Disclaimer Bubblegum Crisis is licensed by AnimEigo under master license from Youmex. I am not using it or its characters for profit, nor do I intend to. Aldo, Andrew Bower, and Freddy Isnot are the property of their respective selves.

Night fell on the city. And dark rolling clouds gathered. Wind began to blow on the rooftops. Playing in the swaying antennas

The day had been calm. People went about their business in the city: going to work, eating, driving the busy streets with super-efficient electric cars. Perhaps the most unusual aspect of the day was how little happened. For the most part crime was down, births were nearly zero, and only two elderly folks died in the city. They passed away in their beds in two separate hospitals surrounded by their loved ones. Evil mega-corporation activity was subdued. No mad geniuses were on the loose. The news stations attempted to make a flower arrangement competition into an exciting event to obtain viewers.

The day was peaceful. A few people more in touch with the world were made uneasy. A feeling in the back of their heads reminded them of the quiet before the storm.

Lightning flashed as the clouds began swirling. Jumping from cloud to cloud the flashes of electrical discharge lit the sky. Wind began to whip antennas wildly.

People hurried indoors to avoid the electrical storm. Soon the streets were empty of life. Only a few vehicles dared to venture out into the storm.

Lighting struck a rooftop. Once, twice!

And as quickly as it had started the storm broke up, leaving the sky clear again. Nothing but twinkling stars watched the two new souls in the universe slumber, and the city of Megatokyo wondered at this mystifying portent.

A.T. Productions Presents

Another SI fanfic

Bubblegum Run

By Freddy Isnot

Morning

The mid-morning sun warmed the air, causing a slight breeze that disturbed the clothing of the two bodies lying on a Megatokyo apartment roof.

One body groaned and rolled over. An arm drew closer a black, nondescript backpack being used as a pillow. The other slapped loosely against the concrete.

Wait... Concrete?

Two eyes snapped open revealing brown irises, and the body jerked to a sitting position.

"Huh?!" As he took in his situation, Aldo, age 21, tried to remember where he fell asleep and reconcile it with his current surroundings. Further confusion ensued when he came up with a big question mark.

"A rooftop, okay. And those are solar panels. Wow, those musta cost a lot." Aldo jumped to his feet and peered closer at the panels that took up most of the roof. "Huh, really dirty though." He sniffed the air experimentally, "and this place smells funky. Funny, I don't remember falling asleep, though I usually don't remember falling asleep." He slowly turned taking in the cityscape. "Hmm, is this Chicago? I'm almost positive that this isn't where I fell asleep, though I have been known to forget..." The rustle of cloth captured Aldo's attention and he turn to locate the source of the distraction. "Who?" He stepped over and crouched over the sleeping person for a better look. He began muttering as he took a description.

"Short brown hair, glasses, a fair bit taller, hugging a black backpack, and wearing shorts? That has to be Andy." He used his foot to turn the person over to see the face. "Yep, that explains a lot. YO! Andy!" He nudged his friend in the ribs with the foot. "Where are we, and how did you get us here?"

"Uhhh? Aldo?" Awareness was slowly being pounded into his friend's head.

"CITY! ROOFTOP! UNCONCIOUSNESS!" Aldo punctuated each word with restrained kick to the ribs. "This is your fault, ain't it?"

Andy finally rolled away and sat up. "What, erg..." He caught sight of his surroundings. "Hey, don't being blaming this on me! This is the sort of thing you'd do."

"Yeah, and it's just the sort of thing I'd blame on you to get out trouble, but I didn't do it. Therefore you must have actually done it... for once."

"Maybe it was monkeys... Flying purple monkeys. With jet packs, of course, and they..."

Aldo stared at Andy. "You're rather perky for having just woken up." He turned away and something caught his eye as Andy kept rambling. "Andy... Andy!" Once he had Andy's attention Aldo pointed, "Look at that. Do you recognize it?"

"Huh?" Andy stood and turned to follow the finger though he hardly had to. The building was the largest thing in sight, towering up to the clouds and occupying a couple square miles. "That thing is huge. It has to be a mile high. I never heard of a building that tall."

"It's GENOM tower. Andy, we're in Megatokyo." Aldo said with a strain of worry in his voice.

"Megatokyo?"

Aldo half screamed in exasperation. "Andy! I know I've shown this anime to you!" He pounded a fist against the roof's ledge. "Argh! Bubblegum Crisis! Remember when I showed you that series with the Knight Sabers-chicks in power armor with high heels-and the Boomers, and everything?"

"Ah, cool." Andy nodded his head in recognition. "Does that mean I get an armored power suit? Blow stuff up, yeah."

His friend dropped his head, letting it hang. "Andy, if you recall Bubblegum Crisis has the nasty tendency of KILLING OFF SECONDARY CHARACTERS!"

Andy raised his hands in denial. "Hey, no way, this can't really be real. It's just a dream, or a joke, or something... Ow!" He rubbed his arm where Aldo had slugged him.

"Mr. Bower, take a look at this place, feel the pain in your arm, doesn't it suck? Just like reality can sometimes."

"Geez, stop being so dramatic."

"Heh, yeah, sorry, don't know what came over me. Just felt the need to be silly. Anyway, now that that's over let's go."

"Where to? You don't happen to have a car?"

"A little road march ain't gonna hurt us. There has to be a library somewhere."

The main written language was an odd English/Romanized Japanese mix. Andy snickered and called it "Engrish" until Aldo brained him with a dictionary. A real shock came when they realized that everyone was speaking Japanese, and they could not only understand but also speak it. They still had problems with some forms of the written Japanese language, their newfound abilities had not provided reading skills for Kanji or the other traditional written Japanese. But those were more for traditional authors and wasn't all that common in modern literature.

Aldo carried another stack of printed newspapers into the study room they'd managed to find in the library. It had the advantage of a soundproof door that could be closed, and a computer with net access. He dropped the stack on the table next to the computer. "Well, we know it is the year twenty-thirty. Great, so that should give us some time. Um, Andy, do a search for the Knight Sabers. I'm gonna start looking up GENOM and everything else. Make sure that this actually is Bubblegum Crisis."

Looking up from his attempt to apply his decades-outdated computer skills on the public terminal, Andy frowned, "What? You're not sure if this is..."

"Just 'cuz we saw a building that looks like GENOM tower, and we happen to be in Megatokyo, and it is two years before the anime begins doesn't mean that we are in Bubblegum Crisis."

"You could have fooled me."

"Yeah, well after we'll be able to figure things out soon enough. If there is one anime I know well it is BGC. "

"I still think this is a dream or something."

"Can't believe your eyes?"

"But this can't be real." Andy protested. "I know I watched the anime, but those were just stories. How could we be here?"

"Maybe God has given us a mission?"

"Wha?"

"I've been thinking, and praying. This has to be a miracle. I don't know why God chose us, but that is the only thing I can think of. There are no freak accidents in the world." Aldo turned and leaned back on the table using his arms to prop himself up, looking down at Andy he continued. "To be honest, I've always prayed for something like this. You can't imagine how happy I am that this happened. God finally answe..." He choked off the rest of his sentence and looked away. A hand removed his glasses and rubbed at his closed eyes.

Andy looked at Aldo wonderingly. "Aldo?"

Aldo replaced the glasses. "Ahem." He cleared his throat and pushed off of the table, taking a step before facing Andy again. "This is just so cool!" He enthused. All emotions washed off his face in favor of excitement. "I can't wait to explore this new world and do God's will!"

Andy stared at Aldo. "Do we know what God's will is?"

Aldo frowned, "I think it would be obvious; how many people die in Bubblegum Crisis that could have been saved? God must want us to save them."

"So are we going to go to the Knight Sabers? Tell them what we know?"

"Why would they believe us? And if they know about us do you think they'll let us interfere?" Aldo shook his head. "Better if we don't involve ourselves directly with them."

Andy pouted, a ridiculous look on a grown man. "Aww, I wanted to have my own hardsuit. A chance to blow stuff up."

"Yeah, I know. Something I think that is the only reason you like anime, because of the giant mecha."

"No, no, no. Not true..." Andy paused, "It is for the giant humanoid mecha."

"Of course. Well, maybe we can get a hold of the D.D. and name it Shelia."

"I think I'd like that."

The librarians finally had to kick the two out fifteen minutes after closing time. Between them they had their backpacks full of papers pilfered from the printers with timelines, ideas, names, addresses, and other information painstakingly copied.

"Okay, now we need to find someplace to stay for the night."

"How about the rooftop again?"

"We're not... Okay, maybe we are homeless bums right now. But we've got money, we'll get a hotel room or something. Let's start walking."

Andy began flipping through his notebook. "I got that listing for apartments we can afford. Also the job listings." Andy scowled, "Don't tell me I have to get a job at McDonald's."

"You don't have to get a job at McDonald's." Aldo confirmed.

"Good"

"You have to get a job at Funy Burger."

"Why me?" He beseeched the heavens. "I'd rather live in a cardboard box under a bridge than work at Funy Burger." After a moment he looked back at Aldo with a thoughtful look. "What about the ADP?"

"What about 'em?"

"I could get a job with them."

"Buh HUH?!"

"I majored in law enforcement, remember?"

"Yeah, but the ADP?" Aldo shook his head. "They have a nasty tendency to become collateral damage. N-Police would be safer."

"But it is the ADP that defends the people from rampaging boomers." Andy tapped a newspaper printout he had gotten. ADP SAVE CHILDREN the headline read. The story had been very vivid. Andy could almost see what happened. A mannequin boomer had gone berserk in a mall, entered a video arcade, and trapped a number of children. The ADP arrived and managed to subdue it and rescue the children. A fairly simple case, the boomer had neither armor nor weapons.

But still, that boomer must have seemed as fierce as a combat model in the flashing lights and chaos of game sounds of the arcade. The kids must have huddled, desperately praying that their heads wouldn't be bashed on the whim of a mad cyberdroid.

Andy wound down his imagination, and returned his attention to his friend. Aldo recognized the look that Andy's face held in the rare times he was serious.

"Okay, let's look up ADP applications. I know they're hiring... They're always looking for warm bodies. Maybe they'll give you a higher pay grade for having a college education? You don't need a college degree to join the force in Japan." He was suddenly reminded of something. "Though that's one good thing."

"What?"

"Lots of anime in Japan! And I've get to catch up with over 30 years worth!"

A look of understanding came across Andy before transforming into an evil grin, "Ah, which means you can finally get all the Pokemon stuff you want, huh?"

Aldo blinked, "Poke..." and suddenly gagged. "Andy!" He leapt after the already fleeing man. "Die!"

Aldo ran half a block when something caught his eye.

"What the..." He stopped and stared at the store's sign. "Flights of Fantasy." It can't be Twister's..." A fanfiction he had read, Twisted Path, had a store by the same name. "This is a used bookstore and the time is all wrong." Andy forgotten, he stepped up to the door. "Still, I have to see what's inside." He entered with store to the chime of the door alarm.

He looked around. Shelves piled high with books occupied the majority of the space leaving him with a cramped feeling. He smiled, just enough to be cozy. There was a counter with register and computer behind which no one stood. A white translucent curtain barred the way to a back room. The owner must have stepped back there. Aldo mused. Oh well, I can start browsing anyway.

"Aldo, I've been expecting you."

"Gah!" Startled, Aldo tried to spin around, his hand caught on a bookshelf, accidentally knocked down several books from a shelf and unbalancing him. He waved his armed wildly to recover his balanced. "Zarkin' Maker!" A steadying hand grabbed his shoulder. He looked into a disturbingly familiar face. "Huh? Do I know you?"

"You don't recognize me?"

"Uh... maybe?"

"You must remember giving me..." The man tapped a peculiar diamond-within-diamond tattoo on his forehead. Similar markings adorned his cheeks.

Aldo stared at the marks for a long moment before realization struck him. "Freddy!" he exclaimed in astonishment.

"Took ya long enough to figure it out." The fellow identified as Freddy said sardonically.

Aldo leaned close to Freddy's face, who leaned back, squinting as he examined his alternate-self's face. "Yeah, I guess we do look a bit alike."

"Just a bit, huh?" With the exceptions of clothing, the glasses on Aldo's nose, and the tattoos on Freddy's face, an outside observer, would have called them identical. As they should be, they were alternate selves from different universes.

"You've grown." Aldo observed.

"You think that because you stop writing, the characters will enter stasis?" Freddy shook his head. "I've grown a great deal since we last met."

"Met? Grown?"

Freddy released Aldo's shoulder and made his way to the back of store with Aldo following. "Yes, you haven't written it yet, but I did meet you a long time ago. Gods age a few orders of magnitude slower than humans. And considering that you began writing about me when I was mentally and physically 14 years old, and I now look to be the same physical age as you..." Freddy trailed off meaningfully as he stepped behind the counter.

Aldo nodded and gazed at Freddy across the glass counter. "Okay, so you're a older, and more knowledgeable, and probably wiser than me. So read my mind and answer my questions."

"Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to preserve life."

Aldo frowned. "Wait, no extradimensional threat or anything?"

Freddy smirked. "So eager to plunge into the hard tasks?"

"Um, but this isn't your job. Your concern is interdimensional matters. In fact, I'd argue that what you're doing now is against the rules."

"Not quite. I was able to receive permission from the Almighty. Consider this a... trial run. Should you prove to be successful in this venture, I assure you, I'll have further missions for you."

"A trial run, huh?" Aldo looked thoughtful.

"I need someone who won't try to get involved with the Knight Sabers. You could have joined them. That excuse you gave Andy was weak at best. I know your... our pride. In this case it fit my purposes. Though you know, you should get rid of it; it might get someone killed someday."

Aldo ignored the last comment. "But still, I'm well aware that I'm not the most reliable person in the world."

"Really? Ever have someone's life depend upon you?"

"Er..."

"You'll get used to it, and I think you'll grow and prove yourself."

"That's a lot to expect."

"Hey, it happened to me. I grew up."

"Why Mr. Bower, too?"

"Because you don't have a chance by yourself."

"Er..."

"I'm not permitted to give you the advantages you'd need in order to accomplish your mission by yourself, and you're morally and emotionally and socially incapable of seeking the help you'd need."

Aldo grinned at Freddy. A grin that Freddy knew was concealing a number of emotions. "Okay, I can't deny that. It should have been obvious to me."

"Here's the situation. As I'm sure you've discovered, you both have records, although a bit modified from what you remember. You both were born approximately 22 years ago. Neither of you have any surviving family and have been surviving off of family inheritances. Both of you enlisted in the U.S. Army National Guard. You met in college. Mr. Bower graduated a year ago, majoring in law enforcement and went to Japan after his enlistment with the Guard finished to join an exciting new police division that had only recently started accepting international applications. You graduated a semester later as a computer science major and decided to join your friend in Japan to see what there was to see. You both decided to room together and have been doing odd jobs ever since.

"You'll probably want these." Two wallets were handed over. The moment that both of them had their hands on the wallets Freddy spoke. "Remember you and Andy don't have to accept this mission. If it ever gets too dangerous, you just have to contact me."

"Er, thanks." Aldo pocketed them.

"You're welcome, a watch out for that first step, it is a doozy."

Aldo left the store a little dazed.

"RUUUUUUUU..." and Andy came running up.

"UUUUUU..."

"Hey! Where did you go?" Aldo demanded as Andy ran past.

"UNNNNN..." Aldo looked curiously after his rapidly retreating friend.

BOOM! A hapless car blew up.

"Wah!" Aldo tripped and fell face first onto the sidewalk, knocking him out.

"Damn it, why did I get dragged into this? This is your fantasy, not mine!" Andy was pelting away from the destruction. He didn't know where the boomer came from. In the anime it seemed that crazed robots were attacking the city on a daily basis. The knowledge hadn't prepared him for the reality. One moment the day was normal, people were going about their business. The next, that thing was in the middle of the street and throwing a car into a shop. He risked a glance behind him. "Aldo?" Aldo wasn't following. He slowed to a stop and scanned the street. There! Right in the middle of the brawl, his friend was seemingly ignoring the danger as he watched the fight between the boomer and female-shaped metal forms that could only be the Knight Sabers.

"Oh, you're gonna owe me, Aldo." Andy ran back into the danger zone.

Consciousness returned to Aldo and ,dazed, he was able to push himself up to his hands and knees. He felt a trickle of blood drip down the side of his nose, and his glasses were bend out of shape with the lenses badly scratched.

He saw the most beautiful thing in the world.

It was a dance. That was the only thing Aldo could call it. Perfectly choreographed, they dodged attacks then struck together in combos that kept the boomer off balance.

There was another explosion close by which went ignored by Aldo. The shockwave flowed over him and he stared in frozen awe. He was only faint aware of the throbbing pain in his head

The green hardsuit... 'Linna' his mind helpfully supplied, leaped in close and sliced off the boomer's arm with the monofilament ribbons trailing from her helmet. She leaped away to allow Priss in her blue hardsuit to fire a burst from her railgun into the boomer's other arm. The boomer roared in fury and charged after Priss.

"Symphonies could be written to this." Aldo thought.

"Let's get you out of this." An electronically modulated voice, though not modulated enough to hide the feminine tone, spoke. Still dazed and unable to draw his eyes from the fight, he was only vaguely aware of someone picking him up and the sickening sensation of rapid acceleration.

Andy saw the Knight Saber pick up Aldo. Together, they jumped onto the rooftop of a nearby building.

"HEY!" Andy ran down the alley next to the building they had gone on top of. A fire escape ladder with a dumpster underneath. He grabbed the edge of the dumpster and pulled himself on top the edge. Balancing precariously, he reached for the edge of the ladder. Just out of reach. Grimacing, he bent his knees and jumped. He grabbed the second rung and grunting he pulled himself up. He quickly scaled the rest of the way.

On top of the roof he saw Aldo sitting, looking a bit out of it. The Knight Saber was nowhere in sight.

"Oh carp, you're bleeding!" Andy rummaged through his backpack and pulled out his first aid kit.

In the aftermath of the boomer attack, the ADP arrived for clean up. Fortunately, Andy was able to flag down one of the Firebee helicopters and they were picked up and taken to a hospital where they spent the night.

"It was incredible, Mr. Bower!" Aldo was enthusiastically recounting the battle from his hospital bed. "It was better than the anime!"

"Though, unlike watching an anime, you nearly got killed."

"Yeah, I know! My first concussion!"

"No, Aldo, listen." Andy looked grave. "That was dangerous. You could have died. I think we should figure out a way to go back home."

"What? We can't do that, we just got here!"

"Yeah, not even a day and you get sent to the hospital. Aldo, what if it was the morgue? Besides, what about my family? School? My life? Am I just supposed to forget about all that? We have to get out of here."

Aldo stared at a crease in the bed sheets. He smoothed it out. A minute dragged out. Finally, without raising his eyes he spoke. "Mr. Bower, something happened before the battle. I met someone I knew from home."

Andy blinked, "What?"

"Freddy."

"Freddy?"

"I wrote stories about him." Aldo finally looked up at Andy. "Remember? I showed you a few of those Ah! My Goddess fanfics."

"THAT FREDDY?" Andy was astonished. "He was a character you made up. What do you mean you met him?"

"In those stories I made him a god. He was in charge of different worlds, dimensions, and timelines, and now he is the one who brought us here."

"Really? Then he can send us back."

Aldo silently and quickly came to a decision. "No, Mr. Bower. We can't go back yet. Freddy brought us here for a reason. There is something that only we can do." The mix of lie and truth sounded unnatural to his ears. "God gave Freddy permission to do this because it is important. We have to do this, Mr. Bower."

A long quiet minute past as the two stared at each other. Finally, Andy nodded.

"Okay, what do we have to do?"