Bubblegum Crisis Post 2040 Fanfic Series

Bubblegum Crisis Post 2040 File 1: Dominant Species

Part 5: Blood Trails

Chapter 60: The Final Solution

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 Greenegret for betaing!

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"ABSOLUTELY NO FUCKING WAY!" Priss yelled.

Priss's fury and attention were directed entirely on Reika and Sylia, while Sylvie remained safely beside her. Nene and Linna also stayed out of the line of fire, next to the console.

"This isn't like slave-trading!" the singer continued in her tirade. "Genom doesn't own her! She's a thinking, feeling being! I'd make the same argument if we were talking about comparing Linna to -- to -- to Leon!"

Sylvie's eyes widened at the words as she watched Priss curiously.

"She's a being who's also a boomer!" Reika yelled back. "You can turn her off; you can turn her on. If her head pops off then you just replace it with a new one! Linna has only one shot at living! And I'll be damned if her life is going to be compromised because of the existence of an artificial being! It's not as if Sylvie's is going to be executed when we hand her back to Genom. She'll still be alive!"

Priss glared at the quiet Sylia and demanded, "But you'd wipe out all of her enhancements, wouldn't you? All of her experiences and memories of her time here?!"

"I have to, Priss," she answered softly, obviously not happy with the situation herself. "She knows too much about all of us. We'd have to return her in as close to her original state as possible, and that includes stripping all of the technical enhancements we made."

"Then there is no fucking way I'm going to let you do that to her! That's as good as killing her! She has a right to live too!" Priss stated adamantly. "I'll kill this Rosenkreuz myself if that's what it takes to end it."

"Killing him isn't the solution," Reika stated firmly. "He's a very well protected and connected man. Even if you did manage to succeed, there'd be a chain of vengeance that would destroy everyone you ever cared about!"

"And I couldn't support that, Priss," Linna said softly, "not if I'm part of the reason why you'd do that. I think I understand how you feel. But doing that makes you no better than him, in fact it would make you worse... Reika, since you have the entire conversation recorded, couldn't you take it to the police or the press and expose him once and for all?"

She shook her head sadly in response. "It wouldn't work that way. He's got the city officials, including members on the police force, in his back pocket. It would be a death sentence to any reporter or honest cop who tried to come forward with the information, especially since other people besides him would be implicated. In all honesty, I believe handing Sylvie over is the quickest and easiest option."

"Well, then couldn't you give him a dummy replacement or something?" Priss asked Sylia, her desperation now becoming evident. "It doesn't have to be Sylvie, does it?"

Sylia looked at her with deep regret and said, "I'm sorry, Priss, but I don't have the time to be able to construct a replacement. It's not as if we have boomer bodies lying around, especially one with the sophistication of Sylvie. Nigel calculated that with all of our expertise, it would still take a year to recreate her. Half that if we had ready made parts and development equipment at our fingertips. I doubt Reika can buy us that much time. The time she can get us will be just enough to strip Sylvie down and upload her original data files. And that's providing we get started right away. Nigel and Mackey are heading over now as we speak."

"But -" Priss was about to protest further when she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She fell quiet once she realized it was Sylvie's.

"Priss," Sylvie said softly, "Reika's right in that it's the only option that will settle this matter once and for all. Sylia has never led me to believe that my life was more valuable than Linna's, and I accept that. And as a sentient being, my choice in the matter is to agree to Mr. Rosenkreuz's condition. There are no other options that I can see or support."

Priss looked as if all of her energy suddenly drained out of her once again. "But..." she said, before finally drifting into a frustrated silence.

"Sylia, is there enough time for me to have an hour alone?" Sylvie asked.

The woman gave her a sad nod.

Sylvie then bowed to the others and said, "I thank you for everything you've done for me. And, Priss, the fact that you think I am a person after all makes this whole experience worth it to me. Now, if you would all please excuse me."

She walked towards the elevator.

Once she was gone, the silence in the crowded room was tense and unnerving; no one wanted to look at each other after what had just happened.

"Damn it!" Priss muttered as she turned on her heels and charged for the elevator herself.

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"Sylvie! Wait!" Priss yelled as she caught up with her in the hallway.

The boomer had already paused when she heard the familiar footfalls behind her. She turned and watched Priss approach.

"Yes?" she asked with a curious tilt of her head.

All of the emotions swirling in the human woman stopped short of coming out as actual words as she opened her mouth and struggled to say something. She took a shaky breath and said, "I don't know what I'm going to do when you're gone. When you left this morning, that was when I realized how much I need you."

"You do?" Sylvie responded softly, the sheer amazement and wonder evident in her voice.

"And - And when you begged me to kill you, I couldn't - wouldn't, even if I wasn't locked up."

"You heard that?" the boomer managed to sound even more amazed. "I was only able to relay that as a mental thought. My vocal processes doesn't allow for extraneous speech in direct command mode."

"Oh..." Priss gulped as she tried to fight back the feeling of tears. "I - I don't what else I can say that doesn't sound selfish and - and... "

Sylvie meanwhile was amazed at the sight of water starting to trickle down Priss's cheek. She reached out and caught some of the moisture on the tip of her finger. She commented softly, "The ability to cry was supposed to be in my next set of enhancements. I don't know if I should be grateful or sad that they were never done."

Not able to look up at her, Priss wiped away at the moisture with her hand and said, "I'm so afraid I'm going to finally go crazy. You were the only thing that made me feel like I could beat this. I could stop myself from turning into some sort of rogue boomer."

Sylvie frowned and said, "Priss, your battle isn't about becoming a boomer of any sort. I admit I don't know how deeply Galatea affected you, but I think her lingering essence clouds the fact that your own insecurities and fears have always been your worst enemy. You conquer her influence when you embrace everything that makes you Priss, including the real emotions you've been avoiding these past couple of years.

"I know I never knew you back then, but I think that person is still there somewhere. And it's just a matter of you allowing her to come back. I believe you are strong enough that you would have realized it on your own. I only helped you along; you never really needed me in the end."

The tears having stopped, Priss stared in wonder at Sylvie. Then, without another word, she reached up and pulled the other woman close for a kiss, which was returned with just as much fire.

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The four women were deathly silent in the command booth as they watched the security camera's view of the kissing women.

"Oh, my God!" Linna finally commented in amazement. "Is she slipping her tongue?!"

"It looks pretty mutual to me," added an equally amazed Reika. Admittedly, there was a part of her that felt a certain sense of relief that the kiss in question did not involve the woman in the wheelchair next to her.

With her eyes practically out of their sockets, Nene felt like her jaw was in her lap. Then she felt the nudge of an elbow against her own.

"Looks like you're the only one left," Sylia said with a wink and a giggle. "Maybe Mackey's the one who needs to be careful of some competition."

Nene turned completely red as she immediately focused her attention back on the camera's view.

Finally, the women on the screen stopped kissing and just stood, holding each other in a tight embrace.

Nene just shook her head to herself and wondered what she was going to tell Leon. And then she decided this was one secret she was more than willing to keep.

-- End Chapter 60 --

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