Here's the second chunk.



***

     Yuri huddled in an alcove near the outside of the station, totally
unremarkable in all respects except that most of the power and computer
lines ran through here, providing an enterprising young hacker with a
perfect running start.  Judging from the open panels and wires laying
around, Yuri thought, I'm not the first one who's been here.  Hopefully
no one else will pop in while I'm here.
     She quickly interfaced with the computer, then got as much
information as she could on Lawson Enterprises.  Nothing surprised her,
it was pretty much what they told her at 3WA.  Admittedly, their reason
for this purchase seemed rather arbitrary.  It wasn't as if the station
had any tactical value, it was just a hunk of metal -- albeit a _rich_
hunk of metal.
     Yuri decided to take a look at the company that currently owned the
station, Mizuno Industries.  Yuri hadn't needed to be briefed on them.
The owner had turned a minor manufacturing plant into one of the fastest
growing contractors in the galaxy.  She was in the top five of Fortune
500, and was voted the most eligible single in Business Daily recently.
     That was about as far as the rumour went, though.  Yuri felt herself
growing frustrated.  She'd really love it if there had been one whiff of
scandal.  The problem was that the owners of the two companies were
relentlessly dull.  They apparently lived their work.  Dammit, what ever
happened to old-fashioned corporate piracy?
     Abandoning this line for a moment, Yuri began to do a background
check on the recent entries onto the space station.  This took a lot
longer, even for someone of Yuri's skills.
     Bingo.
     Eleven people had recently come on board, all separately.  They all
belonged to an organisation that called itself the Bureaucratic Watchdog
Office.  Calling up their history, Yuri found that they attempted to
'keep businesses honest and on the straight and narrow'.  What this
translated to was harassment.  They'd already been issued with orders to
cease harassing several companies, including, Yuri was pleased to note,
Lawson Enterprises _and_ Mizuno Industries.
     Now, either these guys are just loonies holding a grudge, in which
case it's a good thing we're here, or there really _is_ something fishy
in this deal...in which case it's a good thing we're here.
     Grinning, Yuri unplugged herself and went to contact Kei and Cory.

***

     Kei was in a foul mood as they left the main promenade.  In her
eyes, the whole interview with Lawson had been useless.  The man was a
mensch who hemmed and hawed about 'preparing for the future of industry'
and then cut out.
     Cory, on the other hand, was bubbly about the whole thing.  "Did
you see the way he conducted that interview?  I can't believe he hopes
to get away with this.  He might as well have just slapped a sign on
himself saying, 'Please Investigate Further!'"
     "But we didn't get anywhere!"
     Cory laughed.  "I didn't expect to.  Cory, businessmen don't act
nervous.  They get to the top of their profession by being able to talk
to a board of directors without flinching.  The fact that he is
obviously nervous is a definite sign that there is something here.  And
that is what we were supposed to be looking for."
     Kei grumbled some more, looking out over the promenade.  "And now
we get to depend on Yuri to save the day again.  I can do that sort of
thing too, y'know.  It's just some of us don't think that we look cool
with a computer plug in our neck all the time.  Cory, you agree that I'm
not just the brawn of this team, right?"
     There was no response, which puzzled Kei.  She turned.  "Cory?"
     The promenade was filled with people, but none of them looked
remotely like Cory.  Now, if this had been Yuri, or if the situation had
been reversed, Kei would not have worried.  After all, the two of them,
much as they didn't like to admit it, were flighty enough to run off
after some guy or some bargain at a moment's notice.
     Cory was not that type, however.  She would have told Kei if she
had seen someone or run off somewhere.  Therefore, Kei began to suspect
that she had been taken.
     She widened the area of her search, giving up any pretext of
looking incognito.  She was wearing her uniform, after all.  If these
people didn't know enough to not hinder a 3WA officer in the course of
her investigations, then they got whatever was coming to them.  She
took the search in stages at first, but soon gave up when she realised
that Cory was nowhere in sight.
     *I knew there was more to this case than we thought.  _Dammit_!  I
need to get in touch with Yuri.*
     She started to head out of the promenade, but was interrupted by a
cry from a level above.  She looked up, and saw two identical young
redheads, in bodies that made Kei's look like Moms Mabley, glaring at
her over the railing.  They ran down the escalator towards her.
     *Who have we offended this time?  Let me guess, we destroyed their
lives, killed their parents, shot their dog and stole their bible.*  Kei
felt her mood getting even fouler.
     The twins rushed up and began yammering at her, alternating back
and forth in an incredibly annoying fashion.
     "Aunty Libby, what are you -- "
     " -- doing here?  Did Lazarus send you?  If he -- "
     " -- thinks he can't trust us, why did he bother -- "
     " -- sending us on the mission in the first place?"
     "Aaagh, STOP!" Kei shouted, placing her hands over her ears.  The
twins looked at her, appearing to be shocked.  Something in their manner
of speech seemed strangely familiar to Kei.  *Where have I heard that
before?* she thought.
     The twins stared at her curiously.  "Aunty Libby?"
     "Don't call me Aunty!" Kei shouted.  "And it's Kei!  Special
Trouble Consultant, 3WA!"  Maybe throwing around her title would get
some respect.  Or would get them to run away screaming, which served
just as well.
     The twins' eyes seemed to bug out even further, and they looked at
each other.
     "Well, we should have expected this, after what -- "
     " -- Commodore Hilda told us about World as Myth, but I -- "
     " -- didn't think we'd end up in one right -- "
     " -- away, especially not one with -- "
     " -- the Dirty Pair!"
     Kei had not been having a good day, and this finally made her snap.
"LOVELY ANGELS!" she shouted.
     The twins seemed unimpressed by her outburst.  "Wow, she's just
like the real thing."
     "Do you suppose she's the anime or manga version?"
     "Stop it!  Stop talking about me as if you know me!" Kei was
beginning to feel a little out of her depth.
     The two twins finally seemed to understand how mad Kei was, as well
as the crowd they were beginning to attract.  The one on the left spoke
up.
     "Miss Kei, we should probably explain things.  Is there somewhere
we can talk?"
     "I don't have time to chat with two twin terrors!  I've just had
Cory disappear under my nose and -- "
     "Manga version," both girls said.  In unison.
     Kei realised that she had advanced to that state of beyond mad.  She
suddenly began to feel very calm.  She turned away from the twins and
began to walk down the promenade.  *The first step is to find Yuri, and
then we can find this Lawson guy and shake him down.  Then...*
     The twins were following her.  She rounded on them.  "WHAAAT?!"
     The one on the right answered this time.  "By any chance, was Cory
investigating a group called the Bureaucratic Watchdog Office?"
     "What?"  That came from behind Kei.  She turned, and saw Yuri there,
a frown on her face.  "How much do you know about them?"
     "Look, for God's sake, can we get off the promenade?"  Kei said.
     The twins nodded.  "We have a safe place to talk, if you'll trust
us."
     Kei and Yuri looked at each other and shrugged.  Even if it was a
trap, there wasn't a cell built that could hold the Lovely Angels.  They
began to follow the twins towards the hangar.

***

     "I don't fucking believe this!"
     Laz and Lor had just explained who they were, if not exactly what
they were doing.  Yuri was just as lost, but Kei now knew why they had
seemed so familiar.
     "I have to admit, you two have them down.  You look like them, you
sound like them..."
     Lor smiled.  "We could say the same of you."
     Yuri was just getting more confused.  "Kei, what are you talking
about?"
     Kei turned to Yuri and grinned.  "This shows what happens when all
you read are textbooks.  These two are doing an excellent imitations of
those twins from the Heinlein books, Laz and Lor."
     Laz and Lor took this opportunity to give each other dry looks."
     "It's good to know that we can successfully -- "
     " -- impersonate ourselves.  Now, if we ever need -- "
     " -- a good disguise, we can always dress up -- "
     " -- like ourselves."
     Kei shivered.  "Actually, it's more than an excellent imitation.
How do you two _do_ that?"
     Laz sighed.  Kei, please understand.  We _are_ Lapis Lazuli and
Lorelei Lee Long, and we are not from this universe.  We come from
another universe, in fact one where the two of you are fictional
characters, in both anime and manga form.  In fact the Dir -- "
     " -- _Lovely Angels_ has always been one of our favourites." Lor
interrupted just in time.
     Kei began to feel her headache coming back.  "You mean all that
shit about World as Myth is _true_?  How am I supposed to believe you?
Can you provide me with any proof?"
     Laz and Lor looked at each other.  "Well, we could use the widget
to take them back home -- "
     " -- but we need to find out what happened here first."
     "I suppose we could drag out our old photo albums..."
     While the twins debated, Yuri sidled over towards Kei.  "This is
getting totally ridiculous.  Anyway, why didn't I read these books?"
     "You said something about them being too sexist and repulsive."
     "Oh.  Wait, this wasn't the guy who wrote the book that had the
girl expounding on the joy of breasts for two pages, was it?"
     "That's the one.  What are you complaining about?  We talk about
our breasts all the time."
     "It's not the same thing!"
     Lor interrupted them.  "Wait, weren't we supposed to be discussing
something else?"
     Kei and Yuri both flushed, having completely forgotten about Cory
temporarily.  "Right.  You two mentioned the Bureaucratic Watchdog
Office," Yuri said.  "First of all, what makes you think they're
responsible for Cory's kidnapping, and secondly, how do you know they're
even on the station?  It took someone with my expert hacking skills to
get that information.  I can't see either of you doing this, you don't
even have any cyberjacks."
     Laz and Lor shuddered briefly.  "I had forgotten how mechanised
everyone had become in this universe," Laz finally said.  "Look, the
reason we know is that we have quite a few little tricks that you two
don't.  We've been researching this case for almost a year now.  Believe
me when I say that Lawson and Mizuno's companies are not the problem
here, though they are the cause.  If there is any sign of terrorist
activity, you can bet it'll be the Bureaucratic Watchdog Office, who are
_much_ more than they seem."
     "They're a bunch of harassing dickheads who barely manage to keep
inside the law," Yuri offered.
     "That's why she said much more," Lor added darkly.  "This is a key
nexus point in history."
     "Lor," Laz muttered dangerously.  "We can't just..."
     "Why not?  It might help them believe us.  Besides, if they've
already resorted to kidnapping _journalists_, it's a sign that things
are moving much faster than we thought."
     Laz thought for a moment, then nodded.
     Lor continued.  "This is a key nexus point in history.  This is
where the Bureaucratic Watchdog Office goes from being a minor blight on
the face of businesses to a major terrorist organisation.  The space
station is due to explode in seventy-two hours.  The resulting
repercussions, especially considering that Ms. Mizuno is on board, will
result in businesses tightening their security and hiring more muscle,
including the 3WA.  The BWO gets more and more desperate, realising that
they are fighting a losing battle."
     Lor paused.  "This goes on for a few years, and involves many more
participants.  In the end, billions of innocents are killed."
     Kei and Yuri had paled.  Somehow, the fact that the twins had
explained the point clearly and seriously, without the usual back and
forth between them, made the speech all the more chilling.  Kei finally
managed to snap herself out of her fugue state.
     "All right, suppose we do decide to believe you.  My question is,
are you here to stop it?"
     Yuri turned.  "What?"
     "You should really try to read those books, Kei.  Do-gooders they
may try to be, but not always."  She turned back to the twins.  "Are you
here to try to prevent this, or are you here just to observe?"
     Lor smiled.  "We wouldn't have researched this group for a year if
we were just going to watch them destroy everything.  The Circle is
still a fairly young organisation.  This is our first attempt to actually
change history, to try to improve things.  Lazarus wanted to try to
ensure that Nehemiah Scudder had never been born, but we wanted to start
with something unconnected to our own universe.  This seemed like a good
start."
     Laz grinned.  "And they trusted _us_ with the assignment.  Our first
real mission where we're not pirates.  That's why fixing this is
important to us."
     Kei decided to try and bring things back to something resembling a
point.  "So how do we go about rescuing Cory?  And how do we stop these
guys?"
     Laz grinned.  "I said that they _eventually_ became a dangerous
terrorist organisation.  At the moment, they're just a pissed-off
activist group.  Trust me, this rescue will be one of the easiest we've
ever done..."

***

     Philip was both bored and nervous, not the best combination,
especially when you're guarding a prisoner.  Basically what this amounted
to was locking her in a stateroom and putting Philip outside the door.
There really wasn't anything for him to do except watch for hidden
dangers.  However, keeping an eye out for hidden dangers had left him a
nervous wreck.  Every time he heard a noise, he spun around, his gun
in his trembling hands.
     Thus, when a beautiful young woman appeared in front of him, he
nearly screamed.  She just grinned cutely, though.  Taking a closer look,
he went from scared and panicky to hormone overdrive.  *There is no way
that this girl...could she?  Is she a trap to stop me?  How do I react?
Oh God, she's winking at me!*
     Philip's brain being thus involved, it took him a while to realise
that the woman was speaking to him.
     "Excuse me, sir, can you help me?"
     He quickly tried to think of a suave, sophisticated answer.  "Um,
I...sure, um...what?"
     This didn't seem to bother him in the least.  "You see, my friend
is in that room that you're guarding, and I'm trying to figure out how
to rescue her."  She came a little closer, putting her body right up
against his.  "But you see, the guard is a very clever and handsome man.
I just couldn't bring myself to do anything to him.  Do you have any
ideas on what I could do?"
     By now, Philip's brain had locked up.  He found himself desperately
trying to think of a way to help this girl.  "Well...if the man is as
handsome as you say he is, why not try seducing him?"  There, that was
a suave, sophisticated response.  It was sure to impress her.
     That was when he heard a voice behind him.  "Idiot.  You fail to
grasp Tai Kwon Leep.  Boot to the head."  Then he felt a sharp pain, and
slumped to the ground.
     Yuri leaned over him.  "Oh, I'm sorry.  I decided to try distracting
him while my partner sneaks in and disables him.  But thank you very
much, I'm sure you're a very sweet man."
     Kei was searching him for keys, with no luck.  "Yuri, save the
flirting with the enemy for when they're conscious."  She gave up, and
simply blasted the door with her gun.
     They left soon after, slightly hampered by the fact that Cory, who
had overheard the entire conversation, was laughing so hard she could
barely move.

***

     Arriving back at the Dora, Cory had now been brought up to date.
Like Yuri, she hadn't read Heinlein either, so Kei was having even more
difficulty explaining who Laz and Lor were.  It didn't help that Kei
was having difficulty believing it herself.
     The five of them were now sitting around a table discussing what to
do next.
     Kei turned to Laz.  "I don't suppose the history you researched has
a reference to Cory being kidnapped?"
     Laz frowned.  "It doesn't mention you at all, which I find very odd.
If you two were here, you should have been mentioned.  After all, trouble
seems to follow you around."
     Noticing the twin glares coming from the agents, Lor cut in.
"However, it doesn't mean that it didn't happen.  There wasn't a lot of
information we could get.  We know that in about two days, the BWO
plants a bomb on board the station.  It explodes, killing thousands,
including Lawson and Mizuno.  What we need to do is find out why they
bothered to do it.  A bomb seems rather strong stuff.  This group has
up until now stuck to harassment."
     Yuri frowned.  "Are we sure that Lawson and Mizuno are innocent?
Maybe the BWO knows something that we don't."
     Cory was looking over the info Yuri gathered.  "Don't hold your
breath.  I've heard my friends at _High Sense_ complaining about Ms.
Mizuno, who apparently has the dullest life this side of a nunnery.  And
from what I see here, Lawson's the same.  Squeaky clean, desperately
dull.  No, there's got to be something else..."
     Dora chose that moment to break in.  She sounded rather panicked.
"Um, hey kids, remember that explosion that's supposed to happen in two
days time?"
     Yuri and Cory looked startled.  "It's the AI for this ship," Kei
explained.
     "Yes, Dora, what about it?"  Laz and Lor didn't like to see Dora
nervous.
     "It's moved up to about two minutes from now."
     This got everyone's attention.  "WHAT?!"
     "I was watching the probability charts, and they suddenly _jumped_.
I don't know why, but we have to get out of here."
     "Wait!" Kei shouted.  "We can't just leave!  How do we stop them?"
     Laz turned sharply.  "Our information may be better than yours,
but not by much.  We have about a minute now, and we don't know where
they are.  Lor, Dora, stand by to rotate."
     Yuri's eyes shot open.  "Mughi!  Oh God, we've got to go get him!"
     "There's no _time_!" Laz yelled.  "Rotate!"
     "Rotating," Lor replied.
     And with that, they were suddenly elsewhere.  Kei stared at the
screen in shock.
     Lor spoke up.  "Ten seconds."
     Laz said, "There's no way we can watch it.  I don't know if that's
a blessing or not."
     "Now."
     There was no sound or anything, but everyone knew.  "The station
has exploded.  No ships were observed to leave in the few hours before.
Even the BWO didn't survive."
     Lor put her head in her hands.  "Great.  Our first mission and we
end up making things even worse.  I don't want to explain this to
Lazarus."
     "Fine, I'll explain it to Lazarus.  _You_ can explain it to Hilda."
     Kei and Yuri said nothing, just staring into space.  A tear was
trickling down Yuri's cheek.
     Cory was out of her element again, as usual.  She wondered if they
could ever get back to their universe again.  She wondered if all this
wasn't just a crock of bull and they were still hidden somewhere in their
own universe.  She thought about all the people on that station that had
died, and of Mughi, as the explosion must have taken out the Angel as
well.
     *Well, I guess this isn't going to be just another puff piece,* she
sighed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     "...and so we ended up coming back to Boondock, which is where we
met everyone."
     "Um...since I just saw Mughi when we got on the ship, I presume
there's, like, a little more to this story?"  Deirdre looked to be just
as baffled as Cory had back then.
     Cory laughed.  "We need to get more people in here to tell that
part.  After all, it didn't revolve around me.  I talked to Kei, Yuri,
Laz and Lor and got their stories of what happened, but only up till
the explosion."
     Maureen came back in.  "Time for you two to go to sleep.  You've
been talking for hours."
     Deirdre had one last request.  "I want to see Shasti."
     Maureen frowned.  "They've already started work.  It's incredibly
difficult, and I..."
     Deirdre repeated herself.  "I want to see Shasti."
     Maureen sighed.  "Alright.  But tomorrow."
     Deirdre prepared to glare some more, then realised how tired she
actually was.  She didn't even think she could make it out of the bed.
     "Fine.  Tomorrow."
     Turning out the light, Maureen waved to them.  "Get a good night's
sleep."

***

     Yuri came out of her room, stretching and looking happier than she'd
been in weeks.  She went over to the room next door and knocked.
     "Rgnkmg," came the answer.  Yuri decided that translated to "Come"
in early morning Kei, and walked in.  Kei was laying on the bed with her
mouth wide open, snoring.  If she had answered Yuri, it had been
unconsciously.
     Yuri quickly closed her mouth, and also squeezed her nose shut.
After a few moments, Kei shot up, gasping.  Yuri giggled.  "I _wish_ you
wouldn't do that," Kei groaned.
     "Sorree," answered Yuri, extending the final syllable as she always
did.  "I just don't know of another reliable way to get you up."
     Kei grumbled some more, but her heart wasn't in it.  "What's on the
schedule for today?"
     "We're going to see Cory and Deirdre, they've just woken up."
     Kei sighed.  "Of course, Shasti won't be up for a while yet."
     "There was no other way.  They had to get her into a clone body or
else she would have died."
     "I know, it's just...Shasti was a bioroid, and now she's going to
be a clone.  Deirdre's a clone.  Things are getting too damn complex."
     Yuri frowned.  "You mean you don't trust them?  Don't think they're
'real' enough?"
     "I don't know.  Deirdre seems fine now, but was controlling her
that easy?  Would they have been able to turn her against Shasti like
that if she hadn't been a clone?  And Shasti's head has already been
screwed six ways from Sunday...who knows what this will do to her?"
     "Still, at least they're alive.  Shasti has pledged that she won't
go rogue again.  I don't think she will, either."
     Kei turned, surprised.  "You were the one who was so convinced that
she was still the enemy."
     Yuri looked down.  "And I was convinced that Clarisse was still my
friend.  Look where that got us."
     Kei got into the shower, trying to sort out her feelings on the
subject.  Coming back, she sat by Yuri and put her arms around her.
     "Cory was right.  Jimmy killed Clarisse, before we even met her
that day.  All we did was kill her body, her spirit was gone.  We can
mourn her death as a friend, and we will.  But we're not going to mourn
that we killed her.  We didn't."
     Yuri sighed.  "I just don't know who to trust anymore.  I mean, we
always knew the 3WA was a little corrupt, but not to _this_ scale...
what kind of organisation would create something like Jimmy?  We trusted
the Central Computer, it always cleared us from any wrongdoing.  Can we
believe that anymore?"
     "Yes," Kei answered roughly.  "Because if we didn't, if we thought
that all those missions, all those deaths were our fault, then we'd go
insane.  So I do believe it."
     Yuri shuddered, but nodded.  "We need to relax.  We couldn't even
get anyone back to our beds last night."
     Kei laughed.  "We're out of practice.  Don't worry, that won't
last."  She got up and began to dress.  "Besides, I understand Galahad
was asking after you..."
     You could hear Yuri's yelling from three corridors away.

***

     Cory and Deirdre both walked silently out of the hospital.  They
had just finished visiting Shasti, if you could call it a visit, and
had found out what Ishtar had to do.
     "It's not as easy as I made it sound," she had said.  "First of
all, we couldn't normally do this.  The human brain is just too complex
and unpredictable.  Shasti's brain, however, was designed to be compact
and simple.  Therefore, she will still have the same mind."
     Deirdre had interrupted her.  "How can you do that?  You said that
all of her wetware had been corrupted.  Wouldn't that include her
brain?"
     "No.  What we were worried about was her central nervous system.
Most of the damage the viruses would have caused had happened there.
The brain was about the only place we could be sure of saving.  There
weren't a lot of viruses there, because Shasti had to keep running.
I imagine when you trained there were a lot of accidents?"
     Deirdre had nodded.  There had been several missions where
something had gone wrong, Shasti's mind had crashed, and they had barely
been able to get out alive.
     "Well, don't blame her mind, and certainly don't blame her.  The
viruses were responsible.  Quite frankly, I'm wondering exactly how many
people were in on this.  She must have had a few other doctors look at
her.  Why didn't they notice this?"
     That was what Deirdre was thinking about while she and Cory went
back to their rooms.  Why hadn't they?  Shasti had been treated at
off-world hospitals, and not all of them were 3WA.  Were all the doctors
plants?  Or were they 'taken care of' afterwards?  Deirdre's mind sifted
through more and more paranoid responses.  She didn't like the way she
was thinking.
     These were, after all, the same people that had brought her back
into existence as a clone.  The only reason she was alive at all was to
be an instrument of vengeance for Jimmy Daltrey.  Now that that was no
longer possible (thank God), what was the purpose of her existence?  Did
Deirdre Voxx have a right to live at all?  *Maybe I should have stayed
dead.*
     Deirdre was brought out of these depressing thoughts by thumping
into Cory's back.  "What's up?"
     Cory pointed.  "I think we're being hijacked."  She didn't seem
scared, just annoyed.
     The corridor in front of them had vanished.  In its place was a
small door, with a picture of a snake eating its own tail.
     Deirdre looked at it curiously.  "You know what that is?"
     Cory sighed.  "Yes.  And I suppose I should have guessed we'd be
talking to them sooner or later.  Come on."
     Deirdre noticed Cory's posture.  "If you're not worried, then why
are you so tense?"
     Cory snarled.  "Lazarus."

***

     As Deirdre entered, she found herself in a large white room,
bordered by a podium with eight seats.  Only three of those were
currently occupied.   One of the women who had greeted them the week
before, Hilda, occupied one.  Lazarus was in the second seat, and she
could feel Cory's jaw clench from here.  In the third was an older man,
who looked very much like your stereotypical sage.  Hilda introduced him
as Jubal Harshaw.
     Hilda brought the meeting to order.  "Thank you for being
co-operative about coming here.  I would like to have waited until Shasti
was well enough to join us, but we may not have the time.  We couldn't
even call a full meeting of the Circle in this time, so consider this an
'emergency' meeting."
     Cory was curious.  "I thought you always said that Time Corps
operations -- I presume this is about some such thing -- always had
plenty of time."
     Lazarus answered, being remarkably polite.  "In most cases, that is
true.  Here, however, the time factor is hampered by the fact that the
people we are watching are actively looking for us.  Or rather, for
you."
     All four of them felt a chill.  "I thought the Central Computer was
going to leave us alone," Kei said quietly.
     "Quite frankly, I have no idea whether to trust the Central Computer
or not," Jubal said.  "We've had all of our resources -- and I mean _all_
of them -- working on this problem for the past week.  They have not been
able to come up with any information on the Central Computer's motives."
     Lazarus spoke up again.  "We're worrying them needlessly.  Let's get
to the point.  We discovered that far from the world being curious about
your disappearance, the Lovely Angels are alive and well there, though
their assignments have been getting _noticeably_ more violent.  The last
one had casualties of several billion, taking out a star system.  It
would appear that someone has cloned the two of you as well."
     Kei and Yuri began to shake, and had to grab on to each other to
stop.  "_Billions_?" Yuri said in a tiny voice.
     Lazarus went on.  "The source for most of this was one of the most
popular talk shows on the vids.  It's name is _Cory!_, and I'll let you
guess who is supposed to be hosting it."  A small whine emerged from
Cory's throat.
     Hilda spoke last.  "All of these discoveries pale in comparison to
the final one, which is that the managing director of 3WA, following the
death of a Mr. Goulet."  She paused while Kei and Yuri gasped.  "The
director is named Jimmy Daltrey."
     All four of them immediately froze.  Hilda went on.  "The fact that
he isn't even bothering to hide his existence using a false name makes
me think that he just wants to draw us out.  Well, it worked.  The
number one priority of the Circle is now to stop Jimmy Daltrey, by any
means necessary."
     Kei, Yuri, Cory, and Deirdre looked at each other, their eyes wide.
*He didn't die after all* was what each of them were thinking.

***

Meanwhile, a few universes away...

     Bast went through the seemingly unending paperwork on his desk.  As
humanity had advanced through the stars, so had the forms that needed to
be filled out.  And as his boss was above such things, it was up to him
to make sure everything was above board, or at least as above board as
things got in the 3WA.
     To most people, Bast would have a truly enviable job.  He was
executive assistant to the head of 3WA, Jimmy Daltrey, a man who had
personally directed the rise of the agency to a major player in the
security of the galaxies.  Bast, having his ear, would be what the civil
service called a 'high flyer', earmarked for the top.
     Quite frankly, however, Bast would have dearly loved to leave the
3WA and go be a hermit on some island now.  He had, at one point, had
some loyalty to the agency.  Years of finding out what it really took to
run an organisation the size of the Worlds Welfare Work Association, and
the amount of money and other forms of bribes that had to be paid to
ensure that that organisation could do its job without hindrance, had
managed to batter Bast's loyalty down.  There was only one thing keeping
him from resigning right now.
     The fact that, if he did so, he probably wouldn't survive until the
next day.
     Jimmy Daltrey was the ultimate example of a modern, outgoing boss.
To the trouble consultants of the 3WA, he was a fun guy who gave them
little trouble and always rewarded them for their efforts, not to mention
standing up for them in court when their failures got out of hand.  It
was only those who knew him closely, and there weren't all that many, who
knew what Jimmy was really like.
     Completely insane.
     This was why Bast stayed on as Jimmy's executive assistant.  He
suspected that, if he tried to resign, Jimmy might just shoot him right
there in the office, then hang his head on the back wall.
     There was only one person who scared Bast more than Jimmy.  Luckily,
she almost never came to see Jimmy in his office, so Bast had to deal
with her as little as possible.
     The door opened and a young trouble consultant entered.  Bast
frowned.  Under Jimmy's reign, most manners had gone out the window, in
favour of climbing your way to the top.  This one looked to be one of
those latter-day, "I can blow stuff up if I join the 3WA"-type people.
     Bast put on his best disdainful voice.  "Yes, can I help you?"
     The girl looked him up and down, seemingly unimpressed.  "Are you
Sebastian Weinberg?"
     "Yes...?"
     She gave a haughty look.  "I'm Soryuu Asuka Langley, and I have an
appointment with Mr. Daltrey now.  If you could let him know I'm here."
     Oh, _this_ girl, Bast thought.  One of the great mysteries of the
world is why the CC keeps her here.  Out loud, he said, "I'll see if
Jimmy is ready for you.  And I'd advise being on your best behaviour, Ms.
Langley.  Don't forget who you'll be talking to in there."
     Asuka immediately sported a wide grin.  "Don't worry!  I'll manage!
Thanks for thinking about me, though!"  Then, in just as perky a tone,
she added, "Vielen dank, sie arschkriechender kleiner Buerokrat!"
     Bast's eyes narrowed.  *So, insulting me in German, huh?  Have I got
a surprise for you, little lady...*  He in turn, being just as perky, said
"Not at all!  You can go right in!  Jederzeit gern, sie kleine zickige
Kuh!"
     Asuka flushed, and tried to hide her face.  She looked as if she
couldn't decide between embarrassed or furious, but it didn't take her
too long to settle on the latter.  "Thank you.  Good day!"  And she
marched right in.
     *God, that felt good,* thought Bast.  *I really needed that.*  He
then looked at the mountain of paperwork still on his desk, and sighed.

***

     Despite her outward bravado, Asuka was terrified.  She was easily
the longest serving trainee.  When she was recruited, she was told that
most trainees either were let go after two years, or became trouble
consultants.  Asuka had been there for four years now, and she saw no
sign of the 3WA making up its mind either way.  She was worried that this
would be Mr. Daltrey telling her that she had to go.
     It wasn't that she wasn't a good trainee.  In weapons training, she
was one of the best.  Tactics was a little less good, but after four
years she'd managed to pull up to the top there, too.
     No, the main reason she was still here was that Asuka failed every
test to pair her up.  The 3WA troubleshooting agents worked in teams,
and Asuka was not a team player.  She'd been through eight different
partners, and none of them had worked out.  Much to her chagrin, six of
those people were now in teams of their own.
     She'd studied enough history of the organisation to know how vital
teamwork was.  She didn't exactly go out of her way to ruin her
partnerships.  It just happened that everyone she was paired with was a
moron.  She had to do _everything_, leaving her partners behind in the
dust.  It wasn't something she enjoyed...why couldn't they just keep up
with her?
     So it was with no small amount of trepidation that she went into
Jimmy's office.  She was repeating a mantra to herself:  Call him Jimmy,
call him Jimmy.  She had been raised to show a healthy dose of respect
to her superiors, for that frequently meant promotion, according to her
mother.  Unfortunately, Jimmy was the sort of boss who felt that an
informal group is a happy group, and frowned on people who used his last
name.  This had frequently led to trouble for Asuka, and she was trying
to remember this time.
     Jimmy looked up as she entered his office.  He had been standing by
the fireplace reading a report.  Jimmy's face was too long and angular
to be called handsome, but it projected a sort of roguish charm.  He
had recently started growing his hair long, and it now fell around his
shoulders in long blond curls.  He smiled as Asuka walked in.
     "Asuka!  Great to see you!  Please, get yourself a drink and sit
down!"
     Asuka went over to the fridge and got herself a Coke.  The last
thing she needed was to be getting drunk in front of the big boss.  She
wondered if she should make small talk at first or just get right to
the point.  Running through her extremely limited repertoire of small
talk, she decided to take the second option.
     "Sir...um, Jimmy, I'm curious as to why you've called me here.  I
know I'm one of your top trainees, but...you've rarely seen me
personally."
     Jimmy smiled.  "I know, Asuka, and I'm sorry.  You've had an
extremely difficult time here, and much of it is not your fault.  It is
well known that the 3WA prides itself on two people working as a unit.
We haven't changed that philosophy.  But I think we were going at it
the wrong way with you.  We were trying to adapt you to the 3WA.  This
has proven to be impossible."
     Asuka paled.  They were going to get rid of her!  My God, what was
she going to do?  She didn't have anything else planned!  Her mother
had groomed her to be a trouble consultant since the 3WA's beginnings!
Attempting to keep her face composed, she asked, "So you've decided to
give up on me?"  There was a faint tremolo in her voice, much to her
disgust.
     Jimmy laughed, which made her look up in anger for a moment.  Then
she realised that she was getting angry at the man who held her future
in his hand, and quickly stifled it.
     "No, no.  You misunderstand.  We were trying to adapt you to the
3WA.  That didn't work, so we're going to try to adapt the 3WA to you.
I had the Central Computer do a search to find a trainee on this planet
who would be your ideal partner.  It took a while, as you are a very
individualistic young woman, but we found her!"
     Asuka's eyes got big.  If they were willing to have the Central
Computer look for a partner for her...she'd obviously been
underestimating her importance.  The 3WA had been testing itself,
looking for the perfect partner to match up with someone such as her!
She could actually feel her ego inflate.  She finally spoke up.  "So
do I need to report to the training grounds to meet her?"
     Jimmy grinned that grim of his again.  "Ah, that's my other
surprise.  Because the Central Computer has perfectly hand-picked this
partner of yours, no training is necessary.  We're ready to send you
out in the field."
     Asuka's jaw dropped.  "Sir...Jimmy, what are you saying?"
     "I'm saying that your long wait has come to an end.  May I offer
you my congratulations Trouble Consultant Langley?  You did it!"
     In that moment, all of the control that Asuka's mother had instilled
in her went right out of the window.  She laughed, and began to dance
around the room.  "I did it!  I'm a TC!  Hahahahahaha!!!"
     Then she realised again where she was.  "Aaah!  Um, sorry, sir..
um, Jimmy.  I was just excited."
     He didn't seem to mind in the least.  "Of course you were.  Don't
worry about it.  I think it's time to meet your new partner."
     Asuka was very interested in this.  She had been through so many
of them that she was sure she was incompatible with any partner.  What
made this one so different?
     As if to answer her, Jimmy said, "The CC decided that the problem
lay in how your partners were chosen.  They were too similar to you,
and that led to control problems.  So it decided to choose someone to
be your partner who was the complete opposite of you.  Someone mild,
calm, not having the fiery spirit that you possess.  Together you could
be quite a team!"
     As if to answer him, the door opened and a young woman walked in.
She was already dressed in a Trouble Consultant's uniform, and her pale
skin made it stand out even more.  In fact, she almost looked like an
albino.  Her light blue-grey hair gave even more of an impression of
someone who was encased in ice.  She looked at Asuka, but her face
showed no expression.
     Jimmy made the introductions.  "Soryuu Asuka Langley, this is
Ayanami Rei.  She's been training separately from the other cadets, so
that's why you haven't seen her up until now."
     Asuka looked at Rei curiously.  "Separately?  Why?"
     Rei remained silent, simply staring at Asuka.  Jimmy coughed.
"Well, though I said the two of you are completely different, there is
one thing you have in common.  Rei also has trouble working with
people, to such an extent that normal training with her is impossible.
However, her skill as an agent was so good that we kept her here and
tried to find another way.  That turned out to be you.  We never
dreamed of putting the two of you together, but the Central Computer
told us it would work beautifully."
     Asuka stared at Rei, who still had barely moved.  "Um...hi, Rei.
It's nice to be working with you."
     Rei tilted her head a little.  "Hello."  That was it.
     Asuka was feeling a little frustrated at the lack of communication
going on here.  Was this woman some sort of cold fish or what?  She
turned her attention back to Jimmy, who was speaking again.
     "I can see that you're having some doubts about this.  I had a
few myself, to be frank.  But Asuka, don't think of this as trying to
be partners for a TC team.  Think of it as an exercise in drawing
someone out.  Rei's major fault is that she doesn't know how to react
in certain situations.  You do, you're a positive sea of reactions.
While you learn from Rei about calmness, about thinking before rushing
into combat, we hope that she will learn about your fire, about the
inspiration that can lead a person to solutions."
     Rei had remained stone-faced through this whole exchange, and
Asuka's doubts were growing.  Nonetheless, she kept a happy face on.
"So, do we have an assignment?"
     Jimmy smiled.  "You do indeed.  I'm going to tell you a story
about the 3WA's little skeleton in the closet...she's called Shasti."
     For the next half-hour, Asuka got a rundown on the 3WA's only rogue
agent.  Apparently Shasti had decided to turn to criminal activities a
few years ago, and had been terrorising half of the galaxy.  A good deal
of 3WA's resources were devoted to hushing up the story to avoid bad
publicity.  However, recently Shasti had stolen a cloning machine, one
used by the 3WA itself to recover agents who might be killed in the
line of duty.  She had cloned her former partner, Deirdre, and also,
Asuka was shocked to find, the Lovely Angels, Kei and Yuri.
     "She cloned the Dirty Pair?!" Asuka said unbelievingly, until her
brain made her realise her error.  "Er, I mean..."
     Jimmy smiled.  "The Angels aren't in the room now, Asuka, and I
think we can forgive you that one lapse, though I wouldn't recommend
saying it to their faces."
     Asuka flushed.  "Of course not, sir."
     "Since there is no telling how Shasti could influence those clones,
and the possibility of four trained 3WA agents overrunning the galaxy is
almost too horrible to contemplate, the 3WA can no longer afford to just
work quietly on this while maintaining a low profile.  You and Rei will
have only one goal for your first assignment.  You will find Shasti and
her clones, and subdue them by any means necessary.  And yes, that means
you might have to kill them."
     Asuka felt a chill run through her.  Sure, she knew it came with
the job, and there were some practice missions where it seemed that she
would revel in the task, but she had never actually killed anyone
before.  She had never given much thought to that aspect of a trouble
consultant's work, even though the TC training missions tended to end
with the ground littered with corpses.  Being a trouble consultant meant
going around waving a gun and solving people's problems.  Being a
trouble consultant meant finally being able to please her mother.
     And it would appear that being a trouble consultant meant killing
people as well.  She hoped she could do it.
     None of this showed on her face, of course.  However, it seemed as
if Jimmy caught her general reaction anyway, because he smiled warmly
and reached out to pat her hand.
     "I know it might seem tough.  If it will help you, you don't have
to think of them as 'real'.  After all, except for Shasti, they aren't
the originals.  And Shasti is only a bioroid."
     This only succeeded in disturbing Asuka more.  She had never been
comfortable with the 3WA's new cloning policy in the first place, but
they had stressed the importance of the fact that the clones were exactly
the same as the originals.  Telling her now that they were less than
human left Asuka with some very disturbing thoughts.  Nevertheless, she
just nodded.  "I'll do my best, si...Jimmy."
     Jimmy seemed to be more amused than annoyed by her constant slips,
Asuka was relieved to note.  Turning to Rei, she was astonished to find
she had actually moved, and was now looking at Jimmy.  Jimmy noticed
this as well.
     "Well, why don't I wrap things up here.  Asuka, I need to talk to
Rei for a few minutes, and then the two of you can begin to get to know
each other."
     The prospect of getting to know Rei did not thrill Asuka in the
least; nevertheless, she tried to look cheerful.  "I'm looking forward
to it!" she said to Rei.  Rei looked back at her, but her expression
still didn't change from its blank stare.  Asuka coughed; she was
beginning to dislike this woman.
     She noticed Jimmy looking at her, and realised that this was her
cue to exit.  "I'll meet you in the lounge in ten minutes, all right,
Rei?"  One last chance for a reaction.
     Rei turned.  "Yes."  She then turned back to Jimmy.  So much for a
reaction.
     Asuka started to salute, then stopped herself.  Flushing once more,
she thanked Jimmy and left.  Passing the annoying assistant without a
second glance, she mused on what had just happened.
     *Well, I can't say I like everything about it, but who cares!  I'm
finally a 3WA TC!*
     And finally, almost as an afterthought:
     *Mother.  I'll make you proud.*

***

     As Asuka left the room, Jimmy turned his gaze to Rei.  She had
actually reacted during his speech to Asuka.  Not enough that Asuka
notice anything, but Jimmy could tell.  He therefore wanted to talk to
her and make sure her priorities were still in order.
     He grinned.  "Rei, were you a little upset by my speech about
bioroids and clones not being real people?"
     Rei kept staring at him.  He knew she would answer eventually, if
he just waited long enough.  Sure enough after about ten seconds, she
actually spoke.  "I was not upset."
     "But you thought about it?"
     "Yes."
     "Rei, that speech was what I used to give Asuka the push she
needed.  The two of you are supposed to be a fully-functioning team.
That means that we can't have Asuka doubting herself.  Don't worry
about it.  Yes, I know you are a bioroid, but you forget that I am
a _clone_ of a bioroid.  The best of both worlds, and I still regard
myself as a true example of the pinnacle of human society."
     For a moment Jimmy just sat there, grinning like an idiot at her.
Then his tone got serious, though the smile remained..  "Now, you are
aware that there are certain aspects of my speech to Asuka that do not
apply to you.  You are not to let yourself be influenced by her
behaviour.  I told her to try and draw you out because it would give her
something to do, but I don't want to see it working.  You were created
for a purpose.  You know what that is."
     "Yes," Rei replied.
     "There are various likely points of arrival for the four of them.
In addition, they might have considerable backup.  The backup is not
your concern.  Take out Shasti, Deirdre, Kei, and Yuri.  _Immediately_.
The longer they live, the more danger they are to us."
     Rei looked up.  "And the fifth?"
     Jimmy was startled for a moment, then grinned again.  "Should have
known you'd have the briefing memorised.  No, Miss Emerson will be
handled by someone else.  Your only concern are the four TC's."
     Jimmy's face actually ceased smiling for a moment, as he looked
straight into Rei's eyes.  "Asuka might give you trouble.  We have fully
prepared for that possibility as well.  You may be forced to kill her.
If so, do it quickly and quietly.  We do not want any witnesses to what
we are actually doing."
     Rei was silent.  Jimmy waited for her response, but realised after
about thirty seconds that she wasn't going to make one.  Irritated, he
spoke up.  "Rei, do you understand what I just said?"
     Another pause, then Rei spoke.  "Yes, I understand."
     Jimmy's smile came back.  "Good.  Now, it's time to go deal with
your partner.  She is very good, Rei, so don't be afraid to use her in
the mission.  However, if it comes to a choice between letting her know
what is going on or remaining in ignorance, choose the latter.  You can
go now."
     Rei nodded, and left.  Jimmy stared at the door for a moment, then
relaxed.  He got up and went to the sideboard, pouring himself a
martini.  Personally, he preferred run and Coke, but a martini fit the
style of the room better, and nothing was more important to Jimmy than
style.
     The meeting had been interesting, to say the least.  It was times
like these that he missed Jim.  Getting used to only the one personality
had been very difficult, but there wasn't much of a choice.  The clone
could only accept Jim or Jimmy, and there was no doubt which was the
more important.
     Still, it had its benefits.  He'd felt more free than he ever had
this past year, and had quickly risen to the top of the 3WA organisation,
helped along by a few accidents.  Those who didn't know him well thought
he was the coolest boss they'd ever had, and those who did were too
terrified to tell them any better.
     He heard the panel behind him click open, and he smiled.  Without
turning, he said, "How was the show?"
     He felt a pair of arms around his chest.  "It went very well.  I
managed to sound partisan while at the same time leaving no question as
to where the blame lay."
     He giggled.  It was only with his lover that he could truly let
himself go all the way, and the giggle became a loud laugh.  He turned
and looked at her with a twinkle in his eye.  "How long were you
listening to the meeting?"
     She smiled.  "Since Asuka left.  I'm curious, Jimmy.  Why aren't
you letting Rei kill Emerson?  Don't tell me you're becoming soft-
hearted in your old age?"  There was a gleam in her eye that matched
his.
     "Far from it, my dear.  In fact, that was my surprise.  I thought
it would be a lovely idea if you could take care of her yourself."
     She squealed.  "Oh Jimmy _darling_," she said, and kissed him
deeply.  "You won't regret this."
     He smiled.  I know I won't.  I know you've wanted to do this ever
since your 'birth', so to speak.  After all the universe isn't big
enough for two Cory Emersons."
     Cory smiled, as she began to remove his shirt.  "It certainly
isn't."


End of Part 1

Part 2, "The Dirty Jobs", will appear when I've finished it.  Hopefully
soon.

--Sean Gaffney
--who likes cliff-hangers.  Sue me.