A little something that popped into my head as I was drifting off to sleep
last night. I dunno if I'll ever write the other six chapters, but for
whatever its worth, here's the first chapter.
As a side note, this is set in the continuity of BGC 2040 as I am more
familiar with it then the 2032 continuity and besides, considering what I'm
crossing it over with, it seems to be appropriate.
Read, enjoy, and remember:
Compliments warm the heart......
Criticism Strengthens the Soul.....
Flames Shall Be Used As Target Practice. :-)
--Komodo
Chris: "Was it a dream where you see yourself standing in sort of sun-god
robes with a thousand naked women screaming and throwing little pickles at
you?"
Mitch: "No. . ."
Chris: "Why am the only person who has that dream?"
-Real Genius
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Keep/5268
**************
First Day
Tokyo International Airport, 7am. . . .
The tall blond man approached the customs desk and stood there as the
official mechanically went through the small duffel bag.
"Occupation?" Asked the official.
"Student." Said the young man.
"Bisnuess or pleasure?"
"A little of both," The man said with an embarrassed grin. "Working vacation."
"Uh-huh." The official banged the stamp down on the booklet. "Thank you,
enjoy your stay in Tokyo." The official handed the man back his passport.
"Next!"
**************
Tokyo Public Library, Main Branch, 2pm
Linna Yamazaki sighed as she carefully picked up the stack of books and began
to carry them through the maze that was Mega-Tokyo's main public library.
Linna was not a very remarkable woman, pleasant faced, with a dancer's body
and short brown hair. Her eyes were perhaps her sole remarkable trait. They
burned with an inner fire that quite firmly declared that you had best get
out of her way.
At the moment, that fire was subdued as she struggled with books. While most
books these days were on data cards, her professor, a particularly sadistic
(she felt) fellow named Tan, felt that the old method of reviewing books and
absorbing the information within was a far superior way then reading words on
the screen and copying relevant portions into a terminal.
Linna saw nothing wrong with that method, she had graduated from college with
her bisnuess degree that way and it had gotten her the job she held at the
moment.
"Of course, after watching Nene, Nigel and Mackie, I just had to go and
decide that I want a better degree." She muttered to herself as she
sidestepped a book on the floor. "So what do I pick? Mechanical engineering.
Why? Because I was so good at math in college that I figured engineering math
would be a breeze." Turning down an aisle she shifted the books to one arm
and stared at the shred of paper in her hand. "So it is, but for a professor,
I get the Marquis DeSade."
Continuing her tirade, Linna snatched a book off of the shelf and added it to
the stack. This obscured her view and she was forced to crane her head to the
side to see where she was going.
Naturally, fate chose that moment to slam into her from the other side.
"Hey!" Linna yelled as the books fell to the floor. "Why don't you watch
where you're going?"
"I'm sorry miss," said the sandy haired young man as he crouched down and
began to gather the spilled books.
*He's cute,* a part of her mind noted even as she continued to berate him.
"Sorry?" She demanded, hands on her hips "Sorry doesn't cut it!"
"How about really sorry?" He asked as he gave her half the stack and picked
up the other half. Linna glared at him and then turned on her heel and strode
back to where her purse and bag waited.
"Looks miss, I'm really sorry about that, it was my fault."
"Yes, it was." She agreed.
"And I'd like to make it up to you with some coffee." He gave her a dazzling
grin that made her toes curl.
"That sounds fair." She agreed.
"And," he continued, scooping up the stack of books easily, "I'll be your
beast of burden for these miss. . ." he trailed off and looked at her
inquisitively.
"Linna. Linna Yamazaki."
"Kit Walker."
**************
Kitty Kat Cafe, Tokyo, 4pm
"You're an American, right?" Linna asked as they sipped their coffee.
"Sort of, my great great great," Kit paused and counted off on his fingers,
"well, he lived a long time ago, and he was British. But for the past five
hundred years, my family's lived in Africa, at least until my father decided
to move to New York, that's where I was born."
"Oh." Linna looked down at the coffee. "So what did your family do in Africa
for five centuries?"
"Conservation work, law enforcement, helping out those who can't help
themselves." He shrugged. "So what's with the books?"
"I work for Genom in sales. I was getting bored with sales figures and I have
some friends who are technical, so I thought I'd give engineering a try." She
shrugged. "And Genom pays engineers better then they pay salespeople."
"Always a good reason." Kit said blandly, earning him a giggle from Linna.
"So tell me about yourself."
"Well, I was born in Hikado. . ."
Night had fallen by the time they left the cafe, laughing and talking like
they were old friends.
"So will I see you again?" He asked.
"I. . ." She hesitated. Sylia would frown upon it.
Screw her.
"I'd love to." She said. "A friend of mine is playing at a club tonight and I
have an extra ticket."
"Sounds fun."
"Great!" She pulled the ticket from her purse. "Its at Hot Legs at eight!"
"I'll be there."
Waving good-bye, Linna boarded the bus. Kit watched it depart before
speaking. "Hello Guran." He said without turning around.
"Hello Kit." said the dark skinned man as he stepped up next to Kit.
"Not that I'm not glad to see you, but why are you here? I'm on vacation,
remember?"
"I felt that the jet and your cycle might be needed." Guran replied.
"Against what?" Kit asked. "Rouge boomers?"
"You should always be prepared." Guran said sternly.
"I am." Kit replied as he pulled back the sleeve of his jacket to reveal a
shiny metal armband. "But I'm here to gather material for my Foreign Studies
term paper and enjoy myself. Not run across rooftops."
**************
Hot Legs Nightclub, Tokyo, 8pm
"You met a guy?" Nene Romanov asked, her eyes lighting up like twin suns.
"Yes," Linna said, trying not to laugh. "A guy."
"Is he cute?"
"Very."
"Ooooooh!" Nene said, clapping her hands to her cheeks, "I'm so excited!"
"How are you doing with Priss and Leon?" Linna asked, eager to change the
subject.
"Oh Priss still won't admit to anything." Nene said. "But she likes him, I
know it!" She was silent for a moment and then looked Linna square in the
eye. "Now, about this Kit Walker. I want details. Height, age, and how good
he looks."
"A bit under six feet, twenty-one and you'll have to tell me on the last
one." Said a man's voice behind her. Nene stiffened. "He's right behind me,
isn't he?" She asked Linna.
Linna could only nod as her hand was covering her mouth in a vain attempt to
keep from laughing at the expression on the younger woman's face.
**************
"She's good!" Kit shouted over the music to Linna as on stage, a woman
dressed in red leather sang into the mike. "What's this song called again?"
"Konya Wa Hurricane!" Linna shouted back.
"Think I could get a copy?"
"You'll have to ask her!"
"Where did you learn to speak Japanese anyway!" Nene asked.
"Nene!" Linna gasped.
"It's okay!" Kit assured her. "My aunt is a linguistics professor at NYU! She
raised me after my parents died! I picked it up reading all the books she
has! I know maybe five or six different languages!"
"Neat!" Nene said, looking down at the drinks "I need a refill! You guys want
anything?"
"Sure!" They called back.
Kit watched Nene disappear into the crowd before leaning over and putting his
head next to Linna's. Aside from shouting, it was the only way to make
himself heard aside from shouting.
"Is it always this loud?"
"No. Priss is a little subdued tonight."
"Really," Kit said dryly as on stage, Priss all but ripped the microphone off
the stand, and with the microphone in one hand, and the stand in the other,
proceeded to whip the crowd into a further frenzy.
"Yeah," Linna said impishly, "I can't see anyone taking their clothes off."
Kit's eyes involuntarily jerked around the club, when they returned, Linna
was grinning.
After a moment, Kit grinned back.
"Here you go!" Nene announced as she returned carrying the drinks.
"Thank you!" Kit said as he grabbed the glass, only to set it down and clap
as Priss finished her set and left the stage.
Out of the corner of her eye, he saw Nene lean over and whisper in Linna's
ear.
"Kit!" Linna called, gesturing and Kit leaned over. "I have to go.
Something's come up. Go home, get some sleep." she slid a piece of paper to
him across the table. "Its my phone code. Call me!" With that, she dropped
some money on the table, presumably to cover her and Nene's drinks before
running towards the back.
Kit tucked the paper into his pocket before reaching for his drink. She had a
point.
"Ladies and gentlemen" came a voice over the loudspeaker. "Please make your
way to the exit in an orderly fashion, I have been informed that a rouge
boomer is headed this way."
Naturally, the club exploded as everyone panicked.
"This is the last time I call a trip a 'working vacation'." Kit groaned as he
rolled up his sleeve.
**************
In the alley behind Hot Legs, a nondescript van idled. Already pulling off
her jacket, Linna, followed closely by Nene and Priss, ran inside.
"What is it?" Priss demanded.
"Cargo boomer." Said the white haired woman at the small terminal just inside
the door. "Absorbed a damaged K-12 combat suit that was being transported to
be turned into scrap and made a beeline for this section of town."
"Fun," Priss observed as she stripped off the last of her clothes and reached
for the cloth suit hanging just inside the locker. "were those idiots
transporting live ammunition along with it?"
"No, thank God." Sylia said and then gave the singer an arch little smile.
"Detective MacNichol was in charge and he has more sense then that."
Priss blushed furiously as she turned and ran for the blue armor waiting
nearby.
"Now remember," Sylia continued, "its a K-12 suit in there so you'll need to
strike fast and hit it hard."
"We know the drill." Nene said as she activated the her own suit. "Hey Linna,
what's wrong?"
"Just worried about Kit."
"Kit?" Sylia asked.
"Oh. Linna met this really cute guy and-URK!" Nene gasped as Priss stalked
by, grabbing her shoulder.
"Later." She growled out.
"Knight Sabers," Sylia said as she turned back to the console. "prepare for
action."
One after another, three flashes of light flared from the back, launching
them into battle.
When the Sabers returned to the club, they found that the boomer already had
a playmate. Something was shooting darting around the room, firing plasma
bursts.
"What the hell is that?" Priss demanded.
"Sensors can't lock on." Nene said. "But those plasma bursts are incredible!"
"What?" Linna asked.
"Those blasts are the equivalent to the firepower of a Inware Dee sixty-nine
assault rifle."
"Like what the A.D. police use?"
"Yeah, only from what I can tell, the guns are no bigger then standard
handguns!"
"Damn." Priss said and then she straightened. "I'm going in." With that, she
leapt forward, driving her knuckle bombs into a spot on its lower back before
leaping away as the Boomer whirled to meet the new threat only to howl in
agony as the blur focused its firepower on the damaged spot.
Whirling, it went for the blur, which leapt out of the way with catlike
agility, and the boomer crashed into the wall.
The four regrouped on the far side of the room. The Knight Saber's armor
sensors could not get a clear picture of the blur, at best, they could make
out that it was man shaped.
"Okay," Priss said. "Nene, you and Linna flank that sucker, I'll go in and
smash its core." The blur put out its hand in front of Priss.
"What?" She snapped. The blur jabbed its gun at Nene then at the left side of
the room. Next, it pointed at itself and then the right side. Finally, it
indicated Linna and Priss and then the boomer, which had finished extracting
its head from the wall.
"You and me flank it while they rush it?" Nene asked. It nodded its head and
then sprinted across the room, the gun in its hand spitting white hot death.
Nene copied the maneuver, her darts peppering the boomer's head. Linna led
the charge in, her monofilament ribbons lashing out and slashing into the
boomer's hide.
"YAAAAHHHHH!" Priss screamed out her battle cry as her jets propelled her
forward, driving her knuckle bombs through its armor and into its guts.
Guided by experience, her hand found the boomer's pulsing heart and crushing
it.
"Its over." Priss said, dropping the mass to the floor. "Now for-" She broke
off as she caught sight of something in her peripheral vision.
Just out of the light, a shadowy form stood there for a moment and then
turned and ran through a hole in the wall.
Linna couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw a flash of purple.
**************
Genom Tower, Tokyo, 11pm
Mason looked up as the Genom security agent approached and held out a data
reader.
"This is all we could find sir."
"And?" Mason asked, making no move to take the device. After a moment, the
officer lowered his arm to his side.
"Well sir, we went through the Historical Archives at both Oxford and
Cambridge, and all we could find that matches the man who fought the boomer
earlier tonight was an old African legend." Mason nodded, an amateur
cameraman had caught a brief sighting of a man in purple fleeing the cafe.
Genom agents had paid the man very handsomely for the footage and encouraged
him to contact them if he should get anything similar on film.
The agents, at Mason's orders, had then turned it over to R&D for analysis.
Apparently they were done.
"A legend?" He asked.
"Yes sir." The agent said. "It dates back to the fifteen hundreds. According
to the legend, a cabin boy was shipwrecked on the coast where he was found by
a small tribe. The tribe nursed the boy back to health and then forged him
into a weapon against injustice."
"How sentimental," Mason scoffed. "continue."
"Yes sir." The agent glanced at the reader for a moment. "As a final gift,
the tribe gifted the boy with the secret of immortality then sent him forth
into the world." The officer paused. "Since then, he's roamed the world,
combating injustice wherever he finds it. Confirmed sightings are rare, but
he seems to have focused his efforts in Africa. Recently, he was sighted in
New York after a sixteen year absence. Genom New York is working on it."
"Does he have a name?"
"Yes sir. The legend calls him the 'Ghost Who Walks'. But historically, he's
known as the Phantom."
**************