BUBBLEGUM CRISIS / BIO-BOOSTER ARMOUR GUYVER:
  
THE HEART OF THE BEAST

  BY JEREMY PHILLIPS
  
  (AKA: SAILOR URANUS)
  
    Original Character designs by Sonoda Kenichi and Yoshiki Takaya
    
   
   
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   CHAPTER ONE
   
   The fiery orange of sunset slowly melted away as the sun sank below
   the skyline of Mega-Tokyo. The countless solar panels covering every
   available space of rooftop switched their electrical systems over to
   internal, releasing the power they had spent all day slowly gathering.
   Even Genom tower, the massive arcology that lorded over the sprawling
   city, finally relinquished its hold on the light as the last of the
   sun's rays left the top of the tower.
   
   Even as the city of day went to sleep, the city of night came to life.
   Street lamps and window lights winked on all over the city in no
   apparent order, mirroring the stars that slowly appeared in the sky.
   Neon signs glowed more fiercely as the sunlight no longer upstaged
   them in intensity. Numerous clubs and other, seedier establishments
   began opening up, as people gathered to escape the drudgery of the day
   and enjoy the atmosphere of the night.
   
   In one of the quieter sections of the city, still in disrepair from
   the great earthquake, stood a large industrial complex. The sign at
   the main gate carried the logo of CryoTech, a subsidiary company of
   Genom. The well-lit grounds served as a parking area for numerous
   transport vehicles, trucks, tanker trailers and even armoured
   transports. The rest of the complex consisted of a quad of
   multi-storey buildings, linked by numerous enclosed catwalks and all
   heavily sealed. One of the buildings also encompassed a set of huge
   cylindrical storage tanks.
   
   Suddenly, an alarm sounded throughout the complex. The grounds came to
   life with previously-unseen security guards, dressed standard
   uniforms. In a dark corner of the compound, four men in black
   jumpsuits could be barely made out, sprinting at top speed from one of
   the buildings. Clutched firmly in the hand of one of the men was a
   small, unremarkable metal cylinder. They had almost made it to the
   outer perimeter fence when a voice called out to them.
   "Right, that's far enough!"
   The four men whirled around to meet their opponents, five securty
   guards. None of the guards visibly carried any weapons, but stood
   firmly nonetheless. One of the guards held out his hand.
   "We can't let you leave with the sample cylinder," he explained
   simply. "If you hand it over, we won't kill you."
   "We can't let them slow us down," one of the four men hissed under his
   breath to the others in the group. "More guards will arrive any moment
   now."
   The man holding the cylinder tossed it to one of the other men.
   "Vamore! Cover us," he instructed.
   As the man called Vamore caught the cylinder, the guards approached
   slowly, their eyes beginning to glow an erie red.
   
   At that moment, Vamore exploded. Or rather, he appeared to explode.
   With surprising speed, he increased greatly in size to nearly one and
   a half times his original height, ripping out of his jumpsuit. His
   skin took on a reptillian texture. His face elongated to a pointed
   snout and ears, with deep red eyes and a wide mouth. Two large pods
   also ballooned out from his shoulders. The guards stopped in momentary
   shock at the transformation that had just taken place.
   "Now," commanded the group leader.
   In an instant, the other three performed a similar transformation.
   They doubled in size, their skin taking on a dark, chitinous
   appearance. Their eyes also became a deep red, and their heads
   sprouted numerous horns. Their final appearance resembled some form of
   bipedal demonic rhinocerous.
   
   The guards' moment of shock was brief, however. They quickly
   activated, ripping out of their pseudo-flesh shells and attaining full
   size. The squad of Boomers quickly moved into action, striking before
   before the trespassers could make a move. As one Boomer launched
   himself into the air towards the group, the pods on Vamore's shoulders
   sprang open, revealing two gelatinous lens arrays. With a momentary
   hum, two intense beams lanced out, burning a large hole through the
   chest of the airborne Boomer. As the inoperative cyberdroid crashed to
   the ground, the mouths of the other Boomers streched open as their
   laser cannons were brought to bear on the group. As they fired a
   salvo, the four beasts scattered out of the way.
   
   Unbeknownst to the combatants, an AD Police aerodyne was performing a
   routine patrol over the are at the time. The pilot quickly radioed in.
   "ADP HQ, this is Spotter seven. There is a firefight in the southeast
   corner of the CryoTech complex. Looks like eight combatants involved.
   Four are BU-55C class Boomers, four are unidentified. More Boomers are
   approaching the fight. Please dispach ADP ground units ASAP.
   Repeat..."
   
   
   In another part of town, action of another kind was taking place. The
   club known as 'Hot Legs' was a favourite meeting place for people from
   all walks of life. The only reason for going to the club was for the
   bands that played there, and that night was no exception. After a few
   months of not being allowed to play at the club because of the lead
   singer's nasty habit of pulling disappearing acts before and even
   during performances, the owner bowed to public pressure and allowed
   Priss and the Replicants to play there again. The group was playing
   only occasional gigs at some of the smaller clubs, and so agreed to
   playing at 'Hot Legs' again.
   
   The gig that night announced their return to 'Hot Legs'. The floor was
   completely packed with loyal fans, moving and pulsating as a single
   entity to the music. The performance was drawing to a close, and both
   crowd and band were still full of energy. Priss was wearing her
   favourite outfit, consisting of a short leather skirt, short red top,
   arm length gloves, biker boots and blonde wig. She pumped all of her
   emotion into her singing, playing the crowd like another instrument.
   
     "When the odds are stacked against you,
     When you're backed against the wall,
     When the rising darkness engulfs you
     And you're sure that you will fall.
     
     "Just remember you have the power,
     Burning deep within your veins,
     The power to make a difference
     And to keep hold of the reins."
     
   The pounding beat resonated throughout the club. The atmosphere was
   electric as the music poured from the centre stage.
   
     "There's a beast that lives within us,
     That's fighting to be free,
     You must forget all of your fears
     To be all that you can be."
     
   Priss raised her fist up, beating the air in time with the music.
   
     "Release the power, unchain the beast."
     
   The crowd chanted in chorus, fighting to make themselves heard over
   each other.
   
     "Release the power, unchain the beast."
     
   The drummer built to a rising crescendo as the song came to a finish.
   
     "Release the power, unchain the beast!"
     
   The crowd cheered their appreciation. Priss stepped back from the mike
   and wiped her forearm across her brow, mopping up the sweat that had
   begun to build. It was then that she chanced to hear a beeping sound
   over the audience. She glanced at her bracelet and noticed a small
   flashing red light. Cursing under her breath, she pressed a small
   button to acknowledge the signal. She quickly turned around to face
   the rest of the group.
   "I'm sorry, guys," she spoke, "but I have to go. You're going to have
   to do the last number yourselves."
   "Again?" grinned Kowalski, leaning forward over his drums. "You better
   not pull this stunt too often, or we'll be kicked out again."
   "Don't worry, Priss," smiled Roy in reassurance. "Just try to make it
   back as soon as possible. We still have to celebrate after the show."
   Priss smiled in gratitude.
   "Zhora, the mike's yours," she said as she quickly moved off-stage.
   "Thanks," replied Zhora at Priss' retreating figure. She swung her
   bass guitar to her side as she stood up to the microphone.
   As Priss moved briskly down the hallway to the back exit, she could
   hear Zhora's voice behind her.
   "Priss has to go now, but we're not done yet! This last song is
   called..."
   The rest was lost in the cheering of the crowd.
   
   "Priss!" called a voice behind her.
   She scowled as the club owner caught up with her.
   "Remember that little talk we had on your disappearing acts?" he
   growled.
   "Yeah, well it can't be helped," she replied coldly. "This is an
   emergency."
   "You can't just up an leave in the middle of a concert like this! You
   have a responsibility to me and the people who pay to get in here."
   "You don't give a shit about the people anyawy, just their money. If
   you did, you'd serve better liquor for a start."
   "I'm warning you, Priss. You keep this up, and I'll see to it you
   never get to play anywhere!"
   Priss whirled around to face him, making him shrink back a step.
   "I may play here, but don't ever think that means you own me," she
   snarled. "And if you don't get off my back, I'll see you to it you
   never have any customers again!"
   With that, she stormed through the back exit, slamming the door shut.
   It was a few moments before the manager reacted.
   "You can't do this!" he shouted after her. "If you give a shit about
   the people, you should be out there singing!"
   Not hearing a response, he walked up to the door and yanked it open.
   "Dammit, Priss -".
   He stopped short as he stepped outside. Priss was gone. Her motorcycle
   was still parked outside, but she was nowhere to be seen. Scratching
   his head in bewilderment, he went back inside.
   
   Above the nightclub, Its twin rotor noise dampers engaged at maximum
   cancellation, the Knight Wing sped away to the other side of town.
   
   
   The headless body of the last Boomer crashed to the ground. Standing
   over the remains was one of the demonic creatures, the Boomer's head
   still firmly clutched in his large clawed hand. His breath rasped
   heavily in his throat, but was otherwise untouched. Nearby, two other
   identical creatures lay on the ground, one with a hole burned through
   his head, the other with his chest melted open. The acrid smell of
   burnt flesh still hung in the night air. Behind them stood Vamore,
   shimmering waves of heat slowly rising from his open shoulder pods.
   "Gregore!" hissed Vamore. "We have to get out of here!"
   
   Gregore slowly surveyed their location. No streetlamp lit the scene,
   but with his heightened senses, the area appeared as it would in
   normal daylight to him. They were in the ruins of what once was a
   suburban area, several blocks away from the CryoTech complex. The
   bodies of over half a dozen Boomers littered the place, all twisted,
   broken and in other various states of non-functionality. No doubt
   still more security Boomers were on their way. And things would become
   even more problematic if the AD Police eventually showed up.
   
   As Gregore studied the area, the bodies of the other two creatures
   began to dissolve away. Their body chemistry had been modified so that
   when their life signs were terminated, a fast-acting enzyme was
   released into their system that completely broke them down, leaving
   nothing but dark vapours and a puddle of black residue. Once the
   process was completed, Gregore turned to face Vamore.
   "Let's go," he growled.
   
   As they turned to leave, a voice called out behind them, stopping them
   in their tracks once more.
   "Right, that's far enough."
   Gregore and Vamore turned to face the new opposition, and froze. They
   were not Boomers, rather they appeared to be humans in power armour.
   However, the armour looked much more sophisticated than what could
   normally be found. The armour appeared surprisingly form-fitting, the
   shape of which indicated that the occupants were female. There were
   four of them - one blue, one green and orange, one pink and red, and
   one steel grey.
   
   Gregore snarled. This new interruption would cause further problems if
   they slowed them down enough for more Boomers to arrive on the scene.
   They simply couldn't take the time to stay and fight them. With a
   quick motion of his hand, Gregore and Vamore moved into action.
   Gregore dashed for a side street, while Vamore, still clutching the
   container, sprinted towards an open alleyway in the opposite
   direction.
   
   
   "Nene, you're with me!" called out Priss, pointing towards the larger
   of the two fleeing creatures. Sylia watched Priss and Nene dash off in
   pursuit of the monster, then motioned for Linna to come with her after
   the smaller one. They both leaped into the air, and Sylia's boom
   mounts snapped open and the thruster jets fired to carry her further
   into the air and guide her approach to the alley entrance. After a
   brief flight, Sylia landed and her boom mounts retracted. She stepped
   cautiously into the alley, unable to find any sign of the monster.
   Switching her visor display to infra-red, she made a quick sweep of
   the alley, but was unable to find anything. It was at that moment that
   she thought of checking for any catwalks above. She looked up in time
   to see a large heat build-up directly above. She threw herself into a
   forward roll just as two bolts of energy smashed into the asphalt
   where she was standing just moments ago. The creature then dropped
   down to the ground, its shoulder pods open. Sylia, still crouched on
   the ground, swung around and extended her arm cannon, Bringing it to
   bear on the creature. At the same time, the pods on the creature's
   shoulders charged for another blast.
   
   Before either could react, however, two ribbons lashed out from behind
   the creature. One of the ribbons made contact, cutting the creature's
   arm off and slicing one of the pods in half. The creature screeched in
   pain, involuntarily clutching the stump where its arm used to be with
   its other claw. The gelatinous membrane from the pod's lens array
   oozed out. Sylia took the opportunity to finish it off. Leaping to her
   feet, she rushed up to the creature and rammed her arm cannon against
   its abdomen, discharging two rounds into it. The creature was thrown
   backwards from the blast, falling to the ground with blood and other
   bodily fluids pouring from the gaping hole.
   
   Linna landed beside Sylia, her ribbons falling harmlessly down her
   back. The two cautiously approached the still form lying on the
   ground. "What do you suppose it is?" asked Linna absently.
   "It's not a Boomer, that's for sure," noted Sylia. "It looks organic.
   It's most likely some form of genetically engineered creature."
   "But who would make a thing like this?"
   "I don't know. I don't believe Genom is involved in this kind of
   research."
   Linna glanced around the alley.
   "What was it doing here, anyway?"
   They both looked down at the severed arm. There, still clutched firmly
   in its grasp, was the metal cylinder.
   
   
   The pounding of gravel echoed down the street as Priss and Nene chased
   after the lumbering creature, Nene running a little behind Priss.
   Halfway down the street, the creature skidded to a halt and reversed
   its direction, charging straight at the girls. Unable to raise her
   rail gun in time, Priss threw herself to one side. Nene, however, was
   not so lucky. She could only manage a shriek before a quarter ton of
   muscle and armour plating slammed into her, knocking her to the
   ground. The creature jumped to its feet and charged at Priss, who was
   getting quickly to her feet. It swung a huge fist at her. She ducked
   to one side, but still caught the blow on her left shoulder. The
   impact knocked her back, but she rode with it and brought her right
   leg around, smashing it into the creature's side. She fought to
   maintain her balance as the creature stumbled past her. She stood
   ready to face it again as Nene got unsteadily to her feet just behind
   her. The creature whirled about, and was about to charge them again.
   
   Suddenly, the blast of a sub-sonic shockwave echoed down the street,
   and the creature's head exploded in a shower of dark blood. The
   headless creature dropped to the ground with a heavy thud.
   "What the -" started Priss.
   Standing in a slight crouch a short distance behind the creature was
   another humanoid, its hands cupped in front of itself as if it were
   pushing something at the creature. It was completely blue, with what
   appeared to be a short curved blade protruding from each elbow and a
   long fin extending from its forehead, arcing back over its head. It
   was covered from head to toe in armour plating, and appeared to be
   some kind of power suit. Priss quickly raised her rail gun at the
   newcomer.
   "Who the hell are you?" she called out.
   The humanoid lowered its hands and stood facing her.
   "You gonna answer, or what?" she demanded.
   In response, a bolt of energy fired out from a point on the humanoid's
   forehead, glancing Priss' arm and knocking off her aim. It quickly
   jumped into the air, appearing to defy gravity as it landed on the
   rooftop of a crumbling three-story building. Priss quickly raised her
   arm again and fired the rail gun. The slender metal spine caught the
   humanoid in its left shoulder, causing it to tumble out of view. Priss
   went in pirsuit of it, activating the thrusters in the back of her
   suit and taking to the air. She landed on the rooftop to find that it
   was gone. All she could see were a few traces of blood - human blood,
   or so it appeared.
   
   "Priss!" cried out Nene from below.
   Priss looked looked back over the ledge to see Nene staring at the
   fallen creature. Its body was rapidly dissolving away into
   nothingness.
   "What the hell's going on here?" muttered Priss to herself.
   "What are... were they?" asked Nene hesitantly.
   Priss looked down at the large dent the creature had made in the
   armour plating on her shoulder.
   "They're tough, whatever they are," she answered.
   The sound of thrusters firing made Priss look up suddenly, just as
   Sylia landed on the rooftop beside her. Linna also came flying briefly
   through the air, landing next to Nene.
   "Yours melt too?" asked Priss.
   Sylia nodded.
   "Nene, signal Mackie for a pick-up. The AD Police will be here any
   second now."
   "OK," responded Nene.
   As if on cue, the wail of police sirens could be heard in the
   distance. "What's that?" asked Priss absently, pointing at the
   cylinder Sylia held in her gloved hand.
   "I don't know yet," Sylia answered simply.
   A searchlight swept down the street as the Knight Wing came into view.
   It touched down in the middle of the street and lowered its entry
   ramp, allowing Nene and Linna to climb on board. Priss and Sylia
   leaped from the rooftop to the street below and quickly boarded also.
   Within seconds, the Knight Wing was back in the air again and speeding
   across town, moments before the first AD Police cruiser arrived on the
   scene.
   
   
   Some hours later, Priss was leaving the 'Hot Legs' club. She had made
   it back to the club in time for the party afterwards, where the band
   celebrated their return with the rest of the partygoers. Several
   drinks and a couple of embarrasing karaoke songs later, Priss had
   managed to extricate herself from the rest of the group and make it to
   the back exit, where her bike was still parked. She had packed her
   stage gear in a battered gym bag she carried with her, and was wearing
   her bike leathers as she climbed on her bike.
   
   Suddenly, someone stepped out from the shadows of an alleyway.
   "Priss?"
   Still seated on the bike, Priss twisted around and pulled out a
   handgun, aiming it at the shadowy figure.
   "Who's there?" she demanded.
   The figure paused momentarily at the sight of the gun, but continued
   walking forwards.
   "I'm not armed," the figure said calmly. "I'm just a fan of yours."
   The figure emerged from the shadows, revealing himself to be a boy in
   his late teens. He was dressed in faded blue jeans and a plain white
   shirt. He had medium-length, unkemp black hair and piercing blue eyes.
   Priss lowered her gun.
   "I don't remember seeing you at the party," she noted.
   "I... had to leave early. I just wanted to talk to you about your
   music."
   "You could have come inside to talk to me," she suggested. "Then you
   could have enjoyed the party while you were there."
   "I wanted to talk with you alone," he answered simply.
   Priss shurgged and reholstered her gun.
   "You said you had to leave early," she started. "That means you were
   there for the concert?"
   "Yeah. That's what I wanted to talk about. That last song that you
   did..."
   "I... wasn't there for the last song," she admitted hesitantly.
   He shook his head.
   "No. I meant the last song that you did, before you had to leave. I
   just wanted to say thank you for it."
   Priss looked at him closely, unsure of what he was talking about.
   "I've been going through a lot lately," he explained. He lowered his
   head as he continued. "I lost my own sense of identity a long time
   ago, and I started getting tired of it all. After hearing you sing
   tonight, I've realised that I can't help what's happened to me. I can
   only keep going doing the best I can. I know it all sounds like
   nonsense to you, but you've helped me understand myself better. I just
   wanted to thank you for it."
   
   He looked up to see Priss smiling at him.
   "What's your name?" she asked.
   "Sho... Sho Fukamachi."
   "Sho..." she repeated. "You know, I know a kid called Sho. You may
   want to meet him sometime. You probably both have something in
   common."
   "Somehow I doubt that," Sho replied wryly.
   "Where are your parents?"
   "They're both dead."
   "So, where are you staying?"
   "I don't have any place to stay."
   "Then you can stay at my trailer."
   Sho looked at her quizzically.
   "Why are you going out of your way for me?" he asked.
   Priss smiled at him again.
   "You interest me," she admitted. "You're a strange kid, and I've had
   enough experience in that department to know what I'm talking about. I
   want to find out more about you."
   "You don't want to know about me," said Sho softly.
   "Try me," she replied. "In any case, all I can offer you is a sleeping
   bag on the floor. It's not much, but it's better than a cardboard
   box."
   Sho was silent for a few moments.
   "I... appreciate it. Thank you, Priss."
   Priss extended her hand to him.
   "Well? Let's go."
   After a moment's hesitation, Sho accepted her hand and she pulled him
   onto the back of the bike, and he grabbed hold of her waist. She
   started the bike, the heavily modified engine responding with an
   initial roar and settling down to a deep rumble. They took off into
   the night, leaving the alley quiet once more.
   
   
   
   CHAPTER TWO
   
   Roger Arquin, head of security for CryoTech, shifted nervously on the
   spot he was standing. He had always wanted to enter Genom tower, but
   not under such circumstances. He stood in a spacious office at the
   summit of the arcology. One wall consisted mostly of numerous screens
   that were presently flicking through production and stock reports. The
   far wall was made completely out of high-impact bulletproof glass,
   through which the morning sun came flooding through. Sillhouetted by
   the sun, seated at his large oak desk, was Quincy, chairman of the
   Genom corporation and one of the most powerful men on Earth. Arquin
   could not see his face for all the light behind him, but he did not
   need to see it. He knew that the chairman was displeased, and to anger
   Quincy was to invoke the wrath of God.
   
   "It seems we had some trouble at the CryoTech plant last night."
   Quincy broke the silence, his words sounding like a death sentence.
   "Y-yes, sir," was all Arquin could manage for a response.
   "Anything missing?" asked Quincy absently.
   Arquin silently cursed the old man. He knew perfectly well what was
   taken. He had read the full report from CryoTech earlier that morning.
   He just wanted him to say it purely for the psychological effect, like
   a cat playing with a mouse.
   "Our research labs were broken into. The intruders made off with our
   new chip prototype."
   Quincy was silent for a few moments as he read some reports on his
   desk, his attention seemingly diverted.
   "And what of the intruders?" he spoke again suddenly, his eyes not
   lifting from the reports.
   "There were four of them." explained Arquin nervously. "We believe we
   were successful in eliminating two of them -"
   "You believe?" repeated Quincy, looking up.
   "- and the other two, we believe were intercepted by the Knight
   Sabers," continued Arquin after only a moment's hesitation.
   "How could you not be sure if two of them were eliminated by your own
   security?" asked Quincy.
   "The seven security units involved in stopping the intruders were all
   destroyed. Also, we could not find the bodies of the two believed to
   be eliminated."
   "And the prototype?"
   Arquin swallowed hard.
   "It... was not recovered."
   Quincy leaned forward slightly in his seat.
   "How many security units do you have at the CryoTech plant?"
   "Twenty BU-55's patrolling the buildings and perimeter."
   "And seven of those were involved in attempting to stop the
   intruders?"
   "Yes, sir."
   "So where were the other thirteen?"
   "We - we feared it was only a diversion," stammered Arquin. "The rest
   of the units remained to guard the compound from further attack."
   Quincy stood up quickly, slamming his hands down on his desk.
   "What kind of diversionary raid steals a major project prototype?" he
   barked.
   Arquin backed up a step. Even in the carefully climate-controlled
   office, he was beginning to develop a sweat. Quincy rapidly regained
   his composure, sitting back down.
   "How is it possible that seven BU-55's were no match for four men?" he
   asked, a tone of annoyance clearly in his voice.
   "We believe that the four intruders had been altered, possibly through
   cybernetics. They might have even been genetically enhanced."
   "Are you suggesting that someone has developed bio-engineering beyond
   present levels in Boomer technology?"
   Arquin fell silent once again.
   
   Quincy placed his fingertips together in thought.
   "It seems someone is after our research." he mused aloud.
   "Could it be that the Knight Sabers are involved?" suggested Arquin.
   "Perhaps they rendezvoused with the intruders to collect the
   prototype."
   Quincy shook his head.
   "For all the annoyance they have caused us, they would never involve
   themselves in corporate warfare, even secretly."
   "But sir, when it comes down to it, they are mercenaries, after all."
   "Whatever the reason, the Knight Sabers are involved anyway. We can
   only assume they now have the prototype. I will get my own security
   taskforce involved in retrieving it. And as for you..."
   Arquin paled visibly.
   "Y-yes, s-sir?" he responded shakily.
   "You will find out how anyone outside of CryoTech could have found out
   about that project. Your secury measures to date have been far from
   impressive. Do not give me another reason to call you to my office,
   Roger Arquin."
   Unable to respond verbally, Arquin gave a curt nod and moved as
   quickly as possible through the great double doors without appearing
   to be fleeing in terror.
   
   
   Sylia opened the door to Mackie's room to see him seated at a video
   editing console on a swivel chair.
   "What is it, Mackie?" she asked him.
   Mackie looked over his shoulder at her and smiled.
   "Hi, sis. I got some footage you may want a look at."
   "From last night?" she said dubiously. "I thought the Knight Wing's
   surveillance cameras were switched off."
   Mackie turned in his chair to face her.
   "I had them on to monitor your fight," he explained. "They were still
   on during the flight back."
   "And they caught something on the ground?" she finished.
   "Only just."
   Mackie quickly swung around and displayed a short video segment from
   the forward view camera of the Knight Wing as it sped away from the
   fight scene. A panorama of burned-out buildings and twisted roadways
   passed before the screen, still in disrepair from the great
   earthquake. At one point, the display showed a figure scrabbling over
   a pile of rubble, pausing to look directly at the Knight Wing before
   it passed overhead. Mackie froze the image at that point. Sylia leaned
   closer to the screen in an attempt to get a better look. After a
   moment's study, she stood back and shrugged.
   "So, it's just some vagrant wandering in the area," she said finally.
   "But not even vagrants live in that area," countered Mackie. "The
   buildings are far too unstable. They could collapse without warning.
   Besides, he looks like he's running from something."
   Sylia took another close look at the figure.
   "You can't make out any detail from this, not even gender," she
   commented. "Were the night vision scopes also running?"
   "No. Not even the thermal imaging camera. All we have to go on is this
   piece of video."
   "It's most likely not even connected with the incident last night."
   "He was heading away from the scene. He may have seen something before
   we arrived."
   Sylia thought for a moment.
   "Can you enhance this image?" she asked.
   "I can try. It shouldn't take too long. How much detail do you want?"
   "I want enough detail for an ident computer to make a positive match
   for his facial features."
   Mackie punched a few keys on the console and after a moment a computer
   disk was ejected, containing the still image from the video. He moved
   over to his computer and powered it up.
   
   Sylia looked away from Mackie to take a quick look around the room.
   She had hardly ever been in his room before. It was furnished mostly
   with A/V equipment, including the video editing console and his
   computer. There was hardly any room left over for a bed. She took note
   of an open wardrobe door, inside which were stacked several video
   tapes with diagonal yellow and black striping - security tapes.
   "What are those tapes from?" she asked inquisitively.
   "They're from the internal security camera in the equipment van," he
   answered absently, too engrossed in his work to even look up from his
   computer.
   Sylia walked over and picked up the top video from the stack and
   proceeded to place it in Mackie's VCR machine. Mackie looked up from
   the computer in shock as realisation quickly set in.
   "Sis! No, don't! Uh..."
   His words trailed off as she turned on the TV and set the video
   playing. She was greeted by the sight of herself, Priss, Linna and
   Nene, all in various states of undress as they changed from their
   normal clothes into the support suits worn inside their hardsuits.
   There was a few moments of tense silence as neither Mackie or Sylia
   even moved.
   "Mackie," Sylia finally said resignedly, "why can't you buy magazines,
   like normal people?"
   
   
   On the other side of the city from the Genom arcology, in a
   redeveloped sector, stood a recently constructed building. The
   building belonged to a company called Max Pharmaceuticals, which was
   re-opening its Japan branch after it was demolished over forty years
   ago. It was a modest-sized building, only ten storeys high and
   consisting of plain, spartan architecture.
   
   The entire top floor of the building served as a control centre.
   Numerous control and communication panels were arranged to partition
   the floor into numerous sections, and each panel was manned by people
   in yellow jumpsuits and visored helmets. On a throne-like seat in the
   main section sat a dark-skinned man with thick silver-white hair. He
   was immersed in reading some freshly-printed reports when the elevator
   doors at the centre of the floor opened.
   "Commander Gyro!" called out a deep voice.
   The dark-skinned man looked up as a heavily-built man wearing a dark
   suit strode towards him.
   "Did you get the chip?" asked Gyro expectantly.
   "Sir our CryoTech informant was correct. Our team broke into their
   labs and stole the chip. However, our team was intercepted and we no
   longer have the chip."
   Gyro was silent for a few moments.
   "Was it Fukamachi?" he asked finally.
   "No, sir. It was a group of people in power armour."
   "The Police?"
   "They appeared to be vigilantes, sir."
   Gyro cursed under his breath.
   "The Knight Sabers," he hissed.
   "That is what we believe," agreed the suited man.
   "How did we attract their attention?"
   "It seems that any activity involving Genom attracts their attention."
   Gyro thought for another moment.
   "We could find their home base and strike there with several Zoanoid
   teams," suggested the suited man.
   "No," replied Gyro quickly. "We can't afford to get involved with
   them. It would slow us down too much. Have all agents keep alert for
   the whereabouts of the chip. Avoid conflict where possible for now.
   And for God's sake, look out for Fukamachi. We can't have him
   complicating things further."
   "Yes, sir."
   Gyro leaned forwards.
   "We must have that chip at all costs. It could prove to be the missing
   link we're looking for."
   "We'll recover it," reassured the suited man.
   
   
   Priss awoke to the smell of something cooking. She turned her head to
   see that the sleeping bag on the floor was sitting folded up on the
   couch. Pushing the covers off, she swung her legs off the bed and sat
   upright, ducking her head slightly as she did so. The trailer was
   actually a converted truck transport container. The truck cab, still
   connected to the container, had long since given up the ghost, so it
   had more or less become a permanent residence. The outside was adorned
   with numerous pieces of graffiti, the most prominent of which read
   'Priss and the Replicants'. Inside was a compact living area. Priss'
   bed was set up in the ledge that sat above the cab, making it
   something like a bunk bed. The rest consisted of modest furniture, a
   large Hi-Fi unit, and a kitchen area at the far end. Her motorcycle
   was parked between the kitchen area and the rest of the living area.
   At that moment, Sho was busy toiling over the small gas stove in the
   kitchen.
   
   Priss quietly got up and walked towards the kitchen. She half sat and
   half leaned on the motorcycle seat and studied him from behind for a
   moment. She noted absently the presence of a hole in the left shoulder
   of his shirt, but thought nothing else of it.
   "You look like you've done that quite a few times before," she
   commented. Sho smiled at her over his shoulder.
   "I used to, but I haven't cooked in almost fort-"
   He stopped suddenly, and his gaze fell to the floor.
   "In a long time," he finished in a barely audible whisper.
   Priss studied him for a moment longer, then made a quick look around
   the trailer. The place looked neater than it had in a long time. All
   her tapes and discs were stacked neatly by her stereo. The various
   clothes she normally had draped across the floor and couch were folded
   up and sitting in a pile next to the sleeping bag on the couch.
   "I didn't invite you round here because I needed a servant, you know,"
   she told him.
   "Oh, this is just my way of saying thanks for letting me stay here."
   "For a street kid, you sure are domesticated."
   "I haven't always been without a family. Besides, I'm not really what
   you would call a street kid."
   "What would you call yourself, then?"
   Sho was silent for a moment.
   "I'm... hard to classify."
   Priss grinned.
   "You got that right. How old are you?"
   Sho thought about it for a moment or so.
   "Seventeen," he responded quickly.
   Priss raised an eyebrow.
   "Are you sure?" she asked.
   He blushed slightly.
   "Hey, don't worry about it," she smiled. "I hardly remember my own
   birthday sometimes."
   
   "Can I ask you something?" he asked hesitantly.
   "Go right ahead."
   "How long have you lived like this? Lived alone?"
   Priss paused for a moment.
   "I lost both my parents in the 'quake when I was young. I spent a
   while at an orphanage, but no family would take me." She smirked. "Not
   that I'd blame them. I ended up running away. Being alone, I was
   bitter and angry. My tendency was towards violent solutions. The only
   other release I had was through my music."
   "You don't strike me as the exceedingly violent type," he commented.
   Priss grinned again.
   "I nearly shot you when I first saw you, didn't I? Just like another
   friend of mine. I have a great technique for meeting people." Her mood
   returned to sombre. "No, I am different now. I have friends now,
   something I thought someone like me could never have. We're like a
   family now. I have three sisters now." She paused for a moment. "And a
   pervert brother. You know, it's funny, but when you're on you're on
   your own, you get so pissed off how no-one gives a damn about you,
   until you realise you don't have to be alone."
   "Do you still sing for a release?"
   "Sure. Music's a great form of expression. When I sing, I'm generally
   expressing that I'm pissed off about something. When I can't do
   anything about it, I tell others about it through my singing."
   "When something annoys you, have you ever wanted to do something about
   it?"
   Priss stopped herself. For a moment, she almost felt like telling him
   all about her involvement with the Knight Sabers. She studied the
   youth standing in front of her again. He spoke and acted more mature
   than a seventeen year-old. She knew nothing about him, and yet she
   felt she could trust him. But she couldn't tell him. Only one other
   person knew of her involvement, and she didn't want to make a habit of
   telling everyone she met.
   "I can do something about it," she answered finally, "through my
   music. If there's at least one person out there listening that can
   make a difference, then I've done something useful."
   Sho nodded in understanding.
   
   The smell of burning sausages quickly brought Sho's attention back to
   his cooking, and he turned back to saving what wasn't burned. Priss
   sat and watched him for a few moments before breaking from her trance
   and standing up.
   "I have to leave right after breakfast to meet up with my friends,"
   she told him. "I'd invite you along, except it's sort of a private
   get- together."
   "I understand," he replied over his shoulder. "I'll be gone before you
   get back."
   "That's not what I meant. You're free to stay here if you want."
   Sho turned the gas stove off and turned to face her.
   "I'm sorry Priss, but I can't stay here," he said finally. "I have to
   keep moving."
   "Why? Are you in some kind of trouble?"
   He raised his hands defensively.
   "I'm not a criminal, trust me," he reassured her.
   "I never said that. You just sound like someone is after you."
   "You could say that."
   Priss stepped closer.
   "Who?" she asked.
   "Forget it," he said quickly. "There's nothing you can do about it."
   "It wouldn't hurt to tell me who it is," she pursued.
   He thought for a moment.
   "It's a company," he answered finally, "called Max Pharmeceuticals."
   He looked at her closely. "Please don't try to get involved."
   "I'll only do what's within my power," she promised him. "I won't get
   in over my head."
   "I'd rather you didn't do anything at all."
   "I tell you what," she decided finally. "I won't get involved if you
   stay for longer."
   He thought about the offer.
   "I won't be staying here long," he said resolutely. "One or two days
   at the most."
   "If you move on, I understand," she answered.
   "Thank you, Priss."
   Priss stepped away.
   "Well, I'm not chaining you up indoors. And if I come back to find
   you've ironed my underwear, you're gonna see how violent I can get."
   Sho smiled.
   
   
   
   CHAPTER THREE
   
   "Sorry I'm late," apologised Nene, closing the front door to Sylia's
   apartment behind her as she entered.
   "Slept in again, Nene?" goaded Priss.
   Nene shot Priss a look of indignation.
   "It's all right," smiled Sylia reassuringly.
   Nene hurriedly sat down on one end of the sofa next to Linna.
   "Very well then," began Sylia, Picking up a small pile of looseleaf
   papers from the table next to her. "I'm sure you all understand that
   last night's events were somewhat unusual."
   "It was definitely the cleanest fight I've ever had," smiled Priss.
   "If only we could train the boomers to clean up after themselves after
   we've finished trashing them."
   "If Genom were able to implement such technology, they would do so,"
   commented Sylia. "Imagine if a Boomer failed in a sabotage or
   corporate espionage mission and was terminated. The body would be
   conveniently disposed of, leaving no evidence as to who or what was
   responsible."
   "So, what were we fighting last night?" asked Linna.
   "We have nothing further to go on, so I can only stick to what I said
   last night. They were organic creatures, most likely artificially
   created."
   "I'd hate to think things like those exist naturally," shuddered Nene.
   "I agree. However, who created them is still uncertain."
   "What are the AD Police doing about all this?" asked Priss.
   "McLeod and Daley are in charge of the investigation," informed Nene.
   "They don't know anything other than someone broke into the CryoTech
   labs and stole something. Genom aren't being very informative on who
   the thieves might be or what was stolen. Also, by the time they
   arrived at the scene of the fight, there was nothing but broken
   Boomers."
   "Why did they take so long in getting there, anyway?" asked Linna.
   "The CryoTech plant was clear over the other side of town, in one of
   the derilect districts," answered Mackie, who was sitting on the
   corner of the bed. "We only made it in time because we used the Knight
   Wing."
   "And what about this mystery person?" asked Priss. "He shows up out of
   nowhere, blasts one of these creatures to kingdom come and takes off.
   How's he involved?"
   Sylia sighed.
   "The last thing we need right now is more mysteries. I'm afraid I have
   no idea on how he may be involved."
   "We could have asked him if Priss hadn't have shot him," commented
   Nene.
   "He was running from us anyway!" snapped Priss. "Besides, he shot me
   first."
   "Only because you were about to skewer his brain -" Nene's response
   was cut short by a pillow hitting her in the face.
   "Old habits die hard," grumbled Priss, lowering her arm.
   "Besides," added Linna, "it sounds to me like he wasn't aiming to hit
   you, just to knock your aim off so he could get away."
   "Don't worry," said Sylia. "I have a feeling we'll run into him again
   sooner or later."
   
   "Okay, then," reviewed Linna. "These creatures stole this 'thing'. So,
   since we've got it now, do we know what it is?"
   "I've done some preliminary tests on it," replied Sylia. "The cylinder
   contains a computer chip that utilises organic material for its
   processing and memory functions. It appears to have been assembled
   using a modified application of existing nano-technology techniques."
   "Modified? How?" asked Priss.
   "The normal process involves augmenting an existing organic base by
   introducing artificial components. This modified technique appears to
   involve starting with an electronic base and introducing organic
   elements to it."
   "Haven't Genom been working with that technology for a while now?"
   asked Nene.
   "They've applied it to musclature and rudimentary neural systems for
   some of their more advanced Boomers, but they've never tried it on so
   detailed a level before."
   "So, what is it used for?" asked Priss.
   "As near as I can tell, it's some form of control system.
   Unfortunately, we need more powerful equipment to give a better
   analysis."
   "Seems like a lot of trouble for just a control system," commented
   Priss.
   "I have a feeling it's more than that," returned Sylia.
   "Is there any way we can take a better look at it, then?" asked Linna.
   "We could use the analysis labs at AD Police headquarters," suggested
   Nene. "The equipment there's pretty much top of the line."
   "What does the AD Police need an analysis lab for?" asked Priss.
   "AD Police is confiscating more and more black market technology these
   days. The labs were set up to analyse and document the stuff as it
   comes in."
   "What happens to the tech once it's gone through the labs, then?"
   "It's all placed in high-security storage underground, while the
   reports on it are locked in a top-access file."
   "Which you've already hacked into and read, I'll bet," smirked Priss.
   "Hey, I've gotta keep myself entertained somehow," replied Nene
   matter- of-factly.
   "I don't know," mused Sylia. "You might get caught using the labs."
   "It's all right," reassured Nene. "I can arrange access with very
   little fuss."
   "Very well. But keep your use of the facilities discreet."
   
   "Anything else we need to discuss?" asked Priss.
   "Yes," added Sylia. "We have someone I would like to find, someone who
   may know more about our opponents last night."
   She held up a colour enlargement and handed it to Nene to look at.
   "This is a picture taken from one of the surveillance cameras on the
   Knight Wing. We don't know who he is, or even if he's involved. But he
   may have seen something that may help us in finding out... what is it,
   Priss?"
   The picture had been passed around the girls. When Priss saw it, she
   stared at it intently with a look of shock on her face.
   "It's Sho!" she exclaimed.
   "The boy from the orphanage?"
   "No! It's a kid I met last night. Sho Fukamachi." She studied the
   picture again. "But that's impossible!"
   "What is it?" asked Nene curiously.
   "He was there for the last number I played at the show. That means he
   must have left about the same time I did. But the fight only lasted
   ten minutes, tops. There's no way he could've gotten there that fast,
   not even if he hitched a lift. The fight was clear over the other side
   of town!"
   "Maybe he flew," suggested Nene.
   Priss glared at her.
   "Hey, it was just a suggestion," Nene shrugged.
   "In any case," responded Sylia after a moment's thought, "Sho may be
   involved. However, we can't risk spooking him, so I don't want a
   confrontation with him just yet."
   "I'll have a word with him," spoke Priss. "One thing you may want to
   check out, though. Sho mentioned having trouble with a company called
   Max Pharmaceuticals."
   "Fine. I'll have it checked out. In the meantime, Nene, I want you to
   organise a time when you can use the AD Police labs to analyse the
   chip. And remember, we have to keep this quiet."
   "No problem. I can arrange it this afternoon."
   Sylia stood up.
   "Well, that's all for today, then. We'll meet up again tomorrow
   afternoon. Until then, be careful."
   
   
   "So, what's the occasion?" asked Sho.
   Priss continued to cut a piece off her steak.
   "The occasion? I guess it's because I'm hungry," she answered.
   "It's just that I'm not used to being invited to a restaurant with a
   beautiful girl."
   She smiled as she swallowed her mouthful.
   "I come here occasionally. They serve the best steaks here. It would
   be terrible of me if I didn't invite you along."
   "Well, thank you again, Priss."
   Both ate in silence for a short while. Finally, Priss looked up at
   Sho.
   "Can I ask you something?" she asked.
   "What is it?"
   "Why are you on the run? Is it something you did to this
   pharmaceuticals company?"
   Sho looked down.
   "I can't tell you," he said dejectedly.
   "Why?" she demanded. "Dammit, Sho, I want to help!"
   "You can't!" he exclaimed.
   Noticing they had begun to attract the attention of some of the other
   restaurant patrons, he quickly lowered his voice.
   "You can't," he repeated in a near whisper. "I'm too dangerous to
   those around me. If you get involved, they'll come after you, too. I
   like you, Priss. You've been kind to me. I don't want to drag you into
   this."
   "Sho," began Priss. "I can help you. I want to help you. But I can't
   do zip unless you tell me what's going on."
   Sho shook his head.
   "Forget it, Priss. It's too big. There's no way you can help."
   "And you think you can do it on your own?"
   "It's like you were saying before. If only one person out there who
   has the power to make a difference listens to you, then you've helped.
   Well, I have the power. Up until I heard you sing last night, though,
   I've been reluctant to use it. What you've already done is enough
   help."
   "Sho, I don't know what kind of power you have, but that doesn't make
   you invincible. I was also talking this morning about being alone. Do
   you remember? Doing things on your own can only make it harder for
   yourself, especially if others are willing to help you."
   Priss leaned closer.
   "You don't have to be alone. Remember that."
   
   Sho's attention to Priss was broken as his gaze snapped to something
   behind her, and his eyes widened in fear.
   "Oh, shit!" he exclaimed.
   "What?" asked Priss.
   "They've found us!"
   Priss turned around to see two large men in dark suits striding
   forcefully towards where they were seated. Sho jumped to his feet and
   grabbed Priss' arm.
   "We gotta go! Now!" he cried.
   Priss leaped to her feet and ran towards the kitchen, with Sho right
   behind. The two men threw tables and diners alike from their path as
   they made a beeline for the fleeing couple. Priss and Sho burst
   through the kitchen door and ran for the back door, tearing past
   several bewildered kitchen staff.
   
   The back door was nearly knocked from its hinges as they stubled into
   the alley. Taking a moment to regain her bearings, Priss pointed out
   the alley entrance to Sho. By the time the door slammed open again and
   the two men emerged, Priss and Sho had made it to the alley entrance
   and were running out into the street. Priss' bike was parked in front
   of the restaurant. In one fluid movement, she mounted the bike and
   started it up with one kick. As Sho clambered on the back behind her,
   she turned around to see the two men running out of the alley. She
   reached behind her and pulled out her gun with one hand, firing a
   warning shot at their feet. Ignoring the shot, the two men continued
   to run at them without even slowing down. Priss quickly turned back
   around, still holding the gun in one hand, and took off rapidly, Sho
   remembering at the last moment to hang on before he fell off the back
   of the bike. The two men came to a halt, watching the retreating
   motorcycle.
   
   
   CHAPTER FOUR
   
   It was still only mid afternoon when Sylia walked up to the front door
   of 'Cest La Vie'. As she entered, the early evening air gave way to
   the smoke-filled atmosphere, slowly circulated by an overhead fan. She
   walked purposefully to the bar and sat down next to a man with dirty
   blonde hair and wearing a crumpled suit. She proceeded to reach into
   her handbag and pull out a cigarette.
   "I must say I'm impressed, Fargo," she said to the man nonchalantly,
   lighting the cigarette. "It only took you half a day to get some
   information."
   Fargo, still staring into his drink, gave a smile.
   "It's not so hard, when someone else has done the foundation work."
   He pushed a disk across the bar to Sylia, still not looking across to
   her.
   "These are the notes from a Mr. Masaki Murakami, a freelance reporter
   who seemed to have a vested interest in Max Pharmaceuticals."
   "Is this information accurate?"
   "I have no reason to distrust the source."
   "That's enough for me, then."
   "The lowdown," began Fargo, "is that the only drugs Max
   Pharmaceuticals would deal in is those of the black market variety.
   It's actually a front for the Japan branch of an organisation known as
   Chronos."
   "Never heard of them," admitted Sylia bluntly.
   Fargo nodded slightly.
   "I'd never even heard of them myself, until I dug up these files.
   They're a world-wide organisation that's set on world domination. To
   that end, they deal in the genetic 'enhancement' of people, turning
   them into creatures of inhuman strength and abilities."
   Sylia quickly recalled the creatures they fought the night before.
   "I've already met their handiwork," she stated. "How long has this
   organisation been operating?"
   "It's hard to say. These files are close to forty years old. Even when
   they were written, Chronos already had agents infiltrated into several
   major organisations and government bodies around the globe. They
   probably even have agents inside Genom."
   "I don't get it," mused Sylia, pausing to draw on her cigarette. "If
   they've been running this long and have agents in so many places, why
   haven't they fulfilled their agenda yet?"
   Fargo smiled again.
   "Ah. That's because someone's been hampering with their plans."
   "Who? This reporter?"
   "Partly. The main reason is a boy, called Sho -"
   "- Fukamachi," finished Sylia.
   "You know him?" asked Fargo.
   "One of my associates is taking care of him. How old is he now?"
   "The files date him as being seventeen years old, but that was forty
   years ago."
   "It seems," smiled Sylia wryly, "that he is still seventeen years
   old."
   Fargo looked at her for the first time.
   "But that's impossible!" he exclaimed.
   "What else do the files say on him?" asked Sylia.
   Fargo regained his composure and turned back to his drink.
   "Very little else, except to say that he's 'special' in some way. I
   tried looking at his records, but very little survived from the
   'quake. All I could find was that his mother died when he was very
   young, and his father, Fumio Fukamachi, disappeared under mysterious
   circumstances. Other than that, there's no record of his activities
   less than forty years old. Basically, he's a big question mark."
   "I see," said Sylia.
   "But it can't be the same Sho Fukamachi," stated Fargo. "It must be a
   relative, perhaps his son."
   "Somehow, I doubt that," she responded.
   "In any case," he continued undeterred, "one kid on his own couldn't
   do much damage."
   "In my line of work, it's not how much damage you can do, rather it's
   how annoying you can be."
   Fargo gave a throaty chuckle.
   "You thinking of taking them on?"
   "You know I can't answer that."
   "Well, read those files carefully before you decide. These guys make
   Genom look like Good Samaritans. They may be a ruthless,
   powermongering corporation, but at least they have some morals. They
   draw the line at genetic tampering of unwilling human guinea pigs.
   Chronos don't."
   Sylia extinguished her cigarette in the ashtray and stood up.
   "Thank you for the information," she said. "I'll deposit your fee in
   the usual account."
   
   Her phone rang just as she was opening the car door. Pulling the phone
   from her handbag, she switched it on.
   "Yes?"
   "Sylia, it's Nene."
   "Excellent timing, Nene. What have you found out?"
   Nene on the other end sounded breathless.
   "It's a bio-chip for mech linkage, but it's much more than that. The
   feedback control on it is amazing! It makes the linkage systems on
   33-S boomers look like kids' toys! You could use this to to have any
   weapon system contolled by anything!"
   "Or anyone," proposed Sylia.
   "Yes! It even provides precision control for even large mechs! And you
   can synchronise with any number of weapon systems with the one chip!"
   Sylia paused for a moment to consider this.
   "Nene, when you're done with the analysis, I want you to destroy it,
   as well as all records of it."
   There was a stunned silence at the other end.
   "But why, Sylia? We could use it in our own hardsuits. It would
   increase their performance by a hundred percent or more!"
   "Nene, this is black market technology. USSD made those killer dolls,
   and look at the trouble that caused. This kind of technology must not
   be allowed to exist."
   "But why can't we -"
   "If we're fighting to eradicate this sort of thing, what does that
   make us if we stoop to using it ourselves?"
   "Alright," replied Nene dejectedly. "I'll get rid of it."
   "Thank you. And report back to me when it's done."
   "Okay."
   Sylia switched off her phone and proceeded to get in the car.
   
   
   "Sir!"
   Reichmann Gyro looked away from the console he was studying to see the
   approach of a man in a simple one-piece grey jumpsuit.
   "What is it, Thancrus?" he asked.
   "Sir, our agent in AD Police headquarters has located the chip. It is
   currently in the analysis lab with another officer."
   Gyro turned to face Thancrus.
   "Excellent. Tell him to recover that chip at all costs."
   "Also, Ramothis reports having sighted Sho Fukamachi. He is with a
   woman on a motorbike, heading to sector three."
   Gyro thought about this.
   "Very well," he said finally. "Capture the woman. If she is with
   Fukamachi, holding her may give us some leverage against him."
   "Yes, sir," responded Thancrus.
   "Finally, everything is coming together," said Gyro firmly.
   
   
   Nene finished powering down the last of the instruments, just as the
   diagnostic computer began spewing forth a detailed printout of the
   results. She carefully collected all of the printouts, and walked over
   to a hatch labelled 'incinerator'. Pressing a button, the hatch slid
   open and she tossed the printouts into the chute. She walked back to
   the diagnostic computer and quickly typed up a simple re-routing
   algorithm to prevent the computer from updating the master data file.
   Once done, she deleted all local records that the analysis labs were
   ever used that day. She reached underneath the computer and removed a
   single diskette from the drive.
   "The only copy of the analysis data," she said to herself, turning the
   disk over in her hand. "I'm sure Sylia won't mind this momento."
   Placing the disk in her pocket, she walked over and tentatively picked
   up the chip from the analysis bench.
   
   Suddenly the door whisked open.
   "Who's in there?"
   Fervently clutching the chip to her chest, Nene spun around to see
   Simons, a new recruit, standing in the doorway.
   "Oh, I... I was just running a quick analysis on something we picked
   up in sector three," she stammered.
   Simons smiled.
   "I see. Well, I'll take it down to the vault for you, then."
   "It... it's alright," she responded hesitantly. "I've been authorised
   to take it there myself."
   Simons' smile fell away.
   "But I insist," he said firmly, holding his hand out. "Give it here."
   Nene backed up a step.
   "Don't worry, I'll do it," she said tensely.
   "Give it here, now!" he snapped.
   He made a desparate lunge at her, but Nene leaped to the side,
   slamming her palm down on a large wall-mounted button. The lighting
   switched to red, and an alarm sounded throughout the building. She
   quickly turned to face him, her back to the wall.
   "Who are you?" she demanded, her voice shaking.
   "Someone who's going to get very angry if you don't give that chip
   back," he replied venomously, taking a step towards her.
   She quickly dashed towards the still open incinerator and threw the
   chip in.
   "Now you've done it!" snarled Simons.
   He ripped out of his AD Police uniform, metamorphosing into a large
   insectoid creature with a black chitinous covering and two pairs of
   multi-faceted eyes. Nene screamed. The creature made a grab for her,
   but she dropped to the floor and made a mad scramble for the door.
   
   At that moment, the door opened again as an armed AD Police officer
   rushed in. He stood in momentary shock at the sight of the creature.
   That moment was long enough for the creature to spit a stream of
   acidic liquid at the officer. He dropped the rifle and fell back
   screaming as his chest was eaten away impossibly fast, lost in a cloud
   of noxious vapours. Nene scampered for the still open door, but was
   clubbed from behind by one of the creature's pincer-like hands. She
   blacked out and went sprawling across the floor. Picking her up and
   slinging her across one of its shoulders, the creature quickly exited
   the lab. It entered the corridor to the sound of more officers running
   towards the lab. It spat more of the corrosive liquid on the floor,
   rapidly creating a new hole which it promptly clambered down through.
   By the time the officers had arrived, the creature was gone, along
   with Nene.
   
   
   Priss drew her motorcycle to a halt in a deserted side-street. She
   quickly dismounted and turned to face Sho.
   "All right, what the hell is going on?" she demanded. "I'm tired of
   all this screwing around. Who were those guys, and why were they after
   you?"
   "Let it be, Priss," pleaded Sho, climbing off the bike. "I don't want
   you involved."
   "You don't get it, do you?" she snapped. "It's too late for that. I've
   already been dragged into this. Now tell me what's going on!"
   "What good would it do?" he responded desparately. "There's nothing
   you can do about it."
   "Appearances can be misleading," she said grimly. "I have more power
   than you credit me with."
   Sho studied her for a moment.
   "Just who are you?" he asked hesitantly.
   "I'm a Knight Saber," she responded firmly.
   His eyes widened in shock.
   "Then you were the one who shot me!" he exclaimed. "I thought I
   recognised your voice outside the club!"
   Priss hesitated.
   "What the hell are you talking about?" she asked, perplexed.
   Sho took a step towards her.
   "You want to know about me? Fine, I'll tell you! I'm a monster, Priss!
   I don't have any friends, because they're all dead! I even killed my
   own father! Are you happy, now that you know?"
   "Sho..." spoke Priss apologetically, but she couldn't think of
   anything else to say.
   "Just leave me alone!" he cried out, running blindly down the street
   away from her.
   "Sho!" called out Priss, just as he ducked into an alleyway.
   Cursing, she took off on foot after him, leaving her bike parked out
   on the street.
   
   She reached the alley to find it deserted. The alley was quite wide,
   and opened at the other end onto another street. Priss started running
   down the alley after Sho.
   "Going somewhere?"
   She stopped and spun around to see the same two men that had been
   chasing them before, standing at the alley entrance. Priss pulled out
   her gun.
   "What do you want?" she demanded, aiming at the two men.
   One of them stepped forward.
   "Why, we want you," he said simply. "As insurance, you understand,
   against Fukamachi."
   "You leave Sho out of this," she threatened. "He's just a boy."
   Both men laughed.
   "Forty years ago, he may have been," spoke the other man. "Right now,
   he's the biggest nuisance ever to cross our path. Now, come quietly or
   else."
   "I think I'll... else," responded Priss, firing a shot directly
   between the eyes of the first man.
   Instead of dropping dead, the man began to increase in size, tearing
   out of his suit. His face developed large, jet black eyes and a short
   snout, while thick hair sprouted over his body. The end result looked
   like a giant, humanoid bat. The other man underwent an identical
   transformation. Priss took a step back in shock as the bullet wound in
   the forehead of the first one closed up, showing no sign of injury.
   Then both creatures leaped forward, one of them grabbing her gun and
   the other pinning her to the ground.
   "We gave you the opportunity to come quietly," he growled. "But you
   will come with us, nonetheless."
   "Leave her alone!"
   Priss and the two creatures looked up to see Sho standing before them
   in the alleyway.
   "It's Fukamachi!" cursed the one holding Priss. "Kill him quickly,
   Ramothis!"
   "Sho!" yelled Priss. "Run for it!"
   The creature called Ramothis stood ready to fight Sho. After a short
   pause, Sho charged in a blind run at Ramothis. Ramothis stood with his
   arms apart, ready to crush him in a killer embrace.
   "Sho!" called out Priss in desparation.
   "GUYVER!!" screamed Sho.
   
   At that instant, an invisible sphere of force shot out around Sho,
   cracking the asphalt beneath him. Ramothis, caught inside the sphere,
   was blasted backwards into a bloody pulp, splattering against the
   alley wall. Within the sphere an alien suit of armour appeared from
   nowhere, engulfing Sho. When he stood up, he appeared as the blue
   armour-plated humanoid Priss saw the night before. Irritated, the
   other creature jumped up and charged at him. Sho jumped backwards and
   cupped his hands together, aiming at the creature. A silver globe
   embedded in his belly began to shine and a hum filled the air as a
   globe of dark crackling energy appeared in his hands. The globe shot
   out with a shock wave, punching a large hole through the chest of the
   creature. The creature crumpled to the ground, its body forcibly
   bereft of life. Sho dropped his hands and turned to face Priss. She
   was sitting up on the ground, speechless at the events that had just
   unfolded before her.
   "Sho..." said Priss.
   Sho stood facing her for a moment longer, then turned and ran down the
   alley.
   
   
   
   CHAPTER FIVE
   
   The elevator door to the top level opened, and Nene was escorted by
   two large men in suits to a large thronelike chair. Gyro smiled at her
   approach.
   "Ah, Miss Romanova. Welcome to our reigonal headquarters."
   "Who are you?" asked Nene indignantly.
   Gyro stood up and slowly walked towards her.
   "My name is Reichmann Gyro. I'm a member of the council that runs
   Chronos. I must say, you've been most annoying. You destroyed the only
   working prototype of that control chip. Fortunately, the data you
   saved on disk for us will assist us in constructing one for
   ourselves."
   "What do you want with that chip?"
   "Don't concern yourself with that. You will see for yourself later on.
   In the meantime, I'd like for you to enjoy our hospitality."
   He nodded to the two men, and they escorted Nene back to the elevator.
   
   
   "This is not good," muttered Sylia aloud. "Sho's disappeared, and
   Nene's been abducted by one of Chronos' agents."
   "We have to rescue Nene!" exclaimed Linna, perched expectantly on the
   edge of Sylia's couch.
   "But we don't know where they've taken her," countered Mackie.
   "I went back over the disk," informed Sylia. "Their original Tokyo
   headquarters was demolished by Sho some forty years ago. The area
   where it used to be shows no sign of reconstruction. They could be
   based anywhere."
   "But someone must know where they are," reasoned Priss, who was
   leaning against a wall.
   "I do."
   Everyone turned to see Sho standing in the open doorway.
   "I've been tracking Chronos' movements in and around Japan. When they
   set up another base of operations here, I had to find it eventually."
   "How did you get here?" asked Priss.
   "I followed you," he answered simply.
   Sylia took a step forwards.
   "Do you know who we are?" she asked.
   Sho nodded.
   "You're the Knight Sabers. Priss told me." He lowered his head. "I'm
   sorry about your friend. Had I known, I would have tried to save her."
   "Why?" asked Linna, perplexed. "You didn't even know her."
   "I've been protecting people from Chronos for the last forty-two
   years." He smiled weakly. "It's sort of my job description."
   "Who are you really?" asked Priss.
   Sho took a deep breath.
   "I guess I did lie to you in a way," he explained. "I'm not Sho
   Fukamachi. At least, not the original one. The real Sho died forty-two
   years ago. Maybe I'm a clone, maybe I'm something else. In any case,
   I'm not Sho anymore. I'm a Guyver."
   "A Guyver?" repeated Sylia.
   "Forty-two years ago, I found this strange object up on Mount
   Narisawa. It turned out to be some kind of living thing. It attached
   itself to me, like a parasite, only different. I can call on it any
   time I want to protect me and give me superhuman strength and
   abilities." He gave a short, mirthless laugh. "Not that it did much
   good. I couldn't save my friends from being killed. I couldn't save my
   father from Chronos. All I could do was kill him when it was too late.
   At least it's been good at protecting me. I've died more times than
   I'd care to remember. I've been dissolved, lobotomised, vapourised,
   dismembered, and worse. Each time, I've been completely regenerated by
   it. It's a part of me, now. It even prevents cellular degredation.
   That's why I've been seventeen for the last forty-two years."
   
   There was a tense silence.
   "So," began Linna, "you're immortal?"
   "Not exactly. I can be killed, and a lot easier than you think. The
   Guyver has to be activated in order to regenerate me. If I'm killed as
   I am now, that's it. Also, a control medallion attaches to my brain
   when I activate it." He tapped his forehead. "That is what allows me
   to control the Guyver. If that is removed, the Guyver goes rogue and I
   am absorbed into it."
   Sylia considered what had been said.
   "How does this tie in with Chronos?" she asked.
   Sho turned to face her.
   "How much do you know about Chronos?" he asked inquisitively.
   "We know that they are a secret world-wide organisation bent on world
   domination."
   Sho nodded.
   "That's essentially correct. However, they are aiming for more than
   that. Chronos were the first to learn of a race known euphemistically
   as the Creators. The Creators had arrived on Earth millions of years
   ago to conduct genetic experiments in the creation of a new race.
   Their end result was the human race."
   "We were created?" said Priss incredulously.
   "So it appears. Anyway, one day they simply vanished, leaving behind
   several artifacts of their work. Chronos had dug up some of these
   artifacts. They believe that it was not the Creators' intentions to
   finish there with the human race, rather they were a solid base for
   the next evolutionary step. It is Chronos' intention to accelerate
   that step by employing the same genetic engineering used by the
   Creators to change all of mankind into Zoanoids."
   "Zoanoids?" said Sylia.
   "Those creatures that you fought last night," he explained. "They were
   once human, but have since given up that 'disability'" - he spat the
   word out venomously - "to become stronger and faster."
   "And uglier," added Priss wryly.
   A chill ran up Sylia's spine.
   "They intend to turn all of mankind into these creatures?" she asked
   fearfully.
   Sho nodded.
   "They intend to ultimately stage a global coup, with their agents
   infiltrated into key installations all over the world. Once that's
   done, they can begin the task of converting all of humanity into
   Zoanoids as the next evolutionary step."
   "That's horrible!" exclaimed Linna.
   "However," continued Sho, "there is one bio-engineering feat that
   Chronos have been able to replicate, a technology superior to their
   present standards. The Creators left behind three prototype units.
   These units are a kind of organism that attaches to a host and
   basically turns them into a near-perfect fighting machine."
   "And you stumbled upon one of them," finished Sylia.
   Sho nodded slowly.
   "What happened to the other two?" asked Mackie.
   "One was used by an agent of Chronos. But the control medallion for
   that unit was damaged, and he became consumed by the Guyver."
   Priss shuddered at the thought.
   "The other is being used by a person called Agito Makishima. He's
   somewhere in America, I think, fighting Chronos there."
   "So, he's a friend of yours?" asked Linna.
   "Uh... sort of."
   
   Another moment of silence passed. Finally, Sylia spoke.
   "Sho, as you already know, one of our members has been kidnapped. We
   must rescue her, but we don't know where she is being held. I'm asking
   for your help to get in there and get her out."
   "Of course I'll help you," replied Sho promptly. "But on one
   condition."
   "Which is?"
   "That you assist me in destroying the Mega-Tokyo branch of Chronos."
   "Agreed."
   Sylia extended her hand, and Sho shook it firmly. She then turned to
   Mackie.
   "Mackie, I want the Knight Wing prepped and ready to go ASAP. Kit up
   the suits, including yours."
   "Right, sis," responded Mackie, jumping off the bed to the door.
   "The rest of you," continued Sylia, "I want to meet up at Doctor
   Raven's garage in one hour. Don't all leave here together. Sho can
   travel with Priss. Once we re-converge, Sho can give us details on the
   location and we will discuss our plan of attack then. Any questions?"
   There was a short pause.
   "Right, then. Let's go."
   
   As they got up to leave, Sho walked over to Priss.
   "Sho," began Priss uneasily, "about last night. When I shot you..."
   Sho smiled reassuringly.
   "Don't worry about it," he said.
   He pulled his shirt down off his left shoulder and showed his back.
   There wasn't even a scar to show where the spine had hit him.
   "I've had far worse injuries than that before," he explained.
   "I wish I could recover from injuries that fast," she said
   appreciatively.
   Sho's face darkened.
   "It's not worth losing your humanity for," he said grimly.
   Priss looked up at him in surprise.
   "What makes you think you're not human?" she demanded.
   "Do humans come back from the dead? Do they fire energy beams and
   crush skulls?"
   "Sho, you have to stop looking at the things that make you different
   and start looking at the things that make you the same as everyone
   else. Being human isn't just about having the DNA of one. It's also
   about feeling like one. You're a damn sight more human than some
   people I know."
   Sho sighed and smiled at her.
   "Thanks, Priss."
   Priss slapped him on the back.
   "Well, come on then! Let's kick some Zoanoid butt!"
   
   
   The recently redeveloped sectors of Mega-Tokyo were teeming with
   people, all on their way to their local evening hangouts. Far above
   them, hardly a sound marked the passage of the Knight Wing. The dark
   shape moved effortlessly across the night sky, heading unerringly in
   the direction of Chronos' new Mega-Tokyo headquarters.
   
   On board the Knight Wing, the Knight Sabers made final preparations
   for the assault. They were seated in the carrier bay on one of the
   benches, suited up but with their helmets off. At one end of the bay
   Mackie's power armour was stowed. It's design was based on the AD
   Police's own K12 armour, only scaled up. Heavy armour plating was
   used, and the frame strength was increased. A large case was also
   mounted on its back, which presently held Nene's hardsuit. Its primary
   role of support could easily be misguiding, however, if one focused
   their attention instead on the 20mm cannon carried on one arm. Sho sat
   next to Priss, listening as Sylia gave last-minute instructions.
   "Once we're inside, split up to cover as much ground as possible. That
   should keep their security forces thinly spread out also. Priss, you
   and Sho enter from the ground floor. Linna, you make your own entrance
   from the fifth floor. Mackie, you're with Linna."
   "Right, sis," replied Mackie from the cockpit.
   "And I'll enter from the roof," she finished.
   "I need to go down to the basement," added Sho. "The Zoanoid
   processing tanks should be there, and I have to make sure they are
   destroyed."
   "Okay. Make sure Priss stays with you, so you can keep in touch with
   the rest of the group. Now, our primary objectives are to rescue Nene
   and destroy that chip. According to Sho, the holding cells should be
   on one of the middle floors. We also need to find the lab, or wherever
   it is they are keeping the chip. We have to destroy the chip and any
   records they have on it. Once that's done, we must withdraw from the
   building. I will send the control code and the Knight Wing will be
   called in for a tactical strike on the building."
   "Please be careful of Gyro," warned Sho. "He is a Zoalord, able to
   telepathically control the minds of all Zoanoids. He is more than a
   match even for me."
   Sylia nodded.
   "We all have to be very careful," she noted. "I would have liked to
   use the Motoroids, but fighting within the building is simply too
   close quarters for them to be of any use. Watch out for any
   surprises."
   "Sis! We're coming up on the building," informed Mackie.
   "Okay. Set us down on nearby, then get into your suit."
   
   The building itself appeared relatively unguarded. In fact, the entire
   building appeared highly unremarkable, its simple countenance hiding
   the dark identity of its occupants. The Knight Wing touched down on
   the roof of a nearby building. The entry ramp lowered, allowing the
   Knight Sabers to disembark. With Mackie the last to exit, the ramp
   closed. Under remote guidance from Mackie's power armour, the Knight
   Wing took to the air. Sho stood away from the group as they studied
   the building.
   "GUYVER!!" called Sho.
   As before, there was a rush of air as the alien suit of armour
   appeared around him. After a brief moment, the Guyver walked back
   towards the group. Everyone watched the transformation in amasement.
   "Wow," was all Mackie could say.
   Sylia simply shook her head in appreciation. As everyone turned back
   to face the building, she stepped forward.
   "Knight Sabers - go!"
   
   
   To be continued...

Hi there, everybody!

Well, as you might have guessed by this posting, I'm back from my
holidays over in England and trying to get back into the swing of
University. *sigh* This also means I can get to work on finishing this
story. For those of you who have waited patiently for this story's
continuation, thanks for waiting so long.

Anyway, this is the second last installment of Heart of the Beast. As
always, comments/criticisms/praises/flames are welcome. If you have
missed any chapters, you can find the entire story (as written so far)
at http://www.cage.curtin.edu.au/~jphil/fanfic.html

As always, enjoy. :)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

                Bubblegum Crisis / Bio-Booster Armour Guyver:

                        THE HEART OF THE BEAST
                          By Jeremy Phillips
                         (aka: Sailor Uranus)

     Original Character designs by Sonoda Kenichi and Yoshiki Takaya


CHAPTER SIX

   A klaxon sounded throughout the building. In the control centre,
Reichmann Gyro stepped towards one of the console operators.
 "What's going on?" he demanded.
 "We have a security breach, sir. Someone has forced their way into the
building from the ground and fourth floors, and another has landed on the
roof."
 "Who?"
 "I don't know, sir."
 "Give me visual," he ordered.
One of the monitors flickered to a view from one of the security cameras
in the lobby. It showed two figures tearing several Zoanoid guards apart.
One was encased in a blue combat suit, firing some sort of high-speed
kinetic energy weapon mounted in one arm, while the other was busy slicing
guards apart curved blades extending from its blue armour-clad arms.
 "Fukamachi," cursed Gyro under his breath. "Alert all Zoanoid teams!
Intercept those two before they reach the basement!"
And then part of the ceiling exploded.


   Linna and Mackie arrived at a T-intersection in the corridor. One
direction led to a stairwell going up.
 "You go up," said Mackie. "I'll work my way down from here."
 "Okay," said Linna, taking off down the corridor.

   Mackie made it as far as around a corner when he was sprung upon by a
large Zoanoid, looking for all the world like a pit fiend from the lowest
levels of Hell. It squirted a green liquid at him from its horns. Mackie
twisted to one side, the liquid hitting him on the arm. It began
furiously eating away the armour there. Mackie hurriedly detached the
corroded armour plate with a quick release system before it could spread,
leaving the underlying frame exposed. The Zoanoid leaped at the
opportunity, making a grab for the damaged arm. Mackie evaded by falling
on his back. Just as the Zoanoid was about to fall on top of him, he
pivoted his jump jets and fired.

   Power armour the size of Mackie's was never meant to fly. Ignoring the
fact that it had all the aerodynamics of a brick, its mass was simply too
great. Thrusters were nowhere near effective enough. As a consequence,
jump jets were used to provide short periods of flight. Their principle
of operation was simply brute force over gravity. The main drawback with
this approach is that the surface from which the power armour launches
itself from can be compromised if insufficient care is taken. When the
launch surface is organic, things can get messy. This was clearly
demonstrated as the charred remains of the Zoanoid were blasted backwards
down the corridor, and Mackie was propelled in the other direction. After
his momentum slowed to a stop, he picked himself up and checked down the
scorched corridor. Not seeing any sign of more Zoanoids, he continued
down the corridor.


   Priss and Sho arrived in the basement with no sign of resistance. The
entire basement had a high vaulted ceiling, giving it an almost
cavern-like feel. The floor was lined with row after row of cylindrical
glass storage tanks, each holding a person suspended in a
hyper-oxygenated fluid. Several electrodes were attached to various parts
of their bodies, displaying readouts on the front of each tank. The most
shocking part was that none of them were even human. Some exhibited only
minor differences; the development of horns, discolouration of the skin,
or elongation of the face into a snout. Others were no longer even
humanoid in shape. Priss stepped off from the base of the stairwell and
slowly looked around, her visor hiding the look of horror on her face.
 "What the hell is this place?" she exclaimed.
 "They're Zoanoid processing tanks," answered Sho. "Volunteers and guinea
pigs alike are placed in these tanks. The fluid contains enzymes that
sustain them and alter them at the genetic level, turning them into
Zoanoids. They can control the end product by altering the fluid content."
 "What do you intend to do? Reverse the process?"
Sho shook his head slowly.
 "The process is irreversible. I wish it wasn't. Then maybe I could have
saved my father."
 "That's what they did to your dad? Turned him into one of these...
things?"
 "And no ordinary one at that, He was designed to dissolve the bio-booster
armour and kill me?"
 "He was made to kill you?!" exclaimed Priss.
Sho nodded solemnly.
 "But you killed him instead," she finished softly.
 "He actually had killed me. But when I died, the Guyver took over while
it repaired the damage to me. By the time I regained consciousness, the
Guyver had already killed my father."
He clenched his fists in anger.
 "Up until then, I only used the Guyver to protect myself and my friends
and family. When they killed my friends and I killed my only family, I
swore that I would see to it that Chronos was destroyed for good."
 "Sho..." whispered Priss.

   Sho looked up.
 "Zoanoids are an abomination of humanity. We must destroy all these tanks
and their occupants."
Priss looked solemnly at the tanks as she walked past them.
 "I can't believe that someone could do this kind of thi-"
The words stuck in her throat as her blood froze in her veins. Nene
Romanova floated in one of the tanks, oblivious to the outside world.
 "NENE!!" screamed Priss as she charged towards the tank.
 "Priss, wait!" warned Sho.
Priss smashed into the side of the tank, causing the fluid to come
flooding out. She gingerly picked up Nene's naked form and placed her on
the ground, removing those electrodes still attached.
 "Will she be all right?" asked Priss expectantly.
 "I can't tell without a close examination," admitted Sho. "There are no
signs of physical mutation, so she should be okay."
Priss detached her rail gun to free her hand and placed it against Nene's
skin. It felt cold and clammy. She quickly opened her comms channel.
 "Mackie," she instructed sharply, "we're in the basement. We've found
Nene. Get your butt down here, now!"
 "But Priss," crackled the reply, "I'm five floors above. It'll take some
time to get down to you."
 "Then take a shortcut!"
She switched off the comms channel back off before Mackie could protest.
She looked down to see Nene resting on her hands and knees, coughing the
fluid out of her lungs.
 "You all right?" Priss asked her, deeply concerned.
Nene looked up at her.
 "P-Priss?" she said softly. "Yeah, I think I'm okay."
She tried to stand up, but fell backwards when she caught sight of the
Guyver.
 "It's all right," reassured Priss. "It's Sho. He's on our side. Sho,
help her up please."
As Sho bent over and picked her up, two silver globes mounted either side
of the Guyver's head swivelled in their grooves to point behind him. He
quickly spun around, still carrying Nene.
 "Zoanoid!" he hissed.
Priss looked over her shoulder to see a reptilian beast with large
shoulder pods, identical to the creature they had encountered the night
before. It's shoulder pods were open and the bio-lasers were charging to
fire. Priss glanced down at her rail gun, still lying on the floor, and
realised she would not be able to grab it and fire in time.

   Before the Zoanoid could fire, however, the ceiling above it was blown
asunder as a one-ton power armour performed a three-point landing on top
of it, crushing the Zoanoid. Mackie stood up and faced the trio.
 "I got here as fast as I could," he said.
Priss stepped forward and looked up where Mackie had made his entrance.
Directly above, similar holes had been blasted through four other floors.
 "Nice shortcut," smirked Priss.
 "I passed Zoanoids like you wouldn't believe on the way down here,"
informed Mackie, "In a few moments, this place is gonna be a war zone."
Priss nodded.
 "Mackie, open the case," she instructed.
Mackie detached the container attached to the back of his power armour.
It popped open, revealing Nene's hardsuit. Priss turned to Nene.
 "Nene, things are gonna get ugly soon."
She quickly glanced around at the half-formed creatures in the tanks.
 "Make that uglier. Can you fight?"
Nene nodded her head slowly.

   The smoke and dust cleared as Sylia stood up slowly, facing Gyro.
 "You are Reichmann Gyro, one of the Leaders of the Chronos?" she asked
flatly.
Gyro stepped forward, taking a gracious bow.
 "It seems my reputation precedes me. You are, I presume, the Knight
Sabers. I trust this is not a social visit?"
 "I am here to destroy you," she responded, raising her arm cannon.
Before she could fire, a hum filled the air, A large Zoanoid landed before
her, bringing one of its sword-like arms down on her cannon arm. The
sword pierced metal and flesh alike with little resistance. Sylia screamed
in pain, the sword feeling as if it were red-hot. The Zoanoid pulled its
sword back and Sylia fell backwards, clutching her wounded arm. Gyro
simply smiled.
 "I cannot let you kill me," he said simply. "I still have much more work
to do. And I can't let some pathetic group of vigilantes in high-heeled
power armour slow me down."
 "You don't have the chip anymore, though," hissed Sylia through the haze
of pain.
Gyro laughed.
 "Ah, but your compatriot was kind enough to give us a full analysis
of the chip's construction. It won't be long before we can build it
ourselves."
 "What do you want with it?"
 "You don't even know that? Very well. That chip means a lot more than
Genom even knows. Our analysis indicates it could even be used to link a
human host to control another biological system. There is only one other
device in existence on this planet which can perform this function, and
this is the Guyver's control medallion." He tapped his forehead. "This
bio-chip is very primitive by comparison, but it is a very important
starting point. By gradually improving its design, we will be able to
mimic the Creators' success with the first three unit-G prototypes. With
the Guyver perfected, Chronos will finally control the world."
 "I'll be damned if I let that happen!" exclaimed Sylia.
 "And so you will be damned. For now you must die. Thancrus, dispose of
her."
He snapped his fingers, and the Zoanoid called Thancrus stepped towards
Sylia, swords raised and humming. Sylia stood ready, her uninjured right
arm raised as if to block a sword swing. Just as Thancrus was
about to deliver the killing stroke, Sylia activated her Kotetu blade. The
sturdy blade hummed as it swung out from its protective housing in the
forearm, snapping into place just below her power hand. She blocked
Thancrus' swing, a high keen sounding out as vibroblade met vibroblade.
Perturbed by the change in events, Thancrus brought its other sword
forward in a stabbing motion. Sylia ducked to one side of the thrust,
knocking the other sword away with her own. Before Thancrus could strike
again she jumped backwards, landing in a fighting stance. Snarling,
Thancrus charged in.


   All hell was breaking loose in the basement as hordes of Zoanoids
fought against one of the most frightening fighting forces imaginable: a
Guyver, a power suit with a 20mm cannon, and a pissed-off Priss. They were
pinned down in one corner of the room by sheer numbers, assaulting them
from all directions. Nene remained in the background for support, taking
pot shots at the occasional Zoanoid with the machine gun pod mounted on her
left arm. By this time all of the tanks had been destroyed, caught in the
crossfire and in some cases by stray fire. The floor of the basement was
covered in a mixture of fluid and blood, and littered with fragments of
broken glass.
 "This is great!" exclaimed Priss, punching a hole through another
charging Zoanoid with her knuckle bomber. "We can't keep this up forever!
What do we do now?"
 "We have to make a break for it and regroup with the others," replied
Mackie. "All we need is an opening.
 "I'll make us an opening," said Sho. "Just be ready to run when it
appears."
Priss, Mackie and Nene watched with morbid fascination as Sho grabbed his
two front chestplates and pulled them open. The organic membranes holding
them together pulled apart to reveal two large circular lenses. The air
around him seemed to crackle with unseen energy as the lenses pulsed with
an inner light. Suddenly, an intense column of energy shot out, cutting a
path through the main Zoanoid force. Those unfortunate enough to be
caught in the beam were instantly vaporised. Those nearby shrieked in
pain as their skin cracked and bubbled from the intense heat emanating
from it. In an instant the destruction ceased, leaving a clear path across
the basement level littered on either side with dead Zoanoids. Priss,
Mackie and Nene stood agape as Sho staggered from the exertion.
 "Go! Now!" he gasped.
As Mackie and Nene dashed for the other side, Priss helped Sho up and
activated her suit thrusters, propelling them along the path. Some
Zoanoids rose to prevent the group from escaping. One of them made a leap
at Mackie, but he fired at it with his 20mm cannon. The shot messily
severed the top half of the Zoanoid from the bottom half, the remains
falling unceremoniously to the ground.

   The group finally made it to the other side of the basement, near the
stairwell. Priss looked over at Sho, who still had his arm around her for
support, then towards Mackie.
 "Where's the rest of the group?" she asked.
 "Linna should be on the fifth floor, and sis is on the top floor."
 "Okay. Let's head up to fifth."
As they moved to leave, an explosion knocked Priss back. Blood sprayed
across her visor, coming from next to her. She looked over to see Sho
blown backwards, his chest blasted open and spilling blood onto the
ground.
 "Sho!" she cried out.
She looked up in time to see a dark figure firing a projectile at her. She
threw herself sideways just as the projectile exploded, tearing her side
armour and cutting into her flesh. She fell to the ground, grunting in
pain. Mackie swung around to bring his cannon to bear, only to catch
another projectile in the chest. The heavy armour managed to absorb most
of the blast before it penetrated the internal structure, but he was still
blown off his feet. The figure stepped forward, revealing itself to be a
Zoanoid with large pods on its forearms from which the projectiles of
biochemical explosives were launched. It briefly looked over Sho's
motionless form, then over at Priss as she struggled to stand up. It
raised one of its arms, aiming a pod at her head, and prepared to fire.

   Nene had been unable to move. When the Zoanoid had killed Sho and
injured Mackie and Priss, she had become flooded with a mixture of
conflicting emotions, so much so that she thought she would burst. Just
as it was about to deliver the killing blow, something inside her clicked.
She screamed.
It wasn't a scream of pain, rather it was a scream of pure rage. Priss
looked up in time to see the Zoanoid knocked down by a flying pink and
red form. It tried to throw her off, but Nene smashed it in the with the
machine gun pod, firing at the same time. It thrashed momentarily, then
stopped moving. Nene got up slowly, her breath coming in shallow gasps as
she remained trapped in a paroxysm of anger. She turned to see those
Zoanoids still alive from the other side of the basement rising to face
them again. Without a word, she charged headlong into the group.
 "Nene!" cried out Priss, getting unsteadily to her feet.
She looked behind her to see Mackie, a large section of his chest armour
blown away, getting up.
 "Mackie, help her!" she called out to him.
 "Okay!" he responded, running into the fray.
Priss looked down at Sho, lying in an ever-increasing pool of blood. There
was a large hole in his upper torso, gouged past where his heart used to
be. There was no doubt that he had been killed instantly. She fought back
the tears as she knelt down beside him.
 "I guess that makes another friend lost," she whispered. "I'm sorry,
Sho. I wish I could have saved you, at least."
She leaned over to pick up his body.
The Guyver's hand shot up to grab her shoulder.


   "Linna!"
The sudden call on her comms channel brought her up short near the corner
of a corridor.
 "What is it, Sylia?" she responded.
 "Chronos doesn't have the chip," informed Sylia quickly, "but they have
an analysis disk on it. Don't waste you time trying to find the chip, get
the disk."
 "Sylia, are you okay? You sound out of breath."
 "My hands are full at the moment. Hurry, we have to be out of here soon."
Sylia's comms channel turned off in an instant, leaving no provision of a
further explanation. Linna picked up her cautious sprint down the corridor
again, surprised at the lack of resistance. She had decided it was better
to move swiftly to avoid detection, than to move cautiously to avoid
getting trounced. All the while , the alert siren continued to whine.

   She finally arrived at the door to the laboratories. The steel
reinforced appeared to be locked securely. Ensuring no-one was around to
surprise her, she walked up to the door and punched the lock with her
knuckle bomber. The door swung violently open, smashing into the wall. As
she stepped inside, her audio receptors picked up the faintest trace of a
noise behind her. She leaped forwards just as a large Zoanoid smashed
into the spot she was just standing, cracking the concrete. She spun
around to see the monstrosity charging at her. She did a somersault over
the Zoanoid's shoulders, activating her ribbons as she did so. The
ribbons became energised, inducing a mono-molecular filament edge. As they
fell across the Zoanoid, Linna jerked them with her own momentum,
slicing  its torso into three neat sections. The Zoanoid collapsed, its
internal organs spilling out onto the ground. Linna looked around for more
Zoanoids. Unable to see any more, she proceeded to the lab terminal,
where a disk lay upon the console. Grabbing the disk, Linna buried her
knuckle bomber in the console. A flurry of sparks exploded from the
remains, showering the lab. Satisfied at the results, Linna ran back out
of the room.
Straight into a waiting squad of Zoanoids.


   "Sho!" cried out Priss in surprise, trying to pull away.
The Guyver froze, then released her shoulder. Priss fell backwards, and
watched in horror as the Guyver started to get to its feet. It's chest
was still blasted open, but it was as if it simply wasn't aware it should
be dead.

   At that moment, a Zoanoid broke away from the fight nearby and charged
at the prone duo. The Guyver leaped into the air from a crouch, extending
a blade from one of its elbows as it brought the elbow down upon the
Zoanoid's head. The blade hummed as it sunk through the creature's skull,
killing it instantly. The Guyver tore the blade from its head in a spray
of blood as the corpse fell to the ground. The Guyver looked to see if
any other Zoanoids were coming to attack him. Not seeing any other
threats, it turned to leave.
 "Sho! Wait!"
Priss scrambled to her feet, grabbing the Guyver's arm to stop him from
leaving. The Guyver responded by extending its elbow blade again and
whipping its arm around. Priss quickly withdrew her arm before her hand
could be sliced off. The Guyver turned to face her in a fighting stance.
Priss backed off a step.
 "Sho! Snap out of it! I can't fight you!" she exclaimed.
It charged.


   Even with the number of opponents reduced considerably from the first
fight, things were going downhill. With his chest armour blown away,
Mackie was unable to fight properly, spending most of his time defending
blows. His cannon had already been emptied of shells, so he had begun
using it as a club. As one Zoanoid charged at his side, he swung the
cannon at it. It connected with the creature's head with bone-crunching
force, snapping its neck and knocking it backwards. His armour became
more and more battered as the fight wore on. His right arm no longer
functioned, the control circuitry having been torn from the hole in his
shoulder armour.

   Mackie caught a glimpse of Nene during the fighting. She was getting
stuck into one Zoanoid with an arm torn from one of the hapless creatures
being used as a club. She finished beating it into a bloody pulp,
ignoring the assaults of the other Zoanoids upon her. Her hardsuit was
worn and battered almost beyond recognition, and thoroughly splattered in
blood.

   Suddenly, as if in answer to an unheard summons, the Zoanoids broke
off the attack and made a hasty retreat up the stairs. Mackie stood
bewildered for a moment, then quickly turned to Nene. She stood rooted to
the spot, the rapidly-dissolving bodies of Zoanoids scattered around her.
He started to move towards her, and she spun to face him aggressively.
 "Nene!" exclaimed Mackie, backing up a step. "It's Mackie!"
Nene froze, slowly straightening up.
 "Ma... Mackie..." she spoke softly, as if in a daze.
She then collapsed on the spot. Mackie rushed forward and scooped up her
unconscious form. He looked over to Priss, just as she dodged another
energy bolt thrown at her by the Guyver. The hole in its chest was much
smaller than before, and had already almost completely closed up.  He
looked on momentarily in bewilderment.
 "Priss!" he called out. "What the hell's going on?"
 "This thing's... on auto-pilot..." she panted. It was taking all her
concentration and energy just to avoid getting hit, and the Guyver didn't
appear to be slowing. 
 "Get Nene... out of here... I'll... keep him... busy."
 "No way!" he retorted. He lay Nene on the ground and started to rush
towards them.
 "Mackie! Get... out of here!" she cried out breathlessly, looking over
at him.

   In that moment of distraction, the Guyver fired a narrow bolt of energy
from its forehead. It connected with Priss' shoulder, piercing the armour
and emerging the other side. Priss cried out in pain, falling backwards
onto the ground. The Guyver cupped its hands together, and the silver
globe embedded in its abdomen started vibrating again as a globe of
black energy began to form.
 "Priss!" yelled Mackie.

   Throwing his cannon at the Guyver, he broke into a thunderous dash
towards Priss. The Guyver redirected its aim at the incoming projectile,
blasting it before it could even get near it. It turned back to see Mackie
scoop up Priss with his power armour's remaining functional arm and
continue running away from it. The Guyver summoned forth another globe of
energy, this time aimed at Mackie. Knowing he could not dodge the blast,
Mackie threw Priss in front of him and activated his suit's emergency
release. The emergency bolts blew, popping open the front of the power
armour and thrusting Mackie forwards. He dived behind Priss just as the
Guyver fired. The shot hit the power armour before it even had time to
fall to the ground. It tore through the suit's primary systems, destroying
the power plant. The suit exploded, showering debris in all directions
across the room. Priss sat up slowly, propping herself up with her good
arm as several sharp fragments bounced off her hardsuit. Mackie looked up
from behind her at the smoking remains of his power armour.
 "Well, sis is gonna be pissed off about this," he said solemnly.
On the other side of the basement, the Guyver stood rooted to the spot,
staring in their direction. It quickly sprang into motion, breaking into
a run towards them.
 "I've had enough of this shit," moaned Priss, trying unsuccessfully to
stand up.
 "Why's Sho trying to kill us?" asked Mackie, bewildered.
 "It's not Sho. It's the Guyver. It's in charge while he's out of the
action."
They both looked back to see the Guyver stop in front of them. They drew
back as it extended its hand towards them.
 "You okay?" asked Sho.


   Thancrus collapsed to its knees, one of its sword-hands pressed against
a gaping hole in its chest. It toppled forwards to lie motionless at
Sylia's feet. She breathed in ragged gasps, her hardsuit covered in cuts
and knicks, and her blade dripping with dark ichor. She looked up at the
sound of clapping to see Gyro in mock applause.
 "Oh, well done," he patronised. "I am impressed that your technology
fares surprisingly well against an enhanced Zoanoid. However, this tirade
must end now."
He snapped his fingers, and every door to the main chamber burst open.
Within moments, the entire perimeter of the room had been filled with
Zoanoids of almost every shape and form. They stood ready to attack on
Gyro's command. Sylia quickly glanced either side of her, then turned back
to face Gyro.
 "All this for one woman?" she said dryly.
Gyro waved his hand in the air dismissively.
"I could be chivalrous and fight you one-on-one, but I have no desire to
waste my time with you."
 "If you kill me," she warned him, "I'll make sure that you come with me."
Gyro smiled evilly.
 "That is something I would like to see," he retorted.
As he raised his hand to signal the attack, Sylia activated her remote
guidance unit and transmitted the strike command to the Knight Wing.
 "Sir!" called out one of the few remaining people manning the monitoring
consoles. "We have four... five... six incoming missile locks. All on
this floor!"
Gyro's hand faltered as he stared in shock at Sylia.
 "You were warned," she said coolly.

   Before anyone could react, a series of explosions tore through the
room. The ceiling and walls were blown inwards, as the entire room was
swept in a wall of flame. Sylia was blown backwards off her feet just as
a section of ceiling collapsed on top of her. The rest was lost in the
fiery conflagration.


To be concluded ...

At last, the final chapter! It's not as big as the others, but it rounds
off the story (sort of). Well, I just want to say thanks to all those who
wrote to me with words of encouragement (you know who you are). Also, I'd
like to thank megazone for the thankless service he provides in r.a.a.s
(well, hey, he asked for thanks, and he deserves it. :) ).

Anyway, on with the show.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

                Bubblegum Crisis / Bio-Booster Armour Guyver:

                        THE HEART OF THE BEAST
                          By Jeremy Phillips
                         (aka: Sailor Uranus)

     Original Character designs by Sonoda Kenichi and Yoshiki Takaya


CHAPTER SEVEN

   Linna finished off the last of the Zoanoids with a blow to the head,
dropping it to the ground. She quickly looked down the corridor at the
fast-dissolving remains of the other Zoanoids. Suddenly, the building
shook violently as the fluorescent lights flickered briefly. An
earth-shaking rumble echoed down the corridor.
 "What the - " started Linna.
The rumbling slowly died down. She quickly activated her comms channel.
 "Sylia, what's going on?"
The silence at the other end was deafening.
 "Sylia!"
A chill crept up her spine. Activating her suit thrusters, she sped down
the hallway to the elevator shaft.


   Sylia awoke in total darkness. Unable to move her sword arm, she
reached over with her wounded arm to feel a section of concrete on top of
her. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she slowly moved the massive
weight sufficiently to free her arm. Scrambling out from underneath the
concrete block and climbing unsteadily to her feet, she found she was
still unable to see anything. Realising her helmet screen had been
smashed, she removed her helmet and was met in the face by a cool breeze.
She slowly looked around the smoking ruins.

    The entire floor had been destroyed. The roof had totally collapsed,
and large sections of the floor had fallen to the level below. With the
walls blasted away, the entire floor was open to the night air. Only the
occasional charred husk of a large computer console remained standing,
everything else having been either consumed in the explosion or crushed
by falling debris. Aside from the occasional pockets of flame, nothing
else moved.

   Sylia looked down at her helmet. Noticing a large gash down one side,
she looked back down at the floor to see part of a twisted steel beam
impaled in the rubble next to where her head had been. The same steel beam
which had almost split her head open was also responsible for supporting
one side of the large concrete section from the ceiling that had fallen
on top of her, having prevented it from crushing her flat. She leaned
wearily against the beam. Her hardsuit was severely battered, and she
ached all over.

   Suddenly, a pile of rubble at the other end of the floor shifted. Sylia
watched in horror as the debris was pushed away and a large figure got to
his feet. It had dark skin and was of massive build. His head was crowned
by a set of horns, with an oval-shaped crystal mounted in his forehead.
One arm hung limply at his side, and dark red blood coursed down one side
of his face. His demonic visage stared at her in pure hatred.
 "Gyro!?" gasped Sylia.
 "Sorry to disappoint you," snarled Gyro. "I've survived explosions and
collapsing buildings before."
He reached out towards her with his good arm, and a ball of crimson
energy began to form in his outstretched hand.
 "Chronos will not tolerate your group's actions against our Mega-Tokyo
branch. For that, I command that you die."

   Before Gyro could fire, he was hit in the side by an intense beam of
searing white energy. He grimaced as he staggered from the blast. Both
Gyro and Sylia turned at the same time to see Sho standing before one of
the holes in the floor. One of his hands was holding a chestplate open to
reveal one of the mega-smasher cannons, as waves of super-heated air rose
from the lens. His other arm was around Priss, who was leaning against him
for support. Her uninjured right arm was raised, aiming her rail gun at
Gyro's head.
 "That was to get your attention," said Sho flatly. "The next blast will
incinerate you."
Gyro heard the sound of thrusters firing, and looked over to the other
side to see Linna fly up through another break in the debris and land
nearby. He turned back to glare at Sylia.
 "I won't forget this, Knight Sabers," he snarled resolutely.
With a quick leap, he took to the air, disappearing into the night sky.

   The four of them stood in silence for a few moments. The hush was
broken by the sound of approaching police sirens in the distance.
 "AD Police," drawled Priss in a flat monotone. "We're saved."
Sylia sagged to the ground, breathing a sigh of relief. Linna rushed over
to support her. Sho slowly released Priss, who remained unsteadily on her
feet. She looked over at him.
 "Sho, why didn't you kill him? He may come back and try again?"
 "Because I didn't have the energy for a full-power shot. Right now, the
Guyver is the only thing that's keeping me standing."

   There was a light pop, and the armour fell away from him and
disappeared into nothingness. His blood-soaked shirt was torn away at the
front, but his chest bore no scars or sign of injury. He stood momentarily
unsupported, then promptly fell face-down in the rubble as he slipped into
unconsciousness.


   "There's no sign of genetic mutation. I'd say you're suffering from
mild Zoanthropy. The psychological effects should only be temporary."
Sho leaned back from his inspection. Nene looked over at the other girls
and smiled. Priss and Sylia stood next to each other, both with their
left arm in a sling.
 "You done this often?" Priss asked him.
 "I've tried to save a countless number of people from Zoanoid
conversion," he explained. "I've become good at identifying the various
stages of development. Nene has only gone partway through the first
stage, so there shouldn't be anything to worry about."
Nene turned back to face Sho.
 "Thank you for saving me," she said. "All of you," she added, looking
back at the others.
Sho smiled.
 "Glad to be of assistance."
Priss shook her head in relief.
 "Nene, I take everything back I ever said about you being useless in a
fight."
Sho looked up at Sylia.
 "What about your equipment? Can it be repaired?"
Sylia nodded.
 "Mackie and Dr. Raven will begin work as soon as possible," she explained
to him. "Priss' suit requires only minor repairs, but Nene's and my own
need extensive work done on them. Mackie's needs to be completely rebuilt
after he lost it saving Priss' life."
Mackie, who was seated on a chair next to Priss, looked up at her.
 "I guess that means you owe me one," he grinned.
 "Don't let it go to your head," she replied, ruffling his hair with her
right hand.
Sho looked sadly over at Priss.
 "I'm so sorry I endangered your life like that," he apologised.
 "What happened back there, anyway?" asked Mackie.
 "The Guyver can regenerate its host if he is killed, but it still takes
time. While that happens, it takes over in order to protect him from
further harm. It can't differentiate between friend or foe, and so it
will attack either if obstructed." He lowered his head. "I should have
warned you all,  but I didn't think I would be killed that time."
 "Well, you sure took me by surprise when you got back up after you were
killed," remarked Priss.
 "I did tell you about that," reminded Sho.
 "Yeah, but you don't believe it until you see it for yourself!"
 "True enough," he agreed.
 "Anyway, let's just say we're even," she said finally, slightly raising
her injured arm. "Now we've both shot each other in the arm."
 Sho smiled weakly.

   "I'd better be going," he said finally.
 "Where are you going?" asked Linna, sitting on her usual spot on the sofa.
 "I'm not sure yet. The Mega-Tokyo branch of Chronos may have been put out
of commission, but there are many other branches to tackle. I can't rest
until all of Chronos has been stopped."
 "Will you ever come back?" asked Priss.
 "I don't know. I hope so, but hopefully not under the same circumstances."
Sylia stepped forwards.
 "Sho, we realise the task you carry out is to save all of mankind. We
want you to know that you are not alone in your struggle, and that you can
always call on our help if you need it."
 "Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me."
 "I would also like to make you an honorary member of the Knight Sabers."
Sho looked up at Sylia. She was smiling, the same smile Priss showed him
when he first met her. A smile of friendship. He stood up to face her.
 "I accept. I am happy to call you my comrades, and my friends."
Priss stepped over and extended her right hand.
 "Welcome to the club," she smiled.
Sho clasped her hand firmly. The others stood up and placed a hand on top
of theirs, Mackie being the last.
 "Well, if you're leaving us for a while, we'd better have a party
first," proposed Priss. "I have a concert at 'Hot Legs' tomorrow night.
How about it?"
 "I'll stay for the concert if you do," he grinned.


   "Forgive me, my Lord."
A dark-haired man looked up from the report on his desk. Despite the desk
lamp being the only source of illumination in the darkened room, he wore
sunglasses. Before him on one knee was Reichmann Gyro, his arm already
completely healed and now looking much more human once again.
 "The Mega-Tokyo branch was destroyed," said the dark-haired man. It was
a  statement, not a question.
 "Sho Fukamachi teamed up with a local vigilante group called the Knight
Sabers," explained Gyro.
 "And the entire Mega-Tokyo branch, not to mention one Zoalord, were no
match for them?" asked the dark-haired man acidly.
Gyro looked up at him with hatred in his eyes.
 "I barely escaped with my life," he replied evenly.
 "A duty which you have performed superbly, I see."
Gyro opened his mouth to give a sharp retort, but the dark-haired man cut
him off with a wave of his hand.
 "No matter. We can wait no longer in attempting to remover the random
element Fukamachi poses from the equation. We must establish Mega-Tokyo
as a new conversion centre."
Gyro grew noticeably concerned.
 "My Lord, I must advise against this. We have taken over small towns
before, but if we take over a city the size of Mega-Tokyo, we will draw
too much attention to ourselves."
 "Once we have taken over Mega-Tokyo, the stage will be set for a global
take-over. By then, it will be too late for anyone to do anything about
it."
 "Understood."
 "Good. We can begin by establishing a firm Zoanoid population base in the
city, then taking the rest of it by force. And make sure that both the
Genom arcology and the AD Police headquarters are the first targets."
 "Yes, Lord Murakami."
Murakami removed his sunglasses and stared at Gyro through yellow,
cat-slitted eyes.
 "And if Fukamachi or Makishima should interfere, I will personally see to
it that they are permanently destroyed."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Note:

So, waddya think? This fanfic sure took me a while, but I sure enjoyed it.
I hope you all enjoyed it also. Anyway, as always, all comments, criticisms,
praises and flames can be sent to jphil@tartarus.uwa.edu.au.

As the more perceptive of you may have realised, I have left the ending of
this story rather open-ended. This is intentional, as I intend to write a
sequel/follow-up. I have already written down some ideas, and I hope to get
some work done on it in the near future. But, alas, I also have a University
degree to complete, and that also requires work. So the story will probably
come in trickles. I will try to put the parts I complete in WWW form when I
complete them, and post the entire story when completed to r.a.a.s . Keep an
eye on this web page in the future for where to find it.