Tempest

The war went badly. While Christine was a capable leader, we were simply no match for the number of boomers being thrown at us. More people paid the price for our weakness with each day.

There would be no escape. All means of leaving the city had been long since cut off, and the stranglehold they held on it grew steadily tighter. This would be a fight to the death.

It was clear, now; we had nothing to lose. We could fight and hope to live, or die in the inevitable slaughter. There was no choice to be made.

Oddly enough, it was at this point that we found a glimmer of hope.

"I had suspected that myself," Nene nodded. "But I thought we had destroyed it."

"So did I," Sylia admitted. "Still, the sudden unit of strategy displayed by the boomers cannot be explained otherwise."

Nene nodded quietly. "It does make sense, doesn't it?"

Sylia sighed, overwhelmed by the magnitude of this realization. "The Overmind Control System. If we can find it, we can end this debacle. If we cannot, the world is doomed."

"I will find it," Nene whispered vehemently. "I have to."

"Leon?"

"Yes, Priss?" he glanced over at her, careful to keep an eye on the road.

"We can't win, can we?" she asked, seeming oddly calm for someone who was talking about her own death.

He thought for a second, forcing himself to look at the inevitable, then shook his head sadly. "No, we can't. Not unless something changes."

She nodded, and was silent for a long moment. The decision had been haunting her, denying her rest. It was time to settle it. "I should go back."

He blinked, caught off guard by the abruptness of the statement.

"If we're all going to die anyway, I want do die fighting," she continued, her voice resolute.

He knew the feeling well. In truth, he had been stunned when she had walked away from the Knight Sabers to begin with. The kind of pain it would take to shatter her resolve... he hoped he would never know. In any case, she had decided to move on.

He certainly could not stop her, and he would not even try. "Please... be careful," was all that he could ask.

She looked back at him, even now realizing how much she meant to him... and he to her. "I will... I promise."

"Priss!" Nene shouted, almost jubilantly, "You're back!"

"Yes, I'm back." Priss smiled for the first time since Linna's death. She had forgotten just how much the Knight Sabers meant to her.

"Welcome back, Priss," Christine looked up, trying to hide the flicker of hope in her eyes.

"Hello," Priss responded, noticing that flicker, and sighed. "I'm not taking it back, Chris. You're the leader."

Christine nodded, swallowing her disappointment. "I... understand. Anyway, it is good to have you back. We have missed you terribly."

"I've missed me, too."

The redesign of Mackie's hardsuit was the most pleasant task Sylia had taken on of late. Priss's return brought her suit back into action, making the inclusion of the Gauss cannon in Mackie's suit impractical. The weapon was better suited to her than him, anyway. In its place went the standard laser and a sword much like the one Sylia herself had once wielded. It had served her well, and she hoped that it would do the same for him.

Every fear that she felt for her Knight Sabers was doubly true for Mackie. Her only remaining blood family, he was precious to her like no other could ever be. Brilliant in his own way, irrepressible, and with a heart of gold despite his youthful "curiosity", he never ceased to surprise her.

Memories came to her, brought on by her worries. The despondent look on his face when he had learned about their father's death. Another, similar look, many years later, when he had learned the reasons why. The concern he had shown for them when they went to battle, and the little ways in which he had helped. The Highway Star, his masterpiece, and the selflessness with which he had let Priss ride it to save Gibson from his own mad creation. His courageous stand with Nene, staring in the face of death as they fought to save AD Police headquarters, and the amazing skill he had displayed in so doing. Indeed, there was much more to him than most people would give him credit for. She did not want to lose him, and she worried.

Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind, she turned to more positive ponderings. The return of Priss made the Knight Sabers a viable fighting force again, and it was quite likely that their strength would be tested soon and often in the days to come. Each second that they could purchase made their ultimate task easier.

In the end, though, it would matter little. The weightof the world rested on the shoulders of Nene. If she could find the Overmind, and if they could destroy it, the effectiveness of the boomer armies all over the world would be drastically reduced. They could be beaten. If not, then all was lost. Until then, all they could do was try to preserve as many lives as they could.

Nene believed that she could do it. Sylia wished she could share her optimism.

"I'm not going to be able to do much while I'm tracing this transmission," Nene cautioned. "You all are on your own."

"We'll manage," Christine smirked, trying to keep some shred of optimism. "Knight Sabers, sanjo!"

The enemy this time numbered about fifteen. An odd mixture of combat classes, they were coordinating their forces well. Too well.

Nevertheless, the Knight Sabers drove their attacks home. With a savage cry, Christine charged first into the fray. Extending the short blade from her left arm, she punched it through the armor of the leading boomer, and sparks flew. A sudden twist of her arm tore the weapon through the cyberdroid's neck, and it burst into flame and collapsed. An explosion behind her registered the entrance of Priss into the battle, and she could see Mackie neatly carve up a 55-C with his sword.

Instinct told her to duck, and just as she did a powerful laser blast seared the air over her head. Turning, she fired her pulse cannon, and the 34-CX reeled. A second shot crushed its midsection, and it collapsed. To her left two more were coming, and she readied her web.

"I've got them," Priss cut in, and a burst of hypersonic flechettes tore through the first of the pair. A HEAP round quickly eliminated the second, and Christine could hear the satisfaction in Priss's voice when she said, "That's six."

"Nine to go," Christine pointed out nervously, "How's it going, Nene?"

"Working on it... locking onto the signal now... got it... what!? It just cut off!"

Suddenly, the boomers all hesitated for a second. Their strings cut, the puppets were disoriented. Just as they had been about to unleash a devastating counter-assault, they seemed to lose all of their coordination.

"Press the attack!" Christine yelled. "They're confused!"

"Right!" Mackie answered first, firing his arm laser at a nearby Bu-12. At first, it seemed to have no effect against the boomer's armor, but after a few seconds a shot punched through and the boomer flared.

"Beginning jamming sequence," Nene called, frustration evident in her tone. "Fifteen seconds to burn-through."

"All right, let's take it to them!" Priss yelled ecstatically as she tossed aside the smoking hulk of a 55-C.

Checking the charge on her pulse cannon, Christine grinned.

"What happened out there?" Christine asked.

"Someone noticed my tap on the signal and cut it off," Nene scowled. "It was definitely the OMS... as soon as the signal shut down they seemed to fall apart."

"I thought boomers were supposed to be able to coordinate in a single battle, though?" Mackie pointed out.

"They can... but these weren't." explained Sylia. "They were depending on commands from a remote site, and the jamming prevented them from regrouping before they were destroyed."

"They won't make that mistake again," said Priss.

"No doubt," Sylia agreed. "The OMS is well used to coordinate strategy, but tactics are best left to the boomers themselves. Our adversary, whoever he may be, will learn that, I am sure." "If his ego doesn't get in the way," her mind added.

"Which means we won't get that easy of a trace again, either," Nene sighed.

Sylia nodded. "Probably not. What did we learn?"

"It was a very strong signal... somewhere in Japan, most likely. Couldn't get any more than that, though."

"We shall keep trying, then."

Sylia sat in her databank room, considering the problem at hand. If the wielder of OMS could detect when Nene latched on to his signal, he would simply shut it down to avoid a trace. She had to prevent that somehow.

This last time they had made it easy. It was quite possible that the OMS operator himself had not detected the tap, but rather that one of the many boomers present had done so. The 34-CX class had relatively advanced communications equipment, and might be capable of such a feat.

Nene could make them invisible to boomers for a few seconds... but a few seconds was not long enough. Also, the energy required to cloak them all prevented the use of her other systems.

Perhaps if she only had to cloak herself...

"Any free AD Police units, please respond... we are under attack... cannot hold long. Repeat, HQ is under attack..." Leon's desperate call broke through the static on the channel.

"Damn," Priss whispered, then looked up at Sylia, concern in her eyes. "I"m going."

Sylia nodded, "Very well."

"Not alone, though," Christine broke in as she entered the room. "We all go."

Priss smiled slightly, trying to suppress her fears. "Thanks."

AD Police headquarters was hardly recognizable as such. The tower itself was badly damaged, with several of the surrounding buildings levelled. Burned out hulks of cars were scattered in the streets, providing cover for boomer and human alike. The streets around the building had been torn up, fashioned into makeshift trenches behind which the AD Police tried to fight off the assault.

The situation was desperate already. Hundreds of boomers formed an invincible phalanx, and the barrage of artillery from specially-fitted 34-CX types in the back rank rained down behind the ADP lines.

Priss worried... she could not see Leon from the air. It was probably because he was under some form of cover, but she still was concerned. He had to be out there, somewhere.

Christine leaned over to look out as well, and surveyed the battle zone. Dropping in without getting hit was not going to be easy, and she was not sure they could do any good once they got there.

"Sylia, we need some cover fire," she said. "Drop away."

"Affirm," Sylia answered as she opened the release and the four Knight Sabers dropped into the battle. Activating the missile racks, she fired all the weapons at once. The rockets crashed into the boomers' battle line, devastating the front rank, but still more came up behind them. The smoke cleared, and the Knight Sabers had joined the battle.

"Here we go!" Christine called out as her feet hit the ground. "Watch yourselves!"

Even as they hit the street, they immediately became the boomers' primary targets. In response to the let-up in fire, the AD Police began their own barrage, and another rank of boomers fell. It was scarcely a dent in their army, though.

"Jamming active!" Nene cried. "Ten seconds!"

"Ten... damn!" Christine thought, then ordered. "Hit anything that looks like its giving orders!"

Priss didn't respond, but she took the command to heart. Firing two shells at a boomer that fit the description, she watched with satisfaction as it blew up.

Mackie, too, took advantage of the little time they were given. Picking out one of the more heavily-armed machines, he quickly dispatched it and created a gap in the boomers' artillery. Two more stepped into its place.

"Burn-through," Nene warned.

"This is bad," Christine thought, even as she destroyed yet another boomer. "We can't win this fight."

Priss was having the same thought. If they stood and fought here, against an entire army of boomers, they had no chance at all... but she could not abandon a friend again. Leon had given her the courage to fight again, and she would not leave him to die.

Suddenly, Leon's voice cut through on the comm system. "Knight Sabers, this is a losing battle... get yourselves out while you can."

"Go on, Christine... get them out of here," Priss agreed.

"What about you?!" Christine protested. "We can't leave you!"

"Just go!" she cried, looking over her shoulder and finally seeing him--he was looking at her, too. "I'm not leaving!"

"Priss!" Christine shouted, but realized that she could not convince her. "All right," she bit into her lower lip hard and tasted the blood, "Nene, Mackie, let's get out of here."

Numbly, as if disbelieving, the three of them retreated. Falling back behind the AD Police lines, they called Sylia to pick them up. Still, Christine watched Priss down at the front lines, not wanting to see, but unable to tear her eyes away.

Priss simply would not let them kill her... not yet. Fighting across the battle line, working her way through the melee that was now ensuing atop the ADP barricades, she managed to make her way to Leon.

He looked up at her, with the faceplate raised on her helmet, and they exchanged one last glance... a look which brought a flood of memories to both of them. He could swear that he saw a tear in her eye before she lowered the visor and turned back to the battle.

It was then that the boomers broke through. All the anger Priss had restrained her entire life tore a savage cry from the depths of her soul, and she threw herself into the fight. Five... ten boomers fell at her feet before they got to her, and even then she took down two more before she fell.

Death was merciful to her, and quick; she never felt the blow that severed her spinal cord. Leon saw it, and fired the last of his ammunition into the boomer that killed her, then he too was cut down.

Christine stood atop the Tower in shock. Priss was dead. Alive one second, and gone the next. No cry of pain, no last words, no long, drawn out goodbye. She had died a warrior, as she had lived. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the image, and failing. She would never forget.

Turning to Nene, she pulled her close, needing someone to hold on to. Nene returned the embrace, as they each sought a refuge from despair. There they stood until the KnightWing came overhead, picked them up, and bore them away.

The AD Police were destroyed that day, almost to a man. Priss's and Leon's bodies lay within meters of each other, among hundreds of others on the battlefield. She had gotten her wish... to die fighting.

Christine was numb. The way it had happened... she could not bring herself to believe that Priss was really gone. The sight of her, overwhelmed by a surging tide of android soldiers, fighting to the very last, was burned in her memory; still, she could not convince herself that it was over. Yet another friend lost.

She wondered what they could do now. With the AD Police out of the way, the boomers could concentrate their full attentions on the annoying little mercenary band. Even with Priss, it would have been a losing battle. Without her, it was hopeless.

Mackie tried to ignore the pain... they had no time for it. Soon enough, they would each have their turn to die, he realized. He had best be ready for his.

Still... Priss was dead. Gone. If his sister had been the heart of the Knight Sabers, Priss had been their soul. A void was left which none could fill, and she would be sorely missed.

Sylia cried in solitude... another of her children had fallen. She had expected it this time... had been almost waiting for it, and the guilt was stronger than the pain. Cursing herself for the fatalism which had overcome her of late, she fought to fend of despair. The answer was plain to her now, and she had to prepare for the sacrifice.

Sacrifice... she hoped that it would be the right word. Sacrifice meant that something had been gained. Otherwise, it was simply suicide, and she did not want to consider that possibility.

Nene knew the answer, too, and she envied the others their part. Her emotions were gone. Fear, and anger, and joy, and sorrow, and love, and hate... she had lost them all. Perhaps it was better this way. Maybe it would make the bitter pill she had coming easier to swallow.

Maybe. Somehow, she doubted it.