"

"She's the boss," said Linna, "she's got the most unshakable drive and
determination of all of us."

"Yeah, but she's only human too," said Nene.  "I know I'd be in deep
regret if I did what she did."

"I would too," said Linna.  She frowned and finished her drink.  "You
must admit, though, that this sort of thing was bound to happen sooner
or later."

"Linna!"

"I'm only being realistic.  We fight with lasers, cannons, and high
explosives in places public and private."

"I guess you're right."

"I am right, but... I wish I was wrong."

*

"Priss, how many _people_ have we killed in our operations?"

"Seems like a lot," mumbled Priss.

"Not counting boomers," said Sylia.

"Then... I guess... one, actually," said Priss.  That seemed odd to
her.  Considering all the combat hours she logged, it didn't seem
right.

Sylia nodded.  "Brian J. Mason."  She took a small sip of her brandy,
then continued.  "When I founded the Knight Sabers, it was with, I
admit, highly unrealistic dreams.  Bring down Genom?  Defend the weak?
Preserve justice?  Genom's too big, the city is populated with the
weak being victimized every minute of every day, and justice is
something that's more often bought than given."

Priss definitely was worried.  She never heard Sylia rant before, not
like _this_.

"But what we could do," said Sylia, "was limit the evil that Genom
did, defend those that we could, and bring to justice whatever unjust
situation we can.  One step at a time, as my father was fond of
saying."

"Ah... yeah," said Priss quietly.

"And until now, we've done a good job of it," said Sylia.  "People got
hurt along the way, I know.  You know that as well as I do.  Some were
victims of Genom's heartless schemes, others died simply because the
situation didn't allow any other way."

Priss nodded grimly.  She knew well enough.  Sylvie and Anri came to
mind immediately.

"This was different, thought," said Sylia.  "An accident.  A shot in
the dark.  It was a mistake... my mistake."

"C'mon, Sylia, it was a hectic situation," said Priss.  "Things
happen."

"I know," said Sylia, "and I'm feeling better about it.  You don't
have to worry about me."

Priss looked at Sylia doubtfully, then mentally shrugged.  The two
looked out into the night again, just taking in the view. 

"Y'know," said Priss, "in a way, Mr. Freeze reminds me of you."

Sylia raised an eyebrow.  "Is that so?"

Still gazing out at the darkness of the city, Priss nodded slightly.
"Oh yeah, definitely.  I mean, Freeze got screwed over by big
business, and so did you."

"That much is true, I guess," admitted Sylia.

"I mean, look at the guy," said Priss, waving a hand around.  "Goes
around freezing everything in sight the minute he gets pissed off.
Doesn't care who gets hurt as long as he gets his way."

"You on the other hand," she continued, "you coulda easily ended up
the same, y'know?  Let all that anger consume you till you become a
monster.  But you didn't."

"So you're saying, in a way, Victor Fries and I are mirror images of
each other?" asked Sylia.

Priss blinked.  "Well, yeah, I guess."

The two lapsed into silence again 

"Wonder how long it took for the Batman to get any respect in his
town," said Priss.

"Comparing us to him, are we?" asked Sylia with a slight smile.
"Perhaps you want the AD Police to have a 'Knight Saber Signal' to
call us when there's an emergency?"

"I wouldn't go THAT far."

*

In the darkness, two crimson eyes glowed.  A large battlesuit, twelve
feet in height and colored in ice blue, watched from a hilltop as
several large cargo vehicles traveled down an isolated road.

Bursts of light errupted from the hilltop, instantly forming walls of
ice everywhere along the road, trapping the trucks.  The drivers
called for emergency assistance, but none came.

Mr. Freeze descended from the hill, sliding gracefully from a ramp of
ice created by his gun.  Some of the drivers emerged from their trucks
and opened fire with pistols and shotguns.  It bounced harmlessly off
of his armor.  He raised an arm, to which was attached a large cannon. 
It glowed for a moment, then flared to life as he swept the area in
azure light.  When he was done, his adversaries were encased in ice,
frozen in time.

One driver was left, and he was cowering in his truck.  Mr. Freeze
tore the door from his truck and pulled the driver out.  He lifted the
man to his own face, then simply said, "Run."

The driver was very good at following that instruction.  He would
later tell Genom that there was a robbery.  It would make the news. 
The company would appear every bit the victim and Genom would say they
would investigate things, but in truth, it would be left alone, as was
commanded from the highest office. 

Mr. Freeze opened one truck and inspected the cargo.

Yes, this would do.  Everything was in order.

Just as Quincy said it would be.

Next on the list was the Genom weapons depot on the outskirts of town.
Tonight was going to be busy, indeed, but tomorrow...

Tomorrow... was going to be much more hectic.



-end part 3-