Sabres of Paragon: Ghosts From the Past

[Sofaspud]

The doors, like most in Paragon City, were stronger than they appeared, and only rattled dully despite the massive firepower being directed at them from the
other side. Terrence Knight leaned against them idly, holding them shut and barely noticing the frenzied thumping as the pursuing Crey forces tried in vain to
break through.

Swift Sabre sighed, the frustration coming through the voxmod unchanged. "Well, we did what we could, right?"

"Ow," Mirage Sabre commented from where she lay sprawled a few feet away. She climbed slowly back to her feet.

"There was just too much firepower happening around that desk," Terrence put in as a particularly loud bang sounded from the door. Mirage began to
remove her helmet as Terrence continued. "There was no way it wasn't going to be destroyed."

"Crey's kinda picky about people rifling their desk drawers, aren't... they...?" Nano trailed off as Mirage shook her hair out and turned to
face the other two Sabres.

Mirage noticed Nano's attentive stance and cocked her head. "What?"

"Are you feelin' okay, Mirage? That was a nasty beating you took in there," Terrence said.

"I'll be fine," Mirage answered. "The headache will fade. Made that way, you see."

"Are you sure?" Swift put in.

"Yes, it's psychological," Mirage replied. "Feedback from a past event." She furrowed her brow, looking at Nano, who appeared to be
frozen in shock. "Nano, are you all right?"

"A...An...Anri?!?"

Mirage jerked as if struck. "How... do you know my name?!?"

Slowly, dumbly, Nano reached up and removed her own helmet.

Behind Anri, Terrence winced, but kept his mouth shut. Sensing something important happening, Swift hesitantly inquired, "Um... maybe we should go to the
base and sit?"

Anri appeared not to have heard. "Sylvie...?" she said wonderingly.

"This... this can't be happening..." Sylvie said in broken tones.

"What is it?" Swift asked, putting one hand on Sylvie's shoulder.

"Ah... what are you... I mean... Sylvie...?" Anri was at a loss for words.

Terrence cleared his throat. "Perhaps, I need to bow out here," he muttered quietly. "I think you two have some catching up to do." He
stepped away from the door -- Crey having apparently given up the pursuit -- and swiftly strode away, shaking his head. "I somehow knew this was bound to
happen sooner or later..."

"Uh, right, Terr... later..." Anri said without taking her eyes off Sylvie -- who, for her part, managed a faint "G'bye, Terrence," as
her eyes filled with tears.

Anri gazed at Sylvie and took stock of the situation. "Should we go somewhere... Sylvie?"

Swift removed her own helmet. "I... think there's room, at our place...?"

Sylvie didn't register the question. "How... how did you -get- here?" she inquired, a frustrated edge entering her voice.

Anri spread her hands helplessly. "I didn't quite... -get- here." She shrugged and said one word: "Crey."

"You mean, like us?" Linna looked concerned.

"I think so," Anri replied. "The first thing I remember here, was waking up in a Crey facility. Before that was--" She was cut off by
Sylvie.

"You... we..." Sylvie turned and buried her face, resting her head on Linna's shoulder. Muffled sobs erupted even as Linna's hands came up
to hold the crying woman.

"Sylvie!" Anri cried. "Are you... okay...?" She trailed off as she noticed the protective, intimate way in which Linna responded.

"Oh, sure," Sylvie replied bitterly, with a coarse laugh -- all muffled by Linna's shoulder. "I'm fine, I'd finally gotten over
you, you were dead, you see, had to be, you weren't anywhere around and Crey was punching the rest of us out like dolls, but not you, oh no, that'd be
too EASY!" She whirled and glared at Anri, then burst into a fresh round of tears, her armored hands coming up to cover her face.

"What do you mean?" Linna asked quietly.

"Aah..." Anri winced as the realization struck. "Has Sylvie told you about... before?"

Linna looked blank. "Before when?"

Anri's hand came up to rub her face as she responded. "Oh dear. You don't know anything about MegaTokyo?"

Puzzled, Linna replied, "No, I remember, at least I think I do..."

"We knew each other there," Anri indicated Sylvie, who twitched but said nothing. "Rather intimately."

Linna's face was blank. "I... ah..."

"I'm... I'm okay," Sylvie said, taking a deep breath and wiping angrily at her tears. "I'm sorry."

"No," Anri said slowly, shaking her head. "I shouldn't have hidden... but it was so -easy-, after what happened to you... then Largo...
then..."

"Me?" Sylvie frowned. "What do you mean?"

"... you DIED, Sylvie." Anri spread her hands. "Priss came and told me."

Sylvie shook her head. "I... no, that can't be right..."

Anri pressed on. "The DD, you remember that damned thing, right?"

"I... I got caught at the GENOM facility," Sylvie said, her eyes taking on a faraway look as she rifled her memory. "Didn't I?" She
frowned again.

"It went berzerk somehow," Anri insisted. "They HAD to stop you!" She looked at her former lover. "You... don't remember?"

Sylvie shook her head. "I was ... I was looking for the schematics! And then the... guards caught me." Her face was confused, and worried.
"You were at the apartment."

Anri shook her head. "I was out of it... I didn't know until after..."

Behind Sylvie, Linna glanced between the other two Sabres with a helpless expression on her face.

"I didn't die," Sylvie said in the tone of someone trying to convince themselves. "GENOM caught me, and then Crey came and stole us and...
and put me in this new chassis... right? I'd... I'd remember if I died... wouldn't I?"

Anri sagged, staring at the distraught Sabre. "Oh, Sylvie..."

"I never knew about ... it... until they showed me," Linna put in, laying a comforting hand on Sylvie's arm. "I mean... maybe it was the
same for you? Do you think? They did the same to you, as me?"

Sylvie stared at a point very far away. "I don't know," she murmured. It was Anri's turn to look confused as she tried to puzzle out what
Linna had meant. Sylvie continued in a tired voice, "I don't know anything, anymore..."

Anri took a hesitant step forward. "Sylvie... it's okay. I'm here for you... if you need it..."

Linna let her hand drop. "I really can't come between you two..."

Sylvie's eyes widened. "No!" she cried, seizing hold of Linna's shoulders. "I'm, I'm not the Sylvie she remembers... I
can't be..."

Behind them, Anri froze, then nodded. "It's alright," she said quietly. "I've been alone long enough... that I'm used to it."
She put her helmet back on.

Sylvie turned, her expression stricken. "Oh, Anri..."

"You've found happiness, Sylvie," Anri said, gazing steadily at them through the facebowl. "I can't move between that."

"I had the same problem, you remember?" Linna said reassuringly, completely missing what was troubling Sylvie. "When I found out I
wasn't... who I thought I was. I'll try and help you get through it."

Anri nodded sadly. "Help her," she said softly. "I can't anymore." She flicked the shield down, and there was a quiet hum as her
stealth systems engaged. Then she vanished from sight.

"This isn't fair!" Sylvie cried. "ANRI!" She fell to her knees, sobbing.

--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs

[Niteflier]

Mirage Sabre scowled as she set the pieces of the Wheel of Destruction down on Azuria's collection table. The mystic spouted on about the grave danger they
posed to Paragon City if the Banished Pantheon got their hands on it. Anri didn't care. She was of half a mind to use the damned thing herself...

Nodding absently to the M.A.G.I. contact as she walked out of the office, she called up Piper Irving, who had led her on the chase for the Wheel. Piper was
rather bubbly about the completion of the task, and suggested a restful patrol around the northern sector of Independence Port. Anri agreed absently, walking
over to Miss Liberty for confirmation on her next Security Level. Terrence, who had helped her through the last few raids to get the pieces of the Wheel, stood
nearby.

He looked wryly at her as she walked up and doffed her helmet. "I apologize for up and leaving like I did last night," he said softly. "But I
felt that was something I shouldn't have stayed for."

Anri sighed, "Its... complicated...." she admitted. "It probably could have been more complicated had you stayed..."

Terrence nodded, "Heh, I have no doubts about that!"

"I just wish..." she began.

He tilted his head slowly at her, "Wish what?"

"I don't know..." she said, turning away from him. "When I first woke up here, I was so afraid of being alone again, but now... I'm
afraid to reach out to... her..."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You have a lot of emotions invested in this..so I understand that this is hard for you. But the best you can do, right
now is to talk to Sylvie next chance you see her.."

Anri looked down at her armored hands "BU-33S... does that mean I can have emotions, just like humans?" She shook her head, "I'm not sure I
can talk to her."

He nodded, "Uh, yeah last time I checked 33S's were designed to be very close to humans both physically and emotionally to allow them to interact
better. Besides, if your feeling this way now, scared to talk to her, then that's proof in itself you have feelings!"

"We weren't meant to be anything other than dolls, though," she insisted.

"Meant, to be? No. But I can assure you that you are much more than just a 'doll'" He started ticking off his fingers, "You have your
own feelings and thoughts. You feel pain. A doll wouldn't truly be able to feel the same things."

She let out a sob, and threw herself at Terrence, crying. He slowly wrapped his arms around her armored shoulders, and softly stroked her hair. "I am
sorry Anri."

He could barely hear her muffled voice, "I *want* her.. but she has someone else..."

Terrence shook his head. "I can only Imagine how you must feel right now, Anri."

Anri coughed, and stood straight again. "Sorry, Terrence. This has just been building all night since then. I couldn't concentrate.."

"Anri, I think you really will need to talk to Sylvie, when you are feeling more stable," He suggested. "I think it'll be important."

Anri hicoughed, and reached up to wipe away her tears. "I will."

Terrence nodded slowly again. "Yeah you've been through a lot since last night, I can understand." He gave a wry smile then. "But you are
not alone, just remember that, eh? Besides I'm sure Sylvie will be happy to have you in her life once more once you two can regain your composure."

"I hope so," she whispered.

"I don't know how close you'll be, but I'd think she'd want you to be around!" He laughs.

Anri gave a wan smile, then returned her helmet to its proper place. "Well... I guess that patrol through Independence will be a cooldown, then..."

"Yeah, don't stress yourself Anri, things will work out eventually." Terrence gestured and activated an Ourobous Portal, waving Mirage Sabre
through. "I can't promise you it'll be easy, but they will work out."

[Niteflier]

Her shoulder careened into the door when she failed to stop in time, leaving a dent in the shape of her armor. She pawed at the hidden cache in her 'Suit
where she kept her keys. Her helmet thudded against the door, leaving another small dent in it. It took her a few tries, and dropping the keys once, before she
was able to get the keys in the lock, open the door, and then slump inside. She was careful not to kneel or lay down, knowing that in her state, she would just
fall asleep there. While she didn't know from experience, the thought of sleeping in her Hardsuit was uncomfortable, to say the least.

Finally able to close the door again, and half-heartedly lock it, she stumbled into the bed room, hitting the releases as she went. Helmet left in the
entryway, Projector/Receiver gauntlets left in the living room, main 'Suit left in the doorway between that and her bedroom. She slowly peeled the sweaty
Skinsuit off, dropping it on the floor, then falling into her bed.

She had thought that she was tired enough to fall unconscious as soon as she was horizontal, but it seemed even that comfort had fled her. Her thoughts muddled
around, still trying to make sense of the punishment she had put her body through. Over twenty-four hours of non-stop fighting, but the only thing she had to
show for it was a Level and a half added to her total. She didn't have any answers. She didn't have any peace. She didn't even have the calm that
had been with her since Terrence had broken her out of that Kami-be-damned Crey facility.

All she had left after a full day of constant battle was more money (Useless!), a higher Security Level (Worthless!), and a fully exhausted body. But her own
mind still tried to make sense of it...

A single tear tracked its way down her face, as her body finally gave up and fell into deep oblivion.

"Sylvie..."