A BGC/Light&Sound crossover
August 20, 2035 Pac-Tech Arcology Seattle, Washington 1900 hrs. Largo studied the chess board as his opponent's knight removed his bishop. "Nicely done." His opponent grinned and sipped some wine. "Thank you. So tell me, what brings you to my city? Last time I checked, you were dealing with four bimbos in glorified combat armor...and you failed miserably. All that power at your fingertips and they still beat you." Largo raised an eyebrow. He knew that his William Ackerman had access to all sorts of information, but very few knew of his personal war with the Knight Sabers. "A minor setback, I assure you," he grumbled as he used his remaining bishop to remove Ackerman's knight. "Besides, you haven't been successful with your attempts to destroy Jason Chandler and his Metagen corporation." This time, it was Ackerman's turn to flinch. Yes, it was true, he had not been able to destroy Jason Chandler. Ever since the young upstart had come to power, he had been a very annoying thorn in Ackerman's side. Ackerman nodded as he moved a pawn forward. "Yes, Mr. Chandler has been a problem, but I will deal with him eventually. That's the difference between you and me, Largo, you want the world now while I take my time and carefully plan every move." Largo chuckled, a noise that Ackerman found unnerving. "Yes, you carefully plan and still fail to achieve your goals." Ackerman brought his queen forward and removed Largo's other bishop. "I don't know, I think I'll come up on top eventually." Largo shook his head and grinned as his knight removed Ackerman's queen. "With tactics like that, it's a wonder you have made it this far." "And with an attitude like that," Ackerman countered, "it's no wonder that you miss the obvious." He moved his rook forward and leaned back. "Checkmate." Largo stared at the board for a moment, dumbfounded at the fact that Ackerman had beaten him so easily and with what appeared to be the crudest of tactics...crude, but extremely effective. I will have to be careful around this one, he thought. There was more to this man than what appeared on the surface. Ackerman poured another glass of wine and handed it to Largo. "So...are you going to answer my question? After all, it's not everyday I get a megalomaniac with a messiah complex knocking at my door." Largo smiled as he took a sip of the wine. "I have a proposition for you." "Really?" Ackerman asked as he walked over to a small aquarium sitting behind his desk. He tapped the glass and saw a small slender shape move in response to the vibration. "And what does the almighty executive-turned boomer-turned terrorist/messiah want with a mere human like myself?" Largo laughed again...not a pleasant sound at all. "Really, William, I would appreciate it if you dropped the facade. You're about as human as I am, and that's not saying much." Ackerman tilted his head as he studied the small creature in the aquarium. He marveled at how the creature calmly drifted its way towards the surface. He ignored Largo for a moment as he slid the protective cover off the tank and stuck his hand in it. Almost on instinct, the baby sea-snake bit his hand. Ackerman laughed as he pulled his hand away and examined the tiny puncture marks. Largo was right about one thing, he was not exactly human. If he were, he would have been dead by now. "Lethal little buggers, aren't they?" Largo nodded. "When I heard that you were interested in that type of aquatic wildlife, I decided to bring you one to add to your collection." Ackerman placed the cover back on the aquarium and turned to reface Largo. "So you bring a gift just to see me and you claim to have a proposition." "I figured it would get your attention." "It did. So what is this great scheme of yours that you are so willing to let me in on?" "I hear that Metagen and Genom are possibly collaborating on a new project. Rumor has it they're planning to manufacture a new type of military hardware." Ackerman frowned, a sign that it was more than a mere rumor. "That's old news, Largo. If you have a point, I suggest you reach it very quickly." Bowing his head slightly, Largo continued. "Very well. I propose we level the playing field a bit. Granted, we are enemies, but you and I both know that if Genom and Metagen succeed in their endeavor, they will come after us." "So what you are proposing..." Ackerman paused for a moment before a smile suddenly appeared on his face, "is that we play them off against one another?" "Not exactly," Largo said as he pulled a small data unit out of his coat and tossed it to Ackerman. "I think a third party would be involved as well." Ackerman examined the data unit. It was of an older design, bulkier than the current data unit design used by today's corporations. He noticed some markings on it and read them out loud. "Wiz Laboratories...Bioescape Corporation..." he suddenly reared up as if he were struck by lightning. He knew what this was, he had heard about it ever since the Bioescape Corporation folded. He looked back at Largo, the surprise still etched on his face. "Is this...?" "The lost secrets of one Doctor Katsuhito Stingray...or so it appears." "A Pandora's box," Ackerman mused, "bringing woe unto those that access it." He had already determined what Largo was up to. "So, you're going to use this as bait...but why come to me?" "Because, William, you of all people know the dangers that Genom poses to people of our vision." Largo walked over to a nearby wall and examined a painting. "All I ask is that you make sure Jason Chandler gets that module. Two other units have been sent to Quincy and the third party I had mentioned. From the data on that unit, they will learn of the existence of a project that the late doctor was working on and its location." "And the three parties will tear eachother apart to get it," Ackerman concluded. "A very sound plan." But something bothered him. "Out of curiosity, are the data and device real?" Largo turned to reface Ackerman, a malicious gleam in his eyes. "Oh yes, the information stored in the data unit is very real. But as you said, it is a Pandora's box." Ackerman considered Largo's last statement for a moment before he spoke. It was obvious that Largo knew more than he was telling. But this was a very attractive offer, a chance to get rid of Jason Chandler and he would not be linked to it. "Okay, Largo," he said as he extended his hand, "we have a deal." "You have made a wise choice, William." He shook Ackerman's hand and turned to leave. As he exited the office, his lips tightened into a cold smile. It had gone well, he decided. Soon, he would be rid of all of his enemies...the Knight Sabers, Genom, and Ackerman. All he had to do now was wait. "I don't trust him." Ackerman turned and saw a slender woman with blond hair standing in the doorway. The tight fitting bodysuit she wore enhanced her beauty...although, in Ackerman's eyes, she was not merely an attractive woman, but a very dangerous weapon. "You worry too much, Erika." Erika stalked around the room like a panther tracking its prey. "Of course I worry...especially when we are dealing with someone that could easily disrupt the project." "The project will go as planned, we have nothing to be concerned about." He handed the data unit to her and sat down at his desk. "See to it that Chandler gets this." "You're actually going along with that maniac?" Ackerman nodded and grinned. "Of course, but only so far." The smile slowly vanished to be replaced by a look of cold determination. "After you drop off the item, I want you to take an assault team to MegaTokyo. Track the progress of all the participants in this little escapade. When you arrive in MegaTokyo, you will receive further instructions." "And if we encounter Largo?" "Remove him from the game...permanently," he chuckled. "And I want you to do it personally." Erika smiled coldly as an image of Largo flashed through her mind. Largo would be the ultimate challenge for her...the ultimate prey. "And Erika...have some fun with this one." Erika's eye's gleamed. Have fun, Ackerman had said. "It will be my pleasure."
August 25, 2035 St. Regis Hotel MegaTokyo, Japan 1700 hrs. Ah, MegaTokyo, the jewel of the Pacific Rim. I will admit that this town does have its appeal. The city attracts many types of people from around the world...businessmen, tourists, immigrants, criminals. Like maggots attracted to a corpse, people come to this burg in droves. Everybody loves this city...everybody but me, that is. I hate this town. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the city personally, I just didn't feel safe here. If it weren't for the fact that Jason Chandler was paying me to be here while he conducted business with Genom, I'd be in British Columbia somewhere. But instead of camping in the woods, I found myself sitting at the bar of the Saint Regis Hotel, wondering if two million dollars was worth sitting around and doing nothing for a few days. "I don't want you to do anything," Chandler had told me. "I just want you around in case something goes wrong. I know Genom is supposed to be a partner on this project, but I don't trust them." Well, big surprise there, nobody trusts Genom. Then again, would anybody trust a corporation that made everything from soda pop to automobiles to high-tech killing machines? I don't. Unfortunately, with the current hostilities that have erupted since Jason severed Metagen's ties with the Pacific Consortium, he couldn't afford to be choosy about who his friends were. A war was about to break out between Metagen and the Pacific Consortium and everybody knew it. It only made sense that Jason would seek allies for the upcoming conflict...unfortunately, that somebody was the big corp itself, Genom. Despite its vast influence around the world, Genom had a hard time breaking into the Pacific Rim Market. Sure, Genom had MegaTokyo, which was part of the PRM, but that was all it had; the rest of the PRM belonged to the Pacific Consortium. Genom tried to expand its influence fairly recently only to have the Consortium oppose them. The latest attempt was when a group of BU-55Cs tried to assassinate William Ackerman while he was vacationing at his resort in the San Juan Islands. Twenty-four hours after the assault began, Quincy found two large crates containing the remains of the 55Cs sitting outside the main entrance of Genom Tower. Quincy's mistake was thinking the Consortium was nothing more than a handful of small corporations led by some idealistic, wet nosed desk jockey. In reality, the Consortium was a group of corporations that were bought out by William Ackerman and his company, Pacific Technologies. Truth be known, if one were to take into account all of the Consortium's assets, they would discover an organization that rivaled Genom in terms of resources and capabilities. In fact, if the Consortium had taken over Metagen, it would have surpassed Genom in superiority. Then Jason Chandler entered the picture, disposed of his father, and prevented Ackerman from buying the company. He then proceeded to sever Metagen's ties to the Consortium and made it his personal mission to bring Ackerman down. Chandler never told me his reasons for his war with Ackerman, but I knew enough about Ackerman to know he had good reason. But Jason's reasons, whatever they were, paled in comparison to mine. I knew the truth about Ackerman...I knew the truth about myself. I still have nightmares of that encounter with him. "It's too bad, really. You look like me, but you are nothing more than a copy...a very pathetic copy." I flinched at the memory. In that mere instant, I relived the encounter...the kicks in the ribcage...the snapping of my arm. "You're entire life was a lie. Those are my memories...and you aren't worthy of them." My thoughts were interrupted by the chirping of my cell-phone. I pulled it out of my coat and flipped it open. "Hello?" "Hey, Richard." It was Jason. "I trust you arrived on schedule?" "Yeah. I checked into the Saint Regis an hour ago. Uh, Jason?" "Yeah?" "Is this really necessary...I mean me being here and all...do you really need me?" "Richard, I'm willing to pay you two million plus travel expenses. I wouldn't do that if I wasn't expecting any trouble. Besides, you needed a vacation away from Seattle." "I appreciate the sentiment, Jason, but I don't think you're the one to make that call." "Actually, I am. I'm paying you, aren't I? Your job is simple, do nothing until I call you. Until then, enjoy yourself. Check out the town, watch a movie, do something....just don't sit on your ass in the hotel bar the whole time you're here." I jerked my head around, scanning the lobby. No sign of him anywhere. "Dammit, Jason, I really wish you'd stop doing that." Jason laughed on the other end of the line. "I was right, wasn't I?" "Yeah, you were. So what now?" "Like I said, enjoy yourself." There was a pause for a couple moments. "We just pulled up in front of Genom Tower, I'll call you later...oh, and Richard?" "What?" "Stay out of trouble and keep a low profile." This time it was my turn to laugh. "Hey, I always stay out of trouble." Before he could respond, I terminated the link and pocketed the phone. He was right though, I did need some time off so I decided to take his advice and check out the town. Besides, I was hungry and hoping I could find a decent pizza joint. I spent the next hour checking out various places in the Tinsel City district. After searching the streets, I located a pizzeria called Tony's. It looked like a nice place to eat so I went inside and ordered a large pepperoni to go. As I waited for my pizza, I wondered what I would be doing for the next few days. I had contemplated on staying at the hotel and kicking back. Oh, come on, Richard. That sounds like the most boring plan known to man. Think about the excitement MegaTokyo has to offer. As my brain continued to rattle off some possibilities, I walked over to a wall- mounted dataterm. I ran my moneycard through the slot on the dataterm's side and selected an option from the main screen. Two seconds later, I found myself staring at a map of MegaTokyo. More options flashed across the screen. Okay...what do they do for fun in this town? I selected the entertainment option and another sub-menu popped up. Hmmm...Hot Legs Nightclub, Survival Shot, Genom Entertainment Complex...hey, cool, they got that new rollercoaster there...the one with the quadloop! "Sir, your pizza's ready." I walked over to the front counter and picked up my order. "Hey," I asked the guy behind the counter, "how do I get to the Genom Entertainment Complex?" The guy looked at me as if I were from another planet. "You're not from around here, are you?" "No," I said as I opened the pizza box and pulled out a slice, "just visiting." "Then you haven't heard." "Heard what?" "Place got shut down a few days ago...boomer rampage." I took a bite out of my pizza, savoring the spicy taste for a moment before speaking. "What happened?" "Oh, the usual. Some boomer got loose, made mince meat out of the AD police, and tore half the facility apart before the Knight Sabers took it down." "Who?" "Man, you really aren't from around here. Everybody in MegaTokyo knows who the Sabers are." "Not everybody," I said as I took another bite of my pizza. I was lying, of course. I knew who the Knight Sabers were, they were an armored group of vigilantes that waged a semi-private war with Genom. Jason had done an extensive study on them, but he never told me exactly why. All he told me was to stay clear of them. The guy started to ramble on about how they saved MegaTokyo and how it was rumored they were actually a covert assault team for the ADP. I pretended to take him seriously, but I couldn't help laughing on the inside. The Knight Sabers working for the AD Police? Talk about really far-fetched out theories. "It's really a shame, though," the man continued, "all this action happens in town, but I don't actually get to see any of it." Almost as if on cue, the front window exploded as something heavy was hurled through it. Before he could react, I had already jumped over the counter and knocked him to the floor. "Stay down," I said as I reached into my coat and pulled out the Kinatzu auto-pistol from my coat. "You okay?" All I got from him was a faint nod. "Okay," I said, keeping my voice as even as possible, "I want you to make your way out the back door and run. Think you can do that?" He nodded again than bolted towards the back like a bat out of hell. Well, I guess that was too much action for him. So, Richard, what’s the situation? I poked up my head from behind the counter and almost choked. Outside the building stood a BU-55C boomer. Oh shit, this we don't need. Two AD Police officers in power armor engaged the machine only to be brutally ripped apart in mere seconds. Another officer in armor showed up, opening fire on the machine from a distance. This was not going to be pretty, I decided as I clicked off the Kinatzu's safety. Richard, what are you doing? I realized that Jason ordered me to keep a low profile... Richard, my mind screamed, you will not get involved! But I was not the kind of person to sit and watch people get slaughtered. No! We have orders! The hell with orders, I thought back as I jumped up on top of the counter and began firing at the boomer.*** Leon McNichol cursed silently as he watched Phillips and Kessler get blown to pieces. Dammit, we're nothing more than cannon fodder to these things. He decided his best bet was to try picking off his target at a distance. But all that did was aggravate the monster and it retaliated by firing several shots from its mouth laser. Leon swore again as his suit took the shot in the chest and fell back into a building. "Well," he muttered to no one in particular, "this is not good." He looked up and saw the machine slowly make its way toward him, almost as if it were savoring the moment. Then he caught movement from behind the boomer. "What the hell?" A man in a black duster and dark sunglasses jumped out of hiding and fired three shots that nailed the boomer squarely in the head. The boomer whirled around to face the new threat. Before Leon could even cry out a warning, the machine charged forward with an inhuman roar.*** Okay, so here I was facing off against a BU-55C combat boomer, one would think that I would have no trouble, right? Wrong. Truth be known, I never faced off against a boomer before...let alone a death machine like a 55C. Granted, I've squared off against Metagen's Tracker 'borgs, but they compared poorly to Genom's combat boomer...it would be like comparing a commuter car to a Ferrari. The Trackers were clumsy brutes with heavy weaponry and crude programming, while the 55C combat boomer was a state- of-the-art and highly adaptable combat machine. Needless to say, I was outgunned. The boomer lunged at me, attempting to rip my head off with one vicious swipe. I ducked the blow and rolled out of the way, firing a couple more shots as it sailed past me. Richard, quit fooling around. You know that's not going to hurt it. You need a plan. Good idea. Unfortunately, I couldn't think of one other than staying alive. Look out! my mind screamed. Too late, I mis-timed a move and was rewarded with a metallic fist to the side of the head. I stumbled back a couple steps and shook my head to regain my bearings. Whoa...stars...lots of 'em...damn, what hit me? I felt something cold close around my throat and lift me off the ground. My vision cleared up and I found myself staring at a chrome blue skull with a laser sticking out of its mouth. Oh yeah, now I remember...the murder of Richard Chase...act one, scene one. Then I heard the strangest sound as the pressure around my throat increased...a kind of dull grating noise. The thing was laughing at me. Great, just what I needed, a boomer with a sense of humor. Okay, the hell with keeping a low profile. I flicked my wrist back and felt a scrambler come loose from the small compartment in my coat sleeve and fall into my hand. I wasn't sure how effective it would be, but I was out of options. I reached up and attached the tiny device to the boomer's skull. There was a flash of sparks followed by a scream. The boomer flung me against a wall and flailed about for a few seconds before collapsing to the ground. I somehow managed to get back up on my feet and slowly made my way towards the downed machine. I wasn't sure for how long the machine was down, but it wouldn't be long before it recovered from the effects of the EMP charge. The boomer was attempting to get back up on its feet when I reached it. Before it could react, I gave it a swift kick to the head that sent it sprawling across the ground. It fired back at me with its mouth laser, grazing my arm. I grabbed my arm and winced. Shit, that hurt. The boomer scrambled to its feet and growled angrily. It's mouth laser began to glow as it readied another shot...then it exploded, blowing half the boomer's skull off. Headless and out of control, the boomer staggered back a couple steps before falling it to its knees. I looked up and saw a couple suits of armor, one red and one blue, standing on the roof of a nearby building. Unlike the ADP combat suits, these were smaller, sleeker, and had a definite feminine look to them. The infamous Knight Sabers had arrived...which meant it was time for me to make tracks. I turned to walk away and bumped into another of the armored ladies. This one was in grey and white armor. She stood there with her arms crossed, head tilted slightly to the left as she studied me. "And where do you think you're going?" she asked. Uh-oh...
