From: Alex Gray To: creative Cc: Alex Gray Subject: [SilentMobius] A Shadow Doth Fall - Chapter 1 Date: 14 March 2000 00:09 This is fanfic that is "loosely" based on Silent Mobius. Assume all usual legal disclaimers etc... Any comments, C+C welcome. Cheers Alex E-mail - mailto:hitomi@ndirect.co.uk WWW home - http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Subway/7630/ ============================================ Chapter One - Control Location: Japan, Tokyo. Time: AD: 2029 25 December 12:34 Yuki cried out in shock and pain as Katsumi stabbed the dark weapon into her chest. Disbelief flashed across her face as she slid to the floor, her legs no longer functional. "Katsu..." she managed to splutter before the cold blackness engulfed her mind. The others looked on with shock unable to comprehend what Katsumi had just done. After a stunned moment they rushed forward to where the slumped body of Yuki lay. "KATSUMI!!" Kiddy yelled in a tone of shocked disbelief. The figure of her old friend just stood above the corpse of the young woman she had killed and smiled. "Hello everyone," she said. "It has been a long time." "What..." Nami spluttered as she stopped a short distance from Katsumi. The others in the team stopped just short of Nami. They formed a wary half circle around the figure that had just performed the unthinkable. They did not know what to do. They could not think what to do. They could only stand and watch, waiting for someone to wake them up and tell them it was all a bad dream. Katsumi watched the circle of her ex-companions for a moment before stepping back from the body of Yuki. She held out her hands in mock greetings. "Aren't you going to welcome me back... Nami... Kiddy... It has been well over six months since we last saw each other. Haven't you missed me?" "Why..." Kiddy stammered as she raised her graviton to point at the figure standing before them. "In God's name, why Katsumi..." The dark eyed woman smiled and said nothing She just watched their reactions as with a slow deliberate movement she bought the black blade to her lips and licked the remains of Yuki's blood from it. The unnatural silence that followed this act was broken by a sudden cry of rage from Kiddy as she fired her graviton at the dark figure. The others were temporary blinded by the light and concussion of the weapon as it fired at close range. The shock of the energy discharged from the weapon flew towards the black figure, but almost just as suddenly the beam of destructive energy was gone - just gone. "Oh Kiddy..." Katsumi said in a hurt tone. "What did you have to do that for? Someone might think you didn't like me." She gestured and Kiddy was struck by a violent force that threw her back like a rag doll. Katsumi took a few steps back and looked at each of her old comrades in turn. "I am so happy to see you all again. I am only sorry that dear Rally could not join our little reunion; especially as her little pet will no longer be able to join us. Oh well, we will all have many more exciting opportunities to reminisce in the near future. I have so much pain and suffering that I want all of you to experience - especially dearest Rally... However, that will keep for another day. For now, I just want you to know that I am back and that we all have so much to look forward to..." She turned and waved her hand back at them. "Janai minaasan..." The black coat she wore suddenly seemed to be alive and Katsumi melted into the darkness of the Tokyo night. From the shadowy darkness of one of the surrounding ruined buildings, another dark robed figure stood intently watching the drama play out on the rubble below. The figure continued to watch with a dispassionate interest as the remaining women stood shocked for a moment before rushing to the fallen form of their comrade. They began to mill about with the uncertainty and indecision that comes with panic. One of the women tried to shake the younger figure on the ground, as if this act would restore life to the now cooling body. The figure wondered what the woman hoped this would achieve. The female was dead. The figure had felt the energy that these beings called the soul leave the girl the moment the knife had been pulled out. Indeed, it had been this soul that the figure, on a whim, had stopped from escaping into the timeless void to which it had been destined. It was this same energy that the figure now held at its mercy. Perhaps one day it might find a use for this soul but then may be not. In the meantime the scene below was of interest enough. To its slight annoyance the figure could sense that others were also watching the incident with great excitement. It could feel their joy at the pain and sorrow that these humans felt. Oh... how that anguish and pain fed them. How they revelled in the feelings that it bought and the anticipation of so much more to come... The figure dismissed the feelings from its mind. It had long since lost interest in those that fed on such destructive emotions. If they had tried to interfere with the story that was unfolding below it would have simply destroyed them. However, these wraiths were content only with feeding, so they were left to continue their existence - for now. By now Kiddy had recovered enough to be able to shout through her communicator for someone, anyone to come and help them. She watched, almost mindlessly, as Nami continued to shake Yuki's still body crying out her name. Kiddy herself could only feel a numbing coldness that extended throughout her body. At that moment, the whole of her being felt like the emotionless cybernetics that made up so much of her. She could only watch numbly until God knows how much time later an air ambulance and police support arrived. She operated on automatic pilot as she responded to the shouts and questions that Rally and others plied at her. Time seemed to have no meaning as she was bundled into the ambulance and rushed back to the hospital. The figure in the shadows watched as the last of the vehicles lifted off from the rubble-strewn ground and vanished high into the murky Tokyo night overhead. The figure's eyes flashed over those humans still crawling around in the mud after evidence of the incident that had just happened. It briefly examined each of their futures and pasts, but then dismissed them as being of no interest. The essence of the younger girl whose scream had originally drawn it to this place was now the figure's property. It had to decide if anything further was to be gained from this place. It thought for a moment, worlds of possibilities flooded through its mind as it looked into the myriad futures that were open to it. Yes... There was enough potential here of interest to warrant a short Game. For the first time the figure moved from the shadows, and a hand moved up to pull the dark cowl from its face. The little light that was available lit a deathlessly pale face and insane burning green eyes. Short fiery red hair framed a fine slightly androgynous face. A face that while human, appeared to have elements that made it seem, almost, but not quite, "otherworldly". The figure shrugged off the rest of the garment and let it fall to the ground. The form that was revealed was wearing a grey nondescript coverall that loosely hugged the slender athletic figure. The young girl, for a girl it was, knelt down and picked the cloak up. Folding it against her she looked up at the murky sky above. If her idea was going to play out then she would have to make some slight adjustments to the history that she had just witnessed; then and only then could she take up her planned role. She shrugged, manipulating the past was just as easy as changing the future, all you needed to do was to select the direction and then... Yuki cried out with shock and pain as Katsumi stabbed the dark weapon into her chest. Disbelief crossed her face as her best friend pulled out the knife and watched with a slight smile as she slumped to the ground. "YUKI!!" Nami screamed as Katsumi raised her knife for a second blow. Suddenly the night was lit up by a blast of energy as Kiddy from somewhere had fired her graviton weapon at Katsumi. The rush of energy missed Katsumi hitting the rubble on which she was standing. The resulting explosion caused the woman to be thrown backwards. Kiddy ran forward firing the weapon again to cover Nami as she pulled the unconscious Yuki away from her attempted murderess. By now Katsumi had managed to recover her balance and with a causal gesture blasted Kiddy with a rush of power that threw her back. Katsumi held the form of the Demon sword in front of her and smiled coldly at her old friends. "Hello everyone," she said. "Aren't you going to welcome me back? It has been well over six months since we last met." "What the hell are you doing!?!" Nami shrieked out still trying to stop the blood flowing from Yuki's wounded chest. "What am I doing?" Katsumi repeated curiously. "I would think that would appear to be quite obvious. I am trying to kill that whining little brat..." "That's impossible!" screamed Nami. "Katsumi would never try to kill Yuki!" "Are you sure..." Katsumi looked down at her. "Are you really that sure?" "DAMN YOU!" Kiddy suddenly erupted from where she had been thrown and staggering to her feet tried to level the weapon again at the violet eyed bitch. Katsumi lowered the dark blade to her side and sighed. "And here I was just trying to be friendly... Oh well... We can reschedule his meeting for sometime in the near future when you are calmer. Then I can personally show each of you what I have been doing for the last six months. However, for now..." she began to rise up into the air, "I will bid you all good night." She looked down one last time at the prone form of Yuki. "Shame..." she commented, "now I will have to kill her some other time..." and with that she was gone. "COME BACK!! COWARD!!!" Kiddy shouted into the night. "COME BACK!!!" "Kiddy!!" Nami yelled at her. "Get me some help! Yuki has been stabbed!" "What..." Kiddy suddenly came back to reality with a bump. She punched at the communicator embedded in her collar and yelled down instructions to the poor operator at the other end. The orders for an ambulance, Rally, and whatever else she could think of came out in a garbled stream - but the operator got the idea. She rushed over to Nami and knelt down beside her. "How is Yuki?" she asked in a worried voice. "She will live," Nami said. "However, she is badly wounded. I only hope that the ambulance gets here soon..." "It will," Kiddy reassured her. "It has to..." The girl smiled to herself as she looked down at the new scene as it unfolded below. With a slight modification the stage was now set for a much more interesting chain of future events. The death of the human had been altered and that left open much better possibilities for a more _personal_ involvement. She wondered for a moment if she should do anything about those minor denizens that these humans called entities. If these children could destroy them on a regular basis then they were hardly a threat; and these children needed a challenge. Her face suddenly lit up with an evil grin - she knew the perfect thing. What she wanted was a creature that would be a challenge to them AND these pathetic entities. She giggled slightly to herself. She was being generous in teaching these children a vital lesson that would ensure their future survival. "Yes..." she muttered to herself as she manipulated the future timelines. "Good." A long time from now, the survival of both races would be threatened by a force that could only be overcome in one way. These children had to learn that what they narrowly perceived as Light and Darkness were only that - perceptions. They had to learn that this current multiverse had tides and currents that were INFINATELY more complex and subtle. Only by reaching beyond their narrow perceptions did they have a chance for long term survival. The thought made her almost feel warm. These children should be honoured that a being such as her would take the time to teach them this painful lesson. May be she considered, she would even regard these children as her pet project for a while. It would keep her amused for a time; her presence would ensure that none of those other... Nobles... would interfere. These children would have a chance to develop and survive. She felt an excitement build as she began to make plans for their future; it had been a long time since she had last Played parent... Rally looked worriedly as the nursing staff connected Yuki up to the medical support equipment surrounding her bed. The doctor who had examined Yuki had assured Rally that the girl was seriously rather than critically wounded. The doctor had not known the extent of the injuries in detail. He had only been able to tell her that Yuki would live, and that given time she would heal. Rally held onto that assurance and wished that it would be true. Yuki was the youngest of her "children" and she would be damned if she was going to let her die! The news of Katsumi trying to kill Yuki had come as a shock to nearly all the members of the AMP. When Kiddy had spluttered out a version of what had happened, the only one who had not been jumping to their feet had been Rally. She knew that Katsumi, like her father, had a dark side. Rally had hoped that this bad blood would have remained dormant. However, with the murder of Roy and the kidnapping of Katsumi by the Lucifer Hawks Rally was not surprised that under their manipulation Katsumi had become what she had become. At first the others had been stunned in disbelief by the news. Only after it had sunk in had they decided that it could not have possibly been Katsumi. It had to have been some kind of impostor. It was impossible that Katsumi would try to kill her best friend - wasn't it? Rally kept her opinions to herself and focused her attention on Yuki's condition. By now the doctors should at least have some idea of what was going on. The door to the small room suddenly jerked open and a pompous looking police surgeon entered. "Speak of the devil..." Rally thought to herself as every one suddenly went silent and focused their attention on him. "The results of the diagnostics are very encouraging," he said as he looked down at the pad he held in his hand. "While your officer has a number of serious internal injuries, they not life threatening. They will however, require extensive generative treatment. She was extremely lucky; the knife missed her heart by only a fraction of an inch. If she had even twisted during the attack then she would be dead." He paused and looked at Rally. "Your officer will be fine. She will need rest and medical care, but in a month or so she should have fully recovered." "Thank God," Rally sighed with relief. "Yes indeed..." the green eyed doctor commented oddly. "Well, I have to return my duties. If any other information becomes available I will let you know." "Thank you." Rally looked at him trying to place the reason for the strange comment but the doctor had already left. Rally looked after him for a moment and frowned before then turning back to the others; they still had a lot to talk about. "Katsumi! No!!!" Yuki suddenly awoke from a horrid dream in which her best friend had just calmly killed her. "Arghh... I hurt..." She moaned slightly as she tried to move and found herself held down by some sort of restraint. "Sushhh..." a voice suddenly whispered out of the shadows. "You are safe, just don't try to move around too much yet, ok?" Yuki's eyes blinked and watered as a small light activated. It revealed the figure of a young red haired girl sitting just slightly opposite her bed. The girl got up and crossed over to stand next to her. "How are you feeling?" the girl asked with a concerned expression on her face. "What..." Yuki tried to get her bearings. "Where am I?" "You're in Tokyo-West general hospital," the girl replied. "Look, I know this must be confusing for you, but you have been in a coma for almost 3 weeks. Ever since the attack..." "Attack?" Yuki queried. "What attack... Oh my God..." Her face paled as the memory of her dream came back to her. "No..." she stammered. "It's not possible, Katsumi..." "Yes..." the other girl said "I am afraid it is possible. You were attacked and nearly killed by your old friend just over 3 weeks ago..." "No!" Yuki tried to sit up. "I don't believe you!" "Sushh..." the girl repeated and laid a hand on Yuki's chest gently pushing her back. "What is done is done, no amount of wishing can make it otherwise. You must face the fact, no matter how hard it is - Katsumi tried to kill you." "Who are you?" Yuki said as the girl smiled reassuringly at her. "Alexandra Shadow, at your service," the girl said with a comic smile. "I know it's a bit of a pompous name, so just call me Alex. Everyone else does." "Why... why are you here?" Yuki asked trying to see who else was present. "Where are the others?" "Others?" Alex asked slightly confused. "Oh, you mean Nami and the others. They have been in and out to check on your progress nearly every day. In fact Nami and Rally were here just an hour or so ago. They had to leave however to deal with yet another Lucifer Hawk incident. Over the last few weeks their attacks have been getting bolder. They seem to be getting even more violent with each passing day..." The girl sighed and broke off. "Don't worry, they should be back in a few hours time." "Why are you here?" Yuki repeated, trying to get a bearing on what had happened in the last few weeks. "To watch you and ensure that you are safe," Alex replied, kneeling down to look at Yuki closely. Yuki stared at the face of the girl for the first time. She had a strangely pale attractive face. A face that seemed to be more of an artist's work than a real one. Intense green eyes watched her with a oddly old and haunted look. Short, fiery red hair hung down around her face like a halo. The style was odd but Yuki liked it. For her it seemed to highlight the elfin nature of the girl's white face. For some reason Yuki felt her face begin to heat up. She swallowed as her mouth had suddenly become very dry. Alex tilted her head slightly, and Yuki looked full on into those deep green eyes. They seemed to draw her somehow... deeper... She felt almost like she was... Alex blinked and looked at Yuki again. "Are you ok?" she asked. "You are looking at me a bit strangely." "What?" Yuki mentally shook herself. "Yes, yes, I'm fine. Just trying to absorb what you have told me..." "Oh..." the girl said as she positioned herself on the chair next to Yuki. "You had me worried there for a moment. Look, I know this is a bad time to introduce myself, but you probably have no idea who I am, or why I am here. About 2 weeks ago your Chief Rally contacted my Master. She was after someone who would be able to help..." Yuki lost the rest of the explanation as she lost herself in the girl's soft melodic voice. Her eyes once again moved to focus on the girl's face. She watched as it shifted and changed as she spoke. How the eyes seemed to sparkle one moment and then be intense the next. She noticed how the girl tilted her head when she spoke, causing her hair to fall over the side of her face. For some reason, Yuki's hands itched with the desire to push that hair back and... "So that's the end of the tale," Alex said with a sigh. "Blame it all on my Master." Yuki suddenly realised that the other girl has stopped speaking. She jerked her eyes back up from where they had been threatening to travel and tried to focus. In desperation she grabbed at the last thing the girl had said. "Your Master..." Yuki improvised. "What do you mean by Master?" "Oh, sorry..." the girl replied. "Bad choice of words. Perhaps it would be better to say my mentor. I am apprenticed to the Master Sorceress Jamie Corin. She was the one who originally helped to teach Akiro Natsume, Giogelf's teacher. My Master is well over 200 years old now and I am the last of her students. She feels responsible for what Giogelf did, when he attracted the attention of Nemesis to our world. That's why she sent me to try and help." "You're a Sorceress..." Yuki asked uncertain of what that meant. "No," Alex replied with a quick shake of her head. "I'm still serving my apprenticeship but in time I will take over that title from my Master. For the moment, I am simply an advanced Adept doing what I can to help." "Oh..." was all Yuki could think to say. The fact that the girl was some sort of Mage might explain why to Yuki's yelpher senses the girl was simply not there. The same had happened with Katsumi at times. It seemed to be some sort of protection derived from their power. Yuki however, was more concerned with getting herself up to date with what had happened over the last 3 weeks. "You said that Lucifer Hawk activity has been increasing. Do we know why?" For some reason Yuki once again found her eyes moving back to stare at the girl. They slowly moved down the girl's face, down her neck, and onto meticulously examine the rest of her slender form. "No, not really," Alex commented leaning back in the chair slightly. "Possibly it has something to do with Katsumi's reappearance but then again..." She shrugged, "the Chief doesn't really know." "Oh..." Yuki said as her eyes finished their trip over the younger girl's form. "I..." Her comment was suddenly interrupted by a series of images and feelings that swamped over her mind. She drew in a sudden rush of air. The sound caused Alex to jump to her feet. "Are you ok?" Alex asked pushing her head closer to Yuki. "Is something wrong?" Yuki looked blankly ahead for a few seconds as the vision passed. When it had faded she looked up into the concerned face staring down at her. "Yes... I..." she suddenly realised how close the other girl now was to her. Alex gave off a clean, slightly soapy smell that made Yuki suddenly think for no reason - how attractive the younger girl was. Her eyes fell back to the girl's face and for some reason she felt herself blush. "Yuki..." Alex put a cool hand on Yuki's forehead. "Are you ok... You seemed to be flushed." "No!" Yuki squeaked, feeling like she had just been caught with her hands in a cookie jar. "No, I'm fine." Alex looked at her oddly. "I'm fine - really." Yuki emphasized as Alex looked unconvinced. "I just had a vision that's all." "A vision?" Alex queried. "Oh yes, that's right, Nami told me that you had an exceptionally high psi-rating. What did you just see? Is it something..." She suddenly screamed as the wall behind her exploded and she was thrown across the room by the blast. Glass and remains of the far end wall showered the two of them as the dark figure of the Lucifer Hawk forced its way through the wall that it had just destroyed. It took a moment for it to adjust to the sudden shock of air that rushed through the room as the differential air pressures equalised. It steadied itself and looked across at the forms of the two humans who had been hurled into the far end of the room by the force of its entrance. It took a moment it to identify the one that it was after. Something seemed to be confusing its senses, almost like a fog... or a darkness... The entity focused its singular eyestalk at the red haired human and watched her for a moment. It lumbered forward into the remains of the room. This female was the source of the confusion - it wanted a closer look at her Alex bloody hurt. The impact of the explosion and the result of having being thrown across the room had done something to her side. She tried to move but a wash of white-hot agony from her side caused her to shriek and fall back to the ground. Her senses were still dazed when she was suddenly hauled up into the air. The pain from her side almost caused her to black out and she screamed in agony. The entity held the screaming human girl in its grasp while it examined her. It could not sense the source of the fog that the human generated. It shook her and listened to the girl's shrieks of pain. How did this human generated the fog? It wondered for a moment if it should kill her. This human might be a potential threat. It thought for a moment - threat or potential ally, that decision was best left to others. It tossed the female aside and turned its attention back to the other unconscious human. The oriental looks of her face told the entity that this was the one it had been ordered to bring back. It considered if it should bring the other girl, the strange one, along as well. Threat or ally, Maximillian would at the very least be extremely interested in what this strange girl could do. It decided - both the humans would be coming with it for a little ride. Lying where she had been thrown Alex felt a rush of warmth flow through her as her abused body began to try and heal itself. She managed to look up and saw the looming figure of the entity move towards Yuki. With a soft cry of pain she just managed to prop herself up on one arm. Her body cried out in protest but she managed to raise a hand and gesture at the entity. The movement caused a fresh flood of agony to erupt from her side. Her control on her power shattered as she screamed with the pain. As a result, the power that flowed into the spell she had tried to cast was far beyond what she had intended. And the result was... slightly excessive. A bolt of black fire smashed into the back of the entity, ripping half of its head off. Hot, black, viscous ichor sprayed the far wall as Alex's hastily cast ShadowFire tore through the entity and impacted against the ceiling. The resulting explosion shattered the floor above as the dark fire continued to travel outwards. Unfortunately, the type of energy that she had mistakenly released seemed to be growing exponentially. It also appeared to have the nasty habit of extremely ageing any matter it came in contact with causing it to crumble to dust. Girders, and rubble from the explosion began to fall as the ceiling started to collapse in on itself. Alex, grasping her side tried to focus her mind. She felt the familiar rush as her power once more unconsciously reached forth. The ceiling and the little that remained of the supporting wall decided at that moment to collapse. Like a house of cards the floor below also began to collapse. The additional weight and collateral damage started a chain reaction that began to cascade downwards. Alex watched with a sick feeling as a great deal of the hospital shuddered and then majestically began to sink into itself. Her power had teleported her and Yuki to safety but God help those who were still trapped inside... She stood up with only a minor tinge of pain as the healing process had now been virtually completed by the unexpected rush of power she had unleashed. She knelt down next to Yuki and examined her to see if the girl was all right. To Alex's relief Yuki appeared to be okay. While the girl was bloodied and bruised, it was nothing that seemed to be serious. Alex raised a hand to Yuki's chest and concentrated for a moment. A faint green aura radiated from her fingers as she cast a minor healing spell. Yuki's complexion improved and her breathing became deeper and more regular as the purifying energy swept through her. Alex raised her hand and slumped down on the ground exhausted from the night's activities. She took a moment to recover before forcing her overexcited power back down. "Fuck... what a night..." she commented to no one in particular. The coldness of the night wind caused her to shiver slightly as she looked up at the clouds that were being pushed rapidly across the night sky. She closed her eyes and let the cold wind wash over her. She felt the adrenaline charged strength begin to fade from her body. Slowly, she began to feel the result of the nights exertions catch up on her. Gods... she thought to herself. When Jamie had said this mission would be interesting she had bloody well meant it! Rally looked down at the ruins of what had been the just completed west wing of the Tokyo-West general hospital. Her half-breed senses could still feel the resonance of the power that had caused the devastation. It must have been at least a mid-level entity that Alex had tackled; she was still slightly astonished by the ease with which the child appeared to have fought such a creature. The Lady Corin had been right when she said the child would indeed be a useful resource. However, some of her other statements regarding the girl still left Rally slightly confused as to what her old friend had meant. The entrance of Mana broke her train of thought and she turned to receive what she hoped would be some good news for a change. "You were right," Mana simply stated putting a sheath of reports and other evidence onto the desk. "An inside job?" Rally asked for confirmation. "Yes," Mana replied. "It would appear that the data was stolen during the Lucifer Hawk incident last night. I would not even put it beyond the realms of possibility that the incident was staged precisely as a cover for the theft." "Then Nemesis would appear to be very interested in the personal history of our latest recruit," Rally shrugged. "Well, I supposed it would be inevitable, they know about the rest of us..." "You misunderstand Chief," Mana broke in. "The evidence seems to suggest that the data hack was performed by one of our own internal government 'security' agencies. It is not Nemesis which seems to be showing the interest in Lady Corin's student but someone in our own government." "Is that so..." Rally asked with a slight rise in her voice. "That does surprise me. Why would someone go to all that trouble just to get hold of data that they should officially already have access to." "Maybe they wanted to be sure that they got hold of the real data and not just what we would have provided them with," Mana wondered aloud. "Perhaps..." Rally said unconvinced. "Or perhaps they wanted to make us think that... Arghh!" she shook her head slightly in an annoyed fashion. "Why do these bureaucrats have to make life so difficult!" "I think we may have more to worry about than noisy bureaucrats," Mana said darkly. "What worries me is why that information was extracted, and any possible connection to the Lucifer Hawk attack." "Yes..." Rally turned back from gazing at the dark sky above. "Does Nemesis have agents in the government or was it simply a wild coincidence? I don't think there is much we can do about that possibility at the moment. The only thing we can do is wait and allow them to play out their hand." "Do you think we should warn Alex?" Mana asked. "No, I don't think there will be a need for that," Rally replied. "That girl is more than capable of taking care of herself - as today proved. Who we need to worry most about is Yuki. When Alex told me what had happened it appeared that the entity was more interested in Yuki than in Alex and that concerns me." "Why?" Mana queried. "Yuki is the weakest link in our chain. Potentially, her abilities could be as strong as your own but they are random, uncontrolled, and that makes her vulnerable. Remember what Katsumi said; it appears that Yuki is the first of the targets that they intend to take out. She needs to be protected." "Who by?" Mana replied. "It's not as if we can spare people to protect her all the time." "I have a simpler solution in mind," Rally commented. "Alex has already proven herself capable of dealing with a Lucifer Hawk attack and I have to find rooms for her. I think it would be simpler all round if she and Yuki simply shared Yuki's flat. In that way we can keep an eye on both problems." "Good idea," Mana nodded. "Let's just hope that whoever is behind this will oblige." "Oh," Rally smiled with a predatory look on her face. "I am sure that they will..." "Shit!" Alex swore as she tripped down the short stairway that led down to Labyrinth. With an indignant cry her suitcase flew from her hand and she landed. Thump. She unceremoniously smacked into the door that Yuki held open and took the two of them out. Pants, socks, tee shirts and other interesting articles gently rained down onto the two girls and the wet pavement. "Shit! Shit! Shit!!" Alex swore in parallel as she tried to disentangle herself both from Yuki and the embarrassing position that her face was currently in. After a moment she managed to sit up and flashed an apologetic smile at the girl she was still entangled with. "Sorry..." Alex looked at Yuki. "Sort of slipped there for a moment..." Yuki took a moment to try and recover herself both from having the wind knocked out of her and the strange feeling that had been invoked from where Alex's face had landed. She looked at the blushing girl before her, the pile of mud splattered clothes, and for no reason she suddenly burst out laughing. "Hey," Alex's face looked hurt at the sight of Yuki's laugher. "That fall hurt!" Yuki burst into further fits of laughter as she saw the look on the younger girl's face. She rolled backwards and tears began to roll down her face as she tried to recover her breath. "You..." she managed to gasp out. "You... look ridiculous... I..." The rest of her statement was lost in her continuing fit of giggles. "Fine," Alex said as she managed to unscramble herself. "Be like that then." She glared once more at Yuki then began to try and salvage what was left of her dignity and her now filthy clothing. Yuki watched Alex from where she was still lying and then sat up. She continued to try and control the fits of mirth that still seemed to want to overwhelm her. She reached forth and grabbed something frilly which seemed to be on her head. The sight of the lacy underwear that she grasped in her hand was too much for her to bare. She collapsed to the floor laughing hysterically. It was sometime later when Alex looked up from the pile of washing and answered Yuki's question. "Yes, I would love some coffee. Thanks." "Well," Yuki commented with a slight smile, "after your performance a while back I think I owe you one." "Don't," Alex placed her hands on her hips. "Start with that again." "Oh," Yuki turned back into the kitchen. She bought her hand to her mouth in an effort to try and fight down the giggles that almost threatened to start again. "I never said a thing." "Good," Alex replied. "Just make sure it stays like that." Yuki did not say anything. She just kept her attention on the task of making the coffee without trying to laugh. Alex looked at her darkly for a moment then turned her attention back to the damn Japanese washing instructions. Finally, among a set of stringed out washing the two of them settled down to drink the coffee that Yuki had finished making. "I don't know how you do it Yuki," Alex said. "But your coffee is always... indescribable." Yuki smiled at the comment, "just as your acrobatics are..." "Right," Alex put her coffee down. "I warned you. Now, you are going to pay!" The door to the cafe opened and Nami, Lebia and Kiddy walked in. They were confronted with the sight of two giggling girls rolling about and grappling on the floor. "Oh..." Nami said as her face grew red. The sound of the doorbell ringing caused both heads to shoot up. With a speed that seemed unnatural the two forms separated and stood up. "Well..." Kiddy said with a wide grin. "You two seem to be getting to know each other rather well." "What?" Yuki spluttered out. "What does that mean??" "Oh," Kiddy gave her a conspiratorial wink. "It means absolutely nothing at all. Just a comment." "Now wait a moment," Alex began as Yuki went bright red. "Just what are you trying to imply?" "Nothing, nothing," Kiddy said with a smile as she moved in for the kill. "I just think the two of you appear to be getting very friendly... What..." The rest of her comment was lost as Yuki threw the now cold coffee at her face. For a moment Kiddy stood shocked as the richly smelling but cold fluid slowly leaked down her face. She looked at Yuki for a moment and then slowly went a pretty shade of purple. "Why you..." Lebia groaned slightly and shook her head in mock disgust as Alex jumped to Yuki's defence. She knew that it would only be a matter of moments now until the inevitable free for all erupted. Yip... she ducked down as a piece cake sailed passed her head and smacked into Nami. Thought so... Nami looked down at her nice and clean white robe. She looked down at the large chocolate fudge dripping that now added a dash of colour to the white satin and uttered a completely un-Nami like curse and... Lebia jumped back as the food fight began in earnest. "Why me?" she bemoaned to herself and sought cover. After the others had left the two girls look at the mess that was left behind. It was a nightmare. Alex looked at Yuki with a pained expression on her face. Yuki looked at her and then just shrugged. Alex sighed and the two of them got on with it. Fortunately, Alex was able to remove the stains of cold coffee from the floor by the use of a simple spell and plenty of water. Yuki, on the other hand, set about gathering the remains of the cakes that had fallen victim to the ensuing food fight. And so it was that many hours later two-exhausted forms slumped into two chairs after the worst of the damage had been cleared up. "Oh, my back..." Alex groaned. "Your back..." Yuki said. "What about my feet? They are killing me." "Not as badly as mine are," Alex muttered with a yawn. "Humph! You can talk!" Yuki said. "This is, after all, all your fault!" "My fault!" Alex gave Yuki a glare. "How did you decide on that? I wasn't the one who started throwing food around!" "No," Yuki agreed. "That was Nami. You were just the one who started it off by calling her a demented old maid." "I didn't!" Alex sat up. "You did that!" "No I didn't! You did!" "I..." Alex held up her hands. "Peace! Peace! Any more arguing and we will be cleaning up the results all night!" "All right," Yuki said sitting back down with a grin on her face. "A truce. Call it all your fault and we have a truce." "Wha..." Alex started and then sighed. "Ok, everything is all my fault. I admit, I come clean. Now, do you think we can get some rest. We both have an early shift tomorrow and I for one have had enough for just the first day." "Yes," Yuki said with a smile. "It has been rather an interesting day considering hasn't it?" "Thanks..." Alex said dryly. "I will try and control myself better in the future. Now, where do I sleep?" "Oh," Yuki suddenly said. "I forgot." "Forgot what?" Alex looked at her sharply. "What do you mean - you forgot." "Ahhh..." Yuki began. "Yuki," Alex looked at her. "What have you forgotten?" "I forgot to prepare the spare room," Yuki looked down at floor. "It's still packed with my old junk. I was going to clean it out today but events sort of got out of hand." "Great," Alex commented. "Oh well, I'll sleep on the sofa then..." "Ah..." Yuki started. "And what," Alex asked slowly, "is the matter now?" "The sofa got splattered by a misguided cream cake. I was trying for Kiddy but..." she shrugged. "I missed... sort of..." "Fantastic," Alex finished. "The perfect end to a perfect day." She looked at Yuki, "I don't suppose that there is a problem with the floor, is there?" "Errr..." Yuki pointed to the dripping carpets and rugs. "It might be a bit wet..." "Yes," Alex said. "It might well be." She looked at the cleaning she had done to remove the stains of coffee, pies and other... remains. "I don't think they are going to be dry any time soon are they?" "Well," Yuki looked at her from downcast eyes. "If you don't mind sharing a bed..." "Ahh..." Alex looked at her. "Well... I..." "It's the only alternative." "Its not that," Alex fidgeted. "Its..." "What?" "My clothes are in the wash, remember." "Oh," Yuki coloured. "Well you will have to borrow some of mine then." She stood up, "come on." Alex scratched uncomfortably at the strange AMP uniform that Rally had insisted that she wear. She definitely was not a fan of whoever had designed the damned thing. While it was functional, supposed to be resistant to the wear and tear that fighting entities would entail, it seemed to remind her of something out of the bondage rage from the last century - all leather and straps. "Stop fidgeting," Yuki said as they rode up the elevator towards the floor with the Chief's office. "Sorry, I just can't get the..." Alex squirmed again and tried to pull the uniform down, "...hang of this damned contraption..." "Don't worry, you look fine..." Yuki said. "It just is not me..." "It is," Yuki assured her as she looked at the figure that Alex portrayed. The uniform did indeed do the younger girl justice. It hugged the athletic, slender form in a way that accentuated all the right characteristics in all the right ways. Yuki's eyes slowly caressed the form of her companion and unconsciously she licked her lips. Yes... she thought, the uniform DID indeed do her justice... "Yuki!" Alex suddenly said loudly. "What?!?" Yuki suddenly came back to reality with a bang. "I'm not doing anything..." "Eh?" Alex looked at her oddly. "What's that mean? I only said that the lift has arrived and you seemed to be thinking about something else." "Ohhh... Yes! Yes, that's right!" Yuki shook her head slightly to clear it, (plus the odd images), and turned her attention back to Alex's statement. Alex gave her a confused stare. "Come on then, or we will be late." She walked out of the lift and waited for a moment until Yuki caught up with her. "You seem to be a bit out of it this morning," she commented. "Is anything wrong?" "No," Yuki said, shaking her head. "I'm fine." "Yuki, even though it has been over three weeks since you woke up, I don't think anyone is going to blame you if you don't want to come back to work yet. I mean, even the Chief was surprised when you said that you would be starting this week." "No," Yuki said more adamantly. "I am fine - besides, the doctors say I check out as fit for duty. I am getting slightly sick of just staring at walls all day." "Oh," Alex said with a slightly hurt look. "Don't you like my company? The Chief said I had to stay with you. Don't you like me or something?" "NO! No! I love you!" Yuki spluttered out then suddenly realised what she had just said. "I mean, I love your... _company_!" she corrected as she felt the blood beginning to rush to her face. "Come on! We have to see the Chief!" She grabbed a bemused Alex by the arm and almost pulled her over as she half ran for Rally's office. "Hey!" Alex said as she tried to keep her balance. "Wait for me!" Rally glanced up as the two figures entered the room and stood to attention. "You're late," she commented as her eyes swept back to the papers on her desk. "Sorry Chief," Alex apologised. "Well, enough of that, lets get started." Rally's senses noted that Yuki seemed to be... very tense for some reason. The girl's pulse rate was higher than it normally should be and she seemed almost to be flushed. "Yuki?" she asked. "Are you all right?" "Wha..." Yuki almost seemed to jump. "Yes! I am fine!" "Very well," Rally watched her carefully for a moment trying to place what the hell the girl was so jumpy about. "Let's get down to business then." The briefing took over an hour as Rally bought the two girls up to date on the current situation with the Lucifer Hawks. The news was mixed, although the general activity of the entities had been slightly less than what it had been the nature of the attacks had changed. "It is almost as if they are focusing on a strategy," Rally commented at one point. "That is something they have never done before." "What do you mean by strategy?" Yuki asked. "The targets that they are attacking," Rally elaborated. "They are not just random as they have been in the past. This time they appear to have a pattern. A very weird pattern but a pattern nevertheless. For example, for three days in a row one entity attacked the same power station, at the same place and the same time. Then, on the fourth night - nothing. In Kyo-cho, another entity attacked a police station. It could have killed every one inside but it deliberately did not harm anyone. Then, on the very next day the same entity appears to have killed all the members of a family just a stones throw from the same station. Why?" "Seemingly random violence but at the same time conforming to a plan..." Alex wondered out loud. "I see what you mean. Weird. However, it does not mean that the plan has a purpose. It simply could be a... No, it is a cover, a cover for something else... a distraction for something..." Her voice faded away for a moment as she seemed lost in thought. "I wondered something of the same," Rally commented. "But it does not make any..." "Yes! It does make sense!" Alex suddenly said. "The entities need chaos, for them that is a purpose in itself! Image it, they do not seem to be willing, or able to launch a direct attack so they are engaging in terrorist tactics! Tactics that will confuse and soften us up for something big..." "That's a possibility," Rally looked thoughtful. "But that only tells us what we already know, they want to wipe us out." Alex shrugged, "nothing new in that - but I think we can assume that if they are going to pull something then it will be soon. The odds are more than certain that Katsumi will be part of it." "But," Yuki broke in. "Are we certain that... that it was Katsumi who tried to..." "Oh yes," Rally finished her sentence for her. "Yes, we are certain that it was Katsumi. Let's for now just say that we have managed to confirm that fact." "How?" asked Yuki. Rally shook her head, "I am sorry Yuki. I cannot tell you that. The source of the information is... shall we say very confidential." "But..." Yuki tried to continue, but stopped when Rally held up her hand. "Yuki, I know what Katsumi meant to you, but you have to accept my word on this. Katsumi is now our enemy." Alex reached over and put an arm gently on Yuki's shoulder. She pulled the girl to her as Yuki suddenly burst into tears. "Hush... Hush..." she whispered as she gently rocked the weeping girl. Yuki grabbed onto her as if the redhead was the only pillar left in her world. Alex responded by wrapping both her arms tightly around the weeping form and drew her closely to her. "Sshhh..." she said as she stroked the girl's head. "Everything will be fine..." Yuki's emotional reaction caused Rally to nod. It was better that Yuki get it out of her now. She stood up, it would be better to let Alex help Yuki recover alone. She walked briskly to the door and went outside. She needed to see Mana anyway and it would be a while before Yuki got over her emotional storm. Yuki did not notice as the Chief left. She was too caught up in the surge of emotions that seemed to be flooding through her. All coherent thought had left her mind the instant Alex pulled her tightly against her. The smell of clean soap once again wafted through Yuki's mind. The close feeling of the other girl's form... The warmth from her body, the emotional support that came from her, the smell, and finally the realisation of what Katsumi had tried to do caused Yuki to forget reality. She pushed herself back slightly from Alex and looked directly into those so intense green eyes. They looked slightly puzzled at what was happening. Then Yuki closed her eyes and with a deliberate grace planted her lips fully onto Alex's. Alex's mind went totally blank as she felt Yuki's moist lips clamp onto hers and a tongue suddenly invade her mouth. Her legs began to shake and lose their strength as she felt Yuki's hands begin to caress various sensitive parts of her body. Her body flooded with overactive 16-year-old hormones at the feelings that Yuki's attentions generated. She began to feel light-headed and without being aware of it slowly sank into Yuki's arms. All direct volition was gone as Yuki hands continued to... aaaahhhhhh... Lost in bliss, Yuki adjusted her arms to support the weight of the younger girl. She slowly lowered the two of them to the floor. Alex seemed to struggle for a moment before Yuki lowered herself on top of the other girl overpowering her smaller form. Greedily now, Yuki kissed hungrily at those soft lips forcing Alex's head back as she pushed down. Yuki's hands moved - grasping, caressing, and undoing until they finally hit upon the soft flesh beneath. As Alex felt Yuki's hands press up against her flesh she began to feel afraid. That fear helped, slightly, to cut through the fog that was clouding her mind. She began to struggle beneath Yuki, trying to push the heavier girl off her. Yuki reacted by pushing herself more heavily down as her lust and the power that it bought her gave her a sense of control of the like she had never had. Yuki repositioned herself and in doing so opened her eyes as she removed her lips from Alex's. For the first time she looked down at the younger girl pinned beneath her. Alex's face was flushed. Her eyes looked wild and scared as she stared up at Yuki. The look in those eyes and the fear that Yuki could sense radiating from the younger girl's mind suddenly caused Yuki to realise what the hell it was she was trying to do. She suddenly felt cold - what had she just tried to... Self-disgust flushed through her and she gave a slight whimper as she backed away. She get go of the pinning hold she had been unconsciously using and with horror saw what she had been doing. Alex's uniform had been more than half stripped off revealing the pale flesh that lay beneath. Some of the flesh was discoloured where Yuki had... Abruptly Yuki turned and fled. She could not face any more. She did not want to see what would be reflected in Alex's eyes when she... Alex barely registered the sound of Yuki's panicked exit. Her mind and body were still disjointed and numb. She stared up at the ceiling above breathing heavily until she slowly sat up. Emotionally drained and still numbed by the experience she began to slowly redress herself. This simple mundane process slowly brought her back to her senses. This was the first... real... encounter of a sexual nature she had ever had. It left her... confused... numb... She could not describe it. She liked Yuki, had... sort of... like the feelings that Yuki's caresses had initially aroused. What did that mean? What was she to do? She had feelings for Yuki... but... She staggered to the private wash room and dashed cold water on her face. It helped... Her mind began to clarify as the cold dissipated the last of the hormonal induced fog. She caught sight of herself in the mirror. She was a mess, both her uniform and herself. She also noticed that there was a strange musky smell which... "Fucking hell!" she swore aloud as she located the source of the musky odour. A long dark wet stain ran from her pant line down the inner thigh of the left leg. What the fuck was she going to do now? Rally and Mana were caught in the conference room,having a less than civil discussion with elements of the Ministry of the Interior, and Defence. Officials from both departments were less than happy with the current state of affairs and once again Rally had to fight for the survival of the AMP. "...but I have explained the nature of our role..." Rally began again but was cut off by a sharp interruption. "The Minister does not care about anything but results. Your department has been less than successful in combating the threat represented by these... things... And as a result it has been decided to bring in those who can get results." The man leaned forward and stared at Rally. "The Minister is not unsympathetic to either you, or your people. AMP are a valued resource, both to our city and the people. But the current crisis has gone beyond what the Minister feels you can cope with. You need help Rally Cheyenne, and that is what Colonel Reece and his department can bring." "What do you mean?" Rally went cold. She had heard of Colonel Reece and his... department before. "Colonel Reece,will be taking over the responsibilities of AMP. Your group will be merged into his department and he will be placed in direct command over the efforts to combat this threat - to whatever is its conclusion." He opened his case and bought forth an electronic pad. He placed it down on the table. "Here are the orders from the Minister. As I said before, you and your people are a highly valued asset. The role that each of you play will be vital in our defence, but to put it bluntly, you need direction and this will be that direction." "I..." Rally began but halted suddenly as the door behind her opened and a short unassuming man in uniform entered the room. "Have you told her?" he said abruptly. If it were possible for the other man to cower he would have. "Ye... Yes, Colonel I have..." "Good," the other man dismissed the lackey from his mind and focused his attention on Rally. For a moment the dead, cold eyes watched her as if he were trying to read her soul and then he spoke. "You are working for me now Rally Cheyenne - you and your people." He pause for a moment before continuing, "I have been watching your progress for sometime now - you have potential but it needs to be focused. I am the one who will give you that focus. I am neither fair, nor cruel, kind or feeling - I simply get the job done. And that is why I am here - to get the job done. You and your people will help with that process. That is not a choice - you will help. I will do whatever is necessary to complete my task and if that involves making sacrifices - then I will make them. Do you understand me, Rally Cheyenne?" "Yes..." Rally stared at him. "I understand perfectly." "Good, then we will begin. I have men and equipment to move into this building and you will oversee the process. Lieutenant Carver outside will be your liaison. He reports directly to you and you report directly to me. I want this facility to be fully operational in 48 hours. Understood?" Rally got to her feet, "I understand." She turned and gestured for Mana to follow her. Mana got to her feet and turned to follow. "Wait," a voice said behind her. "I have a different task for you Mana Isozaki. One more suited to your talents." Mana paused and her gaze flickered for a moment to Rally, as if for confirmation. Reece noticed the glance but said nothing, he simply waited until Mana nodded. "Yes sir," she said as Rally left the room. She had not heard as much of Reece as had Rally but she knew enough, and the single glance from her Chief had been enough to confirm that for now she must obey. Yuki ran. She ran out of the office. She ran out of the AMP building. She tried to run the image of Alex out of her mind. Finally, she could run no more and stopped. Leaning against a wall she tried to recover her breath. Her feelings of self hatred and loathing that had initially started her mad flee erupted again and Yuki fell to her knees with tears streaming down her face. She could still see the image of Alex's face watching her with the fear in her green eyes. Yuki slowly got to her feet again. She needed to be else where - she had to escape! She had to go somewhere, anywhere where that image would no longer haunt her. Slowly, on uncertain feet, she made her way back to the only place she had ever called home. She walked back the steps to Labyrinth. Yuki half stumbled down the small set of stairs that led to her front door. She did not notice that the lights were on or that the door, when she pushed on, it opened silently onto a well lit room. She had only one thought she... "Hello Yuki-chan," a very familiar voice whispered to her. Yuki felt cold and turned to face her former best friend. Katsumi was watching her with a smile on her face slipping coffee out of the cup that Yuki had once chosen specially for her. "Katsumi...san..." Yuki whispered with a sense of dread, "why..." The image of Alex suddenly came to her again and Yuki felt the dread turn to something colder, aimed wholly at herself. Yuki's eyes grew hard and she faced Katsumi. "Why are you here - you murdering whore?!" she spat out hoping that Katsumi would react. "Whore?" Katsumi's eyesbrows raised. "Well, well Yuki - you have grown up haven't you..." "Shut up!" Yuki yelled. "Either fucking kill me, or get the hell out of here!" "Oh dear Yuki," Katsumi said. "You have had a bad day haven't you..." Katsumi altered her grip on her coffee cup and the smile on her face grew wider. "No..." she said. "No, Yuki-chan I will not kill you. You are my best friend after all and I like this new you... It is so... refreshing..." "Go to hell!" Yuki said and raising a fist she moved towards Katsumi. "Oh my..." Katsumi commented and put down her coffee. "Perhaps you may be useful to me after all..." "What's that supposed to mean?" Yuki asked. "For the moment Yuki-chan nothing" Katsumi said. "Merely that at sometime in the future we may be useful to each other." "Me?" Yuki gasped out. "Help you? I would rather die..." "Really," Katsumi commented. "Not even if I could help you with, say, a little love problem..." "WHAT!?" Yuki spluttered. "You have good taste if nothing else..." Katsumi commented. "Although, I don't think your little redhead will be too enchanted with you after what you tried to do to her." "I..." Yuki slumped down as she felt the black feelings of depression threaten to override her yet again. "I could change that Yuki-chan," Katsumi suddenly said leaning forward. "I could make her willing to do anything for you. Do anything to you..." "No..." Yuki tried to say. "Imagine her beneath you Yuki-chan... Imagine that soft flesh, her voice whispering in to your... Imagine Yuki-chan... the eyes looking at you filled with adoration, the hot cries of your name..." Katsumi closed her eyes and Yuki felt herself carried away by the images that the woman's soft voice promised. Yuki once again remembered the warm wetness of those lips, the touch of the silky skin... The hot feelings once again threatened to overcome her... Katsumi watched as Yuki closed her eyes as her tongue darted over her lips. She smiled. Yuki was hers now. So in time would all of the AMP. Then and only then, when they grovelled on their feet before her, would her revenge be complete. Then and only then, when Rally saw her children begging, would Katsumi let them die. Until then...