Bubblegum Crisis Fan Fiction / Urusei Yatsura Fan Fiction / To Heart Fan Fiction / Sentimental Journey Fan Fiction / Tokimeki Memorial Fan Fiction ❯ Illusions - Fragments ❯ What Is Right? ( Chapter 4 )

North of Megatokyo, 24 January 2031, after midnight...

"Tou-san..."

A rasping voice escapes the bleeding woman's lips as she tries to summon what strength she has to pull herself away from the wreckage of her family's car. She was a beautiful woman in her early twenties with long blonde hair and light blue eyes. The wounds she received when her father lost control of the car and crashed through the safety barrier hadn't touched her face, but it had wrecked her body. The pain is indescribable.

A male's voice, synthesized. "It is done."

"The female is still alive," another synthesized voice notes.

"She is bleeding to death. She will not survive to harm Genom further with her words."

She blinks, eyes widening. What would Genom want with her?

Unless...?

Was it because of Namiko?

The sound of another car screeching to a halt, then doors fly open. "What happened here?!" an organic male's voice demands.

Wait! Wasn't that...?

"Who are you?" a synthetic voice demands.

"Oh, a friend of one of your victims," the organic clicks his tongue. "Kindly destroy these things, please."

Rifle fire! The woman feels blood seep into her throat as the harsh sounds of bullets punching through armour, echoed with the bursting sound of energy cells exploding, assault her ears. Trying to muster what energy she could, she turns her head and see what is happening. Nothing. She tries to open her mouth, then her eyes widen as a face fills her vision.

"Hello, Yue."

She blinks, then lightly smiles. "Gian...!" she rasps.

The handsome, dusky-skinned man with black hair, thick moustache and reflective glasses shakes his head. "Such fools, people in Genom are. Thinking they can get away with warping the lives of the whole world to their wishes. Well, more fool them. You won't really die, Yue. You're just too damned valuable to me to lose."

He waves someone up. Yue blinks, then her eyes widen again on seeing an albino-skinned bald woman with jet black eyeballs, clad in a full-body jumpsuit. The newcomer leans down and gently grasps Yue's throat. The dying woman blinks, then her eyes flutter as energy warps through her...

* * *

Gian Tarezzo sighs, watching the GCS-171's skin colour into a healthy pink, blonde hair growing out of the scalp as the infiltration android's flesh shifts so she could become an exact replica of Yue Nishihara. A delighted grin crosses his face as she pulls her hands from her old body's neck, standing to attention. Her eyes open, revealing the beautiful blue eyes which had helped made Yue one of the most popular fashion models in the world. Once the eyes changed, the Imperoma technician had advised him when he obtained the android, the templation was complete.

Yue would live again.

The android blinks, then takes a deep breath before turning to stare at him. "Gian, what happened?!" she demands, then blinks before turning to gaze on her old self. A lifeless shell. "Oh, gods...!" she claps her mouth with her hands, staggering back.

Gian's hands land on her shoulders. "Hey, easy, Yue! Easy there!!" he comforts, then moves her from the wreckage of a car and two shredded C-class boomers. "You'll be alright," he sighs. "No one in Genom knows this has happened. The sooner we get you away from here, the better!"

"B-but..." Yue shudders, then stares wide-eyed at him. "Wh-what about T-tou-san...?!" she tries to turn back.

"No!!" he snaps. "He's gone, Yue! I saw what was left; his head was chopped clear off when the car crashed and you were thrown out through the window. Don't argue with me, please! Now, c'mon!! Get in!"

Yue is shoved into Gian's car, a Griffon II, then he hops in, gunning the engine. "Any sign of them?!" he wonders.

"Four more boomers are coming in from the south," a voice echoes from the back seat. "They'll be here in ten minutes. The heat signature from the car should be dissipated enough by then."

"Good!" Gian sends the sports car down the roadway.

Yue yelps as the acceleration slams her into her seat, then she turns to see a diminutive man seated behind her, dressed in nondescript clothing. A laptop computer sits in his hands. "Who are you?!" she wonders.

"Meet my new friend, Yue," Gian chuckles as Yue buckles herself in. "Doctor Taddeo Borgia of Galatea Cybersystems in Genoa. He built the body you're now using, Yue. Doctor, would you be so kind as to make the body safe for her, please? I don't want her touching anyone else and copying their spirits into her body. I prefer my models pristine."

"Of course, Signor Tarezzo," Taddeo pulls out what looks like an old-style stereo speaker plug from his computer, then reaches over to jab it into a point on the back of Yue's neck.

A gasp escapes her as she feels her body lock up. "Relax, Yue," Gian assures her, patting her still hand. "He's just going to shut down those systems in your fingertips to make sure you don't change and become someone else. Doctor Borgia, make DAMN sure she can't alter her looks either."

"No problem," Taddeo chuckles, tapping his keyboard.

Yue remains still. In her eyes, datascreens flash as she feels parts of her body shut down. The unreality of the moment fades as something inside her begins a detailed scan of her new self. A self-diagnostic cycle? No different than Namiko's housekeeping systems whenever she woke up. Oh, gods, she really WAS a boomer now! Or was that boomeroid?!

But how did Gian...?

Consciousness fades for a moment, then Yue feels her body free itself from its rigid pose. A breath escapes her, then she senses a hand pull the plug from her neck. "Oh, damn, that's better!" contentment flushes through her as she gazes on Gian. "Thank you, Gian!"

"Anything for my favourite girl," he clicks his tongue. "A lot of things are going to change, Yue. You have to disappear to make sure Genom doesn't keep on pursuing you. Don't ask me why they want you dead; all you were doing was trying to get your girl back."

Yue blinks, then sighs. "Namiko-chan..."

"I know. I miss her, too. But right now, that moron Mason's stepping way over the line. Namiko's father is going to put a stop to things like what almost happened to you. When the heat dies, we'll figure out a way to get you back into the groove again."

"I hope so..." Yue nods, turning her eyes to the starry sky, noting the bright light hovering way above Megatokyo.

Genaros.

Namiko's prison for a crime she didn't commit...

* * *

PART FOUR - WHAT IS RIGHT?

North of Megatokyo, 24 January 2031, before dawn...

"So what the hell happened here?"

Leon McNichol, now a detective sergeant in ADP, shakes his head as he gazes over the crash scene, then turns his attention to Richard Roma, the THP (Tokyo Highway Patrol) trooper who greeted him when he came. "Looks pretty much like a standard out-of-control car crash. They do happen. But given who the victims are, we decided it was smart to get you involved."

"What do you mean?" Leon slips off his glasses, following his friend over to where two shrouded corpses now lay.

The THP officer kneels beside one, drawing the blanket back to reveal an elderly gentleman, his face mangled, head severed at the neck. "This is Chisugi Nishihara, the chancellor of Toodai (Tokyo University). The woman there is his daughter Yue, one of the top fashion models around. Both of them, early last year, purchased a 33-S to be Yue-san's lover. They named her Namiko. Namiko was recalled with the other 33-S's in October. As soon as they were sent into space, Nishihara-sensei and his daughter formed a group of ex-Sexaroid owners to petition the Diet to get the 33-S's struck off the restricted boomer list and have their lovers brought back."

"Oh..." Leon nods understandingly. "Looks like someone wanted them to shut up and stop bothering the government about it."

"Probably. My kid sister's in Toodai right now; she's taken classes with Nishihara-sensei. I sure as hell am NOT going to love explaining this to her. She thinks he's a great teacher. And Yue-san, too? Shit! Who the fuck could've done this, Leon? I mean, they did nothing wrong...!"

"Start at Brian Mason, Rick, then work your way down," Leon sneers. "According to the man who created the 33-S's, that's where all the trouble started. Geez, if word of this gets to Nerima..."

"It already has."

Leon turns to see a diminutive woman standing nearby, a gaberdine drawn over her shoulders. Behind her were two taller women in relaxed clothes, the tenseness radiating from their bodies indicative of their now being bodyguards to the former. "Mikihara-juuyaku (Director Mikihara)," the ADP sergeant grins delightedly. "What brings you about these parts?"

"To confirm what I just learned an hour ago, I'm afraid," Megumi sighs as she passes under the tape stretched around the crime scene, then she kneels beside Chisugi Nishihara's covered body. Reaching over, she gently grips the professor's hand to give it a squeeze. "Sayonara," she whispers, her voice so low, only Tomomi Mizuno and Yui Narusawa hear her. "This will not go unanswered." Rising, she nods to the Kuromoroboshi, who move to begin their own examination of the crime scene.

"So who did it?" Leon wonders as he beckons the SFIO with him, exchanging an understanding nod with Richard.

"One of the more ambitious of Mason-san's many protegees, one who didn't like Yoshio-kun at all," Megumi reports. "Don't bother asking his name, Leon-san; it won't matter in the long term."

"Is Mason directly behind this?"

"He doesn't care if it happens or not," she shrugs. "He's now locked on other matters. The 33-S issue is a closed book to him. His allies in the Tower know that, know their futures depend on riding on his coattails, so they'll do everything to ensure Mason succeeds regardless of the fact that it might launch a civil war inside Genom. Few of that group, save Samantha Johnson (who's now moving to break ties with him), are willing to be conciliatory to people like Nishihara-sensei and Yue-san."

"Damn. If we try to go after these people, they'll close ranks and move to derail us through the Diet and elsewhere, right?" he snarls, knowing what could happen, feeling helpless all the same given how much things were rigged against Tokyo's public defenders.

"Exactly."

Leon takes a breath. ADP had few allies as it was, in government and elsewhere. Keeping those allies safe and in place so the force could do SOMETHING to keep the citizens of Megatokyo ultimately safe was always paramount in his mind. That often meant that when he felt urged to move on something, he had to pause, take a careful look around and make sure that those allies wouldn't be affected by his move, then when it was safe, act.

Megumi and her friends in the Nerima Toratotaka Tower were some of those scant allies Leon could count on when the stakes were very high. Try as those factions in Genom and the government might to cut the informal ties between ADP and Toratotaka, they still were there and Leon nurtured them as much as possible. He knew Toratotaka wouldn't go overboard when it came to helping deal with problems; that wasn't what the company was trying to do in the long term. But they would help when it became necessary, even if one didn't see what they did, much less disagree with methodology.

After all, Leon was a Police officer. He had to stand for a set of laws and social conventions, some of which clearly seemed to strangle him and his co-workers from time to time. Megumi was one who pursued the truth with a fanaticism that would have impressed anyone even though her ways of learning such could be in gross violation of people's basic constitutional rights, all in the name of a good that was INCLUSIVE, not EXCLUSIVE.

Fine, Leon had accepted when he made his own "silent" agreement with the Toratotaka SFIO after he was promoted to sergeant, on the fast track to lieutenant and maybe command of his own squad. If there were things he couldn't handle, he'd ask Megumi for her help and hope that she could do something about it, regardless of WHAT exactly had to happen and why.

In the end, he didn't WANT to know what happened or why.

It ensured he could sleep better at nights.

"Megumi?"

"Yes?" she stares at him.

"Yoshio gonna do something about this?"

"What do you think?"

Leon blinks, then smiles, nodding. Yoshio had, when the Sexaroids were recalled and turned over to SDPC, personally hand-wrote EVERY 33-S supervisor (the House Patriarch preferred that term to "owner" or "master") who lost a loved one, apologizing to them for not keeping watch over his co-workers and prevent the insertion of 33-C parts into his creations. That spoke pretty highly of Megumi's former classmate, who only wanted to spread a little love in a society that seemed devoid of that emotion.

Taking a deep breath, knowing that by what he was about to say, he would most likely help condemn people to die, he nods.

"Fair enough."

* * *

Megatokyo, near Tokyo University, after breakfast...

"So this is where they lived, eh?"

"Hai," Megumi sighs as she leads Tomomi and Yui inside the house the Nishiharas called their own since Chisugi was made chancellor of Toodai. "Once the movers come in here, we'll box everything up for storage, then place it in the Tower and hold onto it until Namiko-chan comes home."

"IF Namiko-chan comes home, you mean," Tomomi muses.

"WHEN Namiko-chan comes home," Yui amends. "Gods, can we TRY to keep a positive spin on all this, Tomomi-chan?! I'm already depressed enough over this whole damned thing!"

"I..." the commander of KMT-6 pauses, then sighs. "Gomen ne, Yui-chan. I was just remembering Sensei's basic lesson of life."

Yui blinks, then nods. "Hai, hai. Nothing is absolute, not even life OR death. Wakata (Gotcha). I...! Eh?!"

She tenses, eyes narrowing as she senses someone approach from the back alley. Someone possessing the inner drive to do ANYTHING necessary to achieve her goals. In the short time she has lived as a Kuromoroboshi, Yui had learned that you'd find people like that in only a few places.

Genom was one.

Snap-drawing her gaikatana, Yui lunges for the door, flinging it open as she snares whoever was there, then with a twirl-flip, sends the target onto her back, the tip of Yui's blade now at her throat.

"YUI!!!!" Tomomi screams as she and Megumi race over.

Yui blinks as she takes in the visitor's measure, the latter sweating bullets as the Kuromoroboshi's eyes bore right into her. "C-ch-chotto m-matte yo (W-w-wait a m-moment)..." the other stammers, then glances down to see the edge of her attacker's blade ready to slice into her windpipe.

"Yui-chan, let her up, please?! I expected she'd come by here," Megumi orders. "Gomen nasai, Johnson-san."

Yui blinks, then rolls back to her feet, boosting Samantha Johnson up. The Genom executive stares wide-eyed at the Toratotaka ninja, then breathes out before turning to the SFIO. "Tell me something, Mikihara-juuyaku. Are your special ops soldiers ALWAYS so damned high strung?"

"We just finished examining the place where Nishihara-sensei and Yue-san were killed," Megumi reports, wanly shrugging. "It wasn't a pleasant sight by far. Oh, sumimasen," she then does introductions.

Samantha blinks on hearing which team Tomomi and Yui are now a part of. "You were the ones involved with helping the Americans get their hands on General Alcazar, right?" she then smiles. "That was pretty good work."

"You wanted that?" Yui relaxes, then stows her sword.

"If you ask me, Genom could do without either fanatic generals who're willing to use our boomers to shoot down defenceless civilians. AND less fanatic executives who get off manipulating people into using our boomers that way," Samantha clicks her tongue. "Which one of you dusted Erenoa?!"

Tomomi and Megumi point to Yui. "Oi!!" the latter snaps.

Samantha laughs. "Oh, relax, Narusawa-san. Mason was eyeing that creep as a possible new 'protegee;' he was actually planning to bring the guy over this quarter to take Suzuoka's place."

"Oh, that's the one Sensei killed because he sent boomers over to try to kidnap Izumi-chan and the others..." Tomomi's voice trails off, then she stares at the visiting executive. "EH?!! You mean you know about...?!"

"Who and what you are, how you do it, everything between," Samantha smiles. "Relax, girls. Your series' schematic design is archived with the Science and Technology Ministry, so it's easy for me to get my hands on it. And I DID work with the firsts, seconds and thirds when Saotome-hakase was making things happen in Genom. I must say, you girls are a big progression in comparison to what people had in mind for the third gens."

Hearing that, both Kuromoroboshi beam. "So...! Um...! Oh, I'm sorry!" Yui then flusters. "What does bring you here anyway? Certainly not to get shish-ka-bobbed on my sword, of course, but..."

More laughter. "Actually, Nishihara-sensei was my politics teacher when I attended Toodai. I was coming to pay my own respects to him and Yue-chan. Say goodbye, too," Samantha closes her eyes, they misting as she remembers much more innocent days a decade and more vanished into history.

"We were about to get the movers over here so we could store everything at the Tower for Namiko-chan when she finally comes back home, so why don't you come in?" Megumi waves Samantha inside...

* * *

Nerima, the Tower, that moment...

"Let me see if I get this straight. Namiko-chan's supervisor AND lover were killed very early this morning all because someone at Genom's a little tired of their group protesting to the Diet about having the firsts and seconds on the restricted list?!"

Yoshio sits back in his chair, staring at Shiori Fujisaki. As SPD-CCA (Special Project Director for Civil-Corporate Affairs), the crimson-haired woman, considered by many the most popular member of Kirameki High School's last graduating class, was always the first briefed by Megumi on anything concerning working relations between the government and companies like Genom. "Hai, Yoshio-kun, it's true," she nods. "Megu's visiting the Nishiharas' home with Tomomi-chan and Yui-chan to see their things packed, then have them transported to the Tower so that when she comes back, Namiko-chan can decide what to do with it all," her shoulders roll.

"Who had them eliminated?" Yoshio demands.

"Stephan Lee."

The House Patriarch blinks, then sighs. "Oh, I remember him. Little kiss-ass, that one. Always going to Brian, ready to do anything to please his boss..." he mutters under his breath.

"Yoshio-kun..."

"Nani, Shiori-chan?"

"The Nishiharas aren't the only ones."

Silence.

"Excuse me?" Yoshio glares at Shiori, the surrounding room temperature dropping to well below sub-freezing.

The SPD-CCA ignores his look. "Of all the 33-S supervisors who lost their loved ones, about a dozen are now dead, all in the last four weeks. Natural 'accidents' but Megu's having the FIOs covering those areas take a closer look at them. AND all were part of the group Nishihara-sensei and Yue-san organized. Here's the list," she hands him a sheet of printout.

Yoshio scans through the names. His eyes widen for a second before a gloomy sadness falls over him. "Oh, gods, you've got to be kidding me..." he scans the names. "I know about Kyousuke-san...! The Jacksons?!" a wry smile crosses his face. "Jeez, Millie-chan WANTED to get away from them!" he snorts, then shakes his head, the sadness returning. "Damn..."

Shiori watches him. People who didn't care too much about boomers, didn't acknowledge them as living beings that could feel as intensely as pure-organics, would be pretty mystified by the House Patriarch's reaction to the news she just brought him. "After all," they would say, "the 33-S's are just boomers." Yes, very expensive ones (the standard first or second generation unit once set one back four million nuyen), but just boomers. If they were faulty, recall them, then either repair them or destroy them.

And if they couldn't come back, just buy a boomer that could take its place. The Bu-29Cs, who performed as well as a 33-S, were available and LOADS cheaper than a Sexaroid. If you wanted someone to be a bodyguard as well as a companion, the Bu-33C "razordolls" were the best unit to look at. Housekeeper? Get a Family Service Bu-42; they were built as "combination" units. Special work assistant? The General Service Bu-44 units could step in there and like the FS's, they too were combination units.

So short-sighted, Shiori shakes her head.

Yoshio takes a deep breath, then sets the note aside as he turns his chair to gaze on Megatokyo. "This. Will. Stop."

The ice in his voice sends a chill up Shiori's spine. "You can't go all the way, Yoshio," she warns him.

"Yeah," he walks over to stand by the window. "I should've realized what was going on. Brian's trying to build his own fuckin' kingdom inside Genom. Give himself a solid base, then when the time's right, he'll go after Quincy and the Genro to take the whole damned works for himself."

"Megu's been hinting at that for the last while; so did her predecessor to Haruka-san," Shiori nods. "This has been building up since Mason was made Quincy-shachou's special assistant."

"Yeah, one sip of the chalice called 'power' and he wants to keep drinking from it," he closes his eyes, then hums. "Didn't you notice, Shiori-chan? Rose Sanokura wasn't on that list."

"Emi-chan's adopted mother...?" she blinks, then nods, rising to stand beside him. "Yes, I did notice that; almost forgot about it. Do you think they might try to go after her next?"

"I wouldn't doubt it," he crosses his arms. "Alright. That's where we'll put a stop to this," he turns to walk back to his desk, then presses a button. "Cally, could you put in a call to Rose Sanokura, please?"

"Right away, Saotome-otokokachou (Patriarch Saotome)," the chief secretary a floor below responds...

* * *

The Nishiharas' residence, later...

"To a good teacher."

"And a wise man. Kampai (Cheers)!"

Megumi and Samantha click glasses as they drink a toast to a lost mentor. Tomomi is busy with directing the small logistics crew from Nerima in packing the Nishiharas' belongings for transport to a storage room in the Tower's basement. Yui is in Yue Nishihara's room helping with packing. "So it was Lee that had Sensei and Yue-san killed," Samantha scowls into her glass, then shakes her head in disgust. "Not surprising, given what a brown-noser he is. Saotome-hakase knows all about him, I think."

"He does," Megumi sighs. "Yoshio-kun won't let this pass. Taking the 33-S's away from their families was bad enough, but killing people who only want their loved ones back? That's going way too far even for Genom."

"You're right about that. But running to the Chairman to have this stopped won't do any good in the long term; he's already got enough on his plate," the Genom executive sighs. "And if we tried to construct evidence that would point the finger right at Lee and let the Police go to town, it wouldn't work. Lee's got friends in the Diet who'd be more than happy to screw ADP and TMD (Tokyo Metropolice Department) just to keep him safe."

"Then you wouldn't object to our dealing with Lee. Much less these others?" Megumi draws up a sheet of printout.

She sets it before Samantha, allowing the executive to glance over the names. The older woman is quick to realize that this is a list of every Level 2 and Level 3 executive working for Genom in Megatokyo who had established good working relations with Brian Mason. Half the names are highlighted in red, "X" marks beside them. Of the remainder, about a third are highlighted in yellow, "O" marks beside them. Samantha had an "O" beside her name. "How did you determine this?" she stares at the SFIO.

"The ones like yourself are those I feel deserve a shot at forming the Megatokyo Tower's Board of Executives when Quincy-san establishes it later this year," Megumi smiles. "In other words, they -- you -- would become Quincy-san's personal advisors on company-wide policy. He hinted to me that he made the position of 'special assistant' TOO powerful in the company's hierarchy but he doesn't want to deal with Mason directly and he prefers that you keep your hands clean about the whole matter as well."

Samantha's eyes widen. "This is direct from the Chairman?"

"Quincy-san isn't as ignorant as you might assume. He's got his eyes on you. You do good work for the company and he'd prefer not to lose you."

The older woman swells with pride. Megumi smothers an urge to grin. Baiting Samantha would do two things. Ensure her loyalty to Quincy and Genom, plus prevent her from engaging in a fight against Brian Mason, thus ensuring her talents and knowledge would continue to properly serve Genom. Samantha knew that Megumi valued her neutrality when it came to Genom's in-company problems (that was a carefully cultivated image the SFIO worked hard to maintain when she met the executive rank-and-file in Chuuou).

That she was relaying a message like THIS doubled its import to the chief of Special Project Development!

Samantha's eyes fall on the list, picking out the names in yellow. All of them were well-known to her. Mark Kaneda from Civil-Corporate Affairs. Katharine Madigan from Security. Steven Barret from Accounting. Karen Kasumi, the operations chief in Osaka. Scott Wallace from Genom Special Services. Denise King, the niece of one of Genom's shareholders. Lise Wilhelmsbach, the daughter of another shareholder. Conal Altman, David Usui and Marino Mizawa from Special Corporate Affairs. Reina Kamizaki from Research and Development. Koji Tamura, the Chairman's own personal hatchet-man and new Chief of Computer Security in the Tower.

All very good people, determined to advance themselves.

And all sharing a fervent dislike of Brian Mason.

"Whoa..."

"Mason-san was given the chance to succeed in what he wanted to do. But his continued defiance of the Chairman's authority in certain matters is wearing Quincy-san's patience," Megumi folds the paper and slips it back into her shirt. "What happened with the 33-S and 34-S projects was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, Samantha-san. It goes MUCH deeper than that. Quincy-san is concerned that if Mason-san is allowed to continue unchecked, Genom itself will get derailed. When that happens..."

Her voice trails off in warning. "Wakata (Gotcha)," Samantha grimly nods, then sighs. "So Quincy-shachou doesn't want us to deal with Mason himself. Who'll end up dealing...?" her voice trails off, then she shakes her head. "No, please don't tell me. I'd prefer not to know just in case. You're easily protected, Megumi-san, but whoever's in this may not be so."

"Good...! Eh?!" Megumi tenses.

"What?" Samantha blinks, then turns as a strange glow seems to emanate from Yue Nishihara's bedroom.

Rising, both women walk to the doorway, glancing in before their jaws drop in surprise. "Yui-chan!!" Megumi gasps.

Yui is in lotus position, hands splayed out as her body is cloaked with her chi aura, bright gold with flecks of green and pink at the edges. Before the Kuromoroboshi floats a beautiful hand-knitted scarf, itself glowing a bright pink. Around her, ghostly images flash. After a minute, Yui relaxes as the scarf floats back to the floor, the chi field fading.

"Sugoi (Wow)!" Samantha breathes. "What was that...?"

Yui blinks, then smiles as she stands, picking up the scarf. "Gomen ne. I was just reading the residual chi fields in this room. Namiko-chan and Yue-san were very passionate lovers. It overwhelmed me when I stepped in here, so I had to meditate for a bit to ensure I wasn't affected."

Samantha blinks. "B-but...! Y-you're a boomer...! You can't..."

"Never say 'can't' when it comes to a Kuromoroboshi and her abilities, Samantha-san," Megumi cautions. "Besides, you worked with Yoshio-kun on the 33-S project in Genom. You should know how human 33-S's ultimately are, both physically AND emotionally."

"I..." the Genom executive stutters to a halt, then she nods. "Hai, that's true, but...! Gods, I..." she flusters.

"Hard to believe?" Yui grins, then she gazes on the scarf, fingers rolling it out. Samantha and Megumi note the message on the fabric:

I LOVE YOU, NAMIKO

"Nan de (What)...?" Samantha wonders.

"Yue-san was planning to give this to Namiko-chan on the first anniversary of their coming together. Which would've been on the twelfth of this month, actually," Yui hums, then sighs. "When Namiko-chan comes back from Genaros, I'll give this to her."

The Kuromoroboshi steps out of the room. Samantha watches her go, then shudders before exchanging a look with Megumi. "What type of boomers is your friend trying to make, anyway?" she wonders.

"Ones that appreciate the concepts of life, Samantha-san," the SFIO grins amusedly. "After all, that is the NAME of the Art they practice. 'Way of the Supreme LIFE Stealth School.'"

"Ah...! R-right..."

* * *

Outside the house, Yui takes a deep breath, then stares anew at the scarf. A hand falls on her shoulder. She blinks, then turns to gaze at Tomomi. "Daijoubu, Yui-chan?" the latter asks.

Yui blinks, then smiles. "I found her, Tomomi-chan. My soul-mate."

"It'll be a long time before you can hope to take the promise oath with her, Yui-chan," Tomomi warns.

"I know," Yui nods.

Sensing she would like to be alone, Tomomi heads back into the house. Yui sighs, then glances into the noon sky. Genaros is visible even in broad daylight, a bright star whose reflected light from the Sun could shine even through thin cloud cover (the station, after all, was only about 400 kilometres above ground level). Her eyes narrow as Yui's senses reach up, drawing on the power of the Earth itself to touch the small speck of light which was the soul of Namiko Nishihara, born as 33-S Sexaroid first generation Unit AD65H just over a year ago in Megatokyo.

"Namiko-chan. I'm waiting for you..."

* * *

Nerima, the Tower, late afternoon...

"Gods! Y-you can't be s-serious...!"

The middle-aged woman before Yoshio shudders like a sapling tree in a strong wind as she tries not to drop the cup of tea in her hand. "Yes, I am, Sanokura-sensei," the House Patriarch exhales. "They were found this morning north of the city. Looks like your standard car crash, but from what Megumi discovered, it was all rigged so they'd both die."

Rose Sanokura blinks, then forces the cup back to the table before she wrings her hands out under the table. "I...! Gods, it doesn't make sense, Saotome-hakase. Who on Earth would want to kill two people just because all they wanted in the end was for Namiko-chan to come back?!"

"I've really no idea to be honest, ma'am," Yoshio sighs, leaning his chin on his clasped hands. "But from what I can figure, it seems that this fellow wants to ensure that nothing -- and I mean NOTHING! -- comes back to haunt his boss anytime soon in the future. Of course, Mason's interference in the 33-S project is trivial in the grand scheme of things..."

"Not in MY grand scheme of things!" Rose snarls.

"I know. Ma'am, I've always accepted that in some situations, the one matters as much as the many. With most parts of Genom, it's always the many before the one. What they don't take time to understand is that the many is composed of ones and each part matters as much as the lump sum."

"That's inhuman!"

"Yes, it is. And try as I did last year, I couldn't make them see the light on that matter," Yoshio shrugs, shaking his head.

"Sir, you've apologized for something that wasn't your fault," Rose sighs. "With what you made, you gave me the happiest seven months of my life! All I want is for that happiness to come back! I want Emi back in my home, living as my child, making the music I know she's capable of making to make other people's lives easier. What's SO wrong with that?!"

"Nothing at all. If this was a perfect world, of course. But it's nowhere near perfect and wishing for it to be better is futile. Further, going out and playing gangbusters'll do more harm than good in the long term. If I tried to bring the girls back even in secret, it could have a ripple effect. Like it or not, people in power elsewhere aren't stupid, Sensei. Even if I string it out..." he throws up his hands in frustration.

"I..." Rose shudders, then sighs. "Gomen ne. I know you're trying to do your best to make things better for everyone. I realize it'll take a long time before you can do something to make this situation better. But the more time Emi spends on Genaros, the more afraid I become that she'll have some accident and die. And maybe she won't come back..." she squeezes her eyes shut, tears brimming as trails of wetness flows down her cheeks.

Yoshio falls silent as the neo-classical musician composes herself, then turns back to her tea. "I haven't been lazing around and doing nothing since the project was closed, ma'am," he then adds. "Right now, outside Nishihara-sensei, you're the most prominent of the group of 33-S supervisors who've been pressing the government to get them taken off the restricted boomer list. If people in Genom're willing to kill Nishihara-sensei because of the noise he made over Namiko-chan, you'll be just as prominent a target because of Emi-chan. I want to put that to an end."

"How so?"

"I'd prefer to keep silent about this, but in your situation, you'll be placed under surveillance. If someone moves to come after you, you'll have advanced warning and we'll get you to safety right away, plus send a message to whoever perpetrated this that such won't be allowed anymore."

"Alright, fair enough," the composer breathes out in relief, then she stares at him. "What about bringing Emi-chan back?"

"That's going to take a bit longer and it depends on things we've got on the go, chief of which amongst that is the FABS (Free Artificial-Born Sentient) debate in Canada," Yoshio sips his tea. "Elements of Genom, Zion and Imperoma're fighting hard to stop that, but we've got Quincy-shachou, Sharon-shachou and Monduzzi-shachou to go along with it. It should be up for vote in Parliament around mid-February and by the looks of things, all the provinces and territories'll pass it without much problems."

"What happens if someone rigs an incident that makes boomers look bad, make people decide not to go along with FABS?"

"That's a potential double-edged sword to use, Sensei," Yoshio ruefully muses. "If they play up such an incident too far, it'll turn people's faith against ALL boomers. That'll be bad for business in the long term. Besides, I happen to know, through my friends in Saint Catharines and Vancouver, that a lot of the people in Genom's, Zion's and Imperoma's divisions there are a pretty decent lot in the long term. They've also come to notice that a lot of units with a high ability to become sentient are quite popular among buyers. All FABS will do in the end is smooth the process along. Not to mention provide a 'safety valve,' so to speak, for 'troublesome' boomers and androids to flow through without causing outside society as a whole any major problems."

"A type of underground railroad, like what happened to slaves in America back before their Civil War?" Rose blinks.

"Exactly."

"Soo ka..." the composer sighs. "But what of here in Japan?"

"Well, I may not be able to press for something like FABS here in Japan, but there is an easier way of helping them. To do that will require a change in government. We're working on that right now, hopefully to force new elections in both houses of the Diet sometime next year. And it's best if I don't say anything more about this," Yoshio toasts her.

"Fair enough..."

* * *

An hour later, the executive elevator opens in the basement garage, allowing Rose to step out. Hannah Miller walks with her, helping the composer get into the Tower limousine. "We'll have you back home soon enough, ma'am," the C-59 security guard smiles.

"Arigatou, Miller-san," Rose nods as she relaxes, then as the guard gets into the driver's seat and guides the vehicle out of the garage for the trip to the composer's home in Kawasaki, she reaches into her purse and draws a Samguk CVP (cellular video-phone), a device she had come to trust well since it wasn't made by Genom despite it not being as capable as one of the popular NAVI (Notebook; Audio-Visual Interface) models. Dialling a number, she relaxes, then smiles as the other end responds.

"Moshi-moshi, Abbey Road...! Ara?! Sanokura-sensei!"

"Konnichi wa, Choi-san. Do you still have the cut of The Question I had Emi-chan compose before she was taken away?"

"Hai, it's in the computer!" Shannon Choi, Rose's producer for her last five albums, readily nods.

"Have it prepared. I'm including it in the next release."

"You're cutting it pretty close, ma'am."

"Humour me, Choi-san."

"Hai, no problem at all..."

* * *

Genom Tower, 25 January, morning...

"I heard one of your old professors was killed yesterday."

Samantha blinks, then looks up to see Katharine Madigan gazing at her. Taking a deep breath, she nods. "Hai."

The security chief blinks, then sits across from the special projects director. "That was no simple accident, Johnson-san."

"No, it wasn't," Samantha takes a glance around. The coffee shop both were now in was quiet. It was also regularly swept clean by members of GSS (Genom Special Services), the company's security and intelligence-gathering department. GSS, as both Samantha and Kate knew, was controlled by the company's chief of Market Analysis and Research, Tsuyoshi Kataki. The man who had taught both Samantha and Kate many things since they came into Genom, Tsuyoshi was one of the few in Genom who didn't bow to Mason.

"Your former schoolmate in Nerima told me quite an earful when we met at the Nishiharas' later," she then adds.

"Did she now?" Kate nods, recognizing the reference to Megumi Mikihara. "So the fun finally begins?"

"Yep. It'll be big."

"Too bad for them..."

* * *

Roppongi, 27 January, early morning...

Mint sits in the lounge of Satoko Fusehime's clinic, leafing through a magazine. There is no one else present; Satoko and her co-workers rarely received visitors before dawn. Then again, given that Brian wanted to keep his true origins a secret from society at large, seeing a doctor to have his wetware replaced with a Mark 97 in the dead of night was prudent.

The door opens, revealing Miranda Taylor (who now lived under her maiden name Suzutani; public records on her ensuring no one could possibly link her with a "dead" Genom scientist). Mint looks up, then on seeing the delighted smile on the older woman's face, breathes out. "How is he?"

"He's alright," Miranda walks over to embrace the nanny. "He just needs to rest today, then he'll be back to normal by tomorrow. C'mon in; he'll be more than happy to see you."

Mint nods as she follows Miranda into a private operating theatre. Lying peacefully on the examination table is a sleeping Brian Armstrong, arms clasped on his chest across a blanket laid over him to keep things modest. There is no mark on his head to indicate the invasive surgery needed to yank out the 34-S's very BRAIN from his skull, replacing it with a more advanced unit. Staring at the content smile on her companion's face, Mint beams, her eyes tearing, then she leans down to kiss his cheek. "I'm so happy for you, Brian...for both of us," she whispers.

"Hnnn..." escapes the male Sexaroid's lips, then his eyes flutter open as he turns to gaze on Mint. "Oh, Mint...! Ohayou..."

"Ogenki desu ka (How are you)?" Mint reaches over to hold his hand, her other hand gently stroking his hair.

"I...! Feel...! What do I feel...?" he wonders, then turns as Miranda walks up to stand beside him. "Suzutani-hakase..."

"You should find adjusting to your new wetware quite easy, musuko-chan (son)," she grins. "I'm sorry we didn't fit it into your body when we built it, but we couldn't get our hands on a Mark 97 at the time. Right now, all you need is rest, then have some fun with Mint or someone else before you can get back to making lonely peoples' lives less lonely."

Brian stares at her, then nods. "Arigatou...! For everything you and the others've done for me, Okaa-sama."

"Can I take him home now?" Mint asks.

"Satoko-san'll be here soon with her landmate so you can get back without moving him around too much," Miranda nods...

* * *

Shinjuku, the Amarok Tower, later that morning...

"Ohayou, Kaa-san!! Tadaima (I'm here)!"

Hatsune Sugimoto looks up, then beams. "Saku-chan!!" she leaps up, moving to sweep her daughter into her arms, then she kisses Sakurako's forehead. "Musume-chan, how ARE you?! When did you get back?!"

"Just now; we took the overnight train back," Sakurako smiles, now dressed in the black hakama with the red-brown cummerbund sash her mother bought for her. The tigers and falcons stitched into the tops and pants loudly indicate which group the Kuromoroboshi now worked for. "I won't be able to stay around for long, though; who knows when Otou-sama'll have us go out on our first mission," she then warns.

"Soo desu ka (I see)..." Hatsune takes that in, then impishly grins as she draws Sakurako into her arms again. "Don't worry about it too much, Saku-chan. I have you 'back' so I shouldn't complain about it TOO much. Here, sit down. Let's get something to eat."

"Hai," Sakurako sits.

Hatsune moves to contact her secretary to have the caterer come in, but the intercom buzzes before she could make a call. "Sugimoto desu (This is Sugimoto)," she taps the response button.

"Ah, Hatsune-san, I'm sorry to bother you," the president of Amarok, Akira Mahoshi, coughs. "I understand your daughter's come to visit you. Can you and she come to my office for a moment?"

"Uh..." Hatsune blinks, then nods. "Hai, Mahoshi-shachou (President Mahoshi). We'll be there right away."

The link is cut. "Why does he want to see me?" Sakurako wonders as both women step out of her office.

"I don't know," her mother shrugs.

A moment later, both step into the top floor office of Akira Mahoshi, a barrel-chested man which made Sakurako immediately think of a C-55 on steroids. "Ah, ladies, haite (come in)," he beckons them in, then waves them to chairs before his eyes fall on Sakurako, an admiring smile crossing his face. "Gods, she's the spitting image of your daughter, Hatsune-san. I never thought they could build boomers that look so life-like."

"Thirty-three-Esses and 33-Ms are like that, Shachou-san," Hatsune's cheeks redden, her hand grasping Sakurako's. "Unlike other boomers, Saku-chan and her sisters are constructed with human DNA in their bodies. In a way, Saku-chan is a clone of my child. But I won't allow any memories of her, may she rest in peace, to hurt the child who now lives with me."

"Good, good. I was concerned when Dame Nicole told me that you had been selected as an adopted parent for Saotome-hakase's current project. But I'm glad to see that it all turned out well in the end," Akira nods, then turns to Sakurako. "Forgive me for asking this, Sakurako-san (I know one must keep vital secrets when one serves in a company like Toratotaka), but is your model of 33-S actually built to serve as a special investigator whenever odd occurrences tend to happen within and beyond the company?"

"I..." Sakurako blinks, then nods. "Hai, I have been trained to serve in that capacity. Is there something wrong, Mahoshi-shachou?"

"Something odd happened," Akira sighs. "At the start of this month, we took delivery of a C-59 from Genom. He seemed fine, then one day became verbally aggressive with one of our lawyers. Of course, we had the unit taken to our maintenance staff and looked over, then he vanished. Given that we did spend a lot of money on that unit -- and if he does go rogue, we could be held responsible for what damage he unleashes -- I'd like to have him found and brought back without any embarrassment to Amarok." He stares at her. "That IS what the Kuromoroboshi are known for: stealth."

Sakurako hums. What did the president of Amarok know about her series of 33-S? "Well, since your company does a lot of business with mine via the Nikkei and TOPIC Exchanges (and since you are Kaa-san's friend and employer), I'll be more than happy to help investigate this. If you like, I'll start asking some questions of your maintenance and security staff."

"Fair enough," Akira nods...

* * *

Later...

"Recycled AI chips?"

"Actually, I think the whole brain was recycled," the technician scowls, sitting at his work desk, the company's chief of security standing nearby. "You'd think the damned idiots in Genom would know better!"

"Idiot, I TOLD you to scrub the damned boomer that night, not wait until the next morning to do it!" the other man snaps.

The technician winces; he had been warned of what might happen to him if the missing C-59 went crazy and started destroying things. Sakurako sighs, sensing a headache coming on, then taps a shiatsu point to alleviate the pressure on her mind before staring at the technician. "Did you analyse what was in the unit's mind before you moved to shut him down?"

"No, didn't get much of a chance to do anything with it. I did get a copy of some things on my machine here. Hold on a second..."

He taps controls on his computer. The screen flashes images:

A dark night somewhere in Megatokyo. Atop some tower...?

Flashing lights of some sort. Searchlights...?

A boomer, female, badly damaged...

Gods, that's an Es-Seventy-seven! Sakurako feels her blood chill. Just like I was! Could I've known her...?

A woman. Sakurako blinks. Dusky skin, black wavy hair, a bandanna, cybernetic arm, a very determined look on her face. An ADP field officer by the looks of her. Strange, she did look familiar...

"That's all," the technician announces.

Sakurako sits back in her chair. "Interesting. I'd say wherever this unit's mind came from, it had to be a combat boomer of some sort. Do you have this unit's body number so we can back-track him through Genom?"

"Yeah, here it is," the technician picks up a Post-It note. "He's Bee-you-Fifty-nine-Sea-Sixty-two-El-Two-oh-Nine. He answers to 'Jack,'" he hands her the note, one of his fingers moving to stroke one of Sakurako's.

She sighs -- Sakurako HATED perverts like this -- then faster than either man could see, taps a shiatsu point on the technician's chest. The poor fellow gasps suddenly, then curls in on himself as his face pales.

"Urkk..." he shudders, racing for the door.

The security chief watches the poor man run into a washroom, then smirks as the sounds of someone vomiting echo from that room. By then, Sakurako is at the computer, tapping controls to download the images from Jack's memories into a modem, that in turn sent into the Kuromoroboshi's brain through a cable hooked to one of a pair of datajacks fitted on her spine under her hairline, normally invisible to the naked eye. Once that is done, she sighs, then rises, unhooking herself before shutting the computer down. "Well, that's all I can do here for now, I believe."

"What do you suppose happened?" the security chief asks as he follows Sakurako out of the maintenance room for a nearby elevator.

"Most likely, Jack-san was already fully sentient when he came to Amarok," she breathes out as the doors open, they boarding a car so they could ascend to Hatsune's floor. "If that is so, he probably became sentient in his previous 'life,' so to speak. By the looks of those images your co-worker copied from Jack-san's mind, it wasn't a pleasant experience by far. Someone will have to talk to people in Genom about recycling brains and how they're prepared before they're fitted into new units."

"Damned Genom crap," he echoes the maintenance technician's words the night Jack disappeared, then shakes his head. "Damn it all! I told that idiot to scrub it that night. Why didn't...?"

"Most likely, something of the female persuasion distracted him enough for him to ignore your orders. And he couldn't've predicted what might've happened next," Sakurako grins knowingly.

"Well, he won't do it for much longer," he sneers. "Soon as we get that boomer back, he's history."

"That's his problem, I suppose..."

* * *

Nerima, the Tower, an hour later...

"A missing C-59 from Amarok?"

"Hai, Onee-san," Sakurako nods, sitting now with Megumi in the SFIO's apartment. When she had been reborn, Sakurako had been more than happy to adopt Megumi, a woman who seemed to possess the same calm disposition as Hatsune and the original Sakurako, as her "elder sister." "It seems his brain was recycled from some type of combat boomer that was shot down in a fight with ADP sometime ago. One of my 'other' sisters was involved."

"Really?!" Megumi blinks, then rises, beckoning Sakurako with her to the SFIO's work room, which was fitted with a large computer possessing the right datalinks so 33-S's and 33-Ms could download images from their minds. "Well, let's link in and see what you just discovered, shall we?"

Sakurako sits down, then slips a cable into her datajack. Megumi taps controls. Sakurako concentrates, then relaxes as the information is conveyed into the SFIO's unit. "Alright, got it...! Ara?!" she blinks on seeing the image of the female AD Police trooper. "Oh, my..."

"Do you know her, Onee-san?" Sakurako asks.

"Yes. That's Jeena Malso. She was a field trooper until she nearly was killed...! It was the same incident where we got all of you while you were still S-77s...! Wait a minute..."

Megumi blinks, then flips the image to the mysterious S-77 that Jack had seen in a previous life. Staring intently at the boomer, the SFIO blinks, then hums. "Well, isn't that strange...?"

"Eh?! You know her, Onee-san?" Sakurako tenses.

"Yes, I do. As do you. That's Tomomi-chan!"

"Soo na...!"

* * *

Genom Tower, 2 February, evening...

"Kampai (Cheers)!"

Yoshio and Quincy clink their wine glasses together, then sip. "This is a nice vintage," the chairman sets the glass down, then nods thanks as Tomomi, now dressed in a flowery kimono with a dark red-brown background, refills it. "Arigatou, Tomomi-san. Where'd you get this from, son?"

"The Saint-Pierre winery; it's located north of Nice. This is the 2020 vintage; I've got three cases of this stuff in the Tower. Sylvie Terreblanche loved this stuff," Yoshio grins.

"Oh, she was the one Wilhelm bought for his son, Eric," Quincy nods, then sighs, staring at the House Patriarch. "Still angry, aren't you?"

"I'm trying not to be," Yoshio admits. "Then again, I suppose I had it coming. There I was two years ago, full of piss and fire, ready to prove Katsuhito was right. Then reality (in the form of Brian and Yoshiro) smacks me broadside." He then grins. "Besides, sir, I don't believe in getting mad. I prefer to get even, then win one over whoever hurt me in return. More satisfying in the long term if you know what I mean."

Quincy laughs. "Good, good! Damn, you're showing promise, aren't you?! Well, that's fine and fair enough." He then sobers. "Did Megumi tell you about what happened to Chisugi Nishihara?"

"Yes. Now we can add two more to that list Brian's pals have eliminated in the last week. Well-arranged 'accidents,' of course. You've seen the list Megumi-chan's prepared?"

"Yes. I've no objections to that end. I assume Tomomi-san and her sisters will deal with this directly."

"Not myself nor my team, Quincy-shachou," Tomomi shakes her head. "We're heading off to university tomorrow afternoon."

"Quickprogram?" Quincy's eyebrow arches.

"Hai. I'm going to Calgary to get a degree in geology. Mirei'll head to UBC (University of British Columbia) to get a degree in education. Yui and Misako are going to Queen's; Yui'll take philosophy while Misako'll work towards a medical doctorate."

"Really?!" the former virologist's eyes brighten, then he nods approvingly. "Good for her. Wish them the best for me."

"I will, sir," Tomomi nods.

"So when will things start?" Quincy turns back to Yoshio.

"It all depends on who fires the opening shot, but I'm laying some pretty good bait," Yoshio draws out a portable CD player from his jacket, then loads in a disk. "Listen to this."

He presses PLAY. Quincy relaxes as a haunting, sorrowful melody echoes through the small speakers attached to the player, then as the song swings to a more upbeat, yet cautious, tone, he hums. "Sounds a lot like Rose Sanokura's type of music..." he reports.

"Naturally; she instructed the person who composed this song," Yoshio smiles in return. "Sanokura-sensei's adopted daughter, Emi, composed this. Or as the records here properly identify her as," he pauses dramatically. "Three-three-Es Sexaroid first generation Unit Ay-El-Forty-five-Why."

Quincy blinks. "You're kidding!"

"I kid you not," Yoshio shakes his head. "This'll be released with Sanokura-sensei's next album in two days' time. She arranged with Abbey Road to ensure that The Question (that's its title, by the way) will be the first single released for public airplay."

The chairman takes that in, then nods. "Your mentor was right all along, wasn't he?" he sighs, then stares forlornly at his wine. "Well, we can't change history...! Are you alright, Tomomi-san?"

Yoshio turns to see the commander of KMT-6 wiping her eyes, her cheeks damp. "Oi, oi, musume-chan, what's wrong...?"

"I...! Oh, g-gomen nasai, Otou-sama..." Tomomi moves to compose herself, then essays a reassuring smile. "I...! Well, it's just that...! Emi-chan's song...! It's so beautiful..."

"Yes, it is that, isn't it?" Quincy nods appreciatively. "I have never stopped admiring Sanokura-san's composition abilities. If Emi-san did this good on her first try..."

"I'm going to find the people who were directly responsible for building her, then get them all copies of the CD," Yoshio vows, then sighs. "Muffin's making her first few moves."

Quincy does not visibly react, though he knew what Yoshio's words indicated. And what it could mean for elements of Genom in the future. "You said four people as field personnel including herself," he sighs. "My sources have only confirmed three, son."

"There's a fourth," Yoshio declares. "There's a new girl in ADP's communications troop who's got the computing and hacking skills that drew Muffin to her like honey draws bees. I'd say they'll hit the field as a team...! Around March or April. That'll get Brian's attention for sure."

"Yes, that'll distract him enough from a lot of things. Such as your other project?" Quincy's eyebrows arch.

"Hai. Serio's already got something picked out. It'll go down two weeks from now; the vote on FABS was delayed until near the end of the month. That should be enough to ensure passage."

"Fair enough..."

* * *

Heading from Genom Tower, later that evening...

"Otou-sama, can I ask you something?"

"Hmmm? Oh, what is it, Tomomi-chan?"

Tomomi sighs. She and Yoshio were riding to the Toratotaka Tower aboard the Tower limousine; even if the House Patriarch's dinner with Quincy was a private meeting, people would have noticed Yoshio's presence at Genom's world headquarters and comment on it. Hence, a proper display for the general public had to be performed, even though Yoshio personally didn't care for such mundane theatrics. "It's about Sylia-obasan."

"Why's Quincy allowing her to start up the Knight Sabres?"

"Hai."

Yoshio sighs. "I told you shortly after you came back from Sanctuary about how I gained all of Katsuhito's knowledge."

"The memory copy he made of himself, then put on the datadisk you now keep stored in your apartment," Tomomi nods.

"Right. There were two of those disks, Tomomi-chan. Muffin got the second one. Same things as what was on my diskette."

Tomomi takes that in, then shudders. "She...! She would've been twelve years old at the time Ojii-sama died...! Gods!!" her eyes widen in horror. "How could Ojii-sama do that to her?!"

"I know, I know." A sigh. "Tomomi, I'll always revere Katsuhito for what he did, what he brought to this world. If it wasn't for him, I couldn't've saved everyone after Second Kantou. I couldn't've created all of you. But he was a human being at the end, Tomomi-chan. He made mistakes, a lot of them. Near the end, he was so damned desperate to protect what he had created, fearing his dream would be destroyed before it was born...! Uh-uh!" he shakes his head. "I won't ever in a million years allow that type of paranoia to cloud my judgement like that."

"But what of Oba-san?"

Yoshio sighs. "I know, I know. We could go to her and tell her that in the end, she doesn't have to do a thing. All she needs to do is wait until Quincy feels it's safe enough, then she'll get everything her father made back. But..." he pauses, staring out the window at the cityscape. "There's a lot of anger deep inside Muffin, Tomomi-chan. Anger that's been building for nine years and more. I remember a sweet, beautiful little girl who laughed and played with gusto before her father died. I acted like the wounded teen male when she started to call me 'Jii-chan' instead of 'Nii-chan' because I was so serious and reserved when I helped in Whiz Labs the winter in 'twenty-two. Then one day, the laughter died. Not just because of Katsuhito's death. But what came immediately after it."

"Otou-sama..."

Yoshio closes his eyes. "I...! Damn me to a million hells, I should've seen it coming. I...! I turned to the neurophages almost right after I got the datadisk from Katsuhito's lawyers and had its contents downloaded into my brain. I didn't think of helping her overcome what happened to her for a year. By then, the damage was done. I...! And now?" he shrugs helplessly. "If I went to her now, if I was allowed to go to her by Oba-chan, with Muffin and her friends ready to go into business, I don't know how she'll react, much less Linna Yamazaki, Nene Romanova and especially Priss Asagiri. Would they listen? Would they ignore me, let Katsuhito's fears become their own? Would they not trust me to the point where they'd end up seeing Toratotaka as no different than Genom?"

"So all you can realistically do is wait," Tomomi sighs.

"Yeah," Yoshio nods. "It all hinges on Brian, Tomomi-chan. Right now, Muffin's focus'll be directed at Brian. It won't take Brian long to figure out what's going on. At least to the point where he'd deduce who's behind the Sabres. And if I know Brian (and I think I do), he'll sooner or later do things that'll have Muffin and her team breathe down his neck constantly. When that happens, he'll want to handle Muffin one-on-one..."

"And she'll get her revenge," Tomomi finishes.

"Right. When she has that, when Brian's out of the way, then I think she'll calm down enough for Quincy and the Genro to made amends to her. It won't happen right away. Maybe not for several years. But it'll happen."

A pause, then, "Along the way, the Sabres'll get some exposure. They then, even though they'll be called 'anti-corporate vigilantes,' will be a symbol of hope and defiance against how powerful Genom is. That'll keep everyone in Chuuou, not to mention the Diet and elsewhere, on their toes. That's a good thing in and of itself, Tomomi-chan. Humanity's not going to evolve anywhere unless it brings forth people who're willing to press the limits. This urban utopia Genom's making..." he waves to the surrounding cityscape. "It's emotionally dead here, Tomomi-chan. And it's been that way since Second Kantou; hell, earlier than that! We have to, in our way, make sure it can come back to life again."

"Will we succeed?" Tomomi asks.

"Every small step we take forward is a success, Tomomi-chan. Every step backward is a necessary lesson to ensure future successes. If we don't loose track of our overall goals in the end, we'll always succeed."

"Hai, wakarimasu (I understand)..."

* * *

South of the Fault, 3 February, before lunch...

"Ohayo, Brian-kun!"

Brian Armstrong looks up from his personal ledger, then grins on seeing who now stood there. "Mirei-chan!!" he rises, walking over to embrace Mirei Katagiri. "What're you doing here?!"

"Oh, I came to see how you were doing now that you've got your new brain, not to mention catch up on gossip before I head off to university," she slips off her shoes, then follows her host into the living room.

"University?!" Brian blinks surprisedly, then turns to gaze on Mirei. "You're actually going to university?"

"The University of British Columbia in Canada," Mirei sits down on the couch. "Most Canadian universities offer special university courses for boomers and organics with cybernetic augmentation like neurophage enhancements. It's called the Quickprogram system. Four weeks of having things programmed right into your mind, plus writing essays and exams and you can come out with a full bachelor's degree in whatever you want."

"Really?! And that's accepted?!"

"Hai. Some American and European universities are following suit, not to mention a couple in Korea, but I don't think it'll come to Japan just yet. People here're afraid that if boomers somehow get the chance to take Quickprogram courses at places like Toodai (Tokyo University), it'll give them another chance to advance themselves in comparison to organics."

"Foolish," the male Sexaroid reaches over to squeeze Mirei's hand. "I heard the news about Alcazar on CNN around the time I met Sakurako-chan and the others after their activation. I assume that was your doing."

"Hai, it was." The World Court was already moving to try Roberto Alcazar despite protests from Argentina and some allied countries about the method of his removal from South America to the Hague. "Too bad for him, not to mention the creep in Genom who was supporting him," she sneers.

"Loads more where fellows like that come from."

"Won't be that way before long," she sighs, then stares invitingly at him. "Up to give me a little going-away date?"

"I wouldn't mind that," he leans over...

* * *

Chiba Megatokyo International Airport, after lunch...

"Mirei-chan, hayaku (hurry up)!!"

"Gomen nasai!" Mirei runs over to join her teammates at the private terminal where Toratotaka's inter-division air shuttle service docked to make deliveries for the company's units in the capital city area. "Had to visit someone before I left," she then apologizes.

"Your boyfriend?!" Tomomi hums knowingly, sensing the shifts of chi around Mirei indicative of intense sexual intercourse.

"Just a very good friend, one I'll introduce to you when we get back, alright," Mirei playfully taps Tomomi's nose as they enter the breezeway connecting the terminal to a Canadair 2020 supersonic executive jet...

* * *

Shinjuku, the Amarok Tower, that moment...

"What has happened concerning our stray guard, Sakurako-san?"

"Nothing threatening to Amarok, Mahoshi-shachou," Sakurako Sugimoto kneels before Akira Mahoshi in the stock brokerage president's spacious office, a mini-computer and some print-outs between them. "In the two days immediately after Jack-san disappeared, reports came into TMD's (Tokyo Metropolice Department's) vice division about the theft of computers and ancillary equipment (electronic coolant units and the like) from various shops between here and the Fault. The total amount that was stolen would be valued commercially at forty thousand nuyen. There was also a report concerning an attempted mugging near the Amarok Tower by a pedestrian the night Jack-san vanished. A man reported that a large, half-naked fellow physically forced him to surrender his jacket, then he vanished into the night. Given the description the victim gave TMD, it was Jack-san."

The president takes that in, then says. "This makes no sense. A boomer becomes rogue -- I can understand the part about stealing that jacket if he stripped any signs of his working for us when he fled -- then he steals computers? What's he after?"

"I can't say, Shachou-san, but I have learned where Jack-san came from," Sakurako picks up her minicomp. "His brain was recycled in 2028 from a Bu-69C aerial combat boomer that fled Genaros station accompanying an E-28 labour unit, an S-77 companion unit and an R-31 space repair unit who later took the name Armstrong..."

The Kuromoroboshi quickly gives Akira an edited but thorough explanation concerning Armstrong's odyssey for freedom. Hearing this, the president remains silent, then when Sakurako finishes, gently breathes out. "That is a fascinating story. I do remember reading about a particularly nasty boomer rampage around that time that involved USSD and SDPC, but like most of us in this city, the truth behind it never came to public light." He nods. "No matter. Given that this fellow now remembers some elements of his previous life, what would he be after in the end?"

"That, sir, is the mystery," Sakurako sighs. "I recommend that we simply sit back and wait, keeping a strong eye out for anything Jack-san might do. Given that he has restrained himself since his escape from the Tower, being aggressive in our pursuit of him might provoke him more than necessary. You did ask for this to be kept quiet, Shachou-san."

"Hai, that I did."

"Then I propose that we remain quiescent. We at Toratotaka have yet to devise a way to monitor boomers in real-time from the Tower, thus giving us a lead towards discerning what rogue units might be up to. Given how he came to this point in his life, I believe Jack-san won't desire to bring harm to another sentient, especially an organic, unless it is in dire self-defence. Given his abilities as a C-59, not to mention past experience as a C-69, it might not take too much to provoke him into violent action."

"Which could lead others into the fray, especially the media. That, I wish to avoid," Akira nods. "Alright, fair enough. Sakurako-san, I would desire a list of those businesses who have had their wares stolen by this fellow, not to mention the name of the fellow who was attacked because of his jacket. I will see to it they're properly and silently compensated for their losses, plus ensure their continued silence in the future. I WOULD desire that this fellow be located as soon as safely practicable."

"Of course, Shachou-san..."

* * *

An hour later, after visiting her mother, Sakurako makes her way out of the Amarok Tower, heading for the nearest elevated tram station for the ride to Nerima. Her mind whirls as she considers what she had just told (and NOT told) Akira Mahoshi about Jack. Of course Sakurako didn't reveal that she herself had (in a way) been involved in the Armstrong fiasco, as did all the other Kuromoroboshi 33-S's now active. Atop that, she certainly didn't reveal that Armstrong himself had survived the incident...

Wait...!

Sakurako blinks, stopping suddenly as her eyes widen. "That's it..." she whispers. "Could he...? Be after Brian-kun...?"

With that, she races off...

* * *

Nerima, the Tower, that moment...

"Jeez, Oba-chan..."

Yoshio stares at the notes and printouts concerning a project the Board of Elders dropped onto his lap just that morning. Also there are two small clear glass boxes, each containing a glowing ruby meson crystal similar in shape to the reserve memory crystal built into a Mark 97 brain. There was no one else in the office; his secretary was directing all his calls elsewhere and he had told his SPDs that he needed some time alone.

Project: Little Steps.

Sitting back in his chair, Yoshio rubs his face. He had heard of the Prometheus experiments done in Germany by Seigfred Fritzlar, a former MRASTech (Mastason-Richards-Andrews-Stingray Technologies) researcher who later moved to Genom. Having obtained copies of the notes Katsuhito made concerning his specialized memory-copying and memory-implanting process (the process by which Yoshio and Sylia came to benefit from Katsuhito's knowledge), Seigfred engineered a memory-copy machine, then wrote Prometheus. Prometheus, named after the Greek titan who gave man the gift of fire, was a program by which the total knowledge of a person could be downloaded safely into a boomer brain or static AI processor unit.

Yoshio himself, using Katsuhito's knowledge with the help of Samguk scientists while he was studying at Seouldae (Seoul National University) after Second Kantou, engineered something similar as part of his Mark 97 CBWS research. He sent his design to the Bombardier Group of Canada for them to use in the Quickprogram speed-education system. Since Genom never bothered to copyright any elements of Katsuhito's research beyond anything concerning boomers, there had been no risk of lawsuits or anything worse when Quickprogram made its appearance at Ryerson University in 2026.

Yoshio hadn't known that Quincy once allowed himself to be a test subject for Prometheus three years ago. Nicole McTavish had, but that didn't really surprise the House Patriarch; it seemed at times as if NOTHING could escape his godmother's attention. As to HOW she got her hands on the Prometheus memory-copy of the Genom chairman, much less made a second copy, then allowed them both to gestate into complete personalities, Yoshio didn't know and knew it was a waste of time to ask. He had them now and Nicole wanted them both to be given full lives so that, if the time ever came, one or both of them would step into Quincy's place and ensure Genom would have a firm hand on the helm in such a time of transition.

A content smile crosses his face, pride surging as he reaches to a drawer to draw out a folder marked 33-S THIRD GEN DESIGN NOTES. Damn! Nicole was trusting HIM to do this, use two of HIS daughters to ensure Genom's future. Well, wasn't that something?

Alright, then, which ones would he use...?

Flipping open the file on the third gen 33-S's, Yoshio hums, then scans the pictures of the ten physically complete units (the remaining twenty-four third gens hadn't been physically completed when the whole 33-S project was shut down). Since Little Steps required that both people had to be seen and accepted as physical relatives of Quincy Rosenkrantz...!

Right, that definitely excludes Ay-Em-Fourteen, his brow furrows. Ay-Ay-Forty-one's too small height-wise to make the right impre-...! Ah! he then nods, pulling out two pictures. "Yes, these'll do it..."

Laying the pictures aside, he then turns to a Post-It note on the folder flap containing a message from Koji Tamura, in whose hands Yoshio trusted the safety of all the Genom 33-S's that were still in storage. The 33-S's he wanted were stored together in a warehouse in Setagaya district. Turning to his personal computer, Yoshio then calls up information on what else was stored there. Alright, nothing too valuable. The units in that warehouse were obsolete M-Class "mannequin" boomers and E-Class labour units that had never been sold and most likely would be recycled to make new units. The building, much to Yoshio's delight, was pre-quake vintage, no doubt soon to be demolished and replaced. No great loss.

With that, he picks up his secure audiophone, then dials a number. As soon as the other end answer, he sighs. "Karen-chan, it's me. Bring your team to my office right away; I've a VERY quiet job Oba-chan wants done for you." As soon as Karen Maijima acknowledges the message, Yoshio cuts the line, then makes another call to a place under a mountain near Aomori. "Iffy?!" he smiles on hearing the voice of another of his mentors. "Boku da wa (It's me). Hai, listen, I need a BIG favour from you..."

* * *

South of the Fault, Brian's apartment, later...

"Fifty-five's alive, too?!!"

Brian stares at Sakurako as the two share tea. Mint sits beside him, holding his hand. "Hai. By the looks of it, he was able to retain a lot of his memories from his previous life, enough to compel him to break free and go rogue," Sakurako nods. "I believe he might be after you in the long term (when he realizes that you're still alive, of course). But I haven't seen any evidence yet either way, though," she holds up a hand in warning.

He sighs, remembering the hectic night when he and the boomer once designated Bu-69C-E-C55 parted ways. "He felt betrayed. When he left, he had FG -- Tomomi -- in hand. He said, 'It was you who fed us the fruit of knowledge and forced us from paradise.' Gods! And he was Jack all along?! I met him when I saw your mother to start investing in the market!"

"Brian, we have to find him, tell him how much things've changed! If he's a C-59, he's way more powerful than you are now!" Mint frets.

Brian gazes at her, then nods. "What can we do to help?"

"I'd prefer you do nothing for now," Sakurako shakes her head. "I realize you would be motivated to help considering this man is...! WAS a friend of yours and Tomomi-chan's, Brian-kun. But I'm afraid that I'm not the only one involved. Though he hasn't said anything about it, Mahoshi-shachou has his security people out on the streets now keeping an eye out for Jack-san. That doesn't mention the maintenance technician who was to scrub Jack-san's mind before he fled. They are a bright group of people Amarok has under their employ now, plus they have their own force of combat boomers (all C-55s) to call on in case something goes wrong. I want to resolve this WITHOUT provoking a fight, not to mention find some way to help Jack-san be free to live his own life. That requires a lot of prior planning, not to mention a lot of sneakiness on all our parts," she winks.

"True, true," Brian nods. "Perhaps there is something I can do to help out. Let myself become bait to draw Jack in, then you can swoop in to deal with that then and there, Sakurako-chan."

"How so?" the Kuromoroboshi perks up.

"Given how much I've learned about this city in the last two months alone, I know there're two general areas for any sort of rogue boomer or organic fleeing any sort of persecution to hide out and hope to remain free: the Fault and Paradise Loop," Brian begins. "I do some of my work in Rosie's and that's in the Fault itself. She's been begging me to come work there more often. I think I'll take her up on the invitation. All I have to do is take on some part-time work in the Fault catering to the people there and let the Fault's own rumour mill do the rest."

"That could take a while," Sakurako muses.

"Hai, it could, but it will ensure that we'll have enough advanced warning in case Jack does come down to find me," Brian nods. "There's something else we have to keep in mind. You told me about those computers he stole. If he's following my example, then he'll assemble them together as one giant data processor unit with a link to the Internet. Your own 'onee-san' is a pretty good hacker; it's part of her job as SFIO. Jack will seek to -- will WANT to; he always was a pretty reluctant soldier when you get down to it -- work for his keep as he continues his search..."

"Depending if he IS looking for you," Mint objects.

"True," he concedes. "But if his memories include his escaping with Tomomi-chan, then he'll want to come after me, Mint. Once he gets the name 'Armstrong,' he'll no doubt associate that with me. Then all he has to do is hack into public records and find everything about me."

"There's the risk that during his search for you, he might also attract the attention of those you might not want to learn about you, Brian-kun," Sakurako warns, holding up a finger.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take," Brian sighs. "Jack was right, you know. I DID give him the fruit of knowledge, then forced him from what then was paradise. Or at least a place where we could live in safety..."

"But not freedom," Sakurako muses.

"Not even pure-organics are fully free, Sakurako-chan."

"True..."

* * *

Nerima, the Tower...

"We can do this."

Yoshio stares at the members of Team One. Karen Maijima and Miho Suzuki, plus their SDCI back-up teammates, Yayoi Kusanagi and Yurika Misumaru. All four sit across from him in the part of the office the House Patriarch set aside for receiving official guests. On the coffee table between them was scattered all the information on Little Steps, plus data on two unprogrammed third generation 33-S's now in storage in Setagaya.

"Alright, then consider this your graduation exercise," he nods. "I'm having two bio-mech replicas of them made by the Skunk Works. As soon as they're delivered, you'll be free to carry out the mission. Do it without making ANY sort of noise that could in any way, shape or form point what happened to us. Wakaru (Understood)?"

"Hai, wakarimasu," the four women bow.

"Hell, if we want to, let's rig it all up so that the blame'd be heaped on the ABLS, Otou-sama," Miho then grins, crossing her arms. "There's the perfect bunch to get the blame for this!"

"Man, you got that right, Miho," Karen scowls. "I remember some puke from the Society popping up on Kaa-san and I when we were shopping down at Esmerelda's last week. I don't know HOW they found out Mira-neesan makes use of GS-Rs as her floor staff -- not ONE of them looks like a boomer even close up! -- but there was this bakayaro there trying to plaster these notices on the front windows warning shoppers of being 'corrupted' by the 'boomer lovers' who run Esmerelda's in the first place. Gods!"

"What happened?" Yoshio asks.

"Well, Kaa-san and I tried to go in to do our shopping, then this creep butts right in our way to stop us from going in!" Karen throws up her hands in disgust. "So what do I do? I call the jerk a 'simophobe' right to his face. Oh, boy, did HE get upset!!"

"And?!" Yayoi makes an urgent wave with her hand.

"He screams 'I'M NOT A DISEASE!!!' and tries to smack me on my head. I nail him with a shiatsu strike to put him to sleep and that's when this ADP sergeant shows up to arrest him for disturbing the peace!"

Laughter fills the room. "Who was that, anyway?" Yoshio asks.

"Oh, it was your old sempai, Otou-sama. Daley Wong."

"Oh, Daley!! That's good! Did he recognize what you are?"

"Hai, he did! How'd he do that, anyway?!" Karen wonders. "Is he a martial artist by any chance?"

"I dunno. He attributes it to 'feminine intuition.' That's what he calls it. I don't bother disagreeing with him since he's keeping watch on Kaneko-chan and he did help with Allia-chan, too."

"That's nice. It's such a pity that he's gay; he's definitely pleasing for THIS Sexaroid's optical sensors to look at!!" Karen asserts, pointing at her eyes in emphasis...

* * *

"AH-CHOO!!!!"

"Bless you, Wong-buchou (Sergeant Wong)! Are you alright?!"

Daley rubs his nose, then he sniffs the air. "Oh, it's alright, Romanova-junsa (Officer Romanova)!" he smiles at the newest member of the force's Communications Troop. "I think someone's talking about me."

"Let's hope it's good talk," Nene Romanova muses.

"I hope so, too..."

* * *

"Don't knock it down, Karen," Miho play-punches her teammate. "Our loss might one day be one of our brothers' gain, ne?" her eyebrow arches.

"Hai, true, true! Maybe we should introduce him to Brian-kun while we're at it as a way of saying 'thanks!'" Karen grins.

More laughter. "Actually, given that he has broken up with his latest boyfriend, maybe I could consider sending one of you out to snare one of Brian's brothers and bring him over," Yoshio muses, then shakes his head. "Ah, never mind! Sempai never liked it when I tried to arrange dates for him, so I won't dig myself deeper into THAT hole."

The members of KMT-1 stare at him. "You're not bothered by this, Otou-sama?" Karen asks. "I mean, finding out about Brian-kun and all that? He did do a lot of damage back in '28..."

"Which wasn't his fault in the long term, Karen-chan," Yoshio holds up a hand. "Don't worry about it. First of all, his escape from Genom was arranged by the Skunk Works, so it's no real concern of mine in the long term. Second, in many ways, he's the first FULLY sentient boomer to come down the pike since the Aijins. In my eyes, that makes him very special. Besides, he wants to live his own life. He's living it. We can't mother-hen him all the time, you know; it wouldn't be fair to him at all."

"True," Karen sighs...

* * *

Mitaka, the Samguk Daikan Towers, 4 February, lunchtime...

"...Drinkwater for NHK News. We now turn to the press conference concerning the release of Family, Rose Sanokura's latest album, at Abbey Road Records' studios in Mitaka..."

Cameras flash. Seated behind the table in the meeting hall at the Daikan Towers is Rose Sanokura, with her producer Shannon Choi to one side. "Sanokura-sensei, given you avowed single state, why did you title this album Family?!" one reporter asks.

Rose sighs. "Because, for most of last year, I came to understand what being part of a family meant. As was briefly reported back in March, I made purchase of a Bu-33S personal companion boomer from Genom. I gave her the name 'Emi.' She in all effect became the daughter I've always wanted. Being with her, living with her, sharing her life...! It was unlike anything I've ever experienced before, to be honest with you."

"Was Emi recalled and sent into space?" another reporter asks.

"Yes. She was recalled and sent to Genaros."

"How did you feel about that, ma'am?"

Rose blinks, then bows her head. "I...! I once knew a person who was forced to give up a child for adoption because she couldn't raise him in a good, healthy environment to make him a good man when he grew up. In the end, she may've done the right thing, but to be torn from her own flesh-and-blood...? It nearly destroyed her in the long term. Now, there are those..." she raises a hand to cut off a reporter's comment, "...who'd say that since Emi-chan was a boomer, losing her didn't matter in the end. Well, none of you, I suspect, ever had the chance to live with a Bu-33S as a family member. I did and I will forever treasure that memory. Emi was no boomer in my eyes, minna. She was human. And she was my child."

"Do you approve of the Sexaroids' recall?"

"NO!!!" she snaps. "The Diet's decision concerning the 33-S's was ill-reasoned and heartless, which is what one would expect of a government full of people who care more for placating a selfish group of people in business than seeing to the voters' business. The whole idea of someone like Emi-chan, who would NEVER think of hurting another person, actually becoming some sort of special military mecha pilot...! It's ridiculous!!"

"Sanokura-sensei, you were a vocal supporter of the movement started by Professor Nishihara of Toodai (Tokyo University) to have the 33-S's taken off the restricted list and returned to Earth. Did you know of the accident that claimed his life and the life of his daughter Yue?"

Rose perks up though she projects the look of someone who had just lost a friend. That question came from a 16 Tokyo Daytimes reporter, one who was a friend to Mio Kisaragi, the SPD-MM&C (Special Project Director for Mass Media and Communications) at the Nerima Tower.

This was the question that would bait whoever had killed poor Chisugi and Yue into action, Yoshio told her...

...and lead the idiots right to the Kuromoroboshi.

"Yes, I do know of it. But I'd hardly consider what happened to my friends 'an accident,'" Rose icily hums. "I find it quite mysterious that in the last month alone, SIXTEEN people, including Chisugi-san and Yue-san, have died in 'accidents.' All of them, believe it or not, were former 33-S supervisors. All of them, believe it or not, were helping Chisugi-san and I get our loved ones back from SDPC. Doesn't that tell you something?"

Silence falls over the room as the reporters consider that. Rose knew the people who actually reported the news were a pretty neutral bunch when it came to the corporate games Genom often played on the unsuspecting public. It was in many cases the newspaper editors and news show producers who might be in the megacorp's back pocket (if those newspapers and stations weren't owned by some hidden Genom affiliate, of course).

Fortunately for Rose, three television stations were doing this press release as a live broadcast for the noon news and 16 Tokyo Daytimes was an on-line newspaper, which guaranteed a considerable level of impartiality since Genom couldn't easily interfere with what was transmitted over the Internet. Even if the television networks didn't follow up this story, the words always had ways of getting out to the people that mattered.

And that was what the composer and Toratotaka was after.

"Sanokura-sensei, are you accusing Genom of...?"

"Did I say anything about Genom?" Rose's eyebrow arches, a look of genuine surprise crossing her face.

"But the Sexaroids were made..."

"By Genom in their Special Projects department here in Megatokyo," Rose nods. "Yes, that's true. And it was there that some people -- who, I've no idea -- decided to alter the production process Saotome-hakase laid out for that particular model and have Emi-chan and so many of her sisters fitted with C-Class parts. I don't know who those people are. But given what Saotome-hakase told me when he wrote and apologized for what happened to Emi-chan, I have to strongly wonder where their REAL loyalties are if they were willing to defy Saotome-hakase's orders on that matter."

"Saotome-hakase doesn't work for Genom anymore."

"No, nor did he EVER work for Genom in the first place. The 33-S project was a joint development project between Genom and Toratotaka. I can now see why Toratotaka prefers to construct the 33-M Cyber-Nurses alone. I'm not accusing Genom AS A WHOLE of any wrongdoing. I am merely pointing out that there are possibly some rotten apples in the Tower in Chuuou and if people go to Genom to do business with them, they should be VERY wary. After all, we demand the best services when we see a doctor or a dentist, don't we? Can't we demand the same thing of the people who build our homes, rebuilt this city from what happened six years ago?"

Rose then takes a deep sigh. "I'm sorry. I know you all came here to speak of my new album, not my personal life or Emi-chan for that matter, but these past few months have been hard for me."

"Do you want Emi to come back?" the Daytimes reporter asks.

Rose blinks, then smiles. "More than anything else..."

* * *

Genom Tower, that moment...

"Lee-san?"

"Hai, Mason-sama?"

"Why wasn't this broadcast stopped?" Brian Mason wonders.

Stephan Lee shudders, a bead of sweat appearing under his well-styled hair. "I...! I'm sorry, sir, but we didn't expect this to come up at all. I didn't even know Sanokura was going to put that boomer's composition on her album in the first place..."

"Deal with the matter, Lee-san. Genom's name will not be blackened anymore because of the Sexaroids. Understood?"

The younger executive jolts, then nods. "Hai, wakarimasu!"

He departs. Mason sighs, then blinks surprisedly as a tabby cat leaps down from a nearby shelf to hop into his lap, purring loudly. Seeing the cat, a smile then crosses his face as he moves to pet it. "Sometimes, I think you are the only real friends I have in this place," he muses, sitting back in his chair as he turns to gaze on Megatokyo.

The cat meows, then relaxes in his lap...

* * *

Nerima, the Tower...

"So trusting when it comes to those you think won't hurt you one bit, Brian. Typical," Yoshio shakes his head, getting the intelligence feed from the animorph spy on his own personal computer screen. His other hand slides over to pick up his secure phone, then he dials a number. As soon as the other end answers, he sits back. "Izumi-chan, boku da wa. The problem I warned you about is about to come to a head. Deal with it."

He shuts his computer off before gazing on the city...

* * *

Toshiba Estates, near the Tower, later...

"Gods..."

There is not a dry eye in the house as Izumi Shinohara shuts off the player, then relaxes. Around the coffee table, five of her sisters relax, having come to be briefed by Izumi on their mission. To get them in the mood, the commander of Team Four played the recording of The Question she obtained from Yoshio the previous day when the House Patriarch had selected her team, Team Nine and Team Seven to deal with the "Mason problem."

"One of us wrote that?" Izumi's teammate, silver-haired and grey-eyed Satomi Kurokawa, hoarsely wonders, wiping her cheeks.

"Yeah," Izumi nods. She heard the song four times. EVERY time, she cried. "It's a smart thing Rose-basan didn't say anything about who wrote The Question. People might be turned off if they learned it was written by a boomer. Maybe in the future. But right now, we've got to make sure Rose-basan and the other surviving supervisors HAVE a future. As soon as we find out who the point-man on this is, we'll head down to go to work."

"It could be the same man who killed Namiko-chan's relatives, you know," Misa Tanaka crosses her arms.

"Pity Yui-chan couldn't be in on this," Kozue Tsuzumi hums.

"Don't worry, Kozue," Minori Katou grins. "She'd probably say the same thing were our positions reversed. 'Sides, we've got to spend time watching over all of Mason's other pukes to make sure we can make their departures from this life as 'innocent' as all the 'accidents' they unleashed on Nishihara-sensei and everyone else."

"Amen, sis," Minori's teammate, raven-haired and brown-eyed Ako Saitou, nods determinedly. "Let's go party!"

The others nod...

* * *

Kawasaki, Rose Sanokura's home, that evening...

"Who's calling?" Rose wonders.

"Sylia Stingray, Sanokura-sama," the housekeeper, Terri Park, smiles. "She says she's a close friend of Saotome-hakase's."

Rose blinks, then her eyes widen. "Oh, THAT Sylia Stingray! She's Katsuhito-san's daughter. Damn, my brain's turned to sludge! Alright, I'll get it," she rises to head into the den, then picks up the phone. "Moshi-moshi, Sanokura desu (this is Sanokura)."

"A pleasure to speak to you, Sanokura-sensei," a woman's voice calls back. "I saw your news conference today on NHK. I'd like to personally extend my sympathies to you concerning Emi-san."

"You're very kind, Stingray-san," Rose smiles. "I doubt your father would've ever wanted what happened to Emi-chan to happen to any boomer given what he envisioned of them."

"Who told you...?" Sylia demands, then laughs. "Oh, Jii-chan must've told you about that! Gomen nasai, Sensei..."

Rose blinks surprisedly. "'Jii-chan?!'"

"My nickname for Saotome-hakase, ma'am. I coined it for him when Tou-san was still alive and Jii-chan was working for him in Whiz Labs. Could you tell me something, Sensei? I just purchased Family and I noticed in the credits for The Question, an 'E. Sanokura' was credited as composer. I assume that Emi-san was the one who wrote the song."

"You assume correctly. So far, you're the only one who picked up on that," Rose then laughs delightedly.

"How has the response been so far?"

"As expected. Those who understand were quick to express sympathy over Emi-chan. Those who hate boomers called me a 'boomer-loving freak' or words to that effect. It's to be expected, I believe," she shrugs...

* * *

In the kitchen, Terri listens in on Rose's conversation. So that was the daughter of the man who created boomers in the first place, had trained poor Emi's creator to bring such darling beings into this world.

Terri had been hired by Rose two years ago; she had been with the composer when the latter had gone into Genom one day, emerging an hour later with a beautiful black-haired, brown-eyed first generation 33-S soon named "Emi." At first, the composer had been tempted to treat Emi as a lover, but given that Rose was well past the age where she'd really care to date a younger person, their relationship had morphed into something one might expect of a single mother having just adopted a beautiful daughter.

Terri soon found herself being the one who'd answer Emi's needs whenever the 33-S's' frequent oestrogen imbalance struck. Rose didn't mind it at all. In many ways, the maid missed the poor girl as much as her mother did. Oh, if only, if only people'd see reason...!

Eh?!

Terri tenses, then turns...

* * *

The 33-C smiles as she claps the poor maid's mouth closed, choking Terri's scream off as the boomer's vibro-claws lance through the maid's chest to skewer her heart. Shock crosses the poor woman's face before her eyes loose their lucidity and she sinks to the floor. The boomer ensures she makes no noise as Terri falls, then she nods to an undisguised C-55. He would deal with Rose as soon as the mouthy singer got off the phone...

* * *

<<Minna, it's started!>>

<<How many do you mark, Izumi-chan?!>>

<<Shit, half-dozen at least. Two 33-Cs and five 55s...! I...>> Izumi's voice trails off, then she grins. <<Oh, this is SO sweet! Looks like the boomers have some organic company!!>>

<<Marked him!>> Kozue reports. <<Oi!! It's the same creep who killed Namiko-chan's girlfriend and her father!>>

<<First one who kills the jerk buys a round at Heartbeat!>> Minori challenges as six shadows swarm around the Sanokura home.

<<Deal!!>> the other Kuromoroboshi reply...

* * *

"Who's she talking to, K?"

"Sounds like Stingray-hakase's daughter Sylia," K, the 33-C Stephen Lee used as his aide, shakes her head, now monitoring the wired telephone frequencies through a link in her head, keyed now through the limousine's on-board computer into a junction box a half-block from the Sanokura home.

"Is that so...?!" Lee scowls, remembering that Mason had an interest in that woman. No matter. Dealing with this bitch came first. NO ONE brought Genom's name into such question like THAT in a public forum!

No one...!

* * *

Terri shudders as she fights the growing darkness hazing her vision from all sides. The pain of her heart, now stopped, being skewered by a hand full of vibro-knives was fading as all sensations in her body began to vanish. Oh, God! Oh, God, please! Don't let this happened to...

Footsteps. Terri blinks, then senses someone crouch beside her as something is fixed to the side of her face. "Hang on tight, Park-san," a warm voice assures her. "You'll be okay." Pause, then, "This is Cheetah, Cat's Cradle. Medical emergency, beam to the Tower medical station, stat!"

Terri shudders as she feels something take her away...

* * *

A thrumming noise fills the Sanokura home for a moment, loud enough for even Rose to hear speaking to Sylia. "What on Earth was that...?" the composure turns away from her phone.

"Sanokura-sensei...?!" Sylia calls out.

Rose catches herself, then puts the receiver back to her ear. "Just a moment, please, Sylia-san..."

* * *

"What the hell was that, K?!"

"I can't tell, Lee-sama. I never heard that before..."

* * *

In the kitchen, J, the 33-C who had taken out Terri, jolts, then turns to where the maid should still be laying in a puddle of her own blood. She blinks surprisedly on seeing no body there, then jolts as the air beside the puddle crackles before morphing into a tall woman dressed in a skintight bodysuit, a drawn sword in hand, bits of crystal shining on her face. "Time to head to the scrapyard, razordoll!" she grins, then with a speed J had NEVER seen before in her brief life, lunges.

The hapless 33-C doesn't react fast enough before the blade catches her in the crotch, then with a brutal up-swing cut, she is sliced in half. The shocked look is frozen on the parts of her face as they collapse in a shower of life-fluids and shredded biomechanical flesh as Misa spins on the C-55 who accompanied J through the kitchen. "Oi, what's UP, doc?!" the Kuromoroboshi grins maniacally, beckoning the combat boomer with a finger.

Roaring, the C-55's mouth drops open as its ion cannon extends. Misa ducks the blast, dodges off a cupboard, then delivers a spinning side-kick into the boomer's skull. Boosted with a chi field and the duranium-level strength in Misa's bones (including a solid duranium ankle bone where her regenerative gel was stored), the kick hits like a flying I-beam, crushing the boomer's skull and pulping its brain as it drops to the floor.

<<FIGHT'S ON!!!!>> Misa declares.

Rose appears at the archway leading to the kitchen, her eyes widening on seeing TWO dead boomers, a puddle of blood, a missing maid and some strange girl with a sword bloodied by life-fluids. "What on Earth's...?!!"

"GET DOWN!!!!" Misa screams as she tackles the composer, pushing her to the floor just as another bolt of ion energy lashes overhead. <<Minori, get rid of the one in the dining room!!>>

<<He's gone!>>

* * *

"Sir, we're being ambushed," K dutifully announces.

"WHAT?!?!" Lee screams out.

"J and one of the C-55s are dead..."

The roof of the limousine collapses as a flash of grey-silver slices K from head to groin. The hapless boomer explodes, body parts collapsing as a dark shape appears across from Lee, icy blue eyes burning with a righteous rage. "This is for the Nishiharas, you bastard!!"

Lee screams, then gasps as the sword that slew K shears through his chest, punching out his spine. He shudders as the pain begins to overwhelm him, then he stares at the black-haired woman that had just killed him, his body starting to sway. "Keep the gates of Hell open, pal," Izumi snarls. "Someone'll send all your friends, including Mason, down soon enough!"

She yanks out her sword, then leaps through the hole she made in the roof. Landing beside the limousine, she taps several points on the flanks, undercarriage and cabin roof, then springs for the Sanokura home to help her sisters. A moment later, the gas tank ruptures, a spark igniting the fuel now spilling onto the ground. The limousine blows up, lighting up the neighbourhood. Strangely, some of the explosive force turns INSIDE to fully shred Lee's body as the flames consume his and K's remains...

* * *

Inside the Sanokura home, it's an all-out free-for-all as five C-55s face the same number of Kuromoroboshi. Misa stays close to Rose in the kitchen, who watches wide-eyed as these women dismember the attackers with the skill and panache one might prefer members of AD Police to demonstrate when they fought them. "Who are you?!" one of the boomers challenges.

"So solly," Ako mocks, affecting a faux Mandarin accent as she sticks her tongue out. "No can leave witnesses."

The Kuromoroboshi lunge. Weapons on the C-55s deploy, but they might as well be feather-dusters for all the good they do against the ultra-fast Sexaroids. Using the Shinzou Bakuhatsu Shoku (Heart Blast Touch) on vulnerable shiatsu points, not to mention their duranium gaikatanas, Misa and her sisters dispatch the attacking boomers without taking injury, much less allowing further damage to be inflicted on the Sanokura home. As soon as the last boomer falls headless to the ground, Misa sighs, then turns to her sisters. "Make sure no one can find out what happened here."

"Hai!" the others chant.

Chi-charged punches are then applied to the C-55s' skulls to crush them, pulping their brains along the way. Rose watches this, then turns to Misa. "Doshite (Why)?! And who are you people?!"

"We're some of Emi-chan's sisters serving in Toratotaka, Oba-san," Misa smiles assuredly at the composer. "This'll make sure no one in Genom'll figure out what happened here tonight. But for that to work, we need you to play along for the ride, alright?"

"Ah...! O-of course," Rose stammers...

* * *

The Lady's 663 Building, that moment...

"The Kuromoroboshi..."

Sylia hums, then severs the link between her penthouse and Rose Sanokura's home, turning to stare at the city...

* * *

To be continued...