See disclaimers in the first part.

Part 2

         Priss lay down on the couch and closed her eyes. As she began to 
doze the doorbell rang,
making her jump. "Damn."

         Nene's smile of greeting died a quick death under Priss' irate 
glare and she stepped back
a little. "Um, hi?"

         The frown died and Priss yawned hugely. "Sorry about that, Nene." 
Priss left the door
open and turned away.

         Nene leaned into the room and spoke cautiously. "If I you want I 
can come back later."

         "No. Come on in. I was just taking a nap."

         Nene closed the door behind her and dropped her jacket on the back 
of a chair as she sat
down. After a lot of discussion, she and Linna had decided to speak to 
Priss about the best way to
tell Sylia. And that Nene would be the one to do it. Wondering absently if 
that yen piece Linna
had used was double headed, Nene sighed. "Late night?"

         Curling back up on the couch, Priss didn't answer at first. "Nope. 
I just need more sleep
now."

         Nene's eyes widened. "Oh. Why?"

         Priss' smile was wry. "I'm burning more energy than I used to. 
I've found that it helps to
take several small naps a day."

         Her mission forgotten for a moment, Nene frowned. That was not 
normal for the
energetic singer. "Does Sylia know about this?"

         "She's got her hands full at the moment and there's not really 
anything that can be done.
It's just the way I am now."

         "Is this because of the... changes you made?"

         "Not all of it." Priss stretched and stifled another yawn. "My 
senses are always ON now.
It's tiring. My appetite has doubled and I need a little more sleep, but 
other than that I'm fine.
There's no need to worry Sylia at the moment."

  Nene stood up and began to pace around the room. Wonderful! As if my news 
isn't bad
enough, now Sylia's going to have to deal with this too. "I can't believe 
you haven't told her yet!
After all of the problems-." She stopped as she saw Sylia in the doorway 
behind Priss. Uh oh.

         Priss grinned as she saw Nene's horrified expression and heard the 
distinctive beat of her
fianc�e's heart. "Sylia came in the back way again?"

         Nene nodded sheepishly and Priss turned to Sylia. "Hi. You're home 
early."

         Sylia tossed her purse onto the side table and moved across the 
room to sit beside Priss.
"Yes. I was feeling guilty about how much time I've been spending both in 
the office and away."
She stared into her lover's eyes, her voice deceptively mild. "I take that 
there's something you
want to talk to me about?"

         "Actually there was." Priss chuckled faintly. She glanced up as 
she saw Nene inching
towards the door. "You don't have to leave Nene. We're not going fight if 
that's what you're
worried about."

         Nene sat back down and watched them nervously. This is not the 
right time. Uh uh, nope.
Not gonna tell them today.

         "What's going on Priss?" Sylia's tone was calm but the unsettled 
look in her eyes spoke
volumes. Priss reached out and caught her hand, giving it a reassuring 
squeeze. "Well, according
to Arashi, nothing is wrong. But my body is running at an accelerated pace 
so I'm needing more
sleep and food. It's no big deal."

         "How long has this been going on?"

         "Hmm. I've only needed the extra sleep since about a month ago. 
The appetite thing
started while you were in Rome."

         <All right Arashi. What's going on?>

         =She's fine Sylia. Her body is running at peak performance. =

         Sylia wasn't satisfied of course. "Let's go to the lab."




         Priss let Sylia fuss and was patient as she ran a complete 
physical. She waited until the
results were finished before pulling up the results from the one she had 
run on herself a week
before. Sylia was surprised and Priss was tickled at her reaction. "Come on 
Sylia, I'm a doctor, so
to speak, of course I checked it out. But there's nothing there." She waved 
her hand at the screen
and shrugged. "I'm fine."

         "And as a doctor, you know that this isn't normal for the human 
physiology."

         Priss agreed. "Yes. But then I think we both know that this isn't 
being caused by anything
human."

         "Care to elaborate?"

         Priss leaned back against the examination table. "Come on Sylia. 
You know what I'm
talking about."

         Sylia turned back to the console and began to type in a new search 
parameter. "Step back
onto the scanner." This time she was looking for flaws within the nanos. 
She cursed silently as
the results came back negative. <I assume that you've checked yourself out?>

         Arashi was quick to reassure her. =That was the first thing I 
checked, Sylia. Then I had
Taisei make sure. I'm afraid that it's just a side effect of Priss' 
abilities. =

         Sylia considered this as she berated Taisei for keeping her in the 
dark. <You should have
told me damn it!>

         =Priss didn't want to worry you unless there was something to 
worry about. =

         Sylia glared at Priss, who smiled unrepentantly. "Sorry love. I 
don't consider this any
cause for concern."

         <I wish I could have such confidence. >

         <Sylia, either it will be all right or it won't but for right now 
there isn't much we can do
about it. Arashi's keeping a close eye on things and I guarantee that 
Taisei is watching her very
closely.>

         The emphasis was curious. "Why?"

         Priss realized then that Taisei must not have explained to Sylia 
just how similar the
enclaves were to their hosts in certain respects. "Uh oh. I thought they 
told you. Taisei and Arashi
have the hots for each other."

         There was an immediate protest from both parties and Sylia ignored 
them as she
considered this. "I see. I suppose it's possible�"

         Priss slipped an arm around Sylia's waist and led her from the 
lab, glad that she had been
distracted. "Yep. What I want to know though is how the hell do they make out?"




Linna tossed another piece of lingerie onto the growing pile and Priss 
resisted the urge to
groan. When she had invited herself along on this little jaunt, she'd been 
hoping for a distraction,
something to take her mind off of, well, the current state of her mind. 
Instead, she could feel her
eyes beginning to glaze over. "Christ Linna! How many of those things do 
you need?"

         Secretly happy to hear the complaint, Linna smiled unrepentantly. 
"They're not for me.
Well, not all of them anyway." She wondered if now would be a good time to 
tell Priss.

         Priss looked down at the black silk garment that her friend had 
just added a blinked as an
image of Nene wearing it formed in her mind. She shook her head quickly, 
dispelling the image.
Some things she was better off not knowing. Still it did give her an idea. 
Priss glanced around the
displays only to quickly realize the Sylia had most of these already. Even 
after the casualties that
had fallen to Priss' hands. <That's the trouble with her owning a lingerie 
shop.>

         "Um, Priss? There's something that Nene and I wanted to talk to 
you about."

         Priss heard the faint trace of tension thread her friend's voice 
and sighed. This is probably
not good. "What's up?"

         <We found out who Tsumari is�was�who he used to be.> Linna watched 
Priss' face as
she silently explained the situation, but could see no change in the other 
woman's expression.

         Damn. This is going to hurt her. Priss groaned mentally and 
fingered the pack of
cigarettes in her pocket. "This sucks Linna."

         "Tell me about it. But how do we tell Sylia?"

         "We don't. I do."

         Not sure what else to say, Linna turned to a nearby rack and 
blindly flipped through the
selection. "I guess we have to tell her huh?"

         "Yes. She hates deception as much as I do Linna. And besides, I 
swore that I would never
lie to her or hurt her again."

         Linna glanced at Priss in surprise. "Really? That's�uh�great."

She finally declared herself finished shopping and headed to a register. 
"Okay, I'm done
here. We'll head downtown next. I want to get Nene a new helmet."

         Shelving the Tsumari topic for later, Priss followed. "What's with 
all the stuff for Nene?"

Linna whirled at her question and stared at Priss in surprise. "Priss! It's 
Nene's birthday
next week, you know that."

Actually she didn't but Priss smiled anyway. "I know Linna. Just kidding." 
<Christ!
Arashi! I thought you were going to keep me up to date about these things.>

=Since when am I your secretary?=

Priss ignored her and followed Linna outside. She popped the trunk on her 
car and waited
until Linna had stored the bags before asking casually, "So what do you 
think she'd like?

They discussed several ideas on the way and Priss asked her why she didn't 
get Nene a
car.

"Because she loves her scooter."

Priss laughed. "One is not mutually exclusive of the other, Linna. I love 
motorcycles, but
it's getting colder fast."

Linna thought about it as they entered the next store and while they 
shopped. Priss
headed to the casual wear section and picked out a couple of pairs of jeans 
in Sylia's size and
then went on to the blouses. Linna realized whom she was shopping for of 
course and smiled. "I
take it that Sylia's about to get a new look?"

Priss added a soft leather bomber jacket and shrugged. "Not really. She 
doesn't bother
much with these types of clothes. I just figured they'd be a nice change."

"Uh huh. And this just occurred to you now?"

"Are you going to get Nene something or are you just going to keep 
pestering me?"

Linna left her in peace and Priss sighed.  <So I didn't think about this 
before now, but
I've been a little busy.> And after she finds out about her father, Sylia 
is going to need a break.

Arashi wisely refrained from commenting.

As she shopped, an idea began to form and Priss was grinning broadly when 
she met
Linna at the check out.

Linna took one look at her face and backed up a pace. That grin meant 
trouble. "Oh no.
What are you planning?"

Priss shrugged and decided to tell Linna. "Just a little trip for me and 
Sylia."

Linna realized that Priss had picked up a shopping cart at some point and 
that it was now
full. "Um, does Sylia know about this?"

"Nope. She left it up to me to plan our honeymoon."

Linna rolled her eyes. "She's braver than I am. There's no telling where 
you-." She broke
off as Priss' words sank in. "Honeymoon? You're getting married?"

Priss' smile was her only reply. Linna let out a whoop of joy and hugged 
Priss fiercely.
"That's fantastic." She hesitated and looked at her friend in askance. 
"Does Sylia know this?"

Priss burst out laughing. "Yes, Linna. Don't be ridiculous."

"I don't know Priss. It pays to be cautious with you."

They continued to banter back and forth as they checked out and headed back 
to the car.
As they started across the street, Priss gasped and jerked Linna away from 
the curb, staring
anxiously at the street in front of them. Shopping bags scattered and Linna 
glared at her. "What
did you do that for?"

         Dragging her hands through her hair, Priss looked at Linna, her 
face pale. "I'm sorry
Linna." She began to pick up the bags as Linna watched her in confusion.

         "What's wrong Priss?"

Priss gripped the bags tightly and didn't look at Linna. "Let's go."

         Kutsuu had been driving that car! Priss forced herself to take 
several deep breaths and
ignored the curious looks that Linna was sending her. How do I explain that 
I'm cracking up?

         Arashi was quick to respond. =You're not cracking up, Priss. I saw 
her too.=




         Sylia parked the van in front of the motorcycle shop and climbed 
out, reflecting on how
much running Mackie had done for her in the past. "No wonder he left." She 
pushed the glass
door open and heard the familiar jingle of the bells above signal her 
arrival. A tall woman with
pale lavender hair emerged from the back and Sylia blinked. I've seen her 
before somewhere.

         Kuraki saw Sylia staring at her in puzzlement and smiled widely. 
"Good morning. Can I
help you?"

         Her voice gave her away and Sylia gasped. "You!" She studied her 
clone's face intently,
noting the changes that now separated them. The eyes were a little farther 
apart, the chin a little
sharper. Kuraki's cheekbones seemed higher and she now sported a deep 
widow's peek. These
subtle changes along with the more obvious differences in hair and eye 
color made Kuraki now
appear to be merely related to Sylia and not her twin. "I'm surprised. I 
thought you two had left
MegaTokyo."

         "Sorry to disappoint you."

Sylia watched Sabishii enter and was again amazed at the slight changes that
distinguished her and Priss. Sharper features and narrower eyes gave 
Sabishii a more sullen look
and Sylia was sharply reminded that this woman had not gone through the 
profound changes that
Priss had. "I'm not disappointed. You have as much right to live in this 
city as Priss and I." She
focused on Kuraki. "Were you able to get everything?"

Kuraki nodded. "Of course. Sabishii will load it into the van." She ignored 
Sabishii's
look of amazement at this suggestion. "While we go into the back to 
finalize the sale."

Sylia followed her and Sabishii grumbled all the way into the garage. <If 
you wanted to
talk to her alone then all you had to do was say so.>

Ignoring this mental rant from her lover, Kuraki handed Sylia the invoice 
and leaned
back against the desk. "So how are things coming with Genom?"

"Taking more ground everyday. It shouldn't be long now."

The answer didn't seem to please Kuraki. "Aren't you worried that it might 
be taking too
long?"

Sylia handed Kuraki her cash card and refused to answer.

         "If you give them time to recover�"

Sylia held up an imperial hand. "Enough! This doesn't concern you anymore." 
She took
her receipt and turned to leave the shop.

         Furious, Kuraki followed her. "The hell it doesn't! Whatever 
differences there may be
between us now, you know damn well that the memories are the same!" She 
grabbed Sylia's arm
and whirled her around. "They killed father!"

         Sylia carefully pulled herself away from her clone's grasp and 
smoothed the crumpled
sleeve of her jacket.

         Kuraki recognized the deliberate motions as an attempt on Sylia's 
part to calm down
before speaking. She still did the same thing herself.

         Clearing her throat, Sylia met her double's eyes. "Yes. They did. 
And they will pay for
that� when the time is right. Not before. I could rush in there now and 
decimate what's left of
Genom, but that wouldn't guarantee us Quincy's head. He's a Hydra and you 
know it. We have to
take out all of the heads with one blow. There can be nothing left when 
we're finished."

         Kuraki nodded reluctantly. "All right. The ball's in your hands 
but I'm still on the field."

         Sylia's smile was surprisingly brilliant. "On the field? You're 
our secret weapon."



         Sylia unloaded the last of the boxes and then checked to make sure 
that she had al of the
equipment she would need. The small garage was on the outskirts of 
MegaTokyo, making it the
perfect place to construct Priss' new bike. She wasn't sure when the idea 
to surprise Priss had
come to her, but know she found herself excited by the prospect. She had 
planned out the designs
very carefully and she knew that this would be her best creation to date.

         Taisei quietly reminded her that she would be late for dinner if 
she didn't leave soon and
Sylia reluctantly locked the door behind her and started back to town.




Linna refilled Sylia's wine glass and laughed as Nene teased Priss about 
the upcoming
nuptials.

         "So what kind of ceremony are you two going to have?"

         Priss scowled and looked at Sylia. "I guess we hadn't talked about 
that." Her expression
was wary.

         Sylia laughed merrily at Priss' discomfort. "Oh I thought a large 
traditional wedding and
a formal reception afterwards at the Gensou."

         Priss eased her grip on the glass she held and summoned a weak 
smile. "Um, if that's
what you want love."

         Linna snickered at the hunted look the Priss now wore and winked 
at Nene. "Betcha five
that she throws up before the ceremony."

         Nene shook her head. "Nope. During." They shook hands on the bet 
and Priss glared at
them.

Sylia's laughter was low and husky. She reached out and laid her hand along 
Priss' thigh.
"Don't worry Priss. I'm only teasing you. I thought we could just get 
married at the courthouse
and then have dinner with Linna and Nene later."

Relief swept over Priss' face and she smiled weakly. "Um, only if that's 
what you want."

Linna and Nene booed and Priss glowered at them as she stood up. "Watch it 
you two, or
I won't share the dessert we brought." She turned away from the table and 
paused.

There was the faintest trace of perfume in the air and Priss shivered as 
she recognized it.
It was Kutsuu's. Sniffing cautiously, she knew the instant it faded and 
wondered, not for the first
time, if she were going mad.

Priss felt the touch of Sylia's hand on her shoulder. She swallowed hard 
and turned to
Sylia. "I'm fine. A little too much wine."



         Sylia smoothly changed lanes to avoid a fender bender and listened 
to the news with half
an ear as she headed back to the apartment. The work on the bike was going 
well and Sylia
calculated that it would be complete in a few more days.

         The Mercedes veered sharply to the right as the front tire blew 
and Sylia fought to keep
the car from spinning out. She ignored the blare of horns around her as she 
slowly brought the
car's speed down and maneuvered it off of the highway. Shutting the engine 
of automatically,
Sylia lowered her head to the steering wheel and drew a deep breath.

         <Sylia? Are you all right?>

         Priss' voice filled her mind and Sylia instantly felt better. <I'm 
all right. Just had a flat.>
She slipped out of the car and moved to the front of her vehicle to stare 
down at the shredded tire.
<So much for flat-proof tires.> Sylia sighed and reached for her cell 
phone. "I need a tow truck."




         Several hundred yards away, the shooter glared at the unharmed 
figure of Sylia Stingray
and reloaded the rifle. BITCH! You won't get away this time!

         The scope filled with Sylia's face and as a finger slowly 
tightened, another person
entered the picture.  NO! She can't be there!

         Knowing that the moment was lost, the would-be assassin broke the 
rifle down, cursing
the lost opportunity.




         Sylia smiled wryly as the dark green Diablo slid to a halt behind 
her car and Priss
climbed out. "Well well. I thought you were at the club?"

         Priss shrugged and knelt to inspect the damage. "Nasty. Looks like 
the rotor's bent. You
call for a tow?"

         Sylia nodded, waiting for Priss to answer her.

         Recognizing the look, Priss elaborated. "I felt it. The blowout I 
mean."

         "How?"

         Priss stepped closer to Sylia and took her hand, bringing it to 
her lips. "I felt your fear.
Could hear your heart racing. I knew something had happened."

         Sylia stared at Priss, her mind struggling to grasp what she was 
saying. "That's not-."

         "Possible? Yeah, you'd think that wouldn't you?" Priss jerked her 
head towards her car
and smiled. "Need a lift?"



It was almost too easy. The mechanics had quickly repaired Sylia's car and 
it now sat at
the edge of the lot, tucked out of sight.

Within three minutes the package had been delivered and as someone exited 
the garage,
approaching the car, the shadow slipped away unnoticed.




         Priss idly ran through several chords and continued to construct 
the lyrics in her head.
She made a quick note in her songbook and began again.

         Sylia's irritated voice filled her mind. <Priss? I didn't leave my 
keys in the apartment did
I?>

         Priss glanced around, grinning as she spotted the familiar key 
ring lying on the table by
the door. <Yes. Want me to bring them down?>

         <Could you?>

         Snatched the keys, Priss headed for the elevator.

         As the car doors opened, Priss spotted Sylia behind the wheel of 
the Mercedes and
laughed at her sheepish look. Sylia started to roll the window down and 
Priss heard tiny click that
sent every nerve in her body on alert. She held up a hand to stop Sylia and 
moved closer to the
car. <Hold it Sylia. Something smells.>

         Literally. She could almost taste the acrid scent that was 
emanating from the car and Priss
knelt cautiously to inspect the underside. What she saw made her stomach 
clench painfully.

         <Don't move Sylia! Don't touch anything! There's a bomb under your 
car. Just stay
still.>

         She could see the small black box near the drive shat and winced 
when she spotted the
wires running up towards the doorframe. Priss gulped as a sweet smell 
reached her. Christ!
Kutsuu! She shook her head sharply and tried to ignore the smell that 
seemed to be appearing
everywhere lately. A quick scan confirmed that the doors had been wired as 
well as the ignition.
<Sylia the door is booby-trapped. The ignition's been wired too. Just sit 
still and let me see if I
can disarm it.>

         Sylia hardly dared to breath but her mind was racing. <Disarm it? 
Priss you don't know
how to disarm bombs!>

         Despite the situation, Priss smiled. <Give me a second. Okay 
Arashi. Make this good and
don't miss anything, understand?>

         Raw data flooded Priss' mind and she began to breath deeply and 
evenly as the pain
washed over her. She opened her eyes and immediately realized two things: 
One, that the scans
she had done of the device had triggered a secondary fuse, and two, that 
she had less than twelve
seconds to get Sylia out. Priss leapt to her feet and shoved her arm 
through the glass of the
driver's window. She grabbed Sylia and yanked her from the vehicle, 
sprinting across the garage
as she heard the inaudible click within the bomb.

         A hot fist of heat caught them in its grasp and hurled them into 
the air. They were hitting
the wall as the sound reached them, roaring over them in a deafening wave. 
Priss opened her eyes
pushed herself up, taking in the devastation around them with wide eyes. 
Smoke filled the air and
the walls of the garage were badly scarred from flying debris. Priss 
ignored the twinges in her
back from the wounds she knew were there and turned to Sylia, reaching out 
to smother several
sparks that were burning their way through her jacket. Sylia coughed 
several times and rolled
over to look up at Priss. <My ears are ringing.>

Priss touched the blood at the side of her head and nodded. <Concussion 
deafness.> She
conferred with Taisei about Sylia's injuries a moment. <You should get 
partial hearing back
pretty quickly.> Priss jerked her head towards the burning wreckage. <We 
were lucky. It could
have been so much worse.>




         Sylia sipped her brandy and answered the police officer's 
questions with as few words as
possible.

"No, I don't know who would want me dead."

         "As I said before, I couldn't find my keys. I got out and was 
going back up stairs to look
for them when the car exploded."

         Priss was patient until they started asking the same questions 
over and over again before
she ordered them out.

         Sylia watched Priss hustle the police out the door and then come 
back to sit beside her.
She felt herself wrapped in Priss' arms and let out a shuddering breath. 
"That was certainly
unpleasant."

         Priss rested her chin on the top of Sylia's head and held her 
tighter. "It's okay love. It's
over now."

         They sat quietly for a time before Sylia spoke. "How did you know?"

         Priss laughed slightly and Sylia heard the sound echo through the 
chest under her ear. "I
heard something weird when you started to roll the window down and then I 
smelled
something�chemical." She kissed Sylia's forehead and sighed.

         Sylia's reply was faint. "You saved my life." Her mind reeled with 
the knowledge of how
close she had come to dying.

         Priss laughed throatily. "Well you said you'd marry me. Didn't 
want you to miss that."
She shifted and felt the cloth of her shirt pulling across her back. 
"Anyway. Now that police are
gone do you think you could look at my back?"

         Sylia straightened abruptly. "You're back?" She turned Priss away 
and a sound of
surprise escaped her. "Why didn't you say something earlier?"

         Priss shrugged and pulled her shirt off. "I knew they weren't 
serious burns." She stood up
and took Sylia's hand. "We both smell terrible. Let's take a shower and you 
can fuss."

         "I do not fuss."

         "Uh huh, you keep telling yourself that." Priss whirled suddenly 
and ducked her shoulder,
catching Sylia in the midsection and lifting her off the floor. She 
sprinted into the bathroom as
Sylia protested.

         "Priss!"



         Kutsuu swore violently and turned on the boomer behind her. "What 
the hell happened?
She should be dead!"

         The boomer relayed the police report in an unemotional voice. "She 
was not in the car
when the bomb exploded."

         "That can't be right. It would have blown if she opened any of the 
doors again." Kutsuu
snapped her fingers and stared at the boomer. "I guess we'll just have to 
try again. See if you can
tap into the surveillance system in the garage." She waved aside the 
boomer's protest. "I don't
want you to disable it, just see if you can find out how she avoided the 
bomb." The security
around and within the building had proved impossible to penetrate so far, 
much to Kutsuu's
frustration.

Kutsuu scowled at the pictures of the Knight Sabers that were pinned to the 
wall and
focused on Priss. "Maybe we're going about this the wrong way."



         =Are you going to tell Sylia about Kutsuu?= Arashi had been 
patient with Priss so far but
now Sylia needed to know.

         <Yes. I 'm just wondering how to say it without her overreacting.>

         =Priss she was almost blown up. You smelled Kutsuu's perfume on 
the device. There is
no overreaction possible to this.=

         Conceding the point, Priss looked at Sylia, who was shutting off 
the shower. "Sylia? I
have something to tell you."

         Sylia didn't like the serious tone in Priss' voice. She reached 
for a towel and wrapped it
around herself before stepping from the shower. "What is it?"

         Priss grabbed her own towel and began to briskly dry herself as 
she spoke. "I smelled
something else besides the explosives. A perfume."

         Sylia's eyebrow rose in silent question.

         Grimacing at the thought of what she was about to say, Priss 
elaborated. "I only know
one person who wore that scent� Kutsuu."

         Silence. Sylia couldn't form any kind of response to this. She 
turned away, leaving the
bathroom and Priss behind.

         "Well that went well." Priss followed her and waited until Sylia 
had slipped on a deep
blue robe before speaking again. "It's not the first time either. I caught 
a whiff of it outside of
Linna's apartment the other night. It was very faint, but it was there."

         Sylia sat on the end of the bed and looked at Priss for the first 
time. "So I'm guessing that
you don't think it's a coincidence?"

         "No. The scent I could shrug away but I� I think I've seen her twice."

         "What? When?"

         "A couple of weeks ago, I saw a woman walking across the street 
that looked Kutsuu. I
parked and tried to find her but there was no trace. Just that perfume."

         "And the other time?"

         "I was with Linna shopping. She was in a car that drove right in 
front of us. I tried to
trace the car but it was a rental, paid in cash and the name was a dead end."

         "And you're just telling me this now?"

         Priss shrugged. "I wasn't sure Sylia."

         Sylia was quite for a moment and then ventured, "You realize that 
this might be a
hallucination? Brought on by Post Traum-."

         Priss' abrupt growl silenced her. "No! I knew you were going to 
suggest that!"

         "But it's possible that the guilt-." Sylia found herself flat on 
her back, a furious Priss over
her.

         "This is the last time I'm talking about this Sylia, understand? I 
ripped Kutsuu to
shreds� Then I opened up her stomach and let her guts spill while she 
watched." She ignored
Sylia's blanch and continued ruthlessly. "And then Sylia, I reached into 
her chest and tore out her
heart so that it was the last thing she saw. I did this Sylia, and despite 
what you think I should
feel, I feel no guilt. No remorse. No regret. Given a choice I would do the 
exact same thing.
Understand?"

         Sylia stared up into Priss' penetrating eyes and nodded slightly. 
"Yes. Get off me."

         Priss was gone in an instant and Sylia breathed out in a soft 
exhalation of relief.  Like
being pinned by a tiger. She sat up and straightened her robe before 
looking at Priss. How do I
feel about this? She's just admitted to ruthlessly killing someone in the 
most terrible way possible
and that she feels no guilt for this� Isn't that wrong?

         But then again, Kutsuu had maliciously and at great length 
tortured Priss. Not satisfied
with that she had attempted to brainwash Priss into a sex toy� Sylia 
laughed humorlessly. That's
what's wrong with me. It's not that Priss doesn't feel remorse that's 
upsetting me. It's that I
don't.

Unsettled by the laugh, Priss watched Sylia warily.

"So if Kutsuu is dead, then what or who have you been seeing?"

"I don't know. If it's a boomer then it's a damn good one."

"Have you checked to see where Kutsuu's remains are resting?"

Nodding, Priss eased down onto the bed next to Sylia, not wanting to 
frighten her. She
was relieved when Sylia took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. 
"Genom took the body
and then had it cremated. There's a memorial plaque, but the ashes were 
supposedly scattered
into the sea."

"Hmm. They probably were, but then they would only need her brain."

"What?"

Sylia met Priss' eyes with a false calm. "I'm guessing that her head was 
intact when you
dumped the body?" At Priss' reluctant nod, Sylia grimaced. "That's a 
problem then."

"What are you talking about? She was dead."

The chiding look that Sylia gave Priss was wry. "Why, Dr. Asagiri! Don't 
tell me that
you've forgotten the Crane experiments?"

"The Crane�" Priss trailed off as her mind tapped the vast store of medical 
knowledge at
its disposal. The theory that the human brain could exist long after the 
body died. Several
experiments had placed human brains into boomer bodies until it was 
discovered that the minds
became highly unstable and extremely dangerous.

"Shit. You think they popped her brain into a boomer."

"It's possible. Priss, if they did then it's also possible that she will 
remember what
happened."

"Shit."

Sylia patted her naked thigh. "Let's hope for the best." And plan for the 
worst.

Priss nodded reluctantly and then grimaced. "There's something else that I 
have to tell
you. I only found a couple of days ago and I was trying to find the right 
time to tell you, but I'm
beginning to see that there's no such thing."

"With a build up like that I'm sure I'm imagining things much worse than 
the reality."
The dry humor in Sylia's voice belied the trepidation in her eyes. "What is 
it Priss?"

"Nene and Linna have been talking to Tsumari. He's starting to remember who 
he was
before he became trapped in the net." Priss ran a hand through her hair and 
sighed heavily. There
was no good way to say this. "His memory is choppy, but he does know that 
his name was
Kasuhito�"

Sylia flinched as if from a physical blow and as Priss watched the play of 
emotions over
her lover's face she acknowledged that it had been. Sylia was on her feet 
and pacing the length of
the room as she tried to comprehend what Priss had just said. Kasuhito� He 
was Kasuhito�
father�!

She whirled and glared at Priss. "This could be a trap. Genom could 
have�no, that
would mean that Genom knew about�but what else could�"

Realizing that Sylia was not talking to her specifically, Priss waited 
patiently for Sylia to
work this out. She was unsurprised to feel her contacting Linna and Nene.




Nene jumped as Sylia began bombarding her with questions. She looked down 
at Linna's
naked form under her and grimaced. "What lousy timing."

With an anguished groan, Linna watched Nene move away and reach for a robe. 
"Noooo!
Damn it! What does she want?"

Nene made a shushing motion with her hand and belted her robe. "Priss told 
her."

Wincing, Linna grabbed a pillow and covered her face.




         Priss scowled as she emerged into the virtual world and tried to 
focus on what her mind
was telling her rather than her senses. She was standing next to Sylia, 
waiting for Linna and Nene
to join them, but she could smell the bedroom. It didn't become any easier 
when the others
appeared as they gave off no scent at all. Tension thrummed through her and 
Priss flexed her
hands restlessly. <Let's get this over with.>

         Sylia was still reeling from the revelation that Tsumari could be 
all that was left of her
father and so she didn't notice the uneasy edge in her lover's voice. 
<Where can we find him
Nene?>

         Nene spread her hands wide. <It's not that easy. He moves around a 
lot to keep Sangai
from finding him.>

         Priss rubbed the back of her neck, both virtually and in real 
life, trying to ease the tingle
of apprehension that was making the hairs on the back of her neck stand at 
attention. <Christ!
Take a guess then!>

         Linna saw Priss' discomfort and moved to stand beside her. <You okay?>

         Stepping back, Priss glared at her. She couldn't hear the familiar 
sound of Linna's
heartbeat. There was no heat from her body. She was a ghost and Priss was 
rapidly realizing that
she could not straddle these two realities. <I can't stay here. Let me know 
what happens.> And
with that she vanished.

         Sylia blinked and looked at Linna in question. <What was that about?>

         Linna held her hands up. < I have no idea. She seemed upset about 
something but when I
asked her about it she wouldn't answer.>

         Nene cleared her throat. <Sylia? Why don't you go check on her 
while Linna and I search
for Tsumari. There's really no need for all of us to be here and he may 
only appear to me.>

         Torn between finding the truth and concern for Priss, Sylia warred 
with herself for a
moment before reluctantly nodding. <Contact me the instant you find him 
Nene.> She slipped out
of the system and opened her eyes. Priss was no longer in the bedroom.

         She found her in the garden and Sylia pulled the edges of the robe 
tighter across her as
the cool night chill cut through the thin material. Priss was sitting in 
what Sylia had begun calling
her meditation place and seemed oblivious to the cold ground she was on. 
Her knees were drawn
up tight against her chest and Sylia was dismayed to realize that Priss was 
still naked. "Priss?"

         Priss turned her head to face Sylia, laying her cheek on her 
upraised knees. "You're
beautiful in starlight."

         Not sure what to say to that, Sylia waited for Priss to speak.

         "Every time I think I've found my balance� figured out what I am� 
it changes again."

         Sylia moved closer and knelt beside her. "Everyone changes Priss. 
It's a consequence of
living."

         There was no humor in the short laugh that Priss gave but she did 
manage a smile.
"Perhaps. I'm sorry about bailing out on you, love."

         Sylia wrapped her arms around Priss and pressed a kiss to her 
forehead. "Don't be. Just
tell me what's wrong."

         Priss sighed as if the very act of breathing were too much at that 
moment. "I can't go
back into the system Sylia. I'll go mad."

         "Mad? Why would you think�?"

         "Not think. Know. Sylia, my senses are so bound to this world, to 
the most basic
elements of it that it's something of a shock to find myself in a place 
where everything my mind
is telling me is different than what my instincts say."

         Sylia considered this as she brushed Priss' hair in an absently 
soothing motion. "I guess I
hadn't realized that your senses had become that concentrated. Can you try 
to give me an
example of what's troubling you?"

         "Well, for starters I can always tell you and the others by� well, 
by your smell. You
were there but you were in the wrong place. I could smell you beside me on 
my left, but in there
you were standing on my right. I know it seems like a little thing but I've 
come to rely on my
sense of smell as much as my eyesight. And when Linna and Nene arrived� it 
was worse. They
were like phantoms. I couldn't hear their hearts and there was no smell, no 
body heat." She pulled
out of Sylia's arms and stood, waving her arms around her in an expansive 
motion. "Do you
know that Linna's scent turns just a bit sharper when she's nervous? Or 
that Nene gets nauseous
when she's upset?"

Priss met Sylia's eyes and her voice dropped. "Did you know that I can 
smell your heat
when you're aroused? Even when you're downstairs in your office? It comes 
through the
ventilation system, which makes it fainter, but it's there." A faint blush 
touched Sylia's cheeks
and Priss had no trouble seeing it in the faint light around them. "When 
you're angry you taste
coppery, like blood, but when you're upset you taste salty, as if your 
scent is weeping the tears
that you won't allow yourself to." Priss dropped to her knees and cupped 
Sylia's face. "And when
you're aroused you taste like musk � and honey."

Sylia's heart was pounding and as she met Priss' lips, she felt the strong 
hands holding
her slid down her neck and shoulders, sweeping the robe away and warming 
her flesh with
sensual intent.




         Nene released the strand and waited for Linna to join her before 
throwing up her hands in
defeat. <I give up! He must be hiding.>

         Linna fingered the grip on her sword and glanced around anxiously. 
<Yeah, but what
would make him hide?>

         Shrugging, Nene didn't answer as she left the virtual world and 
re-entered the real one. "I
don't know but Sylia is not going to be happy about this."

         Linna sat up on the bed and bit back an oath as the muscle in her 
calf tried to cramp. Inji
eased it almost instantly but the flare of pain was enough to remind Linna 
that she was annoyed
with Sylia for interrupting their evening. "She'll get over it. We tried 
Nene. He doesn't want to be
found right now."

         Nene nodded and drew a bracing breath before contacting Sylia. "I 
just hope she's in a
good mood."



         Sylia stretched languidly and felt her body brushing along Priss'. 
She felt relaxed and
calm, a state that she had seen far to little of lately and she intended to 
enjoy it. Priss was dozing
lightly beside her and Sylia turned onto her side to watch the younger 
woman's face.

         <Sylia?>

         The hesitant tone in Nene's presence made Sylia wince. Uh oh. So 
much for that. <Yes,
Nene?>

         <We can't find him. We looked everywhere but there's just no 
trace. I think he may be
hiding somewhere.>

         Disappointed would not describe the way Sylia felt but she knew 
that Nene and Linna
had tried. She debated her options for a moment and then surprised Nene. 
<All right Nene. Thank
you for trying. Just keep me posted if you find out anything else or see 
him again.>




         Nene's stunned expression concerned Linna and she put her arm 
around the redhead.
"Honey? Is she chewing you out?"

         "No�she� she thanked me for trying and said to just let her know 
when he showed up
again." Nene smiled a little. "She wasn't mad."

         Linna grinned evilly. "How much you want to bet that we have Priss 
to thank for that?"

         Nene stuck her tongue out playfully which Linna took, of course, 
as a challenge and tried
to catch it. They fell to the bed in a giggling sprawl, letting the more 
serious concerns of the
moment drift away as they resumed the evening's previous plans.



Priss ran an appraising eye over the long shafts of metal that she had 
carefully shaped and
checked with Arashi once again. <You're sure I won't feel this?>

=Chicken?= Arashi's snide reply was ignored and Priss picked up the 
shortest curve of
titanium. She felt her right hand go numb and her left hand began moving on 
its own as Arashi
began the process of imbedding the claw under Priss' natural finger nail. 
The finger bones had
been prepared and as the metal pushed in, Priss could both hear and feel 
the claw slide into place.

Blood welled and dripped onto the surface of the worktable as nanobots 
began to slow
the bleeding and began to weave the metal into the surface of the bones.

She could hear Sylia approaching and smiled wryly. <Somebody's not going to 
be happy
with me.>

Sylia entered the lab and absently glanced at Priss as she moved towards 
the main
computer. Her steps faltered and she stared at Priss in surprise. "Priss? 
You're bleeding."

Priss grinned unrepentantly and nodded as she selected the next claw. "Yep. 
This is a
little messy."

Sylia watched Priss force the metal into the tip of her finger and 
blanched. "Why� What
are you doing?!"

"Just adding a little upgrade." The smell of blood was making Priss' senses 
flare and she
could taste the dark scent on her tongue. Controlling the urge to lick the 
digit clean, Priss inserted
the next claw and then the next, working steadily until all five had been 
placed.

Arashi directed the nanos as they melded the metal covered finger bones and 
claws into a
smooth, retractable form.

=Okay, its done but it'll take several hours until they're usable.=

Nodding briskly, Priss wiped up the blood and washed her hands in the small 
sink at the
back of the lab. She turned and met Sylia's worried gaze. "Problem?"

Not sure how to describe what she was feeling, Sylia took a moment before 
responding.
Priss had been so adamant about her not playing 'Frankenstein' that she had 
assumed that the
same could be said for Priss. Apparently not. "I thought we were going to 
discuss things that
would effect both of us, before we did them?"

A rueful sigh acknowledged her point. "Yes we did. I had been planning this 
for a while
now and I should have told you about it."

"But why do it at all? Why do you need them?"

Priss seemed to be looking through Sylia as she answered, her expression 
still. "I have a
bad feeling Sylia. I want to be prepared in case�"

"In case what?"

         "In case my nightmares become reality again." She fingered the 
velvet box in her pocket
and drew it out.

         Sylia recognized the box that held the wedding rings Priss had 
chosen and felt an
unexpected smile part her lips.

Priss gripped the ring box and glanced at Sylia. "I don't suppose you'd 
like to get married
now?"

Sylia was stunned and she sank into a chair behind her. "I take it that you 
mean right
now?"

"Yes." Priss moved to kneel in front of Sylia and covered her hands with 
her own. "I
know it's not what you planned but something is urging me to do this now 
before�" She trailed
off and shook her head.

"I understand Priss." Sylia cupped her cheek and brushed her thumb over 
Priss' lips. "I
think I feel it too. A sense of urgency."

Priss encircled Sylia's waist and laid her head on her lap. "I'm afraid 
Sylia. And that
pisses me off."

Sylia stroked her hair and they sat in silence for a time.

The chime on Sylia's watch sounded and she spoke. "I do have one request 
though. You
are not getting married in motorcycle leathers."



The night sky was starlit and Sylia felt the weight of the ring on her 
finger with a sense of
unreality. How very little time it takes to join your life with another's.

"So where to now?"

Sylia smiled slyly. "Hmm, good question. It is our wedding night after all. 
How about
Gensou?"

Priss grimaced. "You just want to tease me about Iroke some more."

"Actually I'm serious. Iroke aside, the hotel is gorgeous and the food is 
first class."

With a long-suffering sigh, Priss gave in. "Okay but we need to pack a 
bag." She glanced
down at the white pants suit she was wearing and grimaced. "And change."

"All right. Why don't you go back to the apartment and I'll go get us a 
vehicle."

Priss spotted the gleam in Sylia's eyes and knew she was up to something. 
"Uh huh.
Okay, but you're at the mercy of my packing skills then."

"I'll survive."

Sylia kissed her deeply and as she left Priss took a moment to collect 
herself. "Hot
damn!"

end part 2


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