Disclaimer: Yo, I don't own Eureka Seven. It belongs to some other guys, so don't sue please.
Note: Hey, I used to be Fruit is NOT a Dessert, but I quit writing fan fics for a while because of the loads of homework I was getting. But now school's ending and summer's starting! So, uh…hope you like this one.
Start Chapter 1.
Crumpled sheets of note paper and empty soda cans littered Stoner's studio. The middle-aged man sat before a small desk matted with previous issues of rayout magazine and a collage of photos of the crew of Gekko State. He tilted his hat down and stroked his moustache.
A screen of light flooded his dark room as the door opened. Matthieu approached Stoner slowly and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, you've been in here all day…the others are worried, Stoner. What's up?"
Stoner tilted his head back casually. As the man in charge of publishing rayout, he had neither the energy of the pilots nor the technical minds of the engineers—thus, the relaxed attitude. His gaze wandered to the door, past Matthieu's thin frame. Three small heads quickly hid behind the door frame.
"Matthieu, have you seen how the latest issue of rayout is doing?"
"Huh? You mean the one with Renton's phony mission?" Matthieu burst into a silent chuckle, recalling the previous week's activities. "What about it?"
"We've sent over nine thousand issues in just one week. That's twice as much as any issue before. And…" Matthieu glimpsed the weariness in Stoner's eyes. "…we've received three times as much fan mail as ever before."
Matthieu's eyes were directed to a corner of the studio. Stacks upon stacks of letters crowded the space, threatening to topple and bury everything around them. Some had been opened and read—the others remained untouched.
"Holy cow, man! What's all the buzz?"
Stoner got up and dragged himself to the stacks. He picked out a random letter, unsealed it, and handed it over to Matthieu, who read it aloud:
"Dear Gekko State, I loved the latest issue of rayout. The reffing tips and boards were great, the interviews rocked, and the stories about the U.F. were enlightening. What especially ruled, however, was the cover story—Renton Thurston's mission! It was so touching when he talked about protecting Eureka—and without knowing that others were listening! What a kid! Maybe, in the next issue, more about his relationship with Eureka could be shared with subscribers?"
Before Matthieu could say more, Stoner handed him another letter:
"Hey, Gekko State, rayout rocked this month. Tell us more about Renton and Eureka, okay? They would make a nice couple. Peace out, dawgs."
"All of them?" asked Matthieu.
Stoner nodded grimly.
Matthieu was hesitant. "What…did the leader say about all this? What did Holland say?"
"Let's see, eh…first, he got real mad about diverting attention from the real purpose of rayout. Told me to focus more on the wrongdoings of the military and everything. Next, he didn't like the idea of using Renton on the cover. Hates the kid. When he read a few of the fan letters about Eureka, he blew the final fuse." Stoner lifted the back of his shirt, showing a cluster of fresh bruises.
Matthieu winced. "So you're wondering about what to do for the next issue?"
"Yep. Tough stuff."
"I'll say. On one hand, you've gotta please the subscribers or else they'll lose interest in Gekko State's doings. On the other, Holland doesn't want Renton anywhere near Eureka—or even on the ship."
"Yep."
-
The Nirvash swerved off the sudden eruption of Trapar, or Transparence Light Particles, leaving a dash of vivid purple energy behind its board. As the Nirvash rocked itself forward at breakneck velocity, three enemy LFOs kept in close pursuit.
Opposed to the grand form of the Nirvash typeZERO, the enemy robots were simple KLFs, the standard combat type the military used. Clunky, unstylish, and coated with blue and black paint, the KLFs were diminished by the Nirvash in size, power, and design.
It was a colossal human-shaped robot, white in color with traces of red and teal. The board it rode, called a ref board, was like a surfboard. Engineered to near perfection, the Nirvash's ref board was more than capable of catching gusts of Trapar to surf, or "Ref", the skies. The Nirvash's wrists contained extendable knives and a shoulder-mounted beam cannon capable of ripping through the hardest alloys. It was plated with a metallic material that allowed easy flexibility and defense against enemy weapons.
There was one cockpit located at the head of Nirvash and an attachment pod next to it, housing the secondary pilot.
Zhhhhhhh… A barrage of homing missiles exploded from the KLFs, heading straight toward the Nirvash. An upward rush of Trapar allowed the Nirvash to grab the tip of its board and spiral to the skies—the homing missiles collided with one another, exploding harmlessly below. Concealed in the smoke, the three military KLFs prepared to fire again.
Aboard the Nirvash, two pilots prepared the "Cut-Back Drop-Turn" technique. A soft female voice cried, "Ready…go! Cut-Back…Drop-Turn!"
The Nirvash flipped backward and launched itself back down, twisting enough to maintain a solid grip on its board. The Trapar carried the Nirvash in the direction of the three KLFs. Before they could respond, the Nirvash had taken out its pair of boomerang knives and cleanly slashed its enemies down. The KLFs were nothing but broken pieces and slain pilots.
As the Nirvash holstered its knives, a video transmission arrived at the cockpit. Seated in the seat was a turquoise-haired girl, Eureka. She possessed enigmatic purple eyes, fair pastel skin, and a slim body. Eureka put the transmission on free speaker, allowing connection with the attachment pod beside her.
Aboard the screen appeared a man with gray hair and a small moustache. Although his blue eyes were deep with experience and his hair was pure gray—an inherited trait—he wasn't nearly as old as he appeared, nearing 30 years old. He was Holland Novak, leader of Gekko State. He stared at Eureka and said, "Nice work, Eureka. The installation is only two miles ahead. Matthieu and I are going with you. The objective is to capture the information bay. Understand, Eureka?"
She nodded. "Yes."
"Alright, let's go! Prepare for—"
A new voice interrupted Holland. It belonged to a boy and was slightly high-pitched. "Uh…excuse me, Holland. Why are we doing this mission? We could possibly run into—"
The screen shook as Holland pounded his control panel. "Renton, we've been over this before! We're doing this because we need the money to support Gekko State. With me around, there won't be any problem regarding that!"
"But—"
"Renton!" barked Holland. The screen turned black. Eureka turned to her right and brought up a video connection with Renton. He immediately looked at her, blushed, and looked down at his panel. From his seat, he felt the burden of Holland's temper and Eureka's distance. Although he was only a few feet away from her, her empty stare seemed to gaze past him.
"Eureka?"
"Holland and Matthieu are coming," she said detachedly. Renton glanced behind and saw two approaching LFOs, the magenta TR-909 and Matthieu's TR-606. The two machines quickly sped up alongside the Nirvash.
Eureka opened up communications. "Matthieu?"
"Yo! How are you, Eureka?"
"…I'm healthy."
Matthieu gave an awkward look at the screen, but quickly recovered. "Okay, Holland's drawing up the schematics for the installation. You should have them up on your screen. We're going to surround the place and provide cover fire as the Nirvash gets into the information bay. Ready?"
"Roger!" said Eureka. She grasped onto the controls of the Nirvash and swirled above the other two LFOs. The 909 and 606 broke out ahead, riding the Trapar coolly.
Renton looked out his window. Flowing alongside the Nirvash was a school of sky fish, the one animal species most connected to the Trapar waves. They were small and numerous, resembling colorful sheets of folded paper. Smiling, Renton recalled watching the few sky fish back at his hometown of Bellforest. Wherever there were good or happy thoughts, there were sky fish.
"Oh!" he exclaimed. The sky fish were veering off, away from the direction they were heading. It seemed like an invisible barrier was erected. Something could be wrong…he thought.
Up ahead, the 909 and the 606 had begun raining bullets onto the military installation. It was a typical U.F. base: white, drab, and protected by several turrets. Holland appeared on Eureka's screen. "Eureka! Now's your chance. Go!"
"Holland," objected Renton. "I think something's wrong."
The leader of Gekko State scoffed silently. "What could go wrong?"
"There's no sky fish! They all just wandered away!"
"Sky fish, eh…you're pretty pesky, kid."
"But the sky fish!" he cried indignantly. "They wouldn't run away if something bad wasn't gonna happen! Holland! I'm completely serious—" The transmission was cut. The 909 and the 606 were moving along the ridge of the installation, blasting off all turrets.
Dammit… Renton looked to Eureka, but found no compassion. She was too focused on the mission, guiding the Nirvash away from turret fire. A beeping on the screen indicated that they were nearing the information bay.
"There it is, Eureka!" Renton pointed out the small, domed building. The perimeter was empty, void of any presence. Renton looked at the Trapar density data: the numbers were decreasing rapidly. "Hey, Eureka…don't you sense that something is wrong?"
She looked through the video screen at him, smiling. "No, Holland said so."
BOOM!
In but an instant, the entire floor was on flames and missile shells were scattered across the landscape. The information bay had been shot at as well—it was in ruins. The whining sound of mobile KLFs was evident behind the Nirvash. Understanding the immediate danger, Eureka moved the Nirvash to the side, narrowly evading the next barrage of missiles.
BOOM!
"Eureka!" shouted Renton into his intercom. "Are you okay?"
"I'm…okay," she managed to gasp. "Where's Holland?"
Renton scanned the skies and saw nothing. More gunfire was heard in the distance. "He's probably engaging the other KLFs. Right now, your safety is our number one priority! We have to get out of the airspace immediately. Let's go, Eureka, Nirvash!"
That's right, Renton reminded himself. You said you would protect her. You promised to protect Eureka, the strange girl that appeared in Bellforest. You don't know why, but you feel like you want to—like you need to. So…hold to your promise…Renton!
Eureka nodded. "Let's go!"
Because of the lack of Trapar in the area, the Nirvash was forced to stay on the ground for a while, sliding across the ground. Enemy units were everywhere, firing volley after volley of bullets, missiles, and laser beams. Renton flinched as another direct hit to the Nirvash armor shook the machine—cockpit and attachment pod included.
He glanced back down at the Trapar density. The numbers were nearing optimum reffing level. "Eureka! We should be able to get up in the air soon. Just keep going!"
"Roger!" she cried, making a sharp turn to avoid the appearance of another platoon of KLFs. Renton was hurled to the wall of his pod. Right as he got back into his seat, the Nirvash propelled up with a momentary rocket boost and drew out its reffing board. It was riding the Trapar in no time.
"Alright, Eureka!" Renton began configuring the conditions of the Nirvash. It had taken several hard hits to the rear, but there was minimal damage to the front. However, one thing bothered him. The scanning showed several minor bullet impairments on the head of the Nirvash, namely near the cockpit. Could they be aiming for…?
In the distance, Renton saw a differently shaped LFO. He peered into the telescope and saw a model he couldn't recognize. Contrary to the standard human shape of most LFOs, it resembled a spider more or less. The LFO was entirely white, reflecting sunlight into his lens. It was airborne, but not moving—no ref board was present.
"Renton…" called Eureka. "What's that?"
"I don't know, but it's in our way. Seems like it's waiting…" Renton bit his lip. "We can't go back; there's at least three entire platoons of KLFs back there. Press on, Eureka!"
Suddenly, a loud crack rang in Renton's ears. It was accompanied by the shrill sound of cracking glass and a high-pitched scream. He looked over at the cockpit—the glass had shattered. Flustered, Renton ran over to the window. A small blue speck was falling down.
"EUREKA!" He watched hopelessly as the speck dropped further and further…more whining sounds echoed in the atmosphere. Down below, two LFOs were closing in on the falling Eureka. "Holland! Matthieu!"
However, the unidentified LFO was approaching as well. Rather than reffing through the skies, it glided. How it could happen, Renton did not know. What he did know was that it was approaching Eureka faster than the 909 and 606. He saw the weapons hatches from the 909 and the 606 open, then close. Clearly, firing at the other LFO would mean potentially harming Eureka.
Renton watched in horror as the spider-like machine grabbed Eureka's body, pivoted, and sped away. A clean catch. He watched as it disappeared into the horizon.
Renton pounded the wall of the attachment pod. "Dammit! Why can't I do anything at a time like this? Why am I so powerless?"
The communications screen lit and Holland's face appeared. He sported several new cuts and bruises, many of them bleeding. "Renton. Matthieu's bringing the Nirvash back to the Gekko-Go. I'm gonna go after that other LFO. When you and Matthieu get back, I want you to brief everybody on what just happened."
"Yeah…I will."
Renton, you idiot. What was all that about protecting Eureka? Weren't you going to protect this girl at all costs? Weren't you going to be her support?
Renton slouched into his seat as he watched Holland's magenta TR-909 give pursuit to the other LFO. "Eureka…I promise, we'll save you."
End Chapter 1.