Iczer-one Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ The Earth Child ❯ Memories ( Chapter 28 )

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)

 

 

 

 

 

Argent reported for duty at Command Central, crisply saluting her superiors and hailing them with a brisk, “You sent for me, Commander Umber?”

 

“Yes Argent,” her commanding officer responded, “You've been selected to head a special project that has the full approval of the Spectrum Council. We are implementing a new technology that should revolutionize planetary defenses and give the C'thuwulf system a strong symbol of hope in a bright and glorious future.”

 

“Sir?” Argent asked politely, hoping her superior would be forthcoming with more details.

 

“As you know,” Umber sighed, “The C'thuwulf Empire has been in a slow and steady state of decline for a number of years now. We once dominated this entire sector with unquestioned supremacy, having twenty-three systems and several dozen planets and colony worlds linked together in this sector through our central mainframe. Unfortunately we have become too complacent, known too many years of peace and security, which has bred indolence and apathy into our entire civilization, and that has led in turn to many stunning reversals with our neighboring rivals pressing in against our borders.”

 

“I don't see why this should be of concern to the Spectrum council,” Argent replied, “We still hold a technologically superior edge to the Rushdar, Oni, Jurai and Salusian conglomeration…”

 

“Do not be so quick to dismiss those ancient and worthy empires, with whom we have long had many peaceful trade and military relations,” Umber cautioned, “The Council has recently been compelled to make an appeal to the Jurai Emperor for certain concessions, and we have been forced to trade away some of our less secure borders in order to ally with them, further shrinking our own empire and leaving us vulnerable to the younger and more aggressive races.”

 

“Then how may I serve the interests of our people?” Argent asked.

 

“I was coming to that,” Umber sighed, an ancient matron who hardly looked as old as her two hundred years of life would attest, though even C'thuwulf technology could not sustain one as long as a Juraian might last through their own organic technological prowess, “First off…I wish to explain why you were selected for this prototype mission. For one thing your service record is exemplary and you have high marks in all bio-aptitude and physiological readings. In short, you are a brilliant officer at the top of your form, but…more to the point…you are presently unattached, having so recently suffered the loss of your previous partner.”

 

Argent bit off a curt response that came to mind right then, reasoning that higher ups were prone to being blunt when they wanted to gauge your reactions, but in truth that statement nettled her deeply. The wounds in her heart were too soon, too recently healed for her to wish to be reminded about the loss of Aura, her late and deeply lamented partner.

 

“What has that to do with anything?” she asked in as controlled and even a level as could be managed.

 

“Everything,” Umber sighed, “I don't wish you to believe that we are ghoulish, heartless creatures at Central Command simply because a few of us are too old to remember what it felt like to lose a partner on a critical mission, but understand, Lieutenant Aura signed on as a Defender of our people with the same considerations that you have undertaken. Her noble sacrifice has been deeply honored by the Council, who have elected to use her Bio-genetic pattern in the formation of a new type of weaponry vastly superior to either a Void or a Geo.”

 

“You…have used her remains…?” Argent spoke the words softly, though privately horrified at the thought of Aura's remains being desecrated.

 

“Only a small portion of what was obtained was used for study and encoding of the genetic sequencing,” Umber reassured, “All proper rites were observed in laying your partner to rest, but that which lives on now has been dedicated to her memory in the form of a new prototype, who will become your new partner.”

 

“My new…partner?” Argent's eyes grew appreciably wider.

 

All at once she sensed a phasing in displace the air about two meters over to her right, and as Argent turned to see who it was that was teleporting in from the subspace channel she had to stifle a momentary gasp that escaped her, for…almost it had seemed as if Aura herself was standing there…but a closer look dispelled that notion. For one thing the stranger had ears more like an Elesian, and though her features were distinctly C'thuwulf, her eyes were somewhat…larger, reddish colored and highly expressive.

 

“Peace be with you,” this stranger said in polite greeting, “I am Iczer One, your new partner.”

 

“Iczer…One?” Argent replied, feeling a vague sense of unreality at this momentous meeting…

 

 

 

 

“Post Alpha, this is Iczer Aleph reporting…we have arrived at the designated target coordinates and are scanning the area for life signs, over.”

 

“Affirmative, Aleph Unit,” came the relayed reply, “We are tracking your movements in the target area. Your readings are coming in positive, but we make no life signs at the outpost site. Do you confirm this?”

 

“Roger, Alpha,” Iczer One responded, “We copy that no life signs reading…whatever destroyed the outpost was very thorough and methodical. The only energy signatures we make are residual signs of dormant equipment activity, the rest is in full shut down.”

 

“Confirmed, Aleph Unit, maintain position and continue your investigation.”

 

Argent privately fumed as she sat idle in the chest capsule of the massive Iczer Robo. She might as well have been a potted plant for all the good that she was doing to this mission! Some teamwork on their part…she did not even get to pilot the bloody robot, leaving all the critical area functions to her Bioroid so-called partner! All she seemed to be doing was float around in synthetic bio-amniotic fluid serving as a backup power supply as the Robo's auxiliary systems were supposed to feed off of her Iczerio energy…her mind and emotions!

 

And this Iczer One…some partner! Outside of serving as a painful reminder of all Argent had lost with the death of Aura, this artificially created substitute lacked a full range of human experience and emotions, being little better than a child herself, stumbling and as inexperienced in life situations as she was uncertain about the function of her creation.

 

That her genetic designers had given her a perfect physical specimen of flawless beauty that neatly copied the human form down to a detail that was microscopic only added to Argent's sense of frustration. It was not truly the Iczer's fault that she was still shy and hesitant at sex, but she seemed to be earnestly learning how to exchange pleasantries when it came down to relieving tension and stress in Argent's all-too human body. Iczer One's fumbling inexperience in that regard just reminded Argent of how much work she had on her hands if she was going to help her partner achieve full sentience through the process described to her as “Synchronization.” Having a Bioroid who could actually perform this well was surprising, but it only further served to remind Argent that---similarities aside---Iczer One was simply NOT Aura!

 

How could she ever expect a living machine to be a substitute for a human woman anyway? Those idiots at Central Command must have been laughing up their collective sleeves when they thought this one up! Voids and Geo were incapable of this level of sophisticate interpersonal interaction, so the Iczer model must have seemed like a considerable improvement just because she could achieve satiation with sufficient mind and body stimulation. Argent craved a great deal of affection in her own interpersonal relations, and since losing Aura she had been unable to enjoy sex on the same level that she had once taken for granted. How did her so-called superiors expect Argent to function at peak physical and emotional efficiency if she didn't have a skilled and artful partner? It went against the grain of everything that C'thuwulf civilization stood for, which only served to confirm Argent's mental estimation of Central Command itself as being comprised of a group of genetically fatigued defectives!

 

But still…Iczer One was trying to learn, and though it felt more like Argent was teaching a younger sister how to enjoy the fruits of her body, rather than cultivating a proper lover, still and all she had to confess to herself that there were certain possibilities yet to be explored in their relationship. Of course, what the Bioroid lacked in personal skills she more than made up for in all other technical angles, being encoded with the highest level of proficiency and intuitive understanding for machines that Argent had ever personally witnessed. Perhaps with a bit more training Iczer One might become a more well rounded being, perhaps even they might achieve this imagined magical state of Synchronized Biorhythms that the theorists had described as total mind and body integration. It certainly sounded as though it were something to be desired, the ultimate high, in Argent's opinion, and the closest thing to mutual orgasm that she might hope to experience in a relationship with this super-charged partner.

 

Of course the fact that Iczer One was a walking storehouse of Iczerio energy, capable of manifesting vast amounts of potentially destructive energy on command, was a notion to give Argent pause, if not make her feel downright intimidated. Iczer One was a thousand times as strong and resilient as a normal C'thuwulf woman, able to cancel out gravity and inertia, to fly on her own power, to teleport at will and merge with Subspace with hardly any effort. That and a host of other abilities certainly made her a force to be reckoned with in any sense, and when commanding the Iczer Robo that was her other self, she had the raw power of an entire battle fleet at her disposal. Even the Jurai did not wield weaponry as imposing as this, for all their vaulted claims to the near-magical Jurai power (which Argent suspected to be nothing more than a different type of Iczerio life-energy wrapped in mystical trappings).

 

“Alpha Post,” Iczer One abruptly spoke up, “I am making out a faint energy reading coming from the central core of the outpost. Request permission to investigate.”

 

“Affirmative, Aleph, you have permission.”

 

Argent was called back from her private musings, watching like a passenger as Iczer One steered their giant Mecha in closer to the ruins of what had once been a thriving outpost community on the fringes of C'thuwulf space. Moments later they descended through the ruptured ceiling of the outpost, drifting down to the central power core, which had been exposed to raw space and hard vacuum by whatever explosive blast had destroyed the Outpost Central. Argent stared in dismay at the amount of wreckage all around them and murmured faintly, “What could have done this?”

 

“Unknown,” Iczer One replied to Argent's musings, “But whatever it was, the lives of fifteen thousand C'thuwulf were extinguished in the space of a few sectaurs. Such a loss of human potential is…to be regretted.”

 

That comment surprised Argent, for it did not sound quite as atonal and emotionless as many of the things that her new partner was wont to say when making an observation. This did not sound like the dry and technically accurate form of speech that she had come to expect from the Iczer, it felt genuinely sorrowful, even wistful, as though the pain and suffering that took place there was affecting her on a deeply personal level.

 

“You're learning,” Argent murmured in faint amazement.

 

“I have had a good teacher,” Iczer One replied, “Human life is valuable…you have shown me this. These people had lives and careers…they were not mere units to be casually dismissed or discarded.”

 

Argent would have patted the Iczer on the back for making that observation. And to think, entire quarters had been wasted trying to make that single point to the Bioroid, who only now seemed to be on the verge of understanding the human condition!

 

“We are nearing the active portion of the power core,” Iczer One reported, “Recommend containment procedures be initiated. We must take a core sample for examination by Central.”

 

“I copy that,” Argent replied, “How do you recommend we proceed?”

 

“Cutting torches would be ineffective,” Iczer One replied, “I am going outside to use my beam saber to remove the outer casing. I shall need the containment vessel…will you assist me?”

 

“Oh yes,” Argent smiled, glad to be doing something useful for once, even if it meant having to leave the comfortable environment of her Bio-capsule.

 

Moments later, suited up in environmental space armor, Argent drifted beside the Iczer, who needed no suit to sustain herself in hard vacuum, while the latter summoned up her energy blade and use it to slice through the thick protective casing surrounding the core, creating an opening just wide enough for the both of them to negotiate without much effort.

 

“There,” Iczer One gestured inside the pod, her voice more telepathic than audible, there being no environment on the asteroid which might have conducted sound had she been speaking directly, “That cell node is the source of the residual power reading. Remove that and store it in the containment vessel, then we shall report back to Central.”

 

“I copy that,” Argent agreed as she began to move forward, holding the vessel in one hand while working the servo-arms of her suit in order to remove the Memory Node without actually having to touch it.

 

However, when the servo-mechs made contact with the node, something happened that surprised the both of them…some sort of fibrous material leached out to engulf the servo-hands as they closed on the node and attempted to uncouple it from its housing. Argent instinctively flinched back, but the servos held her still while the gel-like goop leached out and began to make contact with her environmental suit.

 

“WHAT?” she cried out with instinctive terror of the unknown, sensing this substance was in some way hostile to her person.

 

“Hold still!” Iczer One said sharply, and with a slash from her beam saber she severed the connection between her servos and the housing, though this had the somewhat beneficial effect of snapping the node itself loose from its coupling. Iczer One avoided making contact with the thing as she snatched up the vessel from Argent's unresponsive hand and used it to capture the node, even as the glistening goop that had surrounded it disappeared altogether.

 

“WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE GODDESS WAS THAT THING?” Argent cried as she felt her wrist begin to burn where her suit was partially melted.

 

“I don't know!” Iczer One declared frantically, “Hold still…” and with that she removed a capsule containing enviroplast and used it to form a seal around Argent's suit rupture. Iczer One then gripped her with surprising fierceness and said, “Hold on, I'm going to get you back inside the Iczer Robo!”

 

Argent barely had time to say a brief curse from behind clenched teeth as she felt her suit dissolve all around her, then---before hard vacuum could do her any harm---she was whisked back into the safe, warm environment of her life-preserving chest capsule.

 

“Hold on,” Iczer One reported from her command seat in the head, “Alpha Base, this is Unit Aleph, requesting an emergency team to meet me at the cradle! My partner has suffered injury while assisting me in obtaining a memory node from Outpost Central.”

 

“Acknowledged, Unit Aleph…what is the nature of the medical emergency?”

 

Despite the pain she was in, Argent thought she heard a note of worry and hesitation in her partner's voice as Iczer One replied, “I…I don't know…but I believe it may be bio-contamination!”

 

The next thing she knew, Argent closed her eyes and opened them up again, and she was in a different environmental capsule, and beyond the translucent bubble she could see technicians at work running a medical diagnosis.

 

And…more significantly…Iczer One staring at her with undisguised concern in her expression.

 

“…Lucky she got back in time…never seen anything like this…”

 

“We've arrested the infection, but the arm is going to need extensive remodification…what was in that thing to do this to her?”

 

“Unknown…some kind of bio-gel…unknown type…that node they brought in…lab techs still trying to make sense of the readings…”

 

“Did they download anything useful from the memory?”

 

“Unknown, Sir…but the Techs are being unusually quiet…”

 

“…Speaking of quiet…hasn't left her partner's side in two rotations…you think she's actually worried about her human partner?”

 

“Never met a Void or Gaea who could do that…this new model sure looks different…acts different too…”

 

Argent could barely make sense of the snatches of conversation that she could somehow make out on the other side of the partition…and weren't these things supposed to be sound proofed or something? She could hear an awful lot of background noise, but most of it was just rambling, incoherent sound, nothing useable or sensible to give her more of a grasp over her situation.

 

“Argent…are you well?”

 

Argent focused her eyes upon the anxious face of the Iczer, “Well enough…how…?”

 

“Your Bio-Iczerio levels have been artificially elevated by the regenerator,” Iczer One replied, “You are hearing on a level far above your normal threshold. I ask if you are well because the Techs keep assuring me that you are in no danger, but I can feel that you have residual pain in your arm. I am sorry for that…I should have acted sooner to protect you.”

 

“Don't worry about it,” Argent automatically replied, not wanting to needlessly frighten her partner, though she had to agree that the pain in her arm had not fully subsided, and why did it feel like her head was full of some type of congestion? She tried to focus again and said, “The Node we brought in…?”

 

“I do not know,” Iczer One shook her head, “They have been studying it for the part three rotations without formulating any theories on what has contaminated the memory core, or how it might have resulted in the death and destruction we saw. They believe it may be somehow related to experimental research that was being conducted at the outpost…something about an ancient artifact that had been discovered by the researchers…thousands of cycles old, possibly as much as one million.”

 

“A million cycles old?” Argent blinked, “Are you kidding?”

 

Iczer One just answered blandly, “That is what they have told me, but unless I access the central database directly I can neither confirm nor deny this. Argent…I have been very worried about you. The contamination that got into your system…it has not been fully purged as yet. They do not seem to know what it is that infected you…some kind of modified bio-agent…”

 

“Oh,” Argent paused a moment before asking, “Do they think I'm going to die if I get out of here?”

 

She instantly regretted her words, for the look of terror that came over the Iczer was surprisingly human, as was the force with which the Bioroid declared, “Don't say such things, Argent! You will get better, they will find a way to neutralize this agent. I know that you will soon be restored to full active service…you have to be. I…need you to be my partner.”

 

Argent looked at the Bioroid as if for the very first time, actually seeing the element of Aura in her makeup that had been there all along, the active concern and emotional bonding which distinguished a true partner.

 

“I…” Argent started to say when alarm claxons sounded, startling everyone, especially Iczer One, who looked around as if reading the very air around her.

 

“What is it?” one of the Med Techs asked, “What's that…?”

 

“It's a Crimson alert…are we under attack?”

 

“No…worse! Much worse!” someone reported, “There's been a breach in the Regenerator systems…something has taken control over the main central…”

 

“By the mother---it's creating a new Avatar! I'm making out biogenetic readings comparable to an Iczer!”

 

“What?” both Iczer One and Argent cried together, when all Hell broke loose and systems began failing and crashing all around the medical center…

 

 

 

 

Argent did not have any clear memory of what happened next, other than the shock of seeing Iczer One shatter her regenerator capsule, hauling Argent away while people were shouting and making such a loud hubbub about the Main Relays of the Central Database, something about a Core Breach and catastrophic system failure.

 

She only regained some sense of herself when she found that she was floating once again in the belly of their Iczer Robo. Almost she would have believed the whole of her previous recent memories had been the product of a bad dream---no, make that a nightmare---but the pain in her arm persisted and made her very much aware that it had all happened exactly as she so uncertainly remembered!

 

“What…?” she gasped, seeing Gamorah City looming large all about them, with fires everywhere and much evidence suggesting that they had been under attack by some hostile power.

 

“Conserve your strength, Argent,” Iczer One replied, “There's been an emergency…the Great Relay system has been somehow infected with a renegade Virus. It somehow got loose from that node we found and took over the entire Medical complex.”

 

“That node did this?” Argent felt sickened and appalled at the concept.

 

“Apparently there was something inside the node that is hostile to all life forms,” Iczer One replied, “It infected the core and has become sentient and aggressive, taking over many systems and turning them against the C'thuwulf…”

 

“Like what happened to that outpost!” Agent gasped, “But…how did it escape containment?”

 

“Apparently they underestimated its resourcefulness, but we will not,” Iczer One replied, “We must destroy the core to halt the spread of the infection. That is what they must have tried to do on the outpost when it behaved similarly with their main systems.”

 

“Destroy the core?” Argent said in dismay, “But…if you do that…!”

 

“I know,” Iczer One replied grimly, “But it is either that or allow the virus to take over the home planet! If it gets to the external relay net it could very well spread itself to outlying systems!”

 

“Do we have authorization to do this?” Argent asked, “Without the Core…Main Central…”

 

“The world computer will shut down,” Iczer One concluded for her, “But that is preferable to the alternative, and machines must never come first before our people!”

 

Argent marveled at that extraordinary assertion of humanity, and coming from a Bioroid of all beings! She was forced to reconsider a substantial portion of what she had come to assume about the Iczer, but as she tried to absorb this she saw the Main Computer Complex Housing of Central loom before them, and then there was little time to think as Iczer One charged herself up and generated a fierce Iczerio shield around their Unit, even as Central began to unleash defensive countermeasures in an attempt to stop them.

 

“They're firing everything they have against us!” Argent exclaimed in dismay as she read the massive power readings from the countermeasures.

 

“The virus has taken over the system,” Iczer One replied, “But their cumulative firepower is nothing next to us! Be ready, Argent, they are about to witness the full fury of an Iczer Robo!”

 

Argent instinctively flinched as she felt massive energy discharged resonating against their shielding, but Iczer One plunged on relentlessly through this Hell and into the very side of the reinforced armor of the Central Complex itself, emerging unscathed on the inside walls that served to protect this branch of the main computer, where upon they dealt with secondary defenses while aiming for the Core itself, effectively ignoring tertiary countermeasures.

 

“This is it!” Iczer One declared, “Get ready, Argent! I need full power to destroy this---!”

 

All at once the Core itself came alive, shooting out tendrils that were much like the ones which had snared Argent's enviro-suit, affixing like an adhesive substance to the surface of the Iczer Robo before attempting to infect it and take it over, as it had done to the rest of the complex.

 

“NO!” Iczer One cried, “I won't let you---stop it! Stay out---!”

 

Within an instant of perfect crystal clarity, Argent suddenly understood what the infection was and why it had affected her, as well as their biorganic technology, the way it had. Some life form had created a virus that was tailored to infect and commandeer the very essence of what made C'thuwulf technology so unique in the galaxy, and this fiendish substance was attempting to do the same thing to her partner that it had done to her own right arm, which was flaring now with the pain of increasing infection.

 

“HEY YOU!” she cried out instinctively, emotion boiling over within her as her mind opened up to a clarity that she had never before possessed, “YOU KEEP YOUR FILTHY TENTACLES OFF OF MY PARTNER!!!”

 

“Argent?” Iczer One gasped, when suddenly she felt power flow through her armor, overwhelming even the infection and thus arresting its further development. Such power filled the entire Iczer Robo with overwhelming intensity, stretching out to engulf the tendrils themselves and wend their way back into the Core itself, detonating the plasgel material that it was composed of and triggering off a massive explosion.

 

Argent felt the blast rattle her teeth even inside her liquid environment, and she knew at once that the Core had been breached entirely, which would in turn trigger an even greater explosion at any minute. With her mind she reached out to Iczer One and willed the Bioroid to teleport out of there, catching even Iczer One by surprise as she had not expected their mental link could work both ways like that. Suddenly the Bioroid found herself several miles hovering in mid-air above the dome surrounding Gamorah, and as she stared down with horrified eyes she watched the cascading effect of plasma discharges ring all around the now-doomed city as the core itself achieved meltdown status.

 

“ARGENT---NO!” she cried.

 

“It's better this way,” she heard the mental response come through clearly, “You're not infected like me…you can live and grow stronger…I know it.”

 

“I can't live without you!” Iczer One pleaded, “Don't do this!”

 

“You sound just like Aura,” Argent remarked almost wistfully before adding, “My love…I'm coming to join you…”

 

And then the explosion cut her off as a portion of Gamorah City went up like a small supernova…

 

 

 

 

She had wept for days, it seemed, the tears just coming even though her creators had insisted that her eyes should not have watered up in this way. Iczer One now stood to attention, her tears burning her eyes though she tried to remain impassive. The hearing had been convened to determine her fate…but not just her fate, but also the destiny of the C'thuwulf race itself, which now stood on the brink of extinction due directly to her actions.

 

“This is extraordinary,” one of the tribunal members declared, “This unit participated in events leading to the destruction of our capitol city, to say nothing of the hundreds of thousands of lives that were lost when the Core exploded!”

 

“And not just that,” another member of the convening panel replied, “The loss of the Central relays has caused a catastrophic series of failures to resonate all across the home planet! The Environmental control stations have all shut down…we could be talking about an ecological catastrophe that has not been seen in our living memories!”

 

“Even worse,” the third panel member agreed, “Parts of that virus got transmitted out to some of our colony worlds…they, too, are reporting massive system failures and an unbelievable amount of destruction all across the board, from Life Systems to Defensive Support. Entire cities have become unlivable Hell for those citizens remaining there…and I don't even need to remind you that with our defensive borders down, we remain vulnerable to any hostile power which seeks to take advantage of this crisis.”

 

“We could be talking about the death of our civilization and race,” the first turned her wrath back on Iczer One, “And all because this unit failed to halt the infection and instead wound up destroying our main central!”

 

Iczer One remained impassive while they debated her fate, not caring if they ordered her to be scrapped and salvaged as biological waste matter. With Argent's death a part of herself had died as well, a part that had only just begun to come alive, and who knew if that part would ever live again? Not unless she found another partner who could match Argent's bio-signature…and there were no existing files to research to determine if there was such a match among the survivors!

 

“My Lords,” said Councilor Gold in Iczer One's defense, “This Bioroid fought bravely and with determination in an effort to save Gamorah, and you cannot make light of her sacrifice simply because the results were so catastrophic. Iczer One has lost her partner due to the valiant self-sacrifice of Lieutenant Commander Argent…will you invalidate the nobility of her final wish to spare the life of her partner? I am telling you that it was through no fault of Iczer One that any of this happened.”

 

“Then what did happen…and whose fault was it?” demanded the main Tribunal member, an elder Matron named Amber, who was---in point of fact---Councilor Gold's biological mother.

 

“No one living, I assure you,” Gold replied, “But I did conduct some tests on the fragmentary data that we were able to retrieve and have confirmed that the node contained an infection designed to overwhelm biotechnology, such as we employ. Its creators, I suspect, are long since dead, but my suspicion is that they were Rakshas, ancient enemies of the C'thuwulf believed to be extinct for many hundreds of generations.”

 

“Rakshas?” Tribunal Member Ivory said in aversion, “The Demon Beasts of legend? But…we extinguished them from this part of the galaxy…!”

 

“But they may have left artifacts and traces of themselves behind as a legacy to spite us,” Gold replied, “It is certainly well within the capabilities of their technology to create a virus as pernicious as this, and they learned from their forebears to be cunning and duplicitous. Perhaps the artifact that was found at our outpost satellite, was left there many generations ago in the hopes that it would one day be discovered and cause exactly the sort of mischief that we have seen happen.”

 

“Incredible,” said Tribunal member Jade, “If what you say is true…then we have fallen prey to the after-effects of en enemy we thought long dead…a paranoid, Xenomorphic life form intent on cursing us from beyond the grave…and we fell into their trap like stumbling infants!”

 

“So you see, it is wrong to blame the messenger for the message,” Gold resumed, “And holding Iczer One responsible for the loss of Gamorah is as pointless as accusing her of creating the virus.”

 

“Your point is well taken, Councilor,” Jade remarked, “But what of the virus itself? Did the blast destroy its integrity, or...can it still cause further infection?"”

 

“Unknown at this time,” Gold said reluctantly, “However…we have also discovered that the Virus stole one of our templates and was in the process of creating for itself an Avatar patterned after the Iczer construct model. No sign of the Avatar was discovered among the ruins of the medical center…and we believe its embryonic stage was ejected into space and might still exist, waiting to gestate into its fully adult stage.”

 

“Whose template was used to create this?” Ivory asked.

 

Gold paused for a few seconds before answering, “It used…my bio-pattern…my genetics were employed to fashion the template for a new kind of Iczer.”

 

“You are saying that we may be faced with another potential Iczer…only one that may be infected with the virus?” Jade replied, “That's…utterly appalling!”

 

“It is worse than that, far worse,” Gold responded, “The embryo may contain the records of our Central Core itself, and with that vast array of knowledge, who knows to what evil purpose it may be applied? This is not just a rogue Iczer we may be dealing with here, it is an evil Avatar of our destroyed Central Computers!”

 

“If such a thing were to fall into the hands of an enemy power, it could spell total disaster,” Amber replied, “We must take what countermeasures we are able to safeguard against this Virus…therefore we have no choice but to recommission Iczer One and invest her with the task of finding and destroying that Avatar.”

 

“But her Iczer Robo was destroyed in that last encounter,” Jade pointed out.

 

“So?” Ivory countered, “We will build her another one, an Alpha unit that is worthy of taking on this enemy Iczer.”

 

Iczer One almost gasped in surprise at this, having resigned herself to a very different kind of fate, only to be handed a reprieve that sounded as much like a chance for possible redemption!

 

“With all due respects,” Gold replied, “That could prove more difficult than you imagine…but it may be that the Avatar will need to find a place where it can complete its generation cycle. At present it is not mature, but should it come fully on line…there is no way of projecting the measure of its full potential.”

 

“Then Iczer One will resume her regular duties as our Protector…until such time as a new class of warriors can be created to defend what is left of our system,” Ivory nodded to her fellow Tribune members and received their tacit confirmation before continuing, “But in the meantime…there is still the matter of what can be done to salvage our culture from the destruction of our central relay net. We are vulnerable now and many of our largest cities are dying a slow death from the loss of power and control over our resources. Unless we can repair those relays and recreate our Central computer…we could be facing total disaster.”

 

“Already our citizens are frightened and confused over the suddenness with which these events have happened,” Jade remarked, “Somehow we must restore confidence and stability before they begin to panic.”

 

“Honored Tribune members,” Gold said simply, “Such concerns are for the surviving members of the Spectrum Council to decide, but I believe that matters may be far worse even than you imagine, that this disaster is far more widespread than even we know…communication between our outlying colony worlds has been disrupted, we have no accurate reports as to the extent of the damages many have already endured. In short, it appears that we may need to undertake drastic measures in order to save what we can of our civilization…”

 

“Indeed?” Ivory asked, “What then do you propose…?”

 

“Muku-chan?”

 

“Huh?” Muku asked as her mind came out of the fog of memories, emerging back into a reality very different from the council chamber…

 

 

 

 

“Muku-chan, are you all right? Speak to me?”

 

“W-what?” Muku gasped, wondering why it had gotten so dark all of a sudden. She could see Rhea's face hovering only a short distance above her and for a moment wondered why that was…but then she made out more details of their surrounding and found---to her horror---that they were buried underneath a weight of concrete and metal constituting many tons, all of which was presently being supported across the slender back of Rhea Kano. The Bioroid's arms were placed to either side of Muku's head as the other girl straddled her, and the strain that Rhea was other was quite telling. Rhea grunted a little as she shifted some of the weight, but otherwise did not appear to be hurt for all that she had taken the worst of the collapse in shielding Muku.

 

“Muku-chan…are you all right?” Rhea repeated through tightly clenched teeth.

 

“What…happened?” Muku asked, her memories clouded by thoughts of the C'thuwulf and Rhea's mother.

 

“Thank the mother!” Rhea almost sagged with relief before some dust and debris fell from her back, reminding her that this would be a very bad thing, “I was afraid you had a concussion or were in a coma from the way you would not respond to me. I have been trying to reawaken you ever since Nova's new Robo toppled the roof down around our heads.”

 

“I…remember,” Muku slowly responded, then studied the strain in Rhea's face and asked, “But are you all right? You must have hurt yourself…that stuff on top of you…”

 

“I'm fine,” Rhea grunted, “But…I think I may need your assistance…to free us both from this rubble…”

 

“W-What do you want me to do?” Muku asked.

 

“Link energies with me,” Rhea replied, “I am going to attempt to repel this mass from my body…to cancel out its mass and inertia, much as I do when I levitate…but your energy must be linked with mine to be truly effective…”

 

“How do I do that?” Muku asked.

 

“Lay your hands on my body,” Rhea instructed.

 

Muku reached up with her hands and automatically groped the nearest part of Rhea that she could find, which turned out to be a lot softer, rounder and firmer than she would have expected, which also brought a mutual gasp from both of their lips, hers from surprise, Rhea's from the contact.

 

“Oops,” Muku said sheepishly, “Ah…I didn't mean to…”

 

“That is…just fine,” Rhea replied, “You surprised me, that's all. Now…make eye contact with me and let our rapport do the rest. The process of Synchronization…will be fairly automatic...”

 

“Ah…” Muku looked deep into the luminous eyes of her companion, all too aware of where her hands were currently placed, and…for a moment…lost herself within their depths. She did indeed feel as if a portion of her own life essence was extending upward into Rhea, strengthening the young Iczer as her body converted the energy into raw might, and the look of strain began to leave the elvish girl's exotic features. Muku also became aware of how Rhea's hair began to fall loose onto Muku's face, tickling her slightly though she managed to maintain eye contact and felt their spirits begin to merge in a way that was entirely instinctive…

 

Then, quite by surprise, the mass was lifted off of Rhea's back by another pair of hands, ones which easily hefted the many tons of plaster, cement and metal as though it were made of cardboard, revealing the rather striking form of the black-and-gold clad Nova, the cherry-red haired Iczer responsible for their being in this mess in the first place.

 

“Here they are, I found them, just like I said I would,” Nova remarked cheerfully to someone who was standing close beside her.

 

“Are they all right?” asked the familiar voice of Yui, who hastily employed her own inhuman strength to the effort of pushing away the rubble, “Muku better not be hurt or I'll…!”

 

Yui paused as she got a good look at the pair whom she had just helped to rescue, most specifically Muku, whose hands were presently pushing up against the chest of the fiery-gold haired Rhea. Their placement was not only suspicious, it was downright incriminating.

 

“Ah…” Muku traced the line of her friend's eyes and saw what was causing Yui so much consternation. The realization that she was fondling the Iczer caused her to blanche slightly and hastily stammer, “This…isn't what it looks like…honest!”

 

“You…!” Yui turned an accusing glare at the much-surprised Rhea, who wondered just what it was that upsetting the Senshi until she glanced down and became cognizant of how the placement of Muku's hands might appear under the circumstances. She hastily sat up and ceased straddling Muku, instead getting to her feet while offering her partner a hand so that they were both clear of the rubble, which Nova then deposited back in place.

 

“Ah…allow me to explain…” Rhea hastily stammered.

 

“Hey, what's to explain?” Nova asked with a particularly lewd expression, “Looks like you two were having some fun down there…sorry if we broke up your party, but Yu-chan here was pretty upset when she thought we'd accidentally killed you.”

 

“Yu-chan,” Muku repeated with an arched eyebrow and was rewarded with the sight of Yui suddenly blushing crimson.

 

“Nova,” Rhea turned to her rival Iczer, “Why did you just save us? I thought your purpose was to destroy all Iczers…”

 

“Hey, destroy may be grandma's idea, but I got other intentions, know what I'm saying?” Nova's leer was particularly suggestive, and this time it was Rhea's turn to look back with uncomprehending confusion, “I'll be satisfied just whipping your ass in an honest, straight on fight, you and me, our partners and both of our two Iczers. So, what do you say, Cousin? Wanna settle this in a real knock-down, all-out fight, Woman-to-Woman?”

 

Rhea glanced up at the looming shadow of Nova's Iczer Robo, then at Rhea, and lastly at Yui before repeating the word, “Partners?”

 

“Yeah,” Nova replied, “You got a problem with that?”

 

“Hey, wait a minute here!” Muku started to recover, “Yui's my friend…so where do you get off calling her your partner?”

 

“Since I kidnapped her fair and square,” Nova folded her arms under her chest, “Wanna make something of it?”

 

“Wait…you kidnapped her?” Rhea responded, “Nova…you're not supposed to do that! A partner isn't someone whom you can just grab up off the street…!”

 

“Don't tell me how I should get a partner, Slut!” Nova snapped, “What about you and Miss White Starling there? Did you tell her what you were up to before the first time you snatched her into your Iczer Robo?”

 

“Well…no…but that's not the same thing!” Rhea insisted.

 

“Like heck it isn't!” Nova scoffed, “You're no better than me, Miss Goody-Two-Tights, and besides, I'm supposed to be the Bad Guy here. I can get away with doing stuff like that because I'm evil!”

 

“But I cannot believe that you would coerce someone into being your partner,” Rhea insisted, “Have you no respect for Yui-san's feelings?”

 

“Hey, I got a lot of respect for her feelings!” Nova flared back, “She feels just great, take it from me! Besides, you're a fine one to talk about her feelings, flaunting yourself the way you have in front of her cute little girlfriend!”

 

“I do not flaunt myself in front of her!” Rhea stammered in outrage, “I approached Muku-chan fairly and out of courtesy and respect for her situation…”

 

“But not for Yui-chan's sake, huh?” Nova growled, “Stealing her best friend right out from under her nose without so much as a by-your-leave…HAH! Some heroine you are!”

 

“Are you following this?” Muku asked of a bewildered looking Yui.

 

“I…think so,” Yui replied, “But…I'm not sure if that's a good thing…”

 

“You…how dare you say that to me!” Rhea declared in outrage, “I do not have to take that from someone who destroys public property and threatens the health and safety of innocent people!”

 

“Yeah?” Nova snarled, “Well…it wasn't like I was aiming to do that! They just got in the way, and how was I to know these humans used such shoddy construction materials? Ripping the roof off this place shouldn't have caused half of it to cave in like that. You ask me, that's the real outrage!”

 

“You can't shift the blame for what you've done onto them!” Rhea insisted, “How irresponsible! I do not care if you are my half-sister or not, this sort of conduct us unforgivable, outrageous!”

 

“Yeah?” Nova snorted, “Well, your mother wears combat goulashes, so how about that?”

 

“She's your mother too, I'll have you know!” Rhea noted fiercely.

 

“OH yeah…?” Nova started to bridle, only to pause, blink her eyes and say, “She is?”

 

“Your mother and mine are one and the same!” Rhea insisted, “We both are the children of Iczers, but our human heritage was born of Kano Nagisa, my other mother's partner!”

 

“Wait a minute,” Nova blinked her eyes, “When did that happen?”

 

“We ran the tests and confirmed that it is so!” Rhea declared almost in the other girl's face, “Nagisa, my mother, is the human half of your genetic equation!”

 

“She is?” Nova blinked her large eyes again, “You're kidding!”

 

“I do not jest about a thing such as that,” Rhea declared with a somewhat calmer demeanor, “Though it gives me no great pride to declare this, you are unquestionably both my cousin and my half-sister! We are both children of the Iczerio, second generation Bioroids, and while your Iczer half came from my Aunt, Iczer Two, your biological human mother is unquestionably Nagisa, just as with me, which means that was truly are sisters, regardless of the differences between us.”

 

“I…didn't know that,” Nova replied with a somewhat disquieted expression, “Grandma never told me…”

 

“She is NOT your Grandmother!” Rhea flared, “That is another lie that she has passed onto you in order to make you a more loyal servant. Big Gold is NOT the mother of Iczer Two…she was born from the genetic material of a woman named Cobalt and fused with the Iczerio, which makes Flight Leader Cobalt your actual grandmother. You are thus part human and owe no true allegiance to that THING who calls herself an Incarnation!”

 

“Hey, wait a minute,” Nova scowled, “How do I know I can trust you and what you're saying? You could be lying to me for all I know…”

 

“But I am not,” Rhea replied, “I do not lie, and you know within your matrix that what I am saying to you is the truth.”

 

“Your truth, you mean,” Nova replied, “You'll excuse me if I'd rather check this out with Grandma…”

 

“She would deny it, if she does not obliterate you where you stand for asking,” Rhea sniffed in contempt, “You must know by now that you cannot trust her and what she says to you…for she would say anything to get you to do her bidding.”

 

“Well…” Nova began to scratch her hair with a peculiarly thoughtful expression, “…You may have a point there…I mean, she's evil, so I guess she'd do pretty much whatever she wants. But if I bring you guys in as my prisoners, then it'll all be all right, right?”

 

“How do you figure that?” Muku asked.

 

“I don't,” Nova shrugged, “But capturing you guys is what I was ordered to do, and I'm sure Grandma will be appreciative of a little peace offering when I ask her whether or not she really is my grandma.”

 

“Capturing us?” Yui asked, “You mean…including me?”

 

“Well duh,” Nova sniffed, “You're my prize catch, Cutie, and I'm sure not letting a fox like you get out of my hands!”

 

“But will Big Gold allow you to keep her?” Rhea asked.

 

“Huh?” Nova blinked, “What's that supposed to mean?”

 

“Do you honestly think this Big Gold of yours is going to let you keep Yui for yourself if you bring her home to your place?” Muku clarified for her, “I mean…what are you going to say to her? She followed you home, can you keep her?”

 

“Uh…well…” Nova seemed confused as she considered the question.

 

“Most likely Big Gold would demand you turn all of your prisoners over to her,” Rhea explained, “And then she will personally destroy us.”

 

“Destroy you?” Nova sniffed, “You wish! No, she'll just use you guys and turn you into her personal slaves, then turn you lose to destroy everybody you care about…”

 

“Including Yui?” Muku asked.

 

“Ah…hah?” Nova turned a disquieted look towards her nominal partner.

 

“I'm cursed, remember? No direction sense! Do you honestly think she won't turn me into scrap like some genetic defective?” Yui asked, “I mean…I've heard her talk…she's creepy! I've known Youma with warmer personalities, and they usually take great pleasure in torturing and slaughtering their captives. Do you really mean to turn me over to a bitch like that?”

 

“Uh…well…” Nova seemed even more confused by the question, and she started to eye Yui with a genuine note of concern in her expression.

 

All at once the air shimmered somewhat within the ruined arcade, and then they all collectively felt their bodies shift into Subspace, even as an Iczer Robo appeared alongside Nova's dormant Mecha.

 

“STAND WHERE YOU ARE, YOUNG ONE!” a booming voice rang out, “THIS PARTY IS CRASHED, AND YOU---ARE---GROUNDED!”

 

“Aunt Two?” Rhea reacted with surprise.

 

“Whoops, time to get cracking!” Nova yelped as she triggered the automatic recall function of her Mecha, and all at once Yui gave a yelp as a tractor beam scooped her up and started to carry her into the chest capsule, even as Nova vaulted towards the head.

 

“Hey, wait a minute!” Muku cried out, “Come back here with my friend Yui!”

 

“Muku-chan,” Rhea said, “Let us summon Gamma Theta, we must end this now before anyone else is hurt.”

 

“But Yui…” Muku started to declare when she felt a familiar tingling sensation, “Ohhhh---but---!”

 

The next thing she knew she was once again breathing the life-preserving artificial fluid of the chest capsule in Rhea's Iczer, which oddly reminded her of the dream she had experienced, of another time and place, and an earlier prototype Iczer Robo.

 

“Aunt Two,” she heard Rhea declare, “There is a civilian on board Nova's Unit!”

 

“Understood, Niece,” Iczer Two replied, “But don't worry…this time we've come prepared to deal with Gold's creations, and no one will be needlessly hurt, not even my daughter.”

 

“Excuse me there, Mom?” Nova replied as her Iczer Robo began to flex its muscles, “You wanna place money on that? This time Grandma's given me a Unit that'll kick butt for real!”

 

“I have no doubt that your new Unit is far more effective than the last one,” Iczer Two replied, “But we've made a few improvements of our own, and now is the time to learn if Sister Grey is truly the genius we believe her to be!”

 

“In other words, Brat,” Sayoko joined in from her capsule, “It's time to get spanked big time!”

 

“Oh yeah?” Nova's Iczer Robo struck a combat pose and flexed its arms as energy levels began to climb all over the map, “Let's see you back that one up, Step-Mom!”

 

Muku stared at her canopy as her mind seemed to link in with the scanner arrays on board Unit Gamma Theta, and all at once it was as if she could see the aura surrounding Nova's unit flaring up like a small star, even as her Mecha deployed a weaponry array that seemed both lethal and formidable, with readings that indicated that it could take out an entire city with one discharge.

 

But then Rhea started their unit forward, and with a speed that belied the size of their Mecha they came up upon Nova's blind side and got in close so that their unit could grapple the enemy Mecha from behind.

 

“HEY---No fair!” Nova protested.

 

“Fair has little to do with a battle, Little One,” Iczer Two declared as she took advantage of the distraction to get in close from the front zone, bypassing the bristling weaponry as she stabbed a hand forward with Unit Beta, seizing Nova's unit by the head while Iczer Beta's other hand slapped palm-first against the enemy unit's chest capsule.

 

All at once Nova cried out as an energy discharge lanced through her Mecha, her cry being joined by Yui, who seemed just as distressed by the sudden surge of bio-energy that flowed from Iczer Beta into their handicapped unit.

 

Rhea grunted as some of that energy began to spill over into unit Gamma Theta, even as Muku's mind once more expanded, words flowing into her consciousness that had the echo of her recent dream, the voice of the Scientist named Gold going on to explain the plan that she had others had been forming…

 

“…The homeworld is doomed…our colonies lie in ruins. Our only choice is to find a new home world where we can rebuild our shattered civilization. We will select candidates from among our population, specialists in all fields who can be called upon at need to lay the foundations for a new homeworld. We shall build a ship large enough to house this population and our sisters will sleep in restorative chambers for the long trip to their eventual destination…all save for one who shall remain alert and on duty, who will be conscious and able to maintain life systems for the others. Sister Violet will be the new Mother of All who shall act as both leader and spiritual head of this expedition. The rest of our people will donate samples of their own Bio-patterns and record their consciousness in the World Ship archives, to be downloaded when the time comes to regenerate their seeds so that they may live again. It might take many cycles for them to find a new world, but when a homeworld is established, the C'thuwulf will once more flourish in peace and prosperity. We will build a better world from the ashes of this one, and like the legendary Cosmic Firebird, we will be born anew. This is our sacred pledge, in the name of our ancestors…and Iczer One shall accompany them as their resident guardian, to patrol the spaceways and keep them safe from harm's way…”

 

The journey had proved long and hard, but the C'thuwulf had indeed prevailed, only to be assaulted once again by the legacy of that wicked virus! The outrageousness and injustice of that thought propelled Muku to anger as she fought against the strain of her borrowed memories, not knowing where they came from but understanding that the had been given insight into the nature of the C'thuwulf and their holy struggle for survival.

 

Big Gold was the enemy, the foe of all life, who had perverted the sacred cause of an entire people, spreading the hate of the long-dead Paranoid race and their monstrous descendants, of whom the Venomoids were only the latest incarnation. A war that should have ended a thousand generations ago was echoing in the present, an endless waltz in an eternal cycle that played itself out over and over for as long as the hate itself endured.

 

With that thought in mind she extended her own considerable energies to reinforce Rhea's efforts, and together they managed to contain Nova's futile efforts at freeing herself as Iczer Two unleashed the antivirus program into the enemy Iczer Robo, causing Nova to stiffen as her senses flared all across the board, and then she blissfully passed out, leaving a slightly stunned Yui to experience the backwash of emotion which flooded through her companion-pilot.

 

Then the enemy Iczer Robo shut down, going dormant all of a sudden as Yui swam in a sea of disorienting sensations, unhurt but badly shaken.

 

“Yui-chan!” Muku called out as she felt all other energy levels subside to normal levels, “Yui-chan, are you all right?”

 

“Ah…I…feel…awwwwffffuuuulll…” Yui stammered the words, then she too passed into unconsciousness.

 

“Mission accomplished,” Iczer Two remarked, “The enemy unit has been contained, all systems read normal. We've captured her with no loss of life and only a minimum of collateral damage. Good work, Rhea-chan…that was excellent teamwork.”

 

“Thank you, Auntie,” Rhea replied, “Will Muku-chan's friend be all right?”

 

“Once we get her out of there where our Med Techs can check her over,” Sayoko replied, “Along with Junior here…I don't envy the headache she'll probably have when she recovers.”

 

“I will see to it that special care is given to my daughter,” Iczer Two replied, “None of this is truly her fault…she is an innocent victim of Gold's evil. I look forward to the day when we can talk like a true mother and daughter should…assuming that she will ever be able to forgive me for the cure I have just given to her.”

 

“That all depends on whether she was really all that innocent or not,” Sayoko reminded, “You ask me, she came across like a real Nutter.”

 

“Time will tell on that, Aunt Sayoko,” Rhea replied, “But now I know for certain that she is my sister…I felt a connection with her just now…a bond that marks us both as children of the Iczerio.”

 

“I just hope Yui-chan won't suffer any from all of this,” Muku replied, “She's the real innocent here…she's never done anything to deserve this. I…I'll need to contact her friends…Yumi and the others, they'll want to know that she's all right.”

 

“Of course,” Iczer Two replied, “Every consideration will be extended to bringing an end to this crisis. With a bit of rest in a regenerator, though, your friend should be back to normal.”

 

“I hope you are right about that, Auntie,” Rhea replied, “But…she has been united with an Iczer, which means that her life will never truly be the same ever again.”

 

“Tell me about it,” Muku murmured to herself, but then smiled as she sensed Rhea's questioning thoughts directed towards her, “Forget about it, Honey…let's just go home…to your place.”

 

“Your wish is my fondest desire, Muku-chan,” Rhea replied, somewhat reassured as she triggered the recall signal, which drew unit Gamma Theta back to its home cradle at Gamorah base, home once more at C'thuwulf Command Central…

 

 

 

Continued

 

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