Stormwalker <stormwalker@airmail.net> presents...
Mackie Stingray shut off the recorded message and settled back
into his seat in a vain attempt to relax. He was four hours out of
Tokyo yet, and once he got there he would have precious little time
to rest. Even so, he could do little to stop his mind from running
rampantly in circles. There was too much to do and too little time,
and he was still stuck in an airplane over the Pacific where he could
do nothing at all.
Before he had ever left for Europe, Sylia had given him an
elaborate contingency plan for the event of her death. The resources
of the Knight Sabers were his, of course; the signing of a few papers
would settle that quickly enough. Sylia's extensive contact network was
a different story, though. He would have to act quickly to prevent its
dissolution. Even less stable than that were the group's surviving
members. He would have to find them, and quickly. Nene would be easy,
as she would still be working for AD Police, but Priss would be
difficult at best. Even assuming that she was still alive, he expected
to have a devil of a time tracking her down.
Then, of course, there was the question of what he would do when
he *did* find them. Revenge was certainly a consideration, if it
proved to be feasible. The re-establishment of the Knight Sabers was
less likely, though he would not rule out the possibility. Until he
had access to Sylia's databanks nothing was certain; that was where he
would begin.
Sylia... she would have known what to do. Always calm, nearly
perfect in her reasoning... she always had known what to do. And yet,
it seemed that those perfect plans had finally failed her. Could he
hope to fare any better? He would have to try.
It was all a matter of time... time he had precious little of.
There was no time for grief, no time for wondering what had really
happened. There was work to be done... only when that was complete
could he let his emotions have their way. Then he could seek the
answers he desired. Until then, he would be... he would have to be...
much as his sister had been, keeping a tight rein on his feelings until
the job was done. Settling back into his seat, he closed his eyes...
better to try to sleep now; he would need the hours later.
*********
Megatokyo 2037
Bubblegum Crisis: Cry of the Phoenix
A work of fanfiction by Douglas A. Reeves
Chapter Four - Revelations
*********
"Nene-sempai?"
Nene sat bolt upright in her chair, startled by the sound of
Akiko's voice. Blinking hard in an effort to get her eyes to focus,
she wondered why she seemed so sleepy. A quick glance at the clock
answered that question; nearly an hour had gone by since she had last
looked. "Umm... sorry, Akiko. I think I fell asleep," she admitted
sheepishly.
"Are you okay?" Akiko asked, her voice full of concern.
Nene blinked again, then turned to favor her with a forced smile.
"I'll be fine, really," she said, trying to sound more convinced than
she really was. Silently she cursed herself for falling asleep at her
desk. She had not gotten nearly enough sleep in the two nights since
the explosion of the Ladys633 building. Sylia was dead, or so she had
heard; the 'accident' (which Nene doubted was anything of the sort),
fell under the jurisdiction of N-Police, and while she had tried to
hack in and search for the appropriate records, there simply had not
been time.
Time... time was something she feared was running out. She had
taken Linna into her own apartment for fear that more of Sylia's
properties might be the next to go, and the two of them had stayed up
far into the night trying to figure out what to do next. Priss had
vanished again, though they were sure they could find her if needed.
What they would do, then, however, remained a mystery. They had
partial access to Sylia's properties, but even she would have a hard
time hacking into the higher security levels of the databanks.
Without that information they could do nothing, and even with it
there was little to be done.
"Nene-sempai?" Akiko prompted again, startling her from her
reflections. "Anou... maybe you should take the day off?"
Nene sighed. "Maybe you're right..." <I'm useless as it is,> she
realized, <and I'm so out of it that I might just spill something
important.>
"Of course I am," Akiko answered with her usual cheer. "Go home,
get some rest... get better. You've done enough for today, I can take
it from here."
<No I haven't, and no you can't,> Nene didn't have the heart to
answer, <but you're right. I'm *not* well right now, and I need to
sleep.> "All right, I'll get some rest. Don't bother with any of the
open cases; I'll catch them up tomorrow."
Akiko nodded. "All right. Now go home, ok?"
Nene stifled a yawn, and waved. "Ok... have a good day," she said
sleepily. "And thanks." Pushing herself to her feet, she idly
wondered how she was going to get home on her motorcycle when she was
this tired. Deciding she didn't particularly care, she stepped on the
elevator to the parking garage.
*****
God, she wanted a drink.
Glancing around the inside of her trailer to make sure she had not
missed anything critical, Priss strapped the box onto the back of her
bike and pushed it out the door. She would have to make another trip,
she realized, but first she had to try to find some other place to go.
She knew a couple of places she could try... old, abandoned apartments
near the fault line. Most of them were not quite stable, but there
were a few that might be livable.
Life really had it in for her, didn't it? It ran her down
into the ground, then helped her up... just so it could run her down
again. Why couldn�t just leave her alone? Linna was alive, sure...
if GENOM hadn't already found her by now. If they could get Sylia,
they could get anyone, and Priss would be damned before she would
hang around so that she could be next.
She sighed, trying to shake the feeling that she was running out
on her friends. The Knight Sabers were done now, if they had ever
really had a second chance. Sylia, for all her infuriating rules, was
the one who really made the operation tick, and without her there was
nothing. She had the money, she had the tech, and she had the
contacts. It was over. Even so, she couldn't shake Linna's image from
her mind. She was abandoning them... again.
She forcibly suppressed that thought. There was nothing she could
do, she told herself; if GENOM knew who and where they were, then the
only option was to disappear and hope they eventually gave up the chase.
She hoped Linna and Nene would have the sense to do the same. If not...
she tried not to think about that. A pang of guilt rose up within her;
she was leaving them to be caught, she knew.
Well, that was the way it was, she decided, climbing onto her bike
and starting it up. If GENOM came for them, she wouldn't be much help
anyway. <Damn it all,> she thought, forcing down the feelings of guilt
and fear that warred for control. She needed to get moving before she
changed her mind.
*****
Linna started suddenly at the sound of the door opening. Nene
shouldn't be home yet, unless she'd gotten off early somehow. Sylia's
shop and her old apartment had been blown up... was someone coming for
her now, too? Frantically, she searched for a place to hide. Seizing
upon the closet, she was about to wedge herself inside when she heard
Nene's voice.
"It's me, Linna," Nene called out, her voice heavy with exhaustion.
Linna breathed a deep sigh of relief, collapsing heavily onto the bed.
A few moments later, Nene appeared in the bedroom doorway, looking
bedraggled and exhausted. "You know it's bad..." she began quietly,
"...when your rookie partner sends you home for falling asleep on the
job."
Linna couldn't help but smirk slightly at that, though the reasons
for Nene's sleeplessness still weighed heavily on her mind. "I'm
sorry... it's my fault." Moving over to one side, she made room for
Nene to lie down.
"Not your fault," Nene answered sleepily, stripping off her
jacket and holster and dropping them beside the bed. Slipping out of
her work clothes, she pulled on an oversized t-shirt, then let herself
fall unceremoniously into the space Linna had left. "Thanks," she
said, stifling a yawn.
"No... thank you. Thank you for giving me a place to stay."
"N'prblm," Nene mumbled, trying to keep her eyes open. "'swhat
friends are for."
Linna nodded. "Still... thanks. If you hadn't taken me in..."
Nene smiled weakly. "It'll be all right." She yawned again,
unable to suppress it this time. "Y'should sleep, too." Unable to
keep her eyes open any longer, she laid her head against the pillow.
A few seconds later she was fast asleep.
<Maybe,> Linna thought, gazing at the sleeping Nene. She seemed
so peaceful... something Linna envied. There was no peace for Linna
now; Sylia's death, and the way she had died, had erased what little
hope she had found. Without Sylia's resources, how could she hide?
Nene had taken her in... but how long before they came for her, too?
Without the Knight Sabers, was there even any point to hiding? The
questions came over her in a flood, and all she had to answer was
Nene's promise that they would never stop trying.
Of course, that peace was probably an illusion. Nene's last two
years had not been easy for her, and though she hid it well most of the
time, she carried a lot of pain and loss as well. More than that,
though, Nene was angry. Linna could sense the tempest that brewed just
beneath the surface of the ADP inspector's soul; it showed in flashes
like her confrontation with Priss and in quiet moments as when she had
learned of Sylia's apparent fate. It was a fire in her soul, having
burned long and low, slowly consuming the cheerful innocent Linna once
had known until only scattered remnants remained.
Even so, Nene had not given up. She had buried her idealism under
layers of cynicism and sarcasm, but she could not let go of it
completely. The way Nene had reached out when she sensed Linna's pain
was something that Linna could never forget. Maybe there was peace
there, she thought... and if Nene could find it amidst the turmoil,
perhaps there was hope for herself as well.
*****
Mackie handed the cabbie a small wad of bills, motioning for her
to keep the change. She smiled her thanks, he nodded, and then he
stepped out onto the curb. Walking the remaining two blocks in the
industrial area, he glanced around quickly to make sure nobody was
watching him. Once certain that noone was there to observe him, he
approached one of the buildings.
Nominally, this old warehouse was owned by a small corporation
that had once used it for storing computer equipment. The company had
long since been bought out and split up, however, and very few of its
resources actually remained. The owner of that company was another
corporation, wholly owned by Sylia Stingray. At least, it had been
until this morning; though Sylia was not yet *legally* dead (it would
take some time to sort through the wreckage of Ladys633, and even then
it was quite possible that her body would not be found), the papers she
had left allowed for the transfer of certain assets to her younger brother
in the event of her disappearance as well. Now, the new owner
of this property was coming to claim it.
Pulling a keycard from his wallet, he quickly unlocked the front
doors and slipped inside, ensuring that they locked behind him. This
building, like several other of his sister's properties, held its share
of secrets to be protected. He was thankful, at least, that she had
moved operations out of Ladys633 some time previously; it was too
closely connected to her because of the Silky Doll, and after Linna's
death it was determined to be a security risk.
Of course, that risk was thought to be contingent on the Knight
Sabers' return to action... something that had never materialized.
Evidently that assumption had been in error, and one of his first
responsibilities was to find out why. *Had* Sylia tried to make the
Knight Sabers operational again? Had she done something *else* to
antagonize GENOM? He would know soon enough; this building
contained, among other important equipment, a backup datacore.
<There...> he thought, approaching a security door. This one was
just for show, of course; the real security door was beyond, where it
would be less obvious to anyone who might happen to get into the
building. He quickly punched in the entry code, then passed into the
room beyond. There, he was confronted with a more advanced system.
Placing his palm against the scanner, he said softly, "Identicode
Stingray, Mackie, one-one-beta." A pale red light flowed over his
palm, and he added, "Invoke Case Succession."
"Identicode confirmed. Verifying Case Succession," the computer
answered in its usual monotone. Several seconds passed, and then it
spoke again. "Case Succession confirmed. Access granted to Stingray,
Mackie, identicode one-one-alpha. Revising records." Finally the door
opened for him, and with a grim smile he stepped into the darkened
room. Dim lights sprang to life as the computer awakened to his
commands, and the door closed behind him, leaving him alone with the
machine. He had long dreamed of this moment, even as he hoped it would
never come.
It was his now... his properties, his systems, his operation...
...his crusade.
*****
3:00.
Red numbers glared angrily at Nene from the darkness across the
bed as she lay motionless but awake. She should be up, she thought.
She had slept almost twelve hours, so she would probably not be able to
sleep any more, and this was the perfect time for her to do some
research. Linna was still asleep, though, and Nene could not bring
herself to risk waking her. She deserved the rest, with everything she
had been through, and Nene would not deprive her of it.
Letting her head settle back into her pillow, she tried to collect
her thoughts. The explosion had been no accident, she was sure... but
what exactly did it mean? Was Sylia the target, or was it the building
itself? If whoever had taken Linna was behind it, they might have been
after the headquarters of the Knight Sabers. Linna's last memory of it
had been in that building, after all. Why, though, would anyone be
after them now? Nobody outside the organization knew that the Knight
Sabers would be resuming operations. She hadn't told anyone, she was
certain that Priss hadn't, and Sylia wasn't that stupid.
She gazed momentarily at Linna as possibilities ran through her
mind. <No... not her,> she decided quickly. They had checked Linna
for transmitters the night she had arrived, and she had been too
closely watched to have made any other contact. Besides, Nene could
not... *would* not believe that Linna was anything other than genuine.
She had seen the pain in those eyes that night, and she had heard the
anguish in that voice as Linna pleaded Sylia to take her in. She had no
doubt about Linna... but knowing that offered her no answers.
Why... and how? Her instincts, honed by years of hacking and her
more recent investigative work, told her that Sylia had indeed been the
target. The timing was too good... Sylia had never been a creature of
habit--her routines had changed daily--and yet, the explosion had
happened only two minutes after her car had entered the garage according
to the N-Police report. The trap had been set to trigger on entry, and
Sylia was the only person who ever used that building anymore.
Even that deduction did not answer the larger question. Why had
someone wanted to kill Sylia Stingray? Timing told her it had to be
related to Linna's return, but who knew? The people who had held her
certainly knew she had escaped, and that she would run... she shuddered.
Was Linna the target? If so, could she be traced to her?
A cold chill ran through her at that thought. Was this also an
unsafe place for Linna to hide? If someone had connected Sylia to
Linna, she herself would be an even easier link to deduce. She was an
ADP officer... that might give whoever it was some small hesitation,
but even as she thought that, she knew better. Whoever this was, they
were ruthless. If they could murder Sylia Stingray without getting
caught, surely they could do the same to Nene Romanova.
Suppressing another shiver, she turned back to Linna. <No,> she
determined. <They can't have you. I won't let them.> Sliding from
the bed, careful to avoid waking Linna, she slipped into a pair of
jeans and walked over to the computer. She needed information, and
there was only one place to start.
*****
[You have accessed a private system. Unauthorized access is
prohibited and will be reported to the appropriate authorities. Please
disconnect now.] It was a generic, nondescript warning, typical of
small-business systems. Big, powerful corporations tended to use
big, powerful warnings to deter would-be crackers... warnings which
generally served only to provoke the curiosity of the same. This was
different; the warning was there, but not so strong as to issue a
challenge. It was one of the more subtle elements of good design, and
something Nene was particularly proud of.
Now, as it stared her in the face, she allowed herself a slight
smile. She had always wanted to *really* test the security on this
system, but now was not the time. Fortunately, she had prepared
herself a way--several, actually--to bypass her own traps. Keying a
complex sequence of commands from memory, she smiled as the prompt
appeared.
[Welcome back, mistress. How may I assist you?]
"That's more like it." Again her hands flew over the keys. There
was data she needed, data that was more secure even than her backdoor
would allow her to access. Sylia had added layers of security beyond
the ones Nene had built, and they would not be broken easily.
Activating programs she had buried within the system, she began to probe
the inner walls for cracks.
<Stealth is good, scanning for vulnerabilities... what?!> Tapping
in the override sequence, she shut down the scanners before they could
be detected. Someone was logged into the system! That shouldn't be
possible! Pulling up the login records, she scanned down the list.
High-security access... but that wasn't Sylia's code. More commands...
who else would have access at that level? <Encrypted... have to risk
cracking it,> she decided. The codebreaking software would attract
attention, but she needed to know. Screens of data scrolled past at
a staggering rate as the algorithm dissected the user records. <Eighty
percent... ninety percent... got it!> Opening the file, she skimmed
through it, searching for a code match. There it was...
[Stingray, Mackie, 015469867, 11A]
"Mackie!" she echoed aloud, then mentally berated herself for
having probably awakened Linna. <But is it really him? One way to
find out.> Checking to be sure her identity was still concealed, she
tapped in a quick message. [Hello, Mackie.]
She waited. A minute passed... then two... finally, the response
came back. [Who are you and how did you get into this system?]
She smiled... at least he was smart enough to be suspicious.
[Is that any way to treat an old friend?] she tapped back. [As for
how I got in, you of all people should know I have my ways.]
Another long pause. He would be checking for system activity now,
if he remembered half of what she had taught him. With no login
record, it shouldn't take him long to figure out she had used a
backdoor, and once he knew that...
[Hello, Nene.]
She smiled. Evidently he did remember, assuming it was really
him. [Took you long enough.]
[So you have our computers wrapped around your finger, too, I
see.]
She nodded at that; it was indeed Mackie. [Of course.] A sound
from the other room startled her then, and she gasped aloud before
recovering her composure. <Linna,> she thought. <Damn, I woke her up>
Turning back to the computer, she continued, [We need to talk, and this
is not a good place to do it. The longer I stay logged in, the easier
it will be for someone to trace it.]
[I know. Where do you want to meet?]
Nene thought about that for a few moments. She knew it was
Mackie, but there was still the possibility that he was being used as
bait. Her first instinct was to say ADP Headquarters; it was the
safest place she could think of, but she had gone home from work sick
and showing up there at four in the morning might not be the best of
ideas. No, she needed someplace else. Someplace public, but where a
late-night rendezvous would not stand out. [Hmm... I know just the
place.] Quickly she detailed her plan.
[Works for me,] came Mackie's response. [I'll be there in half an
hour.]
[Right. See you then,] Nene answered, then signed off. It was
then that she heard Linna coming up behind her. Turning around, she
sighed. "Sorry, Linna. I didn't mean to wake you up, but it's
probably a good thing I did."
"What was that?" Linna yawned, her eyes half-closed with
sleepiness as she stood there in a borrowed nightshirt. "Were you
talking to someone?"
Nene nodded. "Mackie. I'm going to meet him... you should stay
here; this might be a trap."
Linna blinked once and was in that instant completely awake. "Oh,
no you don't," she insisted. "I'm going with you."
Nene shook her head, adamant. "I can't let you go, Linna. I
mean... I'm crippled right now. If it *is* a trap, I'm not going to be
able to fight, and you'd be caught out on your own... if it's a trap,
it's you they want, you know."
"That's why I have to go!" Linna argued, placing her hands on
Nene's shoulders. "I can't let you risk yourself on my account... not
unless I share that risk, too. Especially when you're hurt! If
something happened to you... it would be my fault..." Her voice trailed
off, and she looked down at the floor.
"Linna..." Nene whispered, trying to find an argument to use, to
discourage her from risking herself again. Linna looked up to meet her gaze
then, and the emotion she saw there melted away what few objections
she could raise. "All right," she finally agreed. "I can't refuse you.
But promise me you'll stay out of sight, at least until we know what
we're dealing with."
Linna nodded. "I will... and thank you."
Nene smiled slightly. "I should be thanking you," she said
quietly. "Get dressed... we need to meet him in half an hour."
*****
Mackie leaned back in his chair, attempting to look casual as his
eyes scanned the crowd. Nene would be there any time, but he was not
looking for her... she would find him easily enough. He was searching
for anyone who might seem to be paying too much attention to him. So
far there had been nobody... one girl had looked at him a couple of
times, but her expression indicated more admiration than observation.
At any other time, he might have been flattered--no, he *would* have
been flattered, and would doubtless have gone to talk to her--but not
tonight. There was business to take care of, and his personal life
would have to go on the back burner for now.
Movement on his right caught his eye... a beautiful young woman
with long, free red hair was approaching, moving through the crowd.
She was walking with a noticeable limp, favoring her right leg, and
there was someone else behind her, who he could not see. The redhead
turned to speak to her companion, gave her something, and then stepped
out of the crowd toward his table. She flashed him a nervous smile, and
it was then that he recognized her.
"Hello... Nene," he greeted her as she approached. "You've
changed."
She looked him over, then took the seat across the table, wincing
as she settled into the chair. "So have you, Mackie. It's good to see
you again."
He nodded. "It's good to see you, too. I see you didn't come
alone."
Nene fixed him with a penetrating gaze for a moment, as if trying
to read him. Finally, she said, "Did you really think I would, after
everything that's happened? I'm not as... trusting as I used to
be."
"Good. Do you have any idea what is going on? I didn't have much
time to look at the databank."
"A little. But only what I knew before... well, before." She
hesitated, then added, "I can bring you up to speed... but not here."
"I need to know who your escort is, first." A wry smile appeared
at his lips. "I'm not exactly trusting anymore either."
Nene shook her head. "I can't tell you that." Her tone was
adamant. "Not here." She sighed, and her gaze softened. "Mackie...
there are reasons... you have to trust me."
His eyes met hers, searching them for any sign of deception.
Finally, he nodded. "All right, Nene. Where are we going?"
"My apartment." Smiling slightly, she added, "I can remember a
time when you would have jumped at the chance."
He answered with a wry smile... in a way, that reponse was
reassuring. If there was a trap involved, Nene's apartment was not
a likely place to spring it... and perhaps the joke was reassuring as
well, even if he knew it was calculated to be. "So can I. At any
rate, I want some answers... so let's get going."
"Okay," Nene agreed, rising from her seat. Mackie stood beside
her, and they turned to work their way through the crowd. As they
walked, he scanned for the person Nene had spoken to earlier, knowing
that the likelihood of his being able to pick her out of the crowd was
poor considering that he'd not seen her clearly before. He was right,
too... if anyone was following them, that person blended very well.
"After you," he said softly as they reached the exit. He did
trust Nene... she had never been a good liar before, and he had not
sensed any deception within her now... but she *had* changed, and
changed substantially; he was taking nothing for granted. She
nodded, turning to walk out the door, and he followed her out into
the parking lot.
A metallic click from the shadows caught his attention, and he
whirled to see a dark figure. "Don't move," a familiar, female voice
said evenly. He froze, more from shock than any perceived threat.
That voice... it couldn't be...
"Nene," the familiar voice spoke again, "is he clear?"
"He's alone," Nene answered. Another, softer click sounded, and
the figure stepped out into the light, her gun hand falling to her
side. Tall, slender, with short, dark hair... Mackie's eyes went wide
with recognition, and he took an involuntary step backwards.
"Hello, Mackie," Linna said softly. "There is... a lot that you
need to hear."
*****
Mackie shook his head as Nene unlocked the door to her apartment.
It was too hard to believe, he thought. Linna was back. She was
standing there right beside him, and yet he still was not sure he
believed it. He needed to clear his mind; disbelief of the obvious
would only get in his way. Mistrust, though, was very different, and
he would hold onto that for a while. "You sure this is a safe place to
discuss this?" he asked.
"As safe as any," Nene replied as she pushed the door open. "It's
not bugged, I can tell you that." He nodded; that had not been quite
what he had meant, but she did have a point. Public places had
inherent risks in a GENOM-dominated society, and while Nene's apartment
might well be observed, she had doubtless taken precautions to protect
her own privacy.
"Fair enough." He followed her into the apartment, glancing
around to take in the surroundings. It was bigger than he had
expected; he had heard of Nene's advancement in ADP from his sister
before her death, but evidently she was being paid better than he
thought. The tone, too, was different... darker, in a way. Nene's
taste, like her personality, had grown colder and harder... and yet,
aside from being a little cluttered it was a very nice place. He
settled into a comfortable chair as Nene and Linna took seats on the
couch, and then shook his head. "All right, obviously, you have a
story to tell. Let's hear it."
Nene glanced at Linna. "Do you want to explain it, or do you want
me to?"
Linna sighed, then shook her head. "I'll do it." Looking
downward to avoid Mackie's gaze, she began, "This is, well... I know
it's hard to believe. I sometimes have a hard time believing it
myself. But this is what happened..." Her voice was hesitant and weak
as she recounted her tale, from her awakening to the vague memories of
being the subject of someone's twisted experiment... to her eventual
escape, and her arrival at Nene's apartment that night. Mackie sat and
listened to her, the pain in her voice reflected in her haunted gaze.
Finally she finished her part of the story and feel silent, her eyes
still fixed on the floor.
Nene moved to put an arm around Linna's shoulders. "Linna..." she
whispered softly, and the dancer finally looked up into her eyes. She
seemed to draw a little courage from that, and smiled weakly. Nene
held her gaze for a few moments, then looked up at Mackie. "That's
where we are, Mackie. We were getting ready to start again. We'd
started training, and I think Sylia was working on new hardsuits. Now,
though... Priss... well, Priss is pretty messed up. I think I can find
her, but getting her to come back is going to be twice as hard this
time."
Mackie nodded, silently considering all that he had been told. If
Linna had not been sitting there in front of him, telling the tale in
her own words, he would never have believed it... and even with that
evidence he found it difficult. Still, what he had learned from the
databank seemed to bear it out. Sylia had indeed been working on new
designs; had he stopped to look at them, Linna's presence might have
been less of a surprise. Still, there were questions Linna's story did
not answer. "Nene," he asked. "What happened to your leg? Did you
hurt it in training?"
Nene rubbed her leg unconsciously and winced. "Line of duty. I
don't know if..." she hesitated, "...if Sylia told you... but I'm an
ADP Inspector now. I got shot during an investigation. It's mostly
healed, but not completely."
He nodded. "I... see," he answered sympathetically. He
considered that; he could verify it in Sylia's records later, but
he did not doubt it. The more he heard, the more he wanted to trust
them. The anguish in Linna's voice echoed in his thoughts. She was
truly hurting, and she sounded sincere... but could he trust her?
"Linna," he said quietly, "you know this puts me in a difficult
position, don't you? I want to trust you... but it's not easy right
now. You're back... and Sis... well... she..." his voice trailed off.
Linna raised her head to look at him, her eyes filled with misery.
"I know, Mackie... I'm sorry. I wish it had been me instead of her...
it probably should have been me." She looked down again. "Now...
now, even more than before... I need this. I need to hurt whoever is
responsible for this. I need to get even. Sylia ran tests on me...
I'm sure you can find the results in her records, but you can test me
again, if you really think you have to," she said softly, a shiver
passing through her, an echo of horrors vaguely remembered. "But give
me this chance, please."
Mackie closed his eyes, bowing his head as he considered her
words. When he finally looked back up at her, he had made his
decision. "All right. I'll check the databanks... I have to do that
much. If they don't contradict your story, then I'll trust you." He
paused, and when he began again his voice was hard and cold. "I want
to get even, too. They took my father from me... and now my sister,
too. I can't let them get away with that. You two... if you could,
try to find Priss. Convince her to come back, any way you can.
We'll need her."
"We will," Nene agreed, "even if we have to drag her back here
kicking and screaming."
"Good. I'm going to look at the databanks tonight, and learn
whatever I can. I'll call you tomorrow... I assume you'll be calling
in sick, Nene?"
Nene nodded. "I... have some research of my own to do, so you'll
be able to find us here." At that, Mackie nodded and rose to leave.
"Be careful," Nene cautioned. "They may be looking for you, too."
"I'm betting on it," Mackie said darkly. "But I don't intend to
make it easy for them. You be careful, too," he added, walking to the
door.
"We will."
Mackie nodded and opened the door As he stepped outside, he
glanced cautiously down the corridor in both directions, then walked to
the stairwell. It was time to make preparations... and time to be
paranoid. If Nene and Linna's stories checked out, then the war would
begin in earnest.
*****
Leon frowned as he replayed the message on his voicemail. Nene
had called in sick, after leaving early the day before. Ordinarily it
would have been no cause for concern, but Nene was not an ordinary
officer. Since her promotion, it had become very rare for Nene to miss
a day of work. Often, she put in extra hours... so much so that he had
more than once forced her to back off on an investigation and get some
rest. For her to leave early one day and miss the next was
uncharacteristic.
Adding to his concerns was the timing of her sudden absence. He
had noticed a marked decline in her work during the two days prior to
her early departure. She had even fallen asleep at her desk, something
he was sure he had not seen happen since he had reassigned her to
Cybercrime. Even then, he might not have been concerned--it could
certainly be attributed to illness--but he knew about her double life,
and for her performance to sharply decline the day after the
explosion of the Ladys633 building was unlikely to be coincidence.
Picking up the loose file on his desk, he thumbed through its
contents again. It had not been until this morning that he had made
the connection, but now it seemed obvious. The Ladys633 building had
been owned by one Sylia Stingray, the daughter of the initial inventor
of boomer technology. Dr. Stingray had been killed in an industrial
accident, according to the records. It had been a laboratory
explosion, and it was a story he had seen countless times before when
GENOM had something to hide... or someone to dispose of. And Sylia,
only a child when the accident had happened, knew... and she had
formed the Knight Sabers to gain her revenge.
<Obvious,> he thought. <If only I'd had a reason to look at these
files sooner.> But what would he have done with that knowledge? After
the Largo incident, he had committed himself to keeping Priss' secret,
and that meant protecting the rest of the mercenary/vigilante group as
well. Shortly after that, he had learned of Nene's role; Dr. Miriam's
assault on ADP headquarters had been turned aside from within, and Nene
had a reputation for disappearing during boomer incidents. He had, of
course, covered for her as well; and it had paid off for him in turn
when he made her head of Cybercrime, and let her put her true skills to
use.
Now, though, he had to wonder. The explosion of Ladys633 was no
accident; of that he was certain, even if he was not part of the
investigation. He could only presume that Ms. Stingray was the target,
but that also left him with questions. The Knight Sabers had been
inactive for almost two years... why would anyone target them now, and
what implications did this have for Nene? His brow furrowed with
concern. It was time, he thought, to have a talk with his favorite
officer, and this time he would know the whole story.
*****
Nene tapped furiously at the keyboard, entering data as quickly as
she could manage without errors. She would have another thirty seconds
or so to remove any traces of her entry from the log; it was plenty of
time, but the slightest mistake would give her away. A few final
keystrokes finished the process, and she scanned back over the cryptic
scrawl to ensure she had every character correct. Once she was
satisified that all was in place, she saved the file, ran one last
batch, and closed it out. The batch process would cover the dropped
connection... and she was out. "All too easy," she noted, conjuring
images of a certain Sith lord. "I would have made a good Dark Jedi."
It truly had been easy. The N-Police computers were far less
secure than the specialty equipment used by ADP, and she had become so
accustomed to the more powerful machines that this hack had been
ridiculously simple. Still, she could not let her guard down even on
a basic run such as that.
"Did you get what you need?" Linna asked once she was sure that
Nene was finished.
Nene turned to face her and nodded. "Yes... all of the files on
the... accident at 633." Her voice darkened, giving special emphasis
to 'accident'. The term was almost offensive to her, knowing as she
did that it was nothing of the sort. N-Police was either more
incompetent than she thought, or they had been bought off of the
investigation. More likely the latter.
A knock at the door caught her attention. Who would be coming to
see her this time of day? Picking up her gun from the desk, she
motioned Linna for silence and walked quickly to the peephole. When
she glanced out, her eyes went wide with what she saw. "Shit, it's
Leon!" she hissed, bolting to her computer. "Linna, hide!" Linna
disappeared in the direction of the bedroom, and Nene frantically
scrambled to shut down her computer. "Who is it?" she called out,
doing her best to sound un-well as she pulled at her hair in an
effort to look as disheveled as possible.
"It's me, Nene," Leon's voice answered. "I thought I would drop
by and see how you're doing. It's not very often that you call in
sick, so I was worried.
"Umm... it's not really a good time," Nene struggled for an excuse.
"I, uh... just dragged myself out of bed."
"Nene," Leon's voice took on a firmer tone. "I need to talk to
you about some things, and I'd prefer to do it here rather than at the
office."
"Damn," Nene muttered. Leon was not going to take no for an
answer, it seemed. "He must suspect something." Quickly, she closed
the bedroom door; Linna should be well-enough hidden, since Leon was
not the sort to poke around without good reason. "I'll be there in a
minute." She paused at a mirror to inflict further chaos upon her
hair, then went to the door.
"Hello, Nene," Leon greeted her as she opened the door. "I hope
that I'm not intruding."
"No, not at all," Nene answered weakly, determined to maintain the
'sick' act. "Come on in." She stepped aside to allow him to enter,
then closed the door behind him as he moved to take a seat on the
couch. She chose the chair opposite him, shaking her head as she sat,
as though fighting back a headache. "I'm sorry if I'm not exactly at my
best..."
Leon took on a sympathetic look. "Don't apologize... I'm the one
who is bothering you, after all. How are you feeling?"
"Terrible." The answer was flat, and meant to discourage further
inquiry into her condition.
"That's... understandable," Leon answered quietly. "This week...
hasn't been the best for you, has it?"
<Dammit!> Nene thought, doing her best to mask any reaction. <He
knows!> "No, not really. I haven't been ill like this in a long
time."
"Well, you've had a lot to deal with, lately." His tone changed
subtly; evidently she had not hidden her surprise well enough. Akiko
said you hadn't had enough sleep yesterday. Is there something I need
to know about?"
She looked up to meet his gaze, trying to deter him from asking
more. "No, sir," she said quietly. "I'll be fine... really."
His gaze hardened. He knew, all right. Nene had no doubt of that
anymore. "Don't lie to me, Nene. I came here so that nobody else
could listen in. I want to know the truth this time."
Nene sighed. "It looks to me like you already know." Her
shoulders slumped, and her voice took on a resigned tone. "What do you
want to know, Leon? You already knew I was a Knight Saber... don't
think I missed the hint last time. And Priss... you know about her,
too. What else is there?"
Leon settled back into the chair, forcing himself to relax. "I'm
sorry, Nene... but you're one of my best officers. Maybe the best. I
need to know what's going on... if nothing else, so I don't tip your
hand accidentally." He shook his head, and sighed. "Nene, I'm not
going to stop you. This city needs the Knight Sabers, and if I didn't
know that before, the last two years have taught me well. But I know
you're not sick. And I know it has something to do with that explosion
two days ago."
His one eye met her two then, seemingly boring into her. "And I
know that something is wrong with my favorite officer... and I want to
help. And don't you ever dare tell anyone I said that."
Nene drew a deep breath. "All right. You've backed me into a
corner, Leon. I can't tell you everything... there are other people
whose lives ride on these secrets. But I will tell you what I can."
He nodded. "I can live with that, I suppose."
She managed a weak smile. "You'll have to. As you have probably
learned already, the building that exploded two days ago belonged to
Sylia Stingray. Sylia was... the founder of the Knight Sabers. I can
only tell you that... because she was in the building when it
exploded. With that... well, you say this city needs us... but whether
we can do anything without her is... questionable."
"I see," he answered. "Is... there anything I can do to help
you?"
Nene shook her head, then suddenly stopped and looked up at him.
"Actually... yes." A relieved look crossed her face. "There is
something. You see... after the explosion, Priss just disappeared. We
know she is out there somewhere... but she abandoned her old trailor,
and we can't find her. I'm... worried about her."
"I can find her." Leon sighed. "Do you want me to tell her
anything?"
"No," Nene shook her head. "If she knows someone found her, she
may move again. She's... afraid, Leon. Just like the rest of us,
she's afraid that she will be next."
"All right," Leon agreed reluctantly. "I'll find her, and let you
know where she is hiding out. But in return, you have to promise me
that if there's anything I can do in the future, you'll ask."
"I will." Nene rose slowly to her feet, glancing toward the door.
"Now... if you don't mind, I have business to take care of that the
Chief of AD Police should not see."
Leon smirked. "All right, I can take a hint." He walked to the
door, but paused just before opening it. "Take care, Nene."
"You, too, Leon. Being involved with us... is not really a safe
thing, you know."
"I know." He smiled, but his tone was completely serious. "See
you tomorrow?"
"Yes, I'll be there... and thank you." She sighed as he opened
the door and left, then waited until she was sure he was gone before
she opened the bedroom door. "He's gone, Linna."
"I heard," Linna answered from where she had wedged herself in the
closet. As she extracted herself, she added, "Mackie's going to kill
us."
Nene sighed. "Only if he finds out, Linna. Only if he finds
out."
*****
Priss rolled over on the bed, unable to get comfortable. She
could remember a time when unfamiliar beds were an everyday occurrence
for her. After all, when you lived on the streets, you slept whereever
you could. Now, though, she was spoiled; while her trailer might not
be the most comfortable place she'd ever known, she had grown used to
it over the last few years. She would just have to get used to it,
though... now that she had moved what little stuff she had, she wasn't
going to go looking again for a while.
The old, abandoned apartment was in surprsingly good shape. The
cracks in the walls appeared to be only as deep as the paint, at least.
As near as it was to the fault line, there was always the chance it
would come crashing down around her at any moment, but at least it
looked stable. If it did fall... well, she might welcome that right now.
There were worse alternatives.
<Why do I bother running? If GENOM wants me dead, at least it'll
be over quickly.> Images of Linna flooded her mind then. <Or maybe
not.> What had they done to Linna that had scarred her so badly? She
supposed she would never know, now. She would lay low for a while,
watching to see if GENOM was looking for her. She had people who
would tip her off... if GENOM didn't pay them to rat her out. <Well,
some of them I can trust anyway... maybe.> Once she was sure things had
cooled off again, she might try to contact Nene and Linna. Possibly.
<We'll deal with that when we get there,> she decided. Even if
nothing happened to Nene or Linna, they might not want to see her
anymore. She had run out on them again in a time when they needed her.
There was nothing she could do. She knew it, and she hoped that they
did, too. <I'm sorry,> she thought, trying to push the images of her
friends out of her mind. She needed to sleep, to clear her head, but
it was not coming easily. She pulled her blanket up over her head to
block out the light, and slowly finally drifted off.
A sound outside startled her, and she sat up groggily--had she
finally fallen asleep? A quick glance at her watch confirmed that she
had been out for several hours. That sound again... someone was poking
around outside. Who, and why? Surely someone had not tracked her here
already. Pulling a gun out of the box of things she had dragged from
her trailer, she checked to make sure it was loaded and moved quickly
to the door. The sound was getting closer... she glanced quickly out
the door, and breathed a deep sigh of relief.
Nene waved at her, stepping over a small pile of debris. "Hey
there, Priss." She glanced around a moment, then smiled. "Nice place
you've got here... though I liked the trailer better."
Priss shot her a venomous glance, then just shook her head. "What
the hell are you doing here?"
"Looking for you, of course." Nene shook her head, walking up to
the doorway. "I could ask you the same thing, though."
"Trying not to be found," Priss muttered. She turned back inside
and sat on the edge of her bed. Nene followed, choosing a chair across
the room. "How did you find me, Nene?" she asked, her tone resigned.
"I have resources, Priss. In some ways, I'm more connected than
you are. But in this case, I had help. I was hoping, though that you
might be a little happier to see me than this."
"Why?" Priss asked sharply, glaring up at Nene. She held her gaze
for a few moments, then looked down at the floor. "I can't come back,
Nene. I know you want me to... but there's no point now. Sylia is
gone, and everything is lost without her."
Nene rested a hand on Priss' shoulder. Priss tried to shrug it
off, but Nene was expecting that and held her firmly. "Priss, I'm not
here to ask you to come back. I'm asking you not to worry us like
this. Whether the Knight Sabers are done or not, Priss, we care about
you. And we worry about you. If you're trying to hide, that's fine...
but at least tell some of us where you're going."
Priss just shook her head, not looking up. "And then what
happens? What happens if they come for us, too?"
Nene sighed. "Priss... all right, if that's how you feel. I'm
sorry to hear it, but I can't blame you. Still... we're going to look
at Sylia's main datacore tonight. We want the answers, and we're going
to get them. We thought you might want to be there." Priss looked up
at that, a flicker in her eyes, and Nene continued. "If you're coming,
meet us at my apartment. Eleven o'clock. You know where it is. Don't
be late, or we'll be gone."
Priss nodded, but said nothing, and after a few moments of
silence, Nene let her arm drop.
"Priss... we need you, whether you believe that or not. I'll see
you tonight." With that, Nene turned and walked out, leaving Priss
alone with her thoughts...
...thoughts she did not care to face.
*****
"All right, this is it," Mackie breathed as he waved the keycard
in front of the scanner. It beeped once, disengaging the magnetic lock
with a soft click. He pushed the door open few inches, then stopped,
locking gazes with each of them in turn. "Is everyone sure they want
to do this? My sister may well have had some secrets that would be...
unpleasant to see. Even I don't know all of them."
"That's all the more reason to go ahead with it," Linna answered
softly. "If we are going to pick up where she left off... before we
can make that decision, we need to know the whole story."
Nene nodded her agreement. "She's right. We were content to be
kept in the dark about these things before... but we need to know them
now."
"Good," Mackie said, pushing the door open the rest of the way.
"Let's get on with it, then." He glanced quickly at Priss, who gave a
silent nod in response, then stepped inside. The others followed,
entering the darkened antechamber. Once they were inside, Mackie
closed the door, manually setting the bolt. Only one keycard save his
own could open that lock, and Sylia had held it, but he was taking no
chances at being discovered.
"This way." Leading them down a hallway, he turned first left,
then right, finally coming to an elevator. He pressed his left hand
against the panel there, and a red light scanned across it before
opening the door for him. "Be silent," he instructed. "It operates
on voiceprint." They steped inside, and he spoke again. "Databank
room."
A series of soft beeps followed, and the door closed. "Access
verified," the computer spoke, its monotone voice seeming unusually
soulless, and the car began to descend. When finally it came to a
stop, Mackie turned to face the others. "There is one more door to
be passed, and I am not certain I can open it." He turned to Nene.
"If my identicode will not open the databank chamber, I will need
you to hack it."
Nene nodded, pulling a small computer from her pocket. "It will
be... protected, won't it?"
"Yes," he agreed, a trace of concern in his voice. "I do not
recommend trying to enter the system in your usual manner."
She smiled slightly, holding up the device for him to see. "Do
not presume to tell a hacker how best to do her work."
He returned her smile with one of his own. "You are resourceful,
aren't you?" he asked. She only nodded, and he turned to face the
door. "Open," he instructed, and the doors parted to reveal another
corridor. At the far end could be seen a heavier door, with a small
computer pad to one side. He led them down the hallway, stopping just
short of the door.
Placing his palm against the scanner, he repeated the same codes
he had used before. "Identicode Stingray, Mackie, one-one-alpha. Case
Succession has been invoked." He then drew in a long, deep breath, and
waited.
"Verifying Case Succession..." the computer droned. Several
seconds passed before the response came back. "Case Succession is not
recognized."
Mackie nodded. "Very well. Nene, it's all yours."
Nene stepped forward to examine the pad. "This one will be
difficult." Pulling a wad of cables from her pocket, she began to
connect them to her pocket computer.
"Well damn it all," Priss cut in sarcastically. "It won't open
for us. Why are we even here?"
Mackie turned to face her. "Because I don't believe it's over--"
a sharp hiss cut him off as the door began to slide upward. "So quick,
Nene?"
"I didn't do anything yet!" Nene cried, stumbling back from the
keypad. "This thing isn't--oh my god..."
Mackie whirled to face the door, his eyes widening at the sight
before him. Where the backup datacore had been silent upon his entry,
this one was very much active. Dozens of viewscreens displayed
information in various states of flux, as some of the most powerful
computers ever built processed terabytes of data per second. In the
center of this maelstrom of information was a chair... and that chair
was turning to face them. In it... a dark-haired figure, obscured by
shadow. Her left arm was in a sling, her right was completing a key
sequence on the chair's armrest. Her gaze was downcast, but when she
looked up, there was no mistaking her identity.
"Hello... Sis," Mackie whispered quietly.
"Hello, Mackie." Sylia Stingray smiled predatorily. "You're
late."
*****
End Chapter Four
*****************************************************************
Douglas A. "Stormwalker" Reeves <stormwalker@airmail.net>
Computer tech, anime fan, hopeless romantic, and sometime writer
Fanfiction Archive - http://web2.airmail.net/a0011387/fanfic/
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Why did you challenge us to this fight? I'm not really
sure why. But I know that you made two mistakes. One was
hurting a lot of people to achieve your goal. And the other...
was picking a fight with me!"
--Lina Inverse, "Slayers" ep. 26