Well, I just received the pre-release of Lou Barnes' establishment piece,
Bubblegum Chaos. I'll accept any comments and criticism on his behalf,
public or private. I guess this is a general call for any kind of C&C.
-The Reverend Prez
* * *
-- Listar MIME Decryption --------------
-- Decode : from quoted-printable...
BUBBLEGUM CHAOS
Episode 1: MURDER DOLLS
by Lou Barnes
"Just another night, just anther day, just another
bystander getting in the way.
Just another memory dusty on a shelf, just another thought
forgotten by myself.
And if I were to die, it would never come up why or who I was,
�cause I�m just another bystander, and they�d figure
�just because. "
Excerpt From "Big City Little Man"
By Popular Street Poet Antonio Saki, 2011-2033
*******************************************
"THE VERY IDEA OF YOU TURNING US DOWN...IT'S DAMNED INSULTING!"
the deep, sonorous quality of Tarter�s voice seemed to cause the
table to rumble. When it came to tact, Tarter unadmittingly fell
far short; the rest of the Committee learned to forgive and forget
his frequent outbursts. The ten-man council never could have
lasted this long without learning how to deal with each others
shortcomings--ever person sitting possessed at least one. Some
were women, but most were men. Nevertheless, all of them possessed
an appreciable amount of prestige and power--in their own way. For
example, Tounce pronounced his objections with astute
professional. As the unofficial �head� of the "Committee," Tounce
learned early in life the skills necessary to manipulate every kind
of person a man could possibly imagine. His finely cuit suit,
well-groomed appearance, and impeccable taste embodied every
fashionable and charismatic tenet the enfranchised public
idealized. However, the man Mr. Tounce found himself virtually
unable to persuade did not number amongst the thoughtless masses
Tounce was all too familiar with. No, this situation demanded a
straightforward, refreshingly honest approach. Tounce was good at
telling the truth when he had to; after all, the art of omission
remained a readily available tool in his arsenal of manipulation
and deceit.
"Mr. Otaka...Brian." Tounce took advantage of a brief lapse in
the meeting attendee�s murmurs to speak directly to their �guest.�
He wisely toned down the dripping charismatic flavor from his
voice; Tounce fully realized that certain people were easily rubbed
the wrong way by unnecessary courtesy--Mr. Otaka numbered amongst
those. "Allow me to reiterate our point. These contemporaries of
yours pose a serious...unpredictable factor to this council�s
Schedule. Their actions are far too random, if you will, to serve
us in any great extent--unlike your organization, this mercenary
outfit is operates entirely outside of the council�s
jurisprudence. Consequently, that makes them a potential
liability; one we have neither the time nor the resources to squall
about with and still maintain the Schedule. You and your
affiliates are a sanctioned operational unit by the Committee�s
authority, and your continued operational status is on the
sufferance of our tolerance. We have, nonetheless, offered
generously to compensate your operational contingencies--and
potential losses--in addition to standard fare. So, why do you
object our request?"
The rooms monitor was massive, at least fifty feet squared.
The Committee sat at a large wooden table before it, Tounce at it�s
head and opposite the screen. The room was lit by fountain lights
in each corner so that the red carpeting and wooden walls could be
seen in a soft glow. The man on the screen was in shadows. A
silhouetted upper torso that moved as if he sat in a chair or on a
stool.
"Pardon me Tounce, one would be lead to believe by your words
that the only causes worth fighting for are the ones prescribed by
the Committee?" returned the shadowed man. Tounce sneered before
he chuckled, that man could always turn his phrases as if they were
unguided missiles. It was admirable, but annoying.
"Of course not. But I believed that your group and the
Committee had the same goals in mind, at least in the most part. "
It was a question and a statement at the same time, one of Tounce�s
favorite tactics.
"We do, �for the most part�. Now I assume that you fine
gentlemen will tell me why our plans suddenly include the
elimination of the Knight Sabers, and why the blood will run on my
hands and conscience. " the man returned. Tarter once again took
an unwelcome cue to speak.
"Mr. Otaka in your line of work there�s is no room for a
conscience, and you�ve proven that in the past quit clearly!" The
other members were quite in a hidden shock from Tartar�s lack of
tact and morality. They all knew of what he was speaking, and in
their remembrance patronizing and sorrowful looks alike were sent
toward Janes, who sat uncharacteristically composed. The dark man
let the words slide from his ears to remain focused. "Know we�ve
told you the reason already! The Knight Sabers are far to
unpredictable to be allowed free reign any longer. You have to
bring them down, hard!" Tarter screamed loud enough to make the
other Committee members cringe.
"That, Mr. Tarter, is a justification. You apparently have no
reasoning behind this act. The Knight Sabers have done nothing to
hurt the Committee�s plans thus far, and far less to hurt the
public which is what should always be our concern. I find no basis
for a execution gentlemen, that is all. Call back when your sense
of purpose matches your paranoia. You�re welcome to send another
group to do your dirty work, but warn them that they�ll have to
pass through me first. Sarunara...-" said the dark man, and the
screen went blank. The Committee�s members eyed each other from
every angle of the table. Janes, the only female member and most
respected, put out her cigarette in a tray as the squabbling began,
blowing out a final stream of gray fog and regarding it as if it
revealed her future.
"Would it be possible to have HIM taken out?"
"Heh, good luck with that!"
"Maybe he has a point, maybe we should let the Knight Sabers
be-"
"Yeah right, you said the same thing when a little company
called GENOM started up with advanced technologies David. We were
barely on our feet then and a few chairs here have traded partners
since, but we were more than able to stop them. The fact of the
matter is we were just to interested in what GENOM may have had to
offer. "
"We should just have Quincy silenced for crying out loud! What
good has he done?! With him gone it might be easier to trim GENOM
down and have it incorporated into our hierarchy of resources. "
"He made that pretty red car you love so much Towsowa, and if
you want him dead we�re all with you. Just let me know when you�re
tired of blasting away cyberiod doubles that are as hard to get in
your sights as the genuine artical. Not to mention the after
effects that would occur and our friend Mr. Otaka is trying to
control with that band of Armours. "
Janes threw back her hair and folded her fingers amongest
themselves and the group continued. She had become a master at
manipulating the anarchy that came with confustion. A technique
demanding absolute patience.
"The whole world can be moved by our actions gentleman, and
you�re telling me that the Committee, the most influential group in
the world next too GENOM, can�t even contain a band of
mercenaries!" Tarter yelled bashing the table with one of his
massive hands. Janes giggled quietly at his over-explosive temper
as the fat man wiped his brow with a towelet. Tarter was a General
from the US army, a job which had the tendency to breed certain
aggresive emotions for obvious reasons. A punch can�t be landed if
it�s never thrown. Tarter�s problem was he commanded battles where
threre wasn�t a war.
"Chris, Brian Otaka and his Armoured companions are alot more
than a simple band of merceneries, you should not forget that and
thus have no same in being burned by them. . We should have shame
in the idea that such a group has control of us. That is far more
dangerious than a misplacement of athourity such as the one you�re
worried about. " said Richards, a thin handsome featured man of
forty-three. His calm deminer and what the others considered a
�sunny disposition� birthed from years in the British parlament and
defeating his enimies thussly. Janes looked up as her goal was
noticed and began to speak, as always, total silence from the
others following.
"I am glad you find the point in which I was thinking Rudger.
Mr. Otaka has successfully taken control of the Committee, and
that should be the point we address tonight. " she said in her
charming tone that was so stern yet soft it bordered on hypnotic.
The others quickly muttered to each other before Tounce took the
liberty to question Janes�s claim.
"Are you going to delight us with a explanation of your belief
Toni?" he said almost mockingly. He knew the point was sound but
the rivalry the two of them had shared ince thier first meeting
subconciously forced the attitude, and the lipid look accompaniying
it.
"Of course darling-"she mocked back with a teasing wink. "-
Brian has offered us highly effective manpower, information, and
political data that we have almost become dependent. " Janes
turned her head too Tounce to finish her speech. "He�s just to
good to let go..." she laughed. The others regarded each other as
they all came to similar conclusions.
" Could you and Mr. Otaka�s personal involvement have some
barring on the situation you describe, miss. " Tarter said with a
sneer. Toni blew him of with a flick of the wrist. A minute
gesture in comparison to what the very mention of the subject
originally inspired.
"Please Mr. Tarter, I like to think I�m more professional than
that. "
"Besides, whatever events lead to this disaster is besides the
point gentlemen, what we must do now is find a way to retake the
control we lost. " said Richards, drawing the attention from Janes
who�d been reminded she was the most respected, not most liked.
"Do you have a suggestion Richards, or are you just making a
breeze?" said Tarter.
"I always have a suggestion, Anthony. But more importantly, I
have the strengh to see them through..."
The clouds whipped by the windows so quickly that few would
even notice that they were there. The ultrasonic that was carring
Sylia and her brother Mackie home was almost at it�s destination,
the night sky of Megatokyo. The yellow lights and multiple
glimmers from cars below seemed like pin pricks from the height the
plane was flying at, and it�s relative speed pulled them into
wavering streams night life aura. Sylia would have smiled at that
moment, in fact she wanted too, she would see the commrads who had
become her best friends very soon and get back in the saddle of
Ladies 633, the most relaxing of all her occupations. But
Megatokyo was a place that only brought grins to the tourists that
visited it, and got lost in it�s technological wonder and what
residants branded poliplastic mayhem, not mercenaries that patroled
it�s streets at night. Being exposed to the worst a city has to
offer on a near steady basis often blinds your ability to see what
even makes the thing worth living in, but that feeling was behind
Sylia now, a needed sacifice to remain atop her self�made prison of
logistics. Mackie looked around the plane, and how the first class
section was almost empty. The young man also saw the reason why.
He looked over to Customs Minister Soto, who was surrounded by
other men wearing dark suits. The Minister himself was engaged in
a conversation with his wife, and looked as if he was having a
grand time as he laughed and joked with the beautiful young woman.
However, that was not as appealing to Mackie as the Minister�s
daughter, former Miss Universe and one of People Magazine�s ten
most beautiful people. The girl turned a eye to Mackie who was
tring not to be too obvious in his staring. Mackie blushed and
waved shyly, the girl giggled to herself and returned the gesture.
Mackie thumped his chest to mimick the beating of his heart and the
girl began to laugh, quickly getting the attention of the guards
who all moved to obstruct the young man�s view. Sylia also noticed
the goings-on, and hit Mackie with a sharp left elbow to his right
shoulder. Mackie yelped softly enough not draw attention and then
repramanded his sister for her action.
"Jeez, what�s the prob� sis�, you�re acting like I�m theatening
national security!"he whispered as loud as he could.
" Not the nations but very well ours. The only reason we
weren�t bumped off the plane or into Coach is because Dr. greary
managed to get us priorty tickets. Stop flurting with that girl,
we don�t need that kind of attention. " Sylia replied calmly,
stairing out the window with her head resting on her palm. Mackie
thought for a moment and then looked up at the ceiling in bordem,
his distraction thieved away by claws of reasoning.
"Psssst...!" a vioce spat out. Mackie turned to see the girl
again, who had moved to a another seat. She waved at him again and
then blew him a kiss. Mackies eyes widened, appairently reasoning
had butter-fingers.
"We don�t need that kind of attention, but I�m sure as hell am
desperate for some!" Mackie returned to his sister off handedly as
he went to unfasten his seatbelt. Sylia went to stop him as the
intercom came on line.
"Ladies and gentilemen, we will reach Megatokyo airport in ten
minuetes, please fasten your seat belts and prepare for landing-"
the captin spoke. The message was then continued with instructions
from the stuwardess. Mackie groaned and fell back in his seat.
"Of all the bloody-!" he muttered.
Linna looked up at the approaching plane. She smiled and
pulled out her communicator, calling up the others.
"What..." Priss said flattly in annoiance as she answered the
page. Nene stood next to her, looking up at the night sky with her
arms across her chest. Linna giggled and responded cheerfully.
"They�re almost here...!"she said. Priss sent back a matching
giggle which purposesly remained free of excitement and looked up
at the landing ultrasonic.
"Yeah we see them. Damn, it�s just like Sylia too ruin a
reunion with a job! Why are we out here again?!"Priss barked as she
smashed her hardsuits fist on the terminal ceiling. Nene jumped
into the conversation as well.
"Yes, please refresh my memory as to why we�re standing on the
roof with hardsuits and you�re nice and toasty in the terminal...!"
"Easy girls, calm down. The Defense Minister is on that plane,
and rumor has it that he�s turned down one of GENOM�s lovely
positions in their pocket. Needless to say he feels threatened and
wanted a bit of extra protection on this plane trip. Sylia saw the
job offer on the local net in Germany and with a little this and
that, Minister Soto has protection on his return flight from
Europe. As to why I�m down here while you girls wear the gear,
well, practice at rock-paper-scissors. Catch ya�-"Linna said, and
killed the link. Priss cursed and traded her crouch for a stance
next to Nene.
Linna ran down the terminal hallway as far as the outcoming
crowd from coach would allow. Appairently first class, or the
Defense Minister more so, was to be released as the later for
safety reasons. Linna yeilded to the many warnings and orders from
the security guards and stood behind a barricade of black and
yellow tape as the coach passengers stepped forward. A good
fifteen minuetes past before the hallway was cleared of all
variables, save one mop-topped japanesse woman, and it was agreed
that the Minister could exit the plane. The airport security
guards stepped back and allowed the VIP�s private troop to take a
secure lining down the hallway. Ten men in total made a little
aisleway for the man and family to travel out in. As soon as Soto
and his kin were past, Sylia and a very unhappy Mackie followed.
Linna ran over to them and gave Sylia large hug. Upon stepping
away Linna greeted Mackie with a playful punch to the cheak.
"Hey guy, looking good. " Linna said with smile. Mackie tore
his eyes away from the minister�s daughter as she went around the
hallways bend and responded to Linna�s complement.
"Well I�ve been on my own in Europe for a year now, �had to
learn how to take care of myself ..., you know...." he replied with
dark brown eyes. Linna drew attention to the small gottee that
Mackie had grown and giggled.
"Seems to be making a man out of you. How old are you now
anyway? Seventeen? Eighteen?"Linna questioned with her hands in her
pockets as the three of them followed after the minister. Mackie
lowered his head put a end to Linna�s guessing.
"Twenty as of last month..."
Linna was dumbstruck.
"WOW, really?! Hot shit, Sylia did you know that your little
brother was, is, twenty years old!!??"Linna exclaimed. Sylia went
to answer, a large blush consuming her face, but Mackie
interviened.
"Not really, when she got over there to meet me she brought a
birthday card saying �Happy Sixteenth Birthday�, appairently sis�
can keep track of how many �Beam Satilites there are in space
better than how many years I�ve been alive...." Linna and Mackie
laughed as Sylia did her best not to look too ashaimed. As the
trio entered the lobby they saw the minister collecting his bags
and his cohorts plotting a secondary rout out of the building.
Sylia lead the other two who were still chatting over to the
dispenser to gather their own lugage, as Mackie looked over to the
exit tunnels leading to the terminals many lobbies.
"The. . hell...?"he said in a whisper so faint that Linna
just barely noticed it. She turned to see passengers, travelers,
visiters, almost all the kinds of people a airport could offer
entering the large skylighted circle-room. The four tunnels were
cramed with people entering from all angles, talking and joking
like nothing was the stranger....The ministers guards were in
panic, making celuliar phone calls to whom so-ever to try and find
out what was going on.
"Aww no,..."Linna muttered as she looked around. Sylia stood
tall and cast a glance around the area to get a lay of the land,
roughly counting how many bystanders had just entered her earlier
equations. It didn�t take long for her to realize that it was too
late to salvage a controled situation and remain covert.
"Somethings going down...." Linna said taking out her communicator
and balling it around in her hand. Mackie placed his palm on
Linna�s shoulder to get her attention. "What�s up?"she replied
softly. Mackie nodded over to the airport guards approaching from
eight angles in the room, headed toward their next paycheck. He
noticed a red glimmer from behind one of the men�s shades in which
they were all wearing, and cursed knowingly. He had hoped they
would at least be human assassins.
"Call the others, now. It�s about too go down..."he said, and
then moved off into the already sufficating crowd. Sylia noticed
Mackie�s hunch and gave Linna the nod. Linna huffed to herself as
she powered up the device in her hand.
"Man, professionals to the end, amazing..."she said aloud to
herself as she watched Sylia blend into the crowd as well.
"Fuck..."Rain mumbled. The idea of what GENOM was doing at the
moment made her stomach clench into a ball of hatred. From what
she traslated from encoded GENOM signals to the boomers, the people
in charge of the airport and appairently working for GENOM had had
the people hearded into the bagage pick up section. A moments
notice they used some false emergany to get the crowd moving,
problably a fire or eletrical malfunction. Now they had the
perfect setting for a conveint boomer rampage that doesn�t look
like a assaination. After all, alot more than just the VIP were
going to die in this incident, and even if some one suspects (as
they always do) all evidence pointing to GENOM is lost in
anti-boomer confusion. Rain stood in her black and white sectioned
hardsuit, a flash of psy-energy dancing it�s way from her leg to
her shoulder. The flash was a normal occurance, and always a
random pattern. Four arms were on the suit, two real ones that
encompased the womans arms and then two automated ones controled
through thought waves. At the moment, those were folded on her
back, their smooth finish making them resemble dual oxygen tank.
The woman approached her commrads to conffer with them about what
to do next.
"So that�s the deal? What a pain...."said, one of the teams
youngest memebers. He was enclosed in a white hardsuit with two
pairs of ant-like anteni protruding forward from either side of his
helmet. Two above where the rim of his eyes would be, the others
along his chin. His green visor glimmered in the moonlight as he
gave their leader a patient regaurd.
"Well I�m ready, preped and primed...." said a towering
battlemover from it�s sinthisizers. The pilot adjusted himself
inside the cockpit and relaxed his body, giving his neck a quick
roll to pop out all the kinks. The battlemovers green and white
paint job contrasting against it�s glowing red eyes. Tuck was the
last member besides the leader that was present. She wore a brown
and white suit with large bulging forearms and a collasping back
interface unit. The woman folded her arms across her chest and
huffed lightly.
"It�s been a while since we�ve handeled boomers, hope I
remember how..." Tuck said to no one imperticular. The white suit
was the one who choose to answer.
"Boomeriods are a bigger problem Tuck, at least the GU-90�s
that we�ve been taking on. Don�t worry, you could handle them and
you can more than handle these punks. " he said giving her a
cheerfully morbid thumbs up with his suits guanlet. Tuck laughed
lightly and returned the gesture.
"It�s true we�ve been seeing more than the normal share of
Omega�s Edge lately, but don�t let that distract you. " the leader
spoke with his back too them, looking down into the lugage section
from the skylight above. The bagage pick-up sections large lights
shot up in a flood on his torso, the dome cap that was the
ceiling�s glass fixture warping it around the rest of his body.
His suit was black and grey. One arm, the right arm, was
enormiously larger than the other as it contained the bulk of the
hardsuits weapons. A bloody style of kanji was written up his
right leg and arm in giant form, spelling out �Ironangels�.
"Surround...." he said with a spread of his arms. The others
circled about the dome skylight on every point and waited for their
leaders next move. "How many did the message say were attacking
Rain...?" he asked. Rain answered eight and the leader ordered the
team to hold.
The first blast was like when a assumed empty gun discharges,
frightening, disruptive, and panicing. That was the effect when
the first boomer tore free of it�s human cloaking in the usual
bloody style and sent a laser charge mindlessly through the crowd
of would be travelers. Screams and panic ran amok while severed
arms and heads fell to the ground. Like domino�s tipped by a
finger, the other seven boomers reveiled themselves before the
horrified populace, battering and tearing their way toward the
objective. The minister pulled his wife and daughter to the ground
as a beam of energy fizziled it�s way through four of his ten
bodyguards, who responded with shots from their side arms. The
bullets were to no effect, pinging and reflecting off the boomers
armoured hides. The crowd was now broken in to mad streams of
confused fleeing citizens, trampeling one another just for a look
at the exitways. Real airport security gaurds appeared as the
people ran past them, drawing and firing sidearms and more
effective eight gauge shotgun slugs. Rain looked down on the death
and carnage with a clenched fist and moved to enter the battle.
The leader stopped her, answering her when she questioned why.
"We must remain out of this until the crowd despirses a bit
more. If jump down their now we�ll just add to the confusion and
eventually the carnage..."
The leader looked up at the growling Rain and other cringing
Ironangels. "Sorry guy�s, that�s the way it has to be if we what
to continue with future plans. " the leader added, as he watched a
childs mother be cut in half by a stray laser beam.
Leon pulled down the door of his ADP pursuit car and sat next
to Daley in the drivers seat.
"Damn boomers, the airport of all places..." Leon said with a
snear. Daley started up the car and spread out the tunnel of the
ADP building, followed by the rest of he and Leon�s combined
squads. The massive man carriers and other pursuit cars roared and
screamed from the ceiment hallway, sixteen vechiles in total. The
Advanced Police, the supposed answer to boomer crime and maddness.
Formed to take on the strange and unatural things the "normal"
police could not handle. After the boomer revolution, the entire
anti-boomer movment gained incredible momentium and forced the Diet
to take imediate action to control cyberiod violence. The ADP were
reconized as under funded and under gunned, and after a two month
long inquirey as to why, the organization was seriously overhauled
to the stanards the grunts had begged for. In addition, the entire
world had felt the sting of the revolution via the internet. What
was dubbed the EGO viral program, had infected thousands of boomers
over seas. The United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and most of
Europe had designed and created their own versions of the Advanced
Police, making the group a international organization. Leon was
given cammand of his own K-13 A. T. (the next model of the Armour
Trooper series) unit, which was for emergancy purposes only, and
had yet to see any action.
"You think you should call in your big boys for this job
Leon-chan?" Daley asked. Leon grimaced, he hated it when Daley
called him that. He knew that Daley had his equivelent to a crush
on him for a while now, but he still liked the ladies, and even
though it had been a while since he had seen any booty action, he
wasn�t about to give up heterosexualty so quickly. After all, he
had weak faith that she would come around...
"No way Daley, the situation hasn�t called for the use of the
troopers yet, and I wouldn�t want to start off the Armour branch
with a black mark because I lacked patience. " Leon responded.
Daley huffed.
"With the fire power we have now I doubt that we will ever have
need for the heavier artilary. "
Leon looked Daley�s way and chukled. He thought back to the
two times the ADP building had been attacked and mangled, about
Largo and his mass murder spree reaching damn near the tens of
thousands, and espeaially the time a D. D. battlemover joyfully
cushed four of his ribs. Not to mention making him look
incrediably bad.
"I don�t know Daley, thoughs boomers have a nasty way of
surpriseing us...."
Mackie ducked the laser bolt as it grazed his head and rolled
behind the well placed lugaage rotater. He grimaced his teeth and
looked around the room for some way to fight back. The room was
ringing with the sounds of shotguns and pistols, which was
frightenly followed by the metalic screams of boomers and then of
men. The Stingray had not seen his sister since the fiasco began,
but had blind faith that she was fine. Linna had found herself a
fallen pistol and was blasting away at the cyberiod hit squad who
barely gave her efforts any mind. The only resitance that was
still breathing was the few bodyguards that the senator had left
and one or two security men who found it more profitable to stay
low. The boomers were moveing in now, and the senator and his
escort were behind a service counter tring to keep the mechanized
doom at bay with their side arms swear words. Mackie looked up
from his shelter to the area the fight had centered around. The
senator's daughter was curled up on a portion of floor that was
visable from Mackie�s point of view. She was holding her ears in
attempts to dampen the horror around her, tears steaming down the
face that had won so many awards. Mackie felt something bubbble
inside him, the hot blood of a man in need of action, and threw
himself into the calised hands of recklessness.
Before the thought signifgantly leveled in his mind, Mackie had
left his shelter, lifted up one of the blooded shotguns of a dead
security guard, and fired a shell clean into a boomers skull. The
accuracey was a trained one. The slug penatrating the jaw of his
target and hitting the laser ary.
The other boomers looked on as the wounded one screamed and
bolted about in pain, brown blood coursing down it�s arms and
hands. The explosion was expected, but not prepared for. The
other boomers were scattered about the area, the purcussion tossing
their bodies across the room. Dried leaves in the wake of the
wind. Mackie ran to the side of the senator�s daughter and lifted
her chin with a hooked finger. She saw the face of the one she had
thought of before as no more than a friendly flurt, and now as the
knight in armour. A boomer rose to it�s feet, shaking it�s head
and then looking around the cloudy room for it�s targets. A metal
rod was hardly what it was expecting to receive from it�s optic
sensors, but Sylia was hardly accomitdateing when it came to mass
killing and destruction. The beaming she had found was a good four
feet in length and made a excellent weapon when in a pinch. The
boomer jolted and cried out in pain as Sylia pushed the pipe
further and further into it�s head. In a moment the machine gave
up the struggle and collasped to the ground in a bleeding heap.
The sound of footsteps alerted her, and she snapped her weapon
around along with her head to see what approached her. The site of
the senator�s wife and escort was not unexpected, nor Linna, as
they came running past Sylia and out the exit gate that she stood
beside. The unsual thing was Mackie carring the senator's daughter
as he came chargeing past. Sylia made pase with him, thankful she
had decided to wear her flaps.
"Bad timing for fun stuff Mackie. " she said. Mackie snorted
when he saw she was serious.
"You�re wrong sis�. Saving a life is saving a life. "he sent
back.
"No doubt, I�m just making sure your motivation is on your
heads level and not some lower in altitude.
"I don�t beleave you!!!" Priss screamed as her and Nene lept to
another section of the monsterious complex. Nene whinned her
defense a second time.
"Why are you blaming me, you didn�t notice we were at the wrong
terminal either!"
Priss groaned.
"I never come to the airport, I never need to fly
anywhere..."she said thrusting with Nene down to the entrance of
eastern airport wing. Most of the people had left already in the
panic and a stragerler or two past the two Knight Sabers as they
entered the building. Nene began to triangulate Linna�s position
from the signal her communicater put out, while Priss lead her in a
visual search down the hallways. Things looked bleak for the pair,
as they continued down the enigma of corridors.
"Things could have been worse..." Sylia mentioned to Mackie
queitly. Mackie nodded with matching sutility as he ducked a laser
bolt to close for comfort. Having been pressed back into the first
class louge of the terminal, the quarters had become way too
cramped for any ones liking, except for the boomers, who used it by
continuesly scaffing the place with laser shots. Linna noticed the
words of Sylia and turned her head to her.
"What do you mean �could have been worse�?" Linna asked in
concern. Mackie and Sylia reguared eachother. Sylia had done
something out of practice on this job, and realized that muttering
out a reference to it with Linna so near was problably her
concience forcing her to come clean.
"We were expecting a different form of threat other than combat
boomers, if any, tonight. Word was that a serious group of killers
had moved into the area. I was suspecting this would be them.
Zone Corp. hired us to dispose of them if we ran into eachother.
Their supposed to be some form of Boomer terorist group, loaded
with the EGO virus and heavy firepower. " Sylia responed.
Mackie�s shotgun blast interupted the conversation temporarily with
a ear cracking discharge.
"You mean we have a dual mission? Why didn�t you tell us about
it?" Linna asked without concern, for she was sure that Sylia would
have her reasons. Sylia answered her.
"It was unastablished weather or not this group even really
exists. The evidence is weak kneed to say the least. I didn�t
want to worry you girls about something that may be nothing more
than a spook story. "
The talking then lost it�s luster as Mackie tossed down an
empty weapon. He looked over at the others and hunched his
shoulders with a retorical grin. Sylia saw that the senator's last
few guards had been disposed of, and it was now only him and his
family in the corner wating or the end to come. Linna went into
call up Priss and Nene again, finding that here communicator had
been mashed in her attempts to survive earlier.
The Boomer�s feet fell liked lead weights. Each step sounding
like a metallic heart beat that all could here. Linna and Mackie
grinded their teeth with the sensation of helplessness running
throught their veins like cold water. Sylia dropped her head
back against the back of the seat which would soon serve no
protection at all, and closed her eyes slowly, listening the cries
and wimpers of Soto�s family, and the conforting but false words of
encoragement he spouted to them in denile.
Then the steps went quite, and the defensless trio who were
seated closer to the �front� than those they were tring to protect,
braced for the worst. But that would not be forth coming. A
metalic cry of pain swept about the lobby violently, and the sounds
of struggle began. Laser blasts, the swooshing air under punches,
and the collasping of walls and plaster. Then there were other
noises, like a voice taunting, which followed by a fading casscade
of foot falls that led into silence. Mackie was the first to look
up over the asile that he and his commrads were hiding behind,
finding a mangled boomer corpse torn to shreds at it�s base.
"What in the hell?" Linna blurted as she took a look at the
mess.
"Maybe Priss and Nene got here in time after all. " Mackie
offered in explaination. Sylia stood with them and peered around
the room curiously, for she had heard no sounds suggesting the
interference of her assoiates. Sylia had learned the sounds of her
hardsuit�s where always quit unique.
"What happened here?" Soto asked as he approached the group
with his shooken family. They were all quite for a moment, not
being sure themselves, but then Sylia made the needed replie.
"The Knight Sabers sir, they came and made the mess..."
The senator showed a knowing smile and them thanked the three
for their help. The group left the louge and entered the dark and
battered hallway, random lights that weren�t destoried flickered
from damage. Linna pointed the senator toward the way out while
she Sylia and Mackie began down the night-like trec of
investigation, following the sounds of conflict in the far off
distance of the darkness.
"Where are you going?" the senator's daughter asked them. They
turned to notice her and her parients questioning faces. Sylia and
Linna looked to Mackie to answer, seeing as he was the girl�s hero
for the night and a message best come from him. Mackie falsly
cleared his throat while thinking up a good excuse.
"There might be others back there that need our help, you guy�s
are too important to stay. We�ll be out as soon as the ADP
arrive..." he said confidently. They ran off before the Soto�s
inquired any further. Linna looked at Mackie and smiled as they
sprinted toward the noises ahead, waiting to join up with there
armoured counterparts.
"Geeze Mackie, lay it on a little thick why don�t cha�!" she
snorted. Mackie off handedly stuck his touge out at her as they
reached the core of the disturbance. The fight was in the
cafeteria, the sounds of beam bolts and clashing steel almost
deafening now. The three model detectives peared around the corner
expecting to see there friends cleaning house, instead, it was
somethiing that made Sylia and Mackie freeze up entirely. Their
skin growing pale.
A white boomer rebounded from the wall just a few feet from
there heads, before hurtleing itself toward a seemingly crippled
boomer. Missing an arm and fashioning a massive blast hole through
it�s mid-section. Giant blades on it�s forearms began to vibrate
violently until they were nothing but a silver blurr, and rammed
through the cyberiod as the wearer torpedoed toward him. Brown
blood splashed everywhere as the monster died in resemblence of
shattering glass. A glob landed promtly on Linnas left cheek. She
squeaked out a whimper of disgust and fell back behind the corner
along with Sylia and Mackiewho looked shocked enough to lie with
the dead.
"So, they�re not a myth after all...." Sylia muttered. She
looked back around the hallway�s edge as she noticed the sound of
voices. Another boomer had appeared, brown and white, and,
appairently, a smaller model of the D. D. battlemover. The mecha
was aqua green and white, with glowing red eyes atop it�s small
optic assembly.
"All done?" the brown boomer said with a wave of it�s arm. The
white boomer concered with a nod. "Rain and Brian are after the
last two, they�re tring to report back to GENOM. I�m jamming them
but thier trying to escape the range of the interference. " the
brown boomer continued.
"Doubt they�ll get a mile away before the boss catches�em. "
the white boomer returned approaching them.
Sylia listened intently to each word as if it were the soul
reason for living. Mackie looked around the corner with her while
Linna continued to scrape off the boomer entrails she had reciently
become so in touch with.
"What�s the scoop sis?" Mackie asked, but his question fell
upon deaf ears and he realized he would have to discern the
happenings himself. Sylia�s eyes became intent, almost menicing,
as she looked upon what may be the greatest threat her crew may
ever have to deal with. That question which was running laps in
head mind at this moment, was about to gather a bit of reference,
as Nene and Priss dashed around the corner of the caffeterias
alternet enterance.
"Oh shit...."Sylia said through her teeth as she watched.
Priss raised accusing finger at the three who stood before her.
"Are you the asssholes responsible for this?!?!? Answer
me!!!!"she screamed angerily piviting one of her rail guns over her
shoulder. The three stangers to the Megatokyo scene said nothing
and just stared back at the two harmless looking hardsuits that
stood before them. Then one moved.
Priss didn�t question a second time, fireing a electrified
metal steak right at the white boomers head. The boomer snapped
it�s head to the side and the lance spiked harmlessly through the
wall behind it. It raised it�s hands in what seemed to be a
attempt at stopping the fight before it started, but it was too
late, Priss had felt challenged. Priss charged maddly, cursing her
opposition and leaping into the height of the towering caffeteria
ceiling. She brought down her other cannon and opened random
fire. The boomers dodged the attack with thrusts to the side but
did not counter.
"Wait, you don�t understand!!" one said while meeting Priss in
the air.
"The hell we don�t!!" said Nene in one of the few times she
actually cursed, and hammered the brown boomer to earth with a low
level energy blast. The battlemover, which had stayed in the
background until now, came at Nene fiercly with blinding speed, and
backhanded her into the neighboring wall. Plaster collasped around
the suit while it fell from the dent in the concrete behind.
"Fine then! We�ll talk to you latter when you regain
conciusness!" it said through it�s sinthisizers. Sylia looked back
at Linna who had just recently gotten a look at what was going on.
"Linna, tell me you brought the other hardsuits like I asked in
the utility van!"she said desperatly. Linna shook her head.
"Sure deal. It it even had Mackie�s suit sitting in it. " she
replied. Sylia stood up from the crouch she had taken and lead the
others into a run.
"Good, let�s get in this thing before it gets any worse!!" she
said.
"I thought that Highway Patrol was going to have thse streets
clear for us?!?!? What the hells going on!?!?" Leon screamed into
his mike. The man on the other end could be heard moaning from the
verbal ass-whipping.
"We�re sorry sir, a Anti-boomer protest is mucking up the
works. We should have the highway open in ten minuetes, tops!"the
dispatcher said sowly. Leon didn�t even bother to respond and
crashed the mike back down on the hanger. With a violent roar Leon
fell back in seat and angerly folded his hands behind his head.
Daley grinted his teeth with nerviousness and looked to Leon
cautiously.
"Well Leon-chan, at least this time they can�t blame us for
being late...."he offered. Leon looked at him maddly, and as he
went to answer the CB rang again. Leon bashed the button for
speaker comm.
"What...!?!"Leon shouted. There was a momentary hesitation.
"What�s the hold up top man?" said one of the lieutenants.
Leon didn�t even bother with with hesitations and simply spoke out
in annoice.
"A protest is making traffic for us. We�ll have to wait it
out!"
"Aww hell, you mean we finally get the equipment to kick ass
and then don�t get a chance to use it?!?! What the hell is this. "
the lieutenant screamed before hanging up. Leon and Daley both
knew what he meant. Their was no doubt in there minds that the
Knight Sabers were already crossing their �T� and making an exit.
The white and clawed opponent turned it�s head toward the pink
and red Knight Saber that was just recovering from the blow she
took. The figure shook it�s head.
"Damn...Guess attacking Tuck was a bigger mistake then I
thought..." it moaned.
"Hey pal, this ain�t close to over yet!!" Priss screamed as she
took the boomer by surprise. She barged the armour with amazing
stength that seemed powered by pure anger. The white boomer
twirled through a wall behind it, making the sound of another
impact in the rooms murky depths. Priss smiled behind her
hardsuits mask. The jubilation didn�t last long. The brown boomer
aveneged it�s injured ally, catching Priss by the neck with it�s
massive guantlets and raising her from the ground.
"Hope you enjoied that little stunt Asagiri, cause god knows
that you�re gonna pay for it!!" it said coldly. Priss gasped at
the sound of her name. How in the world did this thing know her?
But that question slipped her mind quickly as she felt the abstract
,though no less painful, sense of herself being crashed on the
floor. Priss recovered barley enough strength to swing around her
legs, sweeping the boomer from it�s feet. The brown menance
crashed to the ground violently, it�s head smacking the ground
twice from the attack. Priss rose to her feet only to be hammered
from behind the the monsterious battlemover that seemed to be
playing watch-dog for it�s partners. The mecha was quickly
answered with an attack from Nene. The large machine snapped to
the ground from the full power of the red heads arsenal, armour
fragments dancing through the air. Nene allowed herself a moment
too long to regain her breath as the battlemover sat up and
unleashed a river of gattling gun shells at her. Just barely
jetting too the air in time, the exploding wall behind her made a
sheild of dust that she disappeared in. The white boomer crawled
out from what could have been his coffin coughing and hacking.
"Take it easy Ota, the last thing we want to do is hurt
them...!" it said. The battlemover kept lanching lead boulders
into the dust, seeming to ignore his words.
"I�m not tring to hurt them, I�m just tring to STOP them!!!"Ota
cried in what seemed to be a inpressed panik. "How can a bunch of
rebles picked up off the street fight so damn good??!!"
"I think you just answered your own question pricklicker!"
Priss roared before landing all her weight on the mecha�s back. A
sound like a shotgun blast rang through the place as the two steel
warriors colided. The battlemover crashed on it�s face while it�s
attacker re-readied her guard. Priss got ready for whatever the
next attack may be, bringing one of her guns to the promt formation
for dispatching problems that needed solving. Then it seemed as if
her visor�s display had been damaged, because it was blurring
amazingly. As if this were a dream, Priss suddenly felt light on
her feet, bobbing side to side on the heals of her hardsuit. Next
she knew she on her back, with a pair of metal claws vibrating
above her head.
"Thank�s for the assit Rain, these guy�s are as good as Brian
said. " the white one offered. A night black and white suit
entered the room fully, as single long antenia fin sitting on her
head-top. The fin was glowing light blue and making a light
humming sound.
"Were�s the other, don�t tell me you lost-" Rain began before
insticts parryed her beside a energy lauch. Nene folded her
radar-like device assembles and walked forth from the shadows of a
near by corner with raised hands, obviuosly having relized she had
missed her chance for turning the shaken tide. Rain looked upon
the red and pink hardsuit and snorted.
"Cute. Saving the life of a friend lady?" Rain muttered. Nene
sneared in disgust on the other side of her suits mask.
"Don�t hurt her, we�ll give. " she said through grinding
teeth. Rain said nothing and folded her arms, a blue steak of
power surging up her side. A satisfaction ingulfed her in a way it
never had priviously.
"Don�t worry, she�ll be fine..." she said with confedence.
"We know...!"a voice cried out from seemingly nowhere. A beam
cannon blast rode through the silence like wind, breaking it as
fast as the situation. The glowing fin on the black opponent
bounced off the ground like metal paper. Rain fell to one knee and
felt the crippleing damage that had been done to her suit with a
open palm.
"Great, this can only be bad...." Rain muttered. Pinging to
the ground like iron sprites, Sylia, Linna, and Mackie landed
before their prey. The light blue almost white suit that
encompassed the leader of the Knight Sabers stood tall and folded
the smoking beam cannon back into her robotic palm. Priss
regained composer and snarled at the man that was pounced upon
her. A nervious giggle, obviously of fear, sweaked out from behind
the boomers mask.
"�Hey punk, no one gets on me without an invitaion...!" she
said. The boomer struck back with seasoned wit that made Priss
almost respect it.
"Really, then were do I get on line?" the white opponent said,
before it felt heals dig into its midsection. Priss answered as
she lauched the boomer to the air with sacrifice throw.
" Right after death and halfway to hell...!"
The white boomer landed next to the black and white one like a
trained cat while the rest of the group shook off dizziness and
gathered about them both. The Knight Sabers did the same, forming
behind Sylia who was postured with arms akimbo. Mackie then vioced
out to the group a important discovery. The cyclopsed mecha-armour
turned it�s stumpy head to a ready pounce Sylia.
"Sis�, there�s something stange about these guys heat wave
patterns. There too uneven to be any kind of normal boomer,
unless, wait..." he stuttered. Sylia snapped a �Spit it out!� from
the tension of the moment and seming imortance of the information.
She was already taking a slight hunch to send an attack.
"The surrounding temperater is 98.6--damn! These ain�t boomers,
there Armours!! People!" Mackie exclaimed. The Knight Sabers
gasped in unison, tightening there battlestances. Rain stepped
forward a little with ready arms and clenched fists.
"Yeah, that�s right Stingray, we�re human beings. Like you. A
bunch of armours trying to change things a little. " She said
almost darkly. Sylia showed teeth behind her face plating, in part
because Mackie had forgotten the teams personal intercom.
"The way you change things the world can do without. " Sylia
replied. Rain seemed to take the words personally and her next
statement sounded even more threatening.
"Really?! Then it�s your move. Hope the fact that we�re humans
doesn�t change anything. I hate tho think the great Knight Sabers
were squiemish..." Rain announced as she and the others primed up
their weapons to fight. Sylia friends did likewise. Linna
unsheathing her cabal spikes into the palm of her hand, Priss
pivoting her one working shoulder cannon next to he head, Macke
lowering the guass rifle to the ready, and Nene flipping up two
fizzling device assembles.
"Of course it changes things..." Sylia began lifting her arm to
release her palm cannon�s barrel and leveled slowly at the ring
leaders helmet. . "You�ll bleed RED...." The others around Rain
moaned in annoience and bother as Sylia ended the stalemate.
"Knight Sabers, go!!"
"Alright boys listen up!" Leon began while the ADP grunts
locked and loaded their autogat�s, the new standard machine rifle.
The weapons weren�t the only things that had been improved. The
new body armour that the civil army was wearing was top noch
militaty level mesh. The outfits where basically designed the
same, with sleeves that requiered rolling up to be confortable,
shoulder, elbow and knee plating, and steel toed combat boots. The
most outword appearance change was the helmet, which had a long red
visior now instead of two goggle lens�s, and the new ADP colors
that were black and white instead of the old blue and before that
green. " The airprt is to be seccured of all boomer variables.
All the airport�s work boomers have been shut down, so only the bad
guy�s are moving. Take�m down hard boy�s, we can do that now.
Also, the senator and his family, who have just escaped, told me
that the Knight Sabers are indeed in the building. Do not shoot
the Knight Sabers, that would be bad...." with moans and grunts of
�Shut up already!� and �Let�s quite bitch�n and get moving!� coming
from the back of the ADP troop Leon knew the time for talking was
over. He turned and looked the gigantic airport terminal and
huffed for her safty, and then waved the men toward the entrance.
Cring battle hymes or simply screaming along the way, the new ADP
attacked the place with confedence that from now on the ADP would
be something to fear, something to talk about in the common home,
some thing to-
"-clean up the mess the Knight Sabers had made already..."one
ADP cop said morbidly as he and most of the others made their way
through the hole riden and beam bolt scared walls, and the mangled
human and boomer corpes. The once sprinting Advanced Police broke
into a seemingly common walk along that they had been doing since
the Knight Sabers ahd been freelance fighting. Leon entered the
terminal space where they stood along with a moaning Daley. Leon
smiled to himself and ordered the others to spread out in teams of
five, coking back the hammer of his heavy pistol. �Knight Sabers,
it always a pleasure. � he thought.
Many would agree with Leon under normal circumstances, but in
this case the Ironangels had beaten the Knight Sabers to the
punch. Now it appeared that they were trying the same thing with
them.
Sylia caught the white suit�ss� throat with the inside of her
arm, tossing him to the ground like so much garbage. The Armour
felt the abstact pain dance though his body like electricty, and
countered with rising spring kick. Sylia blocked the attack, but
the force behind it sent clear into one of the many mangled walls
of the cafee area that had served as a battle ground. Mackie was
challenging the most suited opponent for his mecha armour, the D.
D. -like battlemover. The two were locked in combat like hungry
wolves fighting for the last scap of meat, punding eachother with
blows that could crush a pillar of concrete. The brown Ironangel
called by her comrads as �Tuck�, was givng Nene a run for her
money, while the pair of them dodged and fired round after round of
energy bolts. The others, Priss and Linna, were at ends with the
last of the Ironangels, Rain. Rain proved to be easily the tuffest
of them all, weilding shock beams and blue flames all about her.
Priss hadn�t even gotten a shot off in the fight, avoiding attacks
the whole time, and Linna had lost one of her spikes in the
attempt. Sylia looked about her quickly to eccess the situation
and groaned morbidly.
"Damned the luck..." she muttered. The Armour�s�s next attack
put Sylia on her back, as she failed to recall her focus quick
enough. Sylia�s head bounced around the inside of her helmet,
sweat dashing on the visor inside. Sylia jumped back up to her
feet, preparing to end the hostlities with a victory. The Armour
stepped back to get ready for her, but a damaged part of his suit
made his knee joint buckle. The white suit fell to the ground in
pain from the electrical burns it�s host recieved, growing
quickly. Sylia was on her chance the moment it happened, extending
the assault blade from her suit�s forearm and leaping to the air.
Sylia came down like angery skies, swinging her blade clear for
the mans head. It was then that she felt the pressure of steel
hitting steel. However, when Sylia realized what happened, she
staggered back to a fightng stance, her fear hidden behind
gray-blue armour. The leader retracted his own suits blade back
into the elbow in which it came, and saved the white Armours life.
"Whoa, thanks B-man! I owe you one...!" The white Armour said
with wit.
"I�m sorry Crusader, but I can�t not allow you to kill one of
my people while they show you the couristy of fair play...." the
red and gray armour said. Sylia answered promtly.
"You are truely poetic for a killer. Why are you doing this
thing?" Sylia asked. The leader spoke again as he stood tall. His
mind full of fasination than athority.
"I, Knight Saber, am not responseable for this incident
tonight. The cyberiod bodies at your feet are the ones who are
guilty, and no, I did not send them. My crew did nothing but bring
an end the situation at hand. Not even you can be
everywhere...Sylia...."
The Knight Sabers and the Ironangels fell behind their leaders
as the battle seemed to be taking a unseen turn. Sylia said
nothing but stood ever ready.
"How do you know us?!" Linna asked, breathing heavily from
behind her hardsuits orange mask. The leader answered promptly.
"That can be saved for another time Knight Sabers, for be
certain this isn�t our last meeting. Wouldn�t you agree...?" the
leader lead off motioning to the Flashlights glimmering their way
from the far reaches of the terminal.
�Damn it, no amount of hardware can improve the ADP�s sloppy
timeing. � Sylia thought reluctantly. She answered in the same
tempermant. " Agreed..." The leader backed off a bit as the other
Ironangels thursted off into a collasped side of the terminal
lobby. Sylia also ordered the Knight Sabers to withdraw, which was
followed slowly and reluctantly by the angered vigalate/ mercs.
Only Sylia and the leader remained for a moment in silence.
Stareing at each other as if they were gastly reflections. The
leader promted up a time display on the targeting glass inside is
armoured helmet. It read ten seconds. Sylia spoke, weary of this
waiting game. "So, I suppose you have a plan for your escape...?
Otherwise we�ll both be dealing with a serious case of lead
poisoning. " Sylia breathed as she heard the ADP officers getting
even closer. Her heart was raceing and her mind an endless
labrinth of confusion. �The Ironangels. WHO! HOW!�
"Of course Crusader. I just wanted to get look at you for a
moment longer. It�s soothing..." he returned in solem voice, as if
he were reading his own obituairy colum in the paper. At that time
the entire hallway �snapped� �crackled� and �popped� with the sound
of exploding lights. Within seconds the entire terminal was pitch
black, and almost silent. Sylia turned on her night vision
display, but it was too late, the bloody suit was gone.
It was late when the Knight Sabers got back to Ladies 633, the
headquarters and front for the operation not to mention the home
of the Stringray family. The suits, battered and dented beyond any
way that they had been before, were practically tossed into the
corner of the readying room. Awaiting repairs that would begin the
next morning. Tired and bruised, the Knight Sabers dragged
themselves into the living room of Sylias building. Crashing down
into the couch, chair, and floor, Linna, Priss, and Nene moaned and
huffed in pain. Mackie treated himself to the bar, stirring up
himself a nice sized glass of scotch. Sylia went to stop him a
moment before realizng that he was well over the drinking age for
Megatokyo law. Approaching the head of the room Sylia sat down
behind the ten foot dining table and spead her upperbody about it�s
lengths. After most of the heavy breathing resided, and relaxing
had brought back the ability to speak without gasping, Priss broke
the silence.
"Who are they Sylia? Who is it that just gave us the largest
challenge since the Hyperboomers and walked away alive?"
Sylia said nothing but it was Mackie who answerd, walking
across the room that was only being lit by the low Megatokyo moon.
The darkness from which he stood made him a faint silohette with a
drink in it�s hand.
"The Ironangels Priss? Heh, a ghost story come true I guess. "
he answered before gulping down more liquid relaxer. Nene looked
up from the couch that she was spralled face-first upon. This was
the first time she was really taking in the fact that he was back
with them. It felt strange to her that one man�spressence could
change her entire outlook on an evening. Even one as painful as
this. But her resurfaceing emtions had to be squelched under the
foot of couriosity.
"Ghost story? Well could you explain a bit more then that
Mackie?" she asked. "Because those ghosts just darn near killed
us!"
Sylia took her cue from the table, still laying her face
downward resting in her folded arms. Her voice was muffeled as she
spoke from the position.
"If they wanted us dead we wouldn�t be breathing right now
Nene. Didn�t you listen to them?" Sylia lifted her head followed
by her body. "They know who each one of us are, and a lot more
then that I�m willing to bet. But as far as the real scoop on the
Ironangels is, all that�s really known just an old incident
recorded by a small town in the lower eastern USA. It was going
around in the UN channels that one researcher named Isiac Raish was
making genocidal threats to the known representives of the globe.
The way he planned to do it was unclear, but had to do with a type
nerial implant that could be spread through the air like a virus,
and once it was contracted the only way to stop it was to eliminate
the host. To gather more information, CIA and Interpol agents
contacted Raish�s old emploier, Newtech enterprises. "
"Newtech enterprises!?" Linna and Nene cut in with shock.
"Thats one of the worlds largest stock holders. In the firm
they�re considered the second greastest lead to follow, only next
to GENOM. " Linna contributed. Nene then spoke what she knew of
the title.
"That�s not all. According to my most recent issue of
Programing Generation, Newtech has some of the most powerful minds
and equipment for eletronical manufacturing. "
"-And that�s why the world took this so serious. Newtech being
GENOM�s largest competion, the governments of the world count on
it�s survival so GENOM does not become all powerful on the economic
plane. " Sylia continued. She loosened the support straps on her
bodysuit that all of them were wearing so she could breath more
deeply. "Newtech said that Isiac�s contract had been terminated
when he began to fool around with substances above his clearance
level, and that the chemicals he may have stolen or sinthisized
were quit able to carry out his threat. Paniced, the next time
Raish called he was asked for his demands. He gave none, and
simply said this a act to show the worlds leaders not to forget the
power of a single man. He had seemingly gone insane, and was going
along with his plan no matter what the governments offered or
promised him. "
Priss let out a long held breath.
"That�s great an all Sylia, but what does it have to do with
the assholes we fought tonight?" she asked. Mackie cut in to off
set the pressure.
"Raish�s last call was long enough for the Washington branch to
trace it to a small town in Texas called New Charlestown. Raish
was acttively watching all the military movements of the country by
satillite relay and thermal scans, so no US strike could be lauched
with promising results. . " the man said going back to the bar to
place away his glass.
"So why didn�t the US just ask for UN assistance to go get him
instead?" Linna offered.
"Because if the other coutries knew that Raish�s home was in a
US state, they would have the right by international law to treat
it as a Defcon five level threat. Then they could clean the entire
area with nuitron bombs without the benifit of evacuation. Either
way the states would have lost, whether they tell the world, let
Raish carry out his plan, or keep it to themselves and risk a
serious conspiracy being uncovered. Finally, thruogh unknown
means, a new and very effective group known as the Ironangels were
contacted by some one. They had been watched and dubbed one of the
tuffest mercenary groups in the world currently. However they were
so covert there wasn�t even as much as video footage on their
missions. Only bodies, the objective, and a lasered symbol of a
angel holding a sword. The team went in, and found Raish bunkered
in a old missile base built during th cold war years. The story
goes that, the man had commondered about thirty combat boomers as
watch dogs, that met the Ironangel as soon as they got close. A
battle took place and the Ironangls were winning. When Raish was
reached the Ironagels killed him instantly. "
" So, were does all this ghost stuff start?" Nene asked
unwillingly. Mackie began washing the his glass which Sylia took
as her cue to enter the conversation again.
" About ten minuetes after the beleaved death of Raish was
reported in, a suposed attack on a school nearby would come into a
local police department. " she said. "Fifty-eight children
between the ages five and eleven would never know what hit them. "
The room was silent for a minuete as Sylia stopped to catch her
breath. "The police arrived at the scene along with a telivision
news crew. The building was in flames and shattered to rubble.
But as the repoter began on this morbibd on-the-scesne broadcast,
something was caught in the backround. When analized it turned out
to be a metalic humanoid figure, beleaved to be the first footage
of a Ironangel. When the cops and moved in to see who or what it
was, it was gone. Later, the Ironangels would report they did
indeed intercept and kill Raish, but had no clue about the school
that was destoried. With that, the Ironangels would never be heard
from again. Stories began to be spread about them, that they
weren�t real mercenaries but just a new form of military boomer
that went crazy, and the Raish and Ironangels story which leaked
out to the public months later was just a elaborit covered up
dreamt up by the government. This took place just before the
Revolution, so it was now said to be the eary stages of what would
become a world wide threat. Now, the Ironangels are said to be
just a spook story to keep would-be-terrorists in line. Like be
careful bad guys or the Ironangels will come up and get you, just
like poor old mister Raish. "
"You mean to tell me that this wasn�t the Knight Sabers
doing!?! that there�s some new group of Armours running around
Megatokyo swatting boomers besides them!?!/" the chief screamed.
Leon and Daley shrugged as particled of spit dashed their faces.
Leon was the one who answered.
"Basically sir. The surviving sercurity guards and a few other
witnesses say it was another group of four boomers, or
boomer-looking suits, and a battlemover that did the damage and
crushed the resitance. Also, their was no Knight Sabers calling
card taking responsiblity for this. I think we�re dealing with a
new goup boss. " he said flatly. The morning had been brisk a
warm, uncommon for the city, and Leon had had his first taste of
�breakfast� in a year. The airport seen had left no real clues or
evidence of what had happened, besides several mangled combat
boomers, the word of a dozen witnesses, a few hundred or so 30mm
shell caseings, and a strange atena flipper, or something. The
case looked like a dead end, which wouldn�t be too unreasonable
considering the ADP�s record. But Leon was very upset with the way
things were looking for the refashioned Advanced police�s first
case. If they didn�t make some headway soon, their grant might be
revoked, and Leon seriously doubted that even the Knight Sabers
could handle the entire city by themselves.
"So, what�s your therory McNichol. Talk to me. �Cause I got
at least two dozen or so airport investors and government officals
who want a good reason we can�t even control a level three incident
with the fire power we been equiped with. It�s what you and the
boy�s wanted right, �bigger and badder guns�, so what the fuck?"
the chief said more calmly than he was aware of. Leon was loosing
patience with this guy already, and the new chief had only been
there a month. Sure he was with the team during the political
roller coaster following the Boomer Revolution, but that kind of
thing came with the teritory, and Leon was far from respecting the
guy as much as his former boss. Leon stood and placed his hands
firmly on the cheifs desk, stareing him square in the eyes.
"My therory cheif? My therory is that there is indeed another
vigalate group in Mega Tokyo at this time. My therory is that the
Knight Sabers engaged this group at the airport, which ended in a
draw since there were no bodies found. Unless the surviviors took
the bodies with them, and my therory is that if you want us to
catch the guys before we loose whatever creditabilty we still have,
that in the future you make sure we have the oppurtunity yo use our
�bigger and badder� guns. " Leon said stirnly. The cheif knew
Leon was refering to the traffic that held up the ADP units, and
ignored the statement, snobishly removing his glasses with a grin.
"McNichol, I feel it would be in the best interest of the ADP
if you did not work on this case. " he said through a laugh. Leon
lost his composier and slammed his hands flat on the table.
"What...." Leo said frankly but loudly. The cheif sat back
down before table in his large leather seat, covertly retreating
from Leon�s humbling gaze.
"Simply put, Detective McNichol. I feel you�re to close to
this case. You�ve worked on every case concerning the Knight
Sabers. " he started. Leon interupted promtly before the shit
became to thick to swallow. His mind was burning with the fear
GENOM had sunk it�s fangs deeping into the ADP�s tired hide.
"That�s exactly why I should be on this case ,Cheif! I have the
most experience with the Knight Sabers, so I would best be able to
follow whatever leads may be left behind!"
"I don�t think so McNichol. " the man said tossing a file at
least an inch thick on the desk between Leons arms. The folder hit
the table with a thud that sounded almost insulting to the already
angered Leon. Daley lifted up the heavy wallet of information and
flipped through a few of its pages.
"Whats this?" the man said tossing back his red hair. The
cheif smiled and looked staight into the Detectives eyes.
"It�s your case file. For both of you. " the cheif said
smiling even wider. Leons contempt was growing every second now,
and cut his eyes wildly to his records. "You two work on alot of
cases together don�t you, I�m surprised you�re not partners. But
we all know what happens to partners, don�t we Leon?" Leons
clenched a fist tight in anger. "Anyway, it is true you have the
most experience Leon, but lack results. You have never caught and
barely gotten a glimpse of the Knight Sabers you say you know so
well. I feel, heh, the counsil feels, that new blood should be
brought into these investagations. But to be a good sport, you can
choose whomsoever you want to investegate this, anyone at all. So
that you can pick the people who you feel, in your experience, will
have the most luck catching the Knight Sabers and this new group
you speak of. "
Daley finally choose to speak on their behalf.
"Catch the Knight Sabers? Must the Cheif be reminded how many
times the Knight Sabers have saved this city? Not to mention the
very building you�re sitting in?!!"
The Cheif answered in the sarcastic wit he had been displaying
all morning.
"Must I remind the Detective that the Knight Sabers, whatever
tasks they serve, still work outside the law. Several of their
previous engagements ahd no emplyers we could trace them back to,
and that equal vigalatyism that we simpl can not have. Our job is
not to just follow the rules we like or feel are just, leave that
to the buracrats, we just do as we�re told. Now, catch all these
armours before their next tangle comes around and more heads roll!
You�re dismissed!"
This morning had seemed more cruel than any other Sylia could
remember. Although she had not lost much sleep over the battle
prior her 2:00 AM rest time, the dreams that plauged her drowsy
thoughts are what worried her. Most would have called them
nightmares, but the horrifing visions that came to Sylia on a
regular basis she found much more interesting. The peaceful
notions seemed more false than the idea of demons chasing you to
your open grave. The girls had left that night tired and worried.
Worried that they may finally be facing their demons dressed in
advanced combat armour. And they had a right to be, for that very
thought was what made the Ironangels such a frightening concept to
Sylia. It was like seeing a darker but destined future for the
Knight Sabers that she had been afraid to except. With a huff,
Sylia made fists with her hands and began her first Kata. It had
been a while since she had practiced her techniques, mostly due the
intense programing schedule Dr. Geary had arranged for her in
Germany. Mabe he knew that the thing Sylia hated most was waiting
or having nothing to do at the time, for even though she could
handle it nearly meditivly, it gave what she despised the most,
time to simply �think�. Not about a job or the equipment but on a
purely emotional level. Emotions troubled her in their unlogistic
nature, especially her own. Now breaking her normal ritual of
coffee and a look of the city, Sylia was sweating and punching the
air in poetic series of steps and motions. Lost in the fighting
ballet, she did not even notice Mackie as he entered the training
room. At the top level of the shop, the room had the a mirror
image of the living room only lacking funiture and was covered by a
large mat. Mackie approached with his bare feet behind his sister,
who seemed lost in the training she had not done in so long. As
each step met the canvis he prayed a Kata would not turn her into
his trail, and raised his hand shoulder height.
" Yeeeeaaaaaaahhhh!!!" Mackie screamed as he lept toward Sylia
like a pouncing cat. Sylia was not as unawares as he thought she
was, and slid out from underneath Mackies little prank. Crashing
to the canvis, Mackie moaned in laughing disappiontment. " Man
sis�, do you ever lighting up?" Sylia noticed him as she left the
mat and reached for a towel hanging from the wall.
"When I can afford to Mackie. You should learn as much. "
Sylia said. Mackie pouted as Sylia walked up and sat down in front
of him. " I�ve been thinking about last night Mackie. There�s
some conection were�re missing. What was it last night that might
give us some clue?"
"Well, you can give up on the servaliacne cameras and
recorders. I spent all morning hacking around the ADP and Tokyo
airport database�s. All that info was melted and wiped out when
the power surgers the ADP found conected to the mainframe and
generators blew out the systems�n power. All that data is gone. "
Mackie replied sitting in a indian stance and ajusting the shorts
and T-shirt he was wearing. Sylia placed her fingers on her chin
and shook her head.
"Well, that explains how they got away last night and covered
their tracks, but it�s still not what I�m thinking about. "
Suddenly Sylia snapped up her head and punched her palm. She
turned to Mackie with a look on her face as if to say she had just
realized the cure for Cancer and took his shoulders. "That�s it!
The names! They went by their names last night!" she exclamed and
lead Mackie out of the room by his hand. Sylia rushed up to the
neighboring livingrooms computer and sat down and the command pad.
Typing away at the keys with driven enthousiasm, Sylia brought up
the known articals concerning Newtech Interprises. Mackie stood
puzzled.
" What are you doing sis�? So they used their real names, big
deal, so do we. That�s no lead. "
Sylia shook her head and brought up the artical in the issue of
Programing Generation Nene had mentioned the night before. In it
was a list of all the most decorated, reknown, and important
members of the Newtech staff in it�s New York headquarters. Sylia
began to leaf through the different evaluations as she consulted
Mackie.
" It was when Nene said it last night that it began to click in
my head. The name �Brian�. According to the Ironangels story
posted on the Net, Newtech were the ones consulted days prior the
involvement of the Ironangels in the supposed Raish incedent. What
if it was more than just a coincedence. " Sylia stopped a moment
to gather her thoughts further. " During the fight, one of the
Ironangels mentioned the name Brian. If Newtech and the Ironangels
are really involved in some way, I thought it may have some
connection. Then I remembered that Nene had actually showed me
that issue of Programing Generation so I could see some �super
hunk� she found in the pages. -" At that moment the picture of man
around Sylia�s age if not a little older appered on the screen and
Sylia stopped. He was of a strong build and had light brown-blond
hair. Cutting green eyes seemed to bring the most life to his
otherwise casual apperance. Thats when Sylia read the name along
with a astonished Mackie.
" Brian Otaka, owner and president of Newtech Enterprises and
related firms. Twenty-six and single
multi-billionare Brian Otaka made the company what it is
today. A regestered Genius and computer Guru without compare, some
say he is what Bill Gates was to Microsoft and Quincy is to GENOM.
"
Mackie and Sylia sat and stood back in uncertain relief. This
had giving them a lead worth following, what little merit it truly
had, but still no ties that would have suggested how the Ironangels
had the most frightening weapon they could think of, the identities
of the Knight Sabers.
"Thats some good work sis�, but it still leaves a lot of
questions. If this Otaka guy did indeed hire the Ironangels to
come after us, it still doesn�t explain how the Ironangels know who
we are. I mean, it was as if they expected to meet us the way they
were talking. " Mackie said in retrospect. Sylia nodded.
"Even I don�t make all our business arrangements personally
Mackie. Maybe the Ironangels have a contractor that�s selling
information along with jobs. Otaka wouldn�t have that kind of info
on us, not likely any how. Who might know so much about-" Sylia
cut short mid-sentence and looked to Mackie in shock. Mackie
grinded his teeth and nodded in agreement, he knew who she was
thinking of.
"Fargo..."he bellowed. Sylia pulled up her Gi�s sleeve had
snatched a phone angerly from near by. Mackie fell to his rear
shaking his head. "Can�t trust anyone these days..." he moaned.
Sylia looked to her brother with chilled eyes. This was not how
she had planned her return home.
" Bad move Toni, you�re smarter than this. " Brian said.
Janes just shyed away from the viewscreen and sat back in her car
seat. Tossing back her hair as she unpinned it, Toni Janes�
apperance changed from a hardcore office type to beautiful well
dressed woman. She ajusted her small framed glasses and looked at
Brian again.
"I�m part of the Commitee, Brian. A counsil of memebers. I
voted against this attack and the way it was being carried out. I
was just overuled. " Janes answered. Brian looked her pixiled
image on his own viewer and could still see the truth in her eyes.
Moaning to himself Brian nodded.
"I�m sorry Toni, this whole thing must have me thinking
stupid. " he apoligized.
"Problably becuase someone has manipulated you for a change. "
Janes answered with a small laugh. Brian smiled falsely.
"Problably. Listen, I can�t be playing these games right about
now. Let the counsil know I�m dropping out of the loop for a while
with everything but you. The next time I contact them will most
likely be with bad news, so have them ready for action please. "
"Sure, sure Brian, but what about the Knight Sabers. You may
have lived in Tokyo as a kid, but you haven�t been there in over
four years. They have the �home court advantage� if you will. "
Janes said with what would�ve been mistaken as concern. Brian put
her hesitations to rest.
"I�m not going to take revenge upon Zone Corp. first of all.
Heh, they wouldn�t be able to handle my kind of spite. They were
just pawns and had no choice in the matter. The Knight Sabers were
part of the reason I came here, so I�m ready for them. Needless to
say the Commitee�s little stunt may have gummed up the works a
bit. "
Toni decided not to adress a subject that she could see Brian
was tring to avoid, the reason he needed to see the Knight Sabers.
She felt she owed him that much. However, as the car was in
silence for a while after the last words were spoken, she began to
think of other things that she felt should be discussed. Quickly,
as if to slide it into conversation, Janes brought up the
relationship that Brian and her had had years before. It was a
delacate subject, one that wasn�t danced around, but hard on the
tungue. During that time Brian had no idea of the Commitee or that
Janes was a pat of it, just that she was a lovely lady that he met
at a conveniance store late at night. For him, the entire idea of
moonlight walks on the beach and romantic dinners was alien. Even
though many of the woman he encountered said he was god made flesh
and a real prince charming, he denied the thought. Toni, to him,
was something truly speacial. A woman that was like a message from
heaven saying it was OK to love and live a normal life, and for a
while, Brian bought into that illusion. A older woman was so much
more stable then most of the others he met of the same age, and
gave him a partner that on all things he could speak of openly.
Even though he was by definition, �smarter� than Toni, she had a
none stop drive, wisdom, and elagance that was more than simply
attractive but intoxicateing. Toni saw things differently, as any
highly successful woman whole suddenly meets a mega rich man would
be. Brian was a dream to Toni. A younger man that swept her off
her feet with wine, passioned nights; all the things lovers dream
of but never quit get. Brian was always there for her. Never
working late at the office or out all hour of the night with his
buddys, just there to make her happy. The feeling she felt during
their romance was like a fairytale, unbeleaveable but undoubtable.
Never would they hurt one another. When an event transpired,
beyond ethier of their control, circumstances would tear them apart
silently. Both knew it was over without it even being said, and
for the first time their conection seemed to work against them.
Brian ignored Toni as she asked him if he ever truly loved her.
Not really ignored, but refused to hear. He knew that she was
aware his feelings for her were unreasonably strong, and that he
would forever be in her service. But to say he loved her he felt
would cheapen that, and he was never sure himself. Janes snorted
without surprise to his reaction, and bid him a heart felt
fairwell. Kissing her hand and placing it on the monitor screen.
Brian, thousands of miles away, did the same.
"I will redeem myself Toni. This thing I�m in may be the
greatest threat to the world since mankind itself, and I have to
stop it. But I�m going to have to take care of some things here
first. " he said quickly as he saw her reaching for the dash ofher
car. Toni paused before she killed the transmission , and decided
to respond to his words. With a smile of ruby red lips, she spoke
to him in a tone so passionate it was ment to drudge up all those
memories from long ago. She always felt driven to make him feel
apin even though she hated it.
"You should redeem yourself to no one Brian, rather your father
to you. Your real father. What happened that day was his doing.
Please don�t deny yourself for him. "
Otaka fought the sinking of his will so he could speak one
final time.
" I am of tainted blood Toni. I should have never let it spill
on to you, all I ask is for your forgiveness. " he said pressing
his hand more firmly against the screen. Toni snatched her palm
away as if it was burned by his words.
"Well Brian, you ask for what I can�t provide. " the
transmission went dead. . Brian watched blindly as the screen
before turned to snow. With a flick of his wrist he made the
screen silent and black, and spun to stare at the darkness before
him. With no windows in his lengthy room, the morning sun had yet
to grace him, and the only light came from under the crack of his
door. The red sea of doubt seperated before him as Brian walked
toward the milky haze, and yet again he made the unconfortable
Exodus back into himself.
"To hell with all of�em, I say!" said Priss to herself stareing
into her bathroom reflection, still griping about the �draw� battle
the night before. Like all mornings, Priss found herself battleing
her forever tangling hair. Sometimes she actually conviced herself
that some little gremlin snuk up and tied it into knots while she
was sleeping at night. Priss�s comb tore free from her head with a
painful poping sound. "Dammit!!" she screamed clasping one hand on
her scalp. Angerly Priss tossed the comb onto her bathrooms
counter, which mockingly slid into the sink, and decided to
continue her battle after a nice hot shower. Throughing her
T-shirt and panties to the tiled floor, Priss turned on and tested
the water with her hand. As she became satisfied with the
temperature Priss noticed the small scab at the roof of her
breast. She groaned, remembering the Ironangel-punch that pierced
her metal hide last night. She new it wouldn�t scar, for scaring
was a trait her body had not taken kindly to, and of all the wounds
she had recieved in battles-and they were many- was the inch long
one that ran up the middle of her belly. The small reminder of
Largo�s legacy reflected roughly through the mirrored walls of
Priss�s mind. How Anri, and even more painfully, Sylvie, died at
his cold synthskinned hands. Even though Priss was the one who
actually sent the electrified spike through Sylvie�s chest, she had
always blamed the red eyed Largo for the event and forever would.
Stepping in the shower Priss became so relaxed she just wanted to
go back to sleep again. But in order to sing the night tunes she
did each or every other night, she required a day of soaking up the
Megatokyo smog and street swine. This in effect, needed a shower
prior, so that the dirt and filth could more acturatlly be felt on
her body and the curses heard in her ears.
When the cleaning process was over, Priss walked from the tiny
tub of her trailer and into the combined
liveingroom/kitchen/bedroom of it�s confines. From their she bent
over with the towel wrapped tightly around her body and snatched a
carton of eggs from her frigg. The TV which had also served as an
alarm clock was still on, broadcasting the news as always. The
reporter was a atrative woman nearing thirty seven or so, but a
series of surgions kept that from being at all appairent.
"In more local news, the Megatokyo airport was attacked late
last night by a group of deguised combat boomers wearing
synthskin. The nature of the attack suggests terroristic ties, and
nearly cost the life of Ministor Soto and his family who had just
returned from a conference in northern Europe. The senator was
able to give his opinions on the scene. " The screen changed to a
on the scene taping taken the past night while the ADP were still
moving in the terminal. The bruised and dirtied Minestor was
holding his family protectivly in his arms as he spoke. Priss
huffed at the realisation she hadn�t even noticed all the media
vans at the airport last night.
" -It was terrible. All my personal guards and countless other
lost their lives in that place while those monsters stormed around!
I�m just thankful that a trio of brave citizens and the Knight
Sabers were able to help us before those_____ killed us as well! If
those brave people are watching this broadacst, I ask that you get
in touch with me at my estate so you may be properly rewarded for
your efforts to save my family and myself. " the large asian man
hugged his wife and daughter tighter while kissing them each on the
heads. The screen flicked back the reportor who reacted as if
caught off guard. Priss snorted and tossed four of the five eggs
in her hands into a pot of boiling water sittin on the stove. "The
ADP however say there is still no evidence to support the
intervention of the Knight Sabers or another armoured group who
were said to be seen at the scene. More on this during tonights
news, this Kim SanWong, reporting..."
"I just can�t do this Leon! From dispatcher to gold sheild?! I
don�t know the first thing about detective work!" the woman said as
Leon and Daley dragged her along to meet her new tempoary partner.
Daley shrugged as he held onto her hand yanked her down the ramp to
the Heavy Equipment workshop.
"Come on Nene, it�s just for this one case. You ain�t signing
yourself to a lifetime service of investigation, only being
commishioned to Detective until this one little�ol case is solved.
" he said with a unsettling smile. Nene continued to whine and
object.
"But why me!?!?" she cried as other passing ADP officers who
past and laughed at them.
" The chief wasn�t to happy about it either. But you�re are
the only person in this place who Leon really trusts as much as
me. "
"If not more so..." Leon intergected with a disarming humor.
"Besides, we had a deal. " Daley continued as if Leon had
never spoken. "We each choose a cop for this case so that we have
to people who could reflect our dedutive capabilities and have a
better chance of getting it solved. " Nene gave a defeated look as
they entered the noisey and active dwelling of the ADP techies.
Leon began a march toward a corner of the garage-like surroundings
to where a man lay underneath an elevated K-13 AT torso, tinking
and tapping away at the machines normally unseen parts. Leon
arched an eyebrow as he heard the man call out for some more
leverage on the trooper�s massive component. The voice sounded
vagly fimiliar to one from Leon more recent past.
" Hey, is that you Saul ?!?" Leon said unsurely. Only the mans
legs and and lower torso were showing, which was wearing a oily and
dirtied navy blue jumper.
"Are you a woman?" the man replied from under the mecha suit.
Daley and Nene shared confused looks. Leon laughed and played
along; The first bit of fun he had all day.
"No, but I got a nice one with me!" he replied.
"Aww, that�s good enough I suppose, but I really liked your
voice. " the man said as he slid out from under the K-13 and sat
up. The man was of medium build and looked to be in his early
twenties. His skin was rich, as if were forever tanned and he had
long black hair he had pulled into a clumsy ponytail. His eyes
were so light blue they could easily be mistaken for gray, and
complemented his featured face nicely. Nene took a quick gasp of
breath from astonishment, he was fairly cute one. She looked
perplexly at Daley as he did the same. Leon and Saul laughed
loudly and clasped hands in a endless masculine ritual.
"Long time no see, man! I thought you had dropped off the face
of the earth! Still a wise ass I see!" Leon laughed.
"Only way to be! I was just transferred here from LA ADP, they
said they need experienced and able bodies to test out Detective
McNichols new K-13 troop here in Mega�. I transffered right away!
I would have called you, but we didn�t exactally exchange numbers
while we getting busy with the ladies in LA. So...." Saul lead
off. Daley raised his hand slghtly to gain attention.
"Excuse me Leon, you know this guy?" he asked. Leon turned to
him with a smile on his face.
"Yeah, over in the States, they asked me to speak to normal
cops who were being commishioned to the new ADP branch. I met
Preacher there during the lame party afterwards and we hit a few
bars together! I tell you, you are talking to LA�s equivenlent to,
well, me!" he answered. "This is your choice Daley?! I�m surprised
with your fine taiste in recruits. I would have picked Saul if I
knew he were here!"
Nene bit her tougue and spoke up.
"Pardon me guys, I hate to bust up your party, but do you thik
you could aquaint me with my new...partner..." she said. Leon
apologized and lead Saul over to Nene.
" Saul Preacher, I�d like you to meet-"
"Nene Romanova, 21 years old, Dispatcher moved to Detective
rank as of this morning. Am I right?" the man said. Nene gulped
and Saul nodded. "I checked you out earlier, for other reasons
than the job. I�m quit happy to have such lovly company. " Saul
spoke, taking Nene�s hand and kissing it gently. Nene tried to
speak but her increasing breath rate made it impossible. Leon gave
Saul a quick elbow to the ribs with a smile.
"You bastard, you can still charm the paints off any girl...."
Leon muttered into his ear. Saul smiled widly and turned his head
toward him.
"Course Leo�, unlike you, I can�t stand going without one for
years at a time. . "
"You seem angery Sylia. " Fargo said. Sylia looked at the man
behind her dark shades, trying to off route her rage by thinking
about the wind dancing through her hair.
"I don�t have much reason to smile Fargo. Do you think you
have something to tell me, or must we continue to play this little
game of yours. " she said coldly. The docks were the meeting
place this time around. Sylia remembered the times that Fargo had
picked a drive-in movie and a feries wheel as meeting places when
he was blataintly trying to suduce her. Needless to say he had
failed. The Knight Sabers code dictated that none of the members
become involved with men, and although Linna suceeded very well at
turning it into a joke more than a rule, Sylia was still trying to
hold true. Besides, even though Fargo�s attempts were always
secretly apprieated by Sylia, he never even dented the emotional
barracade she had forged around herself. The docks were open and
somewhat peaceful this early in the morning, but just to be safe
Sylia had still choosen a place that ran close the remains of Aqua
city, which had been comdemed until it could be properly
dismanteled. Fargo smiled and snorted quietly under his breath,
amazed but not at all shocked.
"There�s just no fooling you Sylia, I told him that from the
start. I think he knows as a matter of fact, but doesn�t seem to
care obviously. " Fargo replied scratching the back of his raggedy
mess of hair, uncombed and wild. Sylia became demanding.
" Who, . . Fargo? Lay it all out on the table right now
before it�s too late. " Fargo seemed insulted, and struck back
slightly upsetted
"�Before it�s too�- what?! Are you saying you are actually
ready to kill me over this?!" Sylia didn�t answer the question
derectly, her face unyeilding and her shaded eyes darkly menacing.
Even in her own mind she wasn�t sure is she could make good on her
threat, but she more than capable of making him think so.
" Who?, Fargo. That�s two..." Fargo swallowed hard and ajusted
the tie of his gray suit nerviously.
" I don�t know who exactly....honest. But whoever it was
represented a very influental group that no one wanted to make
angry. Ever hear of the Ironangels?" Sylia�s heart skipped a beat,
but she concealed it under a carfully trained and motionless
exprestion. She nodded and said:
"Of course, the old american wives tales to scare off people
like me. Are you saying you were being commishioned by a myth?"
Fargo�s eyes became more serious than Sylia had ever seen before.
She stood firm as he spoke again.
" I assure you Miss Stingray, that the Ironangels are quite
real and very interested in you. "
"Nonsense. You know full well that me and my crew are the only
ones with suits capable of the tasks the Ironangels are said to
perform. "
"Not so. The Ironangels suits are based on the Hyperboomer
design, the guys you fought upon the Tinsel City Bank a year ago,
remember?. Their components were modular, so the Ironangels just
expanded and modified their frames to encompss a human being. The
rest of the suits design remains highly classified from me, but my
informant was quite straight forward with at least that much
information. He said that you would ask exactly that question as a
matter of fact. " Fargo said awkwardly. The man tilted his head a
little and glared at Sylia questioningly. "As a matter of fact, he
predicted most of what you�ve done so far. The anger, the
questions about the technology,....the threat on my life. " Sylia
was unshaken by Fargo�s words, rather, concerned. How well did
this guy know her and her team anyway? To know not only their
personal histoies but their past and present emotional states as
well? Sylia became aware she was intangled in a very large web, and
was afraid the spider would come down the well before she found out
what was going on. Fargo had seemed to have the answers so far,
and she decided to carry the drama a bit further before she cut him
loose. " Were you involved with this guy by any chance? A
relationship?" Sylia smuthered a laugh. The question seemed
perversly out of place. Her she was worried about her life and
those of her friends and Fargo about how well his chances for
getting down her paints still stood.
"No. " she said flatly. " I�m as surprised as you are. But
you�re still on the hook until you give me reason to trust you
again, so don�t dare try and stare m down. " Fargo smiled and
turned his eyes to the sea and saltly winds around them.
"Just so you know Sylia, I didn�t voluteer any information to
this guy, he told me everything. I don�t even know why he
contacted me really. The only thing he requested was that I clear
all the jobs you may have lined up already, every one. That�s it,
I swear. " Sylia looked into his face for a long time, and then
cracked a false smile to sooth his grief.
"It�s okay Fargo, I beleave you. Did you close all the jobs
like he asked?"
" Yes, it seemed the right thing to do at the time. " he
replied. Sylia lowered her head in thought for a moment, placing
her fingers at her chin.
"It problably was. Thanks Fargo, don�y loose any sleep over
this, yet. " Fargo seemed discontent as Sylia started back toward
her car near by.
"Hey Sylia, this won�t hurt our relationship will it?" Sylia
opened the door.
"What?" The outrightness of it startiling.
"Um, well, you know, our personal relationship. " he
sardonicly muttered, showing a meek pair of eyes. Sylia groaned,
leaning behind the car door�s window to conceal it. She stood
back up to toss the man a solid face that was uniform to her.
" You�re incredible Fargo, I�ll see you later. " Sylia�s car
started up with a pure, and pulled out into the empty highway.
Fargo huffed and lifted a celluliar phone from his pocket. He
pressed in a knewly learned number and waited a single ring before
he was answered.
" Hello. Yeah it�s me. She�s on your trail now, I hope you
know what you�re doing. Yeah, OK. They won�t be injured will
they? Well I think it is my concern. Yes. Alright, I�ll take care
of that personally. Is that all you want from me? Very well then,
good bye. " Fargo hung up the phone with a press of a button, and
growled down at it with contempt. With the same emotion he hurled
it toward the crashing sea before him. Lossing sight of it in the
sun�s glare well before it even hit the water. "Damn, how self
serving ..." he said to himself, and headed back toward his own
vechile parked nearby.
"You really have a snitch down here?, I thought that you
weren�t into detective work?" Saul said with a arched eyebrow.
Nene giggled to support her lie and wipped a beed of sweat from her
brow.
" Well Preacher, I have helped Daley and Leon out on a number
of occasions. I have plenty of contacts you know, from the old
days growing up on the murderious streets of Megatokyo. " her web
becoming more tangled. Saul turned the ADP car though an easy turn
that lead to one of the cities many canyons that had been renovated
into slums and streets. The vechile was a sweat cherry red to make
it look more comercial, but most of the street people had already
learned it�s design and could idenify it as a cop�s. Most of the
people walking past looked as if they should be attending a high
school class room instead of crowding the sidewalks. Numerious
call girls, dealers, and bums drifted around like a carnival of the
damned, and Saul looked about with shallow eyes.
"I remember seeing streets like this, back when I was just a
pup. I was the only kid I knew who had both my original parents,
if any. My friends either idolized or resented my good furtune,
but in the end we were all on the same boat, floating about in the
world our elders left us and expected to fix. Heh, what a joke. "
Nene looked around the streets quickly, so adapted with them
they no longer held much spiritual meaning for her. Courioous
about Saul�s disposition, she asked him:
"Were did you grow up Saul? You seem very nastalgic suddenly.
"
"Me? Oh, I grew up in the Big Apple, New York. " he answered,
beeping the horn in a attempt to force the trafic forward. Nene
sat up atentively.
"New York? Wow, it�s hard to picture a prestine place like New
York ever being a area of crime and slums. " Saul cast a
mormortive smile to her.
"Oh, well this was before the Race Wars of 2021, when everyone
got the shit out of there heads and decided to work together for a
change. Alot of people died, but at least in the aftermath the
suffering came to an end, and New York became a concrete paridise
pretty much. " Nene gave a knowing nod and pointed toward a nearby
street. Saul turned the car smoothly and parked in front of the
club Nene had designated. Killing the engine, Saul leaned out the
window and looked contently at the Tubelight leg hanging above the
doorway. The open door only showed a staircase leading down, so he
guessed the club was mostly subterrainien. Nene began to get out
of the vechile and Saul followed, giving a faint double whistle at
the docoration. As the ADP officers entered the misty confines of
the club, they noticed the street life and gang colors that seemed
to infest it, and thanked their lucky stars they had bothered to
change into more street going outfits. Saul was in a long hanging
black leather jacket, with a green sleavless shirt and loose
fitting blue jeans. Nene was more noticable than her partner,
wearing a bright yellow jumper, a hot pink miniskirt with black
speedos underneath, and a white T-shirt that looked as if it had a
bunny on it. Although the shades she was wearing helped through
the whole thing off. The brown interior of the club seemed
fitting, with the ciggerate smoke clouds looming in the air and
beers being slid down the lenghty bar. There were a few eatting
tables scattered around the place with two or three seats at each,
but the real attraction was obiviously the dance floor and stage,
which seemed the take up the larger portion of the entire room.
The balcony outlined the upper walls, and was for the upperclass
that liked to occationally drink in the mindless marryment of the
lowerclass beneath.
"She said that she�d be here today, tuning the equipment or
something..." Nene said, removing her shades and clapping them shut
like a TV spy. Saul cast a tired glance around the room.
"It might help if you tell me who you�re looking for. I
beleave that�s part of the whole �partner� thing. " he said.
Nene gave him a tolerateing look.
"Don�t be so edgy, I�m sure she�s around. But if you must know
her name is Priss Asagiri. "
"Present..." answered a silver voice. Priss was wearing what
looked like a white colared shirt that was being held together by a
safety pin as she walk up from behind them She had on black form
fitting jeans and a backwards GENOM baseball cap that had �sucks�
written after it. There was grease on her chin from bike work
earlier and a box of drum parts under her arm. Sauls eyes widened
as Nene began to speak to her.
"Priiiiiiiss! Long time no see! How�s things?" the red head
spoke happily. Priss made a face wraked with confusion.
"Well, I�m still a little sore from last night bu-"
"Goooood! Well, I�ve been commishoned to Detective to solve
that case about the airport last night, and Saul here�s been
comishoned to help me. Say �hello� Saul" Nene interupted. Saul
glanced at her and fufilled the request.
"Hello Saul..." he said. Priss gave a small smile and extended
a hand toward him, but Nene tossed an arm over Priss�s shoulder and
pulled her away before Saul could grasp it with his own. Priss
felt like she was being pushed around and asked what was going on.
Nene smiled widly.
" As I saying before, me and that guy have been made Detectives
for this case concerning the events at the airport. Who did it,
why they did it etc. " Nene whispered. Priss narrowed her eyes.
"So what the hell does that have to do with me...?" she asked
in suspecting tone. Nene smiled again.
"Well, don�t Detectives have snitches?" Priss made a face and
sent her arm over Nene�s shoulder, which became more like a head
lock. Priss glared at her comrade as dozens of eyes about the room
focused in on them.
"Nene...I now that you�re fairly naive about these things so
I�ll let you off the hook this time and lt you in on something. "
Priss pulled Nene closer and whispered in her ear, softy but
undeniably strong. " The people down here, they hate snitches, and
considering my job is a rather social one, I can�t be seen spooning
out information to some rockie Dic and her partner...Ya� hear me?"
Nene frowned and nodded reluctantly, Priss gave a smile and patted
Nene on the head as if she had just preformed a trick. The two of
them walked back to Saul who was distracting himself with two young
women that receantly entered the club. As Nene came close and
opened her mouth to speak to him he beat her to the punch.
" Let me guess, she dosen�t know anything or she won�t talk to
ya�...?" he said confedently, chewing on a freshly mouthed piece of
gum. Nene shugged with a defeated face and ajusted her skirt.
Saul nodded without suprise. "It�s a tuff place down here, I was
shocked when you said that you knew anyone that would just spoon
out info like that. " Nene�s face became a bright red, and Priss
could have sworn that she saw heated vapor spout from her ears.
With a finger stiffly pointed between his eyes, Nene began to let
Saul have it.
" And what have you done so far?!! This is your first case too
you know?!! What do you know that I don�t?!! This is your first
week in Megatokyo for christ�s sake!" the red head flared.
"You�re right Nene. " Saul answered, looking her in the eye.
"I don�t know the first thing about this sort of work as you call
it, but I do know people, and with people you have to expect a �my
ass first� attitude. Besides, I don�t think we should start here
anyway. " Nene paused her anger for a moment to her the man
through. Priss came closer to the conversation warily. Normally
the vary sight of a cop would make her stomach turn, and she had
good reason, but something about this Saul guy intrigued her. It
was as if they had shared something very intamite in the past. His
very voice struck some key of fimiliarality in her mind. " Let�s
assume the attack wasn�t some random occurance, and that there was
a pacific target in mind. The Knight Sabers and some other group
was brought into it in the end, so we can�t dis-count the idea it
was to lure them out into the open, nor can we forget the Minister
was present, so it may have been a assassination attempt gone
sour. I think we should start on this knew group everyone said was
their, the Ironangels, and look for leads their. After all, in the
end, it�s our job to try and catch all of them....unfortunatly..."
Priss�s eyes grew wide, but she stowed the look away quickly before
her shock was noticed.
" Um, Saul, right?" Priss asked. The man nodded with a smile.
"Did you say you were suppose to catch all the persons involved,
including the Knight Sabers?" Saul hesitated before he spoke, as if
the words were weights he had to coff up instead of speak.
" Yea, the dick-head cheif�s orders. The bastard..." Priss
fired a look Nene�s way that she tried to avoid with one of her
well practiced cute faces. Saul noticed the reaction but choose to
ignore it. " I�ve only heard of the Knight Sabers mind you, maybe
seen a recording here and there, but from what I know their
remarkable. I wouldn�t mind banging each and every one of them-"
Saul suddenly remembered his company and tried to follow it with
his manners. "-you know, uh, in the figuretive sense- I�m
sorry..." he folded in shame. There was a sound outside. One that
wasn�t alien in Megatokyo, the sound of an explosion. There were
some screams outside, and like moths to a flame the club cleared as
everyone ran outside to check it out. Priss, Nene, and Saul were
at the front of the crowd that formed along the sidewalk. As the
noise of chaos and destruction neared the corner of the street
ahead, Nene heard the ADP band beep from the car. She ran over to
it as the several loud explosions cracked throught he sky again.
Unlocking and opening the door, Nene switched the band to speaker.
Naoko�s voice rode clearly through the car and the nearby street.
" All units in the Minato ward area, boomer incident reported
along National Road 15 headed west. Reportedly chasing a terquoise
green van with two occupants. Intercept and hold until second unit
can make contant. Second unit should reach Minato area in about
ten minuetes..."
"That�s right up the damn street!" Priss called out. Nene
looked up for a moment as Saul neared the car. A terquoise green
van...she thought before a another explosion sent small bits of
shrapnel across her neck.
"Shit,shit,shit..." Saul muttered as the reported van screached
around the end of the street, speeding down toward them. Like a
metalic spetare of death, a red combat boomer came around the
corner as well, firing a laser bolt from it�s mouthes assembly.
Saul crashed himself against Nene�s back as the bolt dashed by,
searing the elavated car door in half. The freed peice of steel
frailed across the sidewalk, over the ducking adeiances heads and
bending a street light into a battered bannana form. . Nene
moaned and looked to her partner, who promtly lifted his up
slightly. Nene blushed.
"Sa-, Saul? What are you doing?!" she said she felt his fingers
caress her buttocks. He said nothing, but instead tossed her into
the drivers seat. The van dashed by as quickly as it had appeared,
the boomer right on it�s tale. Nene started the engine, and peeped
a small scream of alarm as Priss lept in the back. "And what are
you doing?!" she asked. Priss drew two odd looking peices of steel
from her pockets. When she clacked them together it became
apparient it was a gun.
" That was Linna. We gotta move. " she said more calmly than
she was aware. Nene didn�t question twice, pulling the car out in
reverse and flooring it after the boomer.
"A friend of yours?" Saul questioned as the cars speed
continued to increase, the neelde reaching 90 mph.
"You could say that. " Priss answered, surprised the man
hadn�t ordered her imidiate leave of the vechile. The chase was a
straight away at this point, unwavering and just a run of speed.
In the canyon-like edges of the fault line, traffic was never too
tight, and it was proven as Nene squieled past the few automated
obsticals that presented themselves.
"There they are..."Priss offered as she cocked her weapon. The
boomer was apparently running low on fuel by how slow it was
moving, the only reason they guessed ehy it hadn�t caught up to the
van already and changed it to blood ridden scrap. Saul reached
inside his jacket and pulled forth his weapon, the 44 mag.
Vengence revolver was a six shot cylinder, the standard for U. S.
ADP cops. Priss looked at the gun with shock. " What�s with the
hand cannon buddy, get�n ready for the apocalypse?!" she asked.
Saul gave her a look that was questioning.
"I might ask you the same thing ma�am, at least I can fire mine
with one hand..."
The boomer came along side the car, closer than any of the
group preffered. Priss called to Nene to add some distance between
them, but the high rate of speed made steering a deadly task that
Nene was still a novice at. The boomer turned it�s head to the
interlopers, it�s emotionless face cold and ragefull. Like a
cybernectic club, the boomers swung it�s arm through the cars one
good door, smashing the glass that dash upon Nene�s face and
landing on her lap. Saul grabbed the arm with limited strengh,
looking to Priss. Without hesitation Priss swung her gun to the
boomers head as Saul hauled it closer to car�s side, via it�s
limb. Clamping one hand over the top of the gun, Priss let one
10mm round enter the monsters head. There was a mechaninal scream
and the boomer pulled itself away, brown blood dashing the ADP
vechiles occupants. Wounded, the boomer fell back from it speed,
scrapping the pavement as it tried to regain its senses. Nene drew
up next to the van, finding that Priss was correct and that it was
indeed Linna�s. They could see a body flopping around in the back,
bloody and unconsious. Nene swallowed hard and screamed out the
window the car, but their speeds were so great it was like spitting
in the wind sideways. In a second attempt, Nene beeped the horn
and held it. Linna turned her head to see them, and beeped her
horn in return. Saul turned and looked behind them, seeing the
boomer coming back at them at full thrust. He snarled and lepted
in the back seat, all but crushing Priss and causing Nene to
swerve.
"What the fuck are you doing!!?" Priss screamed as Saul punched
out the back window with the hilt of his gun.
"Not bullet proof I see..." he muttered to himself . Priss had
already seemed to have gotten the picture and was firing at the
attacker behind them. Two shots rang out in the car, causing Saul
to cup his ears. The boomer buckled once, but quickly regained
control and continued to increase it�s speed. In front, Nene was
tring to communicate with Linna, mouthing �Where-are-you-going?�
and motioning to from her eyes to the road ahead. After some time,
Linna finally understood, and placed a hand under her shirt. Saul
and Priss continued firing, the boomer frailing side to side to
avoid the crippling shells. Suddenly, the boomer countered,
raising it�s arm and uncollasping its machine gun. It fired
maddly, spraying the back of the car with holes as Priss and Saul
ducked behind the seat. Nene screamed as the front windsheild was
holed, spiderwebbed, and exploded. The shards of glass forced her
to sheild her eyes with her arm. She yepled as the prickling
sensation came and left, and when she lowered her arm, she saw a
four door Toyota coming up at her. Nene gave the breaks a nudge
and turned the wheel hard. The squad car danced around the
civilian�s, tossing Saul and Priss into eachother. The boomer came
up upon the car, without half the amount of compassion. The driver
screamed as the car was quickly lifted and mangled at nearly ninty
miles per hour. The metal bent and whinned at the power of the
boomers hands, before the entire vechile exploded into a unbalanced
ball of flame. The wreckage was tossed onto the sidewalk,
scattering pedestrians everywhere. The boomer, having lost no
speed at all, opened it�s mouth. A lensed weapon appeared and
began to flicker with electric energy. Priss fired her gun a third
time to no prevail, the bullet entirly missing it�s mark. "Shit!"
Saul cried as the boomer fired it�s laser. At that same moment
Nene swerved the car right, onto another street. The laser cut
into the cars cabin, slicing the frame supports that held up the
roof on the left side. Priss fell upon Saul, crashing his head
into the rear seat�s arm rest. The boomer overshot the turn,
decending down the street alone.
"Damn it! I�m all out of clips guys!" Priss screamed, tossing
the gun to the floor. At that moment she felt something stirring
underneath her, moving up from the base of her belly, and brushing
her breast. Priss grinded her teeth, and sent Saul a solid blow to
the kidneys. He buckled, gagging on his own saliva, and coughed
tremendously. "What the hell do you think you�re touching pal!
Keep your hands to yourself!"
Saul raised up a second Vengence pistol, which he handed her
with as much of a smile as he could manage. This was certaily his
day for sexual enuendos.
"I was just tring to solve your problem Miss Asagiri, not
fondle ya�. " he said with a tear in his eye. Priss blushed a
little in embarisment before clicking back the hammer of the
revolver.
"Sorry. " Priss said. A word that did not come easy to her.
Saul waved away the apology as he reloaded.
"No worries, it�s not like the thought never crossed my mind.
"
The roof now buckling from the lack of support, sent
destracting bursts of wind into the faces of the occupants. Nene
began to pout and sniff, shell shocked from the whole experience.
Softly, like a ghost, she heard a sound. It resembled a horn, and
in a whirl of hope, she turned her head to Linna, who was still
speeding by her side. The view wasn�t what she expected, and Nene
thought it was hardly the time for jokes.
"What the hell kind of stunt is that! It�s not very impressive
unless you�re a lonely guy!" Nene screamed through the gap that
once held a door. Saul looked to see the woman referred to as
Linna holding her bra up for all to see. Her shirt was still on,
and he thought for a moment that Nene had a substantial point.
Priss crimbed over to Nene�s shoudler, placing her lips next to her
ear.
"You dumb shit, I think she�s tring to tell us to meet her at
Sylia�s shop! Bra, langerie, get it?" Priss cried loudly, nearly
cracking her voice. The wind in the car was so strong now, most
words were crushed into little more than a thought, and breathing
became a task that the three of them were learning to appreiate.
"Yeah, I got-" Nene began. She didn�t even see the parked cars
before her the ADP chaser was sent cork screwing to the ground.
The engine block darted from it�s housing as the nose grinded to
the ground. The sensation of flight and bone wreching pain of
colistion curled Priss into the floor of the car, nearly squeezing
her beneath the drivers seat and Saul into corner of the car rear
seat. The engine block flew above Priss�s head at blurring speeds,
and gashed a cut into Saul�s leg as it lauched itself across his
lap. The rear of the car was totally torn asunder, revealing the
battered interior and it�s passengers, while the engine crashed not
five feet for it�s previous host. The car, in the end, had found a
patch of sidewalk freshly cleared of pedestrians, and began to
burn. Priss moaned as the sent of oil and smoke clogged her lungs,
making her eyes tears and throat burn. Turning to Saul behind her,
she watched the man extend a hand out to her, and heave her from
the base of the seat, through casism that was once the rear, and
onto the sidewalk. Looking down upon her shirt, and feeling a damp
sensation she new all too well, she reconized the erie presence of
blood upon her. Saul hoisted his leg from the car with a grunt and
hit the ground with his shoulder as he collasped to the ground.
"Shit, that damn engine has a nasty bite. " he moaned with
less strain than Priss expected. She helped him to his feet as he
tried to stand.
"Are you okay pal�?"she asked, inwardly embaressed because she
still wasn�t sure of his name. Saul laughed lightly.
"I feel worse than I look. " He heard a moan, and looked to
the street behind them, were Nene lay nearly motionless. He called
her name, as a wolf howls it�s cry, and was by her side before
Priss had fully turned her head, leaving a trail of blood that she
followed. Saul gave her bleeding forehead a slight examination,
tring not to move it too generiously. "A concussion at best..." he
grumbled. Priss went to see for herself and then was stopped by a
sudden relization. Pulling the Vengence she had holstered in her
paints front, Priss pulled back the hammer with her thumb.
"Where�s the boomer...?" she asked retorically. Saul, looked
upquickly, almost concealing his panic totally. He felt his
holster for his gun but grasped nothing but flame warmed air. He
cursed as his nerves told him something was close, and search the
area wildly with his eyes. Priss did the same, seeing nothing but
crowding hoards, an ocassional speeding car, and the wavy haze left
by the influence of heat.
"Nothing"she thought. "Not a god damned thing. " Then, as if
to mock her, the boomer cushed it�s way through the neibhoring wall
with a explosive percussion. Fragments and peaices of concrete hit
her and Saul like shrapnel, stinging at their flesh like a thousand
inateamate wasps. The boomer opened it�s mouth to fire it�s laser,
but instead of firing a random burst, taking the time to aim. The
sensors of it�s eyes and mouth swung a clicked about like a dozen
tougues of a snake, and Priss raised her gun. Intervening in the
draw, the car exploded, Saul and Priss learning the hard way that
they were not at a safe distance. As Priss was tossed in the air,
her gun went off with the help of her ichty digit, and the boomer
half-spun from the force of the hollow pointed round. As the brown
blood ran, the laser discharged, melting the pavement above Nene�s
head. As close to the ground as he was, Saul did not travel far,
but to the side of his lost weapon. Pulling up the last reserves
of strengh he had and grapling the gun, he opened up on the metalic
villian before him. The cyberiod screamed and buckled as the
bullets crushed upon it�s armour, cracking it�s protective shell,
and then in a sudden light show, the rounds� fragments blew up
indented in the boomers atificial skin. Saul, smiled at the
bleeding robotic mess as the chest cavity fell from it�s body,
sending biomechanical gew about the ground. Priss looked up from
the dumpster she had landed in, and raised her new toy a second
time, fired. The bullet seemed to move in slow motion, so that
Priss could swear she�d seen every spin of it�s lentgh during it�s
entire trip to the boomer�s exposed battery core. The explosion
was stomached by the boomers broken body, and hurtled it into the
viewing window of a small langerie shpr near by. Priss blew out a
sigh and lept down from her metallic cradle. Rushing over to
Nene�s side, she saw that she had completely lost couniousness.
She cursed to herself, and looked to the street as the sounds of
sirens filled the blackened air. The yellow lights of the new ADP
flickered off the sides of the buildings in the distance, what
Priss felt was far from relief.
"Right off time boys. " she bothered to say aloud, before the
slight chuckle of a voice she had come to like a bit rang about in
her ear. Priss spoke to Saul who layed spalled about the street,
spread eagle, upon his back, while she subcouniously brushed to
hairs away from Nene�s face. "What�s with you?" she still didn�t
recall his name.
"This is right where I used to live. "he said. Priss crooked
her head to the side and asked a second question.
"Really, what do you mean by used to? Didn�t Nene say you just
moved here?" Saul pulled his weight to a standing position,
grapling at his aching wound.
"Well, back in the States the Sergion General once filed a
report stating apartments cunsumed in intense sering flame as major
cause of death for people who attempted to live in them. " he
pointed a bloody finger to the second floor apartment which was
roaring in flames. The shrapnel from the car�s explosion lighting
the bacheolor pad up like a match drawn across a dry oak desk. "At
least that�s what I heard. "
Nene was hoisted up upon a stretcher and placed carefully in
the ambulance by two medical personel while she moaned a series of
sentence fragments. The police were swarming the area, combing up
every clue and piece of evidence they could muster, trying to make
this the neatest case they had. Most of the ADP grunts were
mumbling about missing the action a second time and celibrating
that fact that this boomer had been brought down by a ADP cop at
the same time. This was the new ADP�s first filed kill, but some
found it laughable that it was done by some gijein cop from the USA
of all places.
"Well, where�s Preacher?" Daley asked, eyeing the destruction
which was said to be spralled about eighteen city blocks. The
first officer on the scene, a young slope jawed fellow with dirty
brown hair, answered with a hunch of his shoulders.
"I�ve no idea sir. " the young man replied. " One of the
witnessess said that he and some woman road off on a motorcycle
shortly before the police arrived. We beleave he was after the
vechile that the boomer was said to be chasing earlier. He must be
out to impress because witnesess also say he looked pretty baddly
hurt while he was here. " Daley nodded in understanding,
"He�s on a pretty high priority mission, he problably found
some link between this incident and the case he�s working on. "
Daley said. The sentence was pointless really, and Daley knew that
it was more to ease his tention about Saul than to inform the
officer before him. If this knew guy was truly so much like Leon,
would he also be as spontainious, or as most would put it,
reckless?
"This is a pretty good ride for a clunker. " Priss said to
Saul as they speed toward Ladies 633. "Clunker? This is a Edger
Mad Bor 850, it could pull down a house the size of your ass!" Saul
returned vigeriously. Saul adjusted himself as Priss pushed her
rear end backward to gain more control over the speeding bike.
Saul wondered when her motions would simply shove him off the bike
all together, and in rebutle, thrusted his pelvis forward to gain
back some of the seat he had lost. In combination of what he just
said, Priss felt inspired to comment.
"If my ass is such a problem why do insist upon feeling it with
less than formal digits...?" she said with a intimadating smile
sent over her shoulder. Saul made a face that simbolized all the
sarcastic remarks Priss�s words could have spawned, and then
thought about who he was positioned. The bike was one of the few
posestions of Sauls that he had left. It was parked nearby when
Priss began to search the street for trasportation to �borrow�, as
she put it.
"Well, I�d hate to offend a obviously upstanding citizen like
yourself Asagiri. " Saul swung his arms from there previous
position upon the back of the motorcycle and around Priss�s
waiste. " Is this better?"
Priss grinded her teeth, wanting to deck him but afraid that it
would send them crashing to the ground. She thought about it
again, and sent a elbow clear into Saul cheek. The bike wobbled as
he buckled back, but did not crash, and Priss gave a sigh of
satisfaction.
Once before Sylia�s shop, Priss began to wonder how she would
handle this. She couldn�t just walk Saul up into the headquarters
of the Knight Sabers. Getting up off the bike Priss took a few
steps forward before she heard the engine she had just killed
scream back to life again. Priss turned to see Saul pumping the
throttle.
"Wish your friend the best from me. " he said checking the
street for on coming traffic. Priss shook her head the dash away
the confusion.
"You�re leaving?" Priss said. Saul gave a look as if to say
�duh�.
"Well, yeah. Your friend is in that building, and my partner
is at the hospital by now. You�re at where you need to be, and now
it�s my turn. " Priss watched as Saul speed off into street,
almost missing him as he left. "Pretty desent guy. . " Priss
thought softly, boardering on not at all. Then she thought of Leon
and felt unsteady. She hardly relized it as she walked through the
doorway and began up the elavator, her vision blurred by the fog of
restless thoughts. Taking the backway protected her from the pring
eyes of the shoppers around in the area as the iron box asended to
the top level. As the doors opened, showing the elaborate
livingroom of Sylia�s penthouse suite, three figures were scurring
about frantically. One spotted her, and waved her over with.
"Nice to see ya� Priss, could sure use your help over here. "
Mackie said, pulling a hooked needle and some surgical thread from
a First Aid kit. Priss looked at the woman that lay on a long
collapsable strechter that she was very fimiliar with. The long
red-brown hair and narrow face struck a cord in Priss�s memory.
The soft chineese skin that enveloped her was cut, bruised and
blooded, so extreme that few would even begin to tell it was her.
Priss nelt beside her and looked at the face again to be sure her
vision was true. And with the sound of her name, which Priss
spoke herself, all doubt was removed.
"Vision....-" Priss said. " Reika Chan..."
Nene opened her eyes to see the face of Saul staring down upon
her like a gardian angel. His eyes seemed to mimick the concern he
was feeling, and Nene smiled slightly. The hospital perscribed
Nene with bed rest for at least the rest of the day, and with no
family to contact, or least none on file, Nene was put in the care
of Saul, who filled out all the needed forms. The ADP however,
would no doubt pick up all the bills.
"That isn�t a very funny trick. Your pulse flucuateing like
that. " Saul said. Nene just looked at his eyes again, before he
turned his head away, as if to avoid her stareing. Nene sat and
ran her hand across the bandedges that wrapped her head entirly.
"I wasn�t trying to make you laugh, did you get the boomer?"
she asked. Saul looked at her again and stood up from the small
stool he was sitting at.
"Yeah-we-got-the-boomer..." Saul breathed wearly, his words
rode upon a yawn. Nene tossed the sheets to the far end of the bed
and swung her feet over the edge. The hospital gown hugged her
body loosly as she wobbled to her feet. Saul caught her as she
nearly collasped to the floor. Nene put her hand on her head again
as if the sensation of her palm could give it a jump start.
"Whoa there buckaroo, I think the only place you should be
going right now is back to that bed. " the man answered as he
placed the small girl back on the matttres. Nene moaned a reply.
"I can�t, the others, they might need me. " Nene didn�t really
realize what she was saying until it was to late. She looked at
her partner who�s eyes had become solem.
"Your friends you mean?" he said. Nene could tell it was being
spoken to himself more so than to her but answered anyway.
"Yes, my friends. " There was a brief moment of silence.
"Naoko Tazezaki is a friend of yours right, I�ll get her down
her and she can drive you over. " Saul said reluctantly. Nene
wobbled back a bit. She was surprised that Saul had so much
intamite knowledge of her. "But if you hurt yourself again I�ll
nail you to this bed, you here me. " Saul took Nene�s giggle as
enough of a reply and walked toward the door. "I�d take you myself
but I came her on a bike and I don�t think you�re up for the ride,
I�ll see you later. "
As Saul began down the endless lenght of the hospital to find a
phone he ran into Leon. Leon seemed destraut while he placed a
hand on Saul�s shoulder warmly. His face reveiled he was troubled
more so than his tone of voice.
"Hey buddy, how�s Nene doing?" he asked. Saul sniffed and
rubbed his nose with his palm top.
"Not bad, a few cuts and bruises, as slight concusion, but she
should be fine. "
"Daley tells me that you weren�t even at the scene when the
others arrived, where�d you go?"
Saul became unconfortable with the derection of the
conversation, which seemed to some extent patronizing. What was
Leon up in arms about?
"I went after the van the boomer was chasing, I felt it should
be checked out�a bit. " Leon lifted up a photograph of a woman
very fimilar to him.
"With this woman. " Leon said, waving the picture of Priss
before Saul�s eyes. It was a concert photo so it took him a
minuete to reconize her through the blonde wig.
"Yeah, Nene brought her along and she turned out to be a big
help in the end. She can shoot like a sniper I tell ya�, but talk
about cold. " Leon nodded in amusement and placed the photo back
in his wallet, some thing that caught Saul�s eye. "You know her?"
"Sure do Saul, and to that extent I have a favor to ask you. "
Leon looked around to see if anyone was listening in. Saul took
the hint and opened the bathroom door close by to them. Leon
followed him in and after they had checked each stall for
eavesdroppers they continued their conversation. "Priss, is a good
friend of mine so to speak, but she has a very peculiar backround
that many people would love to know about. I�m asking, as a favor
mind you, that if you should come across any information that could
incrimidate her that you-"
"-would turn the other cheak?" Saul replied. Leon grinned to
himself as he saw Saul�s agreeing face, this guy really was onhis
side.
"Yeah, I assure you it�s all on the up and up. It�s just that
certain people might get in to close and-" Leon began to ramble as
Saul approached him. Saul slipped the wallet from Leons� hand and
opened it, pulling forth the photo again. With a knowing smile,
almost a teasing one, Saul dangled the photo before Leon as he had
him.
" Yeah Leon, the up and up, is a looker ain�t she. Got that
presence about her that demands freedom while at the same time
calls for companionship. A almost magical ability in my opinion.
Oh, and that voice! It can tickle a man in all the right places
while shearing the rest of it to the bone, I tell ya�, the man that
falls for that I pitty. It must be like reaching for heaven while
being strapped down to hell. " Saul placed the photo back in the
wallet and slipped it into Leons� jacket pocket. He started toward
the bathroom door, much in the same way he had left Nene.
"You�re a jerk Saul. . "Leon grumbled. Saul turned to his
friend, bowing while kicking open the door behind him with his
heel.
"Oh, you know you love it!" he answered, and left. Leon
thought to him self for a moment. He trusted the abilities of saul
and Nene as much as anyone�s. They were good people and good
cops. But that still didn�t confort him enough as he continued to
deal with the fact would no longer be dealing directly with the
Knight Sabers�s cases, pushing him that much further from her.
Louis, his first girlfriend, had also had problems with his ADP
career. She was a police officer too, but with the normal police,
which Leon abandonded after a near fatal run-in with a deranged
33-S boomer with emotional problems up the ying-yang. Louis
thought the Advanced police were brutal thugs, where Leon beleaved
they were a more than nessessary retaliation to cyberiod crime.
When Jeena Malso became his partner, or as most saw it, his
babysitter, the sexual tension between the two of them would
utimately be what tore him and Louis apart. Jeena..., Leon wished
he hadn�t lead himself to that mental beartrap. He punched the
stall door next to him violently enough to make it�s metal hinges
whine from the strain and bend. �Damnit Priss! Why can�t you even
try to understand?!� he thought angerly.
Nene gave Naoko a limp wristed wave good-bye, thankful for
the ride to the shop, but Naoko held up her hand to hault her
momentarily.
"Do you really need to get these panties tonight? You just got
thrown from a speeding vehicle goodness sake! Can�t they hold them
for you for one more day?" she asked in concern. Nene fumbled for
an excuse while wishing Saul had thought of better cover story for
her, certain her had done it on purpose.
"Definately, you�re the one who always says I need to be more
agressive in hunting for my men!" Naoko smiled devilishly, and Nene
suddenly realized how suggestive her story was.
"So, how�s this new partner of yours?" she asked, with that
grin that had become all to uncomfortably common. Nene gave her
normal wide eyed retort.
"He�s a good guy, and can hadle himself pretty well. I know he
got me out of a few nasty situations. " Nene said. Naoko edged
her head out of the car and called her closer.
"Really? Hey, I hear from the girls he�s a cute one..."
"Well..."
"Come�on girl, give me some details. I know he�s close with
Leon, that�s a good start from there, and what a protector!" Nene�s
eyes swung upward, where had this protector part come in? Nene
asked a question fitting to her curiosity. Naoko pulled back a
little out of shock from her own neglagence. "Oh that�s right, you
were still unconsious. Officer Preacher arrived at the place an
hour after you, and then sat by your side for the next eight hours
before you woke up again. Rumors say he was holding your hand at
the time, but I won�t put to much stock in that. " Naoko�s eyes
became mischeivious, locking in on Nene�s blushing face like a
snake on it�s targets throat. "I think he has a crush Nene. "
"Well, I doubt it. He was problably just being a good
partner. " Nene answered, now feeling a powerful urge to escape
the love net Naoko was weaving about her. The freckled face of
Nene�s friend beamed with intriege.
"You think? After just one day of working together? You must
have some hidden talents you�ve been keeping a lid on. . " And
with those words the images of Linna and her mysterious passenger
flashed past Nene�s pupils. The Knight Saber second life called
her like siren. Nene turned and began to run toward the builings
entrance.
"Later Naoko, I�ve got to go!" Before Naoko could retort, Nene
had spoken some words into the buildings lobby comm and was allowed
inside. She curse to herself openly and turned off into the
street.
The elevator doors opened to a much different scene than the
one Priss had encountered. Five women and a young man were sitting
at Sylia�a emense dinning table. Mackie slid into her gaze and
Nene found herself blushing, thinking of the conversation that just
transpired outside. Then one of the group caught Nene�s eye like
none other, a person that she had never before met in person but
had heard her voice a thousand times on CD and video samples. Nene
approached them as if the floor were a dream scape, and Linna�s was
the first head to turn to her.
"Hey pal, I see you caught the ass-end of this afternoons
excitement. Feeling OK?" Linna asked, but Priss answered for her.
"Sure she�s okay. After all the beatings she�s taken from our
boomer pals that was just a run in the park. "
Nene came close to the table but did not sit down, her eyes
still fixed on the resident celebrity. Linna slapped her forhead
in realization.
"I�m sorry, Nene Romanova, meet Reika Chan. Ur, or Visoin as
you may know her better..." The battered but still beautiful face
of Reika looked at the red-head, extended a hand. Nene grasped it
with both of hers, shaking it madly.
"Oh my Goooooood! It really is you! Oh, I have all of your
songs! �Say Yes!� is just my favorite song!, I had to buy three
copies of that CD because I just kept whearing them out! Oh I just
think you�re the-"
"Um, Nene right? I�m going to be needing that back..." Reika
said, reffering to her hand. Nene dropped her grip with a
embaressed face.
"Sorry about that Miss Vision..." Nene said meakly. Reika
smiled warmly.
" Reika. Call me Reika. Because as far as I�m concerned
Vision is dead. " she said morbidly, lowering her head, rubbing
the stitched up gash upon her arm, and then turning a blind eye to
watch the vast city behind her through Sylia�s large windows. Nene
looked about the table in curiosity and confusion.
"Aaa, will someone please tell me what�s going on. " There was
a momentary silence as the others looked about themselves. Priss
seemed withdrawn, despite her attitude earlier when Nene had
entered the room. Mackie was looking to his sister, who had been
thinking on the subject intensly since she had heard the story
Reika had shared about a half hour before. In the end, it would
once again be Linna to break the ice.
"Well, after the incident with us last year, Reika broke her
alliance to the Hou-Bang to continue with her singing career. She
met no friction from her grandfather, rather a blessing, and put
the lineage in the hands of Kuo, his best lietenant. Reika
continued her singing from then on, and even took part in a movie
deal. But the joy was not long winded. GENOM did not forget past
aggressions taht easily and attacked the Hou-Bang. Reika�s
grandfather, his assistant�s-"
"-Kou...-" Reika added, sounding like a ghost in the room.
"-yes, Kou, all of them, were killed off by a group of combat
boomers dispatched by GENOM. " Linna sat for a moment, tring to
continue reguardless of the pain Reika might be feeling. Nene had
to know, and hearing this again, from another this time, would help
Reika come to terms with the situation. . " Reika got away to the
streets before they found her. Having to drop all she had worked
so hard for on the off-chance of surviving. Then, a GENOM
opprative tracked her down and they brought her here, to
Megatokyo. Although we have no idea why. "
Nene sat down and looked at Reika directly. The rest of the
group looked somber, their eyes closed and their breathing strune
with remorse. Priss became stifled in the iritating silence, and
went to the bar to grab a beer. The sudden movement stirred Nene
into asking:
"How did you get away?" Linna went to answer the question but
Reika cut her off, her voice timid with the memories that
threatened to crush her. But his part she could say again, the
angels of mercey that had saved her ebodied the few hopful thought
she still had.
"A group of Armours broke into the GENOM safehouse and freed
me. I barly remember it. It all happened so fast..." Reika
remembered the sight of the black combat suit looming over her, the
distant sound of gunfire, the smell of smoke, and the heat of
fire. The next image was gas launching from the suit�s wrist, and
then of Linna�s work place. " I was left before Linna�s job, cut
up and dizzy from I don�t know what. I turned and saw the boomer
that was chasing us this afternoon in the distance. It spotted me,
and out of raw fear I ran inside, figureing I must have been left
there for some reason. It was pure luck that I managed to find
Linna, I was so tired and in pain that was sure I would be a goner
soon. I ran into Linna as she stepped out of a elevator,
literaly. All was black again, and then, this place..."
"You should be able to figure out the rest Nene..." Priss
intergected from across the room, her words echoed over the lip of
the bottle she was sucking upon. Sylia stood up and walked to the
window, pulling a cigarette from her pocket container. Staring
over the Megatokyo horizon much like Reika was, she the cigarette
with barly a guideing glace.
"Our guest must be tired from all this, Mackie. Will you
please show her to the guest room. " she said after a long held
drag of smoke. Mackie nodded and stood up from the table. He
extended a hand to Reika after rounding the table, a smile on his
face that was genuinely kind. Reika took his palm in hers, and
allowed him to hoist her up with a gentile pull. His arm quickly
found a place on her waist as Reika nearly collasped, supporting
her. As they walked toward the guest area the Knight Sabers were
silent, each pondering a differet senereo with the same
characters. When the door closed behind Mackie with a click, the
conversation began.
"I�m sure you�re all aware of what this indicates. " Sylia
said after another cloudy exhale. Linna crossed her arms about her
chest, tossing back her umbrella of hair with a jerk of her neck.
"You think it was the Ironangels that Reika saw come to her
rescue?" Linna said rectorically.
"These guy�s are really pissing me off! We�ve have to bag and
tag�em Sylia, before they�re the death of us!" Priss roared,
slapping her hands on the dining table with enough force to be
reckonized but lightly enough retain some level respect. Nene
jumped at Priss�s action in surprise as Linna retorted.
"But if it was them who saved Reika we owe them a word of
thanks. Even the fight we got into at the airport was totally
their fault, we fired the first shot. "
"More like Priss fired the first shot as far I�m concerned..."
Nene mumbled. Priss spun on her.
"What was that?!" she screamed, her bright brown eyes burning
so brightly they took on their uncanny red tint. Nene waved her
hands before in dismissial. Denying having said anything at all.
"Besides, even if thay are the ones who saved Chan that doesn�t
make them trustworthy in my book! I mean what if they bugged Vision
or tracked her here? Doesn�t anyone else find that a pretty
consistant alterior motive?!" The words cut through the room like a
mortor shell. No one had even considered the posibility that Priss
had made known with the sutilty of a shotgun blast. All heads
turned to Sylia, who had been shocked herself. The questions in
her mind as to who the Ironangels were had overshadowed what they
might be plotting.
"You make a very sound point Priss. " she said at last,
snubbing out the cigarettes short life in an ashtray. "I did some
noiseing around myself today, and I have an idea who we might be up
against. Although, it only makes things worse. "
"Nursemaid, technicain, and gentilman. . is there anything
you don�t excell in, umm. . "
"Mackie..." he added, cleaning some of Reika�s more grotuitious
wounds with the first aid supplies.
"Well, �Mackie�, thank you. " she said. The guest room was as
massive as the dinning in scale. At least twenty by forty feet
square. Reika sat on the bed while Mackie rebandeged her wounds,
taking special care to be easy on her sticthed arm. As he looked
at the blooded wound while removing it�s old wrapping, he said:
"Sorry about that Mrs. Chan, I�m afraid it might scare a
little. But it was all I could do to stop the bleeding-"
"It�s quite alright Mackie. It�s like a reminder of just how
close I came to dying; helps me put things in perspective. " Reika
said almost cheerfully. Perspective is right! Mackie thought,
looking at how his sisters spare work out Gi hugged the outline of
Reika�s body. Curved to a near perfection that he had come to
apreiate. Mackie had always worked hard to control his more
�primative� instincts while around the Knight Sabers, which rooted
mainly in the fact he was the only male they came in steady contact
with. They were the closet contact he had with girls since he had
reached matureity, since his school time was mostly limited to
tutoring by his Sylia. Dr. Hahns had �raised� him and his sister
the most after the �accident� at the lab, since child welfare was
so overwhelmed in Megatokyo they all but ignored them. But Hahns
was alot like his mentor in the aspect of parenting, absent. Like
Dr. Stingray, Hahns was possesed by his work, and always at his
own lab running experiments on boomer technology. Sylia and Mackie
were used to such treatment, and did not hold it against him. They
had spent their entire lives under such conditions, which had
undoubtfully matured them before their time. Sylia was like a
mother to Mackie, as well as a sister, all the while preparing to
fufill her fathers last request, which rule her life forever. Once
Sylia graduated high school, she pulled Mackie, and began putting
her plans in motion, gaining stocks, bonds, and assaets. The was
history.
But Mackie always missed that aspect, which he sometimes felt
was robbed from him, a childhood.
"So this is the headquarters of the mysterios Knight
Sabers...I�m must admit it�s impressive. " Reika said while Mackie
wrapped some guass around her forearm.
"I�m sure that you must have seen more than your share of
luxery. This all must seem like childs play compared to your
american suites. " Mackie retorted.
"That�s just it Mackie. This is not america, it�s Megatokyo.
So finding a place like this seems all the more extravigant. You
know what I mean. " Mackie nodded. When the wrappings had met his
satisfaction he stood up from Reika�s side and backed away a
little.
"I better get out of here so you can get some rest. I�ll be
back later to check on you. " Mackie said opening the door and
turning off the lights. He gave a small wave and shut the door
behind him. Reika fell back upon the matteres and pulled the
sheets around her for warmth. Then, all at once, curled her body
into a ball for the unesy rest that would follow.
"NEWTECH inc. ?! Well,well...." Linna said.
"As if one economic superpower wasn�t enough. " Priss muttered
around her second beer, wiping her mouth with her sleeve and
running her fingertip about the bottles lip.
"But if the Ironangels know as much about us as we�re afraid
of, and have the backing of Brian Otaka and NEWTECH, how are we
sopposed to fight them?" Nene asked. And as if to mock her the
silent alarm began to flicker in the room. All the Knight Sabers
looked at the red flashing lights in horror as Mackie entered the
room in panic.
"Their here. " he said.
"To the suits, quick!" Sylia cried, and the others left without
question.
"I�m coming too!" Mackie added. Sylia swung an arm toward
him.
"No! You stay here in case we can�t hold them off, just like
last time, remember!"
"But if I�m out there with you there won�t be any need for
that!, plus it wasn�t even planned last time! Nene is not in top
condition and you�re going to need me!"
"That wasn�t a request Mackie, and I don�t have time for this
now!" And with those words Sylia was off. Mackie crushed his anger
under the force of will, and ran over to the security system to
monitor the developments.
It did not take long for the Knight Sabers to get ready, they
had been waiting for this chance to get even. They were on the
roof in time to see the imposing silloettes of five armoured
figures, one at a massive sixteen feet. Priss shifted her internal
supports for a tighter fit, almost reaching a uncomfortable point
with their tauntness so she would keep on her toes. The black suit
was the first the first to move, taking a couple of steps forward
to be better seen through the full moons light.
"I told you we�d meet again. I aways keep my word. " the suit
spoke.
"I�m not moved. What do you want here?" she asked, arming her
weapons prematurly.
"Brian, my scanners say she�s arming her beam arrays...-" Rain,
the black and white suit, sent across their private band.
"That�s to be expected Rain. We didn�t start off on the best
of terms. " the white suit sent in a whisper. Brian ignored both
statements and continued to talk with Sylia.
"We didn�t come here to fight. " he said. Sylia kept from
laughing.
"I find that hard to beleave, although it doesn�t seem
altoghter too illogical. If it�s not a fight, what is it you want
from us?"
"That�s personal. Can you and me take this somewhere more
private?" Brian spoke more like a sentence than an question. Their
was a pause from Sylia while a rebutile Priss.
"No way, asshole! Where one of us goes we all go!" Priss cried
preparing to pivate her spike gun. Mackie, still inside the
building and at the HUD of the security system, was watching the
whole event unfold like a origami rock from the net of cameras on
the roof.
"I could argue that belief Priss. . " he cracked as he tuned
into Sylia�s internal speaker. Sylia called Priss off as Mackie
broke.
"Sylia, take the deal. " he said. Sylia questioned him
quickly, trying not let on to her foe her current distractoin.
"Because, even though it�s more than obvious now the Ironangels
know even where our base is, that doesn�t mean the rest of the city
has to. If you do get into a fight up there you�ll atract more
attention to the shop than we want. " Sylia pondered the idea, and
found it�s only flaw would be her lack of courage.
"Alright. " Sylia said to Brian with a ting of levity. "But
the others have to relocate also, it simply wouldn�t do to be
spotted here, I�m sure you can understand. "
"Entirly. " he answered. "Rain, take the others to someplace
less conspiring. "
"I still don�t like this idea Brian. " she replied.
"And I don�t remember asking, move out. " With some reluctance
Rain obeyed, thrusting off to neihboring buildings followed by the
rest of the Ironangels. Sylia gave a similar order to the rest of
the Knight Sabers, and they to were less than willing to go, but
eventually did.
"Well, with the others gone, I guess we don�t have to go
anywhere after all. " Sylia said in a fasly genuine tone. Brian
chuckled.
"In that I suppose you�re right, Mrs. Stingray. " he
responed. Sylia grinned cunningly from behind her helmets face
sheild.
"Well then, Mister Otaka, shall we get on with it?" she said.
Her heart begain to race on the limb she just stepped upon, and
with those words she was testing the valitity of all the research
she had done up until this moment. With Brian�s words she was
certain.
"I see you�ve done your homework. " Brian raised his helmets
face sheild so that she could it him in the fresh. His picture did
him no justice, for he was a strikingly handsome man. His eyes
escaped the glare sent by the moon and seemed to peirce through
Sylia�s suit into her own. His hair was a dirty blond that riviled
brown and face was streamlined into firm grin. "Brian Otaka, you
got my number alright. "
"Well that�s clear enough, but you still have yet to tell me
the reason you�ve been digging up the dirt on me and my crew. "
Sylia said with a good deal of force. Brian�s face changed to
match her tone.
"It�s not something I recently picked up Stingray, I�ve been
tracking you since you were thirteen years old. Needless to say
that�s the only reason I know who you are and what you do when the
sun swings low. The face sheild is uneeded, I know your face
better than I know my own. " Sylia raised her metal mask as Brian
continued, becoming more concerned with each of his words. " I�m
just like you Sylia,-" he placed his left hand across his chest as
if it were wounded. "-a whole torn right through souls. But I
chose my path, while as yours was laid before you like casket.
However, there will be time for such talk later. The reason I�m
here is about your old enemy, Largo. "
Upon one of the few remaining buildings of district three, the
custruction of one of GENOM�s many �ideal� urban environments
totally surrounding them, the Ironangels and the Knight Sabers
stood alone. They had not been there more than a few moments, but
the tension had built all the way to this point. Priss stepped
forward first as they from their opposing postures. The Ironangels
held together in the same pattern they had had on the roof of
Sylia�s building, the black and white suit called Rain at the
front.
" Did you have to take us half the way across Megatokyo?! What
are you planning, you bastards!?" Priss cried. A building
collasped to rubble in the distance behind them.
"She does have a point Rain, this is kind of far off..." Tucker
said. The white suit backed the question up with one of it�s own.
"What are you up Rain? This smells of trouble?" he said. Rain
did not answer them, but Priss instead.
" Here their will no interuptions like last time. Now, shall
we begin?" Rain answered, taking a battle stance with her second
set of arms folding out to the ready. Priss grinned an evil smile
from behind her suits face plate.
"With pleasure...!" Priss responded, piviting her spike gun to
the ready. The two charged without the imediate aid of their
commrads.
"Is she nuts!" the white suit said more than asked. Tuck
turned to him.
"Yeah, in a way..." Tuck replied, and then went to follow her.
The white suit clamped a guantlet too it�s helmet�s forfront and
mumbled:
" I don�t beleave this! I�m not getting involved in this
bullshit!"
"Then sit down and leave the comm line open. " Ota said from
the cockpit of the DD-like mecha suit. With a thrust that seemed
to rock the earth the massive machine went forward. The white suit
stood there in awe of the entire situation.
"Et� tu� Ota..." he said in a defeated manner.
"I guess this was inevitable. " Linna growled, sliding a surge
injector spike into her palm. Nene moaned a little, and them
raised her shoulder mounted device assemblies upright. She wobbled
a little and them shook her head to regain focus. Linna looked at
her with a stumbbling faith.
"Nene, are you up to this?!" Linna muttered firmly, totally
aware it made very little differnce at this point. Nene didn�t
responed to her question, instead she bolted to the side as blue
psycho flames dashed the ground between them. Linna countered for
her, tossing her spike in the direction of Rain. Linna released a
energy surge into the air, which spider webbed without a grounding
element, engulfing Rain in the depths of crackling atmoshere and
electric heat. Rain crashed to the ground as Tuck ran past her
fallen teamate. Tuck uncollasped her beam cannon units within both
her arms, an broke the wavering silence with the earpoping sounds
of raw energy breaking free. Linna was her target, who tumbled out
of the way. The roof gave way under the intense pressure of the
blasts, and half of the deteriorateing buildings ceiling fell in
upon itself. Nene, Linna and Tuck went with it, cursing to
themselves along the way. Priss noticed the event just as her
opponent, the massive DD encased Ota, battered her silly down the
crevice with them. Priss did not take her punishment without
returning some of her own, and Ota didn�t have time to ativate his
retros before Priss�s spikes chewed the ground out from beneath
him. Like the others, he to fell, past the many floors which had
given away long ago, and into the darkness they had left behind.
"Largo is dead, a closed issue. "
"But not his work. Not the global inflictions he left behind
as a lineage. "
"And what of them? What is it that he created that not already
been contained?" Sylia and Brian had gone on with this exchange for
a while now, neather giving an inch on what they beleaved was
confedentenial and should remain that way. Brian seemed pained to
say his next phrase, but did not hesitate as a result.
" Sylia, that I can�t explain to you right now everything
you�re about to be involved in. Nor� can I tell you of the things
that will happen if you assit me, at least not in the detail you
would expect. But I can tell you what will happen if you don�t. "
Brian began. He pointed his suits right, massive, arm, toward the
silloette of GENOM tower. "That, will be gone. " he paused, but
Sylia mistook it for a ending.
"I don�t see your point yet..." she said, truthfully curious.
"Yeah, that wouldn�t be such a bad thing, I agree. " Brian
responed with slight nod of the head. Then he began to point at
other buildings, seemingly at random. "But neather will that, or
that, that,that..." he continued for a few moments until was sure
he had reached the point between clearity and grotuity, and then
lowered his arm, stairing into her eyes again. "I�m talking about
world devistaion Miss. Stingray. Not control of influence, but a
simple end to all you know. Everything you here will be gone, and
if you don�t help me you would have played a part in that. "
Sylia took in his words like a fine wine, shifting it within her
mind cuatiously while using the eyes Otaka weilded as if a corniary
sword, as a reference point, checking his words to his movements to
find the slightest form of deception. None was present. Sylia
breathed in deeply. Brian sighed with releif as the status display
upon his targeting glass read the disarment of Sylia�s weapons.
"Sis�, doesn�t this seem a little far fetched to you?! World
devistation, that falls a tad bit short of realistic in my
opinion. " Mackie said from his ringside seat before the monitors
below them.
"Mackie, I beleave we of all people should know how easily this
planet could be destroied. And if GENOM is involed as I think it
is, it seems even more likely. They don�t have a very good track
record for taking safty first. " Sylia retorted in a whisper.
"Otaka, I�ve heard your story out, now tell me what this has to do
with the Knight Sabers. "
"I beleaved that would have been evident Crusader..." Brian
said. Sylia smiled responsivly from the name, which found amussing
in only the slightest sense. "I want to hire you..."
The white suit touched down to the ground gently with the aid
of his thrusters. This deep down the building seemed more like a
warehouse than an old apartment building, with the shadows made of
the deepest dark and moonlight the only light to be found. The
Knight Sabers and the other Ironangels weren�t lying on the ground
uncounious as the white suit had beleaved he would find them, and
he looked around the third floor landing ofr their forms. He
caught a glimse of motion from across the room, made apparent by
it�s passage before a window. The white suit took a couple of
steps forward, turning on it�s infa-red display. Not even a pair
of black bodies crossed his line of sight, and he became uneasy.
He was certain none of Ironangels would kill the Knight Sabers if
the opportunity presented itself, they had the strictest orders not
to, but that didn�t hold or hte likes of Pricilla Asagiri and her
partners. The white suit relized how true that was, as he felt a
vibroblade edge the front of his throat while the inside of a elbow
held it still.
" Tell your Iron-ass friends to come out, now!" Priss said
softly into his ear area. The white suit squirmed a little, but
Priss held him fast, moving the blade from her wrist close enought
to his throat he feel his voice box shaking. "Don�t be a hero pal,
the brave are always the first to die. "
"And loose their apartments in reckless car chases..." the suit
muttered. There was a moment of revilation and then Priss�s gasp
of shock.
"You! You�re Nene�s partner! What�s-his-face...!" Priss cired.
"That�s pretty good, but I�ve grown more attached to �Saul�
thank you. "
"You�re an Ironangel?!"
"Uh-duh..., like that wasn�t to apparent. " Saul responed,
grasping Priss�s arm and tossing her over his shoulder during her
moment of confusion. Priss responed intinctivly, firing her hip
and back thruster in a recovery pattern, and landed not a foot
before Saul with a vibro blade at his neck a second time. Priss
edged back a little, however, as she saw a much larger pair
wavering at high frequiencies close at her own.
"Not bad...flatfoot..." Priss remarked. Saul grinded his teeth
behind his face sheild as his nerves threaten to explode from his
body and sweat streamed down his back.
"This is such a rush..." he muttered with the buckle of
adenilene evident in his voice.
"Saul!" came a voice from one side of the room, "Priss!" from
the other. Then, as if the words were all the two teams needed,
machine gun shells and energy bolts began to dash to either side of
the floor, each one giving a flash of light that prevoked another
barrage from their sources. Priss and Saul stood in the middle of
the assault, watching eachother intensly while twenty millimeter
rounds and surge injectors dashed past their heads. The walls of
the building crumbled, allowing more and more light to sink into
the covertness of the darkness. The night sky of Megatokyo
replacing the dead depths of the rooms revered darkness. Saul
shifted a small amount as a bullet pinged from the side of his
suits shoulder guard. Priss stood untouched by the chaos rearing
it�s head around them, keeping the arm she beleave was the only
reason she was alive firm and steady.
"This isn�t right..." Saul said. His vibro swords stopped
their blurring motion, recollasping into stumps on his suits
forearms. Priss kept her weapon were it was, remaining silent. "I
don�t think you want this either Priss. "
"Oh really, who are you to talk, ya� tatorious motherfuccker!
Why wouldn�t I want this...?" Priss said with a laugh not inspired
by humor.
"Because were not the ones you�re fighting..." Saul said
extending a hand to her shoulder, his fingers folding about it with
a gentile touch Priss could sense even through her armour. Priss
thought about his words, keeping her arm still. The Knight Sabers
and Ironangels appeared behind them. Their weapons were armed, but
the stand off between Saul and Priss fighting in their place.
Priss�s wrist snapped from Sauls neck and then she raised her face
sheild with a click.
"What did you mean by that?" Priss asked, her eyes softer than
a birds but still intense as a puma�s. Her teeth were grinding
themselves as if someone had stuck a knife it her belly, and her
looked quickly became unsellting.
"Knight Sabers! We have no intentions against you, let�s leave
the hostilities at this. . !"Saul spoke strongly with a voice of
athority he very rarly shared. His head snapped to the Ironangels
behind him. "Disarm. I�ve grown sick of this mindless fued. "
Rain scoffed at his words.
"You�re talking out your asshole Preacher, you�re not the one
in charge here!" she said. But Ota and Tuck were aready following
his request, their weapons priming down with whistles and clicks.
"What are you doing?!"
"Saul�s right Rain, this is stupid. Were letting our rivalry
get the upper hand on our common sense. " Ota moaned in a
remoarseful voice. Tuck nodded as her beam cannons fell back
inside her forearms.
"Yeah, us nearly being a match for one another is the whole
reason Brian�s tring to pair our teams together, remember? The
future depends on our ability to coperate..." she said, raising her
face sheild. Tuckers dark green eyes turned to her commrad with
compassion. Soon Nene, and Linna lifted their metal masks as well,
watching the drama unfold before them. But the mention of the
Ironangels plan brought up to many questions for them to remain
silent.
"What do you guys mean by �pairing own teams together�?"Nene
asked. Saul turned to her and lifted his iron mask to reveal to
her severial truths which she was unaware. She gasped as she saw
who she had been firing upon. "Saul?!?"
"We mean exactly that, partner..."he said. Then a warning from
Saul�s sixth sense dashed through his body like a knife, he lept
backward. A smoldering hole grew cool in the ground in which he
was standing and he looked above for the source. He was truely
suprised as he called out:
"Boomers!!??"
"Your entire normal pay up front for every mission and three
days prior notice, along with all the itellengence we could gather
on it. Then twice the usual 20,000,000 yen fee upon successful
completion. You can do things your way, with no interference from
me without your consent or request. Unless, of course, the mission
requires your partnership. " Brian said in one fast drawn breath.
Sylia stood baffled. This was one of the strangest meeting she had
had yet. Never had she expected to be hired by mercenaries,
espeacially ones of the caliber the Ironangels were said to be on
level with. Sylia wanted this over quick, the memory of the girls
being alone with the rest of this guys team nawing away at the
lineings of her stomach. Mackie came in with some more counsil
which she had not requested. She felt the sweat pooling around the
grips in her suits weapons pods, which in her case were the entire
mid-section of both forearms. Her brain felt like a puzzle trying
to figure itself out, while being asked to look at another more
difficult one.
"Sis�, I think you should take the job..." Mackie said flatly,
like the words had been spat off his tongue rather than spoken.
"What�s your reasoning?" Sylia asked him. Otaka stood
patiently across from her, not rushing her desition in any
noticable way. "This could have many very bad consequences we�re
not aware of. Remeber, this guy, this entire team, works mainly in
the private sector of the worlds governments, while as we the
corporate shadows. "
"We�ve done the government thing before Sylia, recall the USSD
and a litle girl that held the power to wipe out all the life on
earth. " Mackie returned. Sylia smiled a little.
"You realize what you�re saying diproves the idea you had
earlier that Otaka�s story was far fetched..." There was a
silence.
"I do. " Mackie said after clearing his throat. " Don�t you
understand that�s all the more reason to help him..." Sylia heard
the words echo through her head, eachtime they repeated she saw how
close she had come to death herself and the carnage that she had
witnessed first hand. She took a step toward Otaka, and his head
lifted to notice her.
"We have a deal. " she sighed.
"Excellent..." Brian returned. Then he jolted as if someone
had punched him in the back. His face became intense and she heard
his weapons arm click and buzz to startling life. She in imediate
reaction, armed her own defenses. May I put faith in him a little
to soon. she thought. "Where...!"Brian ordered through himself.
Then Sylia realized he was speaking to members of his team
somewhere else, the shock hit her like a boulder fallen from a
cliff. The girls!! her mind danced. The anger for having left
them alone choaking her. Otaka looked to her as his message
seemingly came to a hault. "It�s looks as though some boomers are
ambushing our commrads. " he said.
"Dammit!" Sylia cursed. Tuning into Mackie, her voice was
firm. "Mackie, the girls are in trouble! Get to the Knightwing and
standby for imediate evac!" Mackie �rogered� the message and Sylia
looked to Otaka. He nodded to her breifly and then they both lept
to the building closest to them, their thrusters screaming to
startling life and hoisting them dozens of meters upward to it�s
surface. The pattern continued, and they lept from building to
building like metalic combat ready insects, each burst of their
engines followed by the rush of wind being crushed beneath them.
"They�re in a building in district three!" Brian offered as
they landed on what seemed to be a roof top helipad. Sylia came
down on the middle of the large �H� in it�s center.
"That�s far off. How many boomers, what type?" she asked, as
she lead the next jet-assited leap. Brian shook his head as they
touched down now on what seemed to be a elevated cemetary, a common
thing for a city so overrun it had to slide underground. He cursed
as he nearly slipped into a open grave, the soft dirt breaking
under the pressure of plumiting hardsuit.
"They didn�t say, meaning they still don�t know. It was just a
back-up call. " he said, taking the lead this time. The heals of
Sylia�s suit colided with the cement walk way of a pool. Brian and
her looked to the left breifly to observe a penthouse, just as the
intruder alarm went off.
"Do you think they need it?" Sylia moaned as the air rushed
against her again.
"I think that�s a question we�d both like the answer
too..."Otaka sent back.
"Calling for help little one?" one of the boomers echoed in a
cold imatation of a human voice. Tucker refolded her
communications rack into her back. Her�s face sheild was down and
her weapons armed, just like the others in the room. Priss was
already locked onto the cyberiods with her spike guns. She counted
about eight BU-55 class combat models, colored in a form of puke
brown. Their were still some false skin fragments and drying
artificial blood on their bodies, meaning that they were before
desguise as human beings. One of the other boomers sent out it�s
equvilant to a laugh.
"Would you look at this, the Knight Sabers and Ironangels,
together. What has the world become?" it said quickly followed by
a chuckle.
" A real dangerious place for asswipe bastards like you!"
Priss cried angerly. Thank you Pricilla, that�s ever so
helpful...Rain thought wearily.
"What do you want?" Rain called out.
"We want what you took from us earlier fourarms. " a third
boomer spoke.
"Were is Vision, were is Reika Chan?" another one of them
said. Rain snorted loudly and waved away a hand in dismissal.
" That plan was a total pooch-screw. Reika Chan got iced by
your buddy in the Minato district this afternoon. You have no
reason to be here. " Rain responed. The Knight Sabers remained
silent. Was it possible the Ironangels weren�t aware of Reika�s
having servived? The three of them fought hard not to make any
incrimadating motions or sounds as the nerves rattled inside them.
A silence followed that made the atmoshere even more uneasy than it
was. The three groups moved as if the air was forged steel, a rat
moved by quickly in the darkness.
"Is that so? The police reports say only one victum who was
impaled inside his car was found. No Vision. " one of the boomers
said on the verge of of beleaving Rains story. Rain moaned, they
must have meant the pedestrian with a deadly sense of timing.
"The ADP have never been that through with their reports, we
all know that. When you boys go crazy everyone dies, the ADP never
have the time be detailed. I suggest that you check the normal
police records, they always get a copy of the body count, and it�s
normally more accurate. " she continued with no sign of worry.
The boomers stood for a moment longer before one them gave a motion
with his hand. All in a blink, they were gone. Linna gave a long
held sigh of relief.
"My God, that was tense. " she said moving laying her body
against one of the rooms scattered gerder supports.
"I wouldn�t get to comfortable Linna. " Nene said with many
arrays of sensor equipment beeping and figeting like the antene of
a wasp. "I got all eight of them circling around us from the
outside of the building. " Rain turned to Tuck, who nodded in
concerence.
"Ota, hit the floor!" Rain ordered. Before her words had left
the air the DD was battering the ground like a oversized
jackhammer. Peices of concreit splittered and shot up from the
ground as the mechasuit�s guantlets smashed it with hundreds of
pounds of force. The floor concaved like plaster and Rain was the
first one in. "What are you guy�s waiting for, the second coming?,
get your asses in down here!" Linna was the next to jump down, then
Priss, Tuck. Ota�s optic array turned to Saul quickly, it�s
glowing eyes-like modueles grabbing the white suits attention
quickly.
"Hey, what wrong with her?!" he asked. Sual looked over to see
Nene stumbling about, her hands gasped firmly at her head. �Shit!�
Sual thought running toward her.
"Ota get out of here!" he screamed running toward Nene with all
his speed.
"Saul, I�m picking up fusion reaction from our eight pals
outside. What are you doing up there?" Tuck said more calmly than
expected. Saul scooped Nene�s small frame in his arms, realizing
they were to far away from the hole to make it back in safe amount
of time. Saul hit his thrusters, sending him at blinding speeds
toward one the last surviving windows the dank, dust riden confines
still held.
"It hurts Saul, it hurts so bad..." he could her Nene moan. A
glimpse of motion was cuaght out the corner of his eye, a boomer
hovering outside. There was no time change course, he just had to
hope the boomers wouldn�t open fire on him right away. The window
grew close, and Saul phyiced himself up to jump. Then the boomer
crashed throught the wall, a blue-gray suit riding on it�s back.
Sylia Stingray. Saul thought as the glass broke around his image
screen. Sylia used all the inertia she had gained from her and
Otaka�s final jump to send the boomer hurlting to throught the wall
and the floor inside. Brown blood was gaged up from it�s throat,
as Sylia slid upon it to the a hole she noticed before her. Sparks
danced up from the boomer�s chest as the concrete dug into it, and
they sparckled like tiny stars off the armour of Sylia�s suit. The
boomer scratched to a stop a few feet before the hole. Sylia
boosted from her hip thrusters, tumbling into the gap in the ground
ahead of her. Outside, heat arrays steamed from chests of the
boomers. A yellow and orange bouquet of death. They were
patterned around the build in a off set way, so that they would not
incinerate each other as their fusion blasts were sent free. The
power built inside each of them until they were near bursting, and
just as that time came, they fired. Hot bubbleing energy roared
through the building, so intense it seemed physical. None of the
remaining seven were aware of their commrad who was dying with in,
his scream conceiled under the sound of their weapons. The walls
melted from the heat while shattering from the percussion. Dust
and smoke climbed upon itself in a race for the sky, hiding the
deadly shrapnel inside it�s swirling bulk. Saul felt the vibration
of concrete and steel reminents bouncing off his suits rear as he
desnded along the buildings outside, the display glass on the
inside of his helmet indicating exactly were he was being hit.
Forunatly, it gave no readings of damage.
"Here we go partner!" he called out, kicking in his thrusters
and flying backward through the window of the next floor. Glass
shattered cracked around him as he slid across the floor on his
back. When his motion had stopped, he looked up the legs of Priss,
who was looking down at him. "Hello there!" he said, hoisting his
body to his feet while still cradleing Nene.
"Saul..." Nene said in a stronger voice. "I�m feeling better
now, you can let me down. " Saul gave a devilish laugh.
"Never girlie-girl! I shall take you back home to dance the jig
for me in your nakedness, our I shall toss you to the metal sharks
yonder!" he said. When laughter was not forth coming he complied
meakly, placing Nene down on her feet.
"This isn�t the time for jokes Saul. . " Rain said bitterly,
dropplets of molten steel and concrete dripping from the ceiling
like a small shower of rain. Saul hunched his shoulders light
heartedly.
"Can you think of a better one?"he returned.
"If I do I�ll let you know. " Rains head snapped to Sylia, who
was moving over to the rest of her team. "Hey, Stingray. Where�s
our teammate?" she said stirnly, with more of a bite to her words
than Sylia appreiated. Sylia turned to her slowly.
"He said that he�d be down in a moment. Last time I saw him
he was heading toward the roof. " Sylia responded. Rain stared at
her hard, her eyes unyeilding even behind the sheilding of the
suits face plate.
"Fine. Ironangels, termination sweep starting now!" she said.
The Ironangels nodded in response and went to move out as the sound
cannon fire and laser bolts enraged above them, hualting them.
Their was a quick metallic scream, and then Brian came plumitting
down the hole pounced atop a bleeding boomer body. The creature
was still alive however, taking a last desperate swing at Otaka�s
head, which he moved to the side accordingly to ivade. With a
swing of his arm, Brian smacked the punch away, and unleashing a
vibro blade from his suits elbow, sliced the cyberiods head
horizontally. He looked up momentarly, through the gaping hole
above him, and then rolled from the body. Two beams of laser
energy struck were he once kneeled, the chest of the dead boomer.
The battery core of the monster overloaded from the highly heated
breach, and exploded in a ball of eletro lighted flame. Brian
turned to his team, who stood nonimpressed. They had seen him do
much more.
" I think if we plan to act as a team at some point Crusader,
we may as well start now. " Brian breathed. Sylia gave a nod of
hesitation and looked to the Knight Sabers and Ironangels.
"Alright you guys, here�s the plan. -"
"What!" Leon exclaimed, nearly spilling his coffee upon his
his band new leather jacket. Daley said the words a second time.
"Yeah, we have a serious explosion reported from the old third
D. A few boomers were spotted and, get this, three Knight Sabers,
three unidentified armours, and a large mechasuit. " Daley
explained with a wink. Leon went to a opened comm line, snatching
the mike from the hands of a dispatcher.
"Unit�s one and three move out now! Repeat units one and three
move out!" he tossed the mike back into Naoko�s hands and grabbed
Daley by the upper arm, dragging him along. "Naoko! Get a gunship
over to District three right away! Warn them of serious firepower
sitting around there and to go in hot! And, also, DON�T SHOOT THE
KNIGHT SABERS!"
-- Listar MIME Decryption --------------
* * *
+-----------------+-<The Badass Reverend of Funk Prez>---+
| Presley H. | Political Science / Computer Science |
| Cannady II | and Electrical Engineering Undergrad |
|<revprez@mit.edu>| at the Mass. Institute of Technology |
+-----------------+-<Anime Manga Development Group>------+
+ Author of Liars and Dreamers, a Robotech fanfic +
+-------<http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/1731/index.html>-+
| MIDN 4/c A-2-2 SQD, MIT-Harvard-Tufts NROTC Battalion |
|_|"The art of war is of vital importance to the state"|_|