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My column that focuses on the anecdote of a semi-retired lesbian activist (me) and my friends

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Original cyberpunk ongoing series tackling subjects that are of interest to a lesbian activist like me.

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Official home of my Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 mega series:  BGC Post 2040.

Bubblegum Crisis Post 2040 File 1:  Dominant Species
The Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 Continuation Fanfic Series

by P. Kristen Enos

SPOILERS WARNING!!!
Most of these stories take place AFTER the TV Series! So DON'T blame me if I ruin the ending for you because you read these stories first!
Lesbian/Yuri/Shoujo Ai Warning! (Non-explicit -- at least in the "PG13"/"R" sort of way.) Just not written for children because they probably wouldn't get half of it.
All rights belong to JVC/AIC, ADV Films and the other creative powers that be. I just want credit for writing the story.

Part 5: Blood Trails

Chapter 55: Dangerous Toys

The shrill beep of the alarm pierced the otherwise peaceful atmosphere of the Silky Doll building, causing Sylia to sit bolt upright in bed. Of course, that action also caused her to wince in pain.

Nigel also sat upright, first focusing on the alarm and then on his lover’s pained grimace.

“That’s the boomer sensor alarm!” Sylia hissed between gritted teeth, trying to bring their focus back to the more important matter at hand. “It would only go off if a boomer tried to come in the building!”

“Or leave.”

They looked at each other as they suddenly had the same thought. Then there was a flurry of tossed bedsheets and blankets as Sylia grabbed her robe and Nigel pulled on his boxer shorts and t-shirt.

“Mistress Sylia?! Master Nigel?” an alarmed Henderson questioned when he ran into them in the hallway.

“Where’s Sylvie?!” she demanded.

The butler looked bewildered and then horrified at the obvious reasoning behind the question. “I-I haven’t seen her in half an hour or so. She was going to take some cookies to Priss.”

“She never came by!” Priss blurted as she ran up to them.

After a brief exchange of horrified looks, the four of them then rushed to the freight elevator, which would be the most direct route from the upper floors down to the pit.

“They’re completely damaged,” Nigel yelled up to the command booth upon finishing his brief inspection of the hardsuit frames and inner-metal pumps. “There’s no way to do a quick fix on these!”

Sylia registered his words with an even darker frown as she frantically typed various commands into the main computer.

“What are you looking for?” an anxious Priss asked over her shoulder. She wanted to do something - anything - but the lack of a suitable outlet was driving her nuts. She did the only thing she could do, which was shove a cookie in her mouth from the tray that had been left behind on the command chair.

“DAMN IT!” Sylia yelled as she smashed her fist into the keyboard, sending plastic pieces flying as some gouged into her hand. Her body trembled with rage. “She wiped out the kill-switch commands!”

“Hey, everyone, what’s going on?” Nene asked as she and Mackey rushed in. “Mackey heard the alarms when we were coming up the block.”

Sylia paced frantically as she ran her hands through her hair, not at all noticing the smear of blood through her strands. “Come on, Sylia, THINK! There’s got to be a rational explanation for this!”

Priss looked at the confused newcomers and answered simply, “Sylvie’s gone and she’s sabotaged the hardsuit equipment as well as wiped out her kill-switch commands from the main computer.”

The horrified and bewildered reactions came as expected, but so did the frantic mental churning for some sort of solution to the problem.

“Do you think she was called back to Genom?” Nene asked anyone who would give her a response.

Sylia shook her head as she juggled the question with her own thought process. “It’s possible but extremely unlikely. We buffered this building from receiving foreign transmissions just as Sylvie couldn’t send signals out. Unless Genom managed to deploy a special frequency that we haven’t been able to dampen, she shouldn’t have heard anything. But that wouldn’t make sense of why she would damage the hardsuits and wipe out the kill-switch commands.

“She had complete freedom within the building. We wouldn’t have noticed her absence by the time she reached Genom, and by then she would have been ‘safe’ from anything we held over her. She didn’t know about the boomer sensors so she never would have known her departure from the building would have been noticed right away. She purposefully took the time to sabotage the suits and the kill-switch commands. The only reason why she would do that would be that she considered them necessary precautions to whatever she was planning. --”

Nene’s eyes suddenly bugged out as she realized where Sylia was headed. “Her direct command mode! Those extra algorithms we just uncovered the other day! Oh my God!”

“Someone speak Japanese!” Priss practically yelled for clarification as Nigel appeared at the doorway as well.

Nene complied but spoke at the speed of a machine firing, “Priss, one of the key parts of Sylvie’s combat programming is that when she is in direct command mode, she had enough intelligence to assess a situation and remove any obstacles that might prevent her from completing her task. She apparently considered the hardsuits and the kill-switch command to be direct threats to be eliminated before she proceeded.”

Priss was trying to process what Nene had just said and clearly started to form an unpleasant picture, “The only direct command left that we know of is her order to assassinate Linna! But, it makes no sense why it would be triggered now after all this time!”

“It would if she suddenly found out where Linna is!” Sylia insisted. Then she stared at Priss and demanded, “Did you call Linna this morning? Sylvie has frequency sensors that could have picked up the signal and traced the call!”

Priss eyes widened in angry disbelief. “That’s fucking nuts! I called Linna like I do every morning! If that made a difference, then why didn’t Sylvie react before?!”

“Because she didn’t have a crush on you before!” Sylia yelled in desperation.

“WHAT?!” a shocked Priss blurted.

“The point is that we have to stop her somehow if she really is after Linna!” Mackey pointed out as he logged into one of the other terminals. “She couldn’t have gotten far if she’s on foot.”

“Don’t count on that,” Nigel grimly pointed out. He had also logged into one of the other terminals and had been checking the various shots from the security cameras. He tapped on the view of the garage. “Priss’s bike is missing.”

“WHAT?!” the singer blurted for the second time in as many minutes. “How the hell does she know how to ride my bike?!”

“She’s programmed to fly a jet fighter! What do you think?!” Sylia angrily pointed out, though it was it clear that her rage was primarly at herself and the situation.

Then she steeled herself and ordered, “Henderson, call Reika and tell her to clear the compound as soon as possible, with evacuation priority on Linna and the children. Nigel and Mackey, try to see if you can capture Sylvie’s signal and pinpoint her location. Her direct command mode also means she’d emit a tracking signal back to Genom. Also keep an eye on Genom’s communications systems and let me know if they pick her up. Priss and Nene, we’ve got a last resort option to stop her down in my private lab. Let’s go!”

“I should be returning by the time we’re ready to deliver the first version models,” Madigan reported to Quincy as they were in his office. She sat in the chair in front of his desk while he leaned against the window with a glass of scotch in his hand. “Dr. Yuri has proven quite capable of running his team with minimal supervision. However, I will continue to call and check on his status.”

Quincy shook his head and said, “Don’t bother. Enjoy your vacation. I’ll handle -“

Suddenly the phone in Quincy’s vest pocket went off, as did Madigan’s, which was on her belt.

The two executives paused and looked at each other. Quincy answered his first and signalled to Madigan to have her call go to voicemail.

“This is Quincy... What?!” the man’s tone immediately turned into pleased surprise. Realizing that Madigan’s curiosity was piqued, he repeated the information for her sake, “You’ve suddenly registered Sylvie’s signal, and she’s still within the city?... But she’s heading west as if she’s in some sort of high speed vehicle?... Dispatch the other girls by helicopter and figure out a rendezvous point. I want her brought back as soon as possible and in one piece! Understood?! I’m heading down to the control room now!”

The President and CEO of Genom Corporation hung up the phone with an immensely pleased smile. “Well? You can go off on your vacation or stick around for a bit to see how this turns out.”

Madigan smiled and stood. “This is one show I wouldn’t want to miss.”

-- End Chapter 55 --

Chapter 56: Kamikaze

“I knew you had a secret set of hardsuits stashed somewhere!” Nene exclaimed in relief and excitement once she looked at the display of the four ready suits near the wall.

Sylia broke out into a grim smile as she pressed some buttons on the wall panel. There was a hum and as one, each of the suits bent forward and opened to allow their respective owners to climb in for occupancy.

“They’re actually functional prototypes,” Sylia quickly explained. “After Galatea, I decided to tinker with more design options. I didn’t like how much time and preparation the Galatea versions required so I decided to see if I could make similar versions that were pre-formed like your first set of hardsuits. It’ll be a tight wiggle to get into them, and yes, you’d still be naked, but these could be deployed remotely as well as by yourself. I’m just grateful that I never allowed Sylvie in here or she would have destroyed them as well.”

“So how functional are these?” Priss asked as she started to take off her clothes, dumping them on the nearby examination table.

“They should be one hundred percent but I haven’t run a full diagnostic test on all of them. I didn’t finish them because I eventually decided to take the leap of faith that perhaps the Knight Sabers could finally retire after all. My suit is the only one that I’ve thoroughly checked and know is fine. But since the suits are all custom-fitted neither one of you can wear it.”

As she took off her own clothes, Nene frowned at the way Sylia still pressed her hand against her side. “Sylia, are you going to go out too?”

Sylia flashed a reassuring smile and said, “I couldn’t wiggle into this version in my current condition, much less fight in one.”

“So it’ll be just me and Nene?” Priss muttered as she approached her suit. She suddenly faltered in her step as her eyes widened due to some internal reaction.

Sylia frowned and opened her mouth to speak but then she was cut off by Mackey’s voice over the intercom.

“We’ve found her!” he announced. “She’s still on the main highway within the city. At the speed she’s going and with traffic, we calculated that it’ll be another twenty-five minutes before she gets to Reika’s. If you dispatch within the next five minutes, you’ll stop her in plenty of time. You’ll also be outside of the city limits so you should have free reign to do what you have to.”

“Genom’s also found her too and are tracking her by satellite!” Nigel’s voice added. “I just intercepted a deployment order for Sylvie’s sisters by helicopter!”

“Thanks! And keep us posted of anything new!” Sylia yelled back to the receiving microphones. She then frowned as she mulled the situation. “Damn! That’s four to two odds now! One to one is risky enough. Looks like I’m going to have to join you after all.”

“So then you are going to wear your hardsuit?” Nene nervously asked, even sounding a little hopeful in her voice. She had already started to squeeze into her own combat armor as she got ready.

With a sly smile, she shook her head. “There are other things I can do to help even the odds!” She pushed other codes into the control panel, which caused humming to be heard as the door to one of the adjacent rooms slid open expectantly. “A hardsuit would actually get in the way this time. -- Priss, I want you to deploy first. Nene and I will catch up with you.”

A look of hesitancy and fear broke out on the singer’s face, a reaction that even Nene noticed.

“But - “ Priss stared at the hardsuit before her. Her face clearly showed that she was trying to fight down some internal panic growing within her.

Sylia looked at her firmly and said, “You have the best lead right now to stop Sylvie before anyone else arrives. So it’ll still be a one to one fight. Just keep in mind that you’re doing this for Linna! And for Sylvie. Don’t you think she’d want you to stop her if you could? And we’ll be keeping an eye on you.”

“Priss, you can do it!” Nene insisted frantically, realizing her support was needed as well. “Linna and the real Sylvie are counting on you!”

Priss stared at the ready suit before her and swallowed. Then she closed her eyes, took a deep breath and reopened her eyes with a determined expression. Even though she went through the motions of getting into her suit, her face clearly showed the haunted look of a woman facing her own execution.

“Nene, make certain Priss launches fine!” Sylia ordered, as she discarded her robe and walked towards the waiting room. “You’ll have to do it from the launch tube in the pit. When she’s gone, wait for me there. I should only take five minutes!”

Do I fight for control? Or do I just let go and trust my body as I normally do? But isn’t that how I froze the last time?

Priss’s mind frantically raced through its monologue as she felt herself sail through the air. She ran through every conceivable option and didn’t trust the outcomes of any of them. The fight with the construction boomers also replayed in her mind, creating more panic and uncertainty as to how she was to approach this impending battle.

Sylvie said the key was for Priss to remind herself that she was human.

But doesn’t any kind of emotion qualify as being human? Boomers don’t experience panic or fear or doubts. Boomers don’t fight because they’re motivated by the horror of innocent lives being killed, or by the fierce desire to protect a loved one. And boomers don’t function with the constant fear that their own bodies could betray them at any moment. So what the hell was the key to breaking Galatea’s unconscious control?!

But sentient boomers do feel emotion. You know that, Priss. There is no difference so stop trying to fight and just accept who you really are!

Priss’s heart beat so hard that it felt like it was trying to burst not only out of her body but the hardsuit as well.

“Priss, take a deep breath and focus!” Nigel’s voice firmly and calmly coached her through the comm-link. “You need your full concentration to confront Sylvie. Don’t give her an advantage over you!”

“Ri-Right, Nigel,” Priss responded with a deep breath and a swallow as she bounced off another rooftop.

She knew she had to get her act together. Despite what Sylia said, she knew she had no backup this time. It was all or nothing.

Just as that thought settled in her mind, she looked down at the long stretch of countryside before her, critically eyeing the road. Then she saw the familiar figure on the extremely familiar vehicle.

“I see her!” she reported back through the comm-link.

“Go for it!” Nigel said. “Nene and Sylia should be there in three minutes. Genom is also in the air. They should be arriving around the same time!”

“Got it!”

Priss took a final breath and adjusted her thrusters to change her trajectory a bit so she that could line herself up with Sylvie’s travel path.

Wearing a simple dress with the skirt hiked up around her hips in the complete lack of boomer moedsty, Sylvie was hunched over the machine, her white hair flying like a banner in the wind. She glanced back at the figure hovering in the sky behind her, showing that she acknowledged the other’s presence as well, but made no move other than to speed up.

When Sylvie reached a stretch of the hillside road that was finally clear of other vehicles, Priss lunged in for the attack. The Knight Saber dive-bombed with precise accuracy, nailing Sylvie with a tackle. The collision sent the two of them and the motorcycle skidding across the asphalt surface, through the guardrails and down the hill-side into the forest below.

Priss’s arm-lock around Sylvie’s waist gave her a split second advantage in the mad tumble. Before they finished their roll, she pulled her arm back to land a knuckle-bomb enhanced punch, and felt it freeze again.

Taking advantage of the hesitancy, Sylvie slammed her elbow into Priss’s chest, knocking the Knight Saber flying into the nearby tree.

“PRISS! Are you okay?!” Mackey blurted after hearing the sound of the second collision.

Priss scrambled to her feet as she tried to focus through the impact of the hit. “I’m fine! The suit absorbed it but I’m still a bit rattled.” She noticed that her arm was still locked in its attack position.

The Knight Saber then looked up to find Sylvie charging at her. The boomer suffered superficial damage from the crash. Her dress was torn and her artificial skin ripped from the upper right side of her face, revealing the glistening metal skull with the white eye in its socket.

The sight shocked Priss, finally dispelling any lingering doubts in her mind of what Sylvie truly was, the kind that stayed until you saw certain things for yourself. Unfortunately, it was a split second reaction that gave Sylvie the opening she needed.

The boomer fully tackled the Knight Saber, sending them both crashing through the already damaged tree, tumbling into the clearing beyond. Sylvie had one arm locked around Priss’s neck as she rabbit-punched her in the side.

Priss tried to punch back with her free arm and found that it also froze into a neutral and helpless position.

SHIT! she thought frantically as she felt her panic attack come back in full force.

Then she felt herself block everything out. Nigel and Mackey’s frantic words through the comm-link, the rattling pounding that her hardsuit and body were taking, and the sheer helplessness of her situation. She wanted to shut down and run away -- just like before.

But then a voice made its way through the chaos. The distinct words that were repeated in a hauntingly familiar voice. Priss couldn’t tell if she actually heard it through her ears or if it was a mental connection of some sort.

It was Sylvie, repeating over and over, “Please kill me, Priss!”

-- End Chapter 56 --

Chapter 57: Rock 'n Roll!

Sylvie’s voice was suddenly gone along with the pounding.

Priss blinked back to reality when she felt the thud of Sylvie’s body collapse on top of hers.

“Sylvie?!” she cried in horror at the unseeing eyes and blank expression. She smacked the metallic cheek and yelled, “Please, answer me!”

“Priss! She can’t hear you!” Sylia said.

Realizing that her voice wasn’t coming from inside her helmet comm-link, Priss looked up to see two figures standing before her.

Nene in her hardsuit stood quietly to the side while an unfamiliar figure captured their attention.

Sylia was almost unrecognizable in her black, military-style jumpsuit with combat boots and gloves. Her gray hair was pinned up under a black baseball cap and her eyes were hidden behind thick black visors. She wore a radio headset with mini-microphone and an armored vest. At her waist was a double holster with a pistol at each hip. A stylized sniper’s rifle with an unusually thick barrel was gripped in her left hand while her right one held a small remote control. The only other thing about Sylia’s attire was a strange metallic collar around her neck, which had small red buttons that glowed, indicating that it was an electronic device of some sort.

All of those details were absorbed by Priss and immediately discarded once she saw that Sylia’s remote was the reason behind the lifeless form in her arms. Priss remembered seeing Sylia tinkering with the gadget when she came to the Silky Doll the day after her return and knew what it signified.

“DAMN YOU!” Priss roared as she lunged, her rage blocking out everything except the need for immediate vengeance. She didn’t even notice that her arms were fully functional again.

In a flash of an eye, Sylia dropped the remote and whipped out a pistol to shoot Priss in the shoulder.

The bullet didn’t scratch the hardsuit but it was enough to knock the enraged Knight Saber back a step and to her senses, which was Sylia’s intent.

“Priss!” Nene cried as she rushed to her friend, who was down on her hands and knees.

“You’ve got company!” Nigel’s voice announced through their various comm-links.

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the trio heard the sound of a helicopter zoom over the hilltop.

“Nene, get into position!” Sylia ordered as she zoomed in on the helicopter with the binocular mode of her visor. “Priss, this is the time we need your rage!”

Priss fought back her turmoil as she tried to focus and get up. She watched Nene rush over and plant herself with her back towards Sylia as the helicopter drew near. She knew she should get ready to fight, but she looked down at the fallen Sylvie and couldn’t bring herself to move away from her.

The aircraft swooped low over the clearing and three figures in blue jumpsuits without parachutes dropped like bombs from the open door. They dropped down at the other edge of the clearing and charged forward, each wielding a machine gun and firing away.

The only person at real risk from the charge of gunfire and boomers was Sylia, who looked incredibly calm as she readied her rifle, aiming over Nene’s slightly crouching form. With precise aim, she fired.

The lead boomer was hit right in the eye, her head and body snapping back from the force. She had only stumbled back a step when the projectile lodged into her eye socket exploded. The force wasn’t enough to do more than warp the opening her cranium, but it was enough to disconnect and rupture the wiring and circuits in her brain cavity. She fell to her knees helplessly as her companion was also hit with a shot to the eye.

“Nene, they’re yours now!” Sylia yelled, giving the youngest Knight Saber the signal to charge. Also seeing that now she had no cover against the barrage of gunfire, she dove to the ground, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in her ribs triggered by the gun recoil. “Priss, that last one’s heading for you! I can’t get a clear shot at her!”

Priss didn’t hear Sylia and she didn’t need to. All she could focus on was this petite woman in a blue jumpsuit suit charging at her with a blazing machine gun. The bullets bounced off her hardsuit but were forceful enough to knock her back off her feet. The last thing she saw before she went down was her attacker running in a direct line towards Sylvie’s fallen form.

“Stay away from her, Bitch!” Priss roared as she scrambled to her feet and lunged, using her thrusters to add impact to her tackle.

Sylia smiled as she saw her friend and teammate unleash her full fury on the combat boomer.

The hits weren’t precise enough for a quick, clean kill - but that wasn’t the point of rage. Priss repeatedly hit and slugged the struggling boomer with such force and repetition that it was clear who the victor would be even if the fight lasted a while.

Nene, meanwhile, had an easy time dispatching one partially blind boomer and then the other crippled one.

Sylia looked up at the helicopter circling overhead and zoomed her visor in on it to see if there were any figures on board. “Nigel!” she yelled into the microphone, “Do you know if there are any people on board the chopper?”

“Negative! It’s on autopilot, being controlled by one of the boomers. Most likely the one Priss is fighting since the other two are down.”

“Good! Take control of it and land it at the edge of the clearing!”

“Roger!”

Sylia looked to see Priss standing victoriously over the twisted form of metal, cloth and artificial skin that had been a top-model combat boomer. Seeing that all of the boomers had been taken care of, Sylia turned off her collar. It was a dampener against white noise since she wouldn’t have been insulated in a hardsuit like the other two. She picked up the fallen remote control and slipped it into her pocket as she got to her feet.

“What do we do now?” Nene asked as she approached her.

Priss also walked towards them, or more precisely, towards Sylvie. Her posture was that of someone whose soul had been ripped from her despite the victory that she had just had.

“Priss! She’s still alive. I only shut her down!” Sylia said reassuringly.

Obviously amazed, Priss whipped her helmeted head towards her. “Then she’s not dead?”

“Not yet! But we need to get her back to the Pit and on life support as soon as possible. Do it now while Nigel and Mackey still have the satellite blackout in effect!” Sylia smiled as she saw Priss immediately scoop up her fallen comrade and proceed to jump away.

“What about us?” Nene asked.

“Do you mind gathering the boomer parts and putting them back in the helicopter? I want to send a special present to Genom,” Sylia said as she wearily pressed her hand against the intense pain at her side. “Meanwhile, I need to take some aspirin and figure out what I have to say.”

“You mean to me?!” a clearly displeased Reika announced as she stepped out of a car that had pulled up to the edge of the clearing. Behind her were two more cars full of her security team.

Sylia peered over the black visors and flashed a weak smile. “Ah, your ears must have been burning!”

Reika dangerously narrowed her eyes at her before giving the order to her team to help with the cleanup.

“ -- Anri’s signal just went out,” the nervous technician reported once the reading went flat on the final active boomer. “The chopper’s signal has also been knocked out.”

The room was quiet as twenty people were afraid to breathe wrong given the way their President and CEO stood stone-still and stared at the large black screen before them.

“Madigan,” he finally said through gritted teeth, clearly trying to keep himself calm.

“Sir?”

“I strongly recommend you go on your vacation right now,” he said in a low voice. “There is going to be plenty of work to do when you get back.”

“Yes, sir.”

-- End Chapter 57 --

Chapter 58: In For A Penny

“HAVE YOU COMPLETELY LOST YOUR MIND?!” Reika yelled at the top of her lungs.

Sylia quietly leaned back against the control panels in her private lab, grateful that she chosen an extremely secure place to have this conversation with her ex-girlfriend. Still dressed in her combat outfit from the battle not more than an hour before, she folded her arms and listened quietly with a bowed head as she got the verbal barrage she knew she deserved.

Reika angrily pointed at the screen, which showed the view of Sylvie strapped to an examination table with cables attached to her neck to keep her alive. “I cannot believe you are still keeping her around after what just happened! Maybe it was my fault that I didn’t say anything when you first told me what you were doing with her, even though I really wanted to, but after she’s proven what kind of a danger she is, you still have her? Sylia, the threat to my family home and staff shouldn’t have to be part of this conversation! I thought you cared about Linna! Why are you willing to risk her life AGAIN?!”

Sylia didn’t try hiding her flinches at the words that cut deeper than any physical wound she had ever received. Noticing the sudden silence, she peered up to see Reika glaring at her with her hands on her hips.

Reika tsked and muttered, “I’m so used to having you yell back that I don’t know what to say next. Other than that you’re being extremely stupid right now. And I’m extremely disappointed in you. I’m sure Linna won’t admit it, but I’ll bet she is too.”

Sylia took a breath and said softly, “You’re right. You always have been. My methods are stupid and insane and endanger everyone I love and care about. I act like I can solve the world’s problems by myself even though time and time again it’s been proven that I need help to do it. But that’s the way I am, and always will be.”

“But that doesn’t explain why you still have that boomer here.”

Sylia looked up at the screen, but her attention wasn’t focused on the central image of Sylvie. Instead, her eyes were on the lone figure of Priss slouched in a chair next to the table, watching the boomer with a heartbreaking expression of loss and ache.

Sylia looked at the woman beside her and said, “Reika, I know you don’t care about Priss, but she’s also one of my best friends. And she needs Sylvie right now, in a way I’ve never seen her need anyone. After three years of running away from it, she’s finally dealing with the repercussions of having Galatea mentally, emotionally and physically rape her. And I’m certain she’s having an identity crisis on top of that. She’s struggling just to keep sane. Sylvie has provided an anchor for her that no one else could. I assure you, if it were not for Priss, I would have gladly scrapped Sylvie once and for all.”

Reika looked at the screen and then back at Sylia. She was still displeased even though her fury seemed to subside for the most part. “So why did you need to talk to me? It sounds like your mind is already made up on the matter. I’ve known from past experiences that that is one wall I’m not going to bother banging my head against anymore.”

Sylia then took a strengthening breath and finally said, “I managed to crack through some more of Sylvie’s programming the other night and found something that might be a solution to the problem. Because of it, I have a plan that can help Linna once and for all. And if we’re extremely fortunate, there’s also a chance it can help Sylvie. But you’re the only person who can carry it out... I guess this is my roundabout way of saying that I need your help, Reika. You can say no, and I’ll never bring it up again. If you think the plan’s insane, then you’re right. I’ll do whatever you say to help fix things. All I’m asking is this one last chance for you to trust me.”

Neither woman moved for a moment as they stared at each other, wondering what the other was thinking, and if the other person’s thoughts were indeed in the present, or eight years in the past.

Reika let out a sigh and leaned back against the console next to Sylia. “How can I turn you down after all that? Sometimes I do wonder if there’s a part of me that’s still wrapped around your little finger.”

Sylia giggled and nudged her with her elbow as she said, “Maybe it’s the combat fatigues. You always did tell me this outfit was a fantasy of yours.”

Reika broke out into a laugh and remarked, “The thought did cross my mind. When you actually do butch, you do it extremely well. Too bad you never dressed up like this when we were together.”

“I’ll make certain that Linna gets a similar outfit for Christmas.”

“Oh, stop it!” Reika retorted with a nudge of her own. “Going there is not going make me want to help you, even if it is for Linna’s benefit! - So, what’s this plan of yours?”

Quincy waited with his security and laboratory staff for the Genom helicopter to descend from the sky and settle on the landing pad.

Once the airplane finally shut down, the side door opened, and the towering figure of Kou Takeuchi emerged, dressed impeccably in his black suit. A sharply dressed Reika Chang emerged right behind him, with her gaze focused on the man who led their welcoming committee.

Quincy bowed deeply and said, “Greetings, Ms. Chang. I am extremely pleased that you and your staff have chosen to return this piece of Genom property to me. I take it that my girls are inside?”

“The pieces that we could recover,” she answered coolly. “My men weren’t too concerned about keeping things in organized piles.”

Quincy flashed her a warm smile and said, “The fact that you’ve gone through such effort for a matter is exceptional. And I am sorry for the inconvenience this entire matter has caused you, as well as to the damage on your property. Genom plans to make full restitution to you and your estate.”

“Don’t bother. It will give my groundskeeper a challenge he’s been wanting for a while,” she answered. “Now, do we want to conduct our meeting outside or shall we move to a more secluded atmosphere?”

He bowed and pointed in the direction of the entrance to the building. “This way please.”

“Can I offer you something to drink?” he asked as he approached his bar.

“A gin and tonic would be fine,” the young woman answered as she sat down in the chair and took in the breathtaking view of Tokyo Bay and the Skyhook construction site.

“And thank you for allowing your bodyguard to wait outside. I’ve found such discussions should be held only with the people who truly need to know,” Quincy said as he poured drinks for both of them. “Now what do you wish to talk about?”

“About Linna Yamazaki,” she answered simply.

“What about her?” he said, handing her her drink as he took his own seat. If Quincy was surprised, he hid it well.

“Good that you know who she is,” she commented with a slight smirk and a sip. “At the request of Detective Daley Wong, and because she’s a good friend of my sister’s, I’ve been harboring her at my estate ever since an attempt was made on her life at the hospital she had been staying at. We kept her whereabouts a secret because at the time we didn’t know why she was spared from the Plaza Slaughter, or why someone would go through a special effort to kill her after the fact. Well, after today’s events, and remembering the demonstration of Sylvie, I did a little bit of an educated guessing and came to the conclusion that perhaps the missing piece of the puzzle had been in front of me all this time.”

Quincy merely leaned back in his chair and arched his eyebrow curiously. “Are you saying that you think Sylvie was near your estate because she was there to finish killing Linna? That’s quite a stretch.”

“But not impossible,” she stated pointedly. “As head of the Hou Bang Clan, I’ve come here to discuss protection terms for her. What would it take for her life to be spared?”

The man smirked and said, “Ah, your family trademark. Bartering for the safety on behalf of people who unfortunately got in over their heads. I do wonder what your Clan gets out of being a negotiator? A cut of their salary?”

“That is a matter between us and our clients.” Reika then frowned slightly and said, “I doubt Ms. Yamazaki did anything to deserve to be hunted down and be forced to live in hiding.”

“That may be true,” Quincy answered with a shrug. “But I admit I am interested in your deal. However, the decision isn’t entirely mine.”

Reika blinked in surprised at this news. “Who else needs to be consulted in this matter?”

Quincy punched in a speed-dial code into his phone and said, “I think you’ll recognize him once you see him. After all, he’s your future husband’s brother.”

Obviously taking a break from an intense tennis match, Largo took a sip of iced tea and looked at the two people from the phone-screen on Quincy’s wall. “Well, Reika, I must say it is a bit of a surprise that you’re involved in this matter.”

“I’m involved because Ms. Yamazaki is a good friend of Irene’s,” Reika clarified. “And that’s why I’m here to negotiate for her protection.”

“Ah, I see,” the man mused. “Still, as you can imagine that this matter does require some delicacy, now that you have a good idea of what still requires discretion.”

“I promise Ms. Yamazaki will remain quiet about the Plaza Slaughter,” she stated firmly. “She doesn’t really know anything about this whole matter anyway, so the risks of exposure were extremely slim.”

Largo studied her for a moment and then nodded. “I am satisfied with that if you are guaranteeing her silence with the reputation of the Hou Bang Clan.”

“I am.”

“Very well then. This matter is of no more importance to me. Mr. Rosenkreuz, am I needed for anything else?”

“Not at this time, Mr. Watanabe,” he answered. “Thank you for your time and input on this matter.”

Once Quincy hung up the phone, he remarked, “It seems the choice is really left to me after all.”

Suddenly Quincy’s cell phone rang in his pocket. “If you’ll excuse me for one moment, Ms. Chang,” he said as he pulled it out. “This is Quincy.... Are you certain about that?... I appreciate you telling me right away... Continue with your work. Goodbye.”

“Well?” Reika asked, once he hung up the phone a second time.

Quincy looked occupied with his thoughts as he took a large sip of his scotch. He then stood and walked over to the window.

“It seems my staff has noticed a significant item missing from your recent delivery,” he noted.

Reika felt herself tense as she realized what he was getting at.

“I had originally thought I would not require anything in exchange for Ms. Yamazaki’s life but it seems I do have a price after all.” He then turned to her directly and stated, “Give me Sylvie and I will spare Ms. Yamazaki. Consider it a life for a life, if even that.”

Reika frowned and responded, “But I don’t have Sylvie.”

Quincy shrugged. “This is no different to me being a shop owner and having a prized necklace in the window that you want. My price for the necklace is a thousand yen, yet you only have five hundred. It’s up to you to figure out how to get the rest. And a woman of your connections and resources I’m certain would have far more success than others in this particular matter.”

He finished his glass and said, “I’ll even sweeten the deal. I’ll work with my police connections and have the Plaza Slaughter case closed to everyone’s satisfaction. After all, terrorists can be a rather busy lot, don’t you think?... On the other hand, if you don’t deliver Sylvie to me, then I will make certain those same police sources will find evidence connecting Ms. Yamazaki to the terrorists as an accomplice, which of course means her safety and her life are out of my hands from that point forward.”

“So let me summarize to make certain I understand all of the terms,” Reika said, not bothering to hide her brimming anger. “You’ll agree to give the order to stop Ms. Yamazaki’s assassination as well as solve the Plaza Slaughter in a manner that satisfies the general public? And if I don’t provide Sylvie, you will instead have evidence planted that will implicate Ms. Yamazaki in the recent terrorist activities, the Plaza Slaughter included?”

“Precisely,” the man said with a smooth grin. “I could have ordered the stop on any assassination attempts on Ms. Yamazaki without this condition, but I am a businessman after all, and when I see a chance for a deal where everyone wins, I do what comes naturally. After all, I’m only asking for what’s mine.”

“You are right, Mr. Rosenkreuz. Sylvie is yours after all,” Reika said as she put her barely touched drink on his desk. “Give me three days to see if my resources can track her down. I’ll give you a call once, and if, I’m certain I can guarantee such a delivery.”

Quincy smiled and bowed. “I look forward to hearing from you, Ms. Chang.”

She bowed in return and said through an icy smile, “Have a good rest of your day, Mr. Rosenkreuz.”

-- End Chapter 58 --

Chapter 59: Magic Words

Priss didn’t move at the sound of the elevator doors opening behind her. The soft clicking of heels on the tiled floor told her all that she needed to know.

“Are you hungry or thirsty at all?” Sylia asked from behind her. “Henderson is preparing dinner and wants to know if he should prepare a special tray for you. Then again, given that you didn’t even touch your lunch, I’m wondering if I should tell him not to bother.”

Priss glanced at the untouched meal tray that had been placed on the nearby table. “It seems like the least wasteful option at the moment,” she answered.

Suddenly a new sound in the background caught Priss’s ears and attention. It was the unfamiliar noise of something being gently pushed across the floor on wheels.

She turned and was greeted with the sight of Linna in a wheelchair, with Reika pushing her from behind.

Linna was dressed in pajamas with metal and plastic bindings to support her frame, but at least she sat upright and looked alert. Her concern was clearly evident in her eyes as they came closer and she said, “Hi, Priss.”

Priss actually broke out into a soft smile and said, “Hey. It seems the wheelchair came in time.”

Linna managed a nod in her neck brace. “Given that Sylia invited us over for this special event, I was glad I could say yes. With Reika’s help, of course.”

Reika kept quiet as she pushed Linna to the spot beside the singer. She was clearly not pleased for some reason but gave Linna a kind smile at the acknowledgement.

Priss realized that there was a hint of an ulterior motive behind the three new arrivals so she looked at Sylia questioningly. “What’s up?”

“I’m hoping we have a final solution to this one maddening puzzle,” Sylia answered as she pulled out a handheld recorder from her skirt pocket and gave it to Priss.

Upon taking it, the singer arched an eyebrow at the device and remarked, “Sorry, singing requests are out of the question for a few days. My swollen mouth has final say on the matter.”

“You don’t need to sing this time,” Sylia said as she walked over to the nearby control panel and started to push some buttons. “I just need you to press ‘play’ when I give you the cue.”

Priss was naturally extremely curious but she knew the answer would come shortly. It was then that she noticed Nene sitting at the main control station up in the command booth.

After a few more buttons were pressed, a hum came from Sylvie as electricity flooded into her. Even though she was still in the same tattered state from the battle earlier that day, it was clear that her motor responses were functioning again. Because of the patch of artificial skin that had been torn from the upper right side of her face, it was strange to see her eye start to swivel and look around. Almost immediately afterwards, her left eyelid started to flutter and mimic the responses of blinking as she tried to assess her current situation, including testing the strength of the bindings at her limbs and waist.

Sylia pointed to Priss, who then pushed the ‘play’ button on the recorder.

“Sylvie,” an unfamiliar male voice said.

The boomer suddenly froze at the sound, apparently focusing all attention on the voice, not noticing or caring that it came from the device in Priss’s hand.

“Sylvie,” the recorder said again in the same voice, “I order you to stop Linna Yamazaki’s assassination.”

Priss was pleasantly surprised by the words, and intrigued to see if they would work. To the singer’s ear, it was clear that the words were spliced together from a probably unrelated conversation given the uneven inflection in the speaker’s tone.

This didn’t seem to matter to the boomer because she answered, “Yes, Mr. Rosenkreuz. I will comply. The direct command has been terminated.”

The three other women in the room let out the breath they had apparently all been holding.

Priss smiled and gave Sylia a deep look of gratitude.

Now that she was back to full consciousness, Sylvie stopped struggling and looked around to study the visitors, her eyes finally resting on Linna. Instead of the cold, efficient killer that had been present the last time she was active, the boomer’s cheeks actually reddened as she said with clear remorse, “Ms. Yamazaki, I am sorry for all of the trouble I caused you.”

Linna smiled back and said, “It’s okay, Sylvie. I know you couldn’t help it.”

“Thank you.”

“Sylia,” Reika prompted with a meaningful look.

The other woman nodded and pressed the buttons that would release Sylvie’s bindings.

“Why don’t you two take a moment to collect yourselves?” she suggested to Priss and Sylvie. “There’s an important matter we need to discuss up in the command booth. So come on up when you’re done?”

They nodded as the others turned to leave.

Priss narrowed her eyes as she watched them get into the elevator, knowing that there was something they were hiding by the way they didn’t speak to each other. She knew the answer would come in time too and what mattered more right now was the woman before her.

“I’m so embarrassed to be seen like this,” Sylvie said, gently touching the edges of her torn facial skin. She was grateful that her nose and mouth were still intact.

Priss stood and leaned against the examination table. She smiled and remarked, “Well, I’d be a hypocrite if I made a crack about facial wounds. Besides, Sylia and the others will patch you up and you’ll be as good as new.”

Sylvie gave her a shy smile and said, “Thank you for being so forgiving as well.”

Priss shrugged and remarked, “Well, if you ever pull a stunt like that again, be sure to take Sylia’s Porsche instead, okay?”

“I thought about it. I’m sorry your bike was destroyed. But I took it because it meant more to me since it was yours.”

Priss stared at her with wide eyes as red flushed across her cheeks. She cleared her throat and dropped her gaze to the floor. “Yeah, well, Nigel and Mackey are seeing what they can do to salvage it... We should go up and find out what the others want to talk about. Are you up to it?”

“Should I put on something to cover my face?” Sylvie asked as she glanced up at the command booth in concern. No one was visible in the window, showing that they were collected deeper in the room.

Priss smiled at this display of vanity and said, “It doesn’t bother me.”

Sylvie smiled and said, “Then let’s go...”

-- End Chapter 59 --

Chapter 60: The Final Solution

“ABSOLUTELY NO FUCKING WAY!” Priss yelled.

Priss’s fury and attention were directed entirely on Reika and Sylia, while Sylvie remained safely beside her. Nene and Linna also stayed out of the line of fire, next to the console.

“This isn’t like slave-trading!” the singer continued in her tirade. “Genom doesn’t own her! She’s a thinking, feeling being! I’d make the same argument if we were talking about comparing Linna to -- to -- to Leon!”

Sylvie’s eyes widened at the words as she watched Priss curiously.

“She’s a being who’s also a boomer!” Reika yelled back. “You can turn her off; you can turn her on. If her head pops off then you just replace it with a new one! Linna has only one shot at living! And I’ll be damned if her life is going to be compromised because of the existence of an artificial being! It’s not as if Sylvie’s is going to be executed when we hand her back to Genom. She’ll still be alive!”

Priss glared at the quiet Sylia and demanded, “But you’d wipe out all of her enhancements, wouldn’t you? All of her experiences and memories of her time here?!”

“I have to, Priss,” she answered softly, obviously not happy with the situation herself. “She knows too much about all of us. We’d have to return her in as close to her original state as possible, and that includes stripping all of the technical enhancements we made.”

“Then there is no fucking way I’m going to let you do that to her! That’s as good as killing her! She has a right to live too!” Priss stated adamantly. “I’ll kill this Rosenkreuz myself if that’s what it takes to end it.”

“Killing him isn’t the solution,” Reika stated firmly. “He’s a very well protected and connected man. Even if you did manage to succeed, there’d be a chain of vengeance that would destroy everyone you ever cared about!”

“And I couldn’t support that, Priss,” Linna said softly, “not if I’m part of the reason why you’d do that. I think I understand how you feel. But doing that makes you no better than him, in fact it would make you worse... Reika, since you have the entire conversation recorded, couldn’t you take it to the police or the press and expose him once and for all?”

She shook her head sadly in response. “It wouldn’t work that way. He’s got the city officials, including members on the police force, in his back pocket. It would be a death sentence to any reporter or honest cop who tried to come forward with the information, especially since other people besides him would be implicated. In all honesty, I believe handing Sylvie over is the quickest and easiest option.”

“Well, then couldn’t you give him a dummy replacement or something?” Priss asked Sylia, her desperation now becoming evident. “It doesn’t have to be Sylvie, does it?”

Sylia looked at her with deep regret and said, “I’m sorry, Priss, but I don’t have the time to be able to construct a replacement. It’s not as if we have boomer bodies lying around, especially one with the sophistication of Sylvie. Nigel calculated that with all of our expertise, it would still take a year to recreate her. Half that if we had ready made parts and development equipment at our fingertips. I doubt Reika can buy us that much time. The time she can get us will be just enough to strip Sylvie down and upload her original data files. And that’s providing we get started right away. Nigel and Mackey are heading over now as we speak.”

“But -“ Priss was about to protest further when she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She fell quiet once she realized it was Sylvie’s.

“Priss,” Sylvie said softly, “Reika’s right in that it’s the only option that will settle this matter once and for all. Sylia has never led me to believe that my life was more valuable than Linna’s, and I accept that. And as a sentient being, my choice in the matter is to agree to Mr. Rosenkreuz’s condition. There are no other options that I can see or support.”

Priss looked as if all of her energy suddenly drained out of her once again. “But...” she said, before finally drifting into a frustrated silence.

“Sylia, is there enough time for me to have an hour alone?” Sylvie asked.

The woman gave her a sad nod.

Sylvie then bowed to the others and said, “I thank you for everything you’ve done for me. And, Priss, the fact that you think I am a person after all makes this whole experience worth it to me. Now, if you would all please excuse me.”

She walked towards the elevator.

Once she was gone, the silence in the crowded room was tense and unnerving; no one wanted to look at each other after what had just happened.

“Damn it!” Priss muttered as she turned on her heels and charged for the elevator herself.

“Sylvie! Wait!” Priss yelled as she caught up with her in the hallway.

The boomer had already paused when she heard the familiar footfalls behind her. She turned and watched Priss approach.

“Yes?” she asked with a curious tilt of her head.

All of the emotions swirling in the human woman stopped short of coming out as actual words as she opened her mouth and struggled to say something. She took a shaky breath and said, “I don’t know what I’m going to do when you’re gone. When you left this morning, that was when I realized how much I need you.”

“You do?” Sylvie responded softly, the sheer amazement and wonder evident in her voice.

“And - And when you begged me to kill you, I couldn’t - wouldn’t, even if I wasn’t locked up.”

“You heard that?” the boomer managed to sound even more amazed. “I was only able to relay that as a mental thought. My vocal processes doesn’t allow for extraneous speech in direct command mode.”

“Oh...” Priss gulped as she tried to fight back the feeling of tears. “I - I don’t what else I can say that doesn’t sound selfish and - and... “

Sylvie meanwhile was amazed at the sight of water starting to trickle down Priss’s cheek. She reached out and caught some of the moisture on the tip of her finger. She commented softly, “The ability to cry was supposed to be in my next set of enhancements. I don’t know if I should be grateful or sad that they were never done.”

Not able to look up at her, Priss wiped away at the moisture with her hand and said, “I’m so afraid I’m going to finally go crazy. You were the only thing that made me feel like I could beat this. I could stop myself from turning into some sort of rogue boomer.”

Sylvie frowned and said, “Priss, your battle isn’t about becoming a boomer of any sort. I admit I don’t know how deeply Galatea affected you, but I think her lingering essence clouds the fact that your own insecurities and fears have always been your worst enemy. You conquer her influence when you embrace everything that makes you Priss, including the real emotions you’ve been avoiding these past couple of years.

“I know I never knew you back then, but I think that person is still there somewhere. And it’s just a matter of you allowing her to come back. I believe you are strong enough that you would have realized it on your own. I only helped you along; you never really needed me in the end.”

The tears having stopped, Priss stared in wonder at Sylvie. Then, without another word, she reached up and pulled the other woman close for a kiss, which was returned with just as much fire.

The four women were deathly silent in the command booth as they watched the security camera’s view of the kissing women.

“Oh, my God!” Linna finally commented in amazement. “Is she slipping her tongue?!”

“It looks pretty mutual to me,” added an equally amazed Reika. Admittedly, there was a part of her that felt a certain sense of relief that the kiss in question did not involve the woman in the wheelchair next to her.

With her eyes practically out of their sockets, Nene felt like her jaw was in her lap. Then she felt the nudge of an elbow against her own.

“Looks like you’re the only one left,” Sylia said with a wink and a giggle. “Maybe Mackey’s the one who needs to be careful of some competition.”

Nene turned completely red as she immediately focused her attention back on the camera’s view.

Finally, the women on the screen stopped kissing and just stood, holding each other in a tight embrace.

Nene just shook her head to herself and wondered what she was going to tell Leon. And then she decided this was one secret she was more than willing to keep.

-- End Chapter 60 --

Chapter 61: Square One

Sylia leaned back in her chair and watched the datastream fly across her terminal. From her position in the command booth, she glanced down and watched Mackey maneuver the scanner over the boomer’s form while Nene watched the readings on the nearby monitor station.

Per Sylia’s instructions, Reika would hold off contacting Quincy until the very end of the three days, hopefully allowing the addition of a couple more days for “delivery” time, which would be sorely needed. So for the time being, Quincy still thought Reika and her sources were “looking”, and for the moment that was good enough.

The sound of the elevator door opening as well as the pleasant aroma of much needed coffee piqued her senses.

“Thank you, Hen--“ she said but stopped when she turned around and saw Nigel carrying a tray instead. “Well, hello.”

He smiled and handed her a cup of coffee while taking a sip from his own. “Henderson is dealing with cleaning out Sylvie’s room, not that she left any mess to begin with. But he’s a little depressed by the whole thing.”

“Aren’t we all?” she mused as she returned her attention to the view below. “It’s just a cold reminder that with all of the money I have at my fingertips, the one thing I can never buy is time.”

“Well, getting a complete download as she is now is a start,” he said, referring to the screen of blurred text.

Sylia sighed and said, “You know as well as I do that even with the data-file snapshot, it’s still a long shot to making a perfect recreation of her. All of the nuances that made her personality were embedded in her core and the cell-matter that formed the base of it.”

Nigel frowned as he mulled over the puzzle as well, his eyes never leave the activity in the pit below. “Is it part of the deal that we have to return her to Genom intact? After all, they don’t know how the battle actually ended because of the blackout.”

Seeing where he was leading, Sylia suddenly sat up, her mind starting to buzz with an idea. “That is true. And it is our M.O. to crush cores, isn’t it? And we’d have to keep her core in a stasis chamber until we can create a body to house her. But it’s not a guarantee since so many things can still go wrong.”

“But it is a chance,” he pointed out with a quirk of a smile. “And I’ve never known Sylia Stingray to pass up on a chance. We don’t have the time and resources to create a dummy boomer, but we do to create a small stasis chamber.”

The woman continued to mull over the options, her mental wheels clearly spinning faster as her enthusiasm level increased. “We’d have to keep it confidential though, especially from Priss. I’d hate to give everyone hope and then disappoint them, either because she didn’t survive the transfer, or because she didn’t turn out to be exactly Sylvie in the end. At least we can deal with the last option by giving her a completely different exterior design if we have to and just accept that she’s a different person.”

“I’m sure you’ll come up with the best option, one that’ll make it work,” he said as he stood behind her chair and gently hugged her shoulders. “I have faith in you.”

Sylvie looked around, confused by the realizations that she was in the Pit and that she was still sentient. She turned her head to see Sylia standing over her.

“Yes, Sylia?” the boomer asked, not sure of what else to say given that she had resigned any hope of every being truly conscious again.

The woman smiled down at her and said, “I have one final chance that I’d like to offer you before we continue with the downgrade process.”

The boomer tilted her head curiously, intrigued by that opening.

“Nigel and I think there may be a chance to recreate you but it’s not a fool-proof method. At the very least, your core would have to be put in a stasis chamber until we can create another boomer shell for you. As you’ve heard before, this could take a year at the most, six months at the least. There’s also a strong chance your core will not survive being in stasis that long, or even the transfer process itself. Another risk is that when you are finally embedded in a new body, you may not be the Sylvie you know yourself to be, even though we’ll try our best to download the snapshot of our data files as they are now. That would mean you’d become someone else.”

Sylvie was quiet as she absorbed those words, her eyes never leaving the woman’s face as she spoke. Finally, she said, “It sounds like I have three possible scenarios: I could die later rather than now, I could become someone else, or the desired goal is that I could become me once more but at the earliest six months.”

“That’s why I wanted to talk to you now before we did anything. This choice is yours, as it always has been. And like before, I don’t want to force the hardships of living on you without your consent. Especially for a process that even I don’t feel extremely confident will work and that may cause you to suffer unnecessarily painful repercussions.”

Sylvie smiled softly and said, “Yes, you did warn me the first time that there are bad things to living, however, you also told me there would be the good things. And since I’ve experienced both, I would like to take this chance, no matter how slim the odds may be. But this time I do have one request if it is at all possible.”

“Yes?” Sylia answered, her own curiosity now piqued.

“If I’m to be in a stasis chamber, I would like to see if there is some way I can still be aware of the world as time goes on. A year is a long time to be away from the people you care about, and so much can happen to them during then. I would still feel as if I was a part of their lives by being an observer if I can’t actually participate.”

Sylia nodded and said, “I’ll see what we can do.”

“And, Sylia, if we really never speak again with me as Sylvie, thank you for everything.”

Sylia smiled and squeezed her hand. “You’re very welcome. You’ve taught me a lot as well. Now relax because I will have to turn you off again…”

“And so she’s back?” Madigan asked over the phone as she called from her sister’s home in Germany.

“Yes, in pieces though. But of all four of them, she was the most salvageable. Dr. Yuri estimates they should be able to have her up and running in two months time and no one else will be the wiser,” Quincy explained from his office as he watched the view on his terminal of Dr. Yuri and his team fussing over their new delivery. “Ms. Chang said she didn’t know why they kept her, but I think it’s pretty obvious they were planning to study her components in the hopes of getting as much technology information possible without her being fully functional. By her escape, she obviously proved too much for them to handle the first time around.”

“This ultimately means of course that Ms. Chang also knows who the Knight Sabers are. Should we keep an eye on her?”

Quincy thought about that for a moment and then shook his head. “Direct surveillance on the head of the Hou Bang Clan is almost impossible, as you know from your own experience with the late Mr. Chang. And finding out such information that way almost feels like someone else filling out a crossword puzzle for you in that the sense of accomplishment is gone. No, I’d rather we figure out something when we’re ready to deal with them once and for all. In the meantime, it’s just good to know she’s a source of information if we need to go that route.”

“Then what now?”

He grinned at her and said, “Say hello Fred Jr. for me and enjoy the rest of your vacation, Madigan. Meanwhile, Iris and I are going to take the kids to Australia for our own getaway. Like I said, there will be plenty of work to do when we get back.”

Madigan smiled back at him and said, “A hello to Iris as well. And have a good trip yourself, sir.”

-- End Chapter 61 --

Chapter 62: Past Perfect

Under the gentle heat of the afternoon sun, Leon felt his heart tighten as he drove the car up to the stretch of road that led to the perfect spot with a view of the city from the tall hill. He saw the lone figure standing in the extremely familiar stance of almost four years ago, when he had tried an unsuccessful attempt to pick her up by pointing out that he wasn’t going to give her a ticket for speeding.

Like then, Priss was dressed in her biker garb and leaning against her motorcycle. And also like then, her attention was focused on the view of the city, seemingly unaware of anything else even though the man had slowly learned that that was rarely the case.

Leon pulled up the car to the curb and got out, anxious to have this conversation and yet dreading it as well. It was hard to believe that it had been only a week since their last talk, which was the fight on the beach.

When he had finally gotten the call that morning that she wanted to meet, he tried grilling Nene for any details to prepare himself. Surprisingly, his coworker and friend actually seemed leery of providing any additional information other than to hint rather bluntly that he needed to hear things from Priss herself.

As he came near, he saw her head tilt as his footfalls apparently caught her hearing.

“Hey, is that a new bike?” he asked in the lightest tone possible.

“A loaner from Nigel’s shop. He and Mackey are working on my regular one.”

“Ah. So what happened?” he prompted as he leaned against it from the back.

“It took a tumble when I tried hunting down a boomer,” she answered simply. Showing that things were indeed different between then and now, she actually turned to him. She gave him a sad look and a simple “Hi.”

“Hi,” he answered back, trying not to be too focused on the bruise that still swelled her cheek and corner of her mouth. At least he had gotten a preliminary glimpse of it in their phone call, when she said it was a ‘training wound.’ “So how are you doing?”

“Better. And you?”

“Nuts from missing you like crazy,” he admitted softly. “Praying that this won’t be the last time we really talk. And if it is... well, hoping that just once you’ll be completely honest with me, and don’t edit even if you think I’ll misunderstand or not get the point at all.”

Priss studied him for a moment and then turned her attention back to the view before them. “Would you believe me if I told you that I thought you were kind of cute when you tried to give me that cornball line about not giving me a ticket for speeding? Your charm was definitely goofy, but I admit there something endearing and honest about your effort.”

Leon blinked in surprise and said, “Well, then why did you let me think you weren’t interested?”

“Because that part was also true,” she answered simply. “At the time, I was seriously interested in someone else, and was just waiting for the slightest sign that it was mutual and okay to act upon it. I had been brushed off by that person when you came by that day, and I guess the attention was what I needed at the time to salve my bruised ego and heart. And so, I thought ‘If I can’t have what I really want right now, a little fantasy material wouldn’t hurt to tie things over until the situation changed.’

“But since it wasn’t really serious for me, I didn’t want to give you hopes that it could lead anywhere real. In the meantime, I enjoyed your attention and your company since you seemed to be okay at the best, and amusing at the worst. At the very least, I thought that maybe we could be friends since I was starting to realize that friends were a good thing to have in your life after all.

“However, even if there wasn’t someone else, I still wouldn’t have pursued anything real with you. Being attracted to someone isn’t the same as wanting the same things, or having the same life vision. I knew back then that you were probably the kind of guy who saw a future with a stable routine, a nice home and children. At the time, my future consisted of singing, riding my bike and kicking boomer ass. I didn’t want to start something that I knew would have resulted in a no-win situation for both of us. And I honestly didn’t want to hurt you, which would have been inevitable.”

Leon swallowed against the knot building in his throat as he said, “Well, four years later it seems that you were right after all about the kind of guy that I am. Does that also mean that your vision of your own future changed to allow you to take a chance on us, and now it’s changed back?”

Priss was quiet for a moment and then said, “I don’t think I have to tell you that a lot of things were happening at that time, Leon. When you and I went out on the beach that night and talked, I was struggling with the fear of losing these women who had become so important to me despite all of my guards against having someone get too close. Then there was the issue about the hardsuits being boomers... And of course, Galatea had just emerged and all hell was breaking loose. My defined and completed controlled life suddenly felt as if it had been dumped into a blender turned on maximum speed.

“Part of me wanted to quit at that time just to cut my losses and run, to have everything end on my terms, not anyone else’s. But I stayed even though I saw the writing on the wall that it was probably the end of not just my life, but Tokyo and probably the world. It was just a matter of waiting for the countdown to happen, and it felt like it would come sooner rather than later.

“And just when I think things can’t get any worse, I finally found out that the one I wanted was in love with someone else, and always had been. So everything I had to look forward to and fought for was gone: my home, my band... and my heart.

“But through it all, you were there, always letting me know that you wanted a chance. And the issue about conflicting futures didn’t matter anymore since the world was going to end at any moment. So with nothing holding me back, and nothing to look forward to, I thought ‘why not?’ And perhaps a part of me rationalized it with believing you weren’t that serious about it either. When we went up in the skyhook, I honestly thought I’d never see you again, and that would be it for us.

“Meanwhile, I still had my identity as a Knight Saber to keep me grounded. From the start I believed it was a lost cause, but I was going to damn well die fighting. Hell, I went charging off to face Galatea in space without even thinking about how the heck I was going to get back until I got there. A lot of things happened up there that I never told you about. But the fact was that I seriously thought many times that I was going to die, even to the point of giving up a couple of times and just waiting for the end to finally happen. I stopped being able to tell what was real and what was a nightmare.

“So imagine my surprise when I wake up in the hospital from sun-exposure and dehydration to find out that the world was going to be fine after all. And there you were to take care of me. I decided at the time that that was a good thing after all. But I also knew that it was a matter of time until I’d have to face the music and decide whether or not the choices I made during the revolution were really the choices I would have made if life hadn’t been as crazy as it was.

“I knew that staying in Tokyo would mean that it was time to face reality. Even before the white noise problem became the overwhelming issue, I wanted to go off on the world tour almost right away since I knew you would come with me. I guess it was a test, to see if we could make it as a couple, and to see if you really loved me.”

Leon heard a possibility and went for it with as much gusto as he could muster. “Well, then I’ll quit my job. We can go back to London and continue the tour!” Leon said, “We -“

She shook her head regretfully. “Leon, no, we can’t. It’s like a dream. Learning the truth is just like waking up in that you can’t go back. And I’m sorry if it sounds like I was using you. I didn’t want to admit it at the time that’s what it was, but I can’t pretend any longer. It’s the only way I can start being fair to both of us again.”

“You came back because Linna was in trouble,” Leon pointed out. He was fighting the nauseous feeling rising within him, as if someone had given him a hardsuit punch in the stomach.

“I told you that I realized I wasn’t such a loner anymore.”

“Well, if that part of you did change, then what about your vision of the future? Maybe it really changed too?”

Priss sighed and said, “The thing is, Leon, I’ve got a hell of a lot of issues to work through, and I need to do it alone. It was pointed out to me recently that I had been avoiding a lot of tough questions about myself, which I could avoid as long as I stayed away from Tokyo. I’ve been basically functioning on emotional autopilot for the past three years, not just with you but with life in general. Deep down though, there’s always been a part of me still fighting to be heard, and I have to start listening again. It’s time to figure out who I really am after all of this. The only thing I know for certain is that the Priss I’ve been for the past three years is not the Priss that feels real.”

Leon frowned and said, “So, when you accepted my proposal, did you know even then that we weren’t going to get married in the end?”

“I accepted because it was the best I could ever give you. Would you have wanted me to act any differently?”

The man thought it over and then admitted painfully, “No, I guess not. If what you’re telling me is that we should never have gotten together to begin with, then three years of a dream world was better than nothing… So are you going to stay in Tokyo?”

Priss nodded. “One thing I remembered about myself recently is that I am a fighter, and that I don’t back down from a challenge.”

“Then, is there any chance we really could be friends after all?”

Priss looked at him and said with a gentle smile, “Maybe some day. Definitely not right now. I don’t want to give you the idea that being around me is going to help change my mind about us.”

“Oh,” he answered, the red on his cheeks showing that that was exactly what he had thought.

She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out the engagement ring. “I believe this belongs to you. Give it to someone who really is expecting to add a wedding ring to it.”

Leon couldn’t think of anything to say as he held out his hand and watched her place the ring in his outstretched palm.

“Thank you for everything,” she said as she gave him a final kiss on the cheek. “And I am truly sorry. You’re a great guy, Leon. You’re perfect for someone who just isn’t me.”

Swallowing against the lump in his throat, he closed his fist around it and shoved it into his pocket. He then cleared his throat and said, “What about the rest of your stuff? Should I send it to Sylia’s?”

Priss picked up the motorcycle helmet and said, “I’m going to be staying at Linna’s apartment while she’s still recovering at the Chang’s. You can send everything there for now… And before you ask, I do plan to move out when she’s ready to come home.”

Stepping back to give her room, Leon’s face turned red again as he watched climb her on the motorcycle. Once the woman disappeared around the curve in the road, he looked again at the ring clenched in his fingers.

With a deep sigh, he slipped the ring into his shirt pocket and then focused on the view before him.

-- End Chapter 62 --

Chapter 63: With A Bang

Daley crouched down on his knees and spied the tiny black disk under his desk. He motioned to Nene to hand him their equipment for the task, which she did with her hand over her mouth to suppress a giggle. The man aimed the opening of the whistle at the bugging device and blew with a full lung of air.

He and Nene then collapsed on the floor in laughter just as Leon walked in with a wince and his fingers pressed into his ears.

“Just what the hell are you two doing? I almost thought it was a new alarm system they installed!”

“And a good Monday morning to you too, Detective McNichol. We’re only saying a proper farewell to our unwanted guests,” Daley said as he plucked out the device and tossed it onto the desktop with the ten others they had found. He then slammed a hammer onto them, satisfied with amount of plastic pieces they broke into.

“There were that many?” Leon said as he took off his jacket and tossed it on the coat stand. “How many were in your apartment?”

“Don’t know yet. We’ll get rid of them tonight,” Daley answered with a smug look. “A Mr. Akamatsu finally came home from Los Angeles Saturday and we had a noisy celebration of his return, as well as of the end of the lack of any privacy for the weeks before his departure. Chances are that whoever was on surveillance duty for us that weekend didn’t enjoy their shift too much.”

Leon’s face turned red as he muttered, “Geez, is that why you helped me move out Friday?”

“A man’s got to have his priorities, you know. And with the official closing of this case, I quickly realized that there are certain things I didn’t have to put up with anymore.”

“So have you and Nene here been basking in the glory of solving the Plaza Slaughter this morning?” Leon remarked.

His coworkers grimaced, showing that the merriment was one-dimensional after all.

“Don’t even touch that one,” Daley muttered. “It just sickens me that when they pulled the big ‘raid’ of the so-called terrorist headquarters that everyone was killed, if they weren’t already dead before our officers got there. Those poor guys were just there to feed a hungry public and it worked.”

“Still, if you had followed the real path, Yuuji’d be a widower. After all, we had no idea there was a Yakuza connection to all of this.”

Daley winced and said, “Don’t remind me. The fear works both ways when you’re married to an investigative reporter.”

“So, Leonardo, how’s the new bachelor pad?” Nene asked as she packed up the bugging device scanner she had borrowed from Sylia. “Heard you’ve got a great view of the bay.”

“Yep. I’m going to have a housewarming party this weekend. You two are invited of course.”

Daley smirked and said, “You should also invite Aya in Records. She perked up quite a bit when she heard you were back. And she just about jumped up and down when she found out you were single again.”

“Ah, I don’t want to rush things,” Leon said with a wave of his hands. “It’s only been a couple of days. And this one’s going to take a while to get out of my system, if she ever does... So, um, Nene, have you seen her?”

She shook her head as she bit into her donut. “Nope. All I know is that she’s settled into Linna’s place and that her band finally arrived. So we just assumed that she’s been hanging out with them, especially since they’ve got show dates at Hot Legs next month… Um, did you want to go with us?”

Leon opened his mouth to answer but then paused. “Let’s wait and see when the concert comes closer. Okay?”

“Okay,” she said with an understanding smile.

Suddenly, their attention was snagged by the sound of loud banging and some heavy things crashing in the hallway.

“God Damn IT!” an angry female voice bellowed clearly through the open doorway of their office. “Piece of a crap that should’ve been flushed down the toilet a long time ago!”

Leon immediately groaned, Daley smirked and Nene just looked at them in bewilderment.

“Come on, Cowboy. It’s only proper to go out and greet the new neighbor,” Daley said with a wink as he got up.

Even though Leon lagged behind, the three of them got up and rushed to see what had just happened.

In the hallway was a woman in a female officer’s uniform struggling with a slightly tilted motorized dolly that had its front wheels wedged into the wall of her office. From a brief glance, it was easy to tell that the dolly had been stacked with ten cardboard boxes worth of items, half of which were now spilled on the floor.

The officer in question was on her knees as she started to gather her spilled contents, but it was clear to see that she was a solid, athletic woman with short red hair. She seemed to be in her late twenties and would have been pretty if her features hadn’t been contorted with the grim frustration that was currently occupying her thoughts.

“Hey, Malso,” Daley called out, “would you like some help?”

She paused at his voice and looked up at the three of them. It was obvious that she lingered the most on Leon, which caused a deeper frown, before she turned her attention back to Daley.

“Dunno how much help you could be, Wong. The girl looks like she could lift more than you can.” Even though there was a certain gruffness in her response, it was clear that a genuine tease was underneath her words.

Daley merely grinned back and replied, “Well, it was her help that I was offering. I never said I was going to lift a finger. Sergeant Jeena Malso, let me introduce you to Assistant Detective Nene Romanova.”

Nene saluted, recognizing the fact that this was the new commander of the NTC Combat unit. “Please to meet you, ma’am!”

Jeena stood and saluted back. “Likewise. So you’re the whiz kid I’ve been hearing about!”

Nene immediately frowned and snarled, “You don’t look old enough to call me ‘kid’!”

The other woman chuckled. “I’m only repeating the nickname I’ve heard. And your spunk is part of the legend, too. Don’t call me ‘ma’am’ and I won’t call you ‘kid’. Jeena works fine for me.”

“Then you can use ‘Nene’,” she grinned as they shook hands.

“And I’m certain you remember Detective Leon McNichol,” Daley said with an undisguised grin.

“Malso,” Leon greeted the woman with a tense twitch of his cheek. The redness in his face betrayed more discomfort but his voice was level.

“McNichol,” she answered coolly. “So are you going to help or not?”

With a grunt of reluctant compliance, Leon dropped down on his knees to start collecting the spilled contents of the box nearest to him. He paused when he realized it was a container of personal knick-knacks. He held up a cracked picture frame and looked at the picture of a young, redheaded boy posing with his baseball cap and bat.

He was clearly stunned at the photo and blurted, “Hey, I didn’t know you have a kid!”

She reddened and snatched the picture from him. “Of course not! I just like putting pictures of other people’s children on my desk! For crying out loud, Cowboy! If you’re going to snoop, then don’t bother helping!”

“How the hell could I be snooping if I saw something that you would have had out for everyone else to see?!” he retorted as he followed her into the office.

“Do they hate each other?” a concerned Nene whispered as she and Daley stayed and cleaned up more of the items from the spill.

Daley just grinned and said, “You know, I think they probably believe they do.”

-- End Chapter 63 --

Chapter 64: One Mind, One Heart

With her helmet in one hand and guitar case slung over her back, Priss stepped into the Silky Doll and looked around. It was Sunday and the shop was closed as was its normal schedule, but she browsed around the shop instead of walking through it. Then she came across the pink dress hanging on the rack and held it up with a wistful look.

“For you, I’m willing to sell it at cost,” Sylia commented from behind with a giggle.

Priss blushed and frowned, immediately putting the dress back. “Isn’t it a little unfashionable to keep a dress that hasn’t sold in the four years?”

“For most of the shop inventory, yes. But I don’t allow other customers to buy that particular dress since it has a certain personal value to me.”

Priss narrowed her eyes at her and then muttered, “Let’s get on with it. My time’s precious too, you know.”

Sylia didn’t bother hiding her smirk as she led Priss down to the secret elevator.

“So what are these enhancements you’ve made to the hardsuits?” Priss asked as she watched the floors whiz by.

“Well, we’ve only upgraded yours for the time being as a beta test. Increased reflex reactions as well as some automatic defense systems to protect your blind spots in battle.”

“Sounds intriguing...” Priss mused, ever aware of the fact that she hadn’t been in a hardsuit since that fateful day two weeks ago, when everything felt like it came crashing down. “So are there any safeguards against me potentially freezing again?”

“There just might be,” Sylia said with an evasive tone.

Since the original remark was said almost as a joke, Priss narrowed her eyes again as the other woman didn’t elaborate.

“It looks the same except that it’s obviously the pre-formed version,” Priss commented upon seeing her hardsuit ready and waiting for her in the middle of the pit area.

She noted that the hardsuit equipment had been fixed, and that the extra equipment that had been used for Sylvie had been pushed off to the side to be out of the way.

“All of the enhancements affect functionality. As far as actual visual design, I’ve decided sleek works best.”

“So we’re stuck with the clear abdomens permanently?” Priss commented with a frown.

“Well, you will be having your picture taken a lot more,” Sylia said with a grin. “I’ll be up in the command booth when you’re ready. No one else is around so take your time.”

Now naked and ready to proceed with the test, Priss closed the locker door and already felt her heartbeat start to increase rapidly. She frowned and sighed, knowing it was just the first step to be conquered.

With slow forceful steps, Priss walked out to the Pit area and approached the hardsuit waiting for her. She pressed her fingers firmly against her chest as she felt herself start to tremble along with her beating heart.

Instead of readying herself to climb in, Priss knelt and placed her hand on the helmet and said softly, “This has been a pretty pathetic comeback as a Knight Saber and I realize it’s mostly my fault. Even though you aren’t the exact one from back then, you’re still my hardsuit, and you’re still going to be there for me no matter what. It’s up to me to live up to my end of the bargain. So please just be patient, old friend.”

Priss then took a fortifying breath and stood, ever aware of the frenzied rhythm of her heart. It was by sheer willpower that she forced herself to climb into the suit, focusing all of her concentration on completing this task that had felt so easy and comfortable in the past.

Once she was enclosed inside the suit, she felt herself once more trembling uncontrollably from the beating of her heart and the frenzy of mental and emotional turmoil churning within. Instead of fighting it this time, she let the emotions, memories and thoughts come, knowing that this battle could only be won by going in head first.

Watching Priss finally envelop herself in her hardsuit, Sylia sat in the command booth and studied the read-outs on the monitors. Priss’s bio measurements were the most chaotic she’d ever seen for anyone. A part of her worried that she should call off this test if it seemed like Priss was showing symptoms of a heart attack mixed in with all of these data readings.

Since waiting was never Sylia’s strong point if she had other options, she then tapped into her keyboard and opened up a chat session on the screen. She spoke into the microphone, which then turned her speech into visible words on the monitor: “Are you getting any further information beyond what’s being show on the monitors?”

There was a pause and then the words came back: ‘She’s flooded with feelings of fear, anger, guilt, betrayal, hopelessness and insecurity. Some of these seem to have specific instances related to them, and others seem to be a by-product of general experiences.’

“But no essence of Galatea?”

‘There is nothing that I sense that would indicate that Galatea is harboring herself as a hidden entity in Priss’s mind. However, some flashes and thoughts are showing identity confusion within Priss herself. She is feeling conflicted over whether she should protect boomers or destroy them, which accounts for a good portion of her feelings of anger and betrayal. I’m sorry, Sylia, but if I tell you more details, I feel it would be truly violating Priss’s privacy.’

Sylia frowned and then relented with a smile. “Understood. Just let me know if you think she’s going into such a dangerous area that we need to stop this.”

‘Of course. I can tell you right now though, it does seem that she is making progress with sorting herself out right now. It may just be a matter of time and -- .’ The sentence abruptly stopped, and nothing changed on the screen for a few seconds.

The woman sat up in alarm and demanded, “What is it?” She couldn’t see anything different in the readings on the monitors or by a glance at Priss down in the Pit below.

There was a pause and then the chat feed continued: ‘I’m sorry for that. Apparently, her feelings about me had just surfaced.’

Before she could respond, a beeping sound came from inside Sylia’s skirt pocket and she pulled out her phone. “Hello?”

“It’s me!” a frantic Detective Daley Wong greeted from the tiny screen. “We’ve got some trouble downtown with some bank robbers who have hostages. Word has it that they’ve got a couple of enhanced pre-Revolution boomers in there with them to help break into the safe. Our combat unit is at a standoff with them because of the innocent people inside. I don’t know if this is something you think your team can help with.”

Sylia glanced at the motionless Priss in her hardsuit before responding, “I need to ask Priss first. If she passes, I'll go. Is Nene with you?”

“She’s already heading over.”

“I’ll give you a status report when she gets here. Bye.”

Priss watched the lights of the launch tube flicker in their countdown. Her heart was racing, but this time a strong sense of enthusiasm and confidence flooded through her in a way that had been missing for quite a while. The other emotions and thoughts were still there, but they didn’t seem as strong or as loud as they had been just a few minutes ago. There was a light at the end of the tunnel after all.

She smiled to herself and murmured, “Okay, old friend, let’s rock ‘n roll!”

As if in response, the countdown ended and the Knight Saber was launched into the bright Tokyo sky.

Sylia sat back in the command chair as she watched the screen that tracked Priss and Nene as blips across a digital map of Tokyo. Their stealth mode kept them from being viewable so the casual (or not so casual) observer wouldn’t be able to see where they came from, but also helped with the element of surprise. She looked at the bio readings from the suits and smiled.

She then tapped into her keyboard and opened up a chat session on the screen. She spoke into the microphone, which then turned her speech into visible words on the monitor: “Priss’s readings are excellent. Do you concur?”

There was a pause and then words appeared in response, ‘All signs are optimal. This mission should be a success.’

“Let’s wait and see what happens before jumping to conclusions,” Sylia answered back. “Just remember your end of the bargain is to look out for them when they need it, and even if they don’t.”

‘Of course. I do not plan to fail any of you. They will arrive on the roof in ten seconds. I must focus on their mission.’

“Understood, Sylvie. I’ll be monitoring from here if anything comes up.”

Sylia mused that her private lab housed all of her deepest secrets for the moment, this one being latest, and most likely not the last.

With a sip of her tea, Sylia Stingray leaned back to enjoy the show.

-- End Chapter 64 --

-- End Part 5 --

Epilogue: The Least That I Can Do

“This is wonderful!” Linna said as she gently tested how much range and flexibility she had in her left hand and arm. “Getting the neck brace off yesterday pales in comparison.”

Mrs. Takeuchi smiled as she started to walk out of the room with her hands full of the plastic and metal pieces of the braces. “Let me put these away first. Then I’ll give you a good massage in both your arm and leg when I get back.”

Linna nodded and smiled as she focused on having control of her limbs again, at least on the side that was just recently freed of the bindings. Her right side was still firmly in a cast but every bit of freedom signaled a milestone in the return to normality.

“Well, it looks like you’ll be running a marathon in no time,” a familiar female voice commented from behind.

Her heart skipping a hopeful beat, Linna turned to see a casually dressed and gently smiling Reika leaning against the doorway.

“You’re back!” Linna greeted with a genuine look of joy. “How was the trip?”

“Overly long but productive,” she answered as she walked in and sat down on the edge of the bed next to the other woman. “Still, the London rain was nothing compared to Tokyo monsoon season.”

“And how are Irene and Sho?”

“Settled quite well. Sho’s actually speaking more fluent English than Irene, much to her dismay. But her competitiveness will close the gap shortly.”

Linna chuckled and remarked, “Boy, you two really are opposite ends of the spectrum, aren’t you?”

“Now, who says I’m not competitive?” Reika answered with a look of feigned seriousness.

“Well, maybe I just haven’t seen that side of you yet,” Linna said.

Reika didn’t answer as she openly studied Linna’s face.

Suddenly extremely aware of how close they were, Linna focused her attention on flexing her fingers in the hopes that it would distract from the blush in her cheeks.

Reika then cleared her throat and said, “Speaking of hidden sides, I had an interesting phone call from Sylia when I was in London. She told me that you called your supervisor to discuss when you should go back to work.”

Linna shrugged and said, “Obviously I can’t return for a couple more months but I figured I should get a start on living my own life again. It’s not as if I’m here permanently after all.”

“Well, she also mentioned that you really don’t like being an O.L. to begin with and that you don’t seem enthused about going back.”

She nodded sadly. “Who wants to spend their days serving tea and doing boring computer work? I can’t be a Knight Saber all the time, even if the team is more active because of our increased scope. And I still have bills and rent to pay.”

Reika then looked out the window and leaned back as she said, “Now that my curiosity is piqued, I have a extremely nosy question to ask you.”

Having no idea where this conversation was going, a puzzled and intrigued Linna responded, “Fire away.”

“Why haven’t you thought about going into computers, such as in the area of programming or support?”

Linna blinked at what she considered to be a question from left field. “I don’t know. I guess I always just considered all computer work to be the same. And I wasn’t interested in the training and education programs required to take on a career like that. It’s still time spent in front of the terminal doing something that really didn’t interest me.”

“Perhaps because you just never had a decent challenge in a job task before?” Realizing that Linna was still not getting the gist of why this was even coming up, Reika explained, “I’m asking because you met Nene by hacking into the ADP server, which was something originally set up by no less than Genom personnel. It takes some natural talent and ingenuity to accomplish something like that, especially with no formal training.”

“It does?” Linna responded, clearly not convinced. “When I hear the word ‘programming’, I think of all of the wild things Nene and Sylia do. I know I can’t do anything anywhere near as sophisticated.”

Reika actually chuckled and said, “Well, I guess if you’re surrounded by two people who have a natural genius for such things, you may lose sight of the fact that your average Jane Doe on the street couldn’t do what you’ve personally done.”

Linna’s expression started to change as it was clear that she was starting to see what the other woman was getting at. Then she gave her a joking frown and said, “So are you just bringing this up to make me feel even more unenthused about going back to being an O.L.?”

The other woman laughed outright at that point.

“No,” Reika said, clearly enjoying the easy flow of the conversation. “I’m asking if you would consider quitting as an O.L. and come work for Chang Enterprises as an entry-level programmer, with a guarantee of on-the-job training and challenging assignments. After all, my family’s legitimate business specializes in security, and that does include a lot of internet support for our clients. White-hat hackers with potential like yourself are invaluable.

“Our office building is just four blocks away from Hugh-Geit. There’s no tea-serving involved to anyone but yourself, nor required uniforms, even though I thought you looked kind of cute in that O.L. outfit. And if you’re worried about nepotism, well, I’ll pretend I don’t remember your first name if we ever run into each other in the hallway. If you still think that’s too close for comfort, there are some subsidiaries we own in the city where I’m sure I can pull a string or two.”

Linna was clearly stunned as the words started to sunk in.

Reika glanced sideways at her and said, “I’m just saying think about it. After all, you mentioned you don’t have to report to Hugh-Geit for another couple of months, so I would hope you’d consider this option as well in the mean time.”

“Th-Thank you,” she said softly, her amazement clearly overwhelming her.

Reika then blushed and gave an evasive shrug. “Hey, I hate to see wasted talent, especially if I can get some benefit out of it. For the family business, of course.”

“No, I really mean it, Reika,” Linna said with a swallow of the lump forming in her throat. “Thank you for everything. On top of caring for me and this job offer, you’ve managed more than once to give me hope when I always think there isn’t any. I just -- I just wish there was some way I could show how truly grateful I am, but I don’t think there is one.”

The other woman opened her mouth to speak, but she stopped as she tried to blink away the tears starting to brim in her eyes. Looking down at her lap, she cleared her throat and said, “Linna, just don’t lose the hope that you’ll finally meet someone who’s allowed to get the girl in the end, okay?”

Reika then froze when she saw out of the corner of her eye the hesitant fingers approach her. She then closed her eyes and relish the gentle way they ran through her hair, carefully brushing it out of the way.

“You do remember that I’m an engaged woman, right? To a man, of all things,” she pointed out both softly and hopefully.

Linna tenderly kissed her cheek and whispered, “I won’t care for the next five minutes if you won’t.”

Reika opened her eyes and turned but stopped just short of having their lips brush against each other. She quirked her mouth into a wry smile and said, “Only five?”

Linna giggled and said, “Well, I’m not going to be looking at my watch. And I’ll be pissed if you do.”

Reika laughed in response. And with that, they both relented and closed the gap.

Mrs. Takeuchi stood quietly at the doorway and watched them finally kiss. She smiled softly and stepped back out into the hallway, silently closing the door behind her.

-- End Epilogue --

-- And thus ends "BGC Post 2040 File 1: Dominant Species" --

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Continue to File 2:  Achilles' Heel

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