Subject: [FFML] [Fanfic][Tenchi Muyo]Darkness & Light Chapter 1 Rewrite - No Need for Enigmas
From: Swz
Date: 10/25/2000, 9:27 PM
To: ffml@fanfic.com

Hi, I'm posting my fic up here in the hopes of getting C&C on how to
improve. This is a Rewrite of a Chapter 1 of Darkness & Light, and juz
point me where I go wrong on character portrayal, writing style and all
that stuff.

For those who might have read the original chapter 1, also please feel
free to include comments comparing this to the original. 

Incidentally, the original was posted up at FFML before, but the
formatting was off and it was very unreadable, so sorry. ^^;;; 

Yeah, that's about it, hope u enjoy reading it ^_^.

Sincerely,
Zyraen


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REWRITE (21/10/2000) : 

Heh this REWRITE is in response to some well meaning detractors
who pointed out to me that my intro of my SI in chapter 1 turns away
a lot of pple, and makes Kiyone seem extremely OOC by falling so hard
for him. Well, this is my response. ^_^ Basically I juz changed the 
burger joint scene, reduce the speedy emotional involvement in the 
original. Kiyone does try to combat her emotions, and the stand of
the SI on the development is also rather more clearly shown in this,
even though it is only observed rather than gone into. Lastly, there
is a more concrete reason for her to trust in him, so there...

Then the rest of the rewrites will juz involve tweaking chapters from
2-7 to consider the edited scene, as well as Chapter 2 & 3 to make
up for the lack of emotional depth in the Chapter 1. The PLOT does
NOT change. 

Please VOTE on whether u prefer the REWRITE or the ORIGINAL Chapter 1,
which is still up here on fanfiction.net and at TMFFA. Your vote will 
decide if the rewrite is accepted, and makes it to the TMFFA, as well 
if I will update the contents for chapters 2-7 to account for the 
changes.

Juz to let you know, this FF is based on the TV Series.
The Kain episode, great though it was, was ignored... sorry,
but I really needed the GP around (should be clear by Chap 13).

This story contains no sex, so please do not expect it.

Before I wrote this Fanfic, I have only read 2 Fanfics, Aikan
Muyo and To Love & To Hate. Since then I have read some others,
and have noted some writers have a tendency to portray some
characters inaccurately.

For instance, I believe Tenchi will not screw anyone he does
not seriously love, while Ryoko and Aeka are not irretrievably
unreconciliable. As I wrote suddenly I realised Mihoshi was not
a 2 dimensional dumb blonde scourge of Kiyone.

Some of the powers used in this Fic are a conglomeration of those
in Tenchi TV & OAV, though I have excluded the Light Hawk Wings,
and Washu's goddess status, simply because the imbalance would be
too great.

That's about it, I'm a simple soul at heart...

Disclaimer :
Most characters in this story are property of AIC and Pioneer.
They are in such a situation solely because of my imagination.
This story was written purely for fun.

DARKNESS & LIGHT - No Need For Kova

By Zyraen

Chapter I : No Need for Enigmas

"How I wish I could be as carefree as you," sighed Kiyone, as her
partner Mihoshi snuggled comfortably into her futon and into
oblivion. The blonde detective gave a loud sigh of contentment and
curled some more as if in confirmation of her words. Letting herself
lie back, hands behind her lustrous, long green hair, Kiyone thought
about all the things that had gone wrong in her life.

"It�s all because of Mihoshi!"

She remembered herself saying that to someone, sometime. Yet it
just did not seem to explain everything. Everything that had
happened, she still remembered, as some kind of nightmare she
had lived through and wished more than anything to end. Yet
Mihoshi had been living that same life, and it had seemed wonderful
to her. How they had met Tenchi, Ryoko, and all the rest. How they
had helped wrest Kagato from his throne of power, and became
high ranking Galaxy Police personnel back at Central HQ.

Yet�

"What am I doing here!?"

Remembering the day Mihoshi had walked in and jubilantly
announced, "Kiyone, I�m so *happy*! We�ve got reassigned back to
Earth as resident officers again!" 

"WHAT!?"

"Yup, isn�t that *wonderful*!"

"H..h..how�?" Kiyone had said as she sank weakly into her chair.

"Oh, I just asked, as they said it was OK, if I could get you to agree
and substantiate the request, which I�m sure you will! " She smiled
as she held up her hand into an OK sign, then clasped her hands
together again. "This is great! We�ll be able to see Tenchi, Sasami,
and all the rest of them again."

"Sasami�" Oh yeah, Aeka had ran away for another vacation again,
and Sasami had gone after her on the pretext of getting her back.
Azaka and Kamadake, the knights, had remained to keep the
Council of Jurai in their place and protect the palace (empty�) while
their log versions had followed Sasami�

"Oh no! I haven�t bought anything for them, and they�ll be so upset
with me! Sasami said she�d be getting me a�" As Mihoshi rattled
on, Kiyone had toyed with the thought of getting the transfer
undone, but well, returning to Earth was hardly what she would call
unpleasant, though it would put a damper on her future promotion
prospects, not that she was doing badly� Besides, she did not
want to break Mihoshi�s heart. 

She had then managed to persuade her GP superior that keeping an
eye on Aeka and the true king of Jurai was very important, in the
face of growing hostilities between the Juraian empire and the
Synera Stellar Syndicate (SSS), an empire that had risen out of a
merchant syndicate that developed weapons and ships to colonise
and subjugate planets, and at least be given credit for protecting the
Juraian royalty. She even got the boss to strongly hint she *might*
return to a promotion if nothing untoward happens until relations
are smoothed over.

And so here she was, scraping a living out on the primitive planet.
At least now with the dimensional door that had been so useful in
their adventures in Space, and which Washu had given to them as a
farewell present, she and Mihoshi could pop over to Tenchi�s place
anytime for a quick (heavenly) bath, a welcomed (exquisite!) meal
and a nice (and free) Karaoke session.

"I wonder why do I even bother to stay in this apartment!? I
practically live there in Tenchi�s house!" Her thoughts brought her
back. "Oh yeah, principle." Kinda stupid, though.

Looking at the clock beside her, she sighed again. It was almost an
hour since she had retired and she was still awake! Trying vainly to
turn her mind blank and sleep, Kiyone shifted and tried a different
position.

====================================

Meanwhile, high over the Earth�s stratosphere, her solitary
spacecraft orbited, in auto pilot. Scarlet metal gleamed bright in the
sun�s rays, while from far away, a tiny metallic speck emerged and
sped over. It seemed to be some sort of a capsule, but there were
rocket boosters behind it, and within something stirred. A portal of
darkness opened within and�

He was inside the Yagami. Grinning, the intruder smiled to himself.

"Let�s see how the GP is doing with my data."

Moving over to the bridge, the person seated himself in the
command seat, fingers flashing over the console. His eyes scanned
the screen as he accessed the GP file archives.

"Ah, I see I am still remembered," he murmured.

Before him, on the screen, a very outdated picture of himself,
followed some words. Nothing he did not know, but still, his
attention was drawn to the last few lines.

Last sighted : 40 yrs ago, in the vicinity of the Science Academy
               Ship destroyed, no body found.

"I see their intelligence is neither precise nor up to date."

Tapping a few more buttons, he quickly summoned a map of the
ship.

"Just a typical GP ship. I thought the red meant it�d be a bit more
interesting. Oh well," as he absorbed the data, and left to search the
ship for anything of value.

He found nothing, except for a moment he felt like sabotaging the
engine, and then he entered Kiyone and Mihoshi�s room on the
ship. The first thing that struck him was how one side, the right, was
kept immaculately neat and tidy, while on the other side, everything
seemed to be a mess. Tissue boxes, scattered books, spilled drinks,
on the left, and the right, just perfect. Bending over the short pink
table in the middle of the room, he too could see the difference. On
the left side, stains of food and drinks marred the surface, while on
the other side, only two marks were seen - a pair of hands, pressed
onto the table so hard the person must have been very angry.

Curiosity prompted a more thorough observation. A quick glance
found him Mihoshi�s photo, by her bed, the exact same one Kiyone
had placed on her altar just last year when she thought Mihoshi was
dead. Beside that, an alarm clock. One did not have to be very smart
to see it had stopped ticking. 

"Pretty, cute, and not very well done."

Looking on the other side, three alarm clocks, and�

He stopped and stared.

The photo of Kiyone stared him straight in the eye, in GP uniform,
one hand placed tartly on her hip, the other holding a blaster by her
ear. Her lips were curled into a ghost of smile, reserved and yet
pretty. It seemed as though she was about to take a shot at him.

She had. 

His eyes lingered a moment longer, then he stood up, his mouth
curling in self-disgust.

"She�s a GP officer!" Almost unconsciously, his hand tossed a rod
about thirty centimetres long that was sent in a curling arc of silver
right into the photo, some three metres from him across the room,
so it would fall on its face.

"Damn." The photo had not fallen. He was already over the bed and
beside it, his hand holding it up. His other hand gripped the rod,
tightly. Sweat beaded his brow as he fought against himself.

"I�ll see first."

There were two more photos near the centre of the room. One was
of Kiyone and Mihoshi singing a Karaoke duet. He sighed as he saw
how carefree and joyful she was, contrasting with the personal
photo. The other one showed Kiyone and Mihoshi in complete GP
uniform, with blazers and caps, standing before a man who was
dressed like the GP Marshall. He could not be sure though, as the
Marshall was bent over, almost on the verge of falling, with Mihoshi
holding on with one hand on his collar, the other one on Kiyone�s
sleeve. The blonde detective had apparently tripped up, and
Kiyone�s face was that of utter shock and outrage, caught slightly
off balance. Judging from the GP assemblage in the background, it
was some kind of ceremony, maybe promotional�

He stifled a smile, and decided. Taking out a metal device and
passing it over each of the two photos and Kiyone�s personal one,
he then proceeded to search the room, careful not to leave any
traces.

Ah, there they were, the names.

"Kiyone and Mihoshi. Hmmm, I wonder which is which."

Returning to the bridge, he accessed GP files.

"Ah, so she�s Kiyone," as he looked through the long list of
Mihoshi�s foul-ups under the blonde�s smiling face. Opening the
other file�

"Impressive! First in her class!" he thought. Unfortunately, she had
only one significant work, though it had pushed her up from 1st
Class Detective to Detective Sergeant and, after some additional
pressure by the Juraians, was redecorated to the rather prestigious
2nd Class Chief Inspector.

"Wow, carried out a coup to oust Kagato, the impostor who
usurped the Juraian throne, while protecting Princess Aeka and
Sasami and working with the legendary warrior Yosho and his
grandson Tenchi. Looks like I missed out on a lot of stuff while in
the Academy."

Reading on, �Other associates include Ryoko, Ryo-oh-ki, Nagi,
Ken-oh-ki, Washu, who assisted greatly in restoring the Juraian
throne to its rightful owner.�

"Washu!!" He recalled how the �greatest genius scientist in the
universe� had appeared just last year at the Academy. He did not
have time to get to know her, but he knew she was the *best*.

Still, not smart enough to prevent him from stealing data on her
previous experimentation with dimensional warping to supplement
his new ship�s resources. It had helped greatly. The Tachyon Ray
he had also installed was her credit too, though he had obtained it
before he had seen her, under her invention files from seven
hundred years ago. Not that it was by any means a slight to her, for
certain regulations in the Science Academy made it easy to obtain
copies of data, not to mention he had got the blueprint for the Ray
some years before, and had been busy working on how to
miniaturise it. 

Tapping a few buttons, he attempted to access files on Juraian
Royalty.

"ACCESS DENIED to GP Personnel, except to Marshall or Grand
Marshall."

Oh well, no matter, he think he knew vaguely who Aeka was. As for
Yosho, he knew from legends he was not someone to be trifled with.
Ryoko and Nagi were people he knew, not that they noticed him. He
often took pains not to be noticed.

Bringing the silver rod down in front of him, a portal opened, its
blackness seeming to flow out of the tip of the rod.

Oh, I nearly forgot.

Turning back to the ship�s computer, the intruder carefully erased
all traces of his passage and accessing of files in the memory
circuits.

His figure loomed for a moment, framed against the dark circle, ere
he vanished into the portal, which closed behind him.

"Earth, here I come."

Outside Yagami, the capsule like spacecraft sped away and
downwards.

====================================

"Well, what I tell you?" Ryoko smiled at Tenchi over the couch,
while Aeka helped Sasami to clear the dishes. "The carnival did
come back."

"Ryoko, you never spoke truer," Tenchi answered, a dreamy smile
on his face as he watched as Aeka and Sasami bustle into the
kitchen with the plates, thinking of how it had all started.

"Though I�d rather some parts didn�t show up." Ryoko
contemplated a world, even if it was not for her and Tenchi only, at
least without Aeka. A thought occurred to her. "Hey, what did you
mean by that?"

Tenchi just smiled at her, almost like he did when he threw her that
apple after their adventures in Time and Space, and Ryoko *knew*
he was referring to the �most wanted space pirate� thing. "Too bad
Washu isn�t here," he commented as he was about to get up. 

"She�ll show up, you�ll see," Ryoko�s eyes questioningly watched
Tenchi get off the couch. "Hey, where are you going, Tenchi?"

"Help the rest with the dishes� Hey, Ryoko, stop that!" As the
pirate materialised before him and latched onto him.

"But I don�t want you to help them, I want you *all* to myself." Ryoko
said as she squeezed him a little tighter.

"Ryoko, what do you think you�re doing!?" Aeka exclaimed to
Ryoko�s back as she came out of the kitchen. "Stop that, you�re
embarrassing Tenchi!" All Tenchi could manage was a weak smile
to her as sweat beaded on his brow. "I said, stop that!" she shrieked
again.

Ryoko felt two hands land on her shoulder and braced herself for
Aeka�s tug.

"Uh, Aeka, could you�?" Tenchi meekly said.

"Yeah, lay off, princess, can�t you see he�s all mine?"

"That wasn�t what I meant�" Tenchi bit his lip and tried not to add
that Aeka trying to pull Ryoko off him was, of course, that much
more embarrassing.

Ryoko got tugged off Tenchi, her arms held back by Aeka. 

"Princess, you�ve got some nerve!"

"And you shouldn�t do that to Tenchi!"

"Grrr�"

"Grrr�"

The two girls faced each other, sparks crackling in the air between
them.

"Hey, stop that! Don�t fight in here!!"

"Hi, everyone!" Three pairs of eyes turned to look up the stairs, onto
the blue-eyed blonde detective, or rather, Chief Inspector. Mihoshi
stared at the two girls, arms interlocked, and Tenchi, helpless,
behind them. "Uhh, I�m not interrupting anything, am I, huh?"

"Hello, we�ve decided to stop by again," Kiyone spoke calmly,
smoothly stepping before Mihoshi, and pulling her down by one
wrist, discreetly ignoring the potentially explosive situation. Turning
quickly back to her partner, "Move it, Mihoshi! Quit staring!" under
her breath.

"Uh, huh�" Mihoshi�s face faded into her usual clueless smile as
she let herself be led down by Kiyone. "Say, where�s lunch?" as she
looked at the empty dining table.

"We�ve eaten," Aeka turned from Ryoko, defusing the situation.
Ryoko gave her a disdainful stare, then as if to prove a point,
appeared next to Tenchi again, leaning on his shoulder. Tenchi
gave her a nervous look, but kept quiet so as not to alarm Aeka.

"And I�m so hungry�"

"Pipe down, Mihoshi! It�s all because you had to go spill the paint all
over the wall and the stained glass and we had to spend time to
clean up the mess!"

"I�m sorry, Kiyone�"

"Sasami?" Kiyone called. The younger princess popped her head
out of the kitchen, with Ryo-oh-ki perched on top, nibbling on a
carrot.

"Oh, it�s you, Kiyone! I�ve saved lunch for both of you!"

"Thank you, Sasami."

"Oh thank you, thank you so much!" Mihoshi rushed past her
partner and into the kitchen.

"Sasami�s pretty thoughtful, you know." Tenchi commented to
Kiyone, as he stepped toward her. Ryoko seemed to be caught a
little off balance, but floated beside Tenchi, and tried to seem as
though nothing had affected her, though her eyes did seem to warn
Kiyone to stay back.

"Not like some people I know," Aeka pointedly added, moving close
beside Tenchi, but not quite touching him. Ryoko�s eyes blazed at
her across Tenchi�s shoulder, and Aeka disdainfully turned away,
fixing her gaze on Kiyone, while Ryoko followed suit.

"Uh, girls, don�t�" Tenchi tried. Kiyone unconsciously stepped
back under the concerted gaze of Ryoko and Aeka.

"And I�ll just be getting my lunch," Kiyone fled into the kitchen.

Tenchi relaxed. "You know, just because I step towards her and say
something doesn�t mean I�m making an advance to her."

"A step forward sure looks like an advance to me," Ryoko sounded
cold.

"I�m know you wouldn�t do such a thing, Tenchi, but it�s best to be
sure." Aeka added.

He sighed. The carnival certainly seemed here to stay.

====================================

Several days before, in a distant part of the universe�

The dust from the explosion finally cleared.

"What happened!?"

"Well Professor, you see, I um�"

"Forget it," she sighed. "Out, get out of my lab." 

There was a brief sound of scuttling footsteps, and the door to her
lab closed.

What had happened to the Science Academy!? All she did was leave
it for seven hundred years, and now, the lab assistants and
students were all as bad as Mihoshi! 

As for the professors themselves, so far *only* two others had
attempted to rival her research and invention process, and while
she had conclusively demonstrated to them that she was the most
genius scientist in the universe, that was still a pathetic number. In
her time, she could remember lecturing a whole classroom full of
ex-rivals, and happily see them walk out deflated and with a better
perspective of the universe, some with extra (heavy) head
ornaments. 

Only two other professors she might have considered more
noteworthy, but these two did not attempt to prove themselves
against her or to her. As for the students, there had been only six, in
the entire academy, she might have considered promising material.

Not only that, but they had indirectly stopped her from making
Mecha-Washus, so there was no way to get decent help around.
The Academy trains the very best to be scientists, they had said,
and Mecha-Washu, especially if it has Washu�s brain, would totally
negate the need for the Academy. Besides, it also makes for a lot of
confusion.

She heard the door open behind her.

"What is it?" Her spectral computer faded out of reality as she
stopped typing, for already the lab showed no sign of damage being
done to it. She turned to face the Academy�s dean, a balding,
apologetic excuse of a man with a totally unscientific mind, at least
by Washu�s standards. 

"Well, Professor, there�s been an unfortunate incident."

"Like what?" she sounded disinterested.

"A student has vanished."

"Big deal. Who was it?"

"Yoda Shiro."

"Quite a bright chap. Heard he was doing a miniature spaceship
with stealth capabilities."

"He has taken that with him. And his other projects."

Washu yawned. "Such as�?"

"We don�t know for sure. He was developing an EMP device
powerful enough to stop ships, for his other class."

"Mmm-hmmm."

"An energy blade device, that we now suspect to have a dimension
rift creator."

"Mmm�" Washu�s brow wrinkled. "Say, wasn�t it me who created
the one and only dimensional rift device for Tenchi last year, during
my time as a fugitive?"

"Well, none of us here has actually created another one, but we�ve
been studying your notes on its creation since you arrived and we
suspect he may have seen the notes, both ours and yours."

"Oh."

"And we suspect he has materials from your lab too."

"WHAT!?" Quickly she summoned up her spectral computer and
typed furiously at it, checking for intrusions.

"And just one more thing. Remember the Tachyon Ray you
invented seven centuries ago?"

Washu snorted at her terminal. "I should remember! One of the
reasons you people gave for having me thrown out!"

"Well, an analysis on the notes have showed some of the dust
particles on it are missing, while materials required for creating one
have been found in places he might have been to, including his
room."

"Urm, yeah." Something in the back of Washu�s screamed at her to
be concerned, but she was too busy with her computer. "Found it!"
Her eyes went to the top of her lab. In a corner, a ventilator. She
pointed at it. "He came in from there! The screws are slightly loose!
And there is a spot there where he placed a levitating pulley so he
can send a rope down without touching the ceiling or the wall, that�s
why there�s a little less oxygen in the area! He must have
deactivated the alarm devices in the ventilator!" Washu mentally
chided herself. Working in another dimension would have
prevented all this, except for the stupid rules�

The dean�s face turned white.

"That must be how he got into so many places�!"

Something clicked in Washu�s mind. "Hold it! Did you say MY
Tachyon Ray?"

"Yes, only the one and only genius scientist in the universe could
have invented that." The dean sighed. "It has some destructive
powers, I believe? One or two planets, according to your notes."

"That was what I tested it on in my alternate dimension. BUT I had
the right settings for that result."

The dean�s eyes bulged out as he absorbed the meaning of her
words.

"That means if you alter the settings�?"

"Theoretically, it means it can destroy anything from just a space
ship to a planetary system to an asteroid field to a *really* large
space fleet." Washu said solemnly.

"Is that written down anywhere?"

"Only on my personal notes. From that one experiment I
extrapolated other settings for the other results." �Which he may
have seen�, the obvious extension to that line, remained unspoken.

"Oh no," the dean whispered. "Now we�ve really got a situation."

"It�s all your stupid regulations. I should have abolished that rule on
always making back-up notes on paper during my brief
chairmanship." Washu looked thoughtfully at her computer, and
sure enough, another thought locked into place. She did not usually
think of such things, but still she asked. "Say, have we ever
released any findings to further the ship arms, stealth, and all that?"

"Once in a while, but nothing that serious."

"So this Yoda guy, whoever he is, has this really tiny spaceship that
can�t be detected by ships, can only be shot at by manual firing,
armed with the most powerful weapons of our time, short of
something just about only I can invent?"

The dean could only nod dumbly, as he watched the red-headed
scientist type furiously at her terminal, summoning up the GP files.

"What are you standing there for? Get me his file!!!" Washu
screamed.

====================================

"Hello, welcome to Mos Burger! What would be your order, sir?"
Kiyone smiled at a customer. Removing his sunglasses, the man
smiled back.

He was a little taller than Kiyone, with a head of somewhat long, fine
black hair, combed neatly with a side parting. A thin moustache
joined up with a goatee, that looked fine on the end of his sharp
chin with high cheek bones. His eyes were blue beneath his high
forehead, and despite his slightly coarse complexion and that he
looked like he was thirty odd years old, he was still rather strikingly
dash in his white tee, with a sky blue vest and blue trousers. That,
plus something in his demeanour and expression, suddenly made
Kiyone�s smile a lot more natural.

"Just a Teriyaki Chicken burger, please."

"Would you like a meal instead, sir? It�s better value for money." 

His eyes seemed to twinkle as he considered it.

Was that my imagination? Kiyone thought to herself. And what am I
doing looking at his eyes?

"Well, okay, I guess. Thank you." His hand placed the money on the
counter, a genial but nevertheless somehow distant smile on his
face.

"Thank you, sir." She did not have to return change, the amount
was exact. "Please take a seat and wait for your burger." She
pressed the number tag into his hand, a little harder than was usual
for her. "Next, please." Kiyone tried to ignore the commotion at the
other counter originating from another blunder from Mihoshi, and as
she turned her head slightly aside, she saw the man�s head tilt
slightly back, snatching a quick look back at her. With the briefest
flicker of surprised astonishment within the depths of his blue eyes,
the man quickly broke eye contact and hurried around the corner
on her right.

Kiyone blinked.

There might have been something there� or maybe not. I�m not
sure, but there was nothing carnal about that, almost as if he were
not looking at my appearance at all, just of me, for myself� but I�m
not sure�

Hello!? An irate part of her mind reminded. There�s like another
fellow in line?

"Oh, sorry to have kept you waiting, sir! May I take your order?"
Damn, thought Kiyone to herself. Mihoshi is rubbing off on me.

The manager finally finished with Mihoshi, and the blonde lady
quickly got to work, not at the counter any more, but at distributing
the food. Picking up the first order, she quickly got out.

"53. 53. Ah, there." She saw the same man Kiyone had served, with
the tag, seated just a table away. "There you are!" Hurrying over,
she failed to see a bag sticking out in her way.

"Ahh�.!" 

Kiyone heard her, shook her head, and waited expectantly for the
crash. It didn�t come.

Seeing there were no more customers before her, Kiyone quickly
walked out from behind the counter and peered round the corner.
Mihoshi was being helped up by a man, whose left hand on her
shoulder had stopped her from falling, while the tray balanced
nicely in the his other hand.

Well, what do you know, it�s him again� Kiyone thought as she
heard the store manager move behind her to look upon the scene.

"Uh, I�m sorry," Mihoshi started as she stood up. "Thank you,
really." 

The man smiled, a seemingly more youthful smile than befitted his
age, then turned his back and started placing his meal on his table.
"Don�t mention it. Besides, I paid for this food, so I had best make
sure it comes to me intact. Say, what�s your name?" He turned
slowly around as he asked the question, and he was looking
straight at Kiyone as he said the last word.

Kiyone blinked.

Wait, was that meant for me? 

Of course not! Don�t be stupid, Kiyone.

Mihoshi didn�t notice anything out of the way either. "I, uh, am
Mihoshi, what�s your na.." before she realised all the people looking
at her and the man, who sat down and started unwrapping his
burger. "Oh, this is so embarrassing!!" As she started hopping
around distractedly.

"Mihoshi, get back here!" Kiyone called.

"Uh, coming, Kiyone!" 

As Mihoshi hurried over, Kiyone�s quick glance to the side found a
soft smile playing on the man�s lips, as they soundlessly
pronounced what she felt certain was her name.

"Kiyone." She could almost hear him, then he abruptly bit into the
burger, moving just a little too quickly for it to be natural.

He knows my name!

Big deal. And pray tell, what were you doing looking at him?

That? Oh that was nothing, just coincidence.

Yeah right. And in case you forgot, this is a job, even if it�s only part
time.

Quickly she hurried back to her place, just as the manager was
about to call for her.

She glanced at her watch, forgetting all thoughts about nice, not too
bad looking men giving her admiring, respectful and somehow
apprehensive looks. She and Mihoshi would have to report for their
next job soon, in about an hour, then after that shift, which would
mean they have to skip dinner, they could return to their apartment
and to Tenchi�s place for a bath and supper. 

====================================

In an alley somewhere in the city, a group of three men were
discussing some job�

"I don�t know about this, ain�t right. I mean how much can there be
in that place?"

"Well, at least we get to walk out easy peasy, not like the tough calls
with banks nowadays. Security in those kind o� places? Hell I don�t
think no one cares, so there ain�t gonna be no one there."

The other ruffian, the youngest of them, looked somewhat
uncertain, but swallowed his doubts before the glare of his leader.
"Okay, whatever you say boss."

"Remember the plan," The thick set fellow reminded, looking at him.
"You and I just go in clean and easy, while Hirotomo, you cover us."

"Okay�" the other two chorused.

"Oh, and one more thing. Please don�t be squeamish about pulling
the trigger. Last time you should have put some slugs in that fatso,
then maybe we wouldn�t have gotten nailed."

"Sorry boss. Won�t happen again." The third, lanky fellow looked
sheepish.

"Let�s get going then."

====================================

"Ooops�" The blonde stared at the growing puddle of soft drinks
on the floor, along with the scattered fries.

"MIHOSHI!"

Kiyone rolled her eyes as she heard the manager thunder, and yet
another customer came in.

Great, now she�s managed to knock over one of the trays while only
halfway out from around the counter� This is just making my day.

"Thank you, sir," Kiyone replied cheerily, passing the tag and
change to the customer, as the other cashier, the one two metres on
her right and closest to Mihoshi, passed the blonde some serviettes
to clean up the mess with. "Have a seat first, your food will soon be
right with you!" 

Well, so long as Mihoshi doesn�t get anywhere near your meal, that
is.

"Next please."

A rather slovenly youth, maybe just in his late teens, who looked like
he had just got out of bed without shaving and was dressed
shabbily, shuffled over before Kiyone.

"Welcome to Mosburger! Your order, sir?"

"Erm� ketchup and chilli?" He ventured, uncertainly.

"No no no!" A middle aged man, dressed slightly better than the
youth and clean shaven at least, who was standing second in line
before the other cashier, exclaimed to the chap in annoyance. "It�s
burgers and fries!"

Kiyone smiled somewhat, in some form of empathy. It was
reminiscent of Mihoshi, as the youth stared uncertainly at the man,
then turned back to her, his mouth drawling hesitantly.

"Erm, burgers and�"

"What kind of burger, sir?" Kiyone interrupted before he could
finish. "Our specialty are rice burgers, and that will go with what
size fries, sir?" Her hand picked up the pen as she prepared to mark
down the order.

"Uh, okay� whatever�" The lad before her mumbled, and the
middle-aged woman behind him scowled in irritation at the delay.

"Next please," the other cashier announced, and the middle aged
man stepped forward. "One large coke, that�s all." Then he furtively
looked at the youth on his right, and whispered loudly. "Tsukune
rice burger and fries!"

"Tsu� Tsuku�" 

But Kiyone was already scribbling down the order as he muttered,
unsure how to pronounce the name. "Would you like a drink with
that, sir?"

The middle aged man called over to the youth again. "It�s
TSUKUNE, you dimwit! And no, no drink� Now get the money out!"

Kiyone naturally assumed his words were directed at the youth, so
she casually reached up a hand, as she ripped the order off her pad
and looked up�

Click�

"Heh, oh yes." The young man before her announced, a roguish
grin visible on his face behind the .45 automatic pistol muzzle she
found aiming right between her eyes. "This is my kind of order." If
he were smarter, he might have noticed how Kiyone looked at him
in mild surprise rather than fear, but he wasn�t, so he didn�t. "Get the
moolah out, doll."

The middle aged man smiled at the other, more distraught cashier
before him. "Just to let those behind me who think they want to act
hero, or rather dead, there�s another of our chaps inside here by the
door, so� it�s your choice." His muzzle pressed harder on the
temple of the cashier before him, who had froze half turned as she
had been going to get his drink when he had put the weapon to her
head.

Kiyone frowned in irritation as she heard her colleague frantically
opening her cash register. The youth in front of her wasn�t a
problem, these people were probably just the run of the mill mugger
types and not hard core murderers or quick shots, but she was still
worried about the safety of the earthling girl beside her. If she
reacted her colleague might well get her brains blown out, and she
could see another gunman, lanky form leaning relaxed by the
entrance door, a revolver held at his waist level, sweeping around to
shadow everyone before him, as well as the turn around the corner
near where Mihoshi was cleaning as more patrons might come
around it.

"What�s the problem? You deaf or what?" The young fellow leaned
forward, frowning. Dimly Kiyone registered, in the background of
the manager�s teeth chattering nervously and her colleague�s hand
rifling through the cash register, Mihoshi humming contentedly to
herself, still happily lost on a level, namely that of shoes and knees,
where everything seemed as it should be. The youth frowned,
pushing the muzzle hard into her face, and she could feel the cold
metal press against the bridge of her nose as he leaned even closer.
"Or do you want me to go around back and show you the real
meaning of a stick up?"

"It�s a hold up you idiot!" The other man shouted, his gaze
swivelling aside to his accomplice.

Well, if I assessed them correctly, this should work�

The youth, inclining his face to the side, was about to murmur some
lame apology to his boss when Kiyone�s head ducked down from in
front of his gun, as her wrists shot up, seizing his hand and aiming
his gun out over her head, before she jerked him forward over the
counter towards her

"What the�!" The youth managed, then Kiyone�s right hand
pressed the trigger, praying it had the desired effect. 

The explosive shot made everyone nearby, especially those three
who were still in queue, and most importantly, Kiyone�s colleague at
the other cash register, drop to the ground instantly, while Mihoshi
looked up in surprise. There were surprised shouts as most of the
patrons who were seated around the corner and not within sight of
the gunmen fled out the back door of the joint, while a certain
person looked up from his meal, his face, like Kiyone�s as the gun
was held before her, looking mildly surprised with a touch of
annoyance.

Back in front of the counter, the middle aged man aimed for Kiyone
as she threw the youth over her shoulder and ducked her body
down, also simultaneously twisting his forearm with her right hand.

"Aargh!" Wrenching pain shot up the youth�s arm as his grip
loosened on the pistol, which Kiyone promptly pulled out of his
hand, cradling it in her right, while his form sailed over her. His
descent was followed by a shot as the leader fired at where she had
ducked down, his bullet passing just over the surface of the
counter. Kiyone watched from hiding behind the counter as the
youth sprawled before her groggily returned to his senses, and her
eyes narrowed.

So, show me the meaning of a stick up, huh?

Her fingers tightened on the gun�s trigger, and she fired twice
towards the direction of the youth as another bullet from the
leader�s weapon ricocheted off the counter top.

"Don�t you dare shoot Kiyone!" Mihoshi cried in anger as she
suddenly realised where the man standing next to her was aiming
at, and acted. 

"Whoa!" The man shouted as his legs were tugged out from under
him.

However, the lanky fellow, who had not been shooting Kiyone as
she had not been visible from his position, quite happily switched to
the alternative target.

Too bad, it has to be that cute blonde. Ah well mustn�t be squeamish
that�s what the boss said� the lanky fellow thought as Mihoshi
prepared to hurl herself onto the fallen man with a vengeance, and
as Kiyone�s eyes peeked up from behind the counter just in time to
see him take aim. 

MIHOSHI!

"Gaaah!" The gunman exclaimed as a paper cup hurtled towards
him, spilling its contents right into his face as a hand shot out from
around the corner, gripping Mihoshi by the ankle and pulling her
away, before a report followed with the bullet whizzing by over and
in front of Mihoshi�s head. 

"Damned!" The gunman swore aloud as he hurriedly wiped the
droplets of soft drink off his face.

Oh well� the fellow holding Mihoshi by the ankle thought as his
attention focused on the barrel of the weapon being aimed at him by
the dripping, angry gunman right at his crouching form.

There was a report, and a yelp of pain as the pistol dropped to the
floor, with the gunman clutching at the bloodied hole that had
appeared in the middle of his right hand.

Heh, he thought, smiling. Kiyone.

"Let go of me you!" Mihoshi cried, thinking the man was some kind
of pervert, before planting her heel straight into his right hand
holding on to her ankle.

Ouch! He winced at the pain, and let go, then stepped around the
corner.

"Look, I was just trying to�" He blinked as he saw the leader, still
on the ground and about to fire at Mihoshi, point the muzzle of his
pistol at what seemed to him another threat looming up from around
the corner.

There was another report and a cry, before Kiyone landed on the
floor, having dived sideways over the counter, face grim and
holding the smoking automatic in her right hand.

Mihoshi, lying face up on the ground, looked into the face of the
person standing over her. "Oh, it�s you!" Behind her on the floor the
leader cradled his broken hand, trying to stop his tears of pain.

The man ignored Mihoshi, watching Kiyone as she jumped to her
feet, seeming no less surprised than her partner at his identity.

It�s *him* again!

She hid her surprise well though, even though it was exacerbated
by her disconcertment to see him arch an eyebrow approvingly at
her, flashing that odd, too youthful smile.

"Nice shooting, ace." He flashed her a thumbs up, blue eyes shining
oddly.

"Right," was all she could be bothered to say, her eyes quickly
returning the two criminals. "Show�s over. Get up."

Leaning his back to the glass, the lanky man by the door got up
painfully to his feet. The middle-aged man made as if to get up, then
his left hand reached out�

BANG! 

"I said show�s over." Kiyone repeated menacingly, as the leader
stared. The slug had just whizzed by his fingers to embed itself
squarely in the ground inside the trigger hole of the pistol lying on
the floor in front of him. "If you want to try again, that might be your
life that�s over next time." 

Still clutching his injured hand, the man got up slowly to his feet,
glaring at Kiyone.

"Reimura, go get the cops."

Trembling, the other cashier girl behind the counter got up, as did
the three customers who had been lying low on the floor around the
front of the counter.

Reimura blinked as she saw the youth before her on the ground,
behind the counter where Kiyone had been, with his closed eyes
and pale face. "Is he�?"

"He�ll be fine when he comes round. Just go call the cops."

The girl hurried to the back of the store, stepping over the manager,
who was still huddled in a corner biting his fingernails in terror. It
really wasn�t her fault that she didn�t see that where the young
rogue lay sprawled unconscious, there were two holes just in front
of where his legs were splayed slightly apart, which was probably
the cause of his fainting.

As Mihoshi got to her feet, the three customers who had been
queuing up rather hastily left the outlet. Kiyone got both men to
press themselves against the glass wall by the door, before training
the pistol on them behind their backs.

"I�ll be talking and relaxing now," she announced, her voice
deliberately steady and neutral. "Feel free to run, especially because
you can now believe I�m not aiming this gun at you. Remember, you
have to be lucky for at least five seconds to pull the door open and
get out, while I have only to be lucky once for each of you." Here her
voice became grim. "And believe me, when it comes to shooting,
luck has very little to do with me."

"Erm� sorry about kicking you, but even though we�ve kinda met,"
Mihoshi tripped uncertainly over her words, as she faced the man.
"I�m not really used to having strangers touch me�"

For a response, the stranger looked intently at Kiyone, amused,
before arching a questioning eyebrow, and tilting his head slightly
in Mihoshi�s direction.

Your turn, he seemed to be say. 

"I�m very sorry about this�" Kiyone bowed her head sheepishly,
apologising on behalf of Mihoshi, who was looking from one to the
other, still confused.

"Kiyone, what�s going on?"

"Well, for starters, you owe this man over here your life." The green
haired detective muttered crossly. "That�s about it, except for the
part where you nearly got yourself killed twice�"

"Oh, I did?" Mihoshi raised a finger to her lips, looking puzzled.

Kiyone rolled her eyes, deciding since Mihoshi was not about to do
so, she would be obligated to say something on her behalf. "Thank
you, sir." 

The fellow shook his head deprecatingly. "I wouldn�t dare accept
that� It�d be two slugs in my guts by now if not for you." His smile
was warm and sincere, but his eyes seemed to refuse to look
straight at her, as if roving around, lost and worried.

"Not really," Kiyone replied, a little mirth creeping inside her voice,
as she noted with some degree of amused curiosity his broken eye
contact. Generally such details would have been missed by most,
while Kiyone herself would not usually bother to even consciously
register such details, but somehow at this moment, even while
keeping one eye on the crooks by the door, she still did take note of
it. "They would be in Mihoshi, if not for you."

"Maybe� who knows?" His voice was soft, almost too soft, and it
was with some surprise that Kiyone suddenly realised she found
him and his reservations rather� intriguing.

"Oh so I guess I really do owe him, huh?" Mihoshi asked, then
suddenly, her hands opened wide as if to administer a grateful hug,
jumped at the stranger, who started back in surprise. "Oh thank you
thank you so much for sav�" Her foot stepped on a certain paper
cup which contents had saved her from being shot earlier, and her
eyes widened� "�waaaAAH!"

Oh great� Kiyone slapped her hand to her forehead as Mihoshi,
hands flailing helplessly, careened straight into the surprised fellow,
and there was a brief commotion�

"Ooops." Mihoshi exclaimed, looking under her. "Did I hurt you?"
She was sort of face up.

"Not really," came a muffled voice from under her, seeming to come
from somewhere near the small of her back. "But do you mind
getting up, please? It�s a little cramped down here, even if it�s
hormonally desirable for my head to be in." It was with some
astonishment that Kiyone realised the person sounded calm and
amused, rather than angry and irritated.

"Come on, Mihoshi�" Kiyone helped her partner up, and the black
haired stranger sprang nimbly to his feet, and dusted himself off.
"I�m very sorry, sir, you�ll have to forgive Mihoshi, she tends to get a
little over enthusiastic�"

"Can tell," he murmured, and although his twinkling eyes rested on
Mihoshi, somehow Kiyone felt they were actually looking at her�

Let�s try this, then�

"Mihoshi!" She cried, turning her attention fully to her partner. "You
should be the one apologising!"

"I�m�" 

Not waiting for Mihoshi�s reply, Kiyone shot a sideward glance to
the stranger, and she was surprised to note a tremor of thrill run
through her, as sure enough, the bright, blue eyes were watching
her, and his face was lighted up with a smile, radiant and vibrant, yet
somehow oddly young for his age.

His eyes widened, as they met hers, and within them, affirmation of
what she had seen earlier� a burning, all consuming affection, yet
somehow withdrawn and fearful, almost as if in awe of her�

Hurriedly, he broke off, averting his eyes, with his smile threatening
to fall apart�

Unbidden, Kiyone felt her cheeks warm up. No one had looked at
her that way before! It was not at her body, then at her. It was just at
her. She had learned long ago to see lust for what it was, learning
from Mihoshi�s mistakes. All the men she and Mihoshi met she had
seen through, and she had grown to distance herself from their
attentions. With the exception of Tenchi and Katsuhito, this stranger
was the only man who looked on her with a different eye.

What *am* I thinking!? She snarled at herself.

"Kiyone?" Mihoshi asked, surprised. "What�s wrong?"

"Huh?" She blinked. "Oh, nothing!" She was a little disconcerted to
note, out of the corner of her eye, the stranger was studiously
keeping his sights on Mihoshi, as if deliberately forcing himself not
to risk another look at Kiyone, but this contrasted very intensely
with the same youthful smile he continued to wear, despite it initially
faltering, and it looked somehow so out of place, it burned an
impression deep within Kiyone�s mind.

"Oh my, that�s a funny smile you got, sir," It seemed even Mihoshi
had noticed. "You look kind of odd." Then she smiled. "But nice."

For a reply, the fellow�s eyes seemed to twinkle at Mihoshi, and
Kiyone started again in astonishment as she saw he regarded her
with the same detached affection Tenchi showed Mihoshi.

"Uh� sorry about that, sir� uh�" Mihoshi stumbled over her
words again. "Uh� what�s your name?"

Kiyone felt a thought sink into her�

Where *are* my manners? I didn�t even ask him for his name�

The fellow raised an eyebrow, looking amused. "Heh, wouldn�t you
like to know�" but Kiyone noted that his smile had subsided into a
more ordinary one at the question.

Before she could sort out her thoughts further, the front doors
suddenly burst open at this point, to reveal three uniformed men.
The two by the side pushed the one in the middle out in front.

"Erm, hi!" The fellow greeted nervously, waving his truncheon
weakly around. "Did something happen here?" Then, as an
afterthought. "I, I mean we, we�re the police."

Inept morons, Kiyone could not help thinking.

"I�ll be going now," the stranger whispered. "Good day."

Kiyone just managed to make out that odd smile flash for an instant,
and his gaze met hers briefly again, before he vanished back
around the corner.

"Hey wait!" One of the cops made to move over, but Kiyone noted
that the figure of the stranger as he disappeared was moving
marginally faster now than earlier�

Almost like he was running away.

She resisted an impulse to race after him.

No I don�t like him! She muttered at her mind. It�s just that he feels
and acts funny, and besides that�s my police instincts�

"I lost him� I think he went out the back door," said the policeman,
returning back around the corner, looking sheepish. "Erm, I don�t
suppose you know who he is?" He addressed Kiyone and Mihoshi.

"Just a customer," Kiyone replied, her face calm. "So, what will it
be?"

Then the police were prying and poking and making notes already,
not to mention taking the two ruffians and the unconscious youth
into custody.

====================================

When the police left about an hour later, it was drizzling somewhat
outside, and by then Kiyone felt certain she had long since sorted
out her thoughts.

All right, I�m just grateful towards him, that�s all it is. After all, he
saved Mihoshi twice, even if the second time was inadvertant and if I
see him again I must remember to thank him�

Not today you won�t� A voice smirked inside her. Maybe next week
if you are lucky.

Her mind�s eye briefly glimpsed the blue eyes and odd smile upon
her, then she almost angrily consigned the image back into the
shadowed recesses of her mind.

What�s *wrong* with me!?

Kiyone frowned in irritation, and glanced at her watch.

Great, time for our next job�

"Mihoshi, it�s five thirty already! Time to get going."

"Oh?" The blonde looked at Kiyone questioningly. "For what?"

Kiyone rolled her eyes. "Our next job, don�t you remember? The one
at the florists� department store?"

"Uh, oh okay�" Mihoshi quite naturally made to go out the front
door.

"MIHOSHI!"

"Huh, Kiyone?"

The green haired detective glared back, and pointed at herself.

"What?" Mihoshi asked, putting a finger to her lips, and looking
utterly confused.

"We need to get *changed*�" Kiyone growled. "*These* are our
service uniforms for this place�"

"Uh, oh okay," Mihoshi followed her lead, then paused as Kiyone
stopped halfway to the changing room. "Kiyone?"

"You go first," Kiyone smiled, as her eyes went to the manager of
the joint, still sitting in a chair facing the counter, trying to
recompose himself by slucking on a cup of iced peach tea. As
Mihoshi went around the corner, Kiyone stepped up behind the
man. "Hello!"

"Aaah!" The pasty-faced fellow nearly jumped out of his skin. "Oh,
whew, it�s you, Kiyone�that nearly gave me a heart attack�"

"You think I did okay back there?" Kiyone asked, smiling winningly
at the man.

"You were great! Awesome! How could I ever repay you!?"

"Well, how about�" Kiyone�s eyes twinkled. "�a bonus? And a
raise?"

"Uhh�" 

"Eight thousand yen for today�s work, and an eight hundred yen
wage increase per hour for me and Mihoshi?" She grinned.

"Erm�" the man licked his lips nervously. "How about three
thousand and three hundred respectively?"

"HEY, that�s not even half! Come on, we�re in house security guards
too, you know!" Kiyone grumbled, but she noted though the
manager was cowed, there was a steely defiance about him. "Seven
thousand, seven hundred each at least."

A while later�

"�and so that�s a six thousand yen bonus and a six hundred yen
increase." Kiyone smiled, winking at her partner. "How about that?"

"Yay!" Mihoshi applauded, then stopped, looking thoughtful. "Uh,
so do we *really* have to go to this job and miss dinner�?" Mihoshi
asked as they made to leave by the front door of the restaurant, and
Kiyone sighed.

"Look, we don�t have a choice, things are so expensive here, we
need to scrape together everything we can." 

"But� it�s raining out there!"

"Like I said, we don�t have a choice�" Pushing open the door to the
restaurant, Kiyone saw that there was something hanging in front of
the door. 

An umbrella.

"What the�?" Kiyone picked it up and saw within it, packet of fries,
wrapped up neatly in plastic to prevent its contents from spilling
out, and� a card.

�For Kiyone, and Mihoshi.� It read. The rain seemed to become
heavier.

"Hey, Kiyone, where�s that from?"

"I don�t know, but�" the green haired detective fingered the label
with the price tag still attached to the handle, and she remembered
the rain had only just started. "It sure is new." Looking around, her
eyes found a small shop on her left, selling, among other things,
umbrellas. Beyond the building ended. "It�s from that man, Mihoshi."

"Huh? How?"

"He walked out the exit behind, round the back of the building, went
into that shop to buy this, , wrapped his fries up, put both packet
and card in, hung it here and left." Her eyes rove around carefully,
as she noted she had not seen the umbrella earlier, only as she and
Mihoshi left the joint. "And only just a while ago." 

"Oh�" Mihoshi scratched her head, then reached into the umbrella
and unwrapped the packet of fries, which was somehow still hot, as
if the fries had just been fried. "Nice�" She was about to pop one
into her mouth when�

"Wait!" Kiyone cried, and Mihoshi froze.

Hey, what are you so worried about? Kiyone�s mind asked her.
Come on, if he wanted to hurt you two he wouldn�t have helped you
out back there, right?

"Uh, never mind�" Kiyone answered.

"Oh, it�s really warm�" Mihoshi laughed as she downed it. "So, I
guess whoever he is, he sure is thoughtful, huh?"

Kiyone allowed herself a smile. "Yeah, I suppose so." And she
rather gingerly helped herself to a french fry.

Eyes followed their movements, and despite the raindrops pelting
down on him, the person�s face gave way reluctantly to a fragile
smile as he watched them.

Which suddenly quivered, and died.

Shaking his head, he walked quickly away and into the rain.

====================================

"We must try to get hold of the princesses of Jurai." One voice said.

"Pointless, they�ve got Yosho protecting them." Another voice.

"We could try to get better weapons and ships." Another voice.

"Say, which reminds me, have you all heard of a small incident at
the Science Academy?" A fourth voice.

"Look, you just said �small�. Why would we have heard it?"

"It�s small because they want to keep it small. It seems that some
student has stolen some really awesome technology from them."

"How big is this tech?"

"Remember how our breakthroughs often come from the few spies I
have inside? Well, I�ve only been working at the student level. This
fellow has got technology from the best."

"Like?"

"Have you heard of Professor Washu?"

"Yes, I heard she became the de facto head of the Academy since
the Kagato incident, although the dean and the chairman are
technically in charge."

"I heard she was the chairman."

"Well, she was, at least until she resigned. And he stole from her."

"WHAT?"

"Among others."

A pause as the three others absorbed the potential in his statement.

"In fact, she has left the Science Academy. It�s ostensibly to visit her
former associates Aeka and Sasami on Earth, but we believe she
wishes to track this guy down."

"That bad, huh?"

"We have to get to that spy."

"Any ideas where he went?"

"Nope. But I think we�d do well to keep an eye on Washu. At the
same time, try to get hold of the princesses somehow, okay?"

"No problem."

"Oh, and one more thing. I have a hunch that guy was one of our
agents."

"Are you sure? I�ve seen the most of the latest recruits."

"About a hundred years ago."

"Darned, that�s not good. Any ex-agent would have to be almost
perfect to have avoided termination for so long."

"Yes, and on his files, he is very *good* at spying." A pause. "If it is
him."

"Real neat, as if the episode at the Science Academy didn�t tell us
that much already. Now, let�s get to work, gentlemen."

"Just one more thing. Do you think we should use the new
prototypes? They�re pretty good, so we may want to save them for
later, unless the situation warrants them."

"Hmm, good question. Use the weaker X and L prototypes. The rest
we will hold in reserve."

"I, for one, recommend the Cam models. They are suited for
subterfuge, are they not?"

"Very well, then. Terminate?"

"Concur." The other three voices chimed.

"Syndicate meeting concluded."

=== End of Chapter ===

PLEASE send COMMENTS & CRITICISMS! (C&C)

IMPORTANT :
I'm seriously worried I may have serious difficulty finishing D&L b4
Jan 2000, so in case that happens I want to set up some kind of mailing
list for D&L. Basically it will tell u when a new chapter comes out.
Please mail your Name & Email to zyraen@yahoo.com, no other data is reqd.
If u like u can provide your age, sex, and readiness to C&C.

I hope you have enjoyed this Fanfic as much as I have typing it.
If there are any more grammar errors, I beg your forgiveness, as
my sole proofreader is myself.

This is my first FF, so go ahead and mail me at zyraen@yahoo.com
with comments, especially on character portrayal, realism.

PLEASE send COMMENTS & CRITICISMS! (C&C)



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