Part 3
See first part for disclaimers
Nene waved at Leon before climbing onto her scooter and reaching for her 
helmet.
<Linna? Are you home yet?>

Linna's reply was distracted. <Yes. Just checking some research. You want 
pizza tonight
or should I make something?>

The thought of pizza made her mouth water. <Pizza. I want mushrooms, shrimp 
and
olives on my half.>

Linna grimaced but promised to place the order. <Do you want them to 
deliver it?>

Nene shook her head automatically as she fastened her chinstrap. <No. I'm 
going by
there. I'll get it.> She turned the engine over and suddenly found herself 
airborne as the scooter
exploded. Intense heat enveloped her as she hurtled though the air before 
coming to an abrupt
stop against the side of the ADP building.

Nene's scream was swallowed in the sound of the explosion, but Linna heard 
it anyway.
"Nene!" <Nene?! Seiki! Inji what's happening?>

=I don't know! Seiki isn't answering. =

Linna raced to the front door and threw it open. She had a brief glance of 
the boomer
standing there in the instant before the near silent hail of bullets tore 
into her body. Blood sprayed
across the open door and soaked into the pale carpet in an obscene path.




Sylia swept around the turn and smiled as the bike responded eagerly. Nice. 
I should have
realized that the bigger frame would add more stability. Even Priss might 
have trouble flipping
this bike.

Taisei snorted. =Want to bet on that?=

Ignoring this, Sylia took the exit heading into MegaTokyo and increased 
speed. The dull
roar of the engine barely changed and she laughed. "Excellent."

The city lights began to increase and the light from passing cars flashed 
over her as she
streaked down the highway. She let her mind drift as she rode and didn't 
immediately notice the
headlights rapidly approaching her from behind.

Light flared in her mirror and her eyes narrowed. Sylia had a split second 
to see the car
edge up beside her and then Taisei was shouting. The bursts of light that 
exploded from the
driver's window made no sound and it wasn't until the slugs impacted her 
body that she realized
that it was a gun. The car veered into her lane and crushed her leg between 
it and the bike. Sylia
screamed in pain, as the bike seemed to come apart beneath her. She was 
airborne for one perfect
moment, and time slowed to series of images. The burning frame of the bike. 
The blur of asphalt
lit by the glow of fire. The ground rushing up to meet her.

The force of the landing took the breath from her body and as she skidded 
across the road
and towards the guardrail, Sylia absently noticed that she was getting 
dizzy. The rails bent under
the force of her body but did not break. The edge of the bridge was inches 
away and as she began
to breath again she laughed once.

In the distance there was high-pitched screech, growing louder. She glanced 
up and saw
the bike heading straight for her.

Metal screamed as it was torn aside and the bike plummeted off the bridge, 
taking Sylia
with it.

The dark car glided onto the bridge. The driver got out and strolled over 
to the edge,
spotting the form that was now pinned beneath the burning wreckage. 
Laughter whispered across
the night air and the figure was almost dancing as they climbed back into 
the car and sped into the
night.





Priss slipped into the dark jeans and tucked in her shirt before pulling 
her boots on.
<Something tells me that Sylia's gone to get the 'surprise' she's been 
working on.>

Arashi chuckled. =That was supposed to be a secret.=

<Then she should have washed up better. I could smell the oil on her skin.> 
Priss
retrieved a double saddlebag from the closet and began to pack.

=I don't think Sylia has figured out yet just how much you can perceive 
through your
senses now.=

Slinging the bags over her shoulder, Priss strode quickly out of the 
apartment and to the
elevator. <Can't give all my secrets away, now can I?>

Priss stepped into the garage and froze as a feeling of unease swept over her.
<Something's wrong.> Every sense she had was screaming at her and she 
quickly scanned the
area, looking for the source. Priss heard the scrape of metal against metal 
a second before Arashi
detected the boomers. =Christ! Boomers! =

<How many?> She didn't ask how they had breached the building's security. 
There
would be time for that later. She hoped.

=I count twenty energy signatures. =

Priss eased back into the elevator and hit the up button. <Contact the 
others and see if you
can get the security systems back online.

The elevator moved swiftly but Priss was still relieved when it stopped at 
the lab floor.
The doors opened and Priss instinctively ducked, as the room seemed to 
erupt in gunfire. She
rolled out and sideways, barely managing to stay ahead of the spray of 
bullets. She reached the
momentary safety of a column and the energy saber in her wrist extended.

The shooting stopped and a familiar voice called out. "Come now Priss, 
don't make this
more difficult than it has to be."

Priss gritted her teeth at the unexpected fear that swept over her. 
Kutsuu's voice was
pleasant, even jovial but then, she sounded that way even when she was 
cutting you up. <I guess
Sylia was right.>

"I can make this as easy or as difficult as you want Priss." Kutsuu 
signaled the boomers
to break into two groups and approach Priss' hiding place from either side. 
"Of course I'm hoping
that you'll take the difficult path. I so want to play with you again 
before I kill you."

<Not in this lifetime, bitch!> Priss swallowed hard and took a deep breath. 
She would not
go quietly. The door to the lab seemed miles away. <So what do you think my 
chances are?>

"I've missed you Priss. I can't wait to finish our game."

=Forget the lab. Try for the stairwell. =

<You do remember the boomers downstairs?>

=Yes, but in about ten seconds you're going to be surrounded. =

Without giving herself a chance to think, Priss sprinted across the hall 
and hit the door to
the stairs. The dull impact of several rounds propelled her forward and she 
tumbled down the
stairs.

The boomers coming up the stairs were somewhat surprised by this and as she 
collided
with them they all scattered. Priss took full advantage of the moment and 
her saber cut a quick
path through the machines. She heard the pounding of metal footsteps on the 
stairs above her and
shot through the doorway.

The elevator doors were just opening and Priss hurled herself inside, 
quickly beheading
the two boomers within. She pressed the button for the penthouse and then 
popped the hatch in
the roof of the car. Priss pulled herself up and replaced the hatch. The 
dark shaft smelled of
grease and dust, but Priss ignored this and focused instead on the smell of 
blood. She could feel
the bullets in her back and she grimaced. <That's probably not good.>

She caught the ladder that ran inside the shaft and quickly climbed to the 
roof opening.
Priss felt her stomach lurch as a wave of terror and pain washed over her, 
freezing her in place.
Sylia! She could feel it, the pain that was radiating from her lover. Oh 
God! <Sylia? Arashi can
you reach the others?>

Arashi's tone was subdued. =They're not coming Priss. I think they've been 
attacked. =

<Attacked? Are they�?>

=I'm picking up their enclave signals but I can't contact them directly. =

<So we're on our own.> Priss emerged onto the roof and made her way into 
the garden.
She wasted no time in heading for her spot and she knelt on the damp 
ground. The energy blade
hissed as it sank into the earth and Priss cut a wide square. She retracted 
the blade, sank her hands
into the warm seam and pulled the thatch aside to reveal a sealed case.

=Maybe not. There's still Sabishii and Kuraki. =

Priss didn't hesitate. <Fine. Send them to help the others.> Case in hand, 
Priss retreated
into the depths of the garden. The coded lock opened at her command and she 
began to assemble
the weapon inside.

=And Sylia thinks she's paranoid. = Arashi contacted Kuraki and told her 
what was
happening. She wasn't surprised when Kuraki announced that they'd be right 
there.

Priss ignored Arashi's comment and shoved the magazine of magnetic grenades 
home.
The weapon powered up and she smiled grimly. <Time to send that bitch back 
to hell.>





Kutsuu directed the boomers to begin wiring the building with explosives 
and glared at
the door in front of her. The computer lock had so far been unbreakable and 
the sensors would
only penetrate deep enough to warn them that there was some serious 
explosives set to trigger if it
were forced. This had to be were the suits were stored. Kutsuu glanced up 
as the elevator doors
opened. Surprise lit her face an instant before fear wiped it away.

Priss braced the launcher and fired. The grenade hit the boomer standing 
next to Kutsuu
and exploded, sending her flying across the room. She fired twice more and 
boomer bits rained
down over a terrified Kutsuu. She scrambled to her feet, blood matting her 
pale blond hair and
dotting her clothes.

Priss' smile was rueful. "You look like hell. Maybe you should take a 
break, hmm?" She
casually turned and fired at the trio of boomers that had just emerged from 
the stairs and then
smiled again. "Hard to find good help?"

Kutsuu found herself cornered against the tall picture window at the end of 
the hallway.
"Damn you! You're supposed to be dead!"

Priss shrugged. "Sorry to disappoint. Maybe you were just doing it wrong. 
Why don't I
show you how it's done?"

Kutsuu's reply was to hold up a remote detonator. "Why don't we go 
together?" She hit
the button before Priss could move and there was an instant before the 
blast to meet each other's
eyes.

The force of the explosions blew through the floors of the Lady 633, 
destroying
everything in their path and triggering the charges that Sylia had set. 
Priss felt herself flying
forward and she covered her face with her arms as she and Kutsuu were blown 
through the
window.









=Kuraki.=

Taisei's voice filled Kuraki's head and she smiled in relief. <Taisei! 
Where's Sylia?>

Taisei seemed distracted. =Sylia's alive, but we're going to need help 
getting out of
here.= She relayed their location and then paused.. = I can't feel Arashi. 
Do you know if�?=

Since Sabishii seemed unwilling to answer, Kuraki did. <We don't know. We 
got a
message from Arashi that you were in trouble and that was the last contact.>

Sabishii's face was impassive. "Rihi tapped into the local police band. 
Nene's scooter
exploded outside the police station. She's in critical condition at 
MegaTokyo General. There was
another explosion across town�the Lady 633 was destroyed."






Reika raised her hand to knock and paused when she saw that the door was 
ajar. She
pushed it open and called out, "Hello? Linna? Nene?"

At first the stains didn't make sense and as she followed their path across 
the floor, Reika
wondered how they had managed to spill paint everywhere. It clicked in an 
instant when she saw
Linna's still form. "Linna!" She shoved the door open all the way, her 
weapon drawn without
conscious thought. Sweeping the room, Reika didn't immediately go to Linna. 
Instead she
checked the rest of the apartment. Once assured that they were alone, she 
returned and knelt
beside the other woman. "Linna?"

 From the series of holes peppering her shirt, Reika knew that she was 
gone, but she
lightly touched Linna's throat anyway. The faint beat startled her and she 
gasped. "My God! Hold
on Linna!" She reached for her phone and started to call for an ambulance 
when something made
her stop. She looked at the clock and then back to Linna. Linna said that 
they were going to have
a quiet evening in tonight. But where's Nene?

She dialed quickly, deciding to trust her instincts. "Ko? I have an 
emergency here."






Kuraki gripped Sylia under the arms and pulled as Sabishii lifted the 
crushed frame of the
motorcycle. It crashed back to the ground and Sabishii winced at the 
damage. "What a waste."

They carried Sylia back up the embankment and slid her into the van. Kuraki 
climbed
behind the wheel as Sabishii pulled the ruined helmet off and brushing the 
remains of Sylia's
clothes aside, staring at the wounds in dismay. <Taisei? Are you taking a 
holiday or would you
care to talk to us?>

         Taisei's answer was short and profane. =Fuck off, I'm busy. =

         Rihi was amused. =Somebody's been hanging around Arashi too much I 
see.=

Ignoring the remark, Sabishii assessed Sylia's condition. Burns covered her 
lower torso
and legs where the motorcycle had burned away on top of her. The occasional 
flash of silver
offset the charred flesh. A series of bullets riddled Sylia's chest and 
abdomen, but none of the
projectiles had entered the flesh very far. Sabishii gingerly reached out 
and popped one of the
bullets loose. It had melted in the heat and she wished she had the 
equipment to start an IV. The
bullet wounds were not serious and there was very little bleeding, but the 
burns�. She began to
remove the rest of the bullets as she explained what was happening to Priss.

         "It seems that Taisei has been busy. From what my scanners are 
telling me, a web of
microscopic carbon fibers has been woven underneath Sylia's skin over the 
more vulnerable
areas." But that didn't help against the burns. <Taisei? What about her legs?>

         =She's in shock. It's all I can do to keep her alive. Her legs�I 
don't know yet.=







Priss coughed hoarsely and groaned as the action made her chest ache. Pain 
radiated
through her body in bright waves and she took a moment to focus on its 
origins. Ribs weren't
busted but the muscles around them are crushed. Head's pounding but my 
skull's intact.
Shouldn't be.  <'Rashi? What the fuck happened?>

Arashi laughed humorlessly. = You tried to fly.=

<Oh. Guess it didn't work.>

=Nope.=

Priss opened her eyes and blinked rapidly against the dust that filled the 
air around her.
She could see nothing in the total darkness and she closed her eyes again, 
letting her other senses
see for her. Priss could hear the clatter of stone against stone as pebble 
sized chunks of rubble
slowly rained down. The sound echoed oddly and Priss realized that she was 
in some kind of
tunnel. She then realized that she was pinned in place. The sound waves 
struck something a few
feet to the left and about fifteen feet to the right. She reached out 
blindly and gripped a small
chunk of concrete. Priss smacked it against the floor beneath her and 
listened. Hmm. Keeps going
ahead of me, but stops behind. She dropped the concrete and felt around 
until she heard the ring
of metal on metal. Her arm's sensors were mostly trashed, but she could 
still detect the smooth
length of rail that ran beside her. Subway tunnel. Geez. That's a long way 
to fall.

=Yes. You're doing pretty good though.=

A tiny smile crossed her face, unseen in the darkness. <What about the others?>

=The transmitter is damaged. Its fixable but it'll take time.>

<We don't have any.> Priss drew a breath and began the grueling task of 
digging herself
out.





Kuraki slowed the van as she approached the clinic and pulled into a 
neighboring parking
lot. "We've got trouble."

Sabishii tied off the bandage she had just wrapped around Sylia's hand and 
moved up
front. "What's wrong?"

Kuraki pointed to the front of the clinic and Sabishii cursed when she saw 
the three men
loitering around the entrance. "Shit!" She held her arm out and wasn't 
surprised to find that they
were giving off energy signatures. "Damn boomers! How the hell did they 
find out about this
place?"

"They may not know. Genom has the resources to cover every hospital and 
clinic in the
area. Head for General and let's find out."




"Damn it!"

Sabishii could tell from the disgust in Kuraki's voice that there were more 
boomers at the
hospital. "This is bad. Nene is in there."

Kuraki glanced at Sabishii. <Can you take care of Sylia's injures at the 
garage?>

Sabishii shook her head slightly. <If given no other choice. Sylia's hurt 
bad Kuraki. I'll
need more supplies than what we have on hand at the shop.>

<I'll handle it. Take her back to the shop. I'll rent another van and meet 
you back there
later.> She slipped another clip into her pocket and opened the door. "I'll 
watch Nene." Kuraki
grinned at Sabishii and winked. <Don't worry love.>

Sabishii briefly considered arguing but knew that Kuraki was right. <Be 
careful.>

<You know me.>

<That's my point!>

The scowl of Sabishii's face deepened. <Any word on the police band about 
Linna?>

Rihi's response was subdued. =Nothing.=





The distant sounds of sirens reached her and Priss knew she was getting 
closer to the
surface. She staggered through the tunnel, blindly, but unerringly. Arashi 
had managed to stop
most of the bleeding and Priss was determined to ignore the pain that 
flared with every step she
took. She had to get to Sylia. Images filled her mind and Priss fought to 
keep from retching as
their meaning became clear. Sylia. Fire. Pain.





Reika slipped into the back of the car and watched as two moving men 
carried a large
chest out of the building. They loaded it onto the back of a truck and Ko 
joined her as the vehicle
departed. She didn't look at him as she spoke, but instead watched the 
truck they were now
following. "Well?"

"Apparently there was an explosion at the police department earlier. One 
casualty; Police
officer Nene Romanova."

Reika felt a chill and pulled her jacket tighter around her. "How is she?"

"They don't expect her to pull through the surgery."  He opened his laptop 
and typed
industriously for a moment. "The Lady 633 was destroyed at almost the time. 
They're still
shifting through the rubble, but so far there are no survivors."

Reika laid her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. "Genom. 
Bastards."

Ko waited in silence, knowing that she would not let this go unchallenged.

"Send a security team to Nene. Make sure she has a chance to live through 
the surgery.
Call the base and have them standing by with a medical team. We'd better 
switch vehicles at
some point, just in case they saw through our deception." She looked down 
at her clasped hands
and stared at the small diamond on her right hand. Vengeance for vengeance 
sake might be wrong
Linna, but even you would have to agree that this has become so much more.






Leon paced the emergency waiting room and periodically yelled into his 
radio. "I don't
care! Find out what happened or I'll come down there and feed you your 
badge!" He dragged his
hands through his hair and tried to erase the sight of Nene's burnt and 
bloody face from his mind.
She's a computer jockey damn it! Why the hell would anybody hurt her? He 
looked up as the
inner doors swung open and the doctor emerged. "How is she?"

The doctor frowned. "She's alive. Which is more than we could hope for at 
the moment.
The damage from the explosion was tremendous and at this point we're trying 
to get her stable so
we can operate. There was severe damage to her internal organs but we 
should be able to replace
anything beyond repair."

Leon winced. "And her eyes?" He had seen the damage, knew what the 
blackened flesh
meant and he felt his stomach begin to roll.

The doctor shook his head. "Too far gone, I'm afraid." He saw Leon's 
distress and tried
to reassure him "Don't worry Lt. That's the easiest thing to fix. I'm more 
concerned with her
lungs and heart at the moment." A nurse appeared behind him and reported 
that Nene's condition
had stabilized. He nodded to Leon and went back through the doors.






Dr. Raven agreed to deliver the medical supplies to the garage as quickly 
as possible and
as Kuraki hung up she reflected that it had been fortunate that she had not 
changed her voice
when she had changed her appearance. Dr. Raven had been happy to do this 
favor for 'Sylia'. She
returned the phone to her pocket and entered the hospital.

Kuraki swept into the emergency room, spotted Leon and came to an abrupt 
halt. Hmm,
this could be difficult.

She approached him slowly, forming a story in her mind. Kuraki had worked 
out most of
the details as she reached him and she opened her mouth to introduce 
herself as the glass doors
blew inward. Shards of glass sprayed across the room and Leon shoved Kuraki 
down, covering
her body with his own. From her position on the floor, Kuraki reflected 
that it had been a very
noble gesture� but now he was getting heavy. She shifted slightly and felt 
him lift away from
her.

"Get out of here lady!" Leon drew his weapon and opened fire on the 
approaching
boomers.

Kuraki ignored this and reached for her own gun.

Leon was hitting his targets but the blasts were having little effect. The 
roar of another
weapon joined his and he was suddenly aware of the women standing beside 
him. The lead
boomer staggered back as most of its head exploded and the second shot 
caught the one on the
left in the center of its chest. Ominous smoke began to pour from the 
machine and the resulting
explosion finished the first boomer off and completely wrecked the waiting 
room.

The remaining boomer turned to flee and Kuraki knew that she could not let 
it escape.
She did wait until it had cleared the building before firing again though. 
No need to bring the
ceiling down on themselves. The boomer exploded and she smiled in 
satisfaction as she turned to
meet Leon's questioning gaze.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Kuraki Rei. I'm a friend of Nene's. Could we talk a moment? In private?"

Leon followed her to a smaller waiting room and watched her shut the door. 
"What can I
do for you, Ms. Rei?" His voice held all of its usual swagger and Kuraki 
realized that it was a
habit with him.

"It's about Nene. Those boomers were after her." She proceeded to tell Leon 
that Nene
was a Knight Saber.

He fell back into a chair and stared at her in shock. "You're kidding 
right? Nene?"

Kuraki nodded. "Nene's a valued member of the team. That's why we have to 
make sure
that Genom doesn't try to finish the job."

Leon tensed. Somehow he had known that Genom was behind this. "Genom's 
found out
your identities?"

Kuraki didn't correct his assumption. "Yes. A simultaneous attack was 
staged tonight.
The others are injured as well. We need help. I know you don't agree with 
our methods, but
regardless you can't let them kill her. Will you help us?"

Leon didn't hesitate. "I'm your man." His hand slid to the gun at his side 
and gave it a
reassuring pat.

She shook her head and withdrew a gun from behind her back, handing it to 
him. "This
works a little better than that pea shooter."

Leon scowled at the slur and glanced at his Earth Shaker before accepting 
the gun. "I've
never seen this type before."

Kuraki smiled and tossed him an extra clip. "That's because I built it. 
Five rounds per
clip and make sure you don't miss. As you saw, the bursts will cut through 
these walls like wet
newspaper. It's a prototype so don't lose it, okay?" She grew serious. 
"They'll keep trying, you
know. Can you watch her until she's able to be moved?"

Leon looked at the gun in his hands and then slipped his sunglasses on, 
grinning. "Yeah. I
can handle it."

Kuraki turned to leave and Leon spoke again. "The others�"

She stopped, but didn't turn around. "Does it matter?"

"Yeah, but somehow I don't think I'd like what you'd tell me." Leon watched 
her go and
then turned his attention to his new toy.





Sabishii ignored the curious stare of Dr. Raven and tossed the last box out 
of the back of
his truck. "Thanks Doc."

His eyes widened in shock and Sabishii cursed herself for the slip. "Sylia 
will settle up
with you later." She hit the switch to raise the doors and looked pointedly 
at his truck. "Thanks
again."

Dr. Raven was having none of it. "Don't think you can brush me off that 
easily young
lady. I've known Sylia Stingray since she was a child and if you think I'm 
too blind to see that
something is wrong then you're very much mistaken."

Sabishii sighed and lowered the doors. "Fine. I could use an extra pair of 
hands. Grab that
box of ringer's lactate and follow me." She picked up a stack of boxes and 
headed upstairs to the
apartment above the motorcycle shop.

Dr. Raven took one look at Sylia lying on the couch and blanched. "Sylia? 
We need to
get her to a hospital!"

Sabishii ignored him as she picked Sylia up and carried her into the 
kitchen. The long
dining table had been covered with a clean sheet and she nodded towards the 
small table she had
setup near by. "After you scrub, you can lay out the surgical stuff there."

Dr. Raven looked again at the damage that had been done and then at 
Sabishii. "I don't
know who you think you are but Sylia needs a doctor."

Sabishii rolled her sleeves up and uncapped a bottle of alcohol. "My name 
is Sabishii. I
am a doctor. Besides, every clinic, hospital and hospice is crawling with 
boomers looking for her.
She wouldn't last five seconds. Now scrub up or get out Doc."

He nodded slowly and went to wash his hands.






Seiki was slow to answer, her attention obviously elsewhere. = I hear you 
Kuraki. Why
are you here? =

Kuraki ducked into a supply room and grabbed a set of surgical scrubs. <We 
came to get
Nene.>

=Where are Linna and the others? =

<Sylia is with Sabishii.>

=Linna? Priss?=

<We can't find them.>

=What happened? =

<A well-coordinated attack. > She slipped into the observation theater that 
overlooked
the operating room. The room was empty and Kuraki stepped close to the 
glass. She could see
Nene's still form shrouded in sheets and the sense of urgency in the 
doctors in nurses made her
throat tighten. <How bad is it Seiki?>

=Bad. They're replacing her eyes and there's a current discussion going on 
about
replacing her lungs. I really hope they don't do that. I'm trying to repair 
them as fast as I can but
the damage� =

<Be careful. Don't give them any reason to search for you.>

=I'll do what I have to do to help Nene. If that gets me discovered then 
too damn bad. =

Kuraki smiled at her fierceness. <Have it your way.>

Sabishii's voice filled her mind. <Kuraki? What's going on?> She saw Dr. Raven
returning from the garage. Watched him disinfect the tool with alcohol.

Kuraki watched the surgeons trying to repair Nene's lungs and sighed. <It's 
bad. Her
eyes� they replaced her eyes, but Seiki thinks that she can keep them from 
removing her lungs.>

Sabishii looked at the burnt bones beneath her hands and swallowed hard. 
She drew a
deep breath. <I need you to get some stuff from the hospital.> She took the 
saw and met Dr.
Raven's eyes. <Sylia's worse than I thought.>

<How bad?> Kuraki waited for a reply and the silence was eerie. <Sabishii?>

<Bad.>





         Dr. Juubei unlocked his trunk and set his bag inside. The long 
weekend stretched out
before him and he could hear his golf clubs calling him as he slammed the 
lid shut. He turned
around and found himself facing a beautiful young woman. "Good evening 
miss. Did you need
something?"

         Kuraki's smile was bright as she tugged the side of her jacket 
away to revel the gun
underneath. "As a matter of fact Doctor. I need you to remain calm while we 
walk together over
to my van. I have a friend who is seriously injured."

         Yoshii glanced at the clinic entrance several yards away and then 
back again. "But the
clinic�"

         Kuraki shook her head as she moved to his side and slipped her arm 
through Yoshii's.
They started walking across the lot, looking for all the world like any 
other couple heading out for
an evening together. "There are boomers everywhere in the clinic, searching 
for my friends."

         Yoshii had a sudden suspicion that he knew who this woman's friend 
was and when she
motioned him inside the van, he did not protest. They pulled out of the 
parking lot and he looked
at his kidnapper. "I take it that Sylia has been hurt?"

         Kuraki's grin was pleased. "I knew you where a good man to have on 
the team. Yes she
is, but then so is the rest of the team. Nene is in the back. I slipped her 
out of the recovery room
after they operated. You might want to check on her."

         Alarmed, Yoshii moved quickly into the back.






Priss froze as a sound filled the tunnel. Rhythmic steps hurried towards 
her and she was
very much afraid that she knew what was coming.

Light flared in the dark as the overhead lights came back on and Priss saw 
the three
figures clearly. Non-descript and dressed as utility workers, the humans 
stopped when they saw
her. The tallest stepped forward and grinned. It wasn't a pleasant thing. 
"I think we found another
dead body."

Priss straightened as best she could and watched the artificial flesh that 
covered the
boomer's metal frames swell. A wet ripping sound echoed around them as the 
skin and clothes
fell into heaps, leaving only the merciless forms of combat boomers. <One 
more dance Arashi?>

The machines charged and Priss moved, ignoring the flares of pain and the 
scrape of
broken bones against each other. She ducked into a crouch and rolled 
forward, meeting the enemy
head on as the blade in her arm slid out and buried itself in the lead 
boomer. The blade sank into
the metal just above the groin and sparks and spraying fluid erupted from 
inside as Priss tugged
the weapon upwards. She felt the blast that struck her side, but ignored it 
as she stepped away
from the dying machine and swung out blindly, knowing, rather than seeing 
the head fall to the
floor.

Enraged, the remaining boomer grabbed her left arm and held the blade away 
as it raised
its own weapon. The spike pierced Priss' throat and through to the wall 
behind her. More shocked
at the insult than the injury, Priss ignored Arashi's warnings and sent a 
charge through her arm.

As the machine's hand exploded, Priss activated the impact caps and punched 
the boomer
square in the chest. The resulting explosion brought the tunnel around them 
down in storm of
debris.








Kuraki adjusted the mirror so that she could see Nene's prone form in the 
back. The IV
swayed with the motion of the truck and she slowed more than she normally 
would have to take a
turn as Dr. Juubei reached up a hand to steady it. He had been making 
grumbling noises since he
had reached Nene's side and Kuraki was sure that they were all directed at 
her for removing Nene
from the hospital.

A few minutes later the garage doors slid shut behind her and she turned 
the motor off.
<Sabishii? I'm back.>

<Good. Get that stuff up here.>

<I picked up Nene.>

<Nene? You...what am I saying? Of course you did. I'll send the Doc down to 
help you.>

Kuraki hefted the sheet-wrapped bundle and started for the apartment. She 
smiled
pleasantly at Dr. Raven, knowing that there was going to be a great deal of 
disclosure coming
soon. "Good evening Dr. Raven. Nene's in the back of the van with Dr. 
Juubei. I'm sure you two
can manage?"

He stared after the young woman who looked so much like Sylia she could be 
her sister
and then rubbed his eyes. "Somehow I know I'm not going like the 
explanation behind all this."






The gurgling sound of air through blood greeted Priss as she regained 
consciousness. The
dust had settled and she could see the smoking remains of the boomers in 
the pale light that
filtered from above. She glanced down and focused on the metal hand that 
seemed to be floating
in front of her. Priss blinked rapidly, trying to see and then realized 
that the appendage was still
connected to the spike. Which was still in her throat. And in the wall 
behind her.

Priss reached up and gripped the spike with both hands, not missing the 
hissing and
sparks that were now coming from her artificial arm. She would have drawn a 
deep breath had
she been able, but she settled for closing her eyes as she ripped the metal 
out of the wall and her
flesh. White-hot agony seared through her but as she fell to her knees, 
Priss fought it back,
willing the pain away and concentrating on the damage that had been done to 
her. <Arashi? How
bad?>

<You know how bad Priss. But it's not the throat that's the problem. It's 
the fact that the
lower part of your right lung is gone.>

Priss looked down at the bloody mess she was in and gave a mental sigh. <Shit.>





Kuraki laid the requested items down and moved to stand next to Sylia. She 
brushed her
hand over Sylia's hair and looked down the sheet-clad form to where the 
outline of her body
suddenly ended. "I thought there would be more blood."

Sabishii prepared the cybernetic limb as she answered. "Taisei had already 
halted the
flow of blood to her leg. She knew it was too far gone."

The tension in her voice was plain and Kuraki saw the strain around her 
lover's eyes.
"Are you okay?"

"No, actually I'm not. But I'm better than she is right now." She shook her 
head at the
dull metal she held in her hands. "Not exactly pretty but it'll do. I'm 
sure she'll have a grand time
designing a new one."

Kuraki nodded. "I couldn't get the neural implants. They have to be custom 
made."

"I know. Taisei can integrate with the leg far better than those circuits 
could."

Dr. Raven and Dr. Juubei returned and Sabishii glared at Kuraki. "What's he 
doing
here?"

Kuraki shrugged. "I thought you could use a hand."

Sneering, Sabishii nodded curtly to the new arrival. "Get Nene settled and 
you can give
me a hand with Sylia."

A few minutes later Sabishii and the doctor were pulling the sheet aside 
and examining
the amputation site.

Juubei leaned forward studying the neat sutures that sealed the stump and 
nodded in
surprise. "Excellent work here. Where did you study?"

Sabishii reached for the artificial limb. "Everywhere."







Priss' low snarl echoed through the tunnel as she fought her way to her 
feet and staggered
forward. She had to stop every few feet to rest and as she fought to remain 
on her feet, Priss
gasped for breath.

She almost missed it at first. The trace was so faint that it was almost 
overwhelmed by
the other stronger smells of blood, smoke and dirt. Priss closed her eyes 
and cautiously sniffed the
air, wondering if she were truly hallucinating now. No. It was no illusion 
and it was getting
stronger.

Glancing around, Priss knew that there was nowhere to take cover. She 
straightened as a
sound reached her and she turned around to wait.

Thump. Screech! Thump. Screech! Thump. Screech! Thump. Screech!

Priss wasn't surprised to see Kutsuu's battered form appear from the 
darkness. She
watched the boomeroid struggle closer and absently noted that her shot had 
taken out one
Kutsuu's legs.

Metal sparked as it was dragged over the concrete and Kutsuu inched forward 
on what
was left of her legs, the longer one screaming in protest as it was pulled 
along.

Priss patted her chest and reached inside her battered jacket for her 
cigarettes. She found
one that wasn't crushed and tucked it between her lips as she felt for her 
lighter. The flare
highlighted Priss' face and Kutsuu laughed wildly. "Hello Lover."

Shaking her head in disgust, Priss drew smoke into her mouth, but not her 
lungs. She
blew it out again as Arashi thanked her for not making her job anymore 
difficult than it already
was. <Doesn't matter, Arashi. I'm not too sure that I can pull this off.>

=Of course you can!> Alarmed by the hesitation she could feel in Priss, 
Arashi did
something she never thought she would do: she began to encourage the beast 
inside of Priss. =She
tried to kill your mate Priss. She hunted Sylia and the others down like 
prey. She tried to take
what was yours! Are you going to lie down and let her win?=

She had to hand it to Arashi, she knew how to push her buttons. Priss could 
feel the rage
bubbling to the surface and she tossed the cigarette away as her claws 
extended.

Kutsuu was unaware of Priss' current state as she continued to taunt her 
pet. "Don't you
realize that I can't die Priss? You can't stop me. I am forever. Too bad 
your Sylia wasn't. What
was she thinking when they ripped out her entrails and let them hang? I 
wonder if she screamed
when the boomers cut out her heart?"

Priss felt the wash of blood cover her vision and her mind blurred as she 
leapt at her prey.






The smell was thick in the air, but it was not the smell of blood. Priss 
shook her hands to
remove the few clinging bits of grey matter that were left and stared down 
at the jumbled mass of
metal and brain that had been Kutsuu. <Let's see them bring her back from 
that!>

Her arm was popping alarmingly, but Priss ignored it along with the fresh 
wounds to her
chest and face. Kutsuu had not parted with her head willingly. She got to 
her feet and again
started down the tunnel.

Arashi detected the power source a split second before Priss did. =To your 
left Priss.
Some kind of relay terminal. It must have been uncovered in the blast.=

Dragging herself closer, Priss ripped the metal casing away plunged her 
artificial hand
into the mass of wires. Arashi wasted no time and began to tap into the 
circuitry. Within minutes
she was ready to boost her signal across the hardwire. =Taisei? Seiki? 
Hell! Rihi! Anybody?!=

Sabishii was securing a bandage around Sylia's leg as Arashi made contact. 
<It's about
time! Where the hell are you?>

Priss felt the world beginning to spin and struggled to focus. <Ass deep in 
alligators.>
The last thing she heard was Sabishii's laugh.





Kuraki pulled the van into the alley and step lightly from the vehicle, 
placing her feet
carefully between the strewn garbage that littered the narrow space. Juubei 
followed her to a
square of grating that was partially buried.

"This is it." Before the doctor could reach for the metal, Kuraki had 
already stooped and
lifted it away with a too easy motion.

As it clanged to the ground beside him, Juubei stared at Kuraki. "I wonder 
how many
nanomachines I would find in you?"

Kuraki granted him a whimsical smile. "I'll never tell." She lowered 
herself into the
opening and headed towards Priss' last position. I really shouldn't tease 
him like this� Kuraki
smiled slowly. Of course, it is vastly amusing.

Juubei tripped his way down the dark tunnel behind her, trying to ignore 
the skittering
sounds that could only be the one thing he was terribly afraid of. He 
almost bumped into her
when she stopped suddenly and Juubei peered around her to see what had 
stopped her.

The crumpled form leaning against the wall was battered, bloody and 
seemingly lifeless.
Kuraki knelt next to Priss and pushed the tangled mass of hair back from 
her bruised face.
"Priss?" <Priss?>

Arashi answered, =She's alive, but could you please get us out of this damn 
hole?=




Juubei set several stitches in the side of Priss' throat, knowing that he 
would in all
likelihood be removing them later that evening. The myriad of injuries 
should have killed the
woman beneath his hands but instead he was watching her body literally pull 
itself back together.
He glanced at Sabishii who was cleaning several deep gouges in Priss' side. 
"What happened to
her?"

Sabishii's shrug was more nonchalant than she was feeling. "She got shot 
several times
and then blown out the window of a high-rise, falling through the pavement 
and into the sewer.
Then she was jumped by four boomers. All things considered? She got off lucky."


Kuraki strolled into the room and studied Priss' battered arm. "Looks like 
she's lost
another arm."

The metal was scorched and cracked in places, revealing the damaged components
underneath. Sabishii scowled fiercely when Kuraki lifted the limb and 
detached it. "What the hell
are you doing?"

"I thought I'd fix it."

Sabishii dropped the cloth she was using to clean Priss' side and came 
around the table to
take the cybernetic arm from her lover. "No." She reconnected it and then 
sent a stern look at
Kuraki. <You know damn well how she'd react to that. She'll fix it when she 
wakes.>

Holding her hands up in surrender, Kuraki backed away from the table with 
an innocent
smile. "Well, I offered."

Dr. Juubei observed the exchange in silence, waiting until Kuraki had left 
before
speaking. "So what happens now? Will I be free to go, or..?"

Sabishii's sigh was deep and tired. "Yeah, you can take off whenever you 
want." She
looked at her hands and flexed the blood-covered fingers. "There's been 
enough blood spilled.
Just keep your mouth shut and we'll pretend this never happened."

Tying off the last knot, Juubei snipped the suture thread and laid his 
instruments into the
tray beside him. "Why don't I give you a hand with those slices?"





Priss eased herself into a sitting position and groaned as the muscles in 
her back and side
pulled. "Ouch." Her voice was low and raspy; making her wince, but at least 
it was there. Arashi
could fix it later. She glanced at the form beside her and was surprised to 
see Nene. "Nene?" Priss
reached out and touched the still healing flesh of her cheek. Burns. Damn 
it. Her hand dropped to
the coarse ends of hair that had been protected under her helmet and winced.

"She'll be okay."

Priss turned to watch Kuraki enter and nodded. "Yes. What about Linna?" She 
coughed
hoarsely and gripped her chest as it began to ache.

Kuraki eased Priss back against the pillows and held a glass to her lips. 
"There were
boomers watching the apartment, but we think that they can't find Linna 
either."

Priss struggled to make her throat work through the soreness and swallowed 
some of the
water. <How's Sylia?> She was afraid that she knew the answer.

  <Priss� about Sylia.>

<Just tell me.>

Kuraki nodded. "Very well. She's alive. But the injuries..."

She had felt the agony that Sylia had gone through. Priss closed her eyes 
as she recalled
the feel of heat. <She was burned.> Priss carefully swung her legs off the 
side of the bed and
rubbed her face. <How bad?>

To say Kuraki was surprised would have been a vast understatement. "Um, she 
lost her
right leg, but the left was repairable."

Priss pushed herself to her feet and swayed unsteadily as the room spun 
around her.
Arashi bitched quietly that this was not a good idea, but Priss didn't 
care. She had to see Sylia.
Pulling the catheter from her the back of her human hand, Priss let it fall 
and turned to face the
other woman.

Kuraki made no move to assist her. "I did find a replacement. It's not 
beautiful but it'll
do until she can come up with something else."

Priss nodded and limped out of the room.







Sylia opened her eyes and saw Priss standing over her. "Hey."

Priss grinned and pressed a kiss to her forehead. <Hello Sylia Stingray.>

Sylia smiled. "Hello Priss Stingray."

<How are you feeling?>

Sylia turned towards Sabishii and sighed. "Tired. What happened?"

Priss grew serious. <We got hit. All of us, at the same time.>

Sylia reached out and gripped her hand. "Are you all right?" She saw the 
pink scars at
Priss' throat and realized that she had yet to speak. "Priss? Your throat?"

Priss grimaced a little, then rasped. "I'll be doing crow imitations for 
awhile, but Arashi
swears she can fix it. Honey, I'm a lot better than you are right now."

Something in her voice warned Sylia and she raised her head slightly to 
look at herself.
She was lying on some kind of narrow bed and she was covered with a sheet 
and blanket. "How
bad?"

Priss frowned. "Bad. You were driven off a bridge. The bike fell on top of 
you and
burned."

"Oh." That sounded entirely too painful and she focused on Taisei. <What's the
damage?>

Taisei told her what she wanted to know. =You lost your right leg.=

Sylia flinched and a small sound escaped her throat before she regained 
control. <I see.>

Priss took her hand and stroked her face. "I'm right here love. It'll be 
all right."

Nodding, Sylia tried to bring the riot of emotions under control. "Perhaps 
this is some
kind of cosmic justice for what I put you through.'

The fierce glare of her lover made Sylia laugh. "Don't even go down that 
road Sylia! We
settled that a long time ago."

Grinding harshly, Priss' voice sent chills across Sylia's flesh. "I'm 
sorry. I think I'm
having a moment of self-pity. It should pass quickly." It's no big deal, 
girl! You have more
important things to worry about!

Priss allowed herself a small chuckle before turning serious again. "Nene's 
hurt, but
she'll be okay. Kuraki snatched her from the hospital and brought her here."

Sylia saw her slight hesitation and her eyes narrowed. "What? What aren't 
you telling
me?"

"Linna's missing."









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