Another Fortunate Accident
Ch. 14 – Family Secrets
Nene tossed the headphones down onto the console with a huff. "I can't remember the last time I was this busy for a whole shift," she said, standing up from the chair and stretching out the kinks. Since finishing the 'explanation' to Leon about Linna and Priss, she was more than ready for just another boring night of work… until the first frantic calls came in sending the ADP into a frenzy of activity that lasted the entire night.
The blond haired girl yawned as she walked out of the "totem pole", turning at first towards home until remembering Sylia's E-mail requesting her presence after work. I hope it's short this time… I'm pooped Deciding she was too tired (and sore still) to walk all the way to Sylia's, she caught a bus instead that left her just a couple of blocks away from her destination. Her right hamstring had tightened up some on the bus, causing her to limp the rest of the way to the Lady 633 building. She reached the pit a few minutes later, gingerly exiting the elevator to find Sylia and Mackey waiting on her.
"Glad you could make it Nene," Sylia cheerily spoke as she directed the young girl over to the enormous gun-like device on display.
"Hi Sylia. Hi Mackey," Nene piped in. The fact that Mackey was there made her aching body feel a little more at ease immediately.
"Hi," the young boy answered half-heartedly, as if something was weighing heavily on his mind.
"What's wrong?" Nene asked innocently.
"Oh… nothing really. There's just something we need to talk about after Sylia's through, that's all."
"Oh, OK then," Nene replied with a confused look on her face. Mackey's words and his body language told two different stories, but Nene wasn't sure which one to believe yet.
"If you two are finished for now, I'd like to get this over with. I'm sure our young Saber has some rest she would like to catch up on before we start the search in the morning."
"This morning? Did Nigel already finish fixing the hardsuits?"
"For the most part…. For what we are doing, however, we won't be needing full combat readiness just yet."
"What are we searching for?" Nene asked. She was surprised to see the disturbing look of despair cross Sylia's face at the question. Nene looked over at Mackey who had a similar look of dread in his eyes as well, breaking eye contact with her as soon as she looked at him. "What is it?"
"It's something potentially very dangerous," Sylia finally answered. "Unfortunately I don't have all the details just yet, but this device will enable us to detect this phenomenon from about 100 meters away."
"Phenomenon? Sounds kind of mysterious…" Nene started before Sylia cut her off.
"I really can't go into too many more details about it just yet. Let's cover the search plan and execution of the search though."
Nene wasn't sure why Sylia seemed to be avoiding the question so much, but she was still tired from the long day at work and wasn't much in the mood to argue with her. For the next fifteen minutes, she listened to Sylia, but was somewhat distracted by Mackey's comment about talking to her about something else.
"So I'll see you at six then?" Sylia asked, expecting Nene to answer her question.
"Wha… oh, six… sure… Hey wait! I'm working the evening shift. I can't get off that early!"
"Sorry, I thought you understood when I said "in the morning" earlier. That's six A.M."
"You're kidding right?"
Sylia answered with a sadistic smile back at her.
Nene looked over at the clock and began to count in her head. "Only four hours of sleep? oh god…"
"If it's too much for you…" Sylia baited, once again counting on the teenager's inexperience to pull her into doing her will.
"No… no. I'll be here. You might have to call me to make sure I'm up, but I'll be here. I know how important this is for you," she said, looking away as the teenager recalled the chewing out Sylia had given her after the previous boomer incident.
"Oh, one other thing… did I mention that you're pay will be double the normal rate for this job?"
"Double! Um, no… I think I'd remember if you said that before," she cheerily answered, a tired smile pushing out from behind her exhausted expression.
"Good. Now that's settled, I believe you and Mackey had some business to discuss." Sylia walked out of the pit, leaving the two teenagers alone for the first time since she had a 'talk' with the young Stingray.
"Umm… Nene, I just wanted to…" Mackey started to say before the blond girl stopped his train of thought by walking directly up to him and pulling him into a gentle hug, placing a soft kiss on his cheek for good measure.
"I'm sorry Mackey," Nene whispered into his ear, still holding on to him, reluctant to give up the embrace.
Mackey didn't exactly want to break the contact either, but still had other things on his mind. "Why? What for?" the confused boy said trying to regain his momentum.
"For those mean things I said about you the other day. I was tired and you were probably right anyway. I know you weren't trying to stab me in the back or anything," she apologized, finally pulling herself away from the other teen.
"Ohhh. Yeah, that. Well, I could have been a bit nicer about it I suppose," he added.
"That's Ok. Would you like to go up to the lounge to talk for a while?"
"No…" he declined, drawing a look of disappointment from the young girl. "… I just need to talk to you for a minute about something."
Nene took a step back, stretching out a brief yawn as she steadied herself. "What's on your mind?"
Too much he thought to himself, before starting on his rehearsed speech. "Look, I know this will be hard to accept… but I want to tell you the truth. I don't want to hide anything from you."
"Hide what?"
"There are some things about me that are… well…" he began to falter under the pressure of what he had to say.
"What things?" Nene asked, becoming more concerned by the moment.
"…well… different."
Nene just stared at him for a minute, trying to guess at just what he was trying to get at.
Mackey could sense her unease and approached Nene, taking both her hands in his own. "I want to tell you everything now, but… I can't."
"Why not?"
He gently squeezed her hands, trying to reassure her despite his own fears about the path he was choosing to take.
"I want to tell you now, but Sylia thinks that it would be a distraction from the mission. So I promised her I would wait until this was over."
"But I don't understand. What could be so important to have to wait."
"There are things about my past that I just can't tell you right now." The boy took a deep breath, deciding to jump in with both feet. "Promise me you won't ask… Please?"
The near desperation in his voice struck home in Nene's heart. "Don't ask about your past?" Mackey simply nodded a short confirmation. Her curious tendencies were tingling in the back of her head, but she found it difficult to refuse his forward request. Still, one concern kept her from agreeing to the odd question. "I want to promise you, but you're admitting to hiding things from me… how can I trust you?"
It was the question Mackey himself had been wrestling with for the last two days before agreeing to Sylia's suggestion. He still didn't have a good answer to give her, and he could see the way it was beginning to tear their budding relationship apart. Since words failed him, he responded the only way that he could think of… pulling gently on Nene's hands, Mackey drew her in and quickly met her lips with his own.
The blond haired girl was momentarily caught off guard by the sudden motion. However, his tenderness relaxed her stance as she closed her eyes and tilted her head back to welcome his advance a few seconds later.
After a brief time, they both reluctantly broke the contact. Mackey took a step back and looked into Nene's eyes, just opened to gaze into his own. He saw the only real answer he needed in them. "I've never felt anything like this before… and I don't want to do anything that would hurt you." He gathered the teenager into a warm hug and held on, whispering in her ear as he did. "Please… for me… just wait a few days and I'll tell you anything you want to know. Just be patient for a little while."
Nene melted into his embrace, unable to resist any longer. She returned the hug as she whispered back into his ear. "I promise. But when this is all over, don't hold anything back."
"I won't." His simple reply the last words they spoke for a long time as the couple stayed in the shared embrace… until Nene's sore legs began to give out on her.
Mackey felt the young girl grow heavy in his arms as her legs buckled. Still he supported her as he spoke. "Are you OK?" He saw his answer in the pain written across her face as she stood back and tried to support her own weight, right leg partially giving out as she did. Mackey shifted around to loop Nene's right arm over his shoulder, holding the exhausted ADP officer upright. "Why don't you stay in Sylia's guest room tonight. You're in no shape to walk back to your place like this."
Nene thought for a brief second about politely refusing, before the twitching pain in her right leg convinced her otherwise. "If you're sure she won't mind…"
"I know she won't. Besides, this way you can get back an hour of sleep by not having to travel back and forth to your apartment."
"Are you sure you're not just looking for an excuse to have me sleep here with you?"
"What? Why would you…" he started before the double meaning donned on his young mind. The bright crimson color in his face nearly lit up the room as Nene giggled merrily at the exaggerated physical response.
"Sorry. . I just couldn't help myself. You don't think like that…"she started to state before doubting herself "… um… do you?" The fact she had to ask the question made her realize how little she really knew about Mackey.
"No, I hadn't really thought about… us… in that way," Mackey's inexperienced mind struggled with just the right words.
The confirmation… and Mackey's rather innocent way of handling the topic… helped to calm any lingering fears that Nene had. The two slowly made their way up to one of Sylia's guest rooms, Mackey leaving Nene momentarily to arrange everything for her temporary stay… with Sylia's eager assistance.
After a few minutes, Mackey gave one last goodnight kiss to Nene and left the weary girl to sleep somewhat comfortably in the unfamiliar room.
Sylia closed the E-mail and sighed. She knew Linna would be hurting, but she didn't expect her to quit that easily. Not that she had said she would never come back, but that's the way the E-mail read to her, and she was sure Nene took it the same way. She partly admonished herself for not making sure Linna had her own E-mail address so she wouldn't have to have Nene 'forward' the message to her. At least that way she could have filtered out some of the rather depressing details about Linna's condition. Sylia desperately needed Nene to maintain her focus, and any distractions were to be avoided if possible. The main problem wasn't Linna though… it was with Mackey.
Sylia understood his noble reasoning for at least telling Nene what he could… she just wasn't sure how much she trusted Nene not to poke around anyway… especially if she knew Mackey was hiding something from her. The hacker's skills were the reason Sylia had recruited her in the first place… somewhat ironic that now they were the biggest fear Sylia had right now. She wasn't sure what Nene could dig up on Mackey's (or for that matter her own) past, but if she was motivated enough… That was the reason she insisted on having Mackey make Nene commit to waiting. A promise could always be broken, but Sylia was betting that Nene wouldn't be willing to break that promise… especially if it was for Mackey. She inwardly smiled at a picture of the couple together for a moment, before the dark cloud of reality settled over her mental image. A disturbing scenario began to play out in her mind as the truth of what would likely happen threatened to shatter the image. She furiously derailed that train of thought, clinging to the slim possibility that everything could work out for the best in the end. "Dammit, he deserves happiness too! This isn't his fault… none of this… his fault… Father…" Sylia slumped over the console and let her thoughts wander back to her morbid past for a few minutes.
A signaling beep recalled her thoughts to the present as another message appeared on the transparent screen in front of her. Her heart jumped at the recognition of the sender. She quickly scanned the message… and found her heart sinking back into despair once again…
"Sylia,
Same old problems as before. Just can't keep a team together. Wish I could say I felt sorry for you. BUT I DON'T! You'll never learn, will you. I can't believe you would actually ask for our help. No, I take that back. You are selfish enough to ask. Well, here's your answer from both of us…
NO WAY IN HELL!
We would rather have our skin peeled off our bodies than put on another hardsuit for you (Katsumi's words, not mine… although I completely agree with her).
One more thing… DON'T EVER CONTACT US AGAIN! Can't you leave us alone? Haven't you done enough damage already? Just when Kat was starting to sleep through the night again… DAMN YOU SYLIA!
Goodbye forever,
Jill"
A small smile crept onto Sylia's worn face. "At least Jill is still as feisty as ever…" She expected nothing less that this for her answer, but she took some solace in the response anyway. "At least they seem to have each other." Sylia filed the E-mail away and leaned back into the chair, staring through the screen and back to the past once more, her thoughts filled with the former Knight Sabers of the distant (and not so distant) past. She soon realized that sleep would not find her on this night either.
To Nene, it felt like she had just closed her eyes when the lights automatically turned on, rousing her from the short rest. She looked over at the clock by the bed to find it was already 6:00 a.m., although to her body it still felt like yesterday. She pulled the covers over her head and lay in bed for a couple of minutes before a sharp knock on the door followed by Sylia's expectant voice ended any hopes of more recovery time.
"Breakfast will be ready in fifteen minutes Nene. I want to be underground before seven this morning."
"I'll be right there Mother!" she shot out sarcastically from under the covers.
Sylia answered with a giggle through the still closed door. "If you're not, I might just have to come in there and spank you…"
Some very frightening images crossed Nene's barely awake mind, immediately bringing her senses to full alert. She sprung out of bed like a shot, running frantically about the room to gather up her borrowed items for her morning shower… all while Sylia's nearly maniacal laughter trailed off down the hallway.
God she worries me some times… I hope she doesn't keep this up Unfortunately, the wakeup call was a routine she would repeat with worsening consequences for the next three days…
"It's almost lunch time. Aren't you getting out of bed today?" Misa Yamazaki called out through the closed door to her daughter's bedroom. Without waiting for a reply, she opened the door only to find Linna neither in her bed nor in her room as she expected. After inspecting the room to try and determine her whereabouts, Misa noticed the computer monitor on… and the background image displayed on the screen. "Oh! I thought I fixed that…" she whispered to herself, looking around quickly to make sure Linna wasn't hiding in the closet or around a corner to overhear her slip up. Too late to do anything about it now… although it might explain some of her behavior the last couple of days
She walked out of the bedroom, growing more concerned as she mentally reviewed the possible reasons for her daughter's disappearance. "Linna! Linna!" she yelled through the house, becoming a bit frantic when she didn't answer. The house wasn't big enough or soundproof enough for her not to hear Misa's voice… as long as Linna was conscious. Images of her daughter lying alone and helpless filled her overprotective mind as Misa ran out of the front door and began to circle the property. Rounding a back corner of the house, she stopped and breathed a huge sigh of relief at the sight of Linna standing upright. She was leaning up against a tree, bottle of water in one hand, dressed in shorts and a plain yellow sleeveless shirt, athletic shoes on her feet. Her back was facing her mother, apparently looking out at the countryside. Misa could tell by the direction she was looking and the way she was dressed just what Linna had on her mind.
"You know you just started walking around again yesterday. Don't you think it's a bit soon to start running again?"
Linna turned her head around startled by her Mother's voice. She tried to turn her feet around but one foot caught on a root above ground, throwing her upper body off balance. The still recovering woman stumbled towards her mother, but managed to keep herself upright, bracing one hand against the tree to help. Unfortunately she paid dearly for her clumsiness. The yellow shirted woman groaned out a cry while doubling over in momentary agony, both arms converging over her midsection.
"Linna! I knew you would do this to yourself!" Misa yelled out to her daughter while running to her aid. She reached her just as Linna was attempting to stand up again. "Just take it easy, please!"
"I'm fine Mom," Linna gritted out through the pain. She knew she wasn't, but lying in bed or even staying in the house wasn't helping her one bit right now.
She had watched her inbox expectantly for the first day after sending out the three E-mail's to Priss… and received no response. Halfway through the second day she had had enough waiting. She tried to call the reclusive singer… only to get her voice mail instead. She didn't leave a message at first, but after the fourth attempt, she broke down and left a message with Priss, simply asking her to read the E-mail's or call if she wanted. That made yesterday a living Hell for the former Green Saber, as she still heard nothing from the woman she couldn't get out of her dreams… no matter how much she was beginning to want to. Becoming more frustrated by each passing second, Linna finally hadn't been able to take just waiting in bed anymore. After a few false alarm phone calls and spam E-mail's the desperate woman willed herself out of bed and began pacing around the house like a caged animal. Her Father didn't really know what to think… her Mother surprised but strangely understanding of her mood for some reason. After waking this morning, Linna decided to try and get on with things... the first being to get out of the house she felt trapped in and regain some degree of control back over her life. The plan was working just fine until her Mother had interrupted… if only I wasn't so tired from just walking outside… I know I can go farther than this…
"You look anything but right now," Misa countered sternly, that 'Mother Knows Best' look written across her face. She put one hand on Linna's arm to help lift her up. "Let's get you back to the house and see if you opened up your stitches again."
"NO!" Linna stated forcefully, pulling herself upright and stepping away from her Mother. "I said I'm fine! Now I'm going to walk down to the pond and back."
"That's almost a mile one way! You couldn't even make it 50 meters in your condition right now."
"I CAN make it… and stop treating me like a five year old. I don't live here anymore, remember!" Linna turned her back on her Mother and started walking, albeit very gingerly, down the oft-traveled path toward the old pond behind their property.
"What's gotten into you Linna! You don't need to treat me this way just because you haven't heard from your friend yet."
Linna stopped walking at her Mother's comments, turning back to face her for a moment with a death glare in her eye. "Just like always… You can't give me even a little bit of privacy, can you!"
"Privacy? How can you expect to keep your personal matters private when you stalk around the house all night, pouncing on the phone like a lion the second it rings!"
Linna grew defensive at her Mother's attacks. "How do you know I was waiting for a phone call anyway? Maybe I'm just fed up with being back home!" Linna turned back around and started walking again.
"I don't think you're fed up with us already." Misa considered her next tact carefully. "Why don't I come with you… this way you can tell me more about this Priss person we saw at the hospital."
Linna stood frozen to the ground, beginning to guess at how much her Mother might know about what was really going on.
Misa spoke as she closed the distance between the two women. "I don't suppose that's who you were waiting on a phone call from, was it?" She reached Linna's side and looked at her daughter. Her head was bowed, hands by her sides with fists clenched, eyes closed with tears beginning to run down both sides of her face. The sudden extreme response to her question momentarily stunned the older woman. She was making educated guesses at what might be really bothering Linna, but she didn't think it was this serious… until now. "Linna…" She put one hand over Linna's shoulder until she jerked back, throwing Misa's arm off of her.
Linna winced at the jerking motion of her own body, but didn't stop her actions. "Just leave me alone Mom…" she whispered sullenly "… I just need some time to myself right now… away from you and Dad."
The rejection from her daughter struck home very hard on Misa's heart, but she was still very concerned for her daughter's health. "I'm sorry. I understand you need your space, but you can't go all that way by yourself. What if something happens to you. It's not like anyone else travels that path."
"Maybe she would let someone else help then," a familiar masculine voice sounded out behind the two women, causing both to turn around in surprise from the edge of the wooded trail.
"Masaki!" Linna blurted out at the site of the blond haired man, sharply dressed as he had been the previous occasion she had seen him.
"So, what brings you out here?" Misa spoke defensively, not entirely happy about being upstaged in front of her daughter.
"I came by to see if Linna was able to have visitors yet. I heard you were up now, but I didn't think you'd be out walking already based on the poor reports from your father. I'm glad to see they were greatly exaggerated."
Linna felt her heart trying to warm up to the words she was hearing. I'm not ready for this yet… Linna wiped away the tears on her face with her empty hand. "Thanks for coming, but I really need to do this on my own," she told him, trying to fight off the conflicting emotions his presence was filling her with.
"I promise not to get in your way… and I won't say a word if you don't want me to," the man said with a confident smile, approaching Linna's side.
"Thanks for the offer… but no thanks." She began walking down the trail once again before her Mother's voice stopped her for a third time.
"Let him go with you Linna. It's either that or I'll follow you anyway… your choice." Misa wasn't real happy with either option, but she wasn't about to let Linna's pride put her health in serious jeopardy.
Linna looked over her shoulder with a scowl. "Fine. But I'm not searching for him if he gets lost."
Masaki didn't take the bait, concentrating instead on trying to resolve some of the tension filling the air. "Then it's settled. Don't worry Mrs. Yamazaki, I'll make sure she comes back in one piece."
I'll never forgive you if she doesn't "Be careful Linna. Don't overextend yourself. You'll just make things worse."
"Things can't get any worse Mom," she commented dejectedly as she walked off into the woods.
The blond haired man faced the elder woman with a "What was that about?" look in his eyes.
Misa shook her head. "Just be there for her… she doesn't want me mothering her right now, but she's not ready to be out there by herself."
Masaki nodded in response, turning into the woods to follow a few meters behind the object of his protection.
Misa watched them intently through the trees until they were out of sight. I hope he knows what he's getting himself into She knew her daughter wouldn't relent easily to any assistance. Her thoughts turned to Linna's last words, wondering if her health problems were paled in comparison to whatever emotional issues she might have with this woman named Priss.
Priss lumbered into the disaster area she called home, dragging both feet through the door, crashing onto the lone couch on the opposite wall. Pulling a lone disk from her jacket pocket, she examined the labeling for a moment. "Summer Rifts – Maxon/Priss" was scribbled in pencil in a haphazard fashion. The guitarist had stuck with her even when the other two members of the band had politely asked for a well deserved rest from their marathon jams sessions the past few days. The musical therapy seemed to be working, despite the unwelcome reminder from Leon of just what she was trying hard to forget. It had been three days since he had mentioned Linna's name. Just how the hell did he find out about that anyway… it's either Nene's fault… or… maybe he really is stalking me… Sleep was still eluding her to a great extent, but slowly she felt a certain degree of calm control returning to her fragmented life.
Eyeing the disk between two fingers, she lifted herself heavily from the couch and walked next to the door where her computer was set up on a makeshift table. She mindlessly began to insert the disk into the drive when she realized what was on top of the PC… or more appropriately what wasn't. Where her monitor normally sat was occupied by a couple of empty pizza boxes and some empty sandwich wrappers. Sudden recollection of where her monitor was refreshed itself onto her consciousness… a rage induced toss across the road towards Sylia… exploding into a million pieces short of the target, but still having the desired effect. It's only real crime being the closest thing to the door at the time of her 'disagreement' with the Knight Saber's leader. Guess I'll have to call Maxon and see if he can print out the sheets then… if I can remember where the phone is .
Since quitting the Knight Sabers, Priss hadn't had much of a reason to keep her phone with her, and for the past two days hadn't touched it at all. Alternating between the trailer and the studio didn't exactly necessitate having instant communication availability. Not like some music producer's going to call me anyway… not the way I've sounded lately… After searching for almost thirty minutes, and nearly giving up the idea for the option of just driving the twenty minutes over to his place, she finally found the device under a pile of dirty laundry in one corner of the trailer. I really should try and pick up this place sometime One of the first 'healthy' thoughts she had had in the last few days.
She was about to punch in Maxon's number when she noticed the message indicator flashing on the screen. Priss flipped through the menus, discovering the message was two days old but the number wasn't one she recognized. Curious, she punched in the proper codes to listen to the message. Holding the device to her ear, she only heard the first few words. Nightmarish recognitions drove spasms through her arm letting the phone to fall to the trailer floor, bouncing hard as it landed on the unkempt surface. The singer staggered back a couple of steps into a wall, holding onto a doorframe for support. Priss stared at the evil object, unable to discern if this was really happening or just another trick her mind was playing on her. "Linna… why?… "
Mentally reviewing recent events, she was able to focus for just a moment. A flash of panic gripped her chest as Priss realized two things simultaneously… this wasn't a dream… and the phone was probably broken now. "DAMMIT!" She lunged at the ground and reached for the phone. Gently lifting the device to her ear again, her eyes flickered with almost joyous relief when the computerized feminine voice listed her message options once again. Never thought I'd be so happy to hear that sound… Fingers nervously twitching, she had to press the proper code in three times to get the message to replay itself.
"Hi Priss. Just calling to see if you had read the E-mails I sent you. Just reply to the messages… or call back if you want to talk. (pause) Bye."
E-mails? Priss' confused face gazed over at the pizza boxes on top of the computer. Damn! The message was short and left a lot to interpretation, which Priss' wrecked emotional state was more that happy to try and fill in the blanks for her. Linna's voice sounded tense, almost nervous. And the pause just added to the growing list of questions in the singer's mind. Why?… Why write me… then call me as well? Motivation was the central question in her mind. The only two that made any sense to Priss were anger and closure. Anger, because of what Priss had done to her… and closure, because Priss had opened the door to let Linna into her former world. Neither path would be pleasant, but both would provide some degree of comfort just from the closure Priss would receive in return.
The singer strode out of the trailer and onto her bike purposely, dark adrenaline beginning to pump into her system at the expectation of Linna's message. It was the easiest form of self-punishment she could employ… simply reading the E-mails would provide the abuse. Then the singer could focus on the meanings, delve into the knowledge that the past was behind her now, and then hopefully move on with life. The engine roared to life as she flew towards the closest place she could think of to help… a public place with free access to computers.
Misa stared hard into the monitor, trying to will the information from the electrical component. After watching Linna and Masaki leave down the trail, she had retreated to the house and found herself back at the computer in Linna's room, her mind still begging for answers. Just a quick look around the net… she convinced herself, furthermore promising internally not to open Linna's E-mail… some lines she just didn't want to cross with her daughter.
Sitting beside the bed with her back to the door, she searched through the usual sites, looking for the definitive proof her heart demanded. There has to be a trace somewhere, some clue as to what happened… especially if it involved the Knight Sabers However, the usual sites weren't giving her any information. In fact, several were either having server problems or were gone altogether. Misa was beginning to grow suspicious when she heard a huff from behind her. It's been an hour already! Must have lost track of time while I was searching… she thought to herself while noting the clock in the corner of the monitor. She wavered over suspend icon for a second before resigning herself to fate. Misa turned to a glare from Linna, suspicion written over her sweat-covered face.
"I don't suppose you're shopping online for garden supplies…"
Linna had supplied the excuse, but Misa didn't want to bite. She was still too concerned with her daughter's well being to back down at this point. Looking Linna over, she appeared to be in better shape than she figured she would be after the walk. "How was the pond? Do you feel OK now?"
Trying to change the subject… "It was fine. I'm alright now," the younger Yamazaki answered shortly, recalling with a slight blush one slip she had. While climbing up a few rocks, she had lost her balance trying to relieve the strain on her abdomen; she fell backwards… and into Masaki's arms. Linna had looked down at some particularly jagged stones below her head, inwardly sighing at the close call. That was before she realized how the blond man had caught her… or more to the point, just where his hands were resting with both arms wrapped around her sides. He had quickly released Linna once she was upright again, turning his back so she could readjust her sports bra that had nearly been dislodged. Momentary fury and embarrassment were quickly replaced with feelings of gratitude after Masaki had mentioned the fact that no one, especially her mother, needed to know about the slip as long as she wasn't hurt.
Linna's thoughts quickly returned to the present as she remembered her anger at finding her mother snooping on her computer, or at least that's what she suspected knowing her mother. "So just what are you doing on my computer?"
Misa briefly considered arguing about ownership of the lone computer in the house, before deciding to stop playing games. She's not going to give this up… well, no time like the present… "I was just looking for information on the Knight Sabers. You wouldn't happen to have learned anything about them while you were in Tokyo, would you?" She saw the fear in Linna's eyes and gave a 'knowing' look in return.
Linna took a step back, staring at her mother's sly smile; coming to the realization that she wasn't hiding as much as she thought she was. "Wh… Why would you ask that?"
Misa sighed as she glanced down into the computer screen. She closed the running programs so that only the background image was displayed on the monitor. She turned the thin projection device around to face Linna, pointing with one finger at the Green Saber. "This Saber showed up a week after you got into Tokyo, according to a few of the websites you had book marked. The few rumors that circulated right away all pointed to a new member joining the team." Misa looked into Linna's eyes and found her lost in the image being shown to her.
"I know you didn't just go to Tokyo to work for Hugh Geit… not that you always talked about the Knight Sabers here but I still noticed when you did. When you left, I noticed just how many websites you had visited trying to get information on them. I wondered if they really existed… until I started reading about the Green Saber's appearance. When you would call, I could tell you were trying to hide something."
"So why not just ask me?"
"I don't know… I guess I though it would have made me sound paranoid since I really didn't know… at least until last week. When you came back this past weekend, I wanted to ask you about it, but it just didn't feel like the right time. I was just happy to see you again; happy to have you back at home for a couple of days. Plus, with your father still trying to arrange a suitor for you, I didn't want to do anything else that might push you away permanently. When we talked that first evening back, you mentioned commitments… and that's when I knew…" She noticed Linna's gaze break away from the computer screen and into her own eyes, her lips forming a short smile that gave a resigned acknowledgment of her suspicions. "… I knew that you had joined the Knight Sabers… and that was the one thing you had been searching for in life. I was just happy that you had found it."
"At least I thought I had found it…" Linna whispered quietly to herself, not realizing she had spoken out loud until her mother answered.
"What really happened with the boomer incident? I didn't believe the story the police told us, but I couldn't tell your father that."
"Why? You never told Dad what you found out about me?"
"Well, I wasn't completely sure… at least until now anyway. Plus, you know him… he'd never understand something like this. He'd just use it as another reason why you shouldn't have been allowed to leave home without being married first."
Linna smiled at the truth of her mother's remarks. "So what do you really think of my hobby?"
"It scared me to death… especially after seeing some of the pictures on the Internet of what you were fighting against. If I had known earlier what you were doing, I might have come to Tokyo to talk you out of it. It seems overly dangerous… reckless… that's not what I expected you to want to do. I had nightmares of you getting hurt… only to have them come to life when we got that call from Tokyo." She gave Linna an expectant look, asking for the real explanation with her eyes.
Linna's emotions filled with lingering frustration, her own unanswered questions dancing around her mind. "I… I still don't really know. I just remember putting on the hardsuit… and then…" she paused as Priss' calming voice played itself in her mind. She listened to the voice as she slowly regressed into a shallow state of depression, losing track of the ongoing conversation with her mother.
"Then what?" Misa asked, concern wrapped in her voice at the recollection of finding her daughter in the hospital and then the succession of nightmares she had endured afterwards.
"All I can remember is… the other's voices… trying to help me." Linna stopped short of mentioning names, uncertain if she should divulge any more about the Sabers than her mother already knew.
"Priss was one of them, wasn't she?" the question more of a statement of fact from the elder Yamazaki. "That was why she was in the hospital room when we arrived… and why you were calling out for her when you woke up from some of your nightmares."
Linna didn't know how to answer her mother. Nothing she says will surprise me anymore She stared down at the Blue Saber in the computer screen, remembering Priss' face in the hospital room… and her confession. "She is… was the blue one. I remembered her voice… she was trying to comfort me at the time, although I didn't know why she was acting that way until later." Linna paused at what she was about to say next, trying to guess at her mother's response. "Just before you came into the room, Priss told me that it wasn't the boomer that had caused my injuries."
"If it wasn't the boomer…"
"Priss said she had done it… that it was her fault. I don't blame her though. I know in my heart it must have been an accident."
"You two didn't look like you were disagreeing about it when we came in the room."
Linna blushed furiously at the implied meanings of the words from her mother. "No. I think we were past that point, although it was a painful one to get that far…" She placed a hand over her still stitched up midsection at the recollection of just what had happened in the room. "… Priss was about to walk out when I tried to get up and stop her. I would have fallen onto the floor if she hadn't caught me, but I think that's when the stitches pulled out."
"You didn't feel them pop or anything?"
"Yeah, but I must have forgotten… I had something else on my mind at the time."
That statement brought even more questions to Misa's mind, especially considering recent events just behind their home. "Why were you expecting Priss to call you now?"
The change in questioning threw Linna for a loop. "I… I sent her some E-mails. When she didn't write back, I tried calling her. I left a message for her two days ago…"
"Well that explains a lot." Silence fell over the bedroom as the two women considered the revelations of the past few minutes. Misa was first to break the ice. "You two were good friends I take it then. Would you mind telling me more about her?"
"No… No, of course not." Linna looked up at the ceiling and placed a hand on her chin. "Where to start…"
"Why don't you come sit down first…" Misa suggested, patting a section of the bed right next to where she was sitting. "… then you can start from the beginning. How did you first meet her?"
Linna let out a giggle as she gingerly sat down onto the bed, cautious of her sore abdomen. "Well, it all started the first day in Tokyo actually. Misae took me out to grab some food and…" As Linna talked, it felt as if the weight of the world was lifted off her shoulders. The fact of being able to talk openly about all the things that had happened to her acting as a supreme elixir for her emotionally distraught state… almost a hundred times better than the walk to the pond.
Misa listened to her daughter for the next hour talk about Priss, the Knight Sabers, and Tokyo. The more she heard Linna talk of the Blue Saber, the more she realized just how attached she was to this woman. She didn't say exactly what her feelings for Priss were, but she could tell based on the way she talked about her just how she felt. Furthermore, it explained a bit more to Misa about perhaps just why Linna had found it so difficult to find someone she was willing to settle down with. Apparently we've narrowed the choices a little too far for her… Misa wasn't upset or disturbed about this fact, only surprised she hadn't thought about it sooner… although she wondered how her father might react to this news.
Afterwards they continued to talk for the rest of the afternoon... until Linna's father arrived home from the fishing trip, dinner in hand.
The leather-clad woman appeared lost to the librarian. Standing in the lobby with a confused frown on her face, the librarian absently wondered if she had ever read a book in her life. "Can I help you Miss?"
The old woman speaking to her from behind the counter startled Priss. "Um… Yeah. Where are your computers?"
"Just down that hallway and turn left at the end. Keep going until you see an open room to your right. The signup list should be on the table just as you walk in."
"The signup list?"
"Yes. The computers get a lot of use, so we have signup periods where different people can get a chance to use them."
"Oh," Priss breathed out as she added a depressed sigh.
"Don't worry. It's dinnertime and there are usually one or two slower machines available now. By the way, we close in an hour."
Priss' mood brightened some at the encouraging words. "OK. Thanks," she threw over her shoulder as she walked towards the hallway pointed out to her earlier. She found the computer room easy enough and, just as the librarian had commented, she found one available. As she sat down, Priss noted the thumping from her chest. She stared at the computer for a second before realizing her critical error… Just how do I read my E-mail on this damn thing? A voice behind her startled Priss.
"I'm sorry, but are you having some problems? Maybe I could help?"
Priss turned to see a short older man looking over her shoulder at the screen. He wore a similar badge to the librarian she had met in the lobby. Can these people read minds or something? Priss scowled at the forward request. Her heart wasn't having any of it however. It thumped louder at the expectation of reading the messages after some assistance, regardless of how little the reclusive singer wanted any. "Well, I'm trying to read my mail…"
Priss explained the problems and with a couple of swift keystrokes, the familiar login screen to her E-mail account was opened in front of her. "Do you know your password?"
"Of course." How could I forget…
"Good. Just let me know if I can be of any more assistance then." With that, the helpful man left Priss to her E-mail.
She raised her hands to the keyboard, fingers twitching from racked nerves. Closing her eyes to still the fear, she relaxed enough to type in the password, k-a-t-s-u-r-o, and open her inbox. Priss found several messages… mostly spam… awaiting her. She quickly scanned through the list of mails before three distinct messages caught her attention. The first had a simple "Hi There!" typed in the subject line, the other two titled "re: Hi There!", all sent out the same day, actually all within an hour of each other from the time stamp. Strange, I wonder why she did that?
Priss opened the first one and read quickly. It was fairly calm and vanilla in texture, not what she expected at all… especially considering the way she signed the E-mail… "Miss you,". What the Hell? Those two words set off all kinds of alarms in Priss' head. Her heart began to pound furiously in her chest as she closed the first E-mail and opened the second, absently wondering again just why she would write again that quickly.
If anyone had watching Priss' cubicle while she was reading the second message, they would have sworn someone had turned on a red light signal in the booth from the color her face turned. She couldn't believe the words in front of her. "I dream about you sometimes" Oh my God… Linna's got a crush on me! This wasn't the first time the singer had found someone with a crush on her, but the first time it was another woman, and someone who knew her other hobbies as well. Priss flew back through her memories, for the clues that might shed some light on just why Linna would feel that way. The one image that struck home was of the kiss on the cheek Linna had given her in the hospital. It seemed so innocent at the time. Priss really didn't think too much of it since she was more worried about Linna's health after catching her. She had assumed it was more of a thank you for saving her than an expression of deeper emotions.
After staring at the letters on the screen for a few minutes, she remembered the third E-mail. After writing this, what else could she say? Priss' blood raced in her body as she opened the third E-mail. From the time it took to open, Priss knew it had to be a long one. As she began to read she lost herself in the message… and found herself drawn directly into Linna's soul. Time ceased to exist for Priss. The shell she so meticulously carved out and lived inside of cracked under the weight of the words she read. No one, not even Katsuro, had ever bared themselves before her so.
After finishing the E-mail, and reading the last line… "I still want to be part of your life, even without the Knight Sabers" the remnants of her shell shattered, leaving the woman naked to her own emotions. The messages were anything but what she expected. Linna didn't blame Priss for her injuries… she wasn't even that upset about it really. That part surprised her more than anything did… the fact that she felt almost relieved at the removal of family responsibility. The complex entanglement of motivations that drove Linna Yamazaki to Tokyo… to search out the Knight Sabers and to join with them… only to find herself drawn towards one of the group were spread out before Priss like a music sheet. She could see all the words at face value, and yet when coupled with the wrought out emotions of Linna's heart, they became so much more to Priss.
She understood more about Linna now than anyone else she had ever known… and yet her own heart still yearned for more. That realization sent shockwaves through Priss' mind as she came to grips with the fact she felt like writing Linna back, or perhaps calling her, or even… That's crazy… even if I knew where she lived I'd still have to deal with the rest of her family . With that denial aside, she opened up a reply E-mail and was about to start typing when the man who had assisted her earlier spoke up over the quiet room.
"It's time to close up shop now. Thanks for coming and we'll open at 10 in the morning."
"Damn," she muttered under her breath. Priss closed the programs and logged off the computer with a huff, adrenaline still flowing strong through her system from the E-mails she had just read.
When she arrived back at her trailer, Priss collapsed onto her bed, thoughts continuing to swirl around the country girl she had let into her private life… and now that had grabbed hold on part of her heart. Sleep found her exhausted body a short time later, dreams filled with images of a life with someone who she knew cared about her like only one other person had before.
Linna was lying in her bed when the phone rang, stirring her from the semi-sleep state she was in. She let it ring twice before picking it up, mentally preparing herself in case the person on the other end was who she hoped it would be. "Hello," she answered simply.
"Hello, is this Linna?"
The tired woman's heart sank a little before settling out at the not completely unwelcome sound of the man's voice. "Yes. Hi Masaki."
"Sorry if I'm calling late but I wanted to ask you something before I lose the nerve."
"Um… Ok, what did you want to ask?"
"Well, since I didn't get much of a chance to talk to you today, I wanted to ask if I could take you out to lunch tomorrow… down at the village square… your choice of restaurants."
Linna paused for a second, thoughts of Priss flashing in her head. She's not going to call me anyway her depressed heart convinced her, pushed along somewhat by the relief of being able to talk about her and the Knight Sabers with her mom earlier in the day… a small sense of closure coming with the open discussion. The beginnings of closure helped to make up her mind. "I'd like that. Sure. What time?"
"How about I pick you up at 11:30?"
"I'll see you then. Goodnight Masaki."
"Goodnight Linna. See you in the morning."
She hung up the phone next to her bed and stared at the ceiling for a moment before a knock on the door called her attention elsewhere. "Yes mother?" she answered knowingly.
"Mind if I come in?"
"No."
Misa walked in, face full of questions. "So, was that…" pausing at the unfinished thought.
"No," she answered, knowing full well what her mother was getting at. She almost wished now she hadn't found out about Priss… almost. "It was Masaki."
"What did he want?"
"He asked me out on a lunch date tomorrow."
"Really. And?"
Linna was a bit confused by the questioning tone of her mother's voice. "I told him yes."
"Is that really what you want?"
Now Linna was really confused. I never told her how I felt about Priss… "Why wouldn't it be?"
"From our talk this afternoon, I just thought you had someone else on your mind, that's all."
Was it that obvious… "You're talking about Priss, aren't you?" Her mother continued to look knowingly at her in silence. "Mom! She's a woman, why would you…"
"Because I think you're in love with her," Misa cut her off quickly, not wanting to draw out the discussion longer than it needed to be.
Linna stared at her, unable to speak. In the E-mails she had admitting thinking of Priss often, wishing to spend time with her, getting to know her better. Love was a word she didn't dare admit to herself applied in this case. She had never truly been in love before, and the thought of falling in love with another woman chilled her to the bone. "Why would you say that?"
Misa wasn't sure if she had gone too far in her assessment of the situation, especially after barely seeing Priss in person for all of five minutes before and then only hearing about her from her daughter. "I could tell by the way you talked about her. Your feelings for Priss run very deep." Although I wonder if you even realize how deep they are
Linna searched her heart and found no recourse to deny her mother except one… "It doesn't matter. I'm not going to hear from her again anyway."
"Are you sure of that?"
"Between the E-mails and phone messages, yes I am now," Linna added unable to hide the pain in her soul.
"Well, I hope things work out for you however you want them too. If you ever want to talk…"
"Thanks mom."
Misa closed the door and left Linna to her thoughts. I just hope you're not giving up on something your heart will never forgive you for…
It's almost time… time to play now… The young conscience reached out, searching for the humans around. After a short time, they appeared to her again… darting about… getting oh so close… then moving away again. Come and play… it's almost time… I'm ready to play now…
The being, watching through many different eyes, had seen the faces of the ones now searching for her. She knew they would find her soon… and she would be ready. A bright light illuminated her resting spot as surges of energy fed through the place she called home. She absorbed the dose of electrons, feeling the power surge through her body in response to the negative powers she called on. Feeling outward, farther than before, she called out to her brethren.
It's almost time… time to be free… free to play… play with Sylia… Sylia… Sylia…
From the underground tunnels that Sylia was searching through, she thought she heard a voice calling her. She whirled around, blade drawn… "Who is it! Who's there!"
"Sylia, what's wrong?" Nene asked through the communication circuit.
"Someone…" Sylia looked around but saw nothing but ruins and debris. "… nothing… nothing's wrong Nene. Keep searching." But something still bothered Sylia. She knew she heard something, but what? A dull ache grew in the back of her head as Sylia moved about, trying to find a path to the next target. With every step the ache grew until her head was throbbing. She still fought through the pain though. She finished checking the target, negative again, and then dragged herself back to the pit just before her battery ran out.
Ripping her helmet off, she held her head in her hands for several minutes until she heard Nene fly in to switch out her own battery.
"Sylia, are you OK?"
She pulled her head up, shaking out the aftereffects of the near migraine. "Yes Nene. Now hurry up and change that battery. We've still got eighty points to check."
"Ok, if you're sure you're alright then," Nene said unsure of whether she believed Sylia or not.
"Of course I'm sure. Time is wasting, so go!"
Nene turned towards the spare battery rack and quickly changed out her pack. After Mackey had launched her back out again, she wondered how much longer she and Sylia could keep up this pace. This considering she had done nothing but work for the ADP, Knight Sabers, and sleep for the past four days nonstop… especially if Sylia had any more episodes like the one she was currently denying.
To be continued…
