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Bubble Gum Crisis is copyrighted Artmic Inc. and Youmex, Inc. I am
just borrowing the characters for a little while, and promise not to
bend, fold, or staple them - unless I can come up with a good reason
to do so. I can be contacted at the Email address above. C&C will be
accepted, out and out flames will result in a Boomer or two being sent
after you.

Note: Sorry for the delay - but I've been writing several fanfic and a real
novel lately, and I fell behind a bit. For those who've been reading Black
Knights, Steel Hearts, I'm working on creating a backlog so I can take some
time off - the next chapter should be sent to raac sometime this week. I'm
thinking of rotating two BCG and a SM fanfic, sending a chapter from each
fanfic in rotation. Any comments?

Please, enjoy my take on the Bubble Gum Crisis universe.....
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Chapter 6


Holton Junkyard Co.
District 5
Febuary 10, 2036
7:12pm

     "Weapons check."

     The electronic voice of Nemesis echoed slightly in the
chamber. Marie, Smitty, and Sarge watched Professor Vicain make a
final adjustment to a pod on the right arm of the hardsuit.
Vicain stepped back and nodded to the armored vigilante. Smitty
stepped over to a nearby console and tapped a few keys. The
professor and Marie moved away from Nemesis and went to stand
behind Smitty.

     "Ready here, Sir," the armorer said.

     "Begin weapon system check," replied Nemesis.

     "Right arm Railgun."

     The black hardsuit's right arm came up, and pointed at an
empty section of the underground chamber wall. The metal fingers
on the right hand opened to reveal a muzzle. "Railgun at 100%
power."

     Smitty nodded. "Status confirmed. Left arm grenade
launcher."

     It took five minutes to run through the entire weapons
check. Once Smitty confirmed the last weapon reading, Nemesis
switched the hardsuit's system to standby, and removed his
helmet. "The extra ammo and weapons ready to go?"

     Sarge nodded. "When do you want to start?"

     Nemesis looked at a clock hanging on a nearby wall. "I want
us to be on the road by 9:00."

     "What order are you going to hit tonight's targets in?"

     The vigilante unsealed his suit and climbed out. He stode
over to a nearby table, followed by the others. A large scale map
laid on the table. They clustered around the table.

     "I want to start with the casino in the basement of the
garment factory on Kiho," he said, pointing to the location on
the map. He continued, pointing as he listed the targets "Then
the brothel on Ja-sia, the old Byjang toy factory over on
Hakamma, and the last one, the drug lab over the Fu-Shui
Nightclub. I think I can be in and out each location within ten
minutes."

     "That's cutting it close, my boy," replied Vicain. He was
tall and almost impossible thin. He had a sharp nose and chin,
watery blue eyes, and a high forehead. He looked more like a
headmaster at a private school then he did a scientist.

     "I know, Professor," replied Nemesis carefully. "Any longer,
and Sato would have reinforcements on top of me."

     "Why not use the heavy hardsuit for this assault, instead of
the new hardsuit? You would have more firepower and armor."

     Gaven shook his head. "But not the mobility. The heavy
hardsuit is great in an open battlefield, but not in an enclosed
area. And all the targets tonight are inside."

     Marie looked worried. "Gaven," she asked her brother. "Do
you think Sato would use Boomers?" 

     "Not stright away."

     "But you're worried that he will," said Sarge. 

     Gaven sighed. "If he looses too much face, he will. If that
happens, there could be a lot of people in the crossfire." 

     "What about the ADP?" asked Smitty.

     "My sources say the ADP has to rely on a group of
mercanaries to bail them out of any tough Boomer situation."

     "The Knight Sabers?" asked Vicain.

     Nemesis looked at him, and nodded. "I've heard they're
good."

     "They've got good hardsuits," replied the Professor.
"Whoever designed them is a genius."

     "So are you, Professor," replied Marie brightly. "You
designed the Nemesis hardsuit."

     "Only because someone had done all the groundwork years
before."

     "We can discuss this later," said Gaven. "I'm going to go
take a nap. Sarge, wake me in an hour."

     "Yes Sir."

     **********          **********          **********

"The pit"
Febuary 10, 2036
7:21pm

     Nene carefully balanced the several containers of food in
her left arm so she could bang on the thick metal door with her
right. She struck the door twice, waited two seconds, then banged
on the door twice more. She looked up at the small security
camera, and stuck her tounge out.

     The door opened slowly. "Enter, and abandon all ye hope,"
rumbled a deep meancing voice that then disolved into a menace
filled laughter.

     Nene ignored the voice and slipped inside. "Very funny
guys," she said sarcasticly.

     The room was five meters by five, with bare concreate walls
and floor. Several tables were set up along the walls, most of
them filled with computers and assorted hardware. The light in
the room was supplied by a single bulb hanging down from the
ceiling.

     There were two people in the room, but only one looked up at
her. "It was Vicky's idea," Rob Madson said, pointing to the
other person. "She also wants to wire the rest of the building
and spread stories that the place is haunted."

     "No way in Hell," growled Nene. "We do that, and we'll have
every ghost hunter in the city tripping over themselves to prove
or debunk the stories. The last thing we need is a ghost hunter
opening the door and finding us here."

     Rob nodded. "That's what I told her."

     The other person in the room spoke for the first time.
"Could you keep it down, guys? This isn't any easier with you two
yacking in the background."

     Nene put down the food on a nearby table and went over to
where Vicky Maoru sat, a VR headset covering most of her face.
Her right hand was sheathered in a sophisticated-looking VR glove
that she was making small precise gestures with. 

     "What are you working on?"

     "I'm trying to access GENOM's records on a factory in
district 4," replied Vicky in a distracted tone. "We picked up
clues from several other sites that several of the factory
production lines are putting out the new BU-55x Boomers."

     "Any luck so far?"

     Vicky shook her head. "The files are triple encoded. I can
break the codes, given time."

     "You don't have the time," said Rob from his station a
couple of meters away. "There's at least two hunter programs
tracking you right now."

     Nene tensed at the mention of hunter programs. There were
complex programs designed to track and attack any intruders into
a corperation's computer system. And GENOM's were among the best.

     "I'm launching ghost programs right now."

     After several seconds, Rob shook his head. "You managed to
distract one," he said, his voice steady despite the tension.
"But the other one is still tracking you, and he's got friends
now, including another netrunner."

     "I've almost got the code broken."

     "I'm releasing a couple of diversion worms now. That might
pull the hunter programs off, but I can't do anything about the
Netrunner."

     "Leave the netrunner to me," said Vicky. "I've got a suprise
or two up my sleeve.

     Nene moved to look over Rob's shoulder. She watched as the
worms pulled several of the hunter programs away from Vicky's
presence, the program's AI deciding that the worms were more of a
danger to the system. The netrunner, however, continued to bear
down on Vicky.

     "Got it!" Vicky cried. "I've broken the code! Downloading
copies now!"

     "The other netrunner has released a couple of dozen lampry
viruses," called out Rob. "If they latch onto you -"

     "I seem them." Nene could heard the smile in Vicky's voice.
"See you around, clown." With an air of contempt, she slowly
closed her right hand into a fist, the snapped it open. Rob's
screen suddenly flared as if an explosion had taken place in the
system. Lights danced across Nene's eyes for several seconds
before she could blink them away.

     For several more seconds, there was silence in the room.
Then, with a sigh of relief, Vicky slumped back in her chair, and
slowly pushed the VR helmet up onto her head. "Corporate block-
heads," she said slowly, grinding out each syllable with as much
disrespect as she could muster. "They're making them dumber every
year."

     "What the hell was that last stunt?" demanded Nene, rubbing
her eyes.

     "A flare program. It's a little something me and a couple of
the others have been working on for the last two months or so."
She looked up and smiled at Nene, making her looking younger then
she actually was.

     Nene sighed. <Why did we have to use outside hackers for
this?> she thought. The same answer came back just as fast.
<Because we needed more crackers then we could get out the ADP's
ranks.>

     She looked down at Vicky, one of the small group her and
Alan had recruted for this scheme. She was short, waif-like, with
big brown eyes, short brown hair, and an air of innocence about
her. She'd lost most of her family in a Boomer rampage several
years before, and the fires of vengance had been burning hot
since then. She had been supporting herself and her surving
brother by becoming a cracker-for-hire. She'd jumped at a chance
to joined the team, and she was quickly turning into the team's
best cracker.

     On the other hand, Rob Madson was almost the oppsite of
Vicky. He was one of two other ADP officers recruited into the
team, and usually worked as the monitoring technician. He was
stocky, wore glases, and was older then anyone else on the team.
He also had an easygoing manner that was a counterpoint to
Vicky's tense, hard-edged personality. Together, the two of them
formed the best Cracker team in the unit.

     Nene waved to the food. "Better grab a bite to eat now, then
I think we should call it a night."

     The other two nodded. Nene and Alan had insisted on several
rules to keep things from spinning out of control. One was that
any cracking attempt was a team effort, the cracker and a
monitoring tech to keep watch. Another was that if there was a
successful penetration of a data bank, the cracker team would
pull the plug and not attempt another cracking for a minimun of
twelve hours. 

     So far, the rules had been followed with almost no
complaining. The amount of data the unit had managed to abtain,
while not overwheming, was begining to have a marked impact on
the street. Two Boomer rampages in the last two weeks had been
stopped cold, with no loss of life. And that was making the chief
happy, something he'd hadn't been in a long while.

     <Of course, if he'd ever found out what we were doing, he'd
go into shock.> Nene walked over and start shutting down the
systems while the others ate quietly. She pulled the data disk
with the production figures for the boomers out of the machine,
and put it in her pocket. <Not to mention what he'd do if he'd
ever found out where the money was coming from.>

     The money was being funneled from nearly every department in
the ADP, a hundred here, fifty there, and twenty from somewhere
else. The buget wasn't big, but with some money from Sylia and
one of Alan's cousins, they had sufficient funds for six months.
After that, well....

     "Who's on deck for the next cracker attempt?" asked Rob, as
he finished the boxed meal and tossed the empty box into the
trash can.

     "Fox and Muldar," replied Nene.

     Rob grimiced. "Fox is all right - she's ADP, but Muldar...."
he trailed off. "He's strange, even for a cracker. I'm not sure
he's in the same time zone with the rest of us."

     Nene shrugged. "Alan says he's one of the best, even if he's
a bit...eccentric."

     "Eccentric? Try Twilight Zone."

     Vicky sighed. "Sorry to intrerupt your stimulating
conversation. Can I have some money? I need to pick up some food
before I go home."

     "How much?" asked Nene. She'd been expecting the question
since she'd walked in.

     "Twenty thousand."

     Nene nodded and pulled out a large wad of bills. "This will
have to last you untill next week," she said in a serious tone,
counting off a number of bills.

     Vicky nodded. In the short time she'd know Vicky, Nene knew
the cracker didn't waste money. Others might spend money on
games, new clothes, or a new toy, but not Vicky Maoru. What she
didn't use for food and shelter for her and her brother, Vicky
saved for the future with a single mindness that was scary.

     With some help from Linna, Nene was trying to convince Vicky
to invest some of her money in bonds and stocks. Vicky was
stubbron, but she was begining to come around to their point of
view. With Linna's careful investing, both Maorus would have a
brighter future then most of the city's residents.

     As Nene handed Vicky the money, the cracker said, "I thought
you might want to know that there's a new Cracker in the city."

     "Oh?" replied Nene with some intrest. "Any idea who it is?"

     Vicky shook her head. "They run under the alis of `Fleet
Hermes'. They've been asking a lot of questions about who's who,
and what the security setup of several systems."

     "Like who's?"

     "ADP's for one. Several corp's internal networks, and a
couple of Yakzua's databases."

     "Someone asking about a Yakzua gang's database?" asked Rob
incrediously. "That's a good way to comit sucide, slow and
painfully."

     "Any idea who's Database Fleet Hermes was asking about?"
asked Nene, a gnawing sense of certainty entering her mind.

     Vicky thought for a second, the said. "The Red Willow Yakzua
for one, and the Sleeping Dragon Yakzua, for another."

     <Jackpot!> Nene fought hard to keep her excitement from
showing. "Could you do me a favor?"

     "I can try."

     "Put the word out on the net for me. Let me know the next
time Fleet Hermes shows up in cyberspace."

     "So you can arrest them? I don't think so."

     Nene shook her head. "I promise. I won't try to arrest
whoever Fleet Hermes is. I need to talk them, and as soon as
possible."

     Vicky's eyes narrowed. "Why the sudden intrest in the new
kid?"

     "You know what happened on pier 234 early this morning?"

     The light of comprehension dawned on Vicky's face. "You
think Fleet Hermes is working for Nemesis?"

     "Makes sense," said Rob slowly. "Nemesis had to get his
infomation from somewhere."

     Nene nodded. "And right now, Sato's gearing up for an all
out war. That's the last thing this city needs right now. I have
to try and convice Nemesis to back off, or a lot of innocent
people are going to get hurt in the crossfire."

     Vicky frowned, then said, "I trust you, Nene. I'll put the
word out about Fleet Hermes."

     "Thank you."

     "Well, time to go ladies," said Rob, reaching for his coat.
"I'm beat, and I've got the early shift tomorrow."

     Nene lead them out of the room, close the door behind them,
locked it, and set the security system. She turned and lead the
others up a short flight of stairs. At the top, the threaded
their way through piles of wreakage untill they reached the small
sheltered area where their vehicles sat, safely out of the way of
the bitter winter night.
       
     "Where did you get the car from?" asked Rob, pointing to the
small blue car sitting next to his.

     "I bought it," replied Nene carefully.

     Rob looked at her in amazement. "YOU bought a car?" he
asked, the disbelief in his tone making Nene wilt in
embarrassment. "What's the matter, your scooter get swiped?"

     Nene punched him in the arm. "No, my scooter didn't get
swiped," she said angerly. "But, I'm sure not going to be out on
a night like this on a scooter, trying to deliver you two
dinner."

     "Alright, sorry I asked. Come on Vicky, I'll drop you off at
home."

     The girl held up the roll of money Nene had given her.
"Shopping first, then home."

     "Right."

     Nene watched them get into Rob's car and drive off before
she got in her own car. She started up the car, and headed home,
her thoughts on the new cracker in town.

     **********          **********          **********

Scirocco's
Febuary 10, 2036
7:25pm

     Leon silently watched Priss eat, his own food almost
forgotten. The girl who was sitting across from didn't look like
someone who sang retrothrash, and destroyed rouge Boomers on her
off hours. She was dressed in a white blouse, grey vest, and dark
pants, and looked more like a collage student.

     She looked up him. "Yes?" she asked with a smirk.

     "Sorry?"

     "I'm still waiting for your first attempt to hit on me."

     He sighed, and put his fork down. Leaning back, he stretched
slowly. "Not tonight, dear," he said with a yawn. "I have a
headache."

     She arched an eyebrow in suprise. "That's my line."

     "Ah," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "But I bet
your headache doesn't used a minigun, piss off the largest Yakuza
outfit in MegaToyko, and has try to start a major war amoung the
local criminal organizations in the last twelve hours."

     Her expession turned to one of puzzlement. "How's that
again?"

     Leon glanced around the room, then leaned forward. "Did you
hear what happened on pier 234 early this morning?"

     Priss shook her head. "My newspaper subscription ran out
last week," she said with a hint of sarcasim.

     Leon told her the events of the last twelve hours. Priss
listened quietly, nodding every so often to show she was still
following his story. After five minutes, she put her fork down,
and looked at him with sympathy. "What do you have on this
Nemesis?"

     Leon shrugged. "He's been active in the United States of
America for the last four years. Appears out of nowhere, hits his
targets, and fades away. Each attack is against a known criminal
organization, and is performed with military precision and
perfection. His best known tactic is the `Blitz', in which he
hits several targets in rapid succession. He makes sure no
innocent bystanders get killed, and has even assisted people
injured in his attacks. Also, after he's pulled out of a area,
the local police get a large folder of evidence that allows them
to arrest the surviving memebers of the gang. I almost feel
admiration for the guy."

     "You? Feeling admiration for a vigilante?"

     He shrugged. "Why not? We have our own group of vigilantes
right here, and on more then the odd occasion, I'm damn thankful
for their help." He grinned at her. "Even when the hotheaded one
of the team continues to turn me down for a date."

     "Maybe she has better taste then I do," replied Priss,
returning Leon's grin.

     "Could be, but that hardsuit would stand out in a crowd. And
making a pass at her would be...difficult at the very least."

     "True. Anything else on Nemesis?"

     "Only I've been sadled with a tough N-police detective
that's convinced I'm in the ADP only so I can blow things up with
impunity." His smile faded. "We have almost no leads, and we're
forced to wait until he conducts another one of his blitzes."

     "Can't you cover the most likely targets?"

     "If we knew all of Sato's businesses, we'd shut them down
ourselves. Somehow, Nemesis has access to data we don't, and he
uses it to stay one step ahead of us."

     "Sounds like you have a real problem."

     "Tell me something I don't know. that's why I asked you out
tonight - I need something else to think about beside a
hardsuited vigilante and an upcoming gang war."

     "Like me shooting you down when you ask me to come up to
your apartment to look at your etchings?"

     He smiled. "Something like that." 

     She leaned in towards him. "And what would you say if I said
yes?" she asked in a husky voice.

     He leaned forward and whispered, "Nothing, because I'd be on
the floor, the shock being too great for my heart to take."

     He chuckled as the expression on her face went from
smoldering to surprised in a heartbeat. It her several more
seconds to recover. "Daley's too good for you," she said
sarcasticly.

     "So he tells me every chance he gets." 

     They spent the rest of the dinner talking about mundane
things, and keeping the conversation light and nonthreatening.
After the waiter presented Leon the bill, he stared at it for
several seconds.

     "What is it?" Priss asked him.

     "Just deciding wether to give up eating for two weeks, or
letting my rent go for this month."

     "That expensive?"

     He passed her the bill, and her eyes widened in suprise. "I
suggest giving up eating - you could loose the weight."

     "Hey!" he snached the bill back and reached for his wallet. 

     Priss pulled out several large currency bills out of her
pocket and dropped them on the table. "That should cover my half
of the bill."

     "I thought you said I was paying tonight," he said, looking
hurt.

     "And give you something to hold over me? Dream on, pal." She
reached over and grabbed her leather jacket. "Come on. We've
still got the Fu-Shui Nightclub to hit."