Bubblegum Crusade (Ch. 18 of 24)
Jul. 10th, 2009 12:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fanfic_mausoleum_n_grillWELCOME TO BUBBLEGUM CRUSADE!
Standard disclaimer. Here we go.
Chapter Eighteen
BYE BYE MY CRISIS
I hope that the prism
Peeping through the rift in the clouds
Makes its way to the town
Where you live.
All of our dreams
Are beginning to take shape
And look,
The globe of your heart
Is softly shining.
"Bye Bye My Crisis!"
I want to share my loneliness with you
At the scenes where so many
Memories are heaped.
For the sake of a tomorrow
More certain than yesterday
I want to try spreading wide
My invisible wings.
I like the brilliance that can make
The palms of my hands transparent...
Priss and the Replicants -- The bootleg tapes.
Mega-Tokyo, 18, October, 2034
Damn that Stingray, thought Bouwer. This is her doing.
Bouwer stood by his command consol in the GENOM Tower. His
features were bathed in red from the standard emergency lighting.
GENOM Tecks scurried in the dim lighting around him.
"Primary diagnostic of the main computer is completed," said
a GENOM Teck' on Bouwer's left. "It's on-line; no malfunctions;
no indications of damage; operational perimeters within normal
standards. What ever that was, it didn't effect our computers,
just the boomers."
"We're getting preliminary data on the scope of the
HOUGH/CRUSADE-496
incident," said a female Teck' to Bouwer's right. She touched a
control stud and the main vid' screen changed to a computer
generated image of the Tower. "The wave originated here." A red
dot appeared 20 levels below the summit of the Tower.
Bouwer glanced at the code for what room that was. Right
where those damn sexaroids are, he thought. What have you done,
Stingray?
"From the location of the R., C. and D-series boomers we've
lost contact with since the start of the wave pulse, I've got the
scope of the incident now." The female Teck' keyed in a command
and the Tower turned white in the infected areas. The room were
the sexaroids were kept was at the center of the circle.
Bouwer tapped a command into the computer and authorize it
with his personal code. The computer started a comparison
between the GENOM OMS system and what they'd gathered on the wave
which rippled through the Tower. He punched a blinking red
button as he finished the command.
"Bouwer," said his second. Manuel Strakski appeared on a
small vid' screen in the consol by Bouwer's elbow.
"Report."
"The C. and D-series are definitely rampaging. They're
berserk. We can't even get within sight of them before they
start firing at us. I'm calling up our emergency back-up D-
series protectors to deal with them. That'll minimize damage to
the Tower with their quick destruction."
"The people on those levels?" Asked Bouwer as he sat down.
HOUGH/CRUSADE-497
"Most have managed to flee to lower levels or barricade
themselves away from the rampagers. There is a large group, over
140 in secured area 88, they..."
"Yes, yes, we know about them," interrupted Bouwer.
"They're not your concern. Casualties?"
"About three dozen wounded and ten confirmed dead."
"Hmmm." Bouwer nodded as he absorbed this data. "What of
the R-class?"
Strakski hesitated for a moment. "They're not doing any
damage, but they're not working right."
"Explain."
"The ones we've met up with have just been standing around
and I'd call them...well...bewildered. I know that seems
strange, but that's what they seem to be doing."
"I see. You've just been rounding them up then?"
"Yes Sir. I have them under guard in case they do start
rampaging."
"Good. Manuel, you are handling this situation
excellently."
"Thank you Sir."
"Report to me when the situation is contained."
"Yes Sir." He clinked off.
The computer beeped. Bouwer looked at the preliminary
comparison and blinked in surprise. The foundational matrix is
identical? Thought Bouwer. Shit. The only real differences was
field intensity and complexity. Our OMS control is simpler.
HOUGH/CRUSADE-498
Where in the hell did that women get ahold of something like
this. The OMS is our most closely guarded secret and this burst
of interfacing programming makes ours look like a child's toy. I
don't believe it.
Bouwer stared in shock at the data for a few more seconds
before the Tai-Pan appeared on the main vid' screen.
"Bouwer."
Huh. "Yes Sir." Bouwer stood up.
"Your report."
"Tai-Pan. It seems that Stingray has unleashed a
semicontroled burst of interfacing programming among the
sexaroids in area 88." Bouwer downloaded the current data he
had. "Only the C.,D., and R-class boomers in the designated
areas are effected. No damage to other computer systems has been
noted. The C. and D-series caught in the effect are rampaging
and we're disposing of them now, Sir."
"Very well." The Tai-Pan glanced off screen and back. "I'm
in contact with Stingray now. She apologizes for this incident.
It appears she didn't know this would happen when all 141
sexaroids interfaced at once."
"This interfacing wave was extremely more sophisticated than
our own OMS. If there are others that have this ability, the
whole picture of our operating security status must now change.
GENOM is extremely vulnerable."
"No."
"Tai-Pan?"
HOUGH/CRUSADE-499
"This incident changes nothing."
"But the evidence, Tai-Pan."
"Don't make me repeat myself."
"Yes, Tai-Pan." How can he not see the danger, thought
Bouwer as he felt a trickle of insecurity run down his backbone.
"Our security status has not changed."
"Stingray has mearly exercised that which is her birthright.
If it causes a slight inconvenience to you, then that is of no
importance. I doubt if there will be a reoccurrence and no one
else in the world has access to the programs that the OMS was
derived from. If there is a reoccurrence, you are to simply deal
with it. Have your full report on my desk by 20:00 hrs."
"Yes Tai-Pan." The Tai-Pan clicked off and Bouwer sank back
into his chair. Well, thought Bouwer, that's that. I'm not the
heir apparent. She is. I never would've imagined that the OMS
was a derived program, but it fits with what's happened.
Sentient sexaroids that interface. Shit. We've built our whole
empire up on a watered down version of the original. And that
fiend Largo must have something close to the original; it's the
only explanation for why this one boomer has been so troublesome.
Bouwer tapped in a code on his command consul and it told
him that Sylia was still in secured area 88. You must be the
granddaughter of the Tai-Pan, thought Bouwer. What a linage,
Quincy, Katsuhito, and now Sylia. You've been groomed on the
streets as an enemy of GENOM. Who better to lead GENOM than a
person that's been raised on the outside, one with a fresh
HOUGH/CRUSADE-500
perspective on the endless power we posses. Who better than
someone who's studied GENOM for years, of her own free will too,
and with the intention of learning our most inner strengths and
weaknesses? When Stingray takes over, she can't just shut us
down, because it will hurt billions of innocents, not to mention
the world's economy would be thrown into chaos. She's been
trying to protect the innocent for three years as a Knight Saber.
She couldn't hurt the world like that, especially after what's
coming with Largo. Oh Tai-Pan, you've molded the perfect heir.
If we survive, it will be glorious.
"Um..yes Ma'am," said a GENOM Teck' over Sylia's cellular
phone. "Operational credentials have cleared. What are your
orders?"
"I need transport from the Tower to GENOM research plant
#28," said Sylia.
"No problem. I'll dispatch a chopper. When do you wish the
chopper to be there?"
"As soon as possible. And I'll need transport for 142
people."
"Ok. I'll dispatch five class HT helicopters. First one
will be on the main Tower pad in 15 minutes."
"Excellent." Sylia clicked off. "How you do'en?"
Somewhere in the depths of Crystal's programing the
responses to various levels and kinds of pain had been
incorporated. She was panting as she leaned back against one of
HOUGH/CRUSADE-501
the sexaroids. A second looked at the end of her left arm and
then into her shoulder socket. She wiped some blood away with
her fingers. "It hurts," said Crystal softly.
"Sylia."
"Yes?"
"There should be no problem in reattaching her arm. I could
do it if I had the proper tools."
Sylia took a look and nodded. "I agree. What's you name?"
The woman blushed. "I'm sorry, Rumiko."
"You know cybernetics?"
"Yea. I've been working in one of GENOM's cybernetic plants
in Hong Kong. I've been studying the field for years. It's an
honor to meet you."
"Please, save that for later. We have alot to do. Would
you please go check on the 35-Ss. All of this must be a real
shock to them."
Rumiko nodded and filtered through the crowd gathered around
Sylia to the other crowd of about 50 gathered around the 19 35-
Ss.
"What in the..." muttered Strakski as he came into area 88.
A small gash on his forehead was bleeding profusely. He ignored
it as one of his staff tried to dab at it with a sterile bandage.
"Who's in charge here."
"I am."
Strakski came forward as the circle of sexaroids parted for
him. He glanced over at the other circle that exploded with
HOUGH/CRUSADE-502
laughter for a few seconds. "You have wounded, I...I..." He
drew his gun. He felt everybody tense around him.
"Put that away," bellowed Sylia. "I'm Sylia Stingray and I
just gave you an order."
Strakski did a double take and bowed low. Blood trickled on
the floor from him wound. "Ma'am. I'm Manual Strakski. I'm in
charge of the Tower's security."
"She said, put your gun away," hissed a woman to his right.
Strakski glanced into Sylia's eyes and put his gun away.
"Ma'am. If you're having trouble with a boomer, it's my..."
"That's not it at all," interrupted Sylia as several
sexaroids giggled. "Wipe your forehead." One of his underlings
presented him with a cotton swab which he held to his forehead.
"Has the building been secured?"
"We've gotten 95% of the berserk boomers."
"Killed them no doubt," muttered a woman to Sylia's right.
"Is this true?" Asked Sylia.
"The C. and D-series were destroying everything, so they're
being dealt with. The R-class...we've just been rounding them
up."
"You go'en to execute them?" Rumiko moved back into the
circle. "Sylia, you can prevent it."
"Ya, I know. Ok, Strakski. Is it clear from here to the
main Tower pad?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Come on then, we're going." The sexaroid who was
HOUGH/CRUSADE-503
supporting Crystal helped her to stand. "Strakski. When you
have all the R-class boomers that were affected by the
interfacing, ship them immediately to me at RP #28."
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Come on," she shouted. They started to moved to the door
and down the hallway to the main elevators. "Well, Rumiko."
Rumiko took charge of Crystal's severed arm. "Oh, no
problem..."
"Ok," interrupted Sylia. "We're all going up to the main
chopper pad to go to RP #28. Please, stay together. It'll take
awhile using the elevators." The first one arrived and Sylia got
in with 8 others.
A sexaroid held the doors open. "Sylia. The rest of us
will take the stairs. It's only 20 flights."
Sylia nodded. "I'm sorry. What were you saying Rumiko?"
"Even though they know everything we know, the 35-Ss were
totally unprepared for being sentient. It's been quite an
experience for them. I got them on the buddy system. Two older
more experienced 33-Ss have taken charge of each one."
"Good. Once we get to the plant you can reattach her arm.
Spread the word that everybody should stay together for now,
until your SIN/credit cards get made. After that..." Sylia
shrugged. "I don't know. You can all go your own separate ways,
I guess." Or stay with us. We could use your help.
"Freedom," whispered Rumiko. So precious. Huh. She and
Crystal gazed deeply at each other. "You're right Crystal.
HOUGH/CRUSADE-504
Largo does concern us, but to fight him. There are some of us
that would join him. We'll all have to talk it over and decide
for ourselves."
Fair enough, thought Sylia. Sheesh. Is Crystal reading my
mind now too? "Well, come on." They got out of the elevator and
looked out a series of windows at the landing pad. A chopper was
just setting down and Sylia could see four more hovering at a
distance. "Ok," called Sylia as the others began to arrive. "30
people to a chopper. Nice and neat, girls." Sylia lead the
first group to the chopper.
Rumiko paused at the foot of the ramp to gaze out over the
shear drop off at the surrounding Mega-Tokyo. "Wow," she
murmured.
Sylia smiled and gave her a little push up the ramp.
The Knight Sabers gathered together to wait a half hour
after Sylia left. Priss answered the phone after one beep.
"Queen to bishop 6?"
"Aye Captain," said Sylia in the best Scottish burr she
could muster. "I can't remember. Me poor brain cells need a
recharge from the warp engines."
"How'd it go?"
"Mission accomplished," said Sylia. Priss gave her comrades
the thumbs up sign and waved them to silence. "We're in the air
now. After we drop them off at RP #28, I'll swing back and pick
you up at the Hilton pad. See you in 30."
HOUGH/CRUSADE-505
"See ya." Priss turned off the cellular phone. "She did
it. She fuck'en well did it."
"They're free, they're free," yelled Peg. The others
erupted. Five minutes passed before Priss called for quiet.
"Ok, ok, listen up," bellowed Priss. "We got 25 minutes
until Sylia arrives. If everything's ready to go, let's get our
suits and get out of here." Everybody left Silver's office
except for Priss and Silver, who stood looking down at her place
that was rock'en. "Silver?"
"I wish you luck Priss."
"Thanks. You've been a great help."
"Thank you. That means alot to me. I'm sorry I can't come
with you. This is my place. All I know about fighting is what
Crystal knows. I realize I'm not a fighter."
"I understand. If you're not wired for it, you're not wired
for it. Unfortunately I am. Did Jeena make a decision about
what she's doing yet?"
"No. She'll stay here for the time being. It'll take time,
lots of time."
"Hopefully she'll have it." But nobody knows. Sylia says
it'll be bad and yet she hasn't even been briefed yet. Man, that
sucks.
"Priss, if you ever need anything, I'm here."
"Thanks Silver." As Priss left Peg and Ming Le came to say
good-bye. They both hugged and kissed Silver.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," cried Peg. "I didn't
HOUGH/CRUSADE-506
know how starved I was for men until I got out of that fucking
complex."
"It's been absolutely great," said Ming Le.
"Thank you, thank you both...for the business." They
laughed. "Come on down anytime."
"Yes, yes," said Peg.
Ming Le nodded and they departed.
It was several moments before Silver saw Peg and Ming Le
move across the floor of her place. They left, but not before
Ming Le turned and gave her the thumbs up sign.
Five minutes before they were to meet Sylia, the Knight
Sabers ducked down into the shadows outside of the hallway up to
the Hilton elevator shaft. Priss, Mackie, Linna, Nene, and Ming
Le were all in hardsuit. Ming Le was operating Priss's older
one.
Priss handed Taki the H.S. blaster she took from Jeena. He
put it in the small of his back under his jacket. "For
emergencies only. We don't need to kill anybody, unless they
force us to."
"Got it." He and Peg got up, they picked up four suitcases
and moved closer to the doorway. Taki ran Silver's card through
the door scanner; they started up the hallway. The Knight Sabers
gathered around the door.
"What a fabulous time," Taki said after he punched for the
elevator.
HOUGH/CRUSADE-507
"Ya, the best." Peg drew him into a passionate kiss.
This isn't part of the plan, thought Taki desperately. Damn
woman, I'm taken.
Nene watched them through her sensors. He better not've
enjoyed that, she thought. "It's here." Nene's suit detected
the operator press the stop button and she started to help them
load the bags in the car. "Now."
Priss fired. They were moving as the shrapnel from the door
was still flying. Ming Le, Nene, and Linna were in first. Ming
Le grabbed Peg, who acted stunned; Nene took Taki; Linna got the
elevator operator. They ducked and covered as Mackie came up and
blasted the elevator. Priss drew her blade, activated her
thruster packs, and headed up the shaft. Mackie waited until
Ming Le with Peg, and Nene with Taki, who clutched a small
suitcase, and Linna shot up the shaft before he brought up the
rear.
The elevator woman sat stunned in the debris and stared
blankly at the remains of the elevator as the sprinkler system
activated.
Priss's knuckleblaster tore through the elevator door at the
top of the shaft. She plastered a section of wall and glass with
laser fire as a GENOM chopper started to make a landing. Ming Le
and Peg erupted from the shaft. "Come on, come on. Those fools
from hotel security have called AD Police by now. Go, go." They
started for the chopper as the others arrived. Peg and Ming Le
ran up the ramp into the chopper where Sylia stood. They hugged
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as the others started across the heliport. Priss was the last
aboard.
"My disks?" Thundered Sylia.
Taki beamed and handed the small suitcase to her.
Sylia nodded in satisfaction. "Go," she ordered the pilot.
* * *
"I'm sorry Sir," said the nurse from behind Leon. "But you
can't go in there. It's restricted."
Leon calmly got out his badge and waved it at her. "AD
Police." He continued on, slid his nonIDed AD Police pass
through a scanner and walked into the secured area. He stood
there for a moment trying to decide which way to go. "Jones, hey
Jones."
"Leon...Leon." Jones was in a wheelchair and came down the
hall with the help of a physical therapist. They shook hands.
"My god man. We all thought you were dead. Were in the fuck
have you been?"
"Around man. Ya, I thought I was dead too. It's good to
see ya. So, where's Daley."
"Down the corridor, number 15. You go'en to be here awhile?
I got therapy now."
"Don't know. Probably. Me and Daley need to do some
talk'en."
"Well, I don't know about that. These damn docs won't like
HOUGH/CRUSADE-509
that."
"Fuck'em," said Leon with a grin.
"Ya, fuck'em. Ok. I'm ready for my therapy now."
Leon shook his head in amusement as he went down to Daley's
room. It was dark, except for the glow from the medical
equipment. Oh shit, Leon thought. I hate coming to see my
partner in the hospital. "Daley?"
"Leon?"
"Ya, it's me." Leon grimaced as he came closer. The only
parts of Daley that weren't bandaged up or had tubes running to
them was his upper chest, neck, his lower head, mouth, nose, and
ears. "What in the fuck did you do to yourself. You look like a
mess; a fuck'en mummy or something."
Daley stared to laugh but it ended in a cough. "You sound
well."
"Not a scratch." Leon laid his hand on Daley's.
"Bastard."
"I hear it was quite a fight."
"A fuck'en slaughter house." For an instant, as Daley
stared at the darkness, all he could see was his comrades being
dropped all around him, until it was his turn. "It was all so
useless," he choked out. "They all died, for nothing."
Leon drew a chair closer and sat down.
"Well?" Asked Daley after a few moments. "Aren't you go'en
to tell me that they died fighting to protect Mega-Tokyo?"
"No, not now. Daley, after I woke up from their shit, I
HOUGH/CRUSADE-510
heard about the rampage and what the Knight Sabers were doing."
"They've told me. Unpardonable outlaws. Fuck it, and after
all they've done for us too."
"Ya. I...their actions didn't seem normal so I decided to
find them, find out what was go'en on. I almost wish I hadn't
now."
"Found out more than you wanted, huh. I'd laugh but it'd
hurt to much. So what's the deal?"
"That rampage was a set up. It was a planned attack on the
Knight Sabers. We got caught up in different gambits of a sick
game GENOM and the Knight Sabers are playing with each other.
We're just pawns that they dispose of at their leisure."
"Shit." Daley sighed softly and coughed. "You finally
figured that out? Well, at least we know the players. But
what's their game?"
"Freedom," said Leon sullenly.
"Freedom?"
Leon explained all Priss told him.
"How could we not know?" Asked Daley quietly. "How is it
possible?"
Leon was silent for a time. "It's kinda like a fuck'en
assembly plant. Like being on the electronic lines. You and me,
we have our little job, we bust boomers. We don't know much
about the latest advances in their teck' or anything. Things
just come to us when something goes wrong, and we kill'em. Where
the boomers come from, and where they go aren't our problem. We
HOUGH/CRUSADE-511
just do our little thing and ignore the rest because we don't
have enough time for anything else. Barely even enough time to
get laid once in a while." Daley smiled. "Our bosses see
exactly what we see and they tell us to get our job done. The
media blares around us, wrapping us all up in it's embrace, and
we fuck'en believe. We don't see the whole game. The fuck'en
big picture is lost in the grind. Don't think. Submit.
Consume. That's how this happened."
Daley thought for a moment. "You found the Knight Sabers
and they told you this. You sure you can trust them?"
Leon laughed bitterly. "Trust them? What they said makes
good sense. I've been sit'en here thinking that I'm an idiot for
not seeing who they are, but I never even gave it any thought.
Nobody ordered me to find out and I wasn't curious enough to find
out on my own after I found out about Priss."
"Priss is a Knight Saber? When in the fuck did you find
out? Why didn't you tell me? You fuck'en bastard."
"Whoa, whoa, Daley. You're gonna pop some tubes if you keep
trying to move around."
"You're a bastard. You're a bastard. You're a bastard.
Why didn't you tell me? I'm your fuck'en partner."
"Fuck it. I don't know. It made me feel special to know
something like that about Priss. Shit. It made me horny to know
that. I'd sometimes think, man I should go over and tell her,
you wouldn't want this to get to the media now would ya? I'd
show her I was man enough for her."
HOUGH/CRUSADE-512
Daley snorted. "From what you've told me, and from what
I've heard, that would be incredibly stupid. She'd of killed
you."
"I know. That's one of the reasons I just sat on the info.
Prepare yourself. The others will blow your mind."
"Who?"
"Nene."
"Nene? You're fuck'en kidding me. Nene? Our little Nene?
Jesus H. Fuck'en Christ."
"Ya, I know. It blows me away. She's been involved with
them since they started and we didn't notice anything. Some
detectives huh? And then, of course, there's Linna."
"Linna?"
"Ya," said Leon. "You remember, from that one time out at
MTX. All together."
"Ya, ya. What was the name of that woman they'd just seen
off...um..Stingray?"
"Stingray. Sylia Stingray. Ya, she's their leader."
"Fuck, that still blows me away. Little Nene is a Knight
Sabers. Man. Fuck, what a week."
They sat in silence for awhile. "I'll be back in a minute,"
Leon said. "Want me to bring you a steak?"
"Fuck'er," muttered Daley as Leon left.
Leon went to get a cup of coffee and came back. "I'm back."
He sat down.
"I smell coffee."
HOUGH/CRUSADE-513
"So what do the docs say?"
"The quacks? They say I'll be fine once they replace most
everything with cybernetics. They wanna turn me into a boomer."
"That's disgusting. You remember that ripper case in the
loop, or Billy, or even Jeena. Fuck, go'en that way is noth'en
but trouble."
"I know. I know. I've told them to look into other
options. But I have awhile. Nothing can be done yet. I'm still
to weak." Daley yawned for emphasis.
"Ya right. Tell it to someone who'll believe it."
"Leon."
"What?"
"You didn't tell me what was go'en to happen with that game
between the Knight Sabers and GENOM. Who's move is it?"
"Priss's neck is in the noose and GENOM's just waiting to
open the trap door. They got their leader and now it's just
clean-up time. They're dead. To help them is to commit suicide.
To sit back and do nothing is....fuck." To let my friends down.
"I don't know what to do, Daley. I just don't know what to do."
Daley sighed but didn't say anything.
* * *
Crystal sat up on the OR table. She was nude to the waist;
she flexed her left arm and smiled as Sylia arrived.
Rumiko detached the blood IV. "How'es it work?"
HOUGH/CRUSADE-514
"Great. Good as new. No pain. Any problems getting them?"
Crystal put on a teeshirt.
Sylia shook her head. "Good timing Rumiko. It's almost
time for General Brown to brief us on the situation with Largo
and your cards are almost ready. I've ordered GENOM to put 10
million SEC into each account."
"Paying us off for our servitude?"
"I know, even 10 million SEC apiece is small compensation
for what you've gone through, but it's a start. If you decide to
join me, you'll have a hand in shaping the very world. Perhaps,
over time, it'll make amends."
"We'll see," said Rumiko softly.
They left the emergency OR room on sub-level 19 of the GENOM
Research Complex #28 and headed up to a large hall the sexaroids
had taken over. They were talking among themselves as three
GENOM Tecks were working to attach a card imprinting machine to
the central Mega-Tokyo data net. The Teck' in charge came over
to Sylia as she entered.
"Ma'am. We're ready to issue their new cards, now. We'll
just take them one at a time to get the proper data and code the
cards right here."
"Fine," said Sylia. She turned as Peg and Ming Le came over
to her. "Peg, Ming Le, and you too Rumiko, I'm counting on you
to keep an eye on things here. Call me if there's a problem. I
hope that after everybody's done, you'll stay here and
collectively or individually decide to join us. I'll send
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Crystal back after the briefing so you'll get all the data about
Largo. I hope you'll stay. I hope you'll all stay, but if you
want to leave and hit that city out there, please do. I wish you
the best, if you hit'em hard and follow your dreams."
"We have to search for our dreams first," said Rumiko. "See
ya later."
"See ya," called Crystal as she left with Sylia. Crystal
paused at the door and her eyes locked on Rumiko.
Rumiko started to laugh and licked her sensuous lips.
"Definitely."
"I thought this meeting was classified," said General Brown
over the tele'conferencing channel from the USSD secured bunker
underneath Mega-Tokyo.
"It is," said Bouwer in annoyance on the other secured
channel coming in from the Tower.
Sylia sat at a polished circular mahogany table with Priss
on her right and Crystal on her left. Linna was to Crystal's
left, followed by Mackie. Nene was on Priss's right followed by
Taki. They all faced the two active vid' screens. "You're
addressing the Knight Sabers, my comrades in arms, my inner
circle."
"I see," said the General. He cleared his throat. "All 200
of our orbiting particle beam satellites have been taken over by
Largo. We've lost compleat control of them."
"Shit," whispered Priss as the other Knight Sabers silently
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absorbed this news. "I knew you'd lead us straight into hell."
"What does this mean?" Asked Crystal.
"We're dead," murmured Taki. Underneath the table he felt
Nene take his hand.
"These satellites," started Sylia. "They're range vs.
target alignment, error: 10-10 or less; capable of destroying up
to a 1000 km radius area at a time."
"That's insane," cried Crystal. "Why do you have so many of
them? What's their purpose?"
"They ensure the safety of our country," said General Brown
gruffly. "Many third world countries also have satellite
weaponry."
"Typical aggressional thinking," sneered Linna. "Just like
on the markets. Don't mess with GENOM or they'll fuck your
company into the ground. Don't mess with our country or we'll
blow you away. Fools. Can't you see that this is what's brought
us to the brink?"
"I resent that," thundered General Brown. "Our country is
one of the strongest in the world. It's our doing that's
launching the Discovery One to Mars. The satellites help ensure
safety and security for everyone."
"And now that security is going to be the security of the
grave," said Nene with a quiver in her voice. "You've condemned
us all to die."
"We're working to gain control back. All coordinates for
those satellites have been fed into our ground stations. We can
HOUGH/CRUSADE-517
destroy them all at anytime."
"But you can't do that now can you," muttered Priss. "This
is an old fashion standoff. You must assume Largo has those
things primed and ready to fire, and he assumes rightly that the
ground based laser systems are the same. If we fire first, then
we're the ones that started our annihilation because he'll get a
round off. If he fires first, we can only destroy his weaponry
after it's fired. Either way, we're fucked." There was silence.
The military teck' is just to fast now, thought Sylia.
"I'm wondering how Largo got control in the first place."
Mackie stared at the General. "Well?"
"It took a physical interface with each satellite." General
Brown vanish as he downloaded the spy satellite photos to the
conference. They looked at the grey/blue metallic square on the
side of a satellite. A diagram showed the positioning of four on
the satellite. "Once the physical link was established. Largo
was able to gain access into the satellites programming and take
over."
"Grey/blue," whispered Crystal. "The color of boomer
muscle. As if there was a question as to who we're dealing
with."
This is fascinating, thought Bouwer, who remained silent.
Sylia sits back and watches her underlings attack while she's
free to observe and think. It's a very sophisticated way of
dealing with things.
"Ok," Priss butted in. "Largo has our 200 and we have our
HOUGH/CRUSADE-518
200 targeted. What about the USA, Russia, or any of those third
world countries you're so worried about? What's there status."
"The Kremlin and the Pentagon both still deny that they even
have satellite weapons," said General Brown.
"They may deny you, General," interrupted Bouwer. "But they
deny nothing to GENOM since we did make 56% of the components for
both of their systems. Pinatubo and Koutovich have admited to me
that they've both lost their respective fleets of satellites and
have targeted them and all others in orbit as well."
"Foolish humans," said Crystal bitterly. "I come on-line
and I want to enjoy my life, but no, you have to fill the
beautiful skies with a death that can rain down on us at any
time. How dare you. How dare you presume to protect us all by
preparing the materials for a war that'll kill us all. You're
fools. I want life and you fuck'en idiots are taking it away
from me. I'm beginning to have doubts about the side I'm on."
"You brought a boomer into this discussion?" Thundered
General Brown. "You've probably betrayed everything to Largo."
"Personal attacks against me," said Sylia coldly. "Is
something I can take and ignore. But when you speak to my oldest
daughter in such a fashion, I won't forgive."
"Daughter?"
An uncomfortable silence descended as Sylia and Brown glared
at each other. Mackie broke their stare down.
"I believe that Einstein said you can't prepare for war and
peace at the same time," said Mackie. "It just doesn't work in
HOUGH/CRUSADE-519
the long term."
"If we don't put aside our differences," said Bouwer. "It's
all academic. We have to concentrate on Largo."
"Fine." Nene looked around the room. She felt Taki's hand
squeeze hers. "Ok. First detail. How did Largo get those
things onto the satellites in the first place?"
They stared at General Brown. He cleared his throat.
"Well, he used SDPC shuttles. The interface units were placed
onboard and then launched from Earth orbit as the shuttles went
to Luna. He used the boomer work crews. Largo infected them
with a virus that covers its presence with the original
programming. A normal scan would reveal nothing. The boomers
would be infected, then they'd just go about their ordinary
business until Largo activated them."
"Bouwer," said Mackie. "I bet there's plenty of cases in
your OMS where a boomer just shut down for a few seconds and came
back on-line with nothing wrong."
"No, there's not." Bouwer smiled slightly. "Our OMS
controlled C. and D-series boomers are fine, no signs of
infection. But the programmed R-class is another matter.
There's concentrations of up to 75% contamination in some
sectors. SDPC and USDD are at 65%. Anywhere our boomers aren't
on the OMS, is where we found infections."
"Of course," muttered Crystal. "He's using a linkage
system. If you linked into the boomers that are linked to the
OMS, he'd be discovered immediately."
HOUGH/CRUSADE-520
"This fits his style," Sylia said slowly. "He wants us to
know its him, but not early in the game, not before he thinks
victory is his. Frankly, this is all...what I'd expect from him.
The delusional architecture of his insanity is quite common, the
Jesus syndrome, but it's uncommon in that he could very well be
right. Its obvious from the evidence he believes he's god and to
boomers, he just might be."
"I don't think so," said Crystal.
Sylia continued: "Neither do I. But consider this. You're
just a machine and something gifts you with a purpose beyond just
what you're doing at the moment. This being gifts you with
knowledge, sentience, a soul. He asks nothing from you but what
the great religions has asked, that you follow and you obey.
Sodom, Gamorrah, Ramayana, the Indra's arrows. All these
examples of God's judgement of humanity. And now he controls the
orbital particle beam satellites. He means to judge us all for
the slavery the boomers have endured in silence. The fact that
most weren't sentient is irrelevant. He means to judge and
punish. We must take it into account that to him, this is a holy
war, a Jihad." Sylia stopped and traced her hand over her
stomach. Do I have faith? She asked herself. My children.
Their father is the god Largo thinks he is, but Largo's a
different god. To defeat Largo is to defeat *****. He said I
was his last gasp, that his power was fading. Why does *****
need me to defeat himself? Why is *****'s power fading when
Largo is going to unleash a Jihad? He's the god of the Jihad.
HOUGH/CRUSADE-521
Why, why, why has it come to this? I'm a linchpin between gods.
"I don't understand at all," muttered Sylia.
The Knight Sabers, Bouwer, and General Brown all looked at
her. She glanced around.
"What don't you understand about his primary targets being
military targets?" Bouwer frowned in concern.
"Mother, are you all right?"
"I was just thinking about something else. Please
continue." Shit, thought Sylia. I have to shove this abstract
stuff aside. I can't deal with it now. This is very simple.
It's Largo's view about where the world is headed vs. my view.
He would foster a place controlled through terror and chaos and I
will foster just the opposite. "This is not about human vs.
boomer," interrupted Sylia. "This is about the future and who
will control it, who will be around to see it. Largo is a
classical fascist, like Hitler. Hitler's first solution to the
Jewish problem was to classify them as a lower rank of people,
then moving them to ghettos, then out of the country, until he
finally discovered that death camps could be profitable so they
flourished. GENOM must know this lesson well." Bouwer shot her
a look of anger. "We've been irrevocably moving to this point of
insanity by a logical procession since my Father's death. He
brought something into the world that could shatter it, or
enhance it. GENOM's first mistake was the death of my father.
The second was the `black box' linage system that USSD made and
lost. The third was my mistake, when I killed Mason. Largo
HOUGH/CRUSADE-522
wouldn't have been born if I hadn't done it, and yet it was the
right thing to do at that time, just like making the `black box'
or murdering my father seemed to be the right thing to do. It
all leads up to today. Here we sit and decide the fate of the
human race. Will we be an ocean ever changing and beautiful, or
an ocean polluted and slowly dieing? Will there be nothing left
but scrape heaps and boomers; the time of the organic being now
past? Will there be both or neither? Or a frozen lake,
suspended and unchanging? When that prototype boomer absorbed a
human consciousness and became Largo, he became the ultimate
threat to everything that is humanity." Crystal sat up
straighter in her chair and stifled a gasp as she realized.
"Don't you see, Largo is counting on you sitting at a table like
this and saying, we'll fight you to the very end, we'll blow your
satellites out of the sky, we'll kill all of your boomers. He's
counting on it. If you start a war with him, then the odds are
we won't survive."
"So we just...give in?" Exclaimed Linna.
"No," Sylia thundered. "Never, that is not the way. There
is a third solution to this. We just have to find it. Of
course, while we're doing that, General Brown is naturally making
all the preparations he can to bring us a victory. I think we
need to accept the fact that the world is going to shake in the
next few days and there's nothing we can do to stop it. We just
have to make sure there's a future full of hope. I have faith."
Sylia got up and walked out.
HOUGH/CRUSADE-523
Adjacent to the conference room was a lounge area and a
kitchenette. Sylia fixed herself a pot of tea and turned the
lights off so she could stare out at the Mega-Tokyo night. A
storm front was moving in and with it came destruction and
calmness.
Sylia sat in the dark and slowly sipped her tea for 25
minutes before Crystal came in. "Here you are, Mother. I just
told my sisters what was going on and what we're all doing.
General Brown and Bouwer are continuing to prepare for war.
Since the GENOM people at this plant were studying your hardsuit,
we've decided to at least bring the Knight Sabers back up to
strength. Is that all right?"
"Yes."
Crystal moved closer and sat down next to Sylia. "Mother,
how can you be so calm at a time like this?"
Sylia smiled. Now's the time, she thought. "I'm calm
because I have faith, unshakable faith."
"In what?" Cried Crystal.
"I know it must be my imagination but I feel like my body is
starting to change already. I'm pregnant."
"Pregnant?"
"The father is *****."
Crystal hugged her. "I don't know what to say."
"What was that look? You looked sad for a moment."
"I...well...you're not the first to refuse me. He did too."
HOUGH/CRUSADE-524
I guess he prefers human women to boomers.
"As we were lying together, he told me I was going to have
twins, daughters. He said that he was already proud of me. He
said I'd lead this world and my daughter would lead the entire
system." Sylia hugged Crystal hard and started to cry softly.
"Mother, what is it?"
"I'm so afraid. My future is assured. I...and these two
daughters will live, but I'm so afraid for the rest of you. What
will be the cost of a victory over Largo? Will it be your life?
Linna? Nene and Taki? Will it be a hundred humans, a hundred
million, or most of them? I wanted my father's name to live on
in human history, but never did I imagine that it could be one of
infamy." Sylia felt the strong, compassionate, and capable arms
of a sexaroid hold her. They started to rock slowly in the dark
as the sky was shredded with lightening and Mega-Tokyo was
rocked.
She felt Sylia shudder. "Shush, shush, it's just lightening
and thunder." And not the bombs.