The universe has always been a source of endless fascination and
awe to any race that had traveled in it.  No one being could ever give
the same description of it, each seeing and interpreting it in their own
special way.
      To one particular young woman, the universe meant very little to
her.  Nothing ever was in her opinion.  She was a being created for the
sole purpose of fighting.  To destroy a single opponent that was
ironically her older sister by rights.
      That hardly mattered to her, as she did what she had been told.
      She did her duty, but in the end she died by her sister's hands.
      She did not regret it in any way.
      After all, she lived to fight.  In the end, she did get her wish:
to die fighting.
      A sad smile formed on her lips as she remembered her sister's
words:  "Fighting means nothing unless it's for a reason.  I have my
reasons.  Do you, Iczer-2?"
      She was born to do battle, gifted with the power to sunder the very
heavens if necessary.  A master-crafted blade, tempered and honed to
perfection, to serve her mistress.  She needed no reasons.  All there was
for her was the fight and the need to win.  That was all there was - and
in the end, she had lost.
      Iczer-2 had closed her eyes one final time....  A smile on her
lips.
      It would not last long as another had chosen to resurrect her.  To
awaken her from her sleep to once more do battle.  She did not relish
being disturbed from her rest but the irresistible lure to be able to
fight her sister once more had been more than enough to quell whatever
objections she had.
      Besides, she could feel Nagisa's life force nearby.  Not even death
could rob her of the need to see her.  It was perhaps the only thing she
did share with her sisters.
      She had chosen to meet what her older sister had seen fit to send
to protect this world.  Iczer-2 was quite amused with her younger sister
and could not help find a bit of herself in Iczer-3 after having tested
her little sister out.  Nagisa, she had discovered, was just the same as
she had been when she had first met the human.  True, this _was_ her
granddaughter but the essence of the old Nagisa was no less evident in
her children.
      Neos had wanted the girl and her little protector dead but Iczer-2
decided against it.  All she wanted was a little rematch with her older
sister, Iczer-1.
      That was all.
      The battle had been fast and furious.  Iczer-2 had fought with all
her skill and power and had almost won.  Somehow, Iczer-1 had gained the
upper hand and disarmed her.  She had knelt before her sister, waiting
for the inevitable embrace of death.
      It did not happen.
      Her sister, Iczer-1, had spared her life.
      The words of her sister still echoed repeatedly in her mind,
questioning all that was her life.
      She was at a loss at what to say to her sister.  Her sister had
left her to help Nagisa back on Earth while she remained to ponder over
her life.  She had watched her sisters fight against the might of Neos
Gold.  The battle had been ended in a stalemate until Neos Gold decided
to bring into play her little trump card.  The Iczel energy.  The very
one Neos had used to create the being called Atros.
      Atros had been merely an experiment of Neos as she sought to master
making use of the Iczel energy, which had paved the way for her
resurrection.  Iczer-2 had not been too surprised when Atros chose to
side with Nagisa and Iczer-3.
      Iczer-2 had watched and pondered her choices and, in the end, had
chose to help her sisters defeat Neos Gold.  Besides, she hated Neos
anyway, so helping her sisters was a choice she gladly took.  She had
left her sisters after that battle - to sort things out, so to speak.
She was still unsure of the path she had taken but there was no turning
back.  She had chosen her fate amongst the stars and she would rather die
than even admit she made a mistake.
      Or did she?  Iczer-2 could not decide.
      She had left thinking she could sort out her feelings regarding
this matter.  She had journeyed across the vast sea of stars, seeking out
answers to questions she could not even define fully.  Staying with her
sisters hardly mattered to her.  She was always alone, born in the
crucible of battle.
      An avenging angel of death.  That was her.
      But that had not helped solve her questions.
      *Nagisa.*
      Iczer-2 frowned.  It had been a while since she had thought about
that girl.  That single human had managed to turn the tide of war to her
favor.  Even Atros, Neos Gold's daughter, had been unable to fulfill her
orders and had rebelled.
      Such was Nagisa's power.
      A small smile parted her lips at the memory.
      *Nagisa.*
      A remarkable human indeed.
      She closed her eyes, summoning the image of the young and innocent
green-haired girl to whom sisters had chosen to be bonded to.  Iczer-2
frowned, tilting her head so as a thought came to her mind.
      It did not matter.
      Smiling, her form shimmered as she slowly disappeared into the
endless abyss of space....

=======================================

   Nikholas F. Toledo Zu Productions
               Presents:

      Another Crossover Fanfiction
               by: RADLER

=======================================

NOTES:
      This fanfic is brought to you by the demented group of the Zu.
      Proudly Philippine made!!!  Hehehehehe...
      I've slaved over this monster for eight whole months through bouts
of the deepest blocks any writer is loathe to put up with and work and
subsequent search for yet another.  That's saying quite a bit of my
experience.  That and other problems have delayed my return.
      Well, you guys wanted it revamped... well... here you go!!!
Massive revisions on every plot point and I have the distinct feeling
this is going to be yet another fic that's going to take a bit of while
to finish....
      This fic belongs to the people who created them.  You people know
them and I know them, too.  No need to name names or anything.  C&C and
other forms of replies can be directed to my email address located at the
end of this fic.
      Also, thanks to a relatively small bunch of people who helped me
out in this one.  ^_^
      All changes and revisions are thanks to my pre-readers who were
nice enough to stay around and help me in this one.  After all, this is a
pretty big fic.
      Special thanks to Teknos Warhammer for helping me out immensely
with his ideas.  Most of which will likely end up showing in Once and
Future Goddess.
      Any other comments shall be reserved later.
      Now, on with the fic.

Other notes:
      This started out as a simple story but became yet another tangled
web of a fanfic.  Those of you who recognize my works may note some
similarities with my Once and Future Goddess story.
      You are not wrong.
      Some ideas were drawn from that fanfic.
      Don't worry.
      This fanfic is not related to any others I may have made... yet.
      Hehehehehe....
      One more thing: This fic is dedicated to those graduates and others
still struggling with their lives and their job.
      I know I am.  :(
      Here's to hoping for something good to finally happen.


======================================================

   BUBBLEGUM CRISIS: The Story of the Knight Sabers
           and the Zu Productions Presents:
               An Iczer-2/BGC Crossover

  Angel's Heart:  The Light in the Midst of Darkness

======================================================

      A young woman gazed out of the huge glass window of her office, her
eyes held a far away look in them as she quietly pondered this new
development.  She'd recently returned from her six-month leave - a
vacation of sorts the Chairman had forcibly made her accept.
      She had been worried over the possible implications of it.  After
all, Quincy never did things without a reason and this one was puzzling
her to no end.  Still, she had enjoyed the time off, despite her worries.
      Now, she was back once again in her office only to find a note
informing her that Quincy wanted to talk to her.
      She could not shake the unease she felt.  She'd learned to trust
her instincts over time and somehow, this meeting with the Chairman did
not bode well for her.

===================


      "Something's not right in this city," Leon remarked idly as he
sipped his coffee.
      "And why might that be?" Daley wanted to know as he drove the
cruiser back to headquarters.
      "It's just a feeling I have," Leon told his partner.  "This city
was never known to be the quiet type."
      And indeed it wasn't.  Far form it really.
      Aside from the usual run-of-the-mill crimes and whatnot, boomers
tended to add quite a bit of spice to the lives of everyone.  Things had
been relatively quiet these past months or so.  Boomer-wise, actually.
No sudden rampages as boomers went berserk.  No megalomaniac out to rule
the world or destroy the Knight Sabers or both.  Even GENOM seemed to
have kept its nose clean.
      Something had to be up.  Something always is.
      "You seem extremely pessimistic today, Leon," remarked Daley.
"What's wrong with not having to worry about how many of your men will
get back to the office?"
      Leon shrugged.  "Nothing by itself, but the fact that it's too
quiet is making me worry."
      "Be thankful that it _is_, Leon-chan.  We're still recovering from
that last boomer rampage a few weeks back.  Besides, with the new Chief
working her ass off getting new funding for the ADP, we should thank our
lucky stars that the boomers have decided to stay quiet for the time
being."
      Leon snorted, adjusting his shades as he leaned on the cruiser's
seats.
      He really couldn't complain with their current chief.  After the
old man retired, he'd left the ADP under the hands of Chief Kushinada.
He'd been skeptical at first, but considering her records....
      Didn't think the old man even had relatives.  Much less of a
different color.
      Not that he was racist or anything.  It just struck him as odd.
The only family he remembered the old man had was Lisa.  Then again, he
did keep to himself most of the time, unless it was arguing with hotshot
idiots like Leon.
      The new Chief was a mystery to him.  Her records were quite
impressive and it took quite a bit to get Leon to be that impressed.
      Still, Leon knew it would take more than just skill to be able to
do anything within ADP and, much as he hated the old man, Leon knew he
would never have vouched for this woman unless he knew something Leon did
not.
      Not surprising, but Leon hated not knowing.
      The new Chief had not been sitting around and had since been
arguing with the higher-ups for some time now.  She had repeatedly
pointed out the ADP's need for a _larger_ budget if they were to be
expected to perform their duties for the public.  From what he'd heard
from some of the others back at the station, the Chief had been most
verbal with her disagreements.
      Everyone back in ADP was most surprised at how their Chief was
handling the matter - which was, to put it bluntly, short of pummeling
the old bastards into the ground.  One thing was certain: the Chief held
the support of everyone in ADP.  Leon's respect for the new chief went up
a couple of notches.
      He hoped the Chief would be able to handle the old bastards.
Gaining new funding would be an uphill battle few wanted to take on.
What's worse, most of those responsible for the ADP funding were GENOM
lackeys.  He hoped to God under heaven she'd be successful.  They'd taken
a fearsome pounding in the last engagement with those boomers until the
Knight Sabers had arrived.  He'd lost quite a number of his men just
trying to keep the boomers occupied long enough for him to evacuate the
civilians in the area.
      Leon stared outside the cruiser, locking his gaze on the ever-
present silhouette of the GENOM corporate HQ as their car wove through
the light traffic of the city.
      This was his city, a place that held a thousand myriad memories and
experiences.  This city was both home and battlefield for him and
countless others.  Whatever its faults may be, he was fond of this place
and would do his best to protect it from those who would endanger it.
And if it meant taking whatever help the Knight Sabers could give, so be
it.
      While most civilians may view the Sabers as just another mercenary
unit, to the ADP, they were the city's guardian angels.  After all, they
certainly helped ADP whenever they were in trouble.  And that was a good
enough excuse to turn a blind eye to their continued presence within the
city.
      Still, he was beginning to feel the stirrings of uneasiness in him.
A storm was slowly brewing across the now serene city, growing stronger
as time went by.  And if his fears proved true, it would be one that just
might be strong enough to sweep everything away.

===================


      She had always been very good at making things.  Building them up
from scratch.  Hatching up crazy mechanized ideas and such since she was
a child.  Her parents said she had a gift - albeit a strange one, as her
sister once put it.
      It was something she was proud of and it showed.
      Her dreams - little girl dreams, as it had been - were simple and
concise as little girl dreams went.  Grow up and become the greatest
inventor of all time.
      Simple dreams, but ones she was dead set into doing.
      Until fate decided to hand her the short end of the stick.
      Reality was always a lot more different than what one would expect
it to be.  Both her parents had died in Luna Base fifteen years ago after
that disastrous event.  Even now, it remained a mystery to any who
bothered to look into it.
      She was one of the two survivors of that incident.  The other had
been her 'loving' twin sister who had abandoned her soon after.
      The world was a cold and dark place.  Not a place for a little girl
to be left alone in but her sister had done just that.  She'd left
without a word, abandoning her to the whims of fate and man.
      She would have died had it not been for a kindly old man taking her
in one stormy night.
      Grandpa had been very nice to her, taking care of her when others
would not.  He offered her shelter and taught her all that he knew until
the time came for her to take her studies elsewhere.  She had left for
college, intent on making her foster father proud of her.
      She graduated at the top of her class with a degree in advanced
mechanical engineering.  Her professors were astounded with her ability
to conjure up an endless assortment of gadgets and whatnot that should
have by all rights blown up in her face.
      She smirked as she remembered those stuck-up morons who had tried
their level best to beat her.  In the end, she had won, proving without a
doubt just who was the greatest engineer in the world.  Just thinking
about it made her want to cackle with laughter.
      It certainly was hard not to.  After all, great geniuses like
herself should have their trademark laugh.  It just wouldn't be right
without one.
      After graduation, she had been swamped by letters and invitations
to join this or that company.  It had been an easy choice.  Just randomly
picked one from the tall stack of letters.
      That company just so happened to be GENOM.
      What luck.
      She tried to be cheerful about it.  GENOM wasn't exactly high up in
her fan list.
      Then again, she figured it would be the best place to start.  For
all its faults, GENOM was a premiere company and with enough resources to
make her giddy just thinking about what she could do with all that.
Besides, GENOM _did_ offer a substantial salary base and benefits
package, if nothing else.  For a fresh graduate, that had been more than
enough to lure her in - for the time being, anyway.  If she didn't like
it, she was going to make sure she could get out of the company without
any problems.
      Her life in the company had been uneventful at best.  People took
an instant liking to her cheerful demeanor - something most places in
GENOM have a lot lacking.  It seemed like she'd entered some kind of
mortuary or something.  She'd never really believed in those old tales of
dead people walking and such, but just being in GENOM... was more than
enough to dispel her skepticism.
      Months passed since her initial hiring.  Life in general had been
good for her.  She'd carved out a niche in GENOM, pretty much causing a
stir amongst her co-workers.  Nothing she couldn't handle, in the end.
      GENOM had given her a substantial promotion after her breakthrough
in metallurgy.  Her work had substantially reduced the cost of creating
the metal alloy GENOM used in its space projects.  She was put off when
her superiors brushed her off when she volunteered herself for the space
program to Mars.
      *Bunk of jerks.*
      After that, she'd spent some time investigating the usual causes of
boomer malfunctions.  She'd long suspected the problem to be part of the
AI design.  She was right - in a way.  A boomer went berserk if its
programming could not help it cope with the demands of its environment.
This resulted in massive synaptic breakdown in its OS, causing it to
literally go insane.  This was true in most cases unless, it was
deliberate.
      She'd found a lot of cases of that but she wisely kept her mouth
shut and simply kept her findings to herself.  She was no fool, despite
what others might think of her.  Whatever the case may be, she went about
her research in AI development, spurned on with her findings.  She was
going to build an AI that no one can reprogram that easily - or, if not,
at least make the boomer smart enough to figure out for itself what was
right and wrong.
      No small feat but one she was confident she could handle.
      Things had steadily gone much the same way for some time as she
went about her research until that fateful day.
      Her past, it would seem, had finally managed to catch up with her.
One she had long thought to have forgotten...
      Stumbling upon her twin sister after all this time had been more
than a surprise.  They were twins, she being the younger of the two.
Encountering each other had been like looking through a mirror.  Both
looked so much alike but so very different at the same time.
      At least no one really made the connection.
      Good old unassuming Carrie Yushinori could never be compared to the
woman who stood before her now.  No one would ever make the connection
had they both stood side by side.  Indeed, she hardly recognized her
sister in her sharp, form-fitting business attire plus the simple
cosmetic changes she'd made on herself.
      It was those piercing lavender eyes that gave it all away.
      This woman was her older twin!!
      All the pent-up emotions of that time seemed to rise up within her
and it was through a supreme effort she'd managed to keep it all in
check.  Carrie knew - felt - that the woman that was her sister also
recognized her.
      That very day, she decided to find out more about the strikingly
beautiful woman that was her sister.
      Upon investigation, she was quite impressed with what her sister
had seemingly achieved in such a short period of time in the employ of
GENOM.  It appeared that her sister, Kate, had seemingly managed to
develop the necessary streak of ruthlessness in her to fight it out
amongst the sharks that infested the upper hierarchy of GENOM - disposing
of them in turn as she saw fit, from the looks of it.
      She was shocked at what she'd learned.  So shocked that she did not
hear the door to her quarters open to admit her very own sister.  When
she did take notice, she found herself rushing up to her older twin,
hugging her tightly as she cried, muttering the word 'why' over and over.
      For all the things her older twin had done, Carrie knew she could
forgive her for it.  She was never one to stay angry at a person for too
long, regardless of what he or she may have done.
      She did not expect her sister to act the way she did.
      Hell, shooting her then and there would have been better.
      Carrie's sister had come by to warn her: she had to leave GENOM or
else.  She was fast becoming a liability her sister could not afford to
have.  She was giving her fair warning because of their mutual pasts.
She would give no more once she left this apartment.
      Carrie heard no more than the first few words before the world
turned silent and dead.  Her eyes could only stare as her world was
quickly crumbling all around her.  Everything was fast becoming a void of
despair and loss.
      Her sister had simply stood there - watching and waiting, never
saying a word.  Her eyes were colder than the void of space and just as
caring.
      *Why?*
      Carrie closed her eyes as she sought to control the wave of
emotions that those memories evoked.  It was a bitter memory that she
could not take.  Nothing seemed so bleak as the world she lived in now.
She'd resigned from GENOM soon after that, her heart filled with sorrow
and utter loss.  It had taken a long time for the hurt to die down.
She'd wandered around the city for a time - getting involved with many of
the city's shadier inhabitants.
      She had become a lost soul - driven to the brink by her encounter
with fate.  There had been nothing more to her life, save for the hell
she'd driven herself into.  During that time, she'd done quite a number
of petty crimes but not to the point that she'd kill another human being.
      Back then, she called herself the Black Angel.  A young
hacker/mechanic/biker who worked for a price.  She'd probably would have
went on with her aimless life until someone happened to drop by to change
her life again.
      She would be forever grateful to Kyoko for what she'd done - even
if she'd trashed her workplace fighting that rogue boomer that had gotten
out of the quarantine zone to save her life or what was left of it back
then.  Kyoko had brought her back; away from the darkness she'd cloaked
herself in.  She'd stayed in Kyoko's home for a bit, trying to sort out
the tangled life she led.
      It took a bit of convincing but Kyoko had managed somehow.  She'd
joined the ADP tech crew and since then had stayed on with the
beleaguered police force.  The painful memories of her life remained
fresh in her mind - wounds scabbed over by time but always there as a
grim reminder of her past.

      But one thing was clear: she would find a way to talk some sense
into her twin.  No matter what _she_ had done, she was still _her_
sister.  Carrie wanted her sister back to the way she was before!  By
gods, she was going to make it happen!!
      By hook or by crook, she was going to do it!
      "Hey, Carrie!!" a familiar voice called out to her.  "You okay
under there??"
      Shaking out the cobwebs in her brain, Carrie Yushinori slid out
from under the ADP cruiser she was repairing, smiling at the familiar
sight of one Leon McNichol gazing down at her.  Offering one hand to the
stubborn detective, she got up, brushing back stray strands of her hair.
      She liked the rash and capable ADP detective.  Well enough that she
actually went out on a date with the guy.  Some had called her crazy, but
then again, she was really bored that night.  Bored enough to accept an
invitation from him.  She was not expecting how good a date the guy had
been, considering his somewhat less than sterling reputation amongst the
women in the building.
      She had been very surprised at where he led her that night.
Certainly it did not look like any great date spot, in her opinion, but
then again had seen worse before.  She had quickly revised her opinion
when she'd heard the woman singing on the stage.  The woman was great
and, surprisingly, even the food was quite good, by her standards.  By
the end of the night, she'd told herself to visit the place again when
she had the time.
      The next time she'd visited, she had been hooked for life.
      Leon never did ask her out again but she knew it was for the best.
She liked him but not enough to actually marry the guy, anyway.  Just two
lonely adults out on a night in the city.  Besides, from what she'd heard
back at the bar, there was already a lady out there that was for him.
      Trouble was, if those two idiots could just try to be civil to one
another, maybe something might happen.  After all, that woman was
probably the only one Leon even bothered coming back to, time and time
again.  He may be a flirt but at least he knew who he really wanted, even
if the woman would just as soon shoot him with his own gun.
      "Hey!!  Carrie!!" Leon called out again, waving his hands in front
of her face.  "You okay?" he asked again, concern in his voice.
      Blinking, Carrie casually stepped back and gave Leon a small smile.
      "Whatd'ya want, Leon?" she asked as she swiped a nearby clean piece
of rag and began wiping her face and hands of the sweat and grime she had
gotten during her stay under the cruiser.  It was a dirty job but she
liked it.  "It's not you to go around visiting me like this."  Carrie
smiled coyly as she leaned close to Leon and said, in a slightly high-
pitched kawaii voice, "Are you going to ask me to marry you or something
like that?  Maybe a little foreplay?  Ooooohhhh......"  Carrie had both
her hands to her cheeks, blushing a bit at the naughty thought.
      Leon tripped in surprise dragging a squealing Carrie down with him
to the floor.  Twin globes of flesh cushioned his face from contact with
the ground.  Leon gulped in panic; backpedaling away from Carrie, his
breath coming in labored gasps as he stared at Carrie's prone, supple
form.
      "You certainly are bold, eh?" she said in a sultry tone of voice.
      "Gyaaaahhhh!!!!" was all Leon's addled mind could come up with.
      Rolling over on her stomach, Carrie stared at Leon, one hand
cradling her head as she raised both her feet in the air.
      "Tee-hee," she muttered as she toyed with a wrench with her free
hand.
      Leon muttered something under his breath.
      "What's up, Leon?!" she asked in a cheery voice as she slowly got
up from her position on the floor.  "Anything I can do for you?" she said
in a suggestive manner that earned her a fit of coughing from the
detective.
      She grinned.  "Anything other than _that_, Leon," Carrie added with
a smile.
      Everyone else who saw her act began to laugh at the performance.
Leon quickly gathered his wounded pride around himself as he replaced his
coolness shades across his eyes.  Whatever people may say about him, he
seemed to always find himself attracted to very willful women.  It was
readily apparent that his usual suave manner did not affect these women
the way that it should with others.
      Such were his troubles with women.
      "Nothing much, just wondering what kind of sorcery you seem to be
doing around here," he answered, trying very hard not to look guilty.
      Heck, he was a guy and even he could very well see that Carrie was
a prime example of femininity, even if she didn't particularly like to
show it off.  Grease stains and dirtied coveralls tended to put guys off.
      The fact that Carrie tended to be slightly tomboyish
notwithstanding.  Besides, she was a pretty nice person and _was_ pretty
good with her hands.
      That new EarthShaker gun she'd twiddled with some time ago had
saved his life more than once.  Leon took note of the cruiser that Carrie
had been fixing, laying a hand on its hood.  "I hear almost everyone here
seems to think you as some sort of miracle worker."
      Carrie smiled, her ego puffing up a bit.  "What do you expect, ne,
Leon-chan?  I'm a genius!!!  Bwahahahahahaha!!!!!"
      Leon winced at the sound.  There were times he was worried over
Carrie's mental health.  Laughing like a maniac was not good thing, in
his book.
      She eyed Leon suspiciously.  "What's wrong now?  Surely you
wouldn't come here just for a social visit."
      Sighing tiredly, Leon leaned on the hood.  "Nothing much really.
Just feeling the pressures of my work and all."  He tilted his head
towards Carrie, adding, "And the fact that I'm getting a bad feeling
about all this sudden peace and quiet we're having for some time now."
      "And you came here thinking I could offer some sort of advice,
right?" she finished for him.
      Leon nodded.
      "I thought so," chirped Carrie.  "I really am surprised you'd
actually come all the way down here for that.  I really am honored, but I
can't help you on that score, Leon.  I'm just an engineer."
      "Yeah.  But I kinda heard from one of your 'students' that you've
been spending too much time disappearing these past few weeks," Leon told
her.  "I just thought you might have something up your sleeve."
      "And why do you think that?" she asked archly.
      Leon eyed her rather soiled overalls.  Something that never should
be considering how Carrie tended to like clean and immaculate clothes -
even her overalls, which every other tech ended up getting soiled in the
course of a few hours.  Not Carrie.  How she did it with her work clothes
was simply beyond him.
      But right now....
      Well, that and the fact he'd seen her hanging around the wee hours
of the night.  Normally, she'd be at home by nine - unless something came
up.  Boomer rampages were always hard on the tech crew, as they were the
ones that ended up repairing and/or salvaging equipment from an
encounter, trying to piece back together broken power armor and vehicles.
      Of course, the last boomer rampage was over a month old.  No reason
for her to be staying around for too long.  He'd known her for a short
time but he knew of her penchant for tinkering with stuff.  Knowing her,
she's probably been putting together something.
      Leon gave her that pleading look.
      Putting one finger to her mouth as she mentally debated on what to
do.  Of anyone, she knew she could trust the foolhardy and somewhat
dependable ADP detective that Leon was - most of the time.  Besides that,
he was probably the only one who actually tried to do something about the
ADP's problems.
      That alone was a BIG plus in her book.
      Without another word, she clamped one arm around his wrist and
proceeded to drag Leon into the deepest depths of the repair bay.
      "Fine.  Come this way."  Glancing behind her, she asked, "Say, did
you bring that gun of yours?"
      Leon nodded.
      "Well... let's see if I can get you a better one."
      Somehow, that made Leon feel better.
      Storage Bay 5, located a few levels under the ADP Headquarters was
where most of everything gets dumped into after any given mission.  That
was to say, it was where most of the scrap ended up going.  ADP engineers
and repair techs were never one to throw anything out on the off chance
that they might get some sort of spare parts from it when the time came.
It had often proved an invaluable foresight amongst the engineers and
techs a dozen times over.  And with higher-up seeming becoming more and
more stingy with the funding that ADP needed so badly, this was the place
to go look for parts.
      "Where the heck are we going, anyway?" Leon asked uncomfortably,
staring at the hulking piles of rusting derelicts, not to mention the
occasional trashed boomer or two.
      "As you can clearly see, this is where we throw every scrap of
metal that goes our way.  We've even went so far as to dump all the
boomers you guys have collected in the streets over the years.  I never
really went this deep until a couple of months back," Carrie answered.
"No one has really gone this deep into this place - well, except for me,
anyway."
      "Nice office," he commented dryly.
      Carrie shrugged.  "You take what you can get.  No one bothers me
when I'm in here."
      "I can see why they don't bother you that much," observed Leon,
glancing at the multitude of broken boomers and whatnot.  "How you can
live in this place is beyond me, though.  This place gives me the
creeps."
      Grinning, Carrie proceeded to drag Leon into the depths of the ADP
building's sub-basement.
      Leon's last thought about the subject was one of wonder: Since when
did they get such a bloody big basement anyway?

===================


      A certain red-haired female casually drove through the downtown
area, weaving through the traffic with practiced ease.  Her little
scooter happily raced through the downtown streets well below the speed
limit.
      Nene hummed a little tune as she drove towards Raven's for another
day of testing and training, something she really did not relish.  She
was the first to admit that she was not a fighter.  But this was not why
Sylia had chosen her to be part of the Knight Sabers.  Whatever she
lacked in fighting prowess, her ability to hack through any computer
system more than made up for it.
      Still, that did not exempt her from practicing in Sylia's practice
chamber, which meant she had to endure Priss' teasing about her fighting
ability.  Nene suddenly gripped her scooter's brakes as emerald eyes
homed in on a particular pastry shop she was fast approaching.  Another
thing she liked about her bike was that she could practically get away
with these sudden pit stops to stores like this one.
      That chocolate cake would look absolutely divine at her dinner
table, not to mention her plate.


===================


      Of course, that was going to be a difficult proposition,
considering that she felt bone weary from her exertion in the training
room.  She'd lucked out, getting hit by the digital blob that represented
a boomer.
      Level 5 again.  Ugh.  She was getting royally sick of it.  And it
was fast becoming obvious that she wasn't going to get a crack at her
recently bought chocolate cake until she could get over being so very
tired.
      Somehow, Priss's jibes had gotten into her, overexerting herself
when she went into the training room.  Nene made a mental note to have
some words with her inner self later.
      She was angry at Priss and with herself since she had a feeling she
was not going to enjoy eating that cake she'd bought for tonight.
Wincing, she struggled out of her clothes and into some regular wear,
vowing she would at least take a nice hot soak back home before she
allowed herself to collapse into bed.
      Outside, Sylia was examining the data on Nene, frowning slightly at
some of the readings.  Reaching a decision, Sylia turned her attention to
Linna.
      "It would appear that Nene will be requiring a little bit of
training," Sylia observed - to which Linna merely smirked, having also
watched Nene's performance in the training room.
      "Why?" she asked curiously.  "I thought she did good out there."

      Nene was a nice friend and Linna just had to stick up to her - not
that it was going to help in this situation.
      Sylia nodded.  "Perhaps.  But I think it is time she learned a bit
more on how to take care of herself.  I have a feeling she will need the
extra training in the times to come."
      Priss grinned, seeing an opportunity for fun and a bit of payback.
      "Mind if I helped, Linna?" she offered, a silly grin on her face.
"My week is extremely free for some reason."
      A strangled groan came from behind them as all three whirled to see
Nene just exiting the changing room.  Her face drained of blood upon
hearing the tail end of their conversation.  To one distraught Nene
Romanova, it seemed that the world had suddenly turned against her for
some reason.
      How could such a thing happen!
      All she wanted was a piece of her chocolate cake, for crying out
loud!!

===================


      Scientists theorized that travelling at the speed of light was
somewhat akin to travelling into the future.  Many scientists have been
trying unsuccessfully to harness this theory for interstellar flight.  Of
course, there were problems involved such as time dilation and gravitic
disturbances caused by nearby star systems along the flight path.
      It hardly posed a problem for an Iczer.
      Iczer-2 streaked towards the Earth, a brilliant streak of blue
light that arced its way towards the Sol System....

===================
A week or so later...


      Leon ducked once again as a fresh wave of missiles roared passed
his much-abused cruiser.  Leon winced as the missiles homed in on one of
the assault choppers up in the air, turning it into so much wreckage.
      Leon swore as he ducked to avoid any debris from the explosion.  He
then got up; trained his gun on the nearest boomer and let loose a couple
of shots from his EarthShaker handgun.  Not waiting for the results, Leon
ducked back behind his car.
      "This sucks," noted Leon as he pulled out a couple of bullets for
his gun.
      "Tell me about it," muttered Daley who was arguing vociferously
over the comm to get the backup here before their position was run over.
"Wait a sec."  Turning his full attention on the comm, Daley swore at
dispatch, yelling his need for more backup, since the last one just got
toasted before they even arrived.
      "Remind me to ask Carrie to upgrade my gun again," said Leon.
      "I thought you just did?" Daley shot back incredulously.
      "I know," he deadpanned.
      Answering salvos from the remaining ADP personnel left during first
contact.  Not that it did little more than irritate the boomer into once
again switching targets.  Chest plates opened up revealing a vast array
of lenses that began to glow with an unholy light.
      Then the boomer staggered, its systems overloading from the
feedback of its weapon misfiring.
      Leon frowned for just a moment before the answer to his question
appeared in the form of four very familiar feminine hardsuits.
Mercenaries who had aided them during any boomer rampage that might
threaten the city and who generally saved their asses.
      He still wondered about the high heels though.  Maybe it was a
female thing.
      The boomer did not last too long, being pulled down by a
combination of rail spikes from the blue-and-red hardsuit to the green
hardsuit's use of her monomolecular ribbon.  As always, the pink-and-red
one stood at the rear, probably offering some sort of unseen support
while the white one stood by her side, a silent sentinel that acted only
when it was needed.
      Leon motioned for his people to stand down.  Sighing, he looked at
his partner and rubbed his temples.  So much for a peaceful night on the
streets.
      "Time for the paperwork on this one," Daley said in a tired voice.
      "Someone shoot me now," Leon complained in defeat.

===================


      Somewhere within the upper portion of the conical corporate
headquarters of GENOM, the heavy wood-paneled door slid open to admit a
beautiful young exec with a somewhat irritated expression on her face.
The woman swept into her apartment, lavender hair swirling behind her as
she sauntered past the living room and into the adjoining bedroom.
      A small sigh escaped her lips as she tiredly removed her jacket,
flinging it on the bed as she struggled out of the rest of her clothes
and into the baths.
      It had been one of those days again.  The kind of day where someone
had seen fit to send all their problems to her desk.  She could not
believe the level of incompetence of those under her.  It was almost
enough to make her go crazy.  Crazy enough to probably order a battalion
of 55-C boomers to take care of the root of the problem.
      Ugh.
      How she hated days like these!!
      Somehow, she had managed to weather the crisis, bulldozing her way
through the pile of paperwork that was on her desk.  There were really
times when it certainly did not pay to be a senior executive.
      Sighing disgustedly, she chucked off the last pieces of clothing
and prepared herself for a long, long hot soak on her very large bathtub.
      Rank has its perks and she intended to use them to the hilt, if she
had to, right now.


===================


      Iczer-2 stared dispassionately at the multitude of lights that
played across the surface of the planet, clearly unimpressed by the tech
level humanity had achieved since she had left, after the battle with
Neos-Gold.  Humanity was on the brink of interstellar travel, as
evidenced by the number of massive space infrastructure projects and the
beginnings of a base situated on the far side of the moon.
      *Nagisa,* she thought.  Iczer-2 smiled in fond memory of the green-
haired girl that had ruined her life thus far.
      Nagisa had been instrumental in defeating both Big Gold and her
daughter Neos Gold.  Without her help, her sisters - Iczer-1 and Iczer-3
- could never have hoped to defeat them.  Ironic that, for all of her
sisters' power, they had to rely on the guidance of a single human.
      It still amazed her at the lengths Iczer-1 would take for this
world and for Nagisa.
      Time manipulation was always a chancy thing, but Iczer-1 had done
it twice already.  How her sister didn't end up causing massive paradoxes
was beyond her.  Yet, Iczer-1 took that risk all for the happiness of one
single individual.
      *Nagisa.*
      Iczer-2 frowned as she could not sense Nagisa's presence.  This
worried her greatly, considering how Nagisa or any of her progeny
normally stood out amongst the multitude of other humans on the planet.
She was even more confused of the three weak signals she was getting from
the planet.
      Intriguing, but she was more worried about her inability to sense
Nagisa.
      *Nagisa.*
      Without further thought, Iczer-2 flew towards the island of Japan
to begin her search.


===================


      A young woman grappled futilely at the keys that were slowly
slipping away from her hands.  Hands that could do little more than
struggle uselessly as the keys dropped to the ground.  A small curse
could be heard coming from the woman as she slowly knelt down to retrieve
her keys.  She swore under her breath as the groceries that she carried
shifted uncomfortably against her sore arms.  If she did not get this
stuff onto the counter real quick, she was going to hate herself.
      Besides, her chocolate cake was with the groceries.
      Swiping the keys off the floor, she hurriedly inserted the keys,
twisted the lock open, burst into her somewhat messy foyer and scrambled
towards the kitchen with her armload of groceries that were slipping away
from her grip.
      With her precious load of chocolate cake in mind, she half-
stumbled, half-fell into her kitchen - reaching it in just the nick of
time, as the groceries slipped free from her grasp and onto the top of
the counter.  With a sigh of utmost relief, she slowly stood up, brushing
away the stray locks of red hair that swayed in front of her face,
mentally taking note that perhaps it was high time to have her hair cut.
      Nah.
      She then moved towards her computer, leaning against the plush
chair she'd spent a pretty penny purchasing.  It certainly was well worth
it as she tended to spend whatever time she had to herself jacked into
the internet superhighway.
      The computer activated itself, demanding the usual password
protocols and checks she had installed for security measures.  Nothing a
great hacker like herself could handle.  Then again, there weren't that
many who could get one over her.  Something she prided herself in.  A
useful tool to fling to Priss when she went around teasing her about her
weight.
      Smiling, she logged on, totally forgetting that promise to herself
to take a long, long hot soak to get the kinks out of her muscles, not to
mention the totally irresistible chocolate cake she had bought for
dinner.  All of which had been conveniently forgotten when she got hold
of her computer....

===================


      Carrie Yushinori sat by her desk, face set in a determined frown as
she eyed the vidphone warily.
      It sat there by her desk, minding its own business as she glared at
it, hazel eyes flashing in anger.  Her stare did not waver as she sat
there, her mind awhirl with recent events.  Her gaze softened a little as
a small sigh escaped her lips.
      A slender arm reached out towards the phone in a cautious manner
much like one would see when a person was handling a poisonous and irate
king cobra.  In actuality, it might have been safer to have handled a
king cobra rather than what she was currently struggling against.  She
took hold of the phone, gripping it tightly around one hand as she
inwardly debated on her options.
      Questions flitted across her mind, all of which revolved around the
call that had been made.
      Her sister had called!!
      That in itself wasn't the problem.  God in heaven alone knew just
how they parted back then.  Kate's words had hurt.  Hurt so much that it
had neatly driven her off the edge.  Even got that cute little black
angel tattoo on her back and a little something else - remnants of her
past life before she'd joined ADP.
      Her sister had asked her out for the night.  As to why, she could
only begin to guess.  She needed to get away from the office and maybe
grab a bite to eat to settle her nerves and ponder this sudden situation.
      Glancing at the clock, it was still too early for her to seek out
the only decent restaurant near ADP Headquarters.  Half-muttering to
herself, she mentally cursed her sister for making that damn call.
Another string of curses was directed at herself as she had accepted the
proposal to meet at the Regis Hotel tonight.
      Ugh.
      That meant formal wear.
      She hated that.  To top that off, she didn't even have a thing to
wear.
      The only clothes she had mostly consisted of sweat shirts, jogging
pants, a few decent sets of clothes she'd bought some time ago with her
friends, plus her nice leather biking outfit she'd made herself.
      Tap.  Tap.  Tap.
      The rhythmic beat of her fingertips on her desk served to calm her
mind a bit, but did little to alleviate her of her little problem.  As an
ADP tech, she got paid a decent salary and her little... ahhh... side-job
helped a lot with some of her more esoteric works so to speak - enough
she could live comfortably without having to worry too much about her
rent or food.
      Her dabbling in the world of the stock market proved profitable now
and then.  But most of her liquid assets were tied up in various little
ventures plus she still had that custom job on her motorcycle to complete
back in her house.  All of which pretty much translated into being
somewhat broke at the moment.
      *Dead broke,* she amended to herself.
      Of course, she could always try and wheedle a couple of thousand
yen from a couple of her friends who owed her some - like maybe good old
Leon.
      Leon's always good for a loan or two.
      Carrie smiled widely.  *Time to call in some favors.*
      Yawning, she stretched her body, removing a few kinks here and
there, stretching her uniform - what passed for one for her - a bit
across her lithe frame.  Feeling a bit more relaxed, Carrie stood up and
walked away in search of a meal.  She made a mental note of dragging good
old Hiroshi with her later on.
      She'd need some male advice once she went about looking for
something suitable to wear.

===================


      This was most disturbing.
      It was an unspoken agreement between the two of them: Don't bother
me and I won't bother you.  She'd never bothered her sister, save for
those times when she'd routinely check up on her.  She may be a cold-
hearted bitch but not enough to ignore her sister for too long.  They had
not parted in good terms - the way she'd planned it.
      It would not do for her old life to start interfering with her
current one.  She'd done what she could to shield both of them from those
who might make a possible connection.  It would not do for her to show
any signs of weakness, lest she invite attack from opportunists.
      Try as she might, she'd taken pains to keep tabs on her twin.  Only
to insure that she was safe.
      Steel blue eyes gazed at the vidphone before her, its monitor
filled with little more than static.  She cocked her head to the side a
little, trying to ponder over her sudden action.  It was strange and
alien to her to be acting like this.  She had always been cool and
methodical in her work, never leaving anything to chance.  The risks she
took were calculated and insured minimal effects on her or GENOM.
      She was an efficient woman: cold, ruthless, and loyal.
      It was her way of making sure her position remained unchallenged by
any.
      So why?
      What reasons could there be for this to be happening?  A sudden
attack of conscience, perhaps?  Madigan shook her head, rejecting the
thought immediately, having junked that a long time ago as it just got in
the way of her work.
      Why was she even bothering to meet with her sister after all this
time?  Carrie was safe from prying eyes and there was nothing to connect
the two of them.  What reasons did she have for risking it and exposing
her sister to undue risks?
      No one could touch her.  But by doing this, she would invite
trouble to herself - and possibly to GENOM, as well.  It would not do for
her competitors to learn of her single vulnerability.  Her sister was
smart and doubtless cunning enough to get out of trouble, but even then,
how long would she last before someone got to her.
      Why?  What was she thinking, inviting her sister to meet with her?
      Swiveling her high-back chair, she turned towards the large glass
pane behind her, staring out into the city spread out below her.
Innocence and morality had no place in this world.  A lesson she had
learned early in life.  Things she had discarded over time.  For in a
world like this, survival of the fittest was the golden rule.  And the
only way to survive was to have power.  And if it meant she had to be ten
times as ruthless as anyone else, so be it.
      And yet...
      Madigan frowned.  The thought persisted, unrelenting.
      Was this job the only thing in her life?  Was this her only life?
She looked around plush office, noting the expensive furnishings with all
the conveniences GENOM could think of.
      But what else was there in her life?
      Was this all there was?
      Everything that she could confidently speak of?
      Frowning, Madigan irritably banished the thoughts out of her mind.
She would not allow such questions to cloud her judgements not now while
she was working.  She needed to finish this before the day ended.
      She'd deal with them later.
      Crossing her legs, she idly toyed with a lock of lavender hair, her
eyes staring out across the vast city below her feet, a small smile on
her face....

===================


      Iczer-2 frowned.
      Night had fallen once more upon the city.  The inhabitants were not
deterred from their tasks, as lights began to illuminate the streets,
banishing the night back into the corners and alleyways of the city.  And
here she was, in a dark and damp alleyway that stank of refuse - human or
otherwise.
      She paid little heed to the figures sprawled against the walls as
she trudged across the narrow alleyway, boot heels clicking on the worn,
damp stones.  Cold red eyes stared into the gloom ahead of her.
      A sudden gust of wind caught her hair, tossing it behind her like a
blazing pennant of blood, revealing for a short time her delicate pointed
ears.  The wind died down, her hair settling behind her like a sea of
crimson strands.  A slim hand brushed back the hair, returning some loose
strands back as she continued on her way.
      Her eyes suddenly gleamed in the darkness, becoming thin slits as
she glared into the shadows.  She was expecting it, somewhat.  After all,
she was an empath - a very powerful one - and sensing what these humans
were thinking right now was not above her abilities.
      Of course, she was a bit irked they'd taken so long before
attacking.  She had tried to avoid trouble whenever she could.
Generally, it would seem that trouble followed her.  Then again, she
doubted any of these humans would leave her alone.  After all, a strange
woman all alone in an alley like this would be a definite lure for
unscrupulous individuals like these.
      Iczer-2 had earned quite a bit of a reputation amongst these sorry
excuses for humans.  She'd taken care of many of their number since the
first time she'd encountered their kind.  She'd dealt with them - without
having to resort to killing them.
      It had been a shock to discover that Nagisa had passed away.  The
last of her family had died just a few years back.  Further inquiries in
the matter were met with failure.  She was puzzled and a little
suspicious.  While death was a normal occurrence in any society, Iczer-2
did not take Nagisa's death too lightly.  After all, unlike normal
humans, Nagisa's life essence carried over to her female siblings.  A
gift bestowed by her sister, Iczer-1.  But without any issues to transfer
that life essence... perhaps.
      Iczer-2 sighed.  She wondered what her sister might be feeling
right now....
      Shaking her head, she dismissed the matter for the time being.
Dwelling over things she had little control over would do no good.  She
would stay, if only to find out what had really happened to Nagisa.
Then, there were also those strange signals she kept receiving from time
to time.  They bordered on the same type as that of Nagisa's life essence
but subtly different.
      It would seem she would really have to stay if she were to solve
these matters - not that she wasn't considering staying for a little
while on this world, anyway.  Even she needed a little rest and
relaxation now and then.
      Besides, if she ever got too bored, there were those strange
mechanical creatures she'd heard about in that paper she'd picked up in
the park.  Perhaps she could even find a job somewhere in this city that
dealt with those things as well.  After all, if she were going to be
staying on this world for long, she would need a source of income.
Taking care of street trash could hardly be called a job.  A satisfying
one but not one nonetheless.
      A small sigh escaped her lips as she once again felt that faint yet
all-too-familiar tugging in her heart.  Try as she might deny it, she had
wanted to be with Nagisa, even for a little while - perhaps to learn what
it was that made her attracted to the young woman.
      Fate had decided against it.  Nagisa had passed on.
      Turning her attention once more to the half-dozen filthy humans
that blocked her path.  Right now, she was seriously considering pulling
out her beam sword and be done with these fools.  She doubted anyone
would miss these.
      Loosening the belt on her trenchcoat, she eyed her opponents
critically, gauging their skills.  It wasn't needed but she just did
mainly so that she wouldn't strike them too hard.  It would not do for
her to be attracting attention to her now.
      Ah well.  That was life.  Nothing she could really do about it.
      She smiled as charged into the fray.

===================


      A young man with an unruly patch of black hair marched across the
street, carrying an armload of stuff that he'd been forced to collect by
his loving sister after she'd caught him peeping on them last night.
      He muttered something about the unfairness of it all.  He was a
growing boy and, like any other hot-blooded male, he was becoming ever
more curious about the female part of his species.  A little look
certainly would not hurt.  It wasn't like he was taking pictures of them
and selling them to other people.
      Well, the first part was true.  He did try to take pictures of them
while they were undressing.  He never could keep those pictures for long
though.
      Such setbacks did not deter him from doing it again and again.
What he did manage to get were painstakingly retouched in his computer.
      Of course, doing hentai things were not his only skills.
      He was an accomplished mechanic and was mostly responsible for the
maintenance of the hardsuits, not to mention his sister's errand boy when
she needed something done - most of which involved doing groceries and
other mundane matters.
      Like picking up her sister's laundry from the dry cleaners.
      Sighing, he made his way towards his sister's building.  It was
hers.  The only house that was his was out of his reach at the moment -
not that he'd bother with it, anyway.  This was where all the fun was,
not to mention the women.
      Now, if he could only get home without any of his groceries
spilling into the ground or him tripping and breaking his neck.  After
all, he still had those shots of Nene-chan to edit...
      Hehehehehehe- omph!!
      "Yaaahhhh!!!"
      "Ugh!!"
      Twin cries of pain soon followed as her bundle of groceries spilled
on top of them.  It took a few moments for them both to regain their
senses; twin groans of pain could be heard coming from the sprawled
figures against the sidewalk.
      "That had hurt," the first one stated matter-of-factly, rubbing his
much-abused skull.
      "Y-yeah...," said the other.  "Ugh.  Greeaaattt....  There goes my
dinner, not to mention a whole week of food."
      Mackie stared in horror at all the spilled takeouts on the
sidewalk.  If that was not enough, all his ecchi magazines were currently
swimming around in the muck.  He slapped a hand on his face as he saw all
of his sister's dry cleaned clothes lying on the sidewalk, stained and
soiled, much like his ecchi magazines.
      "My sister's going to kill me this time!!" he moaned in despair.


===================


      Leon once again found himself wondering why he really hated his
job.  If it wasn't for his ideals getting in the way, he would have quit
a long time ago.  What little good he or any of his fellow officers did
was buried under the deaths of civilians and their constant pressures
from higher-up.
      He persisted and merely pressed on, knowing that someday he and
others like him might make the difference.  It was something that he
tried to keep alive.  It did not help he was feeling restless for some
reason.
      He was feeling really tense.  Edgy, even.
      That was not good.
      Closing his eyes, he laid back on his chair, trying to ease his
mind of imagined problems.
      Things couldn't be _that_ worse.  Shrugging, he berated himself for
letting his imagination get the better of him.  Or was it?

===================


      She roused from her slumber as she felt the familiar presence of an
Iczer.  A low, bestial growl sounded from deep with her throat as she
opened her eyes once more.
      Long had she slumbered within this prison fashioned by that human.
      Powerless, she could do very little but wait and bide her time.
Time had passed, and with the death of that human, so did the seals of
her prison weaken.
      It would take time but it was one she was willing to wait.
      The human was dead.
      There was nothing that stood in her way now.
      A small smile played across her lips as she watched the Iczer
heading straight for Earth.

===================


      Carrie stared dubiously at herself in the full-length mirror,
turning this way and that as she examined the long turquoise gown she
wore.  She looked nice.  But then again, she never really liked having to
wear anything like this.  Jeans, jumpsuits, and biking leathers were her
clothes of choice.  This stuff, while they were quite lovely, just was
not hers.  She hardly recognized herself in the mirror.
      Turning around, she saw Hiroshi practically drooling on the floor
while Rhinoa was smiling at her, nodding her head in satisfaction.
      "Do I really look good in this thing?" she asked, tugging at the
skirt.
      Hiroshi nodded dumbly while Rhinoa gave her the thumbs-up.
      Still not satisfied, she quickly re-examined herself in the mirror,
gauging for herself how she really looked.
      Carrie possessed a wealth of long, dark hair with some odd greenish
highlights every time the light caught her hair that framed a somewhat
oval face.  Prominent cheekbones gave her a slightly aristocratic look.
Small round eyes of the deepest shade of purple and graced by long,
delicate eyelashes gave her a somewhat mysterious look to her - something
that was not readily noticeable most of the time, unless she even
bothered to dress up.
      After all, she was comfortable with her looks and her figure, so
why bother?  Besides, she wasn't all too interested in guys these days.
Maybe someday, when she finally got her sister back.
      The gown itself was a simple affair.  Deepest turquoise that hugged
her upper body like a glove, becoming looser as it went down her long
slender legs.  Long black opera gloves and four-inch stilettos completed
the ensemble, although she could have done without the latter - the damn
things were killing her feet and were very difficult to balance.
      Carrie gingerly took a small step back, careful not to fall off the
small dais as she re-examined herself a bit more.
      Okay, so she did look good.  Better than she even remembered
herself.  She made a note to thank Rhinoa later on.  Maybe upgrade her
sniper rifle for her or even give her that weapon she'd been toying
around with.
      A brief mental picture of what Rhinoa would do if she ever got hold
of that weapon appeared in her mind.  Carrie shivered at the thought.
      Maybe the upgrade would be better.  No sense letting Rhinoa get her
hands on the rifle right now.  Maybe once she perfected its power
core....
      As for good old Hiroshi....  Hmmmm...
      Well, a little kiss should suffice and a healthy deduction on what
he owed her for.  After all, he was the one who brought them to this
little shop.  It was quite a-ways from the normal shopping area around
downtown MegaTokyo but certainly worth it.  Maybe even help him out woo
that girl he'd been mooning for some time now.
      A small smile played across her lips.  She'd never really bothered
playing matchmaker before but somehow she felt obliged to help out her
two best friends.
      Somehow.
      "Okay.  I'll buy it!!" she declared.  "How much."
      "That would be forty-thousand yen, plus tax," the saleslady
answered her with a perfectly straight face.
      Carrie felt her heart take a plunge.  Gyaah!!!!  That was
expensive.
      "Uhhh...."  She glanced at her friends with a sad look in her eyes.
      "She'll take it!" Rhinoa answered for her, pulling out her credit
card from her purse.
      "RHINOA!!" she protested, whirling around and nearly falling flat
on her face with those damn heels.
      "No buts!" Rhinoa told her, dismissing Carrie's adamant protests.
"You need a nice dress.  You never have one in that place you call an
apartment!  The only clothes I've ever seen you wear have been worn jeans
and shirts, not to mention those biking outfits of yours.  And if this is
going to be the only dress you'll be owning, by God, I'm gonna make sure
you get it, even if I have to fork over the dough for the time being.
Besides," she added before Carrie could say anything, "This way, I could
get you to fix my bike, too.  I know you've been tinkering around down
there at the basement all month long, doing something."
      Carrie groaned, wondering how many more people would find out about
her little side-project.  She _was_ trying to keep it a secret.  And with
the growing number of people finding out - eight, counting Rhinoa and
Hiroshi now - it won't be long before the higher-ups find out before she
was ready.
      "Hehehehehehe... errrr... what are you talking about?" she asked
weakly.
      Rhinoa merely smiled, earning a weak chuckle from Carrie.


===================


      Nene found herself with a lot of spare time on her hands.  The
paperwork had been finished and sent out to whatever different
departments they were bound.  Her programs were running smoothly and
without any need of active guidance.  No new mysteries to solve or Leon
bugging her about hacking into this or that database.
      Basically, a really boring day - if you discount the fact that she
was going to be training under Linna and Priss after her shift for today
at five.
      Nene laid back on her chair, arching languidly her much abused back
and relieving some sore muscles.  A pleased moan escaped her lips as she
leaned back to relax.
      Things had not been going all that well for her.  Between training
and her work, she had very little time to herself.  Right now, she was
definitely going to get as much rest as she could with this unexpected
break from her work.
      She was bone tired.  So much that not even her favorite snacks
could perk her up anymore.  Nene could hardly blame Sylia's need to train
her in developing her fighting skills.  There would come a time when she
would have to fend for herself, that much she had to concede.  And, if
she did not begin learning to defend herself, she just might get herself
killed in the process.
      Not a good thought.
      Admittedly, she was getting better.  Slowly.
      Indeed, a part of her wanted this training.  Perhaps to prove to
herself and to others that she was capable of handling herself in a
fight.  Besides which, it seemed to help out trimming down her figure.
      Some.
      Nene let out a sigh of relief as she relaxed, luxuriating in the
feel of doing nothing.
      She knew it would not last long.  Not with her luck.

===================


      Evening once again settled across half the world, blanketing the
sky in darkness lit only by the faint pinpricks of light spread across
the heavens.
      The moon was out, glowing a brilliant amber, illuminating the world
around it with its light.  The night sky was clear, allowing for an
unobstructed view of the heavens.
      It was a sight to behold, and one that had often times soothed his
nerves.
      Leon McNichol lay back on the tarmac, his shades surprisingly
absent from his face as he looked up to the stars.  It was a great night
to be out, under the sky, and he was privately thankful for the absence
of any boomer activity.  That wouldn't last but right now he was taking a
break from it all.  With his nerves frazzled as it was and his mind
suddenly going overactive with thoughts of conspiracy and impending
danger, he needed a break right about now.
      Pulling out a well-worn pair of binoculars from his jacket, he
started hunting for that illusive little star that reminded him so much
of his little nightingale.
      The thought of Priss put a small smile to his face.  It had been a
while since he'd seen her perform, and it would be nice to talk to her
again.  Maybe he might get lucky tomorrow and get a date this time.


===================
7:00 PM - Regis Hotel

      Kate Madigan, wearing an expensive three-piece business suit, sat
by the table, sipping her wine slowly.
      The suit she was wearing perfectly accentuated her curves in all
the right places, lending an air of beauty and power.  She knew she was
beautiful and had ensured that the people who saw her saw that.  It was
something that she allowed to flourish.
      People, men or women, she had found, she could easily control with
a little application of her natural good looks and a little touch of that
natural scent.  A small smile crept to her lips as she recalled the times
she had applied that little trick.
      Taking another sip of her wine, she turned her attention to the
people in the restaurant, identifying some of the more influential
members of society.  She quickly dismissed them, knowing none of them
presented any insurmountable threat to her.
      The one she was waiting for, however, did in her own unique way.
Then again, this was Carrie.  She'd kept tabs on her younger sister since
she had left GENOM - just to make sure she was okay.  She'd even helped
her along when she decided to enter the ADP.
      She'd purposefully made Carrie angry.  It had been a risk but one
very much worth it.  She may have said some things that she should not
but it was for the best.
      Carrie had become too good in her field.  Any more and someone
would have done something about it.
      She still wondered why she even bothered meeting up with her
younger sibling.  She never had the inclination to before.  Never really
bothered thinking about it, considering the amount of work she did and
the fact her sister would probably hate her guts by now.
      That was what worried her.  Sentimentality would get someone killed
in this line of work; her own, most of all.
      She banished the thoughts as she sipped her drink again.  She felt
extremely agitated for some reason.  This meeting was certainly robbing
her of her usual icy demeanor.
      That troubled her.
      She had often prided herself in her self-control.  In her ability
to keep cool under pressure.
      It appeared this was not going to be one of those times.
      How can it be that something so simple as a promotion be doing this
to her?  She was frustrated at having to feel so out of control of
herself.  Lucky enough that her secretary had been fixing things up for
her.
      She reminded herself to give Amanda a raise.
      A small sigh escaped her lips as she looked out of the window, idly
wondering if this was really a wise step for her.  Weaknesses were not a
good thing to be found out, so late in one's career.  She'd learned that
early on, when she filed for a position in GENOM.
      She -
      A shadow fell across the window, interrupting her thoughts.
      She turned to stare at a stunning young woman in an elegant dress
that complimented her figure well.  Raven hair with those odd locks of
green in them was pulled back and tied by a white ribbon, with the rest
of her hair cascading down behind her.
      "Ohayou, Onee-chan."

===================


      Sylia Stingray sat by the window of her room, staring out at the
starlit night sky.  It had been close to four years now, when she had
established the Knight Sabers.  Too short a time for her to exact her
revenge, but long enough to know she could never hope to accomplish that
task.
      She could only hope to make amends to the people for what GENOM had
done to her father's work.  Still, it was a bitter pill to swallow,
indeed.  The reality of it had been hard to accept, but it was one that
she had to endure.  Her death would solve very little, in the long run.
      Sylia turned to gaze at the picture sitting by the drawer.  She
could not help but smile in remembrance of that little private party the
others had made for her birthday.  It had been one of those few moments
in her life that she had dared lift the ice queen façade she'd put around
herself.  And, to put it bluntly, it certainly eased some of the stress
she'd accumulated over the years.
      Sylia smiled as she took hold of the picture, recalling that time
not so long ago.  A time when she had finally discovered the family she
had gathered around herself.  She may not be able to kill the man
responsible for the death of her father, but protecting the family she
had more than made up for the pain of her loss.


===================



      "Wonder what's happening up there?" Hiroshi wondered idly.
      "Huh?" came someone's response behind him.
      Craning his head, Hiroshi replied: "Carrie's meeting this sister of
hers, right?"
      "Uh-huh.  So what?" the voice asked.
      "What's the deal between them?  Far as I know, she was an only 
child or something," he told her as he adjusted the seat before he got a
permanent neck injury from his current position, in the driver side of
the van he'd been suckered into bringing to this place.  "So why is
Carrie so mad at her sister that she never mentions her?"
      Rhinoa smiled that little smile that women tended to do when
they're telling the males that they're way over their heads in trouble,
or something to that effect.  Not that Hiroshi had not seen her do that
thing of hers before.
      Being partners with Rhinoa was something of an adventure.  You just
never knew what would happen next.  Of course, it was nice to know that
they tend to walk out of said adventures in one piece.  More or less.
      This was fast becoming one of those days.
      "So?  Why does Carrie never mention her sister?  They got into a
fight or something like that?" he asked curiously.
      "She works for GENOM," came the curt response.
      "What's bad about that?" was Hiroshi's confused reply.  "Almost
everyone works for GENOM these days."
      Rhinoa could not help but smile even further.  "Her sister is the
Director of Operations for GENOM."
      Hiroshi gulped.
      Director of Ops.  A position that many a number people would sell
their souls for or what's left of it.  That single post carried a lot of
weight anywhere in the world.  Roughly speaking, that position handled
most of GENOM's world-wide operations.
      It was the single most powerful position in the world, next to the
Chairman himself.  It is said that even Japan's Prime Minister bowed to
the wishes of the Director.
      And, in this case, that meant Kate Madigan.
      The Chairman's most trusted employee.
      "Oh shit."
      Was that an understatement!!
      Rhinoa smiled.

===================


      Nene let out a sigh of pleasure as the warm waters enfolded her
entire body, easing the aches and pains of the day's training.  For
weeks, she'd been put through a battery of exercises and martial arts
training that left her feeling beat up.  Linna was a very demanding
sensei and there was hardly anything she could do about it when her
friend was in full sensei mode.
      Then there was Priss and her really warped sense of training.  With
Priss, she'd learned to truly hate Sylia's training room.  The number of
times Priss had made her go through the entire training module was enough
to drive her insane.
      Then there were those lifting exercises Priss made her do.  Simple
enough, really, until Priss made her carry a particularly heavy load of
lead on her back while doing jump rope exercises.
      Said exercise had been the last straw that broke _her_ back.  A
very heavy piece of straw, to be precise.
      One that she wielded like an expert malleter as she chased Priss
throughout the complex.  Sad to say even Sylia had been puzzled as to how
she managed that little feat of strength.
      A low moan escaped her lips as the water's heat slowly seeped away
her body's pain.  Much as she did hate the enforced training regimen, she
was pleased with some of the results of it.  Her figure had managed to
trim down quite a bit.  She could actually wear some of her clothes and
not worry how it made her look.
      Still, she wished there was some other way she could do this.  She
did not relish going home feeling like she went a couple of rounds with
Godzilla on the Tokyo Complex.
      She closed her eyes tiredly, her body subconsciously settling for
an extended hot soak.  She was going to need all her strength for
tonight.

===================


      Iczer-2 frowned.
      The situation was unacceptable.  How it even happened was beyond
her.  Somehow, Michiko had apparently convinced her to go out shopping
with her.  Normally, she would have declined, citing other pressing
matters needed her attention, such as those signals she'd been detecting.
      The patterns were similar to Nagisa's but different, suggesting
possible synchro candidates.  Iczers, like her, were created with the
specific necessity to find suitable partners for synchronization.  Both
her sisters shared Nagisa but it was now apparent that the young girl
that had changed her fate so much was now gone.
      Her search proved harder than expected.  The signals pulsed
intermittently and even disappeared entirely for days on end.  Once she
had almost had a lock on one of the signals, but had been unable to
pursue it with the untimely arrival of the ADP in the area.
      Iczer-2 had been roaming the city for weeks, often times having to
deal with the local street toughs and biker gangs that infested the area.
She'd plowed through them without too much trouble, but would have
preferred to be left alone.
      It would be worthwhile to note that Iczer-2's actions had decreased
local crime by a third.
      By the end of the third week, she had concluded that she would need
to find some ways to sustain herself in this city while she stayed here.
The money she'd pilfered from her attackers was enough to suit her needs,
but staying longer would deplete it quickly.
      That would mean having to degrade herself into working.  She did
not relish the thought, but liked the alternatives even less.
      The street trash hardly gave her a decent workout anyway.  She
could have handled some of the boomers that happened her way but chose
not to interfere with the locals.  Attracting undue attention was to be
avoided as best as possible.
      As for finding some means of support, her options for work were
severely limited.  After all, she was a weapon of war, bioengineered to
be capable of leveling an entire world without too much trouble.
      Unless someone was willing to pay her to conquer the world....
      Not something to consider.  She'd turned her back on that chapter
of her life.
      But what then?
      The answer to her problems had been a surprise.  Upon passing by a
small shop, she found a group of roughly dressed males accosting an old
couple.  Without a second thought, she'd gone in and dealt with the fools
in the usual fashion.  The couple had been very thankful to her and had
asked if she needed anything.
      Seeing an opportunity to solve her problems, she asked to be taken
in, to which they readily agreed.  Since then, she'd helped the old
couple in the shop.  The couple had even offered to teach her to cook.
Doubtful of the need, but nonetheless curious, she'd agreed and found
herself liking it a lot.
      She was no master chef but she was learning.  And quickly.  She
liked it very much but tried her best not to show too much enthusiasm.
      Back to the matter at hand, Iczer-2 was not pleased with being
forced to wear such apparel.  The dress was nice, even comfortable to
wear but she did not approve of the frilly trimmings nor the hat that
went with it.  Her choice of clothes was blouses and pants or jeans as it
presented her little problems if she were to engage in combat.
      How in the world she'd allowed Michiko to even make her wear it was
lost upon her.  People had died for a lot less by her hands.  So why was
she even letting Michiko do it?
      The answer came to her without too much trouble: She was a sucker
for the kawaii puppy-dog look Michiko had apparently perfected into an
art form.
      She wanted to kill something but would probably have to find a
couple of street trash later on and blow off some steam.
      Iczer-2 absolutely hated wearing a dress.  It made her look silly -
in her point of view, anyway.
      "You look so kawaii, Iczer-chan!!" bubbled Michiko, her eyes
twinkling in delight.
      Iczer-2 made a frown, glaring ruby daggers at the reflection of her
friend in the mirror.
      "I hate being called cute," she stated in voice cold enough to
freeze nitrogen.

===================



      Mackie Stingray was in a bind.
      His sister was going to kill him.
      He was dead, or will be, when his sister finds out about this.  He
sighed as he entered the building, wondering just how the heck he was
going to explain this one to his sister.  One thing about having a genius
for a sister was the problem of making plausible excuses.  It was a pain
making one, especially to Sylia and her icy glare of disapproval of him.
      The dry cleaners assured him that the stains could be removed but
it was going to take a day to get it all out - at extra cost.
      That wasn't the problem.  How to explain it to his sister was.
      It was an accident.
      His sister was not going to like it, though.  He still could not
understand why women made a fuss about clothes and more so with Sylia.
True, the one that he'd ruined was perhaps Sylia's best one, but he'd
have it around by tomorrow.
      Mackie sighed, his shoulders slumped as he tried to wrack his brain
for some kind of excuse.  Letting his legs carry him through the flight
of stairs towards the penthouse, he searched for a way out of his
predicament - petty and inconsequential as it was - his head was on the
line here.
      Sylia was not above petty reprisals.


===================


      For once, Leon was actually happy with the way things were going.
Ever since that boomer incident a couple of days ago, no new incidents
had occurred.  That meant he was pretty much free to go to Priss's little
concert tonight - as soon as he finished typing up his reports.
      God!  How he hated doing that.  It reminded him way too much of the
good men and women he'd lost and of the innocent civilians that he could
not reach in time.  He did what he could with what he had, but he knew,
just like everyone else, that sooner or later, even that would not be
good enough to save even themselves.
      "LEON!!!" a voice hollered from a familiar office behind him.  Only
this time it was female.  "Get in here!!!"
      Leon McNichol frowned as he wondered what could possibly be the
matter with the Chief.  Leon glanced at his partner, who was also wearing
a puzzled expression.  Shrugging, Leon drew his shades and sauntered into
the office.
      The woman in question was their new Chief of Police, replacing the
old Chief who had retired to another country.  Leon liked the woman's
attitude and certainly supported her in her war against the higher ups.
      "What's up, Chief?" he asked in a pleasant tone.
      Chief Yuriko Kushinada looked up from her terminal, motioning for
the detective to take a seat.  One hand moved quickly over the keyboard
as piercing blue eyes regarded her guest.
      "Detective McNichol," she began, leaning on her high-back chair,
"my predecessor had mentioned you to me."  She eyed the monitor,
examining the data it held for a bit before continuing.  "A young, brash
detective who seems to have the knack of getting into a lot of trouble
and generally managing to come out of it alive."
      Leon smirked, remembering the multitude of scrapes he'd been in.
Personally, he wasn't too keen on getting himself killed, but somehow
Fate seemed to have taken an interest in his life - not that he was
complaining.  It was filling out the reports that he hated.  Nene would
be glad to help him out as a favor, but her fees were not something he
had in abundance.  Those meal tickets were extremely hard to come by!
      After all, he was only dedicated to his beloved Priss.
      Leaning against her chair, she steepled her fingers, gauging the
young man before her.  Investigations by her people had revealed him to
be a trustworthy man, just like her uncle had assured her before.
      His record, marred with reports concerning discipline and attitude,
gave her the impression of a man who went to severe lengths to get the
job done.  Leon had even refused promotion a couple of times as it would
have removed him from the field.
      Many would have scoffed at such an attitude.  After all, anything
that got you out of the firefight was good enough.  Front line men of the
ADP had a _low_ life expectancy salary and benefits aside.
      Aside from all that, almost everyone in the ADP had to admit that
the detective was indeed pretty good in his job - something she could
definitely attest to, upon observing the reports she got from the recent
firefights.
      Just the right man for the job she had in mind.
      "You are aware of the recent reshuffling of the department."
      "Yeah," Leon answered.  "Not that it would do any good in the long
run."
      Yuriko could not help smiling at that quip.  Certainly summed up
what she personally felt in the matter.  She'd complained about being
kept in the dark about it, until she took over the department barely a
couple of months back, after her uncle had retired from the last case he
had to handle.  She knew her uncle would have chosen Leon but, knowing
the board's reaction to his name, not to mention what Leon would think of
the matter, he simply chose the best option.
      Her.
      She'd been happily enjoying her R&R from her job when he'd called
and asked her to take over.  How her uncle managed to get her railroaded
into it had been a surprise, as she had long ago severed her connections
with the police and the military.
      At the age of thirty-three, she was looking forward to a retirement
of total bliss.  Free from the military and the police.  Just lounging
around taking care of her little bakery and stuff.  Nothing to do with
covert ops and killing people.  Just another regular citizen.
      Afraid not.  Uncle had to drag her right back in.
      What greeted her in the ADP had been one complete surprise after
another.  She could not believe the condition the department was in.  How
in the seven hells her uncle even managed to keep it all together was
simply beyond her.  For the first time since she got roped into the job,
she was pissed off.
      The people she talked to afterwards were quaking in their boots, so
to speak.  The board was by no means off the proverbial hook as she went
to great pains making sure they got the idea.  Having blackmail material
on them and threatening to kill off a few certainly helped in reaching
the decision she wanted them to make.  She did have to regretfully order
a few discreet murders to make her point.
      The board had readily agreed after that little example.  Of course,
knowing that she could get away with it, as well, helped them reached a
favorable conclusion.
      She could care less if every one of those that survived her
personal spring cleaning of the board wanted her dead.  Her people could
handle it and, if necessary, kill off a few more to educate them further
on the futility of even thinking about getting rid of her.
      She wanted the board afraid of _HER_ totally.  Fear was an ally she
would use to the hilt in this little game from which she had long thought
of retiring.  Aside from the fact she was a wee bit rusty on execution,
she was beginning to like this job her uncle had dropped on her lap.
      Anyway, back to the matter at hand...
      "I've considered quite a number of candidates for what I'm about to
create."  She pulled out a dossier from her desk and gave it to a puzzled
Leon.  "As you seem to be the best qualified for the position, I'm giving
you command of the new anti-boomer task force."
      Leon examined the papers, breezing through most of them until his
eyes caught on to some of the details.
      "I've done some of the leg work already.  The file there already
contains certain people within this department with talents in certain
areas of police work.  As you can see, I'm taken great pains to ensure
that the people to be involved in this free from any outside
obligations."
      Leon nodded at that, knowing full well what _that_ meant.
      "As for the equipment, they're being handled by my people.  The
tech crews being assigned to your group will be taken care of by Chief
Engineer Carrie Yushinori."
      Leon blinked at that.  *This is shaping out to be a very
interesting day,* he thought.
      "I'm going to let you go over the files.  I've included all the
necessary release forms and signed them already.  I'll give you the
liberty, if you choose to add more people.  Of course, they'll have to
undergo the usual checks first.  I want the team formed and ready for
action ASAP."
      "There goes my request for a two week vacation," he sighed out
loud.
      Yuriko smiled.  "Get this team ship-shape and running smoothly and
I just might push that request through," she propositioned, holding up
one request from a certain overworked detective.
      Leon chose to say nothing.
      "Get to it!"
      "Yes, ma'am!"
      For once Leon was actually looking forward to this.  The satisfied
smile on his face as he came out of the Chief's office continued to
puzzle his partner though....

===================


      "What do you want to talk about?" Carrie asked quietly as they
waited for their orders.
      Kate sighed, knowing she could hardly get out of this predicament
she got herself into.  Perhaps it was indeed time for her to make amends
to her younger sibling.  Heaven knows she owed her big time for some of
the things she'd said to her.
      Kate carefully composed her speech.  It would not do to have her
sister suspicious of her actions.  She glanced at her sister and saw the
light of distrust evident in her eyes.  Not surprising, since she would
have done the very same thing, anyway.  After what had happened before,
she could hardly fault her sister's distrust of her.
      "I just wanted to talk.  To spend some time together.  You know,
catch up on things."
      Kate Madigan could not believe her words.  It felt... it felt so
unlike her to be hesitant and unsure.  Why is it that every time she
confronted her sister, she would fall apart like this?
      Carrie was taken aback by Kate's words.  She blinked in confusion,
wondering if this was some sort of bizarre nightmare or something.  She
pinched herself a couple of times, assuring herself of the validity of
the event.
      "........"
      "You seem surprised," observed Kate wryly - not that she was
feeling any different.
      "Shouldn't I be, with what you've just said?" countered Carrie, her
voice devoid of any emotion.  "I know you've been watching me in ADP.
I'd like it to stop.  It's bothering me at work," Carrie complained in a
voice that demanded immediate compliance.
      Kate raised one questioning eyebrow at the request.  "Be more
careful of what you're planning, sister dear," she cautioned.  "I cannot
protect you if you try to be stubborn."
      "Why even trouble yourself over me, Madigan?" Carrie demanded
coldly.
      Kate winced at the use of her name.  "I'm still your sister no
matter what happens."
      "You lost that right years ago," Carrie shot back.
      "Revenge will only destroy you in the end, Carrie.  Accept what has
happened.  The past cannot be changed.  I have chosen my path and you
have yours," Kate said.  "There is nothing more you can do.  Let it go,
and lead your life as you had before."
      Carrie hated GENOM.  Hated it for what it made her sister into.
She wanted revenge and she would have it one way or another.
      Joining the ADP had been the first step in her plans.  It was also
probably the safest place for her to develop her instruments for revenge
against the people who had destroyed her sister.
      "Do you really hate me that much?" came the question, shaking
Carrie out of her reverie.
      "Yes... and no."
      Kate blinked.  She was not expecting such an answer.  Not with the
way she'd treated her _that_ time.
      "I am sorry for that."  She turned to stare at the window or, more
specifically, the reflection of the room in it.  "The world is not a
place for the naïve.  I learned that the hard way.  If you want
something, you get it the quickest possible way.  There is no one out
there to help you.  You cannot trust anyone save for yourself."
      "Nice speech," Carrie drawled as she stirred her drink, "but it's
nothing more than a stupid damn excuse for what you are!  You did this to
yourself!  And I'd be an idiot not to know you enjoyed doing it!"
      "It comes in my line of work, sister," Madigan said flatly.  "After
all, all's fair in love and war."  Especially war.
      "......"  Carrie stared at her sister with her mouth hanging wide
open.  "I think you're reading too many romance novels in your spare
time."
      Kate smiled.  "Really now?"
      And that was when things got _really_ interesting......

===================


      "Wonder what's wrong?" a concerned feminine voice spoke up.
      "Huh?"
      "Nothing's happening," she stated.
      "And that's supposed to be a bad thing here?" he asked.  "What are
you expecting anyway?  Bomb blowing up the entire hotel?  Boomers
suddenly interrupting their dinner to lay waste to everyone inside, save
for one person?  That guy Largo proclaiming another revolution?  Well?"
      She shook her head in mind amusement.  While the probability of
such events happening wasn't that far off, she was expecting Carrie to
come busting out of the hotel and anxious to bring the entire building
down with something along the lines of a tank or, better yet, a particle-
beam satellite.
      Carrie had never been one to share her secrets and the ones that
she did were normally wheedled out of her through _other_ means.  After
all, she was Carrie's best friend, right?
      "At least she hadn't blown the entire building over their heads,
yet," she replied cryptically.

===================


      A shadowed figure leapt across the rooftops, blending perfectly
within the darkness, as it sought out those that would be perfect for its
creator's plans.  Nothing could be seen, save for a vague outline of
black within the shadows.
      It was big though.  Large enough to even give hyperboomers pause.
      It was out hunting for suitable humans pliable to its mistress's
need.
      So far, it had only found a single candidate, but its mistress
needed more, if her plans were to be successful.  Perhaps tonight it
would find some more candidates for her.
      But first, it required a little snack....


===================


      Another door opened somewhere within the suburban area of MegaTokyo
located in the outskirts of the city.  It was one of the few areas left 
that survived the Great Kanto Quake of 2025, not to mention the
reconstruction efforts of GENOM.
      The quake had killed a lot of people and had reshaped the future of
humanity as well.  For, within the ashes of Tokyo, GENOM had risen to
power, becoming a world power all by itself.
      Life had moved on since the quake of 2025.  The city had slowly
been rebuilt with the help of boomers.  But others had been unable to
cope with the loss, while others have resumed somewhat normal lives after
it.
      Tsutomu Senkawa was one such person.
      He'd lost a lot during that incident and had never fully forgiven
himself for it.  He had moved on but still carried the memories of those
he had lost.
      Especially his wife, Natsumi Senkawa.
      He sighed.  *You should learn to let it go, you know,* someone
scolded within him.
      *I have, Birdy,* he replied.  *But it doesn't mean I can't stop to
think about it.  Losing Natsumi hurt a lot, and even time cannot dull the
pain completely.*
      Birdy could only offer a smile, knowing just how much Tsutomu did
love his wife.
      *But not enough for you to chase after that woman, huh?* she asked.
      Tsutomu closed his eyes, shaking his head in amusement.
      *Yes.  Erika Won is a very beautiful woman and -- *
      * -- with a mind as sharp as her tongue,* Birdy finished for him.
      *It's part of her charms,* Tsutomu defended.
      Birdy shook her head.
      Tsutomu smiled as he recalled the first time he'd come face to face
with the mercurial executive secretary of the president of Nergal
Industries, Erika Won.  He'd been working for the company for over a year
and had been rushing to the office when he'd accidentally crashed into
Erika on the way in.
      The encounter was disaster made flesh as Erika flayed him alive for
his clumsiness.  It had been the worst dressing down anyone had ever
seen.  Getting one's self killed by a boomer would have been a wiser
choice than what she'd done to him.
      Of course, it had hardly mattered anyway, as he laid eyes on the
most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
      Tsutomu Senkawa was in love.  And all was right with the world.
For him anyway.
      Birdy sighed, shaking her head in defeat as her 'partner' recalled
that incident.  The woman had all but called Tsutomu a filthy, stinking,
brainless, no-good bastard that had no right to even stain the world with
his presence.
      Then again, she did!  She hardly remembered much of it since she
was pretty pissed off herself at the woman at the time.  Of all the years
since they'd merged, Birdy had slowly begun to respect Tsutomu's
determination and skill.  He may not be as gifted as many others but it
was enough.  She doubted she could have lived through everything she'd
been in if it had not been for Tsutomu.
      Of all the times this had to happen!!
      What came after that could have made a fortune in the movie
industry.  She could have made a bundle of money with it if she could get
away with it, which wasn't going to be possible most of the time.
      She sniffed in disdain, her action conveying her displeasure over
the matter.
      *I don't know why you even bother with her.  I, for one, would
suggest you drop the woman off and start looking into dating that Hikaru
girl from Internal Security.  She's a pretty nice girl and seems your
type.  That Erika woman would rather marry a boomer than even consider
dating you.*
      "I love her, Birdy.  Nothing is stopping me from trying," Tsutomu
said out loud.
      *You like her that much?* she asked in disbelief.
      "You got it, Birdy," he said confidently.
      Tsutomu was never any good with the opposite sex.  Too stuck up in
his beliefs and probably watched too many anime concerning females and
perverts.  Then again, boys his age _were_ perverts, one way or the
other, in her point of view.
      Natsumi had to be the one to lead in their relationship for quite
some time and, even when they were both married, Tsutomu was as dumb as
ever.  At least Tsutomu did one thing right during the wedding night.
Birdy attributed it to all those ecchi mags his friends had around.
      And here he was now, chasing after a woman who wanted nothing to do
with him.  Yet, he pursued her relentlessly, much to the Erika's
irritation.
      Birdy decided to reply in the most appropriate manner available to
her.
      *BAKA.*


===================


      Iczer-2 sighed as she adjusted the fit of her clothes.  Clad in a
simple black silk blouse and weathered jeans, she hardly looked the part
of a weapon of mass destruction and more like a young woman going out for
a night of fun and relaxation.  She smiled at the irony of the situation.
      Iczer-2 wondered what her sisters would think of it.  She was
pleased with the way her life seemed to be developing on this primitive
little world.  Life, so far, was fairly simple and enjoyable to a degree
-- a far cry from her nomadic ways.  She was, however, inwardly saddened
by being unable to meet Nagisa again but her friend, Michiko, was someone
she treasured just as highly - if not more.
      Michiko had been the very first person she actually trusted enough
to tell her little secret -- not that trashing a boomer in front of her
would have allowed Iczer-2 any means of avoiding the truth.  Her friend
had been more than supportive of her, helping her learn more about the
world she lived upon.
      Upon introspection, this world appeared to be no different from the
countless others she had journeyed to in the past - a world driven by the
need to expand and by simple instincts of survival and necessity.  Of
course, there were other things that drove a race into the future.
Primal things like greed and lust for power was just as evident on this
world as any.
      The only difference she saw would have to be the people.  Try as
she might, she could not fully comprehend the nature of humans.  She
found the task rather daunting, as she could hardly understand these
humans.
      Michiko was one such case.  The daughter of the owners of the
restaurant, Michiko was a simple young woman with a quiet fondness for
books and art.  She was a very perceptive individual and was intrigued by
Iczer-2's icy cold demeanor.  Iczer-2 had blatantly ignored Michiko's
inquiry over herself, choosing to merely stare at her with those ruby
eyes of hers.
      Michiko was nonplussed.
      Iczer-2 still remembered the time when she had been so irritated by
the young woman that she'd considered doing something about it, like take
her to a quiet corner and make her understand _some_ things.  But just
looking at Michiko robbed her of her resolve.  Something about those big
brown eyes.  It was then that she began to have serious doubts about
herself and the things she'd been doing on this planet.
      Everything seemed so pointless!!
      Nagisa was dead and here she was slaving around like a common
human!!
      She had made up her mind to just leave the planet when Michiko
asked her out, as she had no one to accompany her to the temple festival
held in Kyoto.  Deciding to humor her, she accepted.  After all, it would
not hurt to stay for a little bit longer - even if it was merely to
satisfy one human's request.  Unbeknownst to her at the time, it was one
of the very first steps she would take to understanding her sisters and
answering her questions.
      Iczer-2 smiled as she recalled the one time they'd spent the night
together in some night club Michiko's friends had dragged them both.
Both were apprehensive of the crowd, coupled with Iczer-2's dismissal of
the males and Michiko's inability to hold her liquor.  One thing led to
another and things got out of hand.  How in the world Michiko had even
managed to hide that bullwhip under her clothes was beyond her.
      Suffice to say that night had been a most unforgettable night in
her life.
      Who would have thought that hiding beneath the bubbly and innocent
- sometimes irritating - exterior could hide a young woman with a strange
fetish with leather clothes and whips.
      Thinking of it sent shivers down her spine - not that she'd ever
admit _that_ to anyone.  She'd kill them first before they ask that
question again.  Still, learning that a young, bookish girl with inch-
thick glasses who dressed far too conservatively had an alternate
identity that loved leather and whips and had a body to justify all that
_was_ scary - even for an Iczer.
      A knock on her door shook her out of her reverie.  Turning around,
Iczer-2 saw the door open slightly as Michiko popped her head into the
room.
      "You ready?!" she wanted to know.
      "Yes," Iczer-2 replied.  "Where are we going this time?"
      Smiling, Michiko walked into the room dressed in a simple beige
flannel blouse worn under a red leather sports jacket she'd recently
bought, coupled with a black leather mini-skirt and thigh-high leather
boots with two-inch heels.
      Iczer-2 raised a questioning eyebrow at Michiko's sudden choice of
clothes.  Normally, she'd be dressed in an oversized blouse and long
skirts to conceal her favored attire.
      "Ummm... is there supposed to be a special occasion I should be 
made aware of here?" asked Iczer-2 curiously.
      Michiko giggled as she twirled around in her getup.  "You like?"
      "A divergence from your usual choice of attires," came the
rebuttal.
      Smiling coyly, Michiko struck a sexy pose as she replied: "A girl's
gotta show off every so often.  Besides, the place we're going tonight is
special."
      Iczer-2 grinned, shaking her head.  "I certainly hope so.  What
would your grandparents say if they ever saw you in that getup?"
      Letting the comment slide, she noticed Iczer-2's apparel.  "Iczer-
chan, where's that dress we bought?  I was hoping you'd going to wear
that one."
      An eyebrow twitched.
      "Please?"  Michiko pleaded in her cutest voice.
      Iczer-2 glared cold red eyes at Michiko.
      "No."
      Michiko was unperturbed by that glare having been used to it plenty
of times.
      "Okay," Michiko said dejectedly, her eyes gaining that awful sad
look in it that would have twisted Big Gold's heart, if she had any...
which she didn't.
      "No," Iczer-2 repeated in a firm tone of voice.  "No frills."

===================


      "Is everything ready?"  a feminine voice asked within the darkness.
      "It's done!  Everything's been prepared as you'd planned it,"
another female answered in a saccharine voice.
      "How long is he going to take, anyway?  The party's going to start
without him!" said an exasperated voice - also female.
      "We'll just have to wait," declared the first one.  "He should be
home in a little while."
      "I certainly hope so.  I don't want to miss out when the fun
starts," the third female said hopefully.
      "Ummm.... can I ask a question?" the second asked.
      "Yes?" the first female asked.
      "Why are we talking to each other in the dark, Sylia?"
      Sylia Stingray blinked, apparently caught unawares of the situation
she was in.  Actually, she was surprised she'd only noticed it just now.
      Nene-chan was right.  It _was_ dark in the room.  That surprised
her.
      Before she could adequately formulate a reply, the lights went on,
bathing the entire room with fluorescent brightness.  Three heads looked
up to the door where a young man with an unruly patch of black hair was
entering the room, a defeated look on his face.
      Sylia frowned as she noticed her younger sibling's expression.
      She also took note something missing.
      "What's wrong, Mackie?" she asked in a concerned voice.
      "Ummm... well, you see... a funny thing happened on the way....
hehehehehe...," stammered Mackie.
      Sylia frowned, not exactly liking where this was going.
      "And... well....  I
kindafellontheroadandgotyourstuffsoiledandeverything."
      Sylia's eyebrows twitched.
      "Errrr....  the cleaners said they'd get it fixed up by tomorrow,"
placated a nervous Mackie.
      Sylia stared at her brother, obsidian eyes narrowed in displeasure.
      "That was my favorite dress," she stated in flat tones.
      Linna and Nene cringed at the coldness of the voice.
      It would appear that winter was going to be a bit early this
year....

===================


      In another part of the city, two sisters stood atop the observation
deck of the Regis Hotel, taking in the gorgeous view of the city,
resplendent with multicolored jewels amidst an inky black background.
      This far up, one could almost forget about the troubles of the real
world.
      Almost.
      Kate could not truly understand what she was feeling right now.
She questioned her actions, wondering why she had even considered meeting
with her younger sibling after having removed her from GENOM.  A small
voice within her was happily cheering her decision, filling her with
warmth she had never thought she would ever miss again.  She closed her
eyes for a moment as she tried to get a firm grip on her emotions.
      Glancing at her sister, she hardened her resolve - even if it was
her sister, it would not do to lose her edge.  That small voice
questioned her resolve, demanding the reason as to why she would so
callously treat her own flesh and blood like some corporate entity to be
ground to dust.
      The answer came to her very painfully: Because that's what she had
been trained to do.  To recognize threats and to eliminate them.  Kill or
be killed.  That was the only way to survive in this world.
      Kate glanced at her sister, Carrie, who was leaning across the
forward railing, humming a familiar tune as she watched the endless
procession of lights that flowed like a river across the city.  A smile
parted her lips as she watched her sister.
      In all the time she'd watched over her, today was the only time she
saw Carrie laugh like this again.  It was good to see her sister laugh
again, if only for a little while.
      For Carrie, the night felt like a dream come true.  What she had
first thought to be a hostile encounter had fast become a reunion of
sorts for the two estranged sisters.  In a way, she was glad to spend
some time with her sister, even if it was only for a little while.  It
gave hope for a chance to find some way of reconciliation.  A way to
steal back her older sister from GENOM's clutches.
      One arm snaked across the intervening space, wrapping itself around
Kate's arm and holding it with a viselike grip as she leaned on her older
sister.  Kate gingerly lay her free hand on her sister's head, stroking
it lightly as she murmured words of reassurance to her younger sister.
      "Don't leave me, onee-chan," Carrie muttered softly.  "Don't leave
me alone anymore."
      For the first time in her life, Kate Madigan hesitated, unable to
answer.
      Closing her eyes, she gave her promise: "Perhaps, someday."
      *Perhaps someday.*


===================


      *I wanna go out,* Birdy informed him.
      Tsutomu merely smiled as he let Birdy take over for now.  He was
expecting it, actually.  Birdy was never one to stay cooped up inside of
him for too long.
      The change was quick as his body suddenly shifted slightly as mass
was redistributed all over.  Opening her eyes, Birdy hopped off the
couch, bounding for the bathroom to get a decent shower and then cut
loose in town.
      It had been a while since she'd even bothered to go out like this.
Ever since they'd merged into one body, managing who controls the body
had been a daunting task.  Most of the time, Tsutomu got control with her
tagging along and generally making his life hell at school and then at
work.
      Birdy could not help snickering a bit as she recalled just what a
wimp Tsutomu was back then.  Absolutely no backbone towards women.
      Not that the status quo had changed too much since then.  True,
Tsutomu's matured by quite a bit, but overall he was still the same old
geek she'd mistakenly toasted while she'd been chasing a criminal.  Life
had been relatively quiet since the Revi incident a few years back.  She
still hated the woman but had grown to respect her brilliance and
dedication.  Without her help, she would have probably ended up dead
already.
      Humming to herself, Birdy riffled through her clothes as she
pondered where she was going tonight.

===================


      The shadows lengthened as the night wore on.  The city of MegaTokyo
was alive with activity as multitudes of people went about their lives
under the light of the moon.  Life took on a different form for many at
night, as people from all stations sought some measure of comfort within
the various bars and dens located in the less salubrious part of the
city.
      This was hardly any problem for those who seriously wanted
something.  This was the part of the city that thrived upon the base
desires of any man.  No one city in history lacked such a place.  In
terms of economics, it was there to provide goods and services normally
not available to buyers.
      But such conveniences came with a price.
      Still, like anyone else, it wasn't such a bad place, with its own
integral code of ethics that ensured the peace of the area... more or
less.
      In a certain bar known to all as Hot Legs, another form of
entertainment quite unlike what its name implied was about to start.
Within the jam-packed bar, people eagerly waited for their favorite
singer to make her appearance.  Hot Legs was widely known around the city
as the best place to be, if you wanted music and booze.  It helped that
the place had a decent cook to go with the drink.
      Still, what really made the place tick was because of its selection
of bands.  Priss and the Replicants had made quite a name for themselves
within the confines of Hot Legs, attracting all manner of customers to an
otherwise average bar.
      Success had been limited for the retrotrash singer but the money
was good as it could get.  The rumors had it that she'd pretty much threw
the last producer that offered her a contract with a record company.  The
reasons were not known and no one really wanted to know anyway.
      As the crowds grew in number, the Replicants readied themselves for
another night of song and dance.
      Priss Asagiri eyed herself critically in the full-length mirror.
She was dressed in a red strapless leather leotard cut low across the
chest but cut high along the waist.  Over it she wore a simple leather
mini-vest strapped together by four buckles along the length of the vest.
Gleaming black leggings made from the softest nylon covered her legs.
Fingerless opera-length gloves and lace up, knee-high boots completed her
getup.
      The clothes were perfect: accentuating her curves and lending a
somewhat dangerous look to her.
      *Nice,* she said to herself, a smug grin on her face.
      Hearing a knock on her door, Priss quickly donned her trademark
blonde wig and snatched her necklace on the dresser.  Whistles of
appreciation and awe came from her bandmates as they save her get-up.
      "Looking great there, boss!!" Poe Gibbson remarked with a grin on
his bearded face.
      Whistles of appreciation came from the others.
      "The crowd's going to go wild when they see you in that outfit,
Priss-chan," Anita observed delightedly.
      "Indeed.  I like the get-up.  She looks hot enough to eat," a
sultry voice said in a near-whisper.
      Priss turned to see her lead guitarist Reiko Hajime leering at her.
She shook her head giving Reiko a small smile.  "Don't even go there,
Reiko," Priss warned.
      Reiko pouted.  "Party pooper!!" she accused in a hurt voice.
      "You already got me, anyway!" protested a slightly irate Anita.
      "Mou...," Reiko complained, as everyone else politely snickered.
      Priss shook her head at the two, resisting the urge to laugh as
well.
      Reiko was a professed lesbian and had been hitting on her ever
since she could remember.  Aside from the fact she was a brilliant
guitarist, she was also pretty good at handling the band's accounts,
which made her quite important, so most put up with her eccentricities -
not that the others were any better.
      Anita, on the other hand, was the darling of the group, so to
speak.  Priss likened her to Nene, without the computer fixation mixed
in, with a little rough, streetwise attitude.  Anita was cute as a button
and generally looked it, unless you just happen to piss her off.  Making
her angry was not a good idea.  Whereas Nene pouted and complained and
generally made it a point to let everyone else know of her displeasure
when she got angry, Anita simply gave everyone the _look_ .
      It gave Priss the shivers just thinking about it.  The _look_ was
enough to give a berserk boomer pause.
      Both women seemed to get along fine, despite their differences.  At
least Reiko kept her libido in check when she was around Anita - not that
Anita's teasings on her choices of partners helped any.
      "Are we ready yet?" she asked her group.
      "Five minutes, boss!!" Shoji called out.
      "How's the crowd, Anita?" Priss wanted to know.
      "The place is packed, Priss-oneechan!!  The guys are going to go
crazy when they see your new outfit," answered Anita, giggling a bit as
she thought about the crowd's reactions.  "Why the change, anyway?  Is it
for that ADP guy that seems to like you so much?"
      Priss frowned.
      "You know.  The guy you usually go with when you eat at that burger
joint," she teased, a smirk on her face.
      "I thought it would be nice for a costume change," she replied
cryptically.
      "Can I get one, too?" she asked innocently.



===================


      Just a few minutes ago, Leon had walked into the jam-packed bar,
his ever-present shades glinting under the strobes of the lights hanging
overhead.  He casually sauntered over to the bar, ordering a simple
scotch to moisten his parched throat.
      He'd almost didn't make it this time, having been kept too busy
reading through the tons of documents the Chief had given him to review.
Most of the documents he'd sifted through earlier catalogue most of the
various weapons and equipment the Chief had requisitioned from the
government.  It also detailed what the Chief wanted him to do.
      Specifically, he was to head the new Anti-Boomer Task Force and
Investigative Unit.  It wasn't any different from what he used, except
this time he enjoyed the full trust of the Chief, which pretty much gave
him the ability to cut through most of the red tape in the police force.
      The Chief's people had also provided him with a list of probable
candidates for the team he was assigned to put together.  Like any other
organization, the ADP had its fair share of moles and bad apples.
      What did concern Leon was the fact that Nene's name was _not_ on
the list.  Of any in the ADP, Nene was the least likely to be involved in
anything illegal, save for the fact that she was the best hacker he knew
and hiding that fact well.
      So how come she wasn't part of the list?
      Nene was popular amongst everyone in the force and had little to no
enemies to speak of.  With her kind of attitude, it was hard not to like
the young woman.  He knew of her skills and had often made use of it
whenever needed.
      Of course, those coupons he paid her with were very hard to come
by.
      *What did the chief know about Nene that I don't?* he wondered.
      Sighing, he eased himself in a nearby table, shelving the problem
for later.  Taking a sip of his drink, Leon looked around the bar,
smiling a bit as he waited for Priss to start the show.
      "LEON!!!!"
      Sensitive ears honed by countless duels with boomers heard the
familiar voice over the din of the crowd cheering Priss's name.  Leon
craned his neck to see Nene Romanova waving cheerily at him.  He saw the
redhead plowing through the crowed like an unrelenting wave of cuteness,
dragging her friends along with her as she homed in on Leon's location.
      "Isn't it past your bedtime already, Nene-chan?" he teased.
      "Hmp!!  Biiiii!!!!!" said Nene.  "I hate you!"
      Laughter met those words.  Nene whirled around to stare at her
friends, giving them the evil eye.  "HEY!!  Why are you guys laughing at
me for?!!!!" Nene demanded, a bit miffed that her friends would turn on
her so.
      "You just looked funny, Nene," Linna told her.  Mackie grinned.
      "Che!!!!  Some friends I have," pouted Nene cutely.
      "Ms. Stingray," he bowed, removing his ever-present shades in front
of the woman.  "I haven't seen you around in a while," commented Leon.
He raised an inquisitive eyebrow at her current choice of clothes.  "And
dressed quite casually, too.  Now _that_ is a first."
      Sylia had a small smile to her lips as she took her drink from the
bar.
      "It was all I had in such short notice, Detective McNichol," she
replied, still smiling.  Her eyes, however, conveyed a very different
sort of idea.
      Her current mode of dress, consisting of a white silk blouse and
black mini skirt, was not what she had in mind for tonight.  She had
reserved a table at the Hilton Plaza for a little celebration and her
brother had to ruin it for her by dirtying her favorite dress.
      "You look very nice in that outfit," he remarked.
      "Why, thank you, Detective McNichol.  I'm sure Priss will
appreciate your efforts of honing your skills with me," she deadpanned.
      Leon almost choked on his drink when he heard that, but could not
help laughing out loud like the rest, as soon as he got his coughing fit
under control.
      Mackie cringed as he saw his sister's gaze falling at him.
      Sylia smiled.
      *Uh-oh.*
      "It wasn't my fault," he muttered to his sister.
      Sylia merely smiled wider.
      "Why me?" he silently muttered.  *I just can't win,* he thought to
himself sourly.
      The lights around the bar suddenly dimmed amidst the raucous cries
of excitement that filled the air.  The cheers raised in tempo the
familiar beat of  'Konya Wa Hurriance' began.
      All eyes turned towards the stage were Priss stepped out from
within the heart of darkness....

===================



      "Where to, now?" Kate wanted to know as they stood in the hotel's
lounge.
      She had never managed to get out of the office overly long and, the
times she did, it had to be with her boomer escorts.  After that incident
with Largo, Quincy had deemed she have some protection against such
occurrences.  But tonight had required some privacy and she'd sent them
back to the Tower.  She glanced at her sister, who wore a calculating
look in her eyes.
      "What?" Kate asked suspiciously.
      "We need to get out of these clothes first, onee-chan."
      "Huh?"
      Without waiting for an answer, Carrie dragged her somewhat
reluctant sister out of the hotel and tore into the streets at speeds
that seemed to defy logic.

      "Looks like Carrie's in a good mood tonight," observed Rhinoa.
      "So, where do you think they're both headed?" Hiroshi asked as they
saw Carrie step into a cab with her sister in tow.
      "You know Carrie.  Anything goes," Rhinoa replied airily.  "Let's
go."

      "Where are we going?" Kate wanted to know.
      Carrie looked thoughtful for a few minutes, one hand cradling her
chin, her head cocked to one side slightly.
      "How about we do some shopping, onee-chan?!!!" she suggested in a
happy voice, something she'd never truly felt like doing for a long time.
"How about that place near the Hilton?"
      Kate nodded, knowing of the place quite well.  It was where she
usually shopped for some of her clothes.  Fairly expensive but very
elegant clothes.
      She frowned.  "Carrie, how are you going to pay for it?  ADP
doesn't exactly pay very well."
      Carrie smiled like a Cheshire cat.  "You are!!"
      Kate merely looked stunned as she allowed herself to be dragged
along, mentally tallying her expenses for the night.

===================


      Iczer-2 cheered as loudly as anyone in the bar as the singer on
stage sang with such emotion in her voice that evoked a myriad of
emotions from everyone present, including her.  The fact that the
singer's outfit was causing as much a stir as her song was not lost on
Iczer.
      As the song wove down to its inevitable end, Iczer-2 stood up and
extricated herself from Michiko's fervent grip on her arm.
      "Where are you going?" Michiko asked.
      "I need a refill."
      "Oh.  Okay."  Michiko was all smiles again.
      Iczer-2 shook her head in silent laughter.  Her friend did not like
being separated from her for too long and neither did she.  It was
startling to know just how much this bond she'd inadvertently made with
Michiko was changing her inside out.
      Still, she was happy.
      Making her way to the bar, she bumped into a young woman with an
odd white and pink hairdo.  What struck her immediately was the fact that
this woman wasn't human.
      "An interesting place to find people," Iczer-2 noted out loud.
      Birdy blinked as she took stock of the woman.
      The woman smiled as she eyed the pretty redhead in front of her.
Lithe as a dancer with meter-long red - no - blood-red hair framed an
elfin face with strange piercing reddish eyes.  She could not place the
species of the woman but for the woman to even know she wasn't human
meant that she was from off-planet.
      There were only a handful of beings that conformed to human
physiology and those were mostly from her part of the galaxy.  After all,
Earth was deemed a special non-interference zone by the Federation and
strictly enforced by the Galaxy Police and even by Jurai.
      She didn't know why they bothered anyway.  No one really followed
it.  Of course, that's one reason why she'd stuck on this planet - not
that she was complaining - but it would be nice to have time on her
own....
      *HEY!!* a voice inside her protested, causing her to smile a bit.
      Turning her attention once more to the woman, "I'd say," she
replied.  "Care to join me for a drink?"
      Iczer-2 shrugged as she allowed the woman to lead the way.
      Back at the table where she'd left Michiko, her friend was quite
put out with Iczer leaving her alone like this.  Huffing in displeasure,
she left the table in search of her missing friend.

===================


      Mackie was drooling at the sight of Priss, his eyes tracking every
movement she made on stage.  A thin stream of drool could be seen
dripping from one corner of his mouth.  He wished he'd brought his
camera.  What a crime that he could not preserve this memorable event!!
He'd known Priss was a babe but with the outfit she wore tonight just
blew it all away.
      Drool began to slowly pool on the table as he stared at Priss,
ecchi thoughts dancing all around his head, as a very put-off Nene sat by
his side.
      Nene was not amused - and it showed.  It just happened that the
person it was directed at was currently eyeing another friend of hers.
      The nerve!!
      Of all the stupid times, it had to be now that she'd pull something
like this!!  Nene was angry!  Here she was, all dressed up for Mackie and
he was openly drooling at Priss!!  If he was to be staring at anyone, it
should be her!
      She tried to rein in her anger.  It simply would not do to get this
angry right now.  She'll deal with this the usual way.
      But how?
      She eyed Priss out of the corner of her eyes, noting with extreme
envy her friend's lush figure.
      *sigh*
      A nudge to her side caught her attention.  "Huh?"
      "Get him out of here, you idiot!" Linna hissed.
      "Why bother?" she muttered dejectedly.  "He's too busy ogling
Priss!"
      "So do something!" insisted Linna.  "You can't just simply give up,
just because Priss looks good in that get-up.  Mackie is a male and you
know how that works.  Grab his attention.  Walk naked in front of him, if
you have to!"
      Nene sighed as she rubbed her temples.  She had prepared so much
for this night for it to be ruined by Priss's trashy stage outfit.
Mackie was _supposed_ to notice her and her only!
      "Alright.  But can I borrow your van?"
      Linna blinked.  "Where do you plan to go?" she asked, worriedly.
After all, she still had three months to go before she's finally paid the
bank in full for the van.
      "Anywhere but here," came Nene's answer.  She swiped the keys from
Linna's outstretched hand while her right hand grabbed Mackie's ear and
towed him away from the premises despite his protests.  Smiling for once,
"Don't worry, we'll be at the Plaza before you guys get there."
      Nene was actually smiling as she dragged her prey out of the
building to somewhere more private, like maybe the park or something.

===================


      In a small secluded spot in the bar, amidst a sea of wildly
cheering people gyrating to the beat of the music that thundered across
the entire bar, two people from vastly different worlds sat together,
drinking a couple of beers to pass the time.
      "Tell me why you're here then, Iczer."
      "Merely to pass the time," she answered smoothly.  "I was bored and
decided to check out this planet once more."
      "You've been here before?" Birdy asked with a frown.
      "Twice before.  Mostly arguing with family and all," came the
amused reply.
      "Oh?"
      "Piddling matters," replied Iczer, as she suppressed the urge to
snicker.  "Nothing of consequence."
      "I am unfamiliar of your origins, Iczer.  I have seen quite a few
species you might belong to but I don't think you belong to any of them,"
said Birdy, her tone suspicious.
      "My people have merely chosen to be discreet in their presence
amongst those of the Federation, Birdy.  My sisters are trying to be
careful of those they meet.  We've had a number of _experiences_ with
visitors."
      *That was saying a lot,* thought Birdy as she caught the underlying
hint in Iczer's tone of voice.  It wasn't surprising, as she'd handled
cases like these before, but something about all this caused her hackles
to stand on end.  She'd figured Iczer to be harmless - in her own sort of
way.
      Only a fool would think this woman was anything but harmless.
Iczer radiated a power unlike anything she'd ever encountered.  A
tempered blade sheathed in the surety of her power.
      She really did not want to know what she was capable of, although
she _was_ tempted to see just what Iczer could do.  Wouldn't hurt to have
someone to talk to about _other_ things.
      "And what about yourself, Detective Birdy Cephon Altirra?" asked
Iczer-2.

===================


      Leon was wearing a somewhat shocked expression at what Priss was
wearing on stage.  He knew she used somewhat revealing get-ups on stage
but this one definitely took the cake.  Black leather and lyrca tights
made her look stunning under the throbbing lights.
      He stared a bit more as Priss gyrated across the stage in response
to her songs.  He looked around the bar and saw the same looks on their
faces.  Hell, Mackie was openly drooling at the table already and it
seemed Nene was _not_ happy about it.
      *Very stunning,* he amended to himself.  *And more.*  The crowds
couldn't have agreed more.
      Priss ended her singing an hour later, utterly exhausted but
extremely satisfied with how well everything went.  Nothing had
interrupted her as she reveled in the release her singing brought her.
      The lights, the cheering, and the song brought her a little closer
to her own version of heaven.  In the end, she was pleased but even good
things come to an end at times.
      Breathing a small sigh, she left the stage and went back to her
room to change.  The damn thing was hot to wear for too long.
      "Great job, Priss-chan!!" cheered the owner of the bar, extremely
glad at the outcome of the performance.  "Hope to see you do this a lot
more!!"
      Priss smiled, knowing it just might come to that, should things
remain quiet.  For as long as no one in the recording companies wanted
her, she would make her home right here.  It was enough for her right now
but it would end someday, as well.  But for now, she was content with
things as they were.
      "Looking better than before, if I do say so myself," a familiar
voice commented wryly behind her.
      Priss grinned as she turned to stare at Leon, who leaned by the
wall, dressed as usual in his work clothes with those ever-present shades
of his.  True, it made him look devilishly handsome, but it hardly
mattered to her, anyway.
      She did like the guy.  Probably more than she'd even be willing to
admit but she did love those times they went out to talk and eat out at
that burger joint they both frequented at odd times.
      "What's up, Leon?" she asked gruffly, catching the towel he threw
at h