Lol, hello peoples. Just wanted to write about a fandom for something different and a little break from my other fics.
So its a cyborg 009 oneshot, a JetxFrannie one with heavy JoexFrannie moments, minor but heavy.
I didn't want to write anything super romantic between 002 and 003 since i don't see them kissing and making up. lol.
So yeah, enjoy.
~midnight
Miracle
"It's a miracle..." Were the first words that they heard come out from her lips. "Just to be standing here is a gift from God already."
Wide-eyed with amazement, Francoise stared up into the night sky.
"It sure is." Albert replied.
They had been so desperate to stop Black Ghost from taking over the world and taking them back into her hands. What they were protecting were the people, the people who could have been more victims of his call. The world had people on it...so many lives...They wanted with all their hearts to protect them, And then, after what must have been a moment, but could just as well have been a eternity.
It was different from when they had been turned into cyborgs back those many years. Back then, before all hell broke loose. Everyone had their own lives, their own people they protected but lost them eventually because of one man's greed to win a war that will only cause grief than relief.
She had a life, all she wanted to do was to dance, dance until her legs dropped. She wanted to shift from stage to stage with the cheer of her fans behind her. She wanted the world to see how gentle a dance could be. But all was changed when she received a dance career that was promised to give her 'happiness'
Before, when she was sleeping, she could see the world around her. She could see everything; the warmth between an embrace shared by lovers and the laughter of a family of four. She could even hear hear her friends' voices.
When they woke up they discovered soldiers poured out of airships, weapons at the ready. She recognised their uniforms from somewhere. Yes, they were...Black Ghost's soldiers. Although they were now the same kind she felt they were still...different.
They wouldn't be pointing their guns at them if they didn't.
"What does it matter if it's our fate never to see them again? We can beat fate. We can make miracles happen."
She heard Ivan's voice. She glimpsed sadness in his downturned face, but she also saw determination there. They had truly achieved a miracle – but at a harsh price. Surly freeing themselves from the grasp was a miracle but nothing compared to what Joe and Jet had to do in order to achieve it.
"Thank you, Joe, Jet." She murmured to herself. "We'll meet again...somehow."
.XxX.
Albert gazed contentedly at his companions, reunited once more, and a wave of relief washed over him. He has finally managed to atone for the terrible things he had done. For causing the others to worry about him constantly, worried that when he leaves the house it would be the last.
After a moment, when the joy and surprise of reunion had subsided a little, Françoise eyes met his...Or so Albert thought for a moment until he realised that Françoise was staring into space. He knew she was close to 009 but nobody expected her to act so quiet. They had to keep their eye on her so she wouldn't go and try to die like he had done many times before in the past. Soon a dark shadow crossed her face.
"Those are my eyes," He thought. "The eyes of someone who knows that their loved one is gone and refuse to accept it, who knows that innocent people have been saved but at the price of losing your happiness...the weight crushes you...it terrifies you...it's impossible to face up to it, and you have to escape in order to move on." He looked at the sky she was looking at as well. "I know that face. I know it because it was mine once..."
"I know what 003 is going through. It hurts just thinking about it. What she must be feeling, staring up at space right now..." Albert watched as a shooting star flew over them. They all heard her pleading call but there was nothing they could do.
.XxX.
"Look after her, won't you? Be there for her. That way, no matter what happens, she'll be able to overcome it. She'll be able to carry on, even when things get tough. I know you'll probably be shouting about how we can make miracles happen, and that you should find a way of helping me and 003, but don't. You need to be there for Françoise."
Although Jet couldn't her him; Jet turned towards him, and he thought for a second he saw sadness in his eyes, as if his voice had got to him somehow. As if he was saying sorry...
"I'm sorry...but I'll try...I can't promise anything since we all know there is only room for one man in her heart..."
.XxX.
When they were reunited, he wasn't thinking about the past or the future. He just wanted to be sure; he wanted to know what he brought everyone back. He couldn't think of anything else. He was a simple guy. That was more than enough for him.
"I'm sorry." 007 started. "I was a little crazy back there. I didn't mean to mention his name like that."
He followed her gaze, and been brought back to reality with a bang. Two of their companions hadn't been as lucky as they had. They hadn't been saved. This was no time to be celebrating.
"When I was sleeping, back in that capsule, I had a vision. It was of a future where all of us were laughing together. And Joe and Jet were there too. Which means this isn't over yet. This isn't the end. It can't be."
"But 003, it's been two years since they 'disappeared.'
"I don't care how long...I won't let that dream to be ruined."
At the sound of Françoise voice, GB returned to his senses.
"They saved us...and now I'm back, I mean we all are back to our old lives, and I get to see you and everyone again, but..." he said, staring up and the brightly lit blue summer sky.
"I wanted to do something; I know it can't just be me who gets rescued. It can't just be me who gets to be happy now...but what can I do?"
003 was right. So many people had lost their lives because of the war they created just to protect them. Their homes, their livelihoods...So many people were in dire need of help...but just thinking where to start was enough to make his head spin. But how could they help them when they couldn't help a close friend of them to move on and enjoy the freedom they worked so hard to get?
So he decided to stop thinking about it. GB was never the type of person for over-analysing things. GB laughed as he thought of such a thing. His thoughts were more like Jet's line then his.
"Well, why don't we all aim towards making another one?" 003 turned towards him.
A simple answer for a simple guy.
"Huh?"
Francoise looked at her teammate in amazement.
"Not a new one. Something else. A new goal, instead of waiting we could try and find them, here. We can do it."
It was teh first thing that came into his head, but as soon the words came out of his mouth, it didn't seem like such a bad idea. In fact, it seemed pretty damn awesome, in GB's view of course.
"We could start on the little things, start where they could of possible landed. If we can't find them alive at least we know where they are and we can finally be in peace. At least we are all reunited finally."
Chang, who had been listening quietly, smiled and said. "Never thought I would hear something smart from you 007." Chang teased.
GB looked up at the sky instead. Trying not to make anything worse of 003, she had been through enough.
"Make a new one, huh? Alright I'm in."
"Alright!" GB cheered. "Let's go and tell the others. I'm sure they'll agree I mean 006 did." GB smirked. Chang just rolled his eyes.
.XxX.
When she wandered across the plains, she was hanging onto their last shred of hope, looking for the men that died for them, looking for them made them closer that made them feel like a true family. She walked crossed the plains where they all fought, fought side by side. It wasn't hell anymore, it wasn't enemy territory...it became hope.
Suddenly, the sound of breathing behind her stopped dead. It was him, he followed her gaze, and saw a group of soldiers.
"But...how?"
She just said it, and ran tight towards him. ...of course, after a long time without seeing them both she didn't care if the whole world was watching. At least she knew that if she was him there was a good chance 009 was alive and well, as well. She heard that he was with the military for sometime before was granted permission to leave. She thought they would be able to tell anything, anything at all.
"We better get after them." Albert suggested.
"Yeah, or else a major meltdown might happen. Don't want to go through that again." GB sighed.
Finally François was able to smile truly, again for the first time in five years.
.XxX.
"Excuse me! Do you know Joe Shimamura?"
Francois shouted desperately at the men.
"I heard his name, but if I have information about his whereabouts. I'm sorry but I don't."
"Haven't you heard?" said a voice, and a hand tapped 003 on the shoulder. When she turned, it was to see the face of a man she didn't recognised, yet her instincts told her she could trust him.
"His fine. We did receive confirmation that he was safe and well..."
She was so relieved that she nearly collapsed. She realised for the first time the terrible weight of having thought that her lover was gone. And at the same time she understood...she understood how he felt when he saw her from down below being entangled in the chain of the events that would led them to be apart.
"...but he didn't make it. The injuries were too severe. We could only save his friend, Jet Link."
"It doesn't matter now. Thank you. Knowing he was safe and well is enough. At least he didn't die like that. As a criminal but a hero."
She soon felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. She turned around and saw it was Jet, the last man to see Joe alive. He nodded with encouragement. They didn't like the false hope of the news.
"I promised 009 something. He told me to look after you, take care of you. He died not just for the people on this earth but for you as well. And as his friend I will live up to that promise."
She didn't know whether to see it as lucky, or as some horrible irony.
Françoise wonder if it was a temporary measure. Once it was all okay they would all part ways. She wondered if that was really true, even if it had been to save their old kind. She wondered if those people would be able to forget their hatred and bitterness towards them. Even after five years she could still see in the eyes of the people she saved that they still accepted. The thought of sticking around to face them filled her with horror, but the idea of simply turning tail and running seemed even worse.
Walking down the same street felt so different even though nothing had changed. Every time a glance was given to her she didn't know what to think of it. It didn't matter to the people that they weren't enemies anymore; she didn't want to run away. She did that once and it led to a horrible consequence.
And a consequence came from the man she loved. It was losing him and what was worse that the man he trusted would look after her because of him.
Nothing made any sense to her anymore.
.XxX.
The sight of the child's smiling face felt like something from another life. It was incredible, and yet, since waking up and to the end of the war, he had seen so many children – in the shopping malls, parks and pretty much everywhere else that he would go. There would always be one child smiling.
He realised that it must have been her that made him change.
Changed, or maybe it was better to say he had changed back to how he always wanted to be as a child. To how he was when he used to watch the children laughing on the streets of New York, playing with one another. He hated to admit it back then but after a number of events he was able to accept he was changing...slowly.
"Kids make the same face when they laugh, kids from back there and kids now...it's amazing." Jet paused and was dumbfounded that he could think of such deep things. "Wow, never thought I could think of anything like that."
"Of course they do silly. Kids are kids!" Jet nearly fell of the stairs he was sitting on when 003 jumped onto his back, her arms over his chest. The red head nearly felt his face blow up. He wasn't really...comfortable with women. He regained himself as 003 took a seat beside him.
"I guess so." He replied, but he couldn't stop staring at Ivan, who after everything he'd been through he was finally able to enjoy a childhood that was stolen from him at a very young age. Now aged eight he could finally speak to them without the use of his powers.
Ivan was no longer part of Black Ghost or part of their team. He was now a child enjoying his childhood. He was just a eight year old, another young child in grade three, going four. Learning new things even though he had already learnt them earlier. He was able to make friends, talk and learn things they could never teach them.
Françoise told him once that she really wanted to blame Ivan's father Gamo from taking Ivan's childhood and treating him like a puppet, not only that but taking the chance to meet his mother by killing her was unthinkable. She wanted to yell and scream at him but she never got the chance too.
He could tell she blamed herself. She tried not to mix him, an innocent child up into things he was way too young to know, but she couldn't turn back time. But he knew that if she could be Ivan's mother, be a mother that his real mother could never do then maybe she could finally forgive herself.
Jet's attention turned to the other person he promised to look after.
"I'm sure he'll forgive for not telling about his mother." She glanced at him in shock.
"Since when could you read minds?"
"I don't have to have powers to tell what you're thinking 003." He softly looked back at Ivan.
"Call me Frannie, Jet. After all we've been together for three years now. 003 is something I rather forget."
"Sure thing...Frannie."
Both of them smiled afterwards.
.XxX.
The image of Joe crying out to him to leave him behind suddenly flashed into Jet's mind, he shrugged his shoulders as if to rid himself of the memory.
"But I can't leave you, 003 will blame herself if I leave you here!"
"But that's why I'm asking you to take my place, not just physically but in her heart as well."
"I can't Joe; I can't do it to you."
He looked at her and how she slept so quietly. They had spent enough time together to be able to know what the other would think and say. It was only natural for a comradeship forged in battle.
They had roamed many lands to search for Black Ghost, then she and the others searched for him and Joe but he was the only one they got. The man they saw as their leader fought all he could but gave up at the last minute. They searched everywhere, there were many places they'd never been and she believed that if they went and searched those places, they would find an answer and then him. Francoise didn't give up, she kept on going and going until she accepted that there was another man in her life.
It was him. Jet Link. Neither of them wanted to face it, he was a man who was too arrogant to admit to his feelings and her? She was too blind to see that her true lover was gone.
Not so long ago, it had been his job to look after her...Jet thought back to the days when he and her were back on the training grounds, confused about themselves while discovering their powers and that they were no longer their old self. Soon time had come to pass on that responsibility. In fact, Françoise had taken it on way before he ever realised.
She thought at first he was all talk, but at some point, his words had actually started to get through her. They'd given her the strength to keep going. She realised that he really meant them, and that was what gave her the power to drive on.
He thought she was just a fragile little girl who couldn't do anything but hold an infant in her arms. But as they travelled together she proved he wrong many times over. If it wasn't for her moral boost back when they were against Black Ghost, he would have quit ages ago.
Jet whispered to himself, and smiled. He felt the satisfaction of having successfully seen through one of his responsibilities.
He looked at her and smiled.
It was nice to know to known that you're being loved in return of everything he had done for her and...Joe.
.XxX.
"Seems like everybody's leaving all of a sudden." The boy shrugged his shoulders. "But it's been so long since we were all together."
"Everybody has their own lives now Ivan, it's not like what it used to be which was ten years ago." The young woman placed her hands on his shoulders. "Miss them?"
"The companionship yes, Black Ghost? No." Ivan could hear Jet laughing quietly. Frannie made the young boy look back at her.
"Well, Ivan, saying goodbye may be sad, but just think – they're going back to their families."
"Yeah, true that, I guess. Lucky them."
The teen watched as his old teammates waved before walking out of his sight. His memories of the days where they fought together were still clear in his mind. It was the clearest memory he had despite his young age back then. He still found it hard to believe that it all happened eighteen years ago.
He was now a university student, top of his class, a well respected student, a good friend to others even though he was no longer human, and they treated him no different. He was happy that he was granted a peaceful childhood despite the others who had a rough past and to only made worse when kidnapped by Black Ghost. Françoise Arnoul, a teammate that he soon saw and treated like his real mother became a tour guide in one of the well known art galleries in New York. And Jet became a well respected pilot. Ivan laughed at the irony.
Even though his memories of Jet were little he came to understand him even though he couldn't really remember how his 'mother' and Jet got together. It was something he couldn't get his head around but it didn't matter. Even with his arrogant and snobbish attitude on the outside he knew Jet cared for him, in a way a father would...just that he would never admit to such a thing.
They may all have gone their separate ways, but it didn't make them any less closer. No matter where they ended up, they would always be right there beside each other. Ivan knew and so did his 'parents'
Their parting was just the start of another journey. The end of one road was the beginning of other, separate roads for all of them. And some of them would be lucky to travel these new roads together. Ivan smiled at the idea that everything that happened to them was a miracle.
To live in peace, without anything to worry about constantly was a prayer that came true, but to see that Françoise and Jet together was a total miracle. And he knew they knew that as well.
