Bubblegum Crisis : Tokyo Babylon

A fanfiction by Mark Latus

Part 3 of 5

     "Sylia are you out of your fucking mind?  You just told this guy we're the
Knight Sabers?"
     "He already knew.  If anyone outside this room learned our identities it
was going to be him.   Therefore Priss in answer to your question, no I'm still
completely sane."
     Linna grabbed Priss before she did something stupid.  Priss looked like 
she wanted to grab Sylia by the neck and throttle her.  She also wanted answers
but assaulting Sylia wouldn't get them.  "Sylia this guy knows who we are, I 
have no idea who he is."
     Sylia sighed, they weren't going to like hearing this.  "Excuse me, I 
forgot my manners.  Linna, Priss, this is Daniel Charles Dumas."  A brief 
pause.  "He's GENOM's new Special Projects Director."  
     Dumas inclined his head.  Linna and Priss stared at him in shock.
     Sylia continued, still maintaining her infuriatingly calm tone.  "You've
known for some time I run the Knight Sabers."  
     Not a question, a statement.  Dumas answered anyway.  "For me you were the
only reasonable choice.  Of course I started with information that no one else
had.  Beginning from knowledge of your identity it was just a matter of time
to determine who the others were.  I used a large group of private 
investigators to track the people around you.  None of them had any idea what
I was really looking for.  Then I just put the pieces together and I knew who
the others were.  After that it was fairly easy to assemble proof."
     Priss found her voice, "Sylia why are you talking to this guy?  Maybe you
are crazy!  If we take him out now ..."
     "Everyone in MegaTokyo will know who we are by morning", Sylia finished.
"And we'll spend the rest of our lives dodging GENOM assassins and anyone else
who wants our technology."
     Priss stared at her. "How do you know that", she demanded.  Why was Sylia
so goddamn calm?
     "Because it's what I'd have done.  I wouldn't walk into my enemy's home
without precautions to make sure I'd be coming out again."  Sylia's voice
hardened, "Don't think you can outthink Daniel any more than you could outthink
me."
     Dumas spoke, he'd paid no attention to Priss's threat, Sylia would keep
her lackeys under control.  "If we could discuss the mission now?" 
     "In a moment.  First I want to know why you haven't exposed us.  You serve
GENOM while I am one of its most dedicated enemies."
     "I'm reasonably sure you already know my answer."
     "Perhaps, but I want to hear it from you."
     Dumas answered carefully, "Your organization has worked mainly against
what I consider corporate excess.  Those excesses promised massive short term
gain but would have caused major problems further on.  As you know I've always
taken the long view.  Your group can do little to stop GENOM's accelerating
growth and acquisition of power worldwide."
     "The problem with seeing the big picture all the time is you overlook all
the little people who get run over and crushed by the wheels of progress."
     "That's your opinion, but we've had this discussion before."
     "So that's your only reason for not exposing me?"
     "What other reason could I have had?"
     Dumas and Sylia studied each other, searching for something.  Neither was
giving anything away in either expression or body language.
     Linna whispered to Priss, "I think we're missing something here."
     The moment broke, Sylia settled back in her chair.  "You said Brian J. 
Mason was back.  I distinctly remember killing him."
     Priss groaned.  First Sylia admitted running the Knight Sabers then she
confesses to manslaughter.
     Dumas showed no surprise at this revelation.  "Largo was Mason, but you
already knew that."  
     Sylia didn't bother acknowledging this.  Priss broke in with, "Wait a sec.
After Largo went over the tower's edge you said Mason wouldn't be causing any 
more trouble.  You never did explain that."
     "It appears I was wrong anyway."
     "So you're saying the scumbag that killed Anri is still around?"
     "Perhaps you could answer that Daniel?"
     Dumas looked as if he'd been waiting for this cue.  "Certainly.  It all
begins with a GENOM research project very dear to Chairman Quincy's heart.  The
Gilgamesh Project."
     "Gilgamesh?" Linna wondered.  She'd heard that name somewhere before.
     Sylia answered without turning around, "A legendary hero-king in Assyrian/
Babylonian mythology.  Known, among other deeds, for questing for eternal life."
     Dumas nodded.  "For some time the chairman has realised the basic problem
with acquiring massive power and wealth.  Namely, you can't take it with you. 
So the obvious solution is to never leave."
     "Quincy really thinks he can live forever?" Linna asked incredulously.  
Sylia said merely "Go on."
     "The basic goal of Gilgamesh was something that has been theorized for
some time.  Developing a technique for downloading human memory and personality
into a computer storable format.  After which it could be reloaded into the 
body of your choice."
     Sylia smiled, "If there's no soul GENOM will build one?"
     Dumas chuckled, "Something like that.  The flash of humour vanished from
his face.  "Initially the idea was to grow clone bodies of the downloaded 
subject, developed to an appropriate age.  Say physically mid twenties.  
However technical consideration discarded that approach.  Frankly GENOM's
cloning technology is inadequate.  Apart from growing bio-mech biological
components the field is largely unexplored.  So a new type of body was needed
to hold the transferred consciousness."
     "Boomers", Sylia said flatly.
     Dumas nodded again.  "A new generation of Boomer, humanoid in appearance,
with a highly developed brain.  Something a bit different from a human or
boomer brain."
     Sylia tensed, "The model for this brain?"
     "Was developed by the project's Director.  Brian J. Mason.", Dumas 
answered.  "Of course he didn't really develop it.  He just gave them the 
specifications and electromagnetic imaging data and told them to create 
something as close to that as possible.  They presumably assumed he'd copied 
the data from some other project under his jurisdiction."
     Sylia sighed, "So he gave them a model of his own brain."
     "Yes, but they never knew it.  And given the fatality level among the
researchers there aren't many people left to figure it out."
     Linna broke in again.  "That's crazy.  How could they not realize they 
were building a human brain."
     Neither Sylia nor Dumas answered.  They were studying each other again.
At length Sylia said, "Go on with your story."
     "The Gilgamesh team reported failure.  They told Quincy it wasn't 
possible with today's technology.  Maybe in ten years or so Gilgamesh would
be feasible.  At least that's what Mason told him the researchers had found."
     Sylia smiled faintly, several mysteries were now solved.  "Mason bought
the researchers off."
     "Yes.  The Gilgamesh hardware disappeared shortly after that though
records track it as being dispersed to other projects.  The research personnel
were reassigned to other duties."
     "But you found discrepancies.  Periods they were employed on projects
which didn't actually exist."
     Dumas nodded.  "During which time they set up a second Gilgamesh lab.  
With one particular resurectee in mind."
     "Brian J. Mason, or Largo as he called himself on his return."
     "Who else.  The powered armour he was wearing during your final 
confrontation also went missing.  I suspect it contained a Gilgamesh memory 
recorder.  So if he lost he'd be reborn as up to date as possible."
     Sylia looked satisfied.  "That clears up two things that puzzled me.  I
couldn't understand why Brian was stupid enough to fight me personally knowing
I had the superior suit.  And while it was obvious Largo was Brian I couldn't
understand how he'd managed to come back."
     "Gilgamesh gave him what he always said he wanted."
     Sylia remembered, "A way to be superior in body and mind.  No more human
frailties."
     Both fell silent as old memories resurfaced.  Again Linna was sure he'd
missed something important.
     The silence was broken by Priss.  "Well that was real interesting assuming
any of that shit was true.  So what's it got to do with us?  Mason's wormfood
and Largo's toast!"
     Dumas smiled, "I like her.  It's touching the way she tries to be shocking
and irreverent all the time."
     Priss started towards him.  Sylia blocked her, "Sit down Priss."  Their
wills clashed but it was Priss who backed down.  Priss headed back to the 
couch, Sylia sat down and looked at Dumas.  "You haven't lost your touch for
aggravating people Daniel.  But Priss had a valid question, why come to us 
now?"
     "During the past few months the Gilgamesh researchers have started turning
up dead.  The last survivor, apart from the vegetable, was murdered this 
afternoon.  The murder occurred within GENOM HQ implying a great deal of 
familiarity with our security routines."
     Dumas continued, "I admit this is largely theoretical but I suspect Largo
was something of a test run.  If he functioned effectively then the researchers
ceased to be useful.  They were undoubtably left alive in case problems 
developed with Largo, the prototype.  With Largo so effective the project was
a success.  Which meant the researchers ceased to be useful and became a 
liability.  They knew far too much for Brian's security."
     "Anyway when Largo was destroyed Gilgamesh began creating Brian Mason 
Mark 3.  Probably the process was set to start if Largo failed to check in at
a preset time.  The second copy studied Largo, concluded everything worked
fine, and began eliminating everyone who knew he wasn't exactly dead."
     Sylia winced.  "That means there's another superboomer with the capability
to control the USSD laser satellites."
     Dumas shook his head.  "No I've taken countermeasures."
     "Countermeasures?"
     "The Largo incident made it clear GENOM's infrastructure was vulnerable
to destruction by space based weaponry.  I pushed through a plan to deploy
a special variety of communication satellite.  They were launched and are
now in place.  They are designed to block the laser satellites from receiving
firing commands.  They also carry hunter-killer drones to disable the laser
satellites if necessary.  So the USSD defence shield exists at the whim of
GENOM, they just don't know it yet."
     "Ingenious, and more than a little worrying."
     "Would you rather have Brian able to access the satellites?  I suspect
it was that project which brought me to the chairman's attention.  Which is
how I received my current position."
     "You still haven't explained why you want to use us rather than a GENOM
strike team."
     Dumas smiled.  "The fewer people who know about GENOM's connection to
Largo the better.  You already knew who he was, you just didn't know how he
did it.  Besides I'm not confident a GENOM strike team could take out Mason
quickly and effectively.  We rely far too much on boomers, and they aren't 
quite as good as our PR people claim.  Whereas you've already demonstrated you
can do it.
     "What precisely do you want us to do?"
     "Destroy the new Mason and his recorded memories.  That'll save us having
to do this again.  Your fee will be 4,000,000 new yen, which I managed to skim
out of an account hidden among the Gilgamesh records.  Though I suspect you'd
do this job for nothing there's no reason not to add a little incentive."
     "1,000,000 each", Linna thought.  "Or rather 2,000,000 for me since I'm
getting Priss's share.     
     Sylia's voice broke in on her dreams of avarice.  "He could have created 
more than one version of himself.  Destroying one would leave the other at 
large with the knowledge it was being hunted."
     "Do you really think Brian would ever permit someone equal to himself to
exist?"
     Sylia smiled, she must be feeling some strain.  This business on top of 
Mackie was the last thing she needed.  "You're right, that was foolish of me.
But it's a big city Daniel, how do we find him."
     Dumas paused, this was the crucial point.  He was about to give her 
information that could ruin him.  Still she'd never cooperate afterwards unless
she felt she had a hold over him equal to his over her.  "As I said earlier I 
oppose corporate excess.  To do so, during my European tenure, it has 
occasionally been necessary to take actions with the greater good of GENOM
as my goal.  For example unofficially closing down certain projects or removing
certain individuals."
     Sylia studied him, "How do you take these actions."
     Balance, Dumas reminded himself.  There must be equilibrium between us,
or we'll be fighting our own war once Mason's dead permanently.  "I employ a
private mercenary group known as the Wolfpac.  I couldn't trust company 
personnel to work against any segment of GENOM."
     "I've heard of them.  They're believed to work for a coalition of GENOM's
rivals."
     "So are the Knight Sabers."
     Sylia smiled faintly.  "Quite true, I forgot that rumour.  Amazing, I'd
thought that perhaps the Wolfpac were Europe's version of the Sabers."
     Dumas continued, "The 'Pac is currently in MegaTokyo.  On my orders they
abducted one of the two remaining Gilgamesh researchers.  They're holding him
at a storage facility, asking a few questions about what really happened with
Gilgamesh."
     "Brian may come looking for him."
     "As far as anyone knows Hathaway died yesterday."
     Sylia looked at him.  "I want to meet your mercenaries."
     Dumas handed her a card and a CD.  "The address is on the card, it'll
also unlock the security gates.  Bring the Knight Sabers there at midnight.
One way or another we'll have Hathaway's secrets by then.  The disc has all
the Gilgamesh data I've learned.  It should answer any questions you have about
the project."  He paused, "Sorry almost forgot.  Do you accept the commission?"
     "Yes.  Brian's too great a menace to ignore."
     Dumas stood up, "Besides which he'd be coming after you sooner or later.
I'll see you tonight, nice meeting you ladies."
     Dumas departed.  Sylia crossed to a terminal and called up the internal
security monitors recordings of Dumas's visit.  She wasn't surprised to see
it turned to static and white noise just after Dumas entered.  He was hardly
about to let her record him admitting having sabotaged GENOM.
     He'd probably had a signal blocker her security hadn't detected.  Perhaps
a variation on the devices that could jam the laser satellites.  Linna and 
Priss were arguing furiously.  For a moment she ignored them as old memories
replayed themselves within her mind.  Then Priss's voice brought her back
to the present.
     "Sylia are you crazy!  This whole thing's obviously a trap."
     Sylia looked at her.  "If Daniel was planning to eliminate the Knight 
Sabers he'd have targeted us in our civilian lives.  He wouldn't bring us to
anyplace fully armed."
     Linna broke in, "He might not have been sure we were the Sabers."
     "He'd have eliminated us anyway if killing the Knight Sabers was his
goal.  Remember he's with GENOM, and they have a tendency to eliminate people
who could cause even minor problems."
     Linna remembered Irene's death and paled.
     Sylia continued, "Daniel is ruthless and thorough when facing a problem."
More quietly she said, "A lot like me."
     Linna looked at her, "Sylia that creep's nothing like you."
     "Don't be so sure.  He knows me better than you do.  Better than Mackie
does now though he's going to learn ... "  She was saying too much.  Daniel and
his information had actually shaken her.  Remarkable, she'd come to consider
herself unsurprisable.
     "For example he told me about the Wolfpac to maintain balance between 
us."
     "Balance?"  Linna was getting tired of playing the straight woman but Priss
wasn't asking any questions.  She was just studying the security monitors, 
watching Dumas leave.  The picture had resolved itself, he'd turned off his
jammer.
     Apparently unaware Sylia answered, "He revealed his connection to an 
outlaw group so I can build proof of his connection to them.  It's his way of
saying that if we cooperate we can be sure he won't expose us afterwards.
Because I'll be able to bring him down with us."
     "But if you reveal his secret he exposes you" 
     "Exactly.  A balance of terror."
     Priss called over from her position by the monitor.  "Yo Sylia, looks like
Danny-boy's not quite done yet.  Seems he wants a word with Mackie."
     Sylia pushed Priss away from the monitor and killed the audio.  She slipped
an earpiece in so she could hear what was being said in the garage.  Dumas 
wasn't jamming this so he didn't care if she recorded it.  Which probably meant 
whatever he was going to tell Mackie would be true.  And there were some truths
that were very hard to bear.
     Mackie was still in the garage.  When he'd made a move for the door 
Cynthia had shaken a finger at him.  "Ah ah ah.  Stick around the boss might
want to talk to you."
     So he'd stuck around.  There were weapons in the office but he couldn't 
count on living long enough to reach them.  Whatever had taken out the muggers
didn't seem up to tackling a Boomer barehanded.  Assuming she actually was a
bio-mech, she looked human enough.  The only way to know for sure was to attack
her and see if she could pull his head off.  Not advisable.
     Nothing to do but stick around and figure out where he'd seen that guy 
before.
     The suit walked in.  Cynthia stopped slouching against the car and 
straightened up.  "You don't have to salute Cynthia", he sighed.  Without a
trace of his accent he asked Mackie, "How's it going Mac?"
     Memories clicked for Mackie.  "Danny?"
     "Ah, so you do remember me.  Yup, Danny Dumas is back in town."  His voice
regained the accent, "Though I tend to go by Daniel these days.  Or Dan if you
insist."
     "Yes, I remember you now.  I was about eight years old the last time I saw
you."
     "You were eight, I was fifteen.  Just a few months older than your 
sister."
     "Yeah, you two had known each other for years.  I was what, about four 
when you first met?  I guess I looked on you as sort of a big brother back 
then."
     "Four sounds about right."
     "I remember the day you left.  Your father had been transferred to the US
and you came to say goodbye to Sis.  It was pretty impersonal, neither of you
seemed to remember you'd been good friends.  I think you'd been quarrelling for
the past few weeks.  I didn't know why.  Anyway you said goodbye and Sis never
mentioned your name again."
     The old affection Mackie had been feeling faded as he returned to the
present.  "So now you work for GENOM", Mackie said with a great deal of 
loathing.
     Dumas didn't seem to notice Mackie's tone.  "My future career plans were
one of the things we quarrelled about."
     "I don't like GENOM any better than my sister!"
     "That's your prerogative.  I should be going, I just wanted to say hello 
for old time's sake."
     Mackie nodded.  "Goodbye.  Come again if you ever get an honest job."
     Dumas smiled.  "Sure thing.  Oh, have the killer headaches stopped yet?"
Mackie stared at him.  "I really hated them.  I was really glad when they 
ended.  Well so long."
     Dumas turned to his car, Cynthia opened the passenger door.
     "Wait!"
     Dumas stopped.
     "You know what's happening to me?"
     "Hold on a minute Cynthia."  Dumas turned back to face Mackie.  "I went
through it at fifteen.  If it's still going on then I guess you're a late
bloomer."
     "What is going on?"
     "Why your father's final gift to his children.  The final version of his
human enhancement treatment."  Dumas studied Mackie's look of complete 
bafflement.  "Sylia's told you nothing about it has she?"
     Mackie shook his head.
     "OK then I'll tell you my version and Sylia will tell you hers.  Truth is
relative so what actually happened will be somewhere in between."
     Dumas leaned against a support pillar, Mackie settled against a bike.  
     "So what do you remember about where we met?"
     "Well GENOM ran this daycare place for its employees.  So parents could
dump their kids somewhere secure while they were at work.  Maybe my memories
playing tricks but I'd swear there was slashwire on the outer walls.  Anyway
I hung around with the kids my own age.  All the kids banded together by
age group.  Except for Sis, you and a couple of other loner types."
     "Yes, some of us didn't fit in with our contemporaries."
     "Yeah.  Anyway you, sis and that other guy used to hang around together.
I forget his name, he avoided me.  I don't think he liked little kids.  He was
related to you somehow."
     "BJ was my half brother.  Same mother, different father's.  He was a bit
over two years older than us, making him the oldest kid in there.  Your sister
and I were eleven when we met."
     "Right, the three of you didn't fit in with anyone.  Whatshisname was too
old, Sis was brighter than everyone else and ready to prove it, and you were
the only French kid in there."
     "Good memory.  All the others were Japanese or expatriate Americans.  
Which is why I learned to suppress my accent, so I'd fit in a bit better.  Not
that it worked."
     "The other kids had some nickname for your group."
     "The three musketeers.  Sort of my fault but you don't get to pick your
surname."
     "Oh right, Alexandre Dumas.  I remember Sis reading that to me."
     "She probably read far too much of that swashbuckling stuff.  Given the
way she spends her spare time these days."
     Mackie studied him carefully.  "I have no idea what that is supposed to 
mean."
     "Of course not.  Anyway during this time, 2020 to 2022, your father was
continuing his work.  He didn't just want to create an improved AI 
consciousness.  He wanted to upgrade human intelligence, have people use their
brains to their full potential.  So he decided to play God."
     "Dad wouldn't have done that!"  Mackie's voice was firm.
     "You were five year old when he died.  Did you really know him?"
     "Better than you."
     Dumas looked at him.  There was something very cold in his gaze and ice in
his voice.  "I've lived with the consequences of your father's work since I was
fifteen.  So has Sylia.  You have no idea what he was capable of doing."
     Dumas paused then resuming speaking in a lighter tone.  "Ever wonder why
you're so smart, so intuitive?  Why Sylia's the same?  Why your sister never 
forgets anything, never loses her cool?  Why you're sexually attracted to her?"
     Mackie flushed.  Angrily he half shouted, "All right smart guy, let's
hear your answers!"
     Like a conjuror Dumas suddenly had an optical storage disc in his hand.
"This is a copy of one of your father's files.  He went to a lot of effort to
keep it secret.  The original version was stored on a hard drive with no
external datalinks, making it impossible to hack into.  There's one hell of
a security protocol before you can download any information.  It was recovered
after the lab explosion and dumped in storage.  I found out about it and 
retrieved it a few years ago.  Anyway this is a little something called the Goya
file."  
     Priss and Linna looked at Sylia as she cursed.  It was the first time 
either of them had seen her lose her composure.  They couldn't hear a thing,
all they could do was watch the monitor over her shoulders and guess what
was going on.  Obviously something big, but what?
     Sylia collected herself and regained her emotional balance.  She'd seen
references to that file in her father's journals.  She hoped it wasn't as
ugly as he'd implied.
     Back in the garage Dumas was saying, "The Goya file covers the prototypes
for Dr. Stingray's human enhancement projects.  I think the name sums it up.
Of course that's supposition on my part."
     "Goya?"
     "From the painter.  To be specific 'The sleep of reason brings forth 
monsters'".
     "Monsters?"  Mackie sounded incredulous.
     "Mentally twisted as opposed to physically.  Still those have always been
the worst kinds of demons.  Want me to go on?"
     Mackie's throat felt very dry.  "Yes", he whispered.
     "Doc. Stingray's work was intended to enhance the human brain.  He used
genetically engineered viruses, nanomechs still being theoretical concepts.
The viral engineers begin the process of consuming brain tissue and replacing it
with new cells.  The new neurons created by the process are far more efficient
transmitters.  Thought becomes quicker, the two hemispheres become integrated
enhancing cognition and intuition.  Memory becomes holographic, total recall
becomes normal.  New instincts develop, personality fractions designed to
protect the total organism.  That's a vast oversimplification of course."
     "New instincts?  For example a combat persona that triggers in times of
stress?"
     "Good guess, how'd you know?"
     "Never mind, go on."
     Dumas shrugged.  "This is the legacy Stingray intended to leave his 
children.  However he wasn't heartless enough to test an experimental procedure
on his own flesh and blood.  So he needed other subjects to test it on."
     For the first time Dumas's composure seemed to slip.  "Still the way the
world works you can buy anything for enough money.  Even children."  Mackie
stared at him in disbelief, this couldn't be true.  "Africa was the ideal 
source.  Devastated by wars, the retro plagues and global warming induced 
famine it's full of desperate people.  Give them money and tell them their 
starving children will have a better life.  What parent can refuse?  Of course
better and longer aren't the same thing."
     Dumas was silent for a moment then continued.  "Part of the problem was
that the enhancement process was designed to work over a period of several 
years.  If necessary lying dormant until the subject is old enough."
     "Not wanting to wait years for results the good doctor created an 
accelerated version of the enhancer.  This meant that by the time problems 
developed it was to late to do anything.  By the time it was detectable it was
irreversible.
     "Brain death, autonomic nervous system shutdown, inability to remember 
anything within five minutes of the present, psychosis, homicidal rage, Goya 
is quite a catalogue of atrocity."
     "But you'll be happy to know the last three test subjects survived the
process.  It was probably coincidence they all died in that car crash.  But
at least that meant their brains were available for autopsy and study."
     He looked at Mackie, "Heard enough yet?"
     "Keep talking, I don't have to believe you."
     "Quite true.  anyway your father was now ready for his final trials.  He
needed highly intelligent children to test it on.  Kids he could watch develop
over time.  Then he realized the two boys who hung around with his daughter
fit his criteria."
     "The older boy got the last accelerated enhancement dose."  Dumas fell
silent for a moment.  "Perhaps that's why he became a monster, or maybe BJ
was already sociopathic.  We'll never know.  In any event the process worked
though the radical personality change worried your father."
     Dumas was no longer in the present, all the old memories were back.  
"This was 2022, Dr. Stingray was beginning to fear for his life.  Lacking time
he prepared three doses of the enhancer, designed to work over a time frame
of several years.  Two of them went to his children, the third was given to
Danny."
     "You."
     "Danny was going to be your father's test case.  If something went wrong
with the enhancement he was going to be the test case for a treatment.  Then 
his own children could receive the test proven treatment.  An interesting
scheme.  But he died and the enhanced were on their own.  Fortunately for us
he'd eliminated all the lethal side effects by trial and error."
     "The final stage kicked in when Sylia and I were fifteen.  Evidently
your enhancement was designed to work over a longer period than ours.  Still
you were much younger than us.  Probably a final safety precaution.  If we 
curled up and died he'd still have time to save you."
     This was what Mackie had been waiting for.  "The final stage?"
     "That's when the personality changes begin.  You've already got the
enhanced memory and intelligence, but you can't use them fully because they
aren't integrated with your mind.  Mind and brain aren't quite the same thing. 
During this time 'rewiring' triggers the pain receptors in the brain.  A flaw
in the process that your father would have fixed if he'd had time."
     "What ... what happens to my personality."
     "You become like us.  Your intellect will rule your emotions.  It'll
become second nature to block them, though you may simulate emotions for
social reasons.  Of course you'll still have desires and drives."
     "Meaning?"
     "Daddy dearest didn't want enhancement to end after one generation.  Your
germ plasm has been rewritten so your children will be enhanced.  At least that
was the theory.  He was kind of rushed toward the end so he didn't finish 
testing that part.  He was sure he'd got the bugs out but he was wrong.  Any
children either of us fathered would be physically and genetically abnormal to
say the least.  Monsters is an exaggeration but sort of sums it up."
     Mackie was looking sick, Dumas gave him the last bit of good news.  "To
ensure both parents would be enhanced, thus improving the genetics, we have an
implanted instinct to mate with an enhanced partner.  The enhanced can detect
each other through a pheromone detectable by our rewired olfactory senses.
Unfortunately Sylia is the only enhanced female available."
     "You're saying I'm genetically programmed to BREED WITH MY OWN SISTER?!"
     "No, with an enhanced woman.  Your father died sooner than he expected.
He probably assumed there would be more enhanced people by the time you grew 
up.  Actually since the instinct is triggered by smell you'll be fine once
you get away from your sister.  And you can learn to control yourself, 
especially after the personality integration takes place.  Remember Sylia feels
the need to mate with an enhanced male, but she's not throwing herself at 
either of us."
     "THIS IS SICK!"
     "It's hardly my fault and yelling won't change a thing."  Dumas turned to
go.  "I do work for GENOM, maybe everything I told you is a lie."
     Mackie looked at the disc.  Dumas added, "Better play that on a portable
unit.  Perhaps this was just a scheme to get a virus into your mainframe."
     He got in the car.  Cynthia closed the door, got in the driver's side
and drove off.  Mackie watched him go then headed back down to the lab.
     As they headed back to the Wolfpac's temporary base Dumas remarked, "That
was rather cathartic.  Perhaps I should let myself feel more often."
     Cynthia shrugged, "You always say that after one of those confrontations.
Then you center yourself and you're back to thinking emotions get in the way.
After which all you tend to let yourself feel is a mild contempt for pretty
well anything the human race does."
     "Perhaps.  Still it's unhealthy to block emotions all the time.  Maybe I
should schedule one day a week to feel emotional.  Of course that could damage
my reputation as a cold hearted bastard capable of anything.  I'll have to 
think about this."
     Back in her apartment Sylia was removing the audioplug, she was going to 
have to talk to her brother.
     "What the hell was that all about?", Priss demanded.
     "Personal business.  It doesn't concern the Knight Sabers."
     "Do you want to talk about it anyway?", Linna asked. 
     "No, I can deal with this."  I could block out my emotions any time I
choose, Sylia thought.  Why is it so important for me to keep feeling?  I 
control them but haven't removed them.
     "Alright we have work to do tonight.  I'll call Nene and get her away
from ADPolice for tonight.  If Daniel has found Mason this is going to be
a rough night."
     "Then we don't need Nene getting in the way."
     "That's enough Priss, she's proven herself."
     "That's debatable."
     A little while later Sylia put down the phone.  As she'd expected Nene was
less than happy about having to reschedule another shift.  During her wailing
she'd asked how Mackie was doing.  Sylia had said something noncommittal, she
really had no idea.  She was about to check out the Gilgamesh Data Desk when
an alarm sounded.
     "Shit, what is it."
     Sylia was checking her terminal.  "Unauthorised access of my files.  
Medical database.  How did anyone get through the security lockouts?  Tracing 
the intruder's signal .... ah, not an emergency after all."
     "How so?", Linna asked.
     "The hacker is right downstairs.  It's Mackie."
     Priss laughed.  "The little pervert's trying for those medical scans you
run us through.  Remember he did the same thing a few months back."
     Linna nodded, "Right, he set off the alarm and we snuck up on him while
he was still decoding the graphics."
     "So let's go surprise him again.  Scaring the hell out of him will cheer
me up a bit."
     "OK, you coming Sylia?"
     "Hmmm, uh in a moment."  
     Priss and Linna headed downstairs.  Sylia finished determining the files
he'd been after.  It seemed he wasn't playing peeping tom after all.  She 
headed downstairs fast.
     Outside the lab's computer room they could here Mackie talking to himself.
"Right that's all four displayed.  Add false colour enhancement and this is
what we've got."  Pause  "That one looks real bad."
     Priss shoved the door open, "That better be Nene you're talking about!"
She saw what was on the screen and stopped dead.  "What the hell?"
     The screen was split into four squares.  Each square displayed a human
brain.  The one's on the left were the normal grayish-pink.  The one in the
upper right corner was blue, the lower right brain was heavily blue but
still displayed some of the ordinary colouring.
     "I set off the alarms again huh?  I thought I'd figured a way around
Sis's locks."
     "Well you were wrong Mackie."  Sylia followed Priss and Linna in.
     "Hi Sis, I wanted to talk to you anyway."  Mackie tried to sound flippant.
She could tell how upset he really was.  "The pictures on the left are normal
human brains, female and male of our ages.  I dragged them out of the public 
medical database.  The ones on the right are ours.  That's your brain up top, 
mine down bottom.  I occasionally wondered why you insisted on periodic 
brain scans.  Your story about a monitoring against a hereditary brain embolism
condition didn't seem real somehow.  The blue indicates abnormal brain tissue."
     "What do you want me to say?"
     "I want you to say everything Dumas told me was a lie.  I want you to tell
me I'm still normal."  Mackie picked up a portable discplayer and waved it.
"I want you to tell me this is a fake and our father wasn't a monster.  I ...
I want ..."  Mackie's self control broke and he began to cry.  
     Sylia held him.  Without looking around she said, "Priss, Linna, this is a
family matter.  Go meet Nene."
     "Uh ... right."  Priss grabbed Linna and hauled her out of the lab.
     "Nene doesn't get off work for another hour."
     "Fine that gives us time for a drink", Priss growled.  "I want to talk
to you and I want to do it away from any scanners."
     Behind them Mackie had stopped crying.  After a bit he felt calm returning.
At which point he realised that his head was cradled on Sylia's breasts.  
Feeling a mixture of desire and embarrassment he pulled away.
     Sylia smiled, "I guess you're back to normal."
     "I guess.  Though normal doesn't mean quite what I thought it did."
     "We are what we are."
     "We are what we were made to be."
     "Mackie, this isn't the way I expected to tell you.  I thought that after
the ... transition we'd discuss it.  I thought it best you live as normally as
possible.  Maybe I was wrong, being enhanced doesn't make you infallible."
     "I ... this is overwhelming, you know."
     "I know.  I had to work out was happening to us from Father's notes.  I
had Daniel to help in those days.  We knew we were changing somehow but we 
didn't understand why."  Sylia was silent for a moment then added, "Despite all
that it seemed like good times.  We were together and felt like we could do
anything.  I was so sure the Daniel and I would bring down GENOM together."
     A little hesitantly Mackie said, "You ummm, you were more than just 
friends.  I remember now this one night, I guess it was early '25, a few months
before he left town. I'd woken up from a terrible nightmare.  I forget what it
was about, just that it was awful.  I was scared and our guardians were away
so I went to your room.  The lock was on but I knew how to force it."
     The memory flooded back, the door open and the two figures in the bed
squinted into the bright light of the hallway.  His sister murmuring, "Dammit 
I'm sure I locked that."  A sleepy Danny mumbling, "Told you we should have
tried a hotel."  Sylia pulling on a robe while telling Danny they wouldn't rent
a room to fifteen year olds.  Danny was talking about the ease of forging ID
as Sylia came over to see what her brother wanted."
     Mackie returned to the present.  "Next day you had a lock I couldn't open
on the door."
     "Luckily you didn't come in a little earlier.  That would have been really
embarrassing.  Emotional control only goes so far."
     Mackie sighed, "Just before I broke down I asked you some questions.  I'd
like a few answers."
     Sylia took a second to consider her answers.  She'd only discussed 
enhancement with one other person and that hadn't worked out the way she'd
anticipated.  "I'm afraid Daniel wasn't lying.  Our father chose to improve us
without telling us what he was doing.  The genetic damage is real, we're the
last generation of Stingrays."
     She took a deep breath and continued.  "Your personality is going to change
but it's important for you to realise that you won't cease to be human.  You're
not going to become some emotionless machine.  Not unless you choose to live 
that way.  It's more a matter of your perceptions shifting.  You'll have more 
control over your emotions.  That means you react intellectually before 
emotionally.  This can make people think you're very cold but there's not much
you can do about that.  Also you'll see optimum solutions to everything.  The 
problem is almost no one else does.  It becomes an effort not to live in 
contempt of human shortsightedness.  Daniel couldn't see it that way, he wants
to make everyone live by the big picture.  All I ask is you never forget we're
human.  Different, but still human."
     Mackie sat considering what he'd been told.  After a few minutes something
struck him.  "Danny...Daniel didn't come here to see me.  He wanted to talk 
to you.  Why?  If he dumped all that on me what did he dump on you?"
     Sylia returned to her other problems.  "Remember my telling you that Largo
was somehow a reborn Mason?"
     "Sure.  It's not something easy to forget."
     "Daniel came by to explain how Mason came back.  He also announced that he
knows I run the Knight Sabers and wants our help in destroying another version
of Mason."
     "Shit!  That's all we need, a GENOM exec who knows where to find us."
     Sylia nodded.  "All things considered it's been a rotten evening for both
of us."
     "So what do we do about that?"
     "Believe it or not Daniel likes having the Knight Sabers around.  It helps
him with his own agenda.  It's not any better than GENOM's current policies,
just a lot quieter.  If all goes well tonight I'll have time to get my own
hold over him."
     "Wheels within wheels.  You both think like that.  I guess I will too."
     "You'll get used to living two or three moves ahead of everyone else."
     Mackie was silent for a minute.  Then he ventured, "I guess Daniel was
right, I didn't really know Dad at all."
     "It shocked me when I found out.  Perhaps I should have told you but it
seemed too ugly.  Instead I let you think Father was a saint martyred by
GENOM."  After a moment she went on, "That's one of the reason's Daniel and
I started fighting.  I was looking to avenge our Father's death, Daniel would
have killed him if he wasn't already dead.  The other main reason we broke
up was Daniel decided GENOM was the only hope of salvation the world has."
     "You're kidding right?"
     "I'm deadly serious.  It was a fairly major philosophical difference."
     Mackie sighed.  "I've got a lot to think about.  Frankly I'm not sure
what to think anymore.  I'm not sure I'm much use to anybody right now."
     Sylia nodded.  "Good, because you aren't going near a combat situation
until your transition is complete.  If you get immobilized by a super
migraine you'd be an easy target.  I've been through them, I know how bad
they can get." 
     Mackie realized there was something else he wanted to tell Sylia.  After
the revelations of the past hour he'd managed to stop thinking about his own
victims.  "Sis, I ... I don't want to add to your burdens but there's 
something else I have to tell you." 
     She studied him, this was going to be something major.  "Go on."
     "Earlier tonight, around seven I guess, I was taking a walk.  Don't ask 
me why, I was just feeling mixed up.  I thought it might help.  Looking back
on it I didn't know how mixed up really felt."  He paused for a moment then
said, "I ran into these three muggers.  They decided money wasn't enough, they
were going to slice me up!  Then suddenly I knew exactly how to handle them."
     "Combat persona, you're farther along than I thought!"
     "I ... I killed them.  Two in the fight but the third ... it was in cold
blood but it never occurred to me to show any mercy."
     Sylia sighed, another triumph for her father's bioprogramming.  "Soon
mercy will be an option.  Right now the defence part of your mind is a
separate personality fragment.  After integration you'll have options.  Right
now it's out of your control.  Blaming yourself won't change a thing."
     "Maybe but ... how do I deal with this."
     "Sit down, this is going to take a while."
     In a coffee bar not far from the ADPolice building Priss was grumbling.
"When I said a drink I meant something alcoholic!"
     Linna smiled at her.  "You don't want to go into a fight drunk.  It's bad
enough to be doing it for free."
     Priss muttered something obscene then said, "This whole setup stinks!"
     Linna put her cup down.  "Sylia's hardly going to lead us into a trap."
     "Maybe not, but she was acting really screwy.  There's something going on
between her at that GENOM creep.  And he knows who we all are in case you've
forgotten.  Are you sure we can still trust Sylia's judgement."
     "She seems to think she can handle him.  I think they came to some sort
of unspoken truce.  I think, it was hard to follow.  Anyway that's what's
bothering you?"
     "That and what we just saw in that lab.  You heard what Mackie said.  If
Sylia and him don't have human brains then what does that make them?"
     "You're asking me?  Nene does the tech. stuff I just know how to fight.
I don't know, how should I?"
     "Maybe it makes them part Boomer.  Their father invented the damn things
maybe he messed around with his kids.  Anyway I really hate boomers, I don't 
want to work for one."
     Linna looked at her.  "Priss, your friend Sylvie was a Boomer.  Maybe you
didn't know it at the time but you knew Anri was one.  Despite that both of
them were your friends."
     "Yeah but ... ah hell I don't know what's going on."
     Linna stared at her.  "Priss are you thinking of quitting the team?"
     Priss seemed very surprised at the question.  "Are you kidding?  Think
I'm gonna miss a shot at Mason, Largo or whatever he's calling himself.  I
owe both those bastards blood debts and I intend to collect.  I'd like to
be able to kill him at least twice."  She paused.  "It's just ... I always
thought Sylia was just very self controlled, I called her the ice queen 
occasionally.  Now ... I don't know what to think about her."
     "I think Sylia's the same woman she always was, we just didn't know her
as well as we thought.  But is that her fault or ours?"
     Priss sighed, "This has been one hell of a night so far.  And it's still
a long time until morning."
     "Hi guys."  Nene had arrived.  "I got away sooner than I expected.  Which
means we've got time for some dessert.  They do a great strawberry tort here."
She sat down in the booth.  "So what's up?  Sylia just said we had an emergency
job tonight."
     Priss and Linna looked at each other.  "That's going take a lot of 
explaining."
     Back at the garage Sylia was asking Mackie to check out the truck before
they took it out.  He nodded, he'd been afraid she'd think he was some kind
of monster but she'd been through the same shit he was facing.  He was luckier
than her since she'd had to go through the transition blindly.  They'd talked
a great deal, some of it intensely personal.  If she could deal with the 
implanted desires then so could he.
     One thing neither of them were sure of was Dumas's reasons for telling
Mackie about the enhancements.  Perhaps to try and alienate him from Sylia or
from their father's vengeance against GENOM.  Concern about someone facing the
same thing he had?  Taking out his anger against Dr. Stingray?  The first stage
in some scheme?  A combination of these reasons or some other reason entirely?
There was no way to say.  Not right now anyway.
     As Sylia went to double check her hardsuit something occurred to Mackie.
"Sis, Danny ... Dumas's half brother, the guy who used to hang around with you
two ... "
     "What about him?"
     "What does BJ stand for?"
     "Brian James, though he prefers Brian J."
     Mackie had been afraid of that.  "Going to be a real night for reunions."
     "Unfortunately."

end of part 3

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page