Shards
A Story of Bubblegum Crisis
By Shehulk
Warning: The following story contains adult scenes between women. It also
contains scenes of non-consentual sex.
If you are not of a legal age or a liberal mind, then this is not the story for
you.
This takes place after Changes and I've now entitled the whole series 'BGC
Blues' making this part
BGC Blues 4 : Shards
Priss stepped out of the master bedroom and onto the patio. She followed the
low wall that enclosed the rooftop garden and slipped through the wrought iron
gate. Wandering through the maze of plants and small trees, she found a
secluded corner with a carefully tended patch of grass. Priss sank to one knee
and set the black case in front of her. The catches opened with an ear pleasing
click and Priss eagerly withdrew the saxophone from its resting place. She
slipped the strap around her neck and connected it to the instrument. Her
fingers slid over the keys and she spoke to Arashi. < How will this work? I
thought you guys only knew what the others did. > Priss was growing more at
ease with the nanoclusters that had taken up residence inside of her as time
passed. Even the lack of privacy wasn’t too bad since Arashi was a lot like her
and didn’t talk much.
= That’s right, but we have a link to the main computer, which allows us access
to anything. = Arashi was already gathering the information she would need.
< Uh huh. Does Sylia know about that? >
Arashi paused. = You know, I’m not sure. I think Taisei told her. =
“Oh great. Well if we get in trouble I’m telling her that you made me do it.”
= Just shut up and sit down. =
“Why?”
= For pity’s sake! Do you have to ask so many questions? =
“About this? Absolutely.” Priss was still extremely wary about this idea and
wasn’t shy in expressing her reservations.
Arashi controlled her frustration and, not having ever felt the emotion before,
it took some effort. = I’m not sure how you’ll react to the stream of data. You
might want to be sitting down. =
Priss sat down on the grass and tightened her grip on the saxophone. “Okay. Now
what?”
Arashi began to imprint the raw data into Priss’ memory. This was the first
time that they had dumped so much information into her brain at one time and
Arashi really didn’t know what would happen.
Priss felt the little tingle that she had felt before when Arashi had done
this, but then the feeling changed. The sensation grew rapidly and Priss
grabbed her head as her brain began to feel like it was catching fire. It faded
almost instantly but Priss was struggling for breath and sweating when it was
over. “Damn it!”
= Oops. =
“Oops? Oops!? What the hell do you mean oops? That hurt, you demented doodad!”
Her mind prickled like it had gone to sleep and she shook it in an attempt to
clear it.
Arashi was contrite. = I’m so sorry, Priss. I can block some of the pain next
time. It seems that the more data there is, the more intense the transfer. =
She turned thoughtful. = I’ll have to be sure and warn the others. =
< No kidding. > Priss drew a deep breath and remembered the instrument that had
started all of this. She held it out slightly and looked at. Suddenly her
vision seemed to shift, then snap back into place. She lifted the mouthpiece to
her lips and ran down the musical scale. Priss drew back and grinned broadly.
“Hot damn!”
Soon the rooftop echoed with the sweet sounds that Priss could now work from
the instrument.
****
One floor down…
Sylia studied the financial report in front of her intently. If these numbers
were right… She turned to the computer console beside her and began to type
furiously. The shadows of late afternoon were lengthening into the long shades
of evening and a tiny part of her mind nagged that she was going to be late for
dinner. She ignored it, brought up the flow charts for the last year’s
earnings, and compared them. A slow smile spread over her face and she leaned
back and looked out the window as she considered this new development.
= Considering the addition of another piece to your game? = Taisei was
thoughtful. = It does appear to be ripe for takeover, and it’s small enough
that the main branch of Genom wouldn’t become suspicious at its loss. =
Sylia nodded as she continued to work out the details in her mind. “Yes. It
will have to be through a different subsidiary this time, though. The Kousotsu
has already bought out two manufacturers already. Three might make Genom
curious.” Taisei agreed. = What about Antou? =
“Not enough liquid assets for the purchase.” She frowned slightly as an idea
occurred to her. “But they would if they received the contract for the new
construction boomers on Alpha 5. With that contract they could plausibly force
the purchase, claiming to need the extra equipment.”
= Well since you own both companies I guess it’s just a matter of arranging the
contract. = The humor that Sylia sensed from Taisei irritated her. “You find
something amusing?”
Taisei schooled her voice to a more serious tone. = Of course not. I merely
find it interesting that you choose to use people and corporations as your
chess pieces. = The slight sting was not missed by Sylia and she stood up
abruptly and walked to the floor to ceiling windows that lined the wall of her
office. She didn’t see the city that sprawled out below her like a child’s
discarded set of blocks. Steel and concrete piled almost haphazardly across the
land and in the distance, like a thorn in the sky, stood Genom Tower. “What
else can I do?” She folded her arms across her chest, feeling defensive. “I
can’t exactly blow up that eye-sore like Priss suggests, now can I?”
= No, that would not achieve the results you’re looking for. I… = Taisei
paused, unsure that she should bring this up. The knowledge that Taisei had
came primarily from Sylia and her memories. There was nothing that Sylia could
hide from her. = My only concern is about the others. They don’t know what
you’ve been doing and if they find out from another source… =
“I know. They might not understand and I might not be given the chance to
explain.”
= Wouldn’t be better to tell them on your own terms? =
“Yes, but how?” She stepped closer to the window until she could see her pale
reflection in the glass. “How do I explain that I’ve been buying boomer
manufacturers and not closing them down, but instead making them more
profitable?”
Taisei didn’t have an answer.
****
Nene popped another potato chip into her mouth and tapped the keyboard quickly
to avoid a stray asteroid. She increased thrusters and set a new course for the
Mumei quadrant. She’d just been alerted that there were approaching enemy
fighters when Seiki spoke.
= Shouldn’t you be doing something… well, police-like? =
Nene grinned and opened fire on the hapless fighters. <Not really. Everything’s
kind of quiet right now, but then you knew that. > She surveyed the floating
remains of the enemy with gleeful satisfaction and saved her game. < If you’re
bored then just say so. >
= I’m bored! = Nene laughed at her exasperation and ignored the looks she drew
from the other officers. = Let’s look for that signature that we saw yesterday!
=
Nene chomped another chip and thought nodded reluctantly. < Okay, I give in. >
The signature that they thought they saw was very similar to the enclaves, but
that should have been impossible. Nene wasn’t sure she wanted to find whatever
it was and had been putting off looking for it, though she wasn’t sure why. She
tapped into the world net and activated her search program. Programming the
search parameters took time and Seiki grew impatient quickly. = Let’s do this
the easy way! =
< Easy way? What are you talking about? >
Seiki had been trying to think of a way to get Nene to attempt a direct link to
the web system. A direct neural link. = Let’s just link to the system itself. =
When she realized what Seiki was suggesting Nene froze, dropping her bag of
potato chips. “That’s not possible.” Her hushed voice didn’t carry far enough
to draw attention to her.
= Sure it is. It’s easy. = So saying, she accessed the signal and tied it into
her and Nene’s thought patterns.
Nene grabbed the arms of her chair and pushed back against the seat as her mind
suddenly exploded into a riotous world that did not exist. Jumbled strands of
color wove in and out of huge blocks that seemed to shimmer as white bursts of
energy crackled through the strands. < It’s incredible! >Nene felt like she was
flying as she looked down to see a faint shadow flowing under one of the
strands. Seiki was excited. = There it is! Grab it! =
Nene wondered how she was supposed to do that when she had no hands. As soon as
the thought formed, Nene saw her own hand reaching out to grasp the fading
line. Instantly she was propelled forward at a speed that would have killed her
in the real world. < What have you done to me?! > Nene released the strand and
stopped instantly. Her head whirled at the sudden lack of motion and Nene
thought she might be sick. The nausea faded instantly.
= Sorry about that. Feeling better? =
Nene carefully pulled herself back together. < BETTER!? How can you even ask
that?! >
Seiki knew that she probably should have warned her a little better. = I’m
sorry, Nene. I just wanted so much to share this with you. =
With her heart rate slowing, Nene was beginning to calm down. < Okay, just…
just warn me next time. > She looked around as the innumerable strands twisted
and curled around her. The shadow had disappeared. < How do I get back? >
Seiki wanted to find the strange signal again, but knew that she had pushed
Nene enough today. =Just picture yourself back in your body and you’ll be
there. You haven’t actually left it, you see. =
To her great surprise, Nene didn’t return. Instead, she began to study her
surroundings and ask Seiki questions. < What are they made of? > She gestured
to the multi-colored strands.
= Information. Energy. Sometimes both. It depends on what the purpose of the
strand is. =
< How do you tell them apart? >
= Practice. =
And so they did. Seiki led Nene through the mass of virtual pathways and taught
her how to tell them apart, how to track their paths and how to jump ahead of a
strand and divert its course. = Very handy for stopping someone from going
somewhere they shouldn’t. = Seiki felt someone touch Nene in the out world. =
We have to return. =
Nene imagined herself back at her desk and she was there. She blinked a few
times as her vision readjusted to this world and turned to find Leon staring at
her in concern.
“Nene? Are you all right? You were staring into space.” Leon straightened and
tossed a stack of files on her desk. “These need to be checked, but maybe you’d
better go on home and get some rest. You look kind of pale.”
Nene grinned and grabbed her things. “That’s a good idea. Be sure and turn my
computer off when you’re through checking those files.” She was gone before he
could protest.
Leon looked at the files and then at the computer. “Damn.”
****
Two days later…
Sylia secured the visor on her helmet and mounted her motorcycle. The bike was
lifted out of the truck and for a brief moment, Sylia was hanging in midair
over the pavement that was racing by below her. The bike dropped and tires
squealed as they scrambled to catch up. Sylia quickly accelerated away from the
van and saw Priss appear along side of her. “Nene?”
Nene’s voice rang through their helmets. “Three minutes to target. The limo is
approximately two miles ahead and is about to become stuck in traffic.” Nene
was hacking into the traffic control circuits as she spoke, shifting the
strands of the program to fit the Knight Sabers needs. “You’re green all the
way.”
Sylia smiled at her cheerful tone. “Roger that. Linna?”
Linna stood at the edge of a roof that happened to overlook the intersection
where the limo would be caught. “In position.”
“Remember: No casualties. No property damage. We grab the briefcase and we
leave, understood?” Sylia resisted the urge to tell them that the person they
were working for on this mission was her. Genom had taken an interest in some
of the boomer designs from one of the companies that she had taken over and
Sylia had been almost positive that the industrial spy who’d made off with
several important schematics was working for them. They’d watched the limo pick
the man up in the park and Sylia had been sure.
Priss’ smirk was evident. “Yeah, yeah. We know, play nice.”
Linna stared at the intersection in confusion. “Um, Nene? Where’s the limo? It
should have been here by now.”
Nene sat motionless inside of the van, her mind swiftly working through the
data, trying to locate the missing car. “I don’t know. It should be there.” She
checked the transmitter that they had placed on the car and discovered that it
was still working. “According to the scanner it should be right in front of
you.”
Linna studied the group of vehicles below her, but saw nothing. “It’s not.”
Sylia felt a trickle of unease. “Linna pull back. Nene, have Mackie bring the
van to the pick up point and give me a sector scan. Look for anything unusual.”
She veered off and turned down the street just before the marked intersection,
Priss right behind her. “I smell a rat.”
As the words left her lips, a plasma burst exploded in front of her bike,
blowing her and the motorcycle across the road. Metal screeched as the bike
slid into and through the back wall of a factory. Priss fired three rapid shots
at the boomer who had attacked them and shifted the bike to motoslave as she
met it head on. The boomer swung at her, a stunning blow that the slave blocked
easily and Priss jammed the barrel of the impulse cannon directly into its
face. The explosion threw Priss back a few feet, but she and the motoslave were
uninjured. She stood up and headed back to where Sylia had disappeared. Since
the wall already had a hole in it, she had no problem in making it larger. The
path of destruction continued inside for another few feet before coming to an
end in a tangle of wires and crushed machinery. Priss called to Sylia. “Sylia?
Answer me, Sylia.”
A peculiar crackling sound could be heard in the room and Priss saw little blue
arcs of electricity rippling across the bike and Sylia’s suit. “Damn! Mackie!
Nene! Get the van here on the double. Sylia’s crashed into some kind of
machinery and isn’t answering me. I think the suit might have shorted out.”
Nene was calm as she disengaged her link with the computer. “That’s not
possible, Priss. The suit is fully insulated. We’re on our way.”
Priss began tossing debris out of her way, trying to free Sylia and the bike
from the mass of metal ensnaring them. She stopped as she pulled away a large
sheet of steel. A long crack ran down the side of Sylia’s chest plate and there
were wires touching the unprotected skin underneath. “Shit! Nene, her suit’s
been cracked.” She ripped the wires away and carried Sylia out to meet the van.
Linna dragged Sylia’s bike on board and Nene met Priss in the hold. She removed
her helmet as Priss returned the slave to its regular form. She knelt beside
Sylia as she came to. She groaned and brought a hand to her head. “Ow.”
“How do feel?” Priss helped her open the releases on her hardsuit. The suit
wasn’t responding and Nene was afraid that Priss might be right; the circuits
might have been fried.
“Oh, like I went through a wall. What happened to the boomer?” Sylia climbed
out of the suit, wincing as her muscles protested.
“Currently decorating the sides of several buildings.” Priss watched her
closely as she stood up. “Any dizziness?”
Sylia shook her head. “I’m okay. Besides Taisei will take care of anything that
needs fixing, right?” She waited for her enclave of nanobots to answer.
Silence. “Taisei?” She looked at the others, her expression concerned. “ Can
Seiki and the others contact her?”
They scanned for any sign of Taisei, but there was nothing. = She’s not
answering. The electricity might have thrown her offline, so to speak. =
= I’m here. What happened? = Taisei sounded a little rattled, if that were
possible.
Sylia laughed in relief. < We tried to fly through a generator. Got shocked
when the suit cracked and breeched the insulation. >
= Ah. That explains the minor electrical burns to your chest. = Taisei wondered
vaguely if she was supposed to do something about it.
Priss gripped Sylia’s arm and made her sit down. “Burns?” Sylia patted her
cheek and smiled. “Little burns, Priss. Ones that I don’t even feel now and
won’t be there in a few hours. I’m okay.” She turned to Nene. “Any idea what
happened?”
Linna grinned and set a black briefcase on the floor in front of Sylia. “I
figured out where the limo went. See, there were actually two boomers. One
waylaid the limo and took the case underground which is why it was at the
intersection, but not visible. I’m afraid that the driver and the passenger
were killed. I found a crumbled ball that must have been the car. The other
boomer had to have been there for back up.”
Sylia wondered if it had been an attempt by Genom to cover their tracks. If it
was then they were getting sloppy. She smiled suddenly. “Good work, Linna.
Looks like we get paid after all.”
****
Linna watched the stock quotes race past and took calls from clients wanting
recommendations as people around the world made and lost small fortunes. The
board under the current stock prices listed what the firm wanted to advise
their customers to buy and sell. The job was somewhat mundane, but Linna found
that she liked working with money, even if it wasn’t her own.
= It could be more interesting. = Inji was eager to give Linna the full benefit
of the nanos abilities.
Linna was almost afraid to ask. She’d agreed to let Inji slowly increase her
knowledge as the need arose, but somehow she knew that wasn’t what she was
talking about. <Do I really want to know? >
= You wound me! You know I have your best interests at heart. =
Linna rolled her eyes and took another call. When she had finished, she
returned to their conversation. < Well? >
= I’ve been watching the flow of the market. It moves in patterns and waves.
>From all of the information that I’ve studied in the computers it should be
possible to actually ‘see’ and predict that flow. =
A little shiver went through Linna as she realized what she was saying. < You
mean I could…? >
= Easily. =
Linna took her time in deciding. She thought about it the rest of the morning
and through lunch. When she returned she had decided. < Do it. >
Inji gleefully began to not only imprint data into Linna’s mind, but to also
make minute changes in her brain so that she would be able to ‘see’ the
patterns more clearly. = I probably should have told her about that. =
Feeling like she’d brushed against a live wire, Linna opened her eyes and
stared at the computer screen in front of her. She immediately began to see the
shifting flow within the numbers. The phone rang and she answered it
automatically. “A fast earner?” She glanced at the board and then back to her
screen. The company was recommending Hitoiki as the quarter’s fast earner, but
Linna could see that they had misjudged the Nihomi Corporation. “Nihomi
Corporation should out pace everything this quarter, but we expect it to dip
again in the next. I would advise purchasing it for a short term, but be
prepared to sell it within three months. Uh huh. Three thousand shares?” Linna
finished the call and sighed contentedly. This could be fun.
****
“I don’t care how it happened Shaku, just make sure that it doesn’t happen
again.” Sylia let the man sputter reassurances for a few more minutes and then
interrupted. “Also long as you understand that we do not work for Genom. Under
no circumstances are you to allow any, and I mean any known Genom employees, ex
or otherwise, in that plant or near that assembly line. Authorized personnel
only, Shaku.” Sylia ended the conversation with a sharp stab at the console and
the man’s face winked away. She closed her eyes and tried to ease some of the
tension that was tightening her neck into knot.
Priss stood in the doorway of the office and wondered what that phone call had
meant. Being Priss, she cut right to the heart of the matter. “What assembly
line?”
Sylia’s eyes popped open and she scowled so fiercely at Priss that she took a
step back automatically. “Don’t you remember how to knock?”
Priss raised her hands in surrender. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” She
looked at Sylia in concern. “You seem a little wound up. Anything you want to
talk about?”
“No.” Sylia shut off her computer with more force than necessary and picked up
her purse. “All right, let’s go.” Her tone was less than enthusiastic and Priss
wondered what was bothering her. She put her hands on her shoulders and smiled
encouragingly. “Are you okay?” Sylia shrugged. “Just a bit of a headache.”
Priss kissed her on the forehead and they headed for the elevator. As the doors
slide closed the strangeness of that admission struck her. “Why hasn’t Taisei
taken care of it?”
Sylia shrugged again and Priss was baffled by her lackluster attitude. <
Arashi? Find out what’s wrong. >
= Taisei says that Sylia told her to leave her alone and that if she interfered
with her in any way again, she’d find away to offline her personality. = Arashi
had no answers for Sylia’s behavior. Priss glanced at Sylia out of the corner
of her eye. < I guess she could just be in a bad mood, but that wouldn’t
explain the hostility towards Taisei. > She was interrupted in her musings as
Sylia tugged on her arm. “Wake up, Priss!” Priss managed a sheepish grin and
followed Sylia into the apartment.
Sylia heard the door close and spun around, catching Priss’ arms and pushing
her back against the door. Her mouth covered Priss’ before she could react.
Feeling her temperature shoot through the roof, Priss let herself be devoured.
< This is a pleasant surprise, > she thought, trying not to smile as she heard
the distant sound of cloth ripping.
****
Priss gradually became aware of the hard floor beneath her and shifted in
attempt to get more comfortable. After a few minutes she realized that it would
be impossible and nudged Sylia. Sylia responded by curling into Priss’ side
with a faint sound. Priss looked down and saw that she was sound asleep. A slow
smile parted her lips and Priss brushed a strand of hair away from Sylia’s
face. < She must be exhausted. > Her smile went straight into a grin as she
recalled just how… enthusiastic Sylia had been.
= So are you going to let her sleep on the floor? =
Priss sighed and wished, not for the first time, that Arashi had an off switch.
< I can’t have a minute to recover? >
The snicker that whispered through her mind was taunting. =You recovered five
minutes ago and are laying there hoping that if you stay on the floor, Sylia
might get uncomfortable and wake up. Which would provide you with an
opportunity to return the favor. =
Clenching her hands into fists and wishing desperately that she could somehow
punch Arashi’s lights out, Priss drew a deep breath and eased Sylia off her
shoulder. She shook her gently and called her name a few times, but Sylia was
down for the count. Priss knelt beside her and wasn’t gentle as she picked her
up. Still Sylia slept on. Priss carried her into the bedroom, struggling not to
drop her.
= Hmmm. Not very strong, are you? = Priss’ answer was a breathless grunt and
mental barrage of curses. = Not very original either. =
Priss ground her teeth as she laid Sylia on the bed, her back muscles
protesting. <You know damn well that she’s got three inches on me. >
= Yes, and you have five pounds on her. =
Priss went back into the living room and picked up the remains of her and
Sylia’s clothing. < Did I do something to piss you off? >
Arashi thought about it. = No, not really. I just feel this strange desire to
say these things that I know will irritate you. =
Priss knew that the enclaves were still having trouble understanding the new
emotions they were feeling and decided to be patient. < I think you’re feeling
playful, but mixing it up with viciousness. Though how the hell you could mix
those two up is beyond me. >
= Well, I’m only human. =
****
Linna closed the door behind her and leaned against it for a moment. She had
had an incredible day today and felt like celebrating. She pulled off her coat
and wondered if Nene would be interested in going out to dinner tonight. She
found her at her computer, staring off into space. Linna smiled and touched her
shoulder. “Nene?”
Traveling rapidly through the miles of data trails, Nene heard Linna as if from
a great distance. <I’ll be back in a few minutes, Linna. I want to find out
where this goes. >
Linna stared at her still face uncertainly. < Uh, okay. >
A few seconds later Nene inhaled sharply and began to blink rapidly. She turned
and looked up at Linna with a huge grin. “Hi! How long have you been home?”
“A few minutes. Nene, what were you doing?”
Nene shrugged. “I was surfing.” She got up and stretched mightily. “Umph. Too
much time in that chair today. I’m getting hacker’s neck.”
Seiki dutifully began to ease the muscular strain there. = You’re really
getting the hang of traveling the strands. =
Linna heard her and caught Nene’s arm as she started for the kitchen. “Nene.”
Nene sighed. “You’re going to be mad at me, I just know it.” She waved toward
the computer. “I was surfing the internet. But not with a computer.”
Linna looked at the machine and then back to Nene. “You were-? How?”
“Seiki can hook me directly into the net. It’s incredible, Linna. Like flying!
Millions and millions of data strands running everywhere and there are these
stationary places called ports, where the strands originate from.”
Linna held up a hand to stop the rapid-fire flow of computer-speak. “Is it safe
for you?”
Seiki answered her. =Of course! I would never put Nene in danger. =
Linna nodded. “Okay. If it’s safe.”
Nene was surprised. “I expected to have to sell you on the idea.” She was even
more surprised to see Linna blush. “What is it?”
“It would be rather hypocritical of me to condemn you for what you’re doing
when I’m doing something similar.”
Nene’s eyes widened. “You? What did you do?”
“I can now see financial ebbs and waves. I made about two million today.” Nene
grinned and clapped her hands. “Great! You can take me to dinner.”
****
Priss surveyed the crowd as she sang and soon spied the face she was looking
for. Sylia sat at the bar, her stylish business suit standing out like a sore
thumb in the club. She was watching Priss intently and so Priss sang the rest
of the song to her. The next song was a wild, blood thumper and she was all
over the stage as the music pounded over her. When it ended, at last Priss was
exhausted and waved to the crowd as she ended the set. She came off the stage
and was heading straight for Sylia when she was waylaid by a couple of young
girls who begged her for her autograph. Priss forced a smile and gave them what
they wanted, all the while wondering how they had managed to get past the
bouncer at the door. If they were legal then she’d eat her microphone.
Finally free, she joined Sylia. “I don’t know how they got past security.”
Sylia was frowning at her and Priss paused. “What’s wrong?”
Sylia shrugged nonchalantly but her eyes were hard. “I just didn’t realize how
close you were to your fans.” The faint acid in her voice caught Priss
completely off guard.
“What are you talking about? I didn’t-.” It struck her then and Priss smiled
incredulously. “You’re not jealous are you?”
Sylia straightened, her face remote. “Should I be?”
This was out of left field and Priss was scrambling to keep up. “Of course not!
Sylia, why on earth would you think that?” She put her hands on Sylia’s
shoulders and looked her dead in the eye. “You have nothing to be jealous
about, love.”
Sylia finally smiled, but Priss couldn’t shake a vague sense of uneasiness.
****
Linna bit back a scream as they raced through the system together. <Stop! >
Nene released the strand and turned to Linna in concern. < What’s wrong? >
Staring at Nene incredulously, she shook her head. < What’s wrong!? I think I
left my stomach back there! >
Nene patted her arm and smiled reassuringly. < It’s a little intense the first
time, but you’ll get used to it. >
Linna didn’t think so. She looked at Nene’s weird appearance and then down at
her own normal clothing. < Why do you look like that? >
Nene twirled around with a pleased grin. The body suit was very similar to the
soft suits that they wore inside their armor, but this one was hot pink and
seemed to be glowing slightly. < Like it? Because parts of this place can only
be interpreted through our imaginations, we can look any way we want. See, I’m
not standing here and neither are you. But up here, > She tapped her forehead.
< We’re moving and talking like normal. >
Linna shot a quick glance at the area below their feet and saw only a vast dark
void. < Actually, we’re not standing anywhere. Which I don’t mind telling you,
is totally freaking me out. >
Nene took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Linna felt the touch here
and in the real world and shivered at the odd sense of duality. < Okay, I’ve
had enough. Let’s go home, please. > And they were. Linna felt her vision waver
and took in her surroundings with a sigh of relief. She saw Nene’s slightly
disappointed expression and apologized. “I’m sorry Nene. I guess I’m just not
cut out for that.”
Nene leaned over and planted a quick kiss on her lips. “That’s okay, I don’t
get the whole ‘money is like an ocean’ thing either.” She stretched her arms
wide and Linna knew what was coming. “Let’s eat.”
****
Nene waited until Linna had drifted off to sleep before she moved to get up and
head for the computer. Seiki stopped her. =That’s not necessary, Nene. You have
got to stop thinking in such literal terms. =
Nene sank back down onto the bed. < What do you mean? >
Seiki laughed. = You don’t need a computer for riding the strands. You don’t
even have to be near one either. I can connect us from anywhere. =
The slow smile that blossomed on Nene’s face would probably frighten anyone who
saw it. It was the look of a computer geek in the ultimate throws of
technological rapture. She settled back under the covers and laced her fingers
behind her head. < Let’s go. >
****
Priss surprised the members of the band when she told them that she was going
to add a saxophone to one of the songs. She had always thought that it would
sound better with it, but none of the guys knew how to play. They were
skeptical until she showed them just how good she could play. It raised the
question of course, of why she hadn’t played before but Priss gave them an
answer that wouldn’t surprise them. “I didn’t want to until now.” Delivered
with a hard look that spoke volumes, the short statement was accepted and they
began to rehearse.
****
Priss opened the door of Sylia’s apartment and slipped quietly inside, not
wanting to disturb her. She set the instrument cases down by the door and left
them there as she tossed her jacket onto the back of the couch. Priss wandered
into the kitchen and was peering into the refrigerator when Sylia spoke. “Home
at last?” Priss heard the harsh grate in Sylia’s voice and knew that this was
not going to be pretty. She’d been so weird lately that Priss was beginning to
wonder if Sylia was looking for an excuse to end it.
Priss turned around and closed the door. “Yeah.” She resisted the urge to
explain that the rehearsal had run late. She hadn’t done anything she needed to
explain.
Sylia was still dressed in one of her power suits and Priss wondered if she had
been waiting up. “Where were you?”
Priss grimaced. No surprise there. “I was at rehearsal, Sylia.” Knowing she was
wasting her breath, she elaborated. “We were rearranging a couple of the songs
for a new instrument. It took longer than I planned.”
Sylia said nothing and Priss gritted her teeth. “You don’t believe me.”
“You weren’t at the club.”
“We went to get dinner after. Look, Sylia. Why don’t you just accuse me of what
ever it is that you think I’ve done and then I can deny it. Then we’ll fight
and go to bed or we’ll fight and I’ll go home, the choice is yours.” She opened
the door to the fridge again and grabbed a soda. Popping the tab, she took a
long drink and waited.
Sylia resisted the urge to strike her and spoke calmly. “I just wonder where
you are Priss. I was concerned. Things are coming to a head with Genom and I’m
just worried that they might try and get to me through you.”
Priss lowered the can and stared at Sylia nonplussed. “Genom? Why would they
know who you are? Why would they-?” Priss suddenly remembered the conversation
that she had overheard. She set the drink on the island and braced her hands
against the smooth wood. “That guy you were talking to the other day. He works
for you?” Sylia nodded. “What assembly line were you talking about, Sylia and
why would Genom care?”
Sylia glared at her. “That doesn’t concern you Priss.”
“Like hell! I have the right to-.” Sylia cut her off.
“You have no rights!” Her head was pounding and she struggled to rein in her
temper. “You work for me too, unless you’ve forgotten that?”
Priss couldn’t say why that comment seemed to hurt so much. “Yes I do. I am a
Knight Saber and we destroy boomers and we are trying to destroy Genom.” She
said this as much to reaffirm it in her own mind as to answer Sylia.
Sylia’s laugh was cynical. “No, Priss. The goal is not to destroy Genom, but to
possess it!”
Astonished at her words. Priss could only stare at Sylia in disbelief.
Possess…Genom?
“Do you really think that all of the boomers that we have destroyed have hurt
Genom? The bomber rampages have done only one thing: undermine the public image
of Genom and its subsidiary companies.” She shook her head at Priss’ naivety.
“I’ve been purchasing the companies as we drive them bankrupt. Its then a
simple matter to restructure them so that the boomers they produce are safer
than Genom’s.”
Priss thought about their battles in this new light and the horrible truth
became evident. “You? You made the boomers go nuts?” She took an involuntary
step back.
Sylia dragged her hands through her hair. “Not all of them, Priss. That would
be madness. Just a few that would be in the right place to cause as much damage
to Genom as possible. You can’t attack a monster like Genom head on, you have
to weaken it from the inside.”
Priss flexed the fingers of her metal hand and raised them to Sylia. “And this?
Was this one of your little displays?”
Sylia came forward and gripped her hand. “No Priss! I would never place you or
the others in that kind of danger for something like that. The boomer that
malfunctioned did just that; malfunctioned. I only activated boomers that I
knew we could handle easily.”
Priss thought about all of the AD police officers that had died trying to stop
the boomers. “How many cops were killed by…” her stomach turned as she spoke.
“…your boomers?”
“None! You’re not listening to me! I controlled them!”
Priss turned around and walked out of the apartment. Sylia was shocked at her
abrupt departure. “She left? She left!?” Sylia’s fist crashed into the counter,
but she didn’t feel the pain. “She can’t leave me.” Fury made her voice low and
ruthless. “No one leaves me!”
****
Priss tossed her keys onto the table and threw herself down on the lumpy
mattress. She was staring blankly at the poster over her bed when Arashi spoke,
= That was quite a revelation. =
Priss snorted. “No shit.” The sense of betrayal that she felt threatened to
overwhelm her. “Damn her!”
= I hate to suggest this, but I’m going to any way. She has a point about it
being impossible to attack Genom the way you’d like to. =
Priss sat up and swung her legs off the bed. She rested her elbows on her knees
and buried her face in her hands. “I know.” That would probably surprise Sylia,
but Priss knew damn well that a public attack would only provoke sympathy from
the population. The boomer rampages did a great deal of damage to Genom’s
image. People didn’t trust them as much now that was for sure. “But triggering
rampages on purpose!”
= Controlled rampages that she knew would hurt Genom and no one else. =
“Whose side are you on!?”
= Yours of course, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t see why she felt that she
had to do what she did. =
Priss clenched her jaw. “What about the factories?”
Arashi sighed. = Boy are you going to get mad at me. Boomers have their uses,
Priss. Who better to insure that they’re as safe as possible? =
Arashi seemed unsurprised by Sylia’s actions and Priss grew suspicious. “Why do
I have the feeling that you’ve known about this for a while?”
= Like I’ve said before, Priss, you’re smarter than you give yourself credit
for. We promised Sylia that we would give her time to tell you all, but I had
hoped that she’d find a better way. =
****
Priss climbed out of bed with a low groan as her back protested the abuse it
had received from the mattress. Arashi grumbled as she went to work restoring
the flexibility Priss had lost. = You should press charges against that thing
for assault. =
Priss laughed as she rummaged through the empty cabinets. “Guess I’m eating out
today.” She ran a comb through her hair and picked up her keys. The image of
herself putting her instrument cases on the floor at Sylia’s popped into her
mind and she groaned again. “Damn.” She would have to get the cases at some
point today and Priss figured that she might as well try and make up with Sylia
when she did.
= How magnanimous of you. =
< Shut up. >
****
Priss pulled her bike into her parking slot and looked at Sylia’s car. <
Probably in the office. > She hoped. She wanted a little time to prepare before
they got into it again.
“Hi.” Priss turned around to find Linna standing behind her. “Hi yourself. What
are you doing here?”
Linna’s smile was hesitant. “Um, Friday night, dinner here?”
Priss closed her eyes and nodded as she recalled Sylia’s invitation. “Oh yeah,
I forgot all about it. Where’s Nene?”
“She’ll be here soon. She got held up at work.” Linna looked at the shadows
under Priss’ eyes. “You look like hell.”
Priss shrugged and climbed off the bike. “Rough night.”
****
“I tell you Linna, she’s been down right weird lately. I came home late last
night and she grilled me for almost twenty minutes!” She wondered if she should
tell Linna about what else Sylia had been doing. After a moment of indecision,
Priss decided that she would talk to Sylia first. She drank deeply from the can
of soda and then pressed it to her forehead. The afternoon shadows were
beginning to lengthen and stretch their way across the roof. She’d been showing
off her new musical skills to Linna, the only other person who knew what she
had been doing to her memory.
“Hmm. I don’t know Priss. She seemed normal enough to me yesterday. Maybe she
was just in a bad mood.”
Priss shook her head. “No it was more than that. I just can’t put my finger on
it.” She picked up the sax and held it while she thought. “She’s more…
possessive.”
Linna agreed that it didn’t sound like Sylia. “You think she might know about
what we’ve been doing?”
Priss shrugged. “Maybe.”
“When were you going to tell Sylia anyway?” Linna punched Priss in the arm and
grinned. “She’s going to get wise you know.”
“Like Nene won’t notice.” Priss sighed and rubbed her face. “I don’t know when
I’m going to tell her.”
“How about right now?” Priss felt every nerve in her body go on alert as
Sylia’s question cut through her. She turned around to see Sylia and Nene
standing behind them. Priss quickly got to her feet and started toward Sylia.
“Now Sylia, don’t get mad. I was going to tell you.”
“Oh really?” Sylia’s expression defied description. Priss winced.
“Linna and I just wanted to-.” She was cut off as Sylia waved her hand in a
quick, chopping motion. “I don’t care what you two wanted. It’s pretty obvious
what you wanted, you lying bitch!”
Priss jerked back as if struck and in truth, she would have preferred a
physical blow. “Sylia?”
Sylia ignored her and glared at Linna. “I’m shocked at you, Linna. I suggest
you get out. Try and explain yourself to Nene.”
Linna was baffled and turned to Nene. “What is she talking about?”
Actually, Nene had no idea, but Sylia spoke before she had a chance to admit
that. “I said get out!”
Afraid that if she stayed she’d provoke Sylia even more, Linna gathered her
things and left with Nene. Sylia turned on Priss. “Well I hope you enjoyed
yourself because it ends here.”
“What the hell are you talking about?!” Priss was shouting and knew that she
should calm down but Sylia was being ridiculous.
“I’m talking about your affair with Linna!” Nothing she could have said would
have surprised Priss more. The absurdity of her accusation hit Priss and she
burst into laughter.
“Me and Linna? Sylia, that’s crazy!”
Sylia radiated fury. “So now you’re going to lie again?”
“I’m not lying! Damn it, Sylia I love you! I would never-.” Priss halted as
Sylia turned on her heel and walked away. “Sylia? Wait a second. Sylia!” The
sound of the gate slamming was her only response. Priss cursed and stalked
after her.
= Um, Priss? Why don’t we let her cool down a little? =
< No way am I letting her think for one minute that I cheated on her! > Priss
almost ripped the gate from its hinges as she flung in open and headed for the
sliding doors that led to the living room.
= Well then, how about if you take a few deep breaths and calm down a little? =
****
Sylia stormed into the apartment, yanking the glass door closed behind her. She
was heading for the bedroom when she head the door open again behind her. “How
dare you!” Trembling with rage, Sylia picked up a small vase from an end table
and hurled it.
Priss stood framed in the doorway and she ducked instinctively as the vase went
whizzing by her head. She heard the splash as it landed in the pool. “Hey!”
She shut the door and stared at Sylia in amazement, her anger cooling in the
face of Sylia’s strange emotional state. “What’s wrong, Sylia? There’s
something you’re not telling me.”
“You betrayer!” She threw a small jade statue at Priss and this time she didn’t
move fast enough. It hit her in the shoulder and Priss yelped in pain. “Damn
it, Sylia! Cut it out. You’re acting like a child.”
Sylia froze and Priss was appalled to see tears begin to run down her cheeks. A
sob escaped her and she ran for the bedroom. Priss smacked herself in the head
and went after her.
Sylia was sitting on the bed, her face buried in her hands when she entered.
Priss felt about two inches tall as she knelt in front of Sylia. “Sylia?”
“Go away.” Her voice was filled with hurt. Utter betrayal was the only was to
describe the expression in Sylia’s eyes when she finally raised them to Priss’.
“Oh Sylia…” Priss held out her hands in a gesture meant to offer comfort, but
Sylia only smiled grimly.
In a motion almost to quick to see, she had snapped a pair of heavy manacles
around Priss’ wrists and secured them tightly. Priss stared blankly at her
bound hands. Sylia stood up and Priss did the same. “Sylia? What are you
doing?” She twisted her hands, but the metal showed no signs of weakness.
Sylia didn’t answer, but locked the bedroom door and took something from the
drawer beside the bed. The whisper of a blade clearing its sheath had Priss’
head whipping around to stare at her lover. “Sylia?”
Sylia’s face was emotionless and Priss felt herself take a step away. Sylia
raised the small sword and let it’s tip rest at the base of Priss’ throat.
“Don’t move.” The blade moved down to hook into the fabric of her shirt and
Priss shivered as the material parted under the razor edge. Memories of another
night flashed into her mind and Priss knew exactly what Sylia was thinking.
“Sylia, I don’t-.” Priss stopped as the flat of the blade was pressed against
her lips. “Not. One. Word.” She wasn’t surprised as the blade began to make
short work of her clothing and soon she was standing before Sylia completely
naked. Sylia nodded in satisfaction and re-sheathed the blade. She then gripped
the chain that bound Priss’ hands and pulled her to the bed.
A hard shove and Priss was bouncing onto the bed. Sylia dragged her hands up to
the headboard and Priss heard a distinct ‘click’ as the manacles securing her
hands were attached to a newly installed metal ring. “Been planning this long?”
Priss tried to smile like it was all a game, but she didn’t like the determined
gleam in Sylia’s eyes
“Yes.” Sylia bent over Priss and stared her dead in the eye. “And after tonight
you’ll never walk out on me again.”
Priss automatically yanked at the restraint, but it had been designed to
withstand the force of Priss’ cybernetic arm. Ten minutes later Priss was
breathing hard and trying to free herself as a thin layer of sweat covered her
body. She hadn’t realized that Sylia was completely serious. Priss bit back a
scream and wrenched hard at the chains that bound her. “Okay, that’s enough.
Let me go now.”
Sylia bit playfully at the rounded swell of her breast and tightened her grip
on Priss’ waist as she tried to twist away. “Oh no you don’t.” She moved her
leg across Priss’ thighs, effectively pinning her down.
The material of her slacks felt coarse to Priss’ over-stimulated senses and she
jerked at the contact. It made it worse somehow, that Sylia had reduced her to
this state and was still fully dressed herself. Sylia’s fingers tugged gently
at her nipple at first then with increasing demand. Priss pulled against her
restraints again in vain. She felt the scrape of Sylia’s teeth against her neck
and shivered as goose bumps rose across her exposed flesh. Sylia noted the
reaction and began to tease her earlobe with her teeth as she lightly raked her
nails down Priss’ breasts.
“Sylia!” Priss’ cry was both a plea and a curse. Husky laughter was her only
reply and then she was pressing her lips to the hollow of Priss’ throat, slowly
trailing her way across to the delicate bones of her shoulder. Sylia let her
hand wander down and dance random patterns across the sensitive flesh of Priss
abdomen. Lunging upwards, Priss managed to dislodge Sylia and tried to roll
away. She only succeeded in turning herself onto her stomach and losing what
little leverage, she’d had before. “Damn it! Let me go!”
Sylia ignored her as she appraised the new position with a pleased murmur and
straddled Priss’ legs. “Now this is an interesting turn.” She ran her hands
down her back and cupped Priss’ ass with firm fingers as she bent forward to
lick the base of her spine. Priss shuddered and buried her face in the pillow.
She felt Sylia’s hands move to her thighs, opening her to their probing
advance. Cool fingers slipped into her heated core and Priss stopped breathing.
Sylia knew that it would take very little for Priss to find release, but that
wasn’t the point of the exercise. “I believe that you’re starting to realize
the hazards of betraying me, aren’t you?”
Priss shook her head swiftly in denial. “Sylia I didn’t sleep with Linna!
Please, you have to believe me.” She waited tensely for Sylia’s reply.
Sylia was glad that Priss couldn’t see her face at this moment or else she’d be
trying harder to get free. “Don’t worry Priss. By the time I’m finished tonight
there will be no doubts as to where your loyalty lies.” Priss heard something
whistle through the air and a jagged pain flashed across her back. Her cry was
drowned out by Sylia’ laughter and Priss looked over her shoulder to stare at
her lover in shock. “S-Sylia?” The strange glint in Sylia’s eyes frightened
Priss and she tugged at the cuffs slightly. “Okay, you’ve made your point. Let
me go.” Sylia responded by gripping Priss’ hair and pulling her head back
sharply. “You will never try to leave me again!” She released Priss and picked
up the belt again.
Priss tensed in disbelief.
Sylia drew her arm back to strike, a small smile playing across her lips.
“Sylia?”
****
Soft light filtered through the drapes, bathing the room in a warm glow. Arashi
rerouted several maintenance bots to areas that needed more immediate attention
and began to filter the excess lactic acid that had built up in the muscles due
some of last night’s more strenuous activities. Priss was going to have to get
up soon and drink a lot of water. The balance of chemicals in her blood stream
was way off due to mild dehydration and needed to be restored. Another group of
bots were dispatched to repair the assorted welts and bruises across her back
and buttocks. The laceration around her wrist was the worst and would take
several hours to heal completely. Arashi continued to assess Priss’ condition,
but the memories form last night weren’t easily forgotten. Again, she
admonished herself for not stepping in, but it had been so confusing and even
now, she wasn’t sure that Priss hadn’t been a willing participant. = Who would
have thought that Sylia was capable…? =
Priss slept deeply, ignorant of the flurry of activity in her body. Arashi
periodically checked her dream state to make sure she was all right, before
returning to her work. As she doubled up the group working on Priss’ cracked
rib Arashi realized that she was angry. Setting aside the temptation to explore
this new emotion, she instead chose to vent it. At Sylia. Arashi contacted
Taisei and through her, Sylia.
= Well I hope you’re happy. =
Sylia was seated behind her desk, sorting through a backlog of messages when
Arashi spoke. “Fairly so, I suppose. Why?”
= Because it’s going to take about a week for Priss to fully recover from your
little games last night. =
Sylia’s coffee cup halted its ascent and she set it back down with an impatient
snap. “So?”
= You broke one of her ribs, you sadist! = Arashi was furious and truthfully,
she was kind of enjoying it. = I think this was a little excessive considering
the silly thing that started the argument in the first place. =
“I don’t consider Priss’ infidelity-.” Arashi cut her off, sharply.
= She didn’t sleep with her! Why won’t you listen? =
****
Priss pulled the pillow over her head in what she knew was a futile gesture,
but at least it blocked some of the light. Arashi’s tirade was booming through
her head and she managed to pull one coherent thought together. < Shut up! >
Arashi stopped immediately. Priss suddenly realized whom Arashi had been
yelling at. She froze, not sure what to say to Sylia after last night. It had
been so far out of character for Sylia that Priss had been more than a little
afraid. Echoes of the night rang through her head and she flinched. Damn it
Sylia! Let me go! And when threatening hadn’t stopped her. Oh God Sylia! Please
stop! Stopitstopitstopitstopit STOP IT! And through it all Sylia had just kept
laughing. Priss bit her lip and decided that she didn’t want to see Sylia right
now. She pulled the pillow away from her head and slowly turned onto her back,
hissing at the pain. She managed to sit up and then carefully swung her legs
off the side of the bed.
= You should take care, Priss. One of your right ribs is fractured. = Priss
grimaced. < I wondered why it hurt so badly. Arashi, can you raise Taisei
privately? Find out what’s going on with Sylia? >
Arashi was quiet for a few minutes. = No good. Taisei won’t answer me now and
somehow Sylia knew that I was trying to link with her. She ordered me out and
threatened to erase me if I tried it again. =
< What could be wrong with her? > Priss eased to her feet and began the
laborious trip to the closet. < Is there, Ah, any way to, Ow, run a scan on her
physical condition, Christ that hurts, without her knowing? >
= No. Taisei would spot it instantly as I would have to tap into her system.
You might be able to perform a general scan with your arm, but it wouldn’t tell
us much. = Arashi considered Priss’ current physical condition. = Don’t take
this the wrong way, but I don’t think you’re in any condition for a rematch
with Sylia. How about a nice strategic retreat? =
< For once, I agree with you. I couldn’t defend myself against a fly right now.
A few minutes later she eased her way into living room, her right arm pressed
against her side. Priss crossed to the front door and turned the knob. It
didn’t budge. Priss frowned and typed in her pass code to override the lock.
The red error light blinked as the display eagerly informed her that the code
was no longer valid.
You’ll never leave me. Sylia’s promise rang through her mind.
There was a small beep and the door suddenly swung open. Sylia.
“Where were you going, Priss?” The reasonable question was delivered in low
hiss and Priss felt herself begin to tremble. Priss drew the tattered remains
of her pride around her and stiffened, her face assuming it’s normal ‘Do I look
like I care?’ expression.
“Out. I needed a some air.” Priss took a step as if to move around her. Sylia
grabbed her arm, and pulled, bringing her closer. Priss gasped as the motion
jarred her ribs and braced herself on the door.
“I warned you about leaving, Priss.” Sylia was livid and Priss jerked her arm
free, despite the pain it caused her.
“I’ll go anywhere I damned well please, when I please.” Priss’ was furious and
in truth more than a little afraid. She didn’t want to do this now because she
wasn’t sure of Sylia anymore. She wanted time to think about what had happened.
To try and come to terms with the fact that she didn’t quite trust her now.
Sylia entered the apartment and slammed the door shut behind her. Priss cursed
and was moving to open it again when Sylia caught her by the shoulders,
swinging her around and shoving her back against the door. Pain burst through
Priss in a red haze and she cried out sharply. Eyes clamped shut as she fought
the rising nausea, Priss didn’t see the look of utter delight cross Sylia’s
face.
Sylia gripped Priss around the throat and pushed her head back until it snapped
against the door with a thud. “I said that you are staying here.” Her fingers
tightened slightly and she brought her lips close to Priss’ ear. “I’m
disappointed Priss. You became so good at following orders last night.” Priss
felt Sylia’s teeth close around her earlobe and was unsurprised at the quick
pain. Warmth trickled down her neck and Sylia drew back to watch the blood drip
down into Priss’ collar.
Priss saw her tongue sweep out and lick the blood from her lips. As Sylia’s
grip on her throat tightened, Priss did something that she never thought she
would be capable of doing. The energy blade housed in her cybernetic arm slide
out with a quiet hum and she brought it up to Sylia’s face, hovering above her
right cheek. “Let go….Now.”
Sylia drew a deep breath and moved into the blade, until the skin parted under
the razor tip and blood welled. Priss pulled the blade away in reflex and that
was when Sylia struck. Almost faster than the eye could follow, she thrust the
blade to the side, striking her under the arm with a ringing blow. Priss felt
something pop and then felt the arm power down. Priss couldn’t move her arm. It
was completely dead. Sylia slapped her across the face and taken by surprise,
Priss fell to the floor. The eerie sound of Sylia’s laughter chilled Priss to
the bone and she looked up to find Sylia towering over her. “You silly girl.”
She knelt beside Priss and gripped her arm. “Do you really think that I would
build something like this and allow it to be used against me?” She pressed
something near the shoulder and the arm detached. “I think I’ll keep this for a
while. If you’re very good then I might return it to you later.”
Priss watched her casually toss the arm across the room. < Arashi! >
= I’m here, Priss. =
Priss felt a great comfort in the collective’s presence at that moment. < Get
Linna and Nene. Tell them to… come armed. >
Sylia reached down and grasped the front of Priss’ shirt, hauling her to her
feet. < They won’t be able to help you. > Priss realized that Sylia had been
able to hear them and blanched. “How did you…?”
= It must be Taisei. = Arashi coded an urgent signal to the others, but it
bounced against something and she knew that it had not been received. = She’s
blocking my transmissions! =
Priss knew that Linna and the others were the only hope she had. < Try to
reroute through the office system! >
Sylia’s eyes narrowed to slits as she studied Priss intently. < My my. You have
been busy. Boosting your own intelligence by stealing from mine? > She made a
tsking sound and shoved Priss toward the bedroom. < I think you need to learn
who leads here. >
Suddenly Priss could see the images that were forming in Sylia’s mind and she
dug in her heels. No way was she going back into that room. Priss turned
suddenly, her fist making contact with Sylia’s jaw and sending her stumbling
back. Rage blossomed on her face and Sylia charged Priss, catching her around
the waist and tackling her. Priss brought her knee up into to Sylia’s stomach
and had the satisfaction of hearing the breath explode from her body. Sylia’s
elbow snapped forward and clipped Priss in the jaw. She rocked back and Sylia
was on her in an instant, pinning her legs.
At an incredible disadvantage, Priss lashed out with her fist only to watch
Sylia catch her hand easily. Sylia twisted Priss’ arm behind her back and
dragged her up again, steering her across the room. Priss tried desperately to
break loose, but Sylia merely forced her arm higher until she thought the bone
might snap. Still she dragged her feet, determined to fight Sylia. Sylia merely
wrapped her free arm around her waist and lifted her easily. “Damn you Sylia!
Why are you doing this?”
Sylia was amused. < Do you really have to ask? > In the bedroom, Sylia tossed
her onto the bed and quickly secured her wrist to the headboard again.
< Isn’t there anything you can do? > Priss’ plea bordered hysteria.
Arashi was still trying to contact Taisei with no luck. She considered the
situation and spoke with the utmost seriousness. = I could knock you out. =
Priss saw Sylia pick up the belt from the dresser and made her decision. < Do
it. >
The last thing she heard was Sylia’s outraged cry.
****
The bright light burned through her eyelids and Priss turned away from it
instinctively. A slight sting in her neck made her jerk and Sylia spoke
quietly. “That’s it. Time to wake up, Priss.” The words seemed to roll over
Priss and rebound, echoing through her mind.
Priss cautiously opened her eyes and looked around. She immediately wished that
she’d kept them closed. The room swirled in a sickening rush and Priss blinked
rapidly, trying to clear her vision. After a moment, it cleared enough for see
where she was. She was still on the bed but her clothes were gone. Sylia’s
expression was extremely displeased and Priss spoke urgently to Arashi. < Knock
me out again, hurry! > Her heart was hammering in her chest and she couldn’t
seem to catch her breath.
Sylia laughed and shook her head. “She can’t.” She held up a pressure syringe.
“I’ve jacked you so full of amphetamines that you won’t sleep for a week.”
Arashi could feel her own control slipping away and tired to focus on what was
happening.= She’s, she’s right. Anything… I tried now… would kill you. = Arashi
had been trying to get a signal through anyway that she could think of, but
Sylia had been very through. Arashi felt like she felt like she was being
ripped apart, as if the cohesive unit of nanobots were gradually separating.
Priss could feel the tremors running through her and cursed, asking again. “Why
are you doing this?” Sylia bent down and kissed her very softly on the lips.
“Because you’re mine.” The matter of fact statement shook Priss greatly and she
didn’t notice what Sylia was holding at first. The blade gleamed in the light
and Priss watched Sylia suspiciously. “What are you going to do with that?”
Beaming at Priss like an eager child, Sylia waved the weapon cheerfully. “All
manner of things.”
****
Nene spoke as the elevator rose swiftly. “Any luck raising Arashi or Taisei?”
Mackie shook his head. “No.”
= It wasn’t a verbal message. Only images and from those I’d say that Priss is
in very grave danger… from Sylia. = Setsu tried again to contact Taisei or
Arashi, but whatever was blocking him was very powerful.
Inji was concerned. = But how can that be? =
Linna shifted impatiently. “We need to find Priss. If what Arashi sent is
really happening then we don’t have time to waste.” The car stopped and the
doors swished open to reveal the empty hallway.
Linna flipped the safety off and raised the pistol in a two-handed grip as she
leaned against the wall next to the front door. Across the doorway, Nene did
the same. Linna held a hand up and began to raise her fingers one at a time.
One. Two. Three came and they burst through the door, Linna going high and
right as Nene went in low and to the left. The living room was empty.
Nene jerked her head in the direction of the bedroom. Repeating the same
pattern they had before, they exploded into the room. Sylia wasn’t there, but
Priss was.
It took a moment for their eyes to resolve the tangled mass in the middle of
the bed. Mentally the words of description were there, but too simple to convey
what was before them. Sheets. Priss. Blood. Nene’s choked cry snapped them into
motion. Linna avoided looking into Priss’ vacant gaze and touched her throat,
seeking a pulse and horribly afraid there wasn’t one. Priss flinched at the
touch and curled away, the sounds she made like those of a wounded animal.
Nene felt her stomach revolt at the sight of what had been done to Priss and
swallowed hard as she and Linna tried to free her from the manacle. Priss
didn’t react to their actions. “Priss? Can you hear us?”
There was no response. Linna saw the drying blood that covered Priss but
couldn’t see any fresh wounds, only half healed scars. “Has all the bleeding
stopped?”
Setsu couldn’t contact Arashi, but there were enough signals for him to check
Priss’ condition. =Yeah. But there’s a massive amount of drugs in her system
and the nanos have been programmed to filter that before finishing the wounds.
=
“Is Priss… all right?” Nene whispered.
= She’s not answering me. Neither will Arashi. =
Priss only stared at them blankly as Linna wrapped a blanket around her. They
saw the dark mark that marred her cheek and wondered what else Sylia had done
besides marking Priss as her own. “I wonder where Sylia is?” Priss jerked
slightly at the sound of her name.
They heard a sound behind them and whirled, guns aiming.
Sylia stood behind them, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. “Don’t you know
how to knock?” She was dressed for work in a smart business suit and as her
hand moved from behind her back the sword was a sharp contrast. Sylia never
lost her smile as she charged them and Linna opened fire without hesitating.
The bullet struck Sylia in the shoulder but she never even felt it. The blade
flashed as she began to swing it, repeatedly striking at each of them with a
speed that was terrifying in its ferocity.
Linna fired again as Nene cried out and fell, gripping her side with both
hands. This time the bullet hit Sylia in the back and she stumbled as her body
began to react. Mackie felt the sword pierce his leg, but it was seeing Sylia
collapse that made him cry out. He sank to his knees beside her and felt for a
pulse. “She’s alive.”
“Big whoop.” Linna was bent over Nene, trying to see how badly she was hurt.
“I’m okay, Linna. It’s not very deep. It just surprised me how much it hurt.”
She smiled up at her lover without humor. “I don’t know how you and Priss stand
it.”
“Incredible acting skills.” < Seiki? How is she really? >
= She’s all right, Linna. I’ve numbed the area and stopped the bleeding. =
< Hey! I am here you know. > Nene grumbled silently as Linna helped her to
stand.
Mackie had grabbed a rag lying near the bed and pressed it to the wound in her
shoulder. As he used another to staunch the flow of blood from her back, he
realized that the pieces of cloth were the remains of Priss’ shirt.
“Mackie? How are you?”
He removed the cloth and saw that the blood was slowing. “The nanos are
repairing the damage.” The bullet had come perilously close to Sylia’s spine
and he prayed that the nanos would be able to handle any nerve damage.
Linna sighed, realizing that he was not talking about himself. “Well, I guess
that’s good.”
“I think so.” Mackie raised his eyes to hers, his disappointment in her
obvious. “The bullets exited the wounds, so they won’t heal inside.”
She rubbed her eyes wearily and could smell the gunpowder on her hands. “I’m
sorry Mackie, but you saw her. She almost got us all.”
Mackie nodded reluctantly, but Linna knew he was still upset with her. < Setsu?
Is he all right? >
He’s fine. The wound to his leg isn’t serious. He’s just concerned for Sylia.
Linna looked at the huddled mass on the bed and saw that Priss had buried
herself under the blanket. She eased the corner back, wincing as she saw the
tears staining her cheeks and mixing with the blood. “Priss?”
****
They debated briefly on where to take Priss, wanting her to be close at hand
but away from Sylia. After finally settling on Mackie’s apartment, they had a
new problem: moving her. Priss tended to scream whenever someone tried to touch
her and fought like mad when they had tried to pick her up.
Arashi was struggling to actually pull herself together. The drug had so
scrambled Priss’ mind that Arashi couldn’t form her herself from the remains.
The nanobots were working on removing it but the dose had been so large that it
would have killed a normal person. Vaguely aware of the other enclaves, Arashi
tried to connect with them.
Seiki felt the slight brush of Arashi’s signal. = Arashi? Inji, she’s trying to
link with us, but her signal is so faint…=
= Let’s see if we can boost her from this end and give her something to hang
onto. =
It was as if they were reaching out and gathering up all of the pieces that
made Arashi and holding them together for her. = Thank you. You know we really
need to find a way to stabilize ourselves in case of things like this. =
Seiki laughed in relief. = You think? How is Priss? =
= As well as can be expected under the circumstances. =
Linna watched Priss jerk away from her touch again and ran a hand through her
hair in frustration. < Arashi can’t you do anything? >
= Priss is still suffering from the effects of the drug that Sylia used. She
gave her such a large dose that she’s still hallucinating. I’m trying to filter
the drug from her system, but it takes time. I’m afraid that if I tried to
subdue her in anyway it might place more strain on her system. = Arashi
considered what Priss was seeing and suggested that Mackie try to approach her.
“Mackie? Why would-?” Nene stopped, understanding what Arashi was saying. In
other circumstances a male presence would be unwelcome, but in this case…
Looking a lot like an animal caught in the glare of an oncoming car, Mackie
swallowed loudly. “Okay. I’ll try.” He stood beside Priss and spoke softly as
he placed his hand on her shoulder. “Priss? It’s me, Mackie. Can you hear me?”
In the nightmare progression of images that filled Priss’ mind, she suddenly
pictured the young man and didn’t jump at his touch. He continued to speak to
her, telling her what he was going to do. “Priss, I’m going to pick you up and
take you somewhere safe, alright?” Mackie slid his arm under her knees and
another behind her back. “I’m going to pick you up now, okay?” He strained
under her weight and lifted her from the bed, ignoring the pain in his leg.
Priss curled into his chest and stopped moving. Mackie felt her muscles go lax
and questioned Arashi. < Is she all right? >
= She passed out. There’s been a lot of damage, physically and mentally. I’m
going to need some raw materials, so to speak. Linna? =
Linna held the door open for Mackie and watched as he and Nene took Priss from
the apartment. She went back to the unmoving figure on the floor of the bedroom
and answered Arashi. < What will you need? > Arashi told her and Linna nodded
absently as she picked up the pressure syringe that had fallen during the
struggle. They had originally intended to tranquilize Sylia, but that had not
been possible. She knelt beside Sylia and gave her a dose, ignoring Inji’s
warnings about the amount. < I’m not taking any chances, Inji. She’s too
dangerous. > Linna hefted Sylia over her shoulders in a fireman’s carry and
took her to the lab.
After she strapped Sylia to one of the gurneys, Linna rummaged through the lab
until she found the vitamin supplements that Arashi had requested. < Why does
Sylia keep so much medical stuff around?> She wondered absently as she filled
another syringe. Linna picked up a small medical kit and tucked it under her
arm as she left the lab.
Inji answered her. = Taisei said that it’s because she exists in a constant
state of worry about you and the others. She wants to feel like she’s prepared
for any emergency that might come up. =
At any other time, this would have made Linna feel good, but today it just made
her very sad.
****
Nene wrung the bloody cloth out in the bowl of water beside Mackie’s bed and
continued to wipe away the blood from Priss’ body. Arashi had done as much as
she could with the wounds, but there had been more urgent damage that needed
attention. Half-healed scars covered her and Nene wondered what had happened to
Sylia to make her do this. There had to be a reason. Mackie had gone to the lab
to take care of Sylia so when the door opened, Nene knew that it was Linna.
“She’s so pale.” Indeed, Priss’ lips were tinged a faint blue and if it weren’t
for the rise and fall of her chest then Nene would think that she was dead.
Linna knelt beside her and pressed the syringe into the side of Priss’ throat
as Arashi instructed. “The blood loss maybe?” Inji quietly informed them that
it was one of the effects of the drug. She took the cloth from Nene and opened
the medical kit. “Take off your, shirt Nene.”
Nene did as she asked and watched her clean the rapidly healing wound in
silence. Linna spread the area with a liberal coating of antibiotic ointment
and taped two large gauze pads over the cut. “It’s probably all right without
it, but I need to fuss.” She didn’t look at Nene as she spoke, but her meaning
was clear.
“I’m okay, Linna.” Nene laughed suddenly. “Now you know how I felt after you
tangled with that boomer.” She put her shirt back on and leaned forward to
place a tender kiss against Linna’s cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Nene.” She handed her another tube of ointment and gestured to
Priss’ unconscious form. “Shall we?”
Nene grimaced as they began to clean and coat some of the more serious cuts.
“What could make Sylia do this?”
Linna smoothed the thick gel onto Priss’ cheek and fought back the nausea that
was trying to overtake her. “I don’t know.”
****
Mackie set the IV in place and shook his head at Linna’s callousness. “She
could have at least covered her with a blanket.” He bandaged Sylia’s wounds and
began to run the medical scans. The computers showed that the nanobots were
still functioning, but that the distinctive signal that was Taisei was missing.
He proceeded in order down the list of available scans with the medical unit
until he reached the one he’d been avoiding. Perhaps he’d known in some part of
his mind that the source of this problem laid within Sylia’s brain because he
was unsurprised to see the large mass lying under the dura layer like a ticking
bomb.
****
Mackie pointed to the white blur on the screen. “It’s a subdural hematoma. “
“What the hell is that?” Linna looked at the multicolored image of Sylia’s
brain in confusion. Suddenly the image seemed to refocus and she knew what she
was looking at. The large mass that was over cerebral convexity in the parietal
region was a subdural hematoma, also known as a blood clot. “Thank you Inji, I
see what it is now.”
Nene looked at the screen blankly and then to Linna. “Great, explain it to me.”
She paused, considering. “Wait a minute. How do you know-?” Seiki spoke
quietly. = Inji imprinted the knowledge directly into Linna’s memory. = Nene
threw up her hands, exasperated. “And when was somebody going to tell me this?”
Linna ignored her and spoke to Mackie. “This is what caused her weird behavior,
isn’t it?” She drew on her new knowledge. “Personality changes, impaired
judgment, hell, even sexually deviant behavior, they’re all symptoms.”
Mackie nodded. “What I don’t understand is why didn’t Taisei repair it?”
Nene chimed in. “I think the more important thing to ask, is why doesn’t Taisei
answer any of us?”
= We can no longer detect Taisei. = The worry in Setsu’s words was evident.
Nene tapped her lips with her finger as she thought. “Okay. The enclaves draw
their personalities from us, right? Well, what would happen to them if the host
personality became… fractured? The changes in a person’s personality as a
result from this type of injury are really varied. Suspicion and paranoia,
dependency or anti-social behavior. How could you even begin to find a stable
personality to draw on?”
Linna raised an eyebrow in silent question at her sudden knowledge and Nene
shrugged. “Come on, do really think I wouldn’t have Seiki do the same thing to
me? It makes the conversation a little easier to be sure.”
Mackie agreed with Nene’s assessment. “It would make sense. Without a cohesive
character to mirror, then the nanobots might revert back to performing reflex
actions only. Taisei is probably in the same state Arashi was.”
“But isn’t one of their reflex actions to heal the host?” No one had an answer
to Linna’s question. There was still so much unknown about how the nanos were
working now that it was impossible to even guess at what might be wrong.
“But how do we repair the damage?”
= I go in and do it myself. = Setsu spoke calmly, but his suggestion drew some
outraged replies.
= Are you nuts? =
= That would be a very bad idea. =
= You do realize that the nanobots might see you as an invader and try to
terminate you? = Inji was surprised by his suggestion but in truth, he might be
right. It might be their only hope.
= And if you fight back you might do more damage to Sylia than what you’re
trying to repair. = Arashi interjected. = Stop boosting my signal and try to
bring Taisei together. =
= No. You need to help Priss. There has to be another way. =
Linna rubbed her forehead wearily and looked at the others. “ Can I ask a silly
question? Why do the nanos have to repair the damage? Aren’t there any number
of hospitals in the greater MegaTokyo area?”
Silence greeted her suggestion and Linna snorted in disbelief. “Didn’t think of
that, did you?” She waved a hand toward the screen. “According to Inji this can
be treated rather easily and with little risk. So why don’t we let the doctors
on Sylia’s payroll earn their wages?”
****
End Part 1
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