Bubblegum Conflict Episode 1.2

Bubblegum Conflict



Shadows of the Knight Part One



Myles L. Edmundson



         In the still of the early morning, Catty awoke, lazily opening her eyes.  She slipped out of bed, and stepped into the bathroom, sparing no thought to her nudity.  In the bathroom, Catty got into the shower, turned on the hot water, and began bathing.  As the water cascaded down her body, Catty looked down at her breasts.  She noticed how her nipples were starting to darken, changing from pink to brown, a phenomenon that she had read would happen when her breasts began preparing for lactation.  This was another thing about her body that Catty marveled about...that in addition to being able to have babies, she could actually breast feed.  Ever since she had gotten pregnant, Catty had begun to wonder if she was an android at all.  Yet there was one thing about herself that she knew made it clear that she was not human...the fact that she did not age.  She had been restored to full functioning in 2018, and now it was 2032, and she had shown no signs of aging, however slight they would be.  In thinking about this, Catty's mind drifted back into her memories to the first clear memory she could access.

         It was 2018, Catty opened her eyes and found herself lying on an examination table, staring at a darkened ceiling.  Finding that she could move, Catty sat up, her movements triggering a motion sensor that turned on the lights in the room.  The instant the lights came on, Catty found herself sitting on an examination table in what was clearly a cybernetics laboratory.  Catty looked around and saw a variety of cybernetics testing equipment and repair tools.  Then Catty spotted a computer terminal near to the examination table.  She stepped over to the terminal and tapped a key.  The computer was on-line, and in fact it was open to a text document.  The language was one that Catty had never seen before.  It took Catty several seconds of staring at the alien writing before she was able to calculate a translation matrix.  After several moments Catty was finally able to understand the language.

         The text was a journal of someone named Mikado Stingray as he documented his work in studying and reverse engineering what the journal called the “Alien Android”, which Catty naturally assumed to be herself.  According to the journal, Catty came to Earth in some type of capsule that had entered Earth's atmosphere, and then made a controlled soft landing near a horse ranch where Mikado Stingray and his brother Katsuhito had been vacationing with Katsuhito's young son and daughter.  Katsuhito and Mikado found Catty after her capsule had opened.  At first they thought she was dead, a victim of some disaster, but only a close look at her eyes and realizing that they were artificial eyes, caused them to realize that she was some type of android.  They returned her to their laboratory in MegaTokyo, and began studying her.  Months passed, and finally they understood the essentials of how Catty was constructed and how her body functioned.  It was enough to allow Katsuhito to begin developing his own version of Catty.  Once Katsuhito had left to pursue his android development project, Mikado continued to study Catty's body, eager to understand how her internal organs worked, and how to duplicate them.  Ultimately this culminated in the founding of Cyber-Dynamics Limited, a small corporation specializing in the manufacturing of cybernetic replacement parts.  Mikado was able to use what he had learned from studying Catty to create a new line of biosynthetic body organs that functioned exactly the same as their natural counterparts.  All this ultimately culminated in Mikado hypothesizing that if Catty's body was a direct human analogue, he might be able to activate her with an average defibrillator.  The last entry in the journal indicated that Mikado had used a defibrillator on Catty, and noticed that this resulted in her heart starting to beat and her lungs beginning to breathe, though she did not seem to gain consciousness.  Mikado indicated in his journal that he would leave her where she was, thinking that her brain might need time to fully boot up.  Thus he left for home, intent on checking on her in the morning.

         Catty continued looking through the computer's files, and eventually found schematics of her body that Mikado had drawn up based on her.  The schematics looked like an anatomical diagram of the body of a human woman.  It was hard for Catty to believe that this schematic diagram was HER body.  In that moment, Catty accessed her memories to figure out if she had any memories of a life prior to her waking up here, and found that her memories of everything prior to the instant she woke up here in this laboratory had been blocked.  Presently, Mikado entered, and looked at her in abject astonishment.  Catty turned to face him and graced him with as pleasant a smile as she could muster.  Mikado could only continue to stare at her.

         “Um,” Catty said apprehensively attempting to speak the language she had just deciphered on the computer terminal, “H...hello.  My name is Catty Nova Nebulart.  I suppose I should thank you for restoring me to a functional state.”

         Mikado could say nothing, as he continued staring at Catty.

         “Is something wrong with me,” Catty asked, “You seem to be completely fixated on my body.”

         “Oh,” Mikado said in embarrassment, “there's nothing wrong with you...it's just...you're...naked!”

         Catty looked down at herself, and saw that she was indeed naked.  She thought nothing of this, and was still bewildered by Mikado's behavior.

         “I do seem to be naked,” Catty said, “Are you Mikado Stingray?”

         “DOCTOR Mikado Stingray,” Mikado said, “and yes, that's my name.”

         “Why does my nudity bother you, Doctor,” Catty asked.

         “Because,” Mikado said, “you're a living, breathing, and totally naked woman.”

         “I am naked,” Catty said, “and I am most certainly female.  Still I fail to see how these facts bothers you.  Have you never seen a naked female before?”

         “Catty,” Mikado said, “I don't know what your people's beliefs are with regard to clothing and modesty, but here on Earth, amongst humans, a woman generally does not parade around naked in front of a man that she barely knows.”

         “I am not parading,” Catty said, “and I fail to understand why my nudity should bother you.”

         Without another word, Mikado looked around the lab, and spotted a white t-shirt with blue sleeves that he had taken off and tossed aside during a particularly long night of studying Catty.  He took up the shirt and handed it to Catty.  Catty looked at the shirt for a moment, and then put it on.  The shirt fell down to the middle of Catty's thighs, and hung on her body like a sack.  Catty looked at Mikado and smiled.

         “Is this better,” Catty asked.

         “Much better,” Mikado said, sounding more comfortable.

         “Why is my being naked so disturbing to you,” Catty asked, “is my external anatomy so alien to your species that you find my nudity offensive?”

         “No, no,” Mikado said, “it's just that I hadn't expected to find you conscious.  I had spent all this time studying you, and I never truly looked at you...at least not enough to realize that you are so beautiful.”

         “Beautiful, meaning that you find my appearance visually appealing,” Catty said, “if you've spent all so much time studying me, how could you not notice my appearance?”

         “It's one thing to look at you when you're lying lifeless on an examination table, studying the fine details of your body,” Mikado said, “but it's something else all together to see you up and walking about alive and conscious.  It's only now that I've realized that you are so beautiful.”

         “I take your statement as meaning that you not only find my appearance pleasing to look at, but you are also attracted to me,” Catty said, “is your attraction emotional or sexual?”

         “I...I must admit that my attraction to you is a little of both,” Mikado said, blushing a bit, “with some professional attraction as well, you see I am a cybernetic and mechatronic engineer.  And to see a human analogue android that so duplicates a human so perfectly that it's nearly impossible to tell you from a real human is a real treat for me.  I mean whoever created you put some amazing workmanship into building you...if building is even the right word to describe your creation.”

         “What do you intend to do with me now,” Catty asked.

         “Honestly, I had not thought about what I would do with you once you were functional,” Mikado said, “All my thoughts and efforts had been focused on figuring out how to get you functional, not what to do with you afterwards.”

         “May I ask why I have a programming block on my memories prior to my waking up in your laboratory,” Catty asked, “I have no memories of my life prior to waking up here, other than basic knowledge and a few flashes of vague imagery.”

         “If there is a programming block on your memories it wasn't put there by me,” Mikado said, “I don't even know how I was going to plug your brain into my computer so I could check your programming.  Besides, something tells me that I probably would not be able to understand your programming code anyway.”

         “I am functional,” Catty said, “but I sense that my brain is still booting up.  Perhaps when my brain has fully booted up, it will restore my memories of my life prior to waking up in this laboratory.”

         “Do you know anything about the people who created you,” Mikado asked.

         “Very little,” Catty said, “I know my creators were at least anatomically similar to humans.”

         “And how do you know this,” Mikado asked.

         “Because, my physical appearance is exactly as my creators had intended me to appear,” Catty said, “I also know that my creators were a technologically advanced, star-faring culture.  I couldn't tell you very much else about my creators.”

         “That still leaves me with what to do with you now,” Mikado asked.

         “The most logical course of action,” Catty said, “would be for me to live with you, since you put forth so much effort into studying me.  Are you pair-bonded with someone?”

         “Pair-bonded,” Mikado said, “no...no...I'm not seeing anyone.”

         “I assume by your reaction to my nudity that you are sexually attracted to females,” Catty said.

         “I most certainly am attracted to women,” Mikado said.

         “Why not pass me off as your female companion,” Catty suggested.

         “How did you learn my language,” Mikado asked.

         “I studied the journal on your computer, and in reading it my brain was able to calculate a translation matrix that allows me to speak, read, and understand your language,” Catty said, “at least enough to allow me to communicate with you.  I'm certain I have a lot to learn about the finer details of your language.”

         “Well, the term you're looking for is GIRLFRIEND,” Mikado said.

         “GIRLFRIEND,” Catty repeated, “is this the preferred term you would use for your female companion?”

         “Well, a female companion that I am not married to,” Mikado said, “Why should I pass you off as my girlfriend?”

         “I may not know much about the society that created me,” Catty said, “but I do possess a basic understanding of their technology.  Perhaps your company could benefit from my technological expertise.”

         “I suppose,” Mikado said, “I could pass you off as my student.  It's not unusual for a professor to fall in love with a student...especially if the student happens to be as charming and beautiful as she is smart.”

         “Is this an acceptable practice in your society,” Catty asked.

         “It isn't always looked upon as a favorable practice,” Mikado explained, “but it's not unusual for an older man to fall in love with a younger woman.  It's only really disapproved of when said older man was already married to an older woman and left her for the aforementioned younger woman.  However this does not apply to me since I am not married and have never been married.”

         “It would seem to be the most logical course of action,” Catty said, “I am very observant.  It should not be difficult for me to give the impression that I am a wide-eyed young student in love with her teacher.  After all I do have a perfect simulation of a human woman's personality, exact in every detail, including emotions.”

         “Of that I don't doubt,” Mikado said, having derived that very detail from his conversation with Catty, “We'll have to do something about your name.”

         “What's wrong with my name,” Catty asked.

         “With a name like 'Catty',” Mikado said, “people are going to assume that 'Catty' is short of something like 'Catherine'.”

         “Then my name is Catherine,” Catty said, “though I am known as Catty for short.”

         “Well,” Mikado said, “it's a nice start.  I suppose between the two of us we can hash together a plausible personal history for you, especially explaining why no one has ever seen you before.”

         The shower water still cascaded down Catty's naked body as her mind returned to the present day in 2032.  She still could not remember her life prior to the day she woke up in Mikado's laboratory.  And in the years since then, the fake love she and Mikado had put on for the benefit of others had grown and mutated into true love.  Thus being thoroughly in love, they got married.  Catty had ample opportunities to observe the behaviors of humans, and her own adaptive programming made appropriate adjustments to enhance her understanding of the culture and customs of MegaTokyo, which allowed her to more easily blend into the society of her new home.  Now she was so familiar with MegaTokyo that one would find it impossible to believe that she was anything other than a real, flesh and blood human woman, who had lived her entire life on Earth, was completely in love with her husband, and totally happy with the fact that she was now expecting her first child with her husband.  Catty thought about her life with Mikado Stingray, and came to the conclusion that being happily married to him, she did not want her marriage to ever end, though she knew Mikado was a mortal human, and must one day die...but that was assuming that Catty never found a way to convert his body into the same type of human analogue that her body was...human in every way, save for the fact that she did not age.  In rinsing the soap off of her body, Catty's hands roamed casually over her breasts, again reminding her of the unexpected miracle that had happened to her.  Catty had been told by Mikado that she possessed a reproductive system, and that it was this reproductive system that gave Catty her present and persistent mating drive, which was something that her vague impressions of her life prior to waking up in Mikado's lab made clear she had had no need of.  She had also not had in her previous life the desire to have children of her own.  And yet in the years after Mikado had restored her, Catty had seen many women, particularly women she knew in her job as a top engineer with Cyber-Dynamics, get pregnant and have babies, and this made her want to have a baby of her own.  Yet she and Mikado had been certain that her own reproductive system, though it was fully functional and certainly gave her the capability of becoming pregnant, was not able to create egg cells at all because Catty and Mikado were certain that Catty had no DNA at all in her body.  Until they recently discovered that she was pregnant, and a thorough examination of her body revealed that her body used an organic cloning function to maintain and regenerate damaged tissue, and that this was accomplished using a genetic template that was an essential part of her brain's maintenance files.  It was a complete DNA sequence that, had they turned it over to a cloning lab, would actually net them a living human girl.  Catty and Mikado had discovered that it was this DNA sequence that provided her brain with the blueprints for her outward appearance and a good portion of her personality was encoded in it as well as some of the few things that Catty was able to remember about her life prior to waking up in Mikado's lab.  It wasn't enough to restore all of her memories, but it gave her a few impressions of her life, and a psychological foundation for a healthy personality.  Her pregnancy had certainly shocked her, when she found out about it, but it had also made Catty feel more human than she had ever felt before, so much so that she had all but forgotten that she had memories of a mysterious life before waking up to a wonderful life with Mikado, and she certainly no longer cared if she ever recovered her memories of that life, especially since some of her impressions of that life included hints that she had been created for some dark and sinister purpose that the original, a vague woman in Catty's memories that she knew to be the woman that she was an android copy of and thought of as her mother, thoroughly objected to.  That life was over and gone, and Catty did not want any further part of it.

         Now clean, Catty turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, taking up a large bath towel to dry herself off with.  As she dried her body, Catty noted that the towel was of a soft, thick material, and was a decidedly feminine shade of soft pink.  The towel was woven with alternating thick and thin fibers, which formed a regular pattern of cherry blossoms, a flower that was still considered sacred in Japan, despite the fact that Japanese society had now been so thoroughly diluted and polluted by western culture, media, and philosophies that long held Japanese traditions and beliefs were irretrievably lost in the mix.  In fact it was only because of a few eccentric hold-outs like Mikado Stingray that Japanese Traditions still existed in any form, though Mikado Stingray could hardly be called a traditional Japanese man.  Catty dried herself off, neatly folded the towel, and replaced it on its usual spot on the towel bar.  She then stepped out of the bathroom.  As she walked to the dressing room, Catty noticed that Mikado was not in bed.  After fourteen years of living with Mikado, the last ten of those years being happily married to him, Catty had long ago learned Mikado's routine.  She glanced out the bedroom window and saw him outside in a section of the terrace where Mikado had long ago set up a small Zen rock garden.  There he sat on a large rock that he had told her represented Japan.  He was sitting cross legged and seeming to stare at the nearby solar panels, which charged large batteries in the building's maintenance rooms in the basement.  These batteries in turn provided power for the entire building.  Solar power had long ago been perfected, and was an acceptable alternative to buying power from MegaTokyo's nuclear power plant.  Catty knew that Mikado was not staring at the solar panels.  He was in fact meditating, which he always did upon waking up precisely at six o'clock every morning.  Catty, having long ago felt the need to establish a morning routine, took to taking a shower, getting dressed and then cooking breakfast for her family, which had grown in the fourteen years that she had lived with Mikado, mostly due to unfortunate events and deaths in Mikado's family.

         Catty stepped into the dressing room.  The room was small, with a series of closets and drawers on one side and a line of full length mirrors on the other side.  As Catty entered the room, lights came on automatically.  Opening a drawer, Catty took out a bra and a pair of panties and slipped into them.  She then looked through the closets that contained all the clothes that she had acquired in the last fourteen years, and ultimately selected a beige blouse with a high Mandarin-style collar and long sleeves.  She complimented this blouse with an olive green knee skirt with over-all styled shoulder straps.  She completed her outfit with black slip on shoes and her usual wristwatch, which was oddly enough an analogue wristwatch, something of an oddity in a world in which wristwatches had all the functionality of a laptop computer.  Now dressed, Catty exited the dressing room and sat down at her vanity table, another female affectation she had taken to since she had begun living with Mikado.  She looked over the vanity table for a moment, noting the various vials and jars and tubes of cosmetics, which were all neatly lined up on the vanity's table top.  Catty took up her hair brush and began brushing her hair, studying her reflection in the vanity's mirror as she did so, and humming to herself.  Once her hair was brushed, Catty set down her hairbrush and opened a drawer.  She took up a dark, cranberry colored hair ribbon and tied it into her hair, taking steps to ensure that it was tied in a neat bow on top of her head, and ensuring that it was noticeable without looking too garish.  She wanted the bow to look subtle and cute.  Catty then turned to her collection of cosmetics.  She dusted her face with foundation powder, and put on a small bit of blush, and a certain, soft pink lipstick that she knew Mikado was fond of because it enhanced the natural pigments of her lips, which Catty had long ago learned had the desired effect of drawing Mikado's attention to her cute little mouth.  There were many occasions where Catty had expertly beguiled Mikado into kissing her thanks solely to this treasured, soft pink lipstick.  Makeup now adequately applied, Catty looked herself over and spraying herself with just a hint of perfume, got up from her vanity table, returned the stool to its usual stowed position, and marched off to the kitchen to start breakfast. 

         Mikado and Catty's bedroom was the last bedroom at the end of a hallway of four bedrooms.  In the bedroom closest to Mikado and Catty's bedroom, a young woman slept soundly in a luxurious single bed.  A fluffy, gray tabby cat lay curled up on her feet.  A bedside computer sat on the young woman's nightstand.  Presently, when her bedside computer's time display changed to 6:00 AM, the time display vanished, and was replaced with a pair of animated window shutters, which opened to reveal a yellow cartoon bird sitting in a cartoon nest.  The bird began chirping in a regular electronic tone, sounding more like an alarm clock rather than a bird.  As the animated bird chirped, it flapped its animated wings and turned its head back and forth.  The woman in bed absently reached over to the computer and tapped three keys.  Nine minutes later, the bird appeared on the screen again, this time looking thoroughly angry.  This time it let out a loud and ear-splitting squawk that instantly woke the cat up.  The cat yawned as she regarded the bedside computer irritably.  She then stretched, and padded up the bed to the head of the sleeping woman.  Meowing softly, the cat purred and rubbed her head against the sleeping woman's face.

         “Alright Tessa,” the woman said, “I'm up.”

         She sat up in bed, pressing the keys to turn off the alarm, grumbling as she did so.  As she sat on the edge of her bed, absently rubbing the sleep out of her fudge brown eyes and running a hand through her short black hair, the bedside computer printed out a copy of the Keizai VPE, the woman's favorite fax-newspaper.  The woman's delicate nose caught the aroma of coffee brewing.  She got out of bed, slipping her feet into her bedroom slippers and snatching the newspaper from the computer's printer slot.  She paused only long enough at her mirror to look at her short, black hair, which was tangled and disheveled from sleeping.  Sticking her tongue out at her reflection, the woman padded off to the kitchen in search of something pleasant to put in her mouth.  With her mistress out of the room, Tessa the tabby cat curled up at the end of the bed and went back to sleep.

         Catty smiled as the twenty-two year old woman, who was her niece Sylia Stingray, came padding in wearing bedroom slippers and a full length lavender nightgown that was translucent enough to show off the bright white, high-cut bikini panties she wore underneath.  The woman looked half awake, and had a freshly printed fax-newspaper held under her arm.

         “Good morning, Sylia,” Catty said.

         “Morning, Aunt Catty,” Sylia said sleepily as she dropped her newspaper on the kitchen's breakfast table, and yawned as she stalked over to the cupboard for a coffee cup.

         “No need,” Catty said, placing a steaming mug of freshly poured coffee in Sylia's hands and then kissing her on the cheek, “I know my darling niece well enough to have a cup of coffee ready for her when she wakes up.”

         Sylia took the cup and drank from it.  She tasted the coffee and sighed gratefully when she caught the flavor of her favorite hazelnut coffee creamer and just the right amount of sugar, with the tiniest hint of salt to eliminate coffee's natural tendency to taste bitter.  Sylia sat down at the table, and took up her dropped newspaper, and began reading the morning news.

         “Did you sleep well, dear,” Catty asked.

         “No, I didn't, Aunt Catty,” Sylia said.

         “I something bothering you,” Catty asked.

         “No,” Sylia said, a little too quickly.  Catty looked at her niece and sat down at the table across from her.

         “I know you better than that,” Catty said, looking at Sylia meaningfully.

         “Alright,” Sylia said with a sigh, “I couldn't sleep.”

         “Is it because of the grand opening of your store today,” Catty asked.

         “Is it that obvious,” Sylia asked.

         “Let's face it,” Catty said, “I've come to know you very well, my dear niece.  I knew you couldn't sleep last night, and since you planned the grand opening of the Silky Doll for this morning, it's only logical to conclude that you couldn't sleep because you're nervous about opening your shop today.”

         “This is what I get for having a brilliant android for an aunt,” Sylia joked.

         “Listen, Sylia-chan,” Catty said, taking her niece's hand in the manner of a mother to a daughter, “there's nothing to be nervous about.  You are well trained in the running of a business.  I am certain that you won't have any problems in running Silky Doll.  After all, lingerie is a highly lucrative business, and if you offer unique products that are desirable and of high quality, you'll do well in your business.”

         “Aunt Catty,” Sylia said, “Who were you talking to last night?”  Catty's loving expression suddenly turned cold as ice.  Sylia noticed and recoiled slightly.

         “What do you know about last night,” Catty asked, in a voice of cold steel.

         “I...I couldn't sleep, so I got up to get a drink,” Sylia said, “and spotted you out on the terrace talking to a man in some strange, black armor.”

         Catty stared at Sylia for several minutes, coldly silent and disturbingly blank and unreadable.  Sylia stared back at her, determined to match her aunt; cold, icy stare for cold, icy stare.  Sylia was certain of what she had seen, and was determined to have her question answered.

         “That was your uncle,” Catty ultimately said, with such finality that it brokered no argument.

         “That was Uncle,” Sylia gasped, shocked.

         “Yes,” Catty said.

         “Why would he be dressed in black armor,” Sylia asked.

         Catty again stared at Sylia coldly, but this time there was a look of pain in her eyes.  Finally Catty took Sylia's newspaper out of her hands, put it on the table, and pointed to a prominent news article on the front page.  Sylia took up the paper, and read it.  The article stated that a man and a woman were murdered near the wreckage of their delivery truck.  AD Police were still investigating the scene but they had already found indications that the man and woman were hauling terrorist boomers.  Sylia set down the newspaper, her hands trembling.  She had a look of total shock on her face.

         “How could Uncle do such a thing,” Sylia breathed in shock.

         “Do you remember what happened to your father,” Catty asked.

         “How could I forget,” Sylia replied, “How can I forget that Genom Corporation murdered my father for their own selfish reasons?”

         “Well, that is the reason for your uncle's personal crusade against the evil in this city,” Catty said, “There isn't one criminal gang, organization, or activity that Genom doesn't have their filthy, little fingers in, and your uncle is determined to fight it, and he needs help.”

         “What are you saying, Aunt Catty,” Sylia asked.

         “When your uncle and I were first formulating this plan to fight Genom,” Catty explained, “we built two suits of powered armor.  One for him, equipped with weapons and fire power, and the other for me, equipped with sensors, communications gear, and electronic warfare equipment.  We intended for your uncle to go out as a team.  Your uncle was to do the fighting, and I was to provide him with intelligence data.  But that didn't happen.”

         “What happened,” Sylia asked, “You speak as though something changed.”

         “You already know what happened,” Catty said, patting her flat stomach.

         “I do,” Sylia asked

         “Of course you do,” Catty said, “I got pregnant.”

         “Why should that keep you from going out on missions with Uncle,” Sylia asked.

         “The suit I built for myself has a highly sensitive system of linear motors to enhance my strength and speed, and a simple thing like a minuscule change in my center of gravity caused by my breasts growing larger and heavier can throw off the suit's programming.”

         “Uncle won't let you go out with him because of your pregnancy,” Sylia said, “he wants to protect you and the baby.”

         “Yes,” Catty said, “but I worry about him when he's out.  I know he's a grandmaster in the ninja arts, but even a grandmaster can be overwhelmed by enemies.  He needs others to go out with him.  He needs the team we had originally planned.”

         “Aunt Catty,” Sylia said, “build a suit for me!  I'll go out with Uncle.”

         “You can't,” Catty gasped, “I couldn't ask you to put yourself in danger like that.”

         “Uncle is fighting Genom to avenge my father,” Sylia said, “Why is it acceptable for my father's brother to avenge him, but not for his daughter?”

         “We swore to take care of you and protect you,” Catty said, “How can we keep our promise if we are sending you out to fight Genom's evil?”

         “I'm a grown woman now, Aunt Catty,” Sylia said, “I want to help Uncle.”

         “I'll think about it, Sylia-chan,” Catty said, “but I make no promises.  And I won't build a suit for you without your uncle's permission.  You'll have to ask your uncle to allow you to join him on his crusade against Genom.  But for right now, we should set this matter aside and eat breakfast.”

         Sylia returned to her newspaper, while Catty finished cooking breakfast.  Catty returned to the breakfast table with a serving bowl of clear udon soup and a second serving bowl of noodles, and she finished it off with a side plate of fresh rice cakes.  Sylia helped herself to a bowl of soup and noodles, and took a rice cake and bit into it while she finished reading the news article about the delivery team that was murdered outside the wreckage of their disabled delivery van.  Presently a sixteen year old boy entered the kitchen and sat down, sleepily helping himself to a bowl of soup and noodles.  And while the boy began eating, Catty set a cup of hot green tea in front of him.  In terms of looks, this boy was a handsome young man who was enough like Sylia in appearance as to make it obvious that he was her brother.  Catty lovingly tousled the boy's short black hair, as he gratefully drank the tea she had given him.  This was Makoto Stingray, though he was commonly known as Mackie to his friends and family.

         “Good morning, Mackie-kun,” Catty said, “did you sleep well?”

         “Yeah,” Mackie said, focused more on his breakfast than his aunt.

         “Where's Priss,” Catty asked.

         “Where else,” Mackie said, “still sleeping.  Her band had that performance at Toshiro's Tea Garden last night.”

         “Oh,” Catty said, “I suppose I'll just go see if she wants any breakfast.”



TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 3



Disclaimer: (legal stuff that I gotta put in here, so that you know I used stuff in this story that belong to other people)



–          Bubblegum Crisis, its characters and mecha were created by Kenichi Sonoda and are owned by Artmic AIC

–          Catty Nova Nebulart, a character from “Gall Force” was also created by Kenichi Sonoda, and is owned by Youmex

–          All Predator related material is owned by Twentieth Century Fox

–          All Iron Man related material is owned by Marvel Comics

–          All Batman related material is owned by D.C. Comics

–          All other things you may have recognized as being other people's work or materials are owned by whoever owns them.

–          This is a work of Fan Fiction, using other peoples characters.  No plagiarism was intended in the writing of this work.