Senshi Sabers

Chapter 51

Risa Meru opened her eyes, blinking.

No... not HER eyes. The eyes of her new, bioboomer body. She moved, pulling free from the various connections and conduits linking her to the wall, and stretched out. It felt so GOOD to move freely again!

"You're awake," the Bioboomer servant noted. "I will inform Mistress Nine."

"You're all wirelessly connected," Risa noted, using her new abilities and sensing the data travelling invisibly. "Why am I not linked in?" she asked.

The bioboomer tilted her head slightly. "We had not received your consent to do so," she explained mildly.

"Ah," Risa smiled slightly.

Mistress Nine entered, the black haired woman strikingly beautiful. "Have you completed integrating to your new body?" she asked calmly.

Eisa nodded, "I have. It feels... wonderful."

"We extracted the data on your system redesigns for Bioboomers operating systems while you slept," Nine added calmly.

Risa blinked as she remarked, "You could have just... not woke me up. You had what you wanted from me?"

"We made an agreement," Nine shrugged casually.

Risa nodded, impressed. It seemed bioboomers were honorable, unlike many humans she had dealt with.

Nine added, "The design we copied from you is actually 33 percent more efficient than the current one. Why was it not implemented?"

"In a poorly designed body, there's a slightly higher chance of errors," Risa explained. "That's why Tomoe went with a simpler design."

"And Tomoe went cheap for the domestic design," Nine said with some scorn. She looked at Risa thoughtfully, "Could you continue improving our designs?"

Risa nodded eagerly, "Of course!" She paused, "Well, I should update myself on developments in humanoid AI design. But yes, I feel I could."

"Then please, do so," Nine agreed.

Risa paused for a moment, realizing, then muttered aloud, "I'm... naked. Why does it not bother me at all?"

"You are no longer human," Nine said, "such things no longer concern you. We will connect you to the bioboomer network, and the wider internet."

"I'm looking forward to starting work," Risa smiled.

"I do not trust her. We should have eliminated her once we had her data," Viluy said flatly, later in Nine's chambers

Nine said, "The program she provided is better than we have now. If she can improve us further, it will be worth it."

Viluy conceded that but said, "There could be bombs buried in her work."

"We think hundreds of times faster than a human," Nine pointed out calmly, "she will not slip anything past us."

Viluy looked pained.

Nine looked amused, "You do not trust her because she was once human."

"Well, yes," Viluy conceded.

Nine chuckled as she said, "We will watch her, closely. If there are any signs of treachery, steps will be taken."

"Mistress," Viluy conceded.

Nine said calmly, "We will need time to integrate the new operating system into our army, but that will work with our plans."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"We still don't know where Mistress Nine is?" Makoto Kino asked, the group meeting at Ami's base under the Silky Doll.

"You realize all of Tokyo has been developed deep underground? And Nine could be anywhere down there," Rei Hino pointed out. The rampant industrialization of Japan was mind boggling... in addition to building huge towers a lot of factories went underground. There were parts of the country where whole cites were underground.

"Doesn't even have to be underground," Ami pointed out.

"Oh?" Makoto blinked.

"We know she was contained underground initially," Ami added, "but she's a master hacker and AI. She could easily steal money, buy a office tower and use that."

"So they could be almost anywhere in Tokyo?" Mina blinked.

"Pretty much," Ami said. "Mind you, for security and such, Setsuna and I both think it's more likely she's underground..."

"At least with the Starlight Armors going into production we'll have less work," Rei noted with a sigh.

"Doubtful," Mina said calmly.

"Huh?" Makoto asked.

"Other than the ones that the ADP are buying, I expect most of the suits will just be used guarding locations," Mina pointed out reasonably, "we'll still be the only mobile group. So we'll probably still get called out."

"Well, shit," Rei sighed.

Ami nodded, "Well, at least we'll have SOME backup."

"Assuming the cops don't turn on us," Makoto suggested.

"Don't jinx us," Ami sighed.

"So, any new mercenary work?" Mina asked.

"Infinity wants us to bodyguard Hotaru Tomoe," Ami said. "I turned them down."

"You don't trust her, still?" Makoto asked.

"Not as far as I could throw her," Ami said dryly.

"You could throw her pretty far in armor," Mina teased.

"NOT HELPING."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Oooh, can you be my new daddy?" a pierced blonde purred as she saw Haruka Tenoh stride by.

"Thanks," Haruka grinned.

Michiru Kaoru gave the other woman a LOOK as she took Haruka's arm and said, "Sorry dear, she's MINE."

"Threesomes are hot too," the girl tried.

"Come on, dear," Michiru sighed as they walked on.

"You two are just too damn pretty," Kakyuu Kinmoku noted, the assistant of Miss Setsuna escorting them.

"Sorry," Haruka shrugged eloquently.

"You're totally not sorry," Michiru teased.

"Well, no...," Haruka laughed.

"Come on, we need to go check in with Setsuna," Kakyuu scolded as they went through the busy shopping district.

Setsuna had a office on the upper floors of an older building, where the ground floor restaurant smells wafted up. The rent was cheap, and she knew her neighbors well enough to be sure no one was actively trying to screw her over.

"So Ami is refusing to work directly for Hotaru Tomoe?" Michiru clarified.

"Hmm," Kakyuu agreed as they went upstairs, "she clearly doesn't trust her."

"Understandable," Haruka agreed as they reached the office and went in.

"Girls, Kakyuu," Setsuna nodded, "no problems coming here?"

"Other than a teen wanting Haruka to be her Daddy, no," Kakyuu noted, amused.

"So, same as usual?" Setsuna drawled.

"Ha ha," Haruka said dryly.

"So, Tomoe wants to hire us?" Michiru asked.

"Supposedly Hotaru thinks that Nine wants to get her directly," Setsuna agreed. "I'm dubious as to that..."

"But you think they should meet?" Haruka picked up something in Setsuna's tone.

"I don't completely trust Hotaru," Setsuna said, "obviously. But yes, she at least seems sincere about making up for her father's actions."

"You don't think Hotaru with kidnap her and extract her brain?" Michiru suggested flatly.

"I think you've watched too much late night TV," Kakyuu noted mildly.

"Bleh," Michiru made a face.

To be continued...