Bubblegum Crisis Fan Fiction ❯ Black Knights, Steel Hearts ❯ Chapter 7
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Trboturtle 
Nene and Linna talk over lunch: Leon runs into an old friend.
Anime/Manga: Bubblegum Crisis Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Mecha / Cyberpunk / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 12.22.2007 | Pages: 3 | Words: 2.1K | Visits: 696 | Status: Work In Progress
Nene and Linna talk over lunch: Leon runs into an old friend.
Anime/Manga: Bubblegum Crisis Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Mecha / Cyberpunk / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 12.22.2007 | Pages: 3 | Words: 2.1K | Visits: 696 | Status: Work In Progress
**************************************************
The Bubble Gum Crisis OVA's (which this story is based on) are copyrighted by
Artmic Inc. and Youmex, Inc. I am just borrowing the characters for a little
while for non-monetary reasons. I can be contacted at the Email address above.
Serious C&C will be accepted, out-and-out flames will result in a Boomer
or two being sent after you, once they get around to building them.
Please, enjoy my take on the Bubble Gum Crisis universe . . .
*************************************************
Ch apter 7
Dastari's Restaurant
Tinsel City
Friday, December 21, 2035
12:35pm
The view from the table's window was, to put it mildly, spectacular. Housed in one of MegaTokyo's tallest buildings, Dastari's was one of the city's best and most expensive restaurants. Nene was a bit surprised at the choice Linna had made, but with the respectful way the matre'd treated Linna and herself, it was clear that Linna was well known here.
Nene stared out the window, admiring the view, her food temporally forgotten. She'd passed the disk with the data on MALCORP and Janie VanDell over to Linna once they'd gotten into the car, so that was out of the way. After they'd been seated at a booth near a window, Linna and she spent the time waiting for the food talking about their new jobs. Linna had recently secured a position at a respectable brokerage house. While she wasn't `raking in the money' as she had been before, she was earning enough to live well.
"Nene!"
"Er...What?" Nene turned to look at Linna, who was scowling at her.
"Were you listening?"
"Sure," replied Nene. "You were talking about the hunk you have for a boss."
"That was five minutes ago!"
"Oh." She glanced down at her food. "What did you know about Alan?"
"Alan Tremolini?" Linna sipped from a glass of red wine. "He was teaching martial arts a couple of nights at the aerobics studio where I worked about four years ago. We dated a couple of times, nothing serious. He was always the prefect gentleman. We've kept touch over the years, dated a couple of more times, but we've stayed only friends."
"Is he always that laid back?"
"Yes." She chuckled softly. "I use to kid him about checking for a pulse every so often, just to make sure he was still alive." She saw the worried look on Nene's face. "What's wrong?"
Nene sketched out her morning with Alan, including his tracking of Nene's break-ins of the system. Linna listened, then asked, "You couldn't access this stuff directly from you workstation?"
Nene shook her head. "It would have been traced back to me during the first security audit. Of course, I hadn't realized at the time, the security audits weren't being done more then once a year."
There was silence for several minutes while they ate. Finally, Linna asked, "So, how does this new job going to affect your data gathering skills?"
"Easier and harder."
"How's that?"
"Easier because I'll be able to access the entire system under the cover of `security checks'. My security clearance will give me the chance to open some back doors into areas I had to work to get into before." She sighed. "The harder part means I'm going to have to eliminate most of the holes I've been using to slip into the system. Also, I've got to be a lot more careful now, especially with Alan around. He knows the security system better then I do right now."
"Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you."
"You don't know the half of it." She explained her conversation with Daley in the cafeteria. Linna said nothing, but just listened as the redhead told her about Leon quitting, her promotion, and Daley's request for Nene to head up a cracker unit inside ADP.
After Nene finished, Linna shook her head slowly. "You've had a busy morning, haven't you?"
Nene looked at her glumly. "I've still got this afternoon to worry about."
Just then, a low buzz from Linna's phone interrupted the conversation. Linna picked it up and answered it. "Hello?
/Linna,/ said the familiar voice of Sylia. /Your office said you were at lunch./
"Hello Sylia," replied Linna, looking at Nene. "I'm glad you called."
/Is Nene with you?/
"Yes, she's sitting across from me right now. Is something wrong?"
/Nothing's wrong. Did she give you the data disk?/
"Got it in my purse. I can bring it by this afternoon."
/I have a better idea. Are you still free tonight?/
"Tonight? Sure. All I planned to do was stay home and do some reading."
/How about Nene?/
"Hold on."
She looked at Nene. "Sylia wants to know if you've got any plans for tonight."
Nene shook her head, and Linna continued her conversation. "Nene has nothing planned. What's up?"
/I'm having a welcome home dinner for Mackie tonight./
"Really? A dinner? You didn't mention this earlier when I talked to you."
/This is a last minute decision. I talked to Priss, and she's a bit down. Some time with her family will do her some good. Besides, I think we should get together and have a nice long talk about some things./
"I have no problem. Let me ask Nene first."
"Dinner's fine," said Nene, looking more cheerful.
"Nene's coming too."
/Fine. See you at seven. Bring the disk then./
"See you then, Sylia. Bye!"
/Bye./
Linna put her phone down, and said, "Sylia's having a welcome home dinner for Mackie tonight, at seven."
"Great!" Nene was smiling now. "What about the disk?"
"Sylia said to bring it along tonight. She also mentioned that she thought it would be an opportunity for us to discuss some things."
"Good, because I need to talk to her tonight about everything that happened this morning. I need some advice, and I trust her instincts."
"Speaking of instincts," replied Linna. "It's time we got back to work. What are you going to be doing this afternoon?"
"Moving my stuff into the Security office. I want to get started on securing the system first thing in the morning."
Linna's eyes gleamed in delight. "Which means you won't have any alcohol tonight."
Nene smiled back. "Believe me, I want to start my new job with a clear head and a focused mind. Showing up with a hangover is not going to help my relationship with my subordinate."
"Just be careful, OK?"
"Don't worry. I'll dazzle Alan with my skill and charm."
"Well, just remember that Alan hides much behind that laid back attitude of his," said Linna, standing up. "Don't become too enamored with dazzling him with skill and charm. He's not Leon. He won't drool at the flutter of an eyelash. Believe me, Nene, I know him well enough to say be careful."
"I'll take your advice, Linna," replied Nene, looking crestfallen as she stood.
"Good. Once I've settled the bill, I'll drop you back off at ADP Headquarters. Lets go."
**********
Manroku's Bar
Tinsel City
Friday, December 21, 2035
1:27pm
Leon glared at the bartender. "How many is that?" he asked, his voice slurred.
"Eight," replied the bartender glumly. He usually liked working the day shift. It was a nice quiet time to make sure everything was ready for the evening crowd. But this guy had stridden in here two hours ago, and started ordering Kurita PPCs - grain alcohol cut with Sake. He downed the first one, then ordered a second, then a third....
Leon stared at his hands, trying to count on his fingers. He held up three unsteady fingers. "Two more. Now."
"Haven't you had enough?"
Leon leaned over the bar and stared into the man's eyes. "I said two more."
"Give him two more," said another voice. Both men looked over to see a tall woman with one arm stride into the bar as if she owned it. "On me."
The bartender sighed and made two more glasses of the drink. He set them down in front of Leon, then took the bills the woman gave him in silence. He went down the other end of the bar, leaving the two of them alone.
"Jeena," said Leon, looking at her unsteadily.
"Hey, rookie," she replied. "I heard you had a discussion with the Chief today."
"He's a jackass."
"Maybe, but I think you made a mistake in quitting the ADP."
"I don't care." Leon looked at the drink in front of him. "I figure two more, and maybe I can forget the screams for a while."
"Is that it?" asked Jeena knowingly. "The nightmares finally getting to you?"
"Yep. Last night did it." He downed the first of the drinks in one go, not noticing the grimace on Jeena's face. He turned to look at the bartender at the far end of the bar. He was still looking in the bartender's direction when Jeena reached over and dropped a small pill into the full glass. It fizzled for a few seconds before it dissolved into the alcohol.
She said softly, "What happened last night, rookie?"
He spilled it out slowly and in pieces; A simple assignment that went to hell because of a new wrinkle in technology. A force shield of some type that was strong enough to deflect bullets turned two minor Boomers into an unstoppable force.
No wonder you're pissed, Leon, she thought. I would've punched out that weasel, not just tell him to go to hell. Still, I'm glad I found you. I think the Boss will want to have a talk with you after all.
After ten minutes, he finished, and stared at the drink. "I'm tired of explaining to widows and children that their daddy die because our new chief is too damn scared of offending his masters. We're dying out there, and no one gives a damn anymore."
"Drink up, Leon. I know someone who'd like to meet you."
Leon shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm just going to sit here until I pass out." He downed the last drink.
Jeena looked at her watch. "I think you'll be out like a light in...oh, fifteen seconds."
Leon looked at her, and snorted a disagreement. "Want to bet on that?"
"A hundred Yen says you'll be under before you can take out a hundred yen bill from your wallet."
"You're on!" Leon reached into his jacket for his wallet. But before he could touch it, his eyes closed, and he slumped forward. Only Jeena's arm saved him from painful contact with the bartop.
Still holding him, Jeena turned her head towards the door. "OK, he's out."
Two burly looking men standing near the door came over and carefully lift Leon off the stool and carried him out of the bar. Jeena waited until they'd left before waving the bartender over. She dropped several hundred-yen bills on the counter. "If anyone asks after our friend here, you didn't see him. OK?" She gave him her best `I REALLY mean it' smile. He nodded slowly in understanding, and collected the bills off the counter.
Jeena turned and walked out of the bar. Her mind was already on her next task. You owe me Daley. Let's hope you come through on your side of the bargain.
The Bubble Gum Crisis OVA's (which this story is based on) are copyrighted by
Artmic Inc. and Youmex, Inc. I am just borrowing the characters for a little
while for non-monetary reasons. I can be contacted at the Email address above.
Serious C&C will be accepted, out-and-out flames will result in a Boomer
or two being sent after you, once they get around to building them.
Please, enjoy my take on the Bubble Gum Crisis universe . . .
*************************************************
Ch apter 7
Dastari's Restaurant
Tinsel City
Friday, December 21, 2035
12:35pm
The view from the table's window was, to put it mildly, spectacular. Housed in one of MegaTokyo's tallest buildings, Dastari's was one of the city's best and most expensive restaurants. Nene was a bit surprised at the choice Linna had made, but with the respectful way the matre'd treated Linna and herself, it was clear that Linna was well known here.
Nene stared out the window, admiring the view, her food temporally forgotten. She'd passed the disk with the data on MALCORP and Janie VanDell over to Linna once they'd gotten into the car, so that was out of the way. After they'd been seated at a booth near a window, Linna and she spent the time waiting for the food talking about their new jobs. Linna had recently secured a position at a respectable brokerage house. While she wasn't `raking in the money' as she had been before, she was earning enough to live well.
"Nene!"
"Er...What?" Nene turned to look at Linna, who was scowling at her.
"Were you listening?"
"Sure," replied Nene. "You were talking about the hunk you have for a boss."
"That was five minutes ago!"
"Oh." She glanced down at her food. "What did you know about Alan?"
"Alan Tremolini?" Linna sipped from a glass of red wine. "He was teaching martial arts a couple of nights at the aerobics studio where I worked about four years ago. We dated a couple of times, nothing serious. He was always the prefect gentleman. We've kept touch over the years, dated a couple of more times, but we've stayed only friends."
"Is he always that laid back?"
"Yes." She chuckled softly. "I use to kid him about checking for a pulse every so often, just to make sure he was still alive." She saw the worried look on Nene's face. "What's wrong?"
Nene sketched out her morning with Alan, including his tracking of Nene's break-ins of the system. Linna listened, then asked, "You couldn't access this stuff directly from you workstation?"
Nene shook her head. "It would have been traced back to me during the first security audit. Of course, I hadn't realized at the time, the security audits weren't being done more then once a year."
There was silence for several minutes while they ate. Finally, Linna asked, "So, how does this new job going to affect your data gathering skills?"
"Easier and harder."
"How's that?"
"Easier because I'll be able to access the entire system under the cover of `security checks'. My security clearance will give me the chance to open some back doors into areas I had to work to get into before." She sighed. "The harder part means I'm going to have to eliminate most of the holes I've been using to slip into the system. Also, I've got to be a lot more careful now, especially with Alan around. He knows the security system better then I do right now."
"Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you."
"You don't know the half of it." She explained her conversation with Daley in the cafeteria. Linna said nothing, but just listened as the redhead told her about Leon quitting, her promotion, and Daley's request for Nene to head up a cracker unit inside ADP.
After Nene finished, Linna shook her head slowly. "You've had a busy morning, haven't you?"
Nene looked at her glumly. "I've still got this afternoon to worry about."
Just then, a low buzz from Linna's phone interrupted the conversation. Linna picked it up and answered it. "Hello?
/Linna,/ said the familiar voice of Sylia. /Your office said you were at lunch./
"Hello Sylia," replied Linna, looking at Nene. "I'm glad you called."
/Is Nene with you?/
"Yes, she's sitting across from me right now. Is something wrong?"
/Nothing's wrong. Did she give you the data disk?/
"Got it in my purse. I can bring it by this afternoon."
/I have a better idea. Are you still free tonight?/
"Tonight? Sure. All I planned to do was stay home and do some reading."
/How about Nene?/
"Hold on."
She looked at Nene. "Sylia wants to know if you've got any plans for tonight."
Nene shook her head, and Linna continued her conversation. "Nene has nothing planned. What's up?"
/I'm having a welcome home dinner for Mackie tonight./
"Really? A dinner? You didn't mention this earlier when I talked to you."
/This is a last minute decision. I talked to Priss, and she's a bit down. Some time with her family will do her some good. Besides, I think we should get together and have a nice long talk about some things./
"I have no problem. Let me ask Nene first."
"Dinner's fine," said Nene, looking more cheerful.
"Nene's coming too."
/Fine. See you at seven. Bring the disk then./
"See you then, Sylia. Bye!"
/Bye./
Linna put her phone down, and said, "Sylia's having a welcome home dinner for Mackie tonight, at seven."
"Great!" Nene was smiling now. "What about the disk?"
"Sylia said to bring it along tonight. She also mentioned that she thought it would be an opportunity for us to discuss some things."
"Good, because I need to talk to her tonight about everything that happened this morning. I need some advice, and I trust her instincts."
"Speaking of instincts," replied Linna. "It's time we got back to work. What are you going to be doing this afternoon?"
"Moving my stuff into the Security office. I want to get started on securing the system first thing in the morning."
Linna's eyes gleamed in delight. "Which means you won't have any alcohol tonight."
Nene smiled back. "Believe me, I want to start my new job with a clear head and a focused mind. Showing up with a hangover is not going to help my relationship with my subordinate."
"Just be careful, OK?"
"Don't worry. I'll dazzle Alan with my skill and charm."
"Well, just remember that Alan hides much behind that laid back attitude of his," said Linna, standing up. "Don't become too enamored with dazzling him with skill and charm. He's not Leon. He won't drool at the flutter of an eyelash. Believe me, Nene, I know him well enough to say be careful."
"I'll take your advice, Linna," replied Nene, looking crestfallen as she stood.
"Good. Once I've settled the bill, I'll drop you back off at ADP Headquarters. Lets go."
**********
Manroku's Bar
Tinsel City
Friday, December 21, 2035
1:27pm
Leon glared at the bartender. "How many is that?" he asked, his voice slurred.
"Eight," replied the bartender glumly. He usually liked working the day shift. It was a nice quiet time to make sure everything was ready for the evening crowd. But this guy had stridden in here two hours ago, and started ordering Kurita PPCs - grain alcohol cut with Sake. He downed the first one, then ordered a second, then a third....
Leon stared at his hands, trying to count on his fingers. He held up three unsteady fingers. "Two more. Now."
"Haven't you had enough?"
Leon leaned over the bar and stared into the man's eyes. "I said two more."
"Give him two more," said another voice. Both men looked over to see a tall woman with one arm stride into the bar as if she owned it. "On me."
The bartender sighed and made two more glasses of the drink. He set them down in front of Leon, then took the bills the woman gave him in silence. He went down the other end of the bar, leaving the two of them alone.
"Jeena," said Leon, looking at her unsteadily.
"Hey, rookie," she replied. "I heard you had a discussion with the Chief today."
"He's a jackass."
"Maybe, but I think you made a mistake in quitting the ADP."
"I don't care." Leon looked at the drink in front of him. "I figure two more, and maybe I can forget the screams for a while."
"Is that it?" asked Jeena knowingly. "The nightmares finally getting to you?"
"Yep. Last night did it." He downed the first of the drinks in one go, not noticing the grimace on Jeena's face. He turned to look at the bartender at the far end of the bar. He was still looking in the bartender's direction when Jeena reached over and dropped a small pill into the full glass. It fizzled for a few seconds before it dissolved into the alcohol.
She said softly, "What happened last night, rookie?"
He spilled it out slowly and in pieces; A simple assignment that went to hell because of a new wrinkle in technology. A force shield of some type that was strong enough to deflect bullets turned two minor Boomers into an unstoppable force.
No wonder you're pissed, Leon, she thought. I would've punched out that weasel, not just tell him to go to hell. Still, I'm glad I found you. I think the Boss will want to have a talk with you after all.
After ten minutes, he finished, and stared at the drink. "I'm tired of explaining to widows and children that their daddy die because our new chief is too damn scared of offending his masters. We're dying out there, and no one gives a damn anymore."
"Drink up, Leon. I know someone who'd like to meet you."
Leon shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm just going to sit here until I pass out." He downed the last drink.
Jeena looked at her watch. "I think you'll be out like a light in...oh, fifteen seconds."
Leon looked at her, and snorted a disagreement. "Want to bet on that?"
"A hundred Yen says you'll be under before you can take out a hundred yen bill from your wallet."
"You're on!" Leon reached into his jacket for his wallet. But before he could touch it, his eyes closed, and he slumped forward. Only Jeena's arm saved him from painful contact with the bartop.
Still holding him, Jeena turned her head towards the door. "OK, he's out."
Two burly looking men standing near the door came over and carefully lift Leon off the stool and carried him out of the bar. Jeena waited until they'd left before waving the bartender over. She dropped several hundred-yen bills on the counter. "If anyone asks after our friend here, you didn't see him. OK?" She gave him her best `I REALLY mean it' smile. He nodded slowly in understanding, and collected the bills off the counter.
Jeena turned and walked out of the bar. Her mind was already on her next task. You owe me Daley. Let's hope you come through on your side of the bargain.