Bubblegum Crisis Fan Fiction ❯ Black Knights, Steel Hearts ❯ Chapter 33

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

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Bubble Gum Crisis is copyrighted by Artmic Inc. and Youmex, Inc. I am just
borrowing the characters for a little while, and promise not to bend, fold,
or staple them - unless I can come up with a good reason to do so. I can be
contacted at the Email address above. C&C will be accepted, out and out
flames will result in a Boomer or two being sent after you.

Please, enjoy my take on the Bubble Gum Crisis universe.....
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Chapter 33

GLAS Condominium Complex
District 2
Sunday, December 23, 2035
1:54am

The GLAS Condominium Complex was made up of four towers, each seventy-five stories high, centered around a hundred stories tall central tower. Over fourteen thousand people called the complex home, as did a dozen shops, three restaurants and two bars. The security and general maintenance was provided by a human- supervised boomer force. It was nice place to live.

Until now.

Two cars stopped by the rear entry doors of the South Tower. The cars were nondescript models, notable only for their tinted windows. The doors opened and six people stepped out in the cold night. The car's engines were still running, a sign the cars were still manned.

Two of the six had the height and mass of Boomers in their human disguises, and seemed impervious to the cold. The other four appeared
to be human, but all were bundled warmly against the chill to the point that it was impossible to distinguish anything about them. With one Boomer
leading and the other brining up the rear, the six strode up to the rear entry doors and went inside.

A short corridor led to the main lobby. The lobby was not overly large, but was nicely furnished. A alcove had a couch and a couple of overstuffed chairs, while a couple of plastic plants flanked the glass doors of the main entrance. Next to the short hallway, a bank of four elevators led to the upper floors and two corridors branched off at right angles to the elevators leading to offices on the rest of the first floor. There was a small desk and two doors leading to small offices, one on each side of the lobby.

The lobby was almost deserted. A single D-class Boomer was on duty as a doorman standing behind the desk. It scanned the group as they walked in, noting that none of the faces it saw matched anyone on its resident database. "Can I help you?" it asked, moving towards them.

A lavender-haired woman pulled her parka hood back. "Is Mr. Satoshi Asamizu at home?" she asked in a cool voice.

"I'm sorry," replied the Boomer doorman. "But that is a question I cannot answer, and I must --"

"GENOM override code Alpha-seven-one-one-five-three-two-nine-four-Mu."

The doorman stiffened. "Override accepted."

Kate Madigan nodded. The override code was standard programming on D-class Boomers, allowing a GENOM employee to override the Boomer's programming in certain cases. Very few people know of the override's existence, but it was very useful when stealth was important. She now had complete control over this Boomer.

"You will answer all my questions, fully and completely. Do you understand?"

"Yes," replied the Boomer.

"How long have you been on duty?"

"Since eleven o'clock this evening."

Madigan nodded again. "Is Mr. Satoshi Asamizu at home?"

"Yes. He came in about eleven forty-five tonight."

"Is he still living in apartment 2905?"

"Yes."

"Is he alone?"

"He came in alone. I do not know if there was someone else waiting for him in his apartment."

"Does he live alone?"

"Yes."

"All right," said Madigan. "Listen carefully. Sixty seconds from now, you will go to your recharge station and power down for forty-five
minutes. After you finish recharging, you will wipe the preceding hour from your memory files, including all record of this conversation. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Execute orders." Madigan watch the doorman walk away, then turned to look at one of the Boomers. "Stay here," she said. "Find a place where you can observe the lobby without attracting attention. You are to take action only if you are threatened by significant force directed at you, the mission is being threatened, or I give you a direct order. Understand?"

The disguised Boomer nodded and moved away, searching for a place where it could carry out the orders. The other five, led by Madigan, moved to the elevators and entered the first available car. One of the humans, a scar-faced man by the name of Tebba, pressed the button for the twenty-ninth floor. "Any last orders, Ma'am?" he asked.

Madigan frowned. "I want to be out of here in less then fifteen minutes. Lopez, you hold the elevator. I do not want any public display
of weapons unless the situation calls for it. And if the situation calls for it, we will all be in a lot of trouble. If we run into any night owls, flash those badges first. Satoshi Asamizu is to be taken ALIVE and as in as good a shape as can be managed -- which means he has to be able to talk coherently. If any one of you screw up, it will be the last time you EVER screw up. Understand?"

The humans, well-versed in this sort of operation, merely nodded. The Boomer didn't move, but Madigan didn't expect any problems from it -- it would follow any orders she gave it.

The elevator doors opened and the five moved out into the hall. Lopez placed his foot in the door's path, preventing them from closing. He
unzipped his parka and made sure he could reach either the badge in his coat pocket or the compact machine pistol under his arm, then nodded to
Madigan. Their escape route now secure, the team moved on to the target.

Apartment 2905 was thirty meters down the left side of the hall. The team arrayed itself on each side of the door, with the exception of the
Boomer, who stood across the hall from the door. Madigan motioned Tebba toward the door. The man nodded and pulled out a long tube which was as thick around as his thumb. Moving carefully, he got down on one knee and pushed on end under the door. He attached an eyepiece to the end of the tube in his hand and stared into it. After thirty seconds of silence, Tebba pulled the tube out from under the door and put the rolled up tube in his pocket. "Clear," he said in a low voice. "Kobe, start working."

A bony Asian man switched places with Tebba and began picking the door's lock, while the others kept watch. Twenty seconds later, Kobe reached out and turned the handle. It opened silently.

Tebba and Kobe went through the door first, moving slowly and carefully, their guns drawn and tracking. Madigan and the other man,
a muscular, hard-faced man by the name of Steesen, were next, then the Boomer stepped inside and closed the door.

There was enough light coming through the widows to see the interior of the apartment. Like the lobby, the condominium was nicely furnished, though somewhat sterile. A small kitchen was to the immediate right of the front door, while the living room too up most of the visible vicinity. A short hallway beyond the kitchen lead to two closed doors, while a pair of sliding doors occupied the middle of the living room's left wall.

Madigan moved to the sliding doors, She pulled them apart slightly, just enough to peer into the room behind it. The heavy desk and
computer system in one corner of the room told her this was Asamizu's study. Excellent, she thought.

She motioned to Steesen, who glided over. He glanced through the crack between the doors and nodded, a small smile crossing his face. Carefully, he slid open the door just wide enough to allow himself to fit through and slipped in. He moved to the desk, and sat in front of the computer. Moving carefully, he pulled out a small box from the inside pocket of his parka and set it down next to the computer. In a matter a ninety seconds, he'd attached the box to the computer and turned it on. Looking up at Madigan, he nodded once.

She turned to look at Tebba, then glanced at the hall off of the kitchen. Tebba nodded, and moved towards the hall with swift, cat-like
steps. Kobe joined him then and the holstered their pistols and pull out another weapon. They were both pistols of some sort, with a thick long
barrel and oversized hand grips. Moving silently, they snuck down the hall until they reached the first door. Tebba opened it slowly, just enough to glance inside. He closed the door softly, turned to look at Madigan and shook his head. Without waiting for an acknowledgment from their boss, the two GENOM Black Ops members moved toward the other door.

Again, Tebba opened the door slowly, just enough to glace inside. This time, he gave Madigan a nod. She returned it with one of her own,
her hand hovering near the butt of her own pistol. While Kobe held the door so it wouldn't open any further, Tebba pointed the strange looking
pistol at something inside the room. After five seconds, a sound like someone sneezing was heard, then silence. Tebba slipped into the room,
followed by Kobe. After another five seconds, Kobe opened the door all the way and waved Madigan to come ahead.

By the time Madigan reached the doorway, Kobe had stepped aside to allow her to see past him. It was a bedroom, furnished in the same style of the living room. Tebba was checking the only occupant in the bed, a shallow looking man with thinning hair and unhealthy skin. Madigan compared him with the photograph of Satoshi Asamizu she had in her memory and found them to be the same. Got you! her mind exclaimed, but she kept her face impassive.

"How is he?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"He's out," replied Tebba, his voice also low. "The dart hit him clean."

"Secure him." She stepped back to allow the men to bound their prisoner. She touched a button on her comline. "Leader to all posts,"
she subvocalized. "Status reports."

Like the other humans on this mission, Madigan wore a transceiver/transmitter system designed for covet operations. Consisting of two patches that looked and felt like skin, they had a range of only two kilometers, but they allowed the few communications between the team members to be conducted almost silently.

//Car one, clear.//

//Car two clear.//

//Lobby, clear.//

//Elevator, clear.//

"Stand by, Target has been secured. We are preparing to leave." As she said the last words, she strode out of the bedroom and walked over to the study. "How long?" she asked Steesen.

"Three minutes," he replied. "I'm transferring everything on Asamizu hard drive to a secure directory on a Tower security server."

"Any disks?"

He tapped a pocket of his parka. "All the ones I could find, but it's possible that he has some hidden away. I would have looked for them,
but I thought the transfer was more important."

She strode over to the sliding doors and leaned out. Tebba and Kobe had just finished placing a securely bound Satoshi Asamizu at the feet of the Boomer, who hadn't move from its spot just inside the front door. She motioned for the two humans to come into the study, then looked at the Boomer and pointed at Asamizu. The Boomer nodded, but made no other movement.

After Kobe and Tebba enter the room, Madigan said softly, "Search for any hidden documents or disks. We have two and a half minutes."

The scattered across the room. Tebba started flipping through books from a tall narrow bookcase, looking for any loose papers, while Kobe started navigating through a entertainment center cabinet. Madigan began flipping pictures, looking for anything taped on the back of them The third one she turned over yielded paydirt.

A pair of disks had been heavily taped to the back of the painting. Pulling out a small penknife, she carefully cut through the tape and
pocketed the disks. She continuing searching until Steesen said softly, "Transfer complete."

"We're going," said Madigan.

Without a word, the four left the study. At the door, Steesen and Kobe picked up the drugged director. Tebba opened the door and looked out. "Coast clear."

"Leader to all posts," Madigan subvocalized. "We are leaving. Status reports."

//Car one, clear.//

//Car two clear.//

//Lobby, clear.//

//Elevator, clear.//

"We're moving."

The moved down the hallway swiftly, Tebba leading the way, followed by Steesen and Kobe carrying the unconscious Asamizu. Madigan followed, with the Boomer bringing up the rear. Lopez held the elevator door until the entire party was in the car. Just as the doors closed, the receiver behind Madigan's right ear. //Lobby here. Two people have enter the building. One male, one female.//

"Threat assessment?" asked Madigan.

//Minimal,// replied the Boomer, allow some disgust to enter his tone. //They are both too drunk to walk straight.//

"What are they doing?"

//Heading towards the elevators. ETA is fifteen seconds.//

Madigan glanced over at Lopez, who was standing nearest the elevator controls. "Stop this car."

Lopez jabbed a thumb on a button marked "7" and glanced up at the floor indicator, which showed a lighted "12". The car came to a stop
and the doors opened. With one hand holding the door open, Lopez leaned out and looked up checked the hall to make sure it was empty. Clear," he said softly.

"Status on those two drunks?" snapped Madigan into the transmitter.

There was silence for several seconds, then the Boomer said, //They've just pushed the up button and are now waiting for an elevator. Do you wish me to eliminate them?//

"No. Report when they get into an elevator."

//Understood.// Five seconds went by, then ten. Ten more seconds crawled by before the Boomer said, //They've just entered an elevator
car.//

Lopez released the door and jammed his finger savagely against the button for the lobby. As the doors closed, Madigan said "We're coming down. Lobby, meet us at the elevator."

//Understood.//

The sudden opening of the elevator doors several seconds later almost startled Madigan and it took her a split second to realize the car had reached the lobby. The second Boomer was there to greet them. As a group they, strolled out of the lobby, with the lobby Boomer taking the point, followed by Madigan and Tebba, then Kobe, Steesen, and Lopez carrying the bound Asamizu, with the other Boomer bringing up the rear. Despite their success so far, no one was willing to relax.

They retraced their steps, moving at a brisk walk through the hall and out into the cold night. The cars were waiting and they swiftly got in. The cars drove away from the building at a sate speed, not wanting to attract attention even at this late a stage. Silence descended on the complex.

The Johnston and Brindle tower construction site was adjacent to the GLAS Condominium Complex. Over in one sector of the site, three dozen construction Boomers stood silently, waiting for the human supervisor to activate them for the next shift.

Five minutes after Asamizu had been shoved into a car and driven off, a slight hum emanated from three of the construction Boomers. An eerie red glow began to issue from their eye slits. If any human experienced with Boomers had seen this, they would have turn and run, convinced the Cyberdroid was possessed.

They wouldn't be far from the truth.

The trio of Boomers began to move slowly, gaining fluidness and purpose as they continued. All three stared at the South Tower, a glittering beacon in the night sky. As one, they move toward it at a firm pace. They ripped through the steel mesh fence that separated the two properties and continued on, their gazes never leaving the Tower, their minds on one thing - destruction. . . .

**********

Sylia's Apartment
Sunday, December 23, 2035
1:58am

Sylia looked at the four sitting around the table. Both Linna and Nene had the bleary look of people woken out of sound sleeps. Priss looked agitated, while Mackie acted like the meeting wasn't a big deal. He placed a large cup of coffee in from of the red-haired Hacker, then sipped for his own cup. "What's the plan?" he asked, looking at his sister.

Sylia allow the cold mask of leadership fall into place. The emotional voice inside of her took the cue and vanished from her mind for the
time being. "We've got a planning session with the Black Knight at three-thirty today," she said quietly. "We've located the VanDell girl, and we are probably going to try and rescue her before dawn."

She glanced at each of them, looking for any argument or decent. There was none. Both Nene and Linna didn't feel like voicing any strong opinions, while Priss had already taken her best shot at Sylia's plan. "Where's the meet?" the singer asked.

"We're to meet a Black Knight at the corner of Two-Twelve and Jiro in District Four at three o'clock. He'll lead up to the meeting location."

"I still don't like it," Priss grumbled.

"That's why the three of up are going to show up at the meeting riding our Motoslaves - in this case, I'll be riding yours tonight, Priss. You and Mackie will be covering us from the air." Sylia looked at her brother. "The Knight Wing ready?"

"All set and ready to go," replied Mackie with a smile. He motioned toward Priss. "There should be enough firepower on it tonight to keep the ape woman happy."

Priss gave him a cold stare while Linna and Nene giggled. Sylia arched an eyebrow, but said nothing. Mackie just sat back and smirked.

"I almost like it better when you were a pervert," she muttered.

Mackie shrugged. "If you want, I can hide a camera or two in the dressing rooms, for old times' sake, of course."

"Don't you dare!" Nene squealed, suddenly awake. She reached over and punched him in the shoulder.

"Ow!" he yelled, rubbing his arm and leaning away so the angry redhead couldn't follow up. "I was joking!"

"I don't care!" Nene exclaimed back. "You're mine and you're not going to even look at another girl!"

It was Priss' turn to laugh and she made the most of it. Linna joined here and this time Sylia chuckled softly. Nene turned to glare at them.
"What's so funny?" she demanded.

"You just told them that I'm your boyfriend," said Mackie with a wry grin.

"I what?!" Nene's face became flush as Mackie's words sunk it. Eyes wide, she turned to Sylia. "I'msorryitwon'thappenagainIpromise," she blurted.

"I have no problem if you and Mackie want to date," said Sylia with a smile. "He's old enough to make his own decisions."

"Besides," said Priss lazily, "It's not like this is unexpected. We figure the two of you were an item about two years back."

"At least," chimed in Linna.

"But why didn't anyone tell me?" wailed Nene.

"We can discuss your romance with Mackie later," said Sylia. "Right now, there's a girl that needs rescuing."

That sobered everyone up. Sylia continued. "According to Fargo, Janie is in the Headquarters building of G&B- Japan. We're going to coordinate a strike with the Black Knights on the building before daybreak. As I said, we're going to meet up with a guide at three o'clock and he'll take us to the meeting spot. Mackie, you and Priss fly cover. I'll leave a channel open for you to monitor at all times. Nene, I want the floor
plans and anything else you can find on the G&B building downloaded into the suits' ROM. Linna, Make sure the Knight Wing has extra magazines for the Motorslave's cannons."

"Right!" Nene and Linna chorused.

"Mackie, you and Priss get the Knight Wing warmed up. I'll make sure the Motorslaves are ready. We have thirty minutes before we leave. Let's make the most of it."

**********

Gulf and Bradley - Japan Headquarters
Sunday, December 23, 2035
2:25am

Carlton Bradley frowned at Hachio Ozu. "How did the attack fail?" he said in a soft voice.

"It failed because Karns was waiting for them," the security chief replied. "Unlike the ADP, he doesn't worry about things like 'excessive
firepower' or 'collateral damage'. He eliminated the Boomers and most of the human contingent of the strike teams."

"Can they be traced back to us?"

"No, Sir. The Boomers were the ones who recruited and led the attacks. None of the lowlifes ever had a direct connection to us here. There's no evidence left to show our involvement."

"How did this Karns get all that firepower?' asked Cora. She was sitting on the couch in the corner of the office, watching her brother
who was leaning back in his chair, staring at Ozu.

The security chief shrugged. "He's been the defacto leader of that district for years, and those who've challenged him in the past, most
never lived long enough to realize their mistake. I'm not kidding when I say they've probably got better weapons then the ADP does. That's one
of the reasons why I thought Malso was a better target"

"It looks like our plans have hit a. . .snag," said Carlton carefully. "Is the extra security in place?"

"Yes Sir, but--"

"But what?" whispered Cora, her eyes narrow and focused at Ozu.

"But our preparations were rather obvious to anyone watching us. We will not have the advantage of surprise."

"The advantage is meaningless," replied Carlton bruskly. "Has Mclaren finished repairing the Boomers from the MALCORP raid?"

"He said he can have eight ready before three. The other two that came back are too badly damaged to fight. Do you want them brought here?"

Carlton swivelled in his chair and stared out into the night skyline. "No," he said finally. "Station them in a building near by. If we are
attacked, they will wait until the signal is given. Then they will strike the enemy from behind while we hit them from the front."

Ozu nodded. "I understand Sir."

Carlton waved a hand. "You're dismissed. Make sure the new measures are in place before you go to bed."

"Yes, Sir." Ozu strode out of the office.

"Which guests are we expecting?" asked Cora with a purr.

Carlton frowned, but didn't look at his sister. "Maybe the Black Knights, or the Knight Sabers, or maybe both. If Quincy is on to us,
maybe GENOM."

"That's too many 'maybes' for my liking," said Cora with a scowl.

Carlton's expression changed. "Nothing great starts out with all the facts known. We are close to success."

"We are just as close to disaster."

"A disaster you came close to causing."

Cora leapt off the couch, the scowl becoming a glare. "Don't you dare blame me for the bitch's suicide attempt!" she snapped.

Carlton turned to look at his sister. "Then who do I blame?" he asked mildly. "The security people? They were following your orders."

Cora's jaw tightened. "I wanted that girl isolated," she spat.

"If we wanted to do that, we could have used security boomers to interact with the girl and avoided all direct human involvement. But you
wanted to use her + for your 'amusement'."

"I was getting her ready for that Chinese geezer."

Carlton raised an eyebrow. "The doctor did not need your help." he said flatly.

"I don't know why you hired him in the first place."

"Because I wanted the girl alive long enough to tell us everything." He held up a hand, cutting off Cora's angry retort. "Go lie down. There's no telling when the attack will come, if not tonight."

Cora held her brother's stare for a moment, then looked away. "You don't love me," she said softly.

"Love has nothing to do with it," said Carlton bruskly. "We cannot allow our emotions to run loose, not when we're this close to success."

Cora nodded slowly, then turned and walked out of the office. Carlton waited until she closed the door behind her before he leaned back and rubbed his eyes. Cora's becoming too unstable, he thought. But she can't crap out on me now, not when we're this close!

He sighed and stood. I'd better check on the VanDell girl.

By the time he reached the door to the outer office, two of his bodyguards had fallen in behind him. By the time he reached the elevator, two more Boomers had joined the group, making the elevator cramped. "Seventh floor," he said to the Boomer nearest the elevator controls.

The ride to the seventh floor was short, but the walk to the building's medical center was twice as long. Two more Boomers stood outside the ward, their expressions unreadable as Bradley approached.

"Is Doctor Kyso here?"

"She is currently sleeping, Sir," replied one of the Boomers "There are two nurses who are currently monitoring the patient."

Carlton nodded. "You," he commanded, waving to the bodyguard to his right. "Come with me. The others can stay here until I return." He opened the medical center's main doors and stalked into the reception area, the lone Boomer following as ordered.

The medical center didn't have quite the range of equipment of a full hospital, but it was a modern, well-furnished center that could do almost anything its larger counterpart could do. This was the first time Bradley had ever been in the center. He'd avoided it when he was given his first tour of the building, and he had seen no reason to step foot inside -- until now.

The reason for shunning this place wasn't complicated; Carlton Bradley hated hospitals. The smell of strong disinfectant always left him nauseated, as did the sight of people dying, either though chance or design. He'd seen his grandfather die in a hospital, his body ravaged by cancer. The last time he had been in any sort of medical institution had been to visit the morgue to identify his father's body. To him, a hospital was a death house.

He didn't need to be reminded of his mortality -- his fathers death had been enough for his taste. Pity I couldn't kill the bastard myself.

A nurse sitting behind a desk looked up at him, and paled in shock. "Can I help you sir?" she asked quickly.

"I want to see Doctor Kyso," replied Carlton with a glare, "and I want to see her now."

"Yes sir." She reached over and picked up a telephone handset off the desk. She touched a button and waited for the connection to be
completed. "Doctor Kyso? Reiko at the front desk. Mr Bradley is here to see you. . . .Yes, Doctor, I know what time it is, but Mr. Bradley is most insistent. . . . Yes, Doctor I will tell him that." She put the handset down. "Doctor Kyso will be out in a minute," she softly said to Carlton.

It was closer to ninety seconds before the doctor appeared, looking haggard and unhappy. "Can I help you sir?" she asked.

"I'm checking up on the girl's condition."

Kyso shook her head. "There's nothing new. She's still in critical condition."

"I see. Can I see her for myself?"

"Of course. This way." Kyso led Bradley and his bodyguard to a small room near the far end of the ward. Next to the door, a large
window, reinforced with thick security glass, showed the interior of the room. There was a hospital bed, with several banks of monitors clustered
around it, like vultures huddled around a carcass. In the bed, A pale face nearly as white as the pillow it laid on was framed by lifeless brown
hair. Several tubes ran from different devices to either into her mouth or up the nostrils. Her arms, as pale as her face, each had an IV inserted
into the veins. The rest of her body was covered by a grey blanket, but there was the impression of great weakness. Only the slight movement of
her chest and the soft beeps of the monitors indicated that Janie VanDell was still alive.

"Do you wish to go in?" Kyso asked. "If you do, I would recommend that you wear a surgical mask."

Bradley shook his head. "This is good enough. How good are her chances?"

Kyso stared at the injured girl for several seconds. "If she was healthy, I would say she would have an 80% chance."

"But?"

"But her health isn't good. In fact, I believe she's been subjected to grievous abuse." Kyso stared at Bradley, and he saw anger in her
eyes. "She has no more then a 40% chance of surviving now."

"I see."

"Do you?" snapped Kyso. "What did this girl do to warrant so much abuse?"

"That is none of your concern."

"Isn't it? You want me to keep her alive for what?"

"That is none of your concern."

"It is MY concern. Because of her general condition, that girl is having to fight for every breath she takes. I've treated strung-out
junkies that were in better condition then this girl!"

Carlton's voice was frigid. "There's a difference between this girl and those junkies that you should remember."

"What?"

"I'm not paying you to keep those junkies alive. I'm paying you to keep her alive."

"I can't work miracles!"

"In this case, you had better hope you can."

Kyso glared at Bradley for several seconds, then turned and stalked off. The CEO ignored her departure and continued to watch the young girl that had so much riding on her recovery. he thought,

As he watched her, his thoughts drifted back to his childhood. . . .

What childhood? part of his mind snarled. You and your sister were nothing more then trophies of Carson Bradley's, just like everything else he'd owned. The old man was a arrogant, drunken son-of-a-bitch who never gave a damm for either one of you. All he cared about was money and power, in that order. The only times he even acknowledged your existence was when he needed a punching bag because Mother wasn't around.

Carlton took a deep breath. And just when I'm ready to finally do something about him, the bastard gets himself killed! Damm GENOM! Damm the Chang Group! And most of all, DAMM YOU, FATHER!

He had dreams for years of killing his father, to see his face as the old man realized that his own flesh and blood was murdering him. It
was the one thing that had kept him going through his teenage years. A dream that had been shattered when a Genki Battlemover had done the
job for him, another person following up on vengeance. At the morgue, he saw the look on his father's face, the look of surprise that he had
been dreaming about for years. It should have been enough.

It wasn't.

Instead of feeling relief, the anger had changed focus. It's targets became the Chang Group and GENOM, two of the principals that robbed Carlton of his dreams. Carson Bradley had escaped his reach, but Quincy and Dr. Chang Chongk were still within his grasp. They would suffer in place of his father.

But, he needed an edge. He couldn't outspend or out-muscle GENOM -- their resources were too great. The Chang Group was an impenetrable wall of loyalty and duty that would be difficult to breech. No, Carlton needed something the other two didn't have - a weapon or technology that would give him the upper hand long enough to complete his task.

When word reached him of Dr. VanDell's work, he knew then he had his edge. He had let Cora plan and carry out the raids on the Doctor's lab and home, because her talents in the areas of tactics and planning were superior to his own. While Carlton had focused his anger directly at his father, Cora had decided that the entire world should feel her wrath. Her slide into madness had been slow but steady for years, but
Carlton needed her. She was the one person he could trust and depend upon in this world of backstabbing and broken deals.

And now my vengeance is dependent on a stupid teenager! his mind screamed. His hands curled up into fists and felt his anger rising. He glared at the unconscious girl. He screamed at her mentally, You will not be allowed to die until I have all of those plans!

"Sir?" asked the Boomer. "Are you all right?"

Carlton's smile was feral. "You're several years too late asking that question," he said in whisper. He turned and walked away, the Boomer silently following him. H said silently, And no one will stand in my way. . . .

**********