Subject: [FFML] [Icz/Tekno] Operation: Lightsphere, Phase 2 Ch. 6
From: Andrew Dynon
Date: 8/1/1998, 3:40 AM
To: ffml@fanfic.com

OPERATION: LIGHTSPHERE
An Iczer/Teknoman crossover by Andrew Dynon

PHASE 2, CHAPTER 6
"When I Descend�"
(Part 2 of 2)

OP:  The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, "The Impression That I Get"


Kawai managed to regain control, halting herself after Sword knocked her
backward.  She was worried - she hadn�t forgotten how the fight with Saber
had gone, and their battle with Sword didn�t seem to be going much better.
Nothing they had tried had hurt her, and she got the impression that Sword
was playing with them, the same way that a cat played with a mouse.  She
wondered when Sword was going to get bored and go for the kill� and what
they could do to stop her when she made that decision.

	Slightly below her, she saw Kiiro and Nami�s auras begin to glow with
purple- and yellow-colored energy respectively.  They let out yells as they
simultaneously fired that energy at Sword, the twin bolts twisting around
each other, creating a corkscrew-shaped blast that slammed into Sword,
knocking her backward.  With a momentary sense of triumph, Nami and Kiiro
turned to each other� and then stopped dead as they realized the energy
blast had done absolutely no damage.

	"Is that the best you can do?" Sword asked contemptuously.  "I�m starting
to get tired of this.  I think now would be a good time to finish you."  The
plates on her shoulders and chest opened, and blood-red energy began to
emnate from them.

	"No!!!!" Kawai screamed, as she flew at Sword, unmindful of her own safety,
her body surrounded with energy.  She felt the impact of her body on Sword�s
armor, and the next thing she knew, she was in her enemy�s grasp, held by
the leg.  Sword grabbed her shoulder and bent her backward, and she heard a
sickening *crack* before the Teknoman dropped her onto the ground.  She knew
her spine had been broken� luckily, she couldn�t feel the pain.

*	*	*	*	*

	{This is far too easy for me.} Iczer-2 thought as she almost-effortlessly
parried her younger sister�s attack.  Her new sibling had a great deal of
inherent power, but she lacked the skill necessary to make that power
dangerous to her.  She just kept coming, making wild, careless attacks,
which Iczer-2 unfailingly countered, usually knocking her younger sister
back in the process.
	
	"Hmph.  Is this all oneesan was able to teach you?  Unlikely as it sounds,
I�m starting to pity her�" she dodged another of Iczer-3�s charges, knocking
the young warrior downward.  Iczer-3�s body impacted on the moon�s surface,
sending up a cloud of debris.  "�almost as much as I pity you."

	"K� KONO!!!" Iczer-3 cried at her older sister.  "I�ll get you!  Just you
watch!"  Iczer-2 gritted her teeth.  She was starting to find the little
brat really irritating.

*	*	*	*	*

	Not far away, streaks of red and green energy danced in front of the stars
in the background, as Blade and his dark-armored twin fought.  At present,
they appeared evenly matched - no clear advantage to either of them.  But a
momentary slip had the potential to change that situation dramatically. 

	The pair flew at and bypassed one another, landing simultaneously on the
moon�s surface, and turned instantly to face each other.

	"Not bad, brother." Saber said.  "But it�s time to end this."  As he
finished speaking, his armor changed to the Teknoman-Plus from.  "�at least
this way you�ll be with your sister."

	"I don�t intend to join her just yet."  Blade said, and then he powered up
as well.  "I�m going to take care of you and Darkon first."

	"So you�ve evolved a bit."  Saber hefted his weapon.  "Maybe you even have
a chance."

*	*	*	*	*

	Tina and Mace clashed in mid-air, and Tina blocked Mace�s strike with the
haft of her beam-glaive.  The pair struggled against each other for a few
seconds before the Teknoman�s strength prevailed and the Bronze Iczelion was
knocked backward.

	{Tina, we can�t win in that sort of hand-to-hand combat against him.}

	{I know.  So�} Tina retreated, increasing the distance to her opponent, and
began concentrating energy into her weapon. 

	"Okay, Mace.  New game." She said.  "BEEEAM � GLAAAIVE � SURPRIIIISE!!!!!"
A cascade of copper-colored energy streamed toward Mace, who screamed as the
wave engulfed him.  When the energy dissipated, he was gone.

	"Got �im!!!" Tina exclaimed triumphantly.

	{But, Tina, sometimes I worry about you watching those Magical Girls
videos.} Her Iczel paused.  {I just hope you never try and do that �Death
Reborn Revolution� thing.}

*	*	*	*	*

	Acting instinctively, Nagisa grabbed at Spear�s weapon as her sister moved
to plunge it into her chest.  Pain shot up her arm as her hand closed around
the weapon�s edge, but she managed not to let go.  Mizumi� no, Spear, she
reminded herself, began to exert more force, and Nagisa fought with all her
strength to stop her  sister - no, ex-sister - from stabbing the weapon
through her body.  In the back of her mind, she still couldn�t believe this
was happening, that the kind big sister who had always comforted her when
she felt scared or unhappy was doing this.  She wanted that kind person back�

	Then, a realization struck her.  Closing her eyes and concentrating, she
reached out with her mind, trying to contact her sister, to find some
indication that the person she knew was still there. 	

	She - no, her astral body - was deep in a forest of huge Rhadam spore
trees, a forest even darker than the one she had found herself in when Blade
had reached his time limit.  She was wearing the same cloak of energy as
that time, but its orange hue was gradually being replaced by a yellow one.
She saw, in the distance ahead of her, a speck of blood-colored light, and
knew that there was where she had to go.  She ran there, not noticing the
vile creatures that tried to attack her, but disappeared upon contact with
the cloak she was wearing.

	After what she thought was an eternity, Nagisa reached the source of the
bloody glow.  It was a three-meter-high, crystalline-appearing substance
that looked much like a spider�s web, and bound in the center of it, she saw
Mizumi, naked, staring blankly, not knowing she was there.  She wished for
something to break the web with, and a beam sword appeared in her hand.  As
she began to hack at the web, her sister stirred.

	"Nagisa� leave� they�ll get� you too."

	"I came here to save you, and that�s what I�ll do!"

	"Abunai!!!"  Mizumi�s scream was not enough warning for Nagisa to avoid
being knocked on her back.  Looking up, she saw a human-sized, albino
version of the spider-crabs, possessing a spark of malicious intelligence in
its eyes which was lacking in the larger versions.  It spat a liquid version
of the substance Mizumi was trapped in at Nagisa�s face, and she felt it
rapidly hardening.

	"Nagisa! NO!!! Please, get off her!" Mizumi yelled at the creature, which
turned its head toward the older girl in anger and contempt.

	{Human, remember who you serve.  Your life may well be forfeit for this
insolence.}

	{Mizumi�} Nagisa thought.  {How can they treat you like that?}  Grasping
her hands together, she let her emotions flow - her love for her sister, her
desperation to save her, her anger at what these things had done to her.
Then, she released those emotions.  Energy radiated in all directions around
her, vaporizing the creature which had her pinned and shattering the web in
which Mizumi was captive.  Nagisa rushed to catch Mizumi as she fell, and
wrapped her sisters body in the cloak she was wearing - the hue of which was
now turning to green.

	"Oneesan�"

	"Nagisa�"

	Then, Nagisa was back in physical space.  Mizumi let go of her weapon, and
Nagisa rose, hugging her sister�s armored body, and crying as she did so.
If it was possible for a Teknoman, Mizumi would also have burst into tears.
As things were, she returned Nagisa�s embrace, and spoke, her voice
conveying the tears her eyes could not.

	"Nagisa� how can you forgive me?"

	"I already have.  Because you came back." 

*	*	*
COMMERCIAL BREAK
*	*	*

Eyecatch: Nagisa and Iczer-1 embracing each other.  They seem unaware of
Iczer-2 giving THAT LOOK� to them.

[Night, a side street, with a car parked in it.  A suspicious-looking man
(read: someone who may as well be wearing a T-shirt saying I AM A CAR THIEF)
sneaks up to the car.  As he tries to force the car door open�]

"OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!!!  OHOHOHOHOHO!!!!!"

[A look of pure terror appears on the car thief�s face and he flees off-screen.]

Announcer:  New, from Products of a Diseased Mind - the Kuno Kodachi car
alarm!!! Now, one of the most popular characters _Ranma �_ (A. Notes: Yeah,
right.) will protect your car for you!  Phone now!!!  Also available, the
Katsuhiko Jinnai car alarm!


Eyecatch: Nick and Cain Carter, standing facing each other.

*	*	*
END COMMERCIAL BREAK
*	*	*

	Fast-moving streaks of red and green light against the background of stars
marked Blade and Saber as they continued their battle - a battle that was
quicker and more intense, yet strangely similar to, the many times they had
clashed before.  Neither twin allowed the other to gain the distance they
needed to charge and fire a tekno-bolt at the other, so the fight was a
melee one for now.  A blow had not yet been landed, although Blade was
currently on the defensive.

	As Blade parried Saber�s blow, he thought he saw something, a flash of
green light, out of the corner of his eye.  He didn�t know what it was, yet,
or if it was anything at all - it could well have just been his imagination.

	{Worry about that later,} he reminded himself {Just concentrate on Saber!}
Unfortunately, his twin brother noticed Blade�s momentary distraction� and
capitalized on it.  The next thing Blade knew, he was on the ground, with
Saber�s teklance pointed at his chest.

	"Don�t you remember those martial arts lessons we had when we were kids?"
Saber asked.  "Our sensei told us never to take our eyes off an opponent,
remember?  If you couldn�t even learn that lesson�"  Saber raised his
teklance and blade prepared to feel it slice through his body  "�THEN YOU
HAVE NO CHANCE!!!"

	But before Saber could bring his weapon down, a torrent of green energy
slammed into him, sending him flying backward.  Confused, Blade looked
around, to see a familiar girl with pale green hair, clad in an unfamiliar
white bodysuit and green armor.

	"It� can�t be�"

	"Yes, Nick, it is.  It�s really me."  Shara said, offering him her hand and
helping him up.  "I came back for you."

	"Shara� Thank you."  Blade turned to face Saber.  "But I want to end this
myself."

*	*	*	*	*
   
	Kawai watched helplessly as Sword grabbed Nami and hurled her to the
ground.  The Black Iczelion let out a brief gasp of pain as she landed near
Kiiro, who was apparently unconscious, having been hit by one of Sword�s
energy blasts a few moments ago.  Now, Sword hovered over the defeated trio,
giving what may have been a contemptuous stare.

	"To think that you wanted to defeat Darkon� you fools.  You pathetic
fools." From the tone of Sword�s voice, Kawai knew that she was going to end
the battle.  Nami and Kiiro would die, and then her.  If only� if only she
had some kind of power, just *something* that would let her save them�

	Then, a silver light surrounded her, giving a feeling of warmth, of
confidence, of strength.  She sensed that, somehow, her body had been
restored, her spine healed.  Then, the light surrounding her seemed to turn
into liquid, and *flow* around her body. The plates of her Iczelion armor
vanished, and her bodysuit changed color to shining silver.  The liquid
continued to flow, and form-fitting silver armor appeared around her chest,
arms, and lower legs.  A silver-colored headband with a blue crystal in the
center appeared on her head.  

	"O� omae wa dar�?" Came Sword�s voice.

	"Atashi wa Shizuka Kawai�" She replied.  "SILVER ICZELION, SECOND ASCENT!!!"

	Kawai and Sword launched themselves at each other, and a curved blade of
white-colored energy appeared in Kawai�s hands.  Their weapons clashed, and
they pressed them against each other, both attempting to overpower their
opponent.  After several long moments, Sword�s Teklance began to crack, and
she retreated beyond melee range.  The plates on her shoulders and chest
opened, and scarlet energy began to emnate from them.  In response, Kawai
concentrated on her power, gathering energy into the crystal on her
forehead.  The pair unleashed their attacks simultaneously.

	"SUPER TEKNO BOLT!!!!!!!"

	"ARGENT BLAZE RAY!!!!!!!"

	The two energy blasts met head-on, and Kawai struggled to resist the shock
wave from the clash and maintain her ray.  But even though she managed that,
she could see that her beam was weakening, and Sword�s energy slowly coming
toward her.  There was only one thing for it.  Calling on all her power, she
channeled it into the energy blast she was firing at Sword.  

	Kawai�s energy blast pierced through Sword�s, ant the Teknoman screamed�
and then fell silent.  Kawai descended toward the ground, seeming not to
notice Nami and Kiiro, who stared in admiration.

	"Kawai-san� sugoi�"

*	*	*	*	* 	

	"What is it, Nagisa?" Mizumi asked as her younger sister stood silently, in
a near-trancelike state.  When she spoke, Nagisa looked up at her.

	"Oneesan, there�s someone I have to help."

	"I�ll go with you." Mizumi offered.

	"No, it�s too dangerous.  Don�t worry, I can handle it."  She flew off in a
streak of orange light, leaving her sister standing, following her with her
eyes.  

	Nagisa concentrated the where Iczer-3�s thoughts were radiating from.  The
young Iczer was obviously distressed and annoyed, and even - could it be? -
yes, she was even slightly frightened.  {That�s a very bad sign.} she
thought to herself. {Please, Iczer-3, hang in there just a little while longer.}
	
	As soon as she came into view of the battle, she noticed Iczer-3 clash with
her older sister, and then fall to the moon�s surface.  Iczer-2 hovered over
her, beam sword in hand.

	"How very� *pathetic*.  You�re barely worth the effort." She said,
preparing to deliver the coup de grace.

	"Iczer-2!  Don�t you dare hurt her!" Nagisa challenged as she flew toward her.

	"I already did, Nagisa.  And you can�t do anything about it."
	
	"I can, and I will!"  Closing her eyes and concentrating, Nagisa reached
out, trying to contact the only person who could help her defeat the enemy
she was facing.  {Iczer-1!  Give� me� *power*!!!}

	Then, Nagisa sensed another spirit contacting hers, merging with it.  A
blue aura surrounded her body, and her armor changed, becoming more like
that worn by the Iczer androids.  A blue beam-sword appeared in her right
hand, and she knew it to be more powerful than her old one.  As she
positioned herself to fight Iczer-2, she heard Iczer-3�s voice.

	"Nagisa� what happened?"

	"I drew on Iczer-1�s power.  Now, I�m Iczer Nagisa."

	Iczer-2 and Iczer Nagisa flew toward each other, and Nagisa parried her
opponent�s attack.  The amount of energy being channeled into Iczer Nagisa�s
beam sword was great enough for Iczer-2 to be knocked backward a few meters
before she was able to catch herself.  Nagisa tried to press her advantage
by following up, but as she closed in, there was a flash of yellow light and
Iczer-2 disappeared.  Confused, Nagisa stopped for a moment - and then
remembered her opponent�s ability to teleport.  Sensing something, she
reacted by instinct, swinging her beam-sword around.  Then, she saw and felt
it bite into her enemy�s left side.  Iczer-2 gritted her teeth to avoid
letting out a scream, and glared at Nagisa in a way that, if not for the
circumstances, would probably have frightened her nearly to death.  Then,
there was another flash of light, and she teleported� away, Nagisa somehow
knew.  Iczer Nagisa descended to the moon�s surface, and landed facing Iczer-3.

	"Iczer-3� daijobu?"

	"Hai, genki de�" Iczer-3 clutched her shoulder.  "Itai�"

	As she powered down, Nagisa looked toward the stars.

	"Iczer-1� arigato."

*	*	*	*	*

	Shara Carter looked on as her brothers fought.  She wanted to help Nick,
but� something seemed to hold her back, some sense that she shouldn�t be
interfering, that this was his fight.  All she could do was stand and watch.
And because of that, she felt even more helpless than when she was light
years away from him.

	There was now some distance between Nick and Cain, and she could see them
glowing with red and green energy respectively.  They released their
Tekno-bolts at each other, and Shara watched them struggling to increase
their energy output to the point where their twin would be overwhelmed, and
buried in a wave of that energy.

	And then, one did.

	Nick.

	Blade�s green energy washed over Saber, who screamed as it hit him.  As the
blinding light from the blast gradually died down, she turned to him, a
relieved expression on her face.

	"Nick� you�re okay."

	"It�s not over, Shara.  I still have to kill Darkon."

	"No, Nick.  You�re not going up against him alone."

	Blade turned away from her.

	"Shara, I don�t want you to come."

	"It isn�t just your responsibility to stop him, Nick.  I�m going to do
everything I can to help, and so will Nagisa and the others."

	"Shara� I don�t want you to die�" Blade said - silently adding another
word: �again�.

*	*	*	*	* 

	Saber opened his eyes.  He felt weak, exhausted, and his entire body felt
as though it was burning.  Gradually, the memory of the events that had led
to this came back� Blade had defeated him, and now his lord Darkon was in
danger.

	"Let Darkon go.  You were just a tool to him anyway."  It was Iczer-2,
kneeling over him and cradling his head in her arms.

	"But, my master�"

	Closing her eyes and concentrating, Iczer-2 entered Saber�s mind, and
searched for the pattern that induced his loyalty to the Tekno Warlord.  As
it was a "foreign" pattern that had only been placed in his mind recently,
and had not yet fully integrated, it was simple to find - and almost as
simple to remove.  She was glad she would not have to make any other
modifications to his mind.

	"Now, let�s leave.  There�s somebody *I* need to fight, now."  Iczer-2
said.  "Oh, and if you�re brother�s anything like I think he is, he�ll come
for you."

*	*	*	*	*

	"So that�s the Rhadam mothership?" Nami asked as she and the others
approached the huge, organic-looking spaceship that was ascending rapidly
from the lunar surface.  "Guys, time to make an entrance!"  She and Kiiro
launched their energy bolts at the ship�s hull, and then Blade flew toward
it, slicing the hull open and leaving a spray of some kind of pink liquid in
his wake.

	{Almost as if the ship was bleeding} Nagisa thought.

	Entering through the hole Blade had created, they found themselves in a
dark corridor made of the same organic material as the hull.  They sped
along it for what seemed like an eternity, until finally they burst into a
massive chamber,  Although, among them, only Shara had seen him before,
everyone knew who the dark, armored figure within that chamber was.

	Darkon.

	"Ah, so the servants of the Kthulhu have made their way here.  The traitor�
or, I should say, traitors, are here as well.  For, although you, Blade,
have reached the penultimate form of a teknoman, and one of the Kthulhu�s
servants is of comparable power, I am a Tekno Warlord� AND THEREFORE, THE
ULTIMATE TEKNOMAN!!!"  As he spoke those words, he began to glow with dark
blue energy, and at the climax, the energy was released, vaporising the roof
of the chamber and sending the group flyung backward.  Quickly recovering,
Blade charged, but Darkon swung his weapon, throwing him back agaim.

	"Oh, how foolish you are�" Darkon chided.  "To believe you could defeat me.
ARISE!!!"  He pointed his weapon at the ship�s hull, and forms grew out of
the organic material it was composed of� the forms of Teknomen, who moved to
attack Darkon�s enemies.

	"More slaves to do your dirty	work?" Blade challenged, as he cut his
opponent in half.  "No, Darkon.  This time, you fight your *own* battle."
His swing was blocked by the Tekno Warlord, who engaged him in a contest of
strength - a contest which Blade soon found he was losing.  Then, a beam of
pale green light shot past him, hitting Darkon in the arm and making him
give a brief exclamation of pain.

	"Conrad� no, Darkon� For what you did � I CAN NEVER FORGIVE YOU!" Shara yelled.

	"Bold words, little sister.  A pity they are so meaningless."  The Tekno
Warlord replied.  Then, he pointed one of his gauntleted hands toward her�
which began to glow with the same dark blue energy as before.

	As Blade looked up to see Darkon�s energy buildup, about to shoot toward
his sister, a single thought went through his mind.

	NOT AGAIN.

	He *refused* to lose Shara again - especially in the same way, especially
to *him*.  In desperation, he flew between Shara and Darkon, and felt the
energy beam burning into his body.  Then, everything went black.

	"NICK!!"  Shara screamed as she saw him fall from in front of her.  Then,
she turned to Darkon, with a mixture of rage and desperation in her eyes�
and in her heart, a power she had never known she had.

	"Darkon!  This will end!!!  I WON�T LET YOU KILL ANYONE ELSE!!!" Shara
screamed, her body surrounded with a pale green aura.  Darkon unleashed a
massive energy bolt... and gasped in surprise as it dissipated without
harming her.  A sword appeared in Shara�s hand, made of white metal
surrounded by green energy.

	"RADIANCE� SLAAASH!!!" She swung the sword, and green energy shot from it,
washing over Darkon.  The Tekno Warlord screamed - a scream which was
silenced as he was vaporised.  Shara, still glowing, knelt beside Blade� and
sighed with relief, sensing he was alive.  With Nick�s body in her arms, she
flew  away from the ship, soon joined by the others.

	"Guys, shall we?" Nagisa asked.

	"YES!" Was the unanimous response, and the group unleashed their attacks
toward the Rhadam mothership.  As the attacks hit, it exploded satisfyingly
into a ball of flame.

*	*	*	*	*

	"So, Darkon has failed."  The female cyborg said as she watched the
mothership explode on the viewscreen.  "Therefore, it is now *our* duty to
subjugate Earth."

	"NO, CROSS." A voice from the viewscreen commanded.  The screen in question
flicked over to reveal the head of a woman with gold-colored skin and red
eyes.  "We have need of you elsewhere.  You are to leave that star system
immediately!"

	"But�"

	"DO NOT ARGUE WITH ME!!" The woman on the screen ordered.  Then, the screen
went blank.

*	*	*	*	*

	"Shara� how were you able�" Nagisa began to ask.

	"I wish I knew." She replied.  "I knew that since I was healed I was
stronger than I was before, but I never expected what happened there� and I
don�t think Iczer-1 did, either."  There was a long pause after this,  with
everybody present seemingly waiting for somebody else to start talking.
Finally, it was Nagisa who spoke.

	"It isn�t over."  She said.  "There are still other planets being attacked,
other people being hurt." She closed her eyes, and then felt a hand touch
her shoulder.  Kawai.

	"I realise." Kawai said.  "And because of that, I�ve been working on a way
to modify the FTL drive the Iczels used to get here to work on our ships.
Which means�"  Then, Tina interrupted her.

	"We�re gonna go out there, and take the Rhadam on!"

END CHAPTER 6
END PHASE 2
*THE* END?  NO WAY! STILL *LOTS* MORE TO COME, PEOPLE.

Whew!  Every chapter I write seems to be more draining!  

I�ll probably be taking a short hiatus from this story before Phase 3 gets
underway, and maybe work on some other stories (I might even finally write
that Ranma fic I�ve been talking about in the endnotes of about the last
three chapters!)  

Actually, I�m a bit confused about where this story�s going to be heading in
Phase 3.  I know how I want Lightsphere to end, but I�m still slightly
confused about what to do between now and then.  Any suggestions would be
appreciated.

As for what I *will* be doing, I am considering writing a lemon scene for
this fic at some point.  If I do, it will most probably be non-pivotal to
the story, and I will probably release two versions of the chapter it
appears in (one including the lemon scene and one not).  Any thoughts?

As with the last chapter, some lines in this were taken from the final
episode of _Teknoman_.

Now, the disclaimer.  THE ICZER SERIES blah blah blah TOSHIHIRO HIRANO blah
blah blah TEKKAMAN BLADE blah blah blah TATSUNOKO blah blah blah LISENCEES
blah blah blah.  I�m so drained I think I�ll leave it at that.

Thanks for reading! 
_______________________________________________________________________________
Andrew Dynon

"You're only young once, but you can be immature any day."
	- The Coodabeen Champions

ALL THE PARANOID PEOPLE ARE OUT TO GET ME.