Bubblegum Crisis Fan Fiction ❯ Bubblegum Avatar #2 – "Born to be Killed" ❯ Chapter 4 - “Background Noises” ( Chapter 4 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

**************

Chapter 4 - “Background Noises”

**************

Leon found Johansson in the same burger joint as before. The informant waited until the Inspector slid into the booth across from him. “Hey, Ace. How’s business?”

“Not bad right now,” Leon answered.

Johansson held up a half eaten burger. “This taste almost like real beef. But I don’t think I want to know what it’s really made out of.”

“If you did, you probably throw up.” Leon leaned forward. “I don’t have a lot of time tonight. What do you have?”

Johansson’s eyebrows went up. “You have a hot date with the Songbird of the Fault?”

“No.”

“She dumped you already?”

“No!"

“You dumped her?”

“No!”

“Hmm. Sounds like you two are serious.”

“Don’t press your luck.”

“Peace, O enforcer of the laws. Watching you two porcupines get together is a high point in my drab existence.” The informant took another bite of his burger, chew it, swallowed it, then chased it down with a mouthful of soda.

“What do you have?”

Johansson ‘s expression turned serious. “A name. Someone who was out on a late night helicopter ride the night of the....situation at Aqua City.”

“So what makes this person important?”
“His position, for one. His starting point and destination on that helicopter trip for another.”

“Cut the crap, Leon growled. “What is his name?”

“I want you to promise me one thing before I give you the name.”

“What?”

“Be very careful with this guy, Ace.” Johansson’s voice was low and hard. “If he thinks you’re dangerous to him, he’d have you killed without a second thought. In addition, he’d not only bury you, he’ll bury anyone he thought you’d confide in.”

“Anyone?”

“Anyone. This guy is a cold-blooded son of a bitch.”

“That dangerous?”

“Yes. I’m serious. This is not someone you want to confront unless you have enough firepower to back you, and enough evidence to convince his boss that the guy is guilty as sin.”

“I promise, no action against this guy unless I have a hell of a strong case.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” Johansson took a deep breath. “The name is Brian J. Mason, Special assistant to the Chairman of GENOM.”

Leon nodded. “I’ve met him, and you’re right. He is a cold-blooded son of a bitch.”

“Well, he was out that night, heading towards Aqua City, and I don’t think it was a sudden urge to take in the island’s natural beauty.”

The Inspector looked thoughtful. “You think Quincy was behind this?”

“You’ve met both. Do you think Mason could keep anything from the Chairman?”

“No.” Leon glanced around. “What else do you have about the situation?”

“Like I said, USSD is still edgy. This guy Frederick has really shaken the security people, especially when the main office sent one of General Cantrick’s stormtroopers to take a look-see.”

“That’s not surprising.”

“I also came up with another name – Cynthia.”
“Cynthia what?”

“I have no clue, Ace. All I know is that she’s involved with this project in some way.” Johansson finished off his burger. “There’s one other thing I came up with, but I don’t trust my source, so I have no idea if it’s true.”

“What about everything else you told me? How trustworthy were those sources?”

“I trust them far enough. But this guy’s a new one, and I don’t have a track record for him.”

“What did he tell you?”

“If what he tells me is true, then get use to sleepless nights.”

Leon sighed. “What is it?”

“The panic USSD is in has to do with the particle beam satellites.”

Leon’s eyes opened wide. “Oh shit,” he breathed.

“You ain’t kidding Ace. If any of those things go off....”

“I can see why.”

“Now, I can’t tell you this is reliable. The guy could be just blowing smoke in an attempt to impress me.”

“It would explain a lot,” said Leon. “And it makes sense.”

“And that’s all I can give you,” Johansson said. “USSD is getting suspicious about me, so I’m backing way off on this subject, at least for six months, or even longer. USSD are not much friendlier then GENOM, and I have no intention of ending up in a cell again.”

Leon nodded. “I understand.”

“Anything else I can help you with?”

“There is something. What do you know about the Knight Sabers?”

Johansson raised an eyebrow. “Is that a professional or personal interest?”

“A bit of both, really.”

“Besides the basics? They’re a team of high tech mercenaries. At least three to four members, supposedly all women.”

“Supposedly?”

The blond man shrugged. “They could be boomers, or hell, they could be kangaroos for all we know. All I know is that they’re good. They have a rep from taking out rampaging boomers at no charge. No idea of who’s behind them, and if you want to do some digging on them, forget it. My hide isn’t thick enough to take lasers from that group of women.”

Leon nodded. No one seemed to know there was now another Saber on the team, this one a guy. “Do you know if they’ve been looking for help?”

“Why, you want to join?”

The Inspector snorted. “I don’t think they’d take me.”

“I can’t tell you, Ace. They don’t use the want ads when they’re hiring.”

“Okay.” Leon stood up. “Thanks for the info. Talk to you soon.”

“Take it easy, Ace.”

Leon walked out into the parking lot. He glanced at his watch and shook his head. He had a couple of more reports he had to complete before morning shift came in. As he walked to his car, his mind wrestled with the Aqua City matter. Assuming Johansson’s source was telling him the truth, the USSD came very close to losing control over their particle beam satellite arrays, enough firepower to turn the Earth’s Surface into a wasteland.

No wonder the USSD is trying to keep a tight lid on this entire situation, he thought. If that ever got out, USSD would be finished as an effective organization. No one would be able to trust them!

He got into his car and started it up. As he let the engine warm up, he glanced back at the burger place. Johansson had gone back to his book, nibbling on a fry as he read. This Johansson was a wild card in these events. Who was he, and who did he really work for? A background check by Nene had turned up only basic information on this man. Originally from Chicago, in the United States. Moved here about six months ago. Obtained a Private Investigator’s licence and that was his presumed occupation. No criminal record, no arrest warrants, no trouble with the law of any type – a clean record. But Johansson had mentioned he’d spent time in prison. It was probable that Johansson wasn’t even his real name....

Leon sighed. Now wasn’t the time to worry about an informant’s background. Most informants weren’t honest citizens anyway, and as long as Johansson stayed out of trouble, Leon didn’t care about his background. What was more important was his information, and he seem to have a nose for finding it. The few scraps Johansson had uncovered so far had been confirmed through other channels, so he was a valuable source – for now.

He put the car into drive and drove out of the parking lot. He glanced in his rear view mirror just in time to see Johansson walk out and get on his motorcycle. For an instant, Leon thought about following him, but he dismissed the idea. He didn’t have time to trail the man now, and so far Johansson hadn’t done anything to provoke anything more then mild interest. He would keep for another time.

With that thought, Leon released the subject of Viking Johansson from his consciousness and brought the subject of the reports he still had to write to his deliberations....

*****

By the time Craig made it back to his building, it was after two o’clock in the morning. After being greeted by Rommel and Zhukov and storing the motorcycle in the garage, he went up to his apartment. It wasn’t until he reached the doorway separating the training area from the rest of his home did he realize that the other two dogs hadn’t greeted him yet. He stepped back into the cover of the wall, drawing the large semi-automatic he carried as Johansson, and listened.

After thirty seconds of silence, he dropped to one knee and peeked around the corner. A couple of small lights were on, allowing him to see everything in the apartment. Nothing seemed out of place. Patton and Montgomery, who were lying near the fireplace, lifted their heads and looked at him with an expression that Craig took to be puzzlement. A glance back at Rommel and Zhukov showed that they had the same expression.

Craig stood and sidled into apartment, pistol ready just in case. A quick glance showed him there was no one hiding in either the office or dining room. But there was someone sitting in a chair in the living area...

It took him two seconds to put the mass of brown hair and red leather motorcycle jacket together with the person who had them. Priss? What the Hell?

He moved forward again, carefully, but stopped short as he spotted a can lying next to the chair. He bent down and picked it up. It was a beer can, and empty one at that. He saw two more under the chair, in the same state as the first. Two more empties were lying on the table in front of the chair, leaving only one unopened one sitting there, looking woeful in the low light.

Craig stood, holstered his pistol, and looked down at his visitor. Priss was slumped in the chair, head forward, her deep steady breathing that of someone asleep. Damn, Craig thought, She looks almost peaceful. But what am I going to do with her? A few risky thoughts crossed his mind, but the were quickly and ruthlessly squashed by his morals and self-preservation instincts. She was clearly in no shape to go anywhere tonight, but staying here was unquestionably a disaster waiting to happen.

As he though about what he was going to do, Craig picked up the empty cans and put them into the trash can quietly. The full one went into the refrigerator. After that was done, Craig looked at the sleeping singer for several seconds, then sighed.

He walked over to a chest near the iron spiral staircase that lead up to the roof and opened the chest. He took out a blanket, considered for a moment, then took out a rolled up futon and another blanket. He closed the chest, then walked back to where Priss was sleeping, carrying the blankets and futon. He placed one blanket and futon on the table and unfolded the other blanket.

He had just finished draping the blanket over Priss when the singer opened her eyes slightly and glared at him. “What are you doing?” she asked, her voice slurred by drink and sleep.

“Tucking you in,“ Craig replied.

“I don’t need a mother,” Priss muttered, grabbing the blanket and throwing it off of her.

“No, you need a keeper,” said Craig, sounding annoyed.

The singer struggled to her feet, and swayed on her feet. “I want to talk to you,” she said, her voice thick.

“You can snarl at me later. Right now, you need some sleep.”

“No!” Priss snarled and took a step forward. Her legs gave out and she collapsed into Craig’s arms. Craig, now stuck with supporting about a hundred pounds of drunken singer, sighed.

In his grasp, Priss started to struggle weakly. “Let me go! I can stand on my own!”

“No, you can’t.” With a grunt of effort, Craig placed Priss on his feet, but held onto her arms. “You’re brain’s so pickled, its not even sure where the floor is!”

Priss managed to free her right arm and threw a looping punch that Craig ducked easily. The punch’s momentum was enough to send Priss stumbling forward onto Craig’s shoulder. With a grunt of effort, Craig straighten his legs, leaving Priss draped over his shoulder like a side of beef. He could feel Priss beating her fists on his back. “Let me go, you animal!” She screamed.

“I am not an animal,” Craig said, carrying Priss towards the bed. “Rommel, Montgomery! Heel!” The two named dogs followed.

Craig dropped Priss on the bed. The singer bounced, then laid there on her back, glaring at him. “Now what?”
“Now, you’re going to sleep,” Craig replied, walking back to the living area.

“And where are you going?”

Craig picked up the rolled up futon and the folded blanket. “I’m going to sleep out in the training area. Montgomery, Rommel! Override Overlord! Activate Protection Plan Anti-Mackie Alpha! Subject is Priss Asagiri! Time is,” he glanced at his watch, “Five hours! Execute!” The two dog’s eyes glowed, then they both nodded and jumped up on the bed.

“What the hell is this?” Priss demanded, pushing herself onto her elbows. “What did you just order these dogs to do?”

“Consider them your security blanket for the next five hours,” Craig replied, looking at Priss. “They will not allow anyone to come within two meters of you, including me. It’ll be daylight in about four and a half hours, which means Linna will be here in about five hours. I plan to get some sleep. I suggest you do the same thing.”

Priss tried to sit up, but lost control of her muscles and flopped back onto the bed. “I want to talk to you!” she bellowed.

“You can do it tomorrow, if you’re coherent. Good night.”

“Wait a damn minute!”

“Rommel, Montgomery! Activate Plan Morpheus Gamma in thirty seconds! Subject is Priss Asagiri! Trigger is any noise from subject louder than ten decibels!” The two dog’s eyes glowed, then they both looked at Priss.

“What did you do now?” Priss shouted.

“I told the dogs to stun you if you don’t stay quiet, starting in about twenty seconds. I suggest you take the opportunity to stay quiet. I’ve been told that the after effects of K-9 stun blasts are just like waking up with a hangover. In you current condition, it would probably be worse.”

There was silence for a few seconds, then Priss said, “You win for now, but I will not forget this.”

“Maybe not.” Craig started walking to the training area. “You’re a hell of a girl, Priss Asagiri, but remember the entire world is not against you. You have friends, and I hope someday, I’ll be one of them. Until then, I’ll try and keep you out of trouble. Good night.”

“Just wait until tomorrow,” Priss replied, but the words were more slurred.

“Until tomorrow,” said Craig, and walked out into the training area, trailed by the other two dogs.

There was no reply from Priss this time.

*****

Largo stared out into the night. Despite being only slightly more the halfway up GENOM Tower, they view from his office was still better then most. The city laid before him like a glittering jewel, slumbering in the darkness. A human might have felt a thrill or been awed at the sight, but to Largo, it was just a place for him to look at while he thought.

The search of the other Avatar was not going well. With the exception of Mason’s description, Largo had nothing solid to go on. No fingerprints, no DNA, no other visual identification was available. The reservations database at the restaurant where Mason has seen this Bert Van Vliet had been hacked into and it’s contents erased before Mason’s own hackers could get into it. There was a link to Sylia Stingray, but his watchers reported no sign of this man anywhere near the Silky Doll. Rumors that the elder Stingray had a live-in lover for a while were vague, and the man had disappeared a couple of months ago. Possibly the Avatar, but he had vanished without a trace.

In any case, it was clear that looking for the other Avatar wasn’t working. He was buried too deeply in a city of fourteen million people from all over the world. According to the data, over fifty thousand people came into the city legally in the last year, and maybe half of that number came in illegally. A records search had narrowed the number of legal possibilities to about ten thousand, but it was possible that the Avatar was staying underground with the city’s human flotsam.

There was a knock at his door. “Enter,” Largo commanded, not looking away from the window. There was little light in the office, so Largo could see Trivia walk into the room in the reflection of the window. “What is it?”

The brunette boomer walked to the front of the desk and bowed slightly. “I am on my way to relive Gyda at the Stingray residence. Do you have any new orders?”

“No.” The C-class boomer turn to leave, but Largo’s voice stopped her. “What is the current number of people who have visited the Silky Doll that fit the criteria I outlined?”

Trivia blinked. “At the current time, there are three hundred and twelve women that fit the parameters you outlined that have visited the store in the last week.”

“What about men?”

“Seventeen. None fit the description we were given.”

Largo nodded. “Has Cahira returned from her assignment?”

“Not yet, but if the Can girl keeps to her routine, she will have returned to her apartment by now.”

“Have we completed the background on her yet?”

“We are having...difficulties.”

“Oh?” Largo turned and looked at her. “What sort of difficulties?”

“The information is not consistent,” Trivia replied. “We are also having problems with retrieving data beyond basic data that is in the government’s computer.”

Largo frowned. “Why was I not told this sooner?” he asked.

“The governmental data system is notoriously out of date. There have similar problems in the past when we have retrieved data from that system. Such problems are not uncommon.”

“I don’t like it,” said Largo, his expression one of disapproval. “Is there anything on who is paying for her apartment?”

“We have found only an account of considerable size, and the rent money is automatically drawn out the first of each month. The account also pays for her school and other expenses. We have not traced the origin of the account.”

“I want a full report on this matter in twenty-four hours. You can go.”

Trivia bowed and left. Largo turned back towards the window. Something was wrong, but he didn’t know what. He didn’t want to move until he had more information on both Sylia’s underlings, the Avatar, and now this Irene Can. But either instinct or some unconscious correlation of data told him that he was missing something, some unknown factor that could ruin his plans.

He would have to be careful. He needed more data, and that meant he needed to create some ‘incidents’ to try and draw Sylia and the others out into the open. He closed his eyes and accessed the small part of his awareness that was in the GENOM computer. With a adjustment to the data stream, he shifted the delivery point for two dozen boomers to a warehouse he’d co-opted earlier. It would take a couple of days for the boomers to arrive, but he could be patient on this matter.

He had been too eager before, and he had been killed by SkyKnight and the other Sabers. This time, he would be more cautious, and he would not allow his obsession with Sylia Stingray to blind him again.

No, he thought, this time I will win and I will let no one stand in the way – not Sylia Stingray, not the Avatar, and not Mason....

*****

Linna knew something was wrong when she saw Priss’ motorcycle parked in the shadows of Craig’s building. She glanced around uneasily, and spotted a trio of empty beer cans near the door.

Oh shit, she thought. Priss hasn’t been in a good mood concerning Craig for a couple of days now, and drinking wouldn’t have help her disposition any. Linna strode quickly over to the door, punched in her code, and dashed inside. When she wasn’t greeted by any of Craig’s guard dogs, she became even more worried. She ran to the elevator and was whisked up the five floors in a matter of seconds.

Linna was expecting to see one of several things: finding Craig face down in a pool of blood, Priss face down in a pool of blood, both of them face down in a pool of blood, or both of them in bed together. She wasn’t sure that the last possibility wasn’t the scariest, but she wouldn’t admit that to anyone. What she didn’t expect when she came out of the elevator was finding Craig in the middle of the exercise area under a blanket, fast asleep with two of his dogs lying nearby.

Both dogs lifted their heads at the sight of Linna. One rose to its feet and trotted over to the dancer. Linna reached down and held out her hand for the dog to sniff. “Good dog,” she cooed softly. The dog’s eyes glowed, then sat and waited for it’s head to be scratched, which Linna did.

“Is everything all right?” Linna asked the dog, who’s name she could now see was Patton.
The K-9 cocked his head, then looked at the other dog. After a silent conversation, Patton looked at Linna and nodded.

“Is Priss here?” Another nod from Patton.

“Where is she?” Patton looked into the apartment, then back at Linna. “She’s in the apartment?” Patton nodded. “Is she all right?” The dog hesitated, then nodded.

“I really wish you could talk,” Linna muttered. Patton nodded, then looked at the other dog. The other dog nodded, stood, and walked over to its owner. Then slowly and deliberately, the dog started licking Craig’s face.

“Blub...gag...blup!” Craig managed to get out before he managed to push the dog away and sat up. “What the hell was that for?” he demanded. The dog sat there and managed to look amused at his master’s plight.

“I think that was my fault,” Linna said, somewhat louder then she had previously.

Craig looked at her. “Oh,” he said. “It’s that time of morning, isn’t it?”

“Yes. What happened last night? Why are you out here? Where’s Priss?”

“And good morning to you too.”

“Is Priss all right?”

“Depends,” Craig muttered. “How does she handle hangovers?”

“Where is she?”

“Priss is in my bed.”

“Why are you out here?”

“Because Priss is in my bed.”

“Oh.”

Craig got up slowly and stretched. He was still wearing a T-shirt and cargo pants, though his feet were bare. “She showed up here, four sheets to the wind and wanted to talk to me. Only she was too plastered to be coherent, in no shape to go anywhere, and too angry to try and sober up, so I tossed her onto my bed, sicced Zhukov and Montgomery on her to keep her there, and came out here to sleep.”

“You two didn’t –“

”Are you kidding?” Craig sounded insulted. “I am a gentleman. Besides, if Priss ever thought that I’d taken advantage of her, I’d be a dead man. And if she didn’t do it, one of you would have. So I played it as safe as I could. I kept her here so she wouldn’t kill herself on the highway, and placed as much distance as I could between her and me.”

“Will you two keep it down?” snarled a familiar voice.

Craig and Linna turned to look at Priss who was standing in the doorway of the apartment. She was still wearing her motorcycle leathers, though her feet were bare. Pale as a ghost, she still managed to glare at both of them. Montgomery and Rommel flanked her like an escort, looking amused at the entire situation.

“Oh goody,” Craig mumbled. “Sleeping Beauty’s up.”

“Good morning!” Linna said brightly. This earned her a withering gaze from Priss.
“Sleep well?” asked Craig. Priss turned her head slowly to glare at him

“I hate you,” The singer hissed. What could be seen of her eyes beneath her half-closed eyelids were bloodshot, and the only thing that seemed to be holding her up was the wall she was leaning against..

“So what else is new?” Craig asked. “Now, are you ready to talk like a human being, or do you want to try and hit me again?”

Linna looked shocked. “She tried to hit you?”

Craig shrugged. “It wasn’t that serious. She threw a punch and missed. End of story.”

The dancer looked at the singer. “Why are you mad at him?”

“That’s between him and me.”

“I don’t mind sharing,” offered Craig, which earned him another glare from Priss. “In fact, I would like to know why you’re pissed at me.”

“If this is serious,” said Linna, “We have to talk this out.”

“This is none of your business,” Priss snarled.

“Nonsense,” said Craig. “She can act as moderator, or referee if things get too bad. If I’ve pissed you off, I want to know how.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Craig looked at Linna. “Could we cancel today’s session? I think we need to hash this out now.”

“I think you’re right,” Linna replied. She went over to Priss. “”I’ll get her cleaned up, you start breakfast.”

“Right. How strong do you want the coffee?”

Linna looked Priss over. “How many beers did you have?” she asked the singer.

Priss looked at her. “I don’t know,” she muttered, look less angry then before.

“I found five empties when I showed up last night,” Craig volunteered.

“I found three more outside this morning....” Linna thought for a second. “Make it strong enough to stand a spoon in.”

“Hokay, Chief!”

*****

It took Linna half an hour to get Priss into the shower, cleaned up and somewhat sober before breakfast. Now, the singer was sitting at the breakfast bar, a plate of bacon and eggs in front of her, and a large mug of coffee in her hands. Instead of her motorcycle leathers, she was wearing one of Craig’s sweatsuits, dark gray in color. She still looked grumpy, but she wasn’t glaring at the other two. Linna sat next to her, while Craig was at the stove, stirring another batch of scrambled eggs. He had also changed into a sweatsuit, his being a dark blue in color.

“Feeling better?” Linna asked as Priss took a large sip of the brown liquid.

“Yea,” Priss muttered, taking a mouthful of egg. “But I still don’t want to talk about it.”

“Unless you do, it will never be solved.”

Craig placed another filled plate in front of Linna. “She’s right. What did I do to torque you off?”

Priss shot him a cool glance as she nibbled on some bacon. “What did you tell Leon about me?” she asked.

“Ah,” Craig said. “I think the light has broken over the horizon at last.”

“I don’t understand,” said Linna.

“Leon’s been digging around in my past,” said Priss, her words sharp, her gaze still focused on Craig.

“What for?” Linna asked.

“He wants to know what Priss doesn’t like cops.” Craig sipped from his mug of tea.

“And what did you tell him?” Priss asked, her voice getting some of the anger back.

“A story I heard. I told him it as a story, a rumor, and if he was interested, he should check it out on his own.”

“Well, he did. Why did the fuck did you tell him about Jiro?”
Craig looked at her blankly. “Who?”

“Jiro. My boyfriend who died because of GENOM.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know his name.”

Priss slammed the half empty mug down on the counter. “No, you just opened you mouth on a subject you had no business talk about.”

“What did you tell Leon?” Linna asked, looking from Priss to Craig.

Craig swallowed another mouthful of tea. “I told him that I had heard a story, but I didn’t know how much of it was true.”

“Well, you told him enough to put him on the right track,” Priss said. “He’s asked me about Jiro and his death.”

“He could be trying to solve an old case of his.”

“How did you know he was on that case?” Priss demanded. “That was several years ago.”

Linna noticed Craig’s expression was the same one he had when she had mentioned Irene’s name, but it was gone quickly. “Er....Lucky guess?” he said, trying to look casual.

The Singer’s eyes narrowed slightly. “What do you know about us?” she asked, her voice slow and hard. “You’ve been hiding something from us, haven’t you?”

“Hiding what?” Craig countered, putting his tea mug down.

“Ishmael said that where you come from we’re characters in an anime series. Why don’t you tell us something about this anime series?”

“Well,” Craig began, and Linna could see panic and uncertainty in his eyes. She had remembered Sylia mentioning this, but she had just filed it away with the other stuff about Craig until now.

“It’s kind of hard to explain,” he continued. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen the series, and –“

”Stop babbling and start talking,” said Priss, her voice now using the low growl of real anger.

Meanwhile, Linna’s mind was racing. Could he have recognized Irene’s name from this anime series? It made sense, but why would Irene be part of this series?

Then it hit her. He knows what happens to Irene! And it isn’t something good!

Before she could stop herself, Linna reached across the counter and grabbed Craig by the shirt and yanked him towards her. “Start talking!” she shouted “What happed to Irene in this anime series of yours?”

Craig glanced from Linna to Priss and back again, the panic back in his eyes. “I can’t!” he gasped.

Priss leaned in. “Can’t or won’t?”

Craig swallowed hard. “I need to make a phone call first,” he said.

“Who are you going to call?” Linna demanded. Then it hit her. “Why are you going to call Sylia?”

“What is that bitch hiding from us?” Priss shouted.

“Er...guys?” said Craig hesitantly. “Could you please relax a bit and let me make that phone call?”

“Why should we do that?” Linna demanded.

He pointed behind them. “Because you’re about to have a Second Front open up behind you.”

Both women turned to see all four K-9 boomers standing there, ears back, teeth bared. Normal German Shepards would have been trouble, but since these were boomers, they were a lot more dangerous.

“Call them off!” Priss demanded, turning to look at Craig.

“I can’t!” he said. “They’re on internal commands now, because they have been programmed to ignore my commands if they think I’m in danger.”

“Then how do we call them off?” Linna asked harshly.

“Release me and let me make that phone call while you two stay here. That should allow me to reestablish control over them.”

Linna released him. “Start dialing.”

Craig nodded and walked away slowly toward the office. Two of the dogs joined them, while the other two relaxed slightly, but still watched the two women. Craig reached the hand-held vidphone and started dialing.

“What is Sylia hiding from us?” Priss hissed in a low voice, shifting her gaze from the dogs watching her and Craig.

“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out,” Linna replied in a low voice, remember the conversation she had with their leader in the back room of the Silky Doll.

Craig was speaking now, keeping his own voice low and walking towards the training area, phone in hand, the two dogs following him. He was gesturing with his free hand and glancing in Priss’ and Linna’s direction every few seconds.

Priss made a move to stand, but Linna put a hand on the singer’s arm. “Stay here,” she said softly.

“Why?”

“First, I don’t think the dogs will let us get near him right now. Second, let’s not press him unless he refuses to answer.”

“You always willing to give him a chance,” Priss muttered.

“Has he let us down yet?”

Priss thought about it for a second, then nodded. “All right, but if he tries to stonewall us, I get first shot at him.”

“Agreed.”

After another twenty seconds of frantic gesturing, Craig finished his conversation and walked back into the living area of the apartment. “Sylia said to come over a eight o’clock tonight. She will explain everything then.”

“Why that late?” Linna asked.

“Nene doesn’t get off work until then. Sylia wants all of us there. And before you ask, I’m not allowed to tell you anything until then.”

“That’s just fucking great,” Priss snarled.

“Don’t blame me,” Craig shot back. “I wanted to tell you from day one, but Sylia overruled me. You will find out everything tonight – I got that promise out of our fearless leader.”

“Does this have something to do with Irene?” Linna asked.

Craig nodded, his expression grim. “Sylia wasn’t going to say anything, but when I told her that you two wanted answers out of my worthless hide, she decided that for the sake of team unity, it was time to came clean.”

“And why is she hiding anything from us?” Priss demanded.

“Because she wasn’t sure you would accept the truth.”

“We’re not children,” Linna said.

“Wait until tonight.” He looked at Priss. “Look, I’m sorry that I opened my mouth. I like Leon, and I said some things that maybe I shouldn’t have. I told him a story, based on what I knew about the anime. I don’t know how much is real, and –“

Priss drained the last of her coffee. “Leave me alone,” she snarled, turning away from Craig and sliding off the stool.

Craig reached out and put a hand on Priss’ shoulder. “Look, it–“

Priss spun around and hit him in the jaw. Craig’s head snapped to the left, his legs buckling from the strength of the blow. Only a frantic grab for the counter kept him from falling. The dogs started growling, but Craig had the presence of mind to shout, “Override Juno! Heel!” The K-9s relaxed slightly, but they were still coiled for action.

“Stay away from me!” the singer snarled, the stormed into the bathroom, grabbing her biking leathers as she went past them. The door slammed behind her with the loudness of thunder.

Linna leapt off her stool and help Craig onto the one Priss had just vacated. His eyes were glassy and a huge bruise was forming on his left cheek. “I think she’s pissed,” he muttered.

“Stay here,” Linna ordered. She retrieved the first aid kit and started tending to Craig’s face. “You have to do something about your mouth.”

“It’s not so bad. I can’t feel anything on the left side of my face.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Linna waved some smelling salts under Craig’s nose, bringing him out of his punch-induced stupor. “You’re a nice guy, but your mouth keep getting you into trouble.”

Craig winced as Linna put some cream on the bruise. “I think I really screw up this time.”

“Yes, you did.”
“She isn’t going to forgive easily, is she?”

“Nope.”

“Figures. Story of my life.”

“Hold still.” Linna dabbed some more cream on the bruise. “Did Sylia really promise to tell all?”

“Yep, but she wants to do it on her own terms. Yow!!”

“Keep still.” She sprayed some sealer on the bruise. “Is she going to tell us about Irene?”

“Yes. Irene is really in danger.”

Linna stopped working. “What sort of danger?”

“The worst kind.”

Before Linna could ask what he meant, Priss cam storming out of the bathroom. She threw the sweatsuit at Craig and stormed past, still angry. The other two Sabers present watched her go in silence.

When they head the elevator going down, Craig stood up. “And that concludes the entertainment part of out program,” he muttered.

“Are you all right?”

“I’ll let you after tonight. This,” he pointed to the bruise, “maybe the first of several I’ll be getting today.” He walked away from Linna on unsteady legs. “You’d better be getting to work. We can discuss this more tonight.”

“Are you going to be all right?”

“I’ll be fine, really. I can take a punch.”

“What about Irene?”

Craig turned slowly. He looked tired. “What we did at Aqua City might have brought her some time. Sylia has people working on her case, but it might come down to us protecting her.” Before Linna could ask another question, Craig said, “You’ll learn everything tonight. All I know is that Irene isn’t in immediate danger, but that’s liable to change very soon. I’ll see you tonight.”

“What are you going to do?”
“Try and figure out how I’m going to apologize to Priss. I would see you out, but I think that would not be a good idea.” he looked over at the dogs. “Patton! Montgomery! Escort Linna to the ground floor and go on guard duty down there. Execute!”

“I’ll be back to check on you at lunchtime,” Linna said, putting the items she had used back into the first aid box. Her K-9 escorts come over to her, nuzzling her hand as a form of apology. She reached down and scratched their ears as a sign of forgiveness.

“I’ll have lunch ready,” Craig said over his shoulder as he walked towards a chair in the living room. “Don’t worry about me.”

“I will worry about you!” Linna snapped, putting the first aid box away.

Craig slumped into the chair. “I’ll be all right, but Priss is the one in trouble.”

“Trouble? With who?”

He leaned back into the chair and leaned back. “Herself.”

Linna frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Craig waved at her, his eyes on the ceiling. “I’ll tell you tonight. I don’t feel like playing Doctor Ruth right now.”

“But –“

”I like to be alone when I get melancholy and wallow in self-pity. Go on, I will be all right. Tunafish sandwiches all right for lunch?”

“Sure, you’re not going to do anything stupid, are you?”

“You mean am I going to do anything else stupid? The answer is no. I’m depressed, not suicidal.”

“All right. I’ll see you at lunchtime.” Linna left him there, staring at the ceiling. Accompanied by Patton and Montgomery, she went down in the elevator. When the doors open, a thought occurred to her. “Patton,” she asked the dog to her left. “Are the four of you networked to each other?”

Patton tilted his head and nodded. “So if I was to give you an order, then others would hear it and follow it, as long as it didn’t contravene any of Craig’s orders, right?” The K-9 nodded again.

Linna closed her eyes. “All right,” she said. “Override Overlord. You are to prevent Craig from doing anything that might kill or seriously harm him until I say otherwise. Execute.”
The boomer dog’s eyes glowed and he nodded. Linna looked over at the other dog in time to see Montgomery’s eyes also glow. She stroke both her heads. “I really don’t think he’ll do anything stupid, but I want to make sure. See you later.” With that Linna walked out of the elevator and out of the building.