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
************************
Tokyo International Airport 7am. . . .
The tall blond man approached the customs desk and stood there as the
official mechanically went through the small duffel bag.
"Occupation?" Asked the official.
"Student," said the young man in perfect, if accented Japanese.
"Business or pleasure?"
"A little of both," the man said with an embarrassed grin. "Working
vacation."
"Uh-huh." The official banged the stamp down on the passport and handed it
back. "Thank you, enjoy your stay in Tokyo. Next!"
**************
Tokyo Public Library, Main Branch, 2pm
Linna Yamazaki sighed as she carefully picked up the stack of books and began
to carry them through the maze that was Tokyo's main public library.
Linna was not a very remarkable woman, pleasant faced, with a athlete's body
and short brown hair. Her eyes were perhaps her sole remarkable trait. They
burned with an inner fire that quite firmly declared that you had best get
out of her way.
At the moment, that fire was subdued as she struggled with books. While most
books these days were on data cards, her professor, a particularly sadistic
(she thought) fellow named Tan, felt that the old method of reviewing books
and absorbing the information within was a far superior way then reading
words on the screen and copying relevant portions into a palmtop.
Linna saw nothing wrong with that method, she had graduated from college with
her business degree that way and it had gotten her the job she held at the
moment.
"Of course, after watching Nene, Nigel and Mackey, I just had to go and
decide that I want a better degree," she muttered to herself as she
sidestepped a book on the floor. "So what do I pick? Mechanical engineering.
Why? Because I was so good at math in college that I figured engineering math
would be a breeze." Turning down an aisle she shifted the books to one arm
and stared at the shred of paper in her hand. "So it is, but for a professor,
I get the Marquis DeSade."
Continuing her tirade, Linna snatched a book off of the shelf and added it to
the stack. This obscured her view and she was forced to crane her head to the
side to see where she was going.
Naturally, fate chose that moment to slam into her from the other side. Now
Linna was normally a very even tempered woman. In fact, she apologized to
boomers if she bumped into them. But she did have a nasty temper and when she
lost it, well, watch out.
"Hey!" Linna yelled as the books fell to the floor. "Why don't you watch
where you're going?"
"I'm sorry, miss," said the sandy haired young man as he crouched down and
began to gather the spilled books.
'He's cute,' a part of her mind noted even as she continued to berate him.
"Sorry?" she demanded, hands on her hips "Sorry doesn't cut it!"
"How about really sorry?" He asked as he gave her half the stack and picked
up the other half. Linna glared at him and then turned on her heel and strode
back to where her purse and bag waited.
"Look, miss, I'm really sorry about that, it was my fault."
"Yes, it was," she agreed.
"And I'd like to make it up to you with some coffee." He gave her a dazzling
grin that made her toes curl.
"That sounds fair," she agreed.
"And," he continued, scooping up the stack of books easily, "I'll be your
beast of burden for these, miss. . ." he trailed off and looked at her
inquisitively.
"Linna, Linna Yamazaki."
"Kit Walker."
**************
Kitty Kat Cafe, Tokyo, 4pm
"You're an American, right?" Linna asked as they sipped their coffee.
"Sort of. My great, great, great," Kit paused and counted off on his fingers,
"well, he lived a long time ago, and he was British. But for the past five
hundred years, my family's lived in Africa, at least until my father decided
to move to New York, that's where I was born."
"Oh." Linna looked down at the coffee. "So what did your family do in Africa
for five centuries?"
"Conservation work, law enforcement, helping out those who can't help
themselves." He shrugged. "So what's with the books?"
"I work for Hewgit in sales. I was getting bored with sales figures and I
have some friends who are technical, so I thought I'd give engineering a
try." She shrugged. "And since Hewgit's a division of Genom, and since Genom
pays engineers better then they pay salespeople, I figured, what the hell."
"Always a good reason," Kit said blandly, earning him a giggle from Linna.
"So tell me about yourself."
"Well, I was born in Hokkaido. . ."
Night had fallen by the time they left the cafe, laughing and talking like
they were old friends.
"So, any chance of me seeing you again?" he asked.
"I. . ." For a moment, she was sixteen again, betrayed and humiliated in
front of her peers; then she was back in the present. "I'd love to." She
said. "A friend of mine is playing at a club tonight and I have an extra
ticket."
"Sounds fun."
"Great!" She pulled the ticket from her purse. "Its at Hot Legs at eight!"
"I'll be there."
Waving good-bye, Linna boarded the bus. Kit watched it depart before
speaking. "Hello, Guran." He said without turning around.
"Hello, Kit," said the dark skinned man as he stepped up next to Kit.
"Guran," Kit continued, turning to look at his friend and mentor, "not that
I'm not glad to see you, but why are you here? I'm on vacation, remember?"
"I felt that the jet and your cycle might be needed." Guran replied.
"Against what?" Kit asked acidly. "Rogue boomers?"
"You should always be prepared," Guran said sternly.
"I am," Kit replied as he pulled back the sleeve of his jacket to reveal a
shiny metal armband. "But I'm here to gather material for my Foreign Studies
term paper and enjoy myself. Not run across rooftops."
**************
Hot Legs Nightclub, Tokyo, 745pm
"You met a guy?" Nene Romanova asked, her eyes lighting up like twin suns.
"Yes," Linna said, trying not to laugh. "A guy."
"Is he cute?"
"Very."
"Ooooooh!" Nene said, clapping her hands to her cheeks, "I'm so excited!"
"How are you doing with Priss and Leon?" Linna asked, eager to change the
subject.
"Oh Priss still won't admit to anything." Nene said. "But she likes him, I
know it!" She was silent for a moment and then looked Linna square in the
eye. "Now, about this Kit Walker. I want details. Height, age, and how tight
his butt is."
"A bit under six feet, twenty-one and as for the last one, I really can't
say," said a man's voice behind her. Nene stiffened. "Not my thing, you
understand," he continued.
"He's right behind me, isn't he?" she asked Linna.
Linna could only nod as her hand was covering her mouth in a vain attempt to
keep from laughing at the expression on the younger woman's face.
**************
"She's good!" Kit shouted over the music to Linna as on stage, a woman
dressed in red leather sang into the mike. "What's this song called again?"
"Konya Wa Hurricane!" Linna shouted back.
"Think I could get a copy?"
"You'll have to ask her!"
"Where did you learn to speak Japanese anyway?" Nene asked.
"Nene!" Linna gasped.
"It's okay!" Kit assured her. "My aunt is a linguistics professor at NYU! She
raised me after my parents died! I picked it up reading all the books she
has! I know maybe five or six different languages!"
"Neat!" Nene said, looking down at the drinks "I need a refill! You guys want
anything?"
"Sure!" They called back.
Kit watched Nene disappear into the crowd before leaning over and putting his
head next to Linna's. Aside from shouting, it was the only way to make
himself heard.
"Is it always this loud?"
"No. Priss is a little subdued tonight."
"Really," Kit said dryly as on stage, Priss all but ripped the microphone off
the stand, and with the microphone in one hand, and the stand in the other,
proceeded to whip the crowd into a further frenzy.
"Yeah," Linna said impishly, "I can't see anyone taking their clothes off."
Kit's eyes involuntarily jerked around the club, when they returned, Linna
was grinning.
After a moment, Kit grinned back.
"Here you go!" Nene announced as she returned carrying the drinks.
"Thank you!" Kit said as he grabbed the glass, only to set it down and clap
as Priss finished her set and left the stage.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nene lean over and whisper in Linna's
ear.
"Kit!" Linna called, gesturing and Kit leaned over. "I have to go,
something's come up. Go home, get some sleep." she slid a piece of paper to
him across the table. "Its my phone code. Call me!" With that, she dropped
some money on the table, presumably to cover her and Nene's drinks before
running towards the back.
Kit tucked the paper into his pocket before reaching for his drink. She had a
point, sleep sounded like a good idea.
"Ladies and gentlemen" came a voice over the loudspeaker. "Please make your
way to the exit in an orderly fashion, I have been informed that a rogue
boomer is headed this way."
Naturally, the club exploded as everyone panicked.
"This is the last time I call a trip a 'working vacation'," Kit groaned as he
rolled up his sleeve.
**************
In the alley behind Hot Legs, a nondescript van idled. Already pulling off
her jacket, Linna, followed closely by Nene and Priss, ran inside.
"What is it?" Priss demanded.
"Cargo boomer," said the white haired woman at the small terminal just inside
the door. "Absorbed a damaged Kay Suit that was being transported to be
turned into scrap and made a beeline for this section of town."
"Fun," Priss observed as she stripped off the last of her clothes and reached
for the cloth suit hanging just inside the locker. "Were those idiots
transporting live ammunition along with it?"
"No, thank God," Sylia said and then gave the singer an arch little smile.
"Detective MacNichol was in charge and he has more sense then that."
Priss blushed furiously as she turned and ran for the blue armor waiting
nearby.
"Now remember," Sylia continued, "its a Kay suit in there so you'll need to
strike fast and hit it hard."
"We know the drill," Nene said as she activated the her own suit. "Hey Linna,
what's wrong?"
"Just worried about Kit."
"Kit?" Sylia asked.
"Oh Linna met this really cute guy and-URK!" Nene gasped as Priss stalked by,
grabbing her shoulder.
"Later," she growled out.
"Knight Sabers," Sylia said as she turned back to the console. "prepare for
action."
One after another, three flashes of light flared from the back, launching
them into battle.
When the Sabers returned to the club, they found that the boomer already had
a playmate. Something was darting around the room, firing plasma bursts.
"What the hell is that?" Priss demanded.
"Sensors can't lock on," Nene said. "But those plasma bursts are incredible!"
"What?" Linna asked.
"Those blasts are the equivalent to the firepower of a Doowin Dee sixty-nine
assault rifle."
"Like what the A.D. police use?"
"Yeah, only from what I can tell, the guns are no bigger then standard
handguns!"
"Damn," Priss said and then she straightened. "I'm going in." With that, she
leapt forward, driving her knuckle bombs into a spot on its lower back before
leaping away as the Boomer whirled to meet the new threat only to howl in
agony as the blur focused its firepower on the damaged spot.
Whirling, it went for the blur, which leapt out of the way with catlike
agility, and the boomer crashed into the wall.
The four regrouped on the far side of the room. The Knight Saber's armor
sensors could not get a clear picture of the blur, at best, they could make
out that it was man shaped.
"Okay," Priss said. "Nene, you and Linna flank that sucker, I'll go in and
smash its core." The blur put out its hand in front of Priss.
"What?" She snapped. The blur jabbed its gun at Nene then at the left side of
the room. Next, it pointed at itself and then the right side. Finally, it
indicated Linna and Priss and then the boomer, which had finished extracting
its head from the wall.
"You and me flank it while they rush it?" Nene asked. It nodded its head and
then sprinted across the room, the gun in its hand spitting white hot death.
Nene copied the maneuver, her darts peppering the boomer's head. Linna led
the charge in, her monofilament ribbons lashing out and slashing into the
boomer's hide.
"YAAAAHHHHH!" Priss screamed out her battle cry as her jets propelled her
forward, driving her knuckle bombs through its armor and into its guts.
Guided by experience, her hand found the boomer's pulsing heart and crushed
it.
"Its over," Priss said, dropping the mass to the floor. "Now for-" She broke
off as she caught sight of something in her peripheral vision.
Just out of the light, a shadowy form stood there for a moment and then
turned and ran through a hole in the wall.
Linna couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw a flash of purple.
**************
Genom Tower, Tokyo, 11pm
Mason looked up as the Genom security agent approached and held out a data
reader.
"This is all we could find, sir."
"And?" Mason asked, making no move to take the device. After a moment, the
agent lowered his arm to his side.
"Well sir, we wound up going through the Historical Archives at both Oxford
and Cairo, and all we could find that matches the man who fought the boomer
earlier tonight was an old African legend." Mason nodded. An amateur
cameraman had caught a brief sighting of a man in purple fleeing the cafe.
Genom agents had paid the man very handsomely for the footage and encouraged
him to contact them if he should get anything similar on film.
The agents, at Mason's orders, had then turned it over to R&D for analysis.
Apparently they were done.
"A legend?" He asked.
"Yes, sir," the agent said. "It dates back to the fifteen hundreds. According
to the legend, a cabin boy was shipwrecked on the coast where he was found by
a small tribe. The tribe nursed the boy back to health and then forged him
into a weapon against injustice."
"How sentimental," Mason scoffed. "Continue."
"Yes, sir," The agent glanced at the reader for a moment. "As a final gift,
the tribe gifted the boy with the secret of immortality then sent him forth
into the world." The agent paused. "Since then, he's roamed the world,
combating injustice wherever he finds it. Confirmed sightings are rare, but
he seems to have focused his efforts in Africa. Starting last year, after a
nearly two decade absence, there have been several both confirmed and
unconfirmed sightings in New York, Metropia, Northern Mexico, Western Europe,
Africa and parts of the Middle East. Many of the locations were Maximum Inc.
property, which hinders our ability to investigate further, though we have
ascertained that he has either some sort of grudge against them or an
unusually intense interest in their activities. Several of the sites where
the sightings were made were destroyed, lending credit to the grudge theory."
"I don't want theories," Mason growled, tapping his fingertips together. "I
will have facts." He met the agent's eyes. "Or your head."
To his credit, the agent didn't even blink. "On that front, Sir, Genom North
America and Genom Eurasia are investigating several of the more public
incidents. They expect to have results on his...interest in Maximum by the
end of the week at the earliest."
"This legend...does he have a name?"
"Yes, sir. The legend calls him the 'Ghost Who Walks'. But historically, he's
known as the Phantom."
****
Author's note: Yes, I know "Konya Wa Hurricane" never appeared in BGC 2040.
So what?
*************
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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