Bubblegum Crisis Fan Fiction / Urusei Yatsura Fan Fiction / To Heart Fan Fiction / Sentimental Journey Fan Fiction / Tokimeki Memorial Fan Fiction ❯ Illusions - Fragments ❯ The Chaos Principle ( Chapter 5 )

Kawasaki, the Sanokura home, 5 February 2031, before dawn...

"Jeez, I've never seen ANYTHING like this before..."

"Got that right," Daley Wong shakes his head as he and Leon McNichol pick their way through the shattered wrecks of five C-55 combat boomers in the dining room of Rose Sanokura's home. The composer in question was now in the living room, still shaky over what happened last night as she gives her statement to Jeena Malso. Other ADP and KPMD (Kanagawa Prefectural Metropolice Department) personnel sift through what was in the kitchen. "Jeez, all this just to silence a singer who wanted her daughter back?"

"Yeah, that's Genom for you," Leon snorts, then notices how caved in the C-55s' heads are. "They won't be able to recover any memories from these boys, that's for DAMN sure!" he then laughs.

"Neither can we," Daley notes. "I doubt even that new forensics officer we got could pull it off."

"Tayami-san? Yeah, you got that right. Okay, since we can't do much here, let's fast-track these things to the scrapheap."

"Right," the ex-special forces officer nods.

It was as obvious as a sore thumb. The person directly in charge of what happened was dead, shredded in his own exploding limousine along with one of the razordolls found here. As to who might've given him (they were trying to identify him) the orders, Leon had a good hunch as to who it was.

Proving it would be difficult given ADP's lack of ability when it came to scanning a boomer's memory cells. Even if they could, it would then be next to impossible to see the accomplices brought up on charges. Leon and Daley knew what would happen. People in Genom would tell friends in the Diet to pressure ADP's commanders to have the force concentrate on who destroyed the boomers and why, ignoring the fact that said boomers were involved in a blatant attack on an innocent songwriter. If the stupid idiots upstairs forced THAT on the city's defences, ADP's scarce resources would be diverted to things which were a waste of the force's time and potentially endanger people who needed more urgent protection.

Best to derail that process right away...

Both walk into the living room. "Alright, bag these things for transport to Station One," Leon orders. "Tell Kayama-keibuho (Lieutenant Kayama) to do her magic on them."

"Hai, McNichol-buchou (Sergeant McNichol)!" the troopers snap to attention, then get to work.

With that, Leon walks over to kneel beside Rose. "How are you, Sanokura-sensei?" he places a comforting hand on her own.

"I...! I'm alright. J-just still shocked..." Rose flusters, her body lightly quivering. "I just c-can't believe this happened to me of all people! What sort of monster could do this...?"

"Don't worry about it, Sensei. The creep that was behind this is chopped sushi," Jeena grins. "The best thing to do for you now is get you to a safe house to ensure there's no follow-up attack."

"Where's your maid, ma'am?" Daley wonders.

A shuffling noise. The ADP officers and Rose turn as a curly black-haired woman in a stylish maid's outfit steps in. "Rose-sama, what's...? Oh, gods!!" Terri Park pales on seeing the damage to her employer's home, the wrecked boomers scattered all over the place. "What happened here?!!"

"A boomer attack aimed at your employer, no doubt because of what happened to your employer's daughter, Park-san," Daley walks over to place an assuring hand on the maid's shoulder. "We need to get a statement from you concerning what happened last night."

"I..." Terri flusters, "...I just went out on the town..."

"It's alright, Terri. Just help them, okay?" Rose ordains.

"I...! H-hai, ma'am."

Jeena takes the maid aside as a KPMD officer walks in, giving Leon a salute. "McNichol-buchou, there's a vehicle here from the Toratotaka Tower in Nerima. The House Patriarch's here!"

"He is?!" Leon blinks, then follows the other man outside. Glancing at the street, the sergeant fights down a grin. Yoshio Saotome was now facing the press, calmly giving his own spin on what happened and why. With him is Yukari Koshiki, the CMCO (Chief Medical/Cyber-Medical Officer), the senior doctor for the Eastern Eurasian Division, at the Tower, and a black-haired, blue-eyed woman in T'n'T office lady's dress with slacks.

Walking over, he passes under the taped line as he picks up Yoshio's comments to a Yomiuri reporter. "...believe someone would besmirch the actions of well-intentioned people, not to mention find such insult that he would launch such a blatant attack on a defenceless woman who only desires her child back, that this has to happen," he waves to the Sanokura home.

"Do you blame Genom, Saotome-hakase?" the reporter asks.

Yoshio stares quizzically at the other man. "Why should I, much less anyone else, turn around and blame a company employing ninety million people for the actions of one lunatic? You don't blame a whole company just because one sick jerk decided he was going to pay back a potential 'insult' to Genom's name because of what Sanokura-sensei said yesterday in her press release. And by the way, after seeing that, I have to admit that Sanokura-sensei went out of her way to exonerate Genom as a whole for the selfish actions of some of my ex-co-workers in the 33-S project."

"What will happen now, sir?"

"Well we'd like to help ensure that not only does Sanokura-sensei remain safe in case there's a copycat out there ready to pick up where this fellow left off..." Yoshio waves to the wrecked limousine where Stephan Lee died, "...we'll be doing the same for the other old 33-S supervisors. I've contacted Interior Minister Miyaki and offered Toratotaka's support in keeping those innocent people safe and sound until this blows over. As to where they'll go, that'll have to, for their sake, remain secret."

"Domo arigatou, Saotome-hakase," the reporter nods.

He heads off. Yoshio watches him go, then smiles. He'd have to arrange through Mio Kisaragi to get a TV Tokyo crew to the Tower so they could interview Rose for a live broadcast. As for the print and Internet media, it was already handled. 16 Tokyo Daytimes had an agreement with Yomiuri concerning the sharing of stories so the news could be spread out over as wide a field as possible. Brian Mason loathed such levels of exposure, so whatever else he or his subordinates might've had planned would be put on hold for the time being. All that needed to happen now was to convince Quincy's special assistant to cancel it entirely...

* * *

PART FIVE - THE CHAOS PRINCIPLE

Shinjuku, the tram station, 5 February 2031, morning...

"What a terrible thing to happen!"

The comments cause Carl Ash to glance over at a nearby news kiosk. Early morning editions of all of the major dailies were screaming about a boomer attack on Rose Sanokura's home last night. "What could've stopped those things?" one man asks his friend as the special corporate affairs executive discretely slides up to glance over the man's shoulder.

"According to this, it must've been some vigilante group," his friend holds up a copy of the Asashi Shimbun.

"Vigilantes hunting combat boomers?!" the first commuter hums, then chuckles. "Shades of the ABLS!"

"Got that right..."

Hearing this, Ash scowls as he makes his way to the boarding platform for the trams leading to Chuuou and the Tower. The sooner he got to work, the sooner he could find out what Stephan Lee was up to last night, then correct it. Like his co-worker (Carl Ash would be hard pressed to call any of his co-workers, especially if they were "in the know," true "friends"), the man from Special Corporate Affairs (the "dirty tricks" shop as it was known to the senior rank-and-file at Genom) had been grossly offended by what Sanokura said about the company in her news conference yesterday.

That could NOT and would NOT be allowed to pass unpunished.

Making his way to where he could board the forward-most tram car (when he disembarked at Genom Tower station, the stairs and breezeway leading to the main gate were right there), Ash relaxes as he allows his mind to wander over what he had to do in the next few hours.

Unseen, a young woman queues behind him. Dressed in a blazer, long skirt and a bonnet hat to obscure her face from nearby security cameras, she relaxes, then raises her foot to tap the break between the concrete blocks underfoot. The elevated tram station was designed with the boarding platform serving as a ledge over the track bed, leaning a half-metre out. With guard rails and automatic safety doors (which only opened when the tram had stopped in the station) ensuring that people didn't get pushed off into the track bed accidentally or deliberately, the Megatokyo tram was one of the safest mass transit systems in the world.

Pity no one ever thought to ask a Kuromoroboshi about it.

Misa Tanaka grins as she senses the concrete about to shatter. She didn't need her fingers to use the Shinzou Bakuhatsu Shoku (Heart Blast Touch) to shatter the ledge, thus letting Ash fall into the track bed...

Ah, there's the tram now!

* * *

Kootou Ward, the Kiyosumi Gardens, that moment...

"Sumimasen, Oji-san. I'm a little lost..."

Shuuichi Nanami blinks, then looks to see an impish raven-haired woman with brown eyes, draped in a green button dress with red tie, gazing warily at him. Mesmerized as he drinks in her delicate features, the research and development scientist (he was one of the experts when it came to combat boomers) feels his heart shoot into his throat, then he catches himself. "Is there a problem, there, young lady?" he adjusts his glasses.

"H-hai, I'm l-looking for the F-fukagawa Shrine..." Ako Saitou stammers, affecting a north Toohoku accent as she glances about, looking like a normal university student from the country on her first visit to the big city. "I was told it was close by..."

"Fukagawa?" Nanami blinks, his eyes dancing between her face and her nice legs. Damn, how short IS that skirt, anyway? Wasn't she the least bit cold from the weather? "Oh, that's not too far away. I can show you."

"I...! W-well, if y-you don't mind," Ako flusters, her eyes then glancing to the growing bulge in his pants, then she madly blushes. "Oji-san...!!" she squeals, then gulps before giggling cutely.

Nanami is nonplussed, then he gags on noticing where the poor woman's attention was now focused. "Ah...ah, g-g-gomen n-ne!" he stammers, turning around to quickly adjust himself.

Ako watches him, then reaches over to stroke his cheek. Nanami jolts, then finds himself staring at her. "Daijoubu desu (It's okay)," she smiles. "I always thought people in Megatokyo were such a bunch of hentai sukebe (perverted jerks). At least you're being a gentleman about it."

"Ah...! Ha...! Ha-ha..." the scientist stammers, then laughs.

Ako joins him, inwardly smirking. Hook, line and sinker, the Kuromoroboshi hums. Gods, whatta sucker! Time to reel him in, she then reaches for his arm. "Iku yo (Shall we go)?"

"Ah...! H-hai," Nanami nods, then beckons her with him.

Ako relaxes. She had used just enough of her pheromones to arouse his interest. There was no sense overwhelming him with a storm of those invisible particles, make him completely submit to her. Nanami wasn't a stupid man by far and even though he'd never met a 33-S before, he was familiar with a Sexaroid's abilities.

Well, there were some convenient back alleys between here and the Fukagawa Shrine for a quickie between an aroused scientist and a lonely girl from Kooriyama (that being where the original Ako Saitou had been born and spent most of her abbreviated life). His LAST tryst, Ako then ruefully laments as she braces herself for what was she about to do. This would be her first sanction. She had to do it right to ensure nothing can indicate Toratotaka involvement in Nanami's death. Then again, it was just only right to ensure the condemned enjoyed his last moments in this life...

* * *

Watching Ako from nearby is a strawberry blonde woman with the same shade of eyes the other Kuromoroboshi possessed. Mako Saitou was a 48-SDCI backup partner to one of the girls in Masumi Hori's Team Five. She was now also seen as Ako's adopted older sister.

Like the other Kuromoroboshi SDCIs, Mako was a "memory-copy" replica of a deceased Toratotaka officer (in Mako's case, a doctor who once worked at the company's research facility in Sendai). That Mako Saitou was distantly related to the real Ako Saitou, but when the present versions of both first met while they were training in Sanctuary, they decided to become true sisters even though they worked on different teams.

As Ako and Nanami walk towards the Fukagawa Shrine, Mako rises to follow them. As soon as the scientist was dead, she would help Ako dispose of the body, somewhere where it would take a while for someone from Genom to find it. By then, whatever memories Mason's experts in Genom could glean from Nanami's corpse would've faded, leaving how he died a mystery.

Well, that didn't matter now, Mako hums, imagining what Ako would soon do. How did that old Richard Prior joke go again? she muses. Oh, yeah. 'He came and went at the same time. Lucky motherfucker...' she tries not to laugh. It just wasn't appropriate in this case.

She was a professional, not a psychopath...

* * *

Nerima, the Tower, later that morning...

"So it'll just be the one interview with TV Tokyo?"

"Hai, Sensei. That's all we could realistically hope to snare for another live broadcast for the noon news. I don't think whoever in Genom controls the strings to the various media outlets won't fall for the trick we pulled again," Mio Kisaragi sips her tea, hosting Rose Sanokura in the SDP-MM&C's apartment. "Then again, with what happened last night, not to mention our follow-ups to it, I think the message will get across to Mason and his friends very quickly. 'Do not walk this path again.'"

The composer sighs. "He won't stop, will he?"

"Hard to predict. And I leave the crystal ball reading about these sorts of things to Megumi-san," Mio adjusts the glasses over her grey eyes. "If I may propose something, Sensei, perhaps until the time Emi-chan comes home (it's really a question of WHEN, not IF), how'd you like to help further develop the non-business skills of the new 33-S's Yoshio-kun is currently creating? Not just the Kuromoroboshi like those you saw in action last night, but the Guardsmen and maybe the Child Companions, too?"

"'Child Companions?!'" Rose blinks, then pales. "You mean..."

Mio blinks surprisedly, then flusters, chuckling. "Oh, no, no, no, Sensei, we're not creating them for THAT reason!" she dismisses such a suggestion with a wave of her hand, then she sighs. "You'd be amazed of how many of the firsts and seconds were purchased from Genom to fulfil the position of adopted daughter, as Emi-chan did for you. That was admittedly a surprising outcome of the whole experience concerning the 33-S's made by Genom. Of all the 33-S's sold to the public, a quarter found themselves in 'daughter' roles. Rei-san is going to take that to its fullest extent by creating a series of 33-S's that will, for ALL cases, be adopted daughters of those who lost loved ones in Second Kantou. And eventually elsewhere."

"I..." Rose takes that in, then she sighs, setting her tea cup aside. "Soo desu ka. I remember when Saotome-hakase asked me to critique my relationship with Emi-chan, explain what my feelings for her were, not to mention how she looked on me. To believe that our experiences could end up helping people regain their futures...? That's a mind-boggling concept, I must say. Yet..." she pauses, then stares at Mio. "Where's the profit?"

Mio blinks surprisedly, then laughs. "Who cares about profit?!" she then demands. "Do you want to know what the most cynical money-haters in this company call the concept of 'profit,' Sensei?!"

"Nani?"

"'Stolen greed money,'" Mio explains, then steeples her fingers before her face. "Sensei, whatever profits we make from our operations are sunk into exploring ways of making people's lives better. In effect, the Child Companion Project Rei-san will start up next month is being paid for by the profits all of our banks in Japan made during the last year. Of course, if we ever decide to sell 33-S's for public consumption (I think that after his experience with Genom, Yoshio-kun might be hesitant about that for a while to come), we wouldn't charge such an outrageous price for them. Four million nuyen for one unit? Good grief, we could build something much better for less than two!"

"Hai, that's true, isn't it?" Rose scowls. Like so many Sexaroid supervisors, she elected to pay for Emi using a staggered payment plan that would've been spread over two years. According to what she had signed, until she had made the full payment, Genom had every right to recall the 33-S in question for whatever reason. If she had paid the four million nuyen all at once, could Emi have avoided it altogether, perhaps...?

Shaking her head, Rose then stares at her host. "May I meet the girls who saved my life last night, Kisaragi-san?" she asks. "I...! We didn't get much of a chance to talk this morning..."

"I'll make some arrangements," Mio nods...

* * *

Genom Tower, that afternoon...

"Why attack Sanokura-sensei?"

"Her words were damaging enough against Genom's reputation, Shachou-san," Mason is rigid in front of Quincy's desk. The chairman is by the window gazing at the city. "I'm not the only one who felt insulted, sir. This is a strong feeling shared by many in the floors below."

"Did you HEAR what she said to the press, interpret what she said, Mason-kun?" Quincy then wonders. "I think she went out of her way to exonerate Genom as a whole concerning the actions of a scant few who defied MY orders concerning that project."

Mason winces, realizing what the chairman was inferring. Two years ago, Quincy had, much to Mason's surprise, been the loudest supporter concerning what Yoshio Saotome wanted to bring to Genom. "That was not..."

"I do not wish to hear excuses. As far as Saotome-otokokachou (Patriarch Saotome) and I are concerned, the matter is resolved concerning the Sexaroids. For the time being," Quincy coldly intones. "TOTALLY resolved, Mason-kun. You have other matters before you."

Mason winces, then bows. "Hai, wakarimasu (I understand)."

"Iko (Go)!"

The special assistant jolts, then bows again as he withdraws from the office. Quincy remains still, then after the doors close, he shakes his head. "A project with such potential, flushed down the tubes. Damn..."

"You shouldn't've let the dork handle our end of it, Mr. Q."

The chairman jolts, then turns to his right to see a grinning young man in a Gendai (Genom University) muscle shirt, jeans and a scientist's smock, his black hair under one of his trademark headscarves, step out of the shadows. As always, Koji Tamura's eyes (Yoshio even had trouble remembering what colour they were; the only person who'd definitely know was Katharine Madigan) were hidden behind round-frame shaded reading spectacles. "Are you starting to get lessons from Negako about sneaking up on people, son?" Quincy then scowls.

"Gomen, gomen," the computer security chief waves his hands, then he draws out a bottle of Starka vodka he procured off a shuttle flight from Yekaterinburg, placing that on Quincy's desk. "I finished moving the last of the firsts and seconds to Kume-jima. No sense letting potential trouble start up from that quarter. I'll keep the thirds in town; since they're still virgins in their minds, they could prove to be of use to us."

"Fair enough. Have you started noticing some disappearances?"

"You mean Ash and Nanami?" Koji grins. "The chief of Dirty Tricks just got the call from TMD about Ash. Tragic accident in the Shinjuku tram station; it seems that part of the boarding ramp collapsed with Ash (and only Ash, by the way!) on it, sending him right into the front end of an incoming tram. The tram driver got shaken up some, but no other injuries. The folks down below're starting to sniff around, but I doubt they'll come up with much unless they turn things over to GSS. I seriously doubt that."

"The normal rivalry between Special Corporate Affairs and Special Services, you mean?" Quincy smirks.

"You got it, Mr. Q. The only way someone'd get GSS on this is that Brian there calls Scott Wallace and demands he get involved."

"Pity he's clearing his desk out right now. I just approved his promotion to GSS chief in Miami."

"Yeah, ain't it a damned pity? As for Nanami, no trace of him whatsoever. He lives in a part of town that isn't too well swept over by GSS; that'll change for sure, of course. Most likely, right about now, Nanami's learning how to breathe underwater."

"Hopefully, the fish won't get indigestion."

"True. I think Yoshio'll hold fire for now, do one or two on that list infrequently until things with FABS pick up."

"Good," Quincy nods.

"Oh, just confirmed the fourth of Sylia-chan's little troupe. I got the information on your server."

"Thank you..."

* * *

Nerima, the Tower, later that afternoon...

"Now, just draw it back gently, Izumi-chan, then let it go."

"Hai, Ayasaki-sempai," Izumi takes a deep breath, then pulls the string back, the arrow shaft sliding along the taped section of the bow as she concentrates on the target. Standing beside her is a taller woman with long black hair and grey eyes, likewise dressed in a kyuudou-ist's hakama with all the safety padding. Izumi is rock-steady as she focuses on her target, then with a controlled release of air from her lungs, lets go of the string. The arrow zips downrange to smack into the target, skewering the bull's eye dead centre. Behind her, a woman with blue eyes and blonde hair tied in a high ponytail holds up a hand to the scorer nearby.

"Nice shot, Izumi-chan!" she calls out.

"Hai! Arigatou, Miyauchi-sempai!!" the Kuromoroboshi beams, then takes up another arrow, notching it into the string.

Seated just off the Tower's archery range with Mio, Rose could only beam with pride, though it doesn't strike her as odd that she would be proud of a group of 33-S's she wasn't directly related to. Then again, did it matter? They did address her as "auntie" when they came to save her from Stephan Lee and his boomers. She had been rescued from certain death by some of the best, far better than what Genom could put into the field!

Presently, several of the newborn Sexaroids, including two more the group who had been at the composer's house that morning, were also on the range, being guided through by a group of Zen archers. Rose had been told by Mio that the women now guiding Izumi through the rituals of kyuudou were two of Yoshio's closer friends working for Toratotaka in Canada. The raven-haired woman to Izumi's right was Wakana Ayasaki, a Kyoto native now working in Vancouver. The blonde behind Izumi was Lemmy Miyauchi, a Tokyo native now based in Saint Catharines. It struck the composer as odd that Izumi would address both women with the title "sempai," just like she did Mio and several other directors here in Nerima.

Why?

"Oba-san?"

Rose jolts, then turns right to see Misa Tanaka gazing at her, having finished her spell on the shooting range. "Oh, Misa-chan. Hai, doozo," she pats the place beside her, smiling invitingly.

Misa sits down, then both turn to watch Izumi. "Izumi-chan's the best combat archer of all the Kuromoroboshi," she whispers.

"I can see that. She was the one who killed Lee, right?"

"Hai. We nailed two more of Mason's people this morning," Misa nods. "We'll keep this up for a month or so, but do it intermittently to not create any pattern Mason can use to follow; there're a whole bunch working under that creep who'd cause a lot of trouble if they're given a chance."

"Why not just cut to the chase and get rid of him directly?"

Mio sighs. "We could do that if we were pressed, but we feel the best thing to do is give Sylia-chan first crack at him."

"Sylia Stingray? Doshite (Why)?"

"Mason was the one who killed Ojii-sama."

Rose pauses, then stares anew at Misa. She knew who the Kuromoroboshi meant by the term "ojii-sama." "Masaka..."

"It's true," Misa nods. "Ever since, Sylia-obasan's been preparing for the chance to fight Genom directly. She knows she can't bring the whole company down by herself. Too many people would get hurt. But if the chance comes that she'll end up facing Mason in the field, she'll take it."

"Soo ka," the composer nods, then turns to see Izumi step down from the range. A glance at the target reveals several arrows all in the bull's eye. Wakana was waving Ako Saitou up to take Izumi's place as Lemmy cleans the target up. "Nice shooting. I wonder if Emi could've done better."

"I bet she could if she had my level of training, Oba-san," Izumi kneels before the composer. "How are you?"

"Well, the shakes are gone and with my interview with TV Tokyo, the news is getting out. I suspect I'll be left alone, but it doesn't mean that I'll give up concerning Emi-chan. I won't give up until she's home safe, not to mention having the others sent back to their loved ones too."

"It'll take a while, but we've already started on that end," Izumi nods, then hums. "I'm hungry. Does anyone want something to eat? They've got cabbage rolls in the cafeteria today."

"Great, let's go down!" Misa stands.

The two Kuromoroboshi escort Rose to the mass-transit elevator at the south-west corner, then they descend to the cafeteria. As she gazes through the glass walls at the rural cityscape visible from this side of the Tower, Rose takes a deep breath, then reaches for Izumi's hand. The raven-haired Kuromoroboshi blinks, then gently smiles as she gives the composer's hand a warm squeeze. Sensing this, Misa smiles as she grasps Rose's other hand, leaning her head on the composer's shoulder. "I wish I could adopt you as my children," Rose laments as the elevator stops.

"Aren't we being your nieces enough?" Izumi asks.

They laugh, stepping off as they walk into the cafeteria, then queue to get food. It's a quiet time of day, with clumps of Tower personnel scattered around (the cafeteria and its attendant kitchen took up the whole floor). Glancing at the nearest group, Rose is surprised to see Terri Park seated beside Minori Katou. To the composer's surprise, the younger women were holding hands, Terri whispering into Minori's ear, causing the other woman to titter with delight, then they share a warm kiss.

What on Earth...?

"Kirei ne (Beautiful, isn't it)?" Izumi hums.

Rose jolts, then notices that both Izumi and Misa were gazing enviously at their sister. "I...! Well, that just strikes me as so strange," the composer muses. "I mean, I know Terri and Emi-chan were intimate on several occasions, but...! Gods! The way Terri and Minori-chan are acting now, you'd think that..."

"Terri herself is a Sexaroid?" Misa hums, winking knowingly at Izumi as they guide Rose down the buffet line so they could have something to eat. "You're closer than you'd think, Oba-san."

"Eh?"

"Terri-san was badly hurt last night by one of those 33-C's Lee sent in to kill you, the one in the kitchen," Izumi explains. "We had to transport her to the Tower here to save her life. But because she was practically at death's door, they...! Well..."

"Had to transform her into a Cyber-Nurse," Misa finishes.

Rose jolts to a stop. "WHAT?!!" she pales, then looks again at Terri. Odd, she didn't look different than last night. Then again, the maid was just two years out of college. "How...?"

"Oh, it's easy," Izumi explains. "A few years ago, Otou-sama came up with a special process that would allow a person's soul to be transferred into a Mark 97 mind. He used that to save the lives of his sister and his old classmates; they were badly hurt in the big quake. Why do you think we call them 'sempai,' Oba-san? Physically, they're no different than we."

Rose pales. "Masaka..."

"It's true," Misa nods. "The bodies they have are the REAL prototypes for the 33-S design. It was only after Otou-sama saved all his friends that he decided to see if he could create a boomer based on that idea. That's how we all came into being."

The composer takes that in, then breathes out. "And since the 33-M design is closely based on the 33-S design, using the same type of brain and all that...! Ye gods! That's what I call having the keys to the Fountain of Youth! That's incredible."

"It's also top secret," Izumi warns, placing her finger before her mouth in a shushing motion. "What do you think some people'd say if this ever started getting around?"

"Good point," Rose hums, nodding understandingly...

* * *

Nerima, the Tower, 6 February, late morning...

"Fast work, ne?!"

"Yeah, real fast," Karen Maijima nods as she gazes on the unmoving bodies laid out before her. The shorter of the two was a brown-haired woman, the taller a pink-haired woman, both with their eyes closed. What their eye colour and everything else was didn't matter whatsoever to the commander of Team One. Both of them were specially-made bio-mechanical replicas of 33-S's listed on Genom's records as third generation Units AR29C and AU31C. The real Sexaroids were in storage at a nondescript, pre-Second Kantou warehouse in Setagaya Ward, carefully hidden among a large mass of old M-Class boomers that had never known a single day outside a storage unit and most likely never would given the rapid advance of boomer design over the last five years alone.

Correction, Karen amends herself.

They DEFINITELY never will.

Taking a deep breath, she turns to her team interrogator, Miho Suzuki. "What're the prospects of picking some ABLS patsies for this job, Miho?" she crosses her arms.

"Pretty good," the young-looking woman (Miho was the youngest of the Kuromoroboshi physically; her DNA-template was only sixteen when she died) smiles. "There's a group based a block from the target warehouse who've killed some sanitation boomers. Genom and the city authorities know that some Society groups do trade in plastic explosives and other military-class hardware, so all we have to do is plant something in their apartment block, then drop a subtle hint somewhere to connect them together..."

"Better let Genom handle it after it's done; some of the folks in GSS'd love to terminally deal with those dorks," Karen purses her lips. "Okay, as soon as we scout the target, we'll go in."

"Wakata (Gotcha)," Miho nods...

* * *

Genom Tower...

"Killed?!"

"Hai, Mason-sama," A, the blonde of Mason's own guard of specially-built boomers, nods. "Ash-sama was killed when part of the tram station platform he was standing on collapsed just as the tram was entering. He was the only one affected even though half of the platform was wrecked."

"I see..." the special assistant closes his eyes. "And what's the news concerning Nanami-hakase?"

"Nothing, Mason-sama. There's no trace of Nanami-hakase whatsoever," A shakes her head forlornly.

Mason takes that in, then closes his eyes, sinking into his chair. "Too much for coincidence. But who could it have been...?"

"Special Corporate Affairs is investigating Ash-sama's death, sir," A reports. "Nanami-hakase's supervisors contacted Special Services to locate him. If you wish, I will liaise with both groups to keep you informed concerning their investigations."

"Do so, A."

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

* * *

Near Haneda Airport, that moment...

"How...?"

"We have our ways, Hiiragi-kokkai'in (Dietwoman Hiiragi)," Peter Scherer lightly smiles, staring at the quivering woman before him. "Your continued outbursts on the Diet floor concerning our city development plans and how they've been dislocating those who don't wish us in their districts have begun to irritate the wrong people." He holds up the small folder containing photographs of Seia Hiiragi in compromising positions with underage boys and girls (the dietwoman was on the sunset side of forty). They had been taken by security cameras one of Scherer's hackers (he was an executive in Genom Special Services' Cyber-Communications Analysis division) broke into at Seia's apartment block (that being built by elements of Genom Construction who often worked hand-in-hand with GSS to provide "safe" housing for government officials). "I'm sure you don't want to have these sent to the press now, do you?"

"N-no..." Seia shudders, cursing herself for being so sloppy.

"Fair enough. I suggest you consider my advice and not seek a new term in office at the next election," Scherer rises, moving to leave, the incriminating folder in hand to drive the point home that Genom could move to destroy Seia Hiiragi at any time. "Have a nice day. Hiiragi-san."

Ignoring the woman's sobs, he steps out of the apartment, then makes his way to an elevator, pressing for the next car. With him is his C-class boomer bodyguard, who remained outside when Scherer had met with the dietwoman. As soon as the car arrives and the doors open, both board, the boomer pressing for the ground floor. Scherer relaxes, then tenses on sensing someone standing behind him. He blinks, then turns to see a black-haired woman with brown eyes gazing at him. Where the HELL had she...?!

Ako's fingers jab his chest, a chi pulse ripping in to disrupt the autonomic commands between his brain and heart. With that, the pulse of energy sends a false message to that particular muscle to begin beating faster and faster. Pain surges through his whole body as Ako calmly reaches over to take the folder from Scherer's quaking hands. "I'm afraid that Hiiragi-kokkai'in WILL be sitting in the next Diet, Scherer-san. Pity you won't live to see it. Have a nice day," she then vanishes from view.

Scherer shudders as the car suddenly stops at the fifth floor, the doors opening for a moment before they close, then the car begins to descend again. A sudden jerk, then...

* * *

Ako Saitou sighs as she allows the doors on Floor Five to close, then she makes her way to the emergency stairwell to get back up to where Seia Hiiragi lived. She doesn't react on hearing the car crash-land at the second basement level, where the parking garage was located. The force from a free-fall of twenty metres matched to the mass of the equipment on the car roof holding it up would ensure Scherer and his watchdog (who was made to shut down by Ako, then had its brains disrupted by a Shinzou Bakuhatsu Shoku [Heart Blast Touch]) would get crushed by the impact. And with the building's whole security system now shorted out by a heavy chi pulse fired in through a junction box (thanks to Minori Katou), no one would have ANY idea as to what transpired in the wrecked elevator car.

Too bad.

Reaching the floor in question, Ako slows down on approaching Seia's apartment, then tenses on feeling a wash of depression chi flow out from the door. Opening it, she looks in, then gasps on seeing the dietwoman on her coffee table, her hands moving a tied section of her bedding now done in a hangman's noose suspended from a chandelier over her head. Without hesitation, Ako springs into the apartment, then before Seia could even notice her there, sends the dietwoman flying into a couch. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!?!" the Kuromoroboshi screams out as she yanks down the noose before hopping to the floor, glaring at the weeping Seia.

Silence falls as Seia, normally an eloquent speaker when confronting her peers, tries to muster words, then she stares intently at the strange woman who had stopped her from ending it all. "Wh-who...?" she rasps, then takes a deep breath which sounds like a half-choked sob. "Who are you...?"

"Someone who came to help you," Ako kneels before her, her hand reaching out to brush Seia's tears away. "There, there," she soothes. "It's alright. It's going to be okay..."

Sobs escape the older woman as Ako draws her into her arms. A quiet cough from the doorway makes the Kuromoroboshi turn, noticing that Minori had come in, closing the door behind her. "Is she going to be alright?"

Ako considers it, then smiles. "In time..."

* * *

Genom Tower, minutes later...

"What the hell...?!!"

"What is it?!"

"I...! Oh, shit!!" one of the hackers working for Peter Scherer spits out. "Damn, someone erased the file on Hiiragi-kokkai'in! All the back-ups...! Oh, fuck, we got a virus in the system!!"

"Purge the computer!" his co-worker snaps.

"Hai! Hope to Christ that Scherer-san's got the printouts of what we got on that bitch," the first hacker sighs.

"Got that right," the other sighs, then blinks as a secure audiophone shrills. "Who...?" he picks up the receiver. "Hai, Cyber-Communications Analysis, Hall desu (this is Hall)..." he announces, then falls silent as the other end identifies itself before making a terse report. "Nani?!!" he calls out, then pales. "Shit, you're kidding me...!!" he sinks into his chair, then nods. "Hai, hai, wakata (gotcha). Ja!"

He hangs up. "What?!" the other hacker demands as his fingers fly over the computer board to avert a total crash of his systems.

"Scherer's dead."

Silence.

"What?!" the other hacker demands, stunned.

"He's dead! Elevator accident at Hiiragi's apartment block," Hall tersely announces, then he picks up his phone...

* * *

Upstairs, moments later...

"Scherer-san is dead?"

"Hai, Kataki-sama," Scott Wallace nods, standing before Tsuyoshi Kataki's desk. "The cable of the elevator car he was in at the time parted five floors above ground, then crashed into the second basement level."

"He travels with a C-Class bodyguard. What happened to the boomer?" the chief of Market Analysis and Research demands.

"It was destroyed by the impact, sir," Scott replies. "We're having the remains brought in for analysis now. Sir, the security system for the apartment in question (it's near Haneda Airport, by the way) shorted out some minutes before the accident occurred. We have no idea if it was an coincidental accident or a deliberate attack."

"Soo desu ka," Tsuyoshi sighs, then nods. "Very well, then. Have Matsuoka-kun come here, please. You have to get packed and prepared for your move to Miami. Don't let me stop you."

"Hai, wakarimasu. Shitsurei shimasu (Please excuse me)."

Scott bows, then departs. Tsuyoshi sighs, then turns back to his computer to continue his work. A moment later, a bespectacled lad appears at the doorway. "You wished to see me, sir?"

"Come in, Shingo-kun," the older executive beckons him inside. "There is a task I wish you to perform..."

* * *

Nerima, the Tower, an hour later...

"I have her under sedation now. She should be alright."

"Why would she do this, Koshiki-sempai?" Minori scowls, staring at the photos Peter Scherer used to beat Seia Hiiragi into submission. She and Ako now stand in the CMCO's private office, located near the Tower's medical station. "We don't normally lend any support to paedophiles!"

Yukari Koshiki sighs. "In most cases, paedophilia appears as a result of some mental disorder, Minori-chan," she closes her eyes, rising to stand by the window facing downtown. "It does not excuse what she's done, but she needs help to make her life better, not to have it destroyed by exposing this just to ruin her career. Also, we have to worry about the people she's slept with. When it comes to people like you and Ako-chan, you could look at a cute boy or girl, acknowledge they are cute, but you wouldn't ever consider having sex with them. Pure-organics don't always come with that type of moral programming. I'll have to do a mind-scan of Hiiragi-kokkai'in to ascertain when this started and why, but once I have that, I can determine a way for her to 'program' herself away from that."

"So why help her?" Ako asks. "Otou-sama's working to force new elections in the Diet for next year. Why not just let her retire and get some fresh blood in to represent her district?"

"As for that, you'll have to speak to Megumi-san, Ako-chan," Yukari sighs, turning to leave. "Right now, I have a patient to worry about. Did you ensure you couldn't be traced?" her eyebrow arches.

"Does a snake slither?" Minori grins...

* * *

Setagaya, 7 February, after midnight...

<<So far, so good.>>

<<Just four boomer guards with no organics supervising them plus no link to the Tower,>> Karen murmurs as she and Miho crouch in a tree opposite the front gate leading into Warehouse #228. <<You can tell there's nothing of vital importance in this place.>>

<<Wakata,>> Miho moves to egress. <<Time to start the party.>>

<<Watch your head,>> Karen nods, then closes her eyes. <<Yayoi, Yurika, we're starting now.>>

<<Wakata,>> the team's SDCI back-up members acknowledge.

Dropping to the ground, Miho skips left to duck behind a parked van (this was a residential zone), then she calmly walks clear from the other side, now donning a down jacket over loose blue jeans, a baseball cap drawn down over her face to keep some of her features hidden from security cameras. She had also dyed her pink hair a dirty brown, slipping grey-tinted contacts over her eyes. They itched like hell, but the reading glasses she wore ensured she couldn't reach up to rub her eyes. As well, some strategic padding under her clothes would ensure that the boomer guards who'd see her would register a person with a different body shape than the streamlined teenage looks Miho Suzuki was born with.

Stepping up in front of the guard gate booth, she draws out an Earth Shaker, then swings to aim at the boomer guard's head. The C-Class unit tenses, then moves to shed its skin just as Miho sends three shells at its head. One shatters the armoured glass window of the booth, allowing the other two to pass clear through and shatter its skull. As the dead unit collapses, Miho draws an IED (improvised explosive device), then tosses it through the shattered window as she sprints onto the warehouse grounds.

"Halt!!" a synthesized voice calls out.

Miho springs behind a bush, her hand popping open the revolver drum to eject the old rounds as her other hand draws out new cartridges. Using her MFS to keep track of the boomers now coming at her from behind, Miho grins as she spins around, the Earth Shaker locked on target. The guards are in the midst of shedding their skins to allow their weapons to deploy, but their eyes were not properly blast-shielded yet. Too bad for them, Miho grins as she sends a shot each into the boomers' brains.

The bullets pulp the attacking units' wetware as Miho turns around a corner, her MFS locking on the last warehouse guard. At the same time, Karen, using the Umisenken to keep her movements hidden, was spreading a storm of IR/UV-defeating smoke grenades all around the warehouse. Such devices were top-rate military gear, but had over the last several years wound their way into the hands of terrorist groups like the ABLS (Anti-Boomer Lobbyists' Society), passed on by disgruntled ex-JGSDF (Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force) troops who resented their being replaced by D-Class and B-12 combat boomers in the field. All the more to keep things confused as Yayoi and Yurika head inside the warehouse for their part of the operation, Karen smirks as she makes her way for the power shed.

Reaching there, she yanks out a large IED, then blowing open the door with her own Earth Shaker -- one HAD to keep appearances up in situations like this! -- she tosses the device inside, then sprints off. The explosive goes off, wrecking the power box and plunging the whole warehouse into darkness. Okay! Karen nods as she begins to lay delayed-timer IEDs in a pattern that would bring the whole place down when they cleared out with their cargo. <<Yayoi, Yurika, get in there and do the swap!!>>

<<We're in!>> Yayoi Kusanagi calls back...

* * *

Nearby...

"I'm impressed, Jii-chan. You do know how to build them."

The grey-blue hardsuited woman relaxes on a nearby apartment block rooftop as she watches the women tear apart the outside of the warehouse. It had been blind luck that had brought Sylia Stingray this way tonight. With Priss Asagiri busy at Hot Lips with her new band, Linna Yamazaki teaching a late-night aerobics class at Phoebe's Dance Studio and Nene Romanova working the night shift at ADP headquarters, the Sabres' leader could only depend on Mackie's help trialing her new hardsuit design.

As luck would have it, she selected a nearby warehouse, one most likely to be replaced in the next couple of years, to go up against a group of standard C-Class combat boomers. She was about to attack when the first explosions echoed from here. Ordering her brother and the Silky Doll van to a safe zone, Sylia had jetted off to investigate, then found herself watching as two young women began to systematically take the place apart.

It didn't take her very long to realize who these women were.

Yet what was the purpose behind this?

Even though the units stored here were obsolete and awaiting recycle, the building to be torn down, why would a Kuromoroboshi team be hitting it? Even more so, why were two well-trained Sexaroid ninjas using guns and IEDs to take it down instead of their remarkable skills and unique weapons...?

Wait!

Unique weapons...?

Sylia keys a control in her hardsuit to magnify the image of Miho Suzuki. The girl was no doubt well-disguised, as if she WAS some sort of ABLS shooter, complete with an Earth Shaker revolver, one of that particular terrorist group's signature pieces...

Oh!!

Sylia then grins. This was a deception play. Whoever these two women were, they were running the attack as if they were actual ABLS shooters. When Genom or AD Police (the latter being the less likely) came to investigate this, they would find loads of evidence that would point them right at the Anti-Boomer Lobbyists' Society and NOTHING that could hint at Toratotaka involvement in this.

Still, that didn't explain why this was happening...

* * *

<<Karen, we're being watched!!>>

<<Eh?!>> Karen momentarily pauses, then tenses as she extends her personal chi field to ascertain for herself what Miho spotted. <<Oh, damn it all, what's SHE doing here?!>> she then demands.

<<Probably getting some exercise on her own; I don't sense any of her friends,>> Miho notes.

<<Right. Yayoi, Yurika, are you two done?!>>

<<Swap's made,>> Yurika Misumaru replies. <<Yayoi's getting the explosives set up. Can you do something about Stingray-san?>>

<<Alright, I'll handle it,>> Karen grits her teeth. <<I'll tell you when to egress and blow the place.>>

<<Wakata!>> the others reply...

* * *

"One, are you okay?"

"Alright for now, Two. We might have to delay this test for another night," Sylia breathes out.

"What's going on?" Mackie wonders.

"I'm not too sure. Wait until I get back."

"Wakata."

Sylia keys off the link, then blinks on noticing that now, only ONE person was by the warehouse. "What the devil...?"

"Oba-san."

She jolts, then turns slowly left to see a woman dressed casually standing five metres away, her face in shadows as she allows nearby lights to obscure her features. Sylia tenses herself, then relaxes. By the other woman's addressing her as "Aunt," she knew this meeting would be peaceful.

She hoped.

"Yes?"

Karen takes in a deep breath. "I would ask you to leave."

Sylia blinks. "Why?"

"This is a private matter concerning Toratotaka, directly ordered by the Board of Elders," Karen reports. "It does not, in any way, threaten you, your group or this city."

"I see..." Sylia bites her lip, then turns back to the warehouse just as explosions tear through the roof, collapsing the structure on whatever lay inside. She tenses for a moment, then relaxes before turning back to Karen. "Why the disguise?" she asks.

"Excuse me?" the commander of Team One wonders.

"Why use ABLS tactics on this place?"

"What do you think?" Karen smirks, winking. "I've got little use for simophobes like that. Oyasumi nasai (Good night), Oba-san. I hope you and Mackie-jisan have a pleasant evening."

She fades into the dark, then vanishes, even from the scanners Sylia fitted into her hardsuit which could allow her to track almost everything. Remaining in place, the Sabres' leader tenses, part of her mind running through the ways she could improve her suit's sensory suite so she could try to track a Kuromoroboshi, then she relaxes. A glance at the warehouse reveals a sea of fire as the boomers inside are reduced to their component atoms. She would have to find out what exactly was stored there, but if it was an old warehouse like the one she wanted to destroy, she doubted that Genom would've placed anything sensitive within its walls.

No matter...

* * *

Minutes later...

"She gone?" Miho wonders.

"Hai," Karen relaxes, taking deep breaths as she moved to boost her chi levels. "Saw her get into her shop's truck before coming back here. How are they?" she looks at the storage units now containing a pair of unprogrammed third generation sisters.

"All alright," Yayoi smiles. "We'll have to sneak them into the Tower to make sure everyone doesn't find out."

"True, true. Oi, Yurika, let's go!" Karen calls out.

"Wakata," Yurika smiles as she guides the rental van away from its hiding place in an alley, heading for the Tower...

* * *

Nerima, the Tower, 10 February, morning...

"Dude, I am BEYOND sorry about this! I thought..."

"Relax, will you, Koji-kun?" Yoshio stares tranquilly at Koji Tamura, now sitting across from the House Patriarch in his office sharing coffee. "Both were unprogrammed and you remembered to return their reserve memory units to me. That's all I'd really want in the end if something like this happened." He takes a sip. "You know how fool-proof the whole Mark 97 system is when there's a total breakdown of the body's internal systems."

"Yeah, you got that right," Koji wryly grins. "Shit, design the reserve memory unit to take a direct thermonuclear bomb blast?! That's overkill, pal. How much total force is that, anyway?"

"I'm not telling, not even to you!" Yoshio winks. "Besides, it's a natural property of the diamond and ruby meson mix my friends in the Skunk Works devised when I asked for them to help design the reserve memory unit. Well, don't worry about what happened to them, Koji. I doubt Genom'll come up with a good use for the third gens away before I can convince someone to let them all go. It's not like the firsts and seconds, though..."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna move the other units to more secure warehouses in the west end of Setagaya," Koji nods. "Don't worry. When I get the chance finally, I'll put up such a security block around those girls, NO ONE'll be able to get their hands on a single one, especially the replicas of Minori-chan and Suzune-chan you made," he winks knowingly.

"Yeah, that's true. Well, if you want those two loaded with your guards' souls and all that, I can arrange it."

"Nah, don't bother with it yet. Kate won't understand yet and I KNOW Mason'll be a prick about it," Koji shakes his head, then forlornly sighs. "I've noticed what else you've been doing."

"Eh?"

"Ash, Nanami, Scherer, Takenashi, Crispin..."

"Ah, right. Well, don't complain about it too much, though I suspect you wouldn't really care either way about chronic assholes like them. Who in Genom'd think Quincy was ultimately behind it, welcome their elimination to better solidify his control over the company? It's like what he's got in mind with Muffin and her team as soon as they start making big waves. Total deniability and if he plays everything right, he (and Genom) will benefit from it in the long run. Who's Mason going to suspect?"

"Brian ain't as dumb as you'd like to think, amigo."

"Yeah, I know, I know. Then again, we've wasted...what? Nine people so far? How many does he know about, is having people sniff around about? Four: Ash, Nanami, Takenashi and Shea."

"Shea?!" Koji blinks, then sits back as he runs through what happened to Daniel Shea, a research and development executive under Kenji Sousuke. "Oh, fuck me, man, THAT was sheer poetry..."

"Hoisted on his own petard, so to speak. Misa-chan thought as much when she set it up. I think we'll hold off for now until the end of the month," Yoshio breathes out. "Besides, Misa's team and Izumi's team are off in sunny Vancouver right now ready to put the final nail in the coffin of all the nay-sayers fighting FABS."

Koji gazes curiously at his friend. "What does Serio got in mind? Or is Wakana running this little sideshow?"

"Actually, Ayaka was the one who dreamt the idea up."

The Genom computer security chief pales. "Ayaka?! The Ice Bitch of Extreme Fighting?! You've GOT to be kidding!"

"Well, she needs the chance for Heaven's sake!" Yoshio sighs. "I can't believe they stuck someone like her in Education!!"

Koji hums as he considers the point, then nods. "True..."

* * *

Lady's 663 Building, lunchtime...

"Irasshaimase (Welcome)!"

"Arigatou!"

Sylia jolts, then looks at the door, her eyes widening as her mind calls up when she last heard that airy voice. Standing there is a tall woman with long brown hair and blue-purple eyes, dressed in a fashionable skirt, heavy-knit turtleneck sweater, thigh-highs and a knee-length jacket, hat covering the top of her head, a pair of shooter's glasses sitting midway down her nose. Taking a closer look, Sylia is quick to note that there was something under the flap of the visitor's jacket, most likely a sheathed sword. Glancing casually around the room, the visitor smiles on noting that no one else was around, then walks over to stand by the counter. "Konban wa, Oba-san. Ogenki desu ka (How are you)?"

Sylia returns her stare, then relaxes. No doubt, when this woman took a look around the room, she used some of her special senses to ensure there were no strange bugs or other monitoring devices eavesdropping on them. "Hai, genki desu (I'm alright)."

"Did you accomplish what you wanted to do sometime ago?" the newcomer muses, pulling out the latest Frederick's of Hollywood catalogue.

"Hai, I did. I trust all went well with you."

"Hai, ookee da yo (it was okay). Oh, sumimasen. Watashi wa Maijima Karen desu (I'm Karen Maijima). Commander, Team One."

"How many teams are coming on line?"

"Ten altogether. Otou-sama hopes everything's okay with you and Mackie-jisan," Karen smiles tranquilly.

Sylia pauses, then sighs. "Karen-chan, there's no need to call me 'aunt,' you know. I know you call Jii-chan 'father' and Rei-neechan 'mother' all the time, but just because..."

"You ARE Ojii-sama's daughter," Karen objects.

Another pause, then a nod. "Hai, that's true, but still..."

Karen pouts cutely. Seeing this, Sylia blinks, then both grin before laughter fills the room. As soon as they relax, the owner of the Silky Doll clears her throat. "So, Karen-chan, what exactly brings you about to my side of the city?" she wonders.

"I'm here to purchase some clothes for two sisters who'll be awakened on Valentine's Day," Karen smiles. "My sisters and I want to get something romantic for them since we'll be staying with them for the next while."

"The first of the Guardsmen?"

"Iie. These are two others. The GMs won't be awakened until the spring equinox, then they'll be sent to the Valley to be trained. The druids in Obaa-sama's clan insisted on that; rather surprised me that they chose that day since Imbolc was on the first of this month. Otou-sama certainly doesn't mind since he can spend more time on their development. Things got hectic when my sisters and I came out of gestation."

"Soo desu ka," Sylia nods understandingly. "Alright, do you have a picture of them and their measurements, Karen-chan?"

"Hai," Karen passes a folded sheet of paper over.

Sylia opens the paper to see two line graph sketches side by side. They weren't terribly detailed when it came to facial and body features (no doubt for some security reason), but the notes beside each one were enough for her to get a rough idea as to what sizes they would need. "Very nice," she nods, then hums. "Karen-chan, what does the 'LS' mean, anyway?"

"Sylia-san, I'm already breaking enough rules," Karen warns.

The Sabres' leader blinks, then nods. "Wakata (I understand). Why don't you come here?" she waves her to one side of the room.

"Hai!" Karen follows her over.

Several sets of brasiers and panties are acquired, a mix of sports-type clothing and racier lingerie, followed by two one-piece swimsuits each, several pairs of pyjamas, nightgowns, nightshirts, camisoles, thigh-highs, garter belts, nylons panties and stockings each. Once that is paid for, Karen packs them in a pair of shopping bags, then sets them aside before making her own way through. Sylia stays with her, using her measuring tape to get the Kuromoroboshi's measurements.

"I must confess, Karen-chan, when Jii-chan makes one of you, he certainly makes you beautiful yet so natural," she muses as Karen holds a two-piece bathing suit that matched her eyes before her.

"Unlike other boomers, most of me IS natural, Sylia-san," Karen winks at her. "Can I try this on, please?"

"Sure. Dressing room's over there."

"Hai, domo arigatou," Karen walks over to step into one of the booths set on the south side of the shop.

Sylia hums as she returns to her cashier, then glances at her security monitor system. A sigh then escapes her as she notes that the camera poised to overlook the dressing booths was now locking in on Karen. "Mackie, for heaven's sake..." she hisses.

"Why's he spying on me?!" Karen wonders.

"He doesn't seem to know when to control himself when it comes to pretty women," Sylia shakes her head, then glances up as Karen emerges from the booth. "Very nice," she nods appreciatively.

"I think so. Hold on a second..." Karen walks over to jab a finger at one of the cables connecting that particular camera with the main security monitor unit downstairs.

A quick pulse of chi flares at her fingertip, then she relaxes as a yelp of shock echoes from the emergency stairwell by the cashier. Sylia blinks, then taps controls to switch to a camera posted in the security room. Seeing Mackie now flat on his back, rubbing his eyes as smoke waifs from a shattered monitor screen, the Sabres' leader nearly falls over laughing. "Did I get him?" Karen walks over to see the results.

"I think you did," Sylia nods. "Pity I can't use one of you on the team; it'll cure him for sure from peeping at my friends."

"Soo ka," Karen shakes her head. "As they once said, the only difference between boys and men..."

"True, true."

With that, the commander of Team One returns to her booth to dress in her street clothes before coming out to conduct the rest of her purchase. By then, Mackie has recovered, staggering upstairs to get to a bathroom and wash up. Seeing the soot caked on his face, Karen smirks, then when he looks wide-eyed at her, turns away. "Hentai sukebe (Perverted jerk)! Otou-sama'd be REALLY disappointed in you! Arigatou, Sylia-san."

"Come again soon, Karen-chan," Sylia waves.

Mackie watches her go, then stares wide-eyed at his sister. "Who WAS that, anyway?!" he demands.

"Someone even I would not be foolish to anger," Sylia shakes her head, then blinks as the door bell rings again, she turning to respond. "Irasshai-...Karen?" she blinks on seeing Karen lean back into the shop. "Is there something wrong?"

"Just a message from Otou-sama, Sylia-san. Gomen ne. Keep an eye on CNN, the BBC and CBCI (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation International) on the night of the sixteenth this month. You WON'T be disappointed. Ja ne!" Karen waves, then heads out.

The Stingrays watch her go, then exchange a surprised look. "'Otou-sama?!'" Mackie wonders. "Who's she talking about?!"

"An old family friend, one you should remember well..."

* * *

To be continued...