Bubble Gum Fury

Disclaimer: Well, at least that uncute tomboy can't bash me over 
the head for this.

< >: Thoughts

                                   Chapter 4
                                    Part 1
                               He's Not a Boomer?

"It's him!" Nene exclaimed quietly as she and her friends saw Terry 
enter the bar and sit down on one of the stools at the counter. The 
bartender nodded his head to him.

"What'll it be?"

The longhaired street fighter nodded and ordered a whiskey. He had 
been following some leads over any clues as to how he got to this 
strange world, using the connections that he had made during his 
forays into the illegal street-fighting tournaments. So far, his 
investigations had turned up with very little information, other than 
a connection between Genom and Boomers. Since the last thing he 
encountered before finding himself in MegaTokyo was a Boomer, 
he had narrowed his search to anything he could learn about the 
corporation. Unfortunately, the company was very difficult to access 
and Andy Bogard's brother had come up against an impasse. All he 
heard were rumors that Genom was involved in several exotic 
experiments in Boomer technology.

Terry sighed as he swirled his glass of whiskey for a moment before 
downing it. If he had any chance to get back home, he needed to get 
into Genom.

At Quincy's office...

Unknown to Terry, that self-same company had gotten even more 
interested in him. The CEO of that corporation was presently 
looking at the video clips of the latest Boomer 'rampage' that was 
recorded by those same machines. The data had been transmitted to 
him via satellite feed and was not in the possession of the 
authorities. His eyes widened as he saw Terry Bogard take apart the 
four Boomers, including their latest heavy-assault model, the 
Devastator.

"Amazing! And you say that he's not a Boomer?"

"Yes sir." The technician replied after the viewer finished playing 
back the recording. His name was Reginald, one of the newest 
members on the research and development staff for new-type 
Boomers. In fact, he was one of the technicians that had worked on 
the Boomer that had transported Terry to this world. "According to 
the new readouts, there was no trace at all of any biomechanical 
apparatus enhancing him of any kind. At first, we thought he was 
some kind of augmented Boomer with organic tissue, but the 
scanners in the Devastator confirmed that he was a complete 
lifeform and... human."

"Human?! That cannot be possible! How can a human being 
generate such power?" Quincy was a bit unnerved at the raw power 
that Terry displayed.

"We've double and triple-checked the data and we found no 
discrepancies in either the scanners or the readouts. The scanners of 
the Devastator were working perfectly before it was destroyed. 
There were no malfunctions of any kind."

"Interesting..." Quincy stroked his chin as he thought about the 
possibilities. "Tell me, could it be possible to somehow... mimic 
such powers into a Boomer?"

The technician thought for a moment, then nodded tentatively. "It 
could be possible, if could discern just how he is able to generate 
that strange energy of his. Another option is to fuse his organics to 
a Boomer chassis. As you know, we have made great strides in 
fusion technology and can now incorporate organic tissue on a far 
greater level than before."

Quincy nodded as he began getting ideas of turning this Terry 
Bogard into a living weapon. The early experiments in 2027 had 
mixed results. Fusing living tissue with Boomer circuitry was by no 
means an easy task, especially if the recipient developed Boomer 
Syndrome, which caused his or her personality to fragment. That 
lead to instability and the person would become so deranged that 
anyone within close proximity would be in danger of losing his or 
her life. Today's Boomers did have large amounts of organic tissue 
fused into their systems, but because their minds stemmed from an 
AI system that could be programmed, they were easier to control. 
However, this limited their use in situations that required higher 
cerebral functions. Creating more advanced AI systems was 
expensive and too complex to be practical on a mass-production 
scale. Now with better technologies in fusing human beings with 
cybernetics, Quincy had the option of creating a kind of super-
soldier with human intelligence, but at a reduced cost. Yes, this 
Terry Bogard could provide even more possibilities than the OMS 
Project. If his technicians could discern how this person could 
produce such energy, and if was possible for others to do so, then it 
would be a feasible plan to have an army of trained individuals 
converted into cybernetic warriors. The applications would be 
endless! Of course, transforming an army of humans into cold-
merciless killers was unethical, but the CEO of Genom didn't get to 
where he was today if a little thing such as morals got in his way.

"Have you been able to track this Terry Bogard?"

"Yes sir. We have been able to pinpoint his whereabouts based on 
previous sightings. This morning, a surveillance team had 
discovered that he is currently residing at a hotel near the bay off to 
the south of Block YT-74. Our people have also found out that he 
has been asking questions about Genom."

"I see. Well then, have this Terry Bogard brought to me... discretely 
if you can. If not, use any means necessary, understand? Also, I 
want him ALIVE, understood?"

"Yes sir."

Back at the bar...

"Go on Priss." Nene urged. "See if you can get some more info on 
that guy!"

"Huh? Why me?" Priss said with annoyance. Sure the guy was 
good-looking, but Priss didn't understand why she had to be elected.

"Because you've already met him!" Nene replied. "It would be better 
for you to talk to him. He's only met Linna and me in our 
Hardsuits!"

Though Linna would very much liked to talk to the handsome man, 
she had to admit that Priss would be better suited, since she would 
be the only person that Terry would recognize, rather than a total 
stranger.

Priss gave off an exasperated sigh and nodded as she got up and 
began to approach the counter. It was at that time that someone 
entered the bar and called out to her.

"Hey there, angel, long time no see."

Priss winced as she recognized the voice belonging to her greatest 
admirer and sometime pest, Inspector Leon Nichols of the AD 
Police. Though she really had nothing personal against Leon, his 
romantic overtures toward her were irritating and she had no desire 
to start any relationships. Though she did admire him for his hard-
case attitude, and was grateful during the times he had helped her 
out, she still nursed a grudge against the AD Police. She was 
uncomfortable with anyone who was a part of that division of law 
enforcement.

Priss' dislike of the ADP had deep wounds stemming from the time 
she had ridden with a biker gang. The leader of the group had 
captured her heart and Priss had thought they would be together 
forever. However, her lover was murdered by a Boomer, when he 
had gotten too close to one of Genom's secret projects and the ADP 
had ruled his death as a mere accident. The emotional scar from 
that time in her life was one of the main reasons why she accepted 
Sylia's offer to become a Knight Saber.

Another reason why she kept Leon at a distance was the fact that he 
wanted her to be someone that she could not be. He wanted 
permanence and commitment. Priss could not see herself as such 
and wanted to be free. Furthermore, Leon knew that she was Knight 
Saber and that in itself would jeopardize his safety. If there was one 
thing that she wanted to avoid, it was another heartbreak, as 
another person close to her would perish. She had already lost one 
love and several close friends, surprisingly two were Boomers. She 
would be dammed if she were to add a nice dope like Leon to that 
list.

Priss sighed as she turned to Leon and said, "Leon, what do you 
want?"

"Hey don't be that way." Leon said cheerfully as he moved toward 
her. "I just got off duty and came in here for a drink. When I saw 
you here, I wanted to know if you'll allow me to take you out to 
dinner and maybe later..."

"Leon, I told you that I'm not interested." Priss said with a slightly 
angry tone. "You're not a bad guy and all, but I think you'd be 
better off with someone else. Besides, I've got things to do and..."

"Aw c'mon Priss. Don't be like that." Leon tried to place a hand on 
her shoulder, but Priss angrily swats it away.

"I'm telling you now for the last time, Leon. I'm NOT interested."

"Please Priss. I promise that you'll have a really good time and once 
you get to know me better..."

Priss angrily pushed at his chest and glared at him. Why couldn't 
this cop take a hint? She did not want to be romantically involved. 
She would just set herself up for more heartbreak if she did.

It was at that time that Terry noted the pair arguing. He had not 
noticed Priss and her friends when he had entered the bar, but when 
he saw her now, he recognized her as the person he had saved 
earlier from a motorcycle crash. He then saw a very big bruiser 
make his way toward them.

The man had been drinking heavily with his four friends at a corner 
table. He was three mugs past his limit and absolutely reeked of 
alcohol. He and his friends had been eyeing Priss and her group 
when they came in and the man was about to make his move on her 
when Leon showed up. Now the big man approached them as his 
companions watched with interest. 

"Hey there pal. It seems that the lady don't wanna go with you. 
Besides, I wuz planin' on askin' her out myself."

"This isn't your business friend." Leon said as he smelled the liquor 
on the man's breath. It was obvious that the man was intoxicated 
but Leon didn't want to get into a fight with this man. Though he 
did have the advantage of being sober and was in excellent physical 
condition, the odds began to shift against him when the man's 
friends also rose to join him. The man himself was very daunting as 
he appeared to built like a bull and probably had a hard head to 
match.

One of the drunk's friends sneered at him and said, "Hey there! My 
friend wants you to lay off on the lady. You better do what he tells 
you or he might have to rough you up a bit."

Priss held back a groan as she tensed up for trouble. It was bad 
enough that Leon was here, but these unwanted admirers made 
things even more complicated. She had ignored those ruffians as 
they had leered at her and her friends since they came in. She 
spared a glance back at where her friends were sitting. Both Linna 
and Nene gave her nod, signaling that they would be ready to back 
her up if things got ugly, which becoming increasingly likely.

"Don't think you can threaten me... " Leon warned as he backed off 
slightly to get more fighting room. He took out his wallet and 
flipped out his badge.

The big guy snorted disdainfully and said, "So you're from the 
ADP. Big (censored) deal."

His fiends also snickered as the big man began chuckling.

"Oh... we're really scared!"

"He's a big bad cop!"

"I guess we should watch ourselves, right guys?"

The big man let out a guffaw and said, "You think that piece of 
metal's gonna protect you from me? Here's what I think about it!" 
He launched a haymaker at Leon's face.

That was when things got ugly.

Leon sidestepped to avoid the blow, then grabbed the extended 
wrist, twisted the arm toward him and put his opponent into side 
throw. The man crashed into a table headfirst. The table had some 
leftover drinks on it, which crashed to the floor in a puddle of beer 
and broken glass. Leon whirled around to face off against three of 
the man's comrades.

"Get 'im guys!"

Priss backed off as Leon had thrown his foe into a table. She knew 
that this was bad and now there was no way of salvaging the 
situation. She saw one man rushing toward Leon and pull out a 
switchblade. Leon saw the glint of the knife and evaded to the side 
to avoid it. Unfortunately, when Leon's foot shifted quickly to the 
right, he momentarily lost his footing as he slipped on a wet spot 
previously caused by the spill. Leon twisted a bit to right himself, 
but that was when another of the drunk's friend came up form one 
side and connected with a crosscut punch to the policeman's chin. 
His head hit the floor hard and he was made unconscious. 

"Leon!" Priss cried out as she saw him go down. She had started 
toward him when someone came in from behind her and grabbed 
her arm. She turned her head and saw that one of the drunk's friend 
smirking at her and said, "Hey sweet-cheeks, if you're not interested 
with them, how's about you and me..."

WHAM!

Priss' retort to the man's offer was a belt to the chops and her 
unwanted suitor went down like a bag of cement. However, as she 
was distracted by the man, Leon received several more hits to his 
face and a kick to the gut as the other two attacked him as he was 
still down on the floor. It was then that the big man got back to his 
feet and snarled at the officer. Grabbing an empty bottle on a nearby 
table, he smashed the bottom of it against the table's edge and then 
pointed the jagged edge toward the downed Leon.

Linna and Nene screamed as the drunk swung the glass bottle at 
him. Then the arm was suddenly stopped in its deadly arc, as the 
drunk suddenly felt a viselike grip being applied to his wrist. He 
looked behind him and saw a very perturbed Terry Bogard holding 
back his arm with one hand.

Terry's eyes narrowed as he shook his head and said in a low, firm 
tone, "I don't think so." He then pulled back on the arm he was 
holding and casually tossed the big guy over his shoulder. The man 
must have weighed more than 250 lbs. but the Lone Wolf tossed 
him as if he was like a feather pillow. The bruiser slammed 
headfirst into another table. As he went sprawling, Terry turned to 
face the other three assailants.

"Three guys against one who is already down doesn't really sound 
fair to me." Terry stated as he took his traditional Hakkyoku Saiken 
stance.

Being a good martial artist, Linna wondered what kind of fighting 
style Terry used, as she did not recognize the stance. She and Nene 
held back to see Terry in action as Priss knelt down beside Leon to 
check if he was seriously injured.

"You can't to that to our pal!" The one with the switchblade 
screamed as he charged at Terry.

The Lone Wolf however, simply dodged the wild stab at his 
abdomen by sidestepping, then kicked the knife out of his hand. 
Before the attacker had a chance to recover, Terry moved forward 
and sent a hard straight punch to his face. The man went flying 
backward from the blow and slammed into the side of the bar 
counter. He slid down and was out like a light.

Another one of the assailants rushed at Terry, hoping to catch him 
from behind. However, Terry caught him as he swung a wild punch 
at his head. Ducking the blow, Terry grabbed his opponent by the 
front of his shirt and threw him toward another guy approaching 
him from the other side. The two collided and went tumbling to the 
floor. It was at that moment that Terry heard a yell and pivoted to 
see that the big man had gotten back at his feet and charging at 
him.

"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" Terry commented as 
he brought up a hand to intercept a wild blow to his face. The 
bigger man's fist slapped into the open palm of Terry's hand and he 
cried out in pain as Terry closed his hand in a crushing grip. That 
was when the street fighter reared back with his other fist and... 
POW, right in the kisser!

The huge man went flying toward the front window of the bar and 
crashed through it, causing bits of glass to go scattering.

"My window!" The bartender cried out as the others struggled to get 
to their feet. That was when they saw Terry take a ready stance and 
start with a strange blue light.

"What the hell?!" One guy exclaimed.

Terry smirked as he let his battle aura flare up a bit more. "Care to 
try your luck again?"

The sight of seeing him enveloped in a weird blue aura made the 
last two assailants nervous. Nene and Linna were also awestruck at 
the sudden display of ki energy as they simply stared at it. It was 
then that they began to hear the distant wail of police sirens.

"It's the cops! Let's get out of here!"

The two remaining ruffians that were still conscious quickly began 
picking up their fallen comrades. However, since their drunk friend 
was too massive for them to move, they decided to abandon him to 
his fate and hightailed it out of there.

As soon as they had cleared out, Terry took a deep breath and 
calmed down, letting his battle aura fade away. He quickly went to 
where Priss was tending to Leon and asked, "How is he? Is he all 
right?"

Priss looked up from where she was kneeling and nodded. "He'll be 
all right. He just had the wind knocked out of him. Thank you."

"It's okay. " Terry said as he quickly turned to the bartender, who 
was cowering behind the counter. Quickly reaching into his pocket, 
he took out a large wad of yen notes and placed it on the counter. 
"That should cover for the drink and the damages. See you!" Terry 
then ran out of the bar, as he did not want to be there when the 
authorities arrived. 

"Hey! Wait a minute!" Linna shouted as she realized that Terry was 
getting away. Shaking her friend Nene, she called out to Priss and 
said, "Take care of Leon!" She then bolted out of the establishment 
and began chasing after Terry, with Nene close behind. However, 
Linna was in far better shape than her friend was and soon the 
policewoman was gasping for breath as the aerobics instructor, and 
martial artist of the Knight Sabers ran on ahead.

Linna managed to get a glimpse of Terry as he ducked into alley. 
Just as she rounded the building, there was slight whoosh of air, 
which caused her to look up the fire escape. She saw Terry more 
than six flights up and rapidly pulling away.

<How did he get up there so fast?> Linna wondered as she began to 
ascend the first flight of stairs. She continued to look up as she ran 
up the fire escape, but the Lone Wolf was stopping for no one. She 
pushed herself hard to catch up, but then saw it was fruitless when 
she saw Terry suddenly leap away from the fire escape. He made a 
triangle jump on the wall of a building on the opposite side of the 
alley, then landed on the roof of the building in which the fire 
escape was attached to and disappeared. By the time Linna got to 
the top of the escape, Terry was long gone.

Some time later, Terry came back to the hotel that he was staying at 
and was about to enter his room when he suddenly got the feeling 
that someone was already inside. He cautiously turned the knob and 
let the door swing open. Peering inside, he saw that there was 
someone sitting on a chair in the living room. The man looked to be 
in his forties and had red hair cropped in a crewcut style. He was 
wearing a gray business suit.

"Good day to you Mr. Bogard."

"Who the hell are you? How did you get in here? How do you know 
who I am? What do you want?"

The man shrugged as he began counting off with his fingers. "In 
order: My name is Reginald Harper, a technician for Genom Inc. I 
got in by way of getting the master key of the hotel. I know about 
you from your battles in the streetfighting tournaments as well as 
against our most powerful models of Boomers. Lastly, I am here to 
invite you to come to Genom. The CEO of Genom, Mr. Quincy is 
very interested in meeting with you and I have been instructed to 
bring you back... by any means possible."

Terry did not like the sound of that. "And what if I decline your 
offer?"

"You really don't have a choice."

Reginald smiled as he snapped his fingers. Three figures appeared 
into the room. One came in by way of the balcony. The second came 
out from the bathroom and the third came in from a storage closet. 
Each were dressed in business suits but they were huge and Terry 
got the feeling they weren't all human.

"So, what's it going to be Terry Bogard? The easy way... or the 
hard way?"

To be continued...

Author's notes

Yes this part of chapter 4 does seem a bit short but it's just a 
prelude of things to come. It will be more intense in the second part 
as Terry faces off against Genom and the Knight Sabers may have 
to come to Terry's rescue.


