Iczer-one Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ The Earth Child ❯ Mall Encounters of the Close Kind ( Chapter 14 )

The Earthchild

 

(An Iczer/Ranma/Sailor Moon Crossover)

 

Written by

Jim Robert Bader

 

Proofread by

Shiva Barnwell

 

(Inspired by the works of Rumiko Takahashi,

Naoko Takeuchi, Toshihiro Hirano, & Hitoshi Okuda,

with ideas and suggestions by TH Tiger and Johannes Huber)

 

 

 

 

 

Yui paused as she began to cross into the darkened parkway, all too aware that she shadows surrounding her had eyes, and those eyes were gleaming in a hostile demeanor. At once she fell into a defensive crouch, then with deceptive calm declared, “Well? What are you waiting for? I'm waiting.”

 

The attack was swift, certain and deadly, and had they been facing a normal opponent the Venomoids might have overwhelmed her before she could even erect her guard. However, Yui---as if it needs be pointed out---was anything but a “normal” opponent, and her defense was far swifter and more ruthless, fueled as it was by the barely contained berserker fury of a trained Hibiki backed with the power of a Senshi Shinto Priestess.

 

Razor sharp ofudo strips were in her hand and launched into the air before the attack was fully commenced, then Yui unfolded her umbrella and revealed that it had more ofudo strips lining its heavy iron frame…Cold Iron, to be precise, the traditional bane of all things demonic and evil. Having the magnetic properties of a lodestone, it tended to go right through the usual psychic armor that surrounded things of a magical nature, and this proved no exception for the hapless Venomoids who wound up being sliced and dissected by the whirling maelstrom of priestly magics which accompanied the thrust of said umbrella.

 

Yui wasted no time in casting her deadly weapon out like a whirling top to wreak its havoc among her attackers, then she fell back into a secondary crouch and began chanting, calling forth her energies as two dark forms rose up from her body, taking the form of a two condor-sized ravens, which began to wreck their own style of havoc among her by-now confused and luckless Venomoid assailants. The ravens, Deimos and Phobos, wove an unbreakable pattern of defense around their mistress while she continued to chant, calling forth new powers that lay hidden and dormant within her. A moment later they parted ways and cleared a path for their now-transformed mistress, who stood tall and proud in a seifuku-styled outfit, and around whom the flames of her rage began to mount like a rising inferno.

 

“BY THE POWER OF MARS AND ALL THE FIRES OF HEAVEN---BEGONE YOU DARK SPIRITS OF THE NEGATIVE PLANES!!!” she cried in a voice that resonated with power.

 

Her flames fanned out like a ring to surround her and engulf those remaining Venomoids unfortunate enough to stay around for the final show. Like that they were utterly consumed and reduced to mere ashes, leaving the surrounding vegetation unharmed as though the flames were entirely selective in what they chose to burn. Within a moment the park was clean of all evil resonance, and the transformed Yui smiled in grim satisfaction, having banished away her stalkers for one evening.

 

Almost effortlessly she reached up a hand as the handle to her whirling umbrella returned to her, much like Mjolnir, the legendary hammer of Thor, and though the thing weighed a good two hundred pounds easy, she handled it as though it were a baton, lowering it to the ground as she allowed the power to retreat back inside her, like a flaming sword finding its sheath. Another moment later her seifuku was gone, leaving Yui in her Shinto attire, backpack in place into which she returned her umbrella.

 

Of course her brief display of fireworks attracted attention from some passers by, and as Yui turned to look she saw Muku, Yumi and the girl Rhea running towards her in great haste. Muku smiled in relief when she saw her friend was the cause of all the excitement and said, “Yui-chan…are you all right?”

 

“Of course,” Yui replied, umbrella back in hand and used like a pointer, “And what have you to say for yourself, Senzenen? I've been looking all over for you, and so have the others! Don't tell me Yumi found you before I did?”

 

“Ah…sorry about that,” Muku made a calming gesture, “I've been…kind of busy myself. Didn't mean to worry anybody…next time I'll give you a ring on your cell phone.”

 

“Ew,” Yumi took notice of the dying trace of ashes littering the grounds and said, “Somebody make an ash out of themselves? Don't tell me you've had a run in with those monsters too?”

 

“Too?” Rhea looked at her curiously.

 

“Oh…ah…yeah, but they were no problem,” Yumi made a placating gesture of her own, “I just gave them the cold shoulder, not like Hotlips here. Yui tends to set the town on fire if you get her too riled up.”

 

“Er…right,” Muku replied, once again wondering why there was no one she considered “normal” in her life, including her girlfriends, “I'm sorry if you guys are being hassled on my account…”

 

“I'm used to it,” Yui said indifferently, turning to Rhea, “And what have you to say for yourself, keeping Muku-chan out late until after hours?”

 

“Ah…excuse me?” Rhea blinked.

 

“We were going out mall hopping, Potato-head,” Yumi chided, “Then we'll stop by the sporting center. You don't need to give Rhea-chan here the third degree, I've already quizzed her and she checks out just fine.”

 

“She does?” Muku asked, turning a nervous look in her other friend's direction.

 

“Oh sure,” Yumi said, taking a nonplussed Rhea by the arm and saying, “She's cool…like one of the buds. Okay, so she's got a few mysterious secrets and probably comes from some place where the eyes and ears work as a fashion statement, but other than that she's okay, isn't that right, Rhea-chan?”

 

“Um…well…if you accept me as I am, then…I see no problem,” Rhea replied with a bit of reluctance.

 

“Groovy,” Yumi grinned at her own retro-hip expression, then added, “Then let's all shake hands and be friends from this day forward…after all, we're fighting on the same side of humanity and all that, right?”

 

“Um…I guess,” Muku wondered if they were all on the same page, but one was never too sure about that when they were talking with Yumi.

 

“I see no reason to regard her as a friend…just because she may not be an enemy,” Yui snorted, giving Rhea a suspicious lookover, “You may not intend mischief, but mischief attends you like robe, and no matter what you may or may not have so far chosen to reveal to Muku-chan, I doubt that she is fully prepared for everything that is involved in your offer of friendship.”

 

“But…I would never willingly harm Muku-chan,” Rhea defended, “She is my partner…”

 

“Which is precisely what we would like to discuss with you, Miss Kano.”

 

Muku wondered precisely when she was going to get used to all these sudden dramatic interruptions, or of mysterious strangers appearing out of no where to say dramatic lines like that, but as she turned to regard the newest speaker she was amazed at hearing Rhea gasp in recognition, for the man standing before them in a Nehru-style pale shirt was a somewhat tall and silver haired gaijin flanked by two other figures dressed all in black with three-piece suits and dark sunglasses. Those two appeared to be Japanese men of indeterminate age, but the one in authority was clearly the silver-haired gaijin.

 

“General Straker?” Rhea asked, causing Yumi to turn and eye the Bioroid with amazement.

 

“Hello, Rhea-chan,” the white haired gentleman replied, “It's been a while, hasn't it? You've grown so much since the last time.”

 

“General Straker?” Yumi gasped, “You mean…the head of SHADO, the International intelligence agency dealing with paranormal defenses, said to be headquartered in London?”

 

“Eh?” the man in question replied, “You…know about us?”

 

“Um…just by reputation,” Yumi gave a charming smile and made a deflecting gesture, “I take it the other two guys are MIB agents P and Q?”

 

The silver haired man turned to regard the gentlemen in question. Both shrugged in a matter-of-fact sort of way before one said, “We're…familiar with the family, General.”

 

“You might say we know a lot about their parents,” the other agent replied, “Got a file on them as thick as a…”

 

“Ahem” General Edward Straker said in his American-accented Japanese, “As I was saying…nice to see you again, Rhea-chan. Your parents must be very proud of the way you've been developing of late, but the reason I'm here is that I've recently gotten the word that you've acquired for yourself a partner.”

 

“Ah…yes sir,” Rhea indicated Muku, then went to stand directly beside her, “Muku-chan is the one whom I have chosen.”

 

“By which I take it to mean that she matches your criteria to a fault,” the man nodded in faint satisfaction, “Ordinarily I'd say, `congratulations,' but with the recent Venomoid activity that's been detected in Japan…well…I'm sure you can see how our agencies are concerned about the implications.”

 

“And well you should be, Sir,” Rhea replied, “They are a threat to the security of the entire planet.”

 

“We know,” Straker replied, “I'm not here to interfere with you or to express anything less than total confidence in what you C'thuwulf are doing to insure the enemy is contained before it can spread beyond Tokyo. The problem is that we have already lost a number of agents to Venomoid attacks, and that's even with the special precautions we've taken on advice from your parents. Considering the potential casualty tolls that might result from a mass infection, we need to coordinate better between our various agencies in order to overcome the potential threat. I'm sure you'll be willing to convey my sentiments on this to your folks and your people.”

 

“They already know that we must share the defense of this world, General,” Rhea replied, “Be assured, we will fully cooperate in every way possible for the sake of our two peoples.”

 

“I know you'll do your part,” Straker replied, “It comes with being an Iczer. The one I'm concerned about, though, is your partner, who could be the wink link in your defenses. Senzenen Muku Dori…are you fully aware of what is at stake here, and while the security of our world may well depend on your acceptance of your role as Rhea-chan's partner?”

 

“Um…sort of,” Muku replied, “Forgive me asking this…General? But…how exactly do you know Rhea?”

 

“I ought to know her,” Straker smiled, “She's my goddaughter.”

 

“His…goddaughter?” Yumi responded while Muku just gaped.

 

“Does this mean…you are a friend to her parents?” Yui wondered.

 

“I'm the one who sponsored her biological `father' for joint citizenship on our world,” Straker replied, “My agency has benefited enormously from an exchange of C'thuwulf technology…we're far more able to do our job as international watchdogs for alien attacks as a consequence of their actions. Of course MIB had a somewhat different view about letting several million new potential citizens immigrate into our world…”

 

“We still do have reservations,” Agent P remarked.

 

“Comes with the territory,” Agent Q further noted.

 

“Yes, well…” Straker turned back to Muku and said, “Miss Senzenen…I know it is a lot to ask of you, but fate seems to have singled you out for an unusual destiny, and while I can't ask you to make the sort of sacrifices that will probably result from your decision, it is crucial for you to know how much is at stake here.”

 

He looked her over seriously. “Right now, you are one of exactly three people on the entire planet who can do what you can: Bond with an Iczer. At most, there is only one other person, and we haven't found him or her yet. That person is the one who fits with Troi. Out of all the billions of people on earth, no one else can bond with Rhea, or her fellow Iczers. Without you, Rhea is virtually crippled compared to the others. Against the enemy facing us that's a certain death sentence. Only with you can she reach her full combat ability—and only with you. It's not fair and I'd hardly think it appropriate to trust such responsibility to someone your age, but life is seldom far or what we want it to be. I've been in this business for a very long time, most of my life, as a matter of fact, and I know what the consequences can be if we don't give certain things priority over our personal lives. I trust you will be able to choose responsibly when the time comes to make that decision.”

 

“Decision?” Muku repeated.

 

“About whether or not you will accept your place as Rhea's partner,” Straker replied, starting to turn away, “Take your time and think about it, but don't take too much time. The enemy knows about you and won't hesitate to eliminate you if you give them half a chance. I'll be in touch with you again later, and I'll leave it up to your discretion whether or not we should inform your parents. Good day now…” he paused and glanced at one of the two dark-clad agents, who seemed to be innocently pulling a pocket pen out of his coat, and then white haired older man growled, “Put that away…we won't need it here. Besides, they already seem to know enough about us…”

 

The four young girls remained standing where they were in the park while they watched the two dark-clad men and the silver-haired foreigner head back to a parked limousine, then watched as it took off vertically instead of horizontally and vanished into the night, leaving hardly more than a breeze in its passage.

 

“Whoah,” Yumi said after a moment, “That sure wasn't included on their web page…”

 

“Web page?” Yui looked at her with an odd expression.

 

“Oh sure,” Yumi smiled brightly, “You find just about anything on the Net. I'll bet General Icy Glare doesn't even know his agency has a website.”

 

Muku glanced at Rhea and asked, “THAT was your godfather?”

 

Rhea nodded, “General Straker…is someone very close to my family, one of the few agency heads who genuinely seems to like us.”

 

Yumi turned a sly look her way and said, “I noticed you weren't as shy around him as you were around Godai and Kenny…”

 

“Ah…but he's a mature man…and a very important officer in the Earth Defenses,” Rhea replied, “But those other two are…boys…” she shuddered slightly.

 

Muku heaved a sigh and said, “Guess I can't blame you too much for that…they give me the same shivers sometimes, especially when I see Ken playing around with that damned camera of his…”

 

Yui turned to regard her friend and said, “Speaking of the others we know, where are Sakura and the others about? And why were you shopping so late in the evening?”

 

“Sakura?” Muku shrugged, “Haven't seen her since this morning…but as for the shopping…”

 

“We're getting her friend Rhea here something nice to wear, a new change of clothing,” Yumi replied, “Also…I asked my mom for permission and she said it was all right for me to sleep over at Muku's place, just as soon as I ask her parents. What about you? Planning on camping out again with all those Venomoid guys lurking about?”

 

“I can handle myself,” Yui sniffed, “Besides…I have a house…”

 

“Which you hardly ever seem to find on your own, even using your Mom's GPS homing device,” Yumi pointed out.

 

“It's…broken,” Yui indifferently grunted.

 

“So why don't you come with us and maybe join us for a sleepover?” Yumi asked, “I'm sure Muku-chan won't mind, right?”

 

“Huh?” Muku blinked, “Um…well…”

 

“There you go,” Yumi nodded as if receiving confirmation, “Then the four of us can all get snuggled down and we can get to learn more about you, Rhea…like…where you come from, what your favorite hobbies are, and what the weather's like on your planet.”

 

“Er…well…” Rhea seemed more than slightly flustered about that.

 

“Good enough, now…off we go to find you something nice to wear…that outfit you've got on is like something out of an anime,” Yumi linked arms with both Yui and Muku, all but dragging them along as she whistled the tune to “We're off to See the Wizard,” leaving Rhea to follow along behind with a most perplexed expression….

 

 

 

 

“I SEE…SO YOU ARE SAYING THAT THE ICZERS ARE GROWING CLOSER TO THE ONES WHO SURROUND THIS GIRL NAMED SENZENEN MUKU DORI, AND THAT ONE OF THEM HAS TAKEN A PERSONAL INTEREST IN A CLOSE FRIEND WHO MAY POSSIBLY EVEN BE A RIVAL?”

 

“Hai, Gold-sama,” the agent reported, bowing low on one knee with head downcast before the Throne of Glory upon which sat his awesome Lord and Master, “It may even be that Iczer Three considers her as a potential temporary host partner, though I do not think that synchronization between them is likely to be achieved.”

 

“DO NOT THINK, MY MINION…THAT IS RISING ABOVE YOUR STATION. YOUR DUTY IS TO OBSERVE AND REPORT BACK TO ME, NOTHING ELSE BEYOND THIS. LEAVE IT TO YOUR BETTERS TO DECIDE IF THE INFORMATION YOU RELATE HAS VALUE OR NOT.”

 

“Of course, my Lord,” the agent (who only looked like Tenma) hastily amended, “I would not think to presume to inform you of what elements may be crucial to your plans. I only observed that the Iczer seemed unusually taken with this human and may be considering pairbonding to establish a temporary link, such she has used in the past…”

 

“AN INTERESTING SPECULATION, BUT---AS YOU SAY---FULL SYNCHRONIZATION IS UNLIKELY TO OCCUR AS A RESULT OF THIS TEMPORARY DALLIANCE. IT IS TROUBLING THAT THE ENEMY APPEARS TO BE GROWING MORE INTIMATE WITH AFFAIRS OUTSIDE OF THEIR SHELTERED PROVINCE, BUT THIS MAY YET PROVE USEFUL TO OUR CAUSE. SO FAR WE HAVE HAD NO SUCCESS IN PENETRATING THEIR SECURITY NET, BUT WITH INCREASING CONTACT WITH THE WORLD OUTSIDE A CHANCE MIGHT OCCUR THAT WE CAN EXPLOIT TO OUR ADVANTAGE.”

 

“Then shall I continue to observe the sister to this host-form to see if those ties might somehow be deepened?” the agent inquired.

 

“DO NOTHING THAT WOULD AROUSE SUSPICION, AND CONTINUE TO BEHAVE EXACTLY AS IF YOU WERE A MEMBER OF THE SAOTOME HOUSEHOLD. IT WOULD BE USEFUL TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS UNIQUE FIGHTING STYLE THAT WAS SAID TO BE TAUGHT TO THE ICZERS. KEMPO IS ONLY A PART OF THIS COMBAT MATRIX...I MUST CONTINUE TO PROBE THE MEMORIES OF OUR GUESTS TO DETERMINE IF IT IS AS EFFECTIVE AS WE HAVE BEEN LED TO SUSPECT. CONTINUE TO OBSERVE AND REPORT BACK TO ME WHEN YOU HAVE SOMETHING ELSE INTERESTING TO RELATE.”

 

“As you wish it, Gold-sama,” the fake Tenma replied, and then vanished as he translated himself back through the Subspace channel to the target world slated for invasion.

 

Neos Gold spoke up, addressing herself to the golden figure sitting within the Command Cradle, “Mother…why do we hesitate and putter around with these games of infiltration? We should be mustering our forces to mount an all-out attack to overwhelm our enemies. I know that our combined forces will easily sweep away even the united might of the Iczers…”

 

“YOU KNOW NOTHING BUT WHAT I TELL YOU,” the golden figure replied, “A SINGLE ICZER CONTAINS MORE POWER THAN EVEN YOU COULD IMAGINE, AND WITH FOUR OF THEM TO TROUBLE US THE POSSIBILITIES FOR DISASTER YET LURK UNSEEN IN THE WINGS. WE MUST KNOW MORE IN ORDER TO PLAN FOR THEIR DOWNFALL, AND SO WE WILL CONTINUE TO ENGAGE IN PROBING GAMES TO TEST THEIR DEFENSES…AND IF, IN THE PROCESS, WE SHOULD HAPPEN TO PICK OFF A FEW STRAY MEMBERS OF THEIR DEFENSE LINE…”

 

“I see,” Neos nodded slowly, “Then you wish to toy with them for a bit, Mother, before you reel them in and destroy them.”

 

“YOU ARE A GOOD DAUGHTER, AND A VICIOUS STUDENT, BUT YOU HAVE A LONG WAYS TO GO BEFORE YOU COULD EVER SIT IN MY PLACE. I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THE CHANCE TO FACE ICZER ONE AGAIN AND TO CRUSH THE SPIRIT FROM HER BODY BEFORE I UTTERLY TAKE HER LIFE. I WILL PROVE ONCE AND FOR ALL THAT I AM THE TRUE INCARNATION, AND ONLY THEN WILL I RAVAGE HER WORLD AND ADD IT TO MY ALREADY GROWING DOMINION.”

 

“You are wiser than I even suspected, Mother,” Neos bowed, “But what shall we do next to give these Iczers cause to fear us?”

 

“I WOULD BE MOST CONTENT TO LET THEM IMAGINE THEMSELVES SAFE AND SECURE AGAINST ATTACK, BUT THE DIE HAS ALREADY BEEN CAST AND IT IS TOO LATE TO PRETEND THAT WE ARE NOT SERIOUS IN SEEKING TO CORRUPT THEM. SINCE YOUR MINIONS PROVED INADEQUATE TO THE TASK, I WILL CREATE NEW CHAMPIONS FOR OUR CAUSE…BEGINNING WITH A FEW OLD FACES THAT I AM CERTAIN YOU WILL REMEMBER.”

 

“You mean me?” asked a figure who stepped out from the shadows.

 

Neos reacted with a start and cried, “YOU? THE TRAITOR…?”

 

“Happy to see you again, Mother,” the armored figure smiled, “It has been a long time.”

 

“Mother!” Neos whirled to her creator, “You can't be serious! I created this one only to see her betray me! She was nothing but trouble before I was forced to eliminate her…”

 

“DO NOT TROUBLE YOURSELF ABOUT THE PAST,” Gold countered, “I HAVE CORRECTED THE FLAWS IN HER THAT YOU LEFT IN YOUR ORIGINAL DESIGNS. SHE IS NOW MUCH STRONGER THAN BEFORE AND TOTALLY LOYAL TO OUR CAUSE. THERE IS NO CHANCE OF HER TURNING AGAINST US AS BEFORE, AND SHE HAS THE POWER WE WILL NEED TO BATTLE WITH THE ICZERS WHILE NOVA IS BEING REPAIRED FOR THE INJURIES SUSTAINED BY HER ROBOT.”

 

Neos did not relax her guard though her clear white eyes burned more hotly. The dark haired figure in red, white and gold armor merely smiled back and said, “I'm sure Iczer Three will be happy to see me once again. Shall I convey your respects to her before or after I kill her, Mother?”

 

Neos frowned but replied, “Do as you will…but don't call me Mother.”

 

“Very well,” the dark haired warrior replied, turning to regard the presence on the throne, “Shall I be on my way with your permission, Grandmother?”

 

“YOU HAVE MY LEAVE TO DEPART…AND SEE TO IT THAT YOUR SISTER ICZER IS THE FIRST TO FEEL YOUR LANCE. I AM CERTAIN THAT ICZER FOUR WILL BE MORE SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT SHE HAS YET ANOTHER AUNT.”

 

“Then I shall write a love letter to her using her entrails,” Atros smiled viciously, and translated through subspace.

 

“YOU MUST DEPART AS WELL, DAUGHTER,” Big Gold turned once again to Neos, “YOU HAVE UNFINISHED BUSINESS, I BELIEVE, THAT NEEDS TENDING. ONE OF OUR FOUR MINIONS ESCAPED AND IS AT LARGE, AND THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT SHE COULD PROVE TROUBLESOME TO OUR CAUSE.”

 

“I…apologize for the error, Mother,” Neos bowed, “I will attend to my oversight at once. I know exactly where I can find her.”

 

“THEN GO,” Big Gold turned away, glancing over to several pod-shaped objects suspended from a number of cables in which three figures were currently undergoing a lengthy mind-probe to review the data in their memories, to which Gold mused, “I WILL PLAY SOME MORE WITH OUR GUESTS…I FIND THEIR MINDS QUITE…ILLUMINATING, AND IT SEEMS THAT I STILL HAVE MUCH YET TO LEARN ABOUT THESE HUMANS. IS THAT NOT RIGHT, KUNO-SAN?”

 

Her guests did not reply, of course, but somewhere within their aqueous hibernation pods the trio so addressed gave a very faint collective shudder, as if fearing what their counterparts would do on their home timeline…

 

 

 

 

The agent calling himself Tenma reappeared where he had been before, inside the Saotome place and upstairs, not too far from the common bathing area and the adjoining bedrooms. At once he scanned the periphery to determine that the Iczer was still present, and so was the older sister to the one whom the agent had displaced. He tuned his mind to a refined “stealth” frequency, not daring to use a more overt probe that might tip off the Iczer as to his true nature, and “listened in” to some curious sounds that came from the bed that they were jointly sharing…a futon, the agent belatedly self-corrected…upon which a young girl was “getting it on” in a rather spectacularly graphic way that caused even the agent to raise an eyebrow…

 

Sakura was both amazed and overwhelmed at having her lower body be held up in the powerful (yet sensitive) arms of her newfound sex partner, groaning and writhing as she bit on one finger to stifle a scream that resulted from having a warm tongue probe her most intimate places. She tensed and groaned in profuse delight as she came yet another time, her loins becoming slick and juicy as Troi hungrily happed her down, doing things to Sakura's nerve endings that were utterly beyond all description.

 

At length Troi let her down again, then smoothly slid her hands up Sakura's sweat-slicked body to plant a kiss on her lips that Sakura returned with eager enthusiasm, delighting in the taste of her own juices on the tongue of her new bedmate. Troi's hands were all over her, finding all sorts of wonderful places to caress, pinch, probe and explore, even as Sakura wrapped her legs around the waist of the Iczer and held on for dear life as she groaned into the other woman's mouth, then began to exchange tongues in a wrestling match worthy of two champion sumo.

 

When at last their mouths parted, Troi nuzzled her ear and said, “Still thinking about crying rape?”

 

“I'll…think about it some more,” Sakura replied, allowing her hands to caress and fondle the warm flesh of her bedmate, murmuring softly, “I still can't believe that you're an android…”

 

“Bioroid,” Troi corrected, “I'm one hundred percent organic, just like you, and I even have a biological human mother…well, a C'thuwulf one anyway…”

 

“You do?” Sakura was frankly amazed by this.

 

“Her name's Grey…the chief scientist of my people,” Troi revealed, “About twenty years ago, roughly after the first C'thuwulf invasion, when my big sister redeemed out people…there was a lot of soul searching about what had gone wrong and why we had been taken over so easy. It was determined that we C'thuwulf had lost something vital that humanity still retained…a stronger survival reflex, and a knowledge of the human condition. That's why Grey decided to use some of her DNA and subject it to the Iczerio in order to create me, following the same genetic matrix as my sister…”

 

“Iczerio?” Sakura repeated, “What's that?”

 

“It's…kind of hard to explain,” Troi hesitated, “It's an energy matrix that's alive and self-sustaining…to the naked eye it looks like nothing so much as a big glowing white ball of energy, but in reality it's kind of like…a God, or something. It's my true mother on the Iczer half of my makeup, and I'm one of several incarnations created in its likeness…or rather, in the hybrid likeness of Sister Grey and the Iczerio.”

 

“It sounds more like magic than any science I know,” Sakura marveled.

 

“In a way it is kind of like magic,” Troi conceded, “The thing is…the parts of me that are human…my internal construction---which is only slightly different than yours---comes from Sister Grey, my mother…but the rest of me is pure Iczerio, the part that can only be contained by a living bioform, which is why our ancestors first created the Iczers. The Iczerio is the common parent that I share with my big sisters, while Rhea shares a part of the Iczerio that's in her mother…see what I'm saying?”

 

“No…not exactly,” Sakura admitted, “But I guess…all of this is still pretty new to me….I mean, not just you, but…this,” she snuggled her body closer to Troi's and said, “I don't know why I'm not even slightly angry with you…you just came right into my life and took what you wanted without asking, and yet…I don't know why…but I'm actually grateful.”

 

“Hey, I told you before,” Troi replied, “I'm a natural at this…”

 

“I'm not taking about how good you are,” Sakura grinned, “Even if you are pretty outstanding. I mean…all my life I've been saving myself for…just the right person…I thought it might be Ken, but…well…”

 

“But you really wanted to do this with Muku,” Sakura finished for her, combing her fingers through the brown haired girl's soft hair and adding, “I wasn't trying to take anything from her…or from you…but when I popped in here and found you…well…I've always been a bit of an opportunist.”

 

“A bad girl,” Sakura chuckled, “You take what you want and you make me enjoy it…”

 

“So sue me,” Troi replied, “It's a real pleasure screwing with you…you're one hot little number, a real pistol, and I could do this with you all day and never get tired.”

 

“I'll just bet you could,” Sakura mused, “So…is this just a one-time deal…am I nothing more than your latest conquest, or is this `wham, bam, thank you ma'am?'”

 

Troi heaved a sigh, “I wish I could tell you different…I don't think you're a one-time deal for me…in fact, I'd like to still be your friend if that's all right with you…and…well…if you need a friend to fuck with, you can always use me.”

 

“But not Muku?” Sakura asked softly.

 

“She's taken, Kid, nothing you or I can do about that,” Troi replied, “Oh…you might get lucky and borrow her for a while, but I don't think that's what you're really after. You've been pining away for her for so long that it's been driving you crazy, hasn't it? You couldn't admit to yourself that you had these kinds of feelings, but now that you've lost out to a relative stranger…”

 

“You have a very brutal way of putting things, Troi-san,” Sakura sighed.

 

“Sorry about that,” Troi apologized, “I'm brutal, but I'm honest.”

 

Sakura laid her head back on her pillow and stared up at the ceiling, then remarked, “I know you're right…I can tell just by looking at them how Muku's starting to feel about Rhea…but…I can't just give her up like that…she's…been a part of my life for too many years…”

 

“Wouldn't expect you to give up without a fight,” Troi replied, “Otherwise you wouldn't be a Saotome.”

 

“In other words the kind of person who bangs their head against a rock just because it feels nice,” Sakura grimaced, “I really should be grateful to you for helping me to see this…it does feel good to get some of that weight off my shoulders…having to pretend all the time, never letting myself think certain things…it's…liberating…”

 

“But not as satisfying as having your honey where you can screw her,” Troi said with complete candor, “I know I'm no substitute for her…believe me, I know full well that sex is always best with someone you genuinely care about, just like I know that you're not the one I'm fated to be with for the rest of my life. You're…a close match to what I need…but…not quite right. I know that as an Iczer there's only one genotype who's really suited to be my life-partner, and as much as I wish it could be you…”

 

“I understand,” Sakura replied, running her own fingers through the silky white hair of her companion, “So…this is just a screwing of convenience for the both of us, right?”

 

“Hey, you're no casual screw, not to me,” Troi assured, “I could get very used to having you in my arms as a regular thing, Kid, even if I would be rocking the cradle for your fiancée. Truth is…when I first say you I just knew we'd click like this, even if you're not a perfect match for what I need, and I'm not the girl you want to spend most of your time with.”

 

“So why did you do this?” Sakura asked.

 

“Because you looked and felt like you needed a good screwing,” Troi chuckled as she nuzzled Sakura's earlobe once again, “You're what we call among the C'thuwulf a girl who's in need of a good fucking.”

 

Sakura actually laughed at this, finding the sensation of merriment further lightened the load she carried inside her, even if her amusement was tinged with a bittersweet sense of irony and longing.

 

“Seriously,” Troi continued, “You had a lot of repressed anxiety and tension that was weighing you down…and now you're more in tune with your feminine side, it can only help you to make more clear-headed decisions in the future.”

 

“Maybe so,” Sakura replied, “But I think it's more like you uncorked the bottle and let the genie out, and now I have to do some serious thinking about what I want to do with my life now that I…know I can go both ways…”

 

“Look on the bright side,” Troi mused, “At least you won't have as much trouble getting a date on Saturday evenings…”

 

This time Sakura's laughter was heartfelt and carefree, but as good as it felt to be laughing for what felt like the first time in ages, she did not fail to hear the sounds of the door downstairs being opened as a familiar voice called out, “TADAIMA, is anybody at home upstairs?”

 

“Oh shit!” Sakura froze, “My folks…they're home!”

 

“Guess that's my cue to take a powder,” Troi said as she reluctantly moved away from her bed mate and fetched her belongings, which had been casually draped over a nearby chair, not even pausing to put them on before she gave a jaunty wink at Sakura and said, “Seeya soon, Hot Stuff!”

 

With that she teleported out of there, leaving Sakura to hastily glance around for something to put on as she heard footsteps lightly trek up the stairs and familiar voices conversing at a low level. She had almost managed to fetch a negligee from her dresser when there was a knocking on her door and her father's voice calling out, “Sakura-chan? Are you there?”

 

“AWP!” Sakura whirled around as her door slid back to admit her father, who halted in mid-step as he saw her standing there half-naked.

 

“WHOOPS!” he said as he reflexively backed away.

 

“DAD!” Sakura cried, “Could you wait a minute after knocking?”

 

“Sorry,” he slid the door shut, then a moment later it opened again just as Sakura fumbled with her negligee, turning this time to see her mother.

 

“Sleeping early tonight, Sugar?” the older chef inquired, “I thought you'd either be out with your friends or working on your homework.

 

“Ah…I was feeling a little tired…big day and all that,” Sakura hastily replied while tying her negligee sash, “You and Dad woke me up when you came in…”

 

“You'll have to forgive your father,” Ukyo apologized, “He tends to behave like he was raised by wild pandas, but he means well. Did you find Muku and her friend Rhea?”

 

“Um…no,” Sakura replied as she heard the sounds of running water from the bathroom, “I did look up her familiar haunts though…did you find her?”

 

“Nope,” Ukyo replied, “We waited at the Sports center for a couple of hours talking with her parents, but Muku-chan never showed up. By the way, the Kunos were a little upset about the trouncing that somebody gave to their son and daughter.”

 

“Wasn't me,” Sakura said with faint disdain, “It was that Rhea character who did it. I told you that before, remember?”

 

“Never said it was you,” Ukyo remarked, just as a redheaded figure stepped past her in the doorframe, and her transformed “father” smiled apologetically in her direction.

 

“Sorry about that, Kid,” her now-feminine father remarked, “Didn't think you'd be sacking out this early. Shoulda waited for you to reply, but I always did have a knack for walking into things without looking…”

 

“We know,” Ukyo said with affection, “And I'm sure Sakura-chan forgives having a baka like you for her parent.”

 

“Baka is it?” the redhead turned an affectionate leer her way, “Just for that I oughta spank you with that overgrown skillet you carry around all the time…”

 

“Try it and I'll bend you over my knee, Mister,” Ukyo leered back, and the two of them shared a look that promised much mischief to come, only to belatedly remember where they were as they both gave a hesitant look in Sakura's direction.

 

That was the moment when Sakura suddenly put something together that she had been missing all of these years…and with such blinding clarity that she was amazed that it had never occurred to her before, but thinking of it now, it was small wonder that her parents always flirted with each other in either gender. They never waited until her Dad switched back to being a man before going at it…they always acted like a couple of stalking cats in heat, and the only question was which one would get the drop on the other first, though the outcome itself was never in question.

 

It is a known fact that children often have trouble conceiving of their parents as sexually active beings, but Sakura had always more-or-less taken it for granted that she and her brother had arrived in the world by means that did not so much involve the stork or a cabbage patch as…other means both consensual and biological. Was it possible…could it be that they had sex with one another EVEN WHILE HER FATHER WAS IN HIS CURSED FORM??? If so, then it would certainly explain a lot of things that she never had been too mindful about in the past…and it definitely confirmed that she was more like her mother than she had ever dared to imagine!

 

Of course as Sakura thought this she belatedly took notice of something lying on the floor next to her bare foot, and as she chanced to glance at the object she encountered she had a momentary start of dismay, for it was one of the boots that Troi had been wearing, which must have been accidentally left behind. The thought occurred to her that she might have to kick the thing away, or else claim it was hers before her folks could think to ask her, but while they were momentarily distracted a hand and arm appeared from seeming nowhere and snagged the boot up before vanishing again as suddenly as it had appeared…Troi's arm, she belatedly realized, sneaking one on the side before anyone but Sakura could be at all the wiser.

 

Even as she was marveling at this (with an enormous sense of relief at not being found out), her supposed “brother” was out in the corridor making his own calculations and wondering if, possibly, his master was vastly underestimating the degree of sympathy that was currently being shared between this human and an Iczer. As astonishing as it would be to think that the biological sister to his host-form was establishing close ties with the one unattached Iczer on the planet, it added further fuel to speculation, though exactly how this information might be put to good effect he could not imagine.

 

The agent considered teleporting back to relay his doubts to his Master when he heard his host's mother say, “Tenma-chan…are you still up and about?” and without thinking about it he responded, “Yeah, Mom!”

 

“Well hey,” his other (supposedly) biological parent responded, “Think you might go downstairs and lock the place up for us? Your Mom and me are thinking about turning in early ourselves…you know how us old peoples tend to tire out.”

 

The agent rolled his eyes, thinking to himself that his parents were a couple of sex freaks, but even as he thought this he paused to wonder what that term was intended to mean, and where the impulse had come from? Could it be that the copying process was a little too precise and he had wound up duplicating in his bioform a bit too much of his host's replicated body?

 

Being a Doppelganger, rather than a Void or a Venomoid, (which could have been detected by a random scan of one of the Iczers) he had formed a mental link with the one he had chosen to duplicate during the confusion of the battle between the Iczers. It had been a moment when the boy had been climbing out of the rubble that the Agent had sprung upon him, making eye contact and initiating the process of cellular replication, but before the process could be completed with the elimination of the host target they had been forcibly separated, leaving the host's actual form very much alive and abandoned amid the wreckage. Now that he thought about it, he wondered if the host was still out there somewhere and waiting to be discovered. He dismissed the thought at once, reckoning that one of the other Venomoids would likely have picked the boy out by now and have finished the process, because the alternative was a bit too absurd, though disturbingly possible…that one day the original host might return to trouble him, at which point the Agent would be forced to finish the job he had initially started.

 

After all, if there were two Tenmas still running about, who knew what could happen? That thought being unknowable and beyond his powers of computation, the agent went about doing a task that was a little too routine and well practiced, which was namely going down stairs and locking up the restaurant so that his parents could screw away the night like…well…parents…blissfully unaware that anyone else in the house was at all the wiser…

 

 

 

 

It made no sense, no matter how hard she tried to think it through. Why had she and her fellows been beaten by the Iczers, and with such ridiculous ease as to make one wonder what they had been doing out there battling them in the first place?

 

Fiber knew that her time was limited, that she had only a short interval as a fugitive before her creator hunted her down and punished her for her failure…but was the failure truly her own? Or was the fault truly with any of her brethren, knowing now that they had been mere catspawns sent out on a useless mission to probe the strength of the Iczers, and as such had been sacrificed for no other higher purpose. Was that all that they were good for in the eyes of their superiors? Mere footsolders fated to die at the whim of their masters? Was that the extent of their usefulness to the cause of Neos and Big Gold, or any of their allies?

 

That could not be the end of it, and yet all the facts were there. Fiber stood surveying the field of the battle replaying events in her mind and the conclusion was unmistakable…their own creator had betrayed them and now…her life lacked any proper meaning.

 

“So…you accept your fate…you didn't attempt to hide your presence?”

 

Fiber did not betray any surprise as she turned to regard Neos, “Would it make any difference if I tried? You would still find me.”

 

“True,” Neos said, “I created you, I know all that there is to know about you. I could find you if you hid yourself on the farthest end of the universe, and the end would still be the same.”

 

“Of course,” Fiber turned around, “Before I die, one question I wish to have answered…why did you bring us back if you only meant to use us as pawns? Is that all we ever meant to you?”

 

“You ask,” Neos sniffed, “I am under no obligation to answer…you are my creation…I made you and I can break you if I wish.”

 

“Granted,” Fiber replied, “But if I am nothing less than dust to you…why was I ever given life? What am I…what were my sisters? Surely it cannot trouble you to answer.”

 

“You wish to know?” Neos moved before Fiber could even blink and smashed her to the ground, hovering over the shaken Bioroid as she said, “You were useful to me once…I needed tools to work my will, but then Iczer One came and toppled my empire…she destroyed my other servants…only you and your sisters were left! I had to make use of the poor quality tools that were left to me, to buy myself some time to regain my strength. If you had proven your worth to me I would have elevated you to the elite of all who served me, but now you are a broken toy, of no use to anyone, and so there will be none to grieve when I dispose of you. Your continued existence is repellant to my sight!”

 

The fist of the draconic Bioroid began to glow with mounting power, and Fiber cowered, not even giving a pretence of bravery now that oblivion was staring her in the face. With only seconds to spare before the dark closed on her forever she hardly expected to hear anyone dramatically call out, “Just a minute there! I've got something to say about this!”

 

Neos was even more surprised than Fiber as she turned her mask-like face and said the words that could have been scripted for her by a B-movie script writer, “Who dares…?”

 

“I do!” a figure replied, coming out from concealment and perching melodramatically atop a pile of rubble.

 

Fiber had to blink to be sure her ocular sensors were functioning correctly, because the small boy who stood before them was garbed in the most outlandish wardrobe that she had ever seen in all of her travels. Not being a connoisseur of Terran based Media, she naturally could not have described him as having a “Rambo-like wardrobe” with the many weapons he carried on his body, the sum accumulated weight of which unquestionably amounted to more than his own body mass. If anything, it was amazing that the youth did not topple over!

 

“What?” Neos reacted, “What are you doing here? Why are you not at your assigned place, fool?”

 

“I've got no idea what you're talking about, lady,” the boy smiled, “But it should be obvious to anyone that you're the bad guy here. Standard scenario for the Big Baddie to be punishing his failed henchman by killing them off rather than give them another chance. That makes you the one I get to beat up, so get ready, because Saotome Tenma won't stand for seeing you pick on that lady!”

 

“Saotome…” Neos blinked, “The REAL one? How can this be? You were supposed to be eliminated!”

 

“What?” Tenma blinked, then growled, “You mean you used the old substitution rule to put a fake me in my place? Man, you really are standard bad guy, lady! That means I don't have to hold back, you get the full treatment!”

 

“This is ludicrous,” Neos sneered, gesturing with a hand and blasting away at where the youth had been standing, “Now that he's been dealt…”

 

That was all she got to say before a spatula slammed her in the back of her head. It did not do more than startled Neos, who whirled her massive serpentine body around and snarled, “NOW WHO DARES…?”

 

“Up here, lady!” Tenma called, standing perched atop the tail of the draconic half of Neos, then before she could bring her tail into play he slammed his spatula down and jammed the edge between two plates, causing it to lock up and immobilize, effectively neutralizing its effectiveness as a weapon.

 

“WHY YOU---!” Neos started to gesture when Tenma unslung a rifle that he had been wearing across his back and immediately discharged the blast full-force in her face, effectively blinding her more than any superficial damage that he rendered. She started to shake off the effects of the blast when the boy vaulted into the air again, executing a perfect somersault while tossing a pair of objects at the feet of an astonished Neos.

 

Fiber stared in disbelief as the child landed a short distance from where she lay even as Neos started to reorient upon them, only to have the objects beneath her explode, kicking up a tremendous force that once again disoriented the cybernetic dragon. Even as her human half began to shake off the surprise the boy unslung a pair of gauntlets that he produced from seeming no where, gauntlets that began to glow as Tenma cried, “BEAM CANNONS---ION SETTING, FULL FORCE!”

 

All at once his hands were surrounded by a pair of scoop-like blasters, which looked rather like something that Golem would conjure up from her arsenal. All at once the boy's now-weaponed hands began to glow like miniature twin suns, and then a blast shook the air as he fired point-blank at Neos Gold, striking her full-bodied and knocking the terrifying Bioroid Demon for a loop. Fiber stared at the trench kicked up by the blasters as Neos's form came to at a halt a hundred meters distance!

 

(He's using the Subspace Ethernet to create these things!) Fiber thought to herself in utter amazement, (Somehow…this child knows how to draw upon Subspace to create objects of his imagination! But…he is only a mere human!)

 

“YOOOUUUU---!” Neos sputtered in rage, “YOU DARE DO THAT TO ME???”

 

“Uh oh,” Tenma remarked as he banished away the gauntlets, “Looks like you're a tough one. I'm gonna have to try something else if I'm gonna beat you.”

 

Neos did not bother to utter a reply as she shot her energy beam forward, a cone of destructive energy that would certainly have incinerated the youth on the spot but for a very strange thing that happened next, one wholly unexpected. Even Fiber did not anticipate her own actions until she was already in motion, weaving her fibers into a cocoon and surrounding both herself and the youth in their protective envelope, even as she used her ability to shift from Subspace to Normal space to draw them both out of the field of devastation one instant before the ground upon which they both had stood was blasted to free-flowing ions in a microsecond.

 

“Hmph, take that to your graves!” Neos declared, staring in satisfaction at the now-incinerated landscape before her, which stretched out for a solid mile in which there was nothing but glass to mark their passing, “Annoying insect…join your harlot in oblivion, for all I care. The youth of this misbegotten planet are so annoying…”

 

And with that she vanished back to where she came, even as Fiber re-emerged with subspace mere seconds later, unwound her cocoon and promptly fell over, having totally exhausted her reserve power.

 

“W-What?” Tenma glanced around, “Where's the bad guy? Where did she go? Hey…lady…are you all right?”

 

Fiber did not reply, of course, having long since slumped into regenerative stasis, all the while wondering to herself, (What have I done…why did I do that…?)

 

The darkness, of course, did not reply, but it was willing to embrace her with the warming heart of a loving mother, and with that Fiber found consolation…

 

 

 

Continued

 

Comments/Criticisms/Serial Plot Twists: shadowmane@msn.com