Bubble Gum Crisis
An Alternate Story of the Knight Sabers
2034 Year of the Tiger
Neo No Armour Against Fate (Section 2 of 5)
Flash Powder (Part 7 of 11)
by Shawn Hagen(1999;2005)

Based on situations and characters created by Suzuki Toshimichi.

February 14th, Tuesday, 03:12

Reika had turned the small office into her bedroom by moving the desk out and throwing a futon down on the floor. An open travelling chest was at the foot of the mattress, an open duffel bag to the side.

She opened her eyes when she felt Kou moving from the mattress.

"What..."

Kou put his hand over her mouth, silencing her. She did not try to say anything but just listened, trying to discover what had set him off.

Kou took his hand from her mouth and got up. He pulled a pair of loose pants on but not from a sense of modesty. He used the waistband to hold a 10mm automatic pistol and the pockets to hold spare magazines.

Reika slid out from under the comforter and pulled on the blazer she had been wearing earlier. She also took the time to find her panties and pull them onmodesty was her only reason.

Kou had pushed open the door slightly and was using a small mirror to see what was out in the hall.

Reika went to her travelling chest and rifled through the clothes until she found the Calico 9mm, sub-machine gun that Kou had made her pack. She was not sure about the weapon. The top mounted helical magazine and the sound suppresser gave it extra length and bulk. After slowly cocking it, she made her way over to Kou's side.

"Something is wrong," he told her, his voice low.

"What?"

"No guards, too quiet."

"Maybe they are asleep."

"Doubtful, they aren't anywhere near that green."

"Did they get all of them?"

"No, that would make too much noise. Probably just the ones awake on this floor."

"What do we do?"

"They're coming for you, only explanation, probably close by. We need surprise on our side."

"So we move."

"Fast. Let's go." He pulled the pistol from his waistband and pushed the door open. Reika was a step behind him though she would have preferred staying in the room.

Kou led her down the hall as quick as he could, went around the corner, gun in the lead, and came face to face with a man in black combat fatigues. He was not one of their people.

The pistol's discharge was like thunder in the enclosed space; the intruder stumbled backward and fell over, the back of his head blown out.

There were more people beyond that one. He went back into the hall, pushing Reika back as well.

The sound of the bullets slamming into the walls was louder than the intruder's silenced weapons.

"Back," he said.

Reika was already running that way, so concerned with what was going on behind her she almost missed the movement in front.

Even as Kou pushed her down she pulled the trigger of her SMG, spraying rounds down the corridor. Kou's pistol was discharging just above her head. Her ears were ringing.

Lying flat on the ground she continued to fire, pretending she was on the firing range shooting at target silhouettes.

Kou spun to face the other direction and emptied the pistol's magazine towards the other group. He ejected the empty magazine, slapped a fresh one in, and had a new round chambered in moments. He emptied the entire magazine back down the hall in almost the same amount of time.

Reika waited for another target to come out of the cross-corridor and as soon as it did she fired. It took her a moment to register that the person had already been shot several times.

There was the sound of even more gunfire. Reika realised that her own people had joined the fight.

The fire fight did not last long. The floor was secured and the other floors were being searched.

Several minutes later, after they had both dressed, Reika and Kou were debriefed by the head of security.

"How did they get in?" Kou began to strip his pistol.

"Roof sir, they came down the elevator shaft."

"The guards on the roof?" Reika considered cleaning her weapon but doubted she would be able to keep her hands still.

"Dead. Large round by the looks of it, head shots. Sniper. I've sent some people to quietly check the roofs of the near by buildings."

"How did they get on the roof?"

"Unknown. No parachutes, no sounds of aircraft, they might have climbed up the side but we'll have to wait for daylight to check that out," he told them.

"When they got to this floor?" Kou had his pistol laid out in front of him.

"Room by room search, killing anyone that was awake. We've lost seven men."

"They were looking for you," Kou said to Reika.

"Were any of the intruders left alive?" Reika asked the man.

"Unfortunately no."

"Damn."

"They didn't have much of a choice," Kou told her.

"I understand that." Reika got to her feet. "Who did it?"

"Genom, whoever made that first attempt on your life, anyone looking to hurt Kyuusei and taking advantage of this. Long list," Kou told her.

"I think it was Genom."

"Prove it," was all Kou had to say on the matter.

"I want to talk to that Odotte woman, now."

"I'll call her." Kou got to his feet. "Reika, if you are doing this for the company you can't take it personally."

"I understand," was all Reika said.


The ringing of her phone woke Domino. She sat up in her bed, reached over and took the handset from the cradle. "Moshi, moshi, This is Odotte," she said.

"Odotte-san, I'm calling for Chang-san. She would like to see you now."

"I see." Domino got out of bed. "At her headquarters I suppose."

"Yes," the voice on the other end said.

"I'll be there shortly." Domino cradled the handset.

She wondered what had Reika so uptight as she got out of her bed. Well, she would find out soon enough. She headed to her closet to pick out something to wear.

It was late, she decided to go for a casual look. Loose pants, a blouse and a leather jacket. She put a .38 Derringer into an ankle holster and .22 lady's pistol in her jacket pocket for anyone searching her to find.

As she left her apartment Domino considered calling for D but decided she could handle this herself.


Reika had found an office on the lower floors for the meeting. The large, oak desk was meant to be intimidating to anyone having to sit in front of it, everything about the office said power. She had hoped it would make an impression on her visitor.

She wore a suit, sharply pressed, perfectly tailored, it spoke of power.

Domino sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk, she could tell that they were lower than the chair behind the desk. That she was a little shorter than average meant she was looking up at Reika. It was a minor disadvantage at best and she did not let it worry her.

The building's security had searched her and found the pistol in her pocket but had missed her ankle holster. The young man had been a bit more interesting in frisking her upper body.

That search had been annoying, and rude. Domino believed that if you thought a visitor might bring a weapon into your presence you prepared for it. That they had searched her told her that Reika was not prepared for the possibility.

Reika looked at Domino, trying to see if she could spot anything that would suggest she had been behind the attack. There was nothing.

"There was an attempt on my life tonight," Reika stated.

"Your point?" Domino deadpanned.

"I think you were behind it."

"Do you have proof, either to present to the authorities or embarrass me into doing something for you?" Domino wondered who had made the attempt. It had not been her.

"I have no proof."

"Then why are you wasting my time?"

Reika surged to her feet, slamming an open palm against the desk. Domino did not even blink. "I lost seven of my people."

"Unfortunate, did they have families?"

"What?" She lost her forward momentum.

"Always hard to deal with the families." Domino shook her head sadly. "Do you tell them the truth or do you lie to them? Do you take care of them of do you forget about them? A quandary is it not?"

"I don't care about their families," Reika said between her teeth, trying to get the discussion back in the direction she wanted. She found it hurt to say it though.

"Then you may do better than we thought." Domino smiled.

"I'm not like you."

"Did I ever say you were?"

"I do not appreciate an attempt being made on my life."

"Who does?"

"Let me put this in terms you might care about. The more men I lose, the harder it is to do my job here."

"Would you like Genom Security to supplement your on-site security?"

"No!" Reika wondered exactly where she had lost control. The woman in front of her looked so confident, so relaxed, and so damn innocent. There was nothing to suggest that she had known anything about the attack.

"Then what would you like me to do?"

"I want you to take this message back to Genom like the good little messenger you are." Reika waited to see if Domino would rise to the insult, but she only smiled. "If another attempt is made I will put all my energy into finding out who was behind it and I will extract my revenge."

Domino was suddenly on her feet, slamming both her hands against the desk. Reika backed up from the sudden movement, the back of her knees hitting the chair behind her. She sat down heavily. Kou was halfway across the room before he realised that there was no threat.

"Listen to me you spoiled heiress." Domino's voice took on an edge, at the same time she was subtly doing what a 33-S did best. The conflicting emotions it would cause in Reika would be to her advantage. "Don't waste my time with this. You are here for one reason and only one reason and we both know what it is. Next time you call me make sure you have some useful information." Domino straightened, taking her hands from the desk.

"This may be of some use to you, a local street gang that claims a piece of territory on the western side of the city has supposedly been supplied with weapons. You might want to check it out." She turned and walked towards the door. "Good evening Chang-san." She pulled the door open and left.

"I can't believe that, that, that woman!" Reika was back on her feet.

"Calm down Reika."

"Damn it, she had me cowed, in my own office."

"It was a mistake to try to intimidate her."

"Why do I get the feeling that Genom holds all the cards?"

"Because they probably do, I would guess they know something they aren't telling us."

"No big surprise." Reika came out from behind the desk. "I don't think she ordered the attack, or even knew about it. She seemed a little surprised, not that she showed much."

"Useful to know."

"Yes, but Genom is big, she didn't have to know about it."

"Don't trust them, even if you have to work with them."

"Good advice. Have someone check out the information she gave us about that street gang."

"Right."

"Spoiled heiress? Think it might mean something?"

"Jealousy? Doubtful. I would guess she threw that in to see how you would react."

"Kou, is it always this hard?"

"Sometimes. Other than making a few bad judgements you did well. You showed them you are willing to act. That is valuable."

"Possibly." Reika said distractedly as she walked to the door. "If we do end up fighting in the city I want to destroy some Genom holdings. Make it look like an accident."

"Of course." Kou smiled slightly. It was a little dangerous, but it would send a message. It was all part of the game.


Nene yawned as she looked at herself in the mirror. She reached up to straighten the collar of her uniform jacket. It had been a late night, first at the ADP building, then at home, continuing the search.

She had gotten very little sleep the night before. Sitting in front of her computer, trying to get Kyuusei's computers to talk to her had driven thoughts of sleep from her mind. By the time she had realised just how late it was, she had to get ready to go to work.

Several cups of tea had chased some of the exhaustion away, but she still hoped that she might be able to put her head down on her desk and nap for a while.

She closed her locker, made sure it locked, then left the change room. Almost as soon as she stepped out she was accosted by Leon.

"Ohayo Nene-chan," he said. "Get much sleep?"

"Probably as much as you did," Nene said, noting how tired Leon looked. "Did you stay here all night?"

"No, I went home and spent most of the night awake."

Nene nodded, thinking she understood completely.

"Come on, we got a meeting to go to."

"But what about Harrison-Buchou?"

"I'll deal with her later," he told her, heading off down the hall. Nene sighed and followed after him. This time he led her to the cafeteria, to a table near the back where Daily, Vanessa and Tsuyoshi already sat. There were pastries, coffee and tea on the table.

Leon took a seat next to Vanessa; Nene sat between him and Daily. She poured herself a cup of tea.

"So, Vanessa-san, how are things going with the police?"

"I talked to a few people, those I could trust not to panic, and to stay quiet about this, telling them that we might have a problem. They have promised to get everyone as ready as possible."

Leon nodded. "Good. Arasaki-keibu?"

"I'm still not sure of this," he said. "I've talked to a few people, just to get the lines of communications open. Convince me that I need to do more."

Leon smiled. "Nene-chan, show me my trust in you is valid."

Nene took a deep breath. "Kyuusei Industries, as well as a number of companies that share friendly relations with Kyuusei," Nene did not feel like spreading the secret of Hou Bang around, "have recently suffered some losses."

"Is this the Corporate war you were talking about?" Vanessa asked Leon.

"Probably some of it," Leon told her.

"During all this a number of things were stolen for Kyuusei and the related companies. Small arms for the most part, enough to arm a small army."

"How small?" Tsuyoshi asked.

"About the size of the ADP, perhaps a little bigger. Better quality weapons though."

"It would hard for them to be worse," Leon said softly.

"What makes you think this has anything to do with MegaTokyo?"

"Kyuusei seems to think it does. They are concentrating a lot of attention here."

"So why haven't they said anything?" Vanessa asked, a beat before Tsuyoshi.

"A number of reasons. Mainly they do not want to admit being in the wrong, as that would make them liable for any damages. They also don't want to cause a panic, and I suspect they don't want their targets to be aware they know."

"If this is all true, we should be doing something more than just getting ready. We should be putting the GSDF-Ground Self Defence Forceon alert," Tsuyoshi said.

"On what basis?" Daily asked.

"What she just told us," he looked at Nene.

"It would not be enough. None of it was obtained legally."

"We have advance information here," Leon said. "But we have to use it carefully. As long as they don't know we are aware of them, we have a huge advantage."

"Who is the, 'they'?"

"I suspect that Prometheus Bound has been recruited."

"I thought that they were dealt with last month," Vanessa said.

"That was one cell. There are a number of people who feel threatened by Genom, and its boomers. They will always be able to recruit more."

"Wonderful."

"There is another problem," Nene said.

"What?" Leon asked her.

"Eighteen GD-42, A3s were stolen on their way to Canadian SDF bases. Seven have been accounted for. That leaves 11 still missing."

"What's a GD-24?" Vanessa asked.

"Four legged, light battle tank," Leon told her. As he suspected, Reika Chang had not told him everything.

"Wasn't there one of those running around several months ago?" Tsuyoshi asked.

"Yes, though that was a top line model. The A3s are designed with urban combat in mind. And thanks to Kyuusei we have the resources to deal with them," Leon told them.

"Okay, so we don't make a big panic with this," Vanessa said. "Just what are we supposed to do?"

"The ADP can deal with the terrorists and their weapons, it is what we were created for. We need both the THP and the TPD to make sure no one gets hurt while we do our job. I want this dealt with, and fast. I want casualties kept to a minimum."

"Are we covering for this Kyuusei?" Tsuyoshi asked.

"In a way," Leon admitted. "They are victims in this as well. I'm willing to help them as long as they are willing to help us."

"Okay, you've convinced me McNichol-Kichou," he said as he got to his feet. "I'll get to work on this."

"Good."

"Me too Leon-san," Vanessa told him as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "Though I'm not sure if keeping this quiet is the way to go."

Tsuyoshi nodded, then turned and walked away.

"We'll have to see," Leon told her.

"Oh," Nene said, reaching into her purse. "I almost forgot." She put two brightly wrapped boxes in front of Daily and Leon. "Happy Valentines Day."

"I thought for sure you'd knit me a scarf," Leon said as he picked up the small box.


Her heels making a sharp, clicking sound on the tiles of the main foyer as she made straight for the Sky Elevators. She was not moving very fast but something in her manner made people clear out of her way as if she were a running combat boomer.

Domino stepped into the cab as soon as the doors opened and pressed the floor button. There was no one else in the cab with her.

Reaching up to her temples she pulled off her sunglasses, folded the arms, and slipped them into the inside pocket of her dark blue blazer.

She was not sure about the meeting she had scheduled, if she was wrong she might come off looking foolish and scared. If she was right it might be interpreted as a challenge. She needed neither of those things happening, they would just cause trouble. Still, she had to be sure.

She exited the elevator and walked down the hall, ignoring the people around hershe really did not notice them beyond the level of attention needed to avoid any collisions.

Walking past her own office she continued on until she found herself outside of a door to an office suite on the south side of the Tower.

She looked at the door, a slab of darkly stained wood, no doubt with a steel plate inside.

The door was a replacement.

The original had been unstained oak, the name B. J. Mason carved into it.

A simple plaque of brass, the name K. Madigan acid etched into it, was fixed to the door. It shone, freshly polished.

She pushed the door open and entered into the outer, common office.

"Odotte-san." One of the secretaries was standing just beyond the door, obviously waiting for her. "Madigan-sama is expecting you. Please come this way." She turned and led Domino towards another door of darkly stained wood, with a plaque matching the one on the outer door.

The secretary opened the door then stood aside and let Domino enter. The door was closed behind her.

Of all the offices in the Tower only the Chairman's was bigger. It had been redecorated when Madigan had moved in, glass and steel, very cold and unwelcoming. Domino wondered if it reflected the true Madigan or was only a blind.

Sparing a moment to look around, Domino let herself be impressed. It had a subtle hint of power and wealth without being gaudy. She did not envy Madigan the space, though. It really meant very little. The third largest office in the Tower was occupied by a paper-pushing executive who was not even aware of half of what Genom did. Space meant nothing.

"Odotte-san, you wanted to see me? Have a seat," Katherine said from behind her desk, she waved her hand at the two chairs in front of the desk.

"Thank you." Domino walked across the room and took a seat. All the chairs were at the same level. Domino smiled, remembering Reika Chang's rather amateurish attempts at power games. Madigan did not waste time with the obvious.

"How may I help you?" Katherine asked.

"Forgive me for being rude but did you try to kill Reika Chang last night?"

"Accusation?"

"Curiosity."

"How am I supposed to view this question?"

"How do you think?" Domino asked.

"I might say you are scared, but you don't get scared. I've noticed that about you. I might say you are angry but I suspect that Chang-kun's death would mean little to you. Curiosity?"

"There is no other reason."

"I ordered her killed if possible. I thought such an occurrence might break her Grandfather. We could take advantage of that," Katherine stated it all simply, as if she were talking about a party she had planned.

"Hard to say. Chang-san is not an inexperienced player."

"But he is an old man," Katherine said.

"So is the chairman."

"Touché." She smiled. "It was a whim more than anything else. Would you rather I not try again?"

"Are you planning on trying again?"

"No. As I said, it was just a whim."

"Then I see no reason to make such a request, even if I believed you would honour it." Domino smiled as well.

"Is there any reason you want the woman to live? I doubt you would she any tears if she were to die."

"She sings well."

"I suppose."

"I'm not done with her yet."

"I see." Katherine's smile had something cold to it.

"One makes use of what she has. And there are other things we need to consider."

"That would be?"

"Who is behind this."

"Yes. You have a theory?" Katherine asked.

"What do you know of my work with Aphros Industries?"

"As much as the Chairman has told me."

Domino smiled. Such a simple and clever answer. "It is possible they are being used as a source of this attack. They may be innocent, more or less. They may not."

"So, how do you plan to deal with them?"

"I'm not sure," Domino admitted. "Right now I only have a theory. When I know for certain, then I'll decide what to do."

"I see." Katherine nodded. "How far can we trust each other?" she asked, echoing Domino's thoughts.

"As far as necessary."

"We both want the same thing."

"We both, unlike some others, know the value of patience," Domino told her.

"True, but that is not the point."

"I want Genom to become the most powerful force on this planet. You want that as well. Does it really matter who holds the highest position of power when the time comes?"

"Perhaps. I do not know if you actually mean that, however."

"There's no way to find out, unfortunately."

"Trust no further than necessary," Katherine said in solemnly.

"And in this case we have to trust each other quite a bit."

"Yes. I'm not sure if that is unfortunate."

"We will both find out eventually, I'm sure."

"True. By the way, I'd like to offer my congratulations on the Gaidar Corporation. Your work was brilliant."

"Thank you." Domino said simply.

"So, are we together for the extent of this crisis?"

"We back each other?"

"Yes."

"The others, they will not be pleased with an alliance between us."

"Do they matter?" Katherine asked.

"No, I just thought it was worth mentioning. After all, once this crisis is over we have to deal with them alone."

"I doubt that worries you."

"No, but once again, it has to be mentioned."

"We will both survive Odotte-san."

"There is no doubt of that."

"I almost look forward to the day we are set as opposites. It will be a unique challenge."

"Why play games?" Domino got to her feet. "We both know that while we are at opposites, neither of us are willing to do anything about it yet."

"But we will cover it with a veneer of politeness. I'm glad we had this chance to talk."

"As am I." Domino walked to the door and pushed it open. "Good day Madigan-san." She bowed, then was gone.

Katherine stared at the closed door, wondering about the woman who had just left. It was most unfortunate that they could not be truly allied. Still, as long as they were working towards the same goal they would complement one another. And when the day came for conflict, well she had her own plans.


Sylia stepped out of the elevator, looking around the dark room. The windows were covered in blinds, the only light coming from small lamps scattered throughout the room. The floor was covered in cushions on which the people in the room lounged. The air was thick with the smoke of opium pipes.

Sylia threaded her way through the bodies, watching them all. She need not have worried. Almost everyone there was too stoned to do more than smile at her.

At the back of the room was an unmarked door. She pushed it open; light seemed to explode from it, lighting up the room behind her. She heard some voices mumble out complaints about the light. Sylia stepped through the door and closed it.

The office beyond was well lit, the window blinds drawn and the widow open slightly, letting in cold, February air. Fargo was leaning against the desk, looking out the window.

"Your choices of meeting places are going down hill," Sylia told him.

"Why would you say that. Opium is so Old World elegant. The drug for the well heeled. So they say."

"They say a lot of things."

He smiled. "We can talk here. I've been checking out the places you gave me."

"And?"

"Giovanni-san picked up his package at the store last night, returned home, and has been there ever since. For a hacker he certainly is not very paranoid."

"He's not really a hacker. He just makes the stuff, he does not use it."

"Might explain it. We are watching his apartment. If anyone goes into it or leaves it, we will know."

"Good."

"Now as for the place your friend told me about, it has been busier."

"Oh?"

"We've seen a number of people enter and exit it. I've got positive identification for several of them. Prometheus Bound, a cell. I don't expect any of them to be of any use to us. On the other hand, they did get a visitor of note." Fargo reached into a folder beside him and pulled out a page. He handed to Sylia.

It was a laser-printed photograph, obviously enhanced, of a man. It was hard to tell much about him, dark hair, pale skin, probably thin. "The visitor?" Sylia asked.

"Yes. Whoever he is, he's a pro. Very good. Managed to follow him for a time and he led my people to a warehouse where other members of Prometheus Bound are holed up. After that he lost the tail. I should mention that neither of these sites seem to be housing your special package, whatever that is."

"I see. How did you lose him? Did he spot your people?"

Fargo shook his head. "Doubtful. He just lost them. Like I said, he is good. I've got the warehouse being watched as well. Everything I have found out to date is in here," he reached out and put his hand on the folder.

"Good." Sylia reached forward and picked up the folder. "Anything you find out, report to me as soon as possible. If I, or a representative can't be reached, forward it to Chang-san right away."

"Right. So, want to go out and get something to eat?"

"No," Sylia said, then turned away and left the room.

Fargo smiled, then turned to look back out the window.


Linna came out of the steam filled shower room, rubbing her hair dry. She took a seat on the bench in front of her locker then pulled the door open.

Her body ached in a dull, sort of far off way. She was sure she would appreciate the half-day off and the extra sleep. Kikuchi-sensei had called everything early, pleased with the progress they were making.

Linna just wanted to go home and fall asleep until the next day but she felt she should get in touch with Sylia first and see if anything was up. That would be best. That would be the right thing to do. She hoped Sylia did not want anything from her.

Reaching into the locker she pulled out her gym bag and street clothes. She let the towel drop then got up and pulled her panties on then slipped into her bra. She was reaching around her back to do up the clasp when Mai Ariga, Andrea's assistant, came up to her.

"Linna-san, what do you think of the routines?" Mai asked her, like she had been asking every day, getting the dancers' opinions.

"It seemed to work a lot better today." Linna picked up her blouse and pulled it on. "Near the middle it felt a little off, you know? I think it was because we were all tired but hadn't got our second wind." She began to do the buttons up.

"Uh huh." She picked up a pencil and made a few notes on the clipboard she was carrying. "Oh, by the way, a Chang Reika-san called for you about an hour ago. Asked if you could give her a call, here's the number." She held out a piece of paper.

"Thanks."

"Uh huh," Mai said distractedly as she headed off on an intercept course with another dancer.

Linna looked down at the paper then placed it on the bench. She finished dressing quickly, then stuffed her leotard and other dancing clothes into the gym bagthey were going to need a wash. She sat down on the bench and removed her NAVI from the side pocket. She flipped it open and tapped in the number she had been given. It rang twice before someone picked up the phone on the other end.

"This is Chang." She heard Reika say.

"Reika-san, this is Linna, you called me?"

"Linna-san, I'm glad you called me. I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me tonight? As friends, no business."

"That would be nice." Linna said, realising she was not going to be able to go home and pass out. At least not for long.

"Good, I found a nice restaurant the other day, semi-formal dress, I hope that won't be a problem."

"No, that's fine. I have a cocktail dress I've been wanting to wear for a few weeks."

"You can bring a date if you want."

"Unfortunately I'm currently between boyfriends."

"Poor girl," Reika laughed. "I can pick you up at your place around seven if that would be all right?"

"Yes, that sounds fine."

"Good, I'll see you then."

"Bye."

"Goodbye."

Linna hung up the phone. She shifted the gym bag's strap into a more secure position on her shoulder then headed towards the exit. She needed to take a short nap or she was going to be passing out on Reika and she still had to get in touch with Sylia.


Reika cradled the phone and leaned back in her chair. She was looking forward to her dinner with Linna that night. It would be nice to put the business behind her, at least partially, for a few hours.

Before she could take that break though she would have to get everything settled. The biggest obstacle ahead of her was linking her communications systems into the ADP net. The encryption protocols were the problem.

One of her commanders wanted to set up a relay that would convert their signals before sending them to the AD Police net. It was a good idea if they could get it done in an hour as opposed to three days.

She had ended up giving the AD Police their encryption protocols. They were going to have to change them all anyway. That explanation did not sit well with her sub-commander, who wondered, rather loudly, with all due respect, what secret she was going to give away next.

Then there were her contacts with the AD Police. Half the time she could not get in touch with Leon. So she had to deal with people she did not know. She was beginning to suspect that Leon had not told everyone about their plans. She was often greeted with bewilderment, in most cases, if not downright anger, in the case of the ADP Chief. She was worried that the man might have a heart attack.

Still, it was going as well as could be expected. Perhaps even a little better.

"Reika," Kou said as he entered the office.

"Kou, wonderful. I need to know about the aircav unit, can we make use of them or would that be pushing it?"

"It shouldn't be a problem but that's not important right now."

"It isn't?"

"Reika, I just heard, several hours ago, Donald, he's dead."

"Donald, dead?" Reika said, trying to put the image of her larger than life keyboardist together with the concept of death. It just would not work. "Genom?"

Kou almost told her that it might be, thinking that he could make it easier for her. He could not though. Who was he to try to hide her from the reality of the world?

"No, not very likely. It was a car accident. He had been drinking. You know how he always drank a little more than was good for him. He drove under the wheels of a transport truck, was killed instantly."

"He only drank when he was bored." The colour had drained from Reika's face. "If he had been working, if I hadn't put the record on hold..."

"Reika you can not blame yourself for this. Donald drank too much, we always told him it would cause problems. You can't take the blame for this."

"But..."

"No buts. Reika. This is not your fault." He stressed the words.

Reika stared at her desktop. She reached over and picked up a piece of paper then put it down, as if she was unsure what to do with it. She repeated the process with a pen. Kou wondered if the last bit of news had been too much.

"About the aircav, we can't use missiles of course but what about lasers? Can we get them mounted in time?" she asked Kou, suddenly all business.

"That shouldn't be a problem," Kou told her, wondering if the way she had chosen to deal with Donald's death was really for the best.

"Good. Now all we have to do it figure out how were are going to co-ordinate our actions with those of the ADP, TPD, and the THP."

"That will take a bit of doing."

"We might as well start now then, shouldn't we?" She looked at him.

Don't shut me out, Kou thought. "The sooner we start, the sooner we finish," he said.

"Good." Reika nodded and pulled her laptop towards her. "Good."


"Here," Nene said, holding a brightly wrapped package towards Kaoru. She had caught up to him just as he was leaving the press room.

He gave her a slightly embarrassed smile. "Can you put it on top?" he asked, using his chin to indicate the large number of similar packages he was already carrying.

Nene put her package with the others. "Aren't we popular," she said.

Kaoru laughed. "Well, those women reporters are tough, but it is Valentines Day after all."

"I suppose," Nene told him. She had given him a larger and nicer box of chocolates than those she had given Leon, Daily, her fathershe had sent his by courierand other male friends in her life. It was not hand made chocolate, or the labour intensive hand knitted scarf, that was more than she was willing to give at that point in the budding relationship. Still, it was a good-sized box, and the chocolate was imported.

"How about dinner tonight?" he asked.

Nene was about to say yes, but remembered that Sylia wanted to see her, and the others, later. "Well, it will have to be a late dinner," she told him.

"Sorry, that's not good for me. How about lunch tomorrow, and a dinner to be determined later?"

"That would be fine," Nene said, smiling.

"Tonight might have been a bad choice anyway," he turned to look out the windows. "Going to be a big storm tonight."

Nene looked as well. The cool, clear February morning had been blown away with warm air from the south. That was also bringing thick clouds and the possibility of rain. "I don't know, being inside when it is raining out is always nice."

"Looking on the bright side. That is one of the many things that makes you so attractive."

Nene dropped her eyes slightly, a flush colouring her cheeks. She did not know what to say.

"I've got to go," he told her. "See you later."

"Yes," Nene looked up at him. "See you tomorrow."

He nodded, then turned and walked off.

Once he was gone Nene turned and put her forehead against the window. That probably could have gone a little better. She should have said something after he had complimented her. She wondered if she should call up Yukiko and ask her for some advice. That assumed Yukiko knew what to do in such a situation.


Linna had to be woken with a gentle nudge. She sat up, blinking her eyes. "Everyone is here," Priss told her, indicating Nene who had just come into Sylia's living room.

"Sorry I'm late, Leon-san was keeping me busy."

"I'm not even going to say it," Priss said.

"With work," Nene shot back. "He has me looking into Kyuusei."

"Does he know what is happening?"

"Some of it. I've confirmed a few things he already suspected. I told him nothing about the blood agent though." Nene took a seat on the end of the couch, next to Priss.

Sylia got to her feet. "Try to make sure he does not find out about that. It could be troublesome."

"Well, I still haven't officially found out about it, so that should not be too hard."

"Good. So far we have found two locations where members of Prometheus Bound are basing their operations. Chang-san knows about these, and they are being watched. When they move, we will know."

"We're not going to hit them in advance?" Priss asked.

"No. Keep yourself ready. I may be calling on you at any time."

"When this starts, what will we be doing?" Linna asked

"Chang-san wants us to stop any misuse of her company products. Specifically the GD-42s. Speaking of those, the ADP will also be using GD-42s, so be sure before you shoot."

"How did they get these things?" Priss asked.

"Leon-san talked to Chang-san," Nene told her.

"Good for him. That reminds me, we get to use the motoslaves on this job?" Priss asked.

Sylia nodded.

"Great," Priss said, clapping her hands together.

"What is this thing with big guns you have?" Linna asked.

"I just like to know that if I decide to shoot something it will not get up."

"As always," Sylia said, "the use of the motoslave's weapons is to be carefully considered."

"Poor Priss-san," Nene said, "you'll have to think."

Priss punched Nene in the shoulder. "Sorry, I didn't think," she said.

"Bosozoku(motorcycle punk)," Nene said softly.

"I think things will start happening soon," Sylia told the other three women, ignoring Priss and Nene's actions. "I want you all to be ready. Take some time to check your suits and your motoslaves before you leave tonight. Mackie is going over them right now, but I want you to be sure. That is all for now."

"Works for me," Priss said, getting to her feet.

Linna looked at her watch. She was going to have to hurry if she was going to make her dinner with Reika. "No time like the present," Linna said, getting to her feet and hurrying off towards the elevator.

"What's the rush?" Priss asked as she followed after Linna.

"Is Mackie down there right now?" Nene asked Sylia.

"Yes. Why?"

"Nothing," Nene said, then followed after Priss and Linna.

Sylia watched them go, then turned and walked towards her office. She had work to do.


Priss walked into the hardsuit locker room. All four of the lockers were open, the hard suits in semi-sitting positions. Mackie was kneeling by Linna's suit; a diagnostic computer plugged into an interface socket inside the neck of the hardsuit.

"Oi, Mackie," Priss called.

Mackie looked up at Priss.

"Catch," Priss said, tossing him something.

Mackie caught it. It was a Lotte chocolate bar.

"Giri choko(obligation chocolate)," Priss told him.

"Thanks," he said.
"You're welcome, you little pervert," she told him as she grabbed one of the diagnostic computers from the shelf.

"Here Mackie-san," Nene said, walking into the room. She took one of the boxes of chocolate from her purse. "I'd like to apologise for my gender, but I kind of think Priss-san is Y suppressed." She handed the box to Mackie.

"Careful Romanova," Priss said as she began to work on her suit. "Even if your dangerous assumption that I don't know what you are talking about is true, there is nothing to stop me from looking it up later."

"I'm sorry," Nene said, not that seriously, as she walked over to where the diagnostic computers were kept.

"Thanks Nene," Mackie said, holding up the box.

"Sorry, I kind of forgot the day," Linna said to Mackie.

"I'll give you one of my extra chocolate bars," Priss said, plugging the computer into her suit.

"No thanks," Linna said. "I'll owe you a box of chocolates," Linna told him, then she picked up a diagnostic computer and walked to her suit.

"No problem," Mackie told her, moving out of the way so Linna could check her own suit.

It did not take them long to check their suits over. Priss and Linna were soon gone, going to look their motoslaves over before leaving. Nene hung behind and waited until they had left. "Mackie-san, are you really busy, or just busy?" she asked, kneeling beside him.

"Why?"

"There's something I could use some help with."

"What?"

"Come on, I'll show you." She straightened and left the suit locker room.

Mackie got up and followed after her. While he was certain that whatever Nene wanted help with was fairly harmless, he was also hoping that maybe this was a ploy on Nene's part. It was Valentine's day after all.

Nene led him to her locker and opened it. She removed the box she had placed in there earlier, tucked it under her arm, then closed the locker door. "Let's go to the lab," she said.

Mackie followed after her, still not sure what she wanted. He had not quite given up his fantasies, but he was worried about the box. What sort of equipment might Nene need? He shook his head.

Nene put the box on one of the tables, opened it, and brought forth the contents. "Before you say anything, it is not a dead cat."

"Then what is it?" Mackie asked, looking at the mostly black cat that Nene was holding up by the scruff of its neck.

"It's a quadruped boomer."

"What?"

"A pet, cat boomer. A failed idea on Genom's part."

"I thought they destroyed all of them."

"Not this one." Nene lay the boomer on the table, stroking its fur into order.

Mackie looked at it, then reached down, running his fingers over its body. He opened its mouth and stared down its throat. It looked surprisingly life like. "What do you want to do with it. Cut it up and use the parts?"

Nene restrained herself from pointing out how cruel that was. "No, I want to fix it."

"Why?" He looked up at her, letting go of the cat.

"Well, it is just an idea I have. I can hack the behaviour programs and anything else that we need software wise, but I am going to need some help with the rest of it."

"What's your idea?"

Nene picked up the cat. "Let's run this through the NMR and see what is up, then I'll tell you."

Mackie thought about it. "Okay, but I'll need help checking over all the motoroids."

"Deal," Nene said.


The rain was falling, a constant hiss, filling the night with its sound. The doors of Raven's garage were all closed, except for one, which was only opened halfway. Priss sat on the grease stained floor, her bike up in a support harness, held off the ground. Both of the wheels were off, making it look like a wounded animal.

She was lying under it, a flashlight in one hand, a screwdriver in the other. As much as she liked the speed and performance her bikes gave her, sometimes she wondered why she bothered. Those times were usually when she trying to fix or modify them.

"Hey, Priss-san, you in here?" a familiar voice called out.

Priss shifted around and looked towards the half open door. Miako was crouched down, looking into the garage. She held an umbrella over her head. "Miako?" she called out.

"Hey, Priss," Miako shifted under the door, then stood up, putting her dripping umbrella down on the floor. "Busy?"

"A little. How did you find me here?"

"Did I do wrong?" She smiled and walked over to Priss. "I asked around a bit. It seems if you aren't in your trailer, it might be possible to find you here. I couldn't see you riding around in weather like this, so I decided to take a chance."

"Yeah." Priss got to her feet, wiped her hands on her coveralls, and looked around. "Something up?"

"I thought, if you had the time, we could go and get something to eat. Maybe have some fun."

"Maybe. I got to finish up here first though. Do you want to wait?"

"No." She smiled. "But I will."

Priss nodded. "Can you get me that tire over there?"

"Sure." Miako walked over to the tire, shifted it upright, then rolled it over to Priss. "What are you up to?"

"Thought I'd try these new smart tires," Priss told her, moving the tire to the rear of the bike.

"Smart tires?"

"The tire adjusts itself, retractable studs, alters its shape, as the conditions require. So the advertising says."

"If I knew anything about bikes, I'm sure I'd be impressed."

Priss smiled. "If it works as advertised it will be very impressive. Hand me that wrench."

Priss worked on the bike, saying little. Miako took a seat on the tool kit, handing Priss tools as she asked for them. Miako occasionally suggested restaurants where they might eat. Priss really did not care.

"You're pretty comfortable here," Miako said as she handed Priss a socket wrench.

"What?"

"You just seemed pretty relaxed. This place a home away from home?"

"More of a home away from hole."

"Ah, so living in an abandoned trailer is not your idea of a classy residence. I must admit I was a little worried."

"It's cheap."

"And it looks it. Did you work here, or do you work here?"

"Not really. I had a lot of my bikes built here, got to know the owner pretty well. Just a sec," Priss said as she put the wrench down. "Ojisan!"

"Hakase!" Raven yelled as he came out of his office.
"Ojisan, this is Forest Miako, a photographer friend of mine. Miako-san, this is Raven-hakase, or ojisan."

"Nice to meet you," Miako said. "You got an interesting place here."

"Thank you," Raven said.

"Deal in any old cars?"

"Pardon?"

"Old cars. I got a thing for older cars."

"Not often, though I do have something. A '04 Miata, North American, with a V8 in it."

"Miata?"

"Went by Roadster in Nihon."

"A Roadster with a V8? This I have to see." She walked over to Raven.

"Come on, it's out back."

"Priss-san, be back soon."

"Sure," Priss said, turning her attention back to her bike. She almost had the front tire on.

When Miako returned to where Priss was working, Priss had her bike out of the support frame.

"Finished?" Miako asked.

"Yeah, now I just need to take it out."

"What? Now? In the rain?"

"What's the point of putting tires like this on if you are not going to use them?"

"How about we take my car. That way when we get to the restaurant, you won't be soaked. I'll drop you off back here, or wherever you want afterwards."

Priss did not care for being a passenger in someone else's vehicle, but Miako did have a point. It would not be a dry ride.

"I'll put the bike up on the rollers, make sure the wheels behave as they should," Raven called out.

Priss nodded. "All right. Oh," she walked over to her jacket. "Got something for you." She searched through her pockets until she found the chocolate bar. "Here you go Ojisan," she said, tossing him the bar.

"Hakase," Raven snapped, even as he grabbed the chocolate.

Priss smiled as she unzipped the coveralls she had been wearing.

"Raven-san," Miako said. "When can the car be ready?"

"I'll have everything put together in three or four days. You have my card. Call me."

"Right."

"You're buying it?" Priss asked as she hung her coveralls up.

"Sure. Cute little thing, with a huge engine under the hood. Who would have thought anyone would put a V8 in that car?"

Priss shrugged her shoulders. Cars were not her thing. "I'll probably stop by tomorrow to grab my bike," Priss told Raven.

"It will be ready for you."

Priss turned towards Miako. "Ready?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

"Later," Priss called to Raven.

They left the garage, ducking under the door. Miako grabbed her umbrella, swung it over both her and Priss to keep the rain off them.

"That your car?" Priss asked, looking at the red car parked close by.

Miako nodded. "Used to be a THP chase car. Bought it at auction, had a friend fix it up for me."

"Why do you need another car?"

"I'll sell this one once I get this new one." She unlocked the passenger door and pulled it open for Priss. "This one has begun to bore me a little."

Priss got into the car and pulled the door shut. She reached across and unlocked the driver's door for Miako.

"Thanks," Miako said as she opened the door. She folded the umbrella up and tossed it into the back seat, then slid into the driver's seat. "Let's go."


Dinner had not been quite the enjoyable experience that Reika and Linna had been hoping for. Reika, without work to take her mind off everything had finally had to deal with the death of Donald. She tried her best to be a good hostess, but could see that her true feelings were coming through and effecting Linna. That just made her feel worse.

Linna was tired, even with the rest she had managed, and was not up to salvaging the evening. She wondered why Reika was so upset but could not really bring herself to find out. She doubted she was up to dealing with it. It was not a particularly friendly attitude but it was better than trying to be helpful and failing utterly because she was exhausted.

Kou had decided there was little he could do to help Reika, she just had to get over it herself. He did manage to keep a semblance of polite conversation going through the entire meal, following Reika around had given him a number of interesting stories that managed to keep both Linna and Reika entertained. He even got Reika to laugh a few times.

It was not easy though and by the end of the meal he felt it was probably less work to be involved in a running fire fight.

Reika, her mind turned to darker thoughts, made a request of Linna that the other woman could not refuse, as much as she would have liked to.

Some time later the limousine was parked by the side of a relatively deserted road and Kou, Reika and Linna were out of the vehicle, under umbrellas.

When the second great Kanto earthquake of 2025 had hit Tokyo, the city had, in effect been levelled. The damage caused by the quake itself had been quite extensive but the fires afterwards had destroyed almost twice as much.

In the end there were few structures that had not been touched by the quake and its effects. It was thanks to Genom and their MegaTokyo project that the city was almost fully rebuilt.

Of course Genom had not only promised to rebuild the city but improve upon it. To one such end was the complete rebuilding of the road system.

They had brought in experts, used months of computer time to run simulations, looked the world over for ideas. The new road system was an incredible success, by all estimates it would be obsolete nearly twenty years after it was built. An impressive feat when other cities' attempts led to road systems that were obsolete before they were completed.

A number of original road systems had survived the quakes, the elevated highways just one of them. The computer simulations had shown that trying to make extensive use of many of them would just lead to further problems.

So they had been left alone.

So there were roadways, like the ones that Linna, Reika and Kou stood upon, that were almost always deserted. It was for that reason the Linna had been the only witness to Irene's death.

Linna moved under the bridge that Irene had been dropped from and let her umbrella dip. She had told Reika about that night, in much detail as she could remember. The boomer that had killed Irene, and that Linna had destroyed, was one thing about that night that Linna could describe in detail.

Reika had wanted to know more. Things that Linna did not know or that she did know but was unable to tell her.

She knelt on the wet road, heedless of the water soaking her skirt and stockings. Her umbrella fell from her hands but Kou was above her, shielding her from the rain with his.

Looking down at the road surface Reika tried to find some sign of her sister. A bit of blood, some chalk markings, anything. Rationally she knew there would be nothing. Too many rains had washed across the pavement of the so little used roadway; any traces had been erased by time.

She got slowly to her feet and looked up at the bridge, seeing in her mind the female boomer holding Irene out in the air. Long, razor sharp nails extending from her fingers, coated with her sister's blood.

Reika screamed. It was the sound of a lost soul. It was the last vestige of grief. It was all her anger wrapped into a tight ball.

Her hand went under her jacket. She pulled the revolver free of its holster. With a two handed grip she lined it up with the figure her imagination put on the bridge.

The weapon discharged twice, shattering the almost silence of the rainy night.

Linna winced at the scream. She winced even more at the two gunshots, putting her shoulders up, closing her eyes.

Kou hardly reacted at all. He just watched Reika.

Reika thumbed the safety back on and returned the weapon to her holster. She bent down and picked up her fallen umbrella.

"We can go now," Reika told Kou.

Kou walked to the limousine and pulled the passenger door open. Reika entered, shutting the umbrella even as she slid into the car.

Linna walked hesitantly up to the car, wondering if she might just walk home instead.

"Talk to her," Kou said to her.

"What?"

"Talk to her. She needs a friend. I'm too close. I'll ride up front."

"Okay." Linna nodded then got in the car. She got the umbrella caught on the roof as she tried to close it and ended up getting a little wet before she could get into the car.

Kou closed the door then circled around to the opposite side of the car and got in beside the driver. A moment later the car was pulling out onto the road, heading back towards the roads that saw heavy use.

"What is it?" Linna asked Reika. "This goes beyond Irene doesn't it?"

"A friend of mine was killed last night, car accident," Reika said after a moment.

"I'm sorry."

"Thank you." Reika looked own at her feet. "You know, it's kind of funny."

"What?"

"In the past few days I've killed some people, without much thought, I just did it. When I had the man who I thought was responsible for killing my sister at my mercy, I could not shoot him."

"That's funny?"

"I think so. Look at tonight, I bravely shot two rounds into open air. I wonder if I had been there when it happened if I could have fired those shots?"

"What do you want me to tell you?"

"I wish I knew. This has been a hell of a few days. I almost wish I had just taken your advice and just gone on with singing."

"Maybe that was not good advice."

"Of course it wasn't." Reika smiled slightly. "But it was given in good faith, as a friend."

Reika went back to staring at the floor and Linna said nothing more, waiting for Reika to start the conversation up again if she so chose.

"Linna, have you ever killed anyone?"

"I don't suppose boomers count?"

"Do you think they count?"

"No, not really, not the one's I've dealt with," Linna said, she gave the matter some serious thought for the first time. "Well maybe one."

"The one that killed Irene?" Reika asked.

"Yes. It, she seemed to enjoy killing. I would consider that human."

"Did you want to kill her?"

"Yes, I think so," Linna said.

"And you did."

"There was no real choice, she was trying to kill me." Linna was careful to keep her tone from being defensive.

"There is always a choice. I found that out. Did you have to go to that fight?"

Linna did not answer, she just considered the question for several seconds. Reika had made her think along a number of new lines. She did not like it much.

"So what does that mean?" Linna asked.

"That when the time came you were willing to do what you thought necessary."

"Isn't that why you are trying to succeed your grandfather?"

"Pardon?"

"You were willing to put your dreams on hold to do what you felt right. That you were unwilling to kill Quincy does not really matter. That you killed in self-defence does not really matter, well kind of. I think you are one of the most decent people I have ever met."

"Thank you Linna."

"Of course your shooting into the air was not incredibly bright."

"I suppose not," Reika said a little sheepishly. "It felt right though. Thank you for being a friendly ear."

"Everyone needs someone to talk to occasionally."

"Yes. They do."


Cultural Notes:

Valentines Day - The rules of Valentines Day in Japan differ from those in North America. On the 14th of February women and girls give gifts, usually of chocolates, to men and boys. It should be noted that on the 14th of March, as I recall, is a holiday called White Day, on which the boys and men return the favour and give gifts for all the ones they received.

Which is all wonderful for the candy companies.

While this gift giving is romantic, women often give chocolate to all the men in their lives, fathers, co-workers, and the like. This is giri(obligation) choco(chocolate) and is not related to romance.

Tech Notes:

Smart Tires - As Priss explained, these tires use a series of computer-controlled pistons to alter the shape of the tire. They decrease the amount of tire on the road, decreasing the speed lost to friction, during conditions where traction is not needed and increase it in cases where it is. They can even help to smooth out a ride a little.

These tires, if properly installed, decrease all driving target numbers by 2. To properly install them require a difficult Bike B/R skill roll, and an average Computer skill roll.

"Since it's the samurai's business to destroy rebels and disorderly elements and give peace to the three classes of the people, even the least of those bearing this title must never commit violence of injustice against these three classes. One should always be considerate to these people, sympathetic to the farmers one one's estates and careful that artisans are not ruined"
- Daidoji Yuzan