DARIA THE MIGHTY

Birdy The Mighty is property of Studio Madhouse.

Daria and Beavis and Butthead are property of Glenn Eichler, Mike Judge, and MTV.

Episode 02: Combat Duet


After Daria and Jane returned to Casa Lane, as Jane's home was often called, the two retired to Jane's room to try and put things into perspective. "Okay...I'm sharing a body with an alien from outer space," Daria said after letting a breath go.

"Nothing weird about that. I'm sure this happens all the time," she said to herself in her usual monotone, with a few cracks in her voice. "It just...wait. That guy said that this body would be identical to my old one... so why can I see moderately well without my glasses?" Daria asked.

Because my own vision is just fine. This was the only area where a compromise was made, as I refuse to have my vision completely regressed. If I have to fight someone and those glasses were to fall off, we would be in big trouble, Birdy explained. But... I thought my normal life wouldn't be interrupted, Daria replied mentally.

We will proceed with your normal activities as you usually perform them, but in the event that someone shows up who I am required to take care of, then I need to transform and perform my duties. We won't deliberately go searching for trouble unless a preemptive strike is the best option for dealing with a viable threat, Birdy explained.

Okay, but then what if my family catches us in the middle of a transformation? How do we deal with that? I will worry about that. If you want to make up some stupid excuse on your own, go ahead, but I think it would be best if we were to be honest with them. Otherwise, who knows what lengths they may go to in order to learn the truth?

Oh! I almost forgot, Birdy said as a strange triangular device appeared on the top of Daria's wrist. Jane leaned over to inspect it. "What is that?" she asked. It's a modulator, Birdy explained. Um, Birdy? She can't really hear you from inside my head, Daria reminded her. Right. Well, activate the modulator, Birdy told her. Sure, why not?

As soon as Daria pushed the shallow button on the modulator, her clothes began to disappear and were replaced by Birdy's uniform. "Hey, what the-" Daria's body was also transformed into Birdy's as well, which still shocked Jane. "Jeez! Is that what that thing does!?" Jane asked her. "And, what's with that outfit?"

"It's my uniform," Birdy said to her. "So... what exactly is that thing on your wrist?" Jane asked her. "It's a modulator. Its purpose is to prevent Daria's clothing being destroyed during a battle, since many of the criminals I tend to fight can be extremely vicious and like to play dirty, if you know what I mean," Birdy explained as she jumped from Jane's bed to stand on the floor.

"Listen, Jane... I know that I'm supposed to let you guys live your daily lives in a normal manner, but my primary mission here is to capture Christella Revy. She's an Alterian scientist who went rogue several years ago, and a lot of people have died because of her. Some of those people were very close to me. Some of them were fellow Federation officers, and others were innocent bystanders in the wrong place at the wrong time," Birdy explained.

Jane slowly nodded her head. "I need your help. Not just you alone, but Daria's as well. I need both of you to help me. If Christella Revy is performing experiments here on Earth, then the lives of the people around you will become very complicated soon," Birdy continued. "I don't want to see anyone else suffer because of her. She's very dangerous, and so are her allies. If I'm right, then most of them have either already made their way to Earth or are doing so as we speak."

"Um... just to clear up a few things," Jane began, "If you're chasing after this Revy woman, then who was that guy you fought earlier?" "That was Giga. He was one of Revy's associates. Very dangerous and aggressive, but he's incapable of sticking to a plan if there's no immediate pay off," Birdy explained as she walked over to look at some of Jane's paintings.

"Are there... any other aliens that we should know about?" Jane asked her. "Well, I already told you that Revy is an Alteran like me, but the only one who would present an immediate threat if they were to show up would be Bacillus. He's extremely dangerous, and he has an insatiable hunger, since he jumps from body to body. He's almost parasitic, devouring a person's body and using it as his own until it deteriorates, and then he jumps to another one," Birdy explained.

"Don't ever let yourself get caught alone by him. Ever," Birdy added. "I've lost three comrades to that monster, and those were when he wasn't working with Revy. There is also one other criminal we should be aware of, but I'm not entirely sure that you would think of him as an alien per se. He's technically human, although he's had cybernetic implants and body parts as a result of his criminal lifestyle," Birdy explained.

"His name is Kerberos, although he prefers to go by the alias of the Red-Eyed Shadow. He's an assassin who strikes from the dark and at a distance, although he is capable of fighting up close if he feels like it." "So... you've met him before?" Jane asked. "Three times, actually. He has a bit of a grudge against me. Then again, so do most of the criminals I've tracked down," Birdy said with a smirk on her face. "I have a habit of punching him in the face," she explained, grinning. "I've broken Kerberos's nose three times; once each time that I've fought him," Birdy said.

"Ouch," Jane said empathetically. "Eh," Birdy said, shrugging her shoulders, "It's part of the job." Just then, Jane's brother, Trent, appeared in the doorway. "Hey Janey, hey Dar-woah!" Trent said in confusion. "Hi, I'm Birdy Cephon," Birdy said with a smile. "Uh... right. Hey, Janey, I've got practice tonight, so the band's gonna be in the basement for a while. Just thought I'd let you know," Trent said before he turned around.

Line Break

At Lawndale International airport, two females made their way out of the plane. The older of the two, Christella Revy, had short black hair and was wearing sunglasses and a sharp business suit. The younger of the two had short black hair and a yellow rain jacket. At first glance, the girl appeared to be completely human, but to anyone who would stop and take a closer look, they would see that the girl was almost... doll-like.

Revy caressed the girl's hair as she saw a blond man with a mustache approach her. "Gomez," Revy said. "Miss Revy," Gomez said with a curt nod of his head. "Where's Giga?" Revy asked him. "He made a tactical error," Gomez said quietly, but just loud enough for Revy to hear him.

"Oh," she said, amused, "Did he now?" "Yes. Officer Birdy Cephon is on Earth," Gomez replied. "Hn, that's not surprising," Revy said coolly. "Ma'am, her presence could present a very real interference with our plans," Gomez said.

"Unlikely. Now, are there any other Federation officers on Earth?" Revy asked him. "There are currently none that I am aware of yet," Gomez replied succinctly. "Have any more of our associates arrived yet?" Revy asked him coolly. "Kerberos will be arriving in Lawndale by tomorrow night, and Bacillus is on his way," Gomez replied.

"Very well. Birdy is out-gunned, out-numbered, and out-matched. As long as we tread carefully, we will emerge victorious when the final showdown inevitably begins," Revy said with a small smile. "Now, what about our resident scientist, Hikawa?" Revy asked him as they made their way through the airport. "He says that everything should probably be ready in two months," Gomez told her.

"Probably?" Revy asked him. "Probably doesn't cut it," she stated. "Have you asked him anything else about his progress?" she asked Gomez. "He doesn't tell me anything except what he knows you want me to ask him. Otherwise, he says nothing," Gomez explained to her. "Oh. He's getting a bit too confident, isn't he? Well, just make sure that he doesn't rush into his experiments. A major setback would be quite inconvenient for him, wouldn't it?" Revy asked with a smile.

"Of course," Gomez replied. "Now, are there any other associates heading our way?" Revy asked Gomez as they left the airport and prepared to enter a car. "Puppet Master is already waiting at the compound with Hikawa. Aside from her, Bacillus and Kerberos, no one else has been able to make it onto the planet yet," Gomez stated. "Not even Bogaros?" Revy asked him. "No. He's busy on another assignment. He hasn't finished yet, so he can't even begin to make his way to Earth," Gomez replied.

"It's a good thing that this is a backwater planet, or else the Federation would actually extend its presence here. Then we'd actually be in trouble," Revy said. "You don't think that Birdy Cephon could pose a problem to us?" Gomez asked her as he drove them away from the airport. "As I said earlier: she's out-numbered, out-gunned, and out-matched. She's already lost; she just doesn't know it yet," Revy said with a grin.

Line Break

"Backwater? You mean Earth is just...insignificant?" Jane asked Birdy. "Yup. We know of this planet's existence, but otherwise the Federation really doesn't bother with it, aside from the occasional information scout to determine the planet's technological achievements," Birdy replied.

"Well, that's kind of depressing," Jane muttered as she sat on the edge of her bed. "Don't feel too bad," Birdy said. "A lot of planets in the Federation start out this way." "But... the fact that you guys think of this as a backwater planet means that you're probably on your own here, doesn't it?" Jane asked her.

"Yes. Yes, it does," Birdy admitted. Well, that makes sense. No wonder the bad guys can congregate so easily out here. No one gives a damn, Daria thought from in Birdy's mind. Birdy sighed. "No, Daria, it isn't that no one gives a damn, it's that Revy tends to stay around high-profile locations, so coming here is actually out of the ordinary for her," Birdy explained.

Jane raised an eyebrow. "What?" Birdy asked her.

Line Break

On the outskirts of Lawndale, a stray dog wandered around a vacant lot with construction equipment and vehicles scattered around, sniffing the ground until it came across a strange man wearing an odd outfit. He had a disturbing leer on his face, and his eyes were yellow. The dog took one sniff and began to growl at him as he held his right hand out. "Come here. I'm just a little hungry," the man said quietly.

The dog continued to growl at him and he knelt down. "Come here," the man said again, holding his arm out further, and further, and further as it began to stretch and move forward at lightning speed towards the dog. The animal yelped as Bacillus caught it and began feeding.

Line Break

Daria walked through the front door of her home and made her way upstairs. She quickly plopped herself down on her bed. She tried falling asleep, until she remembered O'Neill's homework assignment, along with her other assignments in school. "Dammit," she muttered as she got herself out of bed.

"Just because I'm sharing a body with an alien is no reason to slack off... or is it? No, no it isn't," she said tiredly as she began working on her assignments.

An hour later, her door opened and Helen stepped inside the room. "Daria, I've tried calling you down for dinner several times now. You can finish your homework afterwards, okay?" Helen said. Daria stopped typing and sighed. "Fine," Daria said as she reluctantly got up from her chair.

Dinner was the standard frozen lasagna. You eat this every night? I mean, it tastes good, but I can see how you'd want something different, Birdy commented. You've never eaten lasagna before? Oh, right, alien from space. I almost forgot, Daria thought sarcastically.

"So, how was your day, Quinn?" Helen asked the red-head. As Quinn began yammering about some kind of fashion club activity and the clothing that some guy was wearing, Helen soon tried to change the subject of conversation. "That's nice, dear. Daria, how was your day?"

Line Break

"You're a real glutton, you know that?" Baccilus turned his heads to see a man wearing a leather jacket, blue jeans, gloves and tinted glasses. He also had unruly navy-blue hair that came down to his shoulders. He was carrying a large suitcase.

"Kerberos," Bacillus said. "Red-Eyed Shadow," Kerberos corrected. "I don't really care, and besides, I've been very hungry," Bacillus said. Kerberos watched as two other dogs were slowly and painfully absorbed into Bacillus's body. Kerberos winced at the sight.

"Care to join them?" Bacillus asked him. "Do that, and I'll be the last meal you ever eat, Bacillus. Remember, I carry heavy-duty weapons at all times," Kerberos replied with a disgusted frown. "Hehe, luck's on your side then. I'm full." "Good."

Line Break

Later, as Daria was finishing her homework, she sniffed something. "That'd better not be Dad trying to cook something," Daria muttered as she walked downstairs. There's no one in the kitchen, she noted. Open that back door. There's something familiar about this scent, Birdy requested.

"Sure," Daria said flatly. Her nose scrunched. Damn. I recognize this stench. Baccilus is somewhere around here. You remember what I told you and Jane about him, right? "Most of it," Daria said. Then let's go, Birdy announced as Daria transformed and leapt out the door. At the moment, Quinn had come down the stairs and had seen Birdy leap out the door.

"Mom! Someone tried breaking into the house!" Quinn shouted, having only seen Birdy after the transformation had occurred. "What!?" Jake asked from upstairs.

Meanwhile, Birdy was busy jumping from rooftop to rooftop as she made her way to the outskirts of town. Finally, she arrived at a vacant lot, where the smell of death was at its strongest. She knelt down at the ground and brought some of it up to her nose. "It's definitely Bacillus," she muttered. Do you think he's still in the area? Daria asked her. "It's possible," Birdy replied as she stood up.

She didn't notice the red dot on her back, until she heard the click of a gun. She quickly leapt out of the way as Kerberos fired at her.

"Birdy... I missed you," Kerberos said with a false smile as Birdy turned around to face him. "Aw, I wish I could say the same," Birdy replied with a smirk as she crossed her arms. "I really missed breaking your nose," she said with a grin. "Yeah, I bet you did!" Kerberos spat as he fired his gun at her.

Birdy leaped and dodged each round as it was sent towards her. "Come on, stay still and let me hit ya'!" Kerberos shouted with a laugh. When he ran out of ammunition for his gun, he retreated behind a stack of pipes and began to reload. "Come on, Kerberos, where's Bacillus!? I know he's around here somewhere!" Birdy called out.

"He ran off after eating. I don't know where he is now, and I honestly don't care, as long as he stays away from me!" Kerberos replied as he finished reloading his gun. He would have to stick with standard firearms until he could reach Revy's lab and grab some of the newer weapons she'd promised to let him test out.

"Figures," Birdy muttered, "Always saving your own skin." Kerberos waited a few seconds before he bolted out from behind his cover and aimed for where he had last seen Birdy. "Huh?" he whispered before he looked up and saw Birdy's foot heading for his face. He dropped his gun and reached up, catching her foot with one hand, grabbing her calf with the other, and swinging Birdy around, using her momentum to his advantage as he threw her into the side of a fork-lift.

Birdy quickly recovered just as Kerberos launched an attack of his own, kicking her in the face and sending her into the cabin of the vehicle. She fell out over the side and ducked as Kerberos flew out and landed on his feet across from her, turning around and striking at her, only to be blocked.

Birdy struck out and kicked Kerberos in the stomach, sending him stumbling back. He managed to dodge her next attack, rolling onto the ground and spinning his legs to kick her feet out from under her, sending her falling down as he jumped up. Birdy followed suit, leaping away as he grabbed a metal pipe and slammed it down where she had been laying just seconds earlier.

Birdy waited for him to swing the pipe at her again before grabbing it and pushing it down as she shifted her weight and slanted herself to the side of the pipe's length, kicking Kerberos in the torso and causing him to let go of the pipe as he stumbled back. He caught his breath and rushed forward, sending a fist at Birdy, who caught it and launched a fist of her own at his face. He turned his head just in time so that the fist collided wither his cheek instead of his nose.

Quickly surprising her, Kerberos kicked Birdy between the legs. "Nothing on the outside, but it's still sensitive," Kerberos snickered. "Cheap shot... bastard," Birdy panted out as she stepped back in pain. "I guess men and women aren't so different after all," Kerberos said with a wry smile. "But enough of that. You're going to die here, Birdy," Kerberos said as he calmly walked forward.

"Did Revy put a hit on me for you?" Birdy asked him. "No. This is personal, but I wouldn't have objected to being paid for it either," Kerberos replied as he pulled a fist back and then slammed it into Birdy's stomach, causing her to double over. He grabbed her by the face and lifted her up to meet his eyes.

"Now," he said, "I think I should pay you back for my nose." He then slammed his head forward, crashing it into Birdy's nose and face. Birdy stumbled back in pain before crashing into the ground. "That felt really, really good!" Kerberos exhaled with a smile plastered on his face.

Birdy, nose bleeding, looked up and smirked at Kerberos. "I'm sure it did," she said with a chuckle. Kerberos paused and raised an eyebrow in confusion. She quickly rolled over and shot up into the air. Kerberos watched as she landed on the top of a bulldozer. "Real nimble, as always," Kerberos commented.

"What's wrong?" Birdy asked him with a smirk on her face. "Nothing," Keberos replied as he pulled a pistol out of his waistband and fired at Birdy. "Shit!" she cried as she tumbled down over the side of the bulldozer. "How did she not see that one coming?" he asked himself as he walked over to the other side of the vehicle.

"Surprise!" Birdy shouted with glee as she punched him in the nose before grabbing his jacket and pulling it over his head. She then kicked him in the stomach and sent him falling back to the ground. Birdy grabbed his gun from the ground and took it apart before hearing a small explosion. She turned her head to see a cloud of smoke expanding from where Kerberos had been lying.

She coughed as the smoke expanded over her before jumping back onto the top of the bulldozer. "Damn. He's gotten away," she muttered as she scanned the lot for any sign of Kerberos's presence. She sighed before leaping away from the lot, heading back to Daria's house. He won't try to follow us, will he? No, he's too busy trying to escape to pursue us at the moment, Birdy replied.

Meanwhile, underneath the bulldozer itself, and between the treads, Kerberos exhaled and rested his head back against the ground. "She's gotten better," he grumbled to himself.

When Birdy returned to the house, she transformed back into Daria before trying to enter the back door. "Um, can someone let me in?" Daria asked. Helen unlocked the backdoor and looked at her daughter. "Daria, why are you outside at this time of night? Don't you know that someone tried to break into the house!?"

"You mean, Quinn saw me walking outside and thought that I was somebody else?" Daria retorted with her arms crossed and one eyebrow raised. "Oh," Helen said, embarrassed. "Mom, is it the burglar?" Quinn asked as she came down the stairs. "Yes, Quinn. I'm the burglar," Daria replied sarcastically.

"But, I saw a girl with two hair colors!" Quinn exclaimed. "Quinn, you know that when light hits only one side of your body, the other side looks darker, right?" Daria asked her smugly. "But... I was sure it was someone else," Quinn muttered. "Now, if I could, I would like to go back upstairs. I've been locked out of the house for a while and I'd like to go back to my room, or perhaps the bathroom, if possible," Daria asked as she stepped inside the house.

You know... they'll find out the truth eventually. One way or another, Birdy warned Daria as she walked up the stairs. "I know, but I just want things to be normal for a little while longer," Daria whispered as she made her way into the bathroom. She closed the door and looked at her face.

"This is me, and at the same time... it isn't me," Daria said to her reflection. We are two hearts in one body, Birdy said. "Well, at least it isn't permanent," Daria said before she began brushing her teeth.

Listening in from outside the door, Quinn could have swore that she heard her sister talking to herself. Daria wasn't home until midnight last night and she's been acting strange all day. The thing with being outside tonight is just making things weirder. Just what is going on?

"Maybe... no. No way. Daria would never get involved in those terroritis people who blow things up and stuff," Quinn whispered to herself. "At least... I hope she wouldn't," she added as she carefully made her way back to her bedroom.

Line Break

The next morning, on their way to school, Daria and Jane both looked at each other with expressions of uncertainty etched on their faces. "So, um, anything interesting happen last night?" Jane asked Daria. "Well, I had the most bizarre dream ever involving aliens and abandoned construction sites," Daria replied in her usual tone. "Um... did any of these aliens look like insects wearing robes?" Jane asked her. "Now that you mention it... yes." Daria then stopped walking and looked at Jane with a worried expression on her face.

"So, that means... it was all real, wasn't it?" Daria asked Jane with a hint of concern in her voice. "I'm sorry, Daria. I was hoping that it was a dream too, but it isn't," Jane said in an apologetic tone. "So... I'm sharing a body with an alien police officer. Can it get any weirder?" Daria asked her.

"Um... you could wear a cowboy hat every time you transform back from the alien," Jane suggested. "No, that would be too down to Earth," Daria replied. Jane snickered.

"Well, at least only the two of us know about this. Although, I think Quinn might be starting to suspect something. Last night, after I came back from fighting Kerberos, Quinn said that she saw a girl with two hair colors leaving the house," Daria said.

"I'm sorry, um, could you rewind a bit?" Jane asked her. "Back to..." "The part about the cyborg assassin, Kerberos?" Jane specified. "Remember, Birdy said-wow, that is a strange name, now that I think about it. Anyway, Birdy said that this Kerberos guy is a cyborg assassin right? I mean not in those exact words, but that was the gist of it," Jane said.

"Yeah, she did," Daria replied as the high school soon came into view. "So, did you beat him and send him into one of those blue orb things that Birdy sent the last bad guy away in?" Jane asked her. "No. He had some kind of smoke grenade on him, so he was able to get away after Birdy punched him in the nose," Daria explained.

"Why did Birdy go out looking for him anyway?" Jane asked her. "Well, she was actually looking for someone else. Bacillus," Daria explained. "Bacillus... you mean that guy she said eats people and walks around in their bodies for a while?" Jane asked her. "Yeah, that's the one. Just like that Edgar bug from Men In Black," Daria replied.

"Did you fight him too?" Jane asked her. "No. According to Kerberos, he'd already fled the area after eating," Daria replied. "So, how did you know where to look for him?" Jane asked her. "Birdy could smell him, apparently. I guess not all of my this body completely like the old one, if my eyes are any indication," Daria explained.

Line Break

Christella Revy looked up from her computer at the man who had just entered the door of her office. "Kerberos," she said with a wry smile, "I didn't expect you until later tonight."

"I arrived early yesterday," he replied after sitting down in front of her desk without any invitation. "So, you look a bit... disheveled, so to speak," Revy commented as she resumed her work. "I met up with Bacillus last night," he said as he leaned back in the chair. "Oh, did you now?" Revy asked him.

"He'd already fed himself, so I didn't have much to worry about. Of course, she showed up a little bit later," Kerberos said with an annoyed sigh. Revy stopped typing as she looked over at Kerberos. "I assume you are referring to Officer Cephon?" Revy asked him. Kerberos snorted.

"Who else would I be referring to?" he asked her. "Maybe an old flame who tracked you down?" Revy asked him. "Fat chance. I don't let sparks turn into flames. You know that," Kerberos retorted as he stared at the ceiling of the room. "So I do," Revy said before she returned to her typing.

"So... when do I get to see your latest toys?" Kerberos asked her. "Later. Right now, I have some important formulas to finish. After that, you will be joining everyone else for a small conference. There, I will explain everything and the roles you all shall play, as well as the reward for your services," Revy replied.

"If you're going to pay me to kill Birdy, just hand over the money and the guns now," Kerberos said as he sat up. "Not yet. You're being too-she broke your nose again, didn't she?" Revy asked with a smirk. "Laugh it up, Christella. Just remember: Birdy has more reasons to kill you than she does anyone else here, other than Bacillus. She'll just arrest everyone else," Kerberos retorted.

"True, but she won't get the chance," Revy said as she continued typing. "What do you mean?" Kerberos asked her. "I learned last night that Birdy... had an accident. She now shares her body with a human, and as such she is unable to take the same risks that she used to when doing her job," Revy explained.

"So? That just means she'll be more cautious," Kerberos said. "If anything, that'll just make her try to lure us into traps instead of fighting us outright," Kerberos said. "And what about your fight with her last night?" Revy asked him in return. "I had the element of surprise, but my gun didn't work when she was in my sights, so she was able to turn the tables," Kerberos explained in an annoyed tone.

"Hn. Gomez!" Revy called out. Gomez walked forward from the door. "Please escort Kerberos to the designated waiting area, and let him know where the rest rooms are located, will you?" "Of course, Miss Revy," Gomez replied. "This way, please," Gomez said as Kerberos lifted himself out of the chair and followed Gomez out of the room.

"Wait!" Kerberos said as he turned around to look at Revy. "You said that Birdy is sharing her body with a human. What do they look like?" he asked her. "You will be informed at the meeting," Revy replied.

Inside the meeting room, which was really more of a lounge, Kerberos spied a young woman with long black hair, coming and brushing it. "Who are you?" he asked her. "I'm the Puppet Master," she replied. "But you can call me Marionette," she replied. "Right, sure," he said as he looked over and saw a young girl in a yellow outfit. "Don't bother talking to her, she won't reply," Marionette said.

"Okay. Have you seen Bacillus?" he asked her. "Yes, unfortunately. He's been sleeping in one of the containment rooms. Miss Revy will be letting him out when the meeting begins, which should be soon," Marionette replied. "Well, it's a good thing I kept one of my detonators with me," Kerberos said.

Marionette's eyes widened. "Detonators?" "Yep. I'm not taking any risks with that guy in the same room as me," Kerberos replied. "Understandable," Marionette replied as she went back to brushing her hair.

A few minutes later, Gomez, Revy, and a Japanese man named Hikawa entered the room, causing everyone to head over to the conference table.

"So, I take it that everyone is accounted for?" Revy asked. "Aside from Giga, who we all know got caught by Officer Cephon yesterday," Revy clarified. "What about Bogaros?" Marionette asked. "He's preoccupied and won't be available for some time. Now, most of you here are probably more interested in taking care of Officer Cephon than the other details of the project, correct?" Kerberos and Bacillus nodded their heads, while Marionette smiled devilishly.

"Back off guys, Birdy is mine!" Kerberos barked. "She's busted my nose four times now. I really want to return the favor and break her whole body... permanently," Kerberos added with a grin. "You will be given the first chance to field test our weapons against Officer Cephon, now stop begging like a child," Revy said sharply.

"So... when do we get to see your new toys?" Marionette asked sweetly. "Very soon," Revy replied. "Um, I was told earlier that Birdy was sharing her body with a human for some reason. What does this human look like?" Kerberos asked. "She has dark brunette hair, wears glasses, has a green flack jacket, wears combat boots, a tan or yellow-colored shirt and a black skirt," Gomez said.

"Height?" Kerberos asked. "She's a teenager, but around four or five feet," Gomez replied. "She's a human female, and a teenager. School age, correct?" Kerberos asked him. "Yes," Gomez replied. "That means she must go to one of the schools in the area, but would you say middle school or high school?" Kerberos inquired.

"I would say high school age," Gomez said. He'd started to become accustomed to these terms in the time that he'd been hiding on Earth. "Was her outfit a uniform or a personal style?" Kerberos asked him. "Why does that matter?" Marionette asked. "It helps narrow down the the locations. A uniform would be worn at a specific school, such as an academy or a private institution, while a personal style is something that would most likely be found in a public school," Kerberos explained.

He'd done plenty of research on the way things worked on Earth in the time that he'd been hiding from the Federation, and it had payed off considerably for him and his efforts to blend in. "I would say personal style. Same as the other girl, who wore a red jacket and boots, but different shirt and shorts instead of a skirt," Gomez replied.

"So... which high school does most of the population of Lawndale's youth go to?" Kerberos asked. "The aptly named Lawndale High School," Gomez said. "I see, and what are the school hours for this place?" Kerberos asked. "Are seriously thinking of stalking and eliminating this girl as soon as she exits the building?" Gomez asked him.

"No, not right away. I'm going to find out if a replacement body is being constructed for the human, and then I'll find out how long we have to wait. But, if that isn't the case, then I'll send flowers to the girl's funeral," Kerberos replied with a smile.

"It would preferably be within our best interest to avoid attracting unwanted attention by killing civilians," Gomez stated. "True, but in this case it may not be possible to avoid it," Kerberos said with a shrug.

Line Break

On the way home from school, Daria and Jane stopped at Pizza King. "So, exactly how do we fight against these people and live normal lives?" Jane asked Daria between bites of pizza. "I wish I knew," Daria replied. This... pizza thing. I like it. It's very similar to something that's served in low end restaurants on various planets within the Federation, Birdy said.

"They serve pizza in the Federation?" Daria asked between bites. Well, that isn't the word we use, but something similar, only the crust is much thicker, and it's served after it's had time to cool down. "Um, Daria, do you know that you said that out loud?" Jane asked her. "Huh? I did?" Daria asked her in return. Jane nodded her head.

"Oops," Daria said. A few minutes later, the girls paid for their food and left, neither of them noticing the man following them out of the restaurant. He had a baseball cap and a leather jacket, with blue jeans. He also had a suitcase in his left hand, and tinted glasses.

As soon as they were far enough away from Pizza King, the girls made their way to the junk yard. "Why are we going back here again?" Jane asked. "Birdy wants to get something to help us communicate with each other," Daria replied. "You mean, like a cell phone?" Jane asked with raised eyebrows as she took her own cell phone out of her pocket.

"Um, possibly. She only says that it will help us communicate," Daria said as they both crawled into the red car that led to the entrance of Birdy's ship. When they arrived inside, Daria transformed into Birdy and walked over to a small cabinet built into the wall near the main console. She pressed her hand into a scanner, waiting for it to accept her bio-signature before it opened. "Here," she said as she tossed a gray head-band at Jane.

Jane caught the head-band and looked at it. "A head-band? How does this help?" Jane asked her. "Press that blue orb on the one end," Birdy said. Jane followed her instructions, watching as a long thin microphone formed out of a bulge from the tip of the head-band. "Whoa," Jane whispered as a ear-phone formed out of the bulge on the other end as well.

"Jeez, what kind of technology is this?" Jane asked Birdy. "Most of our technology is what you might refer to as bio-technology. Much of our technology behaves in an organic or biological manner, although there are some exceptions," Birdy explained to her. "What does the little red orb do?" Jane asked her. "It causes it to retract back into its innocuous form," Birdy replied. "Huh. You know... that is pretty neat," Jane said as she played with the head-band.

Birdy transformed back into Daria and placed the other head-band on her head. "Will the modulator cause this to disappear when we transform?" Daria asked Birdy out loud. No, it won't. Besides, it's on the top of your head, and the Modulator isn't set up to cover that part of your body when we transform, Birdy replied.

"Right. So, if I'm wearing a ten-gallon hat, then it'll still be on your head when we transform?" Daria asked her. Your glasses are still on me when we transform, aren't they? Birdy asked her. "They... they are?" Daria asked.

Yes, but I believe that the problem of them falling off can be solved with some kind of attachment that surrounds the back of your head. Like a small rubber cord or a string of some kind, I suppose, Birdy replied.

As they made their way back out of the ship and into the junk yard, Daria saw a shadow on the ground. She turned around and looked up to see Kerberos standing on top of a rusted old Pinto, pointing his gun at her and Jane. There were two red glowing dots behind his tinted glasses as he smiled at them. "Hi, Birdy. Miss me?" he asked.

"I'm not Birdy," Daria said. "No, but you share her body. Come on, transform now, and finish what we started last night. If you don't," Kerberos said as he aimed his gun at Jane, "I'll just have to give you incentive." "Fine," Daria growled as she transformed into Birdy.

"Good girl," Kerberos said as he trained his gun back to Birdy, just as she leapt up and punched him in the stomach. She grabbed his gun and threw it at the ground before spinning around and kicking him in the torso, sending him falling to the ground. Birdy knelt down on the Pinto as she looked at Kerberos slowly getting back up.

"Jane, find a place to hide," Birdy said. "But-" "Just do it, now!" Birdy exclaimed as Kerberos grabbed his gun and opened fire at her. Birdy ducked back as a hail of bullets hit the car. Kerberos looked over to where Jane had been standing as she ran over past a pile of broken TV's. He scowled before looking back at the Pinto that Birdy had been on.

He quickly pushed himself back up and stalked around the side of the massive car pile, looking for Birdy. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Kerberos said as he pressed a button on the gun, activating its plasma option. "Time for some field testing," he muttered. He heard a thud near his right, and turned to open fire, scorching the ground with a super-heated bolt of plasma. He saw only the remnants of a metal-something lying there, burnt and melted.

"Missed me," Birdy said from behind him. "Clever girl," Kerberos muttered before he turned around and fired another shot at her. Birdy dodged the blast and leapt into the air, sending a flying kick at Kerberos. He blocked her foot with his gun and pushed back, causing Birdy to sommersault through the air in order to land on her feet.

She grinned as she landed. "You're getting better," she said before pushing herself forward. Kerberos fired another blast at her. Birdy dodged again, but this time she accidentally slammed into the side of an old car to avoid the blast. "Oof," she muttered as she looked up to see Kerberos aiming his gun at her.

Birdy quickly grabbed the door of the car and ripped it from its hinges before lifting it up as a shield when Kerberos fired at her. She threw the car door at Kerberos after a hole had been blown in the middle of it, with only the tinniest sliver of its middle frame still intact. Kerberos ducked as the car door sailed over his head.

He quickly rolled forward and brought his gun up to bear as he took aim once more and fired a bolt at her. Birdy crossed her arms to produce a small energy shield that blocked dissipated enough of the blast that it merely knocked her back into the car. Kerberos fired another shot, and another as Birdy manged to push the other door open and scrambled down out of the car just as a series of plasma bolts sailed overhead.

Kerberos fired again and this time the gun produced a high-pitched squeal and glowed as it shook in his grasp. "What the-?" he asked as he saw the warning on the gun. "Cooling down!? Dammit!" Kerberos spat as he heard a loud mechanical groan. He looked over and saw Birdy lifting the car over her head.

"Hey, Kerberos! Catch this!" Birdy shouted as she threw the car at him. Kerberos gasped as the car flew forward and slammed into him. Birdy smirked as Kerberos and the car crashed into a pile of junk. Birdy let out a breath and trudged forward. From her hiding spot, Jane looked out with her mouth hanging open. Damn, she's strong!

Birdy marched forward and stopped just as the car began to move. Kerberos pushed the vehicle up and then sent it flying at Birdy, who jumped out of the way as Kerberos fell over trying to lunge at her, his glasses falling off his face, revealing two red cybernetic eyes. "Don't you ever give up?" Birdy asked him. "Do you?" he asked her in return as he shot up and swung a metal pipe at her.

Birdy ducked and lept backwards as Kerberos shifted the pipe in his grasp and jabbed it forward. Birdy danced around the metal pipe until she was able to grab it. She tried pulling it back and Kerberos did the same, resulting in a brief tug of war between the two opponents until Kerberos let go and Birdy stumbled back.

Using her brief shock to his advantage, Kerberos lunged forward and punched Birdy in the stomach before kicking her. "Oh!" Birdy rasped as she fell back to the ground. She quickly got up as Kerberos grabbed her and pulled her up before smashing his forehead into her face. "Ah!" Birdy yelped as she stumbled back again, only for Kerberos to grab her and pull her towards him as he decked her in the face.

He kept a firm grip on her as he repeated his assault, until Birdy jabbed two fingers into his eyes. His sensors flashed as he yelped in surprise. This gave Birdy just the window that she needed to grab Kerberos and lift him over her head before throwing him to the ground. "Aarg, dammit!" Kerberos yelled as he blinked several times.

Birdy reached her left hand up to her bloodied face. "Damn," she muttered. She cried out in surprise as Kerberos wrapped his arms around her from behind. "You let your guard down!" he said snidely. Birdy quickly elbowed him in the ribs and grabbed him by his jacket before pulling him forward and throwing him over her head.

She watched as he landed on his back with a grunt of pain before he sluggishly rolled over and tilted his head up to look at her. "Face it, you can't beat me," Birdy said. "Just tell me where Christella Revy is, Kerberos." "She's on this continent," Kerberos said with a smile. "You're a real comedian, Kerberos," Birdy said as she marched toward him.

"That's all your getting out of me, Cephon," Kerberos said as he reached for his pistol, pulling it out of its holster and firing at Birdy, who couldn't dodge fast enough and got hit in the side. "Fuck!" she cried in pain as she fell to the ground. "Well, it looks like I win this time, Birdy. And guess what? You lose... permanently!" Kerberos said as he pointed his pistol at Birdy.

"Good bye and good riddance!" Kerberos spat with a maniacal grin. "Hey!" He turned his head to look to his right and saw Jane swinging a metal pipe at his head. The length of the pipe slammed into his face, breaking his nose. "Aah, dammit! You little bitch!" Kerberos yelled in pain as Jane pulled the pipe back and shifted it in her hands so that she could jab it at his stomach, before moving closer and kicking him in the crotch with her boots.

Kerberos doubled over in pain and fell to the ground, dropping his pistol. "Jane, grab this!" Birdy shouted as she held a small object in her hand. Jane ran over and grabbed it from her. "Place it on him, hurry!" Birdy ordered her. Jane nodded her head and rushed over to Kerberos, smacking the small blue object onto his jacket before backing away.

Birdy reached up into her hair and pulled out her triangular remote, aiming it at Kerberos before activating the cell-sphere. The blue light surrounded Kerberos before solidifying and floating away into the sky, eventually disappearing from sight.

Jane looked back over at Birdy and stood up, holding her left hand out. Birdy took it and tried to stand. Jane reached her right hand and Birdy's back to help pull her up. "Come on, Birdy," Jane said. Jane brought Birdy's left arm around her shoulders and placed her own right arm around Birdy's shoulders.

"We need to get back to my ship. There's a healing tank in there," Birdy said. "A what?" Jane asked her. "It's like a large cylindrical bath-tub filled with nutrients and tiny nano-machines to help repair damaged tissue. I'll need to rest in there until I've healed this wound," Birdy said as Jane looked down at the blood staining Birdy's uniform. "Can't you just transform back into Daria and be good as new again?" Jane asked her.

"That might work for a mere surface wound, such as a scratch or a very shallow cut, but not with a wound such as this one," Birdy explained as they carefully made their way around the pile of cars. "Care to explain just how?" Jane asked Birdy as they approached the red car that hid the entrance of Birdy's ship.

"Look, if I transform and let Daria back in control, then the wound-look, it just isn't a good idea, okay? I don't want to risk the wound transferring over to her or worsening during the transformation. I might be able to survive, even without a nutrient tank, but Daria's merely human. The shock alone could kill her," Birdy said.

Well, I dont' feel anything yet, Daria replied mentally. Good! Let's hope it stays that way until I'm healed. It's the safest solution right now, Birdy replied. As Jane helped Birdy inside of the car and into the small airlock of her ship, she saw Birdy wince as she crawled out and stretched while stepping down into the ship's main room. Jane returned to Birdy's side as the Alterian made her way over to a round, partially cylindrical column in one corner of the ship.

After accessing a small keypad on the control panel, the wall split apart in an almost-liquid fashion, revealing a glass surface, which slid back into the wall. Jane blinked in surprise at this while Birdy stepped inside.

"Oh, Jane," Birdy said as she looked over at her. "Thank you... for earlier," Birdy said with a smile. "Well, if you die, then Daria dies. I couldn't let that happen," Jane said in reply. "I know. But... also, the next time that you do something like that... try to be more discrete. When you yelled at Kerberos, it alerted him to your presence," Birdy said.

"That was kind of the point," Jane replied. "Yes, but if you hadn't timed your attack just right, he would have killed you. In fact, had he not been tired from our fight, he would have recovered quickly enough to catch your attack and kill you. Kerberos is a trained assassin. You only had the upper hand because he was worn out from fighting, and if you hadn't managed to pull off your other two strikes and disarmed him, neither of us would be alive right now," Birdy explained.

"Your courage is admirable, and your actions were very noble. I'm just asking that the next time your have the element of surprise, well, don't ruin it by shouting. I know it can seem like the right thing to do, or the cool thing, but that can get you killed if you aren't careful. Do you understand?" Birdy asked her. Jane nodded her head solemnly.

"Okay," Birdy said softly. "But Jane, I am grateful for your assistance. Without your help, Daria and I would have died," Birdy said as she began to undress. She threw her uniform out of the cubicle and onto the floor before pressing a button and closing the glass door. She tapped a spot on the wall, which opened in an organic manner to reveal a strange, almost-gelatinous keypad. Birdy punched a few keys to set the strength and duration of the nutrient bath, and then the keypad disappeared as the wall absorbed it before solidifying.

Jane watched this in fascination, and then she saw the cubicle begin to fill up with a blueish-green liquid. Eventually, the entire cubicle was filled with the liquid, and Birdy closed her eyes and opened her mouth. She breathed the liquid slowly and calmly. Jane watched for a little while before sitting down on the floor.

She sighed loudly before she rested her head against the wall. "What a day," she said to herself.

Line Break

"So, it seems that Kerberos has been defeated," Christella Revy said as she looked outside the large glass windows of her office in the business district of Lawndale. "It would seem so," Gomez said. "Eh, I never expected him to beat her anyway," Revy said with a shrug.

"No?" Gomez asked her in mild surprise. "Well, I did have my hopes, but they weren't too high, fortunately," Revy replied with a chuckle. "After all, I was really only using him to field test my latest guns. He can be replaced."

"Yes. But we don't know if Officer Cephon was killed or not," Gomez said. "True, but if she is still alive, then that means we have something to test some more of our latest toys on, won't we?" Revy suggested with a devilish smile as she turned to face Gomez.

"I suppose, if that's how you wish to view the situation," Gomez replied. "It is... for now, anyway," Revy replied as she turned back to look outside. "Our reunion has only been postponed, Birdy Cephon," Revy said quietly with a wicked smile. "We'll meet again soon enough, and when we do... it'll be the last."

Ending Line Break

Ending Theme: The Touch, by Stan Bush.