ANGEL WINGS
DISCLAIMER: OK 'Lelouch', it's all yours. First I wanna thank Mr T for the use of his Angels and stuff. Then I wanna thank everyone else who has been allowing us to use their creations here like Thom Beers for the use of his ice road truckers Hugh, Drew, Rick, Eric, Alex and Bear. I took the liberty of naming the 3WA academy in Furool City on Shimougou after Mr Haruka Takachiho in honour of his creations- the Angels. How was that, Yuri? Great, kiddo. Oh hai it sure was, Kei! Now since we left ya up in the air last time let's get to Ch 25 without any further meandering, shall we? Here 'tis:-
CHAPTER 25
'Ice Road Shooters' or 'The 'Kitten' That Couldn't Be Tamed'
Kei had just reached her quarters and flopped down onto the sofa when her portal klaxon chimed insistently. Kei was wearing her fave green kimono emblazoned with red 'ryuu' (dragons) across its back and bearing the 'KO' monogram surmounted by an angel's halo on its left breast. She sighed wearily and called out "Come." The door swished aside to admit Hugh the 'Polar Bear', Bear, Eric, Alex the 'Minister of the Ice Roads', Drew and Rick- the Ice Road Brigade.
Hugh who had elected himself spokesperson stepped forward hat in hand. "Ma'am? We're here to help. Just tell us what you want us to do, Miss Reds." he said and the other five nodded in agreement. Kei looked them over with a critical aizu.
"OK. You guys can be part of Revy's reserve units. Better get in some shooting practice 'cause you're gonna need it. Our ranges are belowdecks on SubLevel Four. I'll get someone to show you the way. Hold on a second there. Alex? I thought you said you 'hated' guns? Have a change of heart, boyo?" asked the redhead.
"Ma'am, I reckon where the Almighty might just have welcomed some of this here firepower of yours at some of those old Biblical battles. Things might just have ended a whole lot differently if the fighters of truth back then had of had guns like these to use. So I guess I'll carry a 'gat' too, ma'am." replied Alex.
"OK then- get your asses down to the ranges and start practicing. Gomen er excuse me for a moment guys. (Kei touched her earring comlink to trill someone) 'Neko'? Kei here. Ya reading me? Ya are? Good. Report to my quarters immediately. I want ya to take our six ice roader guys down to SubFour's range room and let 'em get in some shooting practice. Alex needs a cannon and a Mark XIII should do him nicely so see to it. Kapish? Great. Kei out. (She ended her trill) 'Neko's gonna take ya down get you guys all set up. Ah, here she is now so good luck, me boyos." said the Boss and 'Neko' led her party to the lift.
"Many thanks, lovely lady." crooned Eric on his way out and the other mumbled their thanks too. 'Neko' led them to the lift and rode down with them. Then she keyed open a portal and led them into a vast dark room festooned with cobwebs and smelling to high heavens. Rick wrinkled his nose in disgust and Bear coughed.
"Sorry guys but the 'Angel 3' has not been used for quite some time. As a matter of fact this is the prototype patrol gunship that was used by the very first 'Lovely Angels' duo- Iris and Molly way back when- according to Mr Poporo and Mr Garner anyway. " 'CC'? Illumination onegai? (Instantly the room was filled with brilliant light) Arigatou tomo. You guys bring your cannons and ammo with Ya? (Everyone nodded and held up their weapons except Alex) That's fine. 'CC'? A Mark XIII ion cannon, 3 spare power packs, gunbelt, shoulder rig harness, holsters and ammo pouches onegai. (Like magic the requested items appeared out of thin air and deposited themselves on the shooting table. She picked up the cannon and handed it to Alex. Then she unholstered her own cannon and slapped in a power pack) Ya load it like that fellas. See? Now it's all ready to fire." said 'Kitty Cat' and Hugh looked at her.
"Where the Fxxx's the bolt and breech, ma'am?" he asked confusedly.
"There ain't none, tomo. The weapon's ionic energy is released from the power pack as soon as you pull the trigger- like this." said 'Neko' firing an energy bolt at a target fully 350 meters (over 1,000 yards or 3,000 feet) away and striking the bull (bull's eye) almost dead centre! Six pairs of aizu went wide and six mouths dropped open. 'Neko' frowned.
"Shit! The Fxxxing sights must be off again dammit! I'm off centre by two whole centimeters (less than an inch). I'll get Jon to take a look at it later." said an annoyed shapeshifter catwoman.
"How do you know when the clip is empty, Miss?" asked Eric. She pointed to the right side of the weapon where the breech normally was on a standard gun.
"By this gauge on the side. Green means full and red means empty. Each power pack hold approximately 6,000 bolts of energy so they last a Helluva long time. OK, let's see how good ya are, boyos. Everybody load up. We'll set the targets at 50 meters (150 yards or 450 feet) for now. 'CC'? Reset targets to 50 meters onegai. The Boss must have been the last one to use this range. She's the only one aboard who likes shooting at long targets." explained 'Neko' reholstering her sidearm.
"That is quite correct, Miss 'Neko'. I also had to reset them to 'stationary' mode for you guys. They had been in 'combat' mode. By the way- good shot, kiddo. Tough luck on the sights, girl. Good luck to you, gentlemen." said 'CC' after he had reset the targets.
"What the frigging Hell's this here 'combat' mode thing, Honey?" asked Rick. 'Neko' had her hand over the door's release panel preparatory to leaving. "Huh? Oh that's just when the targets are holographic. They move and shoot back at you- that's all, Rick. Ja ne er I mean see ya later, tomos. Good luck." replied the buccaneer and she left them to practice.
Hugh went first of course. After all he was a crack shot and never missed- ever or at least that's oro he told the other five guys anyway. His first bolt zanged into the ceiling. His next two struck both side walls. The fourth hit the floor twenty feet in front of him. His fifth knocked out a photo sensor (light fixture) while his sixth clipped the far bulkhead wall on its way to singeing Drew's hair. With his seventh shot the 'Polar Bear' finally hit the target- at its most extreme left edge an inch from the bottom of the target!
Bear hit his target four times out of seven tries. Rick never even threatened his. Drew hit twice out of seven attempts. Eric ringed his target's bull with five of his seven bolts while Alex hit the bull dead centre six out of his seven tries and the sole time he missed it was only by millimeter or so! The guy who had never used a firearm in his entire life was by far the very best shooter amongst them with Eric a close second.
"Very good, Alex. Very good indeed. You will all get better with practice, my tomos. Now- anyone care to try it again- in 'combat' mode?" teased a jovial 'CC' and was met with a resounding volley of "No thanks!" from all six truckers.
Eric finished wiping down his cannon and spoke. "Er, Mr 'CC'? Sir? Exactly what was Reds' er Miss O'Halloran's score in this er 'combat' mode?" he asked.
"Not too good- by her standards anyway. Out of one hundred possible points she only made 97.8, Eric. The Boss usually aces these things you know. I think maybe it was because the targets were only set back 350 meters instead of her customary five hundred meters (1,500 yards or 4,500 feet! Almost a mile!) that she usually uses. Good evening, gentlemen." said 'CC' and the 'ice road brigade' went upstairs to dinner with a newfound respect for their hosts and hostesses especially the red-headed Boss Lady.
They were still discussing this same subject over dinner when Rally "Cat' Vincent casually mentioned that Yuri had beaten the Boss- once- at 'combat' shooting. "Yeah, 'Cat' but that was only by a single point and only because the Boss accidentally shot Mr Garner at the end of her run!" argued Kome 'Pink Freak' Sawaguchi.
"Just how good are you, Miss 'Neko', Miss Angel and Miss 'Cat' here at this type of contest?" asked Drew.
"Us? Hell we've never scored higher than ninety, Drew. Nai. Wait a microsecond- Mar did get a 95 once, didn't she?" said Kome.
"Be careful, Hugh! You just spilt your java all over Rick!" said 'Cat' while she wiped up the spill for him and sponged off Rick.
"You OK, Rick?" asked Bear but Rick was mooney-aizued over a vision of beauty at another table.
"I'm in heaven, Bear, that I surely am." replied Rick who had not taken his aizu off of Revy Roberts since she had entered the dining hall and sat down.
"Down boy!" warned Hugh. "I've heard all about her. Mr Legato said that if you so much as lay a finger on her she'll bust your arm off and shove it up your Fxxxing ass! Steer clear of that one, pal." chuckled the 'Polar Bear'.
"That lad sure moves fast- like lightning! It's like he's everywhere at once. It's almost like there's more than one of him." observed Bear pointing at a blonde teenaged kid wearing a bright orange jumpsuit and a black headband surmounted by a metal plaque bearing a strange curlycue symbol.
'Neko' grinned. "That's because there is more than one of him. That's our 'Naruto Uzzimakki'- the Ninja kid from the 'Village Hidden in the Leaves' and that is his 'shadow clone' jutsu (a ryu or fighting style or technique)." said 'Neko' taking a seat beside Alex.
"We are either in Wonderland, Fairyland or Oz!" whispered Bear to Eric.
"How long will it take us to reach this 'Workoh' place, Miss Angel? I understand that you are our navigator." asked Eric. Marlene Angel pursed her lips in thought before replying.
"Let's see now. 'Omega' (Quadrant) is a few hundred thousand lightyears away and we're using the 'Black jack Tunnel' so- we'll be there ashita er I mean tomorrow- around noon I'd say." replied the blonde offhandedly and six jaws dropped. "You guys keep forgetting that it's AD 2251 now not AD 2008, boys." she laughed and just then the Boss arrived with Legato Bluesummers in tow.
"Don't worry, Blondie. Mugghi's keeping her aizu peeled for 'Black Jack' and she should spot it within the hour. Then it'll be five more hours to 'Omega' before we move on to 'Workoh' and Berringer." advised Blue. He whispered into Kei's ear as he slid her chair towards the table. "You er do know that we are walking right into a trap in all likelihood, don't ya?" he breathed and she nodded.
"Yeah but if we don't Johnny's sure to smell a rat don't ya think?" she whispered back. Meanwhile halfway across the known universe and orbiting a tiny asteroid called 'Zygon' the 'Starfleet Command' science vessel the 'USS Stargazer' under the able command of Captain Toro Zulu was in limbo.
"I still can't believe that 'Galactic Command' just up and 'gave' us one of their brand new prototype 'cloaking' units, sir." said Space Technician Second Class 'Blackfire of Tamaran' doubtfully.
"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, Tech. Just install the damned thing." replied her captain.
"Didn't you ever hear the one about 'Greeks bearing gifts', sir?" suggested Ensign LaLarue Lathrop, a water controller from the spice planet of 'Dune'. She was going to use her technical and/or magical skills to transform an arid desert world into a lush verdant and arable one. The place in question was one of 'Kalufrax's many moons and it was named 'Gasaraki' however it was still a few hundred lightyears further on from them.
"Children! My orders are quite clear. Install 'Shadow Shield' (the new 'cloaking' device) and then we are to 'cloak' ourselves and land on the dark side of 'Workoh' where we are to sit and await further orders so get on with your job, Black." commanded an exasperated Zulu.
"Hasn't that Nyssa found 'Black Jack' for us yet?" complained Lt Commander 'Nabuca' (another guy from 'Dune') who was Zulu's ecec and science officer. The young 'Trakken' navigator of the hour chose that particular moment to storm onto the bridge. She was as mad as Hell!
"Ooh!! That shimatta (damned) thing! It fluctuates all over the frigging place, sir! I need a space tech to help me, Captain. I need Suba (Subaltern) Rogers, cap! If I can just pinpoint the tunnel's movements Ellen could lock us onto its coordinates, I know she could, sir." pleaded Nyssa. Zulu shrugged his shoulders resignedly and nodded.
"OK. Do it, Ensign. Tell the suba that I said for you to use her for this star mapping project and it's a direct order from me. Dismissed." he replied and Nyssa saluted him before departing for the turbolift. Soon (with Ellen Rogers' capable assistance) 'Stargazer' entered into 'Omegan' space after passing through 'Black Jack Tunnel' and had emerged near their destination where they had 'cloaked' before landing on the dark side of 'Workoh' where they had settled down to wait- and wait- and wait.
On the 'light' side of 'Workoh' the 'Lovely Angels 1 and 2' had joined 'Starcrusher' on the surface. Yuri, 'Kitten', Kiva and Treanna along with most of Luthor and Orochimaru's prisoners had been 'beamed over' to Berringer's starship. Suddenly Yuri's cell portal shot open and oro looked like a sack of bruised and bleeding tomatoes was tossed inside to slam down onto the Kelvinite deck.
"OW! Fxxx! That hurt, you mother!" croaked the crumpled form.
Yuri was horrified- she recognized that voice! " 'Kitten'? Is that you? Oh my Kami in heaven! Oro the Hell have they done to you?" cried Yuri and she laid the 'Blonde Bomber' down on the bunk. Then she noticed that Mae's 3WA sweats and sneakers were gone leaving a stockinged 'Kitten' in only a tattered and bloody brassiere and raggedy cut up bikini briefs which barely covered and concaled the Terran bounty hunter's dignity. Yuri was furious. "Who did this to you, 'Kitten' and why? I'll kill 'em all God dammit to Hell!" swore the irate Angel.
"Orochimaru's lackey (Komica) thought that I knew where the Boss was hiding out. I told the Fxxxer I didn't know but he said I was holding out on him and proceeded to question me about it again and again and again. But Yuri- he never so much as laid one fingertip on me! He didn't touch me once- physically anyway! Instead the fiend used his 'blood' jutsu on me. He said it allowed him to control the 'chakra' ('qui' or 'ki' energy) within my bloodstream. He caused the blood within me to burst right up and through my skin wherever he liked and Yuri it hurt like the nine levels of Hell! OUCH!! Dammit ma'am! It still hurts like the aoishi (blue) blazes! But I didn't tell Komica a God damned thing, ma'am, that I did not! OW!! Not so hard, Commander! Please!" sobbed Minnie Mae Hopkins.
Yuri tried to sponge off as much dried blood as she could and even though 'Kitten' put on a brave face and bit her lip Yuri could see that the poor kid was still in excruciating agony and severe pain and she hadn't a shimatta thing to give her for it either! The cell door popped open and Shade walked in. "Don't you ever frigging knock, Shady?" growled Yuri and she tossed a sheet across 'Kitten' eliciting yet another whimper of pain from here. Shade took one look and his jaw dropped. Then he went as white as a 'yuyu' (ghost).
"D-d-did- did Sapphy (Star Sapphire) do that to the poor kid? I am really sorry about this, ma'am! I never thought I mean Star really felt that Lex (Luthor) was not treating you guys right and--" stammered Shade. Yuri managed a wan half smile while 'Kitten' grimaced in pain. "It's OK, Shady. Star did not do any of this to her- Komica did it all. Oro the Hell did ya want anyway?" asked Yuri.
"Mr Berringer would like to see you, Miss Donovan. If you will please follow me--" began Shade politely.
"NAI! NO! Not on your Fxxxing life! Not until Lt Hopkins receives proper medical treatment and not until we've both had a bath and been given fresh 'fuku' (clothing)! Then after that I 'might' consider visiting that odious toad! You tell Johnny Boy that, Shady me old boyo! Now get out!" roared Yuri shoving the poor guy out the door and slamming it shut (locked) behind him. Then she realized oro she'd just done- blown probably her only chance of getting herself and 'Kitten' out of there! Mae finally managed a wan smile.
"Thanks ma'am but you just blew a jim dandy chance for us to escape, stupid." giggled the Terran girl until she started bleeding again.
"Courage, Honey. I know that the Boss is coming after us. I just know that Kei's coming. I know she is." soothed Yuri.
"Of course she is, Donovan. Why in the great dark cosmos do you think that you're here? I must apologize for Mr Komica's mistreatment of poor Miss Hopkins. He will be severely disciplined for this as will Orochimaru and Luthor. Forgive me but isn't Miss Hopkins a mere ensign? You must have made a mistake just now. You called her a lieutenant, my dear commander." said an oily voice from the doorway behind them.
"I promoted her God dammit! You got a problem with that or something, Orochim--" yelled Yuri whirling about to face-- John Berringer himself!
END of Ch 25. Ch 26 soon. Getting interesting eh? Wonder how we'll do at the Gate? Read on and r/r/s away as always. Have a wunnerful day and sfn/sys/jm/Kami bless you all for your interest and assistance. Hooble-toodle-doo! Toodles tomos watashi-K&K