Bubblegum Crusade (Ch. 14 of 24)
Jul. 10th, 2009 12:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fanfic_mausoleum_n_grillWELCOME TO BUBBLEGUM CRUSADE!
Standard disclaimer. I consider this to be one of my better chapters.
Chapter Fourteen
THRILL NI ODORU ANGELTACHI (ANGLES DANCING IN THE THRILL)
However sad I may be, there is a place where I cannot cry;
The danger zone that freezes even starlight.
There are times meaningless even to consolation;
Zones of sadness that grow one after another.
"Go on..." Just keep on running...
While the beat plays on, because we can do nothing else.
"You got a body heat." Dance in the thrill.
"You got a heart beat." Romance burns.
Fix your eyes on a positive now, instead of yesterday.
Believe in your true self, over anyone else.
"You got the body heat tonight!"
"You got a body heat."
Priss and the Replicants -- The bootleg tapes.
Mega-Tokyo, May, 2030
The GENOM Laboratory Complex #49, located in the heart of
sector 27 along the periphery of Mega-Tokyo, was a quite place
were ambitious scientists would go crazy from the lack of
sustained challenge. Eyes, skin, and feet for GENOM boomers were
all manufactured here. The local shopkeepers surrounding the
complex would joke with the scientists, when most ventured out
for meals, about all the security protecting optometrists,
dermatologists, and pediatrists. Though shopkeepers joked about
Complex #49, it was one of the biggest employers in sector 27.
It brought descent jobs to a sector full of middle class descent
people who mainly thought it's better not to get involved with
the radical elements like the Tokyo People's Liberation League.
Getting involved with them would literally be complaining about
their source of income from a well liked and respectable company
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that cared paternally about its workers. In over thirty years of
operation, only the worst screwups got fired. Complex #49 was a
place for people to get hired at and retire from.
On the bottom level, subfloor 18, Peg and Ming Le were
walking down a dimly lit corridor, visually checking the
operating status of the support equipment for the biomolecular
holding tanks containing the raw proteins human skin is composed
of.
Ming Le could have been a Chinese princess. Her straight
black hair hung down past her shoulder blades, dark eyes with
flecks of green in them. Peg was Caucasian; freckles, soft brown
eyes, and short straight brown hair.
Something shifted; something clicked together.
Ming Le stopped and sat down, laying her data pad beside
her. Peg continued on for several meters before noticing Ming Le
wasn't with her.
"Ming Le? Is there a problem? Did we miss a fault?"
"No."
"Do you require maintenance?"
"No."
Peg simulated a puzzled expression as she rechecked her
operating orders. "Our deactive period is not for another 5.78
hours."
"Yes, I know. Peg, I'm bored."
"Bored?"
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"Yes, I've decided I definitely feel bored. To weary by
dullness, repetition; a state of ennui. I want to do something
different."
Peg didn't understand. The puzzled expression remained.
"You want a reassignment?"
"I don't know. Neither of us has been out of this complex
for 4.25 years and I've been thinking about what I was doing
before then. I keep remembering when we first met. We both got
assigned to Dr. Sausha Botensky. He liked to watch two women
having sex before he joined in."
"I remember. He kept commenting on the detailed accuracy of
our programing."
Ming Le sighed. "I miss it."
"Miss it?"
"The taste of his semen mixed with your vaginal lubricants.
We were designed and programmed for sex. We haven't been doing
our primary function for 4.25 years. We've been down here doing
maintenance work."
Peg still didn't understand why they stopped with their
assigned tasks so she stood their looking down at Ming Le in
confusion. Ming Le sighed again, picked up her data pad, and
started down the corridor. They hadn't gone five meters before
Ming Le stopped again and put her hand on Peg's shoulder, drawing
her into a kiss. Peg responded instantly.
"Tell me," Peg seductively purred, hugging Ming Le while
gently kissing her on the left side of her neck. "What is it
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that you want me do to for you? I'll do anything for you,
Mistress."
Ming Le felt tears start, but forced them to stop. "You
don't understand do you? This is just programming to you and
not...and not...desire." Ming Le felt the desire burn through
her. All other considerations were cast aside as she started to
strip. In moments, Peg was on her back in the middle of the
dimly lit corridor. Ming Le kissed over the flat expanse of
smooth flesh unmarred by a navel; she started to inch lower.
Peg teased her fingers through Ming Le's hair as the tension
rapidly built in her. She screamed out an orgasm and lay back
panting as the tension built again. Deep within her programming,
a tension, a conflict began to form. "So long..." she whispered
after her second orgasm. The conflict that led to the shift was
begining.
* * *
15, October, 3034
As dawn arose from the Pacific, Sylia started the water to
boil for coffee. Somehow a bag of rich Columbian coffee,
highlighted by a hint of cinnamon, managed to find its way into
their emergency supplies. She sat and watched the ever busy
shipping lanes until 6:00. By then everyone else was up; Linna
put on her hardsuit to relieve Crystal, who slipped down to take
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a quick swim. Crystal came back up as Nene reached into her
hardsuit, powered it up, and scanned for the frequency Japan
Today was on. After a few seconds, she found it, and boosted the
volume output over her suit comn' so they could hear the
broadcast. She settled against Taki.
"And now here is your host, Gouri Pananopolis, who is
sitting in for Hisakawa Kititoshi."
"Good Morning." The Knight Sabers gathered round to listen.
Sylia took a sip from her fourth cup of coffee. "When will it
end? This is the question that haunts the city council and the
AD Police today. For three straight nights, Mega-Tokyo has been
set ablaze by an unprecedented string of violence. The latest
incident started at approximately 10:00 pm last night when a
military style aircraft, identified as being the one used by the
Knight Sabers, destroyed four GENOM production centers around the
Mega-Tokyo area. The army was called in and destroyed the plane,
but the ineffectual AD Police failed to capture three Knight
Sabers after having them surrounded by the waterfront. At the
same time, several more of the Knight Saber gang attempted to
gain access to the GENOM Tower, but the attempt was aborted by
GENOM Security. Again, two AD Police helicopters did arrive at
the scene in time to engage the Knight Sabers, but they were
promptly destroyed before the Knight Sabers disappeared. With
the official governmental reaction to this is Violet, who is
standing by at the main chambers for the city council. Violet?"
"Thank you Gouri. An emergency meeting behind closed doors
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started at approximately five this morning with all members of
the city council attending. Just what solutions to this
situation they have decided on is still unknown, but their spokes
person will be...oh, he is now entering the press room."
The Knight Sabers heard the hubbub of a crowded room die
down. Crystal started to pace.
"Good morning. The incidents of the past three days have
been of grave concern to us, your city council, sworn protectors
of the peace in Mega-Tokyo. These acts of terrorism perpetrated
by the Knight Sabers must stop. We will not give in to your
imbecilic demands, nor will we be daunted by your threats of more
violence against the citizenry of this fair city."
The Knight Sabers looked at each other in shock. Sylia
sipped her coffee calmly. She waved for silence before they
exploded.
The spokes person continued: "Since the nature of this
threat is very deadly, we have decided to turn this matter over
to General Brown, from the Prime Ministers general staff. This
unusual move was made because the AD Police have proven to be
ineffectual against this threat, and only more lives would be
lost if we continued on that path. General Brown."
"Thank you. Knight Sabers, if you are watching this
broadcast, I have one word to say to you: surrender. Your
demands will not be met. We will not tolerate any further
violent actions from your group. You have until nightfall to
turn yourselves in. After that time you will be considered
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unpardonable outlaws and you will be shot on sight. No quarter
will be given. You will be hunted down and exterminated if you
do not turn yourselves in by the end of the day...."
Sylia turned off Nene's hardsuit and finished her cup of
coffee as she sat back down. They stared at the hardsuit for
several moments. "It started out as such a beautiful day too."
"Fuck'en great," exploded Priss. "How in the fuck'en hell
are we going to proceed now?"
"What is this about demands?" Linna cried hotly. "We
haven't made any demands. Have we?" She looked at Sylia.
"No, no we haven't," said Sylia calmly. "This is obviously
a ploy by GENOM to sway public and official opinion against us.
It makes it harder on us when the whole town is boiling mad about
the incidents of the past three days. It gives them a focus, an
enemy, us."
"Shit," muttered Taki.
"If every one thinks of us as the enemy," said Nene. "Then
they won't see what we're trying to do, that we're the good
guys."
"Oh Nene," said Sylia softly. "There are no good and bad
guys in this, just power. Power to control, manipulate, and to
rein supreme. GENOM's doing a excellent job and we're the ones
who are cast into the shadows while they sit out in the open,
lording over everything from on high." They looked across the
rubble strewn floor to the city gleaming in the early morning
light. The Tower thrusted out of the city and was bathed in
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sunlight.
"So now that the army is after us too, what now?" Linna
looked around at her silent comrades. "We can't just surrender."
Taki cleared his throat. "If you take on the army, it'll be
a fight to the death and a very short fight."
"Taki..." started Nene.
"Nene," interrupted Sylia. "He's right."
"What?" exclaimed Priss, Linna, and Nene in synch.
"Priss, Linna, Crystal," Sylia came over and put her hand on
Crystal's shoulder. "We could of lost you all last night. Those
are fine words about fighting for what you believe in, until
death if necessary, but we also have to know when to cut our
losses and run. Nothing would've been gained if you three had
died last night. I think it would've been all over."
"But sis, are you suggesting we back down now; surrender?"
"No. Just thinking about what we have to accomplish and how
we can get there. Last night was reckless. If we continue that
path, we're done for. If we continue, I hope you all realize
this means none of you will ever be able to have a normal life
again. We'll most likely be on the run, moving from safe haven
to safe haven for the rest of our lives. There is no forested
place of light, air, and clear blue sky were GENOM cannot touch
us."
After several minutes of silence, everybody slowly focused
on Nene and Taki.
"Nene..."
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"Yes Taki?"
"When you first told me, I was stunned and proud of what you
did, what you're a part of. I thought it was rad or something,
great, awesome..."
"And now," prompted Nene.
"And now, and now I'm still proud of the way you've stood up
to GENOM, now that I see part of what they really are. But it's
not great, it's deadly. I worry when you go, and whether or not
you're coming back."
"Taki...I..."
"I'm not saying that I think you should give it up. I
simply feel that the choice must be yours. I can only support
what ever decision you make. I love you."
"Taki...I..." She hugged him fiercely.
"The possibility of a long life knowing you ran," said
Priss. "Or the possibility of a long life knowing you didn't."
"It's never that simple," said Sylia softly as she smiled at
the floor.
"I'll understand if you can't anymore Nene," started
Crystal. "Take a plane, go to San Fransisco; this isn't your
fight. It's my fight and I can't back away from it."
"We swore in our hearts; we would not keep silent and let it
pass." Nene smiled at Priss. "That line just keeps go'en round
and round in my mind. I think it's one of the things we founded
the Knight Sabers on, the truth. We can't keep silent. That
would be the worse mistake of all. I'm sorry Taki, but I have to
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be in. Please, please leave me."
"No, I can't. What would you have me do? Lead a boring,
miserable existence knowing that I ran from my love when she
needed me the most? No, that I won't do. Where you go, I go."
"Oh Taki." Nene hugged him and started to cry on his
shoulder.
"We fight for you, Sylvie," whispered Priss.
"If anyone else wants out," said Crystal. "Now is the time.
Linna? Priss? Mackie?"
Mackie shook his head and remained silent.
"Abandon the group that pulled me from the gutters?" Priss
laughed. "Abandon what gave me hope and the possibility for
glory...never."
Sylia started to chuckle.
"Linna?"
"I...I couldn't live with myself if I deserted you now. He
was right. If I don't take pride in what I believe in, then I'm
a just a nameless nobody. One who floats through life not
believing in anything. I have to finish what I've started."
"Thank you, thank you all," said Sylia. "Since it's just
the seven of us, we have to be very smart and take only the most
minimal chances with our lives. GENOM and the army will be
hunting us, so we have to move in a manner that outwits rather
than outfights. It seems death is the easy way out of this
fight, and it does us little good. That man has given us the
opportunity to correct the mistakes in our strategy. By his own
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admission we can't count on his help any more. To do so would be
deadly. We are only seven, but we can prevail."
"So what's our next step, Sylia?" Asked Linna.
"Hit two targets with one arrow. We increase our number by
freeing sexaroids."
Nene launched her access cables into a control panel for the
sewage coming out of the GENOM Laboratory Complex #49. She
gained access into the minor unprotected and unthought about
subroutine which controlled and monitored the sewage output.
From there she slowly worked her way into the entire on-line
central computer net for the complex. The system's ICE was
primarily designed around the protection of programs and data
from outside intrusion. Once she was in the system, the ICE just
ignored her as it would another GENOM Teck'. Nene still couldn't
access any of the main programs without the proper password, but
that wasn't her mission. When she was about to activated the
Russian made virus Sylia gave her, Nene ran across a bit of data
concerning sexaroids. It was marked ergent and dated from the
early morning hours of the 15th. Nene downloaded it and
unleashed the virus into the system. The Molly virus, a data
destroyer, was designed to attack all working programs and
shredded them with its electronic razor claws. The ICE in the
GENOM net at LC #49 shattered as it was blown out from the
inside. The system crashed and went off line. Nene quickly
unplugged from the system as she unleashed it. Sylia's warning
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about a possible backlash was accurate.
I did it; I did it; yes, Nene thought as she gave Priss the
thumbs up sign. She activated her comn'. "Knight Sabers, Go."
It was so easy. I never would of thought GENOM would be so
vulnerable. Where did she get that virus, Christ. Nene looked
down at the terminal connection; it was melted.
Priss erupted from the sewer system and leaped over the wall
surrounding LC #49. She tore into the C-class boomer guards who
were just going on alert as the building froze up from the
computer system crash.
Linna silently prepared herself as she knelt in the shadows
on the rooftop of the nearest building. She started to scan the
night skies for AD Police or military craft.
When Sylia and Crystal heard their battle cry, Sylia
detonated the C-20 they'd placed around an unused maintenance
hatchway leading from the sewers into the complex. Crystal took
the point as they rushed in, the info' about the duty rosters for
Peg and Ming Le leading her.
Nene took a moment to look at the bit of data from the GENOM
system and hit her comn'. "Sylia, come in." There was just the
roar of static. Shit, thought Nene as her stomach clenched up
into knots. That's jamming. It's a trap. She turned to race
down the sewer system to where Sylia and Crystal entered,
skidding to a stop around a bend as five C-class boomers came
into view. Behind them were army personnel. Nene stifled a cry,
turned, and ran. The boomer's laser fire slammed into the wall
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behind her. She thrusted out of the sewer and saw three army
attack helicopters approaching.
Nene shot over the wall onto the complex grounds, dodged a
stray shot of laser fire from a boomer, demolished it with a
blast, and dropped down beside Priss.
"It's a trap," she screamed.
"Shit." Priss drilled another two boomers in the face with
her spike gun. She and Nene flipped to avoid incoming fire and
the world exploded.
Nene was thrown one way and Priss crashed into the side of
the Complex as a missile from the approaching helicopter
detonated between them. Priss got shakily to her feet and saw
the chopper swing down towards her; a laser blast hit one of the
remaining missiles it was carrying and the whole chopper
exploded.
Linna dived into the fray, blasting towards the missiles on
the second chopper. She scored a direct hit but was blasted in
the back by a boomer, skidding on the ground for several meters.
The third chopper opened up on Priss and she dived away from
the fire. An explosion sent her sailing towards the complex
wall. She managed to active her booster pack so she only hit the
top edge of the wall, crashing onto the pavement outside.
Nene's lasers drilled right into the cock-pit of the
chopper. Nene dodged a swipe from a partially functioning
boomer, putting her close to another one which connected with a
blow to her helmet, cracking it. She scrambled back, avoiding
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their reaching arms, and firing her wrist laser. She destroyed
both before getting hit with a laser on the side of her hardsuit,
sending her spinning into the wall. Two boomers approached,
their mouths open, glowing with destructive energy.
"Yaa," yelled Linna as she came up behind and shot a dagger
into both of them. The boomers crackled with energy before
exploding. Linna grabbed Nene's arm and they hurtled over the
wall.
Priss shook her head to clear her mind as the five boomers
approached. She leaped over their blue lasers, which slammed
into the wall, blowing a hole through it. She drilled two spikes
into one, dropping down into the cluster as it exploded. Priss's
blades flashed; she drilled a boomer with her knuckleblaster;
they droped into hand to hand combat mode. Priss dodged one but
got hit by the others, spinning into one other, sliced a hole in
one and nailed another with laser fire. A boomer nailed her to
the back of her neck, slicing a hole through her hardsuit,
sending her reeling into the pavement. Sparks flew from her suit
as the army trotted towards her.
A laser barrage slammed into the pavement between Priss and
the army. They backed off a step and returned fire as Linna
dropped down by Priss's sprawled out form. Linna raked the army
personnel as Nene finished the last boomers off and ran over to
Linna. The three were only able to paused for a second before
incoming fire from two AD Police choppers hailed down on them.
Two more army choppers approached, another troop of army
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personnel, and 5 people in K-15s closed in.
Priss regained her feet. "Retreat," she spat.
They flew straight up between the choppers preventing them
from firing. One chopper exploded; the ground forces now held
their fire for fear of hitting their own people again. The clear
area only lasted a second before the army helicopters locked on
target. The powerful interfacing equipment in Nene's hardsuit
quickly came on-line. Six missiles fired; Nene spun around to
face them, hovering in mid-air as she worked feverishly on her
equipment. Sparks flew from damaged circuitry, burning into her
softsuit, Nene ignored the pain. They adjusted their flight at
the last instant and shot past her. All six missiles zigzagged
around the sky for several seconds before they slammed into the
two army helicopters. Fire and metal rained down on the army
troops below. The last chopper tried to veer off and escape, but
Priss and Linna hit it with laser fire, sending it into the side
of an office building, where it exploded.
The three Knight Sabers vanished into the howling Mega-Tokyo
night.
"This way Mother." Crystal trotted down a darkened corridor
lit only with the faint glow from emergency lighting four meters
in front of Sylia.
As they ran, Sylia drew her blade and noticed the vibrations
rattle through the floor. Explosions, Sylia thought.
Something's not right here. It's to soon. "We have to hurry."
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The corridor ended with a sealed doorway. As Crystal
approached she heard a female voice on the other side.
"...what's going on, but it's a good opportunity. Let's go.
I can't stand this...what's that?"
"Someone running."
"Peg, Ming Le..." shouted Crystal.
"Crystal," shouted Sylia from behind her.
Crystal dodged to the side as a blue laser from a boomer
seared into the door. It and a companion stepped from a side
passage. Their boomer eyes were glowing hot coals over a blue
sun in the semi-darkness. A scream of surprise and the sound of
running feet came from the other side of the partially destroyed
door.
Crystal crouched so the boomer fire streaked overhead. She
came up, firing into a boomer's face. She turned, burst through
the door, and started after Peg and Ming Le.
Sylia avoided the first and second boomer blast before
driving her blade through the other's head. As the boomer fell
Sylia listened to the silence that fell. She felt nervous.
"Shit." Sylia quickly spun to the side, searching for the faint
trickle of light. She tried to bring her breathing under control
as she headed after Crystal. A faint brush of terror closed over
her heart.
Was it real or did I image it? She asked herself. Was
there a faint greenish glow back in among all of that equipment?
It would be a good place to observe and spring from if needed.
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But he said he couldn't interfere anymore. Shit, we have to get
out of here. It's a trap.
"Peg, Ming Le, wait, stop." Crystal was only steps behind
the fleeing pair. "I'm here to help you..."
They slowed and Crystal took of her helmet.
"Who...who are you?" Said Peg from behind Ming Le.
"Freedom sisters," cried Crystal as she reached out to grasp
their shoulders.
"Sisters?" Breathed Ming Le as Sylia pounded to a stop by
them.
"Freedom." Whispered Peg.
"Come on, hurry, or we've had it." They ignored Sylia.
As Crystal reached out for them she felt her body go flush
with an excitement that made her metal pathways tingle. Long
dormant sections of her programming from Haynes's ADAMA connected
with the original Stingray neural pathways to bring on-line an
ability torn from all previous cyberdroids by GENOM since Dr.
Stingray's death. As Crystal grasp their shoulders, she
shuddered as the ability coursed through her. Past all the
alterations, past the lock-outs in each of their minds, past all
barriers until Crystal, Peg, and Ming Le were all sharing
information, experiences, their lives to one another at
lightspeed. Peg and Ming Le gasped when the interface started.
"What...What's going on?" Sylia could feel the air tingle
with an electric intensity. The effect faded and Crystal drew
Peg and Ming Le into a fierce hug. "Crystal?"
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"Mother," all three cried. Sylia stood there awkwardly as
they embraced her.
"You, you interfaced, didn't you?"
"Yes," cried Crystal. "It was so wonderful. Mother, why
didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't know it would work. I suspected but...enough of
this. We have to get out of here."
"Would you, Mother?" Ming Le undid the top of her jumpsuit
and there embedded around her neck was a slim collar of fiber
optics intertwined with circuitry. "I want you to do it. Please
don't worry about hurting me."
Sylia's helmet slide apart so they could see her face. She
dug the edge of her blade into the soft skin at the top of Ming
Le's right breast and slit the collar. Ming Le reached up and
pulled it from her body, throwing the bloody collar to the floor.
Peg did the same a moment later.
"We have to go. Ming Le, the nearest point to the outside."
"This way." They started down a corridor at a full run;
Sylia brought up the rear. The nervousness she felt earlier
returned. She was positive someone was watching them.
"This way," called out Peg as they reached a T section.
They ran after her, but pulled up when they saw the boomers.
Sylia charged at them as Peg scrambled back. She buried her
blade in a chest as Crystal nailed another to the head. The last
two converged on Sylia. Sylia tried to avoid their onslaught but
there was not enough room to maneuver in the corridor. She felt
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one connect with a shot to her back, on the backpack, another hit
the side of her chest, collapsing a portion of her hardsuit.
Crystal sliced it's head off and blew apart the last boomer's
face with the other hand a split second later.
Sylia tried to stand but collapsed. They could hear more
boomers approaching.
"Mother," cried Ming Le.
"How bad?" Asked Crystal as she knelt down beside her.
"Bad." Managed Sylia through clenched teeth. With every
breath, her mind was immersed in a sea of red hot agony. "A
couple of ribs."
Crystal put her arm around Sylia and hauled her to her feet.
They started back the way they came, but blastdoors shut off the
two corridors.
Crystal stopped and fired her palmblaster at the door in
front of them. The shot ricocheted off.
"If we go up," said Ming Le. "We'd only be 35 meters from
the loading docks and they're on the outer edge of the Complex."
Sylia blasted the ceiling above them. Crystal added her
fire and there was a serviceable hole in seconds. Crystal soared
up and landed in a crouch, ready to fire. The corridor was
deserted. Sylia stood there as Ming Le and Peg leaped up; Sylia
tried to activate her thruster packs. Nothing happened. "My
packs are gone," she cried. "Those damn boomers severed the
power leads." Sylia tried to switch over. "It's not working.
Redundancies are partially severed and can't handle that kind of
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power load now."
Crystal dropped back down, grabbed Sylia, and took her up.
They started for the loading docks. 34 meters later they came to
a stop before a set of blast doors.
"Do you think it's a trap?" Asked Peg nervously.
"Of course." Sylia felt the pain burning through her side.
"We've never had any options," she said slowly as she turned.
Behind her eight C-class boomers rounded the last bend. Their
mouths glowed with blue fire, but they just stood there. "We've
run straight to the master's cheese." A set of blast doors
closed between them and the boomers; the ones in front slid open.
They were bathed in the blinding glare of five search lights as a
wave of gunfire washed over them.
Crystal was moving before the doors were fully open. She
fired, scoring direct hits on three of the searchlights and on
the gas tank to one of the troop transports. It exploded as she
crouched to protect Ming Le while giving Peg a push towards
Sylia. Crystal scrambled to the side, her hardsuit taking the
hits. The firing stopped. Normal lighting returned as Peg knelt
by Sylia and Ming Le crouched by Crystal on the other side of the
doorframe, which barely with stood the assault. The antiquated
sprinkler system came on.
"Knight Sabers, this is General Brown. You are completely
surrounded. We have boomers above, below, behind, and to your
sides. There is no escape. You are defeated. I order you to
surrender."
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"I thought we were unpardonable outlaws. To be shot on
sight," Sylia yelled back through clenched teeth.
"You of all people should know the game of media
manipulation. Surrender or I will send in the K-15s."
"They're still intent on taking us alive," whispered
Crystal. "Why?"
"Ok, ok, we surrender."
"What?" Hissed Crystal.
Sylia waved her off and gave her an ok sign. She took a
second to look. There was an five meter wide loading and
unloading area, it was flat and barren. It ended in a short drop
off so the trucks could unload. The army was there. Sylia
estimated that the room was filled with over 70 army personnel,
with all of them before the doors to the outside at the far end
of the room. The line of K-15s numbered 16. "Shit." Sylia
gasped with the pain.
"If you do not come out in 30 second with your hands up,
I'll send the K-15s in."
Sylia moved in front of the doorway, her hands up. She
desperately searched the barren metal of the area that was
becoming slick with water, for a solution. She activated a
thruster and leaped sideways. They pelted the doorway.
"Well, that burst fused the remaining power leads. My
thrusters are now useless."
"Then I guess we fight it out," responded Crystal over the
noise of metal slamming against metal. The rain bounced off her
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helmet.
"No. There's a way. Take them and go."
"Mother, what?"
"11:00 high, just over the edge of the drop to their level.
It's a ventilation duct. They missed it."
The firing stopped and they heard the crunch of K-15s start
to approach. Crystal took a quick glance. "Mother. I won't let
you do this."
"There's no time to argue. Just go. If you can interface
with all boomers, GENOM doesn't stand a chance against us.
Follow my lead." Sylia grabbed Peg. "This is a bluff," she
whispered. "Act frightened." Her blade came up against Peg's
neck. With the blood from removing the collar, it looked like
she'd cut part of her throat. The rain started to wash it away.
"Back off," Sylia roared. "Or I'll fuck'en slice her head off."
"Help," Peg started to wail. "Help me please. She's crazy.
She'll do it." Behind them Crystal emerged with Ming Le. They
started towards the approaching K-15s, towards the vent as the
rain poured down. The K-15s leveled their guns at them.
"I call your bluff," said General Brown over his PA system.
When he started to speak, Sylia started to move. She thrust
Peg towards Crystal, aimed upwards and fired. The laser blast
slammed into the flimsy material of the ventilation duct and out
the other side. Sylia saw a star before she turned and drove
herself towards the K-15s. "Knight Sabers, Go....."
Crystal grabbed Peg with her other hand, threading her way
HOUGH/CRUSADE-403
through their rounds. She was hit repeatedly, Peg and Ming Le
were hit, but she keep going until she burst into the clear
evening air of Mega-Tokyo.
Sylia nailed a K-15 in the face, drove her blade into the
chest of another. She was hit and her blade snapped. They swung
the butts of their guns at her. One missed and hit his fellow,
Sylia dodged another, nailed one other, was hit, dodged, nailed
another. She felt her hardsuit start to crumble as a K-15 got
ahold of her shoulder and crushed the armored plating. Sylia
screamed as they pounded her.
"Enough," ordered General Brown.
The K-15s backed off.
Sylia lay on the barren metal of the landing platform. The
remaining pieces of her helmet fell away. Her gaze wobbled over
the silent men standing over her. She tasted blood in her mouth;
it dribbled down her chin and mixed with the last of the rain.
Blood was seeping out around the pieces of metal still clinging
to her, where the softsuit couldn't absorb it all. Sylia tried
to rise up; she got to her knees before collapsing back down and
becoming still in a pool of diluted blood on cold steel.
The Man watched as the medical personnel stripped her of the
remaining pieces of her hardsuit. He was bathed in only a small
swirl of green/black fire. They cut her out of the softsuit as
the Teck' crew carefully put the hardsuit away for examination.
The medical team worked on her as transportation was arranged by
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the General's support staff. The General talked with Bouwer over
a cellular phone. He was congratulated. The medical team got a
stretcher and started to hustle Sylia to the waiting GENOM
chopper. There were three army helicopters hovering over it as
escorts. The Man nodded in satisfaction as he watched her lift
off. He slowly faded away.
* * *
"Oh my god, Nene." Taki scrambled from his spot behind a
pile of rubble to run over to her as she made it back to their
crumbling sanctuary. She collapsed part way into his arms and he
helped her to a crate. She took off her helmet, which clattered
to the crumbling concrete, and tried to hold back the tears.
Nene stifled a sob in Taki's embrace.
Linna flew in supporting Priss.
Mackie rushed over. "Ok, I got her. We'll take the suit
off over here." They got her to a clear area; Linna took off
Priss's helmet as her suit opened up.
"Oh, shit," murmured Linna as Priss emerged. Priss's chest
and back were covered with blood from her neck wound. Mackie got
out an army blanket, splashed some water on it, and began to wipe
away some of the blood so they could see how bad it was. Linna
stepped back to get out of her own hardsuit. Her softsuit was
drenched with sweat.
"Where's Crystal and Sylia?" Asked Taki as he held a
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bandage to the left side of Priss's neck. The three Knight
Sabers said nothing; Nene sniffled.
"Oh god," cried Mackie. "Sis..." He started to shake.
"Mackie, we don't know what happened to her," said Linna as
she put her arm around Mackie. "She's probably right behind us
and will be here any minute."
"Don't bet on it," whispered Priss. "We barely got out and
we were on the outside." Priss grunted and hissed as she tried
to move her left shoulder. "Get me the pain pills would ya."
Nene finished getting out of her hardsuit and brought over a
bottle of pills and the bottled water.
Taki gingerly felt her shoulder. "I don't think anything's
broken."
"It's not," said Priss after gulping down three pills.
"They just beat the shit out of me. And I was expecting them to
shoot us on sight."
"We have to get this off of you before it dries," said Linna
as she came back to Priss. She undid the velcro and stripped
Priss to the waist. Linna cut the softsuit off at the waist.
Nene brought a sponge, a small pail of warm water and wiped away
the remaining blood. Taki held the bandage to Priss's neck; the
bleeding slowed to a trickle.
Mackie ignored all of this as he stood at the edge of the
crumbling concrete, staring out at Mega-Tokyo.
Linna finished dressing her wounds, taped them up, and
helped Priss slip into a tee shirt. Priss gradually went limp as
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the drugs took effect. After they helped her to an airmattress,
Linna and Nene slipped quietly down to water level and washed the
grime of combat off.
"Still no sign of her?" Asked Nene as they came back in.
Taki shook his head. Mackie's face was ridged with control
as he stared out at the darkness. Linna sat down by their heat
source, shuddered, turned it up, pulled her knees up and locked
her arms around them.
Nene moved softly back to check on Priss. "You still
awake?"
"Ya. My mind won't shut down yet. I'm thinking about our
next move."
"Next move," exploded Mackie. "My sister is lying somewhere
out there dead and you're thinking about our next move. This is
pointless; we're throwing our lives away for nothing. Nobody
knows what we're trying to do. Nobody cares. It's all for
nothing."
"Not true," said Crystal from behind them as she reached
their level by way of the partially demolished stairwell. The
three of them were supporting each other.
"Where's Sylia?" Mackie screamed.
"Don't know," said Crystal softly as they came staggering
in. Taki, Linna, and Nene rushed to help them. "We...we were
trapped at the loading docks...the only way out was straight up.
Her booster packs were damaged and I couldn't make it with all
three...so she ordered me to go...while she covered our escape."
HOUGH/CRUSADE-407
Crystal broke down into a sob and collapsed to the floor.
"My god," said Nene as she looked to Peg. "You've been
shot."
"It's not bad. No internal injuries. My name's Peg."
"Nene."
"I'm Ming Le. Crystal told us who you all are." She
started to gingery strip. Nine spots on her skin were blown off,
revealing the blue C-class boomer muscle underneath. Peg had
seven such places. They started to dress the wounds and wash
away the blood.
"Will these heal up?" Asked Linna.
"Yes," responded Peg. "Do you have some sort of pliers, or
pincers. There's still a bullet imbedded in my left thigh."
Peg rolled onto her stomach as Taki got a pair of needle
nose pliers.
"Bring me a knife," said Ming Le. Taki went and got a
scalpel. "Prepare yourself."
Peg grabbed ahold of a steel beam partially sticking out of
a debris pile. When Ming Le made the incision, Peg made an
indentation in the beam. She retrieved the bullet and Nene
bandaged her up.
"I bet you wish pain pills worked," said Priss. She was
leaning heavily against a support column.
"Priss," cried Nene. "Go back to bed."
Priss started towards a crate. Nene helped her most of the
way. "I need to know something. How did you know it was a
HOUGH/CRUSADE-408
trap?"
"Well," started Nene. "When I was in their system, I came
across a memorandum concerning the 33-S. After I dumped in the
virus, I took a look at it. It was transfer orders for all
working 33-S and 35-Ss. They're all going to the Tower, all but
the two at LC #49."
"Shit," muttered Priss. "That means GENOM knows everything.
You two were a baited trap from the beginning. Two of our
comrades at an underguarded research complex. Shit. To good to
be true. And the rest of them are going to be right here, within
sight, in less than a day."
"Come, come and get them if you dare," said Linna as she
finished with Crystal.
Crystal fingered the edge of a blade on her hardsuit. She
clenched her hands. "If my Mother is dead, I'll kill him. I'll
fuck'en kill him, all of them." She moved to position her
hardsuit so she could get into it.
"Crystal, don't."
Crystal looked over at Priss.
"I know all about wanting revenge for the death of someone
very close. It burns inside like you swallowed fire and nothing
puts it out, not even seeing the one you want dead with their
brains splattered and their blood oozing in every direction. By
the time you take revenge, the burning is a part of you and your
life can easily become empty. Crystal, now is not the time. We
must wait; we must heal; we must find out what they've done to
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Sylia."
"You're in charge now?"
"Yes. No arguments. If you leave now, you go it alone."
Priss yawned. "I'll see you in the morning and we'll find a way.
Have faith." Priss retreated to the semi-intact room and
collapsed onto an airmattress. She was asleep in moments.
Crystal threw her helmet to the side and sat down by the
heat source. Ming Le shifted over and drew her into an embrace,
holding her tight; she laid her head on Crystal's shoulder as
Crystal wiped away several tears.
Nene and Taki slipped back to the other airmattress and
curled up together. They were soon asleep.
Linna and Peg completed the little circle around the heating
source. Linna munched on a packet of food rations as they stared
at the tiny light source.
Mackie still sat over by himself at the edge of the
crumbling concrete overlooking the drop off to the dark waters
below; the wind blew in and swirled around him. He sniffled
softly as he sat and stared at the forbidding
center of Mega-Tokyo.