A Certain Point of View Chapter 2, a bubblegum crisis fanfic

Chaz sat in the quiet of the computer room slowly going over the files Sylia had managed to coerce his subsidiary AI into giving up. He was dressed, as usual, in blue kevlar jeans and a black, dragon-print T-shirt. There had been noises from Linna and Nene about forcing him to go shopping for 'More suitable' clothes. So far he'd managed to charm his way out of it when the subject came up. Mostly that meant he'd stayed out of sight when they looked like they wanted to go.

Rubbing his eyes, he stared at the screen. From what little he understood of the files, he could see why Sylia had been so convinced that someone was going to be upset when they found out their 'project' had walked off. It was bad enough that he had several, never before seen, prototype systems lodged under his skin. He also had much of the research that had produced them lodged in his AI. He had to have it of course. Without the design specs his directed nanite repair system couldn't function. All in all it would probably be a good idea if he changed his 'default' face permanently. There were people that knew that face and he couldn't afford to be seen with it. Mason, for one, would recognize it instantly.

He leaned back in the chair and started to rub his temples. Halfway up, the hand stopped. Why was he doing that? His head and eyes didn't hurt or even ache. After puzzling it over he decided it had to be habit. Amazing the kinds of activities your body falls into when you aren't watching it. Grinning at the continuing evidence of humanity, he finished reaching up to rub his head.

"There you are!" yelled a strident female voice behind him. Chaz flinched. He'd been ducking that voice since the Knight Sabers had destroyed USSD's "Black Box" two days ago. He had known it was just a matter of time of course. He'd fought against it just the same. But his past was about to catch up with him. Deciding to brazen it out Chaz turned around and smiled. "Priss! Hi! I didn't realize you were looking for me," he lied brazenly. The second the words had passed his lips he regretted them. Despite evidence to the contrary, Priss wasn't stupid. Her face said, in no uncertain terms, that she didn't believe him for a second.

Priss, dressed in her usual riding outfit, just stared at him. Who did he think he was fooling? He couldn't have been more obvious about avoiding her if he'd tried. Exerting a little bit of discipline, she put her personal ire on a back burner to simmer. "You were supposed to talk to Irene this afternoon remember?" If she hadn't actually needed to find him, she doubted Sylia would have told her where he was.

Chaz groaned. Yup. She was right. He was late. "Sorry, must have lost track of the time."

The young singer gave him a disbelieving frown. "I thought you couldn't lose track of time?" Her voice implied this was a flimsy excuse at best.

A vague shrug swept over Chaz's shoulders. "I can lose track of time just like everyone else. I just always know what time it is. It's like having a watch and never looking at it." He paused thoughtfully. "If I had thought about it I would have set up a reminder." Reaching over he started the sequence that would log him out of the mainframe and put its AI back on standby. If he had wanted, he could have used the interface set. However, there was something a little too personal about that. It gave him the heebie-jeebies and he'd given up after the first try. "OK," he said as the computer gave him a final log-off warning. "Let's go."

Matter Over Mind Productions

Presents

MegaTokyo 2032

The Knight Sabers

"A Certain Point of View"

Chapter Two: Consequences

Closing the door behind her, Priss herded Chaz towards the lounge where the rest of the Knight Sabers waited. "I thought you wanted me to teach you how to ride a bike?" She opened cautiously.

He debated about using his best 'who me?' face. Nah. Why waste it? Besides it probably wouldn't work. Chaz opened the door for her as they walked through the testing area. His best bet was probably to go on the offensive. He looked down at her leg meaningfully. "And you were supposed to take another three days to make sure that the bone had sealed together before you walked without your support."

Priss grimaced. She never had been a good patient. If she'd lived back when Chaz was born she would have had to put up with a cast for weeks. Probably would have driven her nuts. "I'm fine as long as I don't put too much stress on it," she said testily. Recovering her train of thought, she returned to her original topic. "Why HAVE you been avoiding me anyway?" She thought she knew the answer, but she wanted him to say it.

Chaz's shoulders came up in another of his expressive shrugs. "Mostly to give you a chance to come to grips with what I am. There's no reason for me to force my presence on you." To tell the truth, he'd been worried about how she was handling it. He knew she'd been looking for him and had assumed it was for some kind of confrontation.

Priss nodded to herself; about what she had thought. "You know.." she started, "you really are an idiot. If you really want me to see beyond that, the worst thing you could do is hide out from me."

Chaz stopped, stunned for a moment. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Priss said, continuing to hobble toward the lounge, "that if you want me to see the person inside and not the body, you should make an effort to show me who you are. Otherwise all I'm left with is a superficial image of you." She turned to face the still shocked Chaz. "I liked you well enough when I thought you were human. I could probably learn to like you as a boomer if you gave me the chance."

Chaz shook his head dismally. "That was just the 33-S components," he said morosely.

Priss stepped closer. "Maybe at first. But you are a genuinely nice guy when you try to be." She thought about it for a moment. "You aren't using those now are you?" she asked almost nervously.

Chaz's gloom evaporated like mist in sunlight. He grinned and stepped by her. "That's one of the things that's completely controlled by the AI, he teased. If it's on I wouldn't know it." Let her chew on that for a while. Sylia had told him that the more he interacted with someone the less part his 'enhancements' would play. After a while people just got used to them. "Besides," he said as his grin widened, "tell me YOU'VE never used your looks to influence people."

Priss tried her best not to look abashed and failed miserably. She settled for looking defiant, a facial expression she had mastered early in her life. She had to admit, if only to her, that she'd beat people over the head with her looks before. Chaz's 'enhancements' were just another way of doing the same thing. They couldn't actually force anyone to do anything. Much like perfume or makeup, they just did their best to convince. And they really couldn't cover a bad personality for long. Still, she wished that he could shut them off. Knowing they were there made her feel nervous. She picked up the pace to catch up with him, and grimaced as her much abused leg gave her a twinge of pain. Better wipe the pain off your face Priss, she chided herself, or Sylia will put you back in the brace. Putting a mask of studied disinterest over her pain she continued limping to the meeting.

Irene, dressed in one of Sylia's understated white linen outfits, sat next to Linna, waiting in silence for the man who had rescued her to come to the meeting. Despite their kindness she really didn't feel comfortable with him or these other strangers yet. But Linna had assured her that they were the best friends she could have. Linna! Irene still wasn't sure she could believe it. Linna was a Knight Saber! If there was a more dangerous profession Irene would have been hard pressed to think of it. They were considered 'Targets Of Opportunity' by almost every multinational that had ties to GENOM. Which meant that almost every multinational in the world wanted them dead. She wondered what they would do with her. If they had wanted her dead they wouldn't have saved her from the boomer in the first place.

Nervously she looked at each of the silent women in turn. She hoped her family wasn't too worried. She'd been supposed to call them the night she was attacked. Her grandfather would be upset when he found out her fiancee had been killed, and he would be livid when he found out that she'd been attacked. GENOM had been a thorn in his side for years, and this might be the last straw. Knowing the relative strengths of the rival multi-nationals, she wasn't sure that was such a good thing.

Chaz walked hurriedly into the room and sat down on the couch next to Nene. Priss walked in behind him and dropped on the other side of him.

"About time." Sylia said, exasperated. She turned to Priss. "Where did you find him?" she sighed.

Priss looked up at Sylia. "He was right where you said he'd be." Is there anything Sylia didn't know about them? Probably not.

Sylia nodded. Looking around, she gathered everyone's attention with her eyes. "The question before us is what to do about Irene. She obviously can't return to her home. That will be the first place GENOM will look. They missed their first attack on her and lost their boomer doing it. They won't make a mistake like that again."

"What about a safe-house?" Nene said. "It's what the police would do if they wanted to hide someone."

Sylia nodded. She'd thought about it and agreed. It was most likely what they would have to do with her. Not a great life, but a life nonetheless.

Linna, dressed in casual clothes and her usual headband, decided that the question needed to be asked. "What about having her stay here?"

"Linna, you know that's not possible," Sylia said gently. Having one additional member of the Knight Sabers would be difficult enough. Besides Irene really didn't have any skills that would allow her to fit in as part of the team. Chaz, at least, had the advantage of his boomer body to keep him out of danger until his skills improved.

"What about blowing away the guy that sent them after her?" Priss put in, leaning back into the sofa. It seemed the most direct way to deal with the problem. She liked direct solutions.

Sylia allowed a slight frown to spread. "Quite apart from the fact that the Knight Sabers don't do casual assassination, who, precisely, do you recommend we kill? Even if we knew who he was and 'blew him away', as you put it, GENOM would still keep trying to kill her." Irene gasped as Sylia said it. "I think Nene has the best answer. I have a couple places in and out of Japan where she should be safe."

"I don't think so Sylia," Chaz interrupted quietly. "I think Irene knows someplace she'll be much safer." He paused and looked Irene in the eye. "If she's willing to ask for help."

Irene's eyes widened as she choked back on her emotions. He couldn't be implying what she thought. Grandfather had said her records were flawless. He couldn't know! "I don't..."

"Chaz, you better explain what you mean by that." Sylia wasn't used to having her decisions challenged. If he wanted to put Irene's life back in danger he had better have a damn good explanation ready.

"Give me a minute Sylia," Chaz replied calmly. "It's not my secret to tell." He looked Irene in the eyes again. "If she chooses not to go back, I won't try to change her mind."

Tears began to form in Irene's eyes. He knew. Somehow, he knew. He wouldn't force her to go back. He suggested it. But he wouldn't force her. When her fiancee had been killed she'd considered and rejected the idea. Going back would mean returning to the world she'd left behind. Considering the circumstances it was likely to be a one-way trip.

Slowly she nodded. If nothing else the Hou Bang had the power to help her get revenge for her fiancee. She couldn't return to a normal life now anyway. "I'll call him," she said in a quiet voice.

Sylia looked at Chaz puzzled. "Who?" The question also implied 'How?' and 'Why?' None of Irene's records indicated ties to anyone with enough power to deal with this.

Chaz waited until Irene gave a small nod of acquiescence. "Her grandfather is the leader of the Chang Conglomerate, also known as the 'Hou Bang'. They should be more than able to protect her from GENOM."

"The crime cartel?" Priss asked incredulously. She watched Irene's small nod. The volatile singer threw up her hands in exasperation. "Oh Great! They'd sell us out to GENOM in a hot second!" she said vehemently.

Irene's head snapped up like she'd been slapped. "NEVER! Gulf & Bradley used a GENOM supplied assassin to kill my mother and my father, my grandfather's only child. Grandfather would sooner kill himself than cooperate with GENOM in any way." She started to cry. "I left the family with grandfather's consent because I didn't want to become caught up in the family politics." With tears streaming down her cheeks she looked into Priss's face. "My sister Reika and I are next in line to inherit the Hou Bang. GENOM killed my fiancee and tried to kill me! Do you really think I'd allow them to..." She broke down and started sobbing.

Linna shot Priss a dirty look and reached over to comfort Irene. Sylia stood up and motioned Chaz to join her by the window. Sighing resignedly, Chaz stood and walked over to the window.

When she judged they were out of earshot, Sylia turned to face Chaz. "Well?" she asked in a voice that implied, 'This had BETTER be good.'

Chaz looked briefly back at Linna comforting a sobbing Irene. "In the original sequence of events, Irene's death was the final blow for her sister Reika. A few months from now she would have dropped out of her singing career and gone back to the Hou Bang. At some point in the future she would have come back to take revenge. Unfortunately in that time-line the Knight Sabers were hired to protect one of the people that Reika was after. During the infighting she finds out about the Knight Sabers. Linna talks her out of a life based on revenge and Reika returns to her 'normal' life. She still retained her control of the Hou Bang. In that universe, Reika became, if not exactly an ally, than at least a friend." He paused and looked past the leader of the Knight Sabers to where a still sobbing Irene was slowly regaining control of herself. "There's no reason to suspect Irene would be any different. The Hou Bang is very honorable for a cartel and her grandfather knows a debt of honor when he sees one."

A frown creased the face of the leader of the Knight Sabers. "So what you're recommending is that we return Irene to her grandfather?" Sylia summed up. "What about her life on the outside?" She already knew the answer; she just wanted to see if he'd thought it out that far.

Chaz felt the gentle prod of a test and thought for a moment before answering. "Sylia, her old life is gone and any knowledge of the future I had is gone with it." He lowered his voice. "You know it and I know it. But if she truly wants to start over, it's going to take more resources than I think even you have to do it. Either way, it's probably best if she goes back to her family."

"Probably," Sylia sighed. She wasn't sure that it wouldn't have been easier to let Irene die. She stopped and mentally slapped herself for the thought. That's how Quincy thinks, she chided herself. "All right. After she makes arrangements to go home, you'll go with her as protection until she gets back. You have the best chance of evading any security and fixing any 'problems' that show up."

Chaz nodded. He hadn't thought about it, but she was right. If GENOM was going to try for the young Chang they would have to do so before she came under the protection of her family. As for getting her home secretly . . . In any large organization like the Hou Bang there were bound to be at least some small security leaks. Even if everyone was loyal that couldn't be avoided. "Okay. How am I going to get her home?"

Sylias mind quickly evaluated and discarded several solutions. "You'll have to take her in the KnightWing, a commercial flight is too big a target."

Chaz's jaw dropped. "Uh... Sylia. I can't fly that you know." A sudden thought struck him. "What about Mackie? He could fly it."

Sylia was a little uncertain about her brother going. "I don't think it's a bad idea but.."

Chaz smiled his best 'trust me' grin. "Relax, I just want him so that I can deal with larger menaces. It'll be good experience for him," Chaz interjected. "Besides we aren't really expecting trouble are we?"

Madigan rode in the elevator leading up to the Chairman's office. Her calm exterior belied the excitement inside. This was her chance! It was the first time since her debacle that she had been summoned to His office. For Madigan there was only one Him, Quincy, the Chairman. She was under no illusions. Quincy was no god, not even a messiah. To her, Quincy represented something even greater, the perfect businessman. He never seemed to let emotions intrude into his thinking. His plans seemed to take into account almost every contingency and, within certain guidelines, he seemed to be completely ruthless. All these things, Madigan aspired to. If she had to, she would kill Mason with her bare hands to get back into His good graces. She smiled. This promised to be even better. According to her sources Mason had botched his last couple of assignments. If true, his position was in definite jeopardy. That would leave Madigan free to step in; if she could. All she needed was one triumph, one assignment to go perfectly and she could put Mason in HER shadow for a change. Working to hide her smile once more, she checked her reflection in the outside glass walls one more time before the doors opened into His office.

Quincy sat behind his desk watching unconcernedly in his desktop monitor as the elevator began its final approach to his office. 'Ah Madigan, you really do have your ambitions don't you?' he thought as he saw her finish her self-check and give a small satisfied smile. 'Always so perfect in dress and manner.' The corporate world expected a certain style of dress of course. Quincy, on the other hand, couldn't care less what his assistants wore provided they didn't disgrace the company and they got results. In the end, even a small disgrace to the company could be forgiven if the results were good enough.

The stone-faced man suppressed a small sigh. Mason was turning into a disappointment. The young executive had one more chance to recover his place before he would be replaced. The board met in two weeks. Quincy intended to hand them the Integrated Technology Area plan as a fait accompli. After that, Mason had better be able to deliver the property. If he could, he would remain. If he couldn't, Madigan would take his place. There would be no reprieve.

With a faint sigh, the elevator door opened silently and Madigan walked out into the office. It had been redecorated again. Somewhere there was undoubtedly a interior decorator scrambling feverishly to meet the time table for the next change. The Chairman liked to put the people he talked to at a disadvantage. One of the many methods he used was to continually change the environment they met in. Looking around as subtly as she could, she had to admit, it worked. The great crystalline columns extending from the floor almost to the ceiling were incredible against the matte-black marble surrounding it. The Chairman's desk, the only constant in the office, sat atop a huge slab of marble facing into the room. Behind it the Chairman sat, seemingly absorbed in the view from his window. Madigan absently wondered if he ever actually noticed the view or if it just provided a place to rest his eyes. Her attention snapped on to him as he began to speak without turning around.

"Madigan, there is a situation within the company that has come to my attention." His voice, even when echoed from the window, seemed controlled and even. "Mason took it upon himself to rid GENOM of a petty nuisance. He failed." The word hit the desk like a solid entity leaving a hole in the air she could practically feel. "During the attempt the instrument, and the nuisance disappeared." He paused to let that sink in.

Madigan stood and silently translated. Mason had tried to have someone minor assassinated. Not only had the attempt failed but he'd also lost track of the boomer assigned and his target. Which left her to clean up after him. Perfect. Madigan suppressed a smile of satisfaction. This was just the sort of thing she'd been hoping for.

Quincy turned his chair away from the window, still not facing her. "Mason also failed to research his target thoroughly. As a result he may have opened GENOM to a much larger problem than the one he sought to fix."

Madigan's thoughts came to a screeching halt. Oh Shit! With a bit of effort she carefully controlled her expression. The Chairman NEVER referred to individuals as problems. A problem in His opinion was at least a small organization. A large problem was likely to be another multi-national. No wonder Mason had screwed up.

"The nuisance was connected to an old friend of GENOM's. Through other sources we've learned that the rescue was performed by another adversary of ours." His voice took on a slight growl. "The Knight Sabers."

It was as much emotion as she'd ever heard in His voice. If he was this upset why wasn't Mason out already?

Quincy closed his eyes and continued. "It may already be too late to stop the two from joining forces. Your task is to create as much disruption between the two as you can." Without looking he shoved a folder from his desk to the floor in front of Madigan. She bent over and picked it up. "That, is the extent of the information GENOM has on all three participants." He turned to face her his gray eyes burning into hers... "It's important that the hand of GENOM NOT be seen in this."

Despite the warning a thrill went through Madigan. He'd turned to look at her! Even if only to give a warning, it was sign she was being given a chance to get back into his good graces! The Knight Sabers! That had been Mason's pet project! Despite the odds Madigan was determined to salvage something from this mess. The Chairman turned back to the window. Madigan turned to leave, already thumbing through the material. Many of the documents had the Chairman's own hand written notes in the margins. He'd done some of the research himself? This was more serious than she had thought! Still scanning the material, she stepped into the elevator.

Quincy listened as the office swallowed the last echoes of Madigan's heels as she left. He hadn't exaggerated. This promised to actually be an interesting problem. At this point he had done everything he could. If Madigan's plans failed he could always hope his own would work. Quincy scowled. If only he'd had more time. Mason hadn't told anyone of his failure. A routine check for boomer transponders had spotted the problem. Quincy's scowl dissolved into a slight smile. If his plan worked things might be stopped yet. If not, he might have to start getting involved personally. Even together, the Hou Bang and the Knight Sabers were not much of a match for the might of GENOM. It should at least be interesting. Satisfied, Quincy turned his attention to details of importance.

Chaz stretched his arms out to their fullest length to relieve the itch that was building between his shoulder blades. A small smile played across his features. He didn't have to put up with the discomfort if he didn't want to. He could turn them off any time he wanted. Suppressing the smile he left the program on and turned his thoughts to other topics.

Sweeping his eyes over the complicated machinery he examined the inside of the KnightWing. It was probably just as well that Mackie was coming along, Chaz reflected as he helped Irene up the stairs. He really didn't have any idea how to fly the KnightWing. Sylia had said it was fairly easy to get a pilot's license today and most people in the military were trained for it at some point. Chaz shrugged, he'd probably have to learn sooner or later, and finished climbing aboard.

According to Irene's grandfather, the Chang Conglomerate had a private airfield somewhere in Hawaii. They would meet there. Something about the meeting place had struck him as being a little fishy, but Irene seemed to trust her grandfather implicitly. If Irene's family wasn't there they would have a problem. The KnightWing wouldn't have the fuel needed to allow it to return. Sylia had mentioned something about fixing that in the next generation. For now, however, they were stuck with it. Chaz made sure that Irene was comfortable and joined Mackie in the cockpit. Looking over his shoulder Chaz read some of the controls and whistled. Not bad at all. "What kind of armament are we carrying?"

Mackie looked back and frowned. "Not much. The missile racks are almost empty to save weight." He pointed at a gauge on the HUD. "That is just enough fuel to get us there with a small amount in reserve." He shrugged. "The KnightWing wasn't designed for extended trips like this and you can't fit drop tanks next to the V-tol system." He smiled. "We aren't completely defenseless though." He nodded back to the cargo area. "We're carrying a full suite of ECM equipment back there and if things get real tough there's a 25mm APSSDU (Armor Piercing Superconductor-Sheathed Depleted Uranium) railgun setup in the tail and another under the nose."

Chaz whistled again. They 'aren't completely defenseless' he said. Those railguns had a kill range measured in kilometers. If you managed to get a solid hit on something you could pretty much write it off. A thought flickered through his mind. "What about armor?"

The teen shrugged expressively. "Pretty much like the hardsuits," Mackie explained. "The idea is that you don't get hit. The KnightWing can take a pounding but it's not a juggernaut and it's a big target." He laughed. "On the flip side you have to FIND it first!" He waved at a large bank of switches and attached monitoring station to his right. "When all of those are on the only way to track the KnightWing is visually. Sis says that when she can get a cloak fabric that can handle the punishment she'll install it." Sylia's voice came into Mackie's headset. "OK." He turned back to Chaz. "Better go strap in. Sis said that the sun's gone down. We'll be leaving in less than a minute."

Chaz nodded. Despite the muffling from the padded headphones he'd heard Sylia's message. He'd particularly liked the bit about telling Mackie to stay out of the sun. Suppressing a grin at Sylia's maternal protectiveness of her brother, he walked back into the cargo area. Irene sat in her jump seat a look of sadness on her face. "Hey Irene. You all right?" Chaz asked as he strapped in next to her.

Irene shook her head slowly. "No...No, I'm not." Her moist eyes looked up at him despairingly. "I'm going back to a life I thought I'd left forever." The engine noise picked up a little. "All the reasons I left are still valid. I don't WANT to go back." Her eyes scanned his face searchingly. He seemed sympathetic but she wondered if he could really understand how she felt. According to Linna he wasn't quite human himself. Irene dropped her head to her chest feeling a little lost and alone.

Chaz put his arm around Irene's shoulder and tried to avoid noticing the slight flinch. "Whether or not you want to go back you know you have to," he said gently. Irene nodded. "When I mentioned it, you could have still chosen to go to Sylia's safehouse. Why didn't you?"

Irene felt funny about having his arm around her. It felt nice. Kind of like a warm blanket on a cold day. Briefly she debated about mentioning it. In the end curiosity go the better of her. "Why did you put your arm around me?" she asked quietly.

Chaz squirmed uncomfortably in his seat and looked down at Irene. "You looked like you needed someone to hold you," he replied more calmly than he felt. "Besides, I have the only shoulder available for you to cry on."

Irene's eyes looked up into his. "But how would a machine know how I feel?" The second she said it she felt his body stiffen.

Chaz cursed and tried to loosen up. He had better start getting used to that. Of the six people who knew, two had reacted badly. "I am or rather I was completely human for more than twenty-five years you know. I've had my share of emotional situations. Being turned into what I am didn't remove my ability to feel hurt." Despite overrides to the contrary his own eyes were filling slightly. "It could have been worse I suppose. I could have just died."

Irene felt wetness on her cheek. Tears? Irene didn't know how to react. He'd been human? Than when... "I'm sorry," she said softly. "When Linna said to be careful about mentioning you weren't human I though she meant you're a boomer."

"Boomers feel emotion too you know." He watched Irene's eyes widen. "Oh yes. Not just me. From what I understand, most feel emotion. The one's GENOM uses for combat are twisted. They only feel anger and other dark emotions. But there are others..." His voice drifted off.

"I'm sorry," Irene mumbled. "I didn't know." Her own problem seemed almost trivial in comparison. He'd lost his body but not his humanity.

"No problem," Chaz reassured her. "I have to get used to it someday." He remembered. "You didn't answer my question."

Irene snuggled closer. He really did feel nice. "I just decided that you were right. Grandfather really can protect me best. Besides," she sighed sleepily. "GENOM destroyed my main reason for straying from the family." Closing her eyes she settled into the crook of his arm. "Plus, if I go back I can help you and Linna and the Knight Sabers rather than.." She yawned. "..being a burden." Relaxing she felt herself falling asleep. She hadn't felt this safe since. . .since Akira died.

Chaz waited. After a couple of minutes Irene's breathing evened out and he knew she was asleep. He smiled. He was adjusting slowly but surely. He didn't even question it when he KNEW things anymore. He just accepted the information. The smile died a little. That could be trouble if he started letting the AI decide all the time what he needed to know. Moving slowly, to keep from waking her, he arranged Irene's jump seat into a sleeping position. Checking quickly to make sure she was still secured, he went back up front to check on Mackie.

Mackie stretched languidly and relaxed. Outside the window the stars shone brightly illuminating the tops of the clouds with a faerie light. The teen's eyes roved over the tell-tales looking for anything out of the ordinary. The KnightWing pretty much ran itself. If any of the sensors registered anything they'd sound an alarm. Satisfied that all was well he leaned back to checked on Chaz and Irene. They seemed to be relaxed and talking quietly. He shrugged to himself. He still wasn't sure that Chaz wasn't a threat, but he was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now. He looked again. They looked like they'd be occupied for a while. Grinning mischievously, Mackie reached over and queued up one of the videos he uploaded to the KnightWings data storage. With a slight flicker his side monitor came alive with a picture of Nene getting into her soft-suit. If any of the Knight Sabers ever found out about his collection . . . He shuddered. He didn't THINK they'd kill him. However, it WASN'T a sure bet. It was going to be a long trip, he rationalized. After all he had to stay awake somehow. Watching the videos, a small smile spread across his face. Nene might not have the body that Priss did but... Heh heh. Not that he had anything against... "You got anything on Priss in there?" Chaz said from behind him, nearly scaring Mackie out of half a years growth.

Chaz grinned. He'd been watching the show for a good ten minutes now. He knew that Mackie had managed to gather video footage on the Knight Sabers. But Whew! Where WERE some of those cameras placed?

Mackie slowly turned around and confronted one of his worst nightmares. Chaz stood there openly ogling the screen. Almost melting from the effort, his brain tried to come up with a suitable explanation. How was he going to explain this? Then the question hit him. "What do you mean 'Do I have anything on Priss in here?' " He asked carefully.

"What part of the question didn't you understand?" Chaz replied, not taking his eyes from the screen.

Mackie thought about it for a moment. Maybe he had looked at this the wrong way. Chaz was a normal guy. Well, kind of. He decided to switch tactics. "Sure, I've got some on Priss and on the others too." He pulled up the keypad and typed a quick command. The computer obligingly put Priss's videos on the screen.

Chaz thought he'd blush. If he hadn't ordered the AI not to allow it, he would have. "You know what would happen if they found out don't you?" he asked teasingly.

Mackie felt a brief chill run down his spine. "You won't tell them will you?" he asked in a panicked voice. He hadn't even taken a woman on a date yet. He didn't want to die before that.

Chaz watched the Mackie's face pale and decided to let the teen off the hook. "Nope. Just checking to see whether or not you knew the consequences." The boomer smiled evilly. "I see you do." He nodded towards the monitor. "You said you had the others too. Everybody?" he leered.

Mackie panicked. If he told the truth Sylia might find out. If he didn't tell the truth Chaz might turn him in. Thinking with a speed that would have made his father proud Mackie came up with a plan. He'd try to brazen it out. "What, do I look like the kind of guy who spy on his own SISTER?" he said in an outraged voice.

Chaz nodded absently, his eyes still following Priss's movements on the screen. "Yes, as a matter of fact you do." His eyes flicked to the teens face. Mackie's expression was priceless. But it was time to let him off the hook. "I said I wasn't going to turn you in Mackie. Relax. Besides, I wouldn't think Sylia would be caught too easily on camera," he added casually.

"What are you kidding? I have almost as much on her as I do on the rest." The teen smacked himself on the forehead, as he realized his mistake. He'd just told him. What kind of pervert did Chaz think he was now?

Chaz shrugged expressively. "I really thought Nene would be more your speed. She's closer to your age after all." Besides, I think that Sylia probably knows. He couldn't tell Mackie that of course.

Mackie squirmed uncomfortable and scratched his head in embarrassment. "I do like Nene. A lot. It's just that I have a hard time talking to her." Mackie sighed regretfully. It wasn't like he hadn't tried before. "As for the others." He shrugged. "I'm only human." Being surrounded by young, nubile, not to mention gorgeous, women would have stressed any male's hormonal levels.

Chaz reached over and turned the monitor to get a better look. "No problem. If you do get caught though. I'll deny all knowledge." He smiled. "You know...I just might be able to help you with Nene."

"Let me gather my thoughts on that first OK?" Chaz nodded absently, still engrossed by the action on the screen. Mackie thought about it for almost a full second. "I've gathered my thoughts. What do you have in mind?" he asked hopefully.

Chaz waved airily. "Dinner, dancing. Nothing fancy. Just a pleasant night out. I'll break the ice as a go-between in private. Then, all you have to do is make sure you don't talk about anything technical during the date."

"I don't know...That's kind of old fashioned and what if she says 'no'?" Mackie asked unhappily. That had always been what held him back. Fear of rejection.

Chaz smiled knowingly. "I know how you feel. Honest. But I don't think she'll say no." His smile became a broad grin as his face and hair quickly changed to match Nene's. "Besides I think she likes you," he said in perfect mimicry.

Mackie looked at what had been a man's face with trepidation. "I wish you wouldn't do that." Part of his mind wondered how far down the changes went. The rest of his mind immediately pounced on that part and proceeded to bludgeon it to death.

Chaz's face shifted back to normal. "Sorry. I tend to get carried away sometimes," he apologized. "The face and voice are easy. I'm never going to fool anyone about the rest." He gestured. "The rest of the body is packed too full to allow me to shrink very much."

Well, that answered that question. Mackie looked back at the monitor where Priss was changing into her stage costume and smiled proudly. He'd had to do some real work to get a camera into her guitar case. "So all I have to do is not talk about technical things?" Mackie asked as Chaz turned to leave.

Chaz glanced over his shoulder as a nearly nude Linna appeared on the screen and began to strip for a shower. "Nope. Not unless she brings them up." He shrugged. "Talk about how you feel, the weather, just about anything will do. If you feel lost just let her control the conversation."

Mackie relaxed as Chaz walked back to the main bay. His eyes turned to the lithe dancer on the screen as his shell shocked brain began to relax slightly.

Chaz ducked back into the cockpit, with a manic grin on his face. "Oh. And you might want to avoid mentioning that you've already seen her naked."

Mackie flinched.

Privately sympathizing with Mackie, Chaz slipped back to the cargo area. He'd been that age once too. Entering the cargo bay, he looked down at the sleeping figure of a young woman not all that much older than Mackie. She looked almost childlike as she slept; all of the worry and stress were wiped from her face.

She shivered. Chaz checked the temperature quickly. Yep, a bit cold. Stepping to the medical center, he got out a thermal blanket. He didn't really feel cold anymore. Cool yes, cold no. He knew what temperature it was and his body could make the appropriate reactions but the actual feeling. . .Nope. Shaking the blanket out to its full size, he gently covered her. As he brushed her hair out of her face she smiled in her sleep.

Chaz glanced at the smile and then at his hand. A frown momentarily crossed his face as he considered her reaction to his touch. Despite the arguments he'd given Priss he wondered if he should get Sylia to cut the power to that neural stimulator. It made him feel uncomfortable. People liked his touch. They couldn't help it. He'd liked the reaction at first. But as time wore on, he was beginning to feel it was cheating. Deal with it later, he finally decided. He looked around the KnightWings interior.

He suppressed the urge to whistle as he admired the tightly compressed layout of the KnightWing. Sylia had obviously been determined to make the most of the space available. There was a medical center, a large computer and even a small suit repair facility been built in back here. The armory was especially impressive. It looked equipped to completely re-outfit every motoroid and hardsuit the plane could carry. Carefully labeled lockers and cabinets, mostly empty for the trip, had been installed in every space not allotted to machinery or supplies. Farther back he found clearly outlined spaces for the motoroids, also empty, and a smaller open area that he guessed she'd left open for an emergency.

As he turned to go a slight anomaly caught his eye. A tarp lay covering something in the middle of the unreserved space. Everything else was either bolted in place or strapped down. This wasn't. He walked over to the intercom. "Mackie. I'm in the rear cargo area. What's under the tarp?"

There was a brief silence before the teen hesitatingly answered. "Um... That's mine. Sis won't let me build a hard suit for myself so I've been kind of using the suit repair facilities in the KnightWing and the equipment in the garage to make one."

Chaz winced theatrically. Ouch. If Sylia found out about this there would be hell to pay. "Mind if I take a look?" he asked.

"Go ahead. There's not much to see right now." Came Mackie's voice absently.

Hmm... Probably still watching his videos. Locking the intercom open, Chaz flipped back the tarp. OK. It WAS strapped down. Mackie just hadn't tied down the tarp. It looked like a giant set of medieval armor had been spit in half and spread out. Half finished pieces of myomer joints lay open and access panels hadn't even had the doors attached yet. Even when assembled it would still be at least twice the size of a normal hardsuit. "What are you planning on arming it with?" He could almost hear the shrug across the intercom.

"I'm working on the ammo feed for a Gauss Minigun. But I'd like to put in a Gatling X-Laser if sis ever figures out how they made yours."

Chaz thought about it. "Going for the bigger hammer theory huh?" Made sense really. The suit was too large for the sort of dodging the rest of the Knight Sabers did. It would make a nice big target if it didn't serve as a support suit. Mackies voice confirmed his opinion.

"My hardsuit isn't designed with a close quarters fight in mind. It's a support version. With the cannon and a couple of other things I should be able to hold my own."

Chaz nodded absently to himself. Sounded like Mackie was getting tired of sitting around worrying while the rest of the Knight Sabers got shot at. He could understand that. "OK. But you're going to have to tell her sooner or later you know."

Mackie sounded resigned. "Yeah. I kno... Holy Shit! Get up here quick!" The whole plane dipped into a sudden dive, forcing Chaz to grab a rail to stay upright. Whatever had scared the teen couldn't be good.

Mackie's board was alight with red tell-tales. Someone down there had just fired at them! He'd dropped into a dive and started evasive actions, but they really didn't have the fuel to spare for this sort of thing. The KnightWing traded speed and range for cargo capacity. Even stripped they were cutting it close.

Chaz poked his head into the cockpit. "OK. What's with the dying swan act?"

Mackie tried to grin. "Someone down there thought we were a different kind of waterfowl. A high-energy laser missed us by inches. If it had hit us it would have torn a hole through the armor." Another beam speared up from the darkness ahead of them missing even more narrowly. "I don't even know how they're aiming at us." His instruments finally managed to track the beam. "There they are. Must be six of them. Looks like some kind of big water craft." He checked his other sensors. "Yep, and heavily armed to boot. A lot of laser cannon and what looks like a particle beam weapon." He gulped. "A big one. There's no laser lock." Another beam passed just in front of the nose blinding him for a second. His eyes nervously flicked to the ECM controls. Everything glowed a cheery green. "How the hell are they tracking us!"

A bolt of greenish light flashed through the air near them rocking the plane with a clap of thunder and making sparks jump across the heavily insulated armor.

Mackie's heart surged as his anger grew to cover his fear. "All Right! I'm pissed! Do those bastards have any idea how much time I put into maintaining this thing?" Mackie's hands flew over the keypad and weapons controls. He designated a series of targets for the railguns and let the heavy electromagnets pound away at the shooters for a while.

Chaz looked out the windscreen. Another near miss struck through the darkness and power estimates crawled across the HUD and his own internal monitors. Looking past the rather large numbers, he scanned the night sky. It was a clear beautiful night. Hmm. Clear night huh? "I have an idea. Drop closer to the deck. I think they're using occluded stars to pick out our silhouette."

Mackie nodded and dropped the nose sharply. With a roar the engines added their power to the dive. Behind them a strike from the laser seared the air. "Damn!" Mackie swore. "If we had some cloud cover we could duck into that." Chaz muttered something behind him about wishes and fishes. The plane dropped to fifty meters above the deck and leveled off. Behind them a plume of water was pulled up in their wake as their huge gain in speed slowly bled off. The lasers stopped. Mackie sighed. "Do you think they gave up?" he asked Chaz.

"I've no idea. I wouldn't have expected them to attack at all." Chaz frowned. "But the implication is that they knew where we would be going. They had to have blasted the clouds away in advance to ensure a clear field of vision." Which meant someone was probably ahead of them! "Mackie get us back into the sky quick! Someone else is down here waiting for us!"

Mackie pulled back on the stick. "We can't do this again you know," he said worriedly. "We're pushing the fuel margin as it is." The plane lurched to the side as a particle beam nicked the wing leaving an after image and a roar like thunder. Mackie gulped and checked the damage estimate. "That thing strikes home and whoosh! Sayonara." He checked his navigation. "We're almost there. If we can make it another 20 kilometers without being hit we should be fine. After that we can shut down the engines to some extent and coast down." Another small hit rocked the plane. "Provided we live that long," he amended. From somewhere in back came a wail of fright.

Chaz spun towards the sound. Shit! Irene. He ducked back out of the cockpit in time to see Irene attempt to sit up against the bucking of the aircraft. "Irene stay there!" Irene was either unable to hear him over the noise or she had panicked and wasn't paying attention to anything. Damn! Grabbing the straps that bound her, he pulled them tight and moved the buckles out of reach. When she seemed to stop panicking, Chaz went back up to the cockpit.

"What's the news?" he asked Mackie.

Mackie sat concentrating on his instruments. "The bad news is we're outgunned in a severe way, we're running low on fuel and ammunition and I'm getting readings which are probably three or four flight optimized combat boomers coming up on us from the rear. The good news is the ECM system is giving them fits. Of the five ships left ahead of us three didn't have their generators shielded well enough. We put a hole through them wide enough to pass a C-55. The other two have shut down their heavy energy weapons for fear of giving their position away." He grinned. "Might have worked too with any other plane. This one has more sensors than you can shake a stick at." The grin dropped. "The trouble is we don't exactly have a lot of ammo left. So there isn't much we can do to them until we pass them and can use the tailgun."

Chaz watched as the last of the boomers were blown from the air. It was frightening how much damage those heavy railguns caused. The boomers weren't being holed so much as they were being shattered.

"What about moving the ammo from the back to the front?" Chaz jerked his thumb to the rear of the plane.

Mackie shook his head. "Even if we could, by the time you finished we'd need the ammo where it is." He paused thoughtfully. "What's the range on your lasers anyway?"

Chaz shrugged. "According to the computer they're fully effective for about 600 meters, after that dissipation sets in and you might as well be throwing rocks." High powered rocks but rocks nonetheless.

Mackie looked up. "That's not much. Probably sacrificed range for more close-in power. Would have been useful if it had been longer. There are a couple gunports built into the fuselage." He opened the engines to full throttle. "I've been keeping the engines as low as possible to try to shake anything they might have on us," he explained over the roar of the hungry engines. "But if we're going to make a run for it now would be the best time."

Chaz shrugged. "What I know about flight tactics you could fit on to the head of a monofilament pin with room left over." Chaz watched as Mackie played with the engines to keep them just under Mach One. "What is the KnightWings top speed anyway?" he asked curiously.

Mackie checked the speed gauge and cursed. One of the engines was overheating. He'd have to tear it down and check it when they got back. "You're looking at it. The flight characteristics go to hell after Mach. The engines have more thrust to give but the KnightWing was designed for payload not speed." He waved at the screen and smiled as relief washed through him. "That lost them. We probably left an infra-red plume that a boyscout couldn't miss but they thought we were going to try to maintain stealth." He looked at his instruments. "Well, one smart boy did manage to get a missile off but the ECM took care of it." He throttled back. "You should go strap in and make sure Irene's OK. We'll be coming up on the airstrip in a couple of minutes. Hold onto your seat when we come in though." With a sputter the starving engines began stalling. "I don't think this is exactly going to be a fun landing."

Chaz nodded and walked back. Irene lay on her jump seat glaring at him. Chaz walked over and strapped in next to her. Reaching over he loosened the strap to let her move her arms.

Irene's eyes bored into him. "About time! Was that truly necessary for a little turbulence? I would have been fine if I hadn't been having a nightmare. What if we'd crashed?" The tone with which she asked implied that any answer he gave would be the wrong one.

Chaz shrugged. "I didn't have the time to do anything else. Someone took a couple potshots at the plane."

Irene's angry expression changed to one of horror. "Not GENOM?"

He gave a helpless shrug. "I don't think so. Maybe hired thugs. I really don't know." Frustrating as that may be at times. "Anyway, we got away. Mackie said we should be landing soon."

Irene turned the glare back on. "You Jerk! You could have told me you know. I'm not a child."

"I know. I'm sorry," Chaz said contritely. "I didn't have a lot of time to think about it."

Irene flashed an imp's grin. "You know I could just sit here and make you suffer, but I'm not going to. Instead, I'm going to forgive you, like the good soul I am." This time.

The plane shuddered and began slowing even more drastically as the landing gear extended. Mackie double-checked the altimeter and airspeed. Shouldn't be a problem there was enough fuel left, barely. A couple of key-presses activated his ground scanning macro. Hmm... With a flick of his finger he activated the intercom. "Chaz, the whole area except for the landing field is hidden from most of my sensors. From what I can detect through their jamming I'd say that there are at least fifty heavily armed men out there. I'm also getting some kind of sensor shadow that looks like a spider crossed with a tank." His voice took on a concerned note. "We really don't have the fuel to take off again. So when you talk to them make it good." Checking the ground carefully Mackie, made his final approach to the lighted landing zone.

Kou stood watching as the stealth plane coasted in. His sharp eyes took in the bared metal where some of the armor had been damaged and the stealth coating destroyed. He eyed the approach warily it looked smooth enough if a little fast. Shouldn't the engines be slowing it down? As if on cue, the black plane pulled up sharply to break it's speed and then dropped into a perfect V-tol landing. Kou gasped. To dump speed like that was dangerous at best. Why? Then the question answered itself. With a final distinctive gasp the last of Mackie's fuel poured into the turbines. Kou suppressed a smile. He'd heard that sound once before and he wasn't about to forget it. It also meant that the plane couldn't take off without help. Perfect.

Inside the plane Chaz resisted the urge to strangle Mackie and unstrapped. Irene followed suit and they were soon standing by the exit hatch. Chaz rested a hand on the opening mechanism and turned to Irene. "Mackie's going to stay inside and blank the windscreen. If anyone asks, I was the pilot. If anyone mentions it, I'm completely human. Given your families history with boomers I'd rather not tell them right away." Irene nodded nervously. Chaz pushed the button that opened the loading ramp and led the way out.

The airfield was dark, the only light coming from the landing lights on the helicopter pad and the light streaming from the inside of the KnightWing. Carefully scanning, Chaz motioned Irene to stay inside and walked out on to the field. The enhanced olfactory sensors went to work and his nose flared as he drank in the night air. Despite the electronic jamming he could still distinguish scents. Mackie was right. There were at least fifty people out there, most holding some kind of machine-gun and one with a heavily shielded railgun. He smiled. Someone had forgotten to cover the power cell. He couldn't see the GBX-1 though. Mackie's voice came over his radio. "I know you've spotted the first one by now. But did you spot the other railgun pointing at your chest from the other side of the pad? There are also two missile arrays out there quite capable of blowing the KnightWing into scrap. I've leveled the nose gun at one of them and the tail gun at the other." Chaz couldn't make a response without giving the game away. Telling his AI to stick to passive sensors, he continued to survey the area. A high-pitched whine inaudible to most humans pricked his attention and the AI immediately identified it. A few people out there had military lasers. Not good. The railguns he could conceivably dodge if he heard them building up a charge before they fired. The machine guns he could largely ignore. Well, maybe not the chaingun he heard spinning. The hand-held automatic lasers were a problem though. One or two hits wouldn't be bad but there were at least fifteen out there. He couldn't pick up any serious sensors. So they didn't know what he was yet. He wondered why the reception was so big. "Don't move we have you surrounded." Came an amplified voice from back by the first railgun. Chaz stifled a snort. No kidding.

An Asian man in a gray business suit stepped out of the shadows, his laser carbine leveled on Chaz's chest. "Where is Miss Chang?"

"Kou!" Irene ran down the ramp and put her body between Chaz and Kou. "What the hell are you doing?" Kou's arm twitched up to move the point of aim to Chaz's head. "Come over here Miss Irene," he said calmly. Chaz noticed that Kou's gun never wavered. Well, at least a professional would kill him. A smile fought to creep over his face. Well maybe not kill but certainly inconvenienced.

Irene didn't budge. "Kou put that gun down. What's going on here? This is the man who rescued me!" She seemed near tears but the anger in her voice was unmistakable. "Is this how we treat someone to whom we owe a debt?"

Chaz watched as a plume of infrared sprang up around Kou. Jeez! That pissed him off! He wondered why... Oh, of course. Stepping back from Irene, Chaz dropped to his knees and put his hands behind his head. Mackie's panicked voice came over the radio. "Chaz what the hell are you doing?" Chaz cursed and decide to risk a brief transmission. "We've been set up. GENOM planted a rumor of some kind. Kou is mostly afraid for Irene's safety. Everybody here is willing to lay down their life to protect her." Which means that they would only shoot if he thought she was in danger. "What they will probably do is make sure it's her while I am kept in 'protective custody'. If you or I do anything that puts Irene in danger they will do their level best to kill us and keep Irene alive." Chaz spoke out loud. "Irene walk very slowly towards Kou. It's all right, they're just concerned."

Irene hesitated, then, with a steady stride, she walked over to Kou and slapped him! "Once you find out the truth. You WILL apologize to him!" She was led out of Chaz's sight.

Ouch! Chaz could see the imprint from her hand without magnification. He had to give Kou credit. He hadn't flinched and the gun hadn't moved more than an inch.

Kou gestured. "Get up slowly. Hands in the air, palms forward."

Chaz complied. Humored by the whole situation. Kou, if I wanted to I could blow a hole through you without moving my hands from this position. He had to direct his AI not to draw a laser bead on Kou for that very purpose. X-ray or not they MIGHT detect it and the last thing he wanted was the arsenal out there opening fire.

Kou waved four men forward. The first two put a set of handcuffs on him carefully. While he was being cuffed the second two ran hand scanners over him. "Nothing sir." The second team called back. "He's clean."

As Kou walked forward, the field lights came on. Kou stood before Chaz appraising him in the now adequate light for a moment. "We received word from our agents today that Miss Irene was set up in that incident you 'saved' her from. Word was that the Knight Sabers had taken a contract from the Gulf & Bradley Corporation to kill the head of the Chang family." He paused. "It COULD be a trick to make us distrust you. We took that possibility into account." A group of men headed for the KnightWing.

"Don't let them go in there." Chaz said in as rough a voice as he could. The warning also served as a message of their intent to Mackie. His ears could just make out the subsonics his voice system added to make the message more effective.

Kou shivered slightly but rallied. "Why not?" he asked.

Chaz looked him in the eye using the hypno at its lowest setting. "Would you like people walking around in one of your planes while you weren't present?"

'Sounds reasonable.' Kou found himself thinking. He shook himself. What did he mean 'sounds reasonable?' That's the one of the weakest excuses he'd ever heard! He looked hard at the man in front of him. Something was not right here. His thinking was interrupted by a voice from behind. "It's Miss Chang all right sir. She seems to be in her right mind. She says this man flew the plane alone and dodged some incoming fire on the way in. She's also saying she wants to speak to her grandfather." The man looked sheepish. "More of a demand really." Kou winced. This is where things were going to get tricky. He half-turned to give orders. "Recall the inspection team. Leave the plane alone for now. Put our guest somewhere comfortable. I'll contact Mr. Chang for Miss Irene myself." Incoming fire huh? That would explain the beams of light his men had spotted off the coast a little while ago.

Mackie was uncomfortable. The men searching the craft had been called off after a couple of seconds. But it had still been pretty close. If they had thought to check the hardsuit lockers they would have found him. He could probably assume that they had left someone at the door and a couple of people around the KnightWing to guard it. Mackie quietly walked back to the cockpit. The passive sensors didn't require much power and could run off the batteries indefinitely. To use the railguns would use up the little bit of power left in their capacitors, maybe two shots apiece. Determined to use them if he had to, Mackie decided to settle in with his sensors to keep watch over the watchers. Distracted by his thoughts, Mackie walked by the armory and didn't notice an empty bin where a gun module should have been.

Chaz was taken to a brightly lit tent stocked with refreshments and released from his handcuffs. The guard withdrew leaving the flap of the tent open. So they don't trust me not to try something. NOT very reassuring. Probably Kou's standing orders. Chaz looked out the flap. Two guards holding machine-guns sat some distance apart and were looking into the tent from different angles. Very efficient. Even if I had a weapon I couldn't use it without one sounding the alarm. The way they sit makes it impossible to get both quickly. At the same time their field of vision covers most of the tent. He smiled. Wouldn't stop me though. I can draw a bead on both of them and fire while they watch me. Neither one would know a thing until it was too late. Then he spotted his mistake. Shit! They have watchers for the watchers! Besides the two guards he could see, he could detect that there were two more guards. He could see the signature of the power cells in their laser rifles and the smaller ones in their thermograph headsets. And from their positions they could see the sides and back of the tent. Anyone in the tent would have assumed that the two guards out front were all that was there. They were certainly enough against most people. That thought gave him a chill. They had either assumed he was a premiere assassin or they thought he was a boomer. Neither circumstance was conducive to his continued good health.

Kou leaned back in his chair. This whole mess was giving him a headache. First, an assassin boomer almost kills Miss Irene. A man from out of nowhere rescues her. The man turns out to be a member of the Knight Sabers. After hiding Miss Irene for two days the Knight Sabers contact Mr. Chang and offer to return Miss Irene. They agreed to the location of the pickup without argument. Meanwhile an agent in Gulf & Bradley dies while transmitting the news that all of the above is false. That in fact the Knight Sabers had taken a contract to kill Mr. Chang. The craft lands where it was supposed. With, Kou admitted, sufficient caution the supposed captors returned Miss Irene. Kou didn't believe for a second that 'Chaz' was the only person besides Miss Irene that was on that strange jet. However, he didn't let that worry him too much. The missile launchers had been manually aimed at the spot where it sat. No ECM in the world would stop them. 'Chaz' was what worried him most. Despite the information the Hou Bang had gathered, 'Chaz' remained a complete blank. Kou closed his eyes. Even Miss Irene hadn't been erased as thoroughly. The Knight Sabers had never been seen to have any male members. He wasn't a boomer. They had checked THAT very carefully. The Hou Bang had learned the hard way to be careful of boomers. He'd passed on all the information that he'd had to Mr. Chang it was up to him now. He stood up. Miss Irene should be finished by now.

Irene walked out of the communication tent. She stretched as she took in the jungle scented night air. It had taken a while but she thought she had convinced him. God! He could be so stubborn at times. She admitted that she might have been duped at first. But not over the course of several days. If they were actors of that quality . . . She shrugged. At least she would be killed by the best. She smiled. It didn't seem very likely. Humming she walked off into the star studded night to find Kou. Behind Irene a shadow broke away from the wall and followed her.

Mackie leaned earnestly against the console and replayed the last few seconds of the video segment again. There! That section. Now, just a few more enhancements. This could be the most important section of the whole video. Cool sweat lightly beaded on his forehead as he concentrated on the work before him. It had taken him almost two days to develop the program that was sifting the information in a few seconds he would find out if it were worth it. Pixel by pixel the image began to reassemble itself. Relief sighed through him. It'd worked. Smiling with satisfaction Mackie pressed the play button. One by one the female Knight Sabers doffed their towels and walked into the now easily viewed shower room. The frosted glass that had previously blocked his camera was no longer a problem. The program deduced the refraction pattern from the shape of known objects and put the disturbed pixels back where they belonged. Relaxing, Mackie lounged back in his chair and watched as Priss squirted Nene with cold water. Now all he had to do is figure out how to get clear sound over the interference of the running water.

Moving through the jungle after his quarry; Irene's shadow was regretting everything. If what he was doing could be called thinking. One look in his eyes would convince any competent psychotherapist that this man needed serious help. Inside his head his thoughts were running like scared rabbits trying to avoid a fox. He hated to do it. There just wasn't really any choice. It was his family or Miss Irene. The Knight Sabers had chosen the wrong enemy this time. His family lived in Japan. They said they would kill them! He couldn't watch his daughter . . . He didn't have a choice! He slowly pulled the small laser module he'd stolen from the Knight Saber's aircraft and aimed it at Irene's back. She was all-alone. It should be easy. He wished it wasn't.

Kou rounded the corner. His mind had barely enough time to take in the scene and realize what was happening before his body was in full motion. "Nooo!" he screamed. With a speed unexpected in someone his size, he ran for the would be assassin.

The shadow was startled by the noise. Without thinking his hand clenched on the trigger. When Kou's body slammed into him it had been too late for half a second.

Irene heard the cry and had half turned when the pain hit. Screaming, she dropped to the ground. The pain wouldn't stop! She could feel it burning in her abdomen. Still screaming, her hands flailed trying to put out flames she could feel burning her.

Chaz heard the cry and was moving at full speed before his conscious mind had recognized the voice. "Irene!" Plowing furrows in the semi-hard ground, he went through the wall of the tent, the tough, knife proof material barely slowing him. The guards on that side of the tent barely managed to bring their guns up before he ran past them.

Kou was desperately calling for help. The man he had tackled was fighting like he was possessed. No matter what he tried he couldn't get away to help Miss Irene! Using every skill he possessed he tried to finish the fight quickly. To no avail.

Chaz, his legs and arms a blur of motion, had run over two guards and through two more tents before the alarm began to sound. Irene was just ahead. He knew she was. Her voice had gone hoarse in seconds but he could still make out her moaning. The odor of burning human flesh only made him want to run faster. Breaking into the open, he saw Irene lying on the ground writhing in pain and Kou wrestling with someone directly on top of him. Without breaking stride, Chaz kicked out and knocked the man off Kou. He heard ribs snap briefly as he ran by. Then he was beside her.

Kou didn't even see the kick. One second he was fighting, the next his opponent lay on his side holding crushed ribs. Kou hardly noticed him. Miss Irene needed him! Scrambling to his feet he started running.

Irene felt a slight break in the white-hot pain that surrounded her. A slight pressure on her skin that seemed to chase the pain away slightly. With each passing second the pain seemed to be getting farther away. Irene opened her eyes and looked up. "Chaz?" She could barely feel his hands moving over her and around her. "What happened?" Her voice was soft and frightened. "It hurts."

Kou's men were running towards them with their guns drawn. Kou yelled for a doctor and dropped to his knees beside Irene's prostrate body. "Irene?" The question a hope and a prayer.

Chaz knew she wasn't likely to make it. The laser had blown a hole through her lower spine, lung and liver. There was very little bleeding but the shock alone was likely to kill her. "Irene? Irene hon can you hear me?" Chaz felt his eyes begin to fill and quickly overrode the impulse.

Irene was having trouble focusing. Everything was beginning to feel cold. "Kou? Chaz? I'm scared. Hold me tighter." He still felt good. Even through the pain she could feel his soothing touch. But why was he holding her so lightly? "Don't stop holding me. You feel so nice," she said sleepily. Somewhere in the back of her head she knew she was probably dying. Odd. It didn't hurt as much as she had thought it would. Part of it even felt... pleasant.

Chaz looked up at Kou's numbed face. "Kou, I can't hold her any tighter without hurting her. She's going into shock," he said his voice thick and sad.

Kou just stared at the sad, tearless face across from him. How could he have made such a mistake? Irene was dying and it was his fault! He looked into the face of a man he hardly knew. How could I have been so wrong?

The gray hared and rumpled doctor arrived at a dead run. He was fully aware of how unprepared he was for an emergency. They had been preparing to leave! All the equipment had been packed! What was he supposed to do? He shoved Kou aside and was nearly punched before the anxious young man realized who it was. "What happened?" he said in as calm a voice as he could manage. Years of practice kept his hands and his face steady as he started pulling things from his trauma bag.

Irene was basking in the pleasant feeling coursing through her. The pain was still there but it was as if it were muffled. Why couldn't she feel her legs? What was wrong? It was so hard to think. "Kou? Where are you? Grandfather? Reika? Somebody?" Panic seized her until she felt a light burst of pleasure as Chaz kissed her forehead.

Kou took Irene's hand and held it tightly. At the touch a light, not unpleasant tingle ran through his fingers. "I'm here Irene." He turned to the doctor and waved at the moaning man being strapped to a stretcher. "He fired a laser at Miss Irene. It caught her in the back and passed through to the front..."

He didn't even think twice. A choice between his secret and Irene's life was no choice at all. Chaz waved his hand for Kou to be quiet. "She was shot in the fifth lumbar vertebrae. The bone was cleanly sliced. The spinal cord is definitely severed. The beam continued through the left lung and liver. There's no major blood loss from the incision and both the lung and the liver have been cauterized. The lung is partially collapsed and slowly filling with fluid."

The doctor didn't ask, he didn't need to know. "OK roll her gently onto the back board. We need to get her to a hospital right away. Keep her warm. Don't let her fall asleep." He lifted a syringe. "I can't give her anything for the pain it might make her fall asleep. This will help keep her awake."

Kou came around. "What can we do?"

The doctor looked to Kou. "Miss Chang has to go to a hospital immediately. If he's right the wounds won't kill her immediately but the shock might."

Kou nodded. "I'll get a chopper we'll take her to..."

"The KnightWing has an level three med-center. Will that do?" Chaz asked.

The doctor nodded. "Perhaps. If not, it should be faster than a helicopter." A level three med-center was equipped for most trauma situations. If he couldn't stabilize Miss Chang there she likely wouldn't make it to the hospital no matter how fast they went.

Kou waved an attendant over. "Start fueling it. If we have to leave we'll only need enough fuel to make it to Tripler Medical Hospital." If we don't leave soon it won't matter anyway. The thought wasn't a pleasant one.

To his credit the attendant didn't waste time talking, he just took off at a dead run.

Chaz called Mackie over the com-link. "Mackie prep the med-center. Irene's been shot with a laser. We need everything ready to go when we get her there. Close and lock anything we can't let others see and keep careful track of who comes in."

Irene looked up her eyes wide with fright and growing pain. "Chaz? Kou? Don't leave me." Her voice sounded tired. "I can't feel my legs." Her hands gripped theirs tighter. "I don't want to die." Chaz gently removed his hand from the back of her head as he let the neuro-stimulator go back to it's normal setting. Irene tensed as the pain began to return.

"That's the drug working." The doctor noted as they carried her into the KnightWing. "It's helping her stay awake."

Kou and Chaz placed Irene on the operating table and were brushed aside by the doctor and his team. Mackie remained to help them with the equipment.

Kou walked off to deal with their would be assassin. Chaz remained sat outside the KnightWing and waited. Around him scurried men with purpose and though it went against the grain he couldn't help without getting in the way. After a couple of hours Kou came back. "What's the story on your friend?" Chaz asked Kou quietly.

Kou looked sick. He'd been betrayed by one of his own people. Kou looked up at the waning moon just setting behind the mountains. What he'd had to do to that poor tormented man to get him to tell what had occurred would haunt him for years. Only long practice enabled him to put his professional face back on. When he spoke he was all business again. "He was in near hysterics. He kept saying he was a Knight Saber and that he had to kill Irene." Kou took a deep breath. "His name is Nakayama. He's been with us for years. I don't know what someone did to him but he's been broken. He'll never be a whole man again." He shrugged. "I don't think he ever knew who had his family."

Chaz didn't even pause to think. "GENOM."

Kou didn't argue. "Probably. We'll never know for certain. The laser he used isn't one of ours. He probably got it when he searched your plane. He was supposed to kill her and frame you. That much I managed to get out of him." Kou swallowed. "I'm sorry. I misjudged you."

Chaz waved it off. "You were doing your job."

Kou looked towards the med center. "Not well enough." His head dropped. "If your plane hadn't had a medical facility she wouldn't have made it." The thought alone was enough to make his heart ache. Despite his professionalism he was beginning to get the shakes. He'd known Irene since they were kids. She was family.

Together they sat in silence until the doctor came out.

Gray hair plastered to his head with sweat he dropped exhausted into the offered chair. "Miss Chang is stable. We took care of most of the damage." He shook his head. "I don't know if I can make the nerves regenerate or not yet. She could be crippled for life." The doctor started to cry. "I did the best I could." He'd served the Hou Bang for years. He'd been present when both Irene and Reika were born. Like so many others close to the Changs he considered them family.

Kou moved to comfort the man. "It's all right we all know you did. At least she's alive."

Chaz watched while Kou comforted the doctor like a brother. So this was the way their organization kept loyalty. A better basis than most, he admitted.

The doctor gathered himself returned Kou's hug quickly and stood. "She's awake and asking for both of you." His expression turned stern. "You've got two minutes. That's it."

Irene looked up from her bed at Kou and Chaz standing side by side. "Did you apologize to him yet?" she asked quietly.

Kou nodded. "Yes, Miss Irene." He looked at Chaz. "I misjudged him."

Irene sighed. "Good." She smiled a little. "That makes me glad to hear." Her smile faded a little. "The doctor says that I need to go to a real hospital where they can watch over me."

Kou reached down and took her hand. "All the arrangements are being made. Mr. Chang and Miss Reika will be there to meet you when you arrive."

Irene looked up at Chaz. "Aren't you coming?" She didn't want him to go.

"I can't stay," he said shaking his head. "For better or worse my life isn't in the US anymore." He smiled. "But I'll call you when I get the chance."

Irene's eyes filled with tears but she understood. She lifted her hand and took off her ring. "My fiancee gave this to me when he proposed. I'd like you to have it." She placed it in his palm and wrapped his fingers around it. "Will you hold me one more time before you leave?"

Chaz wrapped his arms around Irene and for the second time that night turned up the stimulator. Irene seemed to melt into his arms as her pain disappeared in less than a minute she fell asleep.

Kou and Chaz walked outside in the compound. Around them Kou's men finished breaking down the airfield and camp. Chaz's gaze drifted over to the KnightWing where Mackie was busy keeping people away from the planes more sensitive and secret systems while they refueled it. They walked to the edge of camp away from everyone else. Kou brushed off a fallen log and sat facing the camp. Together they watched the final preparations being made. Kou finally broke the silence. "Does she know?" he asked tentatively.

Chaz didn't feel like playing guessing games. "Yeah."

"You know she loves you?" Kou asked.

Chaz shook his head. "That's just shock and loss. She needs more right now. I can't give it to her." He raised his hand to forestall Kou. "I care for her. But not like that. I only met her for the first time less than a week ago. I don't really know her yet."

Kou thought about it. "I think it may be more than just that. You came to rescue a woman you didn't know at the risk of your own life. That shows a strength of character that many don't have."

Chaz couldn't meet Kou's gaze. "Wait for her to stop grieving for her fiancee," Chaz said, "then we'll talk about it."

Kou nodded gently. That was as close to a request to drop it as he was likely to get. "On another subject Mr. Chang told me to give you this." Kou pulled off his ring. "After Irene's gift this seems shoddy in comparison. Still, I beg you to accept."

Reaching out Chaz accepted the ring. He looked at it. A solid silver band held a black signet with a gold stylized tiger on it. The ring of the Hou Bang. "Why?"

"Mr. Chang told me to tell you that the Hou Bang owes you the greatest debt it has ever been under." Kou paused to let that sink in. "That ring is the second oldest in the family. Mr. Chang wanted me to give you his ring. I told him I would prefer to give you mine. You are part of the family now. And your family is also."

Chaz just looked at the ring in shock. The Knight Sabers. He meant the Knight Sabers. "I'm honored. But I can't accept for the others." I'm dead. Sylia's going to kill me. If Linna doesn't get me first.

Kou waved it aside. "Whether they accept or not the debt is still extended to them." He smiled sadly. "Mr. Chang would also like to request that his new son visit him when his grand-daughter is better. He wishes to meet the man that can so erase himself from the world."

Mackie opened the throttle and started the race against the sun that would end with the KnightWing back in its garage before the end of the night. He wasn't quite sure what he was going to tell sis about this trip. The truth wasn't especially pretty. He looked in the back. Chaz was still playing with the ring. Ah well. He'd get over it. The Doc had said that Irene would get better after all. Turning his attention towards more interesting thoughts Mackie keyed up his Linna videos. God! Sometimes he wondered if she was that flexible in bed too. Probably. Not that you're ever likely to find out, his mind pointed out. "I thought you were interested in Nene," Chaz spoke up from behind him. Mackie nearly jumped out of his skin! "Don't do that!" Chaz's laughter echoed through the plane all the way home.