Tempest

Nene Romanova stood silently for a moment on the sidewalk outside of AD Police Headquarters. Nearly two weeks had passed since she had last seen the Tower, and she reflected on the changes that time had brought.

Glancing down at her left hand, she flexed the cybernetic fingers and marveled at how real they felt. Indeed, the physical wound was nearly healed, with only her forearm now mending, but the damage to her soul would not be repaired for some time.

Resentment fouled the pleasure of her return to work. Deep beneath her surface cheer boiled anger, and hate. No longer naive, she had traded in her innocence for experience of the worst kind. It was a poor exchange.

Still, there was even deeper within her a stubborn optimism. She was alive, and she was strong. The anger would not win over her easily.

"Nene!" Leon called, smiling. "Nice to see you back!"

"Thanks," she answered. "It's good to be here."

"How's that arm holding up? I hear you got in a fight with some stairs."

She blushed, a very rehearsed reaction, and smiled slightly. Sylia had arranged that story nicely for her. "Oh, it's doing better. I should be able to get the cast off in a few days."

"Great!" he responded. "Well, I have to go out on patrol. Talk to you later."

"'bye" she said, waving to him as he left. Entering the tower, she could not help but think, "It IS good to be back." In spite of her frustration with the AD Police at times, she really did like her job, and she had been anxious to return to it

The first hour or so of her day was occupied with answering people's questions, and by the time she actually got to doing any work she was feeling even more cheerful than usual. Settling down with a stack of paperwork that had piled up in her absence, she set to work.

By the time she had done, it was getting late Weariness crept over her, but she knew she had one last thing to do before she went home. Walking into the computer room, she sat down at the terminal and typed in the command to access a file.

"NAME:" flashed onto the computer screen, and Nene began to tap out the letters

S-t-e-v-e-n-s-o-n-,- -C-h-r-i-s-t-i-n-e-ENTER

The computer beeped for a moment, then the information came up on the screen.

"Stevenson, Christine. Majority owner of Stevenson Incorporated, a large American industrial conglomerate with major holdings in many nations, including Japan. Estimated net worth of 15 billion dollars American. Citizen of the United States, but resides in Megatokyo for much of the year.

"Inherited controlling stock in Stevenson Incorporated in 2028, when her parents were killed in a airplane crash. See file on Stevenson, Timothy for details of accident investigation. Sabotage was suspected, but never proven.

Nene's mood darkened as she read the file, and her anger began to arouse suspicions within her. Why was there no mention of the incident on her estate grounds? Just what sort of influence did she wield within AD Police? Biting her lip in frustration, she pulled a printout of the file, shut down the computer, and left, seeking solace in the night.

"Nothing at all of interest?" Sylia asked.

"Nothing. No record, not even a statement regarding the fighting at her mansion the other day." Nene scowled. The mere mention of this woman's name had brought a violent hatred bubbling to the surface... a fury so strong it frightened Nene herself.

"Odd... I'll have to see what I can come up with on my own, then." Seeing the change that had come over Nene, Sylia added, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you to do this."

Nene sighed, "We do what we have to," and left.

Once she was gone, Sylia slumped down in her chair and sighed.

"What about the backup?" Dr. Boston asked.

"It's a good backup, but not good enough for a primary... I wouldn't want to go out in it."

"Well, at least she is exercising some concern for her own safety," he thought, then responded. "Well, what do you have in mind for the new one?"

"First of all, we need a projectile weapon of some sort. I had no idea that armor existed with that sort of energy-reflective properties."

"What kind?"

"The Knight Saber that I hit with the pulse cannon... I hit her dead on and didn't even scratch her armor."

"You might also consider some sort of melee weapon, if you are looking for physical damage," he suggested.

"That thought had occurred to me as well," she said, then stopped and looked at him oddly. "I thought you wanted me out of this business."

"I do... but I can't stop you. Maybe I can at least keep you alive."

"All right," she said, suddenly looking to change the subject. "Come on... we have work to do."

"Sylia?" came the familiar voice at the door.

"Come in," she answered quietly, and the door opened to reveal Priss and Linna.

"Sylia, we need to talk," Linna said softly.

"About?" she asked, struggling to regain her composure.

"About you," came the response, from Priss this time. The usually cynical Knight Saber had a look in her eyes that Sylia rarely saw in her... concern, and compassion. "What's happened has happened, and it's time for you to stop tearing yourself apart over it."

Sylia nodded. "I know." Looking up at her friends--no, her family, she realized that they still believed in her, even when she couldn't believe in herself.

Priss extended her hand, and Sylia took it. Pulling her to her feet, Priss said, "We need you, Sylia. You're the one who makes this all happen."

Days passed, and Christine smiled as she observed the new battlesuit in construction. The early stages of the building proceeded quickly, as the frame and power system of the armor were largely similar to those of the demolished suit, but when the time came to install the weaponry, the process slowed to a meticulous crawl.

The weaponry was carefully thought out; the energy web remained, as did the missile system, but the pulse cannon was dropped in favor of a hypervelocity razor-disc system in the right gauntlet. As before, twin lasers were mounted on her left forearm for defensive purposes.

Other modifications had been made as well. The Knight Sabers, she realized, had possessed an extreme maneuverability advantage in ground combat with their streamlined hardsuits, so she shifted her specialization even further to aerial combat. A reduction in power consumption from the removal of the pulse cannon allowed her to boost the flight rig's thrust, and the joint structure was altered to further protect her. As the systems took shape, Christine found herself thrilled at the prospect of returning to battle, and she began to make plans.

"So, how does that arm feel?" Sylia asked, smiling, as she laid the two pieces of Nene's cast aside.

"Wonderful, thank you. I didn't expect it would heal this quickly," Nene answered, tentatively moving her arm about and rotating her wrist.

"Well, thank the doctor, not me... my medical abilities are rather limited." Sylia's eyes flickered as she said it, feeling a twinge of guilt for putting Nene in this situation. It did not go unnoticed.

"Sylia, this... isn't your fault. It's... my fault," her voice cracked, then hardened as she added, "and hers."

"Oh, Nene," Sylia fought back tears as she was reminded of the anger that so tortured her young friend. Regardless of what Nene said, Sylia would always believe that it was in part her fault, and with that thought came pain which overwhelmed her cold facade. "I'm so sorry..."

Nene's anger evaporated as quickly as it had come on. "I"ll be all right, Sylia," she comforted, putting her arms around her. Over the time they had been together, Sylia had become like family to her, like an older sister or even a second mother, and she loved her dearly. Even so, she had never realized just how much Sylia cared for her and felt responsible for her, and it touched her heart to see it.

"So. What have we learned?" Sylia asked.

"That a certain Christine Stevenson is a bitch?" Nene tossed in, the hatred quite apparent in her voice.

"Besides that."

"That Genom is looking for new ways to get rid of us," Priss answered, "and that other people out there have tech that can match our hardsuits."

"Which we therefore need to improve," Linna added.

"Agreed, but we lack the means to do so," was Sylia's response. "Our hardsuits suffer from a single major weakness, which is in the are of power production. The systems which comprise the suits have a very high energy demand, and the space restrictions make that demand very difficult to satisfy. There is, however, a potential solution."

"And that is?" asked Linna.

"Genom is, according to rumor, working on a new power reactor for their next generation of boomer."

"Are you suggesting we go and take it?" The question came from Priss, and Sylia could detect a hint of hope in her tone.

"Indeed. If we do this, it is likely to draw the wrath of Genom. Are we ready for that?"

"I am ready," Nene volunteered, "We've played nice with them for too long."

Priss agreed, but her expression registered only surprise--surprise that such a strong statement would come from Nene. Still, it was the same argument that she had been making for as long as she could remember, and her opinions had not changed. "I am ready."

"They have gone too far," Linna agreed. "It is time that we took action."

"Very well," Sylia rounded out the discussion. "It begins."

The storm that raged overhead paled in comparison to the one in Nene's heart. At the first sight of the Genom research facility, a swell of anger rose up from within her like she had never known. Ultimately, Genom was to blame for all her suffering, and she would make them hurt for it.

Less than a meter to her right, Sylia's thoughts were more tactically-oriented. Get in, get the device, get out. Quick, simple, and with a minimum of noise the kind of plan that works. This left her with one haunting question, though... why did she doubt it would happen that way?

Priss certainly had different ideas. She had been spoiling for this fight for a long time, and now she was ready to deal damage. The mission objective was first, of course, but if she happened to destroy half of the facility along the way, so be it.

Then, there was Linna. So much had changed for her over the years, and it all seemed to come to a close on this night. She had joined the Knight Sabers for the money, and for a chance to show off. Then, Genom killed Irene, and made it personal. She'd finally started to get over that, and then they hired that...mercenary... who hurt Nene, and the anger flared all over again. Not fiery like Nene's or Priss's, Linna's anger burned long and deep, and icy cold. Tonight she would get some payback.

Nene's voice cut through the silence. "One kilometer to target; enemy is engaging defenses."

"Defensive strength?" Sylia asked, trying to ignore the chill in Nene's once-cheerful voice.

"Weak at the gate... two twelve-B's and some sort of mobile gun."

"Right. Mackie, as soon as we're clear make sure you're well away from that gun."

"Right, Sis."

Looking at Nene to her left, and knowing Linna and Priss were inside the truck, Sylia called out once again, "Knight Sabers, sanjo!" With that, the side panels opened, and Linna and Priss shot forward on their motoroids. Firing her jump unit, Sylia leapt forward and looked left to make sure Nene had followed. As soon as they were away, Mackie slammed on the truck's brakes and swung off down a side street.

"Here we go!" Priss shouted as the boomers themselves came into view. Pressing a button on the motoroid's control panel, she launched two missiles from the right side. The target boomer dodged the attacks easily, having anticipated them, but in doing so he failed to notice as she vaulted off the cycle and into the air. Underneath her, the machine transformed and pressed the attack, giving her time to line up her shot. A single round from her arm cannon disabled the boomer, and she dropped to the ground beside its smoking hulk.

Linna had just blown right by the boomer on her side, going for the gun. She could see the weapon come to bear on her, and just as it fired she abandoned the motoroid for the air. Falling on its side, it skidded underneath the cannon's fire while Linna sailed neatly over, above the weapon's limited vertical tracking arc. Dropping to her knees beside the mammoth gun's barrel, she quickly sliced off the front with her whips. The boomer operator, realizing that he could no longer safely fire, throttled up the minitank's engine in an attempt to run her down, but she neatly sidestepped, driving the knuckle bomber into the vehicle's side. Sparks flew, then the whole machine went up in a massive fireball that she had to jump back to evade.

Behind her, the other boomer had its hands full, too. Nene had hammered it with a continuous stream of fire from her arm laser, then ducked when it attempted to shoot back. As it tracked her movement, a sudden white blur was followed by a brilliant flash as Sylia severed its cannon with her sword. Before it could even turn to face her, she had struck again, this time planting the blade deep in the boomers back. Still not quite beaten, it flipped forward, throwing Sylia over its head, but the move put it on the ground as well, and Nene finished off with her cannon, point-blank to its head.

Stepping back as the cyberdroid's body sprayed hydraulic fluid everywhere, Nene savored the satisfaction of the victory. Never before had she been truly aggressive in a fight, and it was an odd feeling to her, but the adrenaline rush of battle had just intensified her anger, and she wanted more.

"Here's the front door," Priss called to the others. "It's going to take a lot of firepower to crack it, though."

"Allow me," Nene answered, a little smugly, and touched her palm to the door. The electronics in her suit whistled and beeped as she deciphered the entry code, and with a wave of her hand, the door slid open.

"Good work, Nene. This place is sure to be trapped, so be careful," Sylia cautioned.

"I'll see what I can do about that, too." Nene's sensors weren't calibrated for that sort of work, but she could pick out the electronic signatures of targeting devices, one at a time. It took a couple of minutes, but she was able to map out the entry hall's defenses.

"This place is WEIRD..." Linna said nervously, looking around. "I've never seen so much machinery before."

"We should take it apart," Priss commented. "There are things here that should never see the light of--" An explosion far above cut her off. Instinctively she raised her cannon arm, but then realized that the sound had come from several floors up.

"Apparently, someone agrees with you," Linna noted dryly as she looked around for threats.

"It's HER!" Nene shouted. "She's here!"

"We've got to get that reactor before she tears the place apart... go!" Sylia ordered. Gripped by a new sense of urgency, the Knight Sabers sprang into action. "Priss, you take the point. Linna, guard the rear. Nene, have you locked in on that reactor yet?"

"Working on it... got it! Third floor, west wing!"

"Let's go!" Priss shouted, aiming at a weak-looking spot in the ceiling. Firing her cannon, she blasted a hole through to the next level, then stepped out of the way as debris rained down around her. The automated fire-suppression systems activated, spraying the hallway with water, and more importantly triggering the alarms.

Priss was the first to jump up to the next floor, and she indicated to the others that it was clear. Nene followed first, then Sylia, and finally Linna leapt through and they ran through the twisting corridors toward the west wing. Suddenly, they skidded to a halt, where a seemingly important hallway terminated with a blank wall.

"Ah, hell!" Priss shouted, blasting through the wall.

"She's heading this way, too," Nene informed. "And she's wrecking everything in her path." Indeed, the building was wracked with the tremors of multiple explosions, and the sounds of destruction seemed to be getting louder.

"Move!" Sylia ordered. Stepping over the debris of the destroyed wall, they found themselves in another westward corridor. Sprinting toward their objective, they listened as Nene gave directions. "Ok, I've tapped into their system. We need to go up one more floor before we enter the wing... you can't go up once you're in."

"Easily accomplished," Priss said, blasting through another ceiling. Leaping upward, he heard a shout behind her.

"YOU?"

Whirling, Priss found herself face-to-face with Christine. "What the hell are you doing here?" asked the mercenary, taking aim with her right arm.

"I could ask you the same thing," Priss countered angrily. As she spoke, Linna came up through the floor behind her and assumed a fighting stance.

"This doesn't involve you, Sabers."

"Oh, doesn't it?" Nene challenged as she entered the room, her voice trembling with rage.

Christine realized that she was outnumbered. The possibility of fighting them occurred to her, but reason dismissed it immediately. "My fight is with Genom."

"Maybe mine is with you," Nene's voice grew cold.

"No, Nene," Sylia's hand rested on her shoulder. "No personal vengeance; you know the Code." Looking up, Sylia faced Christine. "Do not interfere, mercenary. I do not want to fight you again."

"I have my business here as well... and you will not deter me from it."

"Try us," Priss challenged. Christine only fumed. She knew she could not win, but to be taunted by the very one who had injured her...

"Wait," Sylia's commanding voice cut through the tension. "We only want the reactor. Once we have it, you may have your way with this place."

"Very well," Christine acquiesced. The reactor would have been nice, but it was in truth no better than her own, and certainly not worth fighting for. "Go on your way."

"As if we needed your leave," Priss countered as she walked away, still keeping an eye on Christine as the others continued down the corridor.

"Are you looking for a fight, Saber?"

"Maybe."

"Be careful what you wish for," Christine said threateningly.

"Right," Priss answered with a dismissive laugh.

Down the hall, Nene was working her magic again. "This place has the oddest security I've ever seen. The other halls were not well secured at all, but this one is going to be tough to crack."

About that time, Priss caught up to them, standing back as a rear guard. "I don't trust her,"

Neither do I," answered Sylia.

"Got it," Nene interrupted, "We have four minutes."

"Before?" Priss inquired as the doors parted before them. The rooms inside were almost totally dark, with only the light of the computer consoles to illuminate them.

"You don't want to know."

"It is enough," Sylia said. "Go."

Back down at the other end of the hall, Christine was searching for the complex's computer core. Without the benefit of Nene's remote access it was a difficult task, but eventually she found it. Tapping into the system, she started downloading the core. As she scanned the data, she accessed, though, a feeling of horror swept over her. She had triggered a failsafe! Sprinting to the intercom, she shouted, "Get out! This whole building is a trap! Get out now!"

Hearing the desperation in her voice, Sylia snapped, "Nene, locate her!"

"She's... in the computer core, Sylia."

"Abort mission--let's go!"

"You sure?" Priss asked, "We went to a lot of trouble for this."

"I'm sure. Now go!" Shoving the other Knight Sabers back out into the main hallway, she ran after them. Just as she stepped across the doorway, a resounding explosion tore through the west wing, shredding the floors upon which they had just been standing.

"Damn! I knew this was too easy," Priss shouted as they ran from the blast.

Taking a second to check the quickest way out, Christine fled the computer core. As she ran through the hallways, she found herself wondering why she had warned the Knight Sabers. "The enemy of my enemy..." she whispered to herself, rounding a corner and running headlong into a pair of boomers.

"Thirty-four CX! I thought those were still in development!" she thought as she instinctively raised her left arm and fired. The energy web entangled one of them, and as it struggled to free itself she dodged the other's attack. Using her flight jets to leap over the still active boomer, she spun and brought up the missile system. Targeting one on each, she fired her two missiles and watched with satisfaction as the prototype boomers exploded.

"Boomers around the corner, Sylia... new type." Nene warned. "Four of them."

"Priss, take point."

"Got it." Bursting around the corner, Priss fired several shots from her arm cannon. Armor piercing rounds ripped into the first two boomers, striking one on the shoulder and the other on the hip. The second boomer's leg buckled, and she finished it off with two flechettes to the back of its head.

While the boomers were occupied with Priss, the others came around the corner as well. Linna immediately took to the air, thought her vertical space was limited, and went straight to the knuckle bomber. Unsure of the new boomers' weaknesses, she chose to attack the head, but it dodged and she caught its shoulder instead. Flame burst from the joint, and the arm was severed, but the cyberdroid's other hand caught her while still in the air. Thrown against the wall by the backhand blow, she fell to the floor.

"Linna!" Nene cried and charged the boomer, who now stood over her friend. Driving her right hand into the mess of wires that had been the 34-CX's shoulder, she fired the cannon. Too intent on finishing Linna, the boomer was caught off guard, and the laser decimated its internal systems. It collapsed in a heap.

Priss was still fighting the first boomer she attacked, so Sylia went after the remaining one. Extending the sword, she slashed for its head, but it evaded the blow. On the backswing she clipped its shoulder, but it grabbed her sword arm and threw her into Priss. As the two of them scrambled to get up, their respective targets closed in.

"Get UP, Linna!" Nene cried, hauling her to her feet. Linna's mind was still a bit hazy from hitting the wall, but she immediately realized the danger and swung into action. The nearest boomer had just drawn a blade of its own and had Sylia backed up against the wall, so she chose to attack it first. Leaping in front of the boomer, she used her smartmetal "whips" to neatly slice off the boomer's knife-arm, then began to drive him backwards with her arm-cannon. Nene came in from behind, striking the cyberdroid in the back, and it fell to the combined assault.

Back on her feet, Priss was taking no quarter. Using her hardsuit's strength-enhancement, she was delivering punishing blows with her hands and feet., pushing her adversary backward until it was pinned to the wall, then riddling it with flechettes. Hydraulic fluid and flame poured from gashes all along the boomer's body, and it collapsed in a heap.

"Sylia, this whole building is about to go up, and quick. We need to be moving!" Nene alerted.

"Then let's go up. Priss?"

Less than a minute later, they were standing on the roof of the research building. Looking around, they could see the flames which were consuming the building, burning from east to west. A small explosion flared a few meters to their right, and Christine emerged from the resulting gap in the roof. Walking over to face Sylia, she said. "We're even. I tried to kill you, and that was business. I just saved you all. Don't forget it." With that, she flew off into the night.

"I think we need to get the hell out of here ourselves," Priss suggested.

"Yes, let's go home." Sylia agreed wearily.