Chapter 1 - Pongo

They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. Every set of eyes holds a different story, a different perspective, a different secret. More often than not, they can explain emotions without words. In all their shapes and colors and sizes, the eyes are the things I tend to trust in a person.

However, out of all the people I've met, I have never seen eyes like mine. A common trait amongst most human eyes is that they have pupils that expand and contract to adjust to light. My eyes are pupiless and completely one color; I've been told that it's hard to tell where I'm looking because of this. I can't blame them - if a pupiless, indigo-eyed guy was staring in my direction, I'd be a little unsettled.

But this pupiless, indigo-eyed guy isn't looking at anyone at the moment. Instead, I scan the mission board, looking for any available missions that I could take on. It's not very crowded in the BLADE Concourse, with only a few other people standing beside me. One group, in particular, chats amongst themselves, not paying attention to the board. I hear one speak of the Lifehold Core, and immediately a smile makes its way onto my lips.

It has been two weeks since the battle at the Lifehold Core. Almost as soon as the battle was won, almost everyone I knew decided to take off from work to celebrate. I, however, chose to continue. Someone had to go out and be productive, and I was happy to be that person. I know that someone will thank me for it, in the end. Plus, nothing makes me feel better than knowing that my work will always be appreciated by someone.

A mission pops up on the board. Tilting my head, I read its details and discover that it's a Reclaimer mission to reclaim some of the White Whale in Oblivia. I accept the mission without any hesitation. I've come to notice that no one minds if I take a mission outside of my division.

"Hey, Pongo!"

My already existent smile brightens as I hear a familiar voice. I turn to see Lin running up to me, Tatsu scrambling after her on his stubby legs. As she stops in front of me, I say, "Hey, Lin. Is anything the matter?"

"Elma's back from her mission," She reports, "And apparently, she has big news. She wants to meet us in headquarters."

"You mean her mission to see if our memories were intact?" My curiosity peaks, mainly because my amnesia had kept me in the dark for a very long time. If Elma was to find my memories...I could finally remember my past.

"That's the one," Lin confirms with a quick nod, "C'mon, I wanna know what she found!"

She jogs off, and I follow suite. I can make out Tatsu's small complaint - "Meh-meh! Linley needs to slow down! Tatsu is not fast!" - before he begins to catch up. Lin hears this comment as well, for she remarks, "That's not true when you're running from the indigens we fight."

"Tatsu is...supporting team from sidelines! Yes, from sidelines!"

"Whatever you say, small fry."

It isn't a short jog to the front of BLADE Tower. I start to walk up the steps, and then I realize that Elma is standing at the top, waiting for us. Her hands are over her chest, and some of her starlight hair falls over her shoulder. For some reason, I slow down, and Lin passes me without noticing.

I admitted to myself a long time ago that I had had a crush on Elma - how couldn't I? She was perfect - she is perfect - and she treated me differently from the very start. It wasn't until I let my feelings slip out did I realize two things: one, she did not return my feelings, and two, she never would. But I was able to move on. If anything, I was grateful to still have her as a leader.

"Hey Elma! How was it?" Lin asks as she reaches the top of the stairs.

"I'll tell you about it inside," She replies, "It's...confidential, to say the least."

Finally, I take my place next to her. "Confidential? Is that fancy talk for 'it is bad?'"

Elma faces me with a small scowl. "Let's just say that I found some interesting things, leading to some interesting theories."

That concludes the conversation, and we quickly head up to the BLADE Headquarters at the top of the tower. Commander Vandham and Secretary Nagi are already inside, and they watch as we enter the room. I take a brief moment to enjoy the view out of the large glass pane separating the room from the world. Outside, the sun is bright, and I can just make out the industrial district on the other side of the city. Cars and trucks enter and leave, and people run around as they involve themselves in their work. Realizing that I got distracted, I turn my full attention back to the matter at hand.

"Good, you're here," Nagi says, holding his hands behind his back. "Now we can begin debriefing you." Turning his gaze to Elma, he asks, "Would you like to be the one to fill them in?"

Elma nods, remaining silent.

"Are the memories okay?" Lin asks with a childish innocence, "After that fight in the Core -"

"The Core, by itself, is fine," Elma interrupts. "All of the damage from the battle two weeks ago didn't amount to much, in the end. But the containment center holding all of our memories and DNA...it was flooded. The entire system was shut down long before we found the Core."

My brow furrows. "That cannot be right...how are we still here if our memories have been destroyed?"

This seems to be a plausible explanation for my amnesia, but how doesn't this affect everyone else's mimeosomes? Again, I find myself the oddball in the room, the only one who may have experienced the consequences of a destroyed memory bank.

"That's what we're here to discuss," Vandham informs us, "Because at any moment, the connection could break, and then we'd all be dead meat."

"Meh-meh! Tatsu doesn't like dead meat!" Tatsu adds, bouncing near Lin's feet.

Lin ignores him, looking instead at Vandham. "But the connection would've already been broken if the system was flooded this whole time. We should've been dead a long time ago."

I shake my head. "None of this makes sense…"

Elma turns towards me. "Actually, I have a theory on all of this."

Addressing the whole group, she explains, "When the White Whale crashed here, those of us who weren't in stasis were able to discover that the atmosphere was breathable. Later on, we also found that the water was pure and drinkable. Now, what were the chances of us landing on a hospitable planet, where we could be supplied with two essential survival factors?"

"Where are you going with this?" Vandham presses, crossing his arms across his chest. "We don't have time for poppycock theories."

"Hear me out," She says, taking a deep breath. "Then, when we met the Ma-non in Oblivia, I made the observation that every alien we had thus encountered seemed to speak perfect English. Do you remember what I said about that?" She directs her last question towards me and Lin.

Having a vivid memory of that day, I am the first to answer. "Yeah. You said that it had to be something about this planet."

"Exactly. And now, we realize that you all should have died long ago, due to the system being flooded. Now, what could possibly be responsible for keeping us alive this whole time?"

I draw the conclusion quickly, but I don't speak. Rather, I wait for Nagi to voice his observation.

"You think that, somehow, this planet is responsible for keeping our memories alive, for helping us to translate other languages, for supplying us with what we need for survival?"

"That is precisely what I think." Elma clarifies.

They continue to speak, but suddenly my senses begin to numb. The room smudges like ink on paper, slowly dissipating until the setting completely changes. I now stand in Primordia, just outside of the West Gate. The sky is gray, and as I step forward, I realize that the ground is the same color. The grass crunches underneath my feet, and as I look up, I see the a similar case presides over the trees; they are all bare, wilted and dying. Where there was once a lake, there is now an empty plain, and I hear a loud wail over the silence. A millesaur rears its head; my eyes widen as I realize that the millesaur is the one making the noise. It must be in pain, but what caused it? I make the connection that it must be starving, or dehydrated, or both. It is the only other indigen I can see - does that mean something?

The ground jerks beneath me, almost causing me to lose my balance. The millesaur's head is no longer visible, but I can make out its body, collapsed past a strip of high land. My lips open in surprise, and a throbbing in my chest tells me that I just witnessed its death. I try to move my legs, but they are frozen in place. Fear clouds my judgement, and I feel my eyes begin to tear up. What is this?!

And then, I hear it. A voice above the ruin.

Let there be peace.

"Pongo?"

I blink, and the images are gone. I am faced with the concerned expressions of my teammates and the directors. Elma speaks my name again, but I respond before she gets the chance to complete her dialogue.

"I am fine, just...zoned out, sorry."

I choose not to tell them of the vision. We have enough to deal with as it is, and how can I explain it when I don't know what it was?

Lin sighs. "You know, I bet that's because you never sleep. Really, you shouldn't depend on coffee. Everyone needs to sleep."

I frown. "I happen to love my coffee, thank you very much. Who needs sleep when you can have caffeine?"

"I share the same concern as Lin," Elma agrees, "But we're getting off topic. If the planet is really responsible for our survival, then that could mean many things. For all we know, Mira could be a living, sentient being."

"And if that's the case," Nagi puts forward, "Then will it ask anything of us in return?"

"Ha, you're speaking as if this pile of rock can actually talk." Vandham chuckles in disbelief.

Elma blinks. "It might be possible, but based on my observations, that doesn't seem to be the case."

"So what do we do now?" Lin asks.

"I don't think there's much we can do," Vandham shrugs, adjusting his position next to Nagi, "If this planet is responsible for all of this, then I say we leave it be. Let it work its magic, be thankful we're not all dead, and call it a day."

"I agree with the Commander," Nagi nods once in approval. "Unless it does otherwise, I believe it is the best decision to keep this quiet."

Elma grins. "That's fine by me."

"If that's it, then, this meeting is adjourned." Nagi turns his back to us, and quietly he begins to converse with Vandham on his own. Elma goes to leave, and Lin and I follow suite. Tatsu scrambles after us a few seconds later, seeing as he was distracted by some unknown force.

"I think it's pretty cool that Mira might be sentient," Lin makes conversation with us as we head back down to the lower level of the tower, "I never gave it much thought, but now that we know that it's been keeping us alive…"

"It's only a theory, Lin. But it seems to be the only theory at the moment," Elma tells her, "In any case, we shouldn't convince ourselves of this yet. Until we have solid evidence, we should keep this confidential. For now, I'd focus on the missions we've been assigned to."

"Focus on the present, and not the future," I clarify. "I can do that."

She pins some of her luminescent blue-purple hair behind her pointed ear. "Good."

I remember how I had accepted a Reclamier mission shortly before the meeting, so I continue the conversation. "Do either of you have any work today? I just got this mission to reclaim some White Whale Debris in Oblivia, if you are interested."

Lin brightens up. "Sure thing!"

Elma's reaction is more collected. "We'd be happy to."

I nod. "Great. Grab your Skells, and I will meet you outside the barracks so we can go."

They agree silently to the proposition, and as we exit the tower, I take the lead. My Skell is usually parked right outside of the barracks, so I head there first. Elma and Lin go in other directions to retrieve their own Skells, Athena and Aphrodite. I pass through Armory Alley to get to my Skell, but not before I stop by L's shop to say hi. I don't think he hears me - by the time I walk past, he is already trying to shove a bronze colored pot into a poor customer's arms.

As I come up to my Skell, Lailah, my mind juggles two different thoughts. The first is the build I gave my Skell; with a thermal setup, it contrasts to its blue and purple color scheme, and it fills me with pride to see how far it has come.

The second thought is about the vision. Boarding my Skell, I wonder if it may have been a hallucination due to a lack of coffee - by sacrificing sleep, I have gone weeks dependant on the caffeinated beverage. I have been warned that not sleeping can take its toll on the body. Maybe this is one of them.

I convince myself that this must be true, but the back of my mind whispers darker theories. Either way, I know this to be fact:

This won't be the last time that this happens to me.