ywangsrn@netcom.com (Louis Y Wang) Note: When I started writing this, I wanted to rewrite it to make it better, but I don't think I can.. :( BUGS IN MEGATOKYOLAND Chapter 1 A heli swept over the night sky as a series of explosions rocked the business district. For the third night in a row, bumas had been attacking various areas of the city. And for the third night in a row, the ADPolice had been doing their best to stop them. Each night, family members, husbands, wives, children, were killed, both on the lines and innocent civilians. Stores were destroyed, lives were shattered. "Knight Sabers! Go!" The angle of view shifted up, to zoom up upon a rooftop across the way. The four figures leapt from the building top and descended on one of the two bumas. Linna charged her Knuckle Bomber and detonated it right on the head of one of the two. Sylia extended one of her blades and sliced the arm of the second one off. Priss fired a pair of needles deep into the first. The battle raged on for minutes, a deadly ballet of explosions and death and the two parties tried their best to kill the other. And they did it again. And again. And again. "Skuld! Stop rewinding that tape! It's getting awfully annoying!" "Sorry Urd! It's a shame watching such weak mecha turn to scrap. Can't Genom make better mecha than that? Aaarrgggh!" Urd looked up from the magazine she was reading. "Skuld, it's only a cartoon. How many times have you seen it? 9 or 10 times, right?" "Well, it's still a cool cartoon, and for your information, it's only 8 times!" Skuld walked over to the VCR and hit the eject button, causing the machine to spit the tape to the ground. She lifted the tape off the floor and slipped it into the cardboard slip. "If you don't appreciate this kind of show, I'm going to watch it in my room!" Skuld said angrily as she stomped off to her room, tape in hand. Skuld quietly padded down the hallway to her room. She entered her room, with the door making a slight "shhhh" sound as it opened in front of her. She put her mallet down and leaned it against the wall. She jumped onto her bed and lay down as she heard the door close behind her. "Computer, lights!" she said aloud. Instantly, with the beeping of the computer working, the lights went on in the room. She sighed. She lifted herself of the bed and leaned over towards the wall. She pressed a few buttons on a black panel in the wall and the entire wall section raised to reveal a complete home entertainment system. She took the tape out of it's sleeve and slipped it into the VCR. An explosion, once again, rocked the world of MegaTokyo. "Awww... this isn't any fun without someone to watch it with." Skuld sulked. She lay back down on her bed and folded her hands behind her head. She closed her eyes and frowned. "Computer, HES off!" (HES: Home Entertainment System) She lay back on her bed, listen to the silence. The disturbing silence. She slowly got up and put her head in her hands. "Arrrggghh! There's nothing to do!" She stood up and stomped around her room. First she turned on the radio. She fiddled with the international dial, then the inter-dimensional dial. She paused for a few moments and listened to some weird character say "Furinkun kouko, wa doka da?" before moving on. She stopped at "Darling!" and "Resistance is futile." before moving one, once again. Seeing there was nothing on, she turned the radio off. She walked over to her portable TV and flipped it on. She lay down on her bed and played with the TV channel selector. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "My favorite!" She watched the screen as a battle of two figures, clad in black, waged on. Their swords of energy met, sparks flying in the air. "Join me. If only you knew th.." but the rest of the sentence was cut off. "Aww!" Skuld cried as static interfered with the signal. She played with the antenna, hoping to receive more of the channel. She heard a few garbled messages like, "A sister?" and "Now you will die, young Skywal.." before giving up completely. She got up, placed the TV on the night stand and flipped it off. She turned on her SNES and played MegaMan X2 for a few moments, blowing away a couple of robots, and then turned it off. And then she let out a long sigh. To make things worse, then her stomach grumbled. "Today isn't my day." she said. She rubbed her tummy as it growled her again. "Okay, okay, I'll go get some ice cream." She got up and walked to her door and watched as it slid open. "Help!" she screamed as something leapt at her. She fell to the ground, landing on her duff. She spun to see what had attacked her. "A bug!" she cried as the realization struck. She rolled on her back along the ground, towards her mallet, which lay against the far wall. She plucked it from it's place and leapt to attack the bug. First swing. Miss. Second swing. Miss. She raised to the mallet high, preparing the deadly blow. And stopped. The bug was sitting on the VCR, grinning at her. "I can't attack it! I might hit my tape!" She growled, tears streaming from her eyes. "BAKA!" She screamed and she lunged for it, with her hands, in a vain attempt to catch it. Expecting it to leap away, she prepared to grab for her hammer but was surprised to see it disappear, in a puff of smoke. "Hm? What's going on?" she asked to no one in particular. "What happened to that bug?" The room was empty a quiet. She hit eject on the VCR and it spit the tape out. "I'd better put this in a safe place so that there won't be a chance something like that will happen again." She turned around, and was about to pick up the sleeve when the tape began to glow. "Na.. nani?" she said. She screamed in fear, as she tried desperately to remove the tape which was adhered to her hand. There were three flashes of light followed closely by three popping sounds. With the warping of space, Skuld disappeared. The tape hovered in the air for a few seconds and then fell with a thud to the carpeted floor. At that moment, Belldandy ran in, followed closely by Keiichi and Urd. "Hmm.. that's odd. I thought I heard Skuld scream." Belldandy remarked. She lifted the tape from the ground, placed it in it's sleeve and let it rest on a nearby shelf, next to the rest of the collection. Then, Belldandy began to clean up Skuld's room. Chapter 2 Where am I? Skuld thought. She slowly lifted herself off the ground, only to fall back down in pain. She clutched her shoulder as it throbbed from a wound she didn't remember getting. She mutter a few arcane words of power and lifted her hand over her shoulder. A small ball of light manifested above her wound and after a few seconds of contact, all signs of injury faded away. Once again, she pushed herself off the ground, attempting to stand. She leaned heavily on her hammer, exhausted from the transfer. She looked around her, examining her surroundings in an attempt to learn where she was. It was a dark place, light shining in from the broken street lamps and the alley way's end, littered with dirt and bodies of people who had either given up hope or given up life. An alley between buildings, the only light source was the end of the way. The light at the end of the path. She hobbled over to the portal to the street. Immediately, light struck her. Almost as bright as day, lights of all kinds lit up the night. Neon lights flashing lewd remarks, giant computerized billboards showed commercial after commercial. Again she asked herself, where am I? "Could it be?.." she said to herself. She straightened up and brushed out her clothing. She walked out into the crowds and easily blended in. Swept away by the tide of people, she wandered the streets, window shopping for information on where she was. "Wow.." she muttered as she saw the sights. Big neon signs. Robotic cars and people. Really spiffy looking clothes. "I must be in MegaTokyo!" Skuld said aloud. Then, of course, everyone started staring at her. She blushed and quickly walked away. "But how did I get here?" she thought to herself. "It must have something to do with that bug! I'm sure of it!" She groaned. "So now what happens?" Skuld wondered. And as if god send, something happened. As a large explosion rocketed the area, Skuld quietly ducked into an alley. She watched as a Buma hovered into the middle of the street, sending flying shards of metal and glass into the air. If fired off a volley of blasts, catching some people in the streets. "Hmm.. this is odd.. I don't remember anything like this happening in the movies.." Skuld remarked. Shortly, the ADPolice arrived on the scene, pouring out of their carry-alls like ants to a forage. Helis swept the area, illuminating the streets. Seeming out-numbered, the buma opened up the panels on it's back and fired a swarm of mini-missiles. This time, the ADPolice went fleeing. "Knight Sabers, go!" Skuld heard from above. She looked up to see the heros descending to the ground below. "Yes!" said Skuld happily. Priss dodged to the side as the buma fired off it's main cannon. She raised her arm to return fire but slipped on a banana peel and fell to the floor. "What?" Skuld said, echoing Priss's thoughts. Linna jumped into position, right on the buma's back. She charged her Knuckle bomber, ready to attack, when the Knuckle Bomber discharged early, releasing the energy harmlessly into the air. She was easily tossed aside by the buma. "What's going on?" Skuld said once again. Sylia did an attack from the rear, extending a blade, ready to strike, when the blade itself snapped. The buma, taking advantage of the situation, grabbed Sylia's arm from the air and punched her in the gut. "This isn't supposed to happen! The good guys are supposed to win!" Skuld cried. She stuck her hand into her pocket and slipped the HUD over her eyes. "Ah ha! A bug! Oh no! And it's right on top of that buma!" Skuld growled. "Mess up my favorite heroes, will you?!?" And with that battle cry, she leapt into the fray. "Sylia, " said Priss through her microphone. "Who is that?" Sylia just shook her head. Skuld, mallet over head, charged for the bug. If you didn't know what she was doing, it might of looked as if she was attacking the buma. She brought the mallet down with surprising force, but still missed the bug. But she didn't miss the buma. The bug leapt away, laughing at Skuld. "Why you!" Skuld screamed, chasing the bug down the street. Priss rose from the ground, ready to attack the buma but noticed the head of the buma was now crushed. The body of the buma fell to the ground with a sickening thud. "What was that all about?" asked Linna. "I don't know.." trailed Sylia. She turned around, and seeing the ADPolice return from their hiding positions, she made the signal to send the Knight Wing in with Mackie. A fog rolled into the area as the Knight Wing descended, just in time to make their departure a dramatic one. Chapter 3 Priss groaned as she rubbed lotion onto her aching shoulders. She watched Linna and Sylia slowly saunter into the room. She raised her bottle of ointment, offering it to her comrades who were just as injured as she was. "What happened tonight?" Linna asked Sylia. "I don't know." Sylia remarked as she began applying ointment to her sore muscles. "What happened was just too odd." "Could it of been Genom?" asked Priss. "Maybe.. but I doubt it. Banana peels? Early discharge? That just seems like bad luck." Sylia replied. At that moment, there was the sound of the intercom. Sylia rose majestically and pressed the button next to the screen. "Mackie? What is it?" "Um... there seems to be some girl wandering around outside." Mackie punched up a few still images. "It's her!" exclaimed Linna. Indeed, it was Skuld. "Hey, Nene, do you know who this is? Is she a friend of yours?" Linna asked. Nene looked up from her computer terminal and shrugged. "I'll run a check on her if you want." "Do it." Sylia replied. Nene turned back to her terminal and began typing away in the world of cyberspace. "So, what should I do about her, oneesan?" Sylia looked back at the screen and frowned. "See if you can't detain her. We're running a check on her right now. Invite her in for some tea and cake." "Okay." replied Mackie. * * * "Um.. can I help you miss?" Mackie asked as Skuld wandered around the shop. "Oh, no.. I'm just looking." she responded. She continued her little adventure, gawking and peering at things, just as they were in the movies, but real. She was amazed at all the wonders in the shop, all the scopes, the machines, and the wonderfully built motor vehicles. "Are you sure I can't help you?" asked Mackie politely. "Oh, no. Really, I'm just looking." Skuld answered. "And waiting for something to happen." she added silently. "Hmm... this is strange. A girl, from nowhere that no one knows, comes in, examines our equipment, looks at our tools, and says she's okay. This is one strange lady." Mackie thought. Skuld looked around the shop. It was just too cool. * * * "What? What do you mean there's no match. Now what are we supposed to do?" "Gomenasai, Priss. I ran the most thorough check I could and it still came out negative." Nene answered. "So what do we do now Sylia?" Linna asked. Sylia thought about it for a moment. "It seems there's more to this girl than it seems. It think it would be best if just asked her what she knows." Sylia said. She paused and took a sip of her tea. At that moment, the com- panel activated. "What is it Mackie?" asked Sylia. "Well, it seems the girl is leaving. Should I try to stop her?" Mackie asked. "No. I think you should let her go." She turned to the others. "I'm going to see if I can get this girl to talk to us. I'll try to take her to my place. I'll meet you all there, okay?" "Okay." responded the three others. Chapter 3 Sigh. Now what? she asked herself. Skuld looked up at the sky, watching as the color changed from an orange to a gentle pink to a crimson red. And it's getting dark too. She took a few steps and began kicking a can down the alley. A cold gale of wind swept up and bit into her flesh. "Brrrr... it's cold too." Skuld thought. She walked down the alley and bleak despair. "Where am I going to stay tonight? More importantly, how do I get home?" She thought of her sister, Belldandy. She thought about the way she smiled, her laugh, her cooking. She was on the verge of tears. Then she thought of Keiichi and Urd. She might never see anyone of them again. "It must be that bug! I have to find it and de-bug it! Then I'll be able to go home. Right?" she said to herself in an attempt to make herself feel better. She continued down the alley, kicking her tin can, thinking about possible ways to get home. Light from the end of the alley lit up the dark passage. Skuld turned around and saw a car heading her way. She moved to the side of the alley to let the car pass but was surprised when it pulled up beside her. "It can be dangerous for a little girl like you to be alone on a night like this." Sylia said, as she took off her shades. "I think I can take care of myself, thank you. And I'm not a little girl!" Skuld replied. "Alright, I apologize. To make it up to you, how about you come over to my place for some cake and ice-cream, okay? We can talk for a bit, then I can take you home." Sylia said with a smile. Skuld thought about it for a second. Then her stomach grumbled. Of course, then, she made up her mind. "Okay!" * * * "Are you feeling better?" Sylia asked. "Mm!" Skuld replied, while scarfing down another scoop of ice cream. Skuld was sitting on the couch in the middle of the room, feet dangling off the edge, inches off the ground. She was happily enjoying both the ice cream and the opportunity to be here. "That's good. Now we need to talk. As I've already said, my name is Sylia." She gestured to her friends. "This is Priss.." "And Nene and Linna. I know." Skuld interjected. "What? How could you know that? What else do you know?" Sylia asked, surprised. "Well... I know pi to the thousandths! It's 3.14159265358 97932384626433832795028841971693993751..." "Um, " Sylia interjected. "I mean about us." "Oh!" Skuld said, while taking another bite of ice cream. "Well.. I know your father was the one who invented bumas, " Skuld said while waving her had in Sylia's direction. "I know you've always wanted to be aa dancer." she said while gesturing towards Linna. "Of course we all know you're the main singer for Priss and the Replicants (duh)" Skuld said while looking at Priss. "And you work at the ADPolice, not to mention you're also a hacker." She said while pointing to Nene. "You seem to know a lot about us. How much more do you know?" "Well.. I know you're the Knight Sabers." The group was in silence. Linna broke the silence. "That's nonsense. That was one heck of a joke, right guys?" Linna said, laughing half-heartedly. "Oh sure, make fun of what the little kid says." Skuld said, pouting. "Now where would you get such a silly idea like that?" Sylia asked Skuld. "Well, I'm a fan of all your movies! Those mecha are sooo cool. I mean, they aren't as great as I can make, but nevertheless, they are pretty impressive." Skuld said, taking the last bite of her ice cream. "Can I have some more?" "Some more?" Sylia asked, confused. "Ice cream." "Oh, of course! I'll go get you some." Sylia replied, taking Skuld's cup from her. Sylia wandered into the kitchen and opened the freezer. "You seem to know a great deal about us, even though some of it may not be true. Tell us a little about yourself." "Oh, you don't have to hide it. I know you're the Knight Sabers, so you can stop acting. You're the blue/grey one, she's the pink, soon to be red one, she's the green one and she's the blue one. It doesn't matter, though. You can go on acting if you like. It's sorta fun!" Skuld said. "Oh, about me? Well... my name is Skuld. Goddess, second class." Skuld said. She reached into her shirt and pulled out her card, offering it to the closest person to her, which was Nene. "I'm the goddess of the future. It's just a coincidence I'm here because from where I'm from, you guys don't exist. Hm... when I get back, I have to talk to the big guy about this parallel dimension and why he never told me about it... but anyway, what I do, from where I come from, is de-bugging!" "De-bugging?" Nene asked. "Like in computer stuff?" "Well, sorta. You see, the system, up there, " Skuld said while gesturing up, "is mighty complicated. Yggdrasil has a problem in the system meta-program. Without constant debugging, the bugs will go into a loop state and endlessly reproduce themselves, causing havoc not only up there, " she said once again gesturing up, "but also down here." "So how did you end up here?" asked Priss. "Well.." Skuld said sheepishly, "from where I'm from, you're nothing but a series of movies. That's how I know all about you, Genom, the ADPolice, you name it. I never knew there was an alternate timeline like this! I was debugging when a bug leapt onto the tape. I thought it disappeared but it seems that it just entered this world. By grabbing the tape like I did, it took me through the same portal it came through before me. That's why all that strange stuff was happening." "A bug? You talk as if it's an actual tangible thing!" Nene said. "Well.. it is. Bug are about the size of bread-boxes, have eight legs, and look like rabbits. The only way to debug them is to squish them with these mallets." Skuld held up her mallet. "The only way to see them is with one of these, " she said while holding up her HUD. "Right now, there's a bug running around in this universe and I think the only way I can get back home is to get rid of it." By this time, the entire cast and crew of the BGC animated feature was staring at Skuld. "You're kidding, right?" Priss said. "No, wait." Sylia said. "It would explain all the weird things happening in this area lately." "Weird stuff?" Skuld piped in. "Like what?" "Well," Nene said "the ADPolice has been swamped with tons of calls about bumas attacking people. When we get there, we find out that the bumas were made of chocolate. Naturally, they've melted by that point. Then there was the time it began to snow..." "Wow.." Skuld said. "That means there must be a bug attractor in this area, attracting the bug to this city! I've got to find it!" "How can you do that? It could be anywhere!" Linna pointed out. "That's where you guys come in. I'll need your help to search the city for this attractor so that I can squish the bug. Once that occurs, I can get out of here!" Skuld said. "I'll need to modifier the sensors in the Knight Wing and your helmets so you can see bugs and stuff." "I'll help!" Mackie piped in. "Um.. okay, sure. Just no disgusting stuff, okay?" Skuld said with a wicked grin. Chapter 4 The Knight Wing fly silently over the city, spotting from building top to building top, carrying it's 6 members in a search for the missing bug. "Look! Over there!" Priss exclaimed. Everyone rushed to the screen as the Knight Wing soared over the city lights. Skuld, with the help of the KS, were scouring the city to find the bug. "It's the bug!" Skuld cried. "Don't loose it! Go after it!" "Wait!" Mackie interrupted. "There's another one!" Mackie said, pointing towards another building below. "Oh no!" Skuld cried. "'Oh no' what?" Priss said in a menacing tone of voice. "Well.." Skuld said sheepishly. "I forgot to mention one little thing." "Lemme guess. This is a _bad_ thing, right?" Priss said. Skuld bowed her head in shame. "I thought I would catch this bug in time before it happened. The bug attractor must be so big, it's feeding the bugs. When this happens, they.. um..." "What!?" Priss said grabbing Skuld by the shoulders. "What happens!" "They breed like rabbits." "You mean the whole town could be swarming with these things?" Linna asked. "Probably, by now, there's one around every corner, causing havoc and destruction, far greater than any fleet of bumas could do." Skuld said sadly. "Is there any way to stop them?" Sylia asked cooley. "Well, if we find the bug attractor and cut off it's supply of power, we could set up a field inverter to create a local sub-space distortion which might be strong enough to cause a polarization in the neutrino field. If that happens, with a strong enough burst of a magnetic field, the disruption, causing the bug attractor, will become saturated in anti-protons, causing the entire subsystem of matter to collapse!" Again, the entire cast and crew of the BGC animated feature was staring at Skuld. "What!?" Skuld said. "You don't get it? Okay, lemme explain in laymen terms. If we can find the bug attractor, we can try to reverse it's effects and suck in all the bugs, then destroy them all at once." "Ohh!" the entire cast in crew said in understanding. "Hey, I saw that in an episode of Star Trek once, okay?" Skuld said. "So where is this bug attractor?" Nene asked. "Well, " Skuld said. "it has to be somewhere in the city which is easily accessed by non-dimensional beings, it has to be big, it has to have a lot of power and it has to have a big enough field of non-rotating neutrinos to feed the bugs, so they can multiply." "Well, from what I could understand, " Nene said, while punching something up on the computer, "Genom Tower fits two of the four requirements. It's big and has a lot of power." "That's it!" Skuld cried. "When they produce bumas, the process of creating the neural net must create free floating non- rotating neutrinos! Obviously, with the collection of the neutrinos, it would be simple for the bugs to collect there! To Genom Tower we go!" "Um, it's not going to be that simple. You probably know that Genom Tower is the headquarters where they build all the bumas. If we try to fly there, we'll definitely be shot down by a feet of bumas." Sylia said. "Well," Skuld said, "since Genom is the center of all of these bugs, I'm sure Genom is over-run by bugs. If that's so, they be having so many problems, we'll have no problem getting in!" "So how are we getting in, oh fearless leader?" Priss said sarcastically. "How else? We walk." Chapter 5 Outside the Genom headquarters, all was quiet. Dark and foreboding, it loomed thousands of feet above the ground. Spotlights illuminated the outer walls, scanning for intruders, sweeping the darkness leaving patches of light behind. "I don't like being here. It gives be bad memories." Linna said, back against the outer perimeter. "Don't worry, hopefully we'll be in and out soon." Sylia said. She turned to the little girl sitting at her feet, quickly making some last minute adjustment to some weird rice cooker. "Are you almost done?" "Yep!" Skuld said happily as she held the cooker up for everyone's inspection. Then she yanked it back and began to hug it. "Oh! What an elegant design! So efficient and sleek!" "Um, what _is_ that?" Nene asked. "It's Mr. Bug Zapper, Mark II!" Skuld cried, weeping tears of joy. "Hopefully it's field coils are strong enough to hand the inversion of the neutrino field. If so, it should polarize it just enough for the magnetic field to shatter the only link the bugs have to this world! When that happens, BANG! I can suck them all in!" "That's a crock!" Priss said dubiously. "Yes, it is." Skuld replied. Sylia looked on worriedly. "I still think it's too dangerous to walk right in. There are probably bumas crawling all over the place, not to mention all the perimeter defenses in the area." Sylia said grimly. "Oh, don't worry! I'll be fine!" Skuld said. "Alright. Knight Sa.." Sylia began. "Wait!" Skuld piped in. "What is it?" Sylia asked. "Knight Sabers, go!" Skuld cried. "I always wanted to say that." And with that, the KS began their assault. The four hard-suit clad warriors leapt over the outer wall, Priss holding Skuld in her arms. Once over the perimeter, the five were surprised by the chaos within. Bumas and robots littered the outer courtyard. The auto-cannons were melted bits of metal and slag. Fires burned uncontrolled as fire control systems failed. Mass havoc and destruction lay everywhere as smoke and rubble filled the landscape. "What happened here?" Nene asked curiously. Skuld frowned. She pulled out her HUD from her pocket and placed it over her eyes. "Ah ha!" Skuld cried. "I knew it." Everybody else stood around curious to what she saw. "Oh come on, don't just stand there! Turn on your bug-viewers! I installed them in your visors too, ya know." "Oh!" they all said at the same time. They activated bug- sight(tm) and looked at the mess. Swarming and jumping everywhere the eye could see, bugs roamed the landscape. "Kuso.." Priss muttered beneath her breath. "Priss! I'm surprised at you!" Skuld lectured. "There may be children reading this!" "Oh, yeah like any of _them_ know japanese." Priss replied. "Good point." Skuld said. "So where is the bug attractor?" Sylia asked. Skuld looked through her HUD and gazed around the area. She tapped a few controls on the frame of the glasses and looked again. "Hmm... I can't seem to.. oh! There it is!" Skuld said, pointing towards the top of the tower. "Alright then, let's go!" Priss said. * * * Skuld and company made their way up.. then down.. then back up. Due to the swarming number of bugs, the elevator systems weren't working quite as they should have. The tried their hardest to make a bee-line to the roof but every turn was met by buma or bug. After hours of moving down endless corridors, having security doors slam down upon them, the sky raining bumas and bullets, eventually, the group made it to the roof. "Shouldn't there have been more to his story?" Priss asked Skuld. "Well, I had to figure out a way to move the plot line along. Sorry. I think, however, there may one day be a sequel." Skuld said with a smile. "Really?" Linna asked. "Maybe." Skuld walked up to the bug attractor, which was invisible to the naked eye, but was the size of a big-rig through her HUD, Skuld braced herself for the end of a grand adventure. Soon the bug would be gone. And she would return to the world of normal Japan. She placed Mr. Bug-Zapper Mark II on the ground and hit the on switch. A large explosion rocketed the roof as the collapse of bugspace created a pocket vacuum which quickly filled with air from the surrounding area. The bugs, swept away by the current, disappeared with quelled sounds of anguish. It was over. Or was it? "What's going on?" Skuld asked. "I'm still here!" she said, standing on the rooftop to Genom. Heli lights and bumas began to swarm the area, coming to investigate the disturbance. "I think it would be best if we got out of here. Mackie!" she said into her com. The Knight Wing, as if something out of an epic movie, glided silently up from the floor below and ushered it's passengers into it's belly. The KS were returning home. With a small, confused passenger. Chapter 6 "What could be going on?" Skuld asked aloud as she paced back and forth. "We did get rid of all the bugs.. there's no way bugs could survive without a bug attractor." Skuld said. "How do you know there isn't another one?" Mackie asked. "We ran a search while aboard the Knight Wing. The scan came out negative. There aren't anymore." Skuld said. "I dunno about you, but I think I'm going to take a nice warm bath." Priss said. "That's it!" Skuld cried. "What?" Priss said. Skuld walked over to Priss and grabbed her by the elbows. She would of grabbed her by the shoulders, but she wasn't tall enough. "Where is you bathtub? I need to try something!" Skuld said. "Try what? A bath? You don't smell that bad.." Priss said. "No! Not that! The only way I can teleport is through warm water. I think that's how I'm going to get home!" Skuld proclaimed. "Okay. Let's go try it!" Priss said. * * * Skuld loomed over the warm water, the water which she had put there a few minutes before. "Maybe I'll get to see her get undressed.." thought Mackie, who was looking on curiously. Skuld poked her finger into the water and tested it. "That should be warm enough." She turned to the rest of the group. "I wanna thank you for the grandest adventure of my life. I hope you all the best in the future." Skuld smiled and turned to Sylia. "And Sylia, maybe you should try turning off the camera to the changing room, ne?" Skuld said. Skuld stepped over the basin of the tub and placed her foot in the water. Praying that she wouldn't get her shoe wet, she closed her eyes and waited for the dampness to soak into her socks. It never came. Everyone stared at the tub which glowed in a bright intensity. A hole of magic formed on the surface of the rippled water. "YES!" Skuld cried as she opened her eyes to see the portal. "C'ya!" Skuld said as she dove into the tub and back into her own world of normality. As she faded away, she heard Nene ask, "Wait! Am I ever going to get a boyfriend?..." Epilogue Skuld was moping in her room again. No one had noticed she was gone since, in this world, she was gone only a few hours. No one really believed a world she said so she was back to square one. "Hmm.. I wonder." Skuld said. "Computer, personal log stardate 46253.79. I went to Megatokyo today and had a grand adventure. No one here seems want to believe me so I'm left with the notion of being stuck with this knowledge forever. Sometimes I wonder, are our lives nothing more than a cartoon show? Are we nothing more than a series of frames pasted end on end to form a gallery of images we call motion? Are there people out there who watch our every lifestyle and querk?" Skuld thought about that for a second. She thought about everything that went on in the household, all the wacky things that happened. They might of well been a cartoon. "Naaaah.. " She concluded. "End journal entry." Author's Notes I was impressed when I first saw the Ah!/Oh! My Goddess OAVs. They were so COOL! I was so happy, I went out and collected every single A/OMG picture I could off the net. I went to Chinatown looking for posters of silk screens (too bad they were sold out), I even bought a music CD I can't even understand. Then I went and got the comic book. :( The storyline is great and all, I just hate the art work! Oh well, nothings perfect. (no offense to anyone I hope) I thought about writing this because I noticed (of course) that Skuld would fit PERFECTLY into the world of BGC... well, maybe not perfectly. But she sure would like the Mecha! Comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated since this is only my second fan-fic. I'm presently working on a third so watch for it! ************************************************************************** * ------, * Proof through substitution : * * `7~~~__ * 1. Lincoln is dead * * /~; /~,-7\ * 2. Elvis is dead * * `~|,',' /' | * 3. Lincoln is Elvis * * || |/' / * 4. Lincoln _was_ Elvis * * `>`~---~ * 5. Given : Elvis was 'The King' * * /, * 6. Proof : Lincoln ruled under monarchy * * `\ _ * * * ********************************************* * "..." - Genma * Young Wang - ywangsrn@netcom.com * ************************************************************************** * 'Joudan ja nai wa yo' - Tendo Akane * 'Buki! Buki! Bweee!' - P-chan * **************************************************************************