And todays update, featuring a modified version of that exchange from the other thread.
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?
Quote:The break came two weeks later.________________________________
“....all told, that makes this the most successful fundraiser for the Nikaido Foundation so far. This is Maico Tange, reporting from Stellvia,”
Click. The little red light on the camera dimmed. Job done. Maico exhaled a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding in. The noise in the room returned, a hundred well-to-do fen chatting about what they’d managed to snag in the auction.
She made sure there wasn’t any pink hair blocking her headset, and set it recording some of the ambience in the room. There were still Fen she wanted to talk to. What did you buy? Why? Why did you spend that much money on a simple handgun?
But that could wait. First. Bar? Coffee. She needed coffee. A little pickup before going back into the bearpit. She still had to get word from Noah Scott, but that could wait until he wasn’t surrounded.
“Damn I’m tired,” she sighed. Still, it was a nice break from chasing Saber. She crossed out of the restaurant, making her way to the main bar. One of the security guards gave her a suspicious eye. Must be new.
The staff were run off their feet trying to keep up.
“Coffee, black,”
She’d have a wait. Two gearheads stood beside her. Both in full Principality of Zeon uniform with what looked to be genuine gold brade.
"So..." one said, downing a slug of crystal Sapporro. Maico glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, noticing he had a strange scar across his cheek.
"Yes?" answered his companion
"JMC’s Nene Romanova. The Knight Sabers. Are they connected?"
Maico winced. Try to get away from it, and now it’s hunting her down. The hunter has become the hunted, hah!.
The second shook is head. "Nah - too obvious."
"Then who would you suggest?"
"The casino across the concourse is giving twenty to one that an Ayanami of some sort is in one of the suits."
"Speaking of obvious." Snorted the first.
"Yeah. hundred to one says that they're all Ayanamis." The second laughed
"So, Roughriders Ayanamis or Greenwood Ayanamis then?"
"Huh... I'f it’s an Ayanami, it's Roughriders. This is more their kind of stunt."
"True.” the scarred one nodded sagely “Greenwood'd use catgirls instead."
Their companion came back from his excursion to the bathroom. Earth Federation.
"So who do you think's in the suits then?" the second asked him, pointedly. “
“What suits?” he blinked.
“The Knight Sabers,” both Zeon pilots choruse.
“Oh,” The Feddie thought for a second. His eyebrow rose "Me? I think they're bots, not suits. They're all AIs." he said, with perfect assurance.
"I think you're crazy."
"Okay, smart guy, who do you think is in the suits?"
The first took a quick glance around. The coast seemed clear.
“Come to think of it.... Has anybody ever seen Saber White and A.C. Peters in the same room at the same time?"
"And you called me crazy?"
“Hey... you saw the report. Saber White has her voice.”
Maico cringed. Alright. Time to correct this once and for all.
“That’s Sailor Mars’ voice actress the girl meant.” she said, archly. “She was talking about Michie Tomizawa, not A.C.”
All three stared at her for a moment. Recognition slowly began to dawn. They hadn’t even seen here there.
“So I take it you haven’t seen the video of them in action?.”
“The Genaros one?” My one? she didn’t say.
“No, that’s ancient history.” Maico swore that was some sort of personal attack. His tone hushed “There’s a new one, of them raiding a zwilnik asteroid. It leaked from the Patrol”
Maico forgot all about her break. This was a Break.
“Where?” she hissed.
“Where else? It’s doing the rounds on the interwave,” said the first, wearing a smug grin. “And trust me, wait until you see this. Of course, it’s very not safe for work.”
Maico thought of the smashed mech’s she’d seen on the Japanese mine. She thought about the blankets covering what had obviously been bodies. She thought about what Noah Scott had told her about the Knight Sabers crossing the line.
She had to see this.
There was no choice.
A black coffee was placed on the bar counter. Maico was already out in the main concourse and running back to her press quarters.
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?