A Knight Alone (by Alex Gray 1999)

This story is part of the 2090 BGC series.

The name Bubblegum Crisis and characters within are copyright of
Artmic & Youmex. Other characters and concepts copyright of
Alex Gray (1999).


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Chapter One - A Surprise

Location: Tokyo, Japan
Time: AD 2089, 3 March, 10:23

    The day was dark and miserable. What little light there was
filtered through the ominous looking clouds that rumbled overhead.
Some of the mourners attending the funeral shivered and pulled their
coats around them as the wind propelling the storm clouds overhead
began to bite. A few of them wished they could get this damn service
over and done with so that they could get back into the warmth. One
woman lifted her hand and took a look at her watch. It was not an
exactly subtle movement and earned the woman a dark stare from the
redheaded 17-year old girl whose grandmother it was who was being
buried today. The woman was lowering her hand when she caught sight of
the teenager's frosty blue eyes staring at her. She tried to meet the
rude glare, but those clear blue eyes unmercifully bore into her own.
The woman suddenly felt awkward and shifted uncomfortably. The cold
contempt in the girl's eyes was plain to see
    Raina Stingray held the woman's eyes steadily for several moments
before finally breaking contact. Today was just not the day for
showing the contempt she felt for her mother's in-laws and their
friends. This was the last chance that she would get to say a final
farewell to her beloved grandmother, Nene, before her body was finally
laid to rest beside her husband. Raina knew virtually nothing about
her grandfather as he had died years before she had even been born.
The only things she had ever learnt about him had come from her
grandmother. Mackie, as been his name. Raina could remember the love
that had resonated in her grandmother's voice when she had spoken of
him and of the short life that they had shared together before the
great quake of 2047 had struck Tokyo. Her grandmother had never spoken
of that time, but Raina had seen the deep pain and sorrow that had
been reflected in her eyes. She knew from her mother that the great
quake had kill her grandfather, and his sister, but the pain in those
green eyes had reflected so much more than just that. Somehow Raina
knew that the quake had killed far more in her grandmother's life than
just her husband and his sister. What that might have been Raina
doubted she would ever know, and from the nature of her grandmothers
harrowed looks Raina never wanted to know.
    Nina Stingray felt very little in her heart as she watched her
mother be laid to rest next to the father she had never really known.
A few years ago she would have been laughing to see her hated mother
finally dead, but now... Now she felt nothing, just nothing. The
bitterness she had nurtured towards her mother was still there, but
after so many years the flame had gone cold. It was pointless to try
and re-light it. Her mother was gone, and the only blood relative she
had left was her daughter. A daughter that was more like Nene than
seemed possible. Nina almost smiled at the irony. Her mother was dead,
but in a very real sense she lived on in Raina. Her daughter had both
her grandmother's looks and even more of her temperament. The same
temperament that oddly made her mother love her all the more fiercely.
The thought of her daughter prompted Nina to gently place a comforting
hand on Raina's shoulder and give it a slight squeeze. She knew how
much Raina had loved her grandmother, and how much pain had been
caused when Nina had had to move the two of them to the USA. She had
hoped at the time that Raina would understand Nina's need to escape
her mother's strangle hold on her life. However, even now years later
Raina had not forgiven her.
    Raina felt her mother's hesitant comforting squeeze and turned her
sad blue eyes to look up at her. Slowly she offered her mother a small
smile. It would be sometime before Raina could fully forgive her
mother the pain her thoughtless act had caused her but... This was not
the time for such recriminations. She looked back at the open grave
and tried to hold back the tears that threatened to run down her face.
    The priest was beginning to feel the cold as well. He also wished
to get back into the warmth as soon as it was humanly possible. His
eyes briefly scanned the horizon and noted the rumbling clouds fast
approaching. He began to speed up the service as much as he could get
away with. Those clouds looked like they would be overhead very soon,
and he did not want to get soaked on his very first service of the
day. He read through the words for the service with the expertise that
comes of practice and a good oratory skill. His voice went smoothly
through the deep resonances that the words required, pausing where
necessary for dramatic effect and then continuing towards the final
concluding statements.
    Nina frowned slightly as the pace of the service picked noticeably
up. While she did not blame the man for wanting to get the service
concluded before the rain struck, somehow it did not seem right. She
kept silent however, as the service was rapidly approaching the final
act of remembrance which she and her daughter would perform. She
looked down at her daughter, at the single white rose that Raina had
chosen. She had wondered at first why the girl had chosen it, but now
it seemed to be the right choice.
    The priest finally spoke the key phrase that was Nina's cue to
scoop up some of the soil and throw it onto the coffin. She swallowed,
somehow dreading this final act that would indicate the last
separation between her and her mother. Numerous words and phrases
passed through her mind. Things that she had long wanted to say but
had never had the strength to admit to herself. Finally she knelt down
and picked up a handful of soil.
    "Forgive me, mother," Nina said as she threw the damp loam onto
the wooden coffin. "I have always loved you... and... I am sorry...."
A tear ran down her cheek as she finally let go of all the hate and
resentment that she had been building up over so many years.
    "Forgive me..." she whispered as she turned and hurried away. In
silence she began the walk back to the cars waiting some distance away
from the grave.
    Raina watched her mother go. She had seen the tears in the woman's
eyes and heard that last statement. It bought that small sad smile
back to her face. If only... but it was too late now. What had been
unsaid between Nene and Nina would have to remain unsaid. She turned
back to the edge of the grave and slowly threw in the single white
rose. It hit the coffin and broke apart, scattering sweet smelling
blossoms over the dark wood.
    "Grandmother..." she said in a soft, sad voice. The tears began to
run down her face as she searched for the words, any words that would
say what she so desperately felt, but nothing came. She looked down at
the broken white petals and smiled. That was all she needed she
thought and slowly she turned and followed her mother back.

    The reception at the funeral home had been on for a few hours when
Raina finally was able to slip away and drive the 20 minute trip back
to the graveyard. In the hours since she had left she had thought of
so many things that she wanted to say to her grandmother before she
and her mother went back to the States. This would be the only chance
that she had. She needed time alone, time to get the things she had
never said off her chest. It was with this in mind that she parked the
car and started to walk the short distance to her grandmother's grave.
The air was fresh from the downpour that had only stopped less than 15
minutes ago. She had to take care to avoid the small puddles of water
that had formed along the path. She had not exactly worn.... Her
thoughts broke off as she suddenly came into sight of her
grandmother's grave. She was surprised to see a figure standing there.
Raina could tell even at this distance that the figure was weeping. A
frown crossed her face as she wondered who this dark haired person
was, and why was she so distressed at the sight of the grave.
    Raina's curiosity overcame her usually polite nature. She walked
towards the figure as rapidly and yet as silently as she could. As she
got closer she could tell that the distressed figure was a very
slender and graceful looking dark haired young woman. The young woman
was weeping openly and seemed to be totally ignoring everything that
was going on around her as her attention was totally fixed on the
grave. When Raina managed to get within a few meters of the woman she
could hear that the young woman was speaking in a sad and almost
hauntingly lonely voice.
    "Nene-chan... why... lonely..." the voice was soft and yet very
melodic with a strange...
    Raina's foot scuffed the gravel of the path, and with an almost
inhuman speed the young woman spun around to face Raina. Raina was too
stunned by the speed of the reaction to do anything but stare. The
young woman's face was running with tears, yet her expression was
hard. It was an expression that spoke of a controlled violence.
Violence that was shown in the almost defensive fighting posture that
the woman had automatically adopted. As Raina looked on however, the
woman's expression rapidly changed. The icy blue eyes of hard steel
grew at first uncertain and then disbelieving as the woman examined
who is was who had surprised her.
    The woman almost stumbled back a few steps before she recovered
herself and the two sets of disbelieving sky blue eyes focused on each
other.
    "Nene??" the woman managed to say. "Is... Is that you??"
    Raina's eyes opened even wider as her face went pale.
    "Nene...." the woman slightly unsure of herself took a few
hesitant steps forward. "It's me, Linna. Linna Yamazaki. Don't you
remember me?"
    Raina was not exactly sure how she should respond. It was one
thing to look like someone, but to be actually mistaken for someone
who was dead. She had absolutely no idea how to respond.
    The woman, who had called herself Linna, saw her confused reaction
and swore quietly under her breath. She lowered the hand that she had
stretched out and quickly turned away. Before Raina had been able to
recover herself the woman had grabbed the small travelling canvas pack
that she had propped against the wet ground and was hurrying away.
    "Wait!" Raina called out and ran off after the woman.
    The woman however did not seem to want to wait but as she was
hampered by the pack Raina was able to catch her rather easily.
    "Please! Wait!" she said again as she grabbed the young woman's
arm. The woman resisted and tried to pull away, but Raina held fast.
Finally, after a moment the woman turned to face her.
    "Will you please let my arm go?" the woman asked, looking Raina in
the face.
    "You called me Nene - why?" Raina demanded of the woman. "Did you
know my grandmother?"
    "Grandmother..." the woman hissed and her eyes widened. "No wonder..."
    "You did, didn't you!" Raina said excitedly as her grip on the
woman's arm tightened. "You... Yaahhh!!!"
    Raina cried out in pain as the woman twisted and pinned her hard
against the ground. The woman grabbed hold of Raina's arm and bent it
hard against her back.
    "Leave me alone - understand?" she hissed into the girl's ear, "or
else..." The woman twisted Raina's arm, hard.
    "YES!!! YES!!" Raina cried out. "I understand! I understand!!"
    "Remember that," the woman stated as she stood up and let Raina's
arm go. She then reached down and picking up her pack walked off as
fast as she could. It was quite a while later before Raina was able to
get to her feet. Her arm and back hurt like hell and just the act of
standing up bought a grimace to her face. She looked around, but the
young woman had fled.
    "Linna," Raina said to herself with a frown. "Linna.. Yam...
Yamazaki. That was it - Linna Yamazaki! Who the hell is she? And where
the fuck does she know grandmother from?" She ignored the pain and
straightened up.
    "I will find out your secrets Linna Yamazaki. I will make you tell
me!" With that she turned and hobbled back to her grandmother's grave.
She still had so much to say to the only person she had ever really
loved.

    Linna lifted her head and closed her eyes as the hot water from
the shower cascaded over her. Her fists slowly clenched and unclenched
as she tried to forced her body to relax. Why in the name of all that
was holy had she gone to Nene's funeral? Why hadn't she just ignored
the bloody obituary column, and let Nene go? Why after all these years
had she done such a... She sighed and her head fell forward. The
stream of water from the shower dragged her shoulder length hair down
over her face and carried the young woman's salty tears away.
    "Nene-chan..." Linna whispered sadly, as the warm memories of her
old friend threatened to swamp her. The innocence of those memories,
long since past, just made her feel even worst. They only served to
remind her how alone she now was. Nene, like the others, was now gone.
She was the only one left. The only one who remembered...
    "Shit!" she swore at herself. She tossed her head angrily in an
effort to clear the black feelings. She could not change the past, she
had to accept it. Getting depressed or lost in memories was not going
to change things. It was not going to change her. She was what she was
and there was nothing she could do about it. After all this time she
HAD to accept that those she loved and cared for would age and
eventually die. It would never get easier, only harder - she HAD to
accept that. However, no matter how much she told herself this, she
knew in her heart that she would never accept it. How could she accept
that those around her whom she cared for would be born, wither and
finally die, while she remained exactly as she was - forever. The
death of Nene only served to bring the fact home but... No, she would
never be able to accept it, no matter what she told herself.
    The face of that young girl sprang to Linna's mind. How so much
like Nene that girl was. Linna had been shocked when she had first
seen her. It had been like looking at a young Nene, so much so that
she had even foolishly called that girl by Nene's name. She sighed yet
again and ran her hands through her hair. Why had she ever accepted
that damned offer? Why?
    She turned off the shower and stepping out grabbed a towel to dry
herself off with. Placing her feet into her slippers she moved back
into the bedroom. She gave herself a quick dry off and throwing the
towel onto the carpeted floor slipped on a pair of clean pants and an
old tee shirt. She yawned and stretched. Gods, was she tired. The hot
shower and the long flight from Celestian City on Luna had taken their
combined toll. She had only touched down this morning after two days
of cramped conditions on the flight shuttle, and the lack of decent
sleep was beginning to tell.
    "Lights," she muttered as yet another yawn overcame her. The
lights switched off in response to her command, and the small hotel
room was thrown into darkness. Linna walked over to the window looking
out onto the huge sprawling metropolis that was Tokyo and sat down on
the window seat. Leaning against the cold plasiglass she drew her
knees up to her chin and stared at the huge template like monstrosity
that was the Genom Tower. Her lips pursed together in contempt.
Something's never change she thought. Even after the death of Quincy,
still Genom was nothing more than a large cancerous growth.
Controlling, manipulating, destroying what they could not own. It was
hard to image that such evil could exist behind that facade of chrome
and glass. Seen at night the Tower even appeared to be pretty, like a
huge tree covered in twinkling lights. Who would ever suspect what
truly lay behind the false promise of those jewelled stars. Linna
knew, and that knowledge came of almost 40 years of experience trying
to repair the damage that that evil did. Her eyes began to droop and
she jerked as she caught herself falling asleep at the window.
    "Christ..." she swore and got to her feet. She moved slowly over
to the bed and got in. Almost 30 seconds later she was fast asleep.

        *       *       *       *

Location: Tokyo, Japan
Time: AD 2089, 5 March, 09:23

    Raina sat down at the desk in her hotel and looked at the blank
comscreen.
    "On," she ordered it. The screen flickered into life as the system
came online.
    "Search for all references to a woman born in the last 30 years or
so by the name of Linna Yamazaki." Raina knew that this would be a
very wide search but she had to start some where.
    "Searching," the comscreen reported and went away to think.
    Raina got up and opening the window to her room looked out onto
the cityscape beyond. The huge monolith of the Genom Tower cast a
large shadow over the city as it blocked out the light from the
morning sun. Raina looked at the Tower in disgust. Why did men insist
on building such repulsive structures. She was almost reminded of the
tale about the tower of Babel, and how God had punished...
    "Search complete," the comscreen announced behind her. "1672
matches found."
    "1672?" Raina groaned. She knew that this was not going to be
easily, but she had hoped. Oh well...
    "Display images of matches," she said as she sat down. This was
going to be a long day.
    Five hours of investigation later and she was swearing.
    "Nothing! Shit!" she looked as her latest search and cross-
reference failed to find a bloody thing. "Damn this woman! Where the
hell is she?"
    She stood up and walked around the room. She had tried every
search criteria she could think of, but had found no person that
looked like that woman. Of the 1672 Linna Yamazaki(s) and near phonic
matches she had tried, not one of them had looked anything like the
woman she was after. Either the woman had used a false name or had
changed her appearance far more radically that this system was able to
compensate for. If either was the case then she was stuffed. Maybe she
needed to tackle this from a different angle. She sat down on the bed
and lay back.
    "Maybe I am looking in the wrong place," she muttered to herself.
"But where do I look..."
    She crossed her legs and looked up at the ceiling. "Where..." she
repeated. "I've tried all the public accessible files, government
records, births, deaths... Deaths! Death certificates, I could try
those." She sat up.
    "Recall last characteristic wild search criteria, name criteria,
phonic match criteria and run against all recorded deaths."
    "Searching," the comscreen said. "Running search against all
recorded deaths in historical database."
    "Historical database? Oh shit! I didn't specify a date range.
Cancel sear..."
    "One match found," the comscreen stated. "Linna Yamazaki, age 36,
killed in 2047 earthquake. Match rated 95% against specified search
criteria."
    "Shit!" Raina swore and rushed over to the comscreen. "Display
match," she ordered.
    The comscreen showed an image that was an older version of the
same woman she had just met.
    "What the hell..." Raina's eyes checked the image again. It was
definitely the same woman, but over 15 or so years older than the
younger version she had met only 2 days ago. How the hell was that
possible? A daughter? Re-constructive surgery?
    "Get any information on this woman available," she said in an
excited voice. She had a lead now, and she would be able to follow it
to get an answer to what the hell this woman had been to her
grandmother.

    "Well, Miss Lee," the agent looked up from the figures he had
displayed on his comscreen. "The last investments which we discussed
have done extremely well indeed. You can expect far more than the
initial return that was anticipated, quite a good deal more in fact."
    "In general terms then how much is my total portfolio worth?" the
young Japanese woman asked.
    "Altogether?" the agent queried. "Well, I couldn't give you an
exact figure, but I can tell you that you are an extremely rich young
woman, extremely rich. In US dollars your total investments would be
worth well over $50 million, and that figure will rise as the market
continues in its current bullish trend. That of course does not
include the percentage that we divert into your personal accounts. I
don't have access to those figures, but I would assume that they were
pretty substantial by now."
    "They serve," the young woman smiled and her blue eyes twinkled at
some inner joke.
    "Fine," the agent smiled back. Gods, this woman was attractive!
His eyes wondered up the stylish business skirt she was wearing and
several interesting ideas popped through his mind. Although it was
company policy not to get involved with clients he wondered if he
could...
    "Shay," the door opened and a smartly dressed woman entered. She
smiled warmly and held out her hand. "It's so good to see you again.
How have you been keeping?"
    Linna stood up and grasped the hand of the other woman. "Hello
Helen," she said with a similar smile. "I heard that you had been
promoted and transferred to Earth. I'm glad that you were able to take
the time to see me."
    "I will always have time for you Shay - you can rest assured of
that," Helen said. "You are after all one of our firm's single biggest
personal clients. Although, I must say that I am surprised by the fact
that you came all the way from Celestian City just to come here."
    "I also have some other... business to take care of," Linna said.
    "Business?" Helen raised an eyebrow as she grabbed a chair and sat
down. "Is it anything the firm can help you with?"
    "No," Linna said with a shake of her head. "It's not that kind of
business. It's more... personal."
    "Oh," Helen said. "How long do you think you will be in town for?"
    "Probably for at least a couple of weeks," Linna shrugged. "It all
sort of depends on how things go."
    "Oh good," Helen's face brightened. "Then we can take some time
out and do something together. It's been a while since I've seen
anyone from Celestian. It would be a good chance to catch up on how
people are doing. How about it, Shay? Want me to show you the sights?"
    "That would be great Helen," Linna replied. "I've never really
spent much time on Earth and I would love to have a look around."
    "It's a date then," Helen said. "By the way, Shay, you must tell me
how you remain so young looking. I have known you for over 7 years and
I swear that you never seem to change. I could make a fortune, if it
can be bottled and sold." She finished with a smile.
    Linna shrugged, "luck, I guess. Gravity on Luna is less than that
of Earth - perhaps that's it. Or maybe my family are long lived, as I
never knew them - it's difficult to say."
    "Well," Helen remarked. "When you find out - just remember to let
me know."
    "As you command, my Lady," Linna smiled.
    "Jeff," Helen turned to the now silent agent. "Do you mind if we
use your office? Shay and I have private matters to discuss."
    "Ah... of course, Miss Shannon," he got up and crossed to Linna
and held out his hand. "Nice to met you Miss Lee."
    Linna took the hand and gave it a limp shake. She hid her dislike
for this man who been ogling her all the morning and gave him a bland
smile as he left.
    "Let me guess," Helen said bluntly as he closed the door after
him. "Leering Lenny been at work, hasn't he?"
    "Well..." Linna said.
    "I'm sorry, Shay," Helen said. "I thought I had arranged for you
to see another of our people, but he must have crept in. He's one of
our senior partner's prodigies otherwise I would have kicked him out
when I first got here. He seems to think that he is God's gift but
rest assured it won't happen again."
    "Huh!" Linna made a dismissive gesture. "I have much more
important things to worry about than some little creep."
    "The reason you called me?" Helen asked.
    "Yes." Linna reached down to the brief case at her feet and bought
out a data pad handing it over to Helen. "Listed there are a number of
very old private accounts. Some of them were set up during the last
part of the 1990's and some of them were set up during the 2020s,
2030s and 2040s. I believe that there is quite a large amount of money
in these accounts that has not been accessed since 2040."
    "Interesting," Helen commented as she looked down the list of
account numbers. "How much are we talking about?"
    "I'm not exactly sure," Linna replied. "Probably well over $10
million, but by now..."
    "Whose are these accounts?" Helen asked. "I mean, I assume these
are not ones that you set up."
    "Hardly!" Linna laughed. "I wasn't even alive! They are however...
an inheritance I suppose you could call it."
    Helen looked at Linna. "That's a bit of a dubious statement Shay.
I mean even if these accounts haven't been touched for ages it still
does not give you the right..."
    "If you look on the pad," Linna interrupted. "You will find all
the necessary legal paperwork enclosed. What I need however is for you
to reclaim both the money for me and... several other items that are
listed there."
    "Items?" Helen looked at the data pad. "You mean these secure safe
boxes?"
    "Yes," Linna nodded. "Your firm can guarantee that the items will
be removed and shipped directly to me in complete privacy, and that is
exactly what I want."
    "Ok," Helen said with a slight frown. "We can do that, but I don't
quite see why you would want us to handle this."
    Linna simply smiled. "So, are you okay for dinner and a run around
the seamier side of Tokyo tonight? My treat."
    Helen took the hint and dropped the subject. "Tonight? Yes, that
would be fine. I don't have anything planned, but why the seamier
side?"
    "Because its usually far more interesting than any where else,"
Linna replied with a smile.
    "Ha!" Helen snorted. "That much is true! Okay, it's a date then.
And I can promise to show you a very interesting time."
    "I'm sure you can Helen," Linna smiled. "I'm sure you can."
    "Where are you staying?" Helen asked.
    "Royal Tokyu Plaza, room 1325," Linna replied.
    "Okay," Helen thought for a moment. "I will pick you up at about
20:00. Is that okay?"
    "Sounds fine," Linna smiled.
    "And wear something casual," Helen added with a wink.
    "Why?" Linna said with a dirty look. "You planning something
interesting?"
    "Wait and see," Helen replied.
    Linna looked down at her watch and her eyes widened. "Christ!" she
swore. "Sorry Helen, I have got to push off. I'll see you tonight and
we can catch up on old times, okay?"
    Helen got to her feet and followed Linna as she made her way to
the door.
    "Look after yourself, Shay," she said. "I have few friends these
days..."
    "Baka!" Linna said with a smile and gave her old friend an
embrace. "I will be around for a very long time yet. See you tonight.
Ja'nai." She opened the door and walked out.
    Helen watched as Linna left. She shook her head slightly and
smiled. Shay had not changed at all, even after all this time. She
looked down at her watch, 13:34. Seven hours in which to locate
something to wear and find some places she could show to Shay. If she
remembered correctly Shay seemed to have some rather outdated tastes
in music. If she looked around she might be able to find a club or two
running retro, or maybe even show Shay the latest that Tokyo had to
offer. She would have to ask some of the office girls, they always
seemed to know these things. It was with that thought that she
returned to her office to arrange an "interesting" time - whatever
that was going to mean.

    Raina looked at the results from her search and scratched her
head, partly from confusion and partly with disbelief. Linna Yamazaki,
born before the Second Great Kanto Quake, had been raised as an orphan
when her parents like so many others had been killed in that great
disaster. There had been nothing remarkable about her life as far as
Raina could find. She had died in 2047 when the totally unexpected
Third Great Kanto Quake had struck Tokyo. She had had no daughters and
no other family that Raina could track down. Yet the picture of the
woman in 2033 matched almost exactly the woman that Raina had just
met. The same woman that was supposed to have died in 2047 with
absolutely no children. The woman who had actually mistaken Raina for
her grandmother? It made absolutely no sense whatsoever, unless the
woman was an unknown daugh...
    "Image search complete" the voice from the comlink interrupted her
thoughts. "Four matches found."
    Raina grabbed her notes and moved over to the comlink. Sitting
down she looked over what her latest search had found.
    "Show me the matches in order of percentage," she ordered the
machine.
    "83% image match, Shay Lee, age 20. Born 2nd of January 2069.
Occupation: unknown. Current place of residence - Celine House,
Celestian City, Sea of Tranquillity, Luna. No family. 70% image match,
Leia Yakari, age 22. Born 5th May 2067. Occupation: student. Current
place of residence - Ushiri University, Kyoto. Parents still alive,
only child. 68% image match..."
    "Show me the details of the first two matches," Raina interrupted
the recital.
    The image of the young woman called Shay Lee was shown on the
screen. The image was not exactly brilliant, but it was enough to
cause Raina to swear.
    "Shit... that's her..." Raina was looking at almost exactly the
same woman who had called herself Linna Yamazaki. "Show me EVERYTHING
available on this woman - everything!"
    The comlink bleeped and a couple of pages of text appeared. Raina
eyes quickly scanned over them. The pages did not say much beyond the
summary that Raina had already heard. Shay Lee was simply a common
young woman. She had no family, had money to her name, but beyond that
- nothing. Raina could not even find a publicly listed number for her;
she was ex-directory.
    "Bollocks," Raina swore as turned the comlink off. She had come to
the end of the trail. Linna Yamazaki had died in 2047, and yet Raina
had just met someone who called herself Linna Yamazaki and who looked
almost the same as her dead namesake. Shay Lee, who had been born
almost 40 years after Linna's death looked almost like the dead
woman's younger sister. What the hell was going on here? She began to
sort through some possibilities. Possibility number one, the woman was
a clone. Possibility number two, Raina was going mad. Possibility
number three, Shay Lee was a member of the same family as Linna and
that somehow she had known Nene Stingray. Possibility number four,
they just looked alike and that there was no connection. Possibility
number five, Shay Lee WAS Linna Yamazaki and that somehow she had not
died and now looked years younger...
    "Yeah right!" Raina snorted. She considered possibilities one and
three as the most promising, but she had to find the woman; find her
and talk to her... How the hell was she going to manage that?

    Linna looked at her watch, 19:40. Helen should be here in about 15
minutes or so, and Linna would finally be able to see how much her old
home had changed. When she had originally left in 2048, the city had
still been in ruins. Linna herself had been in ruins as well, her life
completely shattered. The deaths of Sylia, Mackie, and so many others
as a result of the quake she had mistakenly caused had almost driven
her mad with guilt. The fact that she had only been trying to stop a
far greater insanity from happening did nothing to heal the emptiness
that she felt even now after so long.
    "Stop it!" Linna told herself sharply. "The past is the past, you
cannot change it. You made your choice now live with it."
    A knocking sound came from the door and Linna looked up. Helen was
early, she thought. She grabbed her jacket off the bed and headed
towards the door. She was just about to turn the lights off when her
senses were suddenly overwhelmed by a _rush_. Instinctively her hand
went out to steady herself. The disorientation only lasted for a
moment, but that moment was enough for Linna to sense the alien
flavor of the essence beyond the door... and... the being... to whom
it belonged. She almost backed away as shudders ran up and down her
spine. What was SHE doing here? Why now? She took a deep breath and
tried to calm herself as slowly she opened the door.
    "Hello, Linna-chan," the "young" redhead standing in the corridor
beyond said. "Just thought I would pop around to say hi."
    "Samantha," Linna said in a pained voice.
    The elfin face pulled back in a slightly cruel smile and the green
eyes glittered as if the girl acknowledged the sentiment behind the
words. "Aren't you going to let me in, Linna-chan?" she giggled.
    Linna stood for a moment at the door wondering what to do.
    "Sam!" a voice called down the corridor. "Sam! Where are you?"
    Sam turned and called out. "Down here, Kelly! Room 1325!"
    "Gotcha!" the voice replied and a dark haired girl came hurrying
into view.
    Sam smiled indulgently as the dark haired girl finally caught up.
    "Don't just vanish like that, Sam," she complained. "I still
haven't quite got the knack of Travelling yet. Oh..."
    "Kelly," the redhead turned back to Linna. "I would like you to
meet another... old friend of mine - Linna Yamazaki. Linna, this is
Kelly."
    "Pleased to meet you, Miss Yamazaki," the dark haired girl smiled
and nodded her head.
    "Call her Linna," Sam chided the girl. "After all, you two are
part of the same... family, so to speak." At the last statement her
smile became mischievous as Linna's expression turned slightly sour.
    "Oh..." the girl called Kelly blushed slightly and Linna's
expression became even worst.
    "What do you..." Linna began to say before Sam turned and looked
back down the corridor.
    "Your little human friend is almost here... Shay," she said with
an amused expression glancing back at Linna.
    "You leave her alone!" Linna tried to say but stopped when Helen
appeared around the corridor.
    "Shit!" Linna swore as Helen spotted them.
    "Don't worry, Linna-chan," Sam commented. "I have my own...
amusements tonight. Right, Kelly?"
    "Sam..." Kelly punched her and giggled.
    "Ah... Good evening," Helen cautiously approached the group.
    "Good evening," Sam replied with a polite smile and held out her
hand. "Samantha De'Naime, at your service."
    Linna tried to stop Helen before she shook hands, but her body
refused to move. She could only watch dumbly as Helen took the pale
hand and shook it.
    "Helen Shannon," Helen said with a smile. Inwardly she frowned -
she knew this girl, but from where...
    "Kelly... Duval," the brunette held out her hand. "Are you one of
Sam's.... Ouch!" she exclaimed as Sam punched her on the arm.
    "No, she isn't," Sam said to the brunette. "Not yet..."
    Get away Helen! Linna wanted to say. She wanted to warn her friend
but the control over her body had gone. All she could do was stand and
smile while Samantha played her Games.
    "Are you friends of Shay?" Helen asked wondering what the two
other girls were talking about. Where did she know this redhead from?
    "Oh, Shay and I have met before," Sam said with a knowing glance
at Linna.
    "On Celestine?" Helen pressed. The memory of this girl was there
but...
    "No, from before," Sam replied and then her watch bleeped. "Oh
shit!" she swore. "Is it that time already? Sorry, Kelly and I have to
go. It was nice meeting you again Helen. Shay..." Linna paled at the
way Samantha looked at her. "I will be seeing you again, my dear..."
Linna could see the dark hunger, the corruption that swirled just
beyond those human looking eyes. She felt sick.
    "Bye!" Samantha said, and grabbing the arm of the brunette they
walked abruptly away.
    "Let's drop in on Yuki..." Helen overheard a comment as the two
disappeared around the corner.
    "Who the devil was that?" Helen said as she looked over at Shay.
She was shocked to see that her friend was trembling slightly. "Shay?
What's wrong?"
    "Nothing, nothing," Linna said as she got a grip on herself. "Just
cold that's all." She forced herself to smile, "are you ready to go?"
    "Yes, of course," Helen was confused. "That girl - who was she? I
have the strangest that I knew her..."
    "No one," Linna cut her off in a tone that indicated an end to the
subject. "Come on, lets go." She slammed the door behind her and
stalked off.
    Helen's mouth was left hanging open. "What the hell..." she
muttered. "Hey! Shay! Wait for me!"

    Linna's foul mood at the unexpected visit from her old "friend"
began to dissipate as Helen took her on a tour of this new Tokyo.
Fortunately Helen had taken the hint and dropped all questions
regarding the strange encounter. Although confusion burned in Helen's
eyes she pretended that nothing was the matter.
    "This is Shoku-chu," Helen commented as they got out of the
auto cab and stepped onto the corner of a brightly lit and bustling
street.
    "Wow!" Linna said as she looked around. The noise, commotion, and
press of people gave this place an impression of frantic life and
pace. The huge buildings of central Tokyo were replaced by many
smaller and older looking structures.
    "This was the only place that survived the great 2047 quake,"
Helen remarked as she joined Linna on the pavement. "They still don't
know why," she finished with a shrug. Linna's expression darkened
slightly for a second - she knew why.
    "Well, Shay," Helen said. "Come on, you wanted to see the wild
side - let's get to it."

    Raina swirled the rest of the drink around in her glass before
downing it. The ice rattled as the glass hit back onto the table, and
Raina felt a satisfying warmth flow down her throat.
    "Hey, little lady," some guy slumped into the barstool beside her.
"You alone?"
    "Fuck off," Raina said without even glancing up at him.
    "Wha... No need for that sort of tongue girl, I just..."
    Raina gave the bloke a cold stare. "Get lost," she said. "I ain't
interested."
    "Okay, okay..." he got up and walked off back onto the crowded
dance floor. The music from the live band was almost deafening and
while not to her taste was at least not bad. The locals certainly
seemed to  love it. Had it been another time Raina would have been
down on the floor with them, but the death of her grandmother and the
mystery of Linna Yamazaki was too much on her mind.
    "Give me another shot," she said to the boomer serving at the bar
throwing down a credit chip.
    "The same?" the android asked.
    "Yeah, but give it a little more bite," she said.
    The android put a new glass filled with amber liquid on the bar.
Picking it up Raina spun around on her stool to look back at the
dancers. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat and her eyes widen as she
suddenly found herself looking at the dancing form of... Linna
Yamazaki!
    "Bloody hell!" she swore as she looked at the impossible. Was this
luck or...
    "Luck?" a voice suddenly spoke softly in her ear causing her to
jump. "Get real!" The voice giggled and then was gone. Raina looked
wildly about but no one was near her. Her face went white and a shiver
went up her spine. What the hell was going on here!?!
    Her eyes went back to the dancing form of Linna Yamazaki. The
woman was good. She danced with a natural grace that spoke of either
natural talent, years of training, or both. Raina saw the joy on the
woman's face as she moved. It spoke almost of a release, something
that the woman needed, almost like an escape. Raina got to her feet,
and moving as quickly as she could she made her way across the floor
towards the happily dancing figure.
    Linna was trying her best to bury herself in the pulsating music.
Trying her best to find the point in which the dance became everything
and she could forget, for a moment at least, the nightmare her life
had become. Usually she was able to manage it - but not tonight.
    Samantha... That was the one thought that was pounding through her
head. Her presence changed everything. Whenever that redhead turned up
chaos always followed in one form or another. What the hell was she up
to now?
    A hand suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her around.
    "What the hell..." Linna began to swear and then froze. Red
hair... Samantha...
    "I want to talk to you, Linna Yamazaki!" the redhead said.
    Linna blinked and took a moment to get her mind into gear.
"You..." she hissed, as she finally recognised the girl that she had
manhandled only a few days before.
    "Shay..." Helen stopped dancing and came over to see what the
commotion was about. "Who is this Shay? What is happening?"
    "Shay?" the redhead commented. "So, I was right. You are calling
yourself Shay Lee aren't you, Linna Yamazaki. Now, I want you to tell
me who the hell you are, and how the hell you knew my grandmother!"
    "Linna?" Helen frowned and turned to her friend. "Shay..."
    Linna growled with anger. "Samantha!" she swore.  "What are you
bloody doing to me now!"

    "Well?" Raina demanded.
    Linna had to think fast. "Linna Yamazaki?" she said with a frown.
"I don't know what you are talking about. Who are you anyway? And let
my arm go!"
    The force of her voice made Raina almost instinctively obey. Linna
turned to her companion almost immediately her arm was free.
    "Come on, Helen," Linna said. "Let's blow this joint. There are
too many crazy people here."
    "Hey!" Raina reached over to grab Linna. "You..."
    "Leave me ALONE!!" Linna yelled, spinning on the redhead. Raina
almost tripped over in shock at the venom in the voice. A small crowd
had begun to gather around them and Linna wanted to get out of there
as fast as possible. This stupid brat was bringing attention to her
that she did not want, now of all times.
    "Helen, come on!" she clamped her hand on Helen's and totally
ignoring Raina barged her way out into the crowd.
    "Shay, wait a minute," Helen pulled her hand free. She tried to
slow her friend up, but Shay had already grabbed her stuff from their
table and was heading towards the exit. "Shay!" Helen called after
her. "Fuck!" she swore and then hurried after her friend.
    Raina tried to follow them but now that the immediate commotion
had passed the crowds had returned to dancing to the music. She could
not pass through.
    "Hi!" a friendly voice said from immediately behind her and a hand
tapped her on the shoulder. Raina turned around before she even
realized that she had done so.
    "Hi there!" a young redhead girl with bright green eyes and a
ready smile stood there. "How are you, Raina?"
    Raina was confused for a moment. Did she know this girl? She
ransacked her memory. The girl was about her age, had shoulder length
red hair, exotic elfin like features and friendly green eyes... Raina
had absolutely no idea who she was.
    "I'm sorry, but I think you may have me confused with someone
else," she said and tried to turn to follow the path that her quarry
had taken.
    "You are Raina Stingray," the girl said. "Nene Stingray's
granddaughter, right?"
    "Yes," Raina turned her attention fully on the girl. "How do you
know me?"
    "Oh, I know everyone," the girl said dismissively. "You, Helen,
Linna, Llo..."
    "Linna!" Raina broke in. "You know Linna, Linna Yamazaki?"
    "Of course," the girl looked slightly annoyed at the interruption.
"Known her for years."
    "That Linna Yamazaki?" Raina was getting excited.
    "If you mean the one that just left then yes, I do," the girl
replied. "But that was not why I wanted to talk with..."
    "Who is she?" Raina broke in again.
    The girl looked confused. "She's Linna Yamazaki - of course."
    "No!" Raina grabbed the girl's shoulder. "WHO is she?"
    "I told you," the girl said in an annoyed tone. "She's Linna
Yamazaki. Who do you think she is?"
    "That's not what I mean!" Raina exclaimed. "Who..."
    "Hey!" the girl grimaced. "You're hurting me, let go."
    "Who is she?" Raina repeated, ignoring the slender girl's request.
"She's... YAAA!" Raina yelled out in pain as her hand gripping the
girl's shoulder suddenly felt like it was on fire.
    "SHIT!!" she yelled and released the girl.
    "Thank you," the girl calmly said and flexed her shoulder joint.
    "What the fuck did you just do to me!" Raina squawked.
    "Do to you?" the girl repeated. "Nothing. Why should I do anything
to you?" She smiled mischievously.
    Raina rubbed her hand. Who the hell was this girl?
    "Samantha," the girl stuck out her hand almost as if in response
to her thought. "Samantha De'Naime, at your service."
    Raina took the offered hand and gave it a shake. "Please to meet
you," she said dumbly.
    "Likewise," the strange girl replied with a smile. "Would you like
a drink?"
    Raina had the feeling that she wanted far more than just one
drink, but she nodded and followed the girl back up to the bar.
    "2 Sunblinders," the girl ordered from the android waiter.
    It gave her a stare. "How old are you?" it asked. "You don't look
like you are old enough to even be in here."
    "How old am I..." the girl repeated scratching her nose
absentmindedly. "You know that's a very interesting question. How do
you measure the age of one who came both before and after Time? I
don't know, how old am I?" she asked the android back.
    "Sorry?" the android said.
    "How old am I?" the girl asked it. "You were going to tell me."
    "Sorry Miss," the android was confused. "What do you mean?"
    "I don't know," the girl said. "What do I mean?"
    Raina gave the girl a blank stare. Was she mad?
    "Look," the girl said to the android. "Just get me the damn
drinks, you stupid machine."
    "Ah, right," the boomer turned and poured the requested drinks.
    "These boomers," the girl whispered to Raina. "They're all crazy."
    "There you go, Miss," the android said placing two glasses on the
bar.
    "Thank you," the girl said and passed one over to Raina. "My
treat," she said with a smile.
    Raina decided it might be best just to take the drink and not try
to make any sense out of what the girl had just said. She took a sip
of the strong beverage and looked this very odd girl over.
    Samantha De'Naime, if that was her real name, was a slender,
athletic looking girl, roughly about her age. She was wearing clothes
very similar to many others in the bar, and apart from her very exotic
elfin features looked no different from anyone else in the club
    "Do you like the drink?" Samantha asked in response to the stares
Raina was giving her.
    "Yes, I do," Raina answered truthfully. "Although I think it's a
bit strong."
    "Don't worry," Samantha said with a smile. "It's actually non-
alcoholic. It just contains a mixture of fruit juices and spices. The
kick comes from the combination, but it has absolutely no intoxicating
effects."
    "Really?" Raina said, then cursed herself. What the hell am I
doing, I should be finding out what this girl knows about Linna.
    "Ah, Samantha," she began.
    "Sam. Call me Sam," the other girl said. "Calling me Samantha is
inappropriate at the moment."
    "Ah, right," Raina said. "Sam, it is. Now, how..."
    "Say, are you hungry?" Sam asked. "I could kill a burger."
    "No, I'm fine," Raina answered calmly. "About Lin..."
    "Do you mind if I have one then?" Sam commented as she unwrapped
one on the table before her.
    Raina's eyes goggled. "How the hell..." she started to exclaim.
    "No," Sam smiled as she hungrily attacked the hot burger. "Not
Hell."
    Raina swallowed as she watched the girl happily munch on the
burger. She tried to get over the shivers that ran riot up and down
her spine.
    "Linna..." Sam said as she chewed thoughtfully. "You  want to...
hmmm... tasty.. know about her right?"
    "Ye... Yes.." Raina managed to reply.
    "Well," Sam swallowed. "What do you have to offer for the
information? Sorry, but it's a matter of principle - I never do
anything for free. So, how important is the information to you?"
    "You want money?" Raina asked.
    "Money?" Sam shook her head. "What the heck would I do with your
stupid money. No, of course not."
    "Then what do you want?" Raina said.
    "What do you have to offer?" Sam replied. "My price usually
depends on how desperate people are for the commodity they want." The
girl looked at her speculatively. "How about your soul?" she asked
with a grin.
    "What!?!" Raina spluttered.
    Sam giggled, "just kidding! I wouldn't ask that for just some
information, no matter how desperate you were." She tilted her head.
"How about you just owe me a favor?"
    Raina did not answer. This girl was nuts!
    "Yes," Sam commented. "Afraid so, but what about my offer. I tell
you about Linna and you owe me a favor? I can't say fairer than
that."
    "What favor?" Raina said.
    "I don't know yet," Sam replied. "I'll let you know, but don't
worry - it won't be anything too impossible."
    "And when will you want it?"
    "Don't know that either," Sam shrugged taking another bite from
her burger. "But you will be alive until I've asked it, so it won't be
that long." She smiled and held out her hand. "So, do we have a deal?"
    Raina stared at the hand. Why did she have the feeling that this
was not a very good idea?
    "Look," Sam said when she noticed Raina's caution. "Do you want
the information or not? The choice is yours, I will not force you to
accept the offer. Yes or no?"
    Raina took a deep breath. "Agreed," she said and clasped the other
girl's hand.
    Sam smiled slowly, "so be it." She took another bite and then
began.
    "Since the deal we have is just between you and me, then what I
tell you will be for you alone. I am afraid I can't let you go
spreading the information around. That would be paramount to giving
free information and I can't have that..." Sam was thoughtful. "Now
where to begin..."

        *       *       *       *

(to be continued...)