Part Two
Three quarters of an hour later, Peter returned to the Embassy from his hotel room where he had gathered his team and informed them of Canberra's decision. That had taken just a few minutes. The rest of the time he had spent convincing them they should follow orders and return to Australia the next day, rather than stay and risk getting fired.
When he entered the Security Centre, Johnson waved him over to a computer. "Good news for a change." he said.
"About bloody time." Peter said as he dropped himself into a chair next to Johnson. Johnson pressed a key and a personnel file stolen from the ADP's Personnel Department appeared on screen. The file photo was that of a young woman in her late teens with short blonde hair. Peter immediately recognized her as the blonde Knight Saber. He looked at her name. Nene Romanova. "Mate, this is a godsend! We've got everything; name, address, work history, family history, right down to her blood type and next of kin!" He looked at Johnson, who was smiling coyly to himself. "There's more isn't there." Peter asked.
Johnson said nothing, instead pressing another key. A second file appeared on screen, this one a witness statement from a rogue boomer incident several weeks ago. "We managed to crack the password on the ADP's case file database and we found this."
Peter quickly scanned the statement, and stopped when he came to the witness' name. Linna Yamazaki. He played the accompanying squad car footage and stopped it when a young woman with brown hair appeared on screen. "That's her. That's the third Knight Saber." Peter looked at Johnson. "Mate, do I ever owe you a beer."
Johnson grinned. "I'd say you owe me a couple."
Peter grinned back, and printed out all the relevant information on the last two Knight Sabers. "I'll check 'em out in the morning. By the way, how'd you crack the password?"
Johnson smiled smugly. "Would you believe the system designer programmed in a backdoor so he could get into the system if anything went wrong? And would you believe the password he chose was 'backdoor'?"
Peter shook his head, then laughed out loud. "God bless the ADP's shit poor security!"
***
Johnson stepped off his usual morning bus and walked the last two blocks to the Embassy to start another work day. Reaching the end of the street, he turned left around the corner and almost collided head on with Peter. So startled by the unexpected near impact was Johnson that he dropped his briefcase on the footpath.
"Oh, Pete. It's you." he said, regaining his composure.
Peter waved good morning as he bent over, hands on his knees, and caught his breath.
"Out for a morning run?" Johnson asked as he retrieved his briefcase.
Peter nodded. "Yeah." He said between breaths.
"How far have you run so far?"
Peter stood up, breath in his lungs now, but still breathing heavily. "About eight kays now. Just getting in are you?" he asked as they turned and started walking back to the Embassy.
"Yeah. Normal morning routine so far. You had breakfast yet?"
Peter shook his head. "Normally eat after I work out, otherwise I'll end up feeling queasy."
Johnson understood and nodded. "Why don't cut it short today and join me. I usually eat after I get to work."
"Sounds good." Peter said.
"What have you got planned for today?"
"Nothing much. Just recon our three lovely young girls today. Then see my team off at the airport."
They reached the Embassy's main doors and entered. Nodding curtly to the guards on duty at the front desk, they entered the secure elevator and rode it up to the ninth floor where the Security Centre was located. They stepped of the elevator and walked down the short corridor to the Security Centre.
Johnson led Peter into his office where he opened a wall cabinet to reveal a small fridge and a microwave. Taking a couple of croissant's from the fridge he popped them in the microwave for a few minutes.
When done he passed one to Peter, along with butter and a choice of either raspberry or strawberry jam. Peter chose the strawberry.
When they were happily munching on their breakfast, Johnson finally broke the silence. "What are you going to do now?"
Peter considered the question for a moment. "I'm going to finish this investigation, and I'm going to do it within the next few days."
Johnson almost choked on his food. "Just how are you planning on doing that? You've got no team."
Peter smiled coyly. "I'll find a way." The smile vanished and he became deadly serious. "Somebody's out to get me and derail this investigation. They've already pulled the plug on my team. Now I've got to finish this before mine gets pulled as well."
"And just how do plan to do that?"
The smile reappeared. "Like I said, I'll find a way."
"I'm sure you will." Johnson said as he took another bite.
"What I don't get is how they know what I'm doing." Peter said.
"What do you mean?"
"Both times I've had my chain yanked, it's been just when we've made a breakthrough. The first came just after we were able to positively associate Stingray with the Knight Sabers. That one I can understand cause I was presenting regular reports and my request for additional manpower was made in writing and went through Upham. Even though he didn't approve, it was irrelevant so long as he passed it on, which he did.
"After my request was turned down, I stopped making regular reports about what we were doing and instead made up some BS about monitoring Kirkland as our only solid lead. Now, just as we identify everyone in the organisation, my team gets recalled. Somehow, whoever's behind this knows what it is I'm really doing."
Johnson's eyes narrowed. "You don't mean...."
Peter nodded. "Yeah. There's a leak somewhere close by."
"Any idea who?"
Peter shook his head. "As far as I know, it could be anyone. Well, anyone except Upham. Hell! It could even be you."
"And what if it is me?" Johnson said.
Now it was Peter's eyes that narrowed. "Let's just say I won't be too happy."
Johnson smirked. "Well be happy, cause it's not me."
"Really?" Peter asked, not convinced.
"Believe me, I've got just as much riding on this as you. Why do you think I've been so keen to help you?"
"Well it couldn't have just been out of the kindness of your heart." Peter said cynically.
Johnson stood and started pacing behind his desk. "You think I like baby sitting an Embassy in some country where I have trouble understanding what's being said on TV? I want to get home and take one of the important positions, like head of the Prime Ministers security, or Parliament House or something, and helping an intelligence investigation into a possible threat to National Security to the best of my ability and then some will look damn good when it comes my turn."
Peter was silent as he studied Johnson, attempting to ascertain whether he told the truth. Finally, after a long moment, he spoke. "I believe you. But I also still believe there's a leak."
Johnson sat. "I'm not denying there is. I'm just saying that it's not me."
Peter looked out the office window into the Security Centre, where the shift change was taking place. "Whoever it is, they must have access to the Security Centre, as that's where I've been running this op from."
"I don't like the idea that one of my men could be spying on you."
Peter turned back to face Johnson. "As much as I'd like to smoke the little rat out, I've got to concentrate on my investigation. Do you mind if I move into your office? I just want to get away from prying eyes."
"No, I don't mind. You'll have to use your own computer though, I've got classified contingency plans on mine which you aren't authorized to see."
"Thanks." Peter stood and left.
***
Matt and the rest of the Surveillance Officers boarded their plane just before twelve, and by then Peter had already driven past Priss, Nene's and Linna's homes and tracked Linna to her workplace at Hugh Geit. After eating a quick lunch from the Embassy's cafeteria, Peter now sat in Johnson's office pouring over plans of Stingray's building. Somehow he had to find out what was on the floors below ground, unfortunately, since Stingray had discovered those two bugs, she had stepped up security till there was no chance Peter could sneak in and out again, although he had spent hours searching for a way. Soon however he had come to the conclusion that he didn't have enough information on the building to pin down any weak spots he could exploit.
Without any discreet way to go about it, Peter decided to throw caution, and Standard Operating Procedures, to the wind and force his way in. To that end he was looking for ways to delay the Knight Sabers response long enough for him to find what he wanted and make his escape, and as he called up the buildings wiring schematics, he found it.
***
Peter parked one of the hire cars across the street from Stingray's building. It was three in the morning and the lack of traffic at this hour made Tokyo seem like a very different city. Peter checked his watch one last time, then pulled his balaclava over his head, grabbed his combat vest and exited the car. Pausing one last time to check the street for any witnesses, he dashed across the road and up the stairs to the shopping concourse where the Silky Doll was located. Pressing himself against the wall, away from the glass front of the shop, Peter pulled a small remote from his vest and, on the count of three, pushed the button. In the alley behind the building, a small box attached to the wall at a specific spot began to hum, a low electronic noise that quickly turned into a high pitched whine and suddenly lights all over the building died as the main power distribution point, where the electricity entered the building from the outside, was shorted out by a powerful electromagnetic pulse.
As soon as the lights went out, Peter pushed open the now inactive door to the shop and made a mad dash to the secret elevator. As expected, within seconds of the main power being cut off, emergency power kicked in and the lights came back on as a loud klaxon began wailing. The secret door in the change room opened as soon he stepped in and he sprinted into the waiting elevator where he jabbed the down button. Now, nervously, he waited for the elevator to finish it's descent.
***
Sylia shot up in bed as a loud wailing sound startled her from her sleep. Opening her eyes, she reeled and immediately shut them again as they were assaulted by a bright light. Quickly her senses returned to her and, with a start, she realized the intruder alarm was sounding and that the emergency lighting was on. Leaping out of bed, she grabbed her bathrobe off the foot of it and madly tried to pull it on as she ran for the elevator down to the pit.
As she entered the elevator, Henderson appeared, still dressed in his pajamas, and carrying a loaded shotgun. "Looks like we're in for some night time entertainment, Milady." he said mildly, as if he were commenting on the weather.
Sylia stabbed the down button. She forced herself to calm down as the elevator continued downward.
***
The doors opened and Peter stepped out into a large, well lit room, resembling nothing less than a hitech laboratory. Quickly glancing around the room, he spotted another elevator, which was quickly descending. Realizing that it was most likely Stingray onboard, Peter didn't waste another second. He sprinted for the doors and slapped another EMP mine over the control panel. Activating immediately, the EMP mine shorted out the doors circuitry, buying Peter valuable time.
***
The elevator reached the pit and Sylia tensed as Henderson cocked the shotgun and held it at the ready. They waited, yet the doors didn't open. Sylia pressed the button, but still they remained shut.
"The doors won't open." she said as she gripped them and attempted to force them open. Henderson safed the shotgun and put it down, then lent his strength.
***
Peter stepped off the flight of stairs he had found and onto what he could only describe as a bridge or control room overlooking the main room. Out the windows he could see some sort of launcher set against the far wall and upon a raised dais. Putting his curiosity aside, Peter sat himself in the only seat and inserted a disk into the computer. Working quickly he installed a program, then sat back and waited. In the bowels of the computer, the recently installed worm scanned the contents of all the hard drives it found. Detecting several layers of protection on the system, it defaulted to its fall back programming. It scanned the hard drives again, working in a specific and methodical fashion, noting what data was stored on them, and writing what it found into a simple text file. When it finished several minutes later, it transmitted its 'map' of the hard drives to a server in Libya, which then forwarded it on to another server in Poland, from where it travelled a convoluted path through the internet, circling the globe hundreds of times in different directions, before arriving at its destination, a computer that sat quietly by itself in a warehouse owned by a small shipping company that had been set up as a front for certain JIO operations. From that computer it was automatically emailed to an anonymous online account which Peter had set up just a few hours ago, and which he never intended to use again.
Once the worm had successfully executed its programming, it automatically deleted itself, wiping all evidence of its existence from the Knight Sabers computers. Peter took a moment to ensure there was no trace of it left in the computer, then turned and fled from the bridge, retrieving his disk on the way.
Taking the stairs back down to the main room, he crossed back to the elevator from the Silky Doll. As he did, he noticed the doors to the other elevator slowly begin to open as Stingray forced her way out. Peter stepped into the elevator and pressed the up button as Stingray gave a final shove and opened the doors fully. As the doors to his elevator closed, Peter saw Sylia run towards him, while Henderson aimed a high powered shot gun. Sylia leaped at him, but the doors shut and Peter heard the dull thump as she slammed into them.
Peter let out a sigh of relief as the elevator began its journey upwards.
***
Sylia picked herself up off the floor and swore as the black clad intruder made his get away. Henderson was by her side in a moment, stretching out his hand to help her. Sylia brushed him aside and ran for the bridge. She had to activate the defences and stop that man from escaping.
***
Peter stopped the elevator at the garage and stepped off. Quickly orientating himself, he sprinted towards the ramp that led up to street level. As he did, he passed the large purple and white truck he had seen the Knight Sabers use several weeks ago.
He arrived at the heavy roller door, but stopped and cursed his ill fortune. There was no lock or control panel on this side either. Peter pulled out his goggles and used them to locate the motor that opened the door, up above and hidden behind an access panel. Placing the electronic lock interrogator over the access panel, he used it to force open the roller door.
***
"He's trying to open to garage door!" Sylia said as she brought the buildings defences online.
"How is he doing that? There's no control panel there to open it from." Henderson said.
"I don't know, but I'm going to try and shut it."
***
With the door only half a foot open, the motors computer received a command to shut the door again whilst it was still receiving commands to open the door. Unable to process both conflicting orders at the same time, the computer crashed and the roller door stopped moving. Peter swore and pounded his fist against a wall. Grabbing the interrogator he lay down on his stomach and tried to slide underneath, but found he was unable to. Repressing a sudden panic attack at the thought of being trapped in the building, Peter sucked in his gut, pressed himself as flat as possible and forced himself underneath the door.
With it digging painfully into his body, Peter pushed one side through, but found his head wouldn't pass through the gap easily. Sucking in a deep breath and steeling himself, he gritted his teeth and pushed. Slowly, and with an unbearable pressure on his skull he pushed his head through. At first the fabric of the balaclava protected his face, but when he pushed his ears through, he felt and heard the material begin to rip and tear. Suddenly a burning pain shot through his ear and the side of his face as the balaclava tore and his skin was scrapped against the hard concrete. Ignoring the pain, he continued to push until his head finally jerked free. With most of his body already through, Peter quickly pulled the rest of himself free and stood up. He touched his fingers to his abused ear, and they came away covered in blood.
Shrugging off the pain, he ran out of the alley and down the street to where he had parked the other hire car earlier that day. Jumping in, he started the car and pulled away from the curb. Turning down the first side street he came across, he set about a complex series of turns designed to spot any tail he might have. Satisfied he was alone, he turned back onto the main roads and headed back to the Embassy via a circular route through most of Tokyo.
***
"Damn it!" Sylia said and pounded the console as they watched intruder make his get away on a video monitor.
"What's done is done, Milady. No use crying over spilt milk." Henderson said reassuringly.
Sylia straightened up. "You're right Henderson, as usual."
"One of the benefits of my many years of experience Milady. At least he didn't get away scot-free." Henderson said, displaying his wry sense of humour and pointing out the intruders bloody ear.
Sylia smiled. "I guess we should look around and see what he was after." she said and sat down at the computer.
"He wasn't carrying anything when he got away. Do you think we interrupted him before he could find what it was he was looking for?"
"I hope so." she said as she went through her computers files. "Damn." she said, stopping on a certain file. "He accessed the computer." she taped a few keys. "Unfortunately he's wiped all trace of what he did from the computers logs. Better put on some coffee Henderson, this is going to take a while."
"As you wish, Milady." Henderson turned to leave, then a thought occurred to him and he stopped. "Would you like me to call Mistress Nene for you Milady?"
"Why, yes. Thank you Henderson, I could use her help on this."
***
Peter walked into the Security Centre, clutching a bandage to his injured ear.
"God! What happened to you?" Johnson asked when he saw Peter's worse for wear state.
"Literally stuck between a rock and a hard place." Peter said as he sat in front of a free computer and logged onto his online email account. He visibly relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the file had made it. With a press of a button, he forwarded it onto a friend he knew he could trust back at JIO.
"I take it you got what you wanted?" Johnson asked.
Peter nodded. "It'll take a couple of hours for the computer to crunch through all that information and recreate what was on Stingray's hard drives." he yawned. "In the meantime, I think I'll go get myself cleaned up and then get some coffee.
"In the meantime, why don't you go down to the First Aid station and have them patch your ear up, then get some sleep."
Suddenly feeling very tired at the mere mention of sleep, Peter said "Like I said, I'll go get myself cleaned up then get some sleep." he deleted the email from his account then wondered off to find the First Aid Station.
***
Nene entered the bridge, her hair unkempt and her clothes in disarray as if she had dressed while still asleep, which she most likely had. She yawned and rubbed sleep from her eyes. "Sylia, what's the big emergency that you had to get me up in the middle of the night for? I have to go to work tomorrow."
"It's early morning actually." Sylia said, then filled her in on the events of a few hours ago.
"Really, he was accessing the computers?" Nene asked, taking a seat next to Sylia.
"That's right. Unfortunately he wiped all records of his activities from the logs. I can't find out a thing about what he was doing."
"Well, let's just see about that." Nene said confidently as she pushed Sylia aside and set to work on the computer.
Sylia was initially about to protest being shoved aside, but decided against it as she watched Nene dive into the bowels of the system, searching for even the smallest clue. "I'm going to go have breakfast and take a shower." she said. "I'll have Henderson bring something down for you, along with some coffee."
"Coffee's good." Nene muttered as she worked.
***
Peter awoke in his hotel room shortly after midday. After showering and ordering something light to eat from room service, he left the hotel and made his way back to the Embassy where he went straight to his computer in Johnson's office. As expected, his friend at the JIO had managed to recreate the contents of the Knight Sabers hard drives and now made it available to him to peruse. Peter fired off a quick thank you email along with a promise of several beers when he returned and set about scouring the gigabytes of data available.
After several hours of searching, Peter came across what appeared to be an old diary or journal Stingray had kept. The last entry was made over a year ago, and Peter surmised she must have forgotten about it. He began reading and quickly realized it had been made to record the early days of the Knight Sabers. From it, he soon learned who the fourth Knight Saber was, Sylia Stingray herself. Apparently, nowadays, she only went into combat in exceptional circumstances. He read about the original Knight Sabers, how they died in action and of Sylia's reaction to their deaths, and then about the recruitment of Priss and Nene.
By the time he read the last entry, it was dark outside, and Peter now felt he understood who the Knight Sabers were and what they were about. They weren't anti-boomer terrorists as the media made them out to be and what the politicians in Canberra feared, they didn't fight for money or fame or glory, or out of any sense of vengeance. They fought to protect the people of Tokyo from the rouge boomers Genom Corporation kept insisting didn't exist. Indeed, from Stingray's writings, he surmised that it was Genom that was ultimately responsible for rouge boomers by ignoring their responsibility to ensure their product was safe and reliable and not a threat to the public. But as a large corporation, Genom had the money and the resources to ensure it would never be held accountable by the authorities, and so it fell to Sylia Stingray, daughter of the man who had invented boomers, to fight her fathers creations in order to protect the people the politicians had failed.
Peter shut down his computer and stood up. He walked to the windows that overlooked the nearby park and watched the city of Tokyo close down for the night. All through his investigation, he had viewed the Knight Sabers as the enemy, a threat to National Security that had to be stopped. Now he knew it wasn't the Knight Sabers that was the threat, it was Genom. If Genom had the conscience to release a defective product on the market, with deadly results and then deny it, there would be no limit as to what actions they would take to ensure their monopoly on the boomer market.
He couldn't help but feel somewhat dirty about what he had put Stingray and her friends through these last few weeks.
***
"I think I've got it Sylia." Nene said, still hard at work in the Bridge. She had called in sick and had spent the entire day picking the system apart bit by bit, file by file, and examining each and every one of them.
"What?" Sylia asked, looking over Nene's shoulder.
"I haven't been able to determine what it was this intruder did to the computer, but just before he left, the firewall recorded a connection to a server in Libya."
"Libya?" Sylia repeated in surprise.
Nene nodded. "I hacked the server and found that an exceptionally large file was routed through it from our computers to another server in Poland. So I set a worm of my own creation out after it."
"What sort of worm?"
"It sort of acts like a sniffer dog in that it will actively chase down whatever file I send it after. This is the first real chance I've had to test it, and I must say it's working better than I could have hoped. It's already traced the file through thousands of servers and proxy's and circumnavigated the globe more times than an airline pilot."
"Where's it heading?"
"We'll know in a minute Sylia." Nene said and they both set about waiting for the worm to finish its pursuit.
After circling the globe another dozen times, it came to rest on a computer in Australia. "I knew it." Sylia muttered. "Is the file still there?"
Nene quickly entered a few commands into the computer. "Nope. It was emailed to one of those free online accounts. I'm hacking into it now." After a few more seconds she succeeded. "Hmm. Looks like whoever received it has already dumped the evidence." she said after finding nothing in the account.
"Any idea what was in that file?"
"Not really. It was a large text file, several megabytes in size, and there's nothing like that in your system."
"There's no way you can recreate the file?"
Nene shook her head. "Whatever he did to the computer totally removed all traces of itself and whatever he did. There isn't even a residual footprint on the hard drive."
"So the only way we're going to know what he did is if we find this guy and make him talk."
"And we know just where to find him, don't we?" Nene said with relish. Sylia nodded.
***
Peter sat in the conference room trying to type the draft of his report, but really thinking back over the last few weeks and all that he had seen and experienced. Rampaging boomers, young women in powered suits risking life and limb to stop them, bureaucratic incompetence and corruption restricting a well intentioned police force and the greed of a corporation behind all the troubles. It was enough to make one wonder if there was any hope for humanity, whether the basic human values of trust and kindness still existed. But they did exist, and they were embodied in the four women who formed the Knight Sabers. That they should be hunted and forced into the shadows was a horrendous crime in itself. He wondered how they coped with the secrecy and the stress of it all.
Whilst most of them weren't much older than he was when he joined the army and entered the dangerous world of covert ops, he had had friends and team mates, psychologists and his government there to tell him that the things he was doing were right and not to be ashamed of, and that the only people that got hurt were the enemy. All these women had was each other.
A loud crash in a distant part of the building brought him out of his reverie, quickly followed by a loud alarm. He stuck his head out the open door and saw Johnson leading half a dozen security personnel down the hall towards him, with several other Embassy staffers heading the other way.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Cleaning boomer downstairs has gone rogue." Johnson said matter-of-factly as he swept by. Peter followed and fell into step beside him.
"So what do we do?"
"We're evacuating the building. We're on our way to secure the Ambassador and escort him out, then we'll try to contain the boomer until help arrives."
"What do you want me doing?" Peter asked as they approached the door to the Ambassadors office.
"We could use your help containing the boomer." Johnson said, unable to stop a note of desperation entering his voice.
Peter nodded and absently patted his gun. They arrived at the door to the Ambassador's office. The security systems recognised Johnson and immediately let them through. They passed through outer office and into the Ambassadors office proper.
The Ambassador was already on his feet and looking worried. Another half dozen security personnel surrounded him with their guns drawn.
"Mr Ambassador, we have a situation. You have to leave the building." Johnson said. "We'll escort you to your helicopter."
"What in the hell is going on?" the Ambassador demanded.
"A boomer has gone rogue and is rampaging downstairs. We're evacuating the Embassy." Johnson said, emphasising the danger.
The Ambassadors face tightened. "You mean it's true? Those things actually go rogue?"
"Yes sir, and you are in danger if you stay here. You have to let us escort you to your helicopter now, sir."
"Very well." the Ambassador said, stepping out from behind his desk. "Lead the way."
The security men formed a tight circle around the Ambassador, every man with a gun drawn and intently watching their field of view. Peter found himself on the outside of the circle and decided to do his bit in protecting the Ambassador. He pulled his gun, cocked it and flipped the safety off, then watched the space in front of him for any signs of danger.
Johnson took the lead, escorting the Ambassador out of the office and towards the nearest stairs to the roof. They got about halfway when all the security personnel received a message through their ear pieces. Johnson listened to it and went slightly pale. He stopped and reversed their direction.
"Sir." He said to the Ambassador. "Change in plans. The boomers gotten into the stairwell and is on its way up here. We're going to go down to the parking garage via the back stairs and get you out in your limo."
"Are the police on their way?" the Ambassador asked as he was bustled in the other direction by the security men.
"Yes sir. The ADP has been informed and will be here in minutes. However, sir, they are limited in their capability. I'm afraid that you will have to contact Canberra and request assistance from the Japanese military." Johnson said as they turned a corner. Ahead of them, at the end of the corridor were the back stairs that would take them to the parking garage.
"Are you serious?" the Ambassador asked, somewhat alarmed.
"Very, sir."
A loud crash from the direction of the front stairs told them the boomer was now on the same floor as them. "Double time it!" Johnson yelled and all the security men broke into a run. A sound like an electronic howl or roar sounded behind them, and Peter looked back to see a boomer, horribly swollen and misshapen come dashing around the corner and slam into the wall.
Training took over and Peter dropped to one knee, lined up a shot and fired. Shots next to him told him that several of the security men had done the same. Peter watched as dents appeared in the boomers metal skin, but the bullets ricocheted of it harmlessly. The boomer roared again, turned and started charging down the hallway. Peter fired another shot, which just bounced off like the first.
The boomer was only metres away now and would be on top of them in any moment. Peter reached out and grabbed the collar of the man next to him, then jumped to the side, pulling both of them out of the way of the rampaging machine.
Peter watched as the boomer sailed past them and crashed into the door to the stairs, knocking over one man who had made his stand in the doorway. The man flew backwards and Peter watched him disappear down the stairwell. Peter couldn't see the Ambassador, Johnson or the contingent of security, and assumed they'd made it down the stairs already. That left Peter and three other security officers to face the boomer alone.
The boomer picked itself up and tried to fit through the door, but found it's mutated bulk was too large. With a howl, it gave up and turned to face the four humans still within reach. Peter and the security officers picked themselves up off the ground, one of the officers firing another shot at the boomer as they did. The boomer howled and tried to make a grab at the officer, but the man ducked under its grasp.
Peter grabbed the man next to him and ducked through a door. They found themselves in a large office area filled with cubicles and another door on the opposite side. Silently agreeing on a course of action, they broke into a sprint and heard a loud crumbling sound behind them. Peter glanced backwards and saw the boomer had forced its way through wall like it was paper and had paused to locate them. Several cracks sounded from the corridor, and Peter guessed the other security officers were trying to draw its attention away from them.
It didn't work. The boomer ignored the bullets, sighted them and took off after them, charging like a wounded bull. Peter and the Security Officer reached the door and passed through it. The boomer followed, its momentum carrying it through the office wall and into the much more solid corridor wall. With the boomer momentarily distracted, Peter and the Security Officer stopped to decide what to do next.
"The front stairs!" Peter cried and took off down the corridor. Behind them they heard the boomer pick itself up and resume it's pursuit. They reached the front stairs and the Security Officer began to run down them, but Peter caught his shirt and hauled him. "No, wait! It came up those stairs, it can go back down. The back stairs!" he said and took off in that direction. They neared the corner where the boomer had first smashed into the wall and came across the other two Security Officers running toward them. Peter shouted and indicated they should turn around, and a loud crash behind them as the boomer entered the corridor convinced them.
They ran, knowing full well that the boomer was faster, but their fear and adrenaline drove them at speeds they hadn't thought possible. They reached the stairs just as the boomer was upon them, but once again the doorway held against its bulk. They mounted the stairs, and in their rush one of the Security Officers stumbled and fell, knocking over the rest of them. Peter found himself sprawled on the landing at the foot of the stairs, on top of one officer and two more on top of him.
They picked themselves up and took off down the stairs again, this time much more carefully. They reached the next floor down and left the stairwell. Above them they heard the boomer thrashing about. They quickly searched the floor and found it empty. Mounting the stairs again, they headed downwards, searching each floor for any loiterers as they went.
Reaching the ninth floor, Peter headed straight for the Security Centre. In there he found Johnson directing a room which, moments before had been peaceful but which now resembled the War Room of a country at war.
Johnson turned at Peter's entrance and looked relieved to see him. "Thank God you're okay." he said.
"Yeah. So are your guys." Peter agreed. "What's the situation?"
"The thing's left the top floor and is now two floors down. We've physically sealed off both front and back stairways and the elevator shafts. Every floor above us is completely sealed off and the Embassy is under total lock down. Nothing gets out and nothing comes in without my permission."
"How soon till the ADP get here?"
"Half an hour."
Peter wasn't surprised at the delay. "So much for a rapid reaction force. What's the plan?"
"We keep it contained and stop it from doing too much damage." Johnson said as he crossed to a large, armoured door. Peter followed him. Johnson opened the door and they went through. Inside Peter found a large armoury filled with enough weapons to equip a battalion of troops. Johnson grabbed a large assault rifle and checked it, then put it aside and picked up another larger gun and shoved it into Peter's hands.
Peter looked at the size of the gun thrust at him. "Jesus Christ! Why the hell have you guys got something this big?"
"In case we're attacked." Johnson said matter-of-factly.
"By a whale?" Peter asked.
"We planned for a terrorist incident. An attack by rogue boomers was just one scenario. We concluded that the AD Police can't cope with an all out boomer assault, so we have to be able to successfully defend ourselves until Canberra could make a proper request to the Japanese government to send in the military." Johnson said as he loaded his gun and checked it.
"That still doesn't explain why I'm carrying a gun big enough to turn an elephant into chutney." Peter said as he loaded his weapon.
"Trust me, you'll be glad you've got it." Johnson said, then grabbed his rifle and left the room. Peter stayed a minute, examining his new gun. It looked to him like it had been ripped directly from a jet fighter and been modified to be operated by hand. As he studied the weapon, locating all the switches and triggers, another Security Officer entered and opened a very sturdy looking locker, then started pulling out several boxes of ammunition and passed one of the correct gauge to Peter. He loaded the weapon and hefted it. He was glad he wouldn't have to carry such a heavy gun any further than a few floors. Whilst undoubtedly highly effective in combat, its size and weight made it impractical unless it was mounted on some sort of vehicle.
Peter left the armoury and found Johnson briefing several teams of Security Officers. Peter joined and listened to Johnson's plan to contain the boomer on the eleventh floor and hold it there till the ADP or the military arrived.
Once fully briefed, the teams filed out of the Security Centre and headed to their positions. Johnson stood over a tactical holographic map of the building like a general and directed his troops. "I sure do wish we had the Knight Sabers right here, right now." he commented to Peter.
In the heat of the moment, Peter had forgotten about them, and realized they were most likely mobilizing by now. "How much longer till the ADP get here?" Peter said.
Johnson checked his watch. "Twenty minutes."
"The Knight Sabers are going to get here before then."
Johnson looked at Peter as he suddenly realized the same thing. "They won't even be able to get close. The air defences are totally automated."
"Shut them off." Peter urged.
"I can't. SOP. If I turn them off during a crises, a lot of questions are going to be asked."
A loud crashing sound echoed from above and a shudder ran through the building.
"If you don't turn them off, there might not be any Embassy by the time the ADP get here!"
Johnson said nothing, instead he stared at map of the building, as if trying to divine a solution to all problems from it.
"It's your call." Peter said.
***
"Do we really want to save their asses?" Priss asked as she, Linna and Nene stood atop a building overlooking the Australian Embassy.
"That boomers really making a mess of things in there, and the ADP's still a quater of an hour away." Nene said.
"Besides," Sylia said over the radio. "This is our chance to get some intel on what they're up to."
"But what if it's a trap." Priss objected.
"I'm sure you three can handle it." Sylia said.
"Regardless," Linna interjected. "we won't even be able to get close while their air defences are up."
"Ah, that's no longer a problem." Nene said. "Their air defences just shut down."
"That was rather convenient." Priss said cynically.
"Never mind!" Sylia said sternly. "If you don't move now, you won't make it out before the ADP get there."
"You're being a fool, Sylia." Priss said.
There was a momentary silence over the radio, then Sylia said calmly. "Linna? Nene?"
"Well, I don't know about you Priss," Linna said, "but I can't just stand around while there are people trapped in there with a mad boomer." she said, then fired her thrusters and leapt towards the Embassy.
"I'm with you Linna!" Nene called after her as she followed. Priss watched them go.
"Priss, if you don't want to do this, then you can return to base and let Linna and Nene handle it. And forget about getting paid for this one."
Priss fumed, but she had no choice, she needed the money. "You really are a bitch." she said and rocketed after the other two.
***
Peter and Johnson waited in the corridor outside the rear stairwell. Past them, in the main office area of the Embassy, the boomer continued its rampage, now swollen and misshapen beyond any recognizable form.
Peter peered around the doorway, watching it.
"How the hell does something made of metal mutate like that?" he wandered aloud. "It's almost as if it's alive."
"They are." Johnson said. Peter looked at him without comprehension. "It has to do with the core. I don't know the technical reason why, but it's made from a bio-mechanical construct."
"You want to say that again in english?" Peter said.
"Those things were made with organic components. Parts of it really are alive." Johnson explained.
Peter smiled. "That tells me just one thing."
"What's that?"
"We can kill it."
Johnson grinned back at him.
"Six, Centre." a voice from the Security Centre said through their ear pieces.
"Go ahead." Johnson replied.
"We've just tracked three persons in armoured suits landing on the roof."
Peter and Johnson looked at each other and Peter mouthed They're here. Johnson nodded. "Understood. Do not move to intercept or block them, I say again, do not move to intercept or block them. Open up a path for them to my location."
"Copy that, Six." the Security Centre acknowledged. A minute later they called again. "Six, Centre. They're in the stairwell sir, coming towards you."
Johnson acknowledged. Another series of loud bangs followed by shattering glass indicated the boomer had found something new to destroy. Without warning, the stairwell door burst open and three hardsuited figures suddenly appeared. Johnson twirled on instinct and levelled his gun at them.
"No!" Peter said, slapping Johnson's' gun away. He looked at the Knight Sabers. "It's in there." he said, sticking a thumb over his shoulder and through the door. The Blue Knight Saber, Priss, nodded and lead the others towards the door. Peter caught her arm as she passed by. Priss visibly tensed and looked at him, and Peter could feel her gaze burrowing into him through her visor. "Be careful, and please try not to destroy too much." he said, and let go. Priss stared at him a moment longer, then was through the door, followed by Linna and Nene, who both gave him looks as well.
"Was that a smart thing to do?" Johnson asked as the sounds of combat could be heard through the wall.
"Probably not. But it had to be done." Peter said and edged around the door, gun at the ready. Smoke filled the room beyond and it was difficult to see, but judging from the constant loud cracks and bangs, the fighting was hard and furious.
"What's taking them so long?" Peter asked to no one in particular. "They should have been able to handle something like this, no sweat."
"Maybe they're doing what you asked and are being careful." Supplied Johnson.
"Why the hell would they listen to me? I wouldn't." Peter said, edging further forward.
"You got me there." Johnson added.
"Six, Centre." Both Peter and Johnson heard over their ear pieces. "The ADP Tactical Response teams are here and are preparing to enter."
"Let them through." Johnson said. Peter glared at him in disbelief. "We've got procedures to follow." Johnson said with a shrug.
"Yeah, well I don't." Peter said and charged into the room. He heard Johnson shouting after him to come back and that he was being a damned fool, but Peter ignored him. Following the sounds of the battle, Peter found himself in a large open workspace towards the centre of the floor. The Knight Sabers had managed to back the boomer into a corner, where it was now snarling and swiping at them like an enraged animal, preventing any of them from coming close.
Peter shouldered his gun and took aim. "Stand back!" he yelled at the Knight Sabers. They turned, surprised by this new turn of events, but immediately recognized the threat the gun posed and jumped to the side. Peter braced himself and squeezed the trigger. The gun jerked repeatedly, but Peter held it steady. Thousands of small explosions ripped and tore into the boomers outer skin. Peter walked his fire all over the boomer, not leaving any surface undamaged.
After several seconds of fire, the gun ran dry and Peter lowered it. The boomer now lay a smoking and charred pile of metal in the corner. Before any others could move, Priss leapt over to the boomer, reached into the rubble and crushed its core. She stood and silently watched Peter as he cleared the weapon and safed it.
"Are you crazy? You could have killed us!" Nene shouted over her suits speaker as she and Linna recovered.
"Relax kid, I've been shooting since before you were born. I know how not to hit something." Peter said, feeling rather gung ho despite his training.
"Well, what did you do that for? We could have taken care of it." interjected Linna.
"I've no doubts you could. My only problem was you were taking too long, and the AD Police have arrived and are on their way up. You've got get out of here. Now."
"Oh no! Not so-" Nene started but was cut off by Priss.
"Didn't you hear him? We're going." the Blue Knight Saber said and pushed past Peter. Reluctantly, Nene and Linna followed, both glaring at Peter as they passed. Peter watched them leave, then put an order out over the radio that no one was to block their passage.
He walked over to the smoking wreckage of the boomer and kicked at it absently.
***
"Just who the hell does that guy think he is?" Nene shouted when they were safely on the roof and taking to the air.
"Forget that. Did you notice how he called you 'kid'?" Linna asked.
"I'm not a god damned kid! He shouldn't have called me that!" Nena shouted.
"What Linna means, Nene," Priss said. "Is that you were wearing your hardsuit. How did he know you were a kid?"
"I'm not a damn kid! Okay?"
"If you would shut up and listen for a minute," Priss said with anger seeping into her voice. "how did he know you were so young? You were wearing your hardsuit, so he must have already known your identity."
With a sudden clarity, Nene realized what they were talking about. "You think he's one of them?"
"I'm willing to bet on it." Priss answered.
***
After arriving back at the Pit and removing their hardsuits, Sylia straight away called all three of them into a meeting. After they related what happened at the Embassy, Sylia became very thoughtful.
"This is totally unexpected. Why go to all the trouble of finding out everything about us, only to let us go when we were right where they would have wanted us?"
"Maybe they felt, since we did them a favour, they'd let us go." Nene suggested.
"They didn't owe us any favours." Priss said. "You saw how that guy took down that boomer with that monster cannon of his. They didn't need our help at all."
"Tell me about this guy. What did he look like?" Sylia said. Priss quickly filled her in.
"A bandage on his right ear?" Sylia asked after Priss finished.
Priss nodded. "Yeah. What about it?"
"The guy who broke in here last night hurt his right ear whilst escaping." Sylia said.
"So now we know for certain. What are we going to do about it?" Priss asked.
"Well, I could hack into their system and crash all their computers." Nene suggested.
"No. That would just make the situation worse. What happened tonight doesn't change things. We need to find this guy and make him talk."
"Somehow I don't think that will be easy." Priss said. "This guys a professional."
Sylia smiled coldly. "Everybody has weaknesses, even professionals."
***
The Embassy was closed the next morning. The Ambassador had gotten safely to his residence where he was under heavy guard by Japanese Police and security services, leaving the Embassy staffers to pick up the pieces. Already teams from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Australian Protective Services, Federal Police, ASIS and the JIO and a dozen other government departments were on their way to Japan.
The event had made headlines around the world, though there was surprisingly little pressure being placed on Genom to explain how one of their products could have been so dangerously defective, especially from the Australian Government, something Peter found intriguing as he sat in his hotel room, drinking a pot of strong coffee as he watched the news.
The phone rang and Peter took his time answering it. He had a good idea who it was.
"Wilson! Just what the hell is going on over there?" Dewhurst demanded, his face set in a stern expression.
"Exactly what the news reports say."
"I want to hear your version."
Peter told his boss what happened, but left out the Knight Sabers roll in it, instead giving him the line he and Johnson had agreed would be their official version of events, that they had moved in on the boomer and destroyed it before the ADP arrived.
"Sounds like you had a fun night." Dewhurst said afterwards. Peter couldn't tell whether he had believed him or not. "But because of it, the decision has been made to terminate your operation."
Peter wasn't surprised. "There's no need for that, sir. I've already completed my investigation and am ready to write my report."
"You completed it?" Dewhurst asked, genuinely surprised. "The daily reports from the Tokyo Station Chief indicated it had stalled. How the hell do you explain that?"
"Is there anybody there with you?" Peter asked.
Dewhurst shook his head. "No, just me. Now what's this about?"
"I do believe someone is trying to sabotage my investigation, and that they had inside information on it."
"Oh, not this again!" Dewhurst groaned.
"Just hear me out sir. Every time I had the carpet yanked out from under my feet was just as I made a major breakthrough. When my request for extra officers was turned down, I had just connected Sylia Stingray with the Knight Sabers. Upham's reaction wasn't very co-operative and he made it very clear that he wouldn't tolerate any investigation of Stingray, so I fed him false reports which got filtered through to you whilst I concentrated my investigation on Stingray."
"All right. I understand where you're coming from, but I don't agree with it. Just what have you found? You said you completed your investigation." Dewhurst said.
Peter nodded. "The short of it is, I've identified the Knight Sabers and their motives and have concluded that they pose no threat to Australia or its interests, particularly the Aussieboomer."
"You have evidence to back that up?" Dewhurst asked.
"It will all be in my report."
"Very well. I'll pass along what you've said. Just sit tight for another day or two." Dewhurst said and hung up.
***
Peter spent the day in his hotel room drafting his report. After it got dark and the business day concluded and the night life took over the city, Peter's phone rang again. Expecting it to be Dewhurst again, Peter was surprised to hear Johnson's voice on the line.
"Pete, you'd better get over here."
"What's going on?"
"Just get over here now, and be sure to come in the back way. Stay out of sight of the front entrance." Johnson said, then hung up.
Perplexed and suspecting trouble, Peter hurried out of his hotel, being sure to take his gun with him. He did as Johnson said and stayed out of sight of the main entrance to the Embassy, which was still crawling with police, Australian federal agents and now civilian contractors brought in to assess the damage. He made his way around to the back of the Embassy where a Security Officer let him in. Peter made his way up to the Security Centre and entered it.
"What's going on?" Peter asked. Johnson stood behind one of the Security Officers monitoring the Embassy's security camera's. He looked up at Peter, then back at the monitors.
"You'll want to see this." he said, pointing to one of the monitors. Peter walked over and looked at the indicated one. It was a feed from one of the external cameras mounted on the front of the Embassy. The camera was currently aimed at an alley between two buildings a hundred metres up the street and on the other side. A solitary figure leaned against one of the walls, a motorbike by her side, watching the Embassy's entrance.
"Priss." Peter said recognizing her instantly.
"She's been there for around half an hour now." Johnson said.
"I'd better go talk to her." Peter said and turned to leave.
"Is that wise?" Johnson asked.
"Probably not, but my investigation's over, so it can't do any harm now." Peter said as he left the room.
Peter took the elevator back down to the ground floor and left through the back way again. He took the long way around, circling several blocks to come at Priss from down the alley.
As he neared the alley, he called the Security Centre and made sure Priss was still in the same location. After they confirmed it, Peter moved to the entrance to the alley and peered around the corner. He saw Priss in the same pose he had seen on the camera, casually leaning against the wall and watching the entrance.
Hugging the shadows provided by the wall, Peter moved silently down the alley, keeping out of Priss' field of view. He got within four metres of her when she suddenly sensed a presence behind her and turned around.
Peter held up his hands to show her he didn't have violent intentions. She remained tensed and at the ready though. "I came to talk." Peter said.
"Then talk." Priss said. "You've got a lot of that to do."
Peter smiled. "Yeah, I suppose I owe you an explanation." he paused for Priss to say something, but it quickly became apparent she wouldn't, so he continued. "So what do you want to know?"
"First off; who are you?" Priss asked.
"My name's Pete. I work for the Australian government." he said.
"So you are a spy, and not just some mercenary for hire."
"That's right."
"Secondly; why?"
"I don't suppose 'cause I was ordered to' will suffice?" he asked with a friendly grin. The look on Priss' face told him what she thought of that. He stopped smiling. "There are.... concerns in Canberra that you pose a threat to our interests. I was sent here to determine if that was true or not."
Priss was silent a moment as she considered his words. "And are we?"
Peter shook his head. "Not in the least. And that's what I'll be saying in my report."
Priss relaxed and leaned back against the wall, but didn't take her eyes off Peter. "You know, for a spy, you're not very subtle."
"I ran into a few problems. Someone back home took a disliking to my investigation and hamstrung me."
"Why don't I feel sorry for you." Priss said sarcastically.
Peter shrugged it off. "I deserve that."
"So what are you going to do now?" Priss asked.
"Go home and write my report."
"And after that?"
Peter shrugged. "With luck, you'll never hear from me again."
Priss smiled. "Is that a promise?"
"The best I can give."
"That'll have to do then." she was silent a moment, and Peter turned to leave, but Priss spoke again. "One last question." Peter stopped and turned back around. "Just what was in that computer file you stole from us?"
"The one thing that convinced me you weren't a threat to our national security."
"Will we get it back?"
Peter shook his head. "No. But it'll never see the light of day, so you've got nothing to worry about." Priss didn't look convinced. "Don't worry, we're good at keeping secrets." Priss just shrugged and looked down at the ground. "Oh, and by the way." Peter said. Priss looked up at him. "That listening device Kirkland found in his garage-" Peter started, but Priss cut him off.
"You want it back?"
"No. I just want to ask, what did it look like inside?"
Priss smiled. "Like a mass of acid destroyed circuitry."
Peter smiled back. "That's good. Now I won't to kill you." he turned and started to walk away, his senses on edge and reflexes coiled tight. A faint rustle reached his ears and he immediately ducked. His hair was rustled as Priss' arm sailed through the space his head had just occupied. He reached up and grabbed her arm as he continued to drop, pulling her forward and down. Using his body for leverage, Peter flipped Priss over him and twisted so she would land face down. In one fluid motion, he drew his pistol and pressed it against the back of her head. Priss' eyes went wide with recognition as he cocked it.
Peter's voice was low and harsh and dripping with venom. "Don't try to get cute with me, little girl. You have no idea who you're fucking with." With that, he stood slowly, keeping his gun trained on Priss. She, smartly, lay there, but followed him with a look that could have stripped paint.
Finally, Peter turned and put up his gun as he walked out of the alley in the direction of the Embassy's front entrance.
***
Peter arrived back in the Security Centre a few minutes later. He found Johnson still watching the security monitors. "Is she still there?" he asked moving to stand next to him.
Johnson shook his head. "She left just after you entered the building."
"Hopefully that's the last I'll see of her." Peter said, sinking down into an empty chair.
"So you're leaving soon?" Johnson asked, look at him.
"Found out all I need. There's not much point in staying now. Thanks for your help by the way. I'll definitely mention it in my report."
Johnson smiled. "Thanks, but my superiors don't read JIO reports unless it directly involves them."
Peter shrugged. "I'll make sure they find out about it. It's only fair."
Johnson sat down in a chair next to him and leaned over to whisper in his ear. "Would you really have done it?"
"Shot her you mean?" Peter whispered back. Johnson nodded. Peter shrugged, but kept quiet. Johnson stared at him for a moment, then stood up and left.
Peter's phone rang and he answered it, knowing for sure who it was this time.
"Pete." Dewhurst started to say something, but Peter stopped him.
"Just give me a moment to find somewhere private, boss." he said and walked into Johnson's office, then motioned for Dewhurst to continue.
"Pete, I passed along what you told me,"
"And?" Peter said.
"Pete, before you say anything, understand that I fought them tooth and claw, but they just weren't interested. They'd already made up their minds and weren't interested in what you had to say."
"You're kidding?" Peter said, getting a cold, sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"I'm sorry Pete, but the order still stands. Your operation is terminated as of now."
"You told them I was writing my report now?"
"I told them that. They just didn't want to hear about it."
Peter couldn't believe what he was hearing. He stood and took a few steps, then turned and ran his hand through his hair. "Jesus Christ! Then what was the bloody point? What was the point in me coming all the way out here for no reason?"
Dewhurst lowered his voice. "What's more, I think you might be right."
"What?" Peter said, not sure he heard that properly.
"I think that if you waved a completed report under their noses this second, they still wouldn't be interested. Something really does smell here, Pete."
"You're saying someone doesn't want this report written?"
"Sure as hell looks that way."
Peter sat down and tried to think, but found it difficult to concentrate. "What do you think I should do?" he asked.
"Well, first of all, get on the first plane back to Australia tomorrow. There's no use in you staying in Japan now. You can finish your report when you get home." Peter nodded. "I'll speak to a few people upstairs and see if I can find out what's going on. I'll see you tomorrow." Dewhurst hung up.
Peter sat there a moment as his thoughts raced. Someone didn't want his report to be written, but he had been told there were billions of dollars and thousands of jobs riding on it. Why the change of heart? Something had to have happened in the last few weeks for the politicians to give up a project that would have been popular enough to put the government back in office at the next election. But the project would only go ahead if his report stated there was no threat from the Knight Sabers, and somebody was trying to stop him from writing his report. But who would benefit most from the cancellation of the project?
Peter knew the answer at once. Genom. With the cancellation of the Aussieboomer, they'd be able to retain their monopoly and not have to deal with the rogue boomer problem. That left one question; who had Genom corrupted?
***
Peter arrived back in his hotel room a little after midnight and immediately fell onto the bed. Just as he was dozing off to sleep his phone rang. Sitting up and swearing to God that it had best be important or else someone would die slowly and painfully, he answered it.
"Good morning Sleeping Beauty." The grinning visage of Bill Hawkins filled the screen.
"Bill? How in Gods name did you get this number?" Peter asked.
"I'll tell you later. I'm deploying and I've only got a minute or two to spare so I'll make this quick."
"Deploying? What's going on?"
"Shit! I thought you would have known!"
"Known what?" Peter asked. Someone off screen called to Bill and he waved them away.
"Sorry mate, I've got to go, but I just wanted to let you know I'll be in Tokyo by the morning, so we can catch up and have a few drinks. Hell, I want to check out some of these Japanese bars I keep hearing about!"
"You're what? Coming here?" Peter was flabbergasted.
Bill looked off-screen then back at Peter "Look mate, I really have to go now. I'll call you when I land. Bye." he said and hung up. Peter put his phone away and lay back on his bed. This mystery had just taken on a whole new, and deadly, dimension. What the hell was the SAS doing deploying to Tokyo?
***
Peter came awake with the first ring of his phone. Glancing at the bedside clock as he picked up the phone, he noted it wasn't yet five o'clock. Answering it, he was both relieved and anxious to see Bill's face. "Bill. You've landed?"
"Yeah, about an hour ago. Where are you?"
"In my hotel. Can you talk?"
Bill shook his head. "Not here, mate. Tell you what, I've got a couple of hours free time before we go operational. Let's meet and you can buy me breakfast."
"You cheap bastard. Where are you?"
"Can't say. Tell me when and where and I'll find my way."
Peter quickly thought of the few places in the city he knew. "You can't speak Japanese can you?"
Bill shrugged. "Not a word."
"Okay, I'll give you the name and address of a restaurant in Japanese. A taxi should be able to get you there with just that."
Bill reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen and notepad. "Okay, shoot."
Peter gave him the name and Bill copied it down. "Okay, I'll see you there in an hour."
"See you then." Bill said and hung up.
Peter showered, shaved and dressed, then drove one of the hire cars to the restaurant and ordered a table for two. An hour after they had hung up, a taxi pulled up and deposited Bill on the footpath. He entered the restaurant, spotted Peter and made his way over. Peter noted he was dressed in civilian clothes instead of his uniform.
Peter stood and they shook hands warmly, then sat down. They ordered their food and chatted about unrelated matters whilst they ate. When they had finished and their table cleared, Peter spoke in a low voice. "Just what the hell are you doing in Tokyo?"
"Mate, you know the rules. I can't tell you."
"Come on, mate, you know I'm not going to tell anyone. Besides, if it's connected with what I've been doing here, then I really do need to know what's going on."
Bill glanced around as if was suddenly afraid someone was listening. "All right mate. Here's the deal. We've intel that a terrorist cell based here in Tokyo is going to strike at Australian interests soon. Apparently Japanese security and police are compromised so we've been sent here to take 'em out. Are they the ones you've been investigating?"
Peter dropped his voice almost to a whisper and said. "The Knight Sabers?"
Bill nodded.
Peter sat back in his seat. He had been afraid of this. Whoever had interfered with his operation was now obviously going to have them taken out under the guise of a terrorist cell. He looked at Bill and felt furious at whoever was behind it at all for drawing his friend into it as the executioner.
"Anything you can tell me?" Bill asked.
"How many troops you got with you?"
"Four teams."
Peter's eyes went wide. "That many?"
"And we'll need everyone of them from what I hear. Intel says these guys are well armed and well prepared, I'll appreciate anything you can tell me."
Peter bit his lip, then spoke. "All I can tell you is that you don't want to hit them when they're wearing those hardsuits. You'll just get people killed."
Bill nodded, indicating he understood. Peter's phone rang again and he turned away and answered it.
"Pete. Can you talk?" Dewhurst asked. Peter looked at Bill and indicated he was going outside to talk in private.
"I can now, boss." Peter said when he stepped out of the restaurant.
"I found out the Minister and the rest of Cabinet was very surprised and disappointed that your operation was cancelled."
"So they didn't order it?"
"No. This came from inside JIO. My guess is that someone's been compromised."
"Who?"
"Could be anyone. I'm going to sit on this for a little while longer until I know more. I want you back in Canberra by tonight."
"Sir, are you aware there's a SAS team in Tokyo to take out the Knight Sabers?"
Dewhursts eyes went wide in shock. "You're kidding! How do you know?"
"Sources." was all Peter would say.
"Shit!" Dewhurst said. "Still, that doesn't change anything. I want you back here tonight."
"Sir, I can't just leave them."
"They're not your problem anymore. Your operation is cancelled. If you're not back here soon, things are going to look suspicious."
"Sir, they don't deserve to die. The bastards that do are the ones pulling the strings here."
"Forget them. They're a casualty of war. I need you here to help me find this rat."
"Fine. I'll catch the afternoon flight." Peter said and hung up.
Bill came out of the restaurant. "I got to head back, mate." Peter was about to speak when Bill cut him off. "Don't worry, I paid for breakfast."
"Okay. Well, I'll see you later then." Peter said and they shook hands.
"Hey, you going to be around tonight?" Bill asked.
Peter shook his head. "I got to fly back this afternoon."
"Bugger. Just as I'm coming, your going. Well, I'll catch up with you back home."
"Yeah, I'll see you then. Take care mate." Peter said and jumped into his car, leaving Bill to hail himself a taxi.
***
The departure lounge at Honshon International Airspaceport was like departure lounges the world over, but for Peter it felt like the gates of hell. He had never been particularly religious, but as he sat waiting for his boarding call, he couldn't help but wonder what judgement God would pass on him for leaving those young women at the mercy of the SAS. His SAS. He had trained with them, been one of them and still worked with them often enough to be considered part of the fraternity, and their commander was his best friend. Yet they were now going to be used to commit something so heinous that it could truly be thought of as a sin.
And of him? By sitting by and doing nothing, would his sin be any lesser? All it takes for evil to triumph, is for good men to do nothing. Edmund Burke's famous quote suddenly ran through Peter's mind. Was he a good man? How could he be a good man and let those women die?
He had his orders to return to Australia.
But it was his fault they would die. He had discovered their identities.
He had his orders.
But he also had a duty. A duty as a decent human being to prevent such an atrocity.
He had his orders.
But he had a chance to prevent their murders.
But he also had his orders.
His flight was called and Peter found himself first standing, then walking.
***
"So he's on his way back to Australia?" Sylia asked.
"Yep." Nene said and pointed to a serial number on the computer screen. They were the only two in the Bridge. "See here. That's his boarding number. He was apparently the last one on and his plane's currently taxiing to the runway. He's going back where he belongs."
"About time. I for one am not sorry to see him go." Sylia said.
"Me either." Nene squealed. "Finally I can take a shower without fear of some creepy spy perving on me."
Sylia nodded in agreement. "Now that Nigel's almost finished those new bug detectors, I can finally sweep this place properly and find out how many of those things there are."
"You know, it's just a pity we never got a crack at them. I would have loved to show that guy what for!"
"Maybe it's for the best. If we had actually attacked the Embassy, that would have really brought the governments wrath down on us, not to mention marking us as international terrorists."
Nene shrugged. "Yeah, you're right. I guess it's just back to boring old routine then." she added with a smirk.
***
Priss arrived at Hot Legs for that evenings show, parking her bike in its usual spot and entering via the backdoor. As she entered her dressing room, her foot accidentally kicked a piece of paper across the room. Closing the door behind her, she crossed to the paper and picked it up. Opening it, she felt her stomach tighten as she read what was on it.
Blue Knight Saber, we need to talk. Followed by a phone number.
Priss picked up her phone and dialed the number.
A familiar male voice answered. "Yes?"
"I thought you said I wouldn't hear from you again?" Priss demanded angrily, her voice near a shout.
"Just shut up and listen." loud music played in the background, and Priss realized the man was in the club. "I need you to pass a message to Sylia. Tell her things have gotten worse and that I need to meet with her." He quickly gave Priss a time and a place, followed by a warning. "Tell her to come alone and make sure she is not followed. Do not say anything about this or me until you are face to face with her in the base underneath her building. Anywhere else and the meeting will be compromised." he hung up. Priss stared at her phone for a minute, then threw it aside with a howl of rage.
***
Sylia sat in a deck chair by the pool, organising the days sales records for the Silky Doll and enjoying the evening air.
"Mistress Sylia." Henderson appeared on the deck. "Miss Priss is here to see you." he said.
Sylia turned to see Priss standing behind Henderson, holding her bike helmet. "Priss? Don't you have a show tonight?"
"Screw it. We've got bigger problems." Priss said.
Sylia put her laptop aside and stood up. "What is it now?"
"Not here." Priss said and motioned downwards with her thumb.
Without another word, Sylia dismissed Henderson then she and Priss rode the elevator down to the Pit. When it arrived they stepped out and Sylia spoke. "Okay. What's happened?"
"He's still in Tokyo." Priss said.
"Him? You mean-"
"Yeah. He gave me a message at Hot Legs to pass on to you. He said things have taken a turn for the worse and that he wants to meet with you alone."
"What do you mean 'a turn for the worse'?" Sylia asked.
"He didn't say. Just said he wants to meet with you."
"Where and when?"
Priss gave her the time and place. "He also said to go alone and make sure you're not followed. He also said not to mention this outside the Pit, otherwise the whole thing'll be compromised."
"What's your feelings on this? Do you think it's a trap?"
Priss thought about it for a minute. "I don't think so. I don't know how good an actor he is, but he sounded like something was really bugging him."
"But you're not sure." Sylia said, reading Priss' body language.
"Sense and reason say not to trust this guy, but my gut says there's really something wrong here. This all blew over much too quietly for it to be the end."
"I guess the only way we'll find out is if I meet with him." Sylia said.
"And if it is a trap?"
Sylia smiled slyly. "Don't worry. I'll go prepared."
***
The waters of Tokyo Bay reflected the early morning sun as it broke the horizon, reflecting the light like a continuously contorting mirror. Sylia watched the sun rise from the park on the shores of the bay, one of her more favoured spots in Tokyo now since Genom's ambitious Dragon Line project was unable to extend into this part of the city due to the high ground water level. She wondered if the Australian agent had known of her feelings for this park when he nominated it as their meeting point, or whether it was just a happy coincidence.
Turning away from the water, she looked around at the few people in the park, and wondered if any of them was a planted agent. A few joggers could be seen running along the paths and stretching against the trees. Some businessmen were taking short cuts through park on their way to work, and one man was sleeping on a park bench. Judging from the reasonable state of his clothes, he wasn't homeless, so Sylia guessed his wife had probably kicked him out.
With no sign of the Australian, she turned back to watching the sunrise, and found her eyes drawn to the ugly spectre of the Genom tower, rising rudely from an artificial island in the middle of the bay. She idly wondered how much it had cost Genom to have the plans for that island approved.
Suddenly Sylia was aware of a man standing by her side. "Nice view isn't it?" he said in english with an unmistakable Australian accent.
"It is." she replied. "What was it you wanted to meet with me about?" she asked, getting her first good look at the man. He was of average height for a westerner, meaning he was taller than most Japanese, and had dark hair and an unremarkable face, yet there was a lean hardness to him that spoke of a lifetime of intense physical activity. She also noted the bandage that covered his right ear with vindictive satisfaction.
"I assume Priss passed onto you what I told her the other night outside the Embassy?"
"That you had concluded we weren't a threat to Australia? I could have told you that if you'd just asked." Sylia said.
The Australian shrugged. "Would a terrorist say yes if a cop asked him if he was going to blow up a building?"
"Is that what you thought we were? Terrorists?"
"Terrorists or mercenaries. What you were was of little importance. What was important was your motivations."
"And you learned what those were when you stole my computer files."
"Sorry about that, but I was racing against a clock and it was the only way I could do it."
"What do you mean?"
The agent looked at Sylia. "My agency has been compromised. Whilst I've been over here, someone with influence has been finding ways to stifle my investigation, and then finally have it cancelled altogether when I got hold of evidence that you were no threat to our interests."
"Do you know who?" Sylia asked, suspecting she already knew the answer.
"I suspect Genom. They're the ones who'll profit the most from the cancellation of my report and what's about to happen."
Sylia's blood suddenly ran cold in her veins and a terrible sense of foreboding descended on her. "What is about to happen?"
"Just over a day ago, over a dozen special forces troops secretly arrived in Tokyo with orders to eliminate a group of terrorists who are about to strike at Australian interests. Guess who those terrorists are?"
"Us." Sylia said and looked back out over the water. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Cause I couldn't live with myself otherwise. I was given the job to determine the nature of any threat, if any, from you and your group to our interests. But I've been seriously screwed over by someone who used me to get information on you, and now soldiers from my country are going to be used to assassinate you and your friends." He looked at her and Sylia saw a hardness so cold in his eyes that she unconsciously shivered. "I'm really pissed off about this."
"Why should I believe you? For the past few weeks you've done nothing but spy on us and expose all our secrets to the world and our enemies! Why should I trust you now?"
He shrugged. "You can believe me now, or you can believe the snipers bullet that will find its way into your head sometime in the next few days if you don't."
Sylia stared at him for a long, hard minute, before finally deciding he was probably telling the truth. When she spoke, her was thinly veiled malice in her voice. "All right. What do you propose we do about it?"
"First you need to get everybody involved with the Knight Sabers to a safehouse. I assume you have one?"
Sylia nodded.
"All right. You need to get them there now, without delay."
"Is it really that imperative? I mean, Nene and Linna both have work today."
"Then tell them to call in sick. I've got no idea when the SAS will strike, but I can tell you, you won't know about until you're knocking on the gates of heaven."
Sylia nodded then wondered off a few steps so as to make her calls in private. Afterwards she had finished, she motioned for him to follow her. He fell into step beside her.
"Let me ask you a question." she said.
"What?" Peter asked.
"We tracked you as you boarded the plane. How did you get off and back into Tokyo?"
"Well, I was sitting in the departure lounge, all ready to follow orders and fly back home, when I realized that I had to do something about whoever was pulling the strings. So I got up to leave, and got halfway back to the terminal when I realized that going out that way would raise a few eyebrows. So I turned around and made sure I was the last to board, but instead of actually getting on the plane, I slipped out the maintenance door on the air bridge and left the airport through the employees carpark."
They reached Sylia's car and hoped in. On the drive to the safehouse they chatted about how Peter had managed to track them down despite Sylia's precautions. Peter told her as much as he could without revealing too much classified detail, primarily putting most of his breaks down to sheer luck.
Throughout it all, Sylia kept quiet and Peter could tell she was deciding what changes she needed to make.
***
An hour later, Sylia and Peter arrived at the safehouse, an abandoned warehouse in an area still heavily damaged from the Great Earthquake. As Peter stepped out of Sylia's Porsche 911, he quickly scanned the area. He saw that Sylia had chosen this spot well. It was in what used to be a light industrial park, now just a mass of crumbling warehouses and parking lots. Given the state of all the buildings in sight, no legitimate business would be allowed to operate in the area, meaning anyone else around who might notice them would have their own reasons for keeping quiet.
While he didn't like the prospects of defending against a lone sniper attack on anyone caught in the open, he judged the distances between the buildings and the expanse of the parking lots sufficient for defending against a full assault. With such wide and clear fields of fire for anyone in the building, it would make any officer think twice about it. He looked up in the air and noticed a set of old fashioned high voltage power lines pass directly over the building, making an aerial assault practically inconceivable.
While Peter waited outside with the car, Sylia unlocked the heavy door and went inside. Moments later a roller door opened and Peter drove the Porsche into the building. Inside he did not find the empty, rotting shell of a warehouse he expected, but rather a building with enough reinforcing to turn it into an above ground bunker. As he parked the Porsche in an out of the way corner, he saw Sylia drag the dusty covers off a number of machines whose function Peter could only guess at.
Peter got out of the car and made his way over to Sylia, who had now moved on to powering up an extensive computer system. "Jesus!" he commented looking around. "You must have sunk a fair bit of money into this place. How'd you get it all done without people noticing?"
"Most of it was done at the height of the reconstruction effort after the quake, that way no one noticed all the work being done here." Sylia said. Suddenly the roar of a motorbike was heard outside and Peter instinctively reached for his gun. "There's no need to be so jumpy." Sylia said, motioning for him to put his gun away. "It's just Priss."
"Priss? It'd probably be a better idea if I did draw. I don't think she'll be too happy to see me after the other night." he said as Sylia disappeared outside. Peter was about to follow when his phone rang. He picked it up and answered it.
"Oh, Pete, thank God it's you." a distraught sounding Margaret Moneypenny, Dewhursts Secretary, said. Peter suddenly got a terrible sense of foreboding.
"Margaret? What's going on? Where's the Boss?"
"Oh Pete," her voice quivered as she struggled to hold back tears. "it's terrible. They found him this morning. They say he overdosed on sleeping tablets. They say it was an accident."
"Who? Who says?"
"The police."
"And is he....?" he didn't want to say the word.
"He's dead, Pete." Margaret couldn't hold the tears back any longer, and let forth with a terrible sob.
Peter kept quiet until Margaret managed to regain her composure. "Maybe I should let you go?" Peter said.
"No, Pete, I'll be okay. It's just unexpected. I mean, I didn't even know he was taking something to help him sleep. I didn't know he had problems."
"I don't think any of us knew." but the words rang hollow in Peter's ear. He found the whole situation very suspect, but decided not to say anything to Margaret as it would only upset her further. "Look, Margaret, why don't you take the day off. Whatever else there needs to be done I'm sure it can wait till tomorrow."
"I'll do that Pete. I just have to tell you something first. When I came in this morning, before I found out, there was a message for Mr Dewhurst on the machine which I think you'll find important. Somebody said they had information on the Attorney-General meeting with somebody from Japan the other night, a representative from some big corporation."
"Do you know which company?"
"I think he said Genom, but I'm not sure."
Peter nodded to himself. Yes, it made sense. ASIO reported to the Attorney-General, which gave him significant control over foreign operations run through the JIO which he normally wouldn't have any influence over. "Thank you Margaret, that is important. Thank you. Are you going to be okay."
"I'll be fine Pete. I'm going to go home now. I'll see you when you come home."
Peter promised he would be home in time for the funeral and hung up. When he turned around to face the entrance to the building, he found Priss and Sylia standing there.
They must have caught the ashen look on his face, for Sylia asked "What happened?"
"My boss was murdered last night." Peter said, as the gravity of the fact finally descended on him like a heavy weight. Peter felt his knees go weak, but he managed to keep his footing and remain standing. He looked away from the two women whilst he worked to regain his self control.
"Is it related to this?" Priss asked.
"I think so." Peter took a breath and felt his composure reassert itself. Shunting the grief aside, he looked back as them. "These bastards are really going to pay now." he added quietly.
***
Linna and Nene arrived a little while later, Nene dressed in her ADP uniform whilst Linna was dressed in casual clothes, Sylia catching her at home before she left for work. The last ones to arrive were Nigel, Mackey and Henderson, who drove the truck, the Mobile Pit as Sylia called it, carrying their hardsuits, much to Peter's dismay. Despite Sylia's assurances to the contrary, Peter feared that Bill may have already had the truck bugged and that he would now be moving in on their position. It wasn't until Peter inspected the truck and saw that Sylia was right, that the design made it very difficult to conceal any sort of tracking device on it, that he calmed down, though he still held some reservations towards it.
Once all the vehicles were inside and out of sight, everybody gathered to find out what had caused Sylia to order the evacuation. She introduced Peter to those who hadn't met him yet and he explained the situation to them. Doubtless to say, none of them were very impressed with him when he finished.
Linna was the first to speak. "So, if we're not a threat to your country, why are they still trying to kill us?"
"I think Genom has managed to corrupt a few people in power back home. At least the Attorney General, possibly the Defence Minister and a few others as well if they were able to deploy the SAS." Peter told them.
"One thing I still don't understand," Priss said. "is why? What interests are we a threat to?"
"I can't tell you that." Peter said.
"Why not?"
"It's classified."
"Is it because of the Aussieboomer project?" Nene asked.
Peter's mouth fell open. "How did you find out about that?"
Nene smirked. "Well you mustn't have done a very good job, otherwise you would have known I'm a master hacker."
"Wait a minute." Linna interjected. "What Aussieboomer?"
"Should you tell them or should I?" Nene asked.
"I'd like to hear what you know about it." Peter said.
"Okay." she said cheerily, then walked over to a computer console and slipped a disk into it. "It's like this. Some scientists in Australia have managed to back engineer one of Genom's boomers and came up with their own design based on it, but with several improvement."
"What a minute. What improvements?" Sylia asked suspiciously.
"Mainly safety related, such as changes to the programming and the use of lightweight alloys for the body rather than Genom's choice of super strong alloys and armour. But the biggest change is the new system to eject the core if it ever goes rogue." Nene explained.
"That sounds like a good idea." Linna said.
"No it's not." Sylia said. "Once a boomer goes rogue, the reaction spreads to the rest of the boomer. Just ejecting the core wont stop it, that will just slow it down temporarily. These fools have no idea what they're playing with."
"Look," said Priss. "as interesting as this all is, it's beside the point. We've got to figure out what to do about these special forces clowns they've sent after us."
"Well, surely if we lay low here for a while, they'll get tired of looking for us and go home, won't they?" Mackey suggested.
"Well?" Priss said, turning to Peter. "These are your people. Will that work?"
"It'll take a while for the powers that be to decide to withdraw them, but fortunately they're not trained to search for people in an urban environment. They'll just sit back and wait for Intel to find us." Peter's phone rang again. He rolled his eyes at the constant interruptions and walked a short distance from the group to answer it.
"For fuck's sake Pete, where the fuck are you?" Bill demanded. Peter put it on audio only so that Bill could not see where he was.
"Bill? What's up now?"
"Rumour is that you've gone rogue and murdered your boss, that's what's up!"
Peter's blood ran cold and he gripped the phone so hard his knuckles turned white. "What? Who the fuck said that?" he almost shouted.
"That's what's come over the grapevine. That and the rumour that you've joined with this terrorist group we're hunting."
"Look Bill, don't believe everything you hear." Peter said forcefully.
"Then where in God's name are you? I checked. You're not back home, and you're not at your hotel or the embassy, so just where the fuck are you?"
Peter looked down at his feet. "I'm still in Tokyo."
"Oh God Pete!" Bill sounded dismayed. "You realize this is treason."
"No Bill, it's not like that! You've got to realize your orders are illegal! Someone's been corrupted. The Knight Sabers aren't terrorists! They're no threat!"
"Bullshit my orders are illegal!" Bill shouted. "They came through the proper channels with the ministers authority."
"Then the ministers have been corrupted! It's Genom! They're the ones pulling the strings here. They're the ones that have everything to gain by this!"
"I don't want to hear your god damned conspiracy theories! All I care about is that you've sided with the enemy."
"No I haven't!" Peter shouted, then caught control of himself. "Look, why don't we meet and discuss this in person instead of over the phone, give us both a chance to cool down."
"No I want to talk about it now, over the phone." Bill said.
Peter was suddenly struck by the feeling that something was wrong here. Bill always preferred to conduct business in person rather than over the phone. Then he heard a muffled voice in the background and alarm bells rang in Peter's mind. "My God Bill! You're tracing me?" he cried in disgust.
"No Pete! Listen-" Peter cut the connection. He couldn't believe it. His best friend now thought of him as the enemy! He threw his phone against the wall, where it broke apart and fell to the floor.
He looked up at the assembled Knight Sabers and accomplices, tight with anger, ready to snap at anybody. No one said anything for a while, then finally Priss spoke. "So I take it they're gunning after you as well now." she said with an amused smile.
Peter ignored her and wandered over to the remains of his phone and idly picked through them as thoughts raced through his mind. Bill, his friend for over twenty years, now considered him an enemy, along with all the Knight Sabers. He hated those that had played him like a musical instrument, but what's more, he hated himself for allowing friendship to blind him to the possibility that he was being traced. He doubted they had gotten a firm fix on their position, but he was on long enough for them to determine what area of Tokyo they were in. They had to move now, before Bill moved his troops into place. But what was more important was that he had to gather evidence that they were being used. And he knew where to find it.
Finally he stood, resolute in his decision. "They'll have a fix on the area that we're in." he told them. "That means we have to make our move now."
"And just what is our move?" Linna asked.
"The only way we're going to get Bill and the rest of the Intelligence community off our backs is to go to Genom and get the proof."
There was a stunned silence, finally broken by Priss. "Are you insane?"
"You got a better idea?" Peter asked rhetorically.
"We fight!"
Peter snorted in derision. "The four of you against over a dozen SAS troops? Yeah, right. You're hardsuits may be bulletproof, but they're not impervious."
"Peter's right." Sylia said. "If they bring enough firepower to bear on us, the hardsuits won't protect us."
"Well then it's kill or be killed, and I'll take my chances." Priss said.
"Have you ever killed somebody? Any of you?" Peter asked. Nobody spoke. "I have." Peter continued. "You may think it easy, but believe me, it's hard to make that first kill, especially if you have no training. Those SAS troopers do have that training, and combat experience, and they have all killed before. They'll pull the trigger without hesitation. Who do you think will come out on top?"
"All right. You've made your point." Priss said.
"Yeah," Nene cringed away from Peter "and rather creepily."
"I assume you have a plan?" Sylia asked.
"The beginnings of one." Peter said. "I'll need to plan it out fully, but we can't do that from here."
Sylia nodded. "We'll take the Mobile Pit. That way we can launch from anywhere in the city."
"Good idea." Peter looked at Nene. "Nene, since you claim to be a master hacker, I'll need you to get me the plans for the Genom Tower."
"I can do that."
"Okay then. Let's get moving." Peter said and turned towards the Mobile Pit.
"Hey wait." Priss called after him. "What about my bike?"
"Just leave them inside. Bill won't touch them. It's us he's after." Peter said, then climbed aboard.
***
Long shadows were cast as the sun set, plunging the back alley near the Tokyo docks district where the Mobile Pit was parked into an inky half darkness. Peter sat in the back of the truck, sipping a coffee as he studied the amazingly detailed plans Nene had managed to procure.
Sylia came over and took a seat next to him. "Any ideas yet?"
"A couple. I gotta say, you're suits have opened up a whole new bag of tricks I can try."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I can tell you there will be a lot people back home interested in buying your designs."
Sylia smiled. "They're not for sale."
Peter grinned. "You sure? We can make it worth your while."
"I already have more than enough money, thank you."
Peter shrugged. "Suit yourself, but I will be making that recommendation when this is over."
"That's if you still have a job." Sylia said.
"True." Peter said, then lapsed into silence.
"So, what have you developed so far?" Sylia asked.
"Well," Peter said as he rummaged through the pile of printouts. "Our objective is to break into Genom's computer system and find the evidence we need. Nene's already advised me that it would take too long to hack through all the security from the outside, so we'll have to gain physical access to a terminal where the security is minimal. Ideally the one owned by whoever's running this operation. Any ideas who that might be?"
"It could only be the Vice President, Brian Mason. He's the only snake in Genom slippery enough to be playing games with foreign governments." she said with a cold edge in her voice.
Peter ruffled through the printouts, looking for the plans for the Vice Presidents office. "Sounds like you two have more than a passing acquaintance with each other." he commented offhandedly.
"It's not something I like to go into." she said. "Suffice to say he was involved with some of my fathers work."
"Oh." Was all Peter said. He found the correct plans and laid them on top of the table. "This guy has one hell of an office." he said. "Fortunately it's near the top of the habitable complex and fairly isolated, which makes getting to it that much easier."
"You're planning on an aerial insertion?" Sylia asked.
"The roofs the most convenient entry point. Besides, it's nice and dramatic." he added with a grin. He pointed to the plans. "According to this, the glass in his windows is bullet proof. I trust that won't be a problem for you?"
Sylia shook her head. "Priss' knucklebombers can handle that."
"Good. What I'm thinking is an entry directly through the windows, access his computer and" he pulled a disk out of his pocket "upload this onto the system."
Sylia took the disk and looked at it. "This is what you put onto our system, isn't it?"
Peter nodded. "Rather than having to waste time searching Genom's database for the right files, this will copy everything on the system and transmit it to a safe email account."
"How do you work it?" Sylia asked.
"Just have Nene install it onto Mason's computer. The program will do the rest."
"Right. And where will you be?" she asked.
"Securing your escape route." he indicated the plans. "Genom's got more security in that building than the White House. They'll know you're there the second you break that glass, and I suspect they'll have some sort of automatic lock down system that will seal every door and window in the building. These systems are designed to completely cover the building, however they concentrate on the most likely access points and escape routes-"
"The ground levels." Sylia said.
"Right. The only people who come through the roof are the professionals with the resources and the know-how to defeat a security system. They're rare however, and so it's much more cost effective to protect against the more common idiots rather than put all your resources into stopping somebody who may never even strike."
"However, this is Genom we're talking about. They'll have the resources."
"There will be security, however there won't be as much on the roof as there is on the ground, so that's the way we want to go."
"So what exactly is it you're planning?"
"You most likely won't be able to go out the same way you got in, so, once the program has been uploaded onto Genom's system, head for this elevator." Peter pointed to a bank of elevator shafts near Mason's office. "The elevators will be shut down when the building is locked down, so forget about the cars and just make your way up the shaft. On your way in, I'll need you to drop me on the roof so I can neutralize any security up there and blow open the top of the shaft for you. I'll need to borrow some of Priss' knucklebombs for that."
"There's some spares in the back." Sylia said.
Peter looked at his watch. "This whole operation should take less than five minutes. We'll begin at midnight, and I'll run everybody through a full briefing at eight."
"Okay. I'll tell everybody to rest up before then." Sylia said as she stood and walked off, leaving Peter to finish the planning.
***
By midnight the docks were still alive with activity as boomers and giant automated cranes loaded and unloaded cargo from ships that would arrive and depart at all hours of the day or night. However, despite the lack of human presence in the district, Peter, Priss, Linna and Nene kept to the shadows as they made their way to the waterfront.
Reaching a deserted wharf, they stopped at the end and watched the Genom Tower for a moment. Lit up from the ground by spotlights, it loomed above the bay like an evil spectre. Peter turned to the three Knight Sabers. "Okay, let's get on with it."
Priss nodded. "Right. I'll carry you." and grabbed Peter in a bear hug around the chest as she fired her rockets. Peter hooked his fingers around Priss' arms to avoid slipping through her grip due to the smooth surface of her hardsuit and watched the waters of the bay fly by below them. He looked up at the Tower and judged Priss would land them right in the middle of the roof. Glancing behind he spotted Linna and Nene on either side of them.
They reached the apex of their jump and began to descend. The Tower loomed up towards them. Suddenly they were upon the roof and Priss released Peter, then ran to the side of the building and jumped off, with Linna and Nene right behind her.
Peter dodged to the side and crouched in the shadow of a communications array as he surveyed the roof. Spotting no one else about, he stood and quickly made his way to the spot above the elevator shaft the Knight Sabers would use. He knelt and mentally pictured the outline of the shaft, and from that calculated the optimum spot to place the crude demolition charge he had fashioned from Priss' spare knucklebombs. Hoping the material the roof was constructed from wasn't too strong, he set up the charges, then stood and stepped back to examine his work. Judging it satisfactory, he spoke into the small radio he carried that Sylia had tuned to the frequency the Knight Sabers used. "Three, Two. Set here."
"Right, we're going in." Priss replied.
***
Priss pulled back her arm and drove it into Mason's window, her knucklebombers detonating on impact and shattering the glass. She grabbed the remaining fragments of the frame and pulled herself through the hole as alarms started up throughout the building and a large blast shield began to descend over the window. Nene followed her, and Linna just managed to pull herself through before the shield covered over the hole.
***
Peter heard the explosion from Priss' knucklebombers all the way up on the roof. He ducked behind the communications array and knelt there, remote detonator in his hand, as he slowly counted the seconds.
One.....
Two.....
Just as he was about to count three and press the button, he felt a tingling down his spine and a sudden presence behind him. He whirled around, gun in his hand, to find Bill a few metres away staring at him down the barrel of his own gun.
"Drop it, mate." Bill said with a cold edge in his voice. Peter placed his gun on the ground and slowly stood, hands in the air. "That too." Bill motioned with his gun towards the remote still in Peter's hand. Somewhat reluctantly he dropped it next to his foot. Bill took a step forward. "I figured you'd try something stupid like this."
"How did you get up here?" Peter asked.
Bill shrugged. "The front door. Genom needs to invent a bullshit detector for their boomers."
"I'd ask you why you're here, but I think I already know." Peter said.
"Just tell me why?" Bill said.
"Because this is all wrong. The Knight Sabers aren't our enemies. They don't deserve to die." Peter said.
"My orders say they are." Bill insisted.
"Your orders are wrong. Genom's corrupted the government. They've at least gotten to the Attorney-General, and probably the Prime Minister and the Defence and Foreign Ministers too since you're here."
"That's bullshit." Bill tightened his grip on his gun.
"I have proof." Peter said.
"Where?"
"Last night when my boss died, somebody left a message at his office saying the Attorney-General met with one of Genom's rep's a few days ago."
"So?"
"So the Knight Sabers are inside right now cracking into Genom's computers to get the rest of the evidence."
"And what if there is no evidence?" Bill asked.
"Then I'll turn myself in and face the music."
Bills eyes looked down and he refused to meet Peter's gaze, but he still watched him like a hawk. "I'm sorry Pete," he said quietly. "but my orders are to kill you."
Peter looked at Bill for a moment, then looked away and said. "I'm sorry too, mate." He then flicked his left hand, diverting Bill's attention long enough for him to step on the remote detonator, pressing the button with his foot.
There was a sudden blinding flash of light and a roar as the shaped charges blew a hole through the roof, exposing the elevator shaft as planned.
Bill, caught unawares by the explosion, instinctively covered his face with his arms and turned his body away from it. Peter dropped to the ground and grabbed at his gun as he yelled into his radio "Three, Two, what's your progress?" If there was a response, he didn't hear it, for as he aimed at Bill, he found he had recovered and was once again aiming his gun at him.
Peter stood slowly, but kept his gun pointed at Bill. For a moment neither man said anything, then Bill spoke. "I don't want to kill you Pete, but I have my orders."
"I don't want to kill you either, mate, but I can't let you kill those girls. I investigated them. They're not the enemy. They're doing something good."
"That leaves us with one choice." Bill said.
Peter shrugged. "All right then. On three."
Bill nodded. "It's been fun."
"It has. One." Peter said. He felt his grip on his gun go clammy. He'd killed many enemies before, but never a friend.
"Two." Bill followed and Peter, for the first time in twenty years, found it impossible to read his friends intentions.
"Three." Peter said.
***
Priss and Linna took covering positions around Mason's desk as Nene connected her suit to the computer.
"How long is this going to take?" Priss demanded.
"The system's been locked down. It'll take me a few minutes to regain access." she said as she set about cracking through all the security.
"Well hurry it up." Priss said impatiently.
"You know, I could do this a lot faster if you don't keep interrupting." Nene shot back.
"All right, all right, just get it done." Priss said.
There was silence for a few moments as Nene worked furiously, then Peter's voice came over the radio. "Three, Two, what's your progress?"
"Nene?" Priss asked.
"Almost there, just give me another minute." she said.
Suddenly the doors to the office were flung open as a dozen heavily armed boomers entered. "Halt intruders. You are under arrest. Step away from the computer and give yourselves up." the lead boomer ordered.
"Linna!" Priss yelled as she sprung towards the nearest boomer. Gunfire exploded around the room, and Nene ducked behind the desk while Linna rushed forward, flicking her head and sending her cutters forward to slice a boomers arms off, followed by a twirl that beheaded it.
Linna glanced around and noticed Priss tangling with two boomers at once, but had no time to go to her aid as another boomer bore down upon her.
***
A cool breeze sprung up, rustling Peter's hair and blowing what smoke remained from his explosion towards them. He stared down his gun at Bill, who stared back at him, neither man having fired his weapon. This wasn't like the other times. They had always been the enemy then. Bill wasn't his enemy, and Peter knew there was no way he'd be able to pull the trigger. Finally he lowered his weapon and safed it.
"I'm waiting." he chastised Bill, who still hadn't fired yet.
Bill shut his eyes, and Peter noticed his hands began to tremble. "They really aren't the enemy?" Bill asked.
"No. But those bastards below us are."
"I'm probably going to be Court-martialled for this....." Bill said as he lowered his gun and safed it.
"No you won't, cause you weren't here." Peter said with a grin, partly conspiratorial, but mostly of relief.
Bill laughed. "Fuck that. I was here, and I made the call not to fire. But you just better be right about that evidence mate." he added.
"You'll know in a few minutes." Peter said as he went over to the still smoking hole and peered in. Bill stood by him and looked down also.
***
Priss lashed out at the boomer with her foot, and felt the familiar shock travel up her leg as the anklebombs detonated and the boomers head disappeared in a flash of light and a hail of shrapnel. Planting both feet firmly on the ground, she looked about the office, searching for another target. All she saw were smoking hulks on the floor and Linna standing over them triumphantly.
"Not bad." the singer said.
"'Not bad'?" Linna reacted. "I think I took out more than you."
"Yeah, whatever." Priss said. "Nene, are you finished yet?"
"Just about." the blonde called, followed a moment later by a singsong "I'm finished." as she sprang up from behind the desk. She spotted the destroyed boomers. "Oh poo. You two had all the fun."
"Just get your butt upstairs." Priss said as she and Linna sprinted for the door.
"Hey, wait for me." Nene called as she ran after them.
Outside the office, they found a large, sumptuously appointed hallway, at the end of which was the elevator shaft they needed to reach. They started for it, but came to a halt when the doors opened and another dozen boomers stepped off.
The Knight Sabers dove back inside Mason's office as the hallway filled with bullets. "Shit." Priss muttered.
"What do we do?" Linna asked.
Priss turned to Nene. "Nene, can you track them?"
"Yeah, they're coming this way." she said.
"All right. Linna, when they get within a metre of the door, you go to the left, I'll take the right. Nene, you give us some covering fire."
"You got it, Priss." Nene gave her thumbs up.
They waited several tense seconds as the boomers moved en masse towards the door. Nene counted down the rapidly shrinking distance, until when they reached designated point, she shouted "Now!", stepped before the doorway and let fly with her railgun.
Unfazed by the hail of metal spikes, the boomers raised their weapons and took aim, until two more targets appeared in the doorway. Uncertainty over which posed the greater threat, they quickly recomputed the tactical situation and adjusted their aims accordingly. But that slight delay was all the time Priss needed to drive her armoured fist into the head of the nearest boomer, and for Linna to decapitate two more.
With their numbers suddenly reduced, the remaining boomers recalculated their tactical situation again and readjusted. Two boomers opened fire at Priss, yet she leapt aside and their bullets ended up striking another boomer, their armour piercing rounds ripping apart its chest plate and destroying its delicate internal circuitry.
Linna, meanwhile, made the mistake of straying too close to a boomer, and it was only a warning call from Priss that she avoided having her head knocked from her body a savage swipe from the boomers arm. Linna ducked and lashed out with her ribbons, slicing open the boomers body through which she lunged with her arm and crushed its core.
Linna turned towards Priss who was busily pummelling another boomer into the ground, unaware of two more that approached her from behind. "Priss!" Linna yelled, yet it was Nene who fired her railgun at the nearer of the two boomers, distracting it long enough for Linna to destroy it with her cutters as Priss finished pummelling the boomer and turned her attentions to the other one.
With their numbers now reduced to four, the remaining boomers withdrew back down the hallway to regroup and open fire with their guns again.
Diving for cover in Mason's office, the girls once again found themselves pinned down. The boomers continued to pour bullets into the walls above their heads for another minute or so, then stopped. "Damn it! We don't have time for this!" Priss yelled as she bolted through the door and towards the boomers.
"Priss!" Linna and Nene called after her, before following her out.
Priss covered the distance between the door and the boomers in a few quick strides and laid into the first with a series of furious kicks and punches that left it a smoking pile of charred metal, then turned to the next one. Linna attacked another boomer whilst Nene kept the last distracted with her railgun.
Within minutes, the last remaining boomer fell, and the Knight Sabers paused to catch their breath.
"Well, that was a workout." Linna said.
"Yeah, a lot easier than when they go rogue." said Priss.
"What? Easier? You're weird Priss." Nene said, then stopped herself when she was alerted to something by her sensor array. "Oh my god! There's lots more coming." she told the other two.
"Time to go." Priss said as she opened the elevator doors and held them for the other two to take off up the empty shaft before following them.
***
"They're taking their sweet time." Bill griped. "Are you sure about this, mate?"
"They'll be here. I managed to convince them that they'd come out second best if they went toe to toe with your lot." Peter said.
Bill laughed. "Maybe, but it sure as hell would have been a close one."
Peter smiled and shrugged. "Just don't tell them that."
Suddenly an access door to the roof opened and Peter and Bill both dove behind the communications array. Taking out his gun, Peter asked Bill "You expecting somebody, mate?"
"No." Bill said as he drew his weapon.
Both men watched as an armed boomer emerged from the door and scanned the roof top area. Immediately spotting them, it opened fire, forcing Peter and Bill to leap aside.
Peter struck the roof and rolled onto his stomach. Lying prone, he brought his gun up in both hands and opened fire on the boomer. He heard gunshots to his left and knew Bill had opened fire on the robot as well.
Although impervious to their bullets, it was nevertheless driven back by a constant barrage from both guns. Just as Peter was thinking they might drive it down the stairs, another boomer appeared behind it and proceeded to lay down covering fire for the first.
Peter rolled away, landing by the open elevator shaft. He desperately sought cover yet there was none to be found. Suddenly the boomers fire left Peter. He looked up to see Bill on his feet and racing as fast as he could across the roof, drawing the boomers fire away from him. Peter took the opportunity and, rising to one knee, he opened fire on the first boomer. His bullet ricocheted of its head, causing it to stumble backwards a step and right into the second boomer, knocking its aim off Bill and into the air, and allowing him to dive behind the communications array.
All too quickly however, the boomers recovered and targeted Peter. The first bullets struck the roof by his feet, and Peter instinctively recoiled, overbalanced and fell backwards into empty space. The hole he had blown in the roof quickly rushed away from him as he tumbled down the elevator shaft. Initially too stunned to even cry out, his survival instincts kicked in and he began thrashing with arms and legs. Flailing about, he felt his arm brush against the heavy elevator cables but was unable to grab any.
Then, with a bone jarring jolt, his fall ended and, surprisingly, he began moving back upwards. Picking his head up, he found himself in Linna's arms. Looking into her visor, he mouthed 'Thanks'. She nodded and Peter thought he saw her wink at him from behind the visor. He looked about and saw Priss and Nene flying upwards alongside them.
They emerged through the hole to find the two boomers had advanced on Bill's position, using a conventional shoot and scoot tactic where one would cover the other while it moved forward. With the sudden arrival of a new threat, the boomers turned their attention away from Bill, allowing him to get off a few more shots, which served to further distract the boomers as Priss and Nene moved to engage them.
Linna deposited Peter on the roof, then went to help Nene. Peter moved to Bill's side. "You okay?" he asked.
Bill nodded. "I thought we'd both had it when I saw you fall." he said.
Peter looked back to the battle in time to see Priss reach into the last boomers chest cavity and destroy its core. He looked back at Bill and saw him watching the girls as well. "You believe me now?"
Bill looked back at him. "I'll fucken' believe anything you want, so long as we can get outta here."
Peter nodded then stood and waved to get the girls attention. He pumped his arm up and down, indicating for them to hurry up. "Let's go!" he called.
The Knight Sabers hurried over. "Who's he?" Priss asked when she saw Bill.
"Coming with us." Was all Peter said. "Now let's go."
"Yeah, we oughta." Nene said. "There's more boomers coming."
Priss didn't need anymore encouragement. She grabbed Peter and launched herself off the building. Peter looked behind and saw Linna and Nene both grab Bill and take off.
***
They arrived back at the Mobile Pit a few minutes later, having taken a short circular route to throw off any sensors Genom might have tracked their departure with. When they landed Peter quickly explained who Bill was. At Sylia's request he remained outside with Priss and Linna who kept their suits on to hide their identities while Peter went inside with Nene.
Peter immediately sat down at the computer terminal and logged onto the internet.
"I take it the operation was successful?" Sylia asked.
"I'll know in a minute." Peter said as he logged into the online email account. Nene came up behind him and watched over his shoulder. She had removed her helmet when she got inside, but kept her hardsuit on.
Peter found the email with the copied Genom files. He slumped back in the seat and let out a sigh of relief. "We got them." he said and opened up the file to take a look.
He bolted upright in his seat when he saw the contents of the file. "What the!"
"Something wrong?" Sylia asked.
"Just that we should have gotten the entire contents of Genom's database, not just these few files." He heard Nene laugh quietly to herself behind him. He turned around. "What the hell did you do?"
"Oh, just made a few improvements." she giggled. "It would have taken much too long to download all of Genom's files, so I modified your program to just search for all the Knight Saber related files, then transmit the proof you needed and destroy all the rest."
Peter's face fell. "But we needed those. Especially Genom's boomer designs. Those were needed for the Aussieboomer project."
Sylia smiled. "Well, now we're even."
Peter looked back at Nene. "You managed to modify that program in one afternoon?"
"Yep." Nene said, placing her hands on her hips and standing proudly.
Peter stood. "You wouldn't happen to want a job in our cyber division would you?"
"Not on your life." Nene said with a smile.
Sylia smiled and tapped a few buttons. A copy of the files began printing out and were then erased from the email account. She handed the papers to Peter. "I believe our association is ended." she said.
Peter took the papers, folded them and stuffed them in his pants pocket. "Well, I've got to say Sylia that it's been an interesting couple of weeks." he extended his hand. "No hard feelings?"
Sylia took it. "So long as you never set foot in Japan again."
"That's my intention, and they'd have to drag me kicking and screaming if they decide otherwise."
"I guess that will have to do." Sylia said. "Just one thing I want to know."
"What?"
"You said you'd killed before. How come it was so hard for you to stand aside and let us die?"
Peter shrugged. "Guess cause I was trained to kill the enemy. You're not the enemy."
Sylia smile.
The door to the Mobile Pit opened and Peter stepped out, then Sylia called Priss and Linna inside. Bill watched them and caught a glimpse of Sylia's face as she shut the door. The engine started and the large truck drove off, leaving Peter and Bill standing by themselves in the deserted alley. Bill turned to Peter. "Did we get it?"
Peter nodded and pulled the papers from his pocket and handed them to Bill. Bill leafed through them and his eyes went wide. "Fuck me! You weren't half kidding, mate!"
"I told ya. Never doubt me again, mate." Peter said with a wide grin.
Bill handed the papers back to Peter. "So what do we do with them?"
Peter put the papers away. "Turning them over to the JIO won't do any good. The ministers will just have them buried, and us along with them more than likely."
"So what then?"
Peter grinned. "I bet the Opposition and the media would love get their hands these."
Bill chuckled. "This will bring down the government, you know."
Peter shrugged. "I never voted for them anyway."
"Let's get going. The sooner we clear our names, the better." Bill said and started walking. Peter fell into step beside him.
They only went a few metres when Bill stopped and looked at Peter. "Sorry for trying to kill you, mate."
"Sorry for getting you dragged into all this." Peter said.
Bill extended his hand and Peter took it. They shook, then Peter patted the papers in his pocket. "You know what? These can wait. Let's go get drunk."
Bill laughed, then started off down the alley at a trot. "You're going to take me to one of those Japanese bars I mentioned."
Peter laughed and started after him, the animosity of the last few days forgotten and their friendship reaffirmed.
***
Brian J. Mason entered his office the next morning, escorted by his red headed boomer assistant and coldly surveyed the damage. Cleaning boomers had already cleared the destroyed security boomers and debris from the battle, leaving a scarred room behind. His eyes came to rest on a solitary figure leaning casually against his desk, his clothes dishevelled and a half smoked cigarette hanging from his mouth.
Mason ignored him as he went to his desk and sat down. He leaned his elbows on his desk and rested his face on his hands. His assistant boomer took its usual seat off to the side and waited patiently.
Kusui finally spoke. "I think it's safe to assume it was the Knight Sabers last night."
"What was the damage?" Mason asked him.
"They wiped every file related to them."
"I assume we have backups?" Mason asked.
"Of all the older data, yes, but not the files we received through our Australian contacts. They only arrived last night and I hadn't had a chance to review them yet."
"So all that money we spent has been wasted?"
"On wiping out the Knight Sabers, yes, though the Aussieboomer project will still be cancelled, despite our setbacks."
"So we'll at least maintain our monopoly on the boomer market. That will be enough to please the Old Fool. Is our agent still undetected?"
"For the time being at least. Though he had to be recalled when all the other Surveillance Officers were recalled so as to avoid suspicion. Do you want him silenced?"
Mason thought for a moment. "Not quite yet. Mr Shearer proved useful, and he may do so again. But have him watched closely."
"Understood. Was there anything else?"
Mason stood. "Find out how our security was breached. You know what to do with those responsible."
"Yes sir." Kusui said and slowly wandered out of the office.
Mason sat back down, then turned his chair around to stare out his broken window at the city. The large hole was a reminder that he was not as protected as he would have liked, but he consoled himself with the thought that his goal was drawing closer.
Glossary of Australian Terms
ARSE: Australian spelling of ass (as in the posterior, not the donkey, that one is spelt ass)
AUSTRALIAN SECRET INTELLIGENCE SERVICE (ASIS): Australia's foreign intelligence service, similar to the CIA and British MI6.
AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION (ASIO): Australia's counterintelligence, domestic intelligence and national security service, similar to the NSA and FBI Counterintelligence Division rolled into one organisation.
BUGGER: Be anally raped. Also used an exclamation of surprise or frustration.
CANBERRA: Australia's capital city.
FOOTPATH: Sidewalk; pavement.
G'DAY: Colloquial Australian greeting.
JAM (In the context of a food spread): Jelly.
MATE: Friend. Buddy. Pal.
MARGINAL GOVERNMENT SEAT: Parliamentary voting district where the government holds a thin majority of the vote.
POWER POINT: Electrical outlet on a wall where electrical devices are plugged into.
THE OPPOSITION: In the Westminster Parliamentary system, the party with the second largest number of seats which sits in opposition to the government and debates policy. Similar in role to the Minority Party in the US Congress.
LABOR PARTY: An Australian political party founded by the trade unions
