The skies above Tokyo.
Below--- Northwest High.
"
"
"Where's your vocalization circuit?"
"JUST BEHIND YOUR HEAD TO THE LEFT OF THE PILOT'S CHAIR. WH--"
Jack shoots out the circuit with his handgun. "Never liked that channel anyway."
As he increases speed, he aims for an intercept course with Fly as it barrels down towards the school. "If I'm lucky the engines won't conk out and I won't go boom all over a few hundred innocents."
The cockpit darkens a little as Fly's form draws closer, itself between the fighter and the sun as both dive towards the school, and unbeknownst to Fly, each other.
* * * * * *
As everyone scatters on the ground, Sakura looks up at Fly and holds her arms out.
"Don't be afraid of me, Fly. Don‘t be afraid."
"Sakura!!" Tomoyo grabs her, trying to drag her off the field, "Come on! Take cover!!"
"Fly's coming for me!" Sakura struggles against Tomoyo‘s pulling, "It wants to come back! It's scared all alone out there! Fly wants to come back to me!"
"Sakura-chan, please! Don't do this!!" Tomoyo begins, panic seeping into her voice as she begans to sweat, Fly dropping closer and closer, "What if your wrong?! What if Fly's dangerous now?? It could kill you!!"
"I don't care!” Sakura protested, tears coming to her eyes, “I have to stop it! At any cost!!"
"What about Mirra-chan!!" Tomoyo screams, "Do you want to leave our daughter alone without a father figure?!? Leave me alone without you?! I couldn't live without you!! Sakura!! Please listen to me!!"
Briefly, without warning, Sakura thinks about the loss of her own mother, and her missing father. "I-- I--" Sakura quickly spins about, grabbing Tomoyo's arm and pulling her to safety. "I have to get you to safety, Tomo-chan!"
Tears well up in Sakura's eyes as she runs. 'I almost put Tomo-chan in danger! Mirra-chan! What was I thinking?!?'
* * * * * *
As Fly dropped right down on the school, the lone Omegatech cuts it off, slamming into it and throwing it clear of the school buildings. As both Fly and the Omegatech spin apart, Fly quickly rethinks it's plans and takes off again skyward, this time at normal speed.
The Omegatech is quickly brought under control, however--- "Damn." Jack muttered, red lights flash throughout the cockpit as strange cracking noises fill the small void.
"I'm going to take it that last shot is breaking the hull apart…" (Jack aims the Omegatech towards the harbor, yanking down hard on the eject controls as he does) "… I lose more Omegatechs this way."
As the ejection system throws him clear, the fighter spirals into the harbor and explodes. "Oh, well--" Jack sighs as he floats down to terra firma, his anti-grav emergency pack working optimally, "--the AI on that thing was bugging me anyway."
* * * * * *
Back at the Daidouji Residence
"Fly isn't supposed to be visible like that, right?" Nina asks.
"No. The first time it showed it was invisible to everyone but Sakura." Tomoyo sighs, for the first time she was genuinely worried. "What's happening with Fly?"
"I don't know. It's growing more powerful, and it's angry-- angrier than when it was hurt." Sakura said quietly, eyes narrowed in thought.
"Sakura, do you think you can control Fly now? Let alone capture it?"
"Nina--" Sakura whispers, looking confused.
"OK then!" Kero begins fluttering about getting everyone's attention. "We know Fly is angry about something, but it's also drawn to Sakura because it tried to get at her. Whether it's angry at her or just wants to be comforted by her, we won't find out until we catch up to Fly. HOWEVER we can't take the risk of Sakura being hurt, with her being a family woman and all with a “wife“ and daughter to think about." (Sakura/Tomoyo exchange awkward glances until Tomoyo reaches a hand out and takes Sakura's hand, comforting her as she does). "So--" (grabs Nina's visor to her frustration, putting it on) "--let's roll!"
"That's my line!" Nina growls.
"We should head out to the scene of the crime!" Kero announces proudly.
"Citadel City? That's where Fly committed it's only crime." Eliza remarks in a casual, nonchalant manner. "Your scary sometimes, you know that don't you--" Nina whispers to Eliza. "I know."
"Uh--" (Sakura raises her free hand) "Where's the 'scene of the crime' again?"
"YOUR SCHOOL!” Kero bounces back in, “It went there the first time, it returned there again, it's drawn to that school! And like many classic criminals, Fly always returns to the "scene of the crime"!! (it's elementary my dear, Sakura, elementary!)"
"I know that! Fourth grade as a matter of fact. Don't you remember?"
"--that‘s not what I meant Sakura---"
Eliza wasn‘t convinced. "Isn't the scene of the crime near the Command Center in Citadel City, Nina?"
Nina - "The little Beanie Baby’s on a roll here, Eliza, don't burst it's bubble."
Kero (ignoring Nina) - "SAKURA!! ONCE AGAIN IT'S CARD CAPTORING TIME!!! LET'S ROLL!!"
Nina - "THAT'S STILL MY LINE!!"
Tomoyo quickly leaps out of her seat, bright eyed and (if she had a tail) “bushy tailed“.
"Then we should wear our NEW costumes today! (the heroic visage of a period piece samurai movie intermixed with the beauty of the Spring with you as the heroine!)"
"----Tomoyo---" Sakura sighs.
There's a knock at the door, as a nervous and giddy Sonomi enters the room. "Hi! Just brought some fresh pie I baked! Want some?"
"Thank you!" (everyone thanks Sonomi as she comes in) "Huh? I thought I heard someone else--" Sonomi looks about the room. "Some loud mouthed guy with a bad Osaka accent--" 'BAD ACCENT?!?' Kero fumes only to be grabbed by Sakura. "Oh I'm just doing my little ventriloquist act for Tomoyo-chan! She likes it when I do my act! See?" (Kero voice) "What the heck? What the heck?"
Kero - "WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?! THAT ACT IS FRIGGIN' OLD!! CUT IT-- MPPHH!!"
"See? I'm on a roll here!!" (Sakura proudly announces, holding Kero's mouth shut) "Though my toy's a little vingery today."
"---I see---" Sonomi sweat drops as she leaves, "Well, you have fun now. Bye."
Kero refuses to talk to Sakura even after dinner is served, and she makes his favorite to apologize to boot.
* * * * * *
"I'm a stud and a half, not some plaything." Kero grumbles in disgust.
Sakura - "I said I'm sorry, are you still mad?"
Kero - "OF COURSE I'M STILL MAD!! SHEESH!!" (Sakura's voice) "Oh I'm sooooo cute! I can do no wrong! I wouldn't do that on purpose! I--"
"Are you mocking me?" Sakura asks.
"Me? NO!!!" (Kero slaps himself a few times) "My bad! My bad! Naughty me!"
Sakura - "Are you OK? You look like you enjoy doing that to yourself."
Kero - "Don't get me started again…"
* * * * * *
Tomoyo meets Sakura/Kero at the school. Nina/Eliza are already there.
"How's Mirra-chan?" Sakura asks as she arrives. "I dropped her off at her friend's house for a sleepover, she's fine." (Sakura notices three of the bodyguards are there) "What's your wish, miss?"
"You may go. Make sure to pass by and check up on Mirra-chan before heading home."
"Yes, Miss Tomoyo."
As the car leaves Sakura & Tomoyo talk. "Check up on Mirra-chan? Is she in danger?"
"No, no, not at all.“ Tomoyo responds quickly, blushing a little bit, “Still I'd feel better if I knew she was safe--" (chuckles slightly) "--now I know why mom was always so concerned about my safety when I was her age. Girls Mirra-chan‘s age generate such worry." Sakura smiles, placing a light kiss on Tomoyo's forehead as she leads the dark haired girl to the school building (so she could hang up her skates).
* * * * * *
Outside.
Nina listens to her commlink intensely, monitoring surveillance channels for any sign of Fly. With Eliza standing near Tomoyo, the two watch over Sakura, who is acting as bait.
"You look great! A big improvement over the original I made."
"I don't know---" Sakura sighs as she kicks her feet idly looking down as she does. "I don't feel very special."
Tomoyo - "Strictly speaking as the designer I'm very happy with the results."
Sakura wasn‘t quite convinced, "Sigh-- this time I better remember my skates. Last time I left them here I forgot them--" (looks over at Nina) "Well?"
"Hold thy Clow Cards, oh impatient one.“ Nina balked, “Observation post four picked up a low level energy reading coasting over it, and that's a mile from here-- if it was Fly it'll be here--" (the wind picks up and begins to howl) "--about now."
The wind, now gusting at 30 mph, whips the field as Sakura struggles to stand her ground. "IT'S FLY!"
Above them Fly comes into view, towering over them as it's winged flapped, generating blinding gusts of wind each time it's wings made a full stroke. Sakura grabs the key, and grips it tight.
"Key of the Star, with powers burning bright, reveal the staff and shine your light! RELEASE!!"
As the new staff comes to life, it's energy courses and rages, catching Fly's attention. "Tomoyo!"
"Right." (holds up Gaia's ring as she films with her free hand) "GAIA! BIND FLY WITH YOUR VINES AND BRANCHES!"
From the ground all around Fly, the earth erupts and releases many vines and branches which wrap themselves around Fly, slowly pulling it downwards. "NO!!!"
"What---?" Sakura stammers. "Did Fly just speak?" As Fly struggles against Gaia's powers, a piercing scream, feminine yet filled with primal fear, rips through the air as Fly starts to pump it's wings faster to retake the air. "STOP FLY!! DON'T STRUGGLE!! FLY!!" Sakura screams, watching Fly struggle harder and harder against the vines. "FLY!! I'M SORRY!!" (thrusts out wand) "CLOW CARD, RETURN--"
"Eyyyyaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!"
Fly shudders, screaming as it curls it's wings tight. It's voice shaking everyone to the core and causing each of them to pause. With a brief opening, Fly shoves out one final time, snapping free of it's restraints and pummeling it's wings fast to climb back skyward out of harm's way. Sakura slumps, head lowered as she watches Fly limp away.
It was hurt, so it wouldn't be doing anymore high speed attacks, but it was also in pain. Yet there was more, something that didn't happen the first time she fought Fly. Sakura quickly spins about, fear on her face, "Tomo-chan!! Are you alright--?!?"
"Yup, of course, and I got it all on tape!"
Sakura faints.
Nina - "Well I'm glad somebody's recording all this for posterity's sake-- I guess."
Back at Daidouji Estates notes were taken and compared.
"Did Fly really talk?" Nina asked, the obvious question first on her lips.
"Here." Kero chirps up, putting the video back on play. In the room was Sakura, Tomoyo, Kero & Nina. Eliza went straight from the school to the slumber part with videos (and more snacks). ""NO!!!" (Fly's head spins back and forth, it's beak seemingly moving in concert with the word). "So Fly did say something--" Tomoyo remarks as she watches the video. "Sounds female though."
"And Fly doesn't know how to talk, let alone say words." Kero remarked.
“So what does that mean, Kero?"
"I don't know yet, Tomoyo. I don't know."
The video was now on the next scene as Fly struggles against the vines. "CLOW CARD, RETURN--"
"Eeeyyy---"
"Stop tape." Nina suddenly asks, moving forward to take the control. She rewinds it abit, then plays it again. "I'M SORRY!!" (pause) "CLOW CARD, RETURN--"
"Eeeyyy---"
Rewinds.
"FLY, I'M SORRY!!"
(pause)
"CLOW CARD, RE--"
(pauses tape, then slowly moves it forward)
"What are you looking for?" Kero asks, attention focused on the screen as Nina moves it forward. Suddenly she stops it and points at something. "There! You see that Kero?"
"What?! I don't see anything."
"Does this thing have a-- guess not--" (Nina pulls a few hook up cords out of a pouch on her belt and attaches it to Tomoyo's video player (she has yet to put this on DVD)). "What are you doing?"
"Just feeding this image into my wetware, Tomoyo, so I can play with the image."
Sakura - "Wetware?"
Kero - "Isn't that something you wear to the beach?"
"Kero!" (Sakura balks, eyes suddenly looking towards Nina oddly) "Your going to hook that up to a laptop or something?"
"Or something." Nina responds, holding the end of the cord in her hand, plugging it into another cord with two prongs at the end. "One side connected to the machine, the other connects right here." Quickly Nina pushes her hair back and plugs each prong into a hidden metal slot behind each of her ears, directly linking to her brain through neural wetware links. "----" Sakura looks shocked. Tomoyo is recording all this since the conversation started, so she's fascinated. Kero looks like he's going to hurl.
"I'll need a chair--" (Tomoyo moves a chair for Nina to sit in) "--thank you."
As Nina focuses, her mind locks into the image and holds it, dissects it, and through all the wetware implants in her head she begins to make it do her bidding. At first nothing happens, then the screen is suddenly filled with icons, menu bars, scrolls and a cursor.
First the cursor locks onto a place on the image (off to one side), then it circles it with a box and locks into it. "Magnify and enhance." The image magnifies, showing a part of Fly and one of the school buildings. Again a part is cursored off and clicked on. "Magnify and enhance." This time it takes longer but an image of the building (Fly reflected in it) comes closer, that and--- "I see something--"
"Magnify & enhance one more time." As the image comes on, it takes longer this time, and more concentration is needed by Nina to pull in the image. But, at long last, the image comes in clear. It's the reflection of Fly trapped by Gaia's vines. And what seems to be a ghostly figure superimposed over Fly, that of a young woman.
"What's that?"
"That--" Nina slowly notes as she turns to view her handiwork. "Is our screamer."
Sakura - "Is--- is--- is it a---"
"Ghost?” Nina responds seriously, “Sure looks like it. Probably died a horrible death too and she‘s all suffering and in eternal torments and…" (Sakura runs out of the room with Tomoyo close behind her, leaving Kero to scowl at Nina). "What?!"
* * * * * *
Command Center (Citadel City)
A Few Minutes Later.
"I'm sorry, Nina, but it's the best we can do." The Command officer announced.
"I don't suppose a little better might be called for at this stage, don't you think?" (Nina over the commlink to Command) "I'm sorry---" (regards image sent over link) "--but you have to understand the image you sent us is of a fuzzy silhouette of what might be a spirit or a merged entity. And let's not forget this image has it's back turned to us. It might be a woman, it might be something else entirely like a Darkling. There's too little information on this one image to give us much. I'm analyzing the copied video you sent us but it looks like this is the only time the image is visible, so again it's not much to go on."
"I see. Well, try what you can. We'll continue doing what we can here. But it seems it's injured--"
"Which makes it that much more dangerous. I see. Well, keep at it and let us know what you find."
"Right. Kotobuki out."
With a sigh the officer looks back at the image, reaching out to touch the form on it. "So who are you, our mysterious young lady? Ghost? Spirit? Tormented soul? Maybe all three at once--" The image, a female spirit straining against the vines, screaming-- fear? Agony? What? Only she knew and she wasn't talking. Yet.
* * * * * *
Back in Sakura's "Lab".
"I hate ghosts!" Sakura complains, reaching into her private freezer for the ice cream. "Tomoyo said it's probably another Clow card merged with Fly, and I think she's got a good point. It's probably Snow, or one of the other feminine cards and I concur with her thinking. It's a plausible idea." Kero remarked, eyes focused on Sakura‘s hands as she worked.
Sakura - "But why is it trapped inside of Fly? And is that card inside Fly making Fly act all weird?"
Kero - "We'll find out when we catch up to Fly--" (sighs) "--though right now I'm more interested in my dessert!" (starts to bounce up and down) "Give it here! Give it here! Give it here!! Gimmegimmegimme!"
"Hold on, hold on---" (Sakura puts ice cream on top of a piece of pound cake) "I think we should fortune tell with the cards once we have enough for it! A romance fortune telling!"
"Sakura--" Kero sighs, "You already know your romantic destiny is with Tomoyo, why do a reading now? Talk about pointless."
"Not for me! For Mirra-chan! I want to see her romantic future!"
Kero frowned at the thought. "Didn't Tomoyo warn you about meddling in her life (seconds before she meddled herself by having her bodyguards spy on your little girl‘s private life)?"
"It's NOT meddling! I just want to peek--" (sighs as she sets down Kero's treat for him to eat) "It's important! I want to know who she's destined for (or who she isn‘t destined for)!"
"You just want to make sure it's not Toya, don't you."
"No way in hell it's Toya!" Sakura pouts as she makes dessert for herself and Tomoyo (mostly because Kero's talking got Sakura in a bad mood and she wants a treat to settle her down before bed) "Toya's a pain in the ass! I can't even believe how things ended-- but he's NOT right for Mirra-chan. Heck, he probably doesn't even like her that way so I just want to avoid having her heart broken!"
"Like yours almost was if you didn't find your feelings for Tomoyo?" Kero asked.
"What did I say about getting on my nerves!!" Sakura grumbles, plating up dessert and walking out the door. "Mirra is too good for Toya! Period!"
"Or Toya's too old and too spoken for for Mirra, eh?" Kero finishes as he starts eating.
To Be Continued (Tomorrow)
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