"Contact!" Fairchild reported frantically, "We've got contact!" "Let's do this by the numbers, people," Jacobson said calmly, monitoring the situation from his center console. The dial up was starting, and the codes were being sent along the phone line to be received by their target. "I'm detecting... something materializing inside the containment chamber," Megumi said even as she worked her controls to bring up an image of the chamber on a nearby video screen. It took a moment, seconds that seemed to pass like hours, but she did it. Light danced inside it, glowing brighter and brighter. The outline of a human form slowly began to appear, forming out of the particles of light itself, becoming more and more visible as the seconds ticked past. Clearly female, she had short hair with two long tails, the goddess symbol clearly visible on her brow. 'A brow,' Jacobson noted, 'that was clearly furrowed in anger.' "What's going on?" she asked in what sounded like a French accent. She looked around and demanded, "Release me, this instant!" The crew looked at her silently for a moment, digesting what they had just accomplished. Hitomi was visibly pale, as was Fairchild. Megumi concentrated on her controls, but even the older mechanic seemed shaken. "I'm sorry, I can't do that," Jacobson said to her quietly. He activated the inter-office communications system to call Quincy. "What is it?" the gray hared, wizened old man asked him softly. "We've got one," Jacobson reported. A smile, and Quincy said, "I'll be right down." The telephone rang, and the conversation stopped. Linna got up to answer it, when Belldandy stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm. "Let me," she said quietly. Urd was looking at her, her eyes wide, and the others felt themselves tense up at well. Priss and Linna exchanged glances, "What in the world?" Belldandy put the phone up to her ear, and her eyes widened. "Yes," she said, "yes, I understand." More softly, "It's certain? Yes, yes, I know. We'll do what we can." She pout the phone down, her face bone pale. Linna quickly got up to stand by her side, gently taking Belldandy by the shoulders. "Bell, who is it? What did they want?" she asked. Belldandy smiled up at Linna gratefully, then she turned to the others to say, "Central processing just called. Jacobson's done it. They've captured a goddess." Dead silence, then Mackie got up. "I'll tell Sylia," he said quietly, and ran for the elevator. "Do we know who it was?" Urd asked Belldandy quietly. "Peorth," Belldandy said softly, and Urd winced. "She's an old friend of ours," she explained to Priss and Linna. "It'll be all right," Priss said softly, putting her arm across Urd's shoulders. Urd shrugged the comforting arm off before looking up at her angrily. "How do you know that?" she demanded. "Because there's no way I'm letting Quincy keep a goddess," Priss replied, keeping calm. "And I'm sure Sylia will have us do everything she can to save her," she added. "That's correct," Sylia said, coming out of the elevator with Nigel, Skuld and Mackie right behind her. "We've added some shielding to the hardsuits," Skuld reported, "but the new weapons systems haven't been installed just yet, and I don't think we're going to have time." "So do we armor up and go?" Linna asked, standing by Belldandy's side. The woman looked both strong and determined, ready to take on whatever was coming. "No, not yet," Sylia shook her head. "There's something I have to do first," she added. Belldandy frowned slightly, "What's that?" "I could use your help, actually," Sylia said to her. She smiled slightly as she continued, "I need your help to try and find Mara." Dead silence, then several voices at once, "What?!" "She looks so... human," Quincy noted as he used his motorized wheelchair to circle the containment chamber. Jacobson nodded. "Human belief defines beings like this," he mused aloud, "so I suppose it makes sense that they would bear human forms." He tried to avoid meeting the pleading glance of the Goddess, and she frowned in anger. "Release me at once," Peorth demanded. She raised her hand and tossed another energy bolt against the walls of her prison, but it dissipated on impact. "The electromagnetic containment fields are all holding strong," Megumi reported from where she was standing at the monitoring station. 'But that was a lot stronger than I was expecting,' she thought grimly. "Very nice work," Quincy said to Jacobson softly. He went to the front of the container and addressed her, "I've called you here for a reason. I want you to restore my health and vigor as well as grant me immortality." "We Goddesses grant wishes to those of pure heart," Peorth said, "those who's actions have earned the granting of wishes." She looked Quincy over, then with a sniff of disdain, "You, however, have done no such thing." "I would advise you to reconsider," Quincy said, and pressed down on a control mounted on the arm of his chair. Peorth screamed, energy coursing through the chamber in surges, wracking her slim form. She jerked back and forth, slamming against the walls of the chamber until the energy stopped. "That wasn't on my design plans," Jacobson forced out past his shock. Quincy smiled, "Some of my techs added it later, in case what we summoned proved to be reluctant." He looked over at Peorth, "Will you grant my wish?" "no," Peorth said softly, kneeling on the bottom of the container. "Then we'll have to try again," Quincy shrugged, and pressed the control. "I didn't sign up for this," Fairchild whispered to Jacobson quietly. They had gathered a little ways from where Quincy sat, pretending to check the readings. Jacobson looked at Megumi and Hitomi, and saw similarly grim expressions. "Neither did I," Megumi said firmly. "We've got to stop this, sir," she said to him grimly. Jacobson nodded, "I didn't expect this." His eyes narrowed in thought, as he considered what they could do. "I still don't think this is a good idea," Belldandy said as they walked down the hall to Mara's rooms. Finding her hadn't been too hard, to some extent Belldandy could feel where the demoness' energies were. "Maybe not," Sylia answered, "but she knows about Jacobson, and I doubt her superiors will be happy about this either." They reached the door, and at Belldandy's nod Sylia knocked loudly. The door was flung open, and Mara demanded, "What took you?" "You got a call as well?" Sylia deduced. Mara nodded grimly, "My boss is having fits. Human were enough trouble binding us with magic without their discovering a scientific method." She paused, and looked over at Belldandy, "Who did they grab?" "Peorth," Belldandy answered, and Mara began to curse softly. "We all used to hang out together, years ago," she sighed. "Are you all going after her?" Mara asked Sylia. "Yes," Sylia answered, "as soon as possible." The television crackled to life suddenly, "Something unusual is happening around Genom's Tokyo branch. What look like fireworks have been seen from blocks away, and Genom does not seem to be answering any attempts at communication. AD Police are moving in to investigate..." "We'd better move fast," Belldandy said quietly. Even as she spoke, Sylia was on the speed dial. "Mackie, get everyone loaded in the truck and head for Genom! We'll meet you en-route," she barked. She looked at Belldandy, then her eyes met Mara's. They both paused a moment, then Sylia quietly said, "Let's move."
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