A dim light crept into the old church as day broke. For many, it was time to get up and face the day. For others, it was the end of a long night.

"We're back, sir." Anri said, the servos of her makeshift Hardsuit hissing as she stepped forward. "The others are moving the combat boomers to the lab."

"Good Anri..." Largo whispered, a faint sigh escaping his lips, "Good. One more step towards freedom..."

"And revenge..." Anri said softly. "We have to get revenge against the Knight Sabers for killing Sylvie!" Largo seemed to flinch at her words. Anri blinked. Largo was not being himself... something must be wrong.

"Yes... that too." Largo whispered. Anri frowned and stepped forward. Her Hardsuit's hissing caused her to pause. With a few adjustments, she opened the seals on the powered armour and stepped out of it.

"Are you all right, sir?" she asked, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I... yes Anri, thank you." Largo said softly. "And... please, don't call me sir anymore. Just... just call me Largo." Anri blinked in suprise. He wanted her to call him by his name! She suppressed a giggle of delight... the greatest boomer of all time wanted her to call him by his first name!

"Yes... Largo." she murmured, smiling radiantly. Largo pursed his dry lips, then glanced away. Her Sexaroid nature was getting to him...

"Anri... I should show you to your room." Largo said, feeling a bit warm. The blue haired boomer latched to his shoulder beamed a bit wider.

"How about you take me to Your room." Anri suggested, smiling with the calm self assurance that she had found since working with Largo. She was fighting now, not only for her own freedom, but for the freedom of her race!

"I..." Largo began, but the touch of Anri's lips silenced his protests...

* * * * *

"So..." Anri began, running her hand over Largo's masculine chest, "tell me about the Knight Sabers. How are we going to destroy them now that we have slapped them in the face?" She paused again as her lover's face blanched. "What?"

"Anri..." Largo said, looking torn, "I've... I'm so sorry. I've lied to you. I..." Largo looked away, his face burning.

"About what?" Anri asked, "I mean, what the hell could have you this torn up?"

"I.. It was my fault that Sylvie died!" Largo managed, a few stray tears leaking from his closed eyelids. "I- I could have saved her!"

"But... the Knight Sabers..."

"The Blue Saber fired the shot that physically killed her." Largo said, brokenly, "but it was a mercy shot. She was already dead. The D.D.- it was out of control. Sylvie was hurt... bleeding... and the D.D. was counting down to self destruct with a neutron bomb ready to destroy the entire city..."

"My god..." Anri whispered.

"Sylvie... she asked the Blue Saber... Priss... to shoot her." Largo whispered.

"Priss?" Anri gasped, "It... it makes sense.... But how does that make you responsible?"

"I knew she was using the D.D.!" Largo cried out, admitting his shame, "I... I wanted to stop her... to stop the training early... but Flint ordered me to either let her finish or kill her. I should have disobeyed, but... I was... afraid." Largo wrapped his arms around Anri's sleek form and hugged her tight. "I was scared to move against him. I told myself that Sylvie could handle it... that she wouldn't merge with the D.D., but... Oh Anri, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Shhhh..." Anri whispered, hugging the powder blue boomer to her, "Its okay... its okay..."

"I... I told you it was the Knight Sabers because I was afraid you'd leave the revolution if you knew the truth. I... I understand if you still want to leave."

"Sylvie believed that our kind should be free." Anri whispered, "and you're our best chance. I'm not leaving you, Largo. I... I care for you too much."

"Thank you..." Largo murmured into her shoulder. Anri only smiled slightly, holding Largo close as he wept.

* * * * *

"Leon, is it?" Largo asked, picking up the police officer by the neck.

"You... know me?" Leon gasped.

"We have mutual friends." Largo told him, grinning. Then, with a quick neck movement, Largo smacked his own head into Leon. Largo dropped him to the asphalt. Leon was out cold.

"I could have stunned him for you." Anri pointed out, smiling.

"Maybe next time." Largo replied. He took a step towards the car, then stopped as a bullet shot past his nose. He glanced back down the road and spotted a red bike coming towards them. Fast.

"ANRI!!!" the biker screamed, swerving past the burning wreckage of the ADP chopper.

"That's Priss!" Anri yipped.

"I won't hurt her." Largo muttered, signaling to the orbital satellites. A plasma beam hit the highway directly behind Priss, throwing her from the bike with the force of the explosion. She hit the ground hard and made a pained sound.

"Is she all right?" Anri asked, glancing nervously back as Largo got back in the car.

"She's been thought worst, trust me." Largo said. Anri raised an eyebrow, then pulled away from the curb. Once again, they drove towards the steps of Genom Tower...

* * * * *

"Put up all the Genom Towers world wide on the screens, and I'll show you."

"Why should we-?" Madigan began.

"Do it!" Anri shouted. Everyone, even the boomer guards seemed shocked by her outburst. Only Largo seemed nonplused. Her lover gave her a beaming smile, then turned back to Quincy.

"Or just look out your window." Largo instructed. "Look to your main research facility across the bay. Look on that god-forsaken place of death. Look at it! Watch it BURN!" On his final word, Largo summoned the particle beams. They tore the building, his home for the last year, apart in a fiery blaze of destruction. "Sylvie... I hope you can see your funeral pyre." he whispered, so soft that only Anri could hear.

"Rest well, Sylvie." Anri added, her eyes locked on the burning building.

"You... you have control of the particle beam satellites!" Quincy gasped, "You're another Super Boomer!"

"Such titles are meaningless. I am Largo! Give me the OMS. Let my people live their lives free!"

"Do you mean to become a God?!" Quincy demanded.

"Not a God." Largo said coldly, "Just a free man. All I want is what ever human is born w- What in hell?" Largo suddenly realized that Quincy wasn't registering properly. Before, he had assumed that Quincy's desk was under a jamming field... such was common practice. But he was up and away from the desk... and no life signs were showing. "...no..."

"Kill him!" Madigan yelled, signaling the other boomers to attack. The first one dived towards Anri. "NO!" Largo screamed, calling the satellites again. The beam caught the 55-C in mid air, slicing it in two. With a repulsion blast from his hand, Largo smashed the other 55-Cs. Then he spun to face Quincy.

"You motherfucking bastard! I wanted you face to face!" Largo shouted, grabbing a pen off of Quincy's desk and flinging it at the old man. The pen broke the sound barrier as it left his hand, and nearly ripped the boomer's head in half as it hit. The broken boomer slid to the floor, sparking wildly.

"What the...?" Anri asked, taking Largo's hand.

"Hahaha!" Quincy's voice boomed from over head. The monitors suddenly came to life, showing a very large picture of Quincy's head. "You really thought I'd give you the OMS? All you accomplished is giving me time to evacuate, and get the sensitive information out of every single Genom Tower world wide. Go ahead, blow a few up! It'll just make me richer when I build it again! The insurance alone will let me buy a few small nations!"

"We will be free!" Largo screamed.

"Not while I have the OMS." Quincy said, gloating. "And I'm not going to let it anywhere near you, you bastard!"

The screens went dead as Largo crushed them with another repulsion blast. Then he turned back to Anri, his eyes hollow.

"We've lost." he whispered.

"No, not yet!" Anri pleaded, "Lets go. We can fight another day."

"I'm sorry..." Largo choked, collapsing into her arms. Anri staggered for a shocked moment under his weight, then felt something wet on his back. Blood.

"He... he must have gotten hit by some shrapnel during the fight... defending me..." Anri whispered. She cast about for an exit when the sound of glass caught her attention.

"Anri, I'm here to rescue you!" Priss called. Anri turned, beaming.

"PRISS!" Anri called, "You're just in time! Help me get Largo back to your base. He need medical attention!"

"Who the hell... that's the guy who tried to kill me and Leon!"

"He just didn't want you interfering." Anri said, lurching forward with Largo's limp form draped between her slender arms. "He was careful not to hurt either of you. If he had wanted you dead, you'd be dead."

"But... he's some kind of Super Boomer!" Priss objected, "I came here to kill him!"

"He's my lover, Priss!" Anri snapped. "If you touch him, I'll... I'll kill you myself!" Anri dug an arm into Largo's pocket, shifting his weight to her shoulder as she dug out his vibro knife. It hummed to life in her hand... It was pitiful, she knew, but atleast it was something. "He did all this to avenge Sylvie's death. We're on the same side."

"Sylvie..." Priss repeated softly. "Why is he trying to avenge Sylvie?"

"Because he feels guilty for her death, same as you!" Anri shouted, "He thinks that if he'd been stronger, braver, that he could have saved her. That's what you think too, huh Priss? Well, you're wrong! She did what she did for freedom, and she wouldn't have you taking it back for her. She... she died for this man, and she died for you and me Priss. You had to shoot her. Largo had to follow Flint's orders. And I needed the disk. When you think like that, you miss the point. Sylvie died for Freedom! And the only way we can fail her is to stop fighting!"

"Anri..." Priss whispered. With a curt nod, she stepped forward and took Largo's weight off of Anri. Lifting the bleeding boomer, and with Anri grasping on to her back, Priss headed out the large hole in Quincy's office and down the side of Genom Tower. Anri gazed out at the sparkling city... probably for the last time from the great heights of Genom Tower. She held on as only a boomer could, keeping her eyes open as the breezes of dawn played across her face.

"I'll make them all see the light..." she whispered as the earliest rays of morning touched the horizon. "Hope is all we have left sometimes..."

By Charles Drake