"Hey Priss, have a good show tonight, OK? Linna and I'll be watching," Chris called. A red leather boot came flying at his head from the dressing screen in the corner and he ducked. "Jeez, what was that for?" "Get out of my dressing room, you pervert! I'm trying to change!" "Who do you take me for, Mackie?" Chris replied in a hurt tone as he headed towards the door. "I seem to recall you saying I could come in." Another boot flew at him, but missed by a good three feet. "I thought you were Linna! Now get out of here!" "I'm going, I'm going..." Chris placated, and closed the door behind him. He found a rather unimpressed looking bouncer staring him in the eyes. "Uh, hi...she should be out in a minute." The burly bouncer took Chris by the arm and started herding him out from backstage. "I don't care if you are Priss' friend, come back here again and I'll kick your ass," he growled. "Now get out of here!" he ordered, shoving Chris into the crowd. A few moments later he was at Linna's side at the bar. "Vodka Special," he ordered, and smiled at the brunette. "How's things?" "So-so," she replied. "Nothing new. My car's acting up again though." She sipped at her drink, some cocktail, and looked inquiringly at Chris. "How about you? Priss said she helped you find some work, but she's been completely secretive about what it is. Even Sylia's dying to know." A grimace of distaste washed over Chris's face. "Please, don't ask. It's too embarrassing to repeat more than once." Linna was about to try to pump him for information, but a roar from the crowd signified Priss' entry onto the stage. She swallowed what was left of her drink and moved to enter the crowds. Chris looked longingly at his almost-full drink, and sighed before following her. It took him a minute to catch up with her, shortly after the band had begun the intro to Priss' signature song, Konya wa Hurricane. He looked up to see Priss and gaped. "That's PRISS?" he exclaimed. "You seem surprised," Linna shouted into his ear. "I thought you've seen all this." "Anime is one thing," he shouted back. "Real life is another." He considered the singer's visage a moment before adding another comment. "Don't tell Priss I said this, but she makes a lousy blonde!" Linna grinned evilly at him, but then Priss began to sing... "Arashi no Highway hashiritsuzuketa, Togireta yume no yukue sagashite. Nigai maboroshi subete no uso o... Senaka de kajikitobashite..." Chris merely stared, awed. "Ye gods," he swore, "can that woman sing." *** Christopher Angel Presents: GOD'S TOY Cycle 1.2 - A Steel Child A Ygddrasil Production inspired by: BUBBLEGUM CRISIS Japanese Copyright Artmic, Inc. and Youmex, Inc. North American Copyright AnimEigo, Inc. *** Sylia frowned as she listened to the police band. She had set her computer to alert her every time there was a significant mobilization of ADP forces, but this incident bothered her. "The object heading west of 104th Street is believed to be either an armored trooper or a light mobile combat machine. Request AD Police assistance! Repeat, request AD Poli-aaaaagh!" She looked over to her computer terminal, and noticed the data Nene was feeding to her from the AD Police computers as another voice crackled over the radio. "Massive explosion in District 14! Police vehicles believed to be involved." She removed her headset and stood, heading down towards the garage. On her way, she paused to send out the alert signal to the other Sabers. *** Chris felt the watch he had been given by Sylia shake, and looked at the face. He cursed as he noticed the light that was blinking, and tapped Linna on the shoulder. She turned to face him, and nodded once, holding up her cellular phone. Linna looked up to Priss and made an odd pointing sign with her hands, then took Chris's hand and dragged him towards the exit to Hot Legs. As they reached street level, Sylia pulled up in the Silkywagon. "When Priss finds out we're not getting paid for this one," Linna began, "she's going to be really angry." "How did you know..." Chris began, and smacked his forehead. "The text display on the phone, idiot." Sylia frowned at him, and then looked out onto the road. "This boomer's acting different than the others. Rather like the one you fought, Chris." "Oh hell," he cursed, and Linna nodded agreement. "I suppose a security boomer wouldn't be on a rampage," he mused, "but still, I'd rather fight one of them any day." "Agreed," Sylia conceded absently. "Linna, get in, and get suited." She pressed a button on the dash, and a door at the back of the van popped open. Linna headed through the door, already loosening her blouse and tie. Chris arched an eyebrow at Sylia, and she got out of the van. "Drive," she ordered. At his disgusted expression, she elaborated. "You may be adequate against security boomers, but you're not yet up to par against military grade enemies." "I was doing fine against that first one!" Chris countered, then blushed sheepishly as he recalled the end of that first combat. "Never mind, point taken," he sighed, and climbed into the driver's seat, fussing with the seat so that he could drive comfortably. "Would it be OK if I observed?" Sylia grudgingly nodded acceptance. "I'll set our suits to send telemetry back to the van." Priss chose that moment to come storming out of Hot Legs, swearing up a storm. "Damn it, Sylia, I was right in the middle of a gig!" The leader of the Sabers merely gave the singer a steady look, reminding her exactly what she had signed up for. "Great performance, by the way," Chris called as he tried to figure out exactly what tilt he wanted on the steering column. "I was truly impressed, Priss." He suddenly grinned and added, "I particularly enjoyed the outfit." The red-eyed woman glared at him. "Shut the hell up, Chris," she snarled. "Yes'm," Chris replied mock-meekly, and threw the van into gear, leaning on the brake. "Hop on, ladies, I'm ready to roll." *** Leon's bike roared down the highway. He was glad the boomer chose a section close to the Fault Line to rampage in, otherwise he'd have a hell of a time dodging the traffic. *And the death toll would be a lot higher,* he mused. Daley's voice came over the radio. "Leon! It's got past the District 9 Gate, heading south on 42nd Street. Choppers and trackers are in pursuit." "Got it." "Be careful," Daley said, his voice curiously somber. "There's something different about this one. It reminds me of that one you fought before. Maybe we better leave it to the Army...?" Leon frowned. "You mean the Knight Sabers." "Well...yeah." As he pulled to a stop on the section of the highway overlooking the action, he let an irritated note enter his voice. "We can't rely on them, Daley. Stopping boomers is our job, remember?" He looked out on the mayhem, and whistled. "Our boy's making quite a splash." The boomer in question tore its way through another patrol car, jumping over the explosion the damage caused. It looked up to the highway, and rocket boosters popped out of its legs and back. With a roar of flame, it flew up to the highway, on a direct course for Leon. Seeing the cyberdroid coming towards him, Leon pulled his pistol and fired off a shot, cursing when the bullet merely bounced off the boomer's armor. The force of the impact did unbalance the boomer, however, causing it to land a few meters away from Leon. It glared at the inspector, its mouth opening for a laser attack, when it detected a more serious threat, namely the minicopter peppering the area with 20mm Vulcan fire. The boomer seemed to consider the Fire-Bee for a moment, and then turned to run down the highway at breakneck speeds, heading towards the break in the road that led down into the Fault. The copter pursued it, for a few hundred meters before the boomer turned on its assailant and blew it out of the sky. It then returned to its original course on the road. Two more Fire-Bees buzzed in after the boomer, and once again the boomer turned on its attacker, this time jumping onto the lead minicopter and crushing the skull of the pilot. The Fire-Bee crashed to the earth in a ball of flame, and like a phoenix, the boomer rose from the inferno, one arm torn off at the elbow, the other clutching the Vulcan cannon. It used the cannon to destroy the final copter, and then continued down the highway. Leon cursed as he watched this, and prepared to chase the boomer when a red motorcycle carrying a blue-suited rider streaked by him. "Hello, Knight Sabers," he muttered. "Nearly a whole unit destroyed, you're right on time." The boomer looked over its shoulder as its sensors picked up a new threat, and examined the new arrival, but before its battle subroutines could formulate a plan of action, it picked up another new arrival in front of it, this time a white-suited enemy standing right where the highway ended. The battle subroutines quickly formulated a course of action, and the boomer implemented it by charging its newest assailant with Vulcan cannon ablaze. The white Saber dodged the clumsy projectile attack, and then jumped over the boomer's bodycheck, sending the cyberdroid crashing into the rubble below. The blue Saber drove off the cliff after it, the bike she was riding transforming into a humanoid robot, which caught her and carried her down in a gentle hold. The boomer lay in the rubble for a moment, fusing the cannon it had acquired to its damaged arm before rising to its feet. As it did so, a third hardsuited warrior came on to the scene, the green suit landing with a burst of jumpjets. Finally, the white Saber jetted down to face off the boomer directly. Sylia stared at the boomer for a moment, and the thought in her mind was echoed by both Priss and Linna. *Why isn't it attacking? Why is it just standing there?* At just that moment, her com-link snapped to life. "We are the pretty hardsuited soldiers Saber Knights, and in the name of the Moon, we will-" Three voices rose in a chorus. "SHUT UP, CHRIS!" "Ooh, nice harmony." "I swear, if you don't smarten up..." Priss growled, but her threat was lost as the boomer snarled and swept her position with cannon fire. It picked up a discus of metal which it flung at Sylia, who easily caught it one-handed. The boomer then jumped into the air, spraying the three women with cannon fire again. Sylia threw the discus off towards the boomer's left side, distracting it from Linna's knuckle-bomber attack that blew out a good portion of its torso. Before it could turn to attack its assailant, the boomer picked up the blue Saber targeting it. It turned its weapon on her, but the cannon fire did little to stop her from shooting two railgun spikes into its upper torso, sending the boomer flying back and pinning it against a cement wall. Sylia turned to examine the boomer, when the com-link sprung to life again. "It's not quite like the one I fought," Chris told her. "I noticed," she responded. "It's slightly larger, and somewhat sleeker. What are they up to?" Just then, the boomer surged forward in a last-ditch attack, tearing off its arms and head as it rushed towards Sylia. She activated her contact-laser attack, and drove her arm into the boomer's abdomen, blowing out its power supply with an explosion that sent nutrient fluid flying out the boomers back. She tore her arm from the boomer's body, and it collapsed to the ground. The three Sabers gathered around the mangled remains of the cyberdroid. "It's another C-class," Sylia decided. "A new type?" Linna questioned. Sylia frowned inside her helmet. "It has got to be a production model," she told them. "Chris, you must have fought a prototype." "Great," he returned disgustedly. "Ladies and gentlemen, Genom's new line." "Enough chatter," Sylia ordered. "Let's get out of here." With the roar of jumpjets, the three women leapt out of the canyon and headed towards the Silkywagon, which was parked in a dark alley a kilometer away. There, they found Chris leaning against the side of the van. "I don't think you need me to drive you home. If I may, I'd like to help the rescue teams, Sylia," he asked as they removed their helmets. Sylia was about to deny his request, when she noticed the silent pleading in his eyes. "Fine," she sighed. "But be careful." "Thanks," he said. "And I will." He turned to walk towards the scene, leaving the three women behind to watch him. "Who's turn is it this time?" Priss asked in a resigned tone. Linna sighed. "Mine," she admitted, and put her helmet back on. "I wish he would get over this Good Samaritan complex of his." "I thought you said it was cute," Priss laughed. "It was, the first few times. But this is really getting ridiculous, I'm tired of playing his guardian angel." She winced at the pun in that statement. "It's his way of coping," Sylia said softly. "He sees all this violence, damage, and death, and he has to do something to help." With that somber note, Priss and Sylia entered the van to remove their suits while Linna raced off after Chris. *** The next day, Chris stood across the street from the Silky Doll. He paced back and forth nervously. "It's only a store," he chanted to himself. "You can do this, Chris, it's only a store." Linna and Nene walked up to the door of the store, and stopped before coming in. "Nene," the dancer began, pointing, "isn't that..." "CHRIS!" Nene called, waving her arm. He looked up, and sort of blushed while waving back. Nene ran across the street to him, Linna following at a more sedate pace. "How come you're standing over here?" He began to stammer a response. "It's...uh...well, you see...er," he began, then closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to stop himself from sweating. "I can't do it," he admitted. "I just can't walk in that store." "So THAT's why you keep on refusing to meet us here!" Linna exclaimed, then smiled slyly at the man. "Feel your manhood threatened by a few pieces of lingerie?" she teased, and then laughed as his face flushed. Nene grabbed Chris' hand and began dragging across the street. "Come ON, stop being silly." Chris resisted until Linna lent her muscle into the fight by hooking her arm around his. They made it not a foot inside before Chris wrenched his hand from Nene's grasp and put it over his eyes. "I'm not looking, and you can't make me," he grated. "You are such a prude," Nene huffed in exasperation. A basket of panties caught her eye, and she began to root through them. "Linna, look at these!" she exclaimed, holding up a pair. "Aren't they neat?" Linna left Chris and glided up to her. "You can worry about that stuff later, let's see what Sylia wants." Nene put the panties back with a small pout, while Linna grabbed Chris and led him to the counter. "Come on, you big baby." "Good afternoon ladies, can I help you?" Sylia greeted cheerily, and looked with no small amusement on the suffering Chris. "Do we have a job?" Linna whispered. Sylia slid across some papers. "Is this what you're looking for?" She pointed to an article in the classifieds. "Twenty million up front?!" Linna exclaimed, and Nene quickly clamped her hand over her mouth. "Er...you mean, twenty million for these panties?" "Brilliant recovery," Nene said sarcastically, while Chris smacked his forehead and made a sort of whimpering noise. "Let me show you something in the back," Sylia said with a pained look, and led the trio through a door behind the counter. After closing the door she looked disapprovingly upon Linna. "This store isn't much of a front if you shout out things like that," she chided, and then frowned up at Chris. "And why didn't you come in the back?" Chris cracked his eyes open, and took a tentative look around. He sighed with relief as he saw they weren't in the store any more. "SOMEONE didn't give me a keycard," he replied. "Oh," Sylia said with an embarrassed smile. "I apologize." She locked eyes with Linna, and the brunette giggled. "Why do I have this feeling that was some sort of twisted revenge?" Chris asked suspiciously. "Would we do that?" Linna asked mock-innocently as Sylia led them up to her apartment. "In a second. Especially Priss." "Someone mention me?" Priss called as they entered Sylia's posh living room. She grinned wickedly at Chris. "How'd you like the tour?" she asked, and laughed as he blushed furiously. Nene put her hand over her eyes. "I'm not looking, and you can't make me," she said in a passable imitation of Chris' tones, and Priss roared with laughter. "Very funny, VERY funny," the man said snidely. "Can we talk about the job please, or would y'all rather pick on me some more?" "Well..." Priss considered. "Enough," Sylia commanded. "Sit down and let's get to business." Nene and Priss sat on the guest bed, while Linna sat on the floor and leaned against a coffee table. "Have you finished investigating the client?" Linna asked. "It's USSD," Sylia said as she in a comfortable reading chair. "USSD?" Chris asked. "Acronym translation, someone?" He laid out on the floor, propping his head up on his elbows. "UN Strategic Space Defense," Nene told him. "Definitely bad news," Priss insisted. "There's got to be a catch." "But it's an offer, and I think we should take it," Linna argued. "It is work, after all." "On the other hand, it could be a trap," Priss retorted. Chris snorted in derision. "Of COURSE it's a trap. Your suits are what, three decades ahead of the time? They'd kill themselves to get their hands on your suits!" He paused. "All that said, twenty million newyen is a LOT of money. That order of pocket change I could have some fun with." "What should we do, Sylia?" Nene asked. "We can't really make a decision until we know the details of the job and what USSD really wants us for. So, we'll have to meet them and find out." She looked over at Nene, then at Chris. "You two are done for the day, right? Would you like to come with me?" The pair exchanged a confused look. "Sure," Chris said warily. "What do you have planned?" *** "Yay," Chris cheered sarcastically over the com-link. "Out of the action again. This is getting to be a nasty habit, Sylia. I hate this backup gig. I mean, if I'm not up to combat boomers in your opinion, how can I rescue you two if it's a trap by the MILITARY? I may be able to run damn fast, but what's to say they don't have a missile or something that can catch me, anyway?" "A missile that can chase down a highly maneuverable ground target that can break the speed of sound?" Sylia scoffed. "If they had something like that, I would know about it." She paused. "I'd want it." "Believe me, I'm envious," Nene told the man. "This is SO embarrassing. Did we have to take the bus?" "It saves time and trouble this way," their leader explained. A snort came over the com-link. "I can see it now. You're sitting in probably one of the long seats at the side or the very back of the bus, and every single person is staring at you." Nene looked around, and then down at the floor. "How'd you know?" "If two women in hardsuits came on the bus I was riding on, I'd stare," he answered with a laugh. At that moment, the bus stopped in front of the USSD base, and the pair exited. They walked up to the gate and looked over at the guard, a young man in his early twenties, with that freshly-scrubbed look all new recruits share. Sylia nodded slightly to the man. "Good afternoon." The guard turned to look at her, and for a few seconds didn't react at all, until the fact that he was looking at a woman in a hardsuit finally occurred to him. He leapt to his feet and drew his gun, pointing it at Sylia in a firm two-handed grip. "Who...who are you?!" "Good afternoon!" Nene cheered. "You two are aware the guy is pointing a gun at you, right?" Chris asked nervously, and Sylia and Nene could almost hear him run over that statement in his mind. "NEVERMIND, I'm going to shut up now." "Finally," Sylia breathed. "I heard that." "I know," she chuckled, and activated her external speakers. "We are the Knight Sabers. We are here on the invitation of the Commander." The guard stared at her for a moment, completely flabbergasted, and then a scowl painted formed on his face. "We'll see about that," he declared, and took on of his hands off his gun to pick up the phone near him. "Hello? This is Gate 2. There's some people here claiming to be the Knight Sabers...Huh? Yes! Er...yes....yes sir!" He holstered his gun an saluted the two women. "My apologies! General Schwarz is waiting for you!" "See?" Sylia said to Nene, who made a sound of agreement. "Chris, be ready," she called as they were led into the base. "Got it," he replied. A few minutes later Sylia and Nene had entered the commander's office. His aide stared as the two women in hardsuits walked past him. "Do you always dress like that?" "Of course," Sylia replied. "The world isn't a very safe place, after all." Over the com-link, Chris roared with laughter. "I think I'm a bad influence on you," he chuckled. The commander smiled lightly at the comment, while the aide gaped. "A...a woman?" "Well, not even wearing armor can hide these measurements," Nene giggled, sliding up to the man. She put herself into a model's pose. "See what I mean?" "Oh, but they perform wonderfully..." Schwarz murmured. "I'll say, the suits' ain't bad either," Chris added, the com-link slightly static-laden with interference. "Sorry Sylia, couldn't resist." "You're forgiven," she replied. "Now hush." "My apologies," the commander said, rising to his feet. "Since we're tentatively offering you a job, we did a little research first." He turned to a video display on the wall, and pulled a remote control out of his pocket. He pressed a button and the display sprang to life, showing the schematic for a K12 suit. "Frankly, your suits are superior to our own K12 Armored Troopers, surpassing them in both mass and mobility." He turned off the display, and turned to Sylia. "Now, what guarantee do we have that you'll keep the details of this job confidential?" "We work under the counter, as you know," Sylia said evenly. "What alternative do you have but to trust us?" Schwarz chuckled. "Quite right. Let me explain." He picked up a remote control off oh his desk, and activated a screen on one of the walls. The image of a somewhat ratty-looking man with red hair appeared. "F.G. Frederick, age 25. A computer technician with USSD." He pressed another button on the control, and a young blonde girl was shown. "Name: Cynthia. Age: Six. I want you to find these two for me?" Nene turned from the screen to the man. "Tracking down missing persons? What's so special about this girl?" "Since when does the USSD spend twenty million on finding children?" Chris added over the com-link. "Is she some sort of test subject?" "Well," the commander began, looking a bit uncomfortable, "right now it would be a little..." He trailed off. Sylia shook her head slightly. "OK, fine. But I can't believe this is a mere missing person search." Over the Saber's private channel, she added her own thoughts. "I think you're right, Chris." The commander shut off the screen. "The fact is, we believe she was abducted yesterday by a group of Boomers whose leader had infiltrated USSD." He let that sink in before continuing. "We think Frederick infiltrated us, on some unknown person's orders and, as a member of our staff, was able to mastermind the operation." "Then this Frederick is a boomer too?" Sylia asked. At the control room in their headquarters, Chris frowned while listening to the Schwarz' noncommittal response. The interference in the com-link was becoming more and more severe, almost as if...he suddenly gasped. "MACKIE! Come here, quick!" The teenager ran from his own terminal to Chris'. "Show me a power density spectrum of the incoming signal." Mackie hit a couple keys, and the graph appeared on a nearby screen. Chris examined the spectrum and noticed the spikes near the X-ray bands, and cursed as his suspicions were confirmed. He opened up a com-link. "Sylia, Nene, listen to me. Don't do anything overt, but check the room out carefully. I think you're being scanned." "Are you sure?" Nene asked. "Unless they commonly use X-rays in offices, you're being scanned. Good thing the frequency distribution Sylia uses hits the X-ray region, I wouldn't have been able to tell otherwise." The aide was speaking. "They demand to know the secrets of an exotic weapon system which holds the key to our nation's security." Schwarz keyed a new image onto the screen. "The orbital particle-bean satellites?" The commander almost gaped at Sylia. "You know of them?" She began reciting technical data. "Range versus target alignment error: less than one ten-billionth. Capable of destroying up to a 1000-km-radius area." "You ARE good," he said admiringly. Chris' whistle came to Sylia's ears. "Ronald Reagan's dream come true. Ugh." "It disgusts me to think that there are over 200 of those things floating over my head at this very moment," she stated for both her listeners' benefit. The aide shook his head in disagreement. "But they insure the safety of our country. Moreover, even Third World countries possess many satellite weapons. It is better..." he continued to lecture, but Sylia was listening to Nene's private communication. "Sylia, that's no ordinary camera pointing at us," she said, nodding her head towards it. "Chris was right, we are being scanned." Sylia brought up her arm and blew the camera apart. She and Nene turned to leave. "Chris," she communicated, "get out here with the van, now." "On my way, ETA...five minutes." "Please," the aide yelped, running around to bar their path. "Please, wait! We apologize for the discourtesy, but we really want to hire you!" "In fact," the Schwarz added, still stoic despite the demonstration of firepower he had just seen up close, "we'll pay you an additional twenty million if you can expose their organization." "TAKE IT, SYLIA!" Chris yelled, and both she an Nene winced slightly at the volume of his outburst. *** The pair walked down the street away from the USSD base, heading towards their rendezvous point with Mackie and Chris. Sylia looked around pensively. "We're not being tailed, are we?" Nene did a quick scan with her gear, and shrugged. "Looks safe," she hazarded, "but above?" She pointed towards the sky. "Maybe a spy satellite?" Sylia followed the finger, and then sighed. "Would this be a good thing, or just disgusting?" As she spoke, Nene activated her weapon systems, and began to etch something in the cement with her laser-scribbler. "What are you doing?" A short burst of static came over the com-link. "Hey, Mackie, check out the hot babes! I don't know about you, but I feel there's something about a hardsuit that brings out a woman's inner beauty." Nene and Sylia looked up and saw the Silkywagon approaching from behind them. Mackie waved cheerily as he drove past, and stopped under an overpass a short distance ahead. As Sylia and Nene reached the van, Mackie opened up the back to allow them to remove their hardsuits. Chris climbed out and waited outside while they changed. A few minutes later, Sylia emerged from the van, as impeccably dressed as usual. "Chris, walk with me. Mackie, you take Nene back to the Lady's 633." The two walked out from the overpass and down the street in silence. Sylia was the first to speak. "Are you familiar with the rules of conduct I established for the Knight Sabers?" Chris chuckled softly and nodded. "Somewhat," he answered, then added, "I also know that many of the rules have been completely ignored. Wasn't one of them something about us not fraternizing in our 'normal' identities? Then there's that one Linna's broken about a hundred times about getting involved with a man." "True," Sylia agreed with a wry smile. "Actually, it was that rule that I wanted to talk to you about." She paused for a second to formulate her thoughts. "When I formed the Sabers, I made a decision about the group's formation right from the beginning." She frowned, and tried another track. "I don't know about the Japan of your...time," she said that last word with distaste, "but despite the appearance of equality between the sexes, Megatokyo is still primarily patriarchal. I had to take that into account when I chose teammates." "I don't quite follow you," Chris said. "When I researched people to approach for membership, I did consider numerous male candidates. As I did psychological profiles on them, I found that most of them would have trouble seeing a woman as a superior, or would be unable to resist forming an...unwelcome emotional attachment to female teammates." A spark of understanding lit in Chris' eyes, and he stopped, turning to look at Sylia with a sort of hurt look. "Let me guess. You want me avoid getting involved with Linna, Nene, or Priss in a romantic way," he said, and sighed. "Can I ask why?" "Chris, we're a combat unit first. We have to be able to trust each other with our lives." She turned and looked towards Genom tower. "Forming romantic attachments within a team like ours can lead to all sorts of problems down the line. I don't want to lose one of you because someone was jealous, or was lovesick, or was hesitant to put another member at risk." She looked back at him earnestly. "Do you see what I'm saying?" "Yes," Chris admitted in a resigned tone, and they began to walk down the street again. "Have you talked to the others about this?" "No. I wanted to talk to you first. You appear to be the more aggressive one when it comes to this kind of thing." She looked at Chris in surprise as he burst out laughing. "What?" "You know, you people really can't take a joke. I'm not serious at all about the flirting, jeez, I'm just trying to be friendly." He shook his head and sighed, still chuckling. "I see what you're saying, and I'll tone it down a little. Happy?" "Let's just say I'm reassured somewhat," she told him, smiling slightly. Chris grinned. "Good to hear it. But if you think I'm going to swear off women, you've got another think coming." "I wouldn't dream of it." *** Once again, the Sabers met in Sylia's flat. "So," Priss began, "if we add up last night's boomer rampage down 42nd Street and this new job, what do we get, Nene?" The hacker looked through the data she had gathered thoughtfully. "I wonder if that boomer was a decoy meant to distract AD Police?" Sylia nodded her confirmation. "Based on the analysis of the AD Police data Nene's gathered and out quarry's movements last night, for the time being we will concentrate on Districts 9, 10, 11, and 12," she decided, assigning a district to herself and the other front-line Sabers with a series of points. "Nene will try to dig up more into on the 'Net, while Mackie can coordinate our movements. Let's get started then, and be sure to report in regularly too." She stood and began to walk out of the room, but stopped at the door to bestow a glare upon first Priss, then Chris. "Solo action is strictly prohibited." "OK, OK," Priss said in a resigned tone, while Chris looked insulted. "When did I get lumped in the same category as her?" he demanded. "She's the poster child for that, not me!" "And what about the time you walked right into that security trap instead of waiting for Nene?" Linna countered. "Or the time you tried to take on five security boomers by yourself?" Priss seconded. Chris whirled on Priss. "You said you were right behind me that time!" "You were running at Mach 1!" "So it's MY fault you're slow?" "Who're you calling slow?" "Children," Sylia said admonishingly. The pair had the grace to look guilty. "Fight later, work now." Priss chuckled and winked at Chris, who suddenly snickered. "Yes, mother," they chorused, and made a hasty exit while the others laughed at Sylia's disgusted expression. *** While the others searched in vain, Priss caught the attention of Frederick and his team, something she would soon regret... *** Nearly half the night later, Chris trudged his way back to the Lady's 633, completely exhausted. If it wasn't for Sylia's insistence that he get over there for a final report, he would have been heading back to his apartment to crash. He slid his keycard through the slot at the back of the building, then went through the door and then up the stairs, yawning as he did so. He made a halfhearted knock on the final door before opening it and coming through. "Hi all," he said, and then yawned expansively. "What's up?" He took a look around the room, noting Nene slumped on the table, half asleep, Linna nursing a cup of coffee, and Sylia looking pensively out the window. "Where's Priss?" he asked as he tossed his jacket over a chair and flopped into it. "She's a little late, isn't she?" Linna agreed. "That's typical," Nene murmured. Sylia turned from the window, and then closed her eyes to hide her worry. "I've told her over and over again to call in every hour." She shook her head and turned to Chris. "Did you turn up anything?" He rummaged through his jacket for a pad and flipped it open. "Ten death threats, two fights, four marriage proposals - one of those from a man," he suddenly shuddered, "and a very interesting proposition from a very nice girl named Annabelle involving a silk sheet, a quart of chocolate sauce, and a lot of Irish Mist, nothing," he read out, and then pocketed the pad again. He then noticed the unimpressed looks on the women's' faces. "What?" he said defensively. "You move fast," Sylia said disapprovingly. Chris grinned at her, and then suddenly frowned. "So Priss hasn't reported in at all?" he asked Mackie, who was busy with the scanner, and the boy shook his head. Chris frowned and turned to Sylia. "She was in district 10, wasn't she?" the elegant brunette nodded, and Chris rose to his feet. "Right," he said, and pulled on his jacket. "Where are you going?" Sylia asked in an alarmed tone. "To look for Priss," he replied simply. Sylia started to protest, but Mackie held up his hand to quiet her down. He turned a knob on the radio, and it crackled to life. "This is Leon McNichols in ADP-102 calling Station-1! I'm in pursuit of a boomer on Route Keihin 5, heading for Route 51! Subjects are a C-class boomer and a racing bike!" "A racing bike?" Linna exclaimed. "That must be Priss!" Nene frowned in concentration. "Route 51...that's Aqua City." She turned to Sylia. "Let's check it out." The leader of the Sabers shook her head in disagreement as she turned to look out the window. "No. It could be anyone, not just Priss." Linna sighed and slumped back in her seat. "That's true...all we can do is wait for her to contact us." "Excuse me?" Chris scoffed. "And how's she supposed to do that if she's got a boomer chasing her around the freeway?" "If it is Priss," Nene added in a worried tone, "she won't have her suit." Sylia stiffened at Nene's words. "She could be in trouble," Linna growled in frustration. "Damn. This worries me." Chris walked to stand a couple feet behind Sylia. "Why don't I go take a little jog out there and see what's going on?" he offered. Sylia turned and walked pass him to lay her teacup on the coffee table. "No. We all go." *** "We have to have a long talk about ergonomics, Sylia," Chris sent over the com-link as he sat atop Silkywagon that Mackie was driving into battle. The streetlights glinted off his metal armor, revealing a small collar around Chris's neck. "This thing takes uncomfortable to a whole new level." He looked down at the three Sabers as they drove their motoslaves ahead of the trailer. "Had to be made that way," she replied, a shrug in her voice. "You needed to be able to communicate on out private channels, and your neck's is going to be one of the best protected areas on your body." She paused, and bent her torso slightly to look back at him. "Also, it can be worn both in and out of your combat form." "Speaking of combat," Linna interrupted, "why are you sitting on your ass up there anyway? You can easily run at this speed!" Chris sighed breathily. "How many of you would be in top fighting condition after running a few dozen klicks? I may have the speed to flash over those distances," he snickered at his pun, "but running a klick at Mach speeds is just as tiring as running it at human speeds. More so, since I have to deal with more air drag." "Umm...guys?" Mackie said suddenly. "That's Aqua City up to our left." He stopped the van outside of the main entrance to the complex, and the Sabers dismounted from their bikes. Nene ran a series of scans over the complex, and pointed in the direction of the heat sources she picked up. "That way. I'm picking up multiple targets inside that storage unit." She paused for a moment as new data came from her electronic warfare suite. "Gunfire! It's a Member-II! Priss carries one of those, doesn't she?" "Quickly!" Sylia barked. "Move out!" The female Sabers flew up into the air with a burst of their jump-jets, while Chris blazed a trail along the ground, his progress hampered by the construction equipment in his way. As he worked his way along the walkways up towards the roof of the storage bay, Sylia and the others landed upon three pillars that overlooked it. Looking down, they saw Priss held by her throat against the wall by a 55C, as Frederick, two men, and a woman looked on amusedly. Cynthia was with them, watching in confusion and horror. As they watched, the boomer brought his arm back in a punch that would surely crush Priss' head. Sylia brought up her arm and fired off a quick snap-shot that severed the holding arm off at the elbow. Priss collapsed to the ground and threw the appendage away, as the others stared in shock towards the sky. The three people with Frederick exchanged a glance and made a powerful leap that brought them onto the roof of the bay. There, they found themselves looking upon a silver man with a long arm-blade and shield lounging against the railing of the roof. Above him, on three pillars that overlooked the roof and the bay below, stood three hardsuited women. The more overweight of the men glared at the Sabers in shock and anger. "Who are you?" he demanded. "The Knight Sabers," Sylia replied. "You think you're hot stuff?" the other man sneered, and then sort of stiffened. His skin and clothing bulged and exploded as he revealed himself to be another boomer. The first man and the woman followed suit in an explosion of pseudoflesh and clothing. Boosters snapped out of the two 55C's backs and they took to the air heading for Linna and Priss. The female boomer activated its heat-ray and turned it on Chris, or rather, where he had been standing before he dove out of the way. Chris stared at the slagged railing, stunned. The female boomer prepared another blast with the heat ray. "WAKE UP, IDIOT!" Nene yelled at him. She leapt to the other side of the boomer and fired her laser at it, doing little more than causing it to change its target from Chris to her. The panels of the boomer's heat ray lit up, and another section of wall was melted as Nene moved out of the way at the last second. Realizing that the heat ray was ineffective, the boomer activated its razor claws and tried to engage Nene in hand to hand combat, but found Chris in its way. The claws threw off sparks as they screeched across the shield that deflected them. Chris yelled incoherently as he swung his right arm in a rising diagonal slash, slicing the female boomer from hip to shoulder. The two halves fell to the ground in a fountain of orange nutrient fluid. Linna landed beside Chris and Nene. "Stop being an idiot," she chided him. Seeing that the others had defeated their targets, Sylia jumped down into the storage bay, following the remains of Linna's opponent. She interposed herself between Priss and Frederick, while Cynthia ran to Priss, who picked her up. Frederick looked at the headless boomer at the ground before him, and smiled with cold mirth and held up his hand to forestall the last boomer's attack. "Not bad at all," he congratulated Sylia. "I'd say you're far superior to the Army's K-12 Armored Troopers." He walked forward and nudged the body with his toe. "You really did a number on my friends. What do you hope to accomplish?" Sylia smiled under her helmet. "To defend peace and justice, and to rid the world of evil," she intoned, sending the words out over the Sabers' private channel as well. On the roof of the storage bay, Chris suddenly jerked as if shocked. "So THAT's who's been watching my anime!" he exclaimed softly. Linna and Nene exchanged a look of confusion. Frederick chuckled softly, and stepped forward to stand above the boomer's body. "A worthy goal. But will it stand against me, I wonder?" He lifted his hands to his chest, and pulled his shirt apart, exposing his chest. Suddenly, it seemed to split apart just under his pectorals, and dozens of dark metal tentacles spilled out. As they watched, his entire lower body burst out of its covering, revealing it to be entirely made up of the same tentacles, which seemed to flow into the decapitated boomer's body, sending up a gush of nutrient fluid. The hulk got to its feet slowly, Frederick's upper body sticking up like a grotesque head. "Get out of here," Sylia hissed to Priss. "Hurry." Priss nodded and sped off towards the exit of the bay. "After them," Frederick barked to the damaged boomer at his side. "Don't let them get away!" As boomer began to sprint after Priss, Sylia brought up her right arm fired off a shot that holed the boomer in its chest, staggering it slightly. Frederick growled and flung out one of the body's arms, which stretched impossibly and clamped onto Sylia's arm before she could fire off a second shot, sending her crashing into the wall behind her. The hand tightened, crushing the armor and causing Sylia to howl in pain. "Shit!" Chris exclaimed as he, Nene and Linna looked down from above. "We have to help her!" "We'll help Sylia," Linna said as Nene targeted her laser on Frederick's face. "You go after Priss. She can't handle that boomer alone!" Chris nodded and ran off. Nene fired her laser, turning half of Frederick's face into a metallic ruin and distracting him into letting Sylia go. She and Linna jumped down into the bay and helped Sylia stand. Frederick snarled like an animal and sent dozens of tentacles at them. As one, the three women jetted into the air and out of the bay as the tentacles sank into the wall and started absorbing it. *** Priss ran through the passageways of Aqua City blindly, as much hoping to throw of her pursuer as she was trying to escape the maze of the project. She turned another corner and stopped dead, Cynthia almost flying from her arms. There, standing in front of her, was the boomer who had nearly killed her only a few minutes earlier. As she stared at it, the panels that his the reflectors of the boomer's heat ray snapped open. Suddenly, there was the boom of a gunshot, and the side of the boomer's chest blossomed an orange flower as a slug tore through it. It bought its good hand up to the area in seeming confusion, then toppled forward, revealing Leon standing behind it with a sort of smug grin. "I guess our date is still on, hey?" "Cut the crap," Priss barked. "Right now all I want to do is get out of here! Which way?" She gasped and took a couple steps back as the boomer began to stir. "That way!" he said, pointing the gun as he fished for more ammunition with his free hand. He pulled it out and cracked the railgun, calmly inserting two more slugs into the firing chamber while the boomer struggled to its feet. Just as the boomer started to charge toward him, Leon slammed the weapon shut and trained it on the boomer. A shot to the chest followed by one to the head, and the boomer crashed to the ground once again, never to rise. A staccato of metal-on-metal clangs coming towards him stopped Leon's self-congratulation, and he searched his pockets for yet more ammo. He had just found it when the running figure came around the corner and skidded to a halt. The silver-covered man looked at the demolished boomer, and then at Leon, and then at the boomer again. "Nice work," the silvery man said. "Thanks," Leon replied as he cracked open the railgun and reloaded. He pointed towards the ground, but in a easy grip which said that he could use it at a moment's notice. The only male Knight Saber's helmet inclined in seeming respect. "Pr-the woman and child? Are they safe?" Leon nodded. "She should be making her way towards the exit as we speak." He nodded the way they had gone. "Good," the Saber responded, and jerked his head as the sound of explosions came through the air. "You may want to think about leaving yourself, Officer. This place isn't very safe." With that, he turned and sped off after Priss. Leon stared after the Saber, and then fell to his knees as the ground suddenly bucked beneath him. "You know, getting out of here sounds like a great idea," he said to himself. "I think I'll do that." *** Chris ran out onto the deck of Aqua City, and skidded to a halt at the devastation before him. The ground seemed to have had several dozen huge tubes run under it, and was now bulged and deformed in a vaguely organic way. As he watched, a mass of metallic tentacles sprung from the ground around a nearby construction machine, and wrapped around it, absorbing it completely. "What in the name of the gods..." he breathed, and then had to roll forward as a pillar formed of the twisting metallic bands crashed down where he was standing. He rolled to his feet and took a swipe at the pillar, and noted with dismay as the severed portion was quickly re-absorbed into the deck of the project. He looked around for the other Sabers, and his first sight was Priss running towards the Silkywagon. His second was Linna being lifted off the ground by a pair of metallic ropes that had wrapped themselves about her waist. Chris suddenly recalled what Frederick had done to Sylia's arm, and a sick feeling of panic came over him. He began to run towards the distant Saber, convinced he'd be too late. "Let..." As he ran, the area around and in front of him began to warp and deform as it was assimilated by Frederick. Chris paid it no mind, his entire being focussed on freeing Linna. He picked up his speed. "Her..." The tentacles holding Linna suddenly whipped back, as if they were about to pound her into the plating, and Chris picked up his speed more, and a shockwave formed about him as he broke the speed of sound just before leaping off the ground. He flew through the air towards Linna, and the shockwave disappeared as air friction slowed him down quickly. "GO!" Just as the bands were about to slam her against the decking, Chris reached the captive Saber, his right arm-blade slicing through the bands effortlessly as he grabbed the hardsuited woman with his left arm. A second later, he and Linna came to a clumsy landing meters from the edge of the decking. "Thanks," Linna gasped. She turned and looked back at the severed tentacles. "Another second and I would have been a pancake." Suddenly, there was a squeal of tortured metal as a monstrous head formed from stuff of Aqua City, and rose up to scream incoherently at the sky. "This is absurd!" Chris yelled, looking back upon the now-mostly-boomer development project. "How the hell are we supposed to fight something like that??" "The bastard is absorbing all of Aqua City!" Sylia seconded, as she and Nene landed near them. The sound of an engine came to their ears, and they looked back to see Priss on her motoslave, heading towards the battle at high speed. "Hey Sylia, ain't this a shitty fight?" she called cheerily as she swerved to and from on the twisted decking. "I'm going in!" Sylia looked the oncoming rider, and then at the other Sabers. "What are you waiting for?" she demanded. "Cover her!" With that, she boosted herself towards the giant head. The other Sabers exchanged a look and then followed her, Linna and Nene taking to the air with weapons firing while Chris streaked a swath of destruction on the 'body' of the giant boomer, his right sword cutting deep into the metal he ran upon as he blazed circles around the mountain of steel. After less than a minute of them trying to distract the monstrous figure from Priss' intrusion, the whole construct seemed to suddenly stiffen, then collapse inwards on itself. The Knight Sabers stopped their attacks and looked up at the mouth of the boomer, just in time to see Priss hurtling out of it, a huge explosion at her heels. Sylia caught the other woman as she fell from the sky. "Are you OK?" "It's dead," Priss gasped. "We did it!" Nene cheered. "What about Cynthia?" Priss asked weakly. The others looked around for the little girl. "I see her!" Chris said, pointing up to the roof of what had once been a storage bay. "I'll get her," he said, and sped off. Nene frowned as she trained her suit's cameras on the girl. Cynthia was looking down at her feet in horrified disbelief. Panning down, Nene gasped as she realized why. Invading Cynthia's legs just like they had the stuff of Aqua City were some of Frederick's tentacles, obviously ones that hadn't quite realized their controller had been destroyed. "Chris!" Nene called urgently as the man came within a dozen meters of the child. "Be careful, she's a boomer!" "What the hell are you..." his voice died as he too saw Cynthia's legs. He looked her in the face, and saw fear, confusion, and a bit of sadness there. "Please don't kill me, Mister." Chris reeled as if he had just been struck by a roundhouse, and scrambled back a few steps. "I...I'm not going to hurt you, Cynthia," he said slowly, starting to approach the boomer-child again. "I'm just going to cut those away from you, and take you someplace safe." "NO!" she shrieked. "KEEP AWAY FROM MEEEE!" A bolt of brilliant white light streaked down from the heavens, cutting through the clouds and slicing into the ground between Chris and Cynthia. Chris threw his bladed up in front of his eyes as he was blinded and scrambled back further. Seconds later, explosions shook the whole of Aqua City from far below. "The particle-beam satellites?" Sylia stammered, looking up into the sky. "Get out of there!" "But what about..." Chris began, taking a few steps towards Cynthia. "MOVE!" Sylia barked. After a moment of indecision, Chris turned and ran with all his speed. He reached Sylia and the others near the Silky Doll, then turned back to look at the child, and frowned at the helicopter that was hovering above her. "Cynthia," he breathed, and took a step towards her. "HELP ME!" she screamed, and the night was turned day bright as bolt after bolt from the satellites blasted from the sky into the whole of Aqua City, turning it into one massive field of devastation as explosions rocked the water and sent pieces of the project flying high into the sky and littering the water with wreckage as it sank into the bay. The Knight Sabers watched Aqua City sink, until Linna broke the silence. "Think we can still collect the second twenty million?" she asked hopefully. Priss turned a shocked gaze onto her. "Do you have any clue how serious this is?" "Sure I do!" Linna retorted. "Twenty million just sank down there! Twenty million!" "Linna," Chris's voice was low and unnaturally calm. The four women turned to look at him as he stared at the burning wreckage. The light of the flames danced on the mirror-like skin of his armor. "Pray you never see what I saw in that little girl's eyes. She had no idea what she was until the very end, and it horrified her." He made a sort of choked sob. "Oh Kami-sama, she was so afraid of me!" He hung his head, and his armor sank back into his body, leaving him nude. He walked over to the Silkywagon, oblivious to the others, and got out his clothing and dressed quickly. He then turned and began to walk down the road towards the main city. "Chris..." Sylia said softly as she watched him leave, then gave her head a little shake and took a deep breath. "Let's go home." "You go ahead," Priss said. "I have to return this bike and," she made a grimace of distaste, "thank someone."