CardCaptor Sakura Remastered Episode 1-6 (10)

Thursday (December 7th) (Sakura Blossoms)
CardCaptor Sakura Remastered Episode 6 (10)

New King Penguin Park.
The night of the “Taste of Tokyo” event.

“So tell me again how many businesses you conned into setting up here for this---”

“Shut up, Nina.” Misho hissed.

“Because it’s a nice set-up and all, but considering there’s a crazed Clow card in the lake over there your setting up a lawyer buffet line if someone gets hurt. And they usually come running at the first sign of an ambulance.”

Misho spun about spitting venom at Nina, “And who’s fault is THAT for not catching the card? Think that was your job, wasn‘t it.”

“Who blocked the park off so we couldn’t catch the second card without drawing attention to ourselves? It goes both ways, Misho.” Nina quickly retaliated, to which Misho merely spat “Whatever.”. However, left with no choice, Misho NamoCatCat finally was forced to relent her position, her tail swinging in the air as the catgirl leaned against one of the booth counters and waited for their food. “Since your such a know-it-all why don’t you take a flying leap into the lake and capture the card with your bare hands? Wrassle’ it down like a croc on that movie with that guy in the khaki shorts.”

Nina - “Crocodile Hunter. Yeah, I heard you sunk money into that movie‘s production to get an environmental group off your back because they said you were nature indifferent.” Nina remarks, smirking as she does, “Don’t you like crocodiles? I heard your not making a single yen off the movie.”

Misho - “He just arrived sometime ago in the Realm of Dreams and is working Waking World Wildlife/Environmental Preservation efforts. Want me to arrange a meeting with you two so you can crank off in his face about how impressed you were with his movie?“ (silence) “Didn’t think so. Anyway it all went to that preservation group I just told you about, for the protection of animals and nature preserves through dream manipulation or somesuch stuff. Anyway what’s good for them is good for me as I like keeping the nutty animal rights groups off my front door if I even look like I’m giving to some sort of animal thingee. Besides which if it keeps wild cats wild and feed ‘em it’s kudos for my personal tastes in “animals“.“ (sneers) “Though if that movie ever beats Happy Feet in total ticket sales when it’s all said and done then it just goes to show how sick the movie going public in the Waking World is these days. I mean, really! I didn’t even think that lame Like Mike would get anywhere and look at it.”

“At some point you were going to take a breath, right?“ Nina remarked.
Misho frowns and redirects Nina’s attention by pushing her away, “Get out of my face.”

* * * * * *

“There’s Sakura and Tomoyo. Think that‘s Mirra also” Eliza offers, pointing off in one direction. “Yeah. Let’s go hook up---” Nina remarks as she looks about, “If we can wade through this crowd, that is.”

Eliza changes the subject, “Well, that ended rather well with Misho. Don’t you think?”

“What I think is that she’s still a sexually frustrated cat with a unattainable crush. She didn’t bring it up but I know she has Tomoyo on her mindset, as it is. Personally I’d rather not think about the kind of unbearable grudge she has against Sakura because she‘s hot for some Tomoyo lovin‘ but… never mind, forget I said anything.”

“Well that’s a first, you asking anyone to forget anything you said.” (Nina looks over at Eliza questionably) “You defending “Snoozer” is also a first while I‘m on the topic.”

“Nobody harasses the Snoozer but me, Eliza. And definitely not a Neko in heat like Misho.” Nina quickly changes the subject as they catch up to Sakura/Tomoyo, “Hey, Tomo! Snoozer! Managing to stay awake? Don‘t die from the over-exertion!”

“I’m NOT Snoozer!!” (Sakura suddenly sighs) “And why did you bring Toya with us?” (motions at Mirra-chan who’s fascinated with Toya) “Well?”

Nina - “I wanted to get your goat?”

“Sakura-chan---” Tomoyo quickly jumps in, deflecting Sakura’s anger. “She’s just worried about you, and wanted to make sure Mirra-chan is safe in case there’s any incident at the lake.”

“I guess---” (smiles as she peers over at Mirra-chan/Hikaru) “--but since Mirra-chan brought Hikaru to be here with her I’m happy.”
Nina nudges Eliza aside, whispering as she does, “Snoozer should stick to card captor-ing, because she makes a lousy Cupid. All that snoozing and eating---”

“I heard that!” Sakura grumbles, bumping Nina aside as she does. “Carmel apples! Quick, get some for us!”

“Yeah, Toya! Get some for---” Nina stops as she notices Sakura pointing at her and not Toya. “W-wh-what?!? Your rich enough, you do it! (Don’t freeload off my expense account you loser!) And why are they selling that stuff here at a food… oh, wait, I see it now…” (points at sign) “…it’s another NamoCatCat Foods business. Of course. What Taste of Tokyo fair is complete without the self serving need to promote one’s own food businesses no matter how unrelated to the topic of the fair the business is. Damn.”
Sakura, however, isn‘t in the mood for explanations. “Stop complaining! Your living under Tomoyo’s roof AND you haven’t helped once where it counts!” (shoves Nina towards the stand) “ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT! I’LL DO IT!!” (grumbles as Sakura starts cheering) “Damn Misho! Investing in that chain of caramel apple stands at local parks, what was she thinking?!? (And stop doing that! Act your age already, Snoozer! Should have called her Howdy! Damn her)---” (seconds later she returns) “Eliza first. Then Mirra & Hikaru, Tomoyo, Toya, Yuki---”

Sakura - “What about me?!”

Nina - “Yeah, here. Me then you.” (smirks as Sakura huffs her breath in anger). “Whatever, Snoozer, whatever.” (looks at Eliza) “Tell me if you want seconds.”

Eliza - “I’m fine for five or ten minutes.” Sakura pushes her way in front of Nina, “Aren’t you bring rude making it sound like Eliza’s a pig!”

“Not like you, the genuine kawaii-pig, right?” (Sakura fumes at that) “BUT for your information Eliza is Amazonian, so her metabolism coverts food into energy.”

“So she can run fast, or lift more?” Tomoyo asks. Briefly Nina looks about, noticing Mirra-chan & Hikaru has moved on to explore on their own, before she motions for everyone to draw closer. “So she can cast magic. Haven’t used that yet because, well, we put all our eggs into the Snoozer basket here---” (brings another huff from Sakura) “---so Eliza hasn’t dusted off her mojo yet. But if Sakura here ever drops the ball, Eliza’s here to pick up the pieces in case things go antarctic south.”

Eliza is quick to jump in and defuse the situation before it explodes, “BUT I’m just here to keep Nina company, rules state that only Sakura has the power to capture Clow cards. I’m just companionship material.” Eliza quickly throws in. (Which in turns makes Sakura all smiles from that announcement, which is something that can’t be said of Nina). “---uh---” (Yuki speaking now) “---how much do you eat?”

“Well---” Eliza looks over at Nina, then genuinely thinks about the answer. “Well. Today I ate breakfast at the estate, then picked up a wrap in town to eat with a bag of chips, then ate two box lunches that Sakura made for me & Nina (Nina usually gives me her lunch whenever Sakura makes it)---” (looks at Sakura) “---and I really shouldn’t have mentioned that. Then there’s the meal Nina makes for me after--- well, after. Then we ate dinner out at an all you can eat buffet before coming here and I already ate the full wares of six booths---”

“What happens if you don’t cast magic tonight?” Yuki asks without a thought of the consequences of hearing the answer. “Then I expend my excess energy in bed with Nina while we--”

“I DON’T WANNA HEAR ABOUT IT!!” Sakura yells, grabbing Tomoyo and dragging her off. “Well I never--” Nina drags Eliza after Sakura. “--is that normal--?” Yuki asks, but gets no reply as they follow the four. That is, before the scream catches everyone’s attention.
“Now what?!”

“That came from the lake, Nina.” Eliza notes, pointing back the way they came and off in one direction. “Oh.” Nina sighs as she watches the chain of girls spew out into the main “street” of booths. “And here I thought we were actually taking the day off. Silly me.”
Nina walks to the small crowd, claps her hands and draws everyone’s attention. “HELLO!! PEOPLE!! WHAT DID YOU--”

“We’re not deaf. We can hear you.”

“Oh. Well, what did you---” All the girls answer at once, “A woman in a kimono who looked like she drowned.”
Silence.
Nina - “Any reason in the world you can’t wait five friggin’ seconds for me to finish my sentence?”
Silence.
Nina - “---never mind---” (walks off) “---try the caramel apples if you haven’t already.” (sheesh)

* * * * * *

The lakeside (five minutes later)

Eliza looks over the water as she waits for Sakura. “Is she ready yet?”

“I’ll check-- hey, Snoo--”

“PERVERT!! I’M NAKED!!” (Nina is thrown out of the bushes and lands on her butt) “Personally I’d give it another five minutes. Though I can see what stirs Tomoyo‘s loins when it‘s bed--”

“I HEARD THAT!!” Sakura shrieks from behind the bushes. Eliza, trying to find any reason to keep Nina behaved, motions for her to come near her. “Oh. Nina, come over here.” Nina stands up, rubbing her rear (from the fall on her butt), as she walks over to where Eliza is, staring into the water. “I thought I saw something down there, a brief flicker of light and movement.”

“Where?”

“Maybe it was reflected moonlight.” Eliza remarks, to which Nina replies “No. It must have been the card, but it’s too shy now to come out.”

“Wasn’t too shy for those girls.” Eliza notes, “Maybe it likes ‘em young. Of course Sakura is the height of a little girl so maybe it thought she was tasty little Lolita treat--”

“I HEARD THAT TOO!!!” (Sakura stomps out of the brush wearing her costume, fuming mad) “Now, now Sakura-chan---” (Tomoyo follows right behind her trying to calm her down, but Sakura was on a roll) “YOUR RUDE!!”

“And your bossy and loud, crank it down five and come over here. Eliza saw the card.”

“What?” (Sakura quickly rushes over and leans over, looking down into the water) “Where?” Nina smirks, ‘Bet Tomo’d get a real kick seeing Sakura’s breasts through that top once I--’ (Eliza grabs Nina’s arm and pulls her to one side, stepping between the two) “What are you doing, Eliza?”

“You had that look in your eye.” Eliza whispers, pulling Sakura back from the railing. “It was only a glimpse of something that might have been something. Nothing concrete I’m afraid.”

“Oh.” (shakes her head abit as she steps back, sweating bullets now) “So it might not be a card after all.”

“Sakura-chan, if you don’t want to---”

“No, Tomo-chan, I must.” Sakura replies cautiously, “People are scared and it’s my duty to capture that card.”

“If it is a-- OUCH! Eliza!!” (Eliza gives Nina a soft but stern look) “--your no fun--”

“Anyway---” (tears start flowing down Sakura’s face) “--we have to pass here to get home! I have to capture that card or--”

“Or it’ll give Sakura paranoid complexes forever and--” (Nina sighs) “--I know, I know, zip it. Got it, got it, zipping it, sigh---” (removes kimono to show her work uniform beneath it, passes kimono to Eliza as she takes out a few armbands from her pouch (one large and a few smaller ones)). “First off, new commlinks (frees up your hands since they’re sensitive to motion). Make a fist twice in rapid succession and the device triggers.” (holds up arm as she slaps device on and demonstrates) “Like this. Squeeze-squeeze and---” (link comes on) “It’s sensitive to movement in the arm. Two quick squeezes makes the appropriate area flex and the device picks that up and activates. This also has a touch pad for data transmissions if vocal is impossible. It can work underwater, but only up to a certain depth--” (looks at lake) “--but since this lake is nowhere near that deep that shouldn’t be a problem. Still it can’t take a set amount of pressure. If the pressure starts to strain the device it’ll start to emit a pinging noise that’ll signal it’s integrity is failing. If you have a message it’ll vibrate. Oh, and here---” (attaches larger gauntlet to left arm) “This is my neural gauntlet. I’m trying something new with this model, it has a matter arranger and displacer, which is good for weapons deployment and good old fashioned energy shooting (so you are covered either way). I already put some of my favorite designs in here including a lightsaber and a few good guns from the best 3rd Preson Shooters out there so it’s good to go.“

As Sakura examines what she’s been given Nina hands her a small mask, “Now here’s a re-breather mask, with a ten minute oxygen yield. Just in case.” (Nina notes as she helps Sakura put it on her face). “I know Water gives you an air bubble but once it runs out the mask will take over and supply 10 additional minutes of air. That’s it otherwise.” (snaps Sakura in the butt as she passes) “Go Ham-ham on their butts, Snoozy.”

“----” (Sakura still isn’t happy being called Snoozer) “---sigh, Umi! Form a bubble of air to protect me from the water!”

Nina - “Remember, even if the air runs out in the bubble you’ll have 10 minutes of air from the re-breather, but that’s that. Don’t stay longer than that. If you need to chat to me (and lord knows I‘m mocked you long enough so you wouldn‘t feel the need to do that) I‘ll have my link gear on---” (slides half circle metal headband onto the back of her head connected to her wetware links) “--and I’ll monitor your transmissions on my visor just in case.” (the visor links into the metal piece). “Got it?“

“I got it.”

“Well, good luck.”
And, with Tomoyo recording, Sakura jumps into the water and disappears. “Good thing I bought these little gizmos with me---” Nina giggles as she pulls three small pods out of her pocket and tosses them into the water. “What are those?”

“Campods, Tomoyo, they’ll keep a record of her adventure down there--- something for your second volume DVD collection. Here--” (pulls out screen) “--let’s watch.”

As the campods follow Sakura down the water grows darker and darker. Briefly Sakura seems to stop but then continues to let the bubble carry her down. Soon it begins to grow bright again as she nears the source of the disturbances. “Better illuminate it so I can see what I’m doing…” (hold up gauntlet) “Now let’s see--” (the holo-imager comes up and displays all available functions, but in the dim light Sakura can hardly make anything out). “Here it is, there is a light feature on this thing. Now let’s see what’s ah----ead of…?!?”
Suddenly it’s very bright, dry, and Tomoyo/Eliza’s looking at her oddly. But that only lasts for a second or so. “WHAT HAPPENED TO NINA?!?” Eliza screams. Sakura looks down at the gauntlet display that she selected. “What the… I didn’t see this option before…“
Sakura shows the holoscreen to Eliza.
“Emergency Teleporter?!? How the hell did… but that means Nina-- NINA!!”

* * * * * *

Everything happened so fast she hardly had a chance to gulp down any air before the world collapsed around her, and everything went watery and dark. Nina’s senses shut off as the water slams into her (and the small amount of air that traveled with her during the switch) and she is sent reeling from the blow. Her mind nearly blanks out as she struggles to regain her senses, but dimly her thoughts focus on one thing.

* * * * * *

Eliza.
That’s all the link would say. Over and over again it flashed just that.
“NINA! NINA!! Respond!! NINA!!” Eliza yelled, growing more and more frantic.
Then, something new came up.

‘Sakura--- don’t--- I can’t--- I’m dying--- let go---’

“What?!?” Sakura gasped, looking over the readout on her own link. Tomoyo was just as confused as Sakura about this, “Sakura’s up here! What is she thinking?!”

* * * * * *

Nina weakly struggled against the encompassing arms, looking straight into Sakura’s face as she began to feel her air running out. Briefly Nina blacked out, but regain consciousness fast only to feel herself weakening, slipping in and out. As she opened her eyes again, she was Eliza holding her, and stopped caring whether she lived or died.

* * * * * *

‘---don’t leave me--- ‘liza--- hold me please--- don’t let me go--- please---’
“NINA NO!!” Eliza screams, leaping over into the water. But as she hit’s the water she freezes up as if she jumped into a tub with a live electrical cable in her hands. She screams as she hits, electricity shocking her hard, before she is tossed into the railing hard.

Quickly Tomoyo rushes forward and grabs Eliza’s upper body, struggling to keep her above water as Sakura helps to try and pull her up. “--no--- no--- Nina--- noooo---”
“I’ll get her!” Sakura quickly moves to jump the railing, only for a dark shadowy thing to fly across her line of sight and into the water. “Yuki! He’s going to---” (stops, turns) “---Yuki?” He was standing behind her. As he and Toya helped pull Eliza from the water, Sakura turns to face the lake. “What was that?!”

* * * * * *

Nina shuts her eyes, and with the last bit of will she moves left hand to her right neural gauntlet and triggers the holo imager.

“Self Defense Mode Active. Ship Defense Security Armor Deployed.”

As she holds tight the gauntlet activates, and encases her in hard SWAT unit armor, covering her face in the gasmask helmet and reviving her lungs with fresh air (generated from the bodysuit by drawing the oxygen out of the water and turning it into breathable air for Nina). Briefly stunned, she grabs tightly onto “Eliza” and sneers, her eyes visible through the helmet’s eye sockets as they narrow.

“Electroshocker Defense Mode Engaged. Charge Dispel Triggered.”

“Bang.”
With a scream she launches an electrical assault, supercharging the water around her as she throttles the thing she was holding (and herself) with a full on electrical barrage. Under the attack it disappears, leaving Nina to float towards the bottom of the lake drained and wasted, her strength gone. Worst, as the armor drew oxygen out of the water like a shark does, which means it only works if Nina moves constantly. If she stops moving the air dries out again, and she starts to suffocate once again. “Damn.” Nina gasps, watching the light fade above her, “I’m scared--- goddess-- ‘liza--- I’m scared--- please--”

As she blacks out she feels two soft feminine arms wrap around her, and a loving gaze of a woman’s smiling face gazing into her visor as she’s embraced by someone. “---goddess---”

* * * * * *

When she comes to she finds herself lying in the Medico Bay of the U.S.S. Ryoko, her clothes gone and her body mending from the experience. To one side she spots a familiar face. As Dr. Adri Talbot approaches her, Nina takes a swipe at the doctor’s shoulder length dark hair and smiles. “Knew you were more than a pretty face, doc.”
“That must be the delirium talking from the self induced electroshock therapy you gave yourself, but thanks all the same.” (pokes Nina’s chest as she talks) “I went through the trouble of clearing your lungs of the liquid you swallowed, and I treated you for shock (self induced I see) as well as the onset of hypothermia (that lake you were in was cold).“ (sits next to Nina staring at her intently, “Any reasoning as to what compelled you to jump in a lake like that anyway, only to give yourself a shock for some unfathomable reason?”

“Somebody else made my mind up.” Nina admitted honestly, “Where’s---?”

“They’re waiting in the Resting Area. Here---” (hands off neural gauntlet) “--Sakura wanted you to have it back. She was really apologetic the whole time, couldn’t stop bowing.”

“Well it’s not her fault. Now where’s… there it is…” (holds up microchip from open panel) “Somebody slipped a jammer into my gauntlet. How the heck did that happen.” (sighs as she shoves the panel close again with a slick clickt) “Somebody’s going to pay for that one. But--” (slumps back abit winded just from talking) “--maybe later. Where’s Eliza?”

“Bathroom break.” Adri noted, “She’s been sitting here non-stop watching you. When she first brought you in here she was in the grip of a panic attack, I had to give her a relaxant just to calm her (and at double dose no less!) and she still was nervous. She didn’t want to leave your side until you were feeling better.”

“Poor thing. It’s not her fault either. Sigh. So, who saved me?” Nina asked.

“Glavius. He was there with his wife and jumped in when he heard the commotion.”

“Nice guy. When Eliza gets back I’ll--” Suddenly Nina stops and looks, spotting Eliza to one side standing near a doorway shaking like a leaf. “Come here--- come here---” With tentative steps, then dashing strides, Eliza jumps into Nina’s arms and holds her tight. The two hug until Nina’s strength gives out again. As she pulls Eliza into the bed, both fall asleep in a soft embrace, Eliza sobbing for a few minutes until she also falls asleep. “At least ask me if you can double up before doing it.” (rubs her head wearily) “Better tell the others the good news so they can have their “privacy“.”

* * * * * *

It takes Adri two minutes to calm everyone down to the point of them listening. Inside the room was Sakura, Toya & Glavius (a tall dark haired male wearing a comfortable looking dress uniform (for the food fair)). Tomoyo took Mirra-chan & Hikaru home, and Yuki went home to wait for Toya.
“She’ll be fine. Got the excess water out of her and she’ll make a quick recovery.”
Adri stops, notices Sakura’s morbid expression, and smiles. “She’s not angry at you. She probably won’t stop calling your Sneezer for awhile but she’s rather forgiving right now.”

“Snoozer.” Sakura corrects, still nervous and depressed. Adri dreaded doing it, but she had to ask Sakura something, “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about though, Sakura.” (leans over to talk to her) “Nina muttered something about you holding her down, then Eliza, then something I couldn’t make out. She was too delirious when she was brought in to make much sense, and now that she’s well she’s too tight lipped to answer questions. Being naturally stubborn and all being part of her natural genetics and all.”

“She saw me in the lake?” Sakura asked, face becoming a reflection of her confusion.
“I think the card took your form, Sakura, that’s the only answer.” Kero surmises.
Sakura - “But why my form, and then Eliza’s? And her true form is a woman, right?”

“Not really though she might indeed be female---” (Glavius) “I noticed some of the reports and the descriptions, and they match the appearance of a model Misho was using to promote the festival who fell into the lake and got wet.”

“F-fell in?” Sakura stammered, “She’s alive, well, and posting a new batch of nude pics of herself on her website.” Glavius quickly added, blushing abit at the end words, “But obviously this thing saw her, mimicked her form---”

Kero - “THAT’S IT!!”
Everyone turns to look at Kero, who was now all excited. “It’s Mimic!”

Tomoyo - “Clow Reed made a card called Mimic?”

“Actually it was one of his earlier mistakes.” Kero accentuated, drawing everyone into his story as all eyes focused on him and him alone, “Clow Reed made the card, but it was too stubborn and arrogant. The card thought it was better than everyone including Clow Reed, so he finally had to seal it away and replaced that card with Mirror (who was gentler and had a child like innocence to her personality). Clow got rid of Mimic somewhere, and we haven’t heard about it in ages -- but is this really Mimic? After all these years it’s been here? In a place of dreams?”

“Seems that way.” Adri concludes, “That explains the ability to take on other people’s forms. But how do you capture a card that can mimic anything it sees?”

“Good question.” Sakura mutters as she slumps her shoulders, the events of the night finally weighting down on her and wearing her out. Toya finally decides to take Sakura home, putting her in Tomoyo’s care as he leaves the mansion. As Tomoyo walks next to one of her bodyguards, watching Sakura’s face as she sleeps, she smiles abit and thinks to herself ‘She does sorta look like Snoozer when she’s sleeping. How cute!’

* * * * * *

“Ever think about giving Sakura a break?” Adri asks as she oversees Nina’s transfer back planetside (for her to complete her resting at the Daidouji residence), walking aside her hover stretcher as they head down to the Teleporter-room. “Why? Your not going to mother hen her too, are you?”

“It’s not that, Nina, I just think you should ease off her back abit. That’s all.”

“I’ll forgive the near drowning thing, alright? Just don’t take away my ability to call her ‘Snoozer’. It’s one of the few joys I have in life that isn’t sex related.” Nina complains.

“But she’s so cute!” Adri protests, “Can’t you stop teasing her like you do?”

“Look, Adri, I’m the ONLY one who screws with her mind. Anyone teases her gets a fist in the face from me, anyone messes with her gets a spanking from me, anyone violates her gets the “Full Monty” (Winterian Style) from me. That might be hunky-dorry for sick fan porn, but in my world, on MY watch, it’s not kosher. Got it?”

“Sure. She’s not my type anyway---” (Adri blinks as a thought occurs to her) “Say, Nina, forgive me for being rather off base if I am, but your not having wet dreams about her are you? I mean what with your obsessive…”

Nina - “Want me to give you a rectal exam with your pocket light stick?”

Adri - “---I’ll take that as a no then---”

* * * * * *

Nina lays back, and flips the page. “Finally found time to catch up on my reading.” (sighs) “Should take more time off whenever possible. Hmm---” (smirks) “---maybe I should put a request through Command to post a request for Ryoko (Real Bout High School) hentai pics. I got my rank, I’m due it.” (hears a knock at the door) “Enter.” (looks over to the door) “Hey, Tomoyo, how‘s tricks? Just came back from the Shinto Shrine praying for my eternally damned soul?”

Tomoyo, wearing a beautiful dress, enters with Eliza’s pouch slung over her shoulder. “How are you doing?” (Nina shrugs) “I’m doing fine, but I’m guessing that’s a tribute to me since it’s Eliza’s pouch and she wouldn’t give that up unless it’s to bring me something. How’s Sakura? She does know I’m not going to blow up at her or anything--- she could grace me with a visit once she gets over the fear of me trying to kill her while she’s at it.”

“I can come in?” (the meek little voice outside the door asked) “Yeah, Sakura, come in.”

“Sorry.” (Sakura, head bowed, walks in blushing) “Cut that out, Sakura, I’m fine. Come over here and sit down. If there’s edible treats in there let’s share. (I have my dust buster so I’m good to clean the sheets of crumbs after we eat)---” (blinks) “---is the bag moving?” (pokes open the pouch and pulls Kero out, smiling) “Nice. You’re here too.” (rubs him on the head) “Your not all sad too, are you?” (puts Kero on the bed) “When I’m 100% again I’ll be back to being the same ole’ bitchy me I can be, so don’t get used to me being all nice and accomidating all the time.” (sighs) “But that’s later. So--- whatcha bring me?”

“Cookies. Sorry. Eliza got you a book too.” Tomoyo noted.

“Well she knows what I read. And thanks, you know I just love your cookies. Though your REAL sweet spot is only for Sakura’s tongue---” (blinks) “---and the mere fact that Sakura didn’t even flinch at the sex remark, let alone try to hit me is a bad sign isn‘t it.” (shakes Sakura with one hand, smling as she does) “Come on, stupid! This isn’t my wake! Stop pouting and get over it! What happened happened, and it’s nobody’s fault! Here---” (pulls out gauntlet) “Somebody hacked it’s mainframe with a Jammer chip, so they automatically used the mini emergency teleporter in the gauntlet to “swap” our positions (with my own gauntlet and it’s emergency teleporter).”

“H-how?” Sakura asks meekly. “Not too hard if you got the gear and a few years out of a good cyber-technical college (something Tomoyo should look into being that she’s all into the latest technology and all). Anyway I’ll find out one day, but not today---” (smiles) “---today is COOKIE DAY! Let’s eat.” (opens bag and hands out cookies) “Man I love a good cookie rush! Somebody go over to my replicator I put on the cabinet and make us some chocolate milk. Goes great with cookies.”

As Tomoyo (who already knew how to make the device work) did that, Sakura talked to Nina. “Did you get in trouble?”

Nina - “Nah. It went right under the radar (like I went under sea level). Nobody at Command heard about it and that’s OK in my book. Mina 00 even covered my stay on the Ryoko and no report was ever filed about it by either Adri or Mina 00, and that’s double OK in my book.” (holds up cookie & milk) “And I get to wolf down cookies & chocolate milk in bed! Triple OK in my book! How can eating chocolate in the form of little Captain America shields not be a good thing? (All round and all… Captain America hurls his cookies…)”

Kero - “We figured out what card it was down there. Mimic.”

“So that explains why it changed form---” (Nina tags a pouty Sakura on the cheek) “---should make your sex life far more interesting when you catch it you goddess, you!”

Sakura - “---aren’t you angry?” Nina leans back and thinks, “Not really, and I don’t need to beat on you certainly since you seem more than capable of self torture all on your own. Anyway it’s not like it was done on purpose or anything so I have no reason to be pissy about it. Besides which, for the life of me all I can think about is how Eliza almost killed herself trying to save me and that was---” (smiles) “Forget about it. I don’t want to be angry this time, because it just reminds me how I almost lost Eliza and that makes me somber when I think about it.” (shakes off thoughts) “So let’s not think about it! Now how are you going to catch this ---?!?”

Sakura grabs Nina and gives her a noogie.
“YOU’RE THE GREATEST, NINA!!”
Nina wiggles free of Sakura and sneers at her, “NOW I’M ANGRY!! STOP IT!! STOP IT!!” (bats her back with a rapid swinging of her arms) “TAKE YOU DYSFUNCTIONAL OUT ON SOMEONE ELSE, I’M SICK AND BEDRIDDEN!! STOP THAT!!” Nina finally pushes Sakura away and huffs at her, “Damn grow some maturity! Now, back to capturing the card---”

“Who saved you?” Eliza asked, seemingly popping out of nowhere as she tosses a data pad onto the bed for Nina to look at. On the bed was an image from Nina’s wetware (from her mind) showing a gentle female face holding her. Nina blinks, then shudders at the image. “So I wasn’t hallucinating. Are you angry at me, Eliza?”

Eliza - “No. I just want to know.”

Nina - “Sure, but it‘ll make zero sense to you because ---I think it might be--” (stops) “--I really can’t say.”

“What?!” Eliza protests, moving forward to sit next to Nina, “Why not?!?”

Nina sighs, falling back into the pillows to lie staring up at the ceiling, “It hurts too much to say, that‘s why.” Nina grabs and pulls Eliza close, pulling her tight on top of herself. “Please don’t ask me about it. Not now. I’ll explain later but--” (sighs) “--not now.”

“Alright.”
The rest of the conversation is spent talking about less stressful things.

* * * * * *

That night.
“I should be getting used to this--” Nina sighs, feeling her strength returning as she takes another deep breath of the night air. “But here we go again, Round 2.”
Nina clicks on her commlink headgear and motions to the others (wearing similar devices). “These headset comms I had Mina send down should do the trick in keeping us linked.”

As they all neared the lake the water began to churn, then whirl about until it explodes, as a figure rises out of it. At this everyone stops and stares in disbelief. “It’s Nina?!?” Sakura spits out. Sure enough, floating over the lake (wearing one of Nina’s neural gauntlets) is Mimic, in Nina’s form. It stares at Sakura with a mix of contempt and hatred.

In a flash she moves, grabbing ahold of Tomoyo by the neck as she levitates her into the air above them. Shocked, all they can do is watch as she holds Tomoyo over them.

Mimic - “So, Kero, still think I’m stupid?”
To Be Continued (Friday)