Disclaimer: All series, characters, and mecha mentioned herein are the properties of their creators.
This is not a challenge of any sort to their ownership, so don't sue me, because I have no money.

Explanations
Communication: In this fanfic, I have to deal with several types of 'speech'. I will type them as
follows:
"Talking",
[Thinking],
and {'Sending,' or using telepathy or mental communication.}

I will also use the usual Internet symbols for emphasis:
'slight',
_medium_,
*strong*,
and SHOUTING!

Chapter 2: Trial By Fire

It was February in MegaTokyo, and things were going just
about like usual for the A.D. Police - that is, badly. Three
C-class Boomers had run rampant through a slum, and Leon
McNichol's Tactical Squads had to bring them down before they
reached the suburbs. Leon looked down the hill as his people
pinned one of the Boomers down long enough to hit it with a
grenade launcher, and it exploded. [One down, two to go,] he
thought. The moment of satisfaction was short-lived, though. Leon
looked to one side as his car radio sputtered to life.

"Inspector! This is Sergeant Nagumo, Third Squad! One of
the Boomers has broken away from us and is headed north for the
suburbs on foot! I'd guess about five minutes until it clears
the evacuated zone!" [Damn,] Leon thought, almost diving into
the driver's seat.

"Daley," he cried, "Take over here! I'll try and delay our
runaway until you can catch up to it!"

Daley barely had time to nod before Leon pulled out,
roaring north as fast as he could.

*** ***

If Leon had known he wasn't the only one out to stop this
particular Boomer, he might have been a little calmer. Sean and
Iczel, crouched in an alleyway at the edge of the slums, went
over their plans one last time. Iczel was telepathically
reviewing their capabilities and strategy.

{We don't want to be noticed by GENOM, so Nagisa and I
always shot the Boomers from behind or otherwise destroyed them
from ambush. I can jam its telemetry transmissions, but if it
sees us we have to destroy...}

Sean, obviously impatient, broke in at this point, also
speaking mentally along the link between the two new partners.
{...its entire head assembly so we can be sure of destroying any
record of us. I also still remember that you can generate a
holographic 'face plate' to keep my face from being seen. We
have two defensive force fields, one that is constantly
operating and is skintight, and the other that I have to
concentrate on, the spherical one. I can drop beam swords from
my shoulders that I have to catch, because if they get too far
from us for long they can destabilize and explode. I have to
concentrate to produce either the small energy beams from each
hand or the big one from both fists together. Our Iczelion mode
can fly by graviton drive, just like you can. We aren't sure
what my 'Higher Function' abilities might be yet because we've
only been together a short time, but we shouldn't need them
against a basic C-class. I _do_ remember, Iczel, so let's get
to work.}

"*Charging Up!*" he yelled aloud.

Sean reflected that, even with a month of practice, he
still hadn't gotten used to the sight of friendly little Iczel
flying apart to become an Iczelion battlesuit around his body. He
wouldn't mind knowing where his clothes went during the
transformation, either; he was just glad they came back! As the
transformation completed, the Boomer stomped into view. The
thrusters on its back appeared to be damaged: the ragged edges
looked like something exploded in there. As it passed their
position, Sean pointed one arm at the Boomer's head and waited
for Iczel's signal.

{Now, Sean,} she 'sent'. Sean concentrated on the image of an
energy beam, power surged around his fist, the beam flared out...

And missed cleanly. {Blast, Iczel, I forgot: my aim stinks,
except for my throwing arm!} Sean sent to Iczel along their mental
link. The Boomer whirled as its mouth opened impossibly wide,
revealing the head-mounted laser assembly that was common to many
combat Boomers. Sean leaped, soared into a low flight over the
laser beam, and fired back.

And missed again. {Dammit!}

Sean and the Boomer exchanged fire three more times before
Sean got fed up - he hadn't hit the Boomer once, and he needed to
end this before the A.D. Police arrived. {Iczel, the swords!} Sean
ordered. He felt Iczel's misgivings, and sent, {I can't hit the
thing while it's dodging, and I'm very good at close combat. We
have to end this now!} In another moment the energy blades dropped
from his shoulder armor into his waiting hands...

*** ***

Leon braked to a halt along the Boomer's projected route at
the edge of the evacuated area. No Boomer was in evidence, but the
laser fire shooting into the sky told Leon where it was - and also
that it was in combat with a serious opponent. [Could it be the
Knight Sabers?] He had heard that they sometimes took down Boomers,
for the practice, he supposed. Getting out of his car, Leon ran
toward the fight, drawing his magnum as he went.

Rounding a final corner, he skidded to a halt. A yellow-and-
white metallic figure was fighting the Boomer up close, using a
pair of glowing, translucent swords. As Leon watched, the Boomer
popped its wrist claws and slashed at its foe, who dodged easily.
An upward slash cut off one arm of the Boomer like it was soft
cheese, and a lightning thrust put the other sword into the head
of the machine, where the armored figure left it as he leaped back.

Leon did a double take as the Boomer collapsed. [*He*? Aren't
the Knight Sabers supposed to be female?] A second look seemed no
different; this guy was male, between 5'10" and 6' even. A moment
later the sword in the warrior's hand dissolved, and the one in the
Boomer's head exploded, totally wrecking the head and shoulders.
Leon strode up and called out to the yellow-armored figure.

"A.D. Police! I appreciate you stopping the Boomer, but the
kind of hardware you're using is just a tad illegal. I've got to
ask you to come with me."

Sean was a bit startled; he'd been paying so much attention
to the Boomer that he hadn't noticed this guy arrive. He thought
of his force fields and grinned. [Time for a test: the Boomer
never got near me.]

"I'm sorry, officer..."

"McNichol. Inspector Leon McNichol."

"Inspector McNichol, then. I really can't do that right now.
Maybe sometime when GENOM doesn't control the courts." Sean spread
his arms as Leon winced.

"Well, if you don't, I'll have to shoot you. You were fast,
but I'm a way better shot than any Boomer, and you aren't armored
in any more than cloth in a lot of places."

Sean grinned even wider. Of course Leon couldn't see it
through the 'face plate' Iczel generated, but the attitude told
Leon that this guy was amused. "I should add that even bulletproof
cloth won't stop close-range shots from my Magnum."

"Well, I'm not coming, McNichol, so go ahead and shoot." Leon
sighed at this, took aim at the guy's right thigh, and pulled the
trigger twice. A spherical shimmer blinked in and out of existence
around the mystery man, and a trash can off to one side developed
two small holes. Leon blinked. [Ricochets? Is that possible?] he
thought.

Sean wanted to laugh, but kept his self-control. "Well,
Inspector, if you're satisfied, I'll be going now." He had flown
halfway to the corner when Leon called out,

"Hey! Are you a Knight Saber?"

"No, I'm just working to serve and protect, a lot like you.
Hopefully, I'll see you again sometime."

"Waitasec! Who are you then?"

Remembering Iczel's tale about his mother's first battle with
Cross, Sean turned around and threw Leon a quick salute. "Call me
Iczelion!"

*** ***

Later, at A.D.P. Headquarters, a young red-headed girl
finished filing Leon's mission report, then copied the file and
pocketed the disk.

*** ***

That evening, back at the Silky Doll, Nene watched Sylia
finish reading the report. "Well?" Nene said. "Do you know anything
about this, Sylia?"

"No," Sylia responded, "but from the report I'd guess that
this 'Iczelion' is using something I have only theorized; a force-
field defense system. Good work, Nene. Keep a lookout for other
reports on him: it seems we have a new element in MegaTokyo to
consider."