Okay, decided to put this one up a little quicker; I know that people are reading this so I figured there's no reason to keep them waiting. Again, thanks to those of you who reviewed and hope to hear more from you soon.
Leon looked up from the reams of paperwork scattered across his desk and glanced at the old fashioned analog wall clock above the door. Almost ten A.M., and he hadn't slept since three. He sighed, silently cursing the chief once more as he reexamined yet another fellow officer's witness statement from the Kurasawa packet. At the rate he was going, with his 'reduced staff', consisting of just him due to the holiday schedule, he figured it would take him a couple of days to wrap up this paperwork nightmare. 'Damn that bastard!' He thought once more, reaffirming the new chief's special place in his heart.
As these black thoughts crossed his mind, he heard the door opening, and fearing the worst, looked up again. Luckily, it wasn't the chief, and he sighed in relief as he recognized Takashi. Like him, she was still dressed in the same clothes she had been a few hours ago, and, under the cast-iron exterior she always projected, he noted just a hint of fatigue.
"Busy?" She asked irreverently.
Leon rolled his eyes, and said, "Oh, no, I was just redecorating my office, and I thought all these loose papers looked great on my desk."
"Huh!" She said. "Maybe you should get Wong to help you out then. I think interior decorating might be more up his lane than yours."
Leon snorted, and said, "Yeah, well, he, unlike the two of us, was smart enough to take Christmas leave this year. I think the bastard's in Tahiti or maybe Hawaii about now. He said he'd send a post card, but I haven't heard a damn thing from him. Probably found himself a holiday romance or something, the sly dog."
Ami shook her head and said, "Lucky son of a bitch. 'Course, he's not the only one on vacation now. I handed my request in to Chief this morning, right after our little talk. He just loved that."
Leon sighed, and said, "Well, that's good, I guess. So what's up Ami? I don't guess this is a social call."
"No," she said slowly, "It's not. I found out something interesting a few minutes ago, Leon, and I figured you'd want to know."
Leon frowned, and said, "Ok, what?"
"Delilah got iced this morning," She said deadpan.
Standing abruptly, Leon said, "Say what! How the hell do you know that!"
"I've still got a few friends in low places," she said. "I called one of them up this morning after Chief and I had our little talk. I figured I'd get some up-to-the-minute intel before we thought about doing anything crazy, and he had a wild story to tell me. Care to make any guesses?"
Leon shook his head, and said, "Naw, just give it to me. Somehow I don't think I'm gonna like this."
"You're probably right," she agreed. "Seems my buddy was having a little night out last night, watching the freak-show down at the Asshole. Somewhere around four-thirty, five o'clock, somebody new came in. Now, that's not so unusual; there's always fresh meat down there. But this one caught a whole lot of eyes. She just didn't fit in with the crowd, looked way too soft to be hanging out down there, if you know what I mean."
"Ah, shit." Leon said slowly. "Let me guess. Redhead? About five-foot-nothing and disgustingly cute?"
Ami nodded, and said, "On the money McNichol. Oh, he said she was dressed kind of rough. Black fatigue pants, leather long coat, army boots, and one of those smiley face t-shirts with a bullet hole between the eyes. Of course, he said that bullet hole looked like a real hole with real blood around it, but he could've been tripping a little. Oh, yeah, and he said she was wearing some kind of funky face paint, all white with black eyes and lips. Like a clown or a mime or something."
"Huh!" Leon said. "And I'll just bet those clothes-"
"Match what was taken from those dumb-ass punks last night," Ami finished for him. "Two for two, Leon."
"Ok," he said, "And then?"
"Well, The Asshole's the kind of place where you're either at the top of the food chain, or at the bottom. There's no in-between. So naturally some prick had to try her. She slit his throat with some kind of energized combat knife before he could even blink, and then she walked away as if nothing had happened while this guy bled out behind her."
"Goddamn!" Leon said. "And you still think this thing's programmed to think it's Nene?"
Ami shrugged, and said, "Who knows? That's neither here nor there. But after she wasted this guy, she found Delilah sitting down with one of her pets, the two-legged variety, mind you, and all hell broke loose after that. My buddy said it looked like she was playing with Delilah, teasing her and shit while she danced around her and sliced her to ribbons with that damned knife. In fact, he said that he was pretty sure Delilah shot her once, but it didn't even seem to faze her. She just came back and ripped her to shreds. Almost literally, I guess. Opened her up like a side of beef from crotch to chin, from what my source said."
"Jesus," Leon said. "She's a friggin' assassinoid, then. Maybe a 33 series? One of the custom jobs without the internal weaponry?"
Ami shook her head, and said, "I don't know man. If so, she's pretty messed up. You see, there was one other thing my buddy told me."
"Well, shit, Ami! Let's hear it."
With a vaguely troubled expression, she said, "After she waxed Delilah, she used a laser stylus to burn something into the floor. There was the outline of a big bird around Delilah's corpse, but on the wings there were also the words-"
"Knight Sabers," Leon said in a hoarse whisper.
Ami nodded slowly, and said, "Three for three, McNichol. You're batting a thousand today."
"Holy shit, Takashi, you do realize what this means, right?" he said in a stunned tone.
She nodded again, and said, "Yeah, it means that somebody out there who knows way too much about the Sabers got his hands on this boomer, kit-bashed it to his specs, and set it loose on the assholes who killed them. You still think the Stingray kid could be our guy?"
Leon shook his head, and said, "I don't know who the hell else it could be. Not only does it look like his sister was one of the Sabers, but the kid's a mechanical genius to boot. I found that out during the initial investigation. Five will get you ten that he helped maintain if not build equipment for the Sabers, and everything they had was way more advanced than any kind of tech you'll find in old androids." Sighing, Leon continued. "He sure as hell has the motive, he probably has the means, and he's had nothing but opportunity for the last year. What's that say to you, Ami?"
"It says, Kurasawa packet or no, we need to talk to that kid. ASAP."
Leon sighed, and said, "Yeah, that's what it says to me too. Guess I'll just have to do with even less sleep tonight, because I sure as hell can't let Kurasawa's packet just ride."
Ami nodded, and said, "No, and on top of that, we're going to have to keep a low profile on this. Chief and I had a little heart-to-heart earlier, and in his own ballsless, non-confrontational way, he let me know that this case is strictly hands off. Even the maglev incident last night has been swept under the rug, Leon. They wrapped it up with some bullshit story about the perp being a frost-fire addict, and totally blew off the ADP uniform and the resemblance to Romanova." She sighed, and said, "I don't know what the echelons-beyond-reality said to him, but he was rattled. More so than usual. Obviously this thing is still a hot potato for somebody, though."
"Y'know, Ami," he said tiredly, "At this point, I really don't give a shit anymore. I'm fed up to my ass with all this politically motivated bullshit, and all I want now is the truth. I want to know why a fellow officer, a woman I cared about a lot, and three other good people died that night. I want to know not only who did it, but who ordered it. And then I want that bastard to pay."
"Holy shit," Ami said incredulously. "So it's true, then."
Frowning, Leon said, "What's true? What the hell are you talking about, Takashi?"
She shook her head, and said, "You were in love with the Asagiri girl! I'd heard rumors about that, but I didn't believe it. Not about you. Lust, maybe, but love?"
Irritated, Leon said, "Oh, Christ, Takashi, just drop it, ok? There was never really anything between Priss and me, and now obviously there never will be. Feelings are just a goddamned liability on this job anyway."
Putting a reassuring hand on Leon's arm, Ami said, "Sometimes I feel the same way Leon. But you were right before. All that shit's not important right now. The truth is."
On the top floor of an old office building located on the border of Timex City and the Outer District, largely intact on the outside, and completely rebuilt and remodeled on the inside, sat the nominal head of the Hong Triad. He had a name, but it was only important to those with whom he had business dealings, and to his masters. Those who didn't know the truth.
Everyone beneath him knew the truth, and thus knew how unimportant he really was. They all knew that the real power behind the Hong Triad for most of the last year had been the leader's trusted lieutenant and enforcer, the creature most often known simply as The Tin Man. But none of them would have ever admitted that, even to each other.
As was his wont, The Tin Man stood back in the shadows, lurking behind his supposed master as he managed Hong's daily affairs. Thus, The Tin Man was privy to all of the Hong Triad's dealings, and was able to make whatever 'suggestions' he liked.
He wasn't really very surprised to learn that his former associate Delilah was dead. With her proclivities, it had always been just a matter of time, and he'd distanced himself from her and most of his other old confederates months ago. After certain… changes he'd undergone, and was still undergoing, he'd had little use for them. But the circumstances of her death were intriguing, particularly the killer's little artistic flourish at the end.
'So there's still someone out there using the Knight Sabers' name,' he thought, smiling to himself and lazily flipping a coin in the air. 'How interesting. And now that Delilah's out of the way, she'll be looking for the others, I imagine. Eventually, I suppose, she might even come looking for me. Assuming she lives that long, of course.'
As he contemplated this unexpected development, weighing it's potential impact on his future plans, he suddenly caught the coin in mid-toss, and clenched it in his fist. Still smiling, he thought, 'Either way, this should prove to be amusing.'
Opening his hand, he dropped the now-mangled coin to the floor, and thought wryly, 'I seriously doubt the poor dear understands just what she's dealing with.'
As Mackie slept in an adjacent room, finally catching a cat-nap after a night awake and a morning spent waiting and praying for Nene's safe return, Nene took the opportunity to conduct a little light exercise.
She supposed she should be tired in light of the morning's activities, but she wasn't. Instead, she was restless and impatient, and seriously considered just going back to the Outer District to continue her hunt. Apparently, sleep wasn't something she needed anymore. Vengeance took priority.
But she wasn't stupid, and realized that her chances of tracking any of her quarry down in the daytime were slim indeed. Fortunately, though, daytime in the Canyons was only about six hours long, and there were enough preparations that needed to be made to easily keep her occupied for that long.
At the moment, dressed in one of Sylia's familiar measuring suits, she was engaged in a pitched battle with an amorphous holographic blob, much as she had been only a few days before her young life had been both shattered and ended.
During that last session, she'd been slain in virtuo almost immediately, one of the holo-blob's tentacles piercing her forehead embarrassingly. And that had been working at only level five on Sylia's scaled chart of humiliation. It was a performance that was not to be repeated.
Today, she'd started at level eight, the highest level she'd ever seen any of her teammates clear, and she'd programmed the computer to escalate automatically every time she beat her opponent. At the moment, she was working on level ten.
The crow, perched on the computer console above, watched her curiously through the observation windows as she dodged, spun, turned, sidestepped, somersaulted, cart wheeled, and struck out with feet and fists. Time and again, the holo-opponent, growing larger, more complex, faster and more aggressive with each jump in level, missed her by just a hair's breadth with it's whipping, jabbing pseudo-pods. And, time and again, her strikes found their mark.
How long this continued, she didn't know. She found herself in a trance-like state, not thinking, not anticipating, just reacting and counter-striking, each engagement a world unto itself. But finally, the holo-blob ceased it's attacks and hung motionless, blinking from red to blue in mid-air.
As she came out of her Zen-like fighting state, Nene was vaguely amazed. She'd beaten it! Not just on one level, but completely! It had hit level fifteen, the highest level Sylia had ever thought she'd need to program, and now there was no further to go. Nene shook her head and exited the testing chamber, heading for the control room.
As she entered and seated herself at the console, the crow cawed softly and hopped to her shoulder. Studying the summary reports, taken both from the combat trial she'd just finished and from the other tests she'd completed earlier, she whistled softly. According to the computer, her reflexes had almost doubled, her strength had nearly quadrupled, and her endurance was off the chart. Not only that, but her measurements and body composition had changed drastically. She was sporting far more lean muscle and far less fat than ever before.
Under any other circumstances she would have been ecstatic. As it was, she just sighed and thought, 'So now I know the secret to ultimate physical fitness. To bad it's literally to die for.'
"Been busy, I see," a familiar voice said from behind, startling her.
Turning, she said, "Well, good afternoon, sleepy-head. And yeah, I guess you could say I've been busy. I just wasn't very sleepy this morning."
Looking over her shoulder, the opposite from the one where the crow perched, Mackie's eye widened. "I guess you weren't," he said in a tone of mild amazement. "These numbers are kind of hard to believe, Nene."
"Well, you can check the equipment if you want," she said, and then in a teasing voice, "Or you could just spar with me for a couple of rounds."
Mackie shook his head, smiling, and said, "No, I think I'll pass on that." And then, moving in close to nuzzle her ear, he said in a husky tone, "Unless you'd like to spar somewhere besides the testing room, that is."
Nene smiled in return, feeling the blackness enveloping her soul recede just a little bit, and turning her head just enough to brush her lips to his said, "Well, I didn't actually say where we had to spar. Or," she continued slyly, "what fighting style we should use."
Mackie's heart beat faster in anticipation, and, placing his good hand lightly on her cheek, he kissed her deeply. She responded strongly, twisting around in the chair and reaching up to caress the back of his neck with her right hand. The crow, unsettled by her sudden movement, hopped down to the console, squawking chidingly.
But neither of them really noticed much besides each other at that point. Nene stood slowly, lips still pressed to Mackie's, and turned slowly into his embrace. They parted briefly then, staring into each other's eyes for a moment, and, bending slightly, Mackie lifted her into his arms. She giggled, sounding so much like her old self that Mackie's heart almost cracked, and they kissed again. Moving slowly and carefully, Mackie carried her toward the small living area he maintained adjoining his workshop. It wasn't much, he knew, but for them, for now, it would have to do.
Lying contentedly side by side, Nene and Mackie just stared up at the water-stained concrete ceiling for a while, lost in their own thoughts. Finally, in a subdued tone, Nene said, "You know this can't last much longer, right?"
Mackie sighed regretfully, and said, "I know, Nene. I know that once you've finished what you came here to do, you'll- go."
She nodded slowly, and said, "Probably we shouldn't be doing this at all. It's just not fair to you."
Mackie shook his head emphatically, and said, "No, Nene, I don't see it that way at all. For me, this has been a chance I never thought I'd have. A chance for things to be the way they should have been, even if only for a little while." He stopped, frowning in thought, and then said, "We've both been through so much, I think we deserve any little bit of happiness we can grab, no matter how brief. And Nene?"
Looking into his eyes, suddenly fascinated by them and by him, she said, "Hmm?"
"I think I've figured something else out too. People may not be immortal, but I think love is. And whatever else happens, to either of us, I'll always love you. And them. And nothing can ever change that."
A tear ran down Nene's cheek as Mackie's words pierced her heart, and, snuggling close, she said, "I love you too, Mackie. And if we'd had the chance, I think we'd have made a life together eventually. As it is, I-"
"Shh." He said, this time placing his finger gently to her lips. "Don't think about what might've been, Nene. Just enjoy what we have for as long as it lasts. It'll be enough. It has to be."
She sighed, and, lightening the mood a little, said, "At least you sound better, Mackie. I really wasn't sure about you last night."
He laughed quietly, and said, "Yeah, you've got a point there. I didn't realize just how far down I'd crawled into self-pity until you woke me up. I guess you could say you've healed me in some way, Nene."
She smiled, and said, "Maybe that's part of the reason I'm here, then. I'd like to think so. That maybe not everything I was sent here to do is dark and violent." She shuddered as she said this and then continued. "For just a moment last night, I was almost too scared to do what I knew I had to. But then it all came back to me, and pure rage just carried me through." Shaking her head, she said, "I never thought that was the kind of person I was, Mackie. Sure, Priss was like that, but I never really understood her until now. Before, I was just sleepwalking through life. I didn't have a clue. But, like it did for her years ago, pain woke me up."
"Uh, Nene?" Mackie said, a little concerned and just a bit frightened.
Smiling again, a little sadly now, she said, "It's ok, Mackie. It's just that I'm a little mixed up inside, I guess. There's still just a little bit of the old me in there, scared of her own shadow, horrified at the sight of blood, and squeamish about doing the kind of things that need to be done here. But the other part of me, the larger part by far…"
"You've grown up, Nene," Mackie said matter-of-factly. "We both have. It wasn't like we were given a lot of choice in the matter, after all."
"That's part of it, I suppose," Nene agreed. "But nobody should ever have their childhood just smashed the way we did. Their innocence just ripped away. I think maybe that's one of the biggest reasons I'm here, Mackie. Just the colossal unfairness of it all."
Mackie nodded slowly, and said, "I guess that makes as much sense as anything else." Then, clapping his hands theatrically, he said, "So! As much as I'd like to just lay here with you all day, I'm guessing there are some things we need to get done before you head out tonight."
Sighing, she said, "Unfortunately. And I'm sure that no matter how fast we work, It won't be ready by then."
Mackie shook his head, and said, "No, I don't think so. We still haven't converted over the data you got this morning, and I'm sure there are some tweaks you'll want to put on the software. On my end, there's still a lot of work to do on the hardware side. Most of the components are there, but I've got to refit the whole damn thing for you, and then there's all that cosmetic stuff-!"
Nene shrugged, and said, "Well, like I told you last night, a lot of things just seem to come to me now. And what I sketched out for you on the cad-cam screen was just, well, right somehow. That's the way it's got to look. I can't explain it any better than that."
Smiling, Mackie said, "Somehow, I didn't think you'd be able to. But it doesn't matter. One more good night's work should do it."
Turning, Nene kissed Mackie on the cheek, something that in it's chaste innocence inflamed him all the more powerfully, and said seriously, "Thank you, Mackie. Without your help, I don't think I could do this."
He sighed, and said, "Yeah, too successful for my own good. The story of my life."
She giggled, and said, "Alright, smart-ass. So in lieu of It, what else have you got for me to play with tonight?"
Rubbing his hands together and grinning evilly, he said, "Oh, I think we can find a couple of things to add to last night's inventory…"