Another Fortunate Accident

Ch. 12 – Glue, Tape, and Time


Sylia's head was pounding… not from the aftereffects of the battle almost two hours ago, but from the frustrations staring her in the face. The screen before her was lit up with over a hundred points that needed to be searched; any one of them could be the location of her target. She needed functional hardsuits to carry out that search. However neither hers nor Nene's suits were in any condition for use after the beating they had absorbed. Nigel would need time to get the hardsuits back in fighting shape, or at least something resembling operability. The complication was that time was not on Sylia's side. For every point in front of her, she knew Genom could have ten people searching the underground areas. If they find her first… Sylia shook her head violently. No! I can't let them! There's no telling what they would use her for… I can't let that happen!

Sylia's frayed nerves shook her whole body from head to toe. She picked up one pill bottle from the pile lying on the console in front of her. She tried to open the top, but her hands weren't steady enough. The plastic tormentor finally got the better of her as she raised the bottle high in the air and smashed it into the edge of the computer terminal. The container split down the side, spilling the contents onto the floor. Sylia scooped up several multicolored ovals off the floor in her shaking hands, spilling a couple back to the floor in the process. She washed the pills down with a half full bottle of wine, and then flung the empty bottle across the room, shattering against the wall into a million fragments.

I can't let anything get in the way of finding her first… if only the hardsuits weren't so wrecked… if only Nene hadn't jumped at that boomer… Sylia bowed her head over the console and pulled at her hair with both hands. She was losing control over the entire situation… somehow she had to get it back. She thought of the resources it would take to perform the search. She had to implicitly trust Nene would be able to do what she asked, without question. Right now, she wasn't sure if she could. I've got to make her understand… get her to think. The problem was just what the girl had on her mind… and it probably wasn't the upcoming mission.

Since coming back to the building, Nene and Mackey had been nearly inseparable. Sylia had actually entertained the thought of some sort of relationship developing between the two of them, but the timing couldn't be worse. It was just the kind of distraction that could get someone seriously hurt. A more frightening thought crossed her mind… What if she finds out the truth about Mackey… Sylia had considered the possibility before, but she though of him as more human than most people she knew. The only way to find the truth was to get very close to him… that is exactly why the kiss the couple had shared in the mobile pit had shocked her so. If Nene ever learned his secret, the likelihood of Nene staying with the Knight Sabers after that was nonexistent. I've got to stop this… before it goes to far. But the possibility of losing Nene was too strong to ignore.

With both Priss and Linna out of the picture, that left a scarce few options available to Sylia. However, one that came to mind wasn't the first time she had considered it recently. It was low risk, but the chance for reward was even smaller. Yet she really had nothing to lose but her pride at the moment. A few shaky keystrokes and a couple of E-mails later (that took much longer to complete than it should have) she was finished with her task. She briefly considered her response if the people she was attempting to contact actually responded, however Sylia quickly decided to play it by ear and word a response when (or if) it became necessary.

That option dealt with, her thoughts turned to a more immediate concern. Another plan began to take shape in Sylia's mind, which began with keeping Nene and Mackey apart for just a while. That's all it will take. And once this is all over, maybe we'll see about patching things up between them again, she thought to herself as Sylia turned the ill-intentioned plot over in her mind.


"Priss and Linna really aren't coming back, are they?" Nene solemnly asked, sore shoulders sagging under the added weight being placed on them. She suspected Priss would have difficulty dealing with her role in the accident after discovering its true nature. But, after hearing of the extent of Linna's 'injuries', Nene didn't know what to think anymore. It was almost too much to bear at the moment.

"I'm afraid not, which is why I wanted to talk to you about tonight's battle," Sylia said with a scowl forming on her face.

Nene looked down at the floor at the introspection of the night's events. "We were pretty lucky to get out of there…" the blond haired girl said with a half smile, not thinking about what it might do to Sylia since her mind was still sorting out the news concerning her former teammates.

"LUCK HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT!" the leader of the Knight Sabers exploded off the couch and into Nene's face. "You were completely reckless and out of control! What were you thinking! Maybe Priss would show up and bail you out again! Maybe the boomer would just roll over and die! Maybe the AD Police would be able to handle it this time!"

Nene's tired mindreeled from the unprovoked attack. Only a couple of short hours since the near death experience, she had only begun the laborious process of physically recuperating from the battle, never mind the mental aspects. Her eyes began to water as emotions trampled through her system uncontrollably. "I… I'm sorry Sylia," Nene stammered out, "I was just trying to do my best out there by myself." The exhausted teenager closed her eyes to hold the tears back, wiping at her face with the sleeve of her shirt.

"That's exactly why you can't go charging into a battle without carefully evaluating the situation first," Sylia said backing down a bit, satisfied that the urgency of the message was delivered loud and clear. "You don't have the backup you used to have anymore, and I can't afford to lose you… not now."

Nene's spent mental state didn't allow her to notice the dark overtones in Sylia's voice.

"Listen Nene," Sylia continued, taking a seat next to the slightly shaking girl on the couch, "we have a very important mission coming up and I want to make sure we complete it. But I need for you to use your head as well as your hardsuit when taking on a boomer. Think about what you're going to do before you do it. Trying to 'kick' an immobile boomer out of the 30th floor of a skyscraper wasn't the best choice of tactics. You didn't even look at your battery meter before you attacked, did you?"

Nene just nodded her admission of fault, not bothering to look up at Sylia's face.

The door of the lounge slid open to let Mackey in. "Nigel just started looking at the hardsuits," he began to speak before taking notice of the serious discussion taking place. "He said that… Nene, what's wrong?" the boy broke in mid-sentence when he realized she was trembling, with arms wrapped around her body.

Nene looked up and tried to answer him. Normally his mere presence would have been enough to lift her spirits right off the couch. However, with the weight of Sylia's sharp criticism and the confirmation of the loss of Priss and Linna, she barely felt as if she could breathe. "It's… I…" She stopped, unable to coherently communicate the myriad of feelings she was suffering through.

"Nene and I were critiquing the battle tonight," Sylia offered in her place, placing an arm around the girl's shoulders.

Nene flinched at the contact, nerves nearly shot after all she had been through in the last few hours. The discomfort she felt at Sylia's touch wasn't lost on Mackey.

"Maybe I could get you some cocoa?" he asked, looking down in to Nene's torn face. He wanted to give her a hug right now, but something about Sylia's demeanor kept him at bay.

"Actually, I need to talk to you as well Mackey," Sylia countered, the words not as much of a request as they were a demand.

Mackey looked at Sylia and then at Nene, who was now staring out the window in the opposite direction of the woman next to her. He could tell that the blond girl was hurting, but still wasn't sure why. He took a seat on the other couch and faced Sylia with a look of deep concern crossing his face. I know it must have been scary for her, but what could be bothering Nene so much now?

"I appreciate your efforts tonight…" Sylia started innocently enough before removing one arm from Nene's shoulder and then folding both arms in front of her in a semi-display of power, "…but before you try anything that brash again, I suggest you clear it with me first," she finished with more than a hint of disapproval in her voice.

"Sylia… everything was happening so fast… I was just trying to help," he tried defending himself.

The Knight Saber's leader raised her voice, drawing Nene's attention away from the window in the process. "I KNOW you thought you were doing the right thing, but you could have at least let me know before you tried it. Besides, trying to crack into Genom's servers could have left a trace back to our network… or didn't you consider that possibility?"

"But I was really…"

"YOU DIDN'T CONSIDER IT, DID YOU?"

"Leave him ALONE Sylia!"

Sylia was caught completely flatfooted by Nene's forceful interjection. She turned her head to see the teenager standing up from the couch, a stern look in her eye despite the tearstains on her cheeks.

Nene looked Sylia right in the eyes as she continued. "He was just trying to help… and for all you know he could have saved our lives."

"Nene, she's right."

"Mackey…" the teenager let out a defeated sigh, not wanting to believe what was hearing.

Nene's momentary distraction was enough for Mackey to 'hear' the message behind Sylia's words. He knew there was more to what she was saying, and that picking this fight wasn't the way to deal with her plans, whatever they might be. "Listen, I should have at least consulted with Sylia before I tried anything with Genom's databases," Mackey explained to the stunned girl before turning to his sister. "I'm sorry Sylia… and I'll be more careful next time."

A victorious smile appeared across the elder woman's face. Her plans were falling into place even faster than she had hoped. However, Nene didn't take the rebuffing so well. Her shoulders sagged in response to Mackey's sudden betrayal. She fell back into the couch, face staring straight ahead into nothing… altogether too exhausted to fight back anymore.

Sylia took that as her cue to begin the briefing, satisfied that neither of her teammates were up to asking too many questions at this point. "Thank you Mackey. I know you both tried your best, but we really need to be more careful from now on." She stood up and walked away from the couch, turning to face both of them before she continued. "The next assignment will seem very simple, but there is a very real danger associated with it. The basis for the mission is to locate the source of some advanced technology in the ruins of the earthquake stricken area of Tokyo."

Mackey's head popped up at the mention of the ruins, however Nene continued staring into space almost oblivious to her words.

Sylia noticed Mackey's change of stance. "I'm not exactly sure what we will find down there, but we've got quite a bit of ground to cover. We will be using some special sensing equipment to detect our target. Nene, you and I will take the sensors out to search in the hardsuits. Mackey, you will stay here at the building and help coordinate our efforts."

Mackey simply nodded his acceptance of his role.

Nene stood up without so much as acknowledging the assignment and walked towards the door of the lounge.

"Wait… where are you going?" Sylia asked a bit taken aback by her attitude.

"If you're done now, I'm going home. I'm sure you want me rested so I don't screw up anything during this next mission," she added bitterly.

"Nene, please wait," Mackey called after her.

She stopped for a moment and turned with an evil eye towards the boy. "Why, so you can stab me in the back again?"

Mackey mouth was agape at the attack, unable to defend himself as Nene turned and walked out of the lounge, the sliding door closing with finality behind her. He lowered his head and held it in his hands for a moment before bolting up and starting to run out the door to stop Nene… before Sylia stepped in his way.

"Wait!"

"No! I need to talk to her now," he said, trying to push past her.

"Just hold on a second, she's not going anywhere," Sylia added holding her ground to the smaller boy. "Besides, Nene's had a long day and needs her rest."

"But I can't just let her leave like that," he pleaded with Sylia.

"Mackey, have you considered telling her the truth about you?"

The ramifications of the question stopped Mackey in his tracks. He looked away from his sister as he ceased his struggles, losing himself in the thought of what Nene would think if she knew what he really was…


Nene stood outside the door to the lounge, anger having evaporated with the aching of her heart, waiting… waiting for Mackey to come bursting through to stop her… waiting so she could throw herself into his arms and tell him she didn't mean the words that she had just spoken… waiting for a chance to relive, if just for a moment, the warm comfort they had shared together just a short time ago.

As she waited, she heard Mackey's raised voice that gave her hope… then Sylia's voice… then the combined voices died down… and still she waited. She couldn't make out the words, only enough sound to know that Mackey wasn't coming out. Enough sound to know that she was wasting her time.

Nene rested her back against the wall opposite the door to the lounge, closed her eyes and tilted her head back. Her body began to ache more after each passing second, the throbbing pain a reminder of the crazy events of the evening.

Her jumbled thoughts turned briefly to what Sylia and Mackey could still be discussing. Perhaps talking about finding something in the earthquake zone. A few spontaneous questions died a brief death in her bleary mind, as she stood straight up and dragged herself out of the Lady 633 building.

However, her thoughts were filled not with nightmarish images of the boomer or even the harrowing powerless fall out of the building, but of a young boy who she knew so little about yet cared about more than anything else in the world. Those thoughts carried her all the way to her apartment and into her bed, where she was asleep almost before her head hit the pillow. However, even in her dreams, the young boy continued to keep her company.


The soft light filtered through the familiar window into one of Linna's cracked open eyes. She allowed herself to adjust to the brightness of the day for a few minutes before trying to do anything else. I guess I finally got more than an hour of sleep this time… The past day had been nothing short of hell for the nearly broken woman. Waking up in a hospital bed with no recollection of how she even got there was one thing. Finding out that Priss had been part of the reason and that she completely blamed herself was quite another. Just when she thought she had made amends for that situation, her parents had shown up. Whether or not Priss had left because of her parents or something else she hadn't decided for sure yet… she changed her mind almost constantly on the long ride back to Kumamoto.

Of course, all those problems paled in comparison with the pain that still ached in her abdomen. The pain was just as mental as it was physical now, andit still hurt like all hell… even just to breathe. That made each tortured breath a reminder of the failure she felt she had become... a failure in her family's eyes, her parents' eyes, and her own as well. Depression mounted once again as Linna sagged back into her pillow and closed her eyes to shut out the bright sunlight trying vainly to shine on her. Even with her eyes closed, some of the light illuminated the inside of her eyelids, alerting her to the brightness attempting to invade her space. She drew up the covers over her head to block out the light completely, the draw of darkness tugging her soul downward. The call was strong enough to make her believe she never wanted to leave bed again. However effective eyelids and blankets were to light, they didn't have nearly the same affect on sound.

The thin walls also didn't provide much in the way of privacy in her parents' house. As a consequence, the distinct voice of her mother talking with someone was nearly crystal clear. The masculine voice she was conversing with sounded familiar, but Linna couldn't immediately place it. As she listened a mental image of a blond haired man came into focus… Masaki! Her heart skipped a beat at the recognition… his kindness and understanding even in the difficult situation she had put him into wasn't lost even in her self-absorbed state. It seemed like months ago when she had run out on him after asking to borrow money for the rail ticket, instead of the three or so days that had actually passed. So much had happened since then… Why would he be here now? She listened intently trying to pick up some clue, pushing the covers back from her head, but not quite ready to open her eyes to the light just yet.

"I don't think she's awake now, and even if she was I don't believe she would be ready for any visitors."

"Please tell her I stopped by then. And tell her I do want to see her when she is feeling better."

Linna briefly considered sitting up and yelling out to them, except when she took a breath to speak the sharp knife-like jab she felt in her body stopped the notion cold.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Linna heard her mother add with a cautious tone.

"Why? I think the more visitors she gets the faster she will recover from whatever the injury is."

"Not this one."

The voices fell silent for a few moments as Linna tried to guess as to why her mother would be speaking like this.

"The doctors told us that because of her injuries she will never be able to bear children."

If not for Masaki's instant response, Linna's might have attempted to jump out of bed to strangle her mother for divulging her private matters.

"If you think that changes how I feel about her, then you would be severely misjudging my character," he spoke with a tone bordering on anger.

"Well, it is understandable to see why a man would think less of a woman he was courting given the circumstances, but I'm glad to hear that's how you feel right now. However,…"

Linna could 'hear' the scowl form across her mother's face by the shifting tone of her voice.

"…make sure of your intentions. Don't act on some half-witted scheme born of chivalry just to make life better for my daughter. Consider yourself warned…"

"I do. And don't forget to tell Linna I'll be back soon," Masaki added confidently with his voice trailing off through the walls.

Somehow Masaki's words spoke directly to her, even through the walls and through her mother. Linna opened her eyes to let the light shine into her, the warmth beginning to filter down into her soul, illuminating the darkness that just a few moments ago seemed overwhelmingly expansive. She gazed out of the window and into the bright sky, the light dancing on the leaves of trees just outside the house. Linna felt the urge to get up, to walk to the window and reach out to touch the leaves, feel their smooth texture on her skin.

However, she couldn't move much without help at the moment. That recollection pulled her back to the reality of the situation. Nonetheless, the glimmer of hope that was lit still flickered within her. With a strain of effort, she turned to one side and lifted the pillow she was lying on into more of an upright position… this way she wasn't flat on her back anymore. Her midsection flared with pain at the movement, but Linna gritted her teeth and pulled herself up. She resolved not to quit… to get out of bed and to get better, no matter how long it took or how much it hurt. She looked out of the window once again. Maybe there is a light at the end of this tunnel… she hoped to herself, thinking of the young man who was coming to see her again sometime soon.


The sunlight refracting on the ground formed into a million different rainbows across the scattered glass. The crunching of biker boots on the pavement echoed through the desolate area as the leather clad woman stomped over to the bike. She unlocked the chain holding it in place and fired up the overanxious engine, ready for some action after a long rest. It responded with a welcome roar that was quickly followed by the screech of tires as the red bike shot off towards the highway and into the bustling city above.

After a short few minutes of freedom on the open road, the bike pulled up in front of a small building in a seedy part of town. The rider dismounted, removing her red helmet and hanging it gently on one handle. She drifted into the sparsely populated pool hall, eyes shifting back and forth. Finally the brown globes fixed on her target, playing at a pool table towards the back of the open room. She approached him with an air of arrogance that kept any would-be troublemakers at bay, not that all of them didn't recognize her instantly anyway.

"Hey Maxon…" the woman interrupted during a particularly critical shot, causing the guitarist to push the white ball off its intended course and directly into a side pocket in the process.

"Damn… well there goes a thou' yen down ye' old side pocket!" he exclaimed, pounding the handle of the pool stick into the floor. The man looked up with a very unhappy frown under his nose until he recognized the voice's owner. "Priss babe! Long time no see!"

"Whatever… and stop calling me babe," she warned with dead seriousness.

"So what brings you to my breakfast hangout? I thought you usually slept until 3 in the afternoon…" he mockingly asked.

"Cut the crap. Just get Jaid and Fox to the studio in half and hour," she ordered, turning on one heel and walking to the exit, not bothering to wait for an acknowledgement.

"Right… no problem…" the guitarist trailed off the reply. Maxon had known Priss from the beginning of As Sekiria, so he instantly recognized the fact that something was very wrong. First off, she had never practiced before noon with the band. Secondly, she looked worse than he could ever remember… including when they had first met in that hospital years ago. Her normally pale skin was ghostly white and her cheeks were nearly black under the eyes. Thirdly, something about her mannerisms just said all the wrong things.

Maxon paid off his debts and headed out to round up the rest of the band. I wonder if I'll get some answers in a half-hour… I wonder what her song selection's like at this time of the day…


"God… I can't believe it's midnight now…" Jaid croaked limply, staring at the clock hanging in the lounge area of the rented studio. He rubbed his sore right wrist to try and work out the kinks from extreme overuse. "… I've never played for twelve straight hours in my life… not even in high school."

"You mean when you were skipping school, right?" Fox added with a hint of tired sarcasm in his voice. The bassist slumped down in his spot on the bench across from the laid out drummer, worn out from the marathon jam session.

"Whatever… I just hope we're done now. My right ankle is all swollen up… bigger than my foot now… see!" he punctuated by lifting up his foot and pulling up his pant leg, showing off the sweaty hairy mass to his bandmates.

"Put that thing away you ape!" the similarly exhausted Maxon swore out, melting away in the lone chair pushed up to the table. "I'm not sure if we're done yet or not… I think Priss stopped in ye' ol' ladies room for a sec."

On cue the lead singer appeared from the lavatory's door, face shimmering from the cold water she had just splashed on it to try and keep herself going. She walked in front of the studio's entrance and looked expectantly over her shoulder at the sad-looking trio. "You guys coming or what?" Priss asked, voice nearly hoarse from the abuse she had heaped on it over the past half-day.

Jaid groaned something intelligible while Fox simply shook his head and looked down into the table. "How can you think about singing with your voice like that?" Maxon mumbled out in a semi-accusatory tone.

"Like what!' the brash woman shot back, vocal cords whimpering in pain even as she blocked it out of her mind.

"Never mind…"

"Look, are you cowards quitting on me or what?"

The trio looked at each other until Jaid and Fox stared down Maxon. He bowed his head in defeat and stood up from the table, walking over to face Priss. "Why don't we call it a night? We've got a gig tomorrow starting at nine and if we don't rest up now, we'll have to ditch so we don't embarrass ourselves."

A flash of anger crossed the singer's eyes before dying down in introspection. She took in a raspy breath and answered with a badly cracking voice. "Alright… but I want you all here at seven in the morning, got it!"

The three band members stared at her in disbelief, looking for any sign that this was some sick joke… it wasn't there.

"Make it ten at the earliest," Maxon attempted to barter.

"Eight… and I'll have replacement auditions for anyone not here by 8:30," she spoke with certain finality, pushing past Maxon and walking silently out the door. The trio sat in shock until they heard the familiar sound of Priss' bike starting up, followed shortly by the sound of the souped up engine roaring into the night.

"If she wasn't one of the hottest singers in this damn city, I'd seriously think about sleepin' in tomorrow," Fox commented dryly.

"She won't be if she keeps this up." Maxon was seriously concerned. Priss might seem reckless to the casual observer, but he knew how she treated her voice. It was her temple… her saving grace. She hardly ever drank, and never excessively. She never smoked or did much of anything that might harm her vocal cords. She was constantly drinking water or some other healthy fluid to keep them in tiptop shape. For Priss to be treating herself this way… it would be like letting himself go on a drug binge… the kind of thing one would do if on the verge of suicide.

The guitarist pulled out a cigarette from the pack and followed his friends out the door of the studio. They had an all too short night ahead of them with an even more difficult day ahead. The way things were heading right now, he wondered if Sekiria would survive to see the end of that day…

To be continued…