Shards
A Story of Bubblegum Crisis
By Shehulk
Warning: The following story contains adult scenes between women.
If you are not of a legal age or a liberal mind, then this is not the story for
you.
This takes place after Changes and I've now entitled the whole series 'BGC
Blues' making this part
BGC Blues 4 : Shards
Part 3
Nene gripped the data strand and twisted back on itself. In real time, the two
boomers who had been about to attack her turned on each other. As the effects
of Nene’s manipulations rippled across the battlefield, the others took quick
advantage of it.
Priss raced through the confused boomers, firing repeatedly at the large
airship that the more critical equipment had been loaded onto. The engines had
engaged and it had been attempting to lift off when Priss had blown the rear
controls and sent it crashing to the ground. As she continued to fire at the
ship Linna stationed herself at Priss’ back and picked of the smaller ships.
Sylia moved like lightening across what had once been an abandoned parking lot,
her saber slashing methodically through the unresisting mechanoids. A trail of
explosions followed in her wake and when the Dobermans were released, they had
an easy path to follow.
Nene felt the jolt when the Dobermans were added to the battle grid she was
manipulating and she warned the others quickly, even as she tried to stop their
approach. <Dobermans! Six of them! Sylia you’ve got two of them coming in at
six o’clock. Priss. Linna. Three heading your way at two o’clock. I’m trying to
take over their command line, but-> Sylia cut her off. < Don’t! The defense
protocols of Dobermans are too dangerous. Turn the surviving boomers against
them and pull back to the Knight Wing, understand? >
Nene heard her and acknowledged, but she just knew that she could stop them.
She did fall back to the plane, but she remained hooked into the system and
tried to divert the Dobermans. She carefully began to twist and turn the data
as it flowed to the heavily armored boomers. She had almost managed to bypass
the codes when the security program struck. It swept out over the strands she
was holding and wrapped around her, immobilizing Nene completely. The program
then tried to ‘erase’ her, thinking she was another program. Nene screamed as
the charge shot through her and dimly she wondered why it was hurting if it
wasn’t real. Seiki was scrambling to block the attack, but wasn’t having much
luck. If they didn’t break the connection then Nene would die from the shock. =
Focus Nene! Help me repel the program! = But Nene was unable to hear her.
Sylia heard her scream and broke off her attack to rush to her aide. “Nene!”
She saw the Doberman advancing on Nene in the same instant that the two behind
her attacked. Sylia leaped high into the air and the rockets that they had
launched against her struck the boomer attacking Nene. It exploded in wild mass
of fire and metal and Sylia had a brief glimpse of Nene’s armor, laying near
the plane having been blown backwards to safety. < Mackie! Get Nene inside and
set the external defenses. > She turned back to the Dobermans who were pursuing
her. “I believe you were looking for me?” Sylia blanked her mind and charged
them.
Priss saw her from the edge of her vision and began to curse, her volume rising
steadily as she backpedaled, trying to find an opening with the boomer in front
of her. The Dobermans were the most heavily armored security boomers that were
made. Designed to work in the weightless environment of space they had one
disadvantage on earth: they were a little slow. Priss fired again with the
impulse cannon and bit back a cry of frustration, as the round had no apparent
effect. The triggered clicked uselessly and she tossed the empty weapon aside
as the Doberman attacked.
The motoslave absorbed most of the shock from the first blow and Priss was only
slightly dazed as she opened fire with her rail gun. The spears struck the
boomer in the face and it fell back, roaring. Priss didn’t waste the reprieve
and the knuckle bombs on both fists primed as she rushed forward. The blows
landed side by side in the center of the Doberman’s chest, triggering the
explosions that blew a small hole in its armor. Priss immediately fired three
more rails into the opening and back flipped as it swung at her. She stopped
several yards away and focused on the boomer as Linna darted in front of her,
two Dobermans in pursuit. “If you don’t mind, Priss, I could use a hand here.”
“I’m not exactly doing my nails here, Linna.” Still she took a moment to strike
out at one of the boomers as it passed, turning its attention to her. “Oh
great.” Priss rolled away from the new threat and wondered where Sylia was.
Sylia watched the plasma blade pass effortlessly through the boomer’s neck and
turned to face it’s partner. The helmet hid her feral smile as she advanced on
the Doberman. “Thanks for waiting.”
****
In the vast void of cyberspace, Nene Romanova was dying. Surges of energy
shuddered through her as the security program tried to halt the threat to the
Doberman’s systems. Seiki fought to keep her connected to herself, knowing that
all would be lost if she were severed from her body. The energy attacks were
scrambling her communications and she had no way of calling for help. Nene
could feel her mind trying to shut down and tried to stay focused on the
program that was attacking her. If she could just find a way to breach it.
Thoughts kept getting in her way though. Linna filled her mind and Nene
regretted her actions and hoped that she would get a chance to apologize. She
was losing her grasp on her link and Nene cried out as she felt a peculiar
darkness claiming her.
There was a strange tremor in the system and suddenly the attacking program was
gone. Nene gasped as the pain stopped as suddenly as it began and opened her
eyes in time to see the security program dissolve into nothing. Nene felt her
heart shoot into her throat as she stared at the being that had saved her life.
Dark shadows seemed to surround the man standing before her, wrapping around
him like a cloak and hiding his features. Nene opened her mouth to speak and
found she couldn’t. She swallowed hard. “H-Hi.” The shadow didn’t respond,
didn’t move. “Thank you. You saved my life.” Feeling a little more confident,
Nene got to her feet, noticing as she did the shadow strand that was flowing
from the being. “You’re the one leaving the shadow trace!” She clapped a hand
over her mouth, hoping that she hadn’t said something wrong.
The sound that came from the phantasm wasn’t at first recognizable, but after a
moment Nene realized it was laughter. Something told her that this man did not
laugh often, as the sound was hoarse and hesitant. “Who are you?”
It’s head tilted to the side and seemed to consider this. “I have no name.”
Seiki was comparing it to everything she had come across in their wanderings,
but nothing compared to the creature. = I don’t think that it’s linked to the
real world. =
“Where do you come from?”
Again, the dark head titled slightly. “I do not know. I… am. I… exist.”
Nene tried again. “When did you start to exist?”
“I have always existed.” It sounded surer than it felt. IT had no memories of
its creation, but somehow IT knew that it had once been like her.
Nene blinked. “Riiiight.” She was vaguely aware of the battle that was still
going on in the real world and Mackie calling to her. “I wish I could stay and
talk to you some more, but my friends need me.” There was no outward sign that
the entity had heard her. Nene shrugged. “Okay, goodbye.”
A dark hand was hesitantly stretched towards her. “You are… leaving?”
“Yes. I need to help my friends.”
There was an almost frightened quality to its response. “But… where do you go?”
Nene realized that it had no knowledge of the real world. “I’m afraid that it
would take more time than I have to explain. I’ll be back though. We can talk
then, okay?”
A grave nod was the only reply.
****
Linna let the laser ribbons that trailed behind her helmet whip around as she
ducked past the Doberman and they sliced through its arm, severing it. She
danced away, looking for another opening. In the back of her mind, she could
hear Inji trying to raise Nene and Seiki with no luck. Linna pushed it out of
her mind and returned to the boomer. Nene would be fine. She had to be.
Priss continued to fire at her boomer as she radioed Mackie for a weapon drop.
“I need the mag-gun! I’m going to let this thing chase me near the plane. Have
it ready.”
Mackie already had the weapon waiting. “Ready whenever you are Priss.” He
didn’t tell her that Nene had not recovered yet. It would only be a distraction
and might cause them to lose focus.
Sylia watched the main airship begin to collapse, section-by-section and felt
an odd sense of detachment. Was this what she had hoped to achieve? Genom would
be on its knees after this blow, but that would not bring her father back. It
would not return the lives of all those that died at Genom’s hands. Sylia
wondered if she had ever had a clear goal in this war. The sound of Priss’
frantic call for back up snapped her from her musings and she sprinted to where
she had last seen them.
The Doberman just refused to die and Priss was getting a little pissed. She’d
fired three magnetic mines at the thing and none of them had even left a
scratch.
Linna tried to neutralize its arm guns as she had before, but this boomer was
ready for her. It caught the ribbons and used them to fling Linna away and into
the inferno of the airship. She crashed into the burning wreckage and had to
dig her way out, costing her valuable time. She could feel her suit beginning
to overheat and sweat began to drip down her face. Warning lights began to
flash and she had a brief moment to wonder if this was how it would end when
something yanked her from the blaze. Linna looked up, expecting to see Priss or
even Sylia. She was totally surprised to see Nene’s familiar red armor standing
above her. Nene helped her to stand and touched the side of Linna’s helmet with
metal fingers. “Are you all right?” Linna nodded. “Good. I’m sorry, Linna. I
didn’t mean to ignore you or make you feel abandoned. I gotta go help Priss,
but then we’ll talk. You take a breather, ‘K?” Not waiting for a reply, Nene
zipped off, leaving Linna to stare after her in a warm confusion.
The two remaining boomers had adapted to Priss and Linna’s styles of fighting
which was what was making them so hard to defeat. Sylia noted this absently as
she decapitated one and spun around to slice through the middle of the other.
Priss watched the fluid grace that was so inherent in all of Sylia’s moves and
a slight smile parted her lips as the boomers were dispatched with that deadly
efficiency. They exploded around her and Priss felt her breath catch as she saw
Sylia silhouetted by twin explosions. The sudden desire that burst through her,
left Priss gasping and she didn’t think she had ever wanted Sylia more than in
that moment. Regret that it could not be followed quickly, choking the desire
and clogging Priss’ throat with tears. “Damn it to hell.”
Sylia heard her comment and turned to her. “Sorry if I spoiled your fun Priss,
but we need to secure the rest of the convoy.” She ignored the pang at Priss’
words, assuming that she had upset her in some way. Sylia targeted a smaller
truck and opened fire, feeling a small release of tension as the fireball
engulfed the truck next to it as well. Maybe this was why Priss wanted to break
things when she was angry. Sylia didn’t have time to speculate as the contents
of the second truck walked from the flames.
Priss saw the boomer and felt a trickle of dread sweep over her. Taller than
the military boomers and seemingly more armored than the Dobermans, this boomer
might a bit more than they were prepared for.
Sylia watched the boomer approach and sighed. Damn Genom and their nightmare
experiments! She extended her plasma blade and charged the boomer head on.
Priss saw what she was doing and yelled at her over the com link. “No! Sylia
stop!”
The words had a startling effect on Sylia as she raced to meet the boomer.
Please, Sylia! Stop! Stop it, Sylia! The echoes of Priss’ frightened pleas rang
through her mind and Sylia could feel them chasing her as she leapt into the
air and began to fall towards her target. In the instant before she made
contact with the boomer, she had a thought: Did she really want to survive
this? In that split second as time slowed to a crawl, Sylia could see herself
clearly, could see herself stay that killing blow and then time snapped back to
speed in a dizzying rush as the boomer opened fire. The blast splintered her
armor like glass and she soared backwards, crashing to the ground with a
chilling screech of metal on asphalt.
Sylia watched the flames reaching high into the sky and wondered why there was
no pain. She could hear Priss and the others calling to her and she saw the
faint glimmer of dawn creeping between the surrounding buildings. She wondered
again, why there was no pain. Maybe she was dead. Taisei was speaking to her,
trying to reassure her, telling her to hang on, but Sylia doubted that enclave
realized that she dead. She looked down at the shards of armor that were
twisted inward on the defenseless flesh inside. Blood was pooling around her
and she saw the reflection of the flames dancing across it. She must be dead
then. Taisei was yelling at her and frantically trying to stop the bleeding. As
Sylia lost consciousness, she wondered if this nightmare would end now.
****
Priss fired at the boomer as she tried to get closer to Sylia. The machine
seemed determined to keep her from her lover and that infuriated the young
woman. Priss took the mag-gun from Linna and marched right up to the boomer.
“Get The Hell Out Of My Way! "As it charged her, she opened fire and
emptied the
entire clip of nine magnetic grenades into its chest. The resulting explosion
didn’t leave enough remains to sweep into a thimble and Priss immediately shed
the remains of the motoslave and ran to Sylia.
The confusing jumble of blood and armor gave Priss new material for her
nightmares. <Taisei! >
= I’m here, Priss. She’s alive, but just barely. We need to get her to the
plane immediately. = She needed a doctor of course, but Taisei was very much
afraid that Sylia would not make it to the hospital without aid.
Priss picked up the shattered armor and raced for the plane. Mackie met her at
the hanger door, his face pale and his eyes frightened. “What the hell was she
thinking?”
= She hesitated in the critical moment. = Taisei tried to stabilize Sylia’s
heart rate with little success. = I managed to repair the damage done to her
memory a few weeks ago. She remembers everything and that’s why she’s been on
self-destruct. =
She laid Sylia down on the deck and climbed out of her armor. <You did what?
Are you insane? Sylia didn’t need to remember that! >
= She thought so and in truth, so do I. Sylia felt that she couldn’t even begin
to mend the rift between the two of you until she knew exactly what had caused
it. = Taisei focused on Mackie. = Mackie, we have to get airborne as soon as
possible, but stay low, all right? = Mackie said nothing, but reluctantly
turned towards the cockpit. He looked back at Priss over his shoulder. “Keep me
posted?” Priss nodded.
She knelt beside Sylia, picking up her argument with Taisei from where she had
stopped. <Obviously, you were both wrong! > Mackie started the engines as
something crashed into the side of the plane Nene and Linna went out to stop
the stray boomers that were attacking them. Priss pulled Sylia’s armor away and
inhaled sharply. Sylia was struggling for each breath. Priss heard the low
gurgle and knew they were running out of time. “We have to get her to the
clinic!”
= Yes, but she won’t make it in time. Everything we need is in here. = Priss
ripped the large medical kit from the hull and opened it beside Sylia. “Now
what?”
= Brace yourself, this might be a little uncomfortable. = Arashi sounded
apologetic.
“What are-?” Pain ripped through Priss’ head and her mind seemed to ignite as
Arashi dumped every scrap of medical knowledge that Taisei had been able to
accumulate into Priss’ mind. She grabbed her head and sank to her knees as the
information kept coming and in some tiny corner of her brain she knew that she
was going insane. Gradually the pain began to recede and awareness returned.
Arashi and Taisei were yelling at her to help Sylia. Priss pulled herself back
together as best she could. “You. God. Damn. Bastards.” She was breathless and
she wobbled slightly as she reached for what she would need.
Priss automatically washed her hands in alcohol, snapped on a pair of sterile
gloves and grabbed a pair of large bandage scissors. She cut away Sylia’s inner
soft suit, exposing the lacerations down her chest. Priss was vaguely aware
that they had lifted off and she saw Nene kneel beside them out of the corner
of her eye. “Priss! How is she?” Priss tossed her an ambubag. “Assist
respiration.” Nene awkwardly did as she asked while Priss carefully and quickly
palpated Sylia’s chest, feeling the soft areas where muscle and bone had been
crushed. She wiped away some of the blood and inspected the wounds, wincing as
she saw the bubbles forming. “Damn. Taisei? You’re my x-ray. Show me.” Images
flooded her mind and Priss could see the internal injuries clearly.
“Oh God.”
= Don’t panic, Priss. I can control the bleeding and damage to her kidneys and
liver. You focus on the larger injuries that I can’t help. =
“Damn you, Taisei! You should have warned me about the damage to her spine! I
shouldn’t have moved her.”
= I can repair that. I can’t do anything about the blood currently filling her
chest. =
Mumbling to herself as she worked, Priss raced to stabilize Sylia. “Heimlich
one-way valve…come on Sylia! You’ve got every other God Damn medical thing in
here…where are the stupid chest tubes?” She pawed through the large case, until
she found the set she needed. Priss tore open the package and connected the
large-bore catheter. Linna winced as Priss picked up a scalpel and made an
incision at Sylia’s side. She pushed the catheter in and was rewarded by the
immediate release of fluid that had been building in Sylia’s chest. “Linna,
grab some bandages and pack the area around the tube.”
Priss grabbed an IV bag of Ringer’s lactate from the medical kit and a tube
set. She turned Sylia’s head away, splashed alcohol onto her neck and
shoulder, and opened a large caliber needle. Priss took a deep breath and
began, muttering under her breath as she worked. “Inferior junction… medial
and middle clavicle… behind the clavicle and towards the posterior… sternal
end.” Priss watched the blood flow into the needle and sighed in relief. “Well
that worked.” She removed the syringe, quickly covering the needle with a
fingertip to prevent an air embolism and inserted the catheter. Priss removed
the needle and connected the catheter to the IV tubing. Tearing open a suture
pack, she stitched the catheter in place. “Linna, hang the bag from the weapon
rack and put a bandage around that catheter.”
Linna did as instructed shooting Priss a worried glance. Her face was almost
devoid of color and her eyes were huge. “Are you okay?”
Priss ignored her. “Taisei, what are her vitals?” Taisei told her and she
increased her speed. “This feels so strange. It’s like being possessed.” Her
words struck something and she wondered if that was what Sylia had felt like.
Returning her attention to Sylia, she picked up the scalpel and made an
incision between two of the larger wounds, allowing her access to the damaged
arteries. Priss began to close off bleeders with several vascular clamps and
set sutures in a few less serious lacerations. It was like a weird dream. The
knowledge was there, but in the vast amounts of data there was nothing about
the way the blood would smell or how slippery an artery could be between your
fingers. Priss vowed that she would let herself puke her guts out just as soon
as this was over.
= Her blood pressure is falling, Priss. =
“Damn! Linna, increase the IV flow rate of lactated Ringer’s.”
Linna looked at her blankly. “The IV Linna! Turn the little valve to the left.”
Cursing under her breath, Priss nodded as Linna did as she had instructed. “I’m
going to make those psychotic little monsters pay for this.”
She’d managed to stop most of the bleeding and had removed several large
pieces of shrapnel by the time they reached the clinic. Linna and Nene donned
their helmets and rushed Sylia inside to the waiting trauma team. Priss began
to clean up the remains of her hurried surgery and silently prayed that Sylia
would be all right. To distract herself she tried to focus on something else.
“Now answer me truthfully, you fanatical little widgets. Can you remove this
mess that you’ve just made in my head?”
Nene and Linna entered as she spoke. “Why would you want to Priss? You’re
practically a doctor! You’re better than a doctor! You can remember
everything.” Nene was too cheerful for Priss’ present mood.
“That’s the problem. I now know three different procedures for by-pass surgery,
Nene. Where in the hell am I going to need or use that?” She tossed the bloody
bandages into a corner and then wrapped the surgical instruments in a plastic
bag to be cleaned later. “I’m a singer, remember?”
Nene saw her point. “Well? Can you remove the knowledge?”
Arashi and Taisei were reluctant to answer and Priss took that for a no. “Thank
you so damn much! I sincerely hope that I can return your little favor one
day.”
Linna snickered. “Looks like you’re a singing surgeon, now.” She ducked as
Priss threw her helmet at her. “Come on, Priss. Surely its not that bad?”
Priss groaned and shook her head. “I have no problem with the sight of blood,
Linna, but do you have any idea how gross certain internal organs feel?”
Linna blanched and Priss nodded. “I now have a huge amount of knowledge
swimming in my head that I pray I never have to use again. It’s all I can do to
keep from losing my dinner now.”
= We did it to save Sylia. = Rather than placating Priss, Taisei’s words had
the opposite effect.
“And that’s another thing! Why in the hell didn’t you stop her?! Arashi was
able to knock me out on demand, why couldn’t you?”
= She acted without thinking! Do you understand? The first indication I had was
when I saw the boomer in front of us. =
Mackie poked his head out of the cockpit. “Should we head home or wait here?”
Priss wearily eased herself into her seat and lit a cigarette with shaking
hands. Now that it was over, she could feel reaction setting in. “Take us home,
Mackie. Taisei can keep us posted on her condition and we need to ditch the
Knight Wing before somebody starts making connections. Believe me, there’s
nothing we can do at the hospital right now. It’s in the doctors hands.” <
Taisei? Arashi? Find a way to let me see what they’re doing to Sylia. >
= We’ll try. = They conferred for a few seconds and then found a way to access
the operating room cameras. Priss leaned back, closed her eyes and watched
strangers fight for Sylia’s life.
****
Sylia opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling above her. Confused, she tried
to sit up and immediately gave up that idea with the rush of pain that washed
over her. Her chest felt like a boomer had sat on it and she groaned. Sylia
looked down at herself and saw a swath of bandages around her chest and
abdomen. A clear tube ran down her arm and over to an IV stand that also
contained a heart monitor. Sylia tried to recall how she had come to be here
and Taisei was more than willing to help her. Memory returned and she groaned
at her foolish behavior. Without a doubt, the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.
= Yes it was. = Taisei was furious. =After everything that she’s been through,
you think that your death will help her in any way? =
Shaking her head, Sylia answered. < No, my death wouldn’t solve anything. I
wasn’t trying to kill myself; at least, I don’t think I was. > She shifted
slightly, feeling the pain spread through her chest and ribs. < How bad was it?
= You almost died… again. You almost didn’t make it here. =
The door swung open and Dr. Juubei entered and smiled as he saw that she was
awake. “Incredible. After injuries that extensive, I thought you would be
unconscious for days.”
Sylia smiled faintly. “Put it down to amazing recuperative powers.”
He shut the door. “And several million nanomachines.”
Sylia’s face went blank and the doctor smiled reassuringly. “Now, now, don’t
panic. I knew what was going on after the first time you came in. After your
‘car accident’. Hmph! Car accident!” He wagged a finger at her reprovingly.
“Plasma burns are not a usual side effect of a car accident.” Dr. Juubei took
the seat beside her bed and leaned back with a tired sigh. “Don’t look so
surprised Sylia. I was a close friend of your father’s, isn’t that why you
hired me?”
Sylia slowly nodded at the older man. He had been a good friend and a trusted
one. She had needed a doctor she could trust with the Knight Saber’s secret,
but she’d had no idea that he had discovered the nanobots. Sylia wondered why
he was telling her now.
“I knew what he was working on and I also know that he would be horrified at
the way his work has been perverted by Genom. I was and am glad to be able to
help your Knight Sabers, but now I’m worried. The hematoma a few weeks ago and
now this… Sylia, you… you seem to be growing rather reckless and I wonder if
you shouldn’t take a break for a while.
“I hardly think that’s nec-.”
He leaned forward suddenly and pointed to the bandages that covered her. “Yes,
it is. Sylia, if you didn’t have a skilled medic on your team, then we would
not be having this conversation. The level of reconstructive surgery that you
required was extensive and I’m concerned about how your nanotechnology will
react with the new implants.”
“I-Implants?” Sylia wondered why the thought shook her so. “What did you have
to do?”
Dr. Juubei opened the file he had been carrying and began to describe both the
nature of her injuries and the steps taken to correct them. “Your entire rib
cage was shattered. There wasn’t enough viable bone left to repair them so we
replaced them with fiber alloy, something I’m sure you’re familiar with.”
Indeed she was. The light weight material was used at the joints of each hard
suit because of its strength and resilience.
“We were forced to replace your left kidney, but were able to leave the liver
as it seemed like it was trying to repair itself. The same goes with your
colon, spleen and your lungs. I found no damage to your heart, which by the way
is impossible so I’m assuming that the nanotechnology repaired that first.” He
skimmed over his notes and nodded to himself. “Oh yes. Your back was broken in
three places. You should be paralyzed from the neck down, but again, I’d say
that any nerve damage was repaired. I found sutures along several of the major
arteries, but they had almost healed by the time you got to me. Beautiful work
by the way. My compliments to Your medic.”
Sylia wondered what had happened from the time she went down to the time she
arrived at the hospital. “Cosmetically, we repaired everything that we could
with the intension of another surgery, but you’re healing fine without it.”
Sylia touched a hand to her bound breasts and the doctor nodded. “I don’t even
think you’ll scar. Your IV has a massive dose of vitamins and minerals. I’m
assuming that the nanos will need them?”
Sylia nodded. “Yes. Raw materials, so to speak.” She had an artificial kidney.
Metal bones. Somehow that disturbed her more than she thought it would. Dr.
Juubei stood and looked down at her. “Sylia I agree with what you’re fighting
for, but there’s no point in waging a war if you aren’t around to celebrate the
victory. Get some rest. You’ll probably be able to go home in a few days, but I
urge you to rest for at least a month. You need time heal and I’m sure that the
nanos could use the break.” He grinned, not realizing how right he was and left
her.
Taisei had listened to the doctor’s recital and decided to jump in. = I could
have fixed that kidney, if he’d given me a chance. I just considered the lungs,
liver and spinal cord a little more urgent. = The defensive tone had Sylia
smiling slightly. <I’m sure you did your best. Thank you, for fixing my
blunder. >
= I didn’t do it alone. Priss sewed you back together. =
Sylia lay frozen as this sank in. < Priss? >
= There was no one closer and I knew that you wouldn’t make it to a hospital in
time. There wasn’t another option. = Taisei was matter of fact.
< I don’t know why. After what I did-. > Arashi cut her off. She’d just been
waiting for Sylia to wake up so that she could chew her out.
= You idiot! You self-serving, whining, bitch! = Sylia flinched as the verbal
assault continued. =Poor Sylia! Are you trying to drive a wedge between you and
Priss? Get this through your think head; Priss loves you. That hasn’t changed
and from what I can see, it never will. = Arashi felt the burst of anger fading
and added. “Wake up Sylia and stop wallowing in self-pity. Priss needs you to
be strong right now. She needs you. = Arashi left as suddenly as she appeared.
Taisei was getting impatient with her as well, but was far subtler. Suddenly
Sylia could see Priss defeating the boomer and racing to her. She felt her
anguish at seeing Sylia lying in a pool of blood and she saw Priss fall as
Arashi mass loaded Priss’ memory, knowing how much it had cost her. Sylia
watched Priss fight furiously to save her life and then felt her frustration at
having to sit by helplessly as the doctors finished what she had started.
A light knock pulled her from her thoughts and she looked up to see Mackie
standing in the doorway. “Hi.”
“Mackie.” Sylia smiled at the flowers he held and waved him inside. “I’m so
glad to see you. I was afraid...” She shook her head.
Mackie set the flowers on the tray beside the bed and sat down beside her. “How
are you feeling?”
Sylia laughed unpleasantly. “Physically? Like I’ve been kicked by a very large
animal. Emotionally? You don’t want to know.”
He took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “Well you look a lot better.”
“Hard not to. I guess I screwed up.”
Mackie shook his head. “Nope. Just reminded yourself that you’re human.”
“Not so much now. I can’t believe how arrogant I was with Priss when she lost
her arm. ‘Here Priss, use this machine. You won’t even miss your own arm.’ How
blind I was.” Sylia’s obvious self-disgust made Mackie frown as her studied his
sister.
“You did what was needed Sylia. Besides, that’s over and done with now. Priss
is very happy with her arm and you’ll adapt to your implants as well. Tearing
yourself up over something you can’t change won’t help anything.”
“You’re right of course. I guess I’m just surprised at how much this has upset
me. I always thought that I wasn’t very human before because of the nanos, but
now,” She shrugged, “Now I realize the difference.”
“Sylia, you know better. The things that make us human aren’t our limbs and
organs, but our hearts.”
Sylia looked at him speculatively. “You’re very positive lately.”
Mackie grinned. “Self defense. You and Priss haven’t exactly been the picture
of domestic bliss.”
“She doesn’t want anything to do with me and I can’t blame her.”
“Sylia, I saw Priss fight for your life with a determination that she’s never
shown before. Under all the fears, doubts and problems, she still loves you.”
“But how do I fix this?”
“That’s the key, Sylia. You can’t fix Priss’ problems. You can’t wave a magic
wand and make everything right again. You’re going to have to go to her and the
both of you work together to overcome this.”
Sylia knew he was right, but she realized that she was afraid. Afraid that
Priss would reject her. It was easier to sit and bemoan what had happened that
it was to try and repair it and Sylia suddenly understood that she had been
hiding. Too simple, girl. You should have seen this sooner. You’ve wasted weeks
allowing yourself to play the injured party, but you’re not the one who’s
hurting.
But where to start?
****
Nene winced as Linna scowled and began to pace the carpet in front of her.
“What! Nene, why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?” Because I knew you’d do
exactly this, she thought silently and wished that Linna would stop towering
over her. She abruptly realized that Linna was still waiting for an answer and
spoke quickly. “Well, there was the battle that was going on and then Sylia got
hurt and then-.”
Linna held up a hand. “Okay, okay. I see. Now tell me about this thing you ran
into in the system.”
Reluctantly Nene did so, not sure that Linna was going to see the entity in the
same light she did. Linna didn’t. “I knew this mental surfing thing was
dangerous!”
Nene shook her head. ‘No, Linna, its not! It-he saved me! I almost died Linna
and he saved me. Whatever he is, he isn’t evil or anything.”
Linna was unconvinced. “Nene you can’t keep doing this. There’s no way of
knowing who or what this thing is. You shouldn’t link anymore.”
The stubborn look on Nene’s face said more than words and Linna knew that she
was wasting her breath. “Have you seen him since?”
“No. I’ve seen the fading trails that he leaves, but not him. I’ve tried to
trace them, but they are routed through so many different ports that it’s
impossible. He didn’t find me by accident that night. He had to know what was
going on and where I was.” Nene shivered as she suddenly grasped the full
implications of that. “He knows who I am.”
Linna paced faster, arms folded across her chest as she thought. “Well, we
definitely need to tell Sylia. She’ll probably have a better idea of what this
thing is.”
****
“I haven’t the slightest idea, Linna.” Sylia sat propped up in the hospital bed
looking slightly frazzled. Linna was torn between amazement that she could look
frazzled and shock that Sylia didn’t know what the creature was.
“Surely you’ve heard of something. Maybe Mackie mentioned something-.” Sylia
was shaking her head. “No. I would have remembered, believe me. It sounds
fascinating, though. I wish I were in better shape. I’d have Taisei link me as
well. We could go on a little hunting trip.”
Linna blinked and stared at Sylia, completely nonplused by her comment. Even
Nene was surprised. “Um, Sylia? Are you feeling all right?” Nene’s eyes grew
round and she cast an anxious glance at Linna. “You’re not…I mean…you didn’t
get hit on the head did you?”
Sylia shook her head, her expression amused. “No Nene. In fact, my head was the
one thing that didn’t get banged up. I’m just restless and bored.” So bored
that
going out and looking for a net being that could kill them seemed like a good
idea.
Linna was scowling at her and Sylia sighed. < What’s her problem? >
= Linna and Nene have been arguing about her linking with the system.
Apparently, Linna even stormed out the evening before the raid. It’s been
remarkably similar to a soap opera lately. = Taisei’s tone made it clear that
she was suffering through the angst that her counterparts seemed determined to
engage in. = I think Inji and Seiki have been at it as well. There’s no such
thing as a quite moment anymore. = The injured air brought a tiny smile to
Sylia’s lips.
Nene and Linna had launched into an argument and know Sylia knew that the
reason it sounded like they were repeating well-worn lines was because they
were. She resisted the urge to pull the covers up over her head and wished that
she were home as it was apparent that she’d never get any rest here.
****
Priss opened her door and groaned when she saw Linna. “Not again.”
Linna shook her head and held up a six-pack of soda. “Not exactly. I learned my
lesson.”
Priss grinned and waved her inside. “Thank God for that. You drunk is a
dangerous thing.”
Blushing furiously, Linna sat down the couch and tossed Priss a drink. Her
memory was a little fuzzy, but she was very much afraid that she might have
made a pass at Priss. “I’m sorry about that. I was upset.”
Priss brushed aside her apology with a negligent shrug. “Just don’t do it
again, please. A jealous Nene is almost as frightening as a drunk Linna.”
Linna choked on her drink and looked at Priss in amazement. “Nene jealous?
You’re kidding!”
“I wish. Do you have any idea how disconcerting it is to be threatened by
someone six inches shorter than you are? I felt like I should be laughing, but
Nene has this weird look she gets when she’s really mad that just freaks me
out.”
Linna had seen that look a lot lately, but had not realized that Priss
considered it to be threatening. “It’s her ‘torn between crying and killing
you’ look.”
“That familiar with it are you?”
“Too familiar lately. I’m just worried about her, Priss. Is that so wrong?”
Priss wondered for the thousandth time how she had fallen into the role of
couple counselor. You’d think they’d realize that I’m the worst person to see
about these things. “I don’t know, Linna. Sometimes I think it might be. Is
this anymore dangerous than when Nene puts on her hard suit? Are you planning
on stopping her from doing that as well?”
“No of course not, but this is different.”
“How?” Priss stared at her contemplatively. “That’s it. You’re there to protect
her when she’s in her suit, but this…. You can’t protect her when she’s
linked.”
Linna thought about this and realized that Priss was right. She couldn’t
protect Nene and that was what bothered her most about the whole thing.
Inji was quick to point out. = If you would practice a little and find out
what you can and can’t do in the system then we might be able to develop some
kind of defense abilities. =
< All right. We’ll start when we get home. > “Thank you, Priss. You’ve made me
realize what was bugging me about this linking business. You’re right, I can’t
stand not being able to keep Nene safe.”
Relieved that Linna was satisfied, Priss drained her soda can and tossed it
into the recycler. She wanted to ask about Sylia, but was reluctant. Linna
saved her having to ask by volunteering the information. “Sylia is doing
better. The doctors say that she’ll be able to go home in a few days. Sylia’s
not too happy about the fact that Dr. Juubei found out about the nanos, but it
makes it a little easier to explain why she’s healing so fast.”
“Oh.” Priss said nothing more and Linna knew that she would prefer to change
the subject. It bothered her to see her friends hurting like this, but she
didn’t know how to make things right again. She was beginning to fear that they
never would be again. “Give me all your money.”
Priss looked at Linna blankly. “Excuse me?”
“I want you to give me your money.”
Priss glanced at Linna’s empty hands and smirked. “Aren’t robbers usually
armed?”
“I’m serious, Priss. I can triple anything you give me within two months.”
“Uh huh, I bet.”
“Trust me, Priss.” Something in her voice made Priss consider it. She knew how
much losing her job had upset Linna and knew also that she had been trying to
find ways to keep herself busy while she decided on what to do next. “What if
you lose it all?”
“I’ll replace every cent with my own money.”
Arashi chimed in Go for it! It’s only money. Priss snarled at her to be quiet
and went to get her bankbook. She refused to touch her safe deposit boxes
though. She handed it to Linna and had the fun of watching her eyes widen as
she saw the total.
“Priss!” She looked at Priss and then at the run down trailer and then back at
Priss. “Why on earth do you live in this place?”
Priss scowled and wondered why she felt the necessity to defend a home that she
herself admitted was on the shabby side. “I like this place, Linna it suits me.
Besides, that balance wouldn’t be that high if I lived somewhere else.”
Linna pocketed the book and smiled at Priss. “Well, you’ll at least be able to
paint the place when I’m through.”
Priss resisted the urge to take it back and mentally waved goodbye to the
money. Oh well. “Knock yourself out.”
****
Sylia was released from the hospital four days later. Priss knew this because
Arashi was giving her constant updates on her condition, whether she wanted
them or not. Priss flew down the highway, aimlessly wandering her way up the
coast and wishing she had been braver. Brave enough to see Sylia sooner. Priss
reflected inwardly that Sylia’s injury might not have been a totally bad thing
as it had caused her to care again. The sight of Sylia’s blood pouring over her
hands made Priss shudder and she blanked the image from her mind. =Nothing like
almost losing someone to make you realize how much you love her. = Priss
ignored Arashi’s gentle prod, knowing that she was impatient for Priss and
Sylia to settle things.
= She’s not doing well, you know. =
Priss tensed. “What do you mean? Taisei said that she was healing fine. What’s
wrong?” Mentally running down a list of things that could have happened, Priss
again cursed the new knowledge that let her know in explicit detail what things
like septic meant. “Is she in pain? Running a fever?”
Arashi wondered at Priss’ concern. = One minute she’s scared of her and the
next
she’s scared for her. I wish they’d quite dodging each other and talk. =
Taisei was optimistic. = These things take time. = Taisei had even estimated a
schedule of time, considering personalities, the level of pain and trauma that
would need to be worked through and various other factors contributing to the
situation. She graciously shared her schedule with Arashi, who studied it for a
moment and then burst into laughter. = You are a seriously disturbed bunch, you
know that? Humans will not conform to a set pattern. Erratic behavior is an
intrinsic part of what makes them individuals and therefore, impossible to
predict. =
= But a continued series of continuous responses to similar- = Arashi
interrupted.
= Will give you a slightly better set of odds when trying to guess what a
reaction will be. There are no certainties with humans. =
Priss was growing worried with the continued silence and growled at Arashi.
<What the hell is wrong with Sylia? >
= Oops. = Arashi ended her conversation with Taisei. = She’s not physically
ill, Priss. Sylia is depressed. She’s not eating or sleeping and Taisei says
that she hasn’t even looked at the business since she’s been home. She seems to
have given up. =
Priss thought about this as she rode, letting the information sink in. She’d
been there herself, in that dark part of the mind where everything was hopeless
and the words that hovered in your thoughts like funeral dirges, were ‘why
bother?’ and ‘who cares’ and Priss’ personal favorite, ‘what’s the point?’
She couldn’t quite picture Sylia in that state. The sense of wrongness was
strong and she slowed her bike, pulling off of the road and turning around. No,
if Sylia was trying to give up, then Priss was going to have to see her. She
ignored the sick roll of fear that twisted in her stomach at the thought and
headed back, to Sylia.
****
Priss stared at the door for a long time before finally gathering her courage
and knocking. Nene and Linna had been watching Sylia all day and greeted her at
the door. Feeling kind of silly for knocking, Priss was gruff. “How is she?”
Linna shrugged and held up her hands. “Awake, but depressed.”
“She’s in the bedroom laying down.” Nene bit her lip. “Should we take all the
knives with us when we go?”
Priss stared at her blankly and then she realized what Nene was worried about.
She laughed slightly. “No. If she really wanted to hurt herself then she’d find
a way.” Priss walked to the closed door and paused. She ruthlessly ignored the
trickle of sweat that was currently working its way down her back and gripped
the doorknob.
She sat on the window seat, her knees drawn tightly up against her chest and
her arms wrapped around them. Priss missed her in her first survey of the room
and was turning to leave when she saw her. Suddenly she lost all of the words
that she had been going to say. As still as a stone, Sylia didn’t betray her
awareness of Priss by so much as a flicker of motion. Priss, still trying to
find the ability of speech, shut the door and leaned against it.
She forced herself to look around the room and was surprised to see that it had
been completely changed. Even the carpet had been replaced and Priss wondered
absently if it had been out of remorse or because she couldn’t get the
bloodstains out. Priss let herself slide down and sat with her back to the
door. She wanted so badly to go Sylia and just hold her, tell her that
everything would be okay. But Priss knew from bitter experience that it didn’t
work that way. In the bright, logical side of her mind, she knew that Sylia was
innocent of the crime she was punishing herself for. But in the darker, deeper
part that never saw the light and housed Priss’ nightmares, Sylia was the star
of the newest batch. She could not get past it and Priss was very afraid that
it would be the final death knell of their relationship.
Sylia looked out over the city but in her mind, she only saw Priss. The utter
betrayal when she had ruthlessly taken away her arm, leaving her virtually
defenseless in more ways than one. Saw her face as she had chained her down,
cut her, raped her. Those images would go with her to her grave and Sylia
suddenly wished that Priss had let her die. “Why did you come with me that
night?” Her voice was soft and barely carried to Priss but she heard.
“You mean the night you took my knife away from me and knocked me on my ass?
Self-depreciating humor laced her voice. She knew the night in question very
well, because she’d asked herself the very same thing too many times to count.
Priss had finally discovered an answer.
Priss saw Sylia’s reflection smile slightly.
She watched her, bathed in the moonlight and seeming as fragile as spun glass.
It was deceptive, that look. “Maybe because I saw something that I recognized
in your eyes.” Sylia turned to look at her. “Something of myself.”
Sylia unexpectedly felt tears well and cursed them silently as she turned back
to the window.
“Why did you pick me?” Priss had always wondered at her choice but hadn’t been
sure that she wanted to know the answer. It seemed to be the time to ask.
Silence answered her and for a moment, Priss feared that she might have stepped
into a shadow, causing Sylia more pain. The answer, when it came, was delivered
in such a very sad voice that Priss could feel something inside her mourn in
sympathy. “Maybe because I saw something in you that I could never be.”
“Sylia.”
She shook her head. “It sounds more dramatic than it is.” Sylia rested her head
against the glass and watched Priss in the window. “You… you were able to let
yourself go, to feel, to react to life instead of trying to out guess it. You
were hurting and so you let yourself hurt. And you used the pain to help you
focus on a course of action.” She laughed harshly. “Oh how I envied you! I
still do. I have to think about it, you see? I… can’t just…feel.”
“You think too much.” Priss brought her knees up and let her arms drape over
them. “But that’s what makes you who you are.”
“Is it?”
Priss exhaled softly. “Sylia, you didn’t rape me. I can’t say it enough it
seems.” The small sound that Sylia made only angered Priss. “Enough of this!
I’m sorry if you’re having such a tough time dealing with something that wasn’t
even your fault! But I can’t help you right now, Sylia. I’m having a few
problems of my own.” She stood up in a sudden motion. “It all boils down to
this, Sylia: I still love you, but I’m afraid.” Priss drew a deep breath and
forced herself to take that step closer to Sylia. “I would like to have your
help getting through this, but if you keep trying to destroy yourself then I’ll
have to do it alone.” Priss turned to open the door and drew a line in the
sand. “I don’t want to be alone again, Sylia. I’ve been there before and it
sucks. If you can forgive yourself and if you can be patient with me then,
well… you know where to find me.” She opened the door.
“Priss.” Sylia slowly uncurled herself from the window seat and stood up. Three
steps forward and she stopped, not sure what Priss would be comfortable with.
“I still love you, too. I can be patient with you if… you’ll be patient with
me.” A hesitant smile graced her lips and Priss felt a tiny crack start in the
wall between them. It was a beginning.
****
End Part 3
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