Bubblegum Crisis Post 2040 File 1: Dominant Species
Part 2: Hunters
Chapter 21: Hidden Agendas
by P. Kristen Enos (bgcpost2040@aol.com)
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A Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 English Dub Version Fanfic. All rights belong to AIC, ADV Films and the other creative powers that be. I just want credit for writing the story. Contains spoilers! Rated PG13. Yuri warning! Nothing in here should be a shock if you've watched the episodes and paid attention. All I'm doing is filling in the gaps with my own interpretation of events! Special thanks to egret for betaing!
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One would never have guessed that there was a moment of awkwardness just seconds before by the way Sylia smoothly took command of the conversation. Of course, everyone else was blushing furiously, but that was beside the point.
To ensure that everyone understood each of the others' connection to the situation, Sylia introduced each person to the group. In addition to his current role, Daley had been a member of the A.D. Police and an acquaintance of the Knight Sabers during the Boomer Revolution. Linna and Nene were members of the second Knight Sabers team, who had helped to bring down Galatea in the end. And Reika was Sylia's girlfriend at the time of the formation of the first Knight Sabers team. Various shocked reactions were evident, but no one made any comments.
It was noticeable that Sylia never explained the "drunk make-out session" remark, but Nene and Daley weren't about to point that out, much to Linna's relief.
"Reika," Sylia said as the others settled themselves for the discussion ahead, "I'd appreciate it if you'd stay for a bit. I think you have some key information which may prove critical to this case."
The other woman looked clearly reluctant as she glanced at her watch. "I have to leave shortly to pick up someone at the airport. I've only just returned to Japan, and I came directly here to see my sister. But I can spare a few minutes." She then looked at the extremely quiet and watchful Linna and said, "Irene asked me to come see if you were all right. She was worried about you."
Linna looked startled and answered, "I'm fine, Reika. Honest. But why is Irene in the hospital, too?"
Cued by a look from Sylia, Daley told the group everything he knew about the slaughter, including the new testimonial Irene had provided. "Ms. Chang thinks her sister may have been a 'statement' of sorts to their family's security business, but it still leaves a mystery of why the slaughter even began. But I am beginning to think that your survival, Linna, may be the biggest anomaly about this whole case. Everyone else was killed, or knocked out as in the case of Irene, but you were left untouched."
"I think passing out was what really saved her life," Sylia mused out loud. "A potential glitch in the programming of a killing machine as it were."
"So you think boomers were involved in the crime?" Linna asked, "I mean, that was the worst white noise reaction I ever had."
Sylia nodded. "Nene and Mackie were over for dinner last night. We felt it too, but only to the degree of a momentary intense spasm of pain, which is new because we never felt each other's white noise attacks before. What was also different this time was that Mackie actually sensed the white noise too. As we speak, Nigel is scanning his core for any traces or patterns we might be able to isolate and study."
"Do you think Priss would have felt it?" Linna asked. "Even all the way in Amsterdam - if they're still there?"
"I sent her an email asking if she noticed anything weird," Nene said. "I also copied Leon just in case. But I know neither one of them checks their messages regularly. It could be another week or two before we get a response from either of them."
"Excuse me, but what is 'white noise'?" Reika asked, clearly confused, though knowing it was somehow boomer related.
Sylia paused for a moment to choose her words carefully. "At the height of the Galatea crisis, the four of us found that we were mentally linked due to a by-product of the hardsuit technology, and probably triggered by Galatea's emergence. It wasn't until after the crisis that we found out we had developed an increased sensitivity to boomers whose cores were of the Post Revolution generations. That just being in their presence could cause extreme migraines and other 'mental' backlashes. Nigel and I submitted a 'fixed' design to Genom, who implemented it on all new boomers as well as upgraded the older models thinking they were doing it for energy-efficiency. Unfortunately, there are still some boomers out there who haven't been upgraded to 'white noise free' cores. And it seems these new boomers may have the same white noise flaw, one that Genom wouldn't have known existed much less how to correct it."
"Ah. I see why you want me to stay for this conversation," Reika surmised.
"So why do we think there are boomers connected to this crime?" Linna asked, still struggling to put together her own pieces. "I mean, apart from my passing out and all."
"Was one of these four women who came up to you an extremely tall, Caucasian woman with long red hair?" Reika asked her.
"Yes, I think so," she answered.
"Then it sounds like Sylvie, all right," Reika commented. Then she took a breath and began her description of the boomer demonstration she had gone to a couple of weeks ago.
The news of the human looking boomers obviously shocked everyone, except Sylia, of course.
Daley scowled and commented, "If we went with the assumption that there were assassin boomers involved, then that would explain the precision marksmanship of those shots."
Sylia nodded. "And looking as human as they do, it would make sense that they could walk out without anyone suspecting them. Or be agile enough to slip out of a side exit or window without a trace."
"So you think this whole thing could have been some sort of product demonstration?" Daley asked, clearly disgusted by the concept.
Sylia shrugged in a way that showed she was supporting the idea more than negating it. "Security boomers have a defensive programming base. They do not attack unless they see or detect a hostile entity. Combat boomers are programmed with an offensive agenda, but again with a limited target list, otherwise they would attack any living thing, which would negate the possibility of their owners and mechanical staff to maintain them. Let's say that these Sylvie-bots were enhanced with a new selective offensive program that had defined limitations. For this instance, they are programmed to kill all individuals within the Sports Complex and Shopping Center, in addition to special target instructions for Irene. It could stand to reason that once Linna had passed out, she was then registered as a neutralized or killed target, and therefore they left her alone."
Linna shuddered at the thought but kept quiet.
"It sounds very plausible," Daley muttered. "But I have absolutely no proof whatsoever to go knocking on Genom's door to start an investigation."
"That may be so. But think of it this way, Daley," Sylia pointed out, "If it hadn't been for Linna passing out from the white noise, you would not have had conclusive proof that boomer technology was involved. The trick now is just finding evidence that can stand up in court. Otherwise, this very well could have ended up as an unsolved crime."
"True," he said as he scanned his pad. Then he paused and pressed his glasses back a bit before regarding Reika curiously. "Ms. Chang, why didn't you say anything about the boomer demo earlier?"
She stared at him coolly for a moment and then said, "I was one of several people at that demonstration. And there was nothing that I did or noticed which should have indicated to me that I or my family would be a special target for such a product demonstration. Nor did I have reason to suspect boomers were involved until Linna's involvement was clarified."
A knock came from the door, interrupting the discussion. Sylia opened it to let in Kou, who had come to remind his mistress that it was time to leave.
Reika said her goodbyes to the people she had just met, exchanged deep bows with Sylia, but then paused and regarded Linna for a moment. "Irene will probably be staying at our family compound for the next few days." She produced a business card from her pocket. "This is our private number. Please give her a call when you feel up to it."
Linna nodded and carefully took the card.
They exchanged a wordless look and then gave each other a slight bow before Reika finally turned to leave.
"So what do we do now?" Nene asked, once the woman and her bodyguard had left. "It's not as if we can wander over to Genom and start looking for four boomers who look like women."
Sylia tilted her head as she thought over an idea. "If my theory proves true, we may not have to do anything but wait for Genom to make the move."
"What happens when they do?" Daley asked. "You'll bring out the hardsuits? Would you even have them ready in time?"
The other two women looked noticeably intrigued as they awaited her answer.
Sylia merely smirked and said, "That is an option that can be explored." She looked at Linna and asked, "Do you mind staying in the hospital for another night or two?"
Linna grinned and said, "Only if we can make more hospital staff squirm."
"I'll be here to tuck you in every night, darling," Sylia said with a smirk and a wink.
Nene and Daley both blushed but kept quiet.
Linna glanced at the business card she held with its elegant script and faint scent of Reika's perfume. She quietly beamed as something inside her said that things were finally going her way.
-- End Chapter 21 --
Special Author's Note: I've decided to try an experiment by using the Private Forum feature and allow for a public discussion (with occasional input from me) on this series: update notification, discuss what's currently going on, and explore ideas for future stories. Interested? Go
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