Episode 3: Wild and Scarred
Another week of fruitless searching went by, Sean's health slowly returning to normal now that he was no longer worried about Anri being dead or the victim of some horrible experiment. Then, on the 4th of May, Sean caught the 6 o'clock news.
"... The armoured vigilantes known as the Knight Sabers, including the mysterious Iczelion, raided a GENOM transport facility last night, destroying several security Boomers, killing three guards and a truck driver, and stealing a transport truck filled with valuable Boomer components. GENOM chairman Quincy was unavailable for comment, but..." The rest of the words faded out of Sean's consciousness as he watched the images on the screen. Very good likenesses of all four Sabers and of Iczelion, albeit with a solid visor, were caught on security camera footage. Iczelion in particular: 'he' was shown striding through pistol fire to casually pitch a glowing - [but solid,] Sean noted - sword into the right eye of one guard.
[What the hell is this?!? I certainly wasn't there last night, and I don't think that's the Saber's style either! Shit, we're being set up!] {SYLIA! Have you seen the news?!} he sent.
{Ouch! not so loud, Sean. Yes, I have seen the footage. It was on the midday news as well, but given your current schedule, I thought you might be asleep at the time.}
{Oh, for... why in blazes didn't you _call_ me?! I don't mind being woken up for important matters! Never mind, I'll be right over. I-} Sylia cut him off.
{No, Sean. This is aimed primarily at the Knight Sabers, and that makes it Knight Sabers business. We will meet tomorrow to discuss how to handle this, but you are still on suspension.}
{Oh, for crying out loud, Sylia, this is no time to-} He stopped as the feeling of 'contact' broke off. [She cut me off! Oooh, I can't _believe_ her! I probably won't have any better luck with normal communication right now, either. Well, all I can do is watch and wait.] He then noticed the announcer mention the datanet boast that these 'Fake Sabers', as Sean now thought of them, would raid the Tinsel City Bank in three days. [Well! If Sylia doesn't want my input, I just won't ask! I _will_ be there, though, well in advance, and the Iczelion impostor makes this _my_ business. We'll see who laughs last!]
*** ***
It was the evening of Monday, the 7th of May. Sean had synchronized with Iczel at noon and gone to one of the taller buildings surrounding the Tinsel City Bank. Breaking into a roof stairwell, he had used his forcefield to confound A.D. Police infrared and radar sweeps. For eight hours now, he'd waited and watched. [I suppose I should be glad of it if nothing happens, but I want to resolve this impostor situation now!] Looking out to the top of the bank, he snorted for the fifth time at the squads of Tactical Response Teams on the roof. [I wonder who's in charge, and what they could be thinking? There isn't a Tac Squad in MegaTokyo that any one of the Sabers couldn't beat in seconds! Those people are cannon fodder if these fakes come in high--]
A shattering explosion wiped the roof clean of A.D.P. personnel and revealed the fake Knight Sabers and Iczelion - almost. [Hey,] Sean thought, [where's the Nene copy? I don't see her!] Then an A.D.P. chopper tried to make an attack pass on the bank rooftop, only to be shot down casually by the fake Sylia. Sean struggled to rein in his temper. [Even if they're short one, if I go in alone, I'll likely get killed. I have to wait-] Sean stopped as he saw Leon McNichol climbing into a K-12 Armoured Trooper. [Aw, shit, he's dog meat on his own! Better move in to back him up.]
*** ***
Leon was beginning to think that this wasn't one of his better ideas. For one, he wasn't fighting at his full ability because he'd seen the faces of two of the Sabers - if Iczelion counted - during the fracas with the D.D. Battlemover. Iczelion's odd blue faceplate had faded away when he'd been kayoed by the D.D., and Leon had connected the face to a name in the Tokyo Highway Patrol's speeding misdemeanor files - Sean Kai. Then Priss had opened her faceplate to embrace the D.D.'s pilot after Iczelion had pulled off a miracle save. Leon had kept it quiet, but he _knew._ Now, not 100% sure if these were the real deal of not, Leon had held back in the current fight, and hadn't even landed one shot on the hardsuits. Second, the thumping they'd been giving him was getting rougher, and if things kept escalating at this rate one of them was going to shoot-
As Leon finished the thought, the 'Iczelion' aimed one arm at him and fired at his cockpit visor. He shied to one side, trying to take the hit on a shoulder-
And blinked as something flashed in front of him and took the hit. He blinked again. It was Iczelion! The smoke from the blast cleared, and the new arrival pointed at his counterpart - who was visibly different now that Leon could see both at once. He sighed in relief. The _second_ was the original!
"Surprised to see me?" the real Iczelion cried. "I know _I_ am!" He pointed at his double. Under his breath, he hissed to Leon, "McNichol? You okay?"
"You bet!" Leon murmured back. "You want some help?"
"I wouldn't mind at all! Oh, and in case you're still wondering, these are _not_ the real Sabers. I've seen them enough that I recognize the little differences in design." [Not really,] Sean thought, [but I can't very well say that I can sense the location of the real 'white Saber', and she isn't here yet!]
"That's a relief," Leon replied. "Now I can kick some ass!" Iczelion cocked his head at Leon, giving him the impression of a cockeyed grin. Then he turned back to face his double.
"O.K.! *Let's rumble!*"
The next two minutes were decidedly odd. The doubles were going drastically out of their way to avoid getting hit at all, and while they used teamwork to hit Sean and Leon a few times, they would have been far more effective going with an all-out offense. Finally, unbalanced by a shoulder slam from the false Sylia, Leon's K-12 toppled to a lower roof tier as Sean watched. Quickly he flew over to cover the downed suit with his forcefield as Leon struggled up. As the A.D.P. Inspector regained his feet, the pair looked up to see all the doubles aiming at them. Sean stiffened his field, waiting for a devastating salvo...
That never came. A white form blurred by the false Priss, flipping over its head and blasting it with both Palm Bombers. {Sylia!} Sean sent. {Here to join the party?}
The response was _not_ amused. {I thought I told you this was Knight Saber business!} she replied.
Sean pointed at his double. {And what's _that?_ An art deal on the side? He's mine, Sylia, and that's why I'm here!}
{A thin excuse, but I can't refute it. Very well. Try to keep your A.D.P. friend out of the way, though!}
{Hey, he's not doing so badly!} Sean replied indignantly. In fact, with such inferior hardware, Leon had been working miracles so far.
"Hah! The real ones are all here!" Leon yelled. He jetted his K-12 up to outflank the doubles between him, Iczelion, and the Knight Sabers.
"Your little plot has been exposed, you are short one member, and you're surrounded. I suggest you give yourselves up," Sylia called.
An odd bulge appeared on the fake Sylia's helmet. As Sean watched in horror, the four fakes exploded out of their 'hardsuit' appearances like a 55-C shedding a human disguise. The resulting Boomers were each almost fifteen feet tall, and the now-red Priss double showed no sign of damage from Sylia's Bomber strike. The former Sylia double said,
"Now that you're all here, we can fulfill our mission. Time to die, Knight Sabers!" With that, all the HyperBoomers charged - the former Iczelion rushing Sean, its armour shrugging off a rapid-fire series of energy blasts with an ease that could only mean it was more of the B-12's ceramel composites. Sean swerved aside, then powered up his forcefield and charged, meaning to ram.
The golden HyperBoomer dodged easily, looping around to Sean's rear and opening its chest panels. What it fired, though, was not a microwave beam. A ripple affect flashed outward from it, expanding as it came, and try as he might, Sean was unable to escape the area of the pulse, which slammed him across the street and onto the roof of the building he'd been watching the bank from.
{Iczel, what _was_ that?!?} Sean asked, picking himself up onto hands and knees.
{A beam of somewhat focused kinetic energy. I didn't think Earth technology could accomplish that yet! We could do the same by concentrating the graviton emissions we use to fly, but-}
Iczel was cut off as the gold HyperBoomer soared across the street in pursuit of its target and launched a horrific kick into Sean's side - luckily not the injured one. Then it plastered him to the stairwell housing with another shockwave blast, and came in with a slap to Sean's head. He struggled to stay conscious as it grabbed him under the arms and held him up.
"Is that _all_ you have, Iczelion?," it growled at him. "I didn't expect it to be so easy. Maybe I'll go have some fun after I kill you by helping my friend pull the arms and legs off the white suit - maybe with the wearer's limbs still in them."
Sean's mind exploded into rage. One desire was foremost in his mind - to smash this murderous thing with his bare hands, before it could harm Sylia, or kill any more. Energy peaked in Iczelion, flowing from his center into his limbs, and he snapped his head up to regard the Boomer.
"YOU-" his voice was a grating growl.
"WILL-" he brought his arms up. The Boomer noticed a ripple affect extending about a foot out from the fists and opened its chest panels again.
"NOT-" Iczelion smashed his fists down on the Boomer's arms and they snapped at the elbows. More ripples began around Iczelion's legs.
"HURT-" one fist slammed into the Boomer's triangular skull, smashing one eye, while the other crashed into the shockwave cannon, leaving a foot-wide dent.
"ANYONE ELSE!" A barrage of fists, feet, and knees descended upon the injured HyperBoomer, each one landing with that one-foot-wide impact and carrying incredible force. The torso of the machine was a shattered ruin in seconds, Iczelion concluding his fury by stomping the now-detached skull of his foe, smashing it.
Sean came back to himself. {Oh.. My.. God! What power! Iczel, how did we do _that?_}
{I was just mentioning that the graviton output of our drives could be rerouted, Sean. You directed the energy to your fists and feet, creating a one-foot-diameter contained gravity field in each spot.}
{In english, please, Iczel?}
{You were effectively wearing one-ton weights on your limbs without slowing the speed of your strikes.} Sean was stunned. The sheer _momentum_ of a hit like that...
An explosion from the Bank roof distracted him. {Sylia!} he called. {I'm in decent shape and my opponent is down. Permission to engage?}
The thought that came back was somewhat strained. {No! Priss and Linna are doing well enough against their foes, and Nene and I are double-teaming mine. You got what you were 'here for', so now you can go.}
Sean seethed. {*Yes, Ma'am.*} [I can't believe she's being this stubborn! Well, she should have them outnumbered five to-] He suddenly realized that he hadn't seen Leon at all since getting clobbered. "Hey! McNichol! Are you okay?," he called over the radio. Receiving no response, he scanned the bank roof, but neither the K-12 suit nor its wreckage were in evidence. [Well, he probably pulled out - he was totally outmatched there. Oh, hell. If Sylia wants me to butt out,] he thought with a tinge of bitterness, [far be it from lowly Sean to argue.] He pulled up off the apartment roof, aiming for the Canyons.
*** ***
His flight was interrupted barely a minute later by a brilliant white beam stabbing down from the sky at a point along the Fault's Edge Highway. {Iczel,} he sent softly, {please tell me that wasn't...}
{I think it was, Sean. An orbital particle-beam strike.} Iczel responded.
{This doesn't make any damn sense,} Sean replied. {The Knight Sabers and I destroyed the prototype SuperBoomer, and why would USSD blast a stretch of highway?!? We'd better get over there and check for damage and survivors. Please, God, let it have been some stupid glitch.}
Sean's prayer went unanswered, as a second strike less than two minutes later blew a recently arrived A.D.P. helicopter out of the sky.
{Dammit! Full speed, Iczel! There's gotta be a Killer Doll or a SuperBoomer there, we have to destroy it before it kills anyone else!} Iczelion threw caution to the wind as he accelerated toward the site. As he pulled in above the highway, he saw two human figures, one holding the other off the ground by the throat. As he aimed a blast at the road under their feet, Sean asked Iczel, {Can you scan them? I'd really like to know who's who _before_ I shoot.}
{Scanning...} came the response. {Sean, the aggressor is a Boomer of unknown type, the victim is your friend Leon McNichol,} Sean flinched in surprise - so this was where he'd gotten to! {-and in the car are one human I haven't yet encountered, and -} Iczel broke off.
{Iczel? Who else is in the car?}
{You won't believe this, but it's Anri!}
"WHAT?!" Sean exploded verbally. Shaking his head, he put those concerns out of his mind as he concentrated on knocking the Boomer over without hurting Leon. He fired, blowing up pavement under the blue-haired Boomer, knocking it down and making it drop Leon. As it got up, it glared at him and pointed an arm to the sky.
Sean suffered a horrific flashback. In his last nightmare about the deceased Mason, he'd seen a red-eyed, blue-haired silhouette call down 'fire from heaven' with that gesture. [If anything today resembles that, it's a satellite strike!] Sean thought. Reacting instantly, he accelerated and swerved to one side - he saw a bright flash -
Then he crashed into the guardrail of the highway, propelled by a titanic blast, and the world went dark.
*** ***
He awoke to the sight a a glowing crater in the road beside him. {Ow... Yipes, that was no sure thing! Iczel, how're we doing?}
Iczel took a moment to reply, and when she did, it was slower than usual. {Um... Sean, the outer shields... took the brunt of the blast, and they're working at about... 20% efficiency right now. The inner field, the 'skintight' one, is at... about 50% capacity, and my internal systems... are at 80%. I can effect self-repair in about thirty minutes.}
{Okay, but make it quicker if you can. Oh, shit, I forgot about McNichol!}
Pulling himself to his feet, Sean wobbled over to where Leon lay on the ground. The A.D.P. Inspector coughed as Sean approached. In a detached way, Sean noted that his left ribs were hurting again; he'd probably re-injured them, but at least Leon was alive.
"Boy, McNichol, you do get in trouble!" Sean called as he knelt by Leon's side. "What happened here, anyway?"
Leon rolled slowly onto his back. "Ow... not sure. Some guy kidnapped the Minister of Defense, and was driving along here when he stopped to deal with a GENOM car. I'm not sure, but I think the bastard called down satellite particle-beam strikes on the car, then my chopper. He had me by the throat until you bowled him over. Thanks," he coughed. "Shit! A monster should at least look like a monster... Ow."
Sean turned to leave - an A.D.P. chopper was already inbound, and Leon didn't appear to be in danger of dying. Leon reached up and grabbed his hand.
"Listen," he said, "this isn't like your other enemies. Leave it to the A.D. Police. I don't want Priss getting hurt because of this, Kai." Sean's head snapped around of its own accord.
"Excuse me? Who?"
"I saw your face after the D.D. belted you, and I was conscious when Priss popped her helmet. I didn't tell - but I care for her. I don't want her getting hurt."
[Aw, *shit!*] Sean thought. [First Sylvie, now this! I can't believe this!] Aloud, he said,
"Don't worry, Inspector. I can't comment one way or another on your idea of identities, but rest assured I will _not_ invite your favorite rock singer along tonight." With that, he flew off. Leon slowly stood as the backup A.D.P. helicopter descended toward him. He stared after Iczelion as the yellow-and-red figure flew off toward GENOM Tower, the direction that the kidnappers had gone.
*** ***
Some twenty minutes after the scene with Leon, Sean was standing on a rooftop neighboring GENOM Tower, paying close attention to Iczel's sensor reports. Anri and the mystery Boomer had arrived at the Tower ten minutes ago, and a GENOM vice-president had promptly killed the Defence Minister and taken the two Boomers inside, riding the elevator up to Quincy's own office. The entourage of 55-C Boomers with the group showed the Old Man - idly Sean wondered if anyone had ever called Quincy that face-to-face - was being careful. Two minutes ago, Iczel had picked up tight-beam meson-particle transmissions coming from the office, but nothing appeared to be happening.
Suddenly, a salvo of particle-beam strikes rained down on the GPCC Center on the outskirts of MegaTokyo. The entire block disappeared in a fireball. Sean gaped in shock.
[I knew he could direct the satellites, but... Oh my God, he only hit small targets before... All those people! *All those _lives!_*] For several seconds Sean stood and seethed. Finally, he turned to face the Tower, where a window of Quincy's office had been shattered.
{Sean,} Iczel cried, {I need more time to finish repairs! *Sean!*}
{He. Dies.}
With that, Sean lifted off the rooftop and streaked toward the Tower, ignoring his partner.
*** ***
He flew in to see an android double of Quincy sprawled against the wall and the two Boomers facing broken TV screens.
"Largo?" Anri said to her ally. Sean's rage cooled at that - Anri was so innocent, she couldn't have knowingly been part of this. [I better get her out of here first,] Sean thought. [Revenge can wait for another day.]
"There's no point in staying here any longer, Anri. Let's go," Largo replied to the Sexaroid.
"I agree," Sean called, using his normal voice. "Anri, come here. Let's go." The pair whirled, and Largo threw out his hand, and some kind of shockwave blew Sean back into the wall. The faceplate sputtered and died.
{Iczel!}
{I _told_ you I needed more time!}
The mental exchange was about all that Sean was able for - he'd been badly rattled by the crash, and his left ribs had definitely broken again. He just made out Largo telling Anri to finish 'the one who murdered Sylvie.' Just as Sean got his wits together, a knife slid between his ribs - luckily his right ones.
"Sylvie... I avenged you..." Anri whispered sadly from in front of Sean, where she held the knife. Sean reached up and put his hands on her shoulders, gently pushing her away from him until the knife came out in her hands. Then he knelt down in front of Anri and looked her in the eye.
"Anri..." he grated through the pain. "I've never lied to you, not since the day you fell out of the sky to complicate my life. I swear to you now - Sylvie is alive! Get out of here, go to Priss's trailer. Ask her to call Sylvie for you. She's alive!"
Anri's shocked face was punctuated by Largo's laughter. "So the *little lion* is actually Sylia's lover Sean Kai! And he uses the truth quite nicely to his advantage. Yes, Sylvie is alive: her arrival in MegaTokyo led to a chain of events that gave me full control of GPCC and allowed me to produce the HyperBoomers. As long as one of the more aggressive ones survived with the D.D., it would have served my purposes."
"Then we were just..." Anri gasped.
"I suppose you could call yourselves my catspaws," Largo replied. "But your collective usefulness is at an end. Step aside, Anri," he said while readying a second shockwave, "Play time... is over."
As the shockwave roared in at him, Sean reached up to push Anri off to one side - only to find that she'd already moved between him and Largo. Desperately, he tried to raise a forcefield around them both, but he could feel the system damage slowing him...
He saw, as if in slow motion, Anri being hit by the shockwave, blood spurting from her body, her falling back towards him, landing in his lap. She was saying something, but he lost most of it in his shock. Time seemed to return to normal, and he heard,
"...so, Sean, you have to live... you have to win... for Sylvie's freedom... for your lover... and... don't forget me..."
"Never." He clasped her reaching hand tight until it went limp, life having finally fled.
"So, is it dead?" Largo asked casually. "Or perhaps I should say, 'has it ceased functioning?'" He paused. "It is, after all, just a machine."
Sean seethed. No, he burned, feeling a fury like never before in his life. "_You_ should know that the physical makeup isn't all that makes you a *person.* Anri was a damn sight better as a person than a certain GENOM exec I accidentally wasted." Now he screamed. "*YOU* AREN'T A PERSON AT ALL! GO TO THE SCRAPHEAP, YOU FUCKING MURDER MACHINE!!" He whipped an arm up, snatching a beam sword and throwing it with all of his strength in one smooth motion...
But Largo blew it back at him with a shockwave blast, and charged, punching Sean out through the wall and down thirty feet to where he and the Sabers had battled Mason months ago. Sean crashed down on his back, but ignored the pain and bolted to his feet as Largo came to the hole, laughing.
"How foolish to think you are a match for me!," he gloated.
Sean stood still, feeling the rage rise, and his energy rise with it, rippling around him like heat-shimmer. "I'm _not_ going to lose, bastard. Not here, not now. For all the people you killed with the satellites, but most of all for Anri, you die here."
Largo looked down upon his foe with some respect. "A lion's courage, to the end. Allow me to pay homage to your admirable bravery by giving you a glimpse of perfection." With that, he pulled off his shirt and jacket, tossing them down toward Sean.
In no mood to play, Sean incinerated the clothing with an energy blast - then gawked. Largo's body was black and gray, and obviously armoured, but his appearance was as close to human as Sean had ever seen in a Boomer. Even the intakes for the flight jets were almost gills, quite organic in appearance.
"THIS is the look of a true victor! Now make peace with your gods, child." Sean hardly heard the last few words; he'd just come to a shocking realization.
[My dream, where this guy's silhouette was behind the image of Mason - he called me 'little lion', only one man's ever called me that - and 'the look of a victor'? My God, he's...]
"...Mason."
"What?"
"You. Mason. You.. Largo.. are Mason. How? And for god's sake, why the switch to mass murder? My God, you've given up everything that made you a _person_ to be a better killer!" Sean's rage had drained away, replaced by surprise and dull horror. He turned toward a shadowy side passage as a _heavy_ footstep resounded from there. [I hope that's a Motoroid, or even a BU-12-B, it'll be out to get Largo as much as me...] his thoughts faded away as the shape of one of the HyperBoomers emerged from the darkness. He spun as another came around the curve of the Tower and a third landed behind him. None of them showed signs of serious damage.
Sean's emotional roller coaster now dove to the depths of despair. [oh, no...] he moaned inside. [if these guys are here and intact, then the Sabers... Sylia...]
Largo smirked. "It seems I won't have to dirty my hands on you, after all. Kill him!" he cried.
Sean leaped up at the blue HyperBoomer as it flew at him, but he was just going through the motions. He dodged, slashed with his swords, squirmed free when the red one grabbed his skull, but he ran into a punch, a concussion blast, and crashed into a wall. He looked up to see Largo striding between his minions.
"Damn you," he spat. Largo kicked him, sending him flying to the ground, where all four assailants encircled him.
[Dammit! Is this the end?] Sean thought. [I don't want to live without Sylia, but I _have_ to win here, or at least kill Largo. Sylia... Anri... If your spirits can hear me, *help me.* *Give Me Strength!*]
{Ask, and you shall receive, lover!}
{SYLIA!?!?!}
An explosion from behind the Boomers drew their attention - and Sean's - to a descending humanoid figure. It looked to Sean like an improved version of a Motoroid, and it was in white - Sylia's colour. Sean had never seen anything so beautiful in his entire life. {Sylia! Is that you? Is everyone okay?}
{Yes, to both. Sean, we need to talk later. For now, just rest.} Her 'sending' didn't seem to hinder her fighting in the slightest as Largo ordered one HyperBoomer to charge, and the Motoroid - Sean recognized it now from plans he'd seen at Dr. Raven's the night of his last Mason nightmare, it was a Typhoon II - demolished it without even firing a weapon.
Largo snarled at the new arrival. "You! Well, it doesn't matter. You're all broken inside your shell. With all three of us, it won't take long to destroy your big 'crutch.'"
Sean was feeling wonderful. A tidal wave of relief, elation, and new determination surged through him - and through Iczel.
{Oh, Sean,} she sent, {just like your mother! Your strength is washing through us!} All the nicks and tears in the 'spandex' sealed up, the dents in the armour smoothed out, and Sean could _feel_ all systems returning to full capacity - maybe better!
['All Systems,' apparently, includes me!] Sean thought as his ribs, the knife wound, and his bruises and cuts all seemed to disappear at once! He climbed to his feet behind the Boomers - all the recovery seemed to have taken less than a second. Acting on instinct, he drew both beam swords, then pushed them together. They merged to form one long blade which he held in both hands. Largo spun around, but Sean stabbed the sword through the red HyperBoomer, then leaped up, cutting it in two! Landing beside Sylia, he let the sword dissipate, then asked,
"Are you up for some one-on-one? If you take your former impostor there," he indicated the lone remaining HyperBoomer, "I can handle _him._" he finished, staring at Largo.
"Agreed - and a pleasure." Sylia replied, facing her opponent.
As they battled, Sean concentrated, feeling the energy surge to his limbs like it had when he destroyed his HyperBoomer counterpart. Suddenly he leaped, leveling a dropkick at Largo's head.
The SuperBoomer shifted his weight, moving his torso to one side, and Sean destroyed a section of concrete wall when he hit it. Turning, he saw Largo throwing a shockwave so powerful that it retained the shape of his fist, spiraling in at Sean. Snapping up his forcefield, he jumped to one side, but the blast clipped the field - and caved it in! [Oh, man, if he'd actually _hit_ me...] Sean thought, aghast.
Largo snorted. "Hmph! So a worm remains a worm, even with all that power. My next attack will send you straight to Hell."
Sean, staring Largo right in the eyes, replied;
"We'll see about that. All my heart, _all my soul,_ *everything I've got's going into this one!* **THIS IS FOR ANRIII!!!**"
Largo charged, but registered surprise as Sean sprang _backward,_ rebounding off the wall to land in a handspring, all his energy focusing within his right foot as he vaulted forward and kicked Largo's outstretched fist with every ounce of strength he could muster!
The moment seemed to freeze, as Sean felt Largo's blow ravage his leg and bones in his ankle pop out of their sockets, but he did not relent. Time resumed its normal flow, as Largo's arm, and half his chest, were torn from his body by the driving force of the kick, and he flew back to smash into a wall in a cloud of dust. Sean flipped to his feet, but nearly fell from sudden exhaustion and the pain in his leg.
Sylia caught him before he hit the ground. She was out of her Motoroid. [She won and I didn't even notice!] Sean thought.
A three-part cry of "Iczelion!" rang out from above as the Knightwing descended to the battlefield, but Sean was no longer paying attention. Relief and fatigue were setting in. He was barely 'there' enough to notice as Largo called in a satellite strike, Linna and Nene used the artillery Motoroid to counter, and Largo was hoist on his own petard.
A new voice 'sending' woke him up in a hurry.
{Sylia... Sylia Stingray...} Largo!!
{How do you know my name?} Sylia.
{I know... that you and I are two of a kind... because...}
Sean broke in. {-Because you moved your mind into a Boomer body and she's enhanced!?! Stuff it, Mason. You and Sylia are like winter and summer, the only thing you have in common is the places you cover. Shut your face!} Suddenly, Sean heard Priss yelling,
"Lookout, you two!"
_Looking_ at Largo, Sean saw that he'd deployed a mouth laser aimed at them! [Shit! should've known, gotta protect us!] For the second time that night, Sean desperately tried to raise a forcefield with the sickening feeling that it would be too late. He stepped between the Boomer and his lover...
...And a thunderous gunshot rang out, punching a large hole in Largo's forehead and toppling him off the precipice he'd been balanced on. He fell over the edge, and as Sylia, Priss, and Sean scrambled forward to look, an explosion blew out the bottom of the artificial canyon he'd fallen into. They all looked back over their shoulders to see Leon, neck brace and all, standing on the roof of Quincy's office with his big 'Earth Shaker' anti-Boomer pistol smoking in his right hand. He waved and laughed, and squinted as the sun rose over MegaTokyo.
*** ***
Back in the Knightwing, Sylia and Sean were talking. Sylia was standing in the cabin, and Sean, with Iczel separate, was slumped in one of the seats.
"Sean, I have to apologize," Sylia was saying. "You were right to hold on to your principles, and I shouldn't have insisted you abandon them to be expedient. It wasn't until I felt you over at GENOM Tower, and thought I might lose you, that I realized that your integrity is part of what I love about you. I know I can trust you in confidence with anything, and you won't tell anyone. I - I _need_ that, an element of absolute trust. I-" Sean held up a hand to stop her. He'd been trying to since the first sentence, but his revival and effort against Largo were taking their toll now.
"Sylia," he croaked, "I appreciate the sentiment, but if I'd mentioned Sylvie, Anri, and the D.D. earlier, Anri might never have fallen in with - with _that_," and he nodded back toward the Tower, "and might still be alive." He paused to swallow the lump in his throat, then continued, "I further have found moral dilemmas and conflicts of interest to be bloody awful! I don't ever want to go through that again, so:" he cleared his throat;
"I, Sean Kai, do swear to you, Sylia Stingray, that if ever I come into possession of information that I feel relates to the Knight Sabers organization or any assignment thereof, you will be told, and as soon as possible." He 'ahem'med again.
"There, does that cover it? I hope so, because I... am... bushed..." Having said what he needed to, he let himself lapse into sleep, the painkillers in his leg helping him along. Sylia stared for a moment, then smiled and gently embraced her friend and lover as he rested.
*** ***
Two days later, on crutches and with a cast around the dislocated ankle, Sean limped up to the door of Linna's apartment. There was something that needed to be done, however painful - or awkward - it might be.
Iczel had heard all of what Anri had told Sean, and played it back for him through their link the day after the battle.
"Sean... I couldn't let you die... I never said anything... but I care for you... and so does Sylvie... We talked... after you bought blood for us... you were the first... to say we were people... but _he_ doesn't think so... he'll just use Sylvie again... and your Sylia too... so, Sean, you have to live... you have to win... for Sylvie's freedom... for your lover... and... don't forget me..."
[I really have to apologize to Sylvie for letting Anri die, and resolve this 'caring' situation. I don't need _another_ strain on my morals right now!] Squaring his shoulders, he rang the doorbell...
END BUBBLEGUM CRIS-ICZ 3: NEVER THE END
To be continued in:
BUBBLEGUM CRIS-ICZ 4: SAY YES!
Another week of fruitless searching went by, Sean's health slowly returning to normal now that he was no longer worried about Anri being dead or the victim of some horrible experiment. Then, on the 4th of May, Sean caught the 6 o'clock news.
"... The armoured vigilantes known as the Knight Sabers, including the mysterious Iczelion, raided a GENOM transport facility last night, destroying several security Boomers, killing three guards and a truck driver, and stealing a transport truck filled with valuable Boomer components. GENOM chairman Quincy was unavailable for comment, but..." The rest of the words faded out of Sean's consciousness as he watched the images on the screen. Very good likenesses of all four Sabers and of Iczelion, albeit with a solid visor, were caught on security camera footage. Iczelion in particular: 'he' was shown striding through pistol fire to casually pitch a glowing - [but solid,] Sean noted - sword into the right eye of one guard.
[What the hell is this?!? I certainly wasn't there last night, and I don't think that's the Saber's style either! Shit, we're being set up!] {SYLIA! Have you seen the news?!} he sent.
{Ouch! not so loud, Sean. Yes, I have seen the footage. It was on the midday news as well, but given your current schedule, I thought you might be asleep at the time.}
{Oh, for... why in blazes didn't you _call_ me?! I don't mind being woken up for important matters! Never mind, I'll be right over. I-} Sylia cut him off.
{No, Sean. This is aimed primarily at the Knight Sabers, and that makes it Knight Sabers business. We will meet tomorrow to discuss how to handle this, but you are still on suspension.}
{Oh, for crying out loud, Sylia, this is no time to-} He stopped as the feeling of 'contact' broke off. [She cut me off! Oooh, I can't _believe_ her! I probably won't have any better luck with normal communication right now, either. Well, all I can do is watch and wait.] He then noticed the announcer mention the datanet boast that these 'Fake Sabers', as Sean now thought of them, would raid the Tinsel City Bank in three days. [Well! If Sylia doesn't want my input, I just won't ask! I _will_ be there, though, well in advance, and the Iczelion impostor makes this _my_ business. We'll see who laughs last!]
*** ***
It was the evening of Monday, the 7th of May. Sean had synchronized with Iczel at noon and gone to one of the taller buildings surrounding the Tinsel City Bank. Breaking into a roof stairwell, he had used his forcefield to confound A.D. Police infrared and radar sweeps. For eight hours now, he'd waited and watched. [I suppose I should be glad of it if nothing happens, but I want to resolve this impostor situation now!] Looking out to the top of the bank, he snorted for the fifth time at the squads of Tactical Response Teams on the roof. [I wonder who's in charge, and what they could be thinking? There isn't a Tac Squad in MegaTokyo that any one of the Sabers couldn't beat in seconds! Those people are cannon fodder if these fakes come in high--]
A shattering explosion wiped the roof clean of A.D.P. personnel and revealed the fake Knight Sabers and Iczelion - almost. [Hey,] Sean thought, [where's the Nene copy? I don't see her!] Then an A.D.P. chopper tried to make an attack pass on the bank rooftop, only to be shot down casually by the fake Sylia. Sean struggled to rein in his temper. [Even if they're short one, if I go in alone, I'll likely get killed. I have to wait-] Sean stopped as he saw Leon McNichol climbing into a K-12 Armoured Trooper. [Aw, shit, he's dog meat on his own! Better move in to back him up.]
*** ***
Leon was beginning to think that this wasn't one of his better ideas. For one, he wasn't fighting at his full ability because he'd seen the faces of two of the Sabers - if Iczelion counted - during the fracas with the D.D. Battlemover. Iczelion's odd blue faceplate had faded away when he'd been kayoed by the D.D., and Leon had connected the face to a name in the Tokyo Highway Patrol's speeding misdemeanor files - Sean Kai. Then Priss had opened her faceplate to embrace the D.D.'s pilot after Iczelion had pulled off a miracle save. Leon had kept it quiet, but he _knew._ Now, not 100% sure if these were the real deal of not, Leon had held back in the current fight, and hadn't even landed one shot on the hardsuits. Second, the thumping they'd been giving him was getting rougher, and if things kept escalating at this rate one of them was going to shoot-
As Leon finished the thought, the 'Iczelion' aimed one arm at him and fired at his cockpit visor. He shied to one side, trying to take the hit on a shoulder-
And blinked as something flashed in front of him and took the hit. He blinked again. It was Iczelion! The smoke from the blast cleared, and the new arrival pointed at his counterpart - who was visibly different now that Leon could see both at once. He sighed in relief. The _second_ was the original!
"Surprised to see me?" the real Iczelion cried. "I know _I_ am!" He pointed at his double. Under his breath, he hissed to Leon, "McNichol? You okay?"
"You bet!" Leon murmured back. "You want some help?"
"I wouldn't mind at all! Oh, and in case you're still wondering, these are _not_ the real Sabers. I've seen them enough that I recognize the little differences in design." [Not really,] Sean thought, [but I can't very well say that I can sense the location of the real 'white Saber', and she isn't here yet!]
"That's a relief," Leon replied. "Now I can kick some ass!" Iczelion cocked his head at Leon, giving him the impression of a cockeyed grin. Then he turned back to face his double.
"O.K.! *Let's rumble!*"
The next two minutes were decidedly odd. The doubles were going drastically out of their way to avoid getting hit at all, and while they used teamwork to hit Sean and Leon a few times, they would have been far more effective going with an all-out offense. Finally, unbalanced by a shoulder slam from the false Sylia, Leon's K-12 toppled to a lower roof tier as Sean watched. Quickly he flew over to cover the downed suit with his forcefield as Leon struggled up. As the A.D.P. Inspector regained his feet, the pair looked up to see all the doubles aiming at them. Sean stiffened his field, waiting for a devastating salvo...
That never came. A white form blurred by the false Priss, flipping over its head and blasting it with both Palm Bombers. {Sylia!} Sean sent. {Here to join the party?}
The response was _not_ amused. {I thought I told you this was Knight Saber business!} she replied.
Sean pointed at his double. {And what's _that?_ An art deal on the side? He's mine, Sylia, and that's why I'm here!}
{A thin excuse, but I can't refute it. Very well. Try to keep your A.D.P. friend out of the way, though!}
{Hey, he's not doing so badly!} Sean replied indignantly. In fact, with such inferior hardware, Leon had been working miracles so far.
"Hah! The real ones are all here!" Leon yelled. He jetted his K-12 up to outflank the doubles between him, Iczelion, and the Knight Sabers.
"Your little plot has been exposed, you are short one member, and you're surrounded. I suggest you give yourselves up," Sylia called.
An odd bulge appeared on the fake Sylia's helmet. As Sean watched in horror, the four fakes exploded out of their 'hardsuit' appearances like a 55-C shedding a human disguise. The resulting Boomers were each almost fifteen feet tall, and the now-red Priss double showed no sign of damage from Sylia's Bomber strike. The former Sylia double said,
"Now that you're all here, we can fulfill our mission. Time to die, Knight Sabers!" With that, all the HyperBoomers charged - the former Iczelion rushing Sean, its armour shrugging off a rapid-fire series of energy blasts with an ease that could only mean it was more of the B-12's ceramel composites. Sean swerved aside, then powered up his forcefield and charged, meaning to ram.
The golden HyperBoomer dodged easily, looping around to Sean's rear and opening its chest panels. What it fired, though, was not a microwave beam. A ripple affect flashed outward from it, expanding as it came, and try as he might, Sean was unable to escape the area of the pulse, which slammed him across the street and onto the roof of the building he'd been watching the bank from.
{Iczel, what _was_ that?!?} Sean asked, picking himself up onto hands and knees.
{A beam of somewhat focused kinetic energy. I didn't think Earth technology could accomplish that yet! We could do the same by concentrating the graviton emissions we use to fly, but-}
Iczel was cut off as the gold HyperBoomer soared across the street in pursuit of its target and launched a horrific kick into Sean's side - luckily not the injured one. Then it plastered him to the stairwell housing with another shockwave blast, and came in with a slap to Sean's head. He struggled to stay conscious as it grabbed him under the arms and held him up.
"Is that _all_ you have, Iczelion?," it growled at him. "I didn't expect it to be so easy. Maybe I'll go have some fun after I kill you by helping my friend pull the arms and legs off the white suit - maybe with the wearer's limbs still in them."
Sean's mind exploded into rage. One desire was foremost in his mind - to smash this murderous thing with his bare hands, before it could harm Sylia, or kill any more. Energy peaked in Iczelion, flowing from his center into his limbs, and he snapped his head up to regard the Boomer.
"YOU-" his voice was a grating growl.
"WILL-" he brought his arms up. The Boomer noticed a ripple affect extending about a foot out from the fists and opened its chest panels again.
"NOT-" Iczelion smashed his fists down on the Boomer's arms and they snapped at the elbows. More ripples began around Iczelion's legs.
"HURT-" one fist slammed into the Boomer's triangular skull, smashing one eye, while the other crashed into the shockwave cannon, leaving a foot-wide dent.
"ANYONE ELSE!" A barrage of fists, feet, and knees descended upon the injured HyperBoomer, each one landing with that one-foot-wide impact and carrying incredible force. The torso of the machine was a shattered ruin in seconds, Iczelion concluding his fury by stomping the now-detached skull of his foe, smashing it.
Sean came back to himself. {Oh.. My.. God! What power! Iczel, how did we do _that?_}
{I was just mentioning that the graviton output of our drives could be rerouted, Sean. You directed the energy to your fists and feet, creating a one-foot-diameter contained gravity field in each spot.}
{In english, please, Iczel?}
{You were effectively wearing one-ton weights on your limbs without slowing the speed of your strikes.} Sean was stunned. The sheer _momentum_ of a hit like that...
An explosion from the Bank roof distracted him. {Sylia!} he called. {I'm in decent shape and my opponent is down. Permission to engage?}
The thought that came back was somewhat strained. {No! Priss and Linna are doing well enough against their foes, and Nene and I are double-teaming mine. You got what you were 'here for', so now you can go.}
Sean seethed. {*Yes, Ma'am.*} [I can't believe she's being this stubborn! Well, she should have them outnumbered five to-] He suddenly realized that he hadn't seen Leon at all since getting clobbered. "Hey! McNichol! Are you okay?," he called over the radio. Receiving no response, he scanned the bank roof, but neither the K-12 suit nor its wreckage were in evidence. [Well, he probably pulled out - he was totally outmatched there. Oh, hell. If Sylia wants me to butt out,] he thought with a tinge of bitterness, [far be it from lowly Sean to argue.] He pulled up off the apartment roof, aiming for the Canyons.
*** ***
His flight was interrupted barely a minute later by a brilliant white beam stabbing down from the sky at a point along the Fault's Edge Highway. {Iczel,} he sent softly, {please tell me that wasn't...}
{I think it was, Sean. An orbital particle-beam strike.} Iczel responded.
{This doesn't make any damn sense,} Sean replied. {The Knight Sabers and I destroyed the prototype SuperBoomer, and why would USSD blast a stretch of highway?!? We'd better get over there and check for damage and survivors. Please, God, let it have been some stupid glitch.}
Sean's prayer went unanswered, as a second strike less than two minutes later blew a recently arrived A.D.P. helicopter out of the sky.
{Dammit! Full speed, Iczel! There's gotta be a Killer Doll or a SuperBoomer there, we have to destroy it before it kills anyone else!} Iczelion threw caution to the wind as he accelerated toward the site. As he pulled in above the highway, he saw two human figures, one holding the other off the ground by the throat. As he aimed a blast at the road under their feet, Sean asked Iczel, {Can you scan them? I'd really like to know who's who _before_ I shoot.}
{Scanning...} came the response. {Sean, the aggressor is a Boomer of unknown type, the victim is your friend Leon McNichol,} Sean flinched in surprise - so this was where he'd gotten to! {-and in the car are one human I haven't yet encountered, and -} Iczel broke off.
{Iczel? Who else is in the car?}
{You won't believe this, but it's Anri!}
"WHAT?!" Sean exploded verbally. Shaking his head, he put those concerns out of his mind as he concentrated on knocking the Boomer over without hurting Leon. He fired, blowing up pavement under the blue-haired Boomer, knocking it down and making it drop Leon. As it got up, it glared at him and pointed an arm to the sky.
Sean suffered a horrific flashback. In his last nightmare about the deceased Mason, he'd seen a red-eyed, blue-haired silhouette call down 'fire from heaven' with that gesture. [If anything today resembles that, it's a satellite strike!] Sean thought. Reacting instantly, he accelerated and swerved to one side - he saw a bright flash -
Then he crashed into the guardrail of the highway, propelled by a titanic blast, and the world went dark.
*** ***
He awoke to the sight a a glowing crater in the road beside him. {Ow... Yipes, that was no sure thing! Iczel, how're we doing?}
Iczel took a moment to reply, and when she did, it was slower than usual. {Um... Sean, the outer shields... took the brunt of the blast, and they're working at about... 20% efficiency right now. The inner field, the 'skintight' one, is at... about 50% capacity, and my internal systems... are at 80%. I can effect self-repair in about thirty minutes.}
{Okay, but make it quicker if you can. Oh, shit, I forgot about McNichol!}
Pulling himself to his feet, Sean wobbled over to where Leon lay on the ground. The A.D.P. Inspector coughed as Sean approached. In a detached way, Sean noted that his left ribs were hurting again; he'd probably re-injured them, but at least Leon was alive.
"Boy, McNichol, you do get in trouble!" Sean called as he knelt by Leon's side. "What happened here, anyway?"
Leon rolled slowly onto his back. "Ow... not sure. Some guy kidnapped the Minister of Defense, and was driving along here when he stopped to deal with a GENOM car. I'm not sure, but I think the bastard called down satellite particle-beam strikes on the car, then my chopper. He had me by the throat until you bowled him over. Thanks," he coughed. "Shit! A monster should at least look like a monster... Ow."
Sean turned to leave - an A.D.P. chopper was already inbound, and Leon didn't appear to be in danger of dying. Leon reached up and grabbed his hand.
"Listen," he said, "this isn't like your other enemies. Leave it to the A.D. Police. I don't want Priss getting hurt because of this, Kai." Sean's head snapped around of its own accord.
"Excuse me? Who?"
"I saw your face after the D.D. belted you, and I was conscious when Priss popped her helmet. I didn't tell - but I care for her. I don't want her getting hurt."
[Aw, *shit!*] Sean thought. [First Sylvie, now this! I can't believe this!] Aloud, he said,
"Don't worry, Inspector. I can't comment one way or another on your idea of identities, but rest assured I will _not_ invite your favorite rock singer along tonight." With that, he flew off. Leon slowly stood as the backup A.D.P. helicopter descended toward him. He stared after Iczelion as the yellow-and-red figure flew off toward GENOM Tower, the direction that the kidnappers had gone.
*** ***
Some twenty minutes after the scene with Leon, Sean was standing on a rooftop neighboring GENOM Tower, paying close attention to Iczel's sensor reports. Anri and the mystery Boomer had arrived at the Tower ten minutes ago, and a GENOM vice-president had promptly killed the Defence Minister and taken the two Boomers inside, riding the elevator up to Quincy's own office. The entourage of 55-C Boomers with the group showed the Old Man - idly Sean wondered if anyone had ever called Quincy that face-to-face - was being careful. Two minutes ago, Iczel had picked up tight-beam meson-particle transmissions coming from the office, but nothing appeared to be happening.
Suddenly, a salvo of particle-beam strikes rained down on the GPCC Center on the outskirts of MegaTokyo. The entire block disappeared in a fireball. Sean gaped in shock.
[I knew he could direct the satellites, but... Oh my God, he only hit small targets before... All those people! *All those _lives!_*] For several seconds Sean stood and seethed. Finally, he turned to face the Tower, where a window of Quincy's office had been shattered.
{Sean,} Iczel cried, {I need more time to finish repairs! *Sean!*}
{He. Dies.}
With that, Sean lifted off the rooftop and streaked toward the Tower, ignoring his partner.
*** ***
He flew in to see an android double of Quincy sprawled against the wall and the two Boomers facing broken TV screens.
"Largo?" Anri said to her ally. Sean's rage cooled at that - Anri was so innocent, she couldn't have knowingly been part of this. [I better get her out of here first,] Sean thought. [Revenge can wait for another day.]
"There's no point in staying here any longer, Anri. Let's go," Largo replied to the Sexaroid.
"I agree," Sean called, using his normal voice. "Anri, come here. Let's go." The pair whirled, and Largo threw out his hand, and some kind of shockwave blew Sean back into the wall. The faceplate sputtered and died.
{Iczel!}
{I _told_ you I needed more time!}
The mental exchange was about all that Sean was able for - he'd been badly rattled by the crash, and his left ribs had definitely broken again. He just made out Largo telling Anri to finish 'the one who murdered Sylvie.' Just as Sean got his wits together, a knife slid between his ribs - luckily his right ones.
"Sylvie... I avenged you..." Anri whispered sadly from in front of Sean, where she held the knife. Sean reached up and put his hands on her shoulders, gently pushing her away from him until the knife came out in her hands. Then he knelt down in front of Anri and looked her in the eye.
"Anri..." he grated through the pain. "I've never lied to you, not since the day you fell out of the sky to complicate my life. I swear to you now - Sylvie is alive! Get out of here, go to Priss's trailer. Ask her to call Sylvie for you. She's alive!"
Anri's shocked face was punctuated by Largo's laughter. "So the *little lion* is actually Sylia's lover Sean Kai! And he uses the truth quite nicely to his advantage. Yes, Sylvie is alive: her arrival in MegaTokyo led to a chain of events that gave me full control of GPCC and allowed me to produce the HyperBoomers. As long as one of the more aggressive ones survived with the D.D., it would have served my purposes."
"Then we were just..." Anri gasped.
"I suppose you could call yourselves my catspaws," Largo replied. "But your collective usefulness is at an end. Step aside, Anri," he said while readying a second shockwave, "Play time... is over."
As the shockwave roared in at him, Sean reached up to push Anri off to one side - only to find that she'd already moved between him and Largo. Desperately, he tried to raise a forcefield around them both, but he could feel the system damage slowing him...
He saw, as if in slow motion, Anri being hit by the shockwave, blood spurting from her body, her falling back towards him, landing in his lap. She was saying something, but he lost most of it in his shock. Time seemed to return to normal, and he heard,
"...so, Sean, you have to live... you have to win... for Sylvie's freedom... for your lover... and... don't forget me..."
"Never." He clasped her reaching hand tight until it went limp, life having finally fled.
"So, is it dead?" Largo asked casually. "Or perhaps I should say, 'has it ceased functioning?'" He paused. "It is, after all, just a machine."
Sean seethed. No, he burned, feeling a fury like never before in his life. "_You_ should know that the physical makeup isn't all that makes you a *person.* Anri was a damn sight better as a person than a certain GENOM exec I accidentally wasted." Now he screamed. "*YOU* AREN'T A PERSON AT ALL! GO TO THE SCRAPHEAP, YOU FUCKING MURDER MACHINE!!" He whipped an arm up, snatching a beam sword and throwing it with all of his strength in one smooth motion...
But Largo blew it back at him with a shockwave blast, and charged, punching Sean out through the wall and down thirty feet to where he and the Sabers had battled Mason months ago. Sean crashed down on his back, but ignored the pain and bolted to his feet as Largo came to the hole, laughing.
"How foolish to think you are a match for me!," he gloated.
Sean stood still, feeling the rage rise, and his energy rise with it, rippling around him like heat-shimmer. "I'm _not_ going to lose, bastard. Not here, not now. For all the people you killed with the satellites, but most of all for Anri, you die here."
Largo looked down upon his foe with some respect. "A lion's courage, to the end. Allow me to pay homage to your admirable bravery by giving you a glimpse of perfection." With that, he pulled off his shirt and jacket, tossing them down toward Sean.
In no mood to play, Sean incinerated the clothing with an energy blast - then gawked. Largo's body was black and gray, and obviously armoured, but his appearance was as close to human as Sean had ever seen in a Boomer. Even the intakes for the flight jets were almost gills, quite organic in appearance.
"THIS is the look of a true victor! Now make peace with your gods, child." Sean hardly heard the last few words; he'd just come to a shocking realization.
[My dream, where this guy's silhouette was behind the image of Mason - he called me 'little lion', only one man's ever called me that - and 'the look of a victor'? My God, he's...]
"...Mason."
"What?"
"You. Mason. You.. Largo.. are Mason. How? And for god's sake, why the switch to mass murder? My God, you've given up everything that made you a _person_ to be a better killer!" Sean's rage had drained away, replaced by surprise and dull horror. He turned toward a shadowy side passage as a _heavy_ footstep resounded from there. [I hope that's a Motoroid, or even a BU-12-B, it'll be out to get Largo as much as me...] his thoughts faded away as the shape of one of the HyperBoomers emerged from the darkness. He spun as another came around the curve of the Tower and a third landed behind him. None of them showed signs of serious damage.
Sean's emotional roller coaster now dove to the depths of despair. [oh, no...] he moaned inside. [if these guys are here and intact, then the Sabers... Sylia...]
Largo smirked. "It seems I won't have to dirty my hands on you, after all. Kill him!" he cried.
Sean leaped up at the blue HyperBoomer as it flew at him, but he was just going through the motions. He dodged, slashed with his swords, squirmed free when the red one grabbed his skull, but he ran into a punch, a concussion blast, and crashed into a wall. He looked up to see Largo striding between his minions.
"Damn you," he spat. Largo kicked him, sending him flying to the ground, where all four assailants encircled him.
[Dammit! Is this the end?] Sean thought. [I don't want to live without Sylia, but I _have_ to win here, or at least kill Largo. Sylia... Anri... If your spirits can hear me, *help me.* *Give Me Strength!*]
{Ask, and you shall receive, lover!}
{SYLIA!?!?!}
An explosion from behind the Boomers drew their attention - and Sean's - to a descending humanoid figure. It looked to Sean like an improved version of a Motoroid, and it was in white - Sylia's colour. Sean had never seen anything so beautiful in his entire life. {Sylia! Is that you? Is everyone okay?}
{Yes, to both. Sean, we need to talk later. For now, just rest.} Her 'sending' didn't seem to hinder her fighting in the slightest as Largo ordered one HyperBoomer to charge, and the Motoroid - Sean recognized it now from plans he'd seen at Dr. Raven's the night of his last Mason nightmare, it was a Typhoon II - demolished it without even firing a weapon.
Largo snarled at the new arrival. "You! Well, it doesn't matter. You're all broken inside your shell. With all three of us, it won't take long to destroy your big 'crutch.'"
Sean was feeling wonderful. A tidal wave of relief, elation, and new determination surged through him - and through Iczel.
{Oh, Sean,} she sent, {just like your mother! Your strength is washing through us!} All the nicks and tears in the 'spandex' sealed up, the dents in the armour smoothed out, and Sean could _feel_ all systems returning to full capacity - maybe better!
['All Systems,' apparently, includes me!] Sean thought as his ribs, the knife wound, and his bruises and cuts all seemed to disappear at once! He climbed to his feet behind the Boomers - all the recovery seemed to have taken less than a second. Acting on instinct, he drew both beam swords, then pushed them together. They merged to form one long blade which he held in both hands. Largo spun around, but Sean stabbed the sword through the red HyperBoomer, then leaped up, cutting it in two! Landing beside Sylia, he let the sword dissipate, then asked,
"Are you up for some one-on-one? If you take your former impostor there," he indicated the lone remaining HyperBoomer, "I can handle _him._" he finished, staring at Largo.
"Agreed - and a pleasure." Sylia replied, facing her opponent.
As they battled, Sean concentrated, feeling the energy surge to his limbs like it had when he destroyed his HyperBoomer counterpart. Suddenly he leaped, leveling a dropkick at Largo's head.
The SuperBoomer shifted his weight, moving his torso to one side, and Sean destroyed a section of concrete wall when he hit it. Turning, he saw Largo throwing a shockwave so powerful that it retained the shape of his fist, spiraling in at Sean. Snapping up his forcefield, he jumped to one side, but the blast clipped the field - and caved it in! [Oh, man, if he'd actually _hit_ me...] Sean thought, aghast.
Largo snorted. "Hmph! So a worm remains a worm, even with all that power. My next attack will send you straight to Hell."
Sean, staring Largo right in the eyes, replied;
"We'll see about that. All my heart, _all my soul,_ *everything I've got's going into this one!* **THIS IS FOR ANRIII!!!**"
Largo charged, but registered surprise as Sean sprang _backward,_ rebounding off the wall to land in a handspring, all his energy focusing within his right foot as he vaulted forward and kicked Largo's outstretched fist with every ounce of strength he could muster!
The moment seemed to freeze, as Sean felt Largo's blow ravage his leg and bones in his ankle pop out of their sockets, but he did not relent. Time resumed its normal flow, as Largo's arm, and half his chest, were torn from his body by the driving force of the kick, and he flew back to smash into a wall in a cloud of dust. Sean flipped to his feet, but nearly fell from sudden exhaustion and the pain in his leg.
Sylia caught him before he hit the ground. She was out of her Motoroid. [She won and I didn't even notice!] Sean thought.
A three-part cry of "Iczelion!" rang out from above as the Knightwing descended to the battlefield, but Sean was no longer paying attention. Relief and fatigue were setting in. He was barely 'there' enough to notice as Largo called in a satellite strike, Linna and Nene used the artillery Motoroid to counter, and Largo was hoist on his own petard.
A new voice 'sending' woke him up in a hurry.
{Sylia... Sylia Stingray...} Largo!!
{How do you know my name?} Sylia.
{I know... that you and I are two of a kind... because...}
Sean broke in. {-Because you moved your mind into a Boomer body and she's enhanced!?! Stuff it, Mason. You and Sylia are like winter and summer, the only thing you have in common is the places you cover. Shut your face!} Suddenly, Sean heard Priss yelling,
"Lookout, you two!"
_Looking_ at Largo, Sean saw that he'd deployed a mouth laser aimed at them! [Shit! should've known, gotta protect us!] For the second time that night, Sean desperately tried to raise a forcefield with the sickening feeling that it would be too late. He stepped between the Boomer and his lover...
...And a thunderous gunshot rang out, punching a large hole in Largo's forehead and toppling him off the precipice he'd been balanced on. He fell over the edge, and as Sylia, Priss, and Sean scrambled forward to look, an explosion blew out the bottom of the artificial canyon he'd fallen into. They all looked back over their shoulders to see Leon, neck brace and all, standing on the roof of Quincy's office with his big 'Earth Shaker' anti-Boomer pistol smoking in his right hand. He waved and laughed, and squinted as the sun rose over MegaTokyo.
*** ***
Back in the Knightwing, Sylia and Sean were talking. Sylia was standing in the cabin, and Sean, with Iczel separate, was slumped in one of the seats.
"Sean, I have to apologize," Sylia was saying. "You were right to hold on to your principles, and I shouldn't have insisted you abandon them to be expedient. It wasn't until I felt you over at GENOM Tower, and thought I might lose you, that I realized that your integrity is part of what I love about you. I know I can trust you in confidence with anything, and you won't tell anyone. I - I _need_ that, an element of absolute trust. I-" Sean held up a hand to stop her. He'd been trying to since the first sentence, but his revival and effort against Largo were taking their toll now.
"Sylia," he croaked, "I appreciate the sentiment, but if I'd mentioned Sylvie, Anri, and the D.D. earlier, Anri might never have fallen in with - with _that_," and he nodded back toward the Tower, "and might still be alive." He paused to swallow the lump in his throat, then continued, "I further have found moral dilemmas and conflicts of interest to be bloody awful! I don't ever want to go through that again, so:" he cleared his throat;
"I, Sean Kai, do swear to you, Sylia Stingray, that if ever I come into possession of information that I feel relates to the Knight Sabers organization or any assignment thereof, you will be told, and as soon as possible." He 'ahem'med again.
"There, does that cover it? I hope so, because I... am... bushed..." Having said what he needed to, he let himself lapse into sleep, the painkillers in his leg helping him along. Sylia stared for a moment, then smiled and gently embraced her friend and lover as he rested.
*** ***
Two days later, on crutches and with a cast around the dislocated ankle, Sean limped up to the door of Linna's apartment. There was something that needed to be done, however painful - or awkward - it might be.
Iczel had heard all of what Anri had told Sean, and played it back for him through their link the day after the battle.
"Sean... I couldn't let you die... I never said anything... but I care for you... and so does Sylvie... We talked... after you bought blood for us... you were the first... to say we were people... but _he_ doesn't think so... he'll just use Sylvie again... and your Sylia too... so, Sean, you have to live... you have to win... for Sylvie's freedom... for your lover... and... don't forget me..."
[I really have to apologize to Sylvie for letting Anri die, and resolve this 'caring' situation. I don't need _another_ strain on my morals right now!] Squaring his shoulders, he rang the doorbell...
END BUBBLEGUM CRIS-ICZ 3: NEVER THE END
To be continued in:
BUBBLEGUM CRIS-ICZ 4: SAY YES!
