This series uses characters from several different series
including Bubblegum Crisis.  No offense intended.
__________________________________________________________________

CIRCULARITY

Part 1:  I Have A Dream

I was skinny-dipping with three others in deliciously cool
and pure water.  One of them looked like Mitty, or at least like
the Mitty of 5 years previous, baby fat and blonde hair.  Another
looked like Melody with shorter black hair, and the third I'd 
only seen in my dreams.  They were playing, splashing water at each 
other.  Mitty started it, but was soon complaining because the 
other two were ganging up on her, demanding that I come to her 
rescue, so I caught the two girls in a crossfire.  I could see 
the Earth reflected in the water as I looked down, before I 
shattered the reflective surface by scooping water at the others.  
We were happy.  At peace. 

Then "it" came.  Some horrible force I couldn't see
clearly.  Melody and the other girl writhed and collapsed 
as it touched them and they died.  Mitty screamed as it 
swirled around her and somehow lifted her into the sky, 
away from me.  I wept as the scene changed to a desolate 
wasteland where "it" had killed everything.  It was my fault. 
I'd let everything and everyone be destroyed, and I didn't
even know why.  

I awoke, my face wet with tears and sweat.  Guilt and fear.
I got up to shower them off. 
__________________________________________________________________  

He was a blonde man, fundamentally good looking, but with a 
general aura of dishevelment and decay that Sylia sometimes 
fancied made him the perfect symbol of MegaTokyo.  But he was 
very good at what he did, and far more reliable than he appeared.  
Fargo lifted his glass and toasted, "To mad scientists and their 
beautiful daughters," eyeing Sylia.

She went for the bait, saying, "I'd appreciate it if you 
wouldn't characterise my father that way."

Fargo grinned slyly.  "Wrong beautiful daughter.  Although there
are certain points of similarity in a non-physical sort of way."  
He pulled a photograph, and a disk out of his inner jacket pocket.   
The picture was of a carrot-topped young woman who had a 
distinctly American, athletic style of good looks.  "Sandy Newman.  
She may be the only person alive who cost Genom more money 
than you have.  The client would like to see her stay that way.  
Alive, that is."

"I know who Sandy Newman is." Sylia answered.

"Yes, you would, wouldn't you?  She'll be flying in to Megatokyo 
tomorrow.  The details are on the disk."

"Who is the client?"

"The Chang Group.  Maybe it's gratitude.  Maybe they just hope 
she'll do more damage to Genom.  They're offering 20 million yen."

Reika Chang aka Vision.  If it hadn't been for that moment in 
her parking garage, Reika might very well have become a Knight 
Sabre.  With Priss dead, Sylia would have been looking for a 
replacement.  Sylia often wondered what interest "Midori" had in 
Vision.  But since Sylia and the green haired woman both had what 
they wanted, it was better to leave well enough alone.  Reika 
would have been difficult to lead, anyway.  Too brittle.  

Sylia smiled and said, "Given the nature of the job, I think you
know what my answer is."  In a strange sort of way, Sylia found
herself giving credit to Vision for Priss' life.  It was hard not
to resent Midori, for knowing too much, and for keeping her own
secrets, so the gratitude that should have gone to her was instead
directed toward Vision.  

"I'll take that for a 'yes'"
___________________________________________________________________

"So what makes her worth twenty million, anyway?" Linna asked,
casually, doing some basic warm-ups in her undersuit as she 
waited with Sylia for the arrival of their subject.  

Sylia was watching a set of monitors inside the Saber's 
camouflaged truck as she answered, "Her father invented the 
protein synthesis process that is the basis for boomer 
technology."

"I thought your father invented the boomer."

"No modern technology is solely the work of one man.  My 
father worked out the practical applications for Dr. Newman's 
discovery."

"So she's rich?"

"No, not really.  Dr. Newman was working for the American 
government at the time and legally didn't own the process.  
Sandra Newman, however, has devoted herself to the study of
Boomer safety and her father's connection has made her
a very influential voice in the United States in favour of
increased safety measures and against the use of military
boomers.  When she testified before the American
Congress concerning the reliability military boomers, she
may have been pivotal in persuading the American military
establishment to concentrate on battlemovers and hardsuit
infantry."  Sylia smiled slightly.  Toppling Genom was both
impractical and potentially hazardous to all of human 
civilisation.  But Sylia applauded anything that weakened
it's hold on the world-wide marketplace.  

Linna whistled, "She cost Genom billions and she's paying a 
visit to Megatokyo?  Is that gutsy or just dumb?"

"She's probably safe enough.  Eliminating her here and now,
would be too great a blow to Genom's image to be that big
a temptation for them."  Sylia pointed at one of her screens,
showing a half dozen or so reporters waiting by the gate, 
"After all, what would the journalists not owned by Genom 
say?"

Sis?<  Mackie's voice came in through Sylia's headset.  
Check out the girl with the violet hair<  He directed hiscamera suitcase toward a teenager with a strange air of 

tired sorrow.

He was right, there was something about her...  
"Nene?"

Yes?< came the answer from Nene's hardsuit, concealedon top of the airport terminal.  

"Scan grid twelve-twenty three."

No boomer AI detected, but I've got a blip on my M.A.D.She could be a cyborg.<

"Mackie, keep the camera on her, but don't get close to
her."

Priss's voice broke in, >Her plane's landing.<

"Everyone stand by."
___________________________________________________________________

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