Subject: [FFML] "Illusions - For The Love of a Child..." Part 1 (first draft)
From: Frederick Herriot
Date: 7/10/2001, 9:47 PM
To: Robert Geiger <robertgeiger@prodigy.net>, Ted Hsu <soleman1999@hotmail.com>, Kat Khan Dhu <khat_9@mailcity.com>, "Robert D. Masters" <rdm@perv.DIALix.oz.au>, John Tang <tazski@earthlink.net>, Fanfiction Mailing List <ffml@anifics.com>, Shawn Hagen <hagen@brant.net>


Annyoung,

Anyhow, here's Part 1 of "For The Love of a Child." 
Someone complained about formatting problems with the
prologue, so I'm releasing Part 1 as a direct text
copy from my WordPerfect 5.1 program.  Hope this
helps!

Enjoy!



=====
Fred Herriotfherriot@yahoo.com**** **** ****"Fanfiction IS Real Life!"**** **** ****

____________________________________________________________
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Get your free @yahoo.co.uk address at http://mail.yahoo.co.uk
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-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: Illflc-1.txt
-- Desc: Illflc-1.txt

     Ookawa, south of Fukuoka, 15 June 2031, late evening...

     "Going somewhere?"

     The man jolts, then turns slowly to gaze into the dark alley
beside him, clearly surprised by the taunt.  Seeing nothing, he
blinks, then challenges, "Who's there?!  Sh-...!"

     A galaxy of stars explode in his eyes as a blur slams into
him, pain exploding across his cheek and chest.  His body twirls
drunkenly around before crashing into a nearby garbage can, the
impact scattering the can's contents everywhere.  The coppery tang
of blood fills his mouth as he tries to remain consciousness, he
shifting his arms to prop himself back up.  It is hard given the
pain assaulting him seemingly from all directions.  Before he could
muster the strength to rise, a foot slams into his stomach, causing
him to curl in on himself, collapsing to his side.

     Staring through slitted eyes, he notices a dark woman-shape
hovering over him.  A shape topped by dirty blonde hair...was it
blonde?  It was so hard to tell!...tied in a shaggy ponytail.  The
face was masked in shadow until the woman shifts to allow light to
shine on her.  The man blinks, then his eyes widen as the woman's
features come back to him from almost a year before.  A freckled,
Western face pierced with wide green-blue eyes.  "Wh-...y-y-...!"
he sputters through a mouth suddenly filled with broken teeth.

     Before he could muster another word, two arms grab him by his
jacket, then he is jolted into the air as the woman races down the
alley towards a dead end.  She moves so fast, the air is sucked out
of his lungs, his mind fading from the pressure now put on him.  It
is fortunate his brain is unable to register much then; just before
she would slam into the wall, she brakes hard, sending him flying. 
The crunching sound of his skull shattering on unyielding concrete
is muffled by the surrounding walls and his own flesh.

     As his body collapses to the ground, the woman pauses, then
crouches as the tidal wave of energy warping through her nervous
system begins to fade.  Not all the way, though; no one possessing
a move-by-wire system like the one fitted into Matilda Velney is
ever truly free of its influence.  But it is enough to allow her to
relax, especially given her primary target for the night's mission.

     Staring at her target's broken face, Matilda feels her eyes
sting, then she reaches up to wipe them clean, a torrent of pain,
shame and anger surging through her heart.  Unnoticed by her, her
hand quakes slightly, but it is steady enough to allow her to
compose herself.  With that, she turns to leave, then pauses,
taking a brief glance back.  "How many others did you rape?" she
wonders, her Japanese flecked with the southern California accent
used by her creators/parents...and the one she was named after.

     A buzzing sound echoes in Matilda's ear, causing her to tense. 
"Matilda?  This is Asuka.  Where are you?" a woman inquires.

     "I'm done here, Asuka," Matilda taps the lapel-mike affixed to
her battlesuit collar.  "Is there something wrong?"

     "Hurry," Asuka Sendou replies.  "Kiki's in trouble.  She's in
Grid Nine-Zed-One now.  Mika's going to help her."

     Matilda draws up a grid map of the Ookawa area in her mind,
then nods.  "Wakata (Gotcha)!  Coming over there now."

     "Yokatta (Okay)!" Asuka replies.

     With that, Matilda runs out of the alley, then turns right. 
Sensing no one staring at her, she keys in the link between her MBW
master computer unit and her central nervous cortex.  With that,
her speed increases ten-fold as she races off once more to battle.

     Unseen by the Mark Two 33-S, a ghostly apparition with long
purple hair in a bun on her head stands on a nearby rooftop.  Eyes
of royal blue follow the speeding Matilda as she races off to aid
her sisters, then they close as the apparition suddenly acquires a
pair of giant wings similar to a crow's.  With one sweep, the
astral form of the woman soon to be known in the mortal world as
Chikage Hirosaki is airborne, she arcing to pursue Matilda.

     In the sky over Ookawa, the wind swirls...

*    *    *

"Illusions - For The Love of a Child"
a fanfic of the Bubblegum Crisis - Megatokyo 2030-2032
by Fred Herriot
fherriot@yahoo.com
**** **** ****
Edited by E.B. Kushnir <kush1@iaw.on.ca>
C&C by Robert Geiger <robertgeiger@prodigy.net> and Shawn Hagen
<hagen@brant.net>
**** **** ****
Based on situations from "Bubblegum Crisis," created by ARTMIC and
Youmex; "Urusei Yatsura," created by Rumiko Takahashi; "Tokimeki
Memorial," created by Konami; "Sister Princess:  Onii-chan Daisuki"
and "Seraphim Call," created by Mediaworks; the "Little Lovers"
series, created by NTT Shuppan; "Kita-e.  White Illumination,"
created by Hudson Soft; and "Wish Tale," created by Videosystem.
**** **** ****
This story is also based on my UY fanfic series "The Senior Year"
(co-created by Mike Smith) and "The Ishinomaki Years," as well as
the BGC fanfic series "No Armour Against Fate" by Shawn Hagen
**** **** ****

PART ONE - RUN LIKE THE WIND!

     Ookawa, 15 June 2031, late evening...

     "BIIII-DA!!!  You dorks couldn't hit the broadside of a barn!!"

     Roaring, two men spin around, levelling their machine guns in
the direction of Kiki Sheffield's blown raspberry and verbal taunt. 
Their reflexes are too fast for normal people, but not in the same
ballpark as the Mark Two's.  Kiki ducks behind a garbage dumpster
as bullets zip past her, then she cocks the Genom Arsenals GA-12
railgun she brought out for tonight's fun.  Glancing around the
dumpster, she sees both men had stopped firing, sweeping around the
area, weapons at the ready.  Off to the distance, four others, one
of which was a woman, do their own sweep.  Even at this distance,
Kiki is quick to notice the jerkiness in their arms and legs. 
Taking that into account, Kiki relaxes herself slightly, though her
MBW booster was keyed in and ready to go in a thought's breadth.

     The people she, Matilda, Asuka and Mika Fujisaki were hunting
tonight composed a small cell of Baal distributors who had decided
to target new customers working for the GPCT (Genom Port Container
Transport) facilities in Ookawa.  Containers brought in from Genom
plants worldwide normally came into Japan via specially-prepared
zones like Ookawa, located at the head of the Ariake-kai (Ariake
Sea) dividing the Nagasaki peninsula from the rest of Kyushu. 
Purpose-built, possessing ultra-fast cargo rail links to connect
the terminal to the nearest Tower, remote places like Ookawa gave
Genom an extra layer of security when it came to "sensitive"
material shipments, especially from industrial terrorists.

     Drug dealers were a whole different story, especially when it
came to traders in Baal.  None of the Mark Twos possessed any real
understanding about how this particular street narcotic worked on
its victims.  What they did know (from overhearing their parents
speak of it) was that Baal was pretty bad, something that had no
place in Japan.  Also, Samantha Johnson..."Aunt Samantha" to Kiki,
Matilda, Asuka and Mika...had deemed it very important to see these
people forever shut down.  And the Mark Twos had all long come to
the conclusion that whatever Aunt Samantha wanted, she got.

     A buzz echoes in Kiki's ear.  "Yeah?" she whispers.

     "It's me," Mika Fujisaki replies.  "I've got a good bead on
the two closest to you, Kiki.  Matilda'll be here real soon."

     "Take them out.  I'll deal with the others."

     "Wakata."

     Kiki shifts herself to take aim just as two barely-audible
gasps of air heralded a pair of railgun rounds.  The two closest to
Kiki jolt as their chests explode, they dropping to the ground. 
The other Baal dealers turn around on hearing their friends fall. 
Kiki flips the railgun's selector to rapid-fire, then sends one
shot each into her targets' heads.  Just as she expected, almost
anticipated, the targets' heads explode like falling watermelons,
their bodies dropping just as a burst of wind behind Kiki heralds
Matilda's appearance.  Surveying the scene, Matilda hums, then her
shoulders deflate.  "Aw, didja HAVE to kill 'em all?!" she pouts.

     "So what took you so long, Matty?" Kiki wonders, standing up
as she glances around for any more who might still threaten him.

     Matilda scowls.  "Busy with a certain creep Aunt Samantha made
sure was in the area before we came down," she mutters.

     Kiki blinks, then gazes concernedly at her sister.  "Get him?"

     The taller Sexaroid blinks, then a crooked smile crosses her
face.  "Yeah, I got 'im."  She taps her lapel-mike.  "Oi, Mika,
Asuka, you see anyone else around this dump?"

     "All clear from my position," Mika replies.

     "I...chotto (wait)!" Asuka cuts in.  "I've got three people
coming towards you and Kiki now, Matty.  Male, all unarmed."

     "Wakata.  We're bugging out, heading for the CZ (crisis
zone)," Matilda nods, waving Kiki with her.

     Both girls head towards an alley which would give them an
unobstructed run to the CZ, the place where they had stored their
kit so they could travel back to Megatokyo without being noticed. 
Just as they were about to race off, Asuka's panicked voice calls
in, "***KIKI, MATTY, LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU!!!!***"

     Both turn, but don't dodge fast enough as two hulking shapes
slam them into opposite walls, knocking the air from their lungs. 
As they try to recover, a burning *hzzzzz!* calls their attention
to their assailants' hands, where burning vibro-claws now deploy
from their fingertips.  "Forty-eight-Es-Dees!!!" Mika barks over
the line as she and Asuka quickly draw the right conclusions.

     Matilda and Kiki barely leap clear of hand-thrusts aimed at
their throats, then both move towards the place Kiki had killed her
opponents.  That is now blocked by the third man Asuka spotted, he
charging at them with all his vibro-claws splayed and ready.  Given
the narrow confines of the alley, both Mark Twos know they can't
dodge clear of the blades, then move to retreat, only to see that
blocked by the other two SD boomers.  Overhead, Asuka Sendou, a
pert girl with long brown hair (now in a French braid) and eyes of
milk chocolate, cocks her weapon to shoot down the SD blocking one
path of escape for her sisters.  Before she could bring the railgun
to bear, a barely-human roar makes her head snap around.  "ASUKA,
LOOK OUT!!!!" Mika, posted nearby, aims and fires.

     The bolt slams into the C-55 about to make mincemeat of Asuka,
she rolling clear as the boomer's fuel cell explodes, showering her
with fragments.  Across the way, Mika moves to aim her weapon into
the alley when she pauses, her auburn eyes widening in disbelief. 
Asuka recovers, then glances across.  "Mika, what...?!" she pauses,
then looks down before her jaw drops to the floor in shock.

     Downstairs, Kiki and Matilda gape on seeing the lone SD that
had blocked one of their escape routes...now impaled on a burning
longsword welded by a ghostly angel.  The boomer is frozen still,
then his eyes roll into his head as he drops dead to the ground. 
The two Mark Twos watch him fall, then tense as twin roars of
outrage boom from behind them.  "Get down!!" the angel barks as she
cocks a hand at the attacking SDs.  "***OSCULUM PAPILIONIS!!!!***"

     A shockwave bursts from her fingers, Kiki and Matilda ducking
clear as it homes in on the two men.  The energy of the Butterfly
Kiss grows as big as a B-12 when it smashes into the SDs, pulping
them instantly as the surrounding walls implode from the shockwave. 
Kiki and Matilda cover their heads as dust showers them, then when
all falls quiet, they look up.  The angel is not there.

     Brushing her hair, Matilda gets back to her feet, then scans
both ways before tapping her mike.  "Anyone else?"

     "Um...chotto," Asuka is understandably quiet as she glances
around with her eyes and railgun scope before relaxing.  "Clear."

     "Clear here," Mika echoes.

     "What about the...well, whatever that was?!" Kiki demands.

     Asuka pauses, then sighs.  "She just winked out, Kiki."

     "Nani?!" Matilda gasps.

     "You sure?!" Kiki wonders.

     "Hai, we both saw it," Mika rises, glancing around to confirm
Asuka's security sweep of the battle scene before setting the
safety on her GA-12.  "One moment there, the next GONE!"

     "How's that possible, Mika?"

     "Can't say," Mika shakes her head, wiping her brow.  "Maybe
Kaa-san and Tou-san can tell us.  Let's go."

     "Okay," Matilda nods as she and Kiki move to leave, then she
glances over her shoulder.  *Arigatou, Tenshi-sama...*

*    *    *

     Elsewhere...

     "You're welcome...Matilda-imouto (little sister Matilda)."

     Chikage feels her astral body fade, the energy that she had
drawn unto her reserve memory unit returning to merge once more
with the power of the Spiral.  As that happens, the ovoid crystal
that now held her living soul lowers into a velvet-lined box.

     Six more days of being a wraith, the magi apprentice muses.

     Six more days...then the fun REALLY would begin!

*    *    *

     Mizuma, north-east of Ookawa, 16 June, after midnight...

     "Ohayo, ladies.  Hop on."

     "Ohayo, Oji-sama," Asuka nods as she and the other stream onto
an unmarked van for the ride into Fukuoka, then they would take a
helicopter back to Megatokyo.  After returning to the CZ, the Mark
Twos stripped down their GA-12s, stowing their combat bodysuits for
gym gear worn by local junior high girls.  After leaving their gear
in a public locker at the Ookawa station (to be picked up later by
a security officer from the Fukuoka Genom Tower), they made their
way to a 24-hour bathhouse to wash down and relax.  To anyone who
might've seen them, they were four normal girls having spent time
playing volleyball or tennis at the local youth centre.  Once that
was done, they hopped onto the local passenger train for Mizuma.

     "There's food and drinks in the back," the driver notes.

     The four girls perk.  "FOOD!!!  I'm starved!!" Matilda yelps
as they reach behind them, drawing up a cardboard box filled with
energy snacks, plus an ice box filled with calorie drinks...

*    *    *

     Megatokyo, Genom Tower, after sunrise...

     "Ohayo, Samantha-san."

     "Oh, ohayo, Kanako-san," Samantha Johnson nods pleasantly to
Kanako Sakurai as she walks into her office.  "What's the news on
what happened last night down in Ookawa?"

     "Mission successful.  All the targets taken out, including the
man who raped Matilda-san.  No harm came to any of the girls, by
the way," Kanako smiles.  "The drughouse was wiped out.  Kiki-san
reported there had been three SDs and a 55-C there to help with
security.  All the boomers were destroyed.  I asked the GSS chief
in Fukuoka to have those boomers brought in for examination."

     "How'd these damn bastards get their hands on them?" Samantha
demands.  "Es-Dees are military spec ops boomers.  None of them've
wound up being sold second-hand, at least not to our knowledge."

     "The people in Fukuoka have promised us an explanation by
noon," Kanako assures her boss.  "Oh, one other thing.  It seems
our girls got a little...well, *divine* help, so to speak."

     "Excuse me?"

     "They reported seeing an angel."

     Silence.

     "An...angel?" Samantha reiterates, blinking.

     "Hai, an angel," Kanako nods.  "In fact, according to them, it
was this 'angel' that killed the three SD boomers.  One died thanks
to an energy sword of some sort thrust through the heart, the other
two crushed by some sort of sonic shockwave attack.  The girls'
parents are doing a scan of their memories now to confirm this."

     The chief of Special Project Development takes that in, then
sighs.  "I better go down and have a chat with those girls..."

*    *    *

     The Mark Two laboratory, an hour later...

     "There!!  That's the Angel!!!"

     Eyes stare at the copy of Asuka's memories now playing before
the core staff of the 33-S Mark Two Project.  The girls involved in
the Ookawa mission are also there, in the special cryosuits they
wore when put into hibernation between missions.  On the screen
before them, a winged, ghostly image hovers behind the SD that had
initially blocked Matilda's and Kiki's move to escape his brothers.

     "Play," Samantha orders.  "Slow."

     Trent Velney taps controls.  As the forward motion proceeds at
one quarter-speed, the ghost thrusts her right arm from her body. 
An energy blade appears in her hand, then she sends it into the
back of the SD.  He jolts as his life-spirit is burned away, then
he drops.  The energy sword dissipates as the ghost cocks her hand.

     "This is where she told us to duck," Kiki cuts in.

     Kiki and Matilda dive for the deck as a wave of boiling air
lashes out from the ghost's hand.  It grows, smashing the other SDs
before they could dodge, then dissipates.  Kiki and Matilda remain
still, heads covered by their hands.  Then the ghost vanishes.

     Elapsed time on the recorder:  two seconds.

     In real time, about a half a seconds.

     "My God, how did she do that?!" Alicia Velney demands.

     "Switch to Matilda's POV (point-of-view)," Samantha orders.

     "Right," Trent taps controls.

     The image changes.  This time, the SD is seen from the front,
chopped through by the energy sword.  As he collapses, the angel
comes into view.  "Stop play, magnify her face," Samantha orders.

     "Hai," Trent taps controls again.

     An icon falls over the ghost's face, then a view box is drawn
up.  Her face is magnified.  Trent's fingers fly over the keyboard
as the image is cleared up, revealing a severe yet sensual face
framed in purple hair done up in a bun, long sidebangs framing her
cheeks.  "She's so beautiful," Asuka whispers.

     "She looks cold," Mika shakes her head.

     "Does anyone recognize her?" Asuka's mother Yoshiko asks.

     Negative responses echo from the scientists.  "Well, you were
right about one thing, Matty," Samantha reaches over to gently
squeeze Matilda's shoulder.  "She IS an angel."

     "Why did she help us, Oba-chan?" Asuka wonders.

     "I dunno, Asuka," the chief of SPD shrugs.  "It's hard to say. 
No sense going into a panic over this.  I think we'll let it go
this time.  Meantime, girls, it's bed time."

     Hearing that, the four Mark Twos moan.  "Obaaaa-chaaaamaaaaa!"
Kiki whines for them all.  "Do we HAVE to?!"

     Sayako responds for her boss.  "YES, young lady, you HAVE to!"
she leans over her child, causing Kiki to duck away from her
mother's intent stare.  "Until such time as we deem it truly safe
for you girls to live on your own with the MBW unit active in your
heads, you're going to spend your spare time there!" she points to
the four empty cryostorage units nearby, beside the two units now
holding the sleeping forms of Rina Koizumi and Ryooko Hayami.

     "Mama, I HATE it in there!!" Matilda whines.

     "We all do!" Mika adds.

     "That's enough, dear," Alicia moves to comfort the shivering
girl.  "We're doing this for your own good in the end, alright?"

     "I...oh, okaaaay!" Matilda drawls, her shoulders slumping.

     The others quickly acquiesce, moving towards the gurneys where
the cryostasis drugs would be administered, then they'd be lifted
into their storage units.  "Don't worry about it too much, girls,"
Samantha smiles.  "Barring any unforseen incident, you'll be on
your feet by the twenty-first.  It's only six days away, okay?!"

     Hearing that, the Mark Twos warily smile, nodding.  As they
are prepared for cryosleep, Kanako walks up to gaze at Samantha. 
"What's happening on the twenty-first, Samantha-san?  Are they
going to have a part in the anniversary celebrations?"

     Samantha waves her assistant away from the others.  "No, I've
been invited down to Kyoto to attend a little 'waking up' party for
Rei Ijuuin's first batch of CCs series Sexaroids," she whispers.

     "I thought we weren't going to concern ourselves with whatever
Saotome-hakase and Ijuuin-hakase were doing," Kanako objects.

     "No, we aren't, but since some of the KMs might be there as
well to welcome their 'little' sisters into the world, I might as
well give our girls a chance to see their counterparts," Samantha
clicks her tongue.  "Anyhow, get a prelim report drawn up on the
Ookawa mission for my signature so I can take it to the Chairman. 
He's interested in this whole mess with Baal.  And I want to know
everything about those boomers Kiki and Matty fought ASAP."

     "Hai, wakarimasu (I understand)," Kanako nods...

*    *    *

     The senior executive offices, fifteen minutes later...

     "I understand your people were busy in Ookawa last night."

     Samantha jolts, then sees Tsuyoshi Kataki gazing at her.  The
chief of Market Analysis and Research (and executive-in-charge of
Genom Special Services) had caught his fellow Board member as she
got off the Sky Elevator.  "Hai, we managed to shut down one Baal
group," she motions the older man to follow her to a food kiosk. 
"My people discovered that they also had combat boomers with them. 
Kanako-san asked the GSS people in Fukuoka to look in on this."

     "Soo desu ka (I see)," Tsuyoshi sagely nods.  "I'll have a
look at that myself when I get the chance.  We can't allow such
degenerates to get their hands on that type of firepower."

     "Hai, agreed, especially since three of the boomers were SDs
that shouldn't be in service outside ourselves, Toratotaka or the
SDF," Samantha nods, then hums.  "Oh, Tsuyoshi-san, I heard that
two of your research analysts were selected to receive one of Rei
Ijuuin's CC series 33-S girls.  Is that true?"

     "Actually, it is, but it's more for Tomohisa-kun's father than
for himself or his wife," Tsuyoshi nods.  "They've long moved past
Chikage-san's passing.  I can understand that, of course, but Elder
Ryuuji wanted to have a granddaughter to play around with in the
twilight of his days and his son...well, personally, I do approve
of Tomohisa-kun's show of filial piety to his father."

     Samantha's eyebrow arches.  She had known Tsuyoshi long enough
to guess what his true feelings for others were like even if he did
not directly come out and say them.  "There are things about him
you don't approve of?  Why's he still working for you, then?"

     "He and his wife are efficient in their current occupations,
which forces me to overlook their less-desirable qualities, I'm sad
to admit," Tsuyoshi chuckles, turning back to his office.  "In the
meantime, I wish you a pleasant day, Samantha-san."

     "Hai, you too," Samantha nods, then heads for her office.

     Once there, she taps into her computer, then calls up a file
from her personal ExecNet server.  It was an information packet
passed onto her by Megumi Mikihara a week ago.  The top page was an
invitation for Samantha and a party not to exceed twenty to come to
the Kyoto Annex on the twenty-first of June after supper.  There,
Rei Ijuuin and Yoshio Saotome would host a "Waking Up Party" for
nine Child Companion Sexaroids, the first products of a continuing
project Toratotaka was running to help finally heal the many wounds
of Second Kantou.  The number "twenty" made Samantha smirk when she
first saw it; no doubt, Megumi (not to mention Yoshio and Rei) knew
of the work being done on the Mark Two Sexaroids.  That would cover
not just the six Mark Twos themselves, but their adopted parents. 
Add Samantha and Kanako to that and that would round out the list.

     Flipping through the following pages, Samantha skips over the
basic information packets about the CCs and what their purpose
might be, then she hits the nine packets containing short bios and
histories on the girls to be woken that day.  Finding a file marked
BuTT-33S4CC10HC - HIROSAKI CHIKAGE, Samantha calls it up, then her
jaw drops on seeing the computer-generated image there.

     "I'll be...!" she whispers, then closes the files and shuts
down her computer before she turns to gaze out the window at the
city.  "Well, for Toratotaka, 'weird' IS normal...!"

*    *    *

     The Kyoto Toratotaka Annex, after lunch...

     "Konnichi wa, musume-chan.  Welcome to the world."

     Eyes flutter as a gentle moan escapes the dozing form in the
bed.  A hand reaches over to gently squeeze the girl's shoulder,
then she grunts, her sapphire eyes fluttering as she looks to see
who now sat on the bed beside her.  "Mother..."

     "Wake up, sleepy-head," Sayuri Katayama smiles, leaning down
to gently kiss Risa's cheek.  "Your first day of life.  C'mon,
you've got lots and lots of things to do today."

     "Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai..."

     Grunting, Risa, a seventy-ninth generation MK series BuTT-33M
daycare nurse, sits up, stretching herself.  Like any 33-M or 33-S
who was woken or re-woken within a Toratotaka Annex or Tower, the
petite brown-haired girl finds herself draped in pyjamas.  Unlike
most of those others however, Risa Katayama is in her own bedroom
in Sayuri's apartment midway up the Annex's central needle.  Yes,
Risa would have to work for the Cyber-Nurse Project for the next
six years, but since she is a memory-copy of Sayuri's late husband
(atop her also being the genetic offspring of Satoru and Sayuri),
she would serve wherever her mother had been assigned to work.

     Taking a shower, then styling her hair in a short ponytail,
Risa dries off, then slips on a Toratotaka gold T-shirt (her name
was sewn on one breast) and track pants.  Workers at the Annex's
daycare unit never wore the white "milkmaid suits" Cyber-Nurses
were given unless they were seconded to help in a field rescue
mission.  That seldom happened in Kyoto, but all the 33-Ms in the
Annex trained for it just in case.

     After all, you just never knew.

     She heads into the living room, where Sayuri was laying out
lunch for her and her child.  Risa kneels, then gives a quick
prayer of thanks before calling out, "Itadakimasu!"

     Sayuri watches as her daughter digs in, a sad smile crossing
her face.  When she decided to make use of a memory scan she made
of Satoru before the New Year, she had been tempted to select an
older-looking 33-M and let her take Satoru's place as a soul-mate. 
Then she remembered the times Satoru lamented on how they couldn't
have children.  It was theoretically possible once Sayuri underwent
"organic upgrading," but Toratotaka wasn't willing to explore that
option for some time.  So when she selected the "daughter" option,
Sayuri elected to honour her husband's wish and have Risa created
as the genetic offspring of Satoru and Sayuri Katayama.

     "Oishii (It's good)!" Risa sighs, setting her plate aside.

     "Let's just hope you don't have the 'grease' attacks your
father had at times," Sayuri shakes her head, smiling.

     Risa blinks, then nods.  "Yeah," she sighs.  She knew much
about her late father thanks to his memories forming the core of
her being.  It would be the only way Risa would ever know of her
father, unfortunately.  Gazing at Sayuri, Risa pauses, feeling a
strange blankness in her heart, then she relaxes, chasing away the
questions from her mind.  Normally when it came to cases like her,
more intimate moments between the mental template and his lovers
were suppressed so as to not cause future emotional conflict.  Risa
had been created to be Sayuri's daughter, not Sayuri's new lover. 
Many things in Toratotaka were quite loose compared to elsewhere,
but there were still boundaries which would not be crossed.

     A door chime rings.  Sayuri rises, calling out "Hai, chotto!"
as she walks over to open the door.

     Risa looks over, then feels her cheeks redden on seeing a girl
her age, possessing maple fudge-shaded hair tied in stubby side
ponytails.  She...Yuka Fukuda, Risa's housekeeping computer then
announces; Yuka was the chief nurse of the Kyoto Annex's daycare
unit...is dressed like Sayuri's child in T-shirt and track pants. 
"Konnichi wa, Sayuri-san...ara?!" Yuka's tan eyes turn to lock on
Risa, then she beams, sticking her hand out as Risa walks over. 
"Konnichi wa, Risa-chan!  Yoroshiku (I'm pleased to meet you)!"

     "Yoroshiku, Yuka-sempai," Risa bows her head.  Yuka was a
fifteenth generation MK, so the "sempai" title was merited.

     Yuka waves it off.  "Oh, cut it out with that 'sempai' crap,
please!" she drawls, giving Risa a reassuring squeeze, then she
lowers her arm.  "We don't use it in my shop, be assured of that. 
Anyhow, Sayuri-san, if you're not busy with your daughter now, I'll
take her off your hands and help her deal with more...well, shall
we say, *intimate* matters (if you know what I mean)."

     "Be my guest," Sayuri chuckles, then leans over to kiss her
daughter's cheek, giving her shoulder a warm squeeze.  "Have a good
day, musume-chan.  I'll see you tonight, okay?"

     "Hai, Mother, I'll be fine," Risa smiles, then slipping her
arm around Yuka's, she follows the older woman to the elevator.

     Sayuri sighs, watching Risa go, then a shudder flows through
her as an image of Risa and Yuka doing the passion dance passes
through her mind.  Shaking her head, the newly-appointed Annex SFIO
(Supervisory Field Intelligence Officer) heads over to clean up the
dishes before returning back to work.  Pure-organic mothers didn't
have to worry about their children exploring their sexuality for
many, many years after said daughters were born.

     *They don't know how lucky they are!* Sayuri ruefully muses...

*    *    *

     Rei Ijuuin's office upstairs, later...

     "So how's Risa-chan?"

     Sayuri jolts, then smiles.  The SFIO had been giving the Annex
Matriarch a daily brief on all the interesting things haunting
their particular area of responsibility, which covered the
districts of Kinki, Chuugoku, Shikoku and Kyushu.  "Oh, I think
she'll be fine, Rei-mama," she softly exhales.  "Yuka-san came by
some days ago and volunteered herself when the 'itch' came."

     "That's good," Rei sighs, glancing at her datapadd.  "I hear
Yuka's become the local 'Hot Lips' among the 33-Ms working here at
the Annex.  That girl needs to settle down some."

     Sayuri tries not to laugh.  The nickname "Hot Lips" came from
an interesting addition to the programming of 33-Ms:  a thorough
database on the legendary American comedy "M*A*S*H."  As most
people associated with the Cyber-Nurse Project knew, the Project's
chief directors were fans of "M*A*S*H," considering the characters
depicted there the right sort of inspiration for 33-Ms to carry out
their work regardless of whatever adversity faced them.  From that
database came nicknames applied across the board for specific types
of people.  If you were a medical team's resident dentist, you were
"Painless."  "Radar" went to the nurse who dealt with a team's
administrative problems.  "Hawkeye" or "Trapper Jane" (feminized
from "Trapper John") went to doctors who gave 110% of themselves
every time something hectic came up.  And "Hot Lips" went to the
nurse or doctor who loved to date around, not wanting to take the
promise oath and settling down with someone in particular.

     "Well, I'm not interested in seeing my girl settle down just
yet, Rei-mama," Sayuri chuckles, then sighs, handing Rei a set of
folded sheets of print-out.  "Here's the AAR (after-action report)
on the fight between Genom and that one Baal group in Ookawa."

     "Oh, I was wondering about this," Rei nods, taking the sheets
and scanning through them.  Her eyebrow then arches.  "They had
boomers to help...what th-...?!  There were SDs there?!!"

     "Hai, three of them," Sayuri nods.  "We're not too sure as to
how they were destroyed, however.  We didn't have a monitor unit on
scene at the time; all the notes in the AAR were taken from what we
picked up from Genom communications after it was all said and done. 
The SDs weren't taken down by the Mark Two 33-S's Johnson-kachou
(Chief Johnson) sent down.  From what our friends in Nagasaki are
reporting now, the GSS people in Fukuoka are investigating."

     "Alright, keep an eye on that," Rei nods.  "Oh, I got a call
from Ohita.  Akane Suzuki might get off on a technicality."

     Sayuri pauses, her eyes widening, then a shudder runs through
her body.  "A *technicality?!*" she hisses.

     "Hai.  Seems her defence lawyer is a lot better trained than
those brainless public defenders who normally get picked to helping
Baal donkeys deal with their day in court.  He managed to persuade
the judges that Akane didn't have any real idea that the Baal dose
pumped into Satoru-san was doctored with a lethal dose of lithium."

     Sayuri blinks, then sighs.  "Could it be true?"

     "Can't say.  No one we could trust has had a chance to go down
and talk things over with this girl...and no, Sayuri, I'm NOT going
to let you go down there and handle this yourself," Rei glares at
the younger woman.  "Getting too emotionally involved serves no one
in the end, musume-chan.  That's not what you wanted, is it?"

     Sayuri tenses at Rei's comments, then she relaxes, nodding. 
"Hai, Mama, it is, but still..." she bites her lip, then she sighs. 
"So what'll happen to her if they drop the murder charge?"

     "Standard incarceration time for dealers of Baal."

     *Six months,* Sayuri translates, then she nods.  "Aren't the
police in Ohita going to find out who put the lithium in what was
pumped into Satoru then, Mama?  I mean, it IS murder we're talking
about here, after all!  Someone did try to kill him..."

     "True, true, but I'm having the SFIO in Nagisaki handle this,"
Rei sighs.  "And that means I don't want you hogging up the LoopNet
lines getting daily updates on how the people in Kyushu are doing. 
This is going to take time since we don't have a clear idea yet as
to how big this organization is, much less who runs it and what his
ultimate goals might be.  Wakaru (Do you understand)?"

     Sayuri blinks, then nods.  "Hai, wakarimasu wa yo."

     "Good," Rei nods, then lightly smiles.  "I know you're still
hurting, musume-chan, but you can't let the hurt overcome you.  I
need you clear-headed about this so you can do everything else I
need you to do, Sayuri.  It'll come, but it'll have to come at its
own time, okay?  Promise me you'll keep your head about it?"

     "Hai, Mama, I promise."

     "Good girl.  Alright, we'll have our meeting tonight about the
CCs with the others in the work group.  Eve'll be up from Osaka so
she can get involved if she wants to."

     Sayuri jolts, then beams.  Eve Mary Webster, the first of the
XX series prototype 33-S's, was the first "pure-born" Sexaroid (not
a boomeroid as in Rei's case).  Throughout the end of 2029 and the
whole of 2030, Eve Mary had been Rei's chief laboratory assistant
in Toratotaka's half of the Genom 33-S project.  Along the way, she
made the acquaintance of Carl Webster, now Director-in-Chief of the
Space Development Public Corporation.  After the Genom 33-S's were
recalled in October, Eve Mary convinced Carl to take the orphaned
girls on as workers aboard the SDPC relay stations Genaros, Long
March, Polaris, Roma Prime and Temple Mound.  When Carl agreed to
it, Eve Mary's feelings for the man blossomed.  They got married on
the first of May, just when FABS went into full effect in Canada. 
"Great, I'll have to get some things ready for her when she comes. 
What time will she be here or will she be *fashionably* late?"

     Both laugh...

*    *    *

     Megatokyo, Genom Tower, after lunch...

     "I have to admit, Johnson-san, that was one hell of a good job
your girls ran.  My people couldn't've done better."

     "You're very courteous, Altman-san," Samantha sips her flute
of spring water, toasting Conan Altman.  They, along with several
others of the Megatokyo Board of Executives, were having a private
meeting in the main boardroom a floor down from their offices.

     "I heard there were SDs involved in this fight," Kenji Sousuke
hums, sitting at one end of the table.  "Where'd they come from?"

     "We're still investigating the matter, but it appears the SDF
may have a leak somewhere in its supply network," Tsuyoshi Kataki
shakes his head.  Despite the heated rivalry he had with Kenji, a
matter than haunted their relationship since after Second Kantou,
Tsuyoshi always sat close to the chief executive of R&D's Special
Programs group.  "GSS is currently backtracking the units involved. 
I expect a report on this by suppertime today at the latest."

     "Better get a cap on that ASAP, Tsuyoshi-san," Conan grunts. 
"The SDs are worlds better in intensive combat than the 33-Cs or
the 55-Cs.  Hell, their thinking capacity is superior to a 59-C,
for Heaven's sake.  We don't need them running loose."

     "Agreed," Kenji nods.  It was his group that had come up with
the Bu-48 in early 2028.  As humanoid endoskeletal units went, the
48s (known more popularly by their job code "SD" [Special Duties]
or the sub-code "SDCI" [Special Duties/Combat Intelligence]) were
on the cutting edge of Genom cyberdroid development.  While many
would be able to spot a 33-C easily even if she was programmed to
be as humanoid as possible, spotting a well-programmed 48-SD or
SDCI was thought to be next to impossible.  That made them perfect
as military special operations and intelligence-gathering units. 
Outside the world's military and intelligence forces, the only
groups who had access to the 48s were Genom and Toratotaka.

     To let such boomers fall into the hands of drug dealers...!

     "There is one thing I do wonder about."

     Eyes turn to the other end of the table, where Brian Mason now
relaxed, a cup of tea in hand.  "Being?" Kenji wonders.

     Mason sighs, then gazes on Samantha.  "Why is it you're only
making use of just six of the Mark Twos.  We had eighty of those
boomers built when the project was first starting up.  Why keep all
the others in deep-cryostorage in the Osaka Tower?"

     "It's only a temporary measure...pending the final outcome of
the whole trial process, of course," Samantha shrugs, then gazes at
the others.  "As you all aware, the move-by-wire system fitted into
them is still an experimental thing when it comes to combat units. 
When we were working on Saotome-hakase's 33-S's, we wanted to fit
the MBW into the second generation girls.  Saotome-hakase shot it
down right away.  Now regardless of how some might think of him,
Saotome-hakase doesn't do things without a reason.  He was taught
too well by Stingray-hakase to make decisions on the fly."

     "Why would he disapprove of it?" Kenji asks.

     "He never stated a specific reason."

     "And you trust his judgement on that matter?" Mason snorts.

     Samantha glares at the special assistant.  "Yes, in that sort
of matter, I would trust him," she calmly replies, though her eyes
flash another message.  *More than I'd ever trust an asshole like
YOU!* she so much wants to state out loud, knowing that the others
now in the room would, one way or another, agree with her.  Brian
Mason didn't seem to care what sort of enemies he made now that he
was so close to the top.  That would cost him greatly in the near
future.  It was in fact costing him a lot now...but there was no
need to spill *that* particular secret, Samantha sips her water.

     "Still, much that I admire your sense of caution, I would like
to get some of those girls working for my group one of these days,"
Conan admits.  As chief of Special Corporate Affairs, having such
fighters under his control would make his group's work easier.

     Samantha nods.  "I'll try to push the testing phase as quickly
as my scientists dare, but I don't want to waste materiel unless I
feel it absolutely necessary, Altman-san," she assures him.

     The others nod understandingly, knowing where the chief of
Special Project Development was coming from.  Samantha Johnson was
notoriously tight-fisted when it came to spending the company's
money.  As executives in Genom went, she was alright to members of
the company's financial department.  Rarely did a project Samantha
oversaw ever go over budget.  No doubt, limiting field testing of
the Mark Twos to six units, keeping the others in indefinite cold
storage, plus forcing the active test units into ready cryostorage
between missions, would reduce day-to-day costs considerably.

     "How did you choose the six units anyway?" Manabe Takeo asks,
he now seated beside Mason.  "I mean, from what Miyata-san told me
before he was reassigned, the scientists and artisans who prepared
the Mark Two 33-S's really poured their hearts out into those
units.  Choosing six out of eighty must've been hard on some."

     Samantha tries not to roll her eyes.  Petty questions like
this, she could gladly do without, but to not answer might cause
even more problems down the road.  Manabe Takeo had long ago struck
her as a brainless marionette, only doing and saying things because
Mason wanted someone else to look the fool.  Were it not for the
special assistant's patronage, Manabe would be some nameless Level
One executive deep in the Tower's R&D laboratories.  "Hai, it was,
but I took the most democratic means possible to choose the test
girls.  Just loaded numbers into a lottery machine and let them
come out."  A pause, then, "Besides, I assured the others that we
would find use for all the Mark Twos.  And as we know, we will find
use for them, I'm sure of that.  That satisfied them."

     "Have they been really tested then?" Mason asks.  "Say, for
example, against...a Kuromoroboshi or a Guardsman?"

     Muffled groans escape Kenji and Tsuyoshi.  Conan tries not to
roll his eyes too much.  Mason's hatred of Yoshio Saotome really
came out at the strangest of times.  Samantha remains ice-calm, she
staring at the special assistant.  "I really think the Chairman
would not approve of anyone provoking a petty incident between
ourselves and Toratotaka.  Things like that, Mason-san, have an
ugly tendency to get way out of control and lead nowhere in the
end.  I'm not that type of person."  Before he could reply, she
finishes her flute of water, then stands.  "If you'll all kindly
excuse me, minna-san, I have to get back to the office.  Ja mata."

     She heads out.  As soon as the doors close behind her, a sneer
crosses Samantha's face.  She cares not a whit for those who pass
her as she returns to her work area, though she says nothing.  An
executive who lost her temper in public lost influence, much less
Quincy's respect.  That, she couldn't afford, not now.

     As soon as she marches into her private space, Samantha closes
the door, then taking a deep breath, bellows out, "DAMN HIM!!!!!!"

     "I take it Mason got under your skin again."

     Samantha jolts, then spins around before breathing out.  "Damn
it all, Kate, where'd you come from?!" she snaps.

     "Your secretary let me in," Katharine Madigan chuckles, moving
to sit down in front of Samantha's desk.  "So how was the meeting?"

     "What do you think?" Samantha growls as she plops down in her
own chair, shaking her head.  "So where was Iwao-san all this time? 
That meeting concerned what happened in Ookawa last night.  The
fallout from that's right up Security's bailiwick, isn't it?"

     Kate sighs.  She was only a Level Two executive in Genom's
security department.  For her to attend a Board meeting required
Iwao Sumeragi's presence; to just come on her own was not seen as
proper for one so junior.  "Sumeragi-san can't stand to be in the
same room as Mason, you know that," she leans back in her chair,
then smirks.  "What did that moron do to make you mad this time?"

     "Oh, the usual," Samantha rolls her eyes...

*    *    *

     The Kyoto Annex, that evening...

     "Konban wa, minna-chan.  I call the meeting to order."

     Everyone in the conference room two floors below Rei Ijuuin's
office pipes down as they give their full attention to the Annex
Matriarch.  "Alright," Rei gazes at the people before her, then she
places her chin on her clasped hands.  "This'll be our last meeting
before the solstice when the first nine girls wakes up.  First of
all, Nanai-san, have we confirmed all the invitations?"

     Nanai Kirishiro, now seated to Rei's immediate right, is the
Annex's SPD-PA (Special Project Director for Personnel Affairs). 
When it came to public reception parties held at the Annex, Nanai
always took charge of preparations.  "Hai, Rei-san, all invitations
have been confirmed, though I've received a call from the offices
of several dietmen who expressed interest in coming to the party."

     Rei blinks.  "I specifically instructed that no dietmen were
to be invited, much less even given the hint that they'd be welcome
here.  What the hell's that all about, Nanai-san?"

     "Well, Yamabuki-kokkai'in's (Dietman Yamabuki's) secretary
told me that he's concerned that the CCs were being built with the
same parts that caused problems for Yoshio-san last year," Nanai
sighs.  "I e-mailed a copy of the design notes and schematics to
him as per your standing instructions in case members of the Diet
call about that sort of thing.  I've yet to receive a reply."

     "Well, contact his office and...wait!" Rei pauses.  "What
party does Yamabuki-kokkai'in belong to?"

     "He's New Japan, ma'am."

     The Annex Matriarch considers that, then nods, a sly smile
crossing his face.  "Extend an invitation to Yamabuki-kokkai'in,
then, Nanai-san.  Inform him from me directly that the girls I'm
making have not the slightest HINT of C-class parts within them. 
Please also thank him for his concern for the public welfare and
emphasize that Toratotaka will always strongly acknowledge those
representatives of the people who care for public safety."

     "Of course," Nanai smiles knowingly.  The words "strongly
acknowledge" was the phrase which would indicate Toratotaka's
willingness to provide financial and other services when the next
general election came.  "Also, Kirishima-kokkai'in asked if he
could come down.  He's of the Liberal Party and he voted against
adding the older Sexaroids onto the restricted list last year.  He
wanted to purchase a 33-S from Genom, but he stated that if it was
possible and if Yoshio-san would consider it in the future, he
would be willing to purchase a 33-S built by us."

     "How old is he anyway, Nanai-san?" Eve Mary Webster asks.

     "He's only in his late forties, I'm afraid, Eve-san.  He's
never married, which is surprising enough.  I guess trying the
singles scene scares him and with his duties in the Diet..."

     Laughter fills the room.  "Well, I personally doubt Yoshio
might want to start again with a public-sale 33-S anytime soon,"
Rei hums.  "Does he understand what the CCs are for, Nanai-san?"

     "Hai, I told him the full story.  He states he would prefer an
older-looking woman as a companion.  He also passed his compliments
to you concerning the primary focus of the CC Project."

     "I see, then.  Alright, call back and inform him that he'd be
more than welcome at the reception.  Also tell him that I'll speak
to Yoshio about having a 33-S constructed for him sometime in the
near future, but do emphasize that Yoshio has many other things on
his mind at this time and that we might not be able to get to
filling Kirishima-kokkai'in's request anytime soon."

     "Hai, wakarimasu (I understand).  And except for that, all the
problems concerning invitations to the reception are resolved."

     "Yokatta (Good)," Rei nods.  "Alright, Sayuri, what's the
final analysis about the adopted parents of our first nine?"

     "The only problem I might see, especially in the realms of
industrial espionage matters, is Yuuko Sakuramachi," Sayuri clears
her throat.  "Her father, Yuuichi, is, as you know, the chairman of
Jericho Industries in Miyazaki.  From what Aunt Megumi has hinted
to me, some elements within Genom are expressing interest in either
seeing Jericho absorbed or put forever out of business."

     "Jericho's the company that built the first combat boomeroid
Megatokyo ADP put into operation back in 'twenty-seven, right?" Mei
Ijuuin looks up from her notes, her eyebrow arching.

     "Hai, Aunt Mei, that's them.  According to the most recent
reports, the senior executives at Jericho want to try it again
sometime this year, but this time trial it in Nagasaki," Sayuri
scans her notes.  "That would be a smart thing since Genom doesn't
have a large presence in the area save for various distributors."

     "What about the boomer population there?" Rei asks.

     "Quite normal for a 'consumer-dominated' part of the country,
Rei-mama," Sayuri sighs.  "Boomers are supplied from the various
Genom factories in Fukuoka and Kitakyushu...or else they're shipped
in through Ookawa from Taipei, Pusan and Naha."  A pause, then she
adds, "The risk of boomer rampages in Nagasaki is small, but it has
the potential to increase because of the Baal problem."

     "I don't understand, Sayuri," Eve Mary perks up.  "What would
a street drug have to do with boomer rampages?"

     "I better explain that," Mei cuts in, then on seeing Sayuri
give the CMCO a nod, begins.  "Baal is an offshoot of megaval, the
'hyped' version of Valium.  Like megaval, Baal instills a state of
tranquil peace with an addict.  Given the sheer pressure-cooker
atmosphere in workplaces these days, the allure of something like
megaval is considerable.  The primary difference between them is
when the drug wears off.  As you might know, megaval has a minute
trace of lithium in it.  The lithium latches onto those parts of
the brain megaval primarily effects.  Repeated use allows the
lithium residue a chance to destroy those parts of the brain. 
Eventually, what happens is that the addict will regress to the
point where s/he has NO sort of aggressive drive whatsoever.  In
Baal, there is no lithium, except in cases like what happened to
Sayuri's husband, where it was deliberately added to kill him," Mei
gives the SFIO a glance.  "What IS added is a passive hormonal
booster, a booster that doesn't trigger until the drug wears off. 
So when the drug wears off, the booster activates, then latches on
to the body's natural adrenal and other hormonal triggers."

     "That's when they utterly go crazy...and that's when the
second-hand damage is done when these people chase after potential
targets.  In effect, Baal allows people to vent out all their dark
fantasies without any sort of moral inhibition," Sayuri finishes. 
"If the body can't adjust fast enough to the hormone release, the
person could easily die.  That's why Baal dealers always insist
that new customers start off small for their first hits."

     "They're KIND to their customers?!" Nanai gapes incredulously.

     "Oi, in a business sense, they're ensuring they can hang onto
their customers, plus get new ones," Mei rolls her eyes, then she
sighs.  "The...other big difference between Baal and megaval...much
less other street drugs...is that with a special enzyme added to
it, Baal can also be very effective on boomers."

     Silence.

     "You mean a person could trigger a boomer rampage using this
stuff?" Eve Mary gapes, her golden-brown eyes widening in horror.

     "Exactly," Mei nods.  "The biomechanical tissue structure in
a boomer's central processors and nervous cortex is as close to
humanoid organic norm as Stingray-hakase came in his experiments
back in Whiz Labs...and Genom hasn't done much to deviate from that
pattern.  What inorganic parts are in there effectively shield
boomers from normal organic drugs.  Whoever designed Baal, from
what I've seen of the stuff, must've had a version of it in mind
that could hurt boomers just as bad as organics."

     "That's why, I believe, Chairman Quincy wants the whole Baal
supply network shut down," Sayuri sips her spring water.  "Genom
already has to deal with enough bad press when it comes to boomer
rampages.  If someone decided to launch an all-out campaign to
fully discredit boomers as a whole, Baal would be an effective tool
in seeing that campaign through to its desired conclusion."

     "Will you recommend to the Board that Baal be placed under
Directive Two restrictions, ma'am?" Nanai gazes at Rei.

     "I'll discuss it with Yoshio first, but I think that could be
made company-wide policy," Rei nods.  "Alright, are there other
matters which require our attention at this time?"

     "When do we start work on Rinrin and Nana?" Mei asks.

     "Let's begin after the reception," Rei sighs...

*    *    *

     Miyazaki, 17 June, mid-morning...

     "So this is a sample of Baal, eh?"

     Sylia Stingray sadly shakes her head as she gazes at the
computer screen before her.  A diagram of a very complex molecule
is projected at her.  Standing beside the Sabres' leader is the
chief of production and operations for Jericho, Shinnosuke Makai. 
"Yeah, that's it alright, Stingray-san.  Vicious little bugger,
ain't it?  Amazing what the human mind can dream up."

     "Agreed," Sylia nods, then looks once more at the screen.  "Is
this the type that can affect boomers, Makai-san?"

     "That's it, alright.  You know, given your own work back in
Megatokyo, you can use this to considerable effect."

     Sylia tenses, then shakes her head, rising.  "No.  Making use
of something like this would be far too unpredictable unless it is
specially targeted on a boomer and no innocent bystander is close
by.  Atop that, there is a strong risk that Genom might approach
Toratotaka and place Baal under their Directive Two shielding."

     "Why would they do that?" Shinnosuke crosses his arms.

     A wry smirk crosses Sylia's face.  "Baal could be used against
Cyber-Nurses, especially those who work in a civilian capacity like
daycare centres, old age homes and other such places.  That would
be almost perfect for lunatics like those in the ABLS or Prometheus
Bound, especially now that FABS has been passed in Canada.  I don't
think Toratotaka would desire to see that happen given the good
press they've gained so far because of the 33-M Project."

     The executive considers that, then nods.  "Agreed, that would
be right up the alley of people like that," he sighs.  "I've little
use for the way your father's inventions have been introduced into
society, but I know he'd definitely approve of the Cyber-Nurses."

     "He would," Sylia nods, then blinks as a secretary comes up.

     "Sumimasen, Stingray-sama, but the Chairman would like to see
you as soon as possible," she bows to the Sabres' leader.

     "Hai," Sylia smiles, then turns to Shinnosuke.  "Oh, what news
on the planned new police boomeroid project?"

     He shakes his head, moving to follow Sylia to the elevator to
take them up to Yuuichi Sakuramachi's office.  "Well, we've got the
basic design down, but as to when we might get a person to add the
organic element to the project, it's hard to tell.  Given the sheer
firepower of this thing, it could theoretically take on and beat
Genom's B-12 infantry boomer design hands down.  That might give
people like Mason and Quincy some pause before they'd go out and
play their stupid games on the folks of Megatokyo and elsewhere."

     "Try to be careful about that," Sylia warns.

     "We'll do our best," Shinnosuke nods.

     Sylia steps into the elevator car, then nodding to Shinnosuke,
relaxes as it ascends to the top of the Jericho Tower.  Gazing out
through the clear glass at the surrounding cityscape, the Sabres'
leader smiles.  Her stake in Jericho, which amounted to over thirty
percent of total stock, had been part of the inheritance she gained
from Katsuhito.  With some creative paperwork generated by various
parties who all shared a growing hatred of Genom and its capricious
ways, Sylia had been able to mask her partial control of Jericho,
allowing Yuuichi Sakuramachi to have voting control of her stock
(thus granting him the chairmanship).  It was necessary given her
current mission; Jericho had been the "secret" builder of the
Knight Sabres' armour, spreading production all across Kyushu and
Shikoku to ensure spies from Genom could put things together.

     The elevator stops, the doors opening to reveal a white-haired
patriarch with piercing grey eyes.  "Sylia!" he grins, hand out as
she walks out of the elevator.  "How are you?!"

     "I'm alright...and it's good to see you, Oji-san," Sylia beams
as she embraces Yuuichi, then she follows him to a coffee table,
her host beckoning a servant over to provide some tea.

     One of the people who had independently invested into Whiz
Laboratories, the chairman of Jericho had been something of a
business mentor to Katsuhito...and an unofficial godfather to both
Sylia and Mackie.  However, as Genom solidified its influence on
Katsuhito's work, Yuuichi faded from the scene, turning his full
attention to keeping Jericho vibrant and independent.  He was one
of the VERY few independent businessmen in Japan who had truthful
knowledge about Katsuhito's fate.  When Sylia had come to him in
2030 about building the Sabres' hardsuits, Yuuichi had been willing
to help.  "I might not be as 'clean' a businessman as you'd think,
Sylia, but what Quincy does in comparison is downright criminal!"
Yuuichi had told her the day their agreement was made.

     "Anata (Dear)?!  Is...oh, ohayo, Sylia!" a voice calls out.

     "Oba-chan!" Sylia smiles as Eiko Sakuramachi walks in, rising
to accept her embrace, then they relax.  "How are you today?!"

     "Much better than I've been for some time now," Eiko smiles,
then nods thanks as the servant provides her tea.  "You've got the
invitation for the reception on the twenty-first in Kyoto?"

     "For Yuuko-chan?  Hai, I have," Sylia nods.  She and Mackie
both had known the original Yuuko Sakuramachi before Second Kantou
claimed her life.  While the Stingray siblings hadn't been as close
to Yuuko as they were to Yoshio and Yumi Saotome, her friendship
was just as valued...and her loss had hurt them badly.  "When was
she first woken?  I heard the ones whose templates were born before
the twenty-first would've still be woken on their birthdays..."

     "Hai, she was," Yuuichi nods.  "We've had a dozen chances to
'talk' to Yuuko (so to speak) since she was born.  Gods, I'm not
sure how Rei-san managed to do it, but...it's like Yuuko herself
never died in the first place.  As I recall, Sylia, Katsuhito only
made two of those special datadisks.  I know Yoshio-san got the
first one, so how the devil did Rei-san do so good...?"

     "Jii-chan let Rei-neechan to sample Tou-san's memories...oh,
this would be around June of 'twenty-six," Sylia reports.

     "I don't think Katsuhito would've liked that," Yuuichi hums.

     "Perhaps, but I can see Jii-chan's reason for doing it," Sylia
admits.  "While they were working from the same knowledge database,
having someone around who could view things in a much different way
than Jii-chan would've helped him greatly.  Besides, Rei-neechan's
sister Mei has quite the inventive streak of her own, almost on par
with Yuina Himoo's.  Toratotaka has quite the creative team under
its control right now...and unlike such people elsewhere, Genom
would be very hard-pressed to eliminate them all."

     "True, true," the chairman of Jericho nods, then sighs.  "I
just wish they wouldn't've thought of inviting Quincy and some of
his brood to that reception party as well."

     Sylia jolts.  "Quincy's invited?!"

     "Hai.  Nicole-san, so I'm told, insisted on it," Yuuichi rolls
his eyes, then sighs.  "Much that I and others like me appreciate
Toratotaka's neutral stance on a lot of things, I think they can
afford to be a little MORE neutral than they are right now."

     The Sabres' leader considers that, then nods.  "Agreed..."

*    *    *

     Megatokyo, Genom Tower, that afternoon...

     "So we're all invited to this?  Plus the girls?!"

     "Hai," Samantha sips her tea, relaxing with Sayako Sheffield
in the former's office.  "The Child Companions and the Mark Twos
have one thing in common.  They were all built, in a way, as living
memorials to people who died in Second Kantou.  Besides, some of
the Kuromoroboshi might be there.  Might as well give Kiki and the
others a chance to see what their true counterparts are like."

     "And Mason actually proposed setting up a fight between one of
our girls and one of the KMs?" Sayako rolls her eyes.

     "Hai, but there's no chance in Hell of THAT ever happening,"
Samantha snorts.  "Relax, Sayako.  Granted, at this time, we're
still under the *special assistant's* purview," a sneer enters her
voice as she states Mason's position, then she relaxes, "...but if
we garnish some more successes with the Mark Twos...not to mention
the other projects I've got under my control now...I think I could
persuade the Chairman to see the light on some things."

     "Well, I hope it comes as soon as possible, Sam," the older
scientist shakes her head.  "I may have not worked under Mason in
the past, but Trent and Alicia have.  From what they've said, he's
a total busybody when it comes to new inventions.  Everything that
people under him have worked on, it's the same thing.  'Can it be
reprogrammed in an emergency?'  'Will it survive in combat?'  'Is
it properly hooked to the OMS?'  Gods!!" she breathes out, then
slumps in her chair, lightly rubbing her forehead.

     "'Dual-use mentality.'  That's what Yoshio calls that sort of
thinking," Samantha shakes her head.  "According to him, you can't
expect a boomer to give itself fully over to a mission if you come
along and snap-reprogram it without giving it some psychological
preparation beforehand.  That's what can lead to boomer rampages,
especially with pure-civilian boomers like the labour units."

     "Imperoma and Zion avoid that totally, right?"

     "So I've heard.  There's a very clear dividing line between
'military' and 'civilian' models.  Neither the twain shall meet, as
they might say in Rome and Jerusalem.  If you ask me, Sayako, I
wish we'd do the same thing, but...well, it's just too handy for
some people at times," Samantha shrugs, then sips her tea.

     A knock is heard.  "Hai, haite (come in)!" Samantha calls out,
then blinks as Yuusuke comes in.  "What is it, Yuusuke-kun?"

     "Sorry to bother you, Sam, but I need Sayako to see this," he
holds up a printout, then places it in his wife's hand.

     "What's this...?" Sayako scans what is there, then she looks
at her husband.  "Kiki's latest brainscan reading?!"

     "Yeah, look here," Yuusuke points.

     Sayako looks, then her jaw drops open.  "When did this start?"

     "Just saw that today," he grunts.  "Blips in the transmission
of messages between parts of her mind.  It'd result in a pretty
minor physical reaction were she was out of cryostorage."

     "Bad?" Samantha wonders.

     "I..." Yuusuke pauses, then shakes his head.  "I'm not sure
about this, Sam.  We ARE dealing with some pretty brand-new ideas
being trialled out here all at the same time.  The brain, the MBW,
a lot of the other things they have...all of it was just off the
drawing board when we meshed it all together to create the Mark Two
design.  And this is the first time we've seen this in any of the
girls.  Maybe this is just a once-in-a-lifetime thing."

     "Then again, maybe not," Sayako shakes her head, then sighs,
turning to Samantha.  "Sam, is there any sort of possibility that
we can trace down a biomech neurological expert outside the company
and get him or her to consult us on this...on the sly?"

     Samantha blinks, then hums.  "The nearest place to find one of
them is Toratotaka.  Specifically, Yoshio Saotome, Rei Ijuuin or
Yuina Himoo.  Do you really think it might be that important?"

     "You've always said to err on the side of caution, Sam."

     The chief of SPD blinks, then nods.  "Hai, true..."

*    *    *

To be continued...

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