Current mood:	accomplished
Entry tags:	amy/lucy, amy/lucy fic, debs, debs fic, femslash, fic

Got a new story for ya!
I hope there will be no objections if this one isn't the huge pile of fluff that my last story was. ^_^



Title: Cherry Blossom: Revisited

Author: That'd be me. *grins* Andrew, Obsidian, call me what you want. But only if it's nice. ;)

Rating: R. And not for the usual reason, either. ;)

Comments: Well, this will be a bit different then my other DEBS stories - and not just because Amy and Lucy haven't met, yet - but hopefully you'll still like it. Just... don't expect pure fluff, this time around, okay? ;)

Legal Disclaimer: I do not own 'D.E.B.S.', Angela Robinson does. Though if I had my way, there would have been a sequel or two by now. ;)

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Prologue

Go faster.

She was already running through the thick jungle as quickly as she dared, yet she couldn't help but fear it wasn't fast enough. She vaulted over a fallen branch, winced as her leg came down in a puddle, sending her briefly off-balance, but she recovered immediately.

There was no sign of her pursuers, but that meant nothing. There was nowhere on the damned island she could go to be free of them.

She would have laughed bitterly, had she been able to stop and take a breath. That was certainly an appropriate term. Dante might have been hard pressed to come up with a more accurate idea of hell.

She ducked under a low branch, only scarcely noticing the pain when a few strands of hair were caught and ripped from her head. She was beyond such things as caring for appearances or minor discomforts now. Her khaki pants were torn, her legs bruised and scraped in several places, her jacket had been lost somewhere behind her - not that she really cared, as hot as it was, but she might have regretted the loss of her hat, had she been thinking about it just then - and her white tank-top was stained with sweat, grime, and blood. She was splattered with mud, as well, but only one thought echoed through her brain again and again.

Go faster. Must go faster.

God, she had to be getting close to the transmission station by now, wasn't she? She couldn't keep running like this forever, and the idea of them catching up to her while she lay on the ground, gasping for breath...

She shuddered and somehow managed to run faster.

Wait... There it was! She was half-afraid it was some kind of mirage, summoned up by thick, sweltering air of the small tropical island - though it somehow didn't seem that small when one was running for one's life across it - but no, the fortified shack rising up out of the dirt ahead was blessedly real. She staggered to a stop in front of it, frantically trying to get oxygen to her cells while she fumbled for the access card that she'd stolen back at the main compound.

Have to get in... Have to call her... God, please let this work! She finally managed to free it from her pocket, nearly dropping it in her haste. She swiped it through the reader next to the door, and received a loud, obnoxious buzz in response. She felt a wave of fresh horror, but forced herself to calm down and think.

Card facing the right way? Well, it had to be, or there would have been no noise at all. Dirt on the magnetic strip? A little, actually, which she managed to find a relatively unblemished portion of her shirt to wipe away. Had she gone too fast and/or unsteadily? Well, yes, she had to admit she probably had. As slowly and calmly as she could manage, she tried it again.

buzz-click

Letting out a noise that was half laugh and half sob, she yanked the door open, throwing herself inside and pulling it closed behind her. The lock re-engaged, and she sagged against the door in relief.

She wasn't safe. Not yet. Not as long as she was still on the island. But she could rest for a few minutes, catch her breath.

And she could call for help.

Auxiliary Transmission Station #2 mainly served as a relay for communications to and from the main compound. Should there be a glitch in the compound's systems, it was also capable of acting as an independent transmission unit. It wasn't especially big, and obviously hadn't been cleaned in a while, but as long as everything worked, she couldn't have cared less. She staggered over to the transmission console, nearly moaning in relief as she was finally able to sit down. A quick check showed that yes, it was completely operational. It indicated that there was a jamming field in place around the island - the bastard was thorough, she'd give him that - but the station's equipment should be able to punch through it, at least for a while. She took one look at the small sign on the console that said 'For Emergency Use Only' and snorted, the sound echoing in the otherwise empty shack.

If this wasn't an emergency, she didn't know what was.

Please answer, she thought as she began placing her call. Please be there. Pick up, pick up, pick up... Of course they'd be there, she told herself as she waited not-quite-patiently for a response. They were the ones who'd sent her there. Just had to see what the competition was up to, didn't you? You damn well better appreciate this, Lucy!

Why had she volunteered for this job, anyway? She could have been at home, safe, relaxing - maybe with Scud - while they waited for an update from whatever luckless slob Lucy might have otherwise picked for the mission. But nooooooooooooooo! I just had to be helpful. She really didn't know what she'd been-

"Hello?"

She jumped in her chair at the sudden burst of sound from the radio, then nearly broke the transmit button as she slapped at it. "Lucy?"

"Hey, Diane. We were expecting to hear from you hours ago. Is everything all right? I don't think I need to tell you how worried a certain someone has been."

God, she wished there were visual, so she could see Lucy's face. However, even her voice - partially obscured by static as it might have been - was reassuring to her. "No, everything is really not all right," she replied honestly, clinging to the soothing sound of Lucy's voice and the fact that a rescue would soon be under way to avoid slipping into hysteria. "We were right, it is Black Dragon, but what he's done... Jesus, none of us ever imagined..." Despite everything, she had to choke down a sob.

"What did he do? What's going on over there?" Lucy's voice had sharpened in concern, and she felt a wave of affection for the other girl.

Unfortunately, a blinking light on her console showed her that she had other problems to worry about. "I don't have time to talk. The jamming field seems to be fluctuating in strength, and right now it's on an upward curve. I'm not going to be able to keep this channel open for much longer, and I have no idea how long it will be before another window opens. Just get me out of here!"

"We're on our way," Lucy assured her. "You just hang in there. Stay put if you can, but try and be at the rendezvous point in five hours."

Five hours. How was she supposed to stay alive that long, let alone free to move about? Guess we're going to find out just how good a teacher you are, Luce. "I'll do my best, but I make no promises. And come heavily armed."

"Will do." By now, Lucy's voice was barely understandable through the static. "Don't worry, Di, we will get you out of there." And that was it. The transmission failed.

Diane Mellis sat there for a while, just listening to the static before she closed the channel. Lucy and Scud would come for her. She knew they would.

She just hoped they'd be in time.

**********************************************
"...it is Black Dragon..."

Thousands of miles above the world, one of the NSA's many satellites caught the brief conversation. Echelon, programmed to search out any number of phrases and keywords, instantly latched onto that particular snippet and flagged it for attention.

Not even a minute later, after a hasty consultation, the NSA forwarded it to the two agencies most likely to be interested: The CIA (in the form of Homeland Security) and the DEBS.

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Okay, I should probably admit right not that I have no idea how long this will be, but I doubt it'll be as long as the last two. I do expect to have a lot of fun with this one as well, but not in a Sensory Pleasure kind of way. *quiet, evil chuckle*



Sienna Miller as Diane Mellis.