Sylia watched Nigel work on the last suit. She looked over at her suit, that was shinning in the dim light. She missed being the active leader of the group. When she got the new girls' she hadn't relized she would be hanging up her suit and working from inside the pit. She sighed. It was just a furthermore depressing tid bit in her life. She found herself staring solmnely at her hardsuit rather than Nigel for the rest of the early morning hours.
"Everything seemed to be okay when I went out in it the last few times" She said to Nigel, still looking longingly at the white hardsuit.
"You know it's not safe." Nigel answered not even looking back at her, "It just takes one time."
"I know..." Sylia sighed and let her head fall, "I just miss it so much."
"I think you should scrap it." Nigel reached out for a diffrent tool, and then went to work with it.
"I couldn't do that." She answered, "Sometimes I'm all we have left. If I didn't have a suit..."
Nigel paused and shook his head. He didn't reply to her defence, he just kept on working. He was convinced it was none of his business. Sylia looked over to the little garage window. The morning sun was starting to shine into the room. She looked back to Nigel, and smiled.
"Come get some breakfeast in a little while." She offered. She walked out, knowing that he wouldn't.
The smell of freash breakfeast filled the living room. Nene's eyes popped open, she sniffed the air. It smelled yummy. She had fallen asleep curled up with Mackie on the couch. Now aside from Priss' walking in on them last night anyone else who had walked by since then had seen her with him. She pushed Mackie off the couch. He hit the floor with a very loud 'thump'.
"Huh? Wha?" He look around frantically after just being woke up, nd then focused on Nene. "Oh, good morning Nene!"
"You'd think so wouldn't you?" She played her usual cocky attitude at him, "You're very lucky Mackie! Don't get used to it!"
"Oh I Know. And I won't." He reassured her with a sweet smile.
"Okay. Then lets get some food!" She hopped up and ran into the kitchen . Sylia was seated at the head of the table already eating. There were five other plates of food out waiting to be eaten. She grinned, this was something she could really get used to. She took the seat closest to her and started eating right away. Mackie sat between her and Sylia.
"Good morning, Sylia." He greeted her as he sat down.
"Yes good morning you two. Did you sleep well?" She answered. Nene had a sweatdrop at this, but tried not to make a scene of it. Mackie nodded, and noticing Nene's reaction said nothing more. He began eating as well.
"I thought I smelled breakfeast!" Linna cheerfully entered the room.
"She's a littlte *too* happy..." Nene whispered to Mackie. Mackie looked at Nene in confusion, while Sylia surpressed a chuckle.
Linna took a seat on the other side of Sylia. She was absoultly leaking joy. Sylia thought of what possible snide, but suddle comment she could make. She just couldn't find an appropriate one so she inquired...
"Where's Priss?"
"I'm right here." Priss leaned on the doorframe. Unlike Linna she didn't carry that hole 'I just got laid' cheer. She stepped away from the door and walked over to the table. She sat next to Linna, with a look so hard she was just daring anyone to make fun of her.
After a few minutes Mackie spoke up, never liking silence himself. "How did your date go with Leon? You didn't look too happy when you got home." He asked Priss. He was oblivious to the happening between Linna and Priss last night.
"It wasn't all that bad." She said, "How was you're 'date' with Nene?"
"Date?" Mackie asked, "We didn't go out anywhere."
"Oh?" She continued to eat, "Well... it just looked like the end of a date, that's all"
Nene blushed deeply. That was enough reaction, Priss smirked.
"Ah-hem" Sylia was going to stop this childish non-sense, "The hardsuits will all be finnished soon. If you'd like to have a look this afternoon, feel free."
"This afternoon? Cool!" Nene cheered.
"Is Nigel working on the suits now?" Mackie asked Sylia.
"Yes, he's been working on them all night." She answered.
"Oh. Excuse me" He stood up from the table, grabbed Nigel's plate and hurried out to the garage.
"Wasn't he working on them all day yesterday?" Linna asked, "What's the rush?"
"We don't know when the next Boomer will go rogue. I don't want to take any chances." Sylia said very sternly.
"No need to kill him over it... " Priss mumbled while continuing on her meal.
Sylia tensed up at that, she would not be held responsible for Nigel's choice to over work himself. She wouldn't be held responsible for anyone elses' death either. She looked down, her hand was clenched onto her fork. She dropped it, and stood up. Linna looked surprised, by Sylia's sudden actions. Priss hadn't even bothered to look at her.
"Excuse me, I have work to do." She said as politely as possible through her clenched jaw. She walked away quickly.
"So she's probably not going to finnish her breakfeast, huh?" Nene eyed the plate. She had already eaten all of hers, and a good portion of Mackie's as well.
"She looked upset..." Linna ignored Nene's question.
"Yeah, so she probably wont be back..." Nene grabbed the plate and chowed down.
"Jeez kid, you have one hell of an appitite." Priss said leaning back in her chair casually.
"Yeah, I know." She winked and stuck her tounge out in a silly face.
"Are you guys sure Sylia's doing okay?" Linna asked, "She's been acting kinda... strange"
"I noticed that too." Nene agreed, "It's like she's been on edge, and constantly frusterated. You don't think she's hiding anything else do you!?"
"I hope not... I don't know if we could fight another Galatea..." Linna looked in the direction Sylia walked off in.
"Maybe she's just recovering from all that stuff that Galatea did to her. Yeah I bet that's it." Nene nodded. She finnished up the last of the food in front of her, then noticing Priss' uninvolvement in the conversation. "What do you think Priss?"
"Maybe she's angry about you cradle robbing her little brother." Priss smirked.
Nene blushed again, "He's not all that much younger than me!"
Hours later Priss was sitting on the couch next to Linna. Linna was reading some fashion magazine, that was of no intrest to her. She found this cottage of Sylia's to be one of the most boring places she had ever stayed. Nene had disapeared shortly after breakfeast, and Sylia hadn't passed by anytime recently either. She was starting to feel alone and trapped. She stood up and streched.
"Bored?" Linna asked.
"Eh." Priss shrugged, "I think I'm going to go take a shower..."
"Want any company?" Linna suggested, grinning.
"Um... No." Priss side stepped away from the couch. As if the silk robe wasn't bad enough. She casually walked down the hall. The bathroom was locked. Priss leaned her forhead on the wall. She missed having her bike parked outside. She could just go riding. There was that envelope with who knows how much money in it, waiting for her on the dresser. She lifted her head back away from the wall, getting ready to give in to the envelope. The bathroom door opened, and Nene blinked at her. She then hurried by, without much more than a giggle.
Priss stepped in the door. The room was very dark, even with the lights on. The mirror was shattered, there were only a few peices of glass left hanging on. She pulled one of the shards loose from the mirror frame. Upon the inspection of it she found an edge laced in blood. She wondered why she hadn't noticed the mirror before. She shrugged and threw the glass shard away. Movement caught the corner of her eye. She looked behind her, Sylia was standing in the doorframe behind her. When Priss made eye contact with her, Sylia shut the door, closing them both in the bathroom. It sent a chill down Priss' spine, reminding her far too much of those days.
"I was surprised by your lack of enthusiasum this morning. Was Linna that bad?" She said in what Priss' inturpreted as a low suductive tone.
"Not at all... as if it's any of your business..."She stepped back, her lower back pushing into the sink.
Sylia stayed against the closed door, with a thoughtful look.
"What are you trying to do Sylia?" Priss sneered. This whole situation had her feeling even more trapped. She was begining to panic in her own mind. She gripped onto the sink with one hand. Sylia took in Priss' fear, and sighed. She crossed the room, past Priss and over to the shower. She turned on the water, and let it run on her hand.
Priss' started to ease back toward the door. She assumed Sylia was still trying to suduce her, again. She wasn't having of it, "Does everyone want to take a shower with me?"
"Not really, all though those are fond memories." Sylia pulled her hand back and shook it lightly in an attempt to drip dry it, "I miss you, sometimes. I've made so many mistakes."
"I know you have." Priss scoffed.
"Sometimes you're so hard Priss, maybe you should lighten up a little bit. You couldn't possibly hate me as much as you lead on... could you?" Sylia left the shower running and walked back over to Priss.
"I don't know."
"Hmmm." Sylia leaned in and kissed Priss lightly. Priss didn't know whys she didn't throw Sylia away from her, but she didn't. She closed her eyes, and she kissed Sylia back. She could feel those tears burning her eye-lids again. As Sylia pulled away, she could feel one of those warm little drops find it's way out and down her cheek. She looked down quickly, eye's still clenched.
"I do care about you. I always have, and I want you to know that." Sylia whispered.
Priss nodded lightly, still looking down. She didn't want to face this, not now, not ever. That's why she had been so afraid, and now she just felt like curling up alone in a cave.
"You're hardsuit will be done soon. In the meantime, cheer yourself up- There's a red bike outside just waiting for you to take it for a ride." Sylia patted Priss' shoulder, then returned to the door.
"Sylia..." Priss whispered, not wanting her voice to crack.
"Yes, Priss?" She glanced over her shoulder.
"Thank you."
Sylia smiled. She opened the door and let herself out. Priss was glad there wasn't a mirror, she would have hated to see herself in tears. She stripped down and got into the shower as planned. She let the warm water mix with her tears, and take them all far, far away.
Linna and Nene stood side by side gazing upon thier soon to be suits. They were pre-shaped, but still made to mold with the liquid suit gunk. The first diffrence was the backs, there was a rather large jet pack on it. It looked like there was more to it than that, because of the way it folded in upon itself. The arm packs on Linna's were packed with some kind of blue liquid. There were still obviously the whips she had been started with. Nene's had computer citcutry all along both arm packs. There were the normal bundle of connectors needed for downloading information, and what looked to be a complete super computer... built right onto the base of the suit. Over the circutry two large lazer guns were mounted. Priss' suit was in pieces, still being built off to the side of the room. Sylia stepped up behind the two of them.
"Like what you see?" She asked.
"What's with the computer set up on my suit?" Nene asked, "Didn't we have a simpler configuration before?"
"Good question." Sylia walked over to the suit and looked it over, "If all goes to my calculations, this system will allow you to virtually place yourself in any computer system imaginable."
"Virtual reality?" Linna asked.
"Something like that... " She answered, "It would be something like a dream, or game, but it would be very real. With this she could access systems in a way no other could... even Boomers themselves."
"I think I get it." Nene nodded, "I think I've seen movies with concepts similar to that."
"Well, we'll have to see how it works, hmmm?" Sylia chuckled.
Linna walked to the back of her suit and pointed at the pack, "How about this?"
"Oh, That's a surprise. I'm rather sure that that will work properly." She teased.
"These guns are really big... " Nene pointed out, studying the gun on the left arm. Sylia leaned down to look with her.
"It has several settings. You could lazer blast them, but as I've noticed that does very little damage. We have some regular amo, a fire blaster, or a liquid nitrogen cannon."
"Wow! Sounds fun!" Nene cheered.
"Is that what this blue stuff is, Sylia?" Linna asked about her own suit, "Liquid nitrogen?"
"No. That is an expierment of mine. It's a venom, in hopes of paralyzes. It will eject automaticaly. We'll see how it works."
"So we've become your test subjects now?" Priss interrupted from the garage door. Her hair was up in a towel, random strands finding thier way free.
"To make the suits better, we'll have to test them." She said sternly, "If you don't like it, you can leave."
"Nah, I'm ready to get back out there." She shrugged, "Lemme know when I get to put the damn thing on."
"Hey Priss!" Nene called to the leaving Priss, "With this new suit, I'll be able to kick some big boomer ass with you!"
Priss looked over her shoulder, Nene gave her a peace sign and cocked her head cheerfully. Priss shook her head and found her way back to her designated room.
"What about you're suit?" Linna asked, "Are you going to retire?"
"No. It's already done. I have a pack like both of you, other than that... It was just slight repairs." She pointed at the dark corner she had moved it to so she wouldn't have to look at it anymore.
"I told her to retire, but she won't listen to me." Nigel returned from the short break he had taken. His eyes were dark, from lack of sleep. He walked right up to the third suit and continued his work.
"Sylia!" Mackie ran in urgently, "Sylia!"
"What is it Mackie?" Sylia asked with concern to his panic.
"It's already happening. A worker boomer in northern Tokyo has gone rogue. It's out of control, and there was a report of it spreading to other boomers!"
"No..." Sylia whimpered, "It's too soon... those fools. They should never have mass produced so many boomers from cloned core."
"Cloned?" Nene asked.
"I'll explain on the way. It looks like we'll be testing the suits earlier than I had hoped." Sylia hurried over to her hardsuit. She looked over to Nigel, who gave her an unapproving look. She had this dark feeling that she should listen to him this time. Since when was a dark feeling new to her anyway? She had to go. She prepared it and Nigel poured the liquid on. She molded into a white Knight Saber.
"Linna, you're next..." Sylia pointed at her suit. She did as she was told. Nene ran to go get Priss while Linna was suiting up.
"Priss! There's a rogue Boomer!" Nene yelled running into Priss' room.
"What?" Priss found herself chasinf after Nene. Nene ran back to garage. Linna was all suited up, so Nene hurried to get into her suit next.
"Priss, you're going to have to stay here. " Sylia told her.
"Wait a minute, what's happening?" She asked the white Knight Saber.
"It looks as if we'll be facing a Boomer revolution... " Sylia sneered, "It won't be pretty. Luckly we have the three of us."
"Sylia..." Priss begged, "... You come back with Linna and Nene. You got that?"
"Let's go!" Nene jumped over in her new hardsuit.
"Alright." Sylia agreed, "Linna, come on."
"Sylia!" Priss demanded.
Sylia didn't respond, she led the other two girls into her car. It wasn't quite the mobil pit, but it would do for now. Mackie gave her directions.
"Damn it!" Priss cursed, "How long will it take you to get that suit finnished up, Nigel?"
"A few hours at the least with the extras Sylia has requested for it." Nigel answered calmly.
"That's too fucking long." She growled. She paced for a moment. Looking back up at Nigel she snarled, "Forget whatever fancy extras. I'll take whatever you can give me in the next twenty minutes."
"I'm afraid that's not possible." He answered, but Priss was already out of the garage. She was watching the video input from Nene's visual via Mackie.
The boomer wasn't all that deformed when they arrived. It stood tall, even for a building boomer. It had deformed shoulders that were very broad and spiked. The arms were lanky, swinging as it ordered the other boomers to do it's deeds. It's eyes glowed a bright red, along with everyone of its worker drones. They looked to be building something, by use of wreckage from a building the had just built, and destroyed.
"Why are they doing that?" Linna's voice spoke accross all the intercoms.
"It's killed the commander, and took the job." Sylia explained, "The damn thing is trying to build a boomer army."
"It's still a small army!" Nene yelled, "Let's destroy them now!"
She hopped out of the car, and running towards the boomers, they all turned to face her. She stopped in her tracks. "There's actually... quite a few of them."
The commander buzzed out some noise. The first line of about six boomers charged toward her. She sweatdropped. She lifted both her arms and concentrated on shooting them. The first things he shot was the lazers. They stunned the boomers, long enough for Linna to join her side. Linna jumped out and smacked three of them with her her whip weapon. They all screamed and recoiled, one lost an arm. The others were right upon Nene. She tried out the flame thrower. It sparked and flames flew for a good rubber melting, metal charcoaling few minutes. The flames were exahsted.
"They'll need to re-charge Nene!" Sylia commanded from the car, "Try the the normal Amunition!"
Nene shot off round after round of slugs. It hadn't worked very well for the A.D. Police why would it work for her? She took one of the boomers down with it. She switched over to the Liquid Nitrogen. As soon as it hit the burnt boomer, it froze in it's place. She grinned, hitting the other boomer with the same results.
"Yeah!" She celebrated. "I tottally rock!"
"Smash thier core while you have the chance!" Sylia reminded, harshly.
"Oh... yeah" Nene pounced on one after the other smashing thier core.
The three that Linna were fighting were putting up quite a fight, but all in a single instant they combusted from the core area.
"What just happened?" Linna yelled out to Sylia.
"The poison worked as I had hoped. It was a little delayed. When it finnaly reached the core, the core over worked itself, it blew itself up!" Sylia explained.
The next six boomers were upon her Sabers. She waited, hopeful she wouldn't have to put herself in the battle. Thier weapons were working beautifully. The packs!
"Remember those packs?" Sylia reminded, "Use them!"
Linna bounced off of a bommer far enough to use the pack. She flew up into the air and long wings extended from her back. She was able to move them, like an angel she thought. She used the wings to dive gracefully down into a boomer giving it a full whip to the chest. Nene followed Linna's example. She flew up and started shooting from the sky. Sylia's eyes twinkled at the beauty of her new an improved young women warriors.
They Knight Sabers fought long and hard. The poison Sylia had equipt in Linna's suit was killing boomers without a blink of the eye, but it couldn't last forever, nor would Nene's amunition. Both of them ran into that problem at the same time.
"Sylia... I have nothing but lazers left. It's only stunning them! There's so many!"
"They aren't falling anymore, Sylia! I think the venom is all worn out!"
Sylia jumped into battle.
"There's no way! They haven't even taken out half of them!" Priss yelled at the computer monitor, "Get out of there! Is that the A.D. Police? Great."
On the little monitor Nene had looked back toward Sylia's car, the A.D. Police had finnaly arrived. They weren't nearly as equipt as usual. Priss ran back to garage, over forty minutes had passed since she had told Nigel he had twenty. He was still working on it when she ran in.
"Okay, suit me up!" She demanded, "Now."
"I've rushed it Priss," He explained. "I've dropped all the extras, but the suit still may not be safe."
"It won't go rogue right?" She asked.
"No, that's not the problem."
"Then I'll work with it. They need me out there." She climbed into the not quite finnished suit.
"It's not my problem. I warned you." He poured the liquid goop on her. She molded to form without a problem in the world. She did a flip, tested a kick with both legs, and a punch with both arms. The suit was perfectly comfortable. She hurried out to the bike Sylia had told her about.
Linna was caught off gaurd by a tenticul grabbing hold of one of her wings. It ripped right off, sending her slightly off balance. She tucked the other one in. She flew downward with much less grace than before, swinging another shot of the whips at it. She was begining to get worn down. Nene was already dragging. She just had to fight harder. She punched right into the core, and with it in hand smashed it with all of her might. A second boomer she was fighting grabbed her from behind. She tried to loosen herself, but it further fused with her suit as she fought.
"Linna!" Sylia tried to reach her, but was stopped by several boomers. She attacked with everything she had.
The boomer carried her back to thier building project. As it climbed up over the wall, she could see it was just a bed of long jagged spikes. The held her up as high as it could, way up in the sky. It was like a horrible fair raide, it threw her down on this bed of spikes with all the momentum of a bus.
"Sylia!" Linna cried out as she flew through the air, toward her painful doom.
The commander Bommer laughed like a mad man.
To be continued....
"Everything seemed to be okay when I went out in it the last few times" She said to Nigel, still looking longingly at the white hardsuit.
"You know it's not safe." Nigel answered not even looking back at her, "It just takes one time."
"I know..." Sylia sighed and let her head fall, "I just miss it so much."
"I think you should scrap it." Nigel reached out for a diffrent tool, and then went to work with it.
"I couldn't do that." She answered, "Sometimes I'm all we have left. If I didn't have a suit..."
Nigel paused and shook his head. He didn't reply to her defence, he just kept on working. He was convinced it was none of his business. Sylia looked over to the little garage window. The morning sun was starting to shine into the room. She looked back to Nigel, and smiled.
"Come get some breakfeast in a little while." She offered. She walked out, knowing that he wouldn't.
The smell of freash breakfeast filled the living room. Nene's eyes popped open, she sniffed the air. It smelled yummy. She had fallen asleep curled up with Mackie on the couch. Now aside from Priss' walking in on them last night anyone else who had walked by since then had seen her with him. She pushed Mackie off the couch. He hit the floor with a very loud 'thump'.
"Huh? Wha?" He look around frantically after just being woke up, nd then focused on Nene. "Oh, good morning Nene!"
"You'd think so wouldn't you?" She played her usual cocky attitude at him, "You're very lucky Mackie! Don't get used to it!"
"Oh I Know. And I won't." He reassured her with a sweet smile.
"Okay. Then lets get some food!" She hopped up and ran into the kitchen . Sylia was seated at the head of the table already eating. There were five other plates of food out waiting to be eaten. She grinned, this was something she could really get used to. She took the seat closest to her and started eating right away. Mackie sat between her and Sylia.
"Good morning, Sylia." He greeted her as he sat down.
"Yes good morning you two. Did you sleep well?" She answered. Nene had a sweatdrop at this, but tried not to make a scene of it. Mackie nodded, and noticing Nene's reaction said nothing more. He began eating as well.
"I thought I smelled breakfeast!" Linna cheerfully entered the room.
"She's a littlte *too* happy..." Nene whispered to Mackie. Mackie looked at Nene in confusion, while Sylia surpressed a chuckle.
Linna took a seat on the other side of Sylia. She was absoultly leaking joy. Sylia thought of what possible snide, but suddle comment she could make. She just couldn't find an appropriate one so she inquired...
"Where's Priss?"
"I'm right here." Priss leaned on the doorframe. Unlike Linna she didn't carry that hole 'I just got laid' cheer. She stepped away from the door and walked over to the table. She sat next to Linna, with a look so hard she was just daring anyone to make fun of her.
After a few minutes Mackie spoke up, never liking silence himself. "How did your date go with Leon? You didn't look too happy when you got home." He asked Priss. He was oblivious to the happening between Linna and Priss last night.
"It wasn't all that bad." She said, "How was you're 'date' with Nene?"
"Date?" Mackie asked, "We didn't go out anywhere."
"Oh?" She continued to eat, "Well... it just looked like the end of a date, that's all"
Nene blushed deeply. That was enough reaction, Priss smirked.
"Ah-hem" Sylia was going to stop this childish non-sense, "The hardsuits will all be finnished soon. If you'd like to have a look this afternoon, feel free."
"This afternoon? Cool!" Nene cheered.
"Is Nigel working on the suits now?" Mackie asked Sylia.
"Yes, he's been working on them all night." She answered.
"Oh. Excuse me" He stood up from the table, grabbed Nigel's plate and hurried out to the garage.
"Wasn't he working on them all day yesterday?" Linna asked, "What's the rush?"
"We don't know when the next Boomer will go rogue. I don't want to take any chances." Sylia said very sternly.
"No need to kill him over it... " Priss mumbled while continuing on her meal.
Sylia tensed up at that, she would not be held responsible for Nigel's choice to over work himself. She wouldn't be held responsible for anyone elses' death either. She looked down, her hand was clenched onto her fork. She dropped it, and stood up. Linna looked surprised, by Sylia's sudden actions. Priss hadn't even bothered to look at her.
"Excuse me, I have work to do." She said as politely as possible through her clenched jaw. She walked away quickly.
"So she's probably not going to finnish her breakfeast, huh?" Nene eyed the plate. She had already eaten all of hers, and a good portion of Mackie's as well.
"She looked upset..." Linna ignored Nene's question.
"Yeah, so she probably wont be back..." Nene grabbed the plate and chowed down.
"Jeez kid, you have one hell of an appitite." Priss said leaning back in her chair casually.
"Yeah, I know." She winked and stuck her tounge out in a silly face.
"Are you guys sure Sylia's doing okay?" Linna asked, "She's been acting kinda... strange"
"I noticed that too." Nene agreed, "It's like she's been on edge, and constantly frusterated. You don't think she's hiding anything else do you!?"
"I hope not... I don't know if we could fight another Galatea..." Linna looked in the direction Sylia walked off in.
"Maybe she's just recovering from all that stuff that Galatea did to her. Yeah I bet that's it." Nene nodded. She finnished up the last of the food in front of her, then noticing Priss' uninvolvement in the conversation. "What do you think Priss?"
"Maybe she's angry about you cradle robbing her little brother." Priss smirked.
Nene blushed again, "He's not all that much younger than me!"
Hours later Priss was sitting on the couch next to Linna. Linna was reading some fashion magazine, that was of no intrest to her. She found this cottage of Sylia's to be one of the most boring places she had ever stayed. Nene had disapeared shortly after breakfeast, and Sylia hadn't passed by anytime recently either. She was starting to feel alone and trapped. She stood up and streched.
"Bored?" Linna asked.
"Eh." Priss shrugged, "I think I'm going to go take a shower..."
"Want any company?" Linna suggested, grinning.
"Um... No." Priss side stepped away from the couch. As if the silk robe wasn't bad enough. She casually walked down the hall. The bathroom was locked. Priss leaned her forhead on the wall. She missed having her bike parked outside. She could just go riding. There was that envelope with who knows how much money in it, waiting for her on the dresser. She lifted her head back away from the wall, getting ready to give in to the envelope. The bathroom door opened, and Nene blinked at her. She then hurried by, without much more than a giggle.
Priss stepped in the door. The room was very dark, even with the lights on. The mirror was shattered, there were only a few peices of glass left hanging on. She pulled one of the shards loose from the mirror frame. Upon the inspection of it she found an edge laced in blood. She wondered why she hadn't noticed the mirror before. She shrugged and threw the glass shard away. Movement caught the corner of her eye. She looked behind her, Sylia was standing in the doorframe behind her. When Priss made eye contact with her, Sylia shut the door, closing them both in the bathroom. It sent a chill down Priss' spine, reminding her far too much of those days.
"I was surprised by your lack of enthusiasum this morning. Was Linna that bad?" She said in what Priss' inturpreted as a low suductive tone.
"Not at all... as if it's any of your business..."She stepped back, her lower back pushing into the sink.
Sylia stayed against the closed door, with a thoughtful look.
"What are you trying to do Sylia?" Priss sneered. This whole situation had her feeling even more trapped. She was begining to panic in her own mind. She gripped onto the sink with one hand. Sylia took in Priss' fear, and sighed. She crossed the room, past Priss and over to the shower. She turned on the water, and let it run on her hand.
Priss' started to ease back toward the door. She assumed Sylia was still trying to suduce her, again. She wasn't having of it, "Does everyone want to take a shower with me?"
"Not really, all though those are fond memories." Sylia pulled her hand back and shook it lightly in an attempt to drip dry it, "I miss you, sometimes. I've made so many mistakes."
"I know you have." Priss scoffed.
"Sometimes you're so hard Priss, maybe you should lighten up a little bit. You couldn't possibly hate me as much as you lead on... could you?" Sylia left the shower running and walked back over to Priss.
"I don't know."
"Hmmm." Sylia leaned in and kissed Priss lightly. Priss didn't know whys she didn't throw Sylia away from her, but she didn't. She closed her eyes, and she kissed Sylia back. She could feel those tears burning her eye-lids again. As Sylia pulled away, she could feel one of those warm little drops find it's way out and down her cheek. She looked down quickly, eye's still clenched.
"I do care about you. I always have, and I want you to know that." Sylia whispered.
Priss nodded lightly, still looking down. She didn't want to face this, not now, not ever. That's why she had been so afraid, and now she just felt like curling up alone in a cave.
"You're hardsuit will be done soon. In the meantime, cheer yourself up- There's a red bike outside just waiting for you to take it for a ride." Sylia patted Priss' shoulder, then returned to the door.
"Sylia..." Priss whispered, not wanting her voice to crack.
"Yes, Priss?" She glanced over her shoulder.
"Thank you."
Sylia smiled. She opened the door and let herself out. Priss was glad there wasn't a mirror, she would have hated to see herself in tears. She stripped down and got into the shower as planned. She let the warm water mix with her tears, and take them all far, far away.
Linna and Nene stood side by side gazing upon thier soon to be suits. They were pre-shaped, but still made to mold with the liquid suit gunk. The first diffrence was the backs, there was a rather large jet pack on it. It looked like there was more to it than that, because of the way it folded in upon itself. The arm packs on Linna's were packed with some kind of blue liquid. There were still obviously the whips she had been started with. Nene's had computer citcutry all along both arm packs. There were the normal bundle of connectors needed for downloading information, and what looked to be a complete super computer... built right onto the base of the suit. Over the circutry two large lazer guns were mounted. Priss' suit was in pieces, still being built off to the side of the room. Sylia stepped up behind the two of them.
"Like what you see?" She asked.
"What's with the computer set up on my suit?" Nene asked, "Didn't we have a simpler configuration before?"
"Good question." Sylia walked over to the suit and looked it over, "If all goes to my calculations, this system will allow you to virtually place yourself in any computer system imaginable."
"Virtual reality?" Linna asked.
"Something like that... " She answered, "It would be something like a dream, or game, but it would be very real. With this she could access systems in a way no other could... even Boomers themselves."
"I think I get it." Nene nodded, "I think I've seen movies with concepts similar to that."
"Well, we'll have to see how it works, hmmm?" Sylia chuckled.
Linna walked to the back of her suit and pointed at the pack, "How about this?"
"Oh, That's a surprise. I'm rather sure that that will work properly." She teased.
"These guns are really big... " Nene pointed out, studying the gun on the left arm. Sylia leaned down to look with her.
"It has several settings. You could lazer blast them, but as I've noticed that does very little damage. We have some regular amo, a fire blaster, or a liquid nitrogen cannon."
"Wow! Sounds fun!" Nene cheered.
"Is that what this blue stuff is, Sylia?" Linna asked about her own suit, "Liquid nitrogen?"
"No. That is an expierment of mine. It's a venom, in hopes of paralyzes. It will eject automaticaly. We'll see how it works."
"So we've become your test subjects now?" Priss interrupted from the garage door. Her hair was up in a towel, random strands finding thier way free.
"To make the suits better, we'll have to test them." She said sternly, "If you don't like it, you can leave."
"Nah, I'm ready to get back out there." She shrugged, "Lemme know when I get to put the damn thing on."
"Hey Priss!" Nene called to the leaving Priss, "With this new suit, I'll be able to kick some big boomer ass with you!"
Priss looked over her shoulder, Nene gave her a peace sign and cocked her head cheerfully. Priss shook her head and found her way back to her designated room.
"What about you're suit?" Linna asked, "Are you going to retire?"
"No. It's already done. I have a pack like both of you, other than that... It was just slight repairs." She pointed at the dark corner she had moved it to so she wouldn't have to look at it anymore.
"I told her to retire, but she won't listen to me." Nigel returned from the short break he had taken. His eyes were dark, from lack of sleep. He walked right up to the third suit and continued his work.
"Sylia!" Mackie ran in urgently, "Sylia!"
"What is it Mackie?" Sylia asked with concern to his panic.
"It's already happening. A worker boomer in northern Tokyo has gone rogue. It's out of control, and there was a report of it spreading to other boomers!"
"No..." Sylia whimpered, "It's too soon... those fools. They should never have mass produced so many boomers from cloned core."
"Cloned?" Nene asked.
"I'll explain on the way. It looks like we'll be testing the suits earlier than I had hoped." Sylia hurried over to her hardsuit. She looked over to Nigel, who gave her an unapproving look. She had this dark feeling that she should listen to him this time. Since when was a dark feeling new to her anyway? She had to go. She prepared it and Nigel poured the liquid on. She molded into a white Knight Saber.
"Linna, you're next..." Sylia pointed at her suit. She did as she was told. Nene ran to go get Priss while Linna was suiting up.
"Priss! There's a rogue Boomer!" Nene yelled running into Priss' room.
"What?" Priss found herself chasinf after Nene. Nene ran back to garage. Linna was all suited up, so Nene hurried to get into her suit next.
"Priss, you're going to have to stay here. " Sylia told her.
"Wait a minute, what's happening?" She asked the white Knight Saber.
"It looks as if we'll be facing a Boomer revolution... " Sylia sneered, "It won't be pretty. Luckly we have the three of us."
"Sylia..." Priss begged, "... You come back with Linna and Nene. You got that?"
"Let's go!" Nene jumped over in her new hardsuit.
"Alright." Sylia agreed, "Linna, come on."
"Sylia!" Priss demanded.
Sylia didn't respond, she led the other two girls into her car. It wasn't quite the mobil pit, but it would do for now. Mackie gave her directions.
"Damn it!" Priss cursed, "How long will it take you to get that suit finnished up, Nigel?"
"A few hours at the least with the extras Sylia has requested for it." Nigel answered calmly.
"That's too fucking long." She growled. She paced for a moment. Looking back up at Nigel she snarled, "Forget whatever fancy extras. I'll take whatever you can give me in the next twenty minutes."
"I'm afraid that's not possible." He answered, but Priss was already out of the garage. She was watching the video input from Nene's visual via Mackie.
The boomer wasn't all that deformed when they arrived. It stood tall, even for a building boomer. It had deformed shoulders that were very broad and spiked. The arms were lanky, swinging as it ordered the other boomers to do it's deeds. It's eyes glowed a bright red, along with everyone of its worker drones. They looked to be building something, by use of wreckage from a building the had just built, and destroyed.
"Why are they doing that?" Linna's voice spoke accross all the intercoms.
"It's killed the commander, and took the job." Sylia explained, "The damn thing is trying to build a boomer army."
"It's still a small army!" Nene yelled, "Let's destroy them now!"
She hopped out of the car, and running towards the boomers, they all turned to face her. She stopped in her tracks. "There's actually... quite a few of them."
The commander buzzed out some noise. The first line of about six boomers charged toward her. She sweatdropped. She lifted both her arms and concentrated on shooting them. The first things he shot was the lazers. They stunned the boomers, long enough for Linna to join her side. Linna jumped out and smacked three of them with her her whip weapon. They all screamed and recoiled, one lost an arm. The others were right upon Nene. She tried out the flame thrower. It sparked and flames flew for a good rubber melting, metal charcoaling few minutes. The flames were exahsted.
"They'll need to re-charge Nene!" Sylia commanded from the car, "Try the the normal Amunition!"
Nene shot off round after round of slugs. It hadn't worked very well for the A.D. Police why would it work for her? She took one of the boomers down with it. She switched over to the Liquid Nitrogen. As soon as it hit the burnt boomer, it froze in it's place. She grinned, hitting the other boomer with the same results.
"Yeah!" She celebrated. "I tottally rock!"
"Smash thier core while you have the chance!" Sylia reminded, harshly.
"Oh... yeah" Nene pounced on one after the other smashing thier core.
The three that Linna were fighting were putting up quite a fight, but all in a single instant they combusted from the core area.
"What just happened?" Linna yelled out to Sylia.
"The poison worked as I had hoped. It was a little delayed. When it finnaly reached the core, the core over worked itself, it blew itself up!" Sylia explained.
The next six boomers were upon her Sabers. She waited, hopeful she wouldn't have to put herself in the battle. Thier weapons were working beautifully. The packs!
"Remember those packs?" Sylia reminded, "Use them!"
Linna bounced off of a bommer far enough to use the pack. She flew up into the air and long wings extended from her back. She was able to move them, like an angel she thought. She used the wings to dive gracefully down into a boomer giving it a full whip to the chest. Nene followed Linna's example. She flew up and started shooting from the sky. Sylia's eyes twinkled at the beauty of her new an improved young women warriors.
They Knight Sabers fought long and hard. The poison Sylia had equipt in Linna's suit was killing boomers without a blink of the eye, but it couldn't last forever, nor would Nene's amunition. Both of them ran into that problem at the same time.
"Sylia... I have nothing but lazers left. It's only stunning them! There's so many!"
"They aren't falling anymore, Sylia! I think the venom is all worn out!"
Sylia jumped into battle.
"There's no way! They haven't even taken out half of them!" Priss yelled at the computer monitor, "Get out of there! Is that the A.D. Police? Great."
On the little monitor Nene had looked back toward Sylia's car, the A.D. Police had finnaly arrived. They weren't nearly as equipt as usual. Priss ran back to garage, over forty minutes had passed since she had told Nigel he had twenty. He was still working on it when she ran in.
"Okay, suit me up!" She demanded, "Now."
"I've rushed it Priss," He explained. "I've dropped all the extras, but the suit still may not be safe."
"It won't go rogue right?" She asked.
"No, that's not the problem."
"Then I'll work with it. They need me out there." She climbed into the not quite finnished suit.
"It's not my problem. I warned you." He poured the liquid goop on her. She molded to form without a problem in the world. She did a flip, tested a kick with both legs, and a punch with both arms. The suit was perfectly comfortable. She hurried out to the bike Sylia had told her about.
Linna was caught off gaurd by a tenticul grabbing hold of one of her wings. It ripped right off, sending her slightly off balance. She tucked the other one in. She flew downward with much less grace than before, swinging another shot of the whips at it. She was begining to get worn down. Nene was already dragging. She just had to fight harder. She punched right into the core, and with it in hand smashed it with all of her might. A second boomer she was fighting grabbed her from behind. She tried to loosen herself, but it further fused with her suit as she fought.
"Linna!" Sylia tried to reach her, but was stopped by several boomers. She attacked with everything she had.
The boomer carried her back to thier building project. As it climbed up over the wall, she could see it was just a bed of long jagged spikes. The held her up as high as it could, way up in the sky. It was like a horrible fair raide, it threw her down on this bed of spikes with all the momentum of a bus.
"Sylia!" Linna cried out as she flew through the air, toward her painful doom.
The commander Bommer laughed like a mad man.
To be continued....