Exotrooper Anya! A Spy Family fan novella

III: Becky

As the somber trio of the Forger family entered the research and development lab, a young woman smiled and waved to them. She has dark hair, held back by a clip shaped like a nuclear missile. "Hi, Anya!" she said. "Oh, and hello, my dear Mr. Forger! Oh, I heard about Loidy, I am so sorry! Of course, Father and Blackbell Industries are behind you all the way. In fact, we have some great new stuff for you!"

"It's good to see you, Ms. Blackbell," Loid said with a wry smile. "I am sure this is very hard for your family."

"Oh, we're not worried about Uncle Rudy," Becky Blackbell said. "Daddy let him take over so he could spend more time with us, but he's kept track of things. Nobody's going to hurt one of our family."

"I'm sure you're right," Loid said. "Let's see what you have for us."

Another stepped forward, a man with curly hair going to gray. "Well, I came up with a few new things," Franky Franklin said. He led the way to an indigo combat exoskeleton. He pointed to cylindrical attachments on each hip, connected to a huge tank nearly as big as the suit. "These are short-range rocket thrusters. They can take you to an altitude of 2,000 meters and a maximum range of 24 kilometers." A pair of wings extended. "From there, you can make a pinpoint powered descent, or a controlled glide for stealth."

"Why does he talk all different when it's techy stuff?" Anya wondered aloud.

"Excellent," Loid said. "What about offensive capabilities? If you recall, we requested that you focus on non-lethal munitions..."

"Oh, we've got you covered," Franky said. A pod with a stubby cannon deployed from the right shoulder. "This is the 8.1 cm projector. It can launch a polymer fiber mesh net, a tranquilizer gas canister or an immobilizing adhesive." A long, relatively slender gun rose on the other side. "This is the primary weapon, a 2 cm high-velocity gun. It fires gas, slugs and concussion shells as well as the usual fragmentation and armor-piercing rounds. Want a demonstration?"

"I'm sure it will perform as specified," Loid said. "Anything else?"

Franky gestured to a forearm pod clearly based on a shotgun. "This is your primary melee weapon, 3.7 cm pump or manual. Its ammunition includes bola shells: Three 2 cm spheres connected by a 2 meter cable. You can make it polymer for entangling a target, or razor wire... for clearing obstacles, of course." He tapped another pod on the right forearm. "Then there's this. It's a plasma projector. It can create a focused stream that will cut through 50 cm of concrete, or a wide jet with a range of 30 meters."

"Very nice," Loid said. "Anything for Yor and Anya?"

"Well, this is something I've been working on," Franky said. He uncovered another flight pack, this time with four boom-mounted fans that looked vaguely like a dragonfly's wings. "This is the Mayfly suit. Quad ducted turbo fans, all polymer construction, for maximum power and stealth." He briefly gunned the motors. The resulting blast of air blew back Yor's hair and ruffled her skirt like a strong wind, with only a little more sound. "The sonic signature is equal to the ambient noise from a flock of birds. Passive sonar could probably track it, if they knew what they were looking for. But that should take a while."

He smiled. "Of course, I saved the best for last," he said. He revealed Anya's armor. "First, I upgraded Anya's exosuit with a 5 cm shoulder projector, firing a similar range of ammunition to the 8.1 cm model, and a compact forearm plasma projector. She will also have this." He pointed to what looked like a harpoon. "Rocket-assisted line thrower. Range up to 300 meters. It won't get you to the top of the Deck, but it will take you a good part of the way. And here's an old friend..."

The cybernetic creation who stepped forward did so with some signs of reluctance. Franky pressed a remote. Abruptly, Bond's metal body dropped nearly flat. Stubby wings extended. Jets sprouted from his body. A glass windscreen and a set of handlebars extended from between his shoulders. He gave a patient "worff".

"I perfected his airborne mode," Frankie said. "Mach .7 speed, full stealth capability. Range isn't great without a drop tank as big as he is, but he'll go far enough. And if he can't get all the way up, he has this." The wings retracted, and a stout strut extended from his back. It ended in a set of wheels like the supports of a ski lift chair, clearly intended for the same purpose. "This will let him go up a line cable. You can even ride on him."

Finally, he unveiled another suit. It was 2.4 meters tall, with an assortment of additional arms. "What's this?" Loid said. "And who is it for?"

"It's the prototype Mark 5 exosuit," Franky said. "All the improvements I've put into your suits and a few extras. It's for me, because I'm going with you."

"Oh, can I come too?" Becky gushed. She pointed to another mounted exosuit. It was black with gold trim and white legs and forearms. Golden greaves covered the hips. "Now I have my own exosuit just like yours! I even gave it the Eden school colors!"

"I don't know," Anya said. "I always thought the uniforms were just gloomy."

"Oh, Mr. Forger, can I come along this time?" Becky pleaded. "Look, I'll put on my armor..."

"We'll see," Loid said.

Franky threw an arm around Loid's broad shoulders. "Oh, don't be so gloomy! So tell me, old pal, what's it gonna be? Are we going in quiet, are we going in fast, or are we going in full frontal?"

"I will do the only thing I can," Loid said. "I will surrender."