Finally found some time to write. The second part of his is written, it's
just a quesition of finding the time to revise it. Hoping to do it either
today or tomorrow, but this should be enough for now.

Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot
Chapter 10

Any and all C+C is appreciated. You can contact me at
sommer@3rdm.net

All of my fics are stored at the following:

Larry F's new address at:
http://www.rakhal.com/florestica/d_b_sommer/index.html

At fanfiction.net:
http://www.fanfiction.net/

Or R+C books at:
http://www.fanworks.org

And Angcobra is now storing some of my fics, at
http://go.to/AngCobra

[Standard Disclaimer] I don't own the right to any of the Dirty Pair or
Iria: Zeiram, the Animation characters.

xxxxxxxxxxx

By the time the armored truck arrived at YSC's ground facility, the ten
acres of sprawling research labs called the Holcomb Complex, 'Big Shot' Dane
and the other four members of his mercenary unit had suited up using the
equipment that had been provided by their current employer. As the truck
pulled up to a stop, they poured out of the rear of the vehicle, an imposing
sight to the guards standing outside the loading dock the truck had driven
up to.

Dane was dressed in a bright yellow and blue uniform with a number of gray
lines running up and down the arms and legs. The outfit was a custom made
Farrgan Frame, which ran the fine line between defense and agility. It was
composed of absorption mesh that absorbed kinetic impacts to a large degree,
making the wearer impervious to small arms projectile fire. Whatever shock
the mesh was incapable of cushioning, it would distribute the remainder
evenly throughout the wearer's body, protecting him from all but the most
debilitating of injuries. Due to its skintight nature it afforded the wearer
a maximum of movement.

The offensive power came from the exo-frame embedded in the mesh that
increased the wearer's strength a five-fold. Its use was limited to about
five minutes before the frame ran out of power, but Dane knew that any fight
against their current opponents would not last five minutes, win or lose.

There were a variety of pouches and a belt that held a number of smaller
items at different parts of the body. But they were nothing compared to the
weapons pod that had replaced his right hand. A number of different weapons,
from lasers to masers to projectiles, were concealed in the extraordinarily
versatile attachment that cost more than a standard battle tank. About the
only thing Dane couldn't do with it was scratch his nose.

Artus and his sibling, Harrison, were the next to exit, jumping down to the
ground and landing at the exact same time and manner, their knees even bent
at identical angles as their feet hit the duracrete. The albino and his
dark-skinned brother wore much bulkier exo-frames that were clearly visible
to the naked eye and would provide far more raw strength for longer length
of time than Dane's could. This was augmented by golden bracer attachments
that ran the lengths of the arms and legs, each with sharp edges that would
make brushing against them a painful experience.

About the only difference in their raiment were the items strapped to their
backs. Slung across Harrison's were twin sledgehammers whose handles,
bristling with wiring and readouts, indicated they were no mundane pieces of
wood and steel. Artus had a large powerback whose cables fed into a special
jackport that was embedded in the back of his neck.

The last to exit was the only one who had less on than when he entered the
truck. Stegrax had discarded his trenchcoat, and now stood glistening under
the noonday sun. His cybernetic body was in the shape of a bulky bipedal
dinosaur. The fierce-looking snout was that of a carnivorous beast, while
plates stood up on his back and a long spiked tail was attached to his rear.
It appeared the tail should have dragged on the ground due to its length,
but sensors kept it poised no more than three millimeters above it,
preventing the extra appendage from causing unnecessary destruction. The
cyborg's chassis massed at least two tons, and thumped loudly as he plodded
toward the facility.

One of the guards moved forward from the rest of the group, all of whom had
tensed up at the appearance of the newcomers. While he wore the same uniform
as the others, his was different from the rest by the rank on his shoulders,
which indicated he was a sergeant.

"Greetings," the sergeant said formally to Dane. His hand started to rise
up, intending on a handshake, when it stopped as he realized what he would
be trying to shake. He recovered and settled for a deep bow.

Dane didn't bow back. "You that Milon Sancrest guy?"

The sergeant was irritated by the lack of gesture and curtness to Dane's
voice. "No, he's at the command center keeping a close watch on things, in
case of attack. I'm to take you to him."

"Then let's get going." Dane indicated the sergeant should lead the way.

"I was informed there would be five of you," the sergeant mentioned.

"There are," a quiet voice said in his ear.

The sergeant jumped and nearly went for his side arm. He had never heard the
woman called Whisper approach. She was dressed in a completely different
manner from the others. A skin-tight outfit whose colors seemed to shift to
blend into the background hugged her frame. While it wasn't a perfect form
of camouflage, it made it difficult to see her from anything but straight
on, especially since she was so slender and unobtrusive. She wore a blue
visor over her eyes, with a set of wires leading from it to entry ports in
her neck. A couple of small pistols and a bandoleer of shurikens were her
only form of obvious weaponry.

"We'd better get going," the sergeant seconded, wanting to put as much
distance between himself and the creepy newcomers as he could.

The route through the base took time, with security outposts, at nearly
every corner. As they walked, Dane began interrogating their guide. "What
are the defenses like here?"

The sergeant's mood improved and confidence entered his stride. "Holcomb is
the most secure facility in YSC, outside of the bio center on Arema and the
main headquarters on Danube. The facility is surrounded on all sides by a
ten meter high wall composed of titanium lined duracrete that can withstand
a bulldozer plowing into it. Every millimeter of the area is watched above
and below with overlapping sensors. There's a quarter kilometer of open
terrain between the inside of the walls and the main building, all of that
watched as well. The building's outer wall is composed of meter thick
duracrete with ferriman alloy sheets as well, which can resist small
explosives without being scratched. There are only five entryways into the
facility, all of them with double the normal guard detail and watched as
well. The control center is deep underground in the base, and impervious to
anything short of a small nuclear explosion. With the current crisis on our
hands, our entire security staff is here, as well as others from neighboring
facilities. We now have over 200 highly trained security personnel on site,
all of them armed with at least high duty laser rifles. We also have several
roving teams with heavier weaponry that operate in sets of four. We're as
secure as humanly possible."

"About time I was given something decent to work with," Dane said.

The rest of the journey progressed in silence. They were forced to go
through no less than three different 'checkpoints' where their identities
were reconfirmed. Each was a room lined with thick metal doors and walls and
a host of deadly weapons that would be turned on them should they fail to
pass any of the inspections.

Eventually they came to what the sergeant dubbed the 'inner sanctum' of
Holcomb. After a half dozen retina, voiceprint, and other nearly impossible
to circumvent security measures, they arrived at the control center of the
facility, where the man in charge of the installation was waiting for them.
He was dressed in the same type of white and gold uniform as the rest of the
security staff, though he had an ostentatious number of bars on his
shoulders. He appeared to be in his late thirties, and in superior physical
shape.

He rose to greet them, moving stiffly, yet with a cautious step. He went to
shake Dane's hand until, like the sergeant before him, discovered the
complications that entailed. He bowed, and introduced himself. "Colonel
Milon Sancrest, formerly of Cartasia and a member of his Imperial Warlord's
Black Troops." His chest puffed out in pride.

Dane scratched his head. "Cartasian Black Troops? That name sounds
familiar."

Harrison spoke up. "We killed about two dozen of them last year on
Thermagin."

"Why don't I remember them?"

"They were pretty easy to kill," Artus supplied.

"That would explain it," Dane said in satisfaction, smiling at his fellow
member.

The veins on Milon's forehead bulged in fury. Before he could bluster out an
insult, Dane spoke, "We'll be taking control of the facility now. I'm sure
you've been doing a... competent job, but the real professionals are here.
You just keep operating things like you were while I look over the specifics
and I'll tell you where you need to beef up things."

"I assure you, this building is impenetrable," Milon said, barely reigning
in his anger.

"I doubt that. I can think of three different ways me and my crew could
crack this nut," Dane bragged.

Whisper added, "Of course, if we were breaking into this place, people as
good as us wouldn't be waiting inside to deal with intruders, would it?"

"Heh, there is that, and that's what'll make the difference when Big Z comes
a knockin'," Dane said as began toying with his weapon's pod.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dalia Montenegro was fantasizing about what she was going to do on her
upcoming vacation. She and her ship, the 'Durango', had just entered
Terrakon 6's orbit, and all that remained was to land the beast of a cargo
hauler at the spaceport and it was off for a whole week of unadulterated
fun. Skiing in the Yawew Mountains sounded like the best option. After being
cooped up in a mining ship for the last three months, selling off the ore
into more manageable trade goods, and finding a buyer on Terrakon 6, she
needed fresh air, a landscape, and a real sky to gaze up at instead of the
unlimited vastness of space. There was even a certain customs official who
might be worth spending some time with, she could give a ring,. Hot tubbing,
massages, and a handsome man were all Dalia was looking forward to.

And then the SOS came in.

"Shit!" Dalia punched up the Durango's sensor array in an effort to locate
the source of the distress signal. It was a ship not more than two light
minutes away.

Even as she began reading the specifics of the message, Dalia hit the
intercom and shouted to one of her three fellow crewwomen, "Yo, Trace, we
just picked up an SOS we're two minutes from."

A whiny response came back, "Come on! We're fifteen minutes away from
landing, and we're not a rescue ship. Alert the authorities."

It was times like this Dalia hated her fellow shipmates. By the end of three
months of being exclusively in each other's company, all they wanted was to
not be around one another at almost any cost. Experience had taught Dalia
that working only with women in a confined space was always a bad thing. The
only thing worse would be working with only women and one guy. That had
happened once. Never again!

Dalia's reply was curt and laden with an unspoken warning. "We can't. He's
got a hull breach and venting oxy." She examined the sensor array that
confirmed that the ship was indeed leaking oxygen. "He might not have five
minutes, depending on how fast he's pissing air. So suit up."

"Right, right. Suit up, people! We're going to move out!"

The intercom went dead.

Dalia guided the Durango alongside the ship in question, another cargo
hauler, though of a different make and model. There were no visible signs of
distress, save for the main hatchway being opened ever so slightly. Maybe it
was a systems failure. It didn't matter. The one great law of spacers was
that any SOS was always answered. Tracy and the others would board the ship,
find out what was wrong, secure the crew, then let the authorities deal with
it. Dalia had already forwarded the distress call planetside, and they had
assured her rescue units were on the way and would be there in less than
half an hour.

Through the viewport Dalia watched as the Durango's connecting tube affixed
itself to the ruptured hatch. That would halt the oxygen bleed and enable
Tracy and the others to board her.

Tracy's voice came over the intercom from her space suit's transmitter.
"We're ready."

Now that they were firmly connected, Dalia used the tube's overrides to pop
open the other ship's hatch. There was a brief bust of static as she heard
Tracy call out "Holy-" and then static.

There was a moment were Dalia was caught off guard by the cry. It was
probably nothing. Tracy was prone to histrionics, and made a big deal out of
nothing. She once had the crew fumigate the entire ship on the basis of
finding one cockroach she herself had probably brought in on her uniform or
something. "Trace, what is it?"

There was no response.

"Aimee, Shan, respond!"

Again, nothing.

Then she heard it. A noise that came from the inside of her ship. A low,
dull, thumping sound, as though someone was carrying a great weight, and
each ponderous step sent reverberations through the ship.

Pirates? Could it have been some sort of hijacking? Impossible. No pirate
would be stupid enough to try to hijack a ship in planetary orbit. The
authorities would nail them before they made it to the nearest moon. What
could it be?

The thumping grew louder. Dalia reached under the console and drew the laser
pistol she had concealed there. Whatever was coming, it would end up with an
entire magazine's worth of holes in it. She wasn't a marksman, but with only
two meters between her and the door to the bridge, she didn't have to be.
Once she had dealt with whoever was approaching, Dalia would go over to the
other ship and find out what happened to her crew. And if anything had
happened to them, there would be hell to pay.

The thumping stopped right outside the door. Dalia took a deep breath and
calmed herself as she held the pistol aimed right at the center of the door.
It wasn't locked. There wasn't a need to. Holing up wasn't an option since
she had to get out here and discover what had happened to her friends.

The door slid open, revealing the cause of the disturbance.

Dalia would have described herself as having nerves of steel. She had flown
through asteroid belts while being shot at by an irate rival, dealt with an
ejection into space when a ship of hers had exploded, and even outran an
energy wave from a star that had gone nova when her navigational computer
had made a near fatal miscalculation. But this, this was more than she could
deal with. The gun faltered slightly as her hand lost its strength.

It was then the white head in the brim of Zeiram's top raced out. That
snapped Dalia out of her stupor long enough to bring the gun back up. She
snapped off two shots, both missing the darting head, before it clamped its
mouth on her neck and ripped her throat out.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I still say we should have taken Killgore up on his offer and gotten a ride
down with him," Yuri said as the wind from the open air jeep whipped through
her hair.

"No way! I'm not getting any nearer to that bastard than I have to, and I
don't trust him enough for him not to try something if we're trapped on his
shuttle! The Kreeper V is perfectly capable of atmospheric landings." Iria
made a turn.

"And having two ships on the surface is better than one," Kei added from
Yuri's side.

"You're just laid back about him cause you got a little action in the side,"
Yuri snapped testily.

Before Kei could reply, Iria increased the speed of the vehicle as it hit a
turn, nearly causing the jeep to roll over. Kei and Yuri, sitting next to
one another in the backseat, were squished together as the vehicle made the
turn.

The road turned into a straightaway again and the jeep settled down for a
smooth, fast, ride.

While they were so close together, Kei whispered into Yuri's ear. "Perhaps
it would be best if we didn't mention the little fact I slept with Mikael in
Iria's presence. She's a bit testy about it.

"Right," Yuri said warily as she wondered how they had made it this far.
Killgore had informed them that Terrakon 6 was the next place on Zeiram and
Scorphius' hit list and was only a handful of days away. While he had been
close mouthed about what Zeiram was after here, it was obvious from the
women's perspective YSC had figured out Scorphius was after something
specific and this was the place to steal it.

Terrakon 6 was different from the other places Zeiram had hit. So far
Scorphius had been careful to only attack YSC facilities in isolated spots
that couldn't do much to defend themselves against attacks. While in the
distant past Zeiram had threatened all of Myce, that had been only after
several days of preparation in creating an army of Zeirenoids. Now he was
traveling light, and the possibility of such a huge assault seemed slim with
how little of a head start Scorphius had after the Station Zionacht fiasco.
Terrakon 6 was fully inhabited, and the Holcomb Complex was in the middle of
a megalopolis of twenty-five million people. The armed forces on the planet
were large, and a number of military installations could send warcraft to
the complex within a handful of minutes. Admittedly, it was unlikely they
could bring their full force to bear in the middle of their own city, but
they could take Zeiram down through sheer numbers if it came to that.

Of course, YSC, in its desperation to not let the public know someone with a
personal ax to grind was using Zeiram to systematically eliminate everything
they owned, had not bothered alerting the local authorities that Zeiram was
coming, and instead were relying on the use of private troops, and mercenary
specialists like Killgore, to take Zeiram out. She doubted the planetside
authorities would be kept in the dark for long once the big green
destruction machine showed up. Zeiram had a way of making his presence known
wherever he went. Sort of like herself and Kei, once Yuri thought about it.
That made her frown. They weren't like Zeiram. He went around intending to
cause trouble. For Yuri and Kei, it was just something that seemed to happen
once they arrived.

Since Kei had 'lost' the Lovely Angel's Bouncer, Killgore had offered to
escort the women planetside in his personal shuttle, since his ship wasn't
designed for atmospheric landings. Yuri was looking forward to the idea of
cozying up to Killgore, especially with Kei out of the running since she had
hooked up with her 'little brother' (Yuri was *never* going to let her live
that one down). However, Iria wouldn't hear of it, citing Killgore was more
untrustworthy than ever since Yuri had discovered her mysterious inability
to contact 3WA headquarters. Kei naturally sided with her former guardian,
and Yuri couldn't really counter the argument, so she agreed to travel down
to the planet in the Kreeper V, leaving Moogi and the battered Lovely Angel
in orbit in case they needed backup.

The landing went smoothly, though Iria had insisted on hiring a private jeep
to drive to the YSC facility instead of using the vehicle the company had
provided to escort them there. In Yuri's opinion, Iria was being a touch
paranoid, but as long as she was paying for the rental, it was her business.
Assuming the madwoman didn't crash them into a wall with the reckless way
she was driving.

The city itself was uninteresting. It looked like any other megalopolis, jam
packed with people and buildings, where anything could be had if you knew
which section of town to head toward. Currently they were in a shopping
district. Yuri watched the large stores and their displays of wares,
including some nice-looking clothing. Maybe if they took care of Zeiram
quickly, she could do some shopping afterward before heading back and
informing headquarters of everything that had happened.

Eventually they departed the shopping district and ended up in a
manufacturing one. They traveled unerringly through the streets, heading to
their destination thanks to the internal map that came with the jeep. They
took the quickest route through the city, and in less than fifteen minutes,
arrived at the entryway of the Holcomb Building.

Thanks to Iria's reign of terror through the streets, they had arrived
before Killgore. Now they were forced to wait for him to catch up, since
only he had permission, and the proper codes, to approach their facility.

His vehicle arrived within minutes and he and his men exited the truck,
relaxed and calm. Yuri noted that he and the two dozen of the mercenaries he
had brought along were already suited up, armed, and eager to go.

"Told you they'd beat us," Cross said to Killgore. The effeminate man held
his hand out expectedly.

"Here you go." Killgore handed over a wad of bills, which Cross immediately
tucked into a pocket. Killgore walked over to the women, casual despite the
light armor he wore and the ninety pounds of heavy plasma cannon slung
across his back. "You must have drove like a maniac to beat us here." He
stared pointedly at Iria.

Kei defended her. "I felt more threatened by Zeiram than Iria's driving."

"Not by much," Yuri added, running a hand through her hair to make try to
make herself presentable. While now wasn't the proper place to flirt with
Killgore, there was never a time when it was acceptable to not look her
best.

"Let's just get the hell inside," Iria snapped.

Killgore's companions remained behind him as he walked up to the towering
guard post next to the main entrance to the facility. While there were live
guards present, they remained behind the safety of the walls and observed
everything through monitors that lined the exterior of the facility.
Killgore walked up to a video monitor and stated his name and an eight
letter and number combination. A moment later, a panel slid back and several
other scanning devices came into play. They pored over Killgore, who
appeared bored by the entire procedure.

"Identity confirmed," came a voice from a speaker. The first set of gates
opened up to admit the truck and jeep inside.

"Let Dane know I'm coming in," Killgore said, a hint of uncharacteristic
irritation in his voice. He turned toward the truck, not wanting to walk the
distance to the facility. Just as he was about to enter the back of the
vehicle, a flashing light from high above caught his attention. "I wonder
what that is."

Iria and the others stared upward. She dropped the goggles that rested on
her head over her eyes and activated their telescoping feature.

"Uh oh," she said.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

In the central control room of the Holcomb Complex, one of the
communications personnel relayed a message to his new superior. "The front
gate says Killgore and his people have arrived, Sir."

"Great," Dane grumbled. That had broken the boredom the mercenary had been
suffering from since arriving at the command center, and not in a good way.
He supposed it had been an idle fantasy to expect the target to show up
before Killgore did. Having the idiot arrive after Dane had bagged Zeiram
would have been the ultimate victory. He would have bragged about pulling
one out from under Killgore's nose from one end of the galaxy to the other,
smearing his rival's name in the dirt. The possibility still existed, but it
was trickier with Killgore present. Dane would just have to put more effort
into outmaneuvering his rival, while nailing Zeiram at the same time.

At least by arriving first Dane had control of the facility, even if
Killgore was technically an independent and didn't have to take direct
orders from Dane. At least the oversized buffoon wasn't in charge of the
situation this time. Dane make Killgore stay out of the way once Zeiram
showed up, and he was certain that time was coming soon. His hunter's
instinct was telling him something big was coming, and it was rarely wrong.
Maybe he'd get lucky, and Zeiram would knock off Killgore before Dane
finished the monster himself and earned the hefty bonus for successful
completion of the secondary objective. He handled the small cylinder at his
waist. Oh yes, he was going to receive a large injection of cash above and
beyond the standard contract fee before this mission was over.

Warning claxons blared in the control room. One of the technicians manning
the exterior sensors reported to Dane, "A ship is approaching us from orbit
at a high speed."

"It's trying to land?" Dane asked.

"No sir, it's coming way too fast for that, and it's heading right for the
center of the facility."

"We don't have anything that can take it out!" another technician warned.

Dane turned to Sancrest. "Impenetrable, huh?" He ducked under a console and
waited for the inevitable.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Get down!" Iria cried as she grabbed Kei and Yuri and ducked behind the
jeep, using its body for additional cover. There wasn't time to figure out
the trajectory of the ship as it spiraled down toward the planet. If the
large cargo hauler hit near them, it was over anyway, but if it struck the
center of the facility or the far side, they would have a chance.

Iria's hopes were realized as the breaking jets on the rectangular spaceship
ignited, slowing its decent enough to, while not arrest its progress,
prevent it from striking so hard nothing would be left but a huge crater.
Instead the hauler landed straight as an arrow, front first in the middle of
the complex. The ship's velocity caused it to easily shatter the building
and destroyed a major portion of the interior as well as crumpling its own
front, squeezing it down almost like a giant accordion as the weight and
inertia caused the front to buckle from the stress.

There were no explosions, nor did the vehicle tip over. It rested above the
ruins of the center of the sprawling complex, like a compact tombstone
dedicated to its own demise.

xxxxxxxxx

Dane poked his head from below the desk. He heard the impact, felt the
building tremble, and saw the lights in the control room flicker once. Then
there was nothing else. Surprised, but in a pleasant way, he poked his head
up and surveyed the room.

Others were in similar positions, having abandoned their posts and taking
shelter under their consoles in the hopes of surviving the impact. All that
was save Stegrax, who hadn't moved the entire time. When it became obvious
their impending destruction had been averted, an air of relief and cool
professionalism took over the staff as they returned to their jobs.

The technician that had first observed the spacecraft heading toward them
pieced together what had happened. "The craft's decent was slowed at the
last minute. It still hit hard, but not enough to crack the reinforced
bunkers on the lower levels or anything in the outer areas of the complex."

Another spoke up. "I'm getting responses from people in the outer areas and
lower levels. Most of them seem okay. I'm getting nothing from the center of
the complex, though."

A third said, "Destruction's near total there. Damn, my cousin was working
in one of the chem labs there." He pounded his fist on the console he
manned, then bit down on the fist in worry.

By that time, Dane had fully recovered and assessed the situation, coming to
the only possible conclusion. "Boys and girls, Zeiram has landed and managed
to not only penetrate our much vaunted defenses," he shot Sancrest a smirk.
"but took out a major portion of the security forces here, as well as
causing so much chaos that if I wasn't paying attention, he'd probably get
out of this without anyone firing a shot at him."

"He couldn't possibly have survived the crash," Sancrest claimed, trying to
regain some standing in the eyes of anyone present.

Dane shook his head. "He once survived atmospheric reentry without a
spaceship. He can survive that little crash, especially since he slowed down
at the end. He probably didn't want to take a chance of destroying the lower
levels and ruining what he's come here for." Dane turned to the
communication's technician. "Alert all security forces to gather into their
units and patrol the facility in their pre-assigned routes until they locate
Zeiram. He won't be hard to miss. He's big, green, has a head shaped like a
giant mushroom, and will be trying to kill everything that comes into his
line of sight."

"But sir, shouldn't we have people start with rescue efforts and try to help
the injured first?" the man who had lost his cousin mentioned.

Dane waved dismissively at the man. "Alert the city emergency systems, if
they haven't been already. Zeiram's continued presence here is more
dangerous." And Dane wouldn't get paid for wasting time saving easily
replaceable personnel anyway. Everyone in the entire complex could die, for
all he cared. Only Zeiram mattered.

Whisper was at his side in an instant. "What about that message we received
right before the ship dropped into our lap?"

"Oh, yes." Dane had forgotten that little detail. Now that he considered the
matter, he realized that the chaos might be providing him with a unique
opportunity. He gave an order to the communication technician. "Tell all
security forces to assume anyone going about armed, that is not one of them
or a member of my crew, is hostile and shoot on sight. I'll take full
responsibility." He shot the technician a warning glare.

The technician picked up on the hint. "Yes, sir." He sent out the order.

Dane turned to the rest of his partners and said with intentionally
melodramatic flair, "Now it's time for us to go out into this brave world
and see if we can't dispose of an annoying monster and some irritating
rivals." He turned to go, shouting over his back to the staff, "Let me know
if Zeiram's spotted or if there's trouble."

He waved good-bye to the room's occupants as he led the rest of his people
deeper into the facility.

Xxxxxxxx

"That was no accident. It was Zeiram," Iria stated in cold terms as she rose
from her position behind the jeep. It had served as sufficient protection
from the heat, wind, and debris kicked up by the crash. She hadn't suffered
a scratch, nor had Kei or Yuri as they also returned to their feet.

Killgore and the other two dozen members of his staff exited the back of the
truck and the protection its armored walls had provided, equally unharmed.

Some of the security personnel manning the front gate exited the guard post,
watching in stunned disbelief at the crumpled ship as it stood up embedded
in the facility, like an arrow driven into the body of an animal that had
died instantly and fallen on the spot.

Killgore took charge of the matter as he grabbed the leader of the men by
his collar. "Get us in there."

That shook the man out of his stupor. He ran as fast as he could with the
others, heading directly for the main doors. The distance was covered in
just over a minute with how fast everyone ran, even under the burden of
their equipment.

The security head tried opening the door, but the lights of the scanner were
dark. "There's no power to the doors. I can't get them open."

Killgore turned to two of his men. "Door opener."

Everyone in the unit, save two men he had spoken to, moved to the side of
the wall along the doors. The two exceptions instead moved in front of the
doors, then removed large blocks of some rectangular substance from their
packs. They peeled off a strip of paper from the back of the items, and
stuck them to the doors, where the rectangles affixed themselves. They then
placed small pieces of metal with a digital readout on the top, onto the
items. The men pushed a few buttons, and several lights activated.

Seeing the reactions from the rest of Killgore's crew, and recognizing the
items as fusion blocks, Iria and the Lovely Angels moved alongside the wall
as well.

Within moments the two people that had set up the explosives joined the
other's sides. They pulled out remote detonators and set off the charges.
There was the sound of a small explosion, then nothing.

Everyone removed themselves from the wall and saw that the barrier of metal
now had two holes large enough for two people to walk abreast in there.
Point men from Killgore's team entered first, guns at the ready. After
determining the entryway was as deserted as it appeared, they signaled the
rest of the team to follow.

Once everyone (save the security guard who had chosen to rejoin his men and
wait for new orders) had set up in the entryway, Killgore began to issue
instructions.

"It looks like the long bout with boredom we feared was waiting for us was
all for naught, boys and girls," he quipped. "Zeiram's crawling around
somewhere in this pit, and I want him dealt with once and for all. We're
going to separate into teams of four and prowl around until Zeiram is
located. Once you find him you will not confront him. Instead you will alert
the other teams and then track his movements until we set up an ambush point
to waste him. I don't want any heroics, so don't think you can take him out
yourselves and get killed. Got it?"

There was a collection of affirmatives and head nodding.

"Good. I'm in charge of team one. Cross is head of team two. Cha-where are
you going?" he asked Iria as she grabbed Kei and Yuri by the arms and made
to leave.

"To kill Zeiram, so don't get in the way," she said.

"It'd be safer for us to take him on with everyone around," Killgore pointed
out.

"It's safer not to rely on you or your scumbag partners," she said icily.

The proclamation met with a host of angry glares from the men.

Yuri tried to placate any hard feelings, especially since she'd rather not
have the men try to shoot her in the back for being offended. "What she
means is, you guys are used to working as a team, and we'd just get in the
way. Besides, we work better on our own. I'll give you a ring if I spot
Zeiram," she assured them as she turned to catch up to her partner and the
outer rim bounty hunter.

Once they were out of earshot, Cross said, "You know, she's right about them
being in the way."

"Just find Zeiram. I'll take care of them later, when the time comes,"
Killgore assured him.

The team separated into groups of four and began a search of the building.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Have you ever considered a career as a diplomat?" Yuri inquired of Iria's
back, since the bounty hunter had all but run down the corridors since
leaving the entryway behind, not giving Yuri a chance to catch up.

"I'd be great at it, since everyone would know that whatever comes from my
mouth must be the whole and honest truth," Iria said, though the retort
lacked any vigor. Her attention was solely for what lay in front of them.

"All I'm saying is our lives might depend on one of Killgore's men at some
point, and It would be a major pain if they decide not to do anything since
they'd be happy if we were dead."

"It's already coming," Iria assured her. "Keep your eyes open for it."

"Whatever." Yuri officially gave up. With any luck, they'd finally kill
Zeiram and put all of events from the last week behind them. This was
possibly the worst chase in her life, largely because she didn't feel like
she was gaining on her foe. If anything, the gap between them was widening.
Not only had they not slowed Zeiram down, but it appeared he (or more
specifically, Anton Scorphius) was accomplishing everything he wanted to,
and running up a body count impressive even by Yuri's standards in the
process. It had to come to an end soon, one way or another.

Her ponderings were interrupted as they came to a four way junction and
spotted a pair of security guards that had turned the corner at the end of
the hallway in front of them. They appeared tense with their rifles firmly
in their grip. Yuri decided to take charge, before Iria did something to set
them off. She put her best smile on, thrust her chest out slightly, and
waved. Hey guys, how are you doing? We're trying to find Zeiram. I don't
suppose you've seen him."

The men stared at each other. Then their reflexes kicked in as they said,
"Intruders!" and leveled their guns at the trio of women.

Yuri was caught off guard. "No, we were let in by-"

Kei tackled Yuri out of the way as a laser nearly parted her hair. They
ducked behind one of corners of the junction, while Iria went for the other.

"Have you ever considered a career as a diplomat?" Iria said as several
other bolts streaked down the corridor they had just been walking down.

"All I said was 'Hi'," Yuri snarled as she drew her pistol.

"It's not that big a deal. We're used to complete strangers shooting at us,"
Kei said.

"Usually it's preceded by, 'Look! It's the Dirty Pair!' though. These guys
had no idea who we were. They just decided to shoot first and not bother
with the whole questions part." Making certain she was still under cover,
Yuri shouted to the men, "Hey, we're on your side! We were hired to help you
in case the place was attacked, which it has been."

One of the guards shouted back. "Like we'd fall for that! We know you're
part of the bad guys, just like we were told!" Several more shots were fired
in Yuri's direction.

"Looks like we're really on our own." Iria pulled a small disc, shaped like
a hockey puck, from one of her pouches. "Close your eyes and cover your
ears," she warned, as she once again slipped her goggles over her eyes and
pulled the sides down to cover her ears.

Yuri and Kei had to satisfy themselves with closing their eyes and covering
their ears with their hands.

Iria poked her hand far enough around the corner to slide the disc along the
floor. When it hit the far wall next to the men, it went off. Even with her
protective gear, the flash and noise was powerful enough to make her eyes
water and ears pop.

The bounty hunter poked her head around the corner, pistol at the ready.
Both men lay on the floor. One was unconscious from the stun bomb, while a
low moan issued from the other, who was curled up in a fetal position on the
floor.

Iria pulled out a small tube from her belt and pressed it against the back
of the man's neck. She hit the plunger and a small white pad stuck itself to
his neck. Within seconds he went limp.

As she did the same thing to the second man, Kei and Yuri, who had judged
whatever it was Iria had done was over, approached.

"What are you doing?" Kei asked.

"Administering a sedative that will keep them out for the next ten hours.
I'm not taking any chances on them recovering and attacking us from behind,
and it's more humane than
shooting them."

"What kind of sedative?" Kei asked.

"Obifrol-108."

Kei grimaced. "I got hit with that once. It leaves you with a hangover to
remember."

"I did say 'humane' not 'pleasant.' It's the least they deserve for shooting
at me."

"And from what he said, I have a feeling the rest of the guards will be
trying to treat us the same way." Yuri sighed in resignation. "Great,
instead of having a small army helping us hunt Zeiram, we have a small army
trying to hunt us and Zeiram. It's never the easy way, is it?"

Kei and Iria  merely nodded their heads sadly.

Iria's communicator beeped. "Yes?"

"Problem, Sunshine," came Killgore's voice. "Someone seems to have told the
security forces here that any intruders, meaning us, are to be considered
hostile and shot on sight."

"We've already encountered that little problem." Iria nudged one of the
unconscious men with her boot.

"It's all that bastard, Dane's fault. He knew we were coming, and decided to
try to take out a little competition using these guys in the confusion. He'd
better pray Zeiram finds him before I do. He'll only get devoured and turned
into a Zeirenoid. What I'll do to him will be much, much worse."

"I see," Iria said. "Well, marrying him seems a bit extreme, but I have to
agree, it'd be worse than running into Zeiram." She turned off the
communicator before he could respond.

"That has got to be one of the nastiest divorces ever," Yuri whispered to
her partner. Kei could only nod in response.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[End Part A]



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