Chapter Five:

Calm Before The Storm

Nene knocked on Michael's apartment door. She waited a few more moments and knocked again. A voice sounded from behind the door.

 "Hold on! I'm coming!" it said. The door unlocked and opened. Hunter stood in the doorway. His muscular frame would have intimidated anyone who didn't know him. Except Nene, who worked with him. "Hi Nene." he smiled.

 "Hiya Hunter! I didn't expect you to be here!" Nene said with delight. 

 "I want to be sure that he'll be okay when I leave him." he said.

 Nene understood. A.D. Police members stuck together. And Hunter was Michael's partner and best friend. "Is Michael awake?"

 Hunter nodded slightly. "He's in his room. He'll be out shortly." He stepped to the side and let Nene in. He followed that closed up behind him.

 Hunter returned to his chair that he'd been keeping his vigil in.  Turning off the TV, he turned to Nene. "He's been sleeping for most of the morning. He said that his headache is gone. I still think that he is hurting."

 Nene took a spot on the sofa and got comfortable, as Hunter filled him in on what had been going on.

 They saw there in awkward silence for a few moments.

 "Hey Hunter?" Michael called from his room.

 "Yeah buddy? What's up?" Hunter called back to him.

 "You are you talking to?" Michael's head appeared in the open doorway to his room. He saw who was there. "Hi Nene." Michael smiled and winced slightly.

 "Hi Mikey!" she smiled back at him. It was a relief to see him up and walking around.   She had to suppress the urge to jump up and hug him.

 "It's nice to see you." he smiled and sat down next to her on the sofa. "Would you like something to drink?"

 She accepted his hospitality.  "A soda if you have one."

 "Hunter?" he asked his best friend.

 "Sure. Got Beer?" Hunter asked.

 He went into the little kitchen, and got his guests and himself drinks.

 Nene took a sip of her drink, and sat it down.

 "Michael?" Nene asked. "Can I ask you something?" she started to get a little nervous. Nene was sure if she really wanted the answer to the question she wanted to ask.  But a small part of her needed to know the answer.

 "Sure, Nene." Michael could see the nervousness in her. "Are you okay?" She looked pretty tense.

 "I'm fine." she nodded. "What do you know about Sylia Stingray?"

 Michael's eyes got real wide for a moment. Then he sat down.

 ***************************************************

 Linna was teaching her aerobics class. Her first class consisted of some GENOM secretaries on their lunch hour and some normal employees from the surrounding businesses.

 "OK!" Linna said. "Break time! Then, we’re onto the step-aerobics!"

 Taking her towel from the bar behind her she wiped her face.  A lot of these ladies where in excellent shape, with the exception of a few that where trying to get into shape. And with Linna's class they could do that. Even with Nene, who could really stand to lose a few pounds herself.

 Linna put her towel back over the rail. She closed her eyes for a moment to catch her breath. Behind her the GENOM secretaries where gossiping.

 "That creep is so much like Brian J. Meison was!" one said.

 Linna's eyes shot wide open.

 "It seems like he learned everything from him!” another piped in. “He fired Misa as his secretary. Now, he’s got a woman boomer as his assistant!”

 ‘This is interesting’ Linna thought and listened in. ‘Please ladies, continue.’

 “I don’t know how Quincy can put up with him.”  A third replied. 

 “Yeah. That Dickinson lives up to his name.” The first chortled. Which, the others joined in.

 Linna made a mental note. Sylia may find this of some interest. “Ladies!” she said loudly. “Back to work!”

 ***************************************

 Sylia sat in the darkness of her bedroom, eyes closed. It had been several years since Michael and she last spoken. She went to see Michael a few days after Dr. Itami’s funeral. But the place was ransacked, and dark. A million thoughts had gone through her mind that day. She thought that Julianna and Michael might have fallen victim to the same people that killed Itami. But Sylia knew better. Julianna was a very smart woman, and she wouldn’t have been caught off guard.

 Michael. The face in the file was an older than she had last remembered him. His short hair was replaced with long locks that flowed down his back.  He wasn’t that much different she mused. He reminded her of someone on her team. A certain someone with a penchant for rage.

 **************************************

 Michael was shocked. That was a name that he hadn’t thought of in years. “Sylia and I grew up together.  She was my best friend as a child. Sylia’s father and my mother worked together and Wiz Laboratories. She helped Dr. Stingray create the first boomer. ”

 She was in slight shock. Never in a million years would she have thought that. “Wow.” Nene said. “Your mother helped with the first Boomer?”

 “Yeah.” Michael smiled, remembering. “My mom jokingly called it my ‘little brother.’  “

 “Was she there the night of the horrible accident?” Nene asked.

 Hunter listened in. He had never known about Michael’s past.

 “No, she was home with me that day. I had been really sick when it happened.”

 “Oh.”

 He continued. “GENOM offered her a job after the accident. She worked in their R&D department. Continuing on Dr. Stingray’s work.” He stopped for a moment.   “How do you know Sylia?”

 Nene cleared her throat. “Sylia is a good friend of mine.” ‘Oh good one Nene! You just broke Knight Saber rule 9. Members do not know each other outside of the organization.’ She mentally chided herself.

 “She saw your name in this morning’s paper. She looked just as shocked when she saw your name, as you where, when I mentioned hers.”  Nene picked up her drink again.

 Hunter sipped at his beer, listening to Michael and Nene talk. He felt like an audience of one.  

 “Hey Michael? He spoke, not to break the conversation.

 Both Nene and Michael had forgotten about Hunter. They looked over at him in surprise. 

 “I’m going to roll. Are you going to be okay by yourself?” Hunter asked, reaching for his coat.

 “I’ll be fine.” Michael gave him a devil-may-care smile. 

 Hunter eyed him up. “You’re sure?” He was concerned for his partner’s safety.  

 “Positive.” Michael continued to grin. “I’ll talk to you later on. Plus, Nene is probably going to be here for a little while.” He turned to look at her.

 “Sure!” Nene said. “Michael and I are probably going to talk for awhile.”

 Hunter pulled on his jacket. “Okay. See you later then.”

 Michael let his friend out, and then returned to talk to Nene.

 “I guess it’s been awhile since you last talked to Sylia?” Nene started the conversation again. Things where starting to fall into place slowly.

 “Since ’25. I think. I sent letters to her. But she never responded to them. After a year of no response, I stopped writing.  I thought she never wanted to talk to me again. “ Michael explained to Nene.

 “That’s not the look that I saw in her eyes.” Nene said. She wondered what happened between the two friends. Then again, Nene couldn’t tell what was going on behind Sylia’s eyes.

 He ran his hands through his long raven hair. Michael nodded.

 “I want to talk to her.”  Michael said.

 A knock sounded at Michael’s door.  Both of them where shaken from their thoughts.

 ‘Who is that?’ Michael thought. “It could be Hunter, he probably forgot something.”

 “I’ll get it for you!” Nene jumped off the sofa and answered the door. When she opened it, standing in the hallway was Sylia. She gave Nene one of her enigmatic smiles.

 “Uh, Michael? You may not have to wait anymore.” Nene stepped back, as Sylia entered the apartment.

The room was deadly silent for a moment. Both of them looked at each other. Both taking the view of each other after all this time.

 “Hello Michael.” Sylia walked over to him. “It’s been a while.”

 He smiled. “Yes, it has.”

 He stood and hugged her, his best friend all those years ago. “There is a lot to talk about.” Sylia calmly said.

 *************************************************

 Priss had gotten dressed and headed over to the club for the afternoon show that she was supposed to do. She was going to get there early, and be ready before the band got there. That would show them!

 On the way she decided to get something to eat. Priss stopped at her favorite burger joint. She pulled her cycle into a parking spot, removed her helmet and headed inside.

 A cop cruiser pulled up into the spot next to her cycle. Leon got out of the car and saw Priss’ bike. “Priss is here?” he said to no one in general. Glancing up into the restaurant, he saw her. 

 He checked his hair in one of Priss’ rear view mirrors. Then he headed in.

 “Hey Priss! Priss!” Leon called from behind her.

 Priss didn’t have to turn around. She knew the voice. ‘Leon’ she thought. She thought he was a dope. He wasn’t her type, and he didn’t get that fact either! He was too hard headed!

 Everyone was looking at him as he got in line behind her. ’Oh great, give them a show, Leon!’

 “Hey Priss!” He smiled behind his sunglasses, trying to be cool.

 “Get bent, Leon.” She muttered.

 “Huh?” he didn’t hear what she said.

 “Leave me alone, Leon!” she said through gritted teeth. Could this jerk take the hint? What was so hard about leaving her alone!

 “You don’t mean that Priss!” He exclaimed.

 She spun around and looked up into his face. “Yes I do mean it! Have you ever heard of harassment? I’m going to report you! And I bet these people here would back up my story!”

 “You tell him, lady!” one patron said.  Then people started to boo and hiss at Leon.  Priss stood there defiant, arms crossed, just daring him.

 As Leon sheepishly snuck out of the restaurant, Priss turned around to place her order.

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