An Alternate Story of the Knight Sabers
2034 Year of the Tiger
Neo No Armour Against Fate (Section 4 of 5)
Fearful Symmetry (5 of 8)
by Shawn Hagen(2000;2005)
Based on situations and characters created by Suzuki Toshimichi.
Sylia smiled politely at the man who handed her the champagne glass. She was not sure who he was. He might be a specialist in artificial intelligences from MIT, or he could be the very young boy friend of the very old cybernetic expert from Oxford. It hardly mattered really.
She was at a party, a quiet gathering of certain people. Justin had arranged it, something for after the dinner ceremony. They had retired to a suite near the top of the Saint Regis and were now enjoying champagne, sparkling ice wine and strawberriesas well as the subtle and soft music provided by a three-piece, string group.
Sylia looked over at Mackie who stood among a group of young menall older than him by five to ten yearstalking mechanics. He looked to be enjoying himself, though that might have had something to do with the champagne he was drinking.
Justin moved close to her. He was smiling and probably a little drunk. "Everything went wonderfully, don't you think?"
"You should be pleased with yourself Bestar-san. I believe my father would have approved."
"I hope so," he said. "And what you said, it was perfect. I'm glad you agreed to talk."
"So am I," Sylia said after a moment of thought.
Justin nodded a little too enthusiastically. Sylia changed her assessment from a little drunk to drunk. "I have to go and talk to some other people," he told her, then walked off.
Sylia watched him go then began to move through the many people herself. She said little to any of them beyond what was demanded by politeness, and listened more than she spoke. There were a few interesting pieces of information she picked up while doing so.
The evening had gone well, as Justin had said, and Sylia had enjoyed it. The only negative to the evening was Linna's presence. It was not really that Linna was there, but the man she was with. She was not certain, but she thought it might be Devon Okami. It did not seem likely to Sylia that Linna would know the man, but Sylia would have to look into it. If he was Devon Okami, then some drastic measures might be required.
As it was she had called Fargo up during a private moment and asked him to arrange for some surveillance teams to keep a very subtle eye on Linna, and on a number of Sylia's own holdings. Those were minor things. If Linna were indeed involved with Devon Okami then the actions she might have to take would be anything but minor.
Sylia turned her thoughts away from that and back to the party. She owed herself a break from all her other worries.
Linna was not sure why she had not exited the limousine when it had pulled up in front of her building. She was not sure why she had suggested that they continue on to Devon's place. Perhaps it was just that in the short time she had known him she had become very interested in the older man. Or maybe it had to do with what she had told Nene earlier that evening.
Either way she had made the suggestion and not long afterwards they had walked into Devon's penthouse apartment.
It was a beautiful place, with antique furniture, a perfect mixture of the western and eastern. The high technology items like the entertainment centre and computers were either hidden within antique furniture, or had been rebuilt to fit in with the rest of the décor.
In his bedroom was a beautiful four post bed, partially screened with folding, painted, paper screens. Linna was to learn quite a bit about that bed.
They had said very little, both knowing where everything was going. Linna soon found herself naked on the bed, the cool, smooth feel of the silk sheets against her back. Devon was a very methodical love maker. In other men she may have found that a little bothersome, the lack of spontaneity, but Devon had a very effective method. Obviously one developed over time.
He knew exactly what to do, with his fingers and tongue and penis of course. He also knew how to produce various contraceptives, condoms, dental-dams, contraceptive foams and whatever else in such a way as to not disturb the flow of their love making. It was a little like watching a magician produce coins and cards from thin air.
She lost count of her orgasms, not that she was trying to count them. It all just sort of blended together into a warm, golden haze that left her feeling completely satisfied.
Of course she was not alone in that. She might not have had quite the experience that Devon had when it came to making love, but she had learned a few things in her time. Devon certainly was quite satisfied by the experience by the looks of things.
When it was over she lay partially atop him, her head on his chest. Devon gently ran one of his hands along her back, his fingers tickling up and down her spine. His other hand was nestled between her legs where he was careful not to over stimulate the still sensitive area.
Linna played her fingers through the greying hair on his chest. She noted the muscle under her fingers. Devon had some fat on him, but not much. The aerobics instructor in her thought it would not be too hard to remove that little fat, to tone the muscle there. Of course Devon did not really need it. He was quite handsome as it was.
Even as Linna was thinking about that she was also wondering if she had gone crazy. Devon was a man who had told her right out that he was not looking for any deep relationships, that he had two mistresses, and he was also much older than she was. Furthermore he was a member of Genom, high placed as far as she could tell.
Not a man a member of the Knight Sabers should have anything to do with.
Linna had been careful. She had watched to make sure that she was not under observation, or being followed. She had used the myriad of anti-eavesdropping devices that she had picked up or that Sylia had given her. She had also been careful to limit her contact with the other members of the Knight Sabers, just in case.
That had been made easier by her busy schedule and the schedules of the others.
She was fairly certain that there was no danger, that she was not being watched, that her relationship with Devon had not attracted any attention from people she would rather avoid.
Linna sighed softly as she closed her eyes. Things seemed too difficult.
Saturday, March 25th, 1:39am
Night brought a light show to the Tower. The powerful spots lighting it up, points of light from windows, elevators, doors, winking in and out as if it were some giant obsidian Christmas tree. Aircraft flew by it and vehicles climbed the road that circled it. It was a ballet of light.
Near the base people stared up at it. Tourists mostly, but even long time citizens of the city sometimes reacquainted themselves with the structure that had come to dominate the city's skyline. Even so late, with the cool March winds, there were still people who would stare at it.
The Lonely Planet guide to Japan, and a number of similar guidebooks, said that the Genom tower at night was a sight not to be missed. Every evening saw gathering crowds as people watched one of the wonders of the modern world take on its night time appearance.
A kilometre from the Tower, on top of a ten-story building, a lone figure watched the huge building. It was the first time he had ever come to the city, but he had seen it before in a way he still did not completely understand. He was a tall, slim man with long brown hair that went below his shoulders. He had sharp features and narrow eyes.
A gust of wind caught his coat and hair, giving them a semblance of life for a moment. Douglas Meren shivered in the wind that cut through the sweater and jeans he wore. He did not like the city. He did not like the Tower. He did not like the pain in his head, the nightmares, the compulsions and what he did. At the same time he loved them.
He no longer was sane. He knew that, but somehow it did not matter. There was a certain liberation when one gave up the tight confines of sanity. He felt more alive then he ever had in his life before. It was odd then that he wanted to die. That was the way things had been since the cool caress of those long, beautiful fingers had burnt into his mind. And he still loved him, which was the oddest thing of all.
Not that Largo had ever loved him. No, there had never been a chance of that. Largo's love had been tied up and twisted into a viscous circle with HER. But he had feigned love well for a time, his perfect body, and his beautiful, cruel face with eyes that saw into one's soul. Douglas felt himself get hard, his tight jeans pressing on his erection. It was an enjoyable feeling, as were the memories.
And while Largo had left him he had given him a gift. A gift to keep him loyal to the cause. A gift to chase away the nightmares and to sometimes to make him forget. His mistress and slave.
On the third floor of the building he stood upon, a young man slept in the hotel room bed. A pretty man, who almost had the right features, almost looked like him. If he had looked anything more like Largo than he might have destroyed that pretty face. He had done it before, when the nightmares came on too strong.
There were no nightmares now. Hopefully never again. Hopefully it would all end soon.
He would have to return to the room on the third floor, to his pretty man who was costing him the equivalent of several hundred dollars American, but for the time he was happy to stand atop the building in the cold wind, staring at the Tower.
For a little while, as the wind whipped his hair about, he considered going to see Rei but he would not. He took her wherever he went, but he tried not to spend too much time with her. She represented everything about his life that he hated. But he could not bear to be far from her. Could not bear to be away from her if the nightmares came back.
He hated and loved her at the same time. In a way he could not help but feel was proper.
Tomorrow, he turned his thoughts away from Rei. It would happen tomorrow, today in fact, he thought, looking at his watch. Things would be over soon. One way or another.
March 24th, Friday, 11:42am, New York City
The bar was reached through a set of stairs that led down from street level. It was a quiet, expensive place located in the financial district. At a table near the unoccupied piano sat two women. One looked to be in her early thirties, perhaps a little older. The other one was younger, perhaps nineteen or twenty.
The older one wore a pants suit; her blonde hair was cut short. The younger wore a long skirt with a peasant blouse; she wore her brown hair down to her waist.
When the bell above the front door rang out both women looked up from their coffees. Another woman had entered the bar. Michelle Danielson did not resemble the woman who had escaped from Aphros Industries. She had shaven her head. It made her look younger. She had had her eyes removed, replaced with cameras, and then mirrored lenses permanently bonded over those cameras.
She wore a tight, short leather skirt with fishnet stocking and a white blouse. The black pumps were covered in stains from the snow. She was shivering slightly from the cold that she was so poorly dressed for. When she entered the bartender looked up and appeared as if he was about to say something, but was not sure what.
Michelle ignored him as she crossed the floor to the table where the two women sat. She pulled out a chair and then took a seat.
"My, what an interesting look," Alice said softly.
"The better that they don't recognise me my dear," Michelle said.
Alice nodded. "Cassandra?"
"They are looking for two, and she is harder to disguise than I."
Alice nodded and looked over at her companion. "Nancy, go get us some fresh coffees."
"Yes ma'am," Nancy said as she got to her feet. Standing it was easy to see how tall she was, a little taller than the average male in her stocking feet. In the three-inch heels she wore that height seemed even greater.
"How are you doing?" Alice asked.
"Not good," Michelle said. "They know who I am now. All I can do is run."
"We're working on that."
"I know you are, but there is not much you can do."
Alice said nothing for a time, waiting until Nancy returned to the table with three fresh mugs of coffee. Alice picked hers up and took a drink, savouring the soft after-taste of the whisky in it. She had been drinking much more since that day HE had come into her life. She placed the cup on the table and looked at Michelle. "Douglas and Komatsu have made their move."
"Komatsu?"
"Sorry, I forgot you never met him. He is, was, the chief of Genom's Brazil operations."
"Was?"
"He's dead now."
"Lucky for him."
Alice frowned. She did not like hearing things like that. They all too often reflected dark, dangerous thoughts of her own. She took a long drink from her coffee mug. "Douglas is heading the operation in Japan right now."
"How is it going?"
"We're not sure. Something seems off in the way Genom is reacting to this."
"They are aware of this operation?" Michelle asked, a little surprised. "I thought Douglas would have managed to keep everything quiet."
"Not this time, which is part of what I wanted to speak to you about."
"What?"
Alice sighed. She did not like doing the things she was doing. "I think we need to kill someone."
"Who?" Michelle asked, more used to such ideas. She had the necessary contacts to arrange things.
"We're getting reports on a Genom Executive who is not acting as we would have expected. She's an unknown and therefore dangerous to us."
"Who?"
Nancy reached into her purse and removed an MMSD. "Her name is Domino Odotte," Nancy said, placing the disk on the table in front of Michelle. "That is all the information we have on her. It is not much," she said apologetically.
Michelle put her handbag on the table, opened it and then put the disk into it. "I'll see what I can do. Anything else?"
"No, that should be it."
Michelle nodded and then stood, picking up her coffee cup at the same time. She drank it down rapidly then placed the empty cup on the table. "Take care," she said as she picked up her handbag and then turned and walked towards the exit.
Alice watched her go then turned to Nancy. "Are we ready to go?"
"All the arrangements have been made as you requested."
"Good," Alice said as she got to her feet.
Saturday March 25th, 2:01am, MegaTokyo
Akiko had not been in Domino's office when she had returned from her meeting with the other executives. Domino was not concerned and had found her close by, in the lounge. She was seated at the piano, playing softly. Kentaro stood behind the bar, polishing glasses and politely not watching Akiko.
Domino walked close to stand over Akiko.
"I've never had a chance to try this before," she said as she played a very simple tune.
"You show promise,' Domino said. She guessed that Akiko had played through the scales a few times and then had begun to reproduce tunes she had heard. It would not have been difficult for her. She was designed with perfect pitch after all.
"Move over," Domino said. Akiko did as she was told and Domino took a seat beside her. "Listen," Domino said, and then began to play each note, naming it as she did so.
Akiko watched, taking in everything. When Domino had finished teaching her the complete scale she moved on, brining out some sheet music from a discreet cabinet close to the piano.
With the sheet music she explained musical notation to Akiko, showing her how it corresponded to the scale. Finally she produced a very simple duet and she and Akiko played it.
It took a little over an hour to get that far, and some might see it as time wasted, but to Domino it was just a little time invested in ensuring she had Akiko's loyalty.
"You play very well," Akiko said as Domino put the sheet music away.
"I suppose," Domino said, a little surprised by the compliment. She had never played the piano before, but Mason had had lessons. His parents had wanted him to be as well rounded as possible, possessing as many skills as possible. Piano was just one of them, though he had never been particularly good at it. No passion as one of his teachers had put it.
Domino wondered if she might be able to excel where he had failed? She shook her head. There was no time for that. "Come along," she said to Akiko, leading her from the lounge back to her office.
"I want you to look over these plans," Domino said, handing Akiko an MMSD once they were in her office. "They are actions and reactions we may take depending on the situation that arises. Give me a full report on them and how they might be improved."
"Hai," Akiko said.
"Where's Tetsu-san?"
"She is sleeping in your apartment. I told her it would be all right."
"Good,' Domino nodded. "If you need her help wake her, but otherwise let her sleep. She'll need to be sharp if anything happens."
"I understand."
"Good. If you need me page me on my NAVI. I will be in Misawa-san's office, speaking to her."
"I think I could help you in any matter that Misawa-san could," Akiko said.
"I am not going to pick her brains in the matter of dirty tricks," Domino said as she stood. "I am going to ensure that she is one of my supporters."
"Isn't that a dangerous move, especially as Misawa-san is still an unknown in many things?" Akiko asked, a natural protectiveness coming to the fore.
Domino smiled slightly at that. "Normally yes, but not in this case." Domino walked towards the door. "I should be back in an hour."
Akiko watched her go then turned her attention to the MMSD. She had work to do.
Saturday morning dawned in MegaTokyo much like it always did. By eight many of the city's citizens were on their way to work or getting ready to go. The schools were quiet, but only because the students were off on the break between the end of the last school year and the beginning of the next.
There were places where things were not proceeding as they usually did.
The Tower was busy as subtle preparations were made for the coming trouble. The view of those who were involved in the planning was that things would happen soon. The longer their opponent waited the more chance his, hers, or their forces might be discovered and dealt with.
The ADP was also getting ready, having come to the same conclusion as the Tower. Leon had called on both Vanessa and Tsuyoshi to make sure the city's other police forces were ready, and in order to gather up bodies. Genom had sent another fifty of the sniper rifles over, and Leon had found himself desperately short of shooters.
The ADP of course had well over one hundred and fifty members, but not all of them could be dedicated to sniper duty. From the other forces were coming people who had the necessary skills to do the job. The ADP had to get them up to speed on the SOPs they would be working under, as well as making sure their own people were ready to go.
Added to the problem was that they had to keep it all quiet. It would not do to panic the population of the city, or to give the SDF reason to mobilise. No one was happy with the way things were playing out, but they also knew they had little choice.
Sylia was also up and working. She and Mackie were prepping the hardsuits as well as all the motoslaves. Sylia suspected they would need the extra firepower.
Nene was working with Leon, finding him the people the ADP needed. She had come in early to make sure everything was taken care of because she was certain when things started she would have to leave.
Priss was still asleep at eight, but would be waking up shortly as she had work to do.
Linna had woken up beside Devon and had been treated to another round of lovemaking. Quicker than the previous night's, they both had places to be, but still satisfying.
As she showered afterwards she was not at all sure what she felt about the way things had worked out. In the cold stark light of the morning she was rethinking the previous night. She was not sure if she would ever want to do it again. After all, there was never going to be anything between them but a friendship, on Devon's terms, mixed with sex.
In a way it kind of made her feel like a prostitute, but she would not be having sex for money, but for the pure enjoyment of it. It was not the sort of relationship she thought she would like to be involved in, and yet...
Linna turned the shower off and grabbed a towel. It was all so confusing. She needed some time before she could think about it clearly.
She found the clothes she had been wearing for the dinner nearly packed away in a garment bag, waiting for her. Her other clothing had been laundered, her dancing things neatly packed away in her gym bag. Obviously Devon's housekeeping staff was very discreet. She had not been aware they were there.
She dressed quickly and left the penthouse, not seeing Devon on her way out.
"Who's he again?" Leon asked Nene as they walked quickly down the hall towards the main briefing room.
"Officer Hayama, he was on the biathlon team in the 2030 Olympics."
"Useful. Is he here yet?"
"Not yet. He's one of the ones we are having problems with."
"Damn," Leon said softly. "Here," he shoved his hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out a slightly battered visiting card. "Go give this Odotte woman a call. Tell her that we could use some help and if Genom has any pull they better use it."
"Hai," Nene said as she took the card. "I'll get right on it."
"Good."
Nene turned at one of the cross-corridors, heading back towards her office. Leon continued on the way he was going. He had to brief a lot of people and give them a familiarity course in the GW-14. It was going to be a busy day.
Domino cut the NAVI connection, frowning ever so slightly. While she had reasons for wanting to help the ADP, she had not expected members of the force to be calling her up and making demands. Of course she understood their reasoning and the request being made, perfectly understandable really. It was just after having memories of being so antagonistic to them, co-operating with them rankled in an odd way.
She looked over the list of names that had been sent to her, most of them members of the regular police department. Well, it would not take too long to convince the various individuals that they should allow the temporary transfers to take place.
She tapped a few keys on her NAVI, sending the list and the request onto Misawa-san. It was her kind of task, and Domino knew that she would do it. It was one of the reasons she had gone to visit the other woman.
Once she saw the message had gone through Domino folded her NAVI closed and got to her feet. She had many things to do, and only so much time to get it all completed. At least she did not need to sleep all that often.
When she exited her office she found Akiko waiting for her. "Are you ready Sheffield-kun?" Domino asked her.
"Hai, Odotte-san."
"Tetsu-kun," Domino said, looking over at Haruko.
"Hai?"
"Make sure those reports are finished when I get back."
"Hai."
Domino nodded and then turned and walked from her office, Akiko right behind her. Even with everything else that had come up, her office still had work to do. Fortunately Haruko was so far proving up to handling things for short periods.
The two women left the executive floors behind, taking an elevator down into the lower parts of the Tower. They had to transfer elevator cars three times, the last elevator a high security area. When they exited it they were in the war-rooms, the place where Genom developed weapon systems, and stored them. It was also the place where a number of operations were planned.
"I'm not sure that this is the best idea," Domino said to Akiko.
"You wanted ideas on how to increase our chances of success."
"I did not expect to have to put myself into a combat situation."
"You are suited to it."
"True enough."
They stopped in front of a sealed door. Akiko unclipped her ID card from her jacket and ran it through the card reader. A moment later the cover over a retinal scanner slid back. Akiko placed her right eye against the scanner. There was a beep and the door opened. Akiko stepped through and the door closed.
Domino slid her own card through the reader, then put her eye against the retinal scanner. There was a flash of light as the pattern of blood vessels within her eye was read. Of course her eye was not exactly like that of an organic human. The computer system knew that though, the facts about her encrypted and stored within data banks.
She waited a moment, wondering if she was cleared to be in the room beyond, whether she was considered a combat operative? The door opening told her that she was. She stepped through the door, which then closed behind her. She walked through a short hall and into a large, circular room. At the centre of the room was a stage, seats surrounded it on raised steps.
Akiko was waiting for her at the top of the steps. Together they descended to the lowest ring of seats. Domino spotted Azusa Saotome sitting nearby and directed Akiko over so they could sit beside her.
"Saotome-san," Domino said as she sat.
"Odotte-san," Azusa said, sounding a little surprised.
"I'd like you to meet one of my assistants. This is Sheffield Akiko-san. Sheffield-san, this is Saotome Azusa-san."
"I am pleased to meet you," Akiko said, bowing slightly before she took her seat.
"Thank you," Azusa said. She looked over at Domino. "This has something to do with yesterday doesn't it?"
"Yes."
"I don't suppose you'll let me in on it?"
"I'll let Tran-san explain it all."
Azusa nodded, not all that surprised by the answer.
The room continued to fill over the next few minutes as more operatives came in. There were a little over a hundred people, filling a quarter of the seats, in the room when Thomas Tran came in. He was a thin man, of average height, his short black hair touched with a little grey.
He was Chinese, born in Hong Kong fifteen years before the colony had been turned back over to Mainland China. His family had moved to England after the transfer, taking their fortune with them. He had joined the SAS and served with them for a number of years before Genom hired him.
He moved like the military man he was, his movements crisp and controlled as he walked down the steps to the stage. He limped slightly, but it was almost unnoticeable. He stepped up onto the stage then turned in place, surveying the people around him. "Good morning," he said. "I'm glad you could all be here. You will be needed." His tone was a little ominous.
"First of all, I want to get back to China as soon as possible, so when we go to work we do it right. No sloppiness. You are all professionals, make sure you act like it." He turned slowly again, looking at the people around him once more. Almost everyone there was left with the feeling he had been staring directly at him or her with a measuring glance.
"A large number of boomers have been stolen, and they are in this city, though we do not know the exact location. It is strongly believed that they will be used in an attack against this city, Genom in particular." He turned and picked up a remote from a podium on the edge of the stage. He pressed one button and a holographic projection took form in the middle of the stage.
"A construction boomer," he said, looking at the image for a moment. "One of the most ubiquitous boomers in the world. There were 260 of these that went missing. We all know that construction boomers, contrary to what the ADP and similar organisations might think, can be killed as easy as breathing. These ones may be different, however."
He pressed another button and the image changed slightly, the boomer's lines altering and an assault rifle appearing in its hands. "This is the likeliest modification that they have undergone. The armour would have been upgraded, combat programs loaded in and augmented with an external weapon." Another button on the remote highlighted the rifle. "It will probably be surplus but it is not impossible that they have been outfitted with more modern weapons.
"Next," he said as he pressed another button, "the fire-fighter." In the centre of the stage a projection of a fire-fighting boomer, at half scale, appeared. "There were 25 of these. As we all know the fire fighter is basically a combat boomer that has been tamed. The modifications that we are likely to face will be combat programming and some external weapons. My guess would be 5.56 mini-guns."
Thomas pressed another button on the remote. "The C-class boomer that we all know and love. Likely will be in disguise at first, may already be active in the city, getting a feel for things. There were forty-three of them. Find them, deal with them." He changed the image. "The D-Class, tank killer type. We are pretty sure that they possess neither the 125mm cannon, nor the missile packs, but we can't be one hundred percent certain. And we all know how hard it would be to pick up some old, heavy weapons and load these things down with them.
"There are 12 of these things, and that we are certain of. We keep a tight count of all of these. Now, the ADP has been given one hundred and fifty GW-14s, plenty of APDS ammo for their personal weapons and their vehicle cannons. They should be able to deal with this. We are here to make them look very good while doing it, and to keep civilian casualties and fatalities to a minimum, as well as make sure that the city is not too badly messed up. We are also here to deal with this," Thomas said as he used the remote again.
The hologram that formed on the stage was of a fearsome boomer few in the room had ever seen before. Some of the operatives drew back slightly at the boomers appearance. Its head and upper body were somewhat like that of a Doberman, but the shoulders and upper chest were much more bulky. The upper arm was large, flat, then two separate lower arms extended from it. One of those arms was an energy cannon, below that was an arm with a claw like hand. Four arms all together.
The armour looked like that of an insect, or the shell of a sea creature. It had an organic look to it. It had no legs, instead from its waist down was a powerful set of thrusters.
Thomas looked about the room for a moment, letting his audience take the boomer in. "This is a Flecks Space Superiority boomer, designed to protect Genom holdings in space. That's fine with me. I have no interest in fighting in space myself. The Flecks represents the current pinnacle of combat boomer technology.
"We'll be dealing with a variation of the Flecks, one that has legs." A press of the remote and the projection of the boomer changed. Gone were the thrusters, replaced by large legs. "It still has the thrusters in the upper body, so it can make some impressive leaps.
"This is a space model, so it does not work terribly well in gravity. That will slow it down some, but only when it comes to moving. Its reflexes will be as fast as ever. Remember that.
"It uses high grade Abotex armour, the sort of stuff that will let it take micro-meteorite hits without a scratch, and will turn some pretty impressive energy, both kinetic and light. This thing has two AI chips, one of them a dedicated combat processor. Even when a Flecks is powered down it is still considering how to destroy and kill everything around it. Even if its mission is protection, it still considers how to kill or destroy what it is protecting. When it actually rolls into combat, with both chips thinking about combat, it is a monster."
Thomas looked about again, turning completely around so he could take everything in. "I'm told that they way they had to link the two AI chips up kind of makes the Flecks crazy, as much as a boomer can be crazy. This is what we are here to deal with because God knows the ADP will not be up to this.
"We have caught a number of breaks though. One, it is using a lesser grade of Abotex, which means a GW-14, fired at the right place, with only a little luck, will breach it. It will take a little work, but you can bring one of these down. Furthermore its built in weapon systems will likely be home-brewed affairs, if that, so its threat rating goes down. And best is that the units you will face will not have the dedicated combat AI, just two standard AI chips.
"Do not take these things lightly though. It is still based on the best combat boomer design around." He turned the holo-projector off and tossed the remote back onto the podium. "There are forty AI chips missing, which means possibly twenty of these things. They were built in Brazil, in a thrown together factory. You can bet there are design flaws in these things. Look for them."
"How did they get this thing, and who are they?" one of the operatives called out.
"The plans were obtained by one Komatsu Seiroku, the late Mr. Seiroku in fact. Who 'they' are is still a question without and answer, but we only need to know that they are a threat to Genom."
Thomas walked to a cardboard box and removed a number of envelopes. "Now, come down here and collect your briefing packages and we'll get down to just exactly how were are going to save the day."
"I'm going to prep my hardsuit," Mackie said to Sylia.
"No," Sylia said as she made a final adjustment to the Hurricane II. "I want you to use the heavy hardsuit. You'll take your heavy motoslave and the other Hurricanes and set up a heavy fire team."
"I think I can be of more use with my hardsuit and just the heavy motoslave. I'll be able to move much faster that way."
Sylia turned to look at her younger brother. "Speed will not be of great concern for this mission. From what little I have found out I think we will need a fire support team. That is what you will be doing."
Mackie wanted to object, but knew he had no grounds to do so without sounding like he was whining. Also, his sister understood tactics much better than he did, and if she thought it was for the best it probably was. He nodded. "Okay, I'll go and prep the heavy hardsuit." He turned to leave.
"Good," Sylia said as she went back to the Hurricane II.
A few minutes later Sylia heard, "Yo, Sylia-san."
Sylia looked around the motoslave to see Priss standing in the doorway. "I'm glad you could make it," she said.
"I cut the rehearsal short today after taping a few songs to send off to my pal. I figured you might want me here."
"Yes." Sylia got to her feet. "Do you think your friend will be able to help you?"
"Don't know. He's got to let the guy who is fronting the money have a listen to it. If he likes what he hears then I may be in business."
"I hope things work out for you. Now, let's go and get your hardsuit ready."
"How far along are things?" Leon asked the people gathered about him.
"We've got most of our teams set up. A two man rifle team and a six man ground team is the standard set up. We've also got a number of floaters who can go where they are needed," Daily said. "Then we also have our standard Tac squad set up."
"You have a lot of our best people attached to you now," Vanessa Bach told him. "This is going to cause trouble later I think."
"We can accept that. Is there anything else we need to take care of?" Leon looked around the room at the other people.
"I want us to keep an eye on what Genom does," Asako Yamano said from a far corner of the room.
Leon kept himself from sighing. "I don't know if we can spare the people."
"And that is exactly why we should do it. Genom knows we're going to be busy if this happens like they've told us that it will happen. There will be some who decide to take advantage of that."
After a moment Leon nodded. "That is true, but it still doesn't change the fact we'll be short on people."
"We have some investigators who won't be much help in a fight but could keep their eyes open," Vanessa said. "You've stepped on some toes though. That might limit the number you can get to help you."
"I think we can call in some favours if we have to," Daily said, looking over at Asako. "We could even get some private investigators to lend a hand."
"Good," Asako said, still a little uncomfortable with the people around her. She wanted to scream at them for stupidly believing Genom, but knew that it would only make her come across as crazed.
Leon nodded, happy that there was not going to be a problem. "What's the weapon situation like?"
"All the GW-14s are ready to go," Shiroko Roberson told him. "We've got all the troops carrying APDS in their M42-A1s, and we've spread some of our other neat ammo out among those who can best use it."
"Vehicle cannons?"
"They are ready to be loaded up when they go out."
"The pilots are all good to go," Emiko Kimble said.
"I guess you are looking forward to this?"
"You bet," Emiko said to Leon.
"Just so you know, I'll be keeping an eye on this in case you get into any trouble," Tylor Yamanaka told them. "I've even got a few extra lawyers in to help."
"I hope you'll be keeping an eye on Genom as well," Asako said, a little edge to her voice.
"Let's not start this," Leon said before Tylor could respond. Once he was sure that there was going to be no argument he got to his feet. "Let's go over everything one more time, just to make sure we all know what we are supposed to be doing."
Domino ran her security card through the reader, then placed her eye against the retinal scanner and finally placed her hand over a dark plate. There was a slight stinging feel against the tip of her index finger as a tiny tissue sample was taken.
She stood there, waiting for a few seconds, while the security system decided whether she was whom her card said, and if she had permission to pass beyond the door. A moment later the door in front of her clicked and opened with a slight hiss.
Domino stepped through into the room beyond then looked around as the door closed behind her.
She was still in the war-rooms, the briefing having ended several minutes before. She had sent Akiko to get some rest. They were both on ten-minute standbyin the case of something happening they were expected to be ready to go in ten minutes.
Domino had decided to pick up a few pieces of equipment while she was down in the war-rooms.
She was in a storage room; a large space sectioned off into a number of smaller storage vaults. She began walking along the corridors, looking at the coding on each of the doors. After a few minutes she found the door she was looking for. Her ID card and a retinal scan unlocked it.
Inside the small roommore of a closetwere eight gunmetal-grey cases, each the size of a thick briefcase, each neatly stacked upon one another. Each had a label on it. Domino reached out and pulled free the case marked with AA41C.
After placing it on the floor she opened the case, looking over the contents. Inside was the combat gear designed for a Third Generation 33-S, for her in fact. Satisfied that everything was there she closed the case and then tore the label from the case. The label was folded up and shoved into a jacket pocket.
Domino picked up the case and left the storage closet, locking the door behind her. Now she just had a few more things to pick up for herself and Akiko.
Douglas Meren sprawled in a overstuffed chair. Around him were several other people, sitting on the hotel room's bed or couch, or standing. He looked around at all of them. "Everyone ready to go?"
Nods and other affirmations came. Douglas looked over at a young man sitting on the foot of the bed. "What about you Schwarz? You ready?"
"Yes," the young man said, lifting his chin, looking defiant.
"You sure you got the codes right? I'm betting a lot on you."
"I'm ready damn it," he snapped. "I've been waiting for this chance, do you think I'll blow it?"
"Just want to be sure," Douglas told him. "All right, if everyone is ready we can relax until the go-time." He got to his feet and looked at all the men about him. He smiled. "Tomorrow we are all going to be very rich," he lied.
Night came to the city, the air cooled down, the Saturday night crowds began to gather as they always did. To the majority of the city it was starting out as just another Saturday night.
For the police and Genom, and some others, it was a tense time. They were certain that things would begin soon.
They were right.
They were also going to get lucky.
In order to hide the force of boomers, all but the C-class boomers that did not need to be hidden, they had been placed in out of the way areas. Areas where it was unlikely that they would be accidentally stumbled upon by someone.
As a result it would take some time for the boomers to move into areas where they might threaten civilians.
When Douglas' boomers began to move it was a pair of C-class boomers, out on a scouting mission, that first encountered one of them. Unfortunately for the two boomers they walked into a meeting with a D-class boomer.
Neither survived long, but they had enough time to send off quick reports as to what was happening.
Domino was clearing up some work she had been letting slide over the last few days. Crisis or not, there was work within Genom that had to be done. All of her staff except for Haruko had left long ago, most only came in for half days on Saturday. Haruko remained to deal with anything that Domino might not be able to take care of.
She was just finishing up a report on the possibility of acquiring an investment bank in China when her NAVI buzzed and beeped in a unique combination of tones. Domino got to her feet and grabbed the gunmetal grey case from beside her. It was time to go.
She left her office at a quick walk. As she passed through the outer office she called to Haruko, "Hold down things here. If you have to, contact me, but only if it is absolutely necessary. You know what to do when the time comes."
"Hai Odotte-sama." Haruko paused for a moment then said, "Ki otsukute(be careful)."
"Don't worry about me," Domino told her as she left the office.
She walked quickly through the corridors, looking at her watch as she went. She was going to have to hurry. A few minutes later she entered her Tower apartment. She found Akiko and Rebecca there, sitting on the couch, holding one another.
"It's time to go," Domino said as she entered the room.
"I know," Akiko said.
"Good." Domino picked up the case that held a broken down GW-15. "Let's go."
"Could I have a minute?" Akiko asked. She was still holding Rebecca.
Domino wanted to tell her that they did not have time for it, but then she reconsidered. If it would make Akiko feel better she could make the time. "We don't have long," was all she said as she left the apartment, using the smaller case to push the door shut behind her.
"Do you have to go Kiki-san?" Rebecca asked as soon as the door closed.
"It's what I do Becky-chan," Akiko said as she hugged Rebecca tight.
"I'm scared for you."
"Don't be. I'll be back."
"Promise?"
"I promise," Akiko told her as she loosened her hold on Rebecca.
"Watch your back, and don't take any unnecessary chances."
"I'll do so," Akiko said as she got to her feet. She picked up a duffel bag from the floor by the couch. "Don't worry about me. This is my purpose when you get down to it. It is what I was designed for."
"A lot of things get broken when being used what they were designed for," Rebecca said, looking up at Akiko. There were some tears gathering in her eyes.
"Not me," Akiko said, then leaned down and gently brushed her lips across Rebecca's. "Ja(later)." Her tone was cheerful. She turned and walked to the door. She looked back for a moment as she opened the door and winked at Rebecca. Then she was gone.
Rebecca put her face in her hands and began to sob softly. It was so unfair. She was born from the memories of a dead women, put in the body of an eternal child, and the moment she found someone she might care for, she was taken away from her.
"Please come back," she whispered softly into her hands.
Domino and Akiko walked down the hall towards the elevator. Domino looked over at Akiko and said nothing for a moment, then, "I want you to go after the Flecks, you have the weapons and the ability to deal with them."
"It will be difficult," Akiko said.
"I'm aware of that, but difficult for you may be impossible for others. Hunt then down. If you can take out one that is one less to deal with."
Akiko nodded after a few seconds. "I'll do it." She was quiet as they approached the elevator then looked over at Domino. "Be careful Domino-sama."
Domino looked at her. "I plan to."
Sylia's phone rang. She picked it up, listened to the few words from Fargo, and then hung the phone up. "It's time," she said, looking over at Priss.
"I'm ready," Priss said, standing. She was wearing her innersuit, ready to go.
"Hit hard and fast, don't go after any target you are not certain of. If we're dealing with units that are too much of a threat I'll bring the team back together. If we can handle things as a hardsuit/motoslave team that is the way we'll do it."
"I guess that means I get to do the scouting and find out what is what," Priss said happily.
"Watch yourself," was the only advice Sylia gave.
Priss nodded to Sylia as she walked from the room. Not long afterwards Priss had put on her hardsuit and was climbing into a dark grey, ubiquitous mini-van. The vehicle rocked slightly as she slid into the driver's seat. Behind her, loaded into the back of the van, was the Typhoon II in cycle form.
The mini-van provided a way to leave the area without attracting undue attention. Other than the illegally tinted windows, there was nothing special about the vehicle. It was not even registered to Sylia, which meant Priss did not have to worry about it. She would ditch it once she had moved far enough away from the area around Sylia's building.
The engine started up without a problem and she drove slowly past the transport truck, then up the ramp. Near the top she stopped in front of a closed garage door. Behind her another garage door closed before the one in front of her opened.
Driving smoothly up to street level, Priss eased into the traffic and was soon lost among all the other vehicles. She had left soon enough to avoid the traffic snarls that would start once the police started blocking off roads.
Leon ran through the weapons area, ignoring K-11s and 12s, making straight for one of the vaults. He pulled his ID card from his pocket and ran it through the card reader, then tapped in the combination. The vault door swung open.
Inside were three motorcycles, big ones.
"Someone is opening the motoroid vault, had to be you Leon," Shiroko said from behind him.
"Konbanwa Shiroko-chan," Leon said as he muscled one of the bikes out.
"Those things are still being tested."
"Last I heard they were doing pretty well."
"I should mention that no one has ever taken them into combat."
"First time for everything." Leon turned to face her. "You going out?"
"I'm hiding in my office until some kit comes in that needs to be repaired."
"Probably a good idea. What's the biggest gun this will carry?" He placed his hand on the motoroid.
"Leon-san, we can't arm those things, the potential for collateral damage is too high," she told him.
"From what Genom told us, there is a good chance there will be lots of damage anyway." He smiled. "Who is going to notice?"
Shiroko smiled as well. "Good point. You've convinced me." Shiroko turned and headed towards another of the weapon vaults. "Do you know that the SDF has shown an interest in our little toy?"
"Heard the rumours," Leon said as he followed after her.
"Well, they sent us a test weapon and the target acquisition software, both have Genom written all over them, for our and their tests."
"I take it these tests still have not been performed."
"Bingo," Shiroko said.
"What do we have?"
"I think you'll like." Shiroko reached into her pocket, pulled out her card key and ran it through the reader. "It's in lock up number 3," Shiroko said, walking over to the small vault. She used her card key again, tapping in a combination as well. The vault opened, inside was a large cannon.
"46mm, magnetic accelerator, it will run off the motoroid's power. We have 100 rounds, belt. The kinetic energy this thing can deliver is nothing short of amazing. You miss your target, hit anything else, we will both be looking at criminal charges."
"How good it the software?"
"Don't know, hasn't been tested."
"Great."
"Hey, we're already trusting Genom on a bunch of stuff, might as well trust them on this right? I'll help you get this onto a cart then you can mount it on the bike. Then I'll go get the software and load it in," Shiroko said.
Leon nodded.
Leon looked at the weapon mounted on the bike's side. It was over two meters long, most of that barrel. The receiver group was big and blocky, made even more so by the big magazine hanging off it. Two power cables ran from the weapon to the bike.
"Going to get any armour?" Shiroko looked up from her laptop. An interface cable ran from the computer to the bike.
"Won't make a difference," Leon said.
"It will if you fall off this bike. The thing is going to handle like a whale with this weapon on it."
"We'll see," Leon grabbed the bag he had brought with him and opened it up, removing the rail gun that Cat had sent him several weeks before.
"Your friend again," Shiroko nodded at the weapon Leon held.
"Yeah,"
"Let me see that when this is all over?"
"Sure, why not. Ready?"
"Just about. There, everything is green across the board," she pulled the interface cable from the computer.
"Okay, open the elevator for me," Leon said as he grabbed the bike's handlebars and rocked it forward off the kick stand. The weight and unbalanced load took him by surprise and he almost dropped it. Perhaps Shiroko had been right about the armour. No time for it now.
He rolled the bike into the elevator and hit the button for the garage floor. While straddling the bike he began the start up procedure. The doors opened on the garage level and he pushed it out with his legs. On the small screen the computer came to life. Once it gave him the final okays he turned the ignition switch and hit the starter.
A moment later Leon, leaning low across the bike, was shooting up the ramp and out onto the street.
Miako was sitting in her apartment, looking over negatives when she heard a warning over her radio. City officials warned that there was an incident in the city and citizens were advised to remain in their homes, or better yet move to any close shelter. They asked that no one use their cars and keep the roads and streets clear so official vehicles could get through.
It was a very vague report but it had Miako acting. In the space of a few minutes she had gathered up the tougher of her camera gear and was heading out of her apartment.
She did not know what was going on, but thought there might be some real nice pictures to come out of it.
The fire fighting boomer swept its hand to the side, smashing the police car that was blocking the road. It looked to the left and right, noting the people around it, but none were in its way. Ignoring them, it began to stride forward.
One of the police officers came out from cover, a shotgun in his hands. He knew the weapon was going to be useless against the large boomer, but he felt he had to try something. He brought the weapon up to his shoulder, sighted, and squeezed the trigger.
The weapon thundered and the boomer might have rocked forward, ever so slightly. It slowed, for a moment looking as if it might stop. Then it continued on, not even looking back.
The officer cocked the shotgun and was about to fire again before he realised how futile it was. At best he might get it to come back and kill him, and perhaps some of the people he was supposed to be protecting.
He grabbed the radio from his belt and brought it up to his lips. "This is officer Bito, I have a large boomer heading west along Shinja Dori, unable to stop. Please advise," he said, trying to keep his voice calm.
"Understood officer. The ADP will be informed."
"What are the ADP going to be able to do?" he asked softy, careful not to transmit that.
He got an answer a few seconds later.
Overhead two Firebees flew by. He looked up at the two small helicopters, watching as they flew after the boomer.
One of the Firebees increased its speed, moving far ahead of its companion. As it passed the boomer the boomer looked up at it. It lifted its arm on which the mini-gun was bolted. Before it could acquire the target and fire the second Firebee fired into the boomer's back, knocking it forward and punching several holes right through it.
Still, the large boomer managed to swing about, ready to fire on its attacker. The first Firebeee pilot, using the incredible manoeuvrability of the small craft, swung around and came back, opening up in the boomer.
Two bursts of the APDS cannon rounds were too much for the boomer, which slumped heavily to the ground. The Firebee pilots hovered overhead, making sure the unit was not about to get up. Then the pilot of the lead aircraft radioed into control, telling them that the target was down.
Linna rushed into the ready room, pulling off her clothing as she went. She did not even seem concerned about Mackie's presence as she began undoing her pants. "What do you need me to do?" she asked Sylia.
"Take your hardsuit and the Tornado out and engage targets as you find them. Don't put yourself in danger; fall back if the opposition is too much for you. I'll call the entire team together if necessary."
"Is anyone else out yet?" Linna asked as she pushed her pants down her legs.
"Priss-san."
Linna nodded as she kicked her pants from her feet. "Okay." She turned and ran towards the changing room to put on her inner suit.
Sylia turned towards Mackie. "You and Linna will go out together in the transport. Same orders I gave Priss and Linna."
Mackie nodded. "What about you?"
"Nene-san and I will be doing the same."
Mackie nodded. "I'll go prep the truck," he said as he left the room.
"It is very tiresome when a lover who is leaving one at dawn says that he must look for a fan or pocket-book that he left somewhere about the room last night. As it is still too dark to see anything, he goes fumbling about all over the place, knocking into everything and muttering to himself, 'How very odd!' When at last he finds the pocket-book her crams it into his clothing with a great rustling of the pages; or if it is a fan he lost, he swishes it open and begins flapping it about, so that when he finally takes his departure, instead of experiencing feelings of regret proper to such and occasion, one merely feels irritated at his clumsiness"
- Sei Shonagon
