Kate Madigan walked down the street and sighed.  She still felt a little 
stiff.  It had been three long months in the Genom medical wing while doctors 
worked to save her life.  She wasn't ungrateful... in fact, the fact that she 
was able to walk at all amazed her.  But she was still moving slowly, and 
might never regain her full mobility.
     And now she had to try to move on.  Three months of inactivity meants 
that she'd lost over two years of corporate climbing.  Her position in Genom 
was powerless and ineffectual now, as Quincy had given her up for dead and 
moved on.  She had to demonstrate to him that that was a mistake, that she was 
still the same sharp, quick-witted and forward thinking person that Genom 
needed.  She would soon find herself back at the top again.
     But first, she needed to go shopping.  Genom had repaired the wing of the 
tower where she kept her small, private apartment.  Naturally it had been part 
of the area devestated by Largo.  They'd fixed the room, but left it barren.  
She had to use most of her paycheck to refurnish and redecorate.  Now all she 
needed was some clothes.  After so long in hospital gowns it would feel good 
to get back into a nice power suit again.
     She slipped into a lingerie store, intending to get a few necessities 
before moving on to the major stores.  She was, after all, a Genom employee.  
Even her underwear had to be top of the line.
     "Can I help you, Miss?"
     She turned to see Sylia Stingray walking up to her.  This was one of the 
reasons Kate came to this store.  It amused her in some small way to see the 
daughter of Katsuhito Stingray, father of all boomers, reduced to selling bras 
and panties in a seedy section of Megatokyo.  How the mighty have fallen.
     "Yes, my apartment was gutted recently in a fire.  I'm trying to get my 
life back together."
     Sylia nodded.  "Of course.  Come this way, I think I'll be able to help 
you.  What type were you looking for?"
     "Something simple.  I don't need to impress anyone."
     "Come into the back, I just got in a new consignment.  We'll see if 
they're what you're looking for."
     Kate nodded, stepping into the back room.  She blinked for a moment at 
the rather barren storeroom, then turned around just in time to see a hand 
coming towards her head...

***

     When Kate came to, she found herself strapped down to a bed.
     Since she'd spent much of the past three months like this, at first she 
was simply disoriented, convinced she was back at Genom.
     Then she remembered.  The lingerie store.  Sylia Stingray.
     Her eyes widened in confusion.  What the hell was going on?  Why was she 
being kidnapped like this?  This sort of thing made no sense...
     Several small, discernable facts clicked into place in Kate's mind.
     Oh.  Shit...
     A door opened, and she saw the object of her rapid decision making 
standing in the door.
     "It occurs to me that I might have made a mistake," Sylia said, her face 
impassive.
     Kate stared at her and cursed herself.  How was it she'd never realized?  
It seemed insanely obvious.  Still, she had to make do with what she had now.  
Never show weakness.
     So she merely nodded.  "You did.  I was honestly looking for lingerie.  I 
had no idea who you were."
     "But you do now," Sylia remarked.
     "Well, once I started wondering why you would want to club me over the 
head and tie me up, it suddenly all clicked together.  Unless you're merely 
recruiting me for dangerous lesbian sex games."
     Sylia actually managed a chuckle.  Kate marveled at the woman's 
composure.  "No, I think your first guess is more accurate.  Well, so we're 
both here because of my stupidity.  The question is, now what?"
     That was the question.  Sylia was hardly about to let her go, not now 
that Kate knew she was a Knight Saber... in fact, likely the White Knight 
saber.  That would be why she recognized Kate... she'd probably seen her 
bleeding and dying in Quincy's office.  No, she wasn't going to get out of 
here.  That left only one other reasonable option.  After all, Kate worked for 
Genom, which was either directly or indirectly responsible for the death of 
her father.
     The Knight Sabres made much more sense now that Sylia Stingray was in the 
equation.  She only wish she would be able to make use of that knowledge.
     She also wondered if Quincy knew.  Or if he cared.
     Sylia still hadn't spoken, and Kate began to realize that the question 
wasn't meant to be rhetorical.  She wanted to hear Kate say it.
     "Now you kill me, I suppose."
     Sylia nodded, and Kate, despite herself, felt her stomach clench in fear.  
Not just to die like this, but to die *now*, after she'd spent so long in 
Genom's hospital desperately not dying.  She suddenly felt very helpless.
     Then Sylia moved towards the bed, and Kate could see the gun in her hand.  
Well, at least it wouldn't be torture.  Painful, but quick.
     She was rather surprised when Sylia began to loosen the bonds keeping 
Kate on the bed.  She did it one-handed, still keeping the gun trained on her, 
and Kate briefly gave herself a mental once-over before deciding that she'd 
never even make it two feet before Sylia shot her.  So instead she slowly 
stood up, trying to work the kinks out of her muscles without being 
threatening, and moved with Sylia out the door.
     "Going to meet your friends?" Kate said as a way of making small talk.  
They were headed down a featurless corridor, and got into a small elevator.
     Sylia cocked her head.  "Hardly.  It was bad enough my foolishness made 
you find out about my extracurricular work, I don't need you discovering the 
others."
     "Everyone has one fatal flaw, hm?"
     "No, everyone has several fatal flaws.  Only those exceptional few are 
limited to one."
     "So what's your flaw," said Kate casually.
     The elevator opened out onto a long, brightly lit corridor.
     "Paranoia," Sylia said, and gestured with the gun.
     After walking for a few seconds, Kate turned and found herself in what 
seemed to be a small penthouse suite... except there weren't any windows.  
Several rooms, a waterbed, a weight machine, what seemed to be a completely 
stocked kitchen... Kate turned to Sylia, confused.
     Sylia smiled.  "I hope you like it here.  It's where you'll be staying."
     Kate's heart dropped.  "You can't be serious."
     Sylia frowned.  "If you like, I can kill you.  That's still a very 
practical option."
     "So instead you'll leave me here to die?"
     "You won't die.  You have almost every comfort here.  I'll bring a copy 
of a newspaper every morning, and you can keep in shape.  I designed this 
space in the event of an emergency.  Congratulations, Miss Madigan, you are 
that emergency.  Be thankful for the friends I'm not letting you see.  Only a 
month ago, I might have had no qualms in killing you.  Now I'm realizing 
there are other ways."
     Sylia smiled, and moved to leave the room.  Kate stared around her in 
panic at a suite which suddenly looked very forbidding.
     "How long do you plan to keep me here?" she asked.
     Sylia turned, the door halfway closed.  "Until you are no longer a 
threat."  And then the door closed, locking Madigan into her tomb.

***