Disclaimer: The Phantom is the property of King Features Syndicate and 
Bubblegum Crisis 2040 is the property of JVC. No money is being made from 
this and no such intent should be inferred.

C&C,, public or private is welcome. I respond to all C&C....eventually
************************
Room 303, Kujoni Hotel, Tokyo, 9am

Waking up with a hangover was not an entirely new sensation to Kit. Hangovers 
in college, were, after all, regarded as a rite of passage, and compared to 
some of the stories he had heard, he was eternally grateful that in the 
three-now four times he had gotten drunk, he had woken up in his own bed. 
What made this time unusual was that he was not alone. Next to him, Linna, 
naked as the day she was born, was staring at her left hand in absolute 
horror.

"Linna?" he asked, trying to ignore the drums in his head, "what's wrong?"

She held out her hand to him to show him the band of gold on her finger. It 
took him a moment to focus on it and then he gasped and looked at his hand. A 
matching band of wrought gold encircled the third finger of his left hand.

He was quite positive that they weren't there yesterday.

**************
Room 303, Kujoni Hotel, Tokyo, 915am

They sat on the edge of the bed, not quite out of arm's reach of one another, 
but not so close that you could mistake them for lovers.

"Well. . ." Kit said before trailing off. It was then he noticed Linna was 
making soft sounds and her shoulders were shaking. "Linna?" he asked, 
reaching out to touch her shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" She gasped, recoiling as though she had been shot.

"I-I'm sorry," He said, yanking his hand back.

"N-no," she said, turning to look at him. "I. . ." she held her face in her 
hands and cried.

"Look. . .Linna. . .I. . ." Kit started, but was saved by the ringing of the 
phone. Reaching over, Kit keyed for audio only.

"Hello?"

"Mister Walker? This is the front desk, I'm sorry to disturb you but I have a 
call for you from a Nene Romanova. I wouldn't even be calling up since you 
left instructions not to be disturbed, it's just that she claims to be a 
police officer and..."

"How the hell did she-" Kit started to ask and stopped. It wasn't important.

"Put her through," Linna said quietly.

"Are you-"

"I said put her through!" Linna snapped and then her expression softened. 
"Please."

"I'll take it," Kit told the phone.

"Yes, sir." There was a clicking noise and then Nene's voice came through.

"Okay, Walker! Where's Linna?"

"Hello, Nene," Linna said before Kit could speak. 

"Linna? You okay?"

"Hangover. Could you swing by my apartment and grab some fresh clothes and 
some Sober-Up from the drugstore?"

"No prob. You sure you okay?"

"Yeah, thanks, Nene," Linna said as Kit turned off the phone.

**************
Room 303, Kujoni Hotel, Tokyo, 10am

Linna wrapped in a soft robe, all but pulled Nene into the room.

"Do you have it?"

"Yeah." Nene held up the bag. Quickly, Linna ripped opened the package and 
popped the red pill into her mouth, washing it down with a cup of coffee 
before staggering over to the bed and sinking down onto it.

"Where's Kit?" Nene asked.

"Out getting breakfast," Linna said and sighed appreciatively as the Sober-Up 
went to work, dispatching her hangover with a minimum of fuss. "God, I needed 
that. Thank you, Nene."

"No problem," Nene said and then took in Linna's appearance. "Wait. Did you 
and Kit-" Her eyes lit up like twin suns again. "You did! Okay, I want 
details, was there any food involved?"

"I don't really remember."

"Don't remember? I thought you and Kit spent the night together."

"We did," Linna said. "Among other things. . ."

"Among what other things?" Nene asked suspiciously.

Linna held up her left hand.

For the second time, a scream echoed from room 303.

**************
Knight Sabers HQ, 1030am

Sylia was only faintly aware of Nigel, Priss, and Mackey gathered behind her 
as she stared at the wall phone in astonishment.

"They what?"

"Got married," Nene said. "I think she's still in shock. She doesn't even 
remember the ceremony. All she remembers from last night is a karaoke bar and 
a few scattered images of her and Kit. . ." Nene made a circling gesture with 
her finger. "When she woke up, she was a married woman."

"How original," Priss murmured. 

Sylia pinched the bridge of her nose. This was a headache she did not need. 
Part of her criteria had been lack of romantic ties or serious friendships. 
Nene was too young and hyper to form any serious attachments, Priss was a 
loner, and Linna was career oriented with family in another town, and a job 
that left little time for serious socializing. The effectiveness of the 
Sabers depended on as few outsiders getting involved as possible and this Kit 
Walker was a wild card that she knew far too little about to feel 
comfortable. "Where is she now?" The white-haired woman asked.

"I made her take a shower," Nene said glancing at something that they 
couldn't see. "She said she sent Walker out for breakfast, that was like, 
forty-five minutes ago and he isn't back yet."

"Nene, I want you to stick to her like glue, find an excuse to get her out 
and about, go shopping or whatever you feel is necessary, try and find out 
how much she may have told him. Keep her at home afterwards if you can."

"Told him about what-" Nene started to ask and then broke off as 
understanding dawned. "Oooohhh. Right," she said as something off screen 
caught her attention. "Whoops! She's out! Talk to ya later." The image winked 
out.

"Does this mean we have to send gifts?" Priss asked.

Nobody said anything for a few moments, and then Sylia turned to face them, 
her expression one of business.

"Nigel," said Sylia, "you saw the records from the boomer attack at Hot Legs, 
right?" He nodded. "Do you think you can modify the hardsuit's optical 
systems to compensate for the Phantom's jamming field?"

"I can try," Nigel said after a moment's thought. "If that's how he's doing 
it."

"Don't tell me you think he's a ghost too," Sylia groaned.

"Seen to much to just dismiss it," Nigel said as he lit a fresh cigarette and 
headed back towards the work area, trailed by Mackey.

Priss and Sylia traded looks, shrugged and went about their business.

**************
Tokyo Airport Hanger 5, 1130am

"I don't believe this," Guran said, shaking his head. "You're not even 
completely trained and already you're married."

"It wasn't even my idea!" Kit yelled. "Hell, maybe it was! I can barely 
remember the honeymoon!" The air echoed the slamming of Kit's fist against 
the side of the plane. "I'm sorry, Guran, I shouldn't be yelling."

"It's all right, Kit," Guran said as he handed the younger man some coffee. 
"I shouldn't have spoken like that." He gestured to a set of nearby stools. 
"What's important now is if anything else happened last night."

"Anything else?" Kit asked, earning him a flat look from his mentor. "Oh, 
right," he said as he took out his phone.

"Hello?" Linna said as her face appeared on screen.

"Can we talk?" Kit asked.

"Now?" Linna asked and then her face disappeared to be replaced by Nene's.

"She doesn't have anything to say to you!" Nene snapped.

"Nene!" Linna shouted and her face replaced Nene's. "Now's not a good time, 
Kit."

"Yeah. I was hoping we could talk over dinner tonight." He held up his hand. 
"No alcohol, I promise." 

She smiled. "Sure," She said. "Crown Cafe at six?"

"I'll be there," Kit promised as her image winked out.

"Well that's settled," Kit sighed. "Now what?"

"I suggest lunch," Guran said and escorted the younger man out of the hanger.

**************
The Crown Cafe, 630pm

The meal had been very low key, the conversation centering mostly around 
academic matters. Glancing at her hand, he noticed that Linna was still 
wearing her ring, a fact which pleased him for some reason.

"Linna," 

She looked up. "Hm?"

"Linna, if there's. . .I mean. . .I swear I'll do right by him!" 

She gave him a wan smile. "Relax," she said, taking his hand. "I'm not 
pregnant, Nene dragged me to the doctor already."

Kit's let out a long breath that he hadn't realized that he had been holding.

"Oh, good, I like kids, but I'm not-I mean, eventually. . ."

"Shush," she said gently, "you're babbling." 

Kit shushed.

Time passed and eventually, Kit spoke again.

"Linna." He tapped his ring against the tabletop. "About these." 

She looked down at the rings then back up at him. "I know what they mean to 
you, and I. . ." Sighing, he took out a small folder. "These are annulment of 
marriage papers. Say yes, we sign them and you'll never hear from Kit Walker 
again. Say no, they go into the nearest trash can and we try to make 
something out of what's happened."

Linna stared into his eyes. He was serious she realized, all she had to do 
was sign the papers and no one, except for the Sabers, was the wiser. He was 
going back to America in four more days and she would never hear from him 
again.

Her thoughts turned to the disc she and Nene had found while cleaning up. It 
had been in a leather bound folder and contained the certificate of marriage, 
and a video recording which quite clearly showed her and Kit, drunk as could 
be, saying their vows before a justice of the peace and a few witnesses. It 
wasn't the kind of wedding she hoped for but drunk or not, she had taken a 
vow to love, honor, and cherish the man sitting across from her and she had 
always kept her promises. But did she love him?

The Kamis only knew. She wasn't sure. She only knew that having Kit around 
seemed to fill something inside her, satisfying a need she didn't know had 
been there until she met him. 'Who are you?' She wondered silently. 'You who 
bumped into my life and would die for me even as I would die for-where the 
hell did that come from?!' Linna was so shaken, that it took her a moment to 
realize that he was shaking her by the arm.

"Linna?!" His voice was low, but filled with alarm.

"Huh?"

"You zoned out there and then turned white as a sheet. What's wrong?"

'Wrong?' She thought sarcastically. 'No, nothing, unless you count the fact 
that a total stranger who I met barely forty-eight hours ago has already 
somehow managed to worm his way into the center of my being. And if I say 
yes, I'll never see him again. . .' A wave of cold anger suddenly surged 
within her, fueled by her frustration at such thoughts.

"Linna?" Kit asked. The color had returned to her face and there was 
something flickering in her eyes. He suddenly felt a slight wave of fear.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked softly, faintly aware, and yet uncaring as 
a red haze began to fill her vision and the beating of jungle drums filled 
her ears.

"Wha?" Kit managed.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" Linna asked, her voice akin to a growl. 
"You come sweeping into my life, you stir up all sorts of feelings in me and 
then just oh so casually offer to leave?!" Linna's voice had risen to a shout 
and people were staring.

'Who am I?' Kit thought ironically. 'God, what a loaded question.'

"Well-," Kit began and then his ears rang and stars exploded in front of his 
eyes as her fist connected with his head.

When he could think again, he was lying on the floor, staring up at the face 
of their waiter.

"You okay?" The waiter asked, offering a hand.

"Y-yeah," Kit said, accepting the offered hand and getting to his feet. The 
world was still shaking slightly and he staggered to an empty chair.

"Jeez, buddy, what did you say to her?" The waiter asked, handing him a bag 
of ice.

"I wish I knew," Kit groaned, pressing the ice to his face.

"Must've been pretty bad," The waiter noted, sitting down across from him. 
"The was the best right cross I've seen since the thirty-two Olympics." He 
shook his head. "Want some free advice?"'

"Sure."

"Whatever you said, better find out what it is and fast. With a body like 
that and from what I overheard while bringing the food, brains to match, 
she's not one you want to let get away." 

Kit nodded in agreement." I know, and I'll go after her, as soon as the world 
stops spinning."

**************
Saber HQ, 645pm

Nene looked up from where she, Nigel, and Mackey had been gathered around the 
Moto-slave as the elevator opened, revealing the scowling face of Linna, who 
entered the room almost before the doors finished opening. 

Within the male gender of the human race, there is a deep rooted instinct for 
self-preservation that awakens only in the presence of a human female angry 
at the male gender.

"I need. . . to get a power wrench," Nigel said, standing up quickly.

"Let me. . .help you," Mackey said, picking up on the older man's emotion and 
both men left the room.

"Linna?" Nene asked, placing herself in the other woman's path. "Something 
wrong?"

Linna, quite literally, growled and until her dying day, Nene would swear she 
saw her friend's eyes glow.

"Right," Nene said, a big grin on her face. "Nothing wrong! My mistake!" She 
stepped to the side and let Linna storm past.

**************
755pm

As the red haze and sound of the drums faded, Linna found herself on her 
hands and knees, hyperventilating, rivers of sweat pouring off her. Looking 
around, she realized she was in the middle of the Saber's training gym.

Or at least, what had been the Saber's training Gym.

The remains of exercise equipment lay scattered along the walls and in a few 
cases, half out of the wall.

Groaning, she tried to stand and settled for falling over as every muscle in 
her body loudly protested at the thought of moving.

"What, happened?" she asked herself out loud.

"Worst tantrum I've ever seen," replied a voice. "Rogue boomers are less 
destructive then you were." Turning her head, Linna saw a man standing in the 
doorway. He was slightly shorter then Nigel, with brown hair and a bushy 
beard. He wore a beat up old coverall and a lab coat. His face however, was 
open and friendly.

"Who?" Linna asked.

"Name's Raven, all my friends call me Doc," he said easily as he knelt next 
to her. "Can you stand?"

"I think so," Linna said, and tried to sit up, only to fall back with a groan 
of pain.

"I'll take that as a no," Raven said quietly as he pulled her to her feet and 
half carried her out.

His destination as turned out to be a hot tub, and Linna didn't resist until 
he started undoing her blouse.

"Lady," he said gruffly. "I'm a doctor. If there's anything under those 
clothes that I haven't seen in both thirty-five years of medical practice, as 
well as on the bodies of my three ex-wives, I'm going to be very surprised." 
Reassured by his manner, and by the thought that he had to be a friend of 
Sylia's if he was in the Pit at all, Linna stopped fighting, turned her back 
to him, and allowed Raven to undress her and help her into the tub. The room 
itself was dark, offering some semblance of concealment and she noticed Raven 
kept his eyes averted.

"Sake?" Raven asked, when she was settled. 

"No thanks," Linna said, sighing in gratitude as the heat seeped into her 
tired body. "I don't drink. . .anymore."

"Smart girl," Raven said, handing her a bottle of water. "You're in no 
condition to be drinking anyway." Linna drank deep as Raven flicked a switch 
and she felt sonic pulses impact her body, both relaxing her tired muscles 
and stripping away the dirt and sweat.

"Sonic bath, designed for people with mobility problems," Raven said, taking 
a drink of Sake as he pulled a chair over and sat. "It's not quite the same 
as a relaxing shower, but in your case, I think it might cure several 
problems at once."

"It does feel nice," Linna said, tossing the now empty bottle away and 
sinking into the water until it lapped at her chin.

"That's the idea," Raven said, leaning back in his chair and putting his feet 
up on the tub's rim. "So if you don't mind my asking, why were you so angry?" 
After a moment's hesitation, Linna told him the condensed version of events 
over the last two or three days.

". . .and the next thing I know, I'm in the training room feeling like I had 
just been through a decathlon," Linna finished.

"So you don't remember anything between suddenly getting mad at your friend 
and then here?" Raven asked.

"No, nothing except. . ." Linna trailed off, frowning. "Well, there was those 
drums."

"Drums?"

"Yeah. Like the natives would play in all those jungle movies from the 
mid-twentieth century."

"What did they sound like?"

"Well," Linna said thoughtfully. "Kinda like this." She tapped out a simple 
rhythm on the tub rim.

"Just like that?" Raven asked. 

Linna nodded. 

"Well, I can't be sure, but it sounds like an African war dance."

"Great," Linna sighed, laying her head back and closing her eyes, "Just 
great."

What seemed like a few moments later, she was shaken awake and saw Sylia 
standing over her.

"S-Sylia?" Linna asked. The older woman nodded, her eyes traveling the length 
of the tub and Linna resisted the urge to cover herself with her hands that 
always seemed to crop up when Sylia looked at her.

"Feeling better?" she asked.

"Yes," Linna said. "Especially after talking with Raven."

"Who?" Sylia's face matched her white hair.

"Raven. Doc. He's a friend of yours, isn't he?"

"He was," Sylia said very softly. "He died two years ago." Before Linna could 
reply, Henderson was standing in the doorway.

"Pardon me, m'lady," the white-haired man said respectfully. "But we've 
detected multiple reactions and I've taken the liberty of summoning Ms 
Agulari."

"Thank you, Henderson," Sylia said. The butler nodded and left.

"When you're done," Sylia said, turning to leave. "Go right to bed, Henderson 
will have a room prepared."

"But you might need me," Linna protested.

"You need rest, Linna," Sylia said in a tone that brooked no argument. "The 
girls and I can handle this."

"Yes, Ma'am," Linna said, sliding back into the water.

Sylia gave her one last smile and left the room.

**************
Sadom District, 8pm

Hollywood had Felix and Oscar, the A.D. Police had Leon MacNicol and Daley 
Wong.

Leon looked more like a biker than a cop. He was tall, with closely cropped 
hair and shoulders that bulked ominously under his leather jacket. Wong, on 
the other hand, had longer hair that was parted carefully and wore a clean, 
neatly pressed suit. Both feet were up on the dashboard and his eyes were 
closed behind his wire rimmed glasses.

Rumor had it that they had been partnered together on the assumption that 
Wong, who always seemed to be six steps ahead of anyone else, would either 
straighten MacNichol out or get killed due to Leon's "in your face" approach 
to law enforcement.

So far neither had happened, but there was a great many people who were 
hoping that would change, and soon.

"I'm bored," Leon announced as though it was a great philosophical truth.

"Well we could always try and find Priss," Wong said without opening his 
eyes.

"Aw, shut up!"

"It would give us something to do," Wong pressed, clearly enjoying Leon's 
discomfort.

"I said shut up!" Leon snapped, his hand tightening around the control stick. 
"Damnit! I need coffee!" The com picked that moment to crackle to life.

"All units, all units, this is dispatch, we have four rogue boomers in the 
Shinjuku district."

"Dispatch, MacNichols and Wong responding," Wong said as he took his feet off 
of the dash and hit the siren.

"Roger."

**************
Sylia's guest room. 830pm

Linna sat bolt upright, the vision of the jungle and the great black jungle 
cat fading away, the sound of the jungle drums becoming the beating of her 
heart.

'They need me,' was the thought that burned in her brain and she threw back 
the covers, suddenly filled to bursting with energy.

Throwing on a robe, she left the room , took the elevator down to the Pit and 
headed for the changing room. Nobody seemed to be around, which suited her 
purposes nicely.

Slipping on her softsuit, she moved to the controls for the launcher and 
stopped when she realized she had no idea how to operate it. She knew Sylia 
used the joystick to aim it towards wherever the boomers were rampaging, but 
beyond that. . .

"Allow me, Miss Linna."

"Yah!" Linna yelped and spun to see Henderson standing behind her, a blank 
expression on his face. "Don't do that!"

"Apologies, Miss Linna," Henderson replied with a short bow. "But a signal 
sounds whenever someone is in the launch room, I was simply investigating." 

Linna nodded. "Do you know how to work this?"

"Of course, Miss Linna. Signal when you're ready." Linna nodded and darted 
into the launcher and slipped into her hardsuit.

"Okay, I'm ready," she said, activating her suit seals.

"Five seconds, Miss Linna," Henderson said. "Your destiny awaits."

"What?"

"Good luck," Henderson replied and the channel clicked off as energy began to 
build up around her.

'What did he mean by that?' Linna wondered and then she was rocketing upwards 
and out over the towers of Tokyo.

**************
835pm, Shinjuku

The Knight Sabers were surrounded. Nene guessed that they had been 
construction boomers. Now they were ten foot tall beasts, their four fingered 
hands flexing slowly as they regarded their prey.

The moto-slave lay at the Sabers' feet, broken in several places. Linna's 
intervention had turned the tide for a few moments and then the Boomer's had 
regrouped and pressed their attack.

"Well, I can't say it hasn't been interesting," Priss said.

"It can't end like this," Sylia said. "I haven't found it yet!" 

Nene was about to ask what Sylia hadn't found when something roared overhead, 
causing the question to die on her lips as one of the boomers suddenly shook, 
sparks flying as the air was filled with the chattering roar of high-powered 
projectile weapons.

The overhead object continued its sweep moving down to the far end of the 
street before coming back at a slower speed. It was a jet, painted purple and 
black with wicked looking swept-back wings that reminded her of a bat's.

Continuing to slow, the jet finally stopped at a hover perhaps twenty yards 
away and a few feet above the street.

"Down!" Priss barked as flaps on the jet's sides opened up. The Sabers hit 
the ground as the howl of missile engines and explosions filled their ears.

When they looked up, two of the four boomers had been totaled.

"I don't who they are, but I like their style," Priss said, as she moved into 
a crouch. 

The boomers however, were watching the newcomer.

"Nene!" Sylia exclaimed. 

But the computer expert had already had the same idea, raising her arm and 
taking aim at the back of the boomer's skull. But before she could fire, the 
boomers let out a roar and charged the jet, tendrils whipping out from their 
hands.

"They're going to try and absorb the jet?" Linna gasped.

"Apparently," Priss said dryly.

The jet's pilot however, didn't seem to like the idea and with a roar of VTOL 
engines, it rocketed skywards, the tendrils missing by mere inches. Something 
on the jet's underside opened and the Sabers saw something fall out.

"Bomb!" Priss yelled as the street was lit by the blinding flash of yet 
another explosion.

**************
Leon frowned as the street shook yet again.

"I don't like this," he muttered. "Who's that yahoo in the jet?"

"I think we have bigger concerns," Wong noted, pointing at one of the nearby 
buildings. "Judging from those cracks, the buildings can't take much more of 
these. . .aggressive tatics."

"Detective MacNichols!" came a shout from behind them. "The Kay Suits are 
here!"

"Alright!" Leon's grin was savage. "Payback!"

**************
The Sabers were pinned. On one side, the A.D. Police Kay suits were slowly 
advancing on the rogues and the jet, guns blazing. On the other, their 
mysterious savior in the jet was playing two on one tag with the other two 
boomers, one leaking fluids due to damage from the jet's missile fire, the 
other still going strong.

Suddenly, the jet lifted into the air with a roar of its engines, the sheer 
force of the thrust exhaust sending the rogues flying.

As the boomers got to their feet, the nose of the jet seemed to split, 
launching a cycle-shaped blur, if it was a cycle.

Whatever it was, they could hear the roar of its engine as it weaved between 
the boomers and thundered down the street, darting into the police lines. The 
Kay suits turned to follow it, guns blazing, and shot each other in the 
process.

"Damnit!" Leon yelled into the com as the cycle headed back up the street 
towards the boomers. "Can't you morons do anything right?"

Grabbing a rifle from one of the nearby officers, Wong fitted the butt to his 
shoulder and began tracking the cycle.

"Wong?"

"I'm concentrating, Leon," Wong said absently, his finger curling around the 
trigger. It was like following mist, he thought as he watched, letting 
instinct take over. There! He squeezed the trigger once, the sharp crack of 
the report, the jerk of the butt against his shoulder, and the blur flipped 
into the air, propelled not by the exploding of it's tires or engine, but by 
street under it as the asphalt exploded upwards, fueled by the rupture of the 
gas line exposed by the boomers' earlier rampage.

High in the sky, there was a tiny flash of light and then a rope was flying 
to side, snagging a still standing street lamp as a rippling in the air came 
down in a wide, semi-horizontal arc.

"Fire in the hole!" Wong yelled, as he ran away from the car, Leon close 
behind, both men sensing, rather then seeing the gun in the blur's hand. 
There was a flash of heat and then the shockwave of the exploding car threw 
them both to the ground.

"You okay, Wong?" Leon asked, ears ringing, Wong didn't answer. Looking up, 
Leon thought he saw the Blue Knight Saber standing over them, and then he 
slipped into blackness.

**************
"I don't like the way she's acting," Nene muttered to Sylia as they watched 
Linna stand victorious on top of the battered boomer, arms raised, letting 
out a cry of victory that seemed almost like an animalistic howl. 

"I know, Nene, a lot about today isn't making any sense. I intend to have a 
long talk with Linna about her recent behavior," Sylia said as she looked 
over to where Priss and the Phantom were double teaming the other boomer, and 
doing a good job of teamwork.

Priss leapt straight up, intending to drive her knuckle bombs into its head 
when the Boomer whipped around, its outstretched arm slamming into the 
Phantom, launching him off his feet.

"NOOOOO!" Linna shrieked as her jets roared, sending her across the battered 
street and past the Phantom, getting behind him and using her armored body to 
shield him as both hit the wall of the building and then tumbled down to land 
on the sidewalk.

"Priss!" Sylia barked over the com.

But the blue-armored musician was already tearing aside the last vestiges of 
the boomer's biomechanical armor and crushing its core.

"It's over!"

"Then grab Linna and let's get out of here."

"What about the Phantom?" Nene asked.

"Grab him too," Sylia said. "Something tells me he's the reason Linna's 
acting the way she is."

Priss scooped up Linna and Sylia grabbed the Phantom and they leapt away, 
shots from surviving A.D.P. officers whistling past them.

**************
Genom Tokyo, 1030pm

"And in other news, the A.D.P. was routed again, with an unprecedented four 
rogue boomers tearing up a residential section of sixth street in the 
Shinjuku district.

The incident, marking the fourth rogue in as many days, has sent City Hall 
into a frenzy with various watchdog groups coming down on both sides of the 
incident. In a statement released by Genom, the company again denied any 
possibility that Boomers could mutate into such monstrosities and hinted that 
some terrorist group might instead be responsible for constructing the 
beasts. As of this hour, no one has claimed responsibility. Ji Chang, BBC 
news, Tokyo."

A single mental command from Rosenkruz and the TV shut off, leaving the 
elderly man alone with his thoughts and the machines that kept him alive. 

The board had changed with the introduction of this human shaped blur who had 
powerful weapons and moved with grace and speed. Even more interesting, he or 
she seemed to be on the side of the four ladies who had been plaguing him for 
so long and who Mason had been so eager to find.

Mason. . .

Mason, he decided, was no longer an asset. His greed, ambition and madness 
had blinded him. The man was a genius at business, but otherwise useless. It 
seemed the scales would have to be tipped. 

Closing his eyes, Rosenkruz immersed himself into VR and called up a CAD 
program. He did so abhor taking a personal hand in matters, but the things he 
had done to make his dream a reality already would condemn him to eternal 
damnation as it was. A comforting thought was that Mason would be there with 
him and he felt a smile play across his virtual features.

To work then.

**************
Saber HQ, 1155pm

Linna and Nene looked up as Sylia and Nigel exited the medical room. Nigel 
looked tired, Sylia's lips were pursed thoughtfully.

"So who is he?" Nene asked impatiently. Sylia said nothing instead she 
crossed to the room to where Priss was sitting and began quietly talking to 
her.

"Well that was helpful," Nene said sourly. "C'mon, Linna, let's go see."

"You go," Linna said, "my ribs. . ."

Nene nodded and went into the medical room. After a few minutes, curiosity 
got the better of Linna and she too, went inside.

The medical room smelled of antiseptic and blood. Nene stood by one of the 
beds, her posture stiff and rigid.

"Nene?" Linna asked. "Who is it?" For a moment, there was silence, and then 
Nene moved aside.

It was Kit, and strangely, Linna was not surprised. It was like she had 
always known. In fact, all she felt was a sort of relief that wasn't quite 
her own. Relief that the knowledge she had could now take its proper place in 
her mind, rather then lying buried at the back of her subconscious.

"Linna?" Nene asked.

"I know now," Linna said to the prone form on the bed, reaching over and 
touching his pallid face. "In a way, I've always known who you are in my 
heart, but now it's concious." She paused as an exhausted shudder ran through 
her. "I have to go now," she whispered. "I'll be back in the morning, my 
jungle prince." Turning away, she found Nene staring at her with wide eyes 
and pointing her palmtop computer at her. On the screen was what looked like 
a translation program.

"Nene?"

"Linna, what did you say to him?" Linna stared at her blankly.

"What are you talking about?"

"You spoke to him in Swahili. You've never left Japan in your life!"

"I was? Oh, God." Linna ran a hand through her hair. "What's happening to me, 
Nene?"

"Let's talk about it outside," Nene said, grabbing her friend's elbow.

"Right. Outside. Good idea," Linna said and allowed herself to be pulled to 
the door.

However, when they exited, they found themselves staring at the sight of a 
dark-skinned man dressed in all black clothing holding Priss, Sylia, and 
Nigel at gun point.

It was too much for Linna to take, and she fainted.

"Who are you?" Nene demanded.

"My name is Guran," the man replied. "I am here for the Phantom and his 
Chosen. Where are they?"
*************
Steve "Komodo" T.
""Great," Nabiki said, getting up to pace as her voice began to climb in 
volume with every word. "Kasumi gets a man who worships the ground she walks 
on, Akane has three different rich lunatics, or kings, or Demigods fall in 
love with her nearly every day--and that's just before breakfast, mind 
you--and what do I get?" She glared at SETCOM's burnished black metal shell, 
her voice soft, but her tone as cold as ice. "A computer."



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