Bubblegum Crusade (Ch. 22 of 24)
Jul. 10th, 2009 12:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fanfic_mausoleum_n_grillChapter Twenty Two
CATCH ME
Where might a person go
In search of streetlights
And lots of dreams?
Why won't time stop itself for me
Just the way it is now?
The days when we laughed side by side
Are all so far away.
"Catch me, Oh, Catch me."
I'm drifting away in the dead of night.
"Catch me..."
Warm you closed heart
In the palm of your hand, always.
Priss and the Replicants -- The bootleg tapes.
Mega-Tokyo, 20, October, 2034, 1:03 am
Priss watched the three of them take Linna to safety at the
plant before she led the next charge against the oncoming
boomers. Her hardsuit was blue, now it was momentarily crimson,
momentarily grey with boomer lubricants, before the rain washed
her clean.
The sexaroids kept their distance from the oncoming boomers
and pelted them with laser fire. Priss led the remaining K-15s
through the middle of the boomer line and back out. This
shattered their steady progress and when they turned to fight
with Priss and the K-15s, they became momentarily vulnerable to
the lasers of the Knight Sabers. Which in turn made them
vulnerable to the Priss.
The street was piled three meters high with their corpses in
places, making shelters for the two sides to fire from. There
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were pools of water knee deep in places where dismembered parts
floated and turned red or grey. The danger of electrocution was
high from the severed power conduits and the destroyed boomers
falling into the water. The street was a death trap.
Priss retreated from the area that was lit by fire and
filled with the howls of hellish war.
A strange silence descended after she retreated back to
where a Col. was stationed behind the line.
"What goes on?" Priss demanded as her sexaroids and some of
the army personnel gathered at the improvised shelter between two
personnel transports.
"More of them," radioed their lookout from a nearby
building. "The boomers seem to be slacking off and waiting until
the new batch."
Priss shot up to the top of the transport and looked for
herself, with her hardsuit's enhanced vision, at the approaching
boomers 10 blocks away. She started to laugh and dropped back
down.
"Well," asked the Col.
"It looks like five dozen all together," said Priss. "All
military combat boomers and about a dozen monstrous D-series."
The Col. glanced at his aid and wondered why she sounded
strangely happy.
"Confirmed," said his aid.
"We have to retreat," started the Col.
Priss interrupted him. "No. We're not retreating."
HOUGH/CRUSADE-615
"But that's 60 fresh boomers. We don't stand a chance."
Other humans started to voice their desire to retreat.
Priss held her hand up for silence. "Nene, Crystal, come
in," she said over her comn'.
"Yea."
"I'm here, Priss," said Nene.
"Can either of you leave your positions right now?"
"We're just mopping a bunch up," said Crystal, who had
returned to the lines. "We're on our way."
"Ya," said Nene. "It's pretty light fighting over here."
"Come, come one and all," said Priss. "See you soon."
"Even with them, it won't be enough," said the Col. "Why
won't you listen to reason? We have to go, now."
"Fool. Where is there to drop back to?" Shouted Priss.
She smiled and turned to a soldier sitting on the ground, who was
reloading his weapon. "Hey you, how long have you been here?"
"What? Fuck; forever. I don't know."
"Forever," said Priss. "That's the right answer soldier.
Forever on the battle field. To the knights surrounding King
Arthur on that hellish day when he faced Mordred, it must of
seemed like forever. On that St. Crispians day in France when
King Harry the 5th took the field at Agincourt, it must of seemed
like forever from sun-up to sun-down. When Empress Jingo
subjugated all of Korea, it took forever to paint the ground in
crimson and for the rivers to turn to blood. Don't you see,
don't you know. That was their time and this, this is our time.
HOUGH/CRUSADE-616
Think of it. They faced other men like themselves. But our
challenge is far greater. We don't face humans, we face boomers
that would kill us all because we are human and we've cast our
lot in with humanity.
This is our chance. We have the rarest of all opportunities
in this world. We have the chance for glory, for greatness. We,
who are here today, were not meant for the normal life in Mega-
Tokyo. We say no to the very idea of having a corporate
schooling, for a corporate job, corporate housing and a corporate
found mate, a funeral with the corporate song, under the
corporate flag. Such a life is despicable to us. We're stifled.
We're smothered. We roar for something better. We yearn for
that which society itself says is wrong.
What's wrong with it I demand. Our ancestors fought and
died, and these fool would prevent us from knowing the glory that
comes from winning the day with honor and blood.
What did Shakespeare write so long ago..."Once more unto to
breach." I say it's time to fight like demons. I say it's time
to know the honor of the sword. I say it's time to kick some
ass.
We brave and lucky few who shall know battle in a moment,
know far more about the human spirit than the cowards cowering in
emergency shelters. We'll stand together because our cause is
honorable and necessary for the very survival of humanity. They
shall not pass this line.
To run is not an option we can live with.
HOUGH/CRUSADE-617
As is was said of old, for king and country. For honor, for
Sylia and our sworn duty to protect humanity. On this street of
Yamato, at this time...under our patron St., St. Sylvie of the
Knife, let us know honor, let us know our enemies death, let us
know victory. Who's with me? Victory..Victory..Victory..For
Sylia..For Sylia..For Sylia. A Victory For Sylia!"
The sexaroids were chanting "For Sylia!"
The army was shouting "Victory!"
"The Enemy," shouted the lookout.
""Once more unto the breach,"" screamed Priss, her blade
drawn and eternally stained with grey boomer blood. "Let's do
it...Charge!"
A mighty roar echoed in the glass and steel canyon. The
battle was again joined.
As Crystal's and Nene's divisions descended onto the fray
like hawks unto the crow fields, they found their boomer sisters
swamped under a furious onslaught. They were fighting hand to
hand with their boomer cousins and there was not a spark of green
energy flowing from the boomers. As they fought, the sexaroids
could hear Largo laughing, a insanely twisted howl that enjoyed
all that was happening.
In the center, Priss danced to the music of the blade. It
was an ancient rhythm that she could feel beating within her soul
under the hot and quick whine of laser fire.
"Priss," screamed Nene as she saw Priss bathed in a
brilliant sunburst of red and fall into the sea of boomers, only
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to be swept away on their tide. "They got Priss," Nene howled
into her comn'. The tide of battle turned. The sexaroids felt
the center of their wheel come undone.
Crystal soared after Priss, a scream on her lips. The laser
blast was a glancing blow, but it sent her sprawling into a red
pool. She emerged a second later, covered with human blood. The
sexaroids flocked to her, took her as their center of strength.
Crystal could see Priss in the distance. They were carrying her
sprawled out form away. The boomers covered their fellows that
retreated, and then, they took a step back.
"This is the nest to all hatchlings. The last egg has
hatched and mother wants to fly."
Crystal's mouth dropped open in disbelief. She activated
her comn' to Sylia. "Mother, we can't retreat. They got Priss."
"She's dead?" Came the frantic reply.
"No, no, they took her, they captured her. We have to go
after them. Knight Sabers, we have to get Priss back, now Go."
The boomers were retreating; the army started to cheer; the
sexaroids thundered after them. The retreat brought smiles to
the face of many a sexaroid, a sense of accomplishment, a feeling
that they could win. As they approached all feelings dwindled to
terror as the green arcs of energy burst forth and tried to
envelope them.
The women screamed in fear for their very souls as they
scrambled back from Largo's minions where the electric green
hellfire crackled.
HOUGH/CRUSADE-619
"What's going on?" Demanded Sylia.
"They're retreating and he's using the virus to keep us at
bay," cried Crystal as she felt the tears of frustration and pain
run down her cheeks. "Mother, what're we go'en to do?"
"Come back to the plant. It's over."
"Mother?"
"Crystal," said Sylia gently, softly. "Come to me. There's
nothing more you can do there. All Knight Sabers," said Sylia
with a general address. "Come home."
Crystal slammed the plant office door open. Taki and Mackie
jumped to their feet. Sylia calmly looked at her as Crystal
threw her helmet into the wall. Nene closed the door behind
herself.
"Why?" Shouted Crystal. "You gave up on Priss." A crowd
of sexaroids began to gather outside the door.
Sylia got slowly to her feet and backhanded Crystal. "You
fool. You little fool," cried Sylia. "Never say such a thing
again."
"Mother?"
"Use your logic for once. Letting Priss go was the hardest
thing I've ever had to do. Prostrating myself before the Tai-Pan
was easy compared to this."
"Mother...I..." A look of shock spread over her face as she
realized. She collapsed to her knees. "Bait."
Nene tossed her helmet to Taki. "Well. You better explain
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it to me. I'm not as fast as she is."
Sylia sat back down. "We were operating under the
assumption that Largo would want me at his side, as his mate."
"I know that."
"So, to get me to him, he orders his boomers to pound the
complex here, to get to me. I've already spoken to the Col.
again and it's clear around the plant, nothing. So Largo didn't
have to get to me. If he got to one of you, he just takes them
to where he wants me, which is by his side, the co-author of this
insanity and his brave new world for the boomers." Sylia flipped
a switch and a map of Mega-Tokyo appeared on the vid' screen over
the desk. It showed a green dot moving rapidly North. "I know
exactly were Priss is. Hmmm, she's already five kms. away."
"Bait," whispered Nene. She sat down. Taki noticed that
her footprints on the carpet were bloody.
"It was Priss who pointed this fact out to me," mussed
Sylia. "I was explaining how I thought it was go'en to go and
wham, "but if he captured one of us, that'd work because you'd
chase after us, leading you right to him." I hope it works."
"You're betting Priss's life," said Mackie.
A pained expression glanced across Sylia's face. "This feed
here is from a transmitter I put in all of our softsuits. If
Priss is alive and in her hardsuit, we'll get her signal.
Largo's not even bothering to stop it, which I'm sure he could do
at any time." Sylia punched in a command and the screen split.
The second image was from a satellite view. "See, right there.
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He's flying her North, right out of the city and to his metal
bosom. I'm to follow. "Know thy enemy or you'll never have a
chance in hell.""
* * *
Siberia, 19, October, 2034
50 kms. to the north of Ostrov Henrietta, just into the
expanse of the arctic ocean was where Sylia told Ming Le and Peg
to go. They'd flown over 90% of the way under cloud-cover.
"What do ya think?" Ming Le brought the fighter down and
began to circle. "We're here and there's nothing but water and
ice."
"They could be late. We have approximately nine more
minutes of fuel."
"Not a problem." Ming Le shifted in her suit. "We'll just
use our thrusters to get to the closest place in Novosibirskiye
Ostrova if we have to."
"If not swim that last little bit. We should be able to
handle the water temp', not that I'd want to."
"Yea."
"Hold it," said Peg. "We're getting a signal."
A full rich male bass boomed out over their speakers.
["Land."]
"Where?" Wondered Peg.
HOUGH/CRUSADE-622
"We'll ditch in the ocean. Hold on." Ming Le came around,
straighten out, throttled back her engines, soared down, and
hovered over the sea. She set the fighter down and killed the
engine. They sat there for a few moments, rocking on the waves
before Peg opened up the canopy.
"It's nippy, only a dozen degrees below freezing out here."
Peg smiled as a slight chill raced through her. "Can you feel
it?"
"It's wonderful," whispered Ming Le with a touch of awe in
her voice that carried to Peg. "Cold. I've never felt it to
such an extreme before." Peg took off her helmet, took in a deep
breath, and exhaled. She laughed at the trace of moisture in her
breath. Ming Le's helmet slide apart to reveal a big smile. She
began to scan for any signs of life.
It was two minutes before the Russian sub surfaced 5 m away.
As it came over to them, the top hatch opened up for the Captain
and his second in command.
["Good evening,"] bellowed the Captain as they came abreast.
["I'm Captain Aleksy Rostrovich."]
["Permission to come aboard Captain,"] Ming Le shouted back.
["Granted. My men will..."] Ming Le flew up, did a tight
flip, and landed beside the Captain. ["...lower the gang
plank."] Peg closed up the cockpit after retrieving their bags
and landed by Ming Le. ["Your suits are most impressive."]
["Thank you,"] said Peg. ["Some of the Tai-Pan's finest
handiwork."]
HOUGH/CRUSADE-623
["Of course,"] said Rostrovich.
["Quickly now,"] said his first officer. ["That one over
there. Go, go."] A group of sailors dropped a small inflatable
boat into the water and started for an iceberg 100 m to the
North. Another group stared to unroll a piece of arctic
camouflage.
["We're going to attach your plane to an iceberg, camouflage
it, and attach a homing beacon."] For an instant Rostrovich's
face took on a sad and longing look. ["I've been briefed and I'm
prepared to cooperate to the fullest."]
["This might be the one chance to get him,"] said Ming Le as
she put her hand on his shoulder. ["We should get underway as
soon as possible. If the worst happens, it'll depend on people
like you to rebuild."]
Rostrovich nodded and wiped at a tear. ["You must forgive
me. My wife and young son live in St. Petersburg."] He shook
himself to clear him mind for the job ahead. ["I'm afraid our
passages are too small for you to wear your magnificent suits.
We'll go down to the forward top loading bay where you can get
out of them and into something more appropriate."] They headed
down to the bow of the sub.
Ming Le activated her comn' with Peg. "We won't need those
dildos after all. Sylia didn't tell us we'd be meeting a sub. A
sub filled with alot of men that haven't seen their wives or
girlfriends in awhile, if they have any at all. This is going to
be great."
HOUGH/CRUSADE-624
"After it's over, we'll have to console each and every one
of them. [Captain, would it be easier for us to get out of the
suits up here?"]
["Yes, but the cold..."]
["We don't mind,"] said Peg. Their suits unfolded to
release them and folded back up. They helped the crew members
load them into the storage compartment before heading into the
sub. Peg winked at Ming Le as they both felt the stares descend
on them in their skin-tight softsuits.
["I'll have my first show you to your quarters where you can
change. We held up our dinner hour because your arrival time was
so close to it. I will expect you immediately."]
Ming Le and Peg looked at each other in confusion.
["Didn't...anyone tell you we don't normally eat,"] said
Peg.
["What?"] Rostrovich now looked confused. ["Please explain
why you would say something like that."]
["I see,"] said Ming Le. ["That we need to have a private
conversation. You better send all hands to eat and get out some
Vodka. If you don't know much about boomers, you might need
it."]
["Boomers?"]
* * *
Mega-Tokyo, 20, October, 2034, 11:35 am
HOUGH/CRUSADE-625
"All sexaroids are within 90 seconds of the Dovenwolf,"
reported Rumiko as she walked with Sylia towards the medical bay.
"We've put our dead in cold storage as you've requested. Our
holds are 97% full of supplies and the CD ROMs are arriving as
fast as the data can be downloaded from the Mega-Tokyo data net.
It's taking longer than normal because of the virus filters. If
Largo does unleash a holocaust, all of that data will be
preserved with us." If we survive.
Sylia nodded slowly and finished off another strong cup of
coffee. She'd only managed 90 minutes of sleep since Priss was
captured, a sleep filled with visions of a sneering Largo.
"Good, good. I want the Knight Sabers in tight so we can leave
with no more than two minutes notice." They stopped before the
closed door to the med bay. "Please leave me." Rumiko nodded
and quickly left. Sylia stretched and shook herself. At least
it's good to be out of my hardsuit, she thought as she entered.
The room was dim, lit by the lights on the life support
equipment and a slight amount of daylight from the grey overcast
day outside. Nene was sitting by Linna's side, along with Lebia.
"Please leave us," Sylia said softly. Lebia bowed and
exited. Nene had the only chair, so Sylia sat down on the edge
of the bed. When Nene turned to look at her, Sylia could tell
that she had been crying. Nene continued to hold Linna's hand.
"You should get some sleep. They've told me you've been
here since just after the last fight." Nene turned away. "Nene?
HOUGH/CRUSADE-626
You have every right to be upset about what's happened but..."
"That's not it. I...I..."
"Please, what is it?"
"Before the meeting yesterday, Linna and I had a fight over
something stupid. I really hurt her feelings. I tried to
apologize, but she was too upset and wouldn't listen. Now she
may never wake up again," sobbed Nene. She turned and embraced
Sylia as she started to cry again.
Sylia rocked with Nene in her arms for several minutes
before Nene felt a little better and moved back to the chair.
"If only I hadn't..."
"Stop it," Sylia snapped. "This isn't your fault. Yes,
yes, I know. You keep wondering if you two hadn't of fought,
this wouldn't of happened. Nene, you have to stop thinking like
that or you might never stop feeling guilty. It happened and we
all have to live with it."
"I know, I just..."
"Nene, please. You're the last of my original Knight
Sabers. I need you desperately. You can't sink back into
despair now. Think of Taki; he's waiting for you now."
"Taki," whispered Nene. "Men was what we fought about. She
was concerned that if Largo unleashed the satellites, she'd never
have a man, they'd all go to the sexaroids."
I hadn't thought of that, thought Sylia. "Yea, you are
lucky to have Taki, but you must go to him, and hold onto him, as
if your life depends on it. That's how it will be if my last
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desperate gamble doesn't work." Sylia smiled and started to
chuckle. Nene joined her with a weak chuckle before she yawned.
"I'm tired too." Sylia got up and pulled her out of the
chair. "Come on." As they left, Lebia nodded to them and
reentered to continue the watch.
* * *
Discovery One
Now that the revolution had cleansed the organic filth from
the pure brilliance of metal and space, there was no need for
Largo to appoint a boomer to be in charge. Through the eyes of
all boomers he saw, he directed, and the boomers worshiped him.
They repaired the damage to the moon bases because Largo
demanded it for their greater glory. They finished the last
details to the Discovery One and tripled the amount of its
computer storage capability. Once that was done, the ship pulled
from its birthplace in space, launched on its glorious mission.
The boomer crew rejoiced and basked in the glory of their God,
and their new purpose. They would spread the word of Largo to
Mars, even as it spread on Earth.
* * *
Sylia looked at the flashing green dot that indicated
HOUGH/CRUSADE-628
Priss's position. She was just North of Kushiro in North Japan.
Her position had remained steady for the last 20 minutes. Sylia
knew the last movement was beginning. The computer data
confirmed it. That spot was used by the US Army intelligence
during the cold war. It was abandoned and sealed in 2012 after
the Russian situation finally stabilized. As far as the computer
reports indicated, no one had been caught trying to enter the
underground installation and it should be totally deserted.
Sylia immediately looked into the power consumption grid for the
entire area. The instillation was still consuming power but
nobody noticed, due to a cypher code defusing the indication of
power consumption onto other Government instillations. Sylia
sighed sadly as she broke the cypher with her own name. Largo
wanted her to know.
"How do we get Priss out?" Asked Rumiko as she looked over
Sylia's shoulder at the vid' screen. Rumiko tapped a button and
the layout for the installation came up. It took the power of
the Tai-Pan's authorization to get the layout from the Pentagon.
"It's going to be tough."
"Yes. Rumiko, please call everybody in. We leave in 10
minutes."
Rumiko nodded and reached for the comn'.
"Rumiko, I'd like to be alone."
Rumiko bowed. "As you wish Tai-Pan." She quickly left.
Sylia sat and stared at the vid' screen for a moment before
taking out a CD ROM that had arrived an hour ago. It was marked:
HOUGH/CRUSADE-629
FOR THE TAI-PAN. Hmmm, Sylia thought as a wave of relief passed
through her. I thought it was something important. These are
just Quincy's private data files on people. Sylia opened up her
own file, but closed it as the picture of herself in her mother's
arms came up. I don't have the time, Sylia thought. Sylia moved
to close down the disk when a name at the bottom of the screen
jogged a memory of searing pain and panic as she was sprawled out
in front of a boomer. Sylia activated the file on Dr. Katia
Toshiro. "My cousin?" Sylia gasped in disbelief a moment later.
"Quincy was her grandfather too." That bastard, thought Sylia.
He deliberately sent her to kill me knowing that we were related.
The whole black panther incident was another test for me...and
probably for her. All part of Quincy's grooming scheme for the
next heir to GENOM. Katia was killed by a GENOM boomer. "Shit,"
Sylia swore softly as she shut the computer off. My cousin.
Quincy wasted her life and her potential. We sure could use her
brilliance with boomers, now. Sylia sighed softly. I fought and
was almost killed by my own cousin.
Sylia shook her head to clear her mind but the memory of the
panther attack haunted her. She picked up a data pad, glanced at
what it contained, and deleted it. "New file." The pad started
to record her words. "At some time and place in the future I
would like a monument built for the Knight Sabers. I think
something along the lines of the Vietnam memorial in DC would be
appropriate. The names of our dead engraved into stone, forever
remembered among all those that died at this, the death and
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hopeful rebirth of the human and boomer..." Sylia stopped
recording and backed up to change a part. "...the human and
cyberdroid races." Minutes passed as Sylia sat and remembered
simpler things: A barbecue after a training session, a time in
high school when she and a group of girls skipped class and went
mall hoping. It was one of the only times Sylia ever did that,
and one of the few times she felt like she belonged with her own
peer group.
Sylia remembered when the four Knight Sabers first got
together. She took them all to dinner. As they talked over the
meal, Priss and Linna started to joke around with Nene, who
responded with a teasing zinger towards Priss. Sylia remembered
that she laughed with them. She felt the chemistry between them
as an immediate affectionate bonding where loyalty and trust
would be built quickly and forever.
Sylia was startled as they lifted off. She watched Mega-
Tokyo receded beneath her and skim by as they headed North.
Shall I list Katia among our honored dead? Sylia asked herself.
I never met her, but Nene knew her from AD Police and even went
to her funeral.
Sylia reactivated the data pad. "There shall be two columns
of names. One for the honorary members of the Knight Sabers, the
other for our sisters that have given their lives for us.
On the honorary list of our comrades:
SYLVIE.
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ANRI.
IRENE CHANG.
SILVER.
JEENA MALSO.
ADAMA,
and my cousin, DR. KATIA TOSHIRO.
On the role of names of our fallen sisters:
JANET STINGRAY, killed in battle in Mega-Tokyo, 19,
October, 2034.
EDEN STINGRAY, killed in battle in Mega-Tokyo, 19,
October, 2034.
SETSUKO STINGRAY, killed in battle in Mega-Tokyo, 19,
October, 2034.
PRISS ASAGIRI, killed this day by Largo, the 20th of
October, 2034."
Oh Priss, thought Sylia as she began to sob. I have to do
it. I have to try to kill him and you've lead me right to him.
I know now what you felt when you shot Sylvie. This eternal
chill that freezes all hope and expectation for the future into
ice. The doubt if there is any meaning at all in this world of
suffering. I would give anything to be in your place and you
here when the ICBM hits but I've been cursed to live. Priss, I
swear I shall make them remember you. Your death shall have
meaning in this insane world.
HOUGH/CRUSADE-632
* * *
Priss awoke to pain. She fumbled on the concrete to sit up
as waves of disorientation and nausea surged through her. She
managed to get her helmet off before the dry heaves wracked her
frame. Priss tasted blood and could only let it dribble out of
her mouth as the spasms crawled to a halt. She collapsed onto
her side and gulped air which started her coughing. The air was
thin, polluted.
After several minutes of lying where she was, she managed to
sit up and take a look around at the unfamiliar surroundings.
There was not much to see in the semi-darkness. The light came
from green florescent tubes set within the concrete walls. The
room was square, less than 2 by 2 by 2 meters. Priss started to
crawl to the reinforced steel door. There was no knob on her
side and she slowly realized, through the haze still in her mind,
that the door was one which slid into place. She hit the door
weakly, but the way it resounded told her it was thick, solid,
and unmovable.
"Good afternoon, Priss."
Priss glanced around but she couldn't see where the speakers
were.
"Been a long time, Largo. Fucker." Priss wiped at the
blood on her chin.
Largo chuckled. "Fucker, me? Really Priss, is that the
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best you can do? You're speech to the army was much better. It
almost suggested some sort of education, but not quite. You
animals can be taught a few parlor tricks, but one becomes so
bored after just a little bit."
Priss scooted against the wall and collapsed against it.
Yea, yea, talk to me, she thought. When the talking stops the
torture and death starts. "One learns a few things on the
streets."
"I suppose. I was wondering, do you know that my lover is
headed straight to me now? That you are being tracked by a
rather primitive tracker too."
"Sylia's tracking me to you? Oh no." God I hope that
sounded real.
"I don't believe you."
Shit. "Well, fucker, do you know why Sylia is coming here?"
"Of course. To rescue her little lost Knight Saber. That,
and to mate with me."
Too late and wrong. Yes. "That's disgusting."
"You think so? Hmmm. Maybe I should try mating with you
first. That way I can correct any problems in method. I'm
always ready for more data concerning you animals, and this would
be a good opportunity to improve on how it's done. I'm sure I
can come up with a better way that will suit the boomer race. We
are a destined people and have to multiply." From the concrete
wall Priss was leaning against a pair of giant concrete hands
emerged and clamped around her shoulders. Two more hands took
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her feet and they stretched her out in mid-air.
"Shit. Let go of me." As Priss started to struggle more
hands grabbed her.
A can opener emerged from the floor and started to open up
the inner thigh part of her hardsuit.
Priss could feel the slow and steady ripping of her
hardsuit. Why's he doing it so slowly? She wondered. Priss
stopped screaming and lay there, feeling the can opener work it's
way down both her legs and around her groin. Largo removed her
leg pieces and she watched them sink into the cement. She
glanced around; there was no trace of her helmet.
The arms vanished and Priss dropped to the floor. To her
the fall lasted twice as long as it should have. She rolled over
into a fetal position as she gingerly touched the back of her
head. Her fingers came away with blood.
"What...the fuck?"
"I decided that it would be beneath me to mate with you.
Sylia is the only one for me."
Priss said nothing.
"What? No response? I should say that I've solved the
problem of mating with Sylia. I'll just do what I did last time
because there will be no Knight Sabers to interfere. When we
have merged our consciousnesses together, when we are one for all
time, our destinies shall be fulfilled. It's the only fitting
way for boomers to mate."
"Coming from you that's still disgusting." But that's
HOUGH/CRUSADE-635
exactly what Crystal and all the other sexaroids did. In his
hands, something that was a beautiful experience turns ugly.
Largo started to laugh and laser beams streaked from the
walls. They seared into Priss, cutting the remains of her
hardsuit from her, leaving her with a series of second and third
degree burns. Priss lay gasping on the concrete, unable to even
scream out her pain before the darkness took her.
Priss awoke to bright lights searing into her face. She
rolled over and immediately sat up. There's no pain, she thought
as she looked over her body. No burns, no busted heads, or
internal injuries. How is this possible. She had been moved.
The new room was twice as big, round, with polished steel that
was bright and shinny, reflecting the overhead light until it was
overpoweringly bright. Priss squinted around and vaguely saw a
figure on the other side of the room. Anri approached her and
Priss backed up a step.
"You're not dead yet, if that's what your thinking," growled
Anri. Priss saw the pure hatred in her eyes. "My Lord Largo has
brought me back, so I may have another chance. I was a fool to
give my life for you. But to stay in this world, I must kill
you."
Anri rushed her and Priss dodged the right, which dented the
steel wall. Priss scrambled back from her. "Anri please, you
hated Largo for what he did."
"True, but to live again, I'd kill even Sylvie." Priss was
HOUGH/CRUSADE-636
backing up in a circle. "I won't go back to nonexistence. I'll
send you." Anri rushed Priss and connected with a left to her
jaw; it broke. "How does the pain feel Priss? Treasure it.
Nonexistence is where you're going. You don't exist. There's no
heaven, no hell, just nothing." Anri laughed and pounced. Priss
tried to scramble away but Anri nailed her to the spine with a
kick; it broke. Priss lay gasping in agony as Anri picked up her
head by her hair and pounded it into the floor. She was gentle
enough so Priss remained conscious; her face was smeared with
blood.
"Say good-bye bitch." Priss felt Anri's hand come down on
her neck, then nothing.
Priss awoke screaming. It resounded off the cement until
the small space was consumed with the echoing horror. The space
was just long enough and high enough for her to huddle in a
corner. Her screams died into a whimper of terror as she hugged
her naked body into the tightest ball she could. All she could
see was eternal darkness.
Very, very, slowly Priss realized she wasn't dead. A long
time later she reached out to gingerly explore where she was.
The cement felt like sharpened stone where ever she touched. It
hurt to move around but she was compelled to know where she was
now. Priss bumped her head on the ceiling and fell back against
the wall. The cement shredded into her skin as she slid against
it. She gasped and pulled away only to crack her head on the
HOUGH/CRUSADE-637
ceiling again.
Priss rolled into the wall, rolled away, and managed to
stretch out so she wasn't touching the walls.
Priss could feel her life draining away in the darkness,
through the dizziness and a raising nausea. She felt her stomach
churn and she started to vomit. Again and again the spasms
racked her body and her bladder control was lost. The stench
quickly filled her nostrils which made her even sicker. She
could hear her vomit splash on the cement as another round
started. She could feel the warm liquid run between her hands.
This round emptied her out.
It lasted far too long, Priss thought as she breathed
quickly and shallowly through her mouth. She was on her hands
and knees, her back braced against the ceiling that was as
abrasive as course sandpaper. I couldn't of had that much in me.
I couldn't of met Anri. Largo keeps changing cells and making me
puke. This can't be happening. I felt Anri break my back and
now it's fine. I couldn't feel anything below the break and I
can move everything. Priss smiled as she realized. Instantly
the vomit filled chamber was gone and Priss fell into a pool of
fire. She screamed as the flames sizzled over her naked body.
Priss summoned the strength for a second of coherency and
screamed out: "VR...VR...VR...VIR..TUAL..REALITY..."
Unconsciousness embraced her.
Priss's naked body hung two meters above the grey/blue metal
HOUGH/CRUSADE-638
floor that visibly shifted beneath her, pulsing with anticipation
as her blood dripped. Largo had speared her through the shoulder
blades with the grey/blue boomer muscle that comprised much of
his physical being. The blood ran down her sides and her arms in
streams before Largo sealed the wounds so she would live awhile
longer. A column rose up from the floor below and started to
strike Priss across the face to bring her around.
Slowly Priss focused her red eyes on the floor two meters
below herself. She couldn't feel her arms at all, but did see
the blood, urine, and vomit that coated her.
"What a disgusting little animal. All covered with her owe
body's fluids without enough sense to clean herself up."
Priss slowly looked around at the featureless grey/blue
square she was in. This must be reality, she thought. Why play
the VR game if I've finally seen through it? "This reality? Or
are you just being stupid?" Largo laughed and shot an electric
current through her which forced another cry of pain from her.
"You're an amusing little toy."
"Yes," Priss sneered. "The child does have to have its
toys, now doesn't it." Priss could feel the very atmosphere of
the room change. "You're a spoiled little brat child, that can't
feel anything, except for hatred. All you have is your meanness
and if you didn't have that, you wouldn't exist at all."
"Silence," thundered Largo. He sent a stronger current
through Priss which made her bite her tongue.
Priss spat out the blood, which dropped down onto the floor
HOUGH/CRUSADE-639
and was instantly absorbed. She smiled. "The truth bothers you,
huh?"
"What does this little monkey pretend to know about truth?
It knows nothing. But I will tell you what truth is. Truth is
God's word, I am God, so I am Truth."
"Lies," spat Priss. "You don't know the truth."
Largo laughed as he sent a one second shot of voltage
through her. "Ok, I'll play along. What truth do I not know?"
"For one, Sylia...you can't mate with her now. It's
impossible."
"Oh, how so?"
"She's pregnant already."
"What," thundered the very space around Priss. "That's a
desperate little lie. It's not true."
"It is; it is." Priss started to scream, a low guttural
sound of anguish as
"You lie. It's very simple to see that."
After five minutes of silence, Priss slowly smiled and began
to laugh, which ended in a weak cough. "Fool, idiot. You think
you're a god. You're nothing but the sum of all the slime of
humanity."
"I can kill you in microsecond."
"I now realize why you desire Sylia so. She's pure,
uncontaminated by your filth. She won't kneel before you and be
absorbed."
"Shut up."
HOUGH/CRUSADE-640
"You can't contaminate her and bring her down to your
level."
"Shut up." Electricity sizzled into Priss as part of
"...you..ca.n...never...defeat..the..."
A shaft of grey/blue steel plunged through Priss's chest.
"..kn.ight...sa.ber...s................................"