> ----------------------------------------------------------SIX
>
> "Did you ever have one of those days when it all was
> going wrong?"
> --Tesla
>
RACEWING: Behold the perfect example of just such a day.
> "ReRob, you have the conn. I have to do a little Search
> and Rescue mission."
> "I heard. Where's Gryphon?"
> "He put on his armor and went out the back."
SNOTLING <ReRob>: So why'd he ever bother putting the armor on?
> "Oh, that explains the alarm. Good luck."
> "Thanks, I'll need it. See you when I find her." With
> that Zoner climbed the ladder to the Daytona from Hell.
> "If you find her," ReRob mumbled.
GAVOK <MegaZone>: Naah, I just have to look for exploding celestial objects.
M.M.K.: Makes you wonder why she's called an "Angel" in the first place...
> Just after he left, Kei entered the bridge, wearing her
> black CVR-3 and carrying a large box with wheels on it. She
> stepped into the portside airlock and, without saying a word,
> decompressed it into space. Unfolding her VR-052 Battler
> Cyclone, she transformed it to battloid mode and streaked
> away on full jet.
> Zoner looked down at his sensor panels. Radar was
> indicating himself, the Wedge, and three other blips. One
> was moving away from the Wedge at Mach 1 (where Mach in space
> was determined to be 750 mph), one was directly on its trail
> at Mach 4.7, and the other was coming up behind him at 400
> miles per hour. The Mach 4.7 blip was undoubtedly Gryphon;
> his armor was the fastest thing in the Wedge's arsenal. Even
> the Daytona from Hell could only sustain Mach 3.5, for now.
> The 400-mph blip had to be a Cyclone, which would make it
> Kei; nothing else was that slow in space. That left the
> obvious one, the one with the biggest head start and the odd
> speed, to be the Garland.
M.M.K.: Can't let Tiamat know he's A.W.O.L. Gotta move real slow-like.
> Zoner opened up a radio frequency
> to the Cyclone.
> "Kei, that you?" he asked.
> "Of course it is.
M.M.K. <Kei>: Wasn't sub-mach speed enough of a tip-off?
> She's my partner, I'm not gonna sit
> back and let other people search for her."
> "It isn't much of a search; I have her on radar."
> "Yeah...my Cyclone only has one-mile radar capability,
> or I'd be seeing her.
REBECCA <Kei>: To meet her standards, you need something with three-mile capacity.
[[Lancer's note: Look, it's either this or risk something really risque being first...]]
> The Wedge just went off my scale."
> "That thing's too slow," Zoner said as he braked.
GAVOK: But...but space has no friction...How can he brake?
[[Lancer's note: Someone continue this if you can...]]
> "Catch up and grab on."
> "Right. Thanks." Zoner slowed further, allowing her to
> catch up and grab onto the Daytona's undercarriage. Then, as
> soon as she was sure the Cyclone's powerful exoskeleton had a
> good grip, he opened her up.
>
> Gryphon was half-exulting in the incredible feeling of
> streaking through open space at nearly five times the speed
> of soundlessness--and half-worried to death. He could see
> the glow of Yuri's thrusters now, having closed the gap
> between them quite rapidly. The GRF-3N was a damn mobile
> piece of equipment. On the other hand, coming up behind her
> so fast, it was quite certain that she would notice him
> before long.
> Indeed, she did notice him; the Garland suddenly spun,
> as he got within visual-detail range, and raised its 25mm
> machine rifle.
> "Stay away, Ben," Yuri's voice said in his ears. "I can
> take a hint. I appreciate the sentiment, but don't try to
> bring me back."
> "Yuri...first of all, I doubt you can hurt my armor with
> that gun. Second, I'm not going to leave you out here.
> You're at least two weeks from anywhere you can get out of
> that thing, and you only have a couple of hours of air.
RACEWING: May Gryphon have only that much air left. For he hath committed sacrilege by dating the august Kei...
[[Lancer's note: Here's the seed. Extrapolate as ye see fit.]]
> Third, Zoner is extremely sorry for what he did. I made
> certain he feels like shit about it."
> "Sure he's sorry. There's nothing for him to be sorry
> for. He just doesn't love me, that's all--it's not his
> fault. I won't stand in his way." Her voice caught. "I
> don't believe in tying people down."
> "It isn't like that. It's just that he never thinks."
M.M.K.: Or else...he doesn't want to think.
GAVOK: You sure?
M.M.K.: There's only one reason to saturate yourself with Pink Floyd and happy herbs, my friend.
GAVOK: Wouldn't the Scofield Reference Bible do a better job of that?
[[Lancer's note: the Scofield Bible is basically the King James Bible filled with a small armada of explanatory footnotes, all promulgating the theory of dispensationalism. And promulgating that belief in THAT is necessary for salvation.]]
> Gryphon had nearly pulled even with the Garland by now. "You
> know how he just pulls incredible `duh's sometimes...he just
> never thought that you would doubt him."
> "Fuck that!" Yuri shouted bitterly. "I'm not stupid,
> you know--I can take a hint. When someone says `go away'
> that loudly and clearly, I can hear them. I'm not Nedlike."
> "Now you're being just as silly as he was. He didn't
> even realize he was hurting you until Kei and I told him.
> Even then it surprised the hell out of him. He loves you."
> Before she could interrupt him with anything more, he cut in,
> "And so do I."
TIFFA <on phone>: Wait, SAMAS, better idea. Direct what he's saying right into the Cyclone...
> "What?!" Yuri replied. "But what about--I can't believe
> you'd do something like that to Kei--"
> "No, no, no, no, no, geez, why does everyone
> automatically assume when a man says something like that to a
> woman he means--Christ, Yuri, you love Kei and Kei loves you,
> and you go around shooting people if anyone implies something
> like that between the two of you! Great. Now I'm getting
> angry. I don't want to be angry, goddammit! I don't know
> any way to explain it except one that sounds really lame...
> Yuri, I never had a sister. I'm an only child."
> "I know what you mean...I'm sorry I shouted at you. I'm
> just a little on edge, or I would've known what you meant
> right from the start..."
> "We all love you, Yuri."
SNOTLING: Who's "we", Hut--
{WHAMO!!}
RACEWING <cleaning spatula>: You were saying, Snot-kisama?
SNOTLING <very nasal>: Now _I_ need the air pump. Oh, Racewing, sorry, but I was thinking of MegaZone and the other gweeps for some reason.
RACEWING: Given how out of character Kei and Yuri are, I suppose I can forgive you for that...a little...
> Gryphon noted the Daytona from Hell closing in from back
> from the direction of the Wedge, with a Cyclone riding the
> undercarriage. The channel squawked a bit as Zoner cut in
> the Daytona's comm gear.
> "Yuri! Stop this, I'm sorry, I really am. Please come
> back. I...I love you."
> "You're lying! You're just saying that so you don't
> look bad, you don't really care. I've seen you with Jenna.
> You're always talking to her, telling her your problems and
> secrets. If you really loved me you'd talk to me."
> "Fine. I understand, I caused you to lose your trust in
> me. I apologize for that. I realize you won't be able to
> simply jump back into our relationship. But I do still love
> you, and you must still care for me or you wouldn't be
> running away like this."
> "I don't care anymore. I wish you would just get out of
> my life!"
> "Yuri, you don't mean that. You ran because you were
> hurt. You wouldn't be hurt by what I did unless you cared.
> Even if you don't want to talk to me, don't do this to
> everyone else. What about Kei? You know you can't just run
> away from her. And what about the rest of the Wedge?
> Everyone likes you, hell, we all love you. You're one of us.
> Are you just going to run away from everyone?"
> "Stop it! Just stop it! Don't you dare try and guilt
> trip me into staying! I...I've made up my mind! I'm
> leaving!"
> "Yuri! How can you do this? How can you leave me after
> all we've been through?" Kei cried out.
> "Kei, we've hardly been through anything together. We
> didn't even exist a couple of months ago! It's all fake, my
> whole life is false. I don't belong here. I wasn't meant to
> exist, to love."
> "I guess that's how you feel about me too then, right
> Yuri? I don't deserve to exist either?" Kei asked, audibly
> disturbed and translating it to her own form of anger.
> "Kei, Yuri, you both exist now. In your mind what you
> remember is as real as everything I've ever done. You exist
> and you're loved. What is real? How do we know that we
> weren't all created a few moments ago, memories included?
> For all we know we're all characters in some stupid story.
RACEWING <grinning evilly>: That gives me an idea...
EMERALD <over intercom>: Oh, this just in. Arlieth and I have just placed an interdict against all shipments of white-out and turpentine to this address until the show's over.
RACEWING <simmering>: Thanks a lot, Actinolite.
EMERALD <over intercom>: Racey...
RACEWING: Yes?
EMERALD <over intercom>: Do you REALLY want to find out what the S.T.S. does so quickly?
> Why are we here? Because we're here. I could go on forever,
> but we're not here to do theoretical discussion. I'm here to
> get the woman I love back."
> "Well, I'm not going back. I can't go back there now.
> I can't face you and Jenna. Everyone is going to think I'm a
> fool."
> "Will you drop that already! Jenna and I are just
> friends. Besides, if she thought she was to blame for our
> breaking up she'd get really down."
> "That's too fucking bad! You should have thought of
> that before you shunned me for her!"
> "Stop blaming this on her! Jenna and Matt are a couple.
> They're fucking engaged! This is all just because of your
> being so goddamn insecure!"
> "I'm insecure! I'm insecure! How dare you call me
> insecure! You're an insensitive bastard!"
> "Insensitive?! I may be oblivious at times, but maybe
> it's my fault for loving such an insecure bitch!"
> Gryphon couldn't take any more. With a sudden shout of
> pure, inarticulate rage, he fired his PPC at nothing at all.
GAVOK <Orochi>:...that hurt.
> The resultant flash and the sound of its firing, echoing
> through the commsystems from inside his armor, silenced
> everyone. He corrected drift with his reaction jets and
> pivoted to face them; inside his faceplate his face was
> slowly turning red. He was crying freely and his voice rang
> with anguish.
> "STOP IT!" he screamed. "STOP IT RIGHT NOW! You two
> love each other! I won't just float here and watch you
> verbally beat each other's brains in!" He pointed at the
> Daytona. "You! You're too sensitive for your own good, or
> at least that's what you think, so you wall yourself off from
> everything and become one of the most insensitive people in
> the universe!"
> He swung around and gestured at the Garland. "You!
> You're also extremely sensitive. You take his wall routine
> as some kind of message. Compounding that--is you again!"
> He swung back toward Zoner. "You also couldn't see the
> broad side of a clue B-52 if it was sideslipping toward you!
> You don't even realize you're driving the woman who loves you
> away--and you don't even for a moment think she might take
> your forced isolation the wrong way. I'm not even going to
> get into the ultimate DUH you pulled, I'd get too pissed off
> at too many people who have nothing to do with this at all."
> Once again he pivoted toward Yuri. "And you--you're
> becoming just like him! Your sensitivity is one of your
> greatest gifts. Don't follow his example and let it block
> you up into your own little cinderblock world. And don't
> follow mine either and let what you're seeing around you
> drive you to the point of utter madness either--figure it out
> yourself. Both of us are sensitive people who fucked it
> up...don't do the same thing!"
> He jetted back so he could face both of them. "What I
> see here is the most colossal fucking misunderstanding in the
> universe. You two love each other. You fucked up, you took
> it the wrong way, you started to drift and then you split.
> That was stupid! Don't let it end this way. This is one of
> the best things to happen to either of you--the only really
> good thing to happen to either of you for a long time! Don't
> kill it, or so help me I'll kill both of you."
> "Ben?!" Zoner choked, not sure of what he had heard.
> Ben hung in space for quite some time, motionless; then
> his shoulders slumped and he exhaled hard.
> "I'm sorry...I just lost it. I saw something beautiful
> crumbling away into dust, and I couldn't handle the sight...
> I'm sorry. I'll go away now... Suddenly I'm very, very
> tired." He shut off his transmitter and floated there,
> quivering with tension.
> Kei flew to him, braking at his side and putting an arm
> over his shoulders. Tapping her helmet to his so only he
> could hear, she murmured, "Good job. If that doesn't do it,
> there's no hope for either of them."
> Zoner was silent for quite a while, struggling with his
> thoughts. Yuri floated silently as well, contemplating.
> Tension rippled.
> "Yuri""Zoner," Zoner and Yuri said simultaneously.
> "Sorry..."
> "Yuri..."
> "Go ahead," Yuri said a bit sheepishly.
> "Yuri, I'm sorry. I'm not really angry with you, I guess
> I'm angry with myself for driving you away. I don't blame you
> for running away. I should have talked with you more."
> "Talking with her at all would have been a good start!"
> Ben angrily interjected.
> "Thanks Ben, kindly butt out for now?" Zoner snapped
> back. "As I was saying, Yuri, I never realized how much your
> short existence bothered you. We really do need to talk.
> Please understand, I've been fucked over too many times to
> open up easily. But if it makes you uncomfortable, I'll tell
> you more about myself. I guess it isn't fair. I know most
> of your history, yet I'm mostly a mystery. But we shouldn't
> sit out her in space and talk, we ought to return to the
> ship."
> "I'm sorry too. I guess I let all of my worries add up
> and overcome me. I reacted a little extremely. I'll come
> back with you."
> "Thank you, Yuri. Thank you."
> "You guys take off, Ben and I will return in a little
> while."
> "Ok, and thanks, both of you. Yuri, grab on to the
> undercarriage. It'll be quicker."
> "Ok."
> Yuri grabbed onto the Daytona from Hell and they both
> departed for the Wedge at high velocity.
>