Eureka Seven: Blank Pages
Fan Fiction By: Dan
All places, characters, references copyright 2005/2006 Bones Studios
Chapter Three
TypeALPHA
Holland, leaning on the front hood of the car that he had used to drive himself and Eureka up to the abandoned airfield in; mulling over what Edward had said about the Master Instructors loss, took a drink from a bottle of water he had brought with him.
Putting the cap back on, he started laughing, remembering as Eureka had poured out a similar bottle of water on Edwards face just a few minutes ago…then stopping…recalling just how sincere Eureka was as she, not knowing she was the butt of the practical joke, just stood, the same blank expression on her face, not really understanding why it was so funny as the two instructors laughed at her.
Laying the towel across the seat on the driver's side to dry and closing the door to the car, Edward walked around to the front of the vehicle and pulling out a pack of cigarettes; taking one out, and putting it between his lips, lit it using a lighter he always kept inside the front pocket of his khaki pants.
Seeing the bottle of water in Holland's hands, Edward asked in a lighthearted manner.
"You don't plan on trying to put me out again do you?"
"What do you think he is going to do out here?" Holland an impatient look on his face asked ignoring the humorous remark.
Seeing the agitated look on Holland's face Edward responded with a question.
"Are you getting angry at me and Marcus for playing a harmless joke on Eureka?"
"She doesn't under…"
"Understand, right…" Edward snapped, cutting off Holland, who was suddenly surprised by the seriousness in the normally jovial Assistant Instructors voice.
"Holland, if she can't take a little joke, how do you think she is going to react when she has to put sights on people…to shoot them without hesitation if ordered to do so…"
Taking another drag and exhaling, the smoke falling slowly to the ground, he continued, getting a faraway look in his eyes…
A look of a man living in a waking nightmare…
"…or the sound of hearing bones crunching, soldiers screaming out for their mothers or loved ones, as you grind them into the ground under the feet of those…" He paused, forcing the memories back into the dark recesses of his mind and gesturing, cigarette in hand at the two LFO's…
"…Things."
Holland, looking over at the LFO, the TypeZERO, saw Eureka walk up to it, put her hand on it as if she was conversing with the archetype contained inside, and after a few seconds turned saying something to the Master Instructor, then she turned, looking up at the LFO.
Like she was really talking to it he thought.
As if it was really…Alive.
Holland, sighed… then inhaling; suddenly choking on the second hand smoke from Edwards cigarette noticed that there was no wind, no breeze, not even the presence of trappar, and speaking with a hint of annoyance in his voice, said…
"I still don't understand why we had to come out here; there isn't enough of a wave flow in this place to even take off…"
"I asked him the same thing…" Edward shrugging his shoulders replied. "…said that he wanted to see how her driving skills were. I don't think he was planning on getting some air today and besides…" Edward motioning down the long runway recalling what Marcus had told him on the way to the airfield.
"… He seemed eager to want to test the speed of the TypeALPHA against the TypeZERO, so I guess he figured this would be the best place to do it."
"Type…ALPHA..?"
"You must have really been upset at us Holland. I am surprised that you haven't noticed the other LFO setting out there."
Holland cutting his eyes and turning his head towards the rear of the LFO next to the TypeZERO, finally realized that what he was looking at wasn't a Terminus type, the type he was familiar with, the model he piloted.
His blue eyes widening he noticed this was something else, although it had a strange familiarity to the TypeZERO…the same in a way…but different.
The TypeALPHA…
Excavated in the same vein of Scab Coral as the first archetype, this was the second in a long line of phantom units discovered in an area known as FAC-51. Molded as it was from the TypeZERO…in so much detail that in the old, ancient military vernacular it would have been referred to as the "sister ship" to the TypeZERO…and using the first letter in the phonetic alphabet, still spoken by soldiers, and airmen for a millennia, it was officially classified as the "Alpha".
Painted in the same dull, low visibility grey as the TypeZERO and very similar in appearances…at least to an outsider's perspective… the outer shell almost the same except were the Nirvash had two cockpits, a uniqueness only attributed to the TypeZERO; the TypeALPHA had an external "Hard Point" situated where the copilots cockpit on the Nirvash was located; a place to mount various weapons that man, in his infinite wisdom, continued producing to try and wipe each other out with.
Holland, ever the ref-boarder…looking at the "Hobie Tri-fin" class longboard mounted in the same configuration as the TypeZERO…acting as an air spoiler…noticed even at this distance, something he had not seen on an LFO's ref board, or any commercially available custom made board available.
The edges of the board had a wavy side cut, with seven contact points.
"What is up with the ref board...?" Holland a look of genuine curiosity turned and looked at Edward. "I don't think I have ever seen anything like that before."
"Magne-Traction I think he called it. I am not sure where he said he saw the design, but you are right, there is not another ref board on this planet that compares to it, at least that is what I was told by Marcus."
Edward, laughing on the inside at a more pleasant memory; and looking over at the TypeZERO saw Marcus getting out of the copilots side of the Nirvash.
"You should have been there at the old mans shop, I don't think I have ever met any one who could yell louder then Marcus…Man, that Axel can get quite upset…"
"Really…Wow, what were they yelling about?" Holland said trying his hardest to imagine the man who would be brave enough to challenge the Master Instructor.
"Marcus was saying that because of this design, should the outer two contact points lose grip then the inner contact points could take over, allowing better control and edge hold, even on thin layers of trappar… Anyway, Axel , because it was just "one" board, got all bent out of shape saying that he would have to redesign some of his forming tools…"
Edward laughing; and looking back at the TypeZERO continued. "Yeah it was quite a battle of wills, but Marcus won out, eventu…"
Edward stopped, mouth suddenly agape. "…What is he thinking?"
Holland; turning back towards the Nirvash to see what had caused Edward to suddenly stop in mid-sentence, saw Marcus pulling Eureka straight up out of the pilots cockpit, then jumping off the front disappearing between the two legs. Eureka was standing there for a moment, and then jumping off herself…
"What is going on Edward, what is Marcus doing…?"
…the two of them, Marcus holding Eureka's hand, walking…in what the Master Instructor would have called "a most expeditious manner"…about twenty to twenty-five yards in front of the two LFO's, stopping.
Holland, looking back at Edward, who was quite confused himself, then glancing back over at where the girl and the Master Instructor stood; Marcus apparently explaining something to Eureka, the two of them turning, facing down the long runway…
Edward, disbelief in his voice, dropping his cigarette, slowly said.
"He's teaching her how to read the waves…"
The Waves…
Inhaling at the sight of seeing Eureka and Marcus standing very quiet together, then grasping each others hands, lifting the ones still at their sides to the sky, Holland noticed...
The smoke hanging around him and Edward …was gone.
Quickly looking out over to the right and behind the off-road vehicle; on a pole buried in the ground at the edge of the runway, he saw the old worn out wind sock slowly start swinging, and looking up into the sky the ref boarder in him saw something quite surprising…
"Edward do you feel…" He began to say, but Edward was already running towards the old airport control tower…a portable transmitter/receiver in hand…and kicking down the door quickly disappeared inside.
Knowing what was coming, and glancing back at Eureka and the Master Instructor, still standing, hands in the air; Holland took off, sprinting towards the control tower where Edward had gone to get a better look at the approaching huge wave of trappar.
Crashing through the door and climbing up the stairs, Holland could have sworn that he saw the inside of the off-road vehicle begin to glow, an ethereal green glow…
The Compac Drive…responding to the emotions of the girl began glowing, getting brighter, white letters forming…then slowly fading in…
…scrolling from top to bottom…
…E…
…U…
…R…
…E…
…K…
…A…
Waking up
"Now like this…" Marcus said to Eureka.
Eureka stood looking up at the Master Instructor, who was explaining what they were about to do.
This should be easy for her the Master Instructor assumed, thinking to himself as he was describing the process of being able to "Read" how the trappar waves flowed through the sea of air on the planet.
Choosing this particular location in advance knowing that the trappar flow here was weak, Marcus figured that it should be an easy first read for even the most novice "plank cutter".
However…As the Master Instructor would soon realize…You know what happens when you "Assume"…
"…I want you to hold my hand, and just follow my lead…"
"Follow…my…lead…?" asked Eureka.
"Just…do, what I do…" The Master Instructor said reaching over and taking the hand of the girl…
"…Like this…."
…and raising his other hand palm up to the sky, turning his face down the runway, looked up into the air, closing his eyes…
"…Try raising your hand like this to the sky…"
…her mind recording every minute detail, Eureka, pausing for a moment…
"…Try it…" Marcus said glancing down at her.
…glanced at her hand being held by the Master Instructors, and bringing her other hand up in front of her, opening and closing it…a look of uncertainty on her face…
"…Hurry…"
…and following the Master Instructors lead closed her eyes and lifted her hand to the heavens.
Seeing that Eureka had understood what he was showing her, Marcus hand in the air, turned his face back to the sky and closed his eyes…concentrating.
Listening…
"Marcus, can you really see how the waves will flow through the air by doing this?" asked Eureka, voice flat. Like always.
"Be quiet…just breath…in through the nose out through the mouth, deep and complete…listen to the waves…" Marcus said to her.
Believe in him.
…Slowly inhaling, filling her lungs full of air, and focusing on the sky above…
Strange emotions began welling up inside her, throwing a small pebble into the sea of trappar…
…Eureka began to listen to the waves…
Splashing, a small hole forming in the sea of consciousness….
…the Master Instructor; feeling the sudden change in the surrounding air…
Rippling, slowly at first, expanding…
…felt a tingle run up his spine…
Growing, building up momentum…
…and remembering something Adrock had theorized…
An unstoppable wave…
…about the girl; born from the Scab Coral...
The Planet responding to her call…
…suddenly recalled a phrase Adrock had used once while staring into the drive he created…
Calling out to the girl; as if the Planet itself was waking up from…dreaming.
…time for The Bus to leave.
Eureka and Marcus, their eyes snapping open; looking into each others face…at the exact same moment…said as one:
"…They're here...!"
Countdown
Letting go of Eureka's hand, Marcus turned and began to sprint back to his LFO, the TypeALPHA.
Eureka, noticing Marcus had let go of her hand, just stood there still trying to figure out the sudden flood of emotions that she felt.
Holland, flying through the door at the top of the old air traffic control tower, and seeing the approaching wave, gasped in awe.
Edward, already in the traffic control tower was already trying to get the transmitter/receiver on the right frequency, and began marking time on his watch, preparing to give Marcus approximate readings on the approaching trappar wave.
Stopping, realizing Eureka was just standing there; the Master Instructor, turning and in a voice that could wake up the dead roared at Eureka.
"Don't just stand there…MOVE!!"
Holland and Edward, seeing Eureka just standing there and Marcus turning around, his voice resoundingly clear even up in the tower, inwardly flinched at the sound of his command.
Eureka, snapping out of her bewildered state by the shout began running toward the Nirvash.
"Hurry up or we are going to miss it…!" The Master Instructor said as Eureka ran up next to him.
Getting ahead of her, Marcus, jumping on the left leading foot of the TypeALPHA, and in two leaps, throwing himself into the cockpit and hitting the big red power button, brought the LFO online. Sealing the cockpit and leaving it in clear mode for now, Marcus glanced over to see Eureka disappearing into the cockpit of the TypeZERO.
Plugging in his head set and hitting the music player in one motion…Bringing up the song Koitsu, by Riow Arai; giving himself over to the hypnotic beat…and keying the talk button on the right HOTAS (Hand on Throttle and Stick) asked for a communication check with Edward.
"Edward…Alpha…Coms check…."
"Loud and clear Alpha on TAC two…" Edwards voice came over the net, displayed on the now lit up half moon control screens as a box with the words "Radio Only" showing.
"Alright that is what I am talking about…Eureka, you online yet?" Marcus, excitement in his normally calm voice asked looking back over at the Nirvash.
Eureka, face suddenly coming up on the center console of the TypeALPHA's control panel, acknowledged in a calm clear voice…
"Yes…I am ready to…follow your…lead…"
Well she certainly doesn't have to worry about getting too emotional Marcus thought responding…
"Good answer! Now hit it or we won't be able to catch the crest in time…"
Looking at the approaching wave from the tower, and still marking time, Edward hitting the talk button began calling out the approximate seconds….
"…Ninety-five…"
"They had better get a move on or they won't be able to catch it in time…" Holland said as the approaching wave, picking up speed, was bearing down on the end of the runway.
"….Ninety…"
"Go…" The Master Instructor yelled, mashing the throttle pedal all the way to floor.
Compac Drive glowing green, the TypeALPHA; tires screeching, smoke coming out from behind, the LFO fishtailing as the rubber finally found traction on the tarmac, took off shooting down the runway.
"…Eighty-five…"
Looking in the rearview mirror on the upper right side of the canopy, Marcus saw a replay of the same scene as Eureka, following suit, gunned the TypeZERO and quickly got underway chasing after him.
Eureka, quickly shifting through the gears, her heart pounding as the Nirvash responded to her touch, fell in a little to the left and slightly behind the TypeALPHA. Suddenly the Master Instructors face showed up in the middle of the Nirvash's control panel, now shades of black, red and orange as apposed to the light grey of being powered down.
"…Eighty…"
"Ok Eureka…" Marcus, his voice back under control, began talking. "…race you to the end of the runway…try and keep up…" Then winking at her said. "…If you can!"
The TypeALPHA, speed increasing, cut all the way over to the left side of the runway.
"…Seventy-five…"
Eureka, being jolted with every bump, pot hole and crack on the old runway surface, her mind, a whirlwind of activity…
…writing furiously…
…fighting to keep pace with everything going on around her…
…silently goaded the TypeZERO to match the acceleration with the TypeALPHA, which was slowly pulling away.
"…Seventy…"
As if hearing her thoughts, the Nirvash responded, pushing Eureka down into the seat; quickly accelerating, getting directly behind the TypeALPHA. Drafting, letting Marcus cut a hole in the wind in front of the TypeZERO….Eureka paused, waiting for an opening…Then…
"…Sixty-five…"
"She's going to overtake him!" Holland a bewildered look on his face yelped, looking over at where Edward, holding his watch up in front of his face, looking at both it and the wave, continued marking off time…
"…Sixty…"
Hearing a proximity warning in his headset, Marcus looked over his right shoulder in time to see the Nirvash jet right past him, speed gradually increasing, leaving the TypeALPHA behind.
"…Fifty-five…"
Eureka, eyes focused, mouth set in a straight line, saw the end of the runway approaching and began coaxing the throttle pedal up slowing down, and turning both the HOTAS to the right, put the break pedal to the floor causing the Nirvash to spin…
"…Fifty…"
…dangerously close to the end of the runway…
"Eureka!" Holland shouted seeing that the TypeZERO, apparently loosing control, was going to fly off the end of the runway.
Simultaneously firing the back boosters for a five second burn, Eureka; essentially power breaking, brought the Nirvash to a halt, right at the end of the runway.
"…Forty-five…"
Marcus watched, as Eureka, firing her rockets at the last possible moment, realized that what he had read in the reports from his source at Tresor were true, and then some.
The Master Instructor seeing the end of the runway fast approaching thought that if she could do it then…
"…Forty…"
…So could he.
The Compac Drive, mediating the thoughts, feeling and emotions of the pilot and feeding the information to the archetype contained within the confines of the armor plating, responded…Marcus, timing it out just right, turned both the HOTAS to the left, right foot coming off the accelerator putting the break pedal to the floor, left foot stomping on the clutch, down shifting; the archetype receiving the correct impulses, put the TypeALPHA in an opposite spin to the one the Nirvash had just performed…
"…Thirty-five…"
…and firing his boosters, and bringing the control sticks to the center, the TypeALPHA slid in a near perfect imitation of the move Eureka had just accomplished, stopping right along side the TypeZERO.
"…Thirty…"
"Now that was impressive…" Holland, watching, eyes transfixed on the two archetypes remarked as the smoke from the boosters cleared revealing the two LFO's next to each other at the end of the runway.
"Good job Eureka…Good job!" Marcus yelled, a huge grin on his face as a warning came up on the right screen on the control panel…Eureka, face appearing on the middle panel replied…the way she always seem to, dryly, almost seeming…bored. "…Thank you..." Checking to see what the LFO was telling him, and seeing "Trappar Density Increasing" in the warning box, Marcus looking at the far left screen saw the gauge window for trappar quickly rising…
"…Twenty-five…"
…and throwing the TypeALPHA into low gear, accelerated off back down the runway.
Eureka, not wasting a second took off too, continuing to follow the Master Instructors lead, all the while thinking she would have a lot of pages to review in her mind before going to bed tonight…
"…Twenty…"
Seeing the wave of trappar approaching, looking like a shock wave as it descended down just behind the two LFO's, Holland shouted out to Edward. "…Here it comes!"
Edward in a calm voice, not taking his eyes off the wave, replied. "…Thank you, captain obvious…" And still counting, continued…
"…Fifteen…"
Hitting a huge hole in the middle of the runway, Marcus, jolted by the impact, silently cursed under his breath, and looking in the rearview mirror saw the crest of the wave approaching…very fast.
"Ok…Eureka…" The Master Instructor began, eyes looking down the runway where the off-road vehicle and the car Holland had driven were beginning to loom in the distance…This is going to be close he thought. "…When I tell you too…"
The TypeALPHA vibrated, hitting another hole in the tarmac. "…I want you to tap on the clutch pedal twice with your left foot…Slam on the break with your right…fire your boosters…then switch over to "Wave Rider"…"
"…Ten…"
Eureka her small body shaking with each bump of the TypeZERO's tires on the pavement responded. "..I understand, Marcus…" And thinking about it added. "…Standing by…"
"…Five…"
"Do you think that he sees the cars?" Holland asked suddenly noticing how close the two LFO's were getting to the parked vehicles.
"…Four…"
The TypeALPHA, and TypeZERO just barely in front of the approaching crest of the wave, sped down the runway.
"…Three…"
"He sees the cars right…Edward!"
"…Two…"
"Oh man…we aren't going to make it…" Marcus looking at the two cars said out loud to himself.
"…One…"
"…Edward...!" Holland shouted at the top of his lungs.
"…Mark…!"
"Eureka…Hit it…!" The Master Instructor yelled.
Eureka doing just as Marcus told her…tapping on the clutch pedal twice… then pushing the break pedal through the floor…and igniting her boosters…the Nirvash responding to the manual input, leapt off the ground and changing into the humanoid form, throwing the ref board under foot, shot upward catching the crest of the wave, and gaining altitude, road the wave high into the sky.
Almost at the same time, Marcus executing the same combination of moves; the TypeALPHA throwing its Magne-Traction board under its feet, magnetic locks snapping into place and boosters firing, hovered for just a second, as the LFO, dropping into the wave performed an …"Ollie"…right on top of Holland's car grinding it into the tarmac… and also catching the wave began accelerating, to catch up with the Nirvash.
Holland, mouth open, stood looking down from the control tower, wondering how he was going to explain what had happened to the Master Sergeant in charge of the motor pool.
Walking over from where he was observing the wave in the old tower, Edward looked down at the metal pancake that used to be a car, and then back at Holland, who was still in a state of shock.
Standing next to Holland and putting his hand on his shoulder, Edward; eyes smiling, that same big toothy grin on his face, said...
"…Sorry for your bad luck…"
New Words to Learn…
Feeling his stomach dropping as the TypeALPHA…switching into 'Wave Rider' mode… hanging in the air for a second, then the shock of springing off the car; Marcus, popping up on the wave of trappar and igniting the TypeALPHA's rocket boosters began accelerating off in pursuit of Eureka, who had just moments before, piloting the TypeZERO, caught the front, or 'curl' of the wave and gaining altitude shot off into the sky.
Quickly matching the speed of the Nirvash, the TypeALPHA pulling along side; the Master Instructor, not actually intending to catch any waves today, proceeded to begin to give Eureka an impromptu lesson in the basic techniques commonly used in the sport of Reffing.
"Nice job, Eureka, 'burning' me; dropping into the front of the wave like that…" Marcus said voice dripping of sarcasm; referring to her cutting him off, catching the wave just before the TypeALPHA.
Seeing the Master Instructor; electronically projected by the TypeZERO's HUD; in an inset box on the right side of the canopy window; now in flight mode, with the words "Ship to Ship" in the upper left hand corner; Eureka, wanting more than anything to "make him smile"…still not understanding why…and hearing the tone in his voice, afraid that she had made Marcus "not smile" by "Burning" him, her mouth turned down, big lavender eyes staring into his through the screen, apologized…
"..I am sorry…I did not know…" Eureka started to say, an uncharacteristic sheepish tone in her normally flat, dry voice.
Looking at Eureka, projected in the same manner on the left side of the TypeALPHA's cockpit, the Master Instructor noticing the soft expression on her normally expressionless face…another hint of emotion I see he thought… and looking back through the image on the screen, cutting her off replied.
"…No…Eureka, don't be sorry, that was really awesome…I was just being…"
Marcus started to say 'sarcastic', but realizing that she might not understand what it meant said instead. "…Silly…"
…Silly…
One of many new words quickly being transcribed on the blank pages of her mind.
"…Now lets have some…Fun!" Said the Master Instructor; smiling enthusiastically.
…Fun…
Eureka acknowledged, nodding her head in agreement.
"Okay…" the Master Instructor began. "…lets start with a few basic maneuvers."
Currently just riding along the wave in a straight line, Marcus, turning the right control stick to the left and at the same time tapping lightly on the left clutch pedal; the TypeALPHA, feeling the impulses, Compac Drive mediating, switched between the right foot on the back of the board…Regular…to the left foot…Goofy... the TypeALPHA now facing the Nirvash, looking like a mirror image as the two LFO's flew together on the same heading.
Eureka easily duplicated the maneuver; and then reversing; turning the left control stick to the right and tapping on the acceleration pedal on the Nirvash, returned to a regular stance.
"Very well done…" Marcus told her. "…lets move on…"
Returning the TypeALPHA to a regular stance, accelerating slightly ahead of the Nirvash; Marcus slowly rotating both control sticks back and forth began to "Carve", smoothly flowing along, making a green 'S' as the TypeALPHA cut through the trappar.
Eureka, following suit matched the TypeALPHA…Exactly.
She is making this look all too easy Marcus thought.
Almost as if Eureka were reading the Master Instructors thoughts; her face popping up on the TypeALPHA's canopy HUD, asked. "…How is this going to better my skills at piloting the Nirvash? It is plainly clear that I can do what you are showing me…"
Furrowing her brows together she then asked. "…is this…Fun?"
Mentally kicking himself for treating her like a "Grommet", a term used for a young ref boarder and remembering how well she drove on the runway; the Master Instructor thinking, decided; why not ramp it up a notch and see what all the hype he had read about her piloting skills was really about.
"You know, Eureka, you are right…I'm sorry… " Then grinning ear to ear Marcus said. "…Lets see what that child of yours can really do…"
Prompting the TypeALPHA to lean forward slightly on the board, Marcus hitting his boosters took off.
Eureka engaging the TypeZERO's a split second later followed.
Rapidly gaining altitude, the Master Instructor skillfully manipulating the controls; the second to all the LFO's created responding to his will; cutting the boosters and rotating the TypeALPHA ninety degrees to the right, began sliding across, or "Boardsliding"… along the leading edge of trappar…green tendrils of light spraying out along the front groves of the Magne-Traction board as the TypeALPHA road on the invisible swells…then spinning, doing a three hundred sixty degree aerial, re-entered, coming "off the lip" turning the board quickly off the top of the wave to come back down into the face of the breaking waves of trappar.
Leveling off and catching his breath from contracting the muscles in his lower abdomen and thighs to keep his blood from pooling, depriving his brain from oxygen which would cause him to "black out" while executing high speed maneuvers; Marcus glanced over his shoulder, checking to see if the TypeZERO was successful in completing the more advanced move.
Eureka, her small body being shaken around inside the cockpit as the Nirvash; following suit…was buffeted by the resulting turbulence caused by the Master Instructors "tricks"…and concentrating, her will and that of the Nirvash merging…becoming one…came off the lip accelerating down the face of the wave coming along side the TypeALPHA.
The Nirvash is…Happy… Eureka thought.
…Fun…
The Master Instructor, his face on the left side of the Nirvash's canopy monitors; in direct relation to the TypeALPHA, which was located a little behind and to the left, in what used to be called the "Wingman" position as the two flew almost directly side by side; began giving Eureka instructions, setting up a real world scenario.
Time to start teaching the girl how to….Fight…
"Alright Eureka…lets try something else…"
"…I want you to wait about…" Marcus paused, looking down at another screen.
"…about five or six seconds, then follow….Ok…" Then looking back up at her; stern, serious look on his face all of a sudden said…
"…We are going to play a little…Game…"
…Game…
…and cutting the video feed…the communication window on the Nirvash becoming translucent, the image of the TypeALPHA flying along beside, framed in the box being electronically projected into the interior of the canopy and the words "Audio Only" in place of the image of the Master Instructor…who pausing for a moment finally spoke…
"…called…Tag…"
"…Tag…" Eureka said to herself; wondering why Marcus had cut the video feed off so abruptly.
Suddenly an alarm starting going off in Eureka's wireless wrap around earphones as the Nirvash warned her of a possible collision with an LFO coming up quickly behind her…right in the TypeZERO's blind spot.
"Watch your six…Recruit…" He began…
Eureka, hearing the harshness in his tone; sounding so menacing that it made her heart skip a beat...
…the TypeALPHA; ruthlessly closing in on the TypeZERO…
…Marcus; Master Instructor of the S.O.F.; saying…
…Cold…Emotionless…
…Lethal.
"…Tag…You're it."
Switching Gears
Caught off guard by the ominous tone in the Master Instructors voice; Eureka, momentarily confused at the suddenness of the shift in his demeanor…smiling one minute, as unemotional as her the next… froze at the controls of the TypeZERO; then turning back a few pages in her mind recalled how Marcus had sounded the instant right before throwing the punch at her face in the training hall the day before.
Her hands moving at the controls, trying to get the Nirvash away from the oncoming LFO…Eureka reacted…
…a little too late…
Both LFO's in the regular stance, The TypeALPHA; Ref board tilted forty-five degrees up to the left flying along side the Nirvash struck; left hand pressing down on the left 'elbow' joint of the TypeZERO, right hand raised, fist closed, then cutting down… 'tagging'…the armored shield protecting the shoulder joint where the close in weapons were located…Boomerang shaped knives that both LFO's carried…the force of the impact knocking the Nirvash down to one knee on the ref board as the TypeALPHA; spinning all the way around right in front of the TypeZERO…waves of trappar washing around the TypeALPHA outlining it in an green glow…then sharply executing a "Cut-back" turn and igniting its boosters flew off in the opposite direction back towards the abandoned airfield.
Surprised by the swiftness of the 'Tag'…as Marcus had called this 'Game'…Eureka; swinging the TypeZERO around and getting the LFO back upright on the board began chasing after the TypeALPHA; thinking all the while about how she was going to 'Tag' the Master Instructor back for hitting the child…
While the child…the Nirvash…reacted like how any normal child might react to being hit…
…hit the other back.
Marcus, keeping the TypeALPHA flying level…Got to give her a chance to tag me back he thought…and seeing the TypeZERO quickly approaching behind him; braced for the impact that he knew would be coming.
Unfortunately for the Master Instructor; he did not know just how hard the impact would be.
Initially aiming to tag the TypeALPHA in the same spot…exactly… as she had been tagged, Eureka; manipulating the controls of the Nirvash, raising its right arm overhead to strike down, in the same manner as the Master Instructor, was just as unprepared as Marcus was at what happened next.
Vectoring in a little high and to the left of the TypeALPHA; the HUD in the Nirvash 'painting' the left shoulder panel…red line pointing and highlighting the LFO's shoulder with the decreasing distance counting down the closer the TypeZERO got to the point of impact… as the intended target; Eureka, face blank, concentrating on wanting to make the Master Instructor smile at her again, slowly began to sense something…a new emotion, one she had never experienced before as the Nirvash…
…the child lashing out at the one who had struck at it…suddenly switched targets…
…selecting the TypeALPHA's cockpit…
Still playing the game, not comprehending this new feeling coming from the Nirvash as it continued to bear down on the TypeALPHA, Eureka; not really understanding as she succumbed to the strong feeling, but a part of her knowing something wasn't right, spoke out loud to the archetype…
…Unemotional at first…
"…Nirvash…"
…foreboding sounding the next…
"…Don't…"
Still on "Audio Only" between the two LFO's, the Master Instructor hearing Eureka, catching the 'verbal' clue as soon as she spoke, the girl "Switching Gears" as he called it…A term he used to describe the way a person, himself included, would be suddenly all calm, then without warning proceed to attempt to "break you in half".
The will of the TypeZERO manifesting its emotions through her, and caught flying as he was along a straight line, allowing Eureka to hit him back, the Master Instructor was unable to avoid the strike.
Alarms started going off inside the cockpit, warning the pilot of the impending attack and realizing the location where he was about to get "tagged", Marcus reacted, using the only option he had available to him.
Turning to face the oncoming blow from the Nirvash, the Master Instructor…calmly manipulating the controls, sending the impulses coursing through the LFO…brought both arms of the TypeALPHA up covering the canopy and at the same time pushing down on the back of the board with the right foot 'Stalling'…creating drag as the grooves molded into the Magne-Traction board dug into the trappar…slowing the TypeALPHA down, preparing to receive the blow.
The interior of the cockpit darkened by the uplifted arms, alarms clamoring for attention, Marcus; praying that the engineers at Tresor did as good a job constructing the TypeALPHA…second to all LFO's created…as the one about to smash into him; and switching the monitor back over to "Ship to Ship" mode with the idea of trying to remind Eureka that this was only a game; was somewhat impressed at what he saw sitting in the pilots seat of the TypeZERO…
The girl; a calm, familiar look on her face…
…Marcus slowly inhaled…
The same look in her eyes as the Master Instructor….
…Calming his emotions…
The look, right before the madness begins…
…Switching Gears…
Right before "I" break people in half…
…Prepared for the fight of his life…
The TypeALPHA, eyes flashing…
…Compact Drive glowing red…
The same blood red, as the TypeZERO's eyes…
…prepared to receive the oncoming blow…
Edward, listening in on the conversations between Marcus and Eureka, smiling at first as the Master Instructor underestimated the girl, then appreciating the way Marcus began showing Eureka how get in close with an opponent; explaining it in a way only a child would understand, saying it was a game, calling it "Tag".
Hearing the harshness in the Master Instructors voice as he began the "Game", understanding the reason why Marcus was being so hard on Eureka…basically teaching her how to kill using the LFO…Edward looking out from the control tower saw the TypeALPHA in the distance returning towards the airfield, the TypeZERO in hot pursuit.
He must have really "Tagged" Eureka pretty well Edward thought, seeing the TypeALPHA flying in a straight line knowing that the Master Instructor was allowing himself to be tagged back; the Nirvash looking as if it were setting up an overhead approach to tag the TypeALPHA in return.
Glancing back down towards where Holland was digging around through the flattened chunk of metal that used to be a car, he heard the girl's voice come across the transmitter/receiver…
…Static…
"…Nirvash…"
He paused, looking back toward were the two LFO's were rapidly approaching the old airbase.
"…Don't …"
Hearing the slight hint of emotion in Eureka's usually monotone voice, Edward; noticing the flash of red; seeing the TypeALPHA; raising its arms up, protecting the cockpit as the TypeZERO bore down upon the Master Instructors LFO, a sense of dread coming over him…
Edward; having been the Instructors assistant for so long and remembering many an Academy Student…trying to surprise the Master Instructor by countering what he taught them…Marcus, eyes glazing over, "Switching Gears" right in front of the bewildered student…all the years of fighting taking over, controlling his actions…all the years hurting…
…Killing….
…and knowing what was about to happen, Edward grabbed the transmitter/receiver, and running down the stairs of the old control tower switching to an encrypted channel as he ran and mashing down the talk button, hoping that the person on the other end was ready yelled…
"Search…Edward…I need one Terminus unit out here at the old airfield…NOW!"
…Pause…
"Received…react units…en route…approximately two mikes out…" A young male voice quickly replied.
Swinging the door open, Edward ran towards Holland who had stopped digging around inside the smashed up car and was intently watching the LFO's as they closed in on the airfield.
"What's going on up there…it looks as if they are really going to start fighting…" Holland asked a growing look of concern in his eyes.
Edward stopped and looking at Holland, a worried expression on his face, spoke.
"We have got to stop them before…"
"Stop them….what do you mean…" Holland began, then seeing the dire expression on Edwards's face, suddenly remembered where he had seen that look before.
During an advanced hand to hand training session; Charles tried to tie up the Master Instructors hands while in the middle of demonstrating a certain technique…Edward, the same look on his face as right now; noticing the sudden change in the Master Instructors eyes jumped on Marcus, trying to keep him from seriously injuring Charles…who even though he had control of both of the Master Instructors hands caught an elbow in the temple, knocking him out.
Holland; thinking of Eureka, and wondering how they would even begin to stop her and Marcus once they really began fighting suddenly recalled that there was always an LFO flying on a transport standing by in case of a rebel attack…
"…LFO…?" Holland asked Edward, already knowing the answer.
"Contacted…Terminus type…approximately two mikes out…"
Hearing the impact as the Nirvash struck the TypeALPHA the two men turned and looking up saw something that made them both gasp in awe.
Hurry up with that LFO Search…Marcus and Eureka might be dead in two minutes Edward thought to himself…watching the two LFO's, their eyes pulsating red with rage…wondering what sort of demons Adrock had dug up from the depths of that old mine.
The noise of the impact was deafening, and if it wasn't for the sound dampeners built into the headset Marcus had on he would have surely lost his hearing.
Absorbing most of the impact through the frame of the TypeALPHA, the arms helping to cushion the blow, the canopy cracking under the force of the strike from the TypeZERO, suddenly going to clear mode, the words "Compac Feed Back" in a yellow box displayed on the center console of the TypeALPHA, the Drive itself a shade of blood red; the Master Instructor saw a sight he would not soon ever forget.
The Nirvash, eyes glowing red; staring down at him through the cracked canopy…
His blood pumping, ringing through his ears, the Master Instructor stared right back.
Firing his back boosters and grabbing onto the right arm of the Nirvash, Marcus threw the TypeZERO off him and as the LFO went spinning off "Bailed Out"; disengaging the magnetic locks on the bottom of the TypeALPHA's feet from the ref board; and reigniting the back boosters followed after it…
Eureka…her mind calm, focused…was trying her best to strike back at the source of what had hit the Nirvash…hurting the child…causing the child pain…
Cutting the boosters and landing on the TypeZERO's ref board, the Master Instructor…caught up in the moment as the Compact Feed Back began causing a euphoric sensation to run through his body, possessing his thoughts, amplifying his reactions…started pressing the right arm of the Nirvash pinning it against its torso with the TypeALPHA's left hand and reaching up with the right hand to the close in weapons…the weapon of choice for the Master Instructor, the Boomerang shaped knives…pulled the blade out preparing to sever the TypeZERO in half.
Eureka; imitating the moves being written down on the blank pages of her mind quickly reacted, countering. Pressing up on the right elbow with the Nirvash's left hand, keeping Marcus from using the deadly weapon and grabbing onto the left arm of the TypeALPHA with her right lifting it high above the dual cockpits, simultaneously turning the ref board one hundred eighty degrees, and triggering her boosters right at the top of the throw, threw the Master Instructors LFO in exactly the same manner as he had so casually tossed the Nirvash just seconds ago.
Flying head over heels as the powerful throw carried the TypeALPHA towards the ground around the runway, Marcus paused, muscles tensing, his breathing labored; waiting until the last possible moment…baiting the TypeZERO to follow him down…and firing his boosters, the grass igniting from the heat of the rockets, smoke billowing up around the TypeALPHA, the Master Instructor landed, left knee down, crouching…waiting…
…blade in hand...a smile on his lips…
…high from the lust of battle…
"…Edward…Search…I have the airfield in sight…"
Search, signaling Edward from the cockpit of the S.O.F. React Team heavy transport; seeing Holland's smashed car on the tarmac and the smoke rising up in the air from were the TypeALPHA sat, kneeling on one knee, asked.
"…Are you guys alright down there…Whoa…Watch… out…!"
The TypeZERO, speeding down towards the TypeALPHA, where the Master Instructor…waiting patiently for Eureka to respond just as he knew she would…cut right in front of the flight path of the Heavy lifter causing Search to bank wildly to the left, the lone Terminus LFO in the back shifting, straining against the restraints that held it in place as it faced forward, cockpit empty, in vehicle mode on the rearward facing catapult.
Holland, grabbing the transmitter/receiver from Edward, called up to the transport.
"…Is everything under control up there…?"
Getting the lifter back under control, leveling off, Search; excitement in his voice responded. "…I got it…what is going on down there…are you guys conducting some live fire training…?"
Holland glanced over at Edward, who nodding his head no and jumping into the front seat of the military off road vehicle, starting it up said. "…Just tell him you are going to be piloting and have him drop that thing about…" Looking off down the runway toward where the skid marks from the two LFO's had stopped just short of going off the runway he continued. "…a hundred yards in front of those fresh skid marks our two friends made earlier…He'll understand…"
Quickly relaying the instructions to Search and not waiting for a reply, Holland ran around and jumping into the passengers' seat of the vehicle motioned for Edward to punch it.
"…Ok…I see what you are talking about…" Search said, hands skillfully at the controls bringing the Heavy Lifter…a smaller version of the "Flying Wing" design of the enormous Airborne Battle Cruisers of the U.F….in line with the airfield, altitude decreasing preparing to do a combat drop of the unmanned Terminus onto the runway below.
"…Making my approach…dropping in…"
"Got it…" Edward yelled out, trying to push the pedal through the firewall of the off road vehicle, flooring it, engine straining in protest as him and Holland tore off down towards the end of the runway.
Meanwhile Eureka; seeing the TypeALPHA just crouching there, hands down at its sides, smoke flowing out from behind, and drawing one of the boomerang blades…the Nirvash HUD targeting the junction at where the hip and upper torso joined…threw it, the blade cutting through the air at an incredible velocity, heading right towards its intended target with deadly accuracy.
"This stopped being a game a while ago…" Edward said out loud to himself, looking over across from the drivers' seat in time to see the TypeZERO launching one of its boomerang blades at the TypeALPHA
The Master Instructor, his mind perceiving everything happening around him in slow motion…the blade apparently spinning lazily right at the TypeALPHA…heart beating so loud that he did not even realize that the music he was listening to had stopped minutes ago; saw the small opening Eureka had created in her attack by throwing the blade at him…
…and took it….
"…Ok Search…" Holland screaming over the roar of the engine began setting up the drop with Search. "…When I give the word…" Holland started climbing on the front hood of the vehicle and almost dropped the transmitter/receiver as Edward accidentally hit one of the many holes in the old tarmac.
"…Sorry man…" Edward, sticking his head out the drivers' side window yelled.
"…Just don't kill me…" Holland yelled back, thinking that if this didn't kill him what he was about to do just might.
"…When I give the word…"
Holland saw the large craft dropping down towards the end of the runway, and seeing the black skid marks rapidly coming up, continued the setup for the drop…
"…go ahead and release the package…"
Search, smoothly bringing the Lifter down…back hatch open, ramp extended down…saw the vehicle Edward was driving rapidly approaching the area where Holland had said to release the LFO, and concerned for the safety of his two friends said cautiously…
"…Be careful…I don't want to accidentally drop this thing right into your lap…"
Blue eyes blazing, grey hair blowing from setting on the hood of the military vehicle as Edward drove down the tarmac at a speed never intended for the off-road car, Holland screaming said...
"…I don't care…do, it…"
…and looking up, praying to God not to let him screw this up, seeing the marks on the tarmac yelled…
"…NOW…"
Hitting the release in the cockpit of the transport Search responded…
"…Package…"
…feeling the bolts, explosive charges popping, cutting the LFO free as it rolled down the ramp onto the tarmac, the back tires squealing as they went from a stand still to full on followed by the front ones as the Terminus; all four wheels down began coasting towards the vehicle Edward was driving…
"…Away…"
…then throwing the throttle all the way forward, the lifter, now considerably lighter shot up away from the airfield.
"…Hang on…" Edward shouted to Holland, slamming on the break pedal with his right foot and pulling up on the emergency break handle at the same time causing the off-road vehicle to skid as the Terminus, still moving, the momentum from being dropped off the back of the carrier, rolled right past them.
Tears
As soon as the blade left the hand of the TypeZERO…the Nirvash; emotional outrage spent…froze…the HUD still targeting the midsection of the TypeALPHA…
…The Master Instructors LFO…
…Marcus at the controls.
The one I made smile…
…I made him smile.
Eureka; the image of Marcus smiling up at her from the blank pages of her mind, snapped out of the trance.
Watching the blade she had just thrown spinning, unwavering towards its intended target, unable to call it back…the girl, barely able to understand what had just happened…felt a new emotion as it began welling up inside of her, an emotion just as strong and powerful as the one from a moment ago…and looking down at the image of the Master Instructor on the monitor, still in "Ship to Ship" mode…
Eyes blank; void of all emotion, mouth set in a straight line; a single thought on his mind…
…slowly began realizing what she had just done…the feeling of having dropped something so precious and seeing it slipping through her fingers, only to shatter in a million pieces lost forever right in front of her…eyes wide with the shock of the possibility of never being able to make him 'Smile' at her again…
…never… smile…again…
…and unable to control this new feeling within her …straining to get out…needing to get out…her vision suddenly blurring; the girl felt something flow out of the corners of her lavender colored eyes…running down the side of her nose, her cheeks…into the corner of her mouth…a salty taste to it.
…I made Marcus smile.
Letting go of the controls of the TypeZERO and leaning back into the seat, arms folding across her chest as if trying to piece back together with all her might the one thing she thought she had just shattered…
…the girl, lowering her head down looking at her feet…
The tears flowing freely now…
…for the first time; ever in her life…
Eureka started to cry.
"What are you doing…?" Holland shouted; his face in front of the windshield of the off-road vehicle.
"Calm down…" Edward yelling back at Holland said. "… Move I can't see with your face in the way…"
Holland, on the hood of the off-road vehicle with Edward in the drivers' seat tore after the Terminus as it continued coasting down the tarmac after having been combat dropped from the Heavy Lifter.
Misjudging the speed of the LFO as it came off the Lifter…the Terminus rolling right by them…Edward hit the breaks; putting both feet on the break pedal and lifting the emergency break, expertly spun the vehicle around, then gunning the engine and releasing the emergency break drove up beside the Terminus as Holland stood up on the hood, ready to jump onto the unmanned LFO.
"The pilots side….put me on the pilots side…" Holland, screaming at the top of his lungs said to Edward.
"…Would you just relax…I got this…"
Seeing the huge pothole in the runway before Edward, Holland shouted out…
"…Watch out for the…"
…just as the Terminus hit the hole; bouncing sideways directly into the path of the oncoming off-road vehicle.
Too late to stop now Edward thought, turning the steering wheel all the way to the right, trying not to slam head-on into the LFO as it jumped up right in front of the vehicle.
Seeing the slight hesitation…the TypeZERO pausing after throwing the blade at the TypeALPHA…the Master Instructor, high from the feedback…
…'Riders High'…
…saw the opening as the world around him, seeming to be moving in slow motion; his mind recording frame by frame; watching as the boomerang shaped blade aimed right at the center of the TypeALPHA, cut through the pole at the edge of the runway as if it never even existed at all…
Waiting until the last possible moment to make his move…
…the windsock drifting slowly in the wind as it fell to the ground…
Hands on the controls patiently waiting for the right instant to strike…
…landing, softly on the scorched earth a few feet in front of the LFO…
The Master Instructor taking advantage of the opening ignited his boosters…
Moving at relatively the same speed as the Terminus …fortunately for Holland and Edward…the off-road car; passengers' side slamming into the LFO as opposed to hitting head on; the two vehicles, temporarily stuck together began to spin in a circle on the runway.
The impact made the decision easier for Holland who seeing the side of the Terminus about to impact with the car, and timing it just right jumped, aiming for the open cockpit on the right side of the LFO, just as Edward was pulling safely away, behind and to the right.
Landing in the cockpit feet first and thanking the Lord above for his good fortune, Holland; sealing the cockpit and not wasting a moment hit the power button, starting the LFO, and immediately switched over from "Land Mode" to the humanoid shaped form, or "Wave Rider", just in time to see the TypeALPHA, boosters flaring as it leapt off the ground narrowly avoiding the Boomerang shaped blade, prepared to counter attack the Nirvash, who Holland noticed seemed to be having some sort of difficultly moving, frozen as it was, right arm extended looking the same as it had a few seconds ago after throwing the blade, which was sticking upright in the ground in the same spot the TypeALPHA was just moments before.
Saying another quick prayer…that the Master Instructor wouldn't kill either Eureka or himself…and firing the boosters of the Terminus…Holland; noticing the LFO's call number in the upper right hand corner of the control panel…Nine-Zero-Nine…threw himself into the fray.
Seeing the Terminus out of the corner of his eye and briefly wondering where in the world it came from…not that it mattered to the Master Instructor, he would deal with whoever the interloper was soon enough…and ignoring it for now, the TypeALPHA eyes still flashing red…completely caught up in the Riders High… rockets propelling it along at breakneck speed, left hand out, right hand back holding the blade, the Master Instructor prepared to finish off the TypeZERO.
Holland, knowing that he wasn't going to make in time to get in front of the TypeALPHA, thinking furiously…trying to figure out a way to slow down the Master Instructor…and remembering the ref board still mounted above the canopy…
Quickly, his hands and feet manipulating the controls, sending the signals through the nerves of the LFO, the Terminus reaching above its beam cannon, grabbed the Longboard as Holland hearing it locking together, threw it at the TypeALPHA, leading it just a little bit…hoping it would cause just enough of a distraction so that he could get between Eureka and Marcus…and keying the talk button on the Terminus HOTAS, praying that it was on the right frequency, yelled out to his former instructor….
"…STAND DOWN…"
Still intent on cleaving the TypeZERO in two and ignoring the verbal command, the Master Instructor almost….Almost…didn't see the Terminus's long board as it came flying between him and the Nirvash.
Still accelerating towards the TypeZERO and slightly twisting the upper torso of the TypeALPHA in the direction of the ref board and dropping the blade in his right hand, the Master Instructor, much to the surprise of Holland, caught the longboard, and spinning all the way around, using the momentum of the speed of the board, threw it right back at the Terminus.
"…What the…" Holland began, then realizing he had better get a move on himself, boosters firing, jumped high in the air as the longboard buried itself into the ground.
High over the field giving him an unobstructed view, Holland, cursing himself for not doing something sooner, watched helplessly from the cockpit of the Terminus, as the TypeALPHA, both hands out, grabbed the Nirvash under the 'armpits' and holding on flipped over the top of the TypeZERO, tearing it from its board and slammed it face up into the earth below.
Reaching out and bringing the "Ship to Ship" feed up in the main monitor between the TypeZERO and the Terminus…
Holland, gasping saw something that he never would have ever thought possible…
Standing over the helpless form of the TypeZERO, The TypeALPHA; eyes blazing as it slowly reached up pulling the second blade from its shoulder mounted sheath, ready to plunge it into the cockpit of the Nirvash…the Master Instructor, hands on the controls, never letting his guard down, noticed something…a sound…
The Compac Drive…the red glow slowly fading away changing color…
…pausing, putting his hand up to the headset…hearing a quiet sobbing coming through the earphones, and glancing down at the monitor, and hitting the small "X" in the corner of the window that still read "Compact Feed Back" closing it, bringing up the "Ship to Ship" communications window…
The color beginning to revert back…
…Marcus; suddenly remembering that he opened up the feed, had tried to call Eureka before the madness began…the insanity of the past few minutes, before everything went crazy…trying to remind her that this was just a "Game"….
The Compac Drive shining green…
…and bringing the monitor up saw an image that brought forth memories of another young girl, memories that until recently had been safely stored away in the corner of his mind…
Eureka; her arms folded across her chest, tears streaming out of those big unearthly eyes, running down her cheeks as she looked up into the cracked canopy of the TypeALPHA right into the eyes of the one she wanted so desperately to have smile at her…
…someone she could believe in…
…someone she could trust.
Staring back into those lavender colored eyes… just as piercing as the Master Instructors… cutting deeply into the depths of his mind…his heart…his soul…as they burned away all the barriers he had put up to keep the memories from coming back…
Marcus, hands frozen at the controls…tears welling up in his eyes as the torrent of emotions…emotions he had kept buried for so long came rushing back…
"…I should have been there…"
Seeing the tears running down Eureka's face Marcus; remembering his own daughter, how she looked lying lifeless…the streaks of dried tears on her face, a face so pure, so serene in death… in the streets of a place that at one time used to be called…Warsaw.
"…I could have done something…"
Marcus; suddenly wanting more then anything in the world to comfort the one who's eyes he was looking into right now, and hitting the canopy release…cursing as the cracked canopy refused to budge…tears of grief flowing from his brown eyes as he began punching, kicking at the cracked canopy…crying out to the young girl laying so still in the street in his mind…
"…Done something…"
"…Marcus…" Softly at first…
"…Something…"
"…Marcus…" Louder this time…
Looking down at the source of the voice…The Master Instructor, brown eyes staring into the monitor into those big lavender ones…streaks on her face from the dry tears…and suddenly seeing his daughters face…a face so pure…so…
…Innocent…
…Eureka; staring back at the face of the one she made smile…
…asked, the way only an innocent child might ask…
"…Why are your eyes leaking water too…?"
The Master Instructor smiled…
…I made Marcus 'Smile'…
Suddenly, without warning…
…a loud noise…
…the shock of his head impacting on the side of the cockpit…
...then blackness as Marcus, reaching out to touch the face of the girl…
…surrendered to the peaceful embrace of unconsciousness…
To be continued…
