Bubblegum Collision
A Bubblegum Crisis fanfiction by Douglas A. Reeves
Part One : Head On!
Looking over her newly-rebuilt armor, Christine Starblade was feeling
rather proud of herself. The data supplied by her client had formed the basis
for some simple modifications, and now she felt more than ready to take on the
task at hand. This time, her quarry would be like nothing she had ever hunted
before, and she savored the anticipation of what was to come.
"Computer, prepare simulation 3863827, using datapacket ZA21."
As she donned her battlesuit, she ran through the tactical data in her
mind. The client had provided her with detailed readouts on the combat
capabilites of the targets, which she promptly adjusted upward as always, but
she wondered what surprises this group might have in store for her. The
computer usually simulated her opponents' tactics well, but if anyone would
escape prediction , it would be they.
Glancing around the holographic cityscape, she whispered, "Begin
simulation."
Her sensors gave her the locations of four targets, and the fight was on.
* * * * * * * * *
"Do I have to" Nene tried to beg her way out of it, but to no avail.
"Yes!" came the unanimous response. Priss scowled at her and said,
"Get in there and do it again! I'm sick of having to save your ass."
"Calm down, Priss," Sylia spoke from the control console. "Nene, I
know how much you dislike this, but if you do not learn to defend yourself
you will become a danger to us all."
"Ok, ok," Nene groaned and pushed open the door to the training
chamber.
"Level five again," Sylia's voice boomed in the chamber as Nene
assumed a fighting stance. "Begin."
At first, things did not go well. Nene's movements were too slow and
too ill-timed to be effective, and she narrowly escaped being eliminated on
more than one occasion. About halfway through the simulation, though,
something seemed to click in her mind. Suddenly, she knew where to attack,
and when; her body's responses seemed more sure. Weeks of training under
Linna's supervision suddenly snapped back into her mind, and when the target
appeared she struck quickly. The hologram froze, registering a successful
strike, and she nearly fell over from surprise.
In the control booth, Priss's jaw dropped. "She CLEARED it?!"
"So she did," Sylia said, then spoke into the microphone, "Well done,
Nene."
Exhausted, Nene just nodded.
"That's enough for today. We'll test you again tomorrow, and if you
can clear it again I will make some adjustments to your hardsuit."
Nene nodded again, heading for the door.
Linna met her there, "That was much better than you've ever done
before. What was different?"
"I... really don't know. It just felt different that time."
Linna nodded. "You're learning. I guess that training we've been doing
is finally paying off."
"I guess so," Nene smiles wearily then turned to head for a well-earned
shower.
* * * * * * * * *
Reviewing the details of the simulation in her mind, Christine smiles...
it was too easy. In fact, she realized, it was exactly that. The data she had
been provided with was supposedly accurate, and she had enhanced it
somewhat beyond that, but something didn't seem quite right about it. Still,
the performance of her new armor was well above the levels she felt necessary
for this job, so she was satisfied. Stepping out of the battlesuit, she decided it
would be a good time for a shower.
As the hot water flowed over her, relaxing her sore muscles, she
allowed her thoughts to drift a little. It was at times like these when the
questions came... "Why do I do this?" "Why do I not seek a normal life?".
The answers, too, quickly came to mind. Ever since her parents had died she
had been bored with the life of a rich, spoiled child. The rush of excitement
that came with her hunting filled a void in her spirit, and her competitive
nature thrilled to the rigors of combat. Of late, though, even this had gotten
boring. It had been a long time since anyone could challenge her; perhaps this
was why she was so thrilled about this new job.
As she dried herself off and looked into the mirror, she again faced the
realizations of what she gave up for this thrill. She was quite pretty, with long
blonde hair and sapphire eyes, and her body was desirable - she could have
almost any man she wanted, but she allowed herself little time for romantic
pursuits. With her money and her resources, she could go anywhere, see and
do anything she desired, but this was not the life she chose. Sometimes she
ondered if perhaps she would enjoy that sort of life... perhaps she could find an
adventure of a different kind, she considered, but at such thoughts another
familiar emotion rebelled, and she remembered why.
* * * * * * * * *
"This should be a relatively simple job," Sylia spoke to the assembled
Knight Sabers. "As you know, the Japanese branch of Stevenson Incorporated
has been at odds with Genom for some time over a military contract. The
Stevenson entry in the competition is being transported from their corporate
complex to a local USSD base, and they have hired us to protect the prototype
from a possible Boomer attack."
"Sounds simple enough," Linna agreed. "Are we supposed to be visible
or secret?"
"They didn't say, so I'm assuming visible. Better if we can deter an
attack rather than fight it off."
"Something seems wrong about this, Sylia" Priss spoke up. "Why
would Stevenson need us to guard their equipment? They have the resources
to do this sort of work in-house."
"I wondered that myself. Perhaps they don't trust their own security?"
"That's a comforting thought."
* * * * * * * * *
"No activity so far," Nene commented.
"Confirmed," Mackie answered, flying far above in the KnightWing.
Looking down on the convoy, he could see each of the Sabers as they hovered
above the Stevenson trucks. The passers-by looked up at them in awe, but
then just moved on as if it was nothing truly new in Megatokyo.
At the front of the group was Priss, who wore a scowl beneath her
helmet. She did NOT like this job... something just didn't add up about it, but
she couldn't quite tell what it was. Even she had to admit, though, that the pay
was too good to pass up. Another reason to be suspicious, to her mind.
The pick-up operation had proceeded smoothly, and they were about
halfway to their destination. Priss could not help but wonder what was so
valuable that the megacorp would be willing to hire them to protect it. Also,
why would such a largely American company work on this sensitive of a
project in Japan... right under Genom's nose? "Too many variables," she
muttered to herself.
"Agreed," answered Sylia, realizing that Priss had not meant to vocalize
her feelings but finding validity in the nevertheless. "Keep your eyes open."
"Nothing to see so far," Nene reassured.
A few minutes, and a few kilometers, passed without event, and even
Priss allowed herself to relax a bit. Still, suspicion was strong in her mind.
Suddenly, a voice cut through the relative silence.
"Incoming!" Mackie called, "Two C-class boomers about half a
kilometer back."
"I see them," answered Nene, turning to face the attackers. "They look
like standard types."
"Brace for battle," Sylia ordered. "Knight Sabers, go!" With a flash of
blue, she fired her motoslave's thrusters and charged toward the incoming
boomers. Glancing right she saw Linna, already on the ground, and she
instinctively knew that Priss was right behind her. The boomers were at gound
level, so she seperated heself from the motoslave and used her jump unit to
land.
Seeing them, the first boomer turned to fire at Linna. Nimbly dodging,
she performed a front handspring and vaulted into the air. Her leap carried her
completely over the first boomer and she fell toward the second. It raised its
gun to fire, but she was coming much to fast. Using her left hand to brace
herself, she drove her right into the boomer's head. The Knuckle Bomber
flared, and explosions gutted the mechanical monster. Turning in the air, Linna
dropped softly to her feet.
The first boomer, not even noticing the demise of his partner-in-crime,
charged on toward the convoy. Meeting him halfway there, Priss fired her
flechette cannon at him. The boomer had expected this, and dodged, but it was
only intended as a distraction. The true threat was behind, as Sylia's sword
pierced the back of its his head. Hydraulic fluid and sparks flew as the boomer
collapsed in a heap, and Priss fired another pair of flechettes into his exposed
circuitry just to be sure.
Looking back, they saw that the convoy had gotten well ahead of them,
as had Nene, who had remained nearby to monitor for more attackers.
Suddenly they heard her cry, "Power surge in the lead truck! It's going to--"
KA-BLAM! The first truck in the convoy was ripped from its chassis
as the trailer it was carrying went up in a massive fireball. Debris rained on
the street around it and thick, black smoke filled the air. Struggling to see,
Nene glanced around in a vain attempt to locate the source of the explosion.
"Careful, Nene," she heard Sylia warn, "We're coming!"
"Sis," Mackie warned, "There's something still down there... can't tell
what or where, though... there's too much interference!"
"My sensors don't show anything! I can't see for all the smoke!" Nene
yelled in desperation. Firing her motoslave's thrusters, she attempted to fly
above the clouds of smoke which enveloped her. Suddenly, on her left, she
saw a bright plume of flame.
"Nene! Incoming!" Mackie warned, far too late. Nene's instincts took
over, and her left arm flew up to block the attack just as she saw it. Her heart
seemed to freeze in horror when she realized -- missile!
An eternal second later, the weapon exploded, its proximity fuse
detecting her arm as she attempted to deflect it. The blast crushed the arm of
her hardsuit, shattering her lower arm and wrist, and she screamed. Losing all
control, she fell from the sky.
"NENE!" Linna screamed as her jump unit propelled her into the air.
The emitters on her gauntlet glinted as she leapt toward the armored figure
which emerged from the smoke, and she drove her attack home. The Knuckle
Bomber made contact... and nothing happened.
"Nani?!" she managed before her adversary's backhand flung her away.
Turning, the armored figure... apparently a woman, though Linna could not see
well, aimed at her with her right arm. Linna braced herself as best as she
could while trying to right herself with her jump unit, and a bright flash
exploded from the hand of the enemy.
The pulse cannon struck Linna with all of its fury, driving her
backwards through a nearby building. Christine could not help but laugh at the
futility of the Knight Saber's attack... she was well prepared for that particular
weapon, at least. Her laughter stopped, however, when Linna came back
through the wall, her hardsuit undamaged.
"Just go AWAY!" Christine screamed, taking aim this time with her left
arm.
The Knight Saber kept coming, no longer fearing her, but was brought
to a sudden halt when Christine's energy web surrounded her. Stripped of her
momentum, she dropped to the ground hard.
"You bitch!" she heard a shout from her right, turning to face, she saw
Priss charging her. Raising her arm to fire again, she saw a blinding flash and
was suddenly thrown backwards.
"Aaaahhh..." she managed weakly as she felt her left shoulder
disintegrate under the force of the blast. The APDS shell ripped through armor
and flesh, nearly severing her left arm, and Christine immediately lost
conscousness from the pain.
Priss watched with angry satisfaction as the mercenary fell amid the
remains of the destroyed truck. She turned around, and all her anger fled her.
"Nene!" she cried, as she saw her fallen friend.
Nene was in a bad way. Her left hand and arm below the elbow were
crushed inside the hardsuit, and she was losing blood rapidly. "Damn... I
KNEW this was a trap," Priss whispered. Nene only groaned, stirring slightly.
Sylia dropped to the ground beside her and picked up Nene. "Let's go.
We've got to get her some medical help, quickly."
"Linna walked up, ahving freed herself from the web. "What about
her?" she pointed at the armored form of their opponent, lying in a rapidly
expanding pool of blood.
"She's dead anyway." Priss answered.
"Probably," Sylia agreed, though not so certain. "We don't have time
to deal with her anyway. Let's go."
* * * * * * * * *
"OPERATOR DISABLED. RETURN TO BASE," Doctor James
Boston read from the monitor screen.
"Damn you, Christine. I knew this would happen eventually," he
muttered, shaking his head an preparing for the worst. As he walked into the
secret garage exit, he saw the mauled battlesuit fly in. It set down on the
ground in front of him and opened, and Christine slumped out into his arms,
still unconscious.
"Dear God," he breathed, looking at her wounds, and he carried her to
the medlab.
* * * * * * * * *
Sylia was distraught as she looked over the X-rays of Nene's arm.
With help, they had managed to stabilize her, so at least she would live... but
the doctor's prognosis had not been good.
"Lower arm broken in six places... wrist shattered beyond repair, hand
crushed," she echoed, shaking her head in near-despair.
"We knew this would happen eventually," Priss pointed out. "This is a
dangerous business."
"But I... I walked us into a trap. Waked her," she indicated the sleeping
Nene," into a trap. She's so young... and this has to happen to her."
"It could have been much worse," Linna comforted. "If that missile
had hit her body instead of her arm..."
"...then she would be dead," Sylia finsihed. "and it would be my fault."
"NO!" Priss turned violently, barely supressing an urge to slap Sylia
across the face. "It is NOT your fault! She knew this job was dangerous
when she took it! Get a hold of yourself!"
Sylia sighed. "Maybe... perhaps you are right. Still, it is time we
rethought some things."
* * * * * * * * *
"Ohhhh..." Christine moaned as her eyelids fluttered open. "Ouch."
"Ouch," Doctor Boston repeated. "It's good to see you awake again."
"What hit me?"
"APDS shell. Designed to disable a boomer in one shot - I'd say you
came out of it pretty well."
Looking over to her left side, she said, "Cybernetic shoulder?"
He frowned. "You can tell?"
"If it was real, it wouldn't look that good... unless I've been out a lot
longer than I think."
"Just over a day, actually. You're recovering pretty quickly."
"What about the armor?"
"You intend to use it again?" his voice took on a very diapproving tone.
"Certainly. I have a score to settle."
"You damn near died, Chris." He reminded.
"That's why I pay you so well," she shot back.
"Whatever," he sighed, turned, and walked out.
"I guess he just doesn't understand," she thought to herself, then lay
back to get some more sleep.
* * * * * * * * *
The blare of Klaxons jarred her from her slumber. Rolling out of bed,
she moved to the wall intercom. "What the hell is going on out there?" she
demanded.
"We're under attack!" came the frantic response from the gate guard.
"Type 12-B boomers!"
Slapping another button, she shouted, "Prep the backup battlesuit. I'll
be down in two."
"You're in no condition to fight, Chris," Doctor Boston objected as he
strode into the room.
"Maybe so, but someone has to stop them from ripping this place
apart."
"True," he acquiesced. "But be careful."
"Always," she smiled at him.
Two and a half minutes later, she was suited up. The doors opened to
show a front lawn that looked more like a warzone. She had spent a great deal
of money on the luxury of a lawn in this city, and the sight of it being torn to
pieces infuriated her.
"Go to Hell, Genom!" she cried as she charged into the fray, ignoring
the pain which flared through her left arm as she lifted it. Turning to face the
nearest boomer, she fired her energy web. The cyberdroid stepped right into
the transparent mesh, and it closed around him. A quick burst of the pulse
cannon shattered the metal beast's armor like so much glass.
A flash on her right attracted her attention, and she nimbly stepped
aside as the second of her adversaries fire its machine gun. The missile
launcher swung up over her shoulder, immediately registering a lock, and she
fired. The boomer swiftly dodged the missile, and it was taking aim for
another shot when the weapon swung around and struck it in the back. Gouts
of flame shot from its joints as it collapsed.
"Two down, how many left?" she asked, the adrenalin in her system
cancelling all her pain as she warmed to the battle.
"None left. Apparently Genom wasn't expecting you to put up much of
a fight."
"Bastards... attacking a woman when she's down. They'll pay for that."
* * * * * * * * *
"Sylia, take a look at this," Priss indicated the news announcer.
"... a mysterious armored figure fought off to Bu-12-B military-type
boomers on the estate of Christine Stevenson this afternoon. Miss Stevenson,
21 years old and the majority owner of Stevenson Incorporated, could not be
reached for comment, but it is known that her corporation has been one of
Genom's few competitors in the market for military hardware. Genom
executives declined our request for an interview regardng the incident..."
"Interesting."
"At a glance, that battlesuit looked very familiar," Linna commented
nervously.
"Maybe so... looks like Genom gave her the short end of the deal,
though."
"Quincy has never been particularly tolerant of failure," Sylia
commented. "This could get very interesting."
* * * * * * * * *
Looking over some blueprints, Christine took a sip from her coffee and
grumbled.
"The data Genom provded me on the Knight Sabers' capabilities was
woefully inadequate. On top of that, they tried to kill me to cover their own
ineptitude. I cannot let this go unanswered."
"I doubt that it was ineptitude, Chris. More likely they deliberately
gave you false or obsolete data, knowing that you would be more likely to take
the job."
"And would be more likely to get killed in the effort, thus covering the
trail. Either way, they are going to hurt for this."
Doctor Boston sighed softly. Once Christine had set her mind on
something, he knew, she could not be deterred. Time after time, he had
watched her don her armor and go to battle, and time after time he feared that
she would not return. This last time had hurt him... the sight of her as she
collapsed into his arms had burned his heart, and he did not know if he could
deal with that again.
"You know I have to do this, James. I have to. Even if I don't
continue this, they're not just going to let me go."
"I know, but... be careful. I almost lost you last time." A tear formed
in his eye as he spoke in a near-whisper. Quickly, he looked away, hoping that
she had not noticed. She gave no indication of having seen it..
...but she had.
* * * * * * * * *
"Nene."
Stirring slightly, Nene slowly opened her eyes. "Sylia... I'm alive?"
"Yes, you are alive," Sylia could not help but smile. "I was worried
about you for a while, but you are a good deal stronger than you let on."
Nene smiled weakly, then cringed as she began to feel again. Her left
arm was a solid mass of pain from the elbow down. Looking over at it, she
saw that the entire lower arm was in a cast, which prevented all movement.
"How bad is it?" she asked fearfully.
Sylia's smile faded, and she hesitated before responding. "I'm sorry.
The doctor says that your arm will heal, but your wrist and hand are beyond
repair."
Nene sighed, and Sylia could see that she was holding back tears.
"I'm sorry, Nene. I really am."
Nene nodded solemnly. "I guess I'm finished as a Knight Saber, then."
"Perhaps not. There is one possibility."
"A possibility?"
"We could construct a cybernetic replacement for the wrist and hand."
Nene bit her lower lip, considering that... "What would it be like," she
wondered, "to know that a part of you was not really you... But then, what will
it be like not being able to use my hand, or be a Knight Saber... and how
would I explain the injury at work... and how am I going to explain my
absence?" Her mind reeled with the rampant worries and thoughts, but there
was really only once choice she could make. Steeling herself to the decision,
she said softly.
"Go ahead."
* * * * * * * * *
END PART ONE
* * * * * * * * *
