The Saga continues!  Here's the next installment, and as always, C&C is
greatly appreciated, so let me know what you think!

Coutuva.
+++++++

Project A-ko and all original characters Copyrighted by
Soeishinsa/Final Nishijima, Central Park Media Corp., and
Island World Communications Ltd., and are used without 
permission, hopefully to entertain and promote this 
excellent animated series.
*********************************************************

Author's note:  <> indicates someone speaking in other
than their normal, native or usual languge.




Renewed Acquaintances - Part 5
Crossing the Line
------------------------------------------------------------------


	It had been bothering her for the last hundred miles or so... a
blue van that kept showing up in her rearview, occasionally slipping back
out of sight, only to reappear minutes later.  It seemed to keep a measured
distance from her, and if she slowed down or sped up, it would stay right
with her.  Her face darkened as she wondered who this could be... D
certainly wouldn't resort to an Earth vehicle to trail her, given that she
had far faster and more advanced facilities at her disposal.
	That left only either her former employers, or worse, someone who
felt her touch during those times, and wanted either to hire her or do
something even less pleasant.
	Eiko glanced quickly at little Kiko, sleeping peacefully beside
her to make sure she had her seatbelt done up properly, and that she was
relatively secure in her seat.  She then looked back at her cargo, noting
it was well secured.  Sighing, she began to look for a side road of some
kind, and prepared herself for a little stunt-driving.
        She grinned to herself as she thought about the commercials she
had seen for the manufacturer of her car... "The Best Engineered Cars in
the World." they had said.  She hoped that was true, based on the type of
country that surrounded her at the moment.
	Within a few miles, she spotted a small road that disappeared into
the tree line, and noted that it had a fancy official sign.  That meant it
was a real road, not just a short logging access.  At that moment, she
thanked her former employers for the extensive training she had received
in reconnaissance.
	Coming up on the road, she waited until the last possible second,
then put her foot to the floor, heeling the screeching vehicle into a four
wheeled slide around the corner.  Straightening, she yanked the floor-stick
into second and buried the pedal again, trying to put as much distance
between herself and her pursuers as possible.
	The car literally flew over the well-used gravel road, skipping
off the tops of bumps and sliding wickedly through corners intended for
30kmh traffic.  Eiko had her hands full keeping the vehicle on the road,
but it wasn't something she hadn't done before.
	Glancing in her mirror, she noted that the van was nowhere to
be seen, so she backed off a bit, and started looking for a spot to pull
off the main road and hide temporarily.  Ahead, her wish was granted as
a partially-overgrown driveway appeared at the entry to a corner. Slowing
to a crawl so as to avoid slide marks, she backed into the drive a ways
to keep from being seen.
	Shutting off the car, she listened for the van to approach.  Within
a few seconds, approach it did, racing along at breakneck speed.  Eiko
smiled happily as it sailed right by her.  Starting the car again, she
tried to pull back onto the road, only to discover that she was on a
patch of sand, and the car wouldn't do anything but dig a hole.
	Cursing, she jumped out and stood behind the vehicle, trying to
find a nice strong part.  Deciding that she could get it fixed later, she
kicked the bumper a solid one, literally launching the car out onto the
road.
She frowned as she noted the bumper was now quite a bit higher than it used
to be, but was in too much of a hurry to worry about it.
	Leaping into a somersault, she angled her landing to end up back
in her seat, where she dropped the car in gear, powered around and promptly
matted it.  With a shower of gravel, she shot back toward the highway,
intent on losing her tail once and for all.
	Thankfully, within a few minutes she was powersliding her way back
onto the asphalt, and there was no sign of her tail anywhere.  Grinning,
she looked quickly at Kiko, who, pretty much as expected, had slept soundly
through it all.
	"She's her Mother's daughter all right..." she thought, happily.
	Now only about an hour or so from her appointment, Eiko threw
caution to the wind and kept the pedal flat, hoping that her pursuers were
not aware of her destination.  If they were, she would not be impressed...
and would waste no time in showing her displeasure.


	"Kuso!  They lost her!  They think she's still on the highway, but
have no visual confirmation."  Biko spat, angrily.  "Those idiots!  If we
don't hurry, she'll disappear again... and I'm sure that she's probably
figured out how we found her.  D;  How far are we from the last known
co-ordinates?"
	"<A few minutes, Diatokuji-san.  If she stays on the highway, I
should be able to pick her up on the tracker any time now.>"  D replied,
grinning smugly.


	Shiko still lay quietly in her massive bed, not allowing anyone
into her room.  Many days had gone by with no further word, and she wasn't
even sure she cared anymore.  She hadn't eaten at all since the first word
she had heard, and wasn't the least bit interested in food.  Nothing, in
fact, held any interest for her anymore.
	Not her people, not her life, not even the life of her unborn
daughter concerned her at all, her thoughts locked in a vicious cycle of
wondering why Eiko hated her so much.
	The staff was becoming more concerned with each passing day, seeing
no improvement in her status.  In actuality, some discreet medical monitors
that had been 'accidentally' left operating indicated that she was
dehydrating, and that her metabolic rate was showing signs of slowing.
	Her unborn child was growing slowly, which was a major source of
concern for the medical staff.  According to projections, the fetus should
by now have been larger than it was, and they attributed it's problems to
Shiko's current emotional and physical state.
	Ominously, and based on what little information they had, the
medical staff predicted that if something wasn't done soon, Shiko could
lose
the baby, and quite possibly end up dead herself.
	Upon hearing the report, the Advisor turned off her PIM terminal
and rose from her desk, starting to pace the room anxiously, lost in
thought.
Sighing, she returned to her desk and activated her terminal again.
	Sadly, and with great reservations, she began to type out an Order
of Council, giving her the power to assume the responsibility of caring
for the Queen, over and above her personal wishes. She had only ever done
this once before, shortly before Shiko's mother had died.  She knew it
would require a full vote of the Council for approval, so she arranged
for it to be put on the Agenda for the following day.
	Finishing her grim tasks, the Advisor closed off her terminal again
and sighed, hoping against all hope that the Earth girl would soon be
located and convinced to come.  If she didn't, then the Advisor knew what
her next official function could very well be... and the thought of having
to arrange a State Funeral sent a shudder down her spine.
	Just as she was about to close up her office, she heard the soft
ping of her admit bell, and pressed a small pad to open the office doors.
Her receptionist stepped in, and the Advisor could see a large shadowy
figure behind her.
	"Ma'am... this gentleman has asked to speak to you concerning a
matter of 'utmost urgency'.  Will you see him?"  she asked, bowing
politely.
	The figure stepped forward into the light, and the Advisor's face
immediately lit up.
	"You... " the Advisor breathed, rising to her feet.  "Yes, Kara...
I will see him.  Thank you."  she continued, smiling.
	As the girl departed, the Advisor motioned for her guest to have
a seat, and settled back into her own chair.  "To what do I owe this
unexpected surprise?" she asked pleasantly of her visitor.
	"I understand there's a problem with the Queen... " he began, his
voice friendly but concerned.  "There may be a chance I can help."  He
continued, smiling.


	Eiko stood impatiently beside the car, waiting for it to fill up
with gas.  She had pulled in to a small roadside gas bar to let Kiko run to
the ladies, and decided to gas up while she had the chance.  She knew that
the potential existed for things to get exciting, and didn't want to get
caught short.
	Kiko bounded back to the car, happily announcing that she was
finished, and also mentioned that the restroom smelled funny... something
that Eiko explained was not unusual for a place like this.
	After walking her payment in to the attendant and buying a couple
of bags of chips, Eiko took a moment to ask about the dirt road that led
off behind the station.  It turned out that it lead to the town she was
headed for, just via a much more convoluted or 'scenic' route.  That
information brought a wry smile to her face, and she promptly headed
off down it, hoping to throw her pursuers a curve.
	Her training had taught her that staying on main roads and highways
was the best way to get caught, so she had been looking for an alternate
route for the past while... this seemed almost too good to be true.
	Kiko was getting a major charge out of her mother's driving, never
having experienced a hairpin turn at almost 80km before today.  Eiko had
to grin at her, noting that her daughter was turning out to be a major
adrenaline junkie already... again, just like her Mom.
	The pair continued to race along the old road for several miles,
Eiko giving her car a major Baha-style workout.  She had to admit, it was
performing admirably, given it's short history as a spoiled family bus.
	The road cleared the trees rather abruptly, leading out into a vast
expanse of flat, featureless land, punctuated by the odd group of trees.
Ekio felt herself tense up instantly, knowing that she had just lost her
cover... and the tree line was a long ways off ahead of her.  Matting the
pedal to a squeal of delight from her daughter, she crossed her fingers.
	Abruptly, a large shadow passed over her car, then held it's position
in front of her,  matching her speed exactly.  Looking up, she cursed out
loud at the sight of D's jumpship flying just ahead of her.
	"Hang on, Kiko!"  she ordered, and promptly slammed on the brakes.
The jumpship recovered quickly, circling back and settling to a landing
just
in front of Eiko's car.
	"Wow, Mom!  What's that?"  Kiko exclaimed, eyes wide as hubcaps.
	"Remember that 'man' that came to our last house, Kiko?  That's
who's in that ship.  'He' found us again."  Eiko growled, eyeing the ship
angrily.
	"Oh... that war favor guy."  Kiko observed, her own mood darkening.
	"Stay here, Honey... I'll see what's going on."  Eiko instructed,
stepping from the car and walking toward the ship.  Kikuko stood up on her
seat and watched intently as her Mom strode off.
	As Eiko approached it, the cowl began to lift, gradually revealing
two familiar faces... one of which stopped Eiko in her tracks.
	"You!"  Eiko yelled, pointing directly at Biko.
	"Well, hello Eiko.  Glad to see you, too."  Biko beamed, smiling.
	"D, what the hell is this?  If you're trying to use her to convince
me, then you just *lost* ground!"  Eiko shouted, face red with anger.
	D stood up in her seat and regarded Eiko angrily.  "<Magami-san,
listen to me.  My business with you is not related to Diatokuji-san's
reason
for being here.  She aided me in tracking you down, and asked to accompany
me to speak to you.>" she explained, quickly.
	"Yes, Eiko... I want to discuss something entirely different with
you... something that we should have settled a long time ago.  I won't
mention my business right now, however... You and D should discuss your
business first."  Biko intoned, stepping off the ship and walking toward
Eiko.
	Glancing toward Eiko's car, Biko spotted Kikuko poking her head
over the windshield.  "This must be Kikuko... Her pictures don't do her
justice."  She observed, earning a frosty glare from Eiko.  Ignoring it,
she turned back to Eiko with her usual commanding flair.  "You talk to D...
we'll have our turn... later."  she instructed, and strode back beside the
ship.
	Just as D was about to renew her plea, Eiko heard a vehicle
approaching from the distance.  Reacting instinctively, she found a rock
about the size of her fist, and launched it as soon as she saw the blue van
clear the trees.  It screamed through the air and connected dead center of
the van's grille, stopping the vehicle dead in it's tracks.
	Realizing what was about to happen, Biko ran for cover, and D lifted
the jumpship off and set it down behind a cluster of large trees.
	The now-steaming van's doors flew open, and a group of what looked
like fatigue-wearing commandos bailed out, all brandishing large weapons
and scurrying for cover.
	Eiko turned and yelled at Kikuko instantly.  "Kiko!  Get over here
beside me, NOW!"  Kiko didn't waste any time, jumping over the windshield
and landing right beside her Mom.
	Eiko couldn't help but notice the slick little move.  "Nice touch,
Kiko."  she commented quickly.
	"Thanks, Mommy."  Kiko grinned, gathering a handful of rocks.  "Want
some?"  she asked, offering a few choice selections.
	"I sure do.  Okay, get down behind the car... let's see what they're
going to do next."  Eiko instructed, pushing her daughter gently toward the
car.
	They didn't have long to wait.  As soon as they were all under cover,
the commandos opened fire, the ground around the car erupting into clods of
flying dirt.  Eiko groaned as she heard and felt the rounds start hitting
her
car, getting progressively angrier with each impact.
	Quickly, she shot a look at Kiko, who sat beside her with an anxious
look on her face.
	"Scared, Honey?"  she asked over the din of the barrage.
	"No, Mommy... just wondering when we get to shoot back!"  Kiko
yelled, bringing a grin to Eiko's face.
	"Right now, Kiko!" she responded, standing up and launching a handful
of stones into the trees where she spotted several muzzle flares.  Kiko
also
stood up and did the same.
	Biko, meanwhile, had pulled out her radio and was screeching into it.
"Cease fire, you idiots!  Cease fire!  Her daughter is with her!"  she
yelled, panic stricken.
	It was too little too late, however, as the rocks thrown by Eiko and
her daughter hit the trees, shredding them instantly.  In diving out of the
way, one of the commandos fell on her gun, and it went off, sending it's
discharge into the gas tank of Eiko's car.  Eiko saw it coming and tried
to grab her daughter, but the blast blew her off her feet and dumped her
several meters away.
	Shaking her head, she immediately looked around for Kiko, only to
spot her crumpled body in a heap some distance from where she herself had
come to rest.  In a panic, she ran to her stricken child's side, tears
streaming from her face.
	"KIKO!  My, God, Kiko... Please... be okay..." she sobbed, checking
the small girl quickly for injuries.
	Kiko was still breathing, although slowly.  She didn't appear to
have more than a few scrapes, and there were no broken bones or shrapnel
injuries.
	Gently, she picked Kiko up and hugged her lovingly.  After a second,
she heard the little girl moan softly, and breathed a sigh of relief.
        Laying her down gently, Eiko slowly stood up, fists clenched and
head lowered.  Instantly, she began to emit a white aura that eventually
surrounded her completely.  For several long moments, she didn't move a
muscle, then, she abruptly raised her head and glared at the commando's
position, her eyes simmering.
	Biko and D ran up near her, but stopped in their tracks as Eiko
snapped her head around and glared directly at them.
	"Coming after me was bad enough, but I could have forgiven that..."
Eiko began, voice low and even as she reached for her right sleeve and
rolled it back.  "Fighting with me to force me to go with you... I could
even have forgiven that..."  she continued, rolling up the other sleeve.
"But... you have now forced the issue beyond all hope of forgiveness...
committing the one act that I cannot allow to go unpunished."  she added,
pulling off one wristband and reaching for the other.  Taking a deep
breath,
she focused her glare at Biko with blind, seething rage now flaring in her
tear-soaked eyes.
	"YOU HURT MY DAUGHTER!!" she screamed as she ripped off her
remaining wristband and spread her arms wide before her.  "AND NOW YOU"RE
GOING TO PAY!!" she screamed again, starting to bring her hands together
as hard as she could.
        Biko's blood chilled in her veins... she knew instantly that when
Eiko's hands connected, the shock generated would be sufficient to level
everything within easily a fifty mile radius.  She was about to turn and
run for cover when a blast of wind knocked her from her feet, sending her
sprawling alongside D on the ground.
	Shaking her head and looking up, she was stunned to discover Eiko
and Kikuko were nowhere to be found... and that she was still alive.
She looked over at the equally stunned D and began to laugh, realizing
that her trump card had been played successfully.
	D was the first to speak, totally flabbergasted by the series of
events.  "<Diatokuji-san... what happened?  I thought we were dead...>"
she stammered, looking at Biko questioningly.
	"We almost were... Eiko took off her wristbands... If she had
completed that move, we'd be just so much dust right now." she commented,
soberly.  "Thank God I prepared a little something just in case."  Biko
explained, rising to her feet and dusting herself off.
	"<What did you do?>"  D asked, blinking.
	"I placed a phone call before we left to the one person that could
talk some sense into her... I've no doubt that's where she is right now.
Anyway, I have something to discuss with my 'Team' over there... I'll be
back in a moment."  Biko stated, and strode off toward the commandos.
	D stood up slowly, shaking her head.  She was still shaking from
the events previous, and somewhat confused about where Eiko went.  She
looked into the sky and shook her head, praying that there was still some
hope for the situation.  Based on what Eiko was feeling just before she
disappeared though, D couldn't bring herself to be too optimistic.

	Eiko had the sensation of being grabbed and carried off, followed
by the recognition that something as strong as steel was around her waist,
holding her tightly.   So far gone with rage was she that it took several
seconds for what had transpired to even register as a real event.
	By the time the fog cleared, she felt herself being set down
alongside her daughter, who was slowly rousing from her own
unconsciousness.
Eiko looked slowly around, her eyes coming to rest on a certain very
familiar smiling face.
	"Dad?!?"




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END - Renewed Acquaintances - Part 5 - A Fanfic by V. Coutu.

Comments Welcomed - Flames Extinguished!
coutuva@vecdev.com
coutuva@hotmail.com


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"No, we don't broadcast animation live anymore... it puts too
much of a strain on the Artist's wrists."