Eureka Seven: Blank Pages

Fan Fiction by Dan places, characters, references copyright 2005/2006 Bones Studios

Chapter SeveN

Aftermath

Coughing, the four of them covered head to toe in dirt, Marcus; reaching down and grabbing the hand of the girl, gently lifted her up out of the hole that used to be a gun pit, but now reminded the Master Instructor of something else.

A freshly dug…grave.

"You ok Eureka?"

"Yes. Thank you." Eureka replied, her face a nice shade of grey from the dirt were the gun pit had collapsed down on top of them as she continued holding onto his hand.

"See…" Marcus told her. "…I told you I would protect you."

"Yeah, well what about me prince charming, you could at least give me a hand." Lisa remarked as she struggled to pull herself out of the pit.

"Sorry about that." The Master Instructor said to the woman he loved, but as he tried to let go of the hand of the girl, he noticed…

"…Marcus…"

…that she didn't want to let go of his.

"…please don't leave me."

"I got you." Edward told Lisa as he dug himself out, and always the jokester said. "You know, I suddenly have this craving for brains."

"I think you have been watching too many of the old classics." Lisa replied as she laughed.

"Why would I leave you Eureka?" Marcus asked ignoring Lisa and Edward, seeing a look he had not seen in her lavender eyes before.

Tears slowly steaming down her face, leaving behind clean streaks where they flowed, the image momentarily bringing to mind the face of his daughter, Eureka; her lip slightly trembling, replied.

"Because…because I don't want you to leave me like…like Adrock did."

Kneeling down, eyes level with the girl's, the Master Instructor; his eyes full of compassion for her quietly said.

"I'm not going to leave you, ok."

"He always said he would protect me and…and he left me..."

"Eureka." Marcus said as he hugged her.

"I don't like being…alone." The girl quietly said.

"As long as I am around…" Marcus began saying, the sound of his voice reassuring to her.

"…you will never be alone."


"Hurry up!" Holland yelled at the Diva as he recklessly drove back towards the hanger bay that at the moment was currently being strafed by the four terrorist LFO's, the distinct roar of hand held 120MM Cannon…sounding like the beat of a huge base drum…clearly audible in the midmorning air.

Holland cursed as he saw the rounds impacting the structure, holing it through and through.

"Can't you make this thing go any faster Chief?"

"My foot is trying to put a hole through the floor as it is!" Taylor shouted back just as one of the enemy LFO's turned seeing the Diva's car as it sped down the road trying to get past the onslaught unleashed by its other three companions.

Noticing the red baffles protecting the shoulder joint, the rest of the LFO painted in shades of brown…Must be the team leader…Holland recognized the design as one of the several types of foreign manufactured LFO's that were currently being used by several known mercenary units that according to the information put out by I.B. had been contracted out by the extremist Vodarac sects.

"Uh…Taylor, I think it might be a good idea if…" Holland began to say as the right arm of the LFO slowly swung around…business end of the cannon still red hot…the mercenary's team leader setting up for a shot at Taylor's POV.

"Like I'm going to let us get blown up…" The Diva said, his voice dripping of sarcasm.

"…really darling, give me a little more credit. Now hang on to that cute butt of yours..."

"My what!" Holland shouted out as the TypeALPHA's Chief Tech drove straight at the mercenary LFO.

"…it's about to get…Fierce…up in this joint!"


"What now boss?" Edward asked as the four of them started digging around through the rubble caused by the aftermath of the crash and explosion of the Heavy Lifter.

Lifting up a section of reflection film finding the three other HK416's where he had laid them down, picking one of the rifles up, doing a quick function check, Marcus; satisfied that the weapon still operated correctly slung the rifle. Glancing around, picking up the other two weapons he saw that the vehicles were still in one piece as well.

Seeing that Eureka had located the shooting mat that she had been laying on along with the fully loaded thirty round magazines as Lisa slowly walked up to him; a bloodstained helmet in her hand, the pilots call sign stenciled across the front…

…Search…

…and silently cursing, handing one of the rifles to Lisa, Marcus walked over to where Eureka was gathering up the magazines and reaching down, tossed two magazine's over to where Lisa was standing as she performed her own function check on the deadly weapon…the gunship pilot expertly fine tuning the aim point sights…and picking one up and handing it and the third rifle to the girl then grabbing one for himself he slowly stood up adjusting the sight then inserting the magazine into the HK416, the Master Instructor; looking around at the three covered in dirt, remembering something he had told Edward to bring along to show the girl, to have her shoot a few rounds through it…just in case time allowed…slowly, ominously said, a smile forming on his face as he hit the bolt release on the weapon.

"Edward. Time to break out the big guns."

"Finally!" The Assistant Instructor enthusiastically replied.

As Edward ran to the back of the vehicle he had driven to the range, anxious to get his hands on his new "toy", Lisa and Eureka; looking each other in the eye, curiously asked in unison.

"Big guns?"


"What are you doing?" Holland yelled as Taylor, the sound of techno music blaring out of the speakers in his car, drove straight at the mercenary LFO.

"Hang on!" The Diva shouted as he jerked the wheel violently to the left just as the mercenary leader fired, the round exploding into the ground directly behind them.

"Missed me!" Taylor yelled as he turned the car back on a straight course for the entrance of the hanger bay.

"Fierce!" Holland shouted out as the little car shot directly underneath the ref board of the enemy LFO.

"You see the funny thing about those foreign designs…" The Diva began saying. "…is that they can't seem to lock onto close, fast moving objects."

Seeing the look of astonishment on Holland's face, Taylor casually remarked.

"Honey, please…I am only the best LFO tech on this planet."

Seeing the inside of the hanger bay, the damage control crews courageously fighting to keep the fires from reaching the rest of the LFO's as the enemy units continued to pour round after round into the structure, Holland anxiously looked around hoping that Chief Roberts wasn't one of the many casualties he saw lying on the ground inside the bay.

Hurry Taylor…Holland silently prayed.


"Here Eureka, put this on." Marcus said handing her an extra-small ballistic CiRaS armored vest from the back of his vehicle.

"Wow. I didn't think they made them that small." Lisa said looking at the brown assault vest as Marcus began putting his own vest on, the sound of Velcro ripping as he opened one side of the vest up and slipping it over his head quickly finished securing it to his body.

Smiling at Lisa as he started helping the girl to put the armored vest on over her head, careful not to get her gold hair clips entangled, Marcus replied.

"I made a few calls. There you go, how does that feel?"

"Is it supposed to be…this heavy?" Eureka remarked knitting her eyebrows together.

"You'll get used to it." The Master Instructor said to her as he began filling up the pouches on his vest with the thirty round magazines.

"Here honey let me help." Lisa told Eureka as she started helping her fill the ammo pouches on the tiny assault vest.

"Remember; tuck the flap on the inside of the pouch, ok love." Marcus told Lisa.

"I remember dear." Lisa dryly replied.

"Oh baby oh baby…wait…oh baby yeah." Edward said as he walked around carrying what to Lisa eyes was one of the strangest looking shoulder fired weapons she had ever seen.

"Now that…" She began. "…that is a big gun."

"I know." Edward replied, then looking over at Marcus, smiling that big toothy grin of his said.

"I think mine is bigger than yours. Jealous?"

Laughing in spite of the seriousness of the current situation, the Master Instructor replied.

"It's not size that matters my friend…its skill."

"Men." Lisa said as she rolled her eyes as the two instructors started laughing.

Eureka…

…not sure what the two were laughing about…

…her head cocked to the side…

…blankly stared.


The Counter Attack

"The ole girl is ready to go sir!" Chief Roberts yelled out seeing Holland as he sprinted towards where the crew chief and his assistants were busy helping the damage control crews fight the many fires that were raging in the huge hanger repair bay.

"Roger that Chief!" Holland said as he ran, quickly jumping into the cockpit of the Nine-Zero-Nine and mashing down on the power button brought the Terminus type LFO to life.

Smartly saluting as the S.O.F. Commander floored the accelerator, the Terminus fishtailing slightly as the LFO shot out of the hanger, Chief Roberts replied in the time honored fashion that dated back to when men first dared to fly and fight up in the "wild blue yonder"…

"Good luck and good hunting sir."

As soon as he cleared the hanger doors, Holland; tapping on the clutch pedal twice with his left foot then slamming on the break with his right simultaneously firing his boosters switched over to "Wave Rider", and throwing the Terminus's longboard underfoot, his boosters flaring…much to the surprise of the four mercenary LFO's… shot straight up into the air.

Gritting his teeth as he tightened his stomach muscles forcing the blood to stay in his lower extremities, Holland watched, the HUD giving him range and altimeter readings as two enemy LFO's shot directly up after him.

"Come on!" He shouted out as the enemy units quickly rose to meet him.

Seeing the numbers counting down as the LFO's closed in on him, waiting until the last possible moment…just as Marcus had taught him…when it seemed as if the mercenary LFO's were almost on top of him…

"NOW!" Holland yelled.

…quickly turning the left HOTAS to the right until it clicked, his right foot tapping on the accelerator twice then once on the break pedal, right hand on the gear shifter "down shifting" sending the impulses through the bundle of nerves, the Compact Drive glowing brightly, Holland executed a cut-back drop turn and with a boomerang blade in each hand of the Nine-Zero-Nine, dropped down right into the middle of the enemy formation.


"Ok listen to me carefully Eureka…" The Master Instructor told her as she sat next to him, the two of them in the back seat of one of the off-road vehicles, both of them loaded down with as many thirty round magazines as they could fit into the many pouches interlaced on the heavy Combat internal Releasable armored System vest's.

"…When you hear me say 'Go', I want you to get out of your side of the car as quick as you can and if you see me shooting…"

He paused and for a moment thought about his own daughter as the girl; her eyes wide as she intently listened to his instructions, the words being written down on the blank pages of her mind…

…I am doing something…

…something…

"…You shoot at it too. Understand?"

"I understand." Eureka replied.

"Good. Now go ahead and lock and load."

"Lock…and load?" The girl asked.

Smiling, the Master Instructor bellowed out.

"With a magazine of thirty rounds…Load and make ready!"

Reaching into one of the pouches, Eureka; imitating the moves Marcus had showed her as they drove toward the sound of cannon fire, towards the sound of battle, grabbed one of the magazines and pulling it out, quickly inserted it into the magazine well of the HK416, her little hand slapping the side of the bolt release chambering a round.

"Yeah! Now that is what I am talking about!"

Marcus is…Happy.

"Get ready you two…" Lisa said from the front seat, the gunship pilot remembering when she used to hear those same words as Marcus and Edward, preparing to jump into a hostile LZ, locked and loaded the same type of weapons so long ago.

"…we are getting close."

"Ryoukai!" Marcus yelled out, then banging on the roof of the vehicle twice, signaled Edward.

"Stand by!" He shouted out at the top of his lungs.


Lying prone, feeling as Marcus hit the top of the roof on the inside of the flat topped military off-road vehicle, Edward; watching as Holland executed a perfect combat cut-back drop turn through the huge view scope mounted on top of the what the R&D guys called a "recoil-less rifle"…the design dug out of some ancient military manual…and reaching up with his left hand pulled the heavy bolt back to the rear and letting it go…the weapon shaking as the bolt slammed home…chambered the .50 caliber HEAP round.

As he slowly began chanting his mantra, the same words he had taught the girl earlier that morning…

"Fire…Fire…Fire…"

…he put the crosshairs of the view scope on the leg joint of one of the enemy LFO's that was more concerned with shooting at the defenseless men trying to put out the fires in the repair bay.

Recalling a line from an old movie, Edward silently thought to himself as he started taking up slack in the trigger…

…Say hello to my little friend.


Feeling his stomach trying to come out his throat, Holland felt the blades cutting through the point on the two mercenary LFO's where the hip and lower torso met, and as he sliced through them, the two units exploding in a big ball of pinkish smoke, he noticed that the LFO with the red shoulder baffles wasn't anywhere to be found.

Leveling off, Holland glanced around quickly, trying desperately to find the elusive enemy leader just as the external sound amplifiers picked up a loud noise.

…Booompf…

Turning the Nine-Zero-Nine towards the sound, Holland was almost caught off guard by the leader's LFO.

As alarms started going off in his head set as the enemy unit came crashing down on top of him, Holland silently cursed, upset at letting his guard down.

Arms and legs flailing, the Nine-Zero-Nine and the enemy leaders LFO entangled, the two slammed into the concrete below.


"That was very loud." Eureka commented, her ears ringing from the report of the big gun Edward had just fired.

"No doubt." Marcus replied looking out the front windshield as he saw the round hit the mercenary's LFO just above the left leg joint, the flash of the shell hitting barely visible in the sunlight.

"Get ready!" Lisa suddenly shouted out as the car closed in on the enemy unit, the LFO turning the ref board toward the sound of the big gun.

Blood pumping, heart racing as he began to switch gears, the Master Instructor looked over at the girl, just as the .50 caliber shell exploded inside the leg of the big mech, and seeing a look on her face…

…a calm familiar look…

…the same look in her eyes as the Master Instructor…

…Marcus; reaching for the handle of the door, weapon set to full auto, yelled out…

"GO!"


Innocence…Lost

Tires screeching to a halt, both of the rear doors flying open, the two of them…Marcus on the right, Eureka on the left…weapons up, selector switches set to full automatic, quickly exited the off-road military vehicle as the mercenary LFO, the area above the knee joint shattered by the High Explosive Armor Piercing round that Edward had fired just moments before, red fluid squirting out of the wound, dropped down to one knee on the huge ref board.

Eyes blank, mouth set in a straight line…Switching Gears…the Master Instructor, his finger squeezing the trigger, the dot of the aim-point sight centered on the head of the LFO…where all the external cameras fed information to the internal HUD projected on the inside of the cockpits canopy to the human pilot…as the car pulled away, leaving himself and Eureka totally open in the face of a modern day version a story contained in the most ancient of all Books…Marcus; feeling the weapon buck and kick against his shoulder as the rounds tore into the head of the LFO, the red lenses shattering under the hail of bullets from both his and the girl's HK416's, the head literally falling to pieces as the giant "philistine" brought its arm up, the one holding the hand held cannon, just as his weapon fell silent, the bolt locking to the rear.

Looking over at Eureka, seeing that the girl had already begun to reload, his mind recording the magazine slowly falling to the concrete surface, her small hand pulling another thirty round magazine out, inserting it, slapping the bolt release, the look in her eyes…focused, unconcerned at the sight of the metal monster hovering over them…her mouth a straight line as she brought the weapon back up on target.

"AIM AT THE ELBOW JOINT…THE ELBOW JOINT!" Marcus screamed out to her.

Seeing the muzzle flash as she opened up, the empty casings ejecting, hitting the ground, the sound reminding him how wind chimes clanked together in the cool morning breeze, the Master Instructor; quickly reloading, ran over to stand next to the girl, and together…both weapons firing into the joint of the arm that held the huge cannon…the two stood their ground against the giant metal Goliath.


The interior of the cockpit red; alarms going off all around him, the sound a cacophony of noise in his ears as the Terminus warned of several system failures, the grey haired pilot; looking up into the single eye of the enemy LFO, ignoring the alerts and gritting his teeth…

…the Compact Drive turning a shade of purple…

The inset box on the center console reading…

…Compact Feed Back...

As the sensation began to overcome him…

…a slightly euphoric feeling…

Holland; a maniacal smile on his lips…

…Compact Drive glowing bright red…

Totally overcome by the high...

…Completely lost it.

Currently on the bottom, the enemy LFO on top, his thoughts and reactions amplified through the drive, Holland reached up as if to embrace the mercenary in a loving hug, pulling the LFO in close, the canopies almost touching like two long lost lovers sharing a passionate kiss. Rolling the mercenary over, the Terminus now on top, the two still closely embraced, and reaching around, lifting the boomerang shaped blade up over the Nine-Zero-Nine's head, Holland; laughing frantically now, plunged the blade right into the mercenaries cockpit.

As the red liquid of the Archetype began spraying out of the mortal wound as he withdrew the boomerang shaped weapon, coating the armor of the Terminus in shades of red, the liquid splattering over the outside of his canopy, dripping, running down the arm of the LFO, Holland, his blue eyes wide, deeply breathing in and out, brought the other arm up and with a blade in both hands, continued plunging the sharp weapons into the torso of the foreign made LFO.


"You ok up there?" Lisa shouted out to Edward, her black hair blowing as she stuck her head out the window of the vehicle.

Still looking through the scope, watching his best friend and the girl born from the Scab Coral standing their ground, firing up into the enemy LFO hovering above them, the mercenary unit still on one knee, the head shot to pieces, and seeing an electrical spark arcing from where the bullets from where his two friends had shot out the controls to the elbow joint, the arm holding the 120MM cannon suddenly going limp, Edward; putting the crosshairs on the right foot of the enemy LFO, right where the controls for the magnetic locks for keeping the ref board attached to the feet of the unit were housed, calmly replied...

"Just keep it steady…"

"Ryoukai!" Lisa shouted out, as she pulled her head back into the off-road vehicle, quickly rolling up the window.

"…time to even up the odds a little." Edward said to himself, just as he noticed that Marcus had stopped firing.

"Fire…Fire…Fire…"


"I'm out…Reloading!" The Master Instructor shouted to the girl as he dropped to his right knee, tapping her twice on the thigh with his left hand.

Still firing at the elbow joint, the HK416 kicking into her shoulder, Eureka felt the two taps and in her mind annotated the gesture.

…two taps…reloading…

Dropping out the magazine and quickly reloading, hitting the bolt release, Marcus tapped her thigh three times and standing back up, started to continue to fire…

"Reload complete!"

…three taps…reloaded…

…just as he heard the unmistakable sound of Edward firing the recoil-less rifle.

…Boompf…

…Boompf…

As the rounds hit home, the Master Instructor, understanding what his best friend was doing, threw the HK416 over his back just as Eureka's weapon ran out of ammo, and grabbing the girl knocked her down on the ground, shielding her petite body with his as the two rounds exploded almost simultaneously, showering the surrounding area with sharp shards of armor plating.

Feeling the sting of a piece of shrapnel burying itself into his left shoulder as the mercenary LFO fell backwards off the ref board onto the concrete drill pad next to the hanger repair bay, the impact rattling his teeth, Marcus jokingly thought to himself.

…I'm getting too old for this.


"Die…Die…DIE!" Holland shouted out as he continued to plunge the blades into the enemy LFO as the Compact Drive glowed a bright red.

Not satisfied with the results of the damage the weapons were causing, he began hitting the dead machine, the Terminus fist's slamming down with such intensity and ferocity that the concrete began cracking under the pressure of the strikes, the area around the two LFO's awash in a sea of red fluid as with each impact the liquid would spray up into the air, and like an act in a bizarre horror movie, showered the buildings and people as they slowly gathered around, transfixed at the scene playing out in front of them.

Raising the arm of the Nine-Zero-Nine high, Holland, in one final burst of rage, smashed right into the mercenary's cockpit, burying the arm of the Terminus up to the elbow joint. His rage spent, the Compact Drive slowly beginning to revert back to its original color, Holland slowly with-drew the arm of the Nine-Zero-Nine out of the mangled remains of what once was an LFO.

Slowly breathing, his emotions shot, slightly dizzy from the sensation, from the high, seeing something hanging from the fist of the Terminus, as the LFO, the HUD zooming in on the object…

…a human leg…

…and realizing what it was; slowly slumping back into the seat of the Nine-Zero-Nine as the image continued to be projected in high definition onto the inside of the cockpit…the muscles clearly visible through the torn flight suit, the thigh bone a stark white contrast to the dark red around it…

…the picture forever burned into his mind…

…Holland; unable to hold back the sudden flood of emotions as he desperately reached for the canopy release button…

…began throwing up.


Feeling something wet slowly running down the right side of her neck, the girl; bringing her hand up felt the slick fluid, and pulling her hand back as Marcus rolled off of her onto his side, noticed something silver sticking out of his shoulder.

Looking down at the liquid on her small hand, Eureka, her eyes suddenly going wide with the realization that the fluid was blood…His blood...slowly stood up looking down at him as he lay on his right side, his face pale.

"You filthy Federation Dogs!" A man's voice suddenly shouted out.

Turning towards the sound, the HK416 still in her hand, weapon empty, the bolt locked to the rear, the girl saw the last remaining mercenary as he climbed out of the damaged LFO.

Armed with only a huge machete the man slowly began walking toward them.

"Eureka…Step back." Marcus slowly said as he propped himself up on his right arm.

"Yeah little girl, you step back…Oh don't worry darlin, I got something for you after I finish him." The man spat, his face unshaven, yellow teeth showing out of the corners of his mouth as he lewdly smiled at her.

"You won't get the chance!" Marcus said as he reached around, grabbing the HK416 slung across his back, pointing it at the miserable excuse for a man, his finger squeezing the trigger.

"What's the matter tough guy? Something wrong?" The merc said as he laughed at the surprised look on Marcus's face as the weapon refused to go off.

Turning it over, the Master Instructor noticed a chunk of metal sticking out of where the ejection port and the upper receiver met.

Staring at the machete in the mercenary's hand, Marcus; slowly standing up said.

"I don't need a weapon..."

Noticing the glint in his eyes, the Merc, recognizing the look of someone used to killing with his bare hands replied.

"Oh really…well then you don't mind if I use this instead!"

Dropping the machete the mercenary reached around behind him grabbing the small automatic pistol concealed in the small of his back as Marcus…making "that sound"…started to rush him.

As the Merc started laughing, the Master Instructor; hearing the sound of an empty magazine hitting the concrete quickly followed by the snap of a bolt going forward…

"Marcus…"

…and noticing the eyes of the mercenary going wide with shock as he turned seeing the girl…

Her face blank.

…HK416 held low, pointed directly at the mercenary, her finger slowly squeezing the trigger, as she continued saying…

Lavender eyes unemotional.

"…Reload complete."

"…Eureka..." The Master Instructor slowly said watching as the girl lost her innocence as the weapon…

…the muzzle flash illuminating the red ring around her pupil...

…began firing.


A High Cost

Click…Click…Click…

"Eureka…The weapon is empty…Eureka!" Marcus finally yelled out to the girl as she stood there, finger still squeezing the trigger, the weapon pointing at the still form of the body of the mercenary lying on the concrete surface outside close to the hanger bay.

Leaning down, seeing the emotionless look on her face, a face once so…innocent…now completely blank, her eyes slightly narrowed, her mouth a straight line, her chest moving up and down as she slowly breathed, the Master Instructor; the pain of seeing this new look tearing at his heart stronger then the pain from the chunk of metal sticking out of his shoulder, reached out with his right hand placing it protectively on her shoulder and speaking softly said.

"Sweetie, you can stop now. You did well, ok…you did well."

Her finger coming off the trigger, thumb clicking the lever over two clicks putting the weapon on "safe", the girl turned and looking up into his face, noticing how pale it suddenly looked, just like hers, Eureka quietly replied.

"Marcus…I did well didn't I…didn't I?"

"Yes Eureka…" He began as the pain from the shrapnel wound finally caught up to his mind.

"…I don't think you could've made me any…happier."

Knees buckling, eyes rolling back, his head lulling to the side, the Master Instructor slowly fell down, both his knees smacking hard on the concrete surface into the small pool of his own blood as Eureka, suddenly afraid that he was about to leave her alone, tears streaming out of her lavender eyes, began calling out his name…

"Marcus…Marcus…MARCUS!"

Seeing him slowly dropping to his knees, Lisa quickly drove up next to where the girl was kneeling down in the blood of the man she loved trying desperately to keep him from falling over on his face, her arms shaking as she pushed back against the extra weight of the CiRaS vest.

Throwing the vehicle in park, Lisa jumped out of the drivers' side of the off-road vehicle as Edward hopped down on the hood and in one leap landed next to Eureka.

"Honey…Marcus…" Lisa began as Edward; helping Eureka keep him upright as he grabbed the pull-handle located on the front of the vest, jerking straight up and back…the metal cable holding the vest together sliding out, the armored system falling into four pieces allowing for any combat trained life saver to quickly asses the extent of injuries sustained by the wearer…as the three of them gently laid Marcus on his side.

"Lisa…Lisa!" Edward yelled out to her. "Reach over there and hand me that section of his vest."

"This piece?" Lisa asked as the tears started to slowly find their way out of her blue eyes as she reached over and picking the part of the vest that had Marcus's emergency medical blow-out kit attached to it handed it to Edward.

"Yes…that's it." He replied, then looking into Eureka eyes, he told her.

"Ok, now just like before I need to you to keep his melon from moving, alright?"

"Edward, please don't let him leave me."

Gently placing his hand on her cheek, Edward replied.

"Don't worry, I won't."

Then looking over at Lisa, the look in his brown eyes sending a chill coursing through her bones, Edward quietly told her.

"Go find Taylor…Hurry!"

Standing up, her vision blurry from the sudden torrent of tears as they flowed, Lisa began sprinting toward the entrance of the hanger bay.


"Hang on son, just stay with us now." Chief Roberts said as he held the hand of one of his techs as the young man struggled to breathe, his chest slowly rising and falling, bubbles forming around the area where a piece of the exploding 120MM rounds had pierced his lung.

"Did…did Commander…cough…cough…Holland get the Nine…cough…out…"

"Yes…Yes he did. Now just rest, the medics will take care of you soon." Roberts told him.

"Don't try and talk, ok." Taylor told the young man as the former Corpsman tried to help.

"That's…Goo.."

Seeing the light go out in the young mans eyes as he took his last breath, his hand going limp as he surrendered his spirit, Chief Roberts slowly said a prayer for his soul and reaching up gently closed his eyes.

"Lord I beseech thee, receive his spirit into your loving grace, amen."

"Amen." Taylor repeated. "I'm sorry John; there was nothing I could do."

Looking back into the eyes of the TypeALPHA's Chief Tech, Roberts said.

"It's ok Keith…" Then looking around Roberts continued. "…It could have been a lot worse."

"Well if it hadn't been for all the damage control drill's we run, you're right. It certainly could have been worse then it already is." Taylor remarked.

"Hey! At least the TypeALPHA didn't sustain any damage." Chief Roberts said trying to sound optimistic.

"But at what cost?" Taylor replied as he counted at least ten black bags lying in a row next to where the base medical staff continued trying to work on the wounded and injured from the sudden attack on the U.F. Base.

Glancing back down at the body of the young man…who during the attack, while everyone else was panicking around him stayed at his station, helping to keep the fires from consuming Commander Holland's Terminus…Chief Roberts quietly answered.

"A high cost."

"Taylor!" Lisa shouted out, her voice echoing through the large hanger.

Seeing the tears running down her face, Taylor yelled out.

"Over here! What's wrong?"

"It's Marcus…" She began.

"Marcus?"

"Please…just hurry…" Lisa said as she began crying.


Sitting on the outside of the cockpit of the Nine-Zero-Nine, still in "Wave Rider" mode, the inside a mess, Holland slowly tried to make sense of what had happened to him as he succumbed to the Compact Feed Back.

I had no…control, almost like I was possessed…He thought, remembering how Eureka communicated with the Nirvash.

"You are just a Machine, nothing more…" Holland said out loud, his hand smacking the side of the cockpit window, the side covered in red fluid.

Pulling his hand back from the sticky substance, his hand covered in the red liquid as it slowly congealed, Holland suddenly had a realization as he stared looking at the palm of his hand.

This almost seems like…blood...

"Sir, are you ok?"

Leaning slightly down, looking to see who had asked and seeing the face of a young female MA3, Holland replied.

"Yeah, just great."

"Ok, roger that sir, just checking." The MA3 replied looking around at all the red fluid coating several of the surrounding buildings.

"Quite a mess you made sir!"

Looking back at his…blood…stained hand, Holland quietly replied.

"Yeah…quite a mess I made."

"Get out of the way!" A high pitched voice suddenly yelled out.

Is that Taylor…Holland thought looking over towards the hanger bay as the Diva; shouting out from the cockpit of the…TypeZERO…drove the LFO over to were he saw what appeared to be two people kneeling next to a third who was lying on his…

"MA3!"

"Yes sir!"

"Look out, I am about to switch modes, so you might want to step back a bit, ok."

"Ok sir, go right ahead."

Taking a deep breath, Holland got back into the cockpit and quickly manipulating the controls, transformed back into "Land mode".

Trying not to gag, he stood back up and carefully, trying not to step into this morning's breakfast, got out of the LFO.

Seeing her pinching her nose together, Holland; noticing the name tape on her uniform, told the MA3.

"Watch her for me, and don't let anybody try to steal it, ok MA3...Ben…out?"

"It's pronounced Ben-waugh, and by the way that it smells, I don't think you'll have anything to worry about, sir." MA3 Benoit replied as she saluted the young S.O.F. Commander as Holland started running over to where Eureka and Edward were kneeling next to the still form of the Master Instructor.


"Edward?" Eureka asked as she held Marcus's head up off the concrete surface.

"Not now Eureka." Edward shot back as he began pouring a powdery substance around where the piece of metal stuck out from the back of his best friends shoulder, causing the blood to quickly begin to congeal around the wound.

"I'm sorry." The girl quietly replied.

Not taking his eyes off what he was doing as he began packing the area around the sharp piece of metal in highly absorbent cotton bandages, hearing the hurt tone in her voice, Edward said to her.

"Eureka, talk to him, it will keep him from leaving you, ok."

"Talk?"

"Yes, talk…it doesn't matter what you say, just talk to him."

Looking up into Edwards eyes, a confused look on her face, the girl said.

"I don't know what to say."

"It doesn't matter." Edward snapped.

Leaning down Eureka began softly talking into Marcus's ear.

"Marcus…you can't leave me, you still have to tell me about…Taylor…he said all these…words I don't understand…"

"Keep going, you're doing good." Edward remarked as he started taping down all the bandages.

"…Taylor…" Marcus said, slowly coming around.

"Hey!" Edward suddenly said.

His eyes still closed, Marcus continued talking.

"You were so…cute…that make-up all over you face…standing there like that…so cute."

Seeing the confused look on Eureka's face, Edward said.

"Keep talking."

"I was…cute?" The girl asked, slightly cocking her head to the side.

"I miss you honey…I am sorry…I am so sorry…I love you."

"…Love…" Eureka slowly said just as Taylor drove up in TypeZERO.

"Marcus!" The Diva shouted out, seeing the condition the Master Instructor was in as he jumped down off the LFO as Lisa quickly getting out of the copilots side followed suit.

"You…you were driving the…Nirvash." The girl dryly said.

"Anybody can drive…" Taylor said as he gently picked Marcus up off the ground, carefully so as not to accidently bump the area around the sharp metal sticking out as he began to carry him over to the copilots' side of the TypeZERO.

"…but sweetie…" The Diva, a big smile on his face as he told the girl. "…only you can pilot the LFO."

"Stand still." Edward told her as he reached up and grabbing the small pull handle on the CiRaS vest yanked the cable out.

"Eureka. What are you waiting for?" Holland, running over and seeing what was going on, suddenly called out to her as the vest fell apart.

"Go sweetie." Lisa said. "Go keep Marcus from leaving you."

Nodding, the girl quickly ran over getting into the cockpit, and as she sat down looked over as Taylor held Marcus, then placing the wraparound ear phones around her head, Eureka; her voice as dry and as unemotional as always said to the big man.

"Hold on."

Tires screeching, smoke coming out from behind, the TypeZERO fishtailing as Eureka floored the accelerator as the LFO shot down the road, then tapping on the clutch pedal twice with her left foot then slamming on the break with her right simultaneously firing the Nivash's boosters, green waves trailing behind the Archetype as they flew towards the base hospital, Taylor, marveling at how the girl handled the LFO, quietly said, almost reverently…

"…Fierce…"


Quiet Interlude Act I

Standing on that road…

…That road…

…realizing where he was at, he slowly looked around noticing that his surroundings were…quiet.

…Deathly quiet.

"No…No…No…No…NO!" A man's voice began screaming.

Turning to his left he saw a younger version of himself running up to the still form of a body on the ground…his daughter…and as he watched on the outside looking in…observing how he gently cradled her head in his lap, how with tears flowing down his face reached up closing her lifeless eyes as they stared up into the heavens, the streaks on her face from the trail of tears…as the world silently continued on around them.

Sensing the presence of another standing next to him, he quickly turned and saw the girl…

…HK416 cradled in her small hands…

Pointing the weapon at the image of himself as he held the body of his lifeless daughter in his arms…

…and as the weapon began firing...

The Master Instructor suddenly found himself staring into the face of his…

…Daughter.


Opening his eyes, looking around the room he was in, Marcus; feeling the bandages wrapped around his left shoulder and across his chest slowly came to the realization that he was currently in one of the rooms of the base hospital.

Great…All the years of running and gunning and I have never been in the hospital for nothing more then an occasional check up and now twice in as so many days…here I am…He thought shaking his head.

Reaching over with his right hand finding the controls to the bed, and after a little experimenting with the buttons, finding the correct one, slowly raised himself upright.

"Well…At least I got the window seat." He said to himself as he looked out the window as people walked around the courtyard of the hospital, enjoying the nice summer afternoon weather.

Sitting the control down Marcus brought his right hand up to his chin feeling the beginnings of a beard.

I'd say about…maybe three days growth…The Master Instructor silently wondered just as he heard someone as they walked in, the smell of a sweet perfume filling the small room.

"Hey." Marcus quietly said as Lisa walked around the privacy curtain dressed in a white summer dress, holding a bouquet of freshly cut flowers in her hand.

Dropping the flowers as tears began welling up in her blue eyes, Lisa quickly walked over and practically jumping into the small bed with him put her arms around his neck.

"Uh…I think you dropped something." He jokingly told her as he slowly inhaled, the scent of her perfume bringing to mind pleasant memories from the previous weekend.

"Baka." She whispered into his ear as she lovingly kissed him on the cheek.

"You scared me half to death you know." Lisa continued saying as she leaned back looking him in the eyes as she playfully scolded him as the tears continued to flow.

"Gomen'nasai." He timidly replied.

"Why do you always have to be…so damned chivalrous all the time." Lisa asked as she began dabbing at the tears with a tissue. "Look you made my mascara run…you…you…"

"I love you." Marcus softly said as he smiled seeing the frustrated look in her eyes.

Her lower lip trembling, the tears flowing down her face as she began sobbing, her shoulders shaking, unable to control the emotions as they flowed out of her heart towards the man she loved, Lisa blurted out.

"I thought you… I thought you were going to die!"

As she buried her head in his chest, Marcus; slightly grimacing from the soreness of the shoulder wound, began gently stroking her jet black hair with his right hand.

"It's ok my love…I'm not going anywhere without you."

Lifting her head up, her blue eyes shining, Lisa asked.

"Promise?"

Kissing her on the forehead, the Master Instructor replied.

"Promise."

Resting her head back down on his chest as he put his right arm around her shoulder, Marcus thought about the dream he had just before he woke up and looking out the window…remembering the look on the face of the girl as she shot the mercenary…silently wondered how Eureka was doing.


Sitting in the training classroom across from the Master Instructors office, Eureka sat blindfolded, M9 service pistol resting on the table in front of her…slide locked to the rear, weapon empty, safety on…as she waited for Edward to give her the signal to begin.

"Eureka, you ready?" The Assistant Instructor asked.

"Yes." The girl flatly replied.

"Thirty seconds…stand by…Go!"

Grabbing the checkered grip with her right hand, releasing the slide stop with the thumb of her left and pushing the barrel into the table, finding the take down lever, Eureka quickly began dissembling the pistol.

"Twenty-five seconds."

Holding onto the upper receiver with her left hand and pulling the lower straight up with her right, she set the pistol grip on the table. Keeping her left hand around the slide and barrel assembly, careful not to let the guide rod spring shoot out across the room, she pushed against the guide rod with the thumb of her right hand releasing the tension and in one move pulled the spring and guide rod out placing them next to the pistol grip.

"Twenty Seconds."

Turning the barrel and slide assembly palm up, Eureka pinched the rolling lock block with her index finger and thumb and pushing forward and up lifted the barrel out of the slide setting both the slide and the barrel down on the table.

"Fifteen Seconds."

Picking up the slide in her left, the barrel in her right, the girl quickly reversed the process.

"Ten seconds."

Finding the guide rails on the pistol grip, Eureka slid the upper receiver back on and holding onto the grip, pushing the slide back, locked it to the rear.

"Five seconds."

Placing the pistol back on the table she called out…

"Done."

"Good job!" Edward told her as she lifted the blindfold off.

"Really?" Eureka asked.

"You still had three seconds to spare." He replied as he grinned at her.

"Edward?"

Uh oh…He thought hearing the questioning tone, seeing a familiar look in her lavender eyes.

"What was it like…the first time you punched holes into…targets?"

"Well…" Edward began just as Holland entered the room.

"Eureka, are you all done for the day?" Holland asked.

"Yes she is!" Edward enthusiastically answered for her as he quickly stood up wondering why he got all the tough questions.

"But Edward you did not answer my question." Eureka said as she sat there frowning.

"Oh. What question did she ask?" Holland asked Edward who silently stared at the young man, daggers shooting out of his eyes.

"Did I say something wrong?" Holland, noticing the look asked the Assistant Instructor

"No Holland, you didn't." Edward, shaking his head replied as he walked over around the table kneeling down next to the girl.

"Eureka, I really think that is a question you should ask Marcus when he wakes up. I think he could give you a better answer then I could."


"Over just a little more..." Chief Taylor slowly said as he spoke into a portable transmitter/receiver directing the crane operator as he lowered the outer housing to the TypeALPHA's cockpit canopy.

"Ok! That's it Chief." One of his assistant techs yelled.

"Stop…You're right on." Taylor told the crane operator.

Looking over to his right, Taylor began speaking to a tall thinly built dark haired man wearing a white lab coat and orange coveralls.

"I really appreciate the rush job, Mori."

"Not a problem Chief." Morita replied. "Actually I was thinking how nice it was to be able to get away from the office for a while."

"Honey you're telling me…" The Diva said as he placed his huge hand on the shoulder of the Tresor Research Facilities Head Engineer. "…since the attack we have been working port and starboard here trying to patch things up."

"I can imagine. I heard it was pretty bad."

Thinking of Roberts as he held the hand of one his techs as he passed away, Taylor; looking back up at the TypeALPHA as the young men and woman under his charge began welding the outer housing of the cockpit to the armored frame, slowly replied.

"We lost twelve good people, so yes; you could say it was pretty bad."

Turning, looking over towards where the Nine-Zero-Nine's maintenance crews were still trying to get the smell of vomit out of the cockpit, Morita asked.

"So how is Commander Holland doing these days?"

Seeing the look on the Engineers face, Taylor answered as he rolled his eyes and looked up at the ceiling.

"Please don't tell me you are still upset at him for that. Really darling, you need to get over it."

Folding his arms across his chest, remembering the look on the grey haired young mans face…that trademark lopsided grin…as he celebrated with Ray and Charles; the three of them standing in the first place spot on top of the podium, Morita said.

"There is no way he could've pulled that trick off without cheating. I know it!"

"Face it Mori…" The Diva said as he watched his team putting the finishing touches on the TypeALPHA.

"…Holland is just better at lifting then you."


"So what did you and Edward work on today?" Holland asked as he drove Eureka back to her barracks.

"We did allot of…dry fire…drills, and I learned how to do the worlds easiest push ups too." She replied.

"Oh really, you learned that?"

"Yes. Every time I dropped a part of the pistol I had to run outside and assume the…" The girl paused trying to remember the correct term. "…forward…leaning rest position."

Smiling as he recalled how many times he himself had to assume that same position, Holland asked her.

"And how was that?"

"It was…ok, but..."

"But what?"

Furrowing her teal green eyebrows together, as she always tended to do whenever she found something that was unfamiliar to her, Eureka answered.

"…I am still not sure how lowering and pushing myself back up could train my mind."

Laughing out loud, recalling the phrase he had shouted many times himself after each round of punishment dealt out by either Marcus or Edward, Holland; mimicking the voice of the Master Instructor, loudly said.

"Thank you for training my mind and my body, sir!"

Crossing her arms across her chest, sore from lowering and pushing her small body up off the ground, the girl…

…as always…

…blankly stared.


Seven Minutes

Opening the curtains to his room and with a huge smile on her face the duty Nurse joyfully said.

"Good Morning Major!"

Bringing his right hand up rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he slowly turned looking at the young woman, the light from the early morning sun shining directly on him, the Master Instructor; lethargic from the pain killers, dryly replied.

"Yeah…good morning."

"Ah, what's this gloomy face I see?"

"Oh I don't know; must have something to do with that chunk of metal you all pulled out of my shoulder." Marcus sarcastically replied as he weakly smiled at her.

"There now, that's better." The Nurse said as she walked around the bed pulling the privacy curtain back. "Wouldn't want your new roommate to see you all moping around now would we, Major."

"Roommate?"

"That's correct." The Nurse replied as she introduced the boy sitting in the bed next to the Master Instructor.

"Major, this young man here is Timothy."

As he slowly sat up, Marcus noticed that the boy was still, unmoving, almost catatonic, the look in his eyes blank, almost like he was somewhere...else, as he intently stared down into something he was holding in his lap.

"Timothy can you say hello to the Major?"

Realizing what the boy was gazing into, the Master Instructor; totally awake now, looked up at the Nurse.

"Ma'am…" He began.

"Yes Major."

"…I need to make a phone call."


"And…Mark!" Dr. Wakabayashi said as Lisa hit the button on Marcus's watch.

Sitting in the bed across from where the two researchers had set up a small examination area, Marcus quietly asked.

"What are you timing?"

"Shush." Lisa snapped at him as she kept her eyes on the numbers as the seconds turned into minutes.

"Sorry Doctor." He jokingly told her.

"Time!" Sonja said.

"How is this possible?" Lisa remarked a surprised look on her face as she looked at the numbers. "Are you sure about this?"

"I'm telling you, he just exhaled." Sonja replied. "Want to watch him and time it again?"

"No, I believe you, it's just, wow!"

"Can you tell me what it is you two are arguing about?" Marcus asked the two women.

"Ok, let's conduct a little experiment." Sonja said as she slyly smiled at the Master Instructor.

"Oh?" Marcus, a mock look of fear on his face replied. "You're not going to show me pictures of your family again are you."

"Those were Ink blots you idiot!" The blonde haired Doctor yelled out.

"Alright you two now don't make me separate you." Lisa said trying not to laugh at her friend. "Now Marcus, darling."

"Yes my love."

"When Sonja says to, I want you to do…what is it you do when you breathe in and out…you know in through the nose out through your mouth."

"…Deep and complete…" He said finishing the sentence. "Kokyu Ryokyu."

"Yeah whatever…" Sonja rudely said. "…Just hold your breath when I tell you. You can do that, right?"

"You were adopted at birth weren't you?"

"…GRRRRR…"

"Ok you two…" Lisa snapped. "…we can argue about Wakabayashi's family lineage some other time. Just take a deep breath and hold it for as long as you can when she tells you too, ok."

"Ryoukai." Marcus smartly replied.

Watching closely as the boy began breathing out, Sonja told Marcus.

"Get ready."

Composing his mind, pushing all extraneous thoughts aside, the Master Instructor slowly exhaled.

"Go."


"And I was like; honey, I don't think that you know what the main difference between high heels and stilettos are." Taylor said.

Sitting together in the Pizza La restaurant enjoying lunch together, the four of them, Taylor, Holland, Edward and Eureka, the three men laughing as the Diva finished telling one of his many "stories" while the girl just quietly sat there, taking it all in, the words being transcribed on one of the blank pages of her mind.

As Edward spoke up, asking Taylor something about a thing called a "corset" Eureka noticed that as he talked, she started to feel very…sleepy.

Fighting to keep her eyes open as Taylor began telling another story, the girl, unable to resist the strong feeling slowly closed her eyes…

…and found herself standing alone in what her mind perceived as a huge…

…Empty…

…Library.


Slowly inhaling, filling his lungs as full possible as Lisa hit the button on the watch, Marcus began holding his breath, just as Sonja noticed that the boy was still inhaling.

Concentrating, trying his best to not let any air escape, his lungs starting burn in his chest, the Master Instructor looked over, his expert eyes seeing that the boy hadn't even stopped breathing in yet.

As his eyes began rolling back up in his head just before he passed out, Marcus thought he could have sworn that he saw Sonja sticking her tongue out at him just as the boy stopped breathing, and slowly...very slowly…began exhaling.


"Eureka…Eureka!" Holland suddenly shouted out.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked.

"I don't know, she was awake then all of a sudden…I can't seem to wake her." Holland replied, his voice becoming alarmed.

"Let me have a look." Taylor said as he quickly slid out of the booth and kneeling down next her, began calling out her name. "Eureka, sweetie…Eureka."

"Taylor, what's happening?" Edward asked again.

Gently lifting one of her eyelids, Taylor looked up at the two men and with a look of quiet disbelief said.

"I think she is in a…coma."

"I'm driving!" Edward said as he jumped up and began running towards the door of the restaurant.


Walking down the rows upon rows of empty book shelves, Eureka felt suddenly…

…Alone.

What was I doing again…She thought.

I was supposed to return this book that was given to me…The girl realized, noticing that she was clutching a book to her chest.

Flipping through the pages…all of them blank, Eureka caught the movement out of the corner of her eye of someone as they took off running down one of the rows of empty bookshelves.

"Wait!" She yelled out as she ran after…

…A young boy.

"Please stop, I want to talk." Eureka shouted.

Stopping in his tracks the boy turned around and as he looked up into her unearthly eyes, calmly said to the girl.

"You aren't supposed to be here yet."

"What?"

"I have to go. I don't want to miss the bus."

"The bus?" Eureka asked, puzzled.

"Yes the bus…" Timothy replied.

"…it's time for the bus to leave."


"What's wrong with you?" Lisa asked as she lightly slapped Marcus on the face.

"Duh, I didn't tell you to hold your breath until you passed out."

"Sonja, please…" Lisa turned and snapped at her research partner. "…but still you could've just started breathing again."

Shaking his head slowly back and fourth, Marcus asked.

"How long did I last?"

"Well you weren't even close to holding out half of the time it took him to just breathe in." Lisa remarked looking down at the watch, the time exactly the same as before.

"And that would be?"

"Approximately three and a half minutes."

"So what you're saying is…" Marcus began.

"Yes…" Lisa said as she looked down again at the watch. "…he takes a full breath every…"

"Seven minutes." The Master Instructor finished for her as he looked into Timothy's eyes curious as to what the boy was seeing as he gazed into the Compact Drive.


"Wait, please don't go. I have so many questions." Eureka shouted out to the boy as he turned and quickly ran off.

Running along after him, the girl noticed a man standing up on a hill looking down at her.

As she got closer, she suddenly realized who the man was.

"Eureka!" A voice shouted out to her, echoing through the huge space.

Turning towards the sound of the voice, the girl saw the image of another young man.

Standing there with his hand reaching out towards her dressed in a red hooded jacket, blue jeans with the cuffs rolled up, the bangs of his unruly hair in his face…

…the look in his blue eyes…

…Love.

Her eyes snapping open, Eureka realized that she wasn't in the restaurant anymore.

"She's awake!" Taylor shouted out from the backseat of the car as Edward pulled into the parking lot of the base hospital.

"Where are we?" The girl asked.

"Just pulling into the hospital parking lot sweetie." Taylor replied, grateful that she was alright.

Turning around in the front passengers' seat, Holland; seeing the confused look on her face asked.

"What happened?"

"I am not sure." Eureka answered staring at the back of the seat.

"You were out of it there for a little bit." Edward said as he looked at her through the rearview mirror.

"Yes that's right." The Diva said as he looked down at his designer watch.

"Oh?" She asked.

"Yeah…" Taylor said as he looked up at her.

"…a whole seven minutes."


"A look of…"

"Sissy, lookit." The child, all of about three or four years old asked as he looked up at his older sister.

"Yes, what is it?"

Standing outside the entrance to their grandfather's shop while they waited for the old man to pull the car around, the three of them prepared to go down into the town of Bellforest to catch a late lunch.

"Lookit." He enthusiastically said again.

Looking down at what her little brother held up for her to see, she replied.

"Yes, I see."

"Sissy, you missed it." The boy disappointedly said as he brought the thing he was holding in his small hands down; shaking it a couple of times in front of his little face.

"Missed what dear?" She patiently asked.

"Nothin."

"Diane, Renton! Come on lets go." Their grandfather called out from the car. "Hurry before they stop serving lunch, I don't want to have to pay more for the same thing that we could have gotten a few minutes earlier."

As he climbed up into the backseat of the car tightly holding onto the only thing that reminded him of his father, the older sister; noticing the disappointment in her little brothers face as she buckled him in said.

"Maybe you can show me again later."

"Maybe..." He replied as she shut the door to the car.

Looking down at the Compact Drive, that only a few moments ago began glowing as he held it in his hands…the white letters scrolling up from the bottom to the top…Renton Thurston, having learned his "ABC's" quietly began saying the letters to himself as Axle put the car in gear, anxious to get to the restaurant before the prices changed for dinner.

"E…U...R…E…K…A."


Her hands folded across her lap, the girl sat on the edge of one of the emergency room beds as Dr. Wakabayashi held a small flashlight in front of her eyes, waving the beam back and forth, the pupil and red ring expanding and contracting in response.

"No headaches?" Sonja asked.

"No." Eureka replied.

"Well I don't see anything that would indicate a stroke." The Doctor said to the former Corpsman as she stepped back folding her arms across her chest. "Actually, I can't see that there is anything physically wrong with her at all."

"That's really weird." Taylor replied. "Sweetie, did you sleep ok last night?"

"Yes I did."

"Hmmm." Sonja said as she quietly thought to herself.

…I wonder what Mischa would have to say about this.

"Excuse me…" Lisa said as she opened the door to the room. "…can I talk to you two for a moment?"

"Sure." Sonja replied.

"Outside." Lisa asked.

"Sweetie, you just sit right there, we'll be right back, ok." Taylor gently laying his hand on Eureka's knee told her as he turned and followed Sonja outside.

"Ok." The girl quietly replied.

Waiting until the door completely shut, Lisa; leaning against the wall looked up at the Diva, her blue eyes narrowing slightly.

"Holland just told me something. Care to share?"


Beep…

Weird, it is almost as if he is functioning in a different time zone then we are. Like his body is here, but his mind, his soul is somewhere else entirely…Different…Marcus thought as he sat there upright in his bed staring down at his watch marking the time between the beeps of the EKG hooked up to the boy as he sat crossed legged in his bed staring into the drive tightly held in his little hands.

6min 59sec…

Beep…

7min 00sec…

"What are you waiting for little guy?" The Master Instructor asked out loud, trying to figure out a good word for the look he saw in the eyes of the boy as he sat the watch down on the table just as Holland and Edward came into the room.

"Hey slacker." Edward smiling said as he walked over towards Marcus's bed.

"Glad to see you finally decided to come back to the land of the living." Holland told the Master Instructor.

"Thanks." Marcus said to his two friends, then looking into Holland's eyes he immediately asked the S.O.F. Commander.

"Quite a sensation, isn't it?"

Taken aback by the question, his blue eyes widening slightly Holland replied.

"Lisa told you."

"I heard you two had quite a conversation about, what is she calling it?"

"Riders High." Holland quietly answered recalling the euphoric feeling.

"Riders High. That's a good name for it." Edward remarked as he absentmindedly pulled the silver plated lighter out his pocket, remembering how he was the first LFO pilot to ever experience the phenomenon as he tried to keep the images of the enemy soldiers from escaping from where he kept his own painful memories, nightmares really, locked away in the corner of his mind.

"Doesn't sound as bad as, what did you want to call it?" Marcus asked as he noticed the look in his best friends' eyes, himself recalling the images recorded by the flight data recorder in the TypeALPHA as the man; always quick to crack a joke, overcome by the feeling as the Compact Drive amplified his emotions, enhancing the lethal nature, ruthlessly slaughtered a whole platoon sized element of Vodarac extremists…crushing the men using nothing but the hands, feet and huge ref board of his Terminus…as the two of them carried out what was to be recorded as the first ever use of LFO's in open combat.

Looking back into the eyes of the Master Instructor, the two of them sharing a look, a look of men who in missions too numerous or classified to even began to share with the young man standing there in the room with them, the bond between the two stronger then even blood, Edward; looking back down at the lighter in his hand, answering the question, said.

"Berserkers Rage."


"Well…are you going to tell her or do I have too?" Lisa asked Taylor, obviously irritated at the big man towering over her.

"Tell me what?" Sonja asked Lisa noticing the wrath in her research partner's eyes.

"I didn't think that it mattered!" Taylor quickly said.

"What didn't matter?" Sonja snapped as she turned a looked up at the Chief Tech.

"Well…" The Diva timidly started to say.


"So where are you at in her training?" The Master Instructor asked his Assistant.

"Just finishing up on all the small arms stuff."

"How's she doing?"

"I don't think I have ever seen anything like it…she's like a sponge." Edward replied suddenly starting to laugh.

"Let me guess…" Marcus said seeing the look on his face. "…worlds easiest push-ups."

"Yeah she asked me about them too." Holland a smile on his face remarked.

"How many?" The Master Instructor asked; a big grin on his face, curious at how many the girl had to push out.

"Enough to figure out that it wasn't a good idea to keep dropping things."

Laughing out loud, the three men said in unison:

"Sorry for you bad luck."


"Are you positive? It was exactly seven minutes?" Dr. Wakabayashi asked.

"Please honey…" The Diva told her. "…this isn't just any cheap watch."

"I don't care about the watch!" Sonja yelled just as Eureka quietly opened the door.

"Why are you yelling? Did I do something…bad?"

Frowning at the two adults, Lisa turned and kneeling down told the girl.

"No sweetie, we are just worried about you. You didn't do anything wrong, ok."

"Lisa?" Eureka asked.

"Yes."

"My…" She started to say as her stomach began to growl.

"Did you not eat yet?" Sonja asked as she glared up at the big man.

"No."

"What!" The Diva shot out.

"I swear. We can't count on you men for anything." The blonde haired woman dryly remarked.

"Really. I don't know what on earth you could be talking about…" Taylor started to say as he grabbed the hand of the girl. "…come on sweetie; let's find you something to eat."

As the Diva and the girl began walking down the hallway towards the hospital cafeteria, Lisa hollered out.

"Remember. No caffeine!"

"Sure thing gorgeous!" Taylor said, then turning, looking over the top of his shades at the blonde haired doctor, the Diva remarked.

"You know…that schoolteacher look went out eons ago."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Dr. Wakabayashi screamed.


Beep…

"Wow. That's crazy." Edward remarked as the three of them discussed the condition of the boy.

"Every seven minutes?" Holland asked.

"Right on the dot." Marcus replied.

"You don't suppose that this has anything to do with what happened to Eureka?" Edward asked the grey haired Commander.

"What happened to Eureka?" The Master Instructor asked the two.

"Well we were all in the Pizza La restaurant waiting to order." Edward began saying.

"Then all of a sudden…" Holland started to say.

"All of a sudden, what?"

"She just…blanked out." Holland replied.

"Blanked out?" Marcus asked.

"Like she was in a deep sleep."

"Yeah, Taylor thought she went into a coma or something." Edward said.

Looking over at the boy, the Master Instructor slowly said.

"A…Coma…"

Beep…


"Would you please just calm down!" Lisa snapped at her friend.

I am beginning to believe that we should try and fill that prescription…Lisa thought to herself, remembering what Marcus had jokingly told Sonja.

"Sorry."

"You really need to learn to relax more."

"Now who is starting to sound like a mother?" Sonja asked as she gently elbowed Lisa.

"Funny. Well now what. Do you think that has anything to do with our other patient?" Lisa asked as she watched as Eureka and Taylor turned down the hallway.

Crossing her arms across her chest, Dr. Wakabayashi slowly said.

"I am not really sure at this point. It could be a coincidence, but it is still too early to tell."

"Should we let Mischa know?"

"I was wondering the same thing." Sonja replied.

"I am also curious."

"About what?"

Remembering the idea she had concerning Project Omega; the thought of engineering another test subject, Dr Hayase; recalling how the boy was so…unemotional…just like the girl as he stared down into the drive, thinking out loud as she looked down the hall, said.

"I wonder if there are any other cases like this we don't know about."

"Oh?" Sonja asked.

"Yes…" Lisa said.

"…cases specifically involving…any young girls."


"Dinner is served!" The Nurse announced as she entered the room, pushing a cart in front of her.

"Oh joy." Marcus enthusiastically replied.

"That was sarcasm, right?" Edward asked.

"It's hospital food, so what do you think." Marcus replied.

"Hey, maybe we should leave."Holland said as he shot one of his trademark grins at the Master Instructor as the Nurse sat a tray down in front of him.

Never missing a beat, Edward said.

"Yeah, right. Wouldn't want to embarrass the great Master seeing someone spoon feed him."

Raising his right hand and making a fist, Marcus jokingly told the two men.

"You see this. Just you wait, I'll get you when you least expect it."

"Oooh, I am so scared." Edward laughed as he turned to leave.

"Marcus?" Holland asked.

"Yeah what is it?"

"When you get out of here, I have something I really need to talk to you about." Holland said remembering the "gift" that was setting on his dresser back in his room.

Noticing the seriousness in his expression, the Master Instructor said.

"Ok, sure. As soon as I am out, we can talk. First thing, ok."

"Alright, enjoy your dinner then."

Looking down at the food and laughing, Marcus said.

"I wonder if I can qualify for a medal for eating this."

"Major." The Nurse said as she turned and left the room.

"I know I know…" Marcus playfully remarked, then looking over at his roommate said. "…hey Timothy, I'll trade you my apple for your I.V. bag."

Silently staring down into the drive, oblivious of everything happening around him, the boy sat there as Marcus; suddenly finding a word for the look in the eyes of the boy as he slowly breathed in and out…

…the Master Instructor quietly said…

More to himself then to the child across from him in the hospital bed…

"You are much too young to have a look like that on your face."

Beep…

"A look of…Despair."


Major Black

Quietly sitting at her desk in the Information Bureau, Talho was busy reviewing the results of the initial investigation into the attack that had occurred three days ago. Going over the data; where the LFO's were manufactured, the bits and pieces of personal effects taken off the remains of the four mercenaries, researching the long list of possible Vodarac leaders that could have been directly or indirectly, as the case was turning out to be, responsible for hiring out the four.

As she began typing out her report to be submitted up the chain of command for review, she noticed her "inbox" icon flashing. Looking around to make sure that there were no prying eyes, she put the pointer on the icon. Double clicking, she saw who the message was from. Reading the header, "Thought you might want to know", Talho scrolled down and quickly began scanning through the body of the message.

Satisfied with the contents, she discreetly hit the print button, printing out the message first, then the rough draft of her report, after which she deleted the message. Turning in her chair and reaching up grabbing both of the pieces of paper, she stood dropping both of them on the floor. Kneeling down she subtly placed the message in her backpack and picking the rough draft up off the floor slowly stood looking around.

Setting the rough draft in front of her keyboard, Talho reached down picking up her backpack and slinging it over her shoulder walked out of the small cubical.

Flashing her ID badge to the duty MA's as she walked out the door to the building, Talho quickly began walking towards the bus stop anxious to begin reading the message.

"Excuse me Lieutenant, ma'am!" One of the MA's shouted out to her.

Taking a deep breath, Talho turned around just as the Master-at-Arms caught up to her.

As she returned his sharp salute, quickly noticing his rank, Talho asked.

"What is it MA2?"

"I saw you drop this." He told her handing her back her ID badge. "You might not want to loose this ma'am."

"Thank you MA2, carry on."

Snapping too, rendering a sharp salute as the young 2nd Lieutenant turned and walked away, the young man stood momentarily transfixed by the sight of her legs and other "assets" as she walked towards the bus stop.

"She's way out of your league MA2." A voice commented from behind.

Turning the MA2 found himself face to face with a young grey haired S.O.F. Commander.

"Sir!" The MA2 yelled, practically knocking himself out as he saluted.

"Carry on, MA2, carry on." Holland said returning the salute as he tried to keep from laughing. "Next time you might want to be a little more discreet, roger that MA2?"

"Roger that Commander!" The MA2 replied as he quickly went back to continue the remainder of his watch.

Standing there a moment watching her as she got on the bus, Holland briefly thought about the last time the two of them crossed paths, then glancing down at his watch noticed that he was late meeting his brother.

Turning as the bus drove away, shaking his head wondering what Dewey wanted Holland quickly began walking towards the base Headquarters Building.

Seeing him from her seat on the bus as he turned and walked away, Talho silently wondered the same thing, momentarily remembering the first time she gazed upon his sky blue eyes, then reaching down into her backpack pulled out the message she had printed.

Interesting...She thought as she read the message sent to her from a personal contact at the base communications office...None other then the original author of the Omega Document herself here at this base, and she is requesting information be sent to her from surrounding hospitals.

Reading what Dr. Hayase had requested; any strange cases involving the admission into the local area hospitals of young females in stages of apparent catatonic states from gazing into...

Stopping and rereading the last part again, making sure she understood what it was that the Doctor was searching for, just to be absolutely certain before she made a report to the Colonel and not really understanding why it was so important but thinking that this would be of some concern to Dewey, the fact that the search was on for a "test subject", Talho folded the paper in half placing it back down into the backpack.

Getting off the bus and walking into the barracks where she was staying, recalling the message asking for only young girls, Talho silently wondered how the young girl staying just down the hall from her was doing as she open the door of her room.

Throwing the backpack on her bed quickly taking off the service dress jacket, and unbuttoning the top three buttons of her shirt she walked over and plopped down on the corner of the firm mattress slipping off the grey pumps. Laying the jacket down next to the backpack, Talho started thinking about the other papers she had placed into her pack earlier that day as she stood up reaching around behind her finding the zipper to the skirt, unzipping it, letting the skirt fall down around her legs. Reaching down she picked the skirt up off the floor and laid it on top of the jacket. Still wearing the long sleeved shirt, she unbuttoned the sleeves and pulling them up past her elbows sat back down on the bed opening the backpack.

Pulling out the rest of the papers she thought to herself...Ok Major Black, Marcus or whatever alias you go by lets find out what you are all about.

Sliding the backpack out of the way, papers in hand, Talho laid back putting her head on her pillow stretching her long legs out in front of her.


"You're late, brother."

"Sorry Colonel, I guess I lost track of the time." Holland replied as he stepped through the doors to his older brothers' office.

"Please, drop the formalities." Dewey said still reading from his newest book as he motioned for Holland to come over.

"Besides, what is time really?" He asked looking over the top of the book as Holland sat down in one of the two chairs. "Why did man place such constraints on himself; burdening one with the thought of...Time."

"You wanted to see me, brother?" Holland impatiently asked, not wanting to listen to his older sibling drone on about some meaningless subject.

"Be patient." Dewey said as he smiled, placing the book down on his desk.

Great...Holland thought as Dewey opened one of the drawers to his desk.

Pulling out another copy of the same book he was currently reading Dewey walked around his desk and handed it to Holland. Leaning on the edge of his desk the Lieutenant Colonel said.

"Something to, stimulate your mind."

"I know that you didn't call me up here just to give me…" Holland paused looking at the picture of the woman on the front cover. "…this."

"Quite." Dewey said standing up and walking back around stood looking out the huge window of his office.

After a long pause, Dewey suddenly asked.

"How is the…girl progressing?"

Standing up, placing the book in the seat, Holland walked around to stand next to his older brother.

"Very well, she starts live fire exercises in the TypeZERO next week."

"And how is Marcus doing?" Dewey, looking out of the corner of his eyes asked.

"He is really taking a beating." Holland replied thinking of the Master Instructor and how he looked laying on the concrete surface, a piece of metal sticking out of his shoulder.

"So I have heard." The Lieutenant Colonel remarked as he looked back out the window, quietly contemplating.

I guess I am going to be here a while…Holland started to think as Dewey asked him another question, one he didn't expect.

"So tell me Holland…" His older brother began to say.

"Yes."

"…is Captain Edward as good an Instructor as…Marcus?"

"He is quite capable, why?"

Turning, looking his younger brother in the eye as he slowly began smiling, the look in his eyes sending a chill running up Holland's spine, Dewey replied.

"It has come to my attention that there might be someone else that could be possibly…in need of training as well."

"Oh, when?" Holland asked, extremely curious at who this "someone else" could be.

Facing back towards the window watching as the shadows from the setting sun crawled forward, covering the landscape in shades of purple and dark blue hues, Dewey; the smile still on his lips answered.

"All in due time brother…All in due time."


Throwing her legs around as she quickly sat upright on her bed, Talho was starting to get more and more frustrated as the more she read about "Major Black" the less she knew about him.

Reaching over and grabbing a pen out of her backpack she stood up on top of her bed and sat back down crossing her legs underneath her. Turning one of the pages over Talho quickly wrote down two names and one letter.

…Marcus…

…Jonathan…

…D…

Ok, I am pretty sure that this is your real name…Talho thought.

Next she wrote down several military ranks.

…Lieutenant…

…Captain…

…Major…

…Ensign…

…Commander…

Circling the word "Major" and "Marcus", the two most current she had heard him called, Talho then started writing down several other names.

…Brown…

…Black…

…Green…

…Gray…

Stopping, noticing that the other names were colors, Talho; throwing her pen down in disgust yelled out.

"Is this guy a damn chameleon?"

Turning the page back over as she laid back down, she started to read his bio.

…Born: After Midnight…

…Place of birth: Hospital…

…Ethnicity: Homo Erectus…

"What the hell is a Homo Erectus?" Talho screamed flailing her long legs in the air above her head.

Trying to calm herself, she took a deep breath and continued reading.

…Marital Status: Once…

…Children: Deceased…

"Ah, now we are getting somewhere" She said out loud.

At least she thought she was until she read the next line.

…Parents: Two…

Screaming out several choice curse words, Talho started to wonder about where the person she had privately asked found all this information, which she now believed to be nothing more than an elaborate smokescreen set up to keep people, such as herself, from finding out anything useful about the S.T.A.T. team leader.

"Wait a second…wait just a second." She said, recalling that he didn't deny, at least not directly that he was not a team leader.

Ruffling through the many pages Talho quickly found his Military Assignment's page.

As she began to read, her face started to turn a bright red as every word in every block listing what his past assignment were, were blacked out, all but one…

….His current assignment as Master Instructor of the S.O.F.

As she began to gather up all the many pages of…nothing…about the Master Instructor she noticed something that caught her eye on one of the very last pages.

A phone number.

Reaching over and grabbing her room key, the piece of paper containing the phone number in her other hand, Talho shot out of her room running barefoot down the hall towards the phone booth next to the entrance of the barracks.

Picking the receiver up, she frantically began dialing the number.

…Ring…

…Ring…

…Click…

"Information Bureau, Counter Intelligence Division." A male voice answered.

Hanging up the phone Talho suddenly realized that the number she had just called…

…was the number to her office.

Stomping back down the hallway to her room, slamming the door behind her as she jumped onto her bed, Talho screamed out.

"I give up!"


Tiffany

"Taylor, I don't care what anyone else says…" Marcus began to tell the TypeALPHA's Chief Tech as the big man wheeled him out of the front entrance of the hospital where Lisa stood holding the front passenger side of the car door open as she waited to take him back home.

"Yes darling." The Diva slowly said.

"…You are defiantly a princess among princes."

"Oh why thank you kind sir." Taylor replied as he stopped the wheelchair next to the open door of the car.

"Princess…?" Eureka asked as she stood on the other side of the car door, next to the rear of the car.

Not wanting a repeat of the previous weekend, Lisa and Marcus, discussing it over with Holland; who was technically her guardian, asked if she could hang out with the two of them over the next two days.

"I think it would do her some good to get out." Lisa had commented to the S.O.F. Commander as the two of them stood around the hospital bed of the Master Instructor the previous day.

"I agree." Marcus replied. "Might help her to lighten up a bit, not be so…dour all the time."

Shrugging his shoulders Holland; actually somewhat grateful at the chance to be able to not have to worry about her, anxious to get some board time in over the weekend, agreed.

"Sure, you two knock yourselves out."

"Oh and Holland…" The Master Instructor, remembering something that he had told the young Commander, began saying. "…Monday, don't forget, my office, ok?"

"I'll be there." Holland had told him picturing the velvet covered jewelry box in his mind.

"I know, isn't he quite the sweetheart." The Diva said to the girl as he struck an impromptu pose.

Laughing at the look on the face of the girl as Taylor began to "Vogue", Marcus; glancing over at Lisa as she smiled and pretended to take snapshots as the Diva struck another pose, suddenly felt something, a feeling he had not had since…

"Go girl, give it to me, yeah that's it…Fierce honey!" Lisa playfully said as Taylor reached over wrapping one of his huge arms around the girl, picking her easily off the ground.

"Come on girl, show the camera some love!" The Diva enthusiastically said as he held Eureka and spun around stopping suddenly, smiling for the imaginary camera.

While the girl…

…who, as always…

Cocking her head sideways…

…not really understanding…

Furrowing her eyebrows together…

….Just stared.


"Tiffany…Breakfast!" Her…Mom…yelled up the stairway of the upper middle class home.

"Coming…Just a sec, ok?" Tiffany yelled back from her room. Turning back and looking down at her pet as he laid sprawled out on the end of her bed, the young girl told the animal.

"Now Gulliver, be a good boy and stay out of my things ok?"

Excited to be finally out of the orphanage and looking forward to going clothes shopping with her new parents, Tiffany quickly ran downstairs.

"Young lady, what did I tell you last night about running down the stairs?"

"Sorry Tom…I mean…dad." The red haired girl replied.

"That's ok. Just be careful, I don't want you to accidently trip and fall." Tom said as he smiled at his adopted daughter. "Now let's go see what's for breakfast."

"Ok!'

As the two walked into the dining room, Janice…Tiffany's new mom…asked.

"Did you sleep well?"

Afraid to tell her new parents the truth…

…about how the nightmares that every night revisited her while she slept, the images as she watched hidden away in the cellar of her house clutching her pet as her parents were ruthlessly slaughtered in one night of fire and carnage several years ago when she was still just a little child living in a place that was once named…

…Warsaw…

…and as she sat down at the table looking up into the faces of the nice young couple who had just rescued her from the daily disappointment of watching as other girls, much younger then herself, as they were adopted into the homes and hearts of loving parents…

…her light blue eyes shining, concealing behind them the pain she carried within her young mind, Tiffany; noticing the love in the eyes of Tom and Janice, a big smile on her face, replied.

"Yes Janice…I mean mom, I did."


Fidgeting with the sling with his one good hand, trying to adjust it so his arm wouldn't move around so much as his shoulder healed, Marcus; riding in the front seat of the car, frustrated at his failed attempts turned and looking over his injured shoulder asked Eureka, who was sitting quietly in the backseat of the car, for some help.

"Could you lend an extra hand?"

"Yes." The girl dryly replied.

Leaning slightly over the front seat, Eureka began helping Marcus tighten up the sling.

"Hey watch out you two, can't you wait until we get back to your place to do that?" Lisa asked as she drove.

"It'll only take a second. Figuring it out ok Eureka?"

Her small hands easily pulling on the strap as she pulled it tight, Eureka replied.

"I think I have it…figured…out. How is th…"

"Hang on!" Lisa suddenly shouted out as a white van almost sideswiped them.

Her reflexes still sharp, the gunship pilot, lightly tapping the break, swerving to the right…the momentum throwing the girl back against the rear divers' side door of the car…easily avoided the white vehicle.

"Eureka! Are you ok?" The Master Instructor asked as Lisa straightened out the rental car.

Rubbing her small shoulder from where she landed hard against the door, still sore from doing Edward's easiest push-ups, Eureka answered.

"I think so."

"KETSUNOANA!" Lisa shouted out as she floored the accelerator, quickly catching up to the van.

Pulling up alongside, her blood boiling, ready to "light things up", Lisa rolled down the window and started yelling at the two men sitting in the front of the van.

"Hey! HEY! Watch where you're going!"

Ignoring the black haired woman, the two men stared straight ahead.

"Uh…Lisa, stoplight…" Marcus began telling her, seeing the light up ahead as it changed from green to yellow.

"BAKA!" She yelled at the two men, hitting the horn, trying to get their attention.

As the light turned red, the Master Instructor; watching as the vehicles on either side of the four-way stop started to slowly enter the intersection, right hand grabbing onto the dash, his voice so loud it hurt Eureka's ears, yelled out.

"RAVEN STOP!"

"KUSO!" Lisa loudly exclaimed as she slammed on the breaks, the car skidding to a stop a few feet from slamming head on into a luxury sedan as the van continued on through the intersection, barely missing getting nailed by a wheeled military armored personnel carrier.

"Did you see that? They just ran right through!" Lisa excitedly said.

Watching as the white vehicle sped down the road, his brown eyes narrowing, getting a feeling that there was something just not right about the van, the two men flat out ignoring the verbal insults hurled at them, Marcus asked Lisa.

"What were the men wearing?"

"I didn't notice." Lisa answered catching the concerned tone in his voice.

"Plate number?"

"Sorry." Lisa replied slowly shaking her head.

From the backseat of the car, remembering the lesson taught to her by the Assistant Instructor on how to phonetically speak the alphabet over a portable transmitter/receiver, the girl slowly, clearly said.

"…Echo…Delta…Alpha...Four…One…Two…"

Tuning, looking her in the eyes, pleased at what he was hearing…

…the Master Instructor…

…smiled.


About four steps in front of Tom and Janice, her long hair held up by several gold hair clips and wearing a black backpack, Gulliver's head poking out from the top, Tiffany slowly walked along looking into the many shops and stores located in the merchant district of the town located near the huge military base where her new parents lived and worked.

Living most of the early years of her life secluded in one orphanage after the next, Tiffany marveled at the strange sights and sounds, and for the first time in a long time, she felt…

…Happy.

"Tom?" Janice quietly asked.

"Yes dear."

"Do you think we made the right decision adopting her? I mean not that I didn't want to, but…"

"Look at her Janice." Tom remarked as the young girl walked along in front of them, her mouth agape as she took in all the new things she hadn't experienced before.

"If we hadn't come along and adopted her, she probably never would have had the chance to actually learn what it means again to love, and be loved."

Seeing the look on Tiffany's face, Janice gently squeezed his hand.

"I'm sorry honey. You're right."

"She has suffered so much." Tom commented. "Didn't you hear her last night?"

Recalling how Tiffany had cried in her sleep, calling out for her mommy and daddy, Janice looking up into Toms eyes, replied.

"I guess we weren't the only ones to loose someone we loved…there."

"I only wish Bradley were here now…" Tom said; his eyes softening, remembering his son, killed sleeping in his bed as the rain of missiles fell upon the stricken city.

"…I wonder what he would think about having a younger sister."

"Tom?"

"Yes Janice."

"I love you."

"I love you too; now let's teach her how to love again."

"Ok!" Janice enthusiastically replied.

"Tiffany!" Tom yelled out to his…daughter.

Hearing as he called out to her, the red haired girl turned around, and noticing the look in the eyes of the young couple, the same look she saw earlier that morning thought to herself as she replied…

"Yes daddy!"

"How would you like some ice cream?"

…This is what it means to be…Loved.


"That's correct…" Marcus said as he spoke into the phone. "Echo…Delta…Alpha...Four…One…Two."

"You'll be looking at a white in color late model van, with at least two occupants." He continued as Lisa took Eureka on a grand tour of the Master Instructors modest one story home.

"…And here is the kitchen of the famous Martial Arts Master." Lisa told the girl, sounding like a museum tour guide.

"Uh…Lisa?" Eureka softly asked.

"What is it sweetie?"

"I need to use the…restroom."

"Ok. Follow me."

Trailing along behind her, Eureka noticed that although every other door in the house was open, the one she had just walked by in the hallway was closed.

"Here ya go." Lisa said as she flipped the lights on to the bathroom. "Yell if you need anything."

"Thank you." Eureka replied as she closed the door.

Walking back up the hallway Lisa heard as Marcus hung up the phone.

"Well I notified the local Township security force." He told her as he walked over and sat on one of the barstools next to the countertop. "I hope that it's nothing."

"You've been wrong before." She said as she stepped over next to him. "So I wouldn't worry about it."

Putting his right arm around her narrow waist, pulling her close to him, Marcus leaned over kissing her quickly on the lips.

"I really hope you're right."

Her cheeks slightly turning red as she felt how his body pressed up against hers, Lisa suddenly said.

"Not with Eureka in the house."

"Why not. It's important that she see what a healthy relationship looks like." He told her as he kissed her again, longer this time just as the two heard the toilet flush.

"Of course, I am not going to want to have to start to explain to Eureka the whole concept of the birds and the bees…at least not yet anyway."

Hearing a …certain…tone in his voice, Lisa; stepping back, holding him at arms length asked.

"What do you mean by that?"

Eureka; having finished washing her hands and quietly walking back up the hallway silently stood there staring at the two.

"I love you." Marcus quietly told her.

Her heart pounding in her chest, suddenly realizing what he was trying to tell her, Lisa slowly backed away as he stood up and continued speaking.

"I have been…alone too long. So long I had almost forgotten what it was like to really love…someone."

"What are you saying?" Lisa asked as tears slowly started flowing out of her blue eyes.


"So what'll it be young lady. Chocolate, vanilla or strawberry?" The owner of the ice cream shop asked.

"I really don't know." Tiffany said as she turned and looked over at Janice.

"Pick one honey."

"How about strawberry." The shop owner suggested noticing the color of the young girls' hair.

"Mom?" Tiffany asked.

"Sure, I think that I will have the same." Janice told the shop owner.

Hearing the bell at the top of the door ringing, Tiffany and Janice turned seeing Tom holding a small bouquet of red flowers in one hand and what appeared to be a Compact Drive in the other.

"Hey did I miss anything." He asked the two.

"We just ordered." Janice replied as she looked down at what he was holding in his hands. "Interesting combination. What's up?"

Walking over as Janice and Tiffany sat down at one of the round tables next to the huge plate glass window facing out into the street; Tom, pulling a chair out and sitting down began explaining.

Unnoticed to anyone, a white van pulled up across the street.

"Well I thought since people have started "Sky Fishing", I think that is what they are calling it, we could use a portable one of these." He said holding up a hand held Compact Drive unit.

"I heard someone on the Local Vid-news station talking about that." Janice remarked as Tiffany reached over taking the drive out of Tom's hand. "I guess it's the newest fad."

Placing the vehicle in park, the two men looked at each other and nodding their heads in quiet agreement…started to fervently pray.

"What about the flowers dad?" Tiffany asked, curious.

"These, well, the color reminded me of your hair, so here you go honey." Tom said as he handed the small bouquet of flowers to her and reaching his arm around the young girl, placing one of the small red flowers in between the gold hair clips gently kissed her on the forehead. "Welcome to the family!"

Bringing the two bowls of strawberry ice cream over the shop owner asked as he sat them down in front of Tiffany and Janice…

"What's the occasion?"

"We just welcomed our newest member to our family!" Janice told the portly shop owner as she reached over and hugged Tiffany who was quietly crying.

"I see, so I guess it is symbolic then." The owner said noticing the flowers.

"Oh?" Tom asked.

"The flowers…" The man began; a smile on his round face. "…they signify 'Anticipation'."

As one of the men opened up the book of Vodarac and began reading, the other man got up out of the front passengers seat.

"Prepare us oh Great Vodarac; prepare us as we transcend this third dimension into your loving embrace of the tenth realm."

"Anticipation?" Tiffany asked.

"I get it…" Tom said. "…The anticipation of something new."

"Cool honey. I like that. What kind of flowers are these?" Janice turned and asked the shop owner.

As his partner continued to read the book from the drivers' seat in the van, the man that had been sitting in the passengers' seat, quietly praying to himself, knelt down and began punching in a sequence of numbers arming the deadly cobalt tipped anti-warship missile, the warhead taking up almost the entire length of the back of the van.

Thinking about it for a second, the shop owner, snapping his fat fingers as he suddenly remembered, said.

"I believe they are called…Anemone's."

"Anemone." Tiffany slowly repeated holding the flowers in one hand the Compact Drive in her other as Tom leaned over and kissing her on the cheek whispered into his daughters' ear.

"Welcome home, my little anemone. I love you."

This is how it must feel to be truly…Loved…Tiffany thought.

Slowly vibrating as the internal arming devices contained in the warhead began spinning, building up energy, the air around the van began to shimmer slightly as the two men, frantically yelling out to Vodarac, their eyes wide as they watched the numbers slowly counting down as the deadly cargo built up to critical mass, Gulliver; the animal sensing the subtle change in the air, suddenly jumped out of the black backpack hanging off the back of Tiffany's chair and looking back at her ran towards the back of the store.

"Hey you! Get back here!" Tiffany yelled jumping out of her chair as she began to chase after the round white ball of fur, then stopping and running back over, kissed Tom…her daddy on the cheek and said. "Sorry. I don't know what's gotten into him all of a sudden."

"That's ok." Tom said. "Your ice cream will be here when you get back."

"Ok." She replied then looking at her two new parents, a smile on her sweet face, Tiffany said.

"I love you…mom and dad. Thank you…Thank you."

"Hurry and go catch him before your ice cream melts." Janice told her.

Still holding onto the bouquet of Anemone's in one hand, the drive in the other, happy at finally finding a new home, a new life, Tiffany ran after her pet.

I am my daddy's little…Anemone…She thought.


"Why are you looking at me that way for?" Lisa asked bringing her hands up covering her mouth as she slowly backed away, tears slowly streaming down her face.

"Lisa, I love you…" Marcus repeated. "…Will…"

As the girl silently watched the Master Instructor slowly, his knee popping in protest, knelt down and reaching into the sling with his right hand pulled out a small velvet covered case holding it out in front of the former gunship pilot turned doctor, and looking up into her eyes as the pages in the mind of the girl slowly filled up, the unseen hands transcribing down every little detail…

Love…Eureka thought.

…Marcus softly asked Lisa.

"…Will you marry me?"


"Gulliver! Where are you?" Tiffany yelled out as she ran around the counter of the ice cream shop. "There you are you bad boy."

Catching a glimpse of the animal as he poked his head out from the huge walk-in freezer located in the very back of the shop, the white face with a dark patch of fur around his big eyes looking, pleading with his owner to follow him in, Tiffany; smiling back down at the only thing that she remembered brought back pleasant memories from her past, quickly ran down the long hallway into the cold thickly insulated room anxious to be back sitting with her new mommy and daddy enjoying the strawberry ice cream.

"Tiffany! Did you find him yet?" Tom yelled out.

As the numbers on the detonator began going from minutes to seconds, one of the two men shouted out to his god.

"Prepare to welcome us into your loving embrace!"

…00min 59sec…

"Be right there daddy." Tiffany shouted back as she looked around inside the freezer.

"It sounds like he ran into my icebox." The Shop owner told the young couple. "I had better go help her find him before she catches a cold."

"Go with him dear." Janice said as she lovingly looked into her husbands eyes.

…00min 50sec…

"I don't mind…" The shop owner said. "…besides I don't get the chance to show many people my historic landmark."

"Historic landmark?" Tom asked, curious as to what the portly man meant as he followed him towards the back of the shop.

"Yeah, it's my freezer of all things…" The owner began.

"Your freezer?"

"…You see, this building used to be a government office of some sort and my freezer, well, it used to be a bomb shelter."

…00min 40sec…

"Where are you hiding at?" Tiffany asked out loud as she crawled around on the floor of the freezer, looking under the shelves for Gulliver.

"Really!" Tom said, somewhat surprised as the two men continued walking towards the rear of the store.

"The walls are so thick and keep everything pretty much ice cold. All I had to do was install a refrigeration unit." The shop owner smiled. "Really saved me a lot of money."

…00min 30sec…

"Gotcha!" Tiffany said as she found her pet quietly nestled in the back corner of a cement bench between two tubs of ice cream, the pets big eyes blinking as he looked up at her.

The two men, fanatically yelling incoherently now, watched as the seconds of what remained of their lives ticked away as people started noticing the sounds coming from the white van parked across the street from the ice cream shop.

…00min 20sec…

Sitting the flowers on top of one of the tubs of ice cream, Tiffany started to pick the animal up off the bench, but try as she might, the small beast wouldn't budge.

"Since when to you get to be…so…heavy?" She said struggling to move the mound of white fur.

…00min 15sec…

"Tiffany?" Tom asked standing next to the shop owner, his hand on the heavy door. "Did you find him?"

"Daddy, he won't budge." Tiffany replied, a frustrated look on her sweet face as the door to the front of the shop opened, the bell above the door ringing.

…00min 10sec…

"Customers…" The shop owner said as he turned and started walking back towards the front of his shop. "…Be right there!"

Smiling at the look on her face as she tried with all her might to lift the pet, Tom; his eyes so full of love for the young girl that he and his wife had adopted, happy to have been able to give her a new lease on life silently stood there…

…00min 05sec…

…just as Tiffany turned, looking into the face of her new daddy, seeing the love in his eyes as it poured out between a father and daughter…

"…Daddy…"

"…My sweet…Anemone…"

…00min 00sec…


Smiling, Lisa looked down into his big brown eyes and answered.

"Yes…Yes I will."

Her lavender eyes going wide, Eureka suddenly turned and began running towards the entrance of the Master Instructors house.

"Eureka…What is it?" Marcus asked as he quickly stood, noticing the look of…Shock…in the eyes of the girl.

Throwing open the front door, standing there for a moment, Eureka slowly turned and said; her voice so cold that even Marcus felt a chill run up his spine.

"Something…bad…is coming."

"My…God…" Marcus prayed as the small mushroom shaped cloud began rising in the direction of the town.

"Marcus…" Lisa slowly began, recognizing the shape of the cloud as an unmistakable sign of a detonation of an anti-ship warhead as the house began to tremble. "...isn't that a…"

Running over, quickly slamming the door closed with his foot, then turning and grabbing Eureka around the waist with his right arm, the pain of his shoulder shooting down his back as he turned, the Master Instructor yelled out.

"Bedroom…GO!"

Dragging the girl along as he sprinted down his long hallway, Lisa; already throwing the door to his bedroom open jumped on top of the bed and as Marcus threw the girl towards his fiancé, slamming the door closed behind him…the sound of the approaching shock wave roaring like a runaway freight train as it closed in on the small community of houses located around the base…the Master Instructor, as he grabbed the edge of the mattress, pulling it down over the three of them as they huddled together in the corner of the bedroom yelled out.

"I am really getting to old for this crap!"


"Are we good?" Chief Taylor asked his crew as they recovered from the after effects of the shock wave.

Stopping by the hanger before heading out into town, the sudden decision probably saving his life, Taylor had wanted to check one last time on the progress of the repairs being completed on the TypeALPHA.

"All good here Chief! She is ready to go should the Major need her!" One of his female techs shouted out.

"Fabulous darling…Now get your rears in gear and let's help get everyone else ready to go!" The Diva ordered the rest of his team.

"Taylor!" A male voice shouted out.

Turning Taylor saw who it was.

"Roberts, glad to see you're still here, we could use all the help we can find!"

"Was Holland in town?" Roberts asked a look of concern on his face for the young S.O.F. Commander.

"Honey…" Taylor excitedly blurted out. "…I don't know."

Ignoring the remark, Roberts told the big man.

"The Vid's are saying that a missile or bomb exploded in the middle of town."

"By the shape of that cloud it had to have been a Cobalt Anti-Warship Type." Taylor said looking out the huge doors of the hanger bay as the mushroomed shaped cloud continued rising.

"Officer of the Deck!" Chief Roberts yelled out.

Running up to him a young Ensign stopped and saluting the Chief, obviously shaken by the suddenness of the situation, replied.

"Yes Chief!"

"Get it together SIR…" Roberts yelled at the young officer. "…you are my superior. Now get on the phone and start calling everyone back to base. We need to see if any of our people were in town when that bastard went off!"

"Roger that Chief!" The Ensign answered and turning ran off towards his office to begin making the appropriate notifications.

"I hope that none of our people were…" Taylor started to say thinking about Marcus, Lisa and Eureka remembering that Marcus had told him to expect a phone call from Lisa regarding who the best dress makers in town were.

Slapping the big man on the shoulder, Roberts replied.

"I know what you mean…I know what you mean."


As sirens began blaring across the huge installation, the green waves of trappar flowing out from behind the hastily scrambled squadrons of KLF's and the LFO's of the S.O.F. detachment located on the U.F. Base, Edward; holding his arm around his wife and two kids as they stood watching as the cloud rose into the mid afternoon sky in the park near their house, leaned over and gently kissing his wife on the cheek slowly said.

"Take the kids and wait in the house."

"Edward." His wife asked, seeing the far away look in her husbands' eyes.

Smiling that big toothy grin as he turned letting go of his family, the Master Instructor's Assistant told them.

"Don't wait up for me."

Sprinting towards the military vehicle he had driven home, Edward jumped in and starting up the engine…the Compact Drive glowing brightly…quickly began driving towards the huge hanger.


Standing there on top of the hill several miles away from the base with his ref board in his hand dressed in a body hugging suit commonly worn by competition lifters, Holland silently began cursing as he saw the cloud as it rose up above the middle of the town.

So much for a easy weekend lifting…He thought as he threw the board underfoot making his way back towards the parked car he had driven out to the private ref spot.


"What a disaster." Edward remarked from the cockpit of his Terminus, the One-Zero-One, as he slowly guided the LFO down the street near what the EOD guys from the local Information Bureau were saying was ground zero.

As the most senior member of the S.O.F. Detachment and the first on the scene, Edward had helped organize a perimeter around the blast sight, which was being treated, due to the nature of the type of explosive used, as a huge crime scene.

"Total destruction." One of the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Officers wearing a protective suit remarked as he slowly walked up to stand near the foot of the thirty foot tall LFO.

Smiling at the suit the man was wearing the Assistant Instructor thought…Whoever designed those must have had a fetish for light bulbs or something.

"Any survivors?" Edward asked.

"None so far this close to the blast sight Captain."

"Any ideas on the means of delivery?"

Sitting down on the foot of the Terminus, the EOD officer replied.

"Well it wasn't launched from anything."

"Oh?" Edward asked.

"The blast crater is too symmetrical to have been a missile strike. Usually the impact crater is angled in such a way that you can always tell."

"I see." Edward replied. "Any other ideas?"

"Well some yahoos from I.B. are checking out a report called in to the Township security force earlier this morning to be looking for a white van."

"Well I guess it's a start." Edward said.

"Captain." A female's voice suddenly said over the internal Tac-net.

Keying the Communication button on the HOTAS of the One-Zero-One, Edward responded.

"Go ahead MA3 Benoit."

"You might want to come here and have a look at this sir."

"Watch out below. Don't want to accidently step on you." Edward told the EOD Officer as he began walking over to where MA3 Benoit stood, clad in the same type of protective suit.

"Interesting..." The EOD Officer said as he walked up and began looking at what first appeared to be just a section of wall still standing, was in fact something else.

"Step back." Edward told the two as he began slowly clearing away the rubble surrounding the small room with the One-Zero-One's hands.

"I think it is an old type bomb shelter." The EOD Officer said somewhat surprised.

"Wow! Pretty tough!" MA3 Benoit remarked at the sturdiness of the small room.

"Looks like whoever built this was expecting something more powerful then just one Anti-Warship missile."

"Everyone, quiet!" Edward suddenly ordered, picking up something through the Terminus's external sound amplifier. "I think there's someone in there!"

"Help me find the door MA3!" The EOD Officer said.

"Any available Mike unit…Tango-Two." Edward hitting the Communication button calmly said calling for a medical team as Benoit and the Officer, quickly clearing the smaller pieces of debris out of the way, found the door.

"I got a body here!" The EOD Officer yelled out finding the charred remains of a man lying near the door.

"Go ahead Tango-Two…"

"Unit calling Tango-Two…Identify." Edward quickly responded.

"That would be Mike-One-Two."

"I need something to pry it open with!" Benoit yelled.

"Watch out!"

Grabbing a piece of rebar, the EOD Officer jammed it into one of the seams of the door and along with Benoit; the two began forcing the door open.

"Mike-One-Two, I need you to nineteen over to my location. Possible survivor…I say again…Possible survivor."

"Keep going…almost there!" The Officer said as the door slowly began opening, the air escaping from the small room making a hissing noise.

"Roger that Tango-Two, enroute!"

"Status down there?" Edward asked.

"Just about…got it!" The EOD Officer replied as the door, able to withstand more punishment then the two currently trying to force it open could throw at, snapped shut.

"Dammit!" MA3 Benoit cursed.

"I got this…" Edward said as he manipulated the controls, causing the LFO to drop to one knee. "…Stand back."

Reaching up and pulling one of the boomerang shaped knives out of its shoulder mounted sheath, Edward carefully took the tip of the weapon and slowly shoving it into the seam of the door, quickly pried it open.

The green glow of a portable Compact Drive emanating from within the small room as the young red haired girl, holding the unit and a small bouquet of flowers in her hands quietly sat there kneeling on the floor of the bomb shelter as her small white pet protectively stood in front of his owner, his hair standing on end as he slowly growled at the two forms standing in front of the door of the shelter.

"It's a girl!" The EOD Officer shouted out causing the little animal to begin to growl louder.

"Sir, please. Let me handle this." Benoit told the Officer as she started to remove the light bulb shaped helmet off of her head.

"Is it safe sir?"

"Yeah sure, go ahead, MA3."

"Thank you sir." Benoit replied as she took off the bulky helmet.

"Hey there honey…My name is Rene."

Tears slowly flowing out of her light blue eyes the young girl kept looking into the green glow of the drive, as the pet, sensing the compassion in the heart of the MA3 stopped growling and slowly walked around the girl, his head curiously poking around behind his owner.

"Good boy. You were just protecting her, weren't you now." Benoit said as she stepped over and kneeling next to the girl continued trying to talk to her.

"That's a pretty flower you have in your hair." She told her noticing the red flower sticking between two gold hair clips. "What's your name sweetie?"

Not taking her eyes off the drive she tightly held in her small hands, the young red haired girl slowly replied as the tears continued to flow…

"…My…daddy…"

"Yes dear." Benoit replied as she tried to keep from crying herself, the sadness in the voice of the girl tearing at her heart.

"…My…daddy…he said I was his little…"

Glancing up into MA3 Benoit's green eyes, the loss in the eyes of the girl causing the hardened female Master-at-Arms to cry...

…as she continued, softly saying.

"…his little…Anemone…"


Lieutenant Snow

"Watch your fingers." Marcus told the girl as the two of them placed pieces of plywood over the shattered windows caused by the shock wave from the Anti-Warship missile, really the only damage the Master Instructors house sustained in the wake of the Vodarac suicide bombing that left a sizable portion of the main shopping district of the Township near the base a blasted ruin, the scope of the destruction such it was projected by the local governing body that it would take several years for the Town to recover financially.

Moving her small fingers so as not to be pinched between the window and the piece of plywood, Eureka replied. "Thank you. Go ahead."

"Ryoukai, Eureka." Marcus said as he nailed the covering over the shattered window using a pneumatic nail gun.

"Marcus?"

As he drove in the last nail, Marcus; stepping back looked over at the girl. "Yes, what is it sweetie."

Dressed in a pair of faded low rise blue jeans, leather sandals peeking out from the bottom of the flared pants, a small black t-shirt, the white letters on the front spelling out 'Trust No One', the clothes purchased by the Diva two days before, Eureka asked. "What was your…daughter like?"

Reaching down putting the tool between his legs and pulling out another line of nails from a box with his right hand, loading the strip into the nailgun, grabbing it with the same hand absentmindedly bringing the air powered piece of construction equipment up to his shoulder, finger straight and off the trigger just as he would any other…weapon…the Master Instructor paused as he looked up at the piece of plywood that the two had just finished tacking up, recalling the day before as the three of them lay under the mattress of his bed as the shock wave descended upon them.

"Well…she would've been about your age…" Marcus began.

Turning to look at her, pausing for a moment not used to seeing her in anything but the black uniform skirt jacket, thinking that with the exception of her teal colored hair, she looked just like any other girl her age dressed the way she was as she helped him hang the wooden sheets, he continued suddenly wondering what was contained in the black garment bag Taylor had insisted to Lisa Eureka bring along with her.

"…Or at least the way you look."


"I am really getting to old for this crap!" The Master Instructor shouted out just as the shock wave slammed into his house, shattering every window that was facing towards the blast.

As an eerie silence suddenly followed, Marcus, with Lisa helping lifted the mattress off of the three of them.

"You ok?" Lisa asked him seeing him wincing in pain from having picked Eureka up around her waist.

"I can run on my own." Eureka pointed out as Marcus began slowly opening and closing his left hand.

Smiling at the concern on their faces he replied as he began laughing.

"Thanks for your concern ladies. I just like to be overly dramatic sometimes."

"Come here you." Lisa suddenly told him reaching out and wrapping her arms around her husband to be, surprising him by planting a huge kiss on his lips.

"Uh…Lisa…Eureka..." He mumbled as she forced her tongue into his mouth as the girl quietly observed.

Pulling back, winking as his face started to turn red, Lisa reminded him.

"Healthy relationship; remember?"

"Well in that case…" Marcus began as he started to put his good arm around her waist.

"Lisa?"

Staring into each others eyes, the two suddenly love struck with the realization that they were now engaged to be married, Lisa replied.

"What is it Eureka."

"Are you…preg…nant?"

Quickly separating, Lisa; turning as her eyes, suddenly wide with the shock of hearing the girl asking a question such as that while Marcus; bringing his right hand up to his forehead started slowly saying one word, the syllables rolling off his lips as if uttering the most vilest curse word imaginable.

"…Taylor…"

"No." The girl said as she looked up at the two of them. "Edward told me…."

"Edward!" The Master Instructor uncharacteristically blurted out. "Edward told you?"

Staring him in the face, Eureka replied. "Yes, he said that when two people are in…love…"

Just as shocked as Marcus, Lisa stammered out. "Edward…our Edward…told you."

Her mouth a straight line, her eyebrows knitting together, looking…irritated at the two adults…Eureka continued. "It's like that special feeling you get, like when you meet that one person that makes you smile, or laugh..."

"Sokka…" The Master Instructor started to say as he looked over at Lisa, understanding what Edward had told the girl, his Assistant Instructor obviously trying to avoid the same thing that he had told Lisa about earlier.

…About waiting to explain the "Birds and the Bees"…

"…you mean…Love?"

"Yes, that is what I have been trying to ask. Why, is there something else I should know about…preg…nant?" The girl curiously asked.

Both of them looking at her together Lisa and Marcus yelled out: "NO!"

Frowning, Eureka dryly replied as she started to walk out of the room. "I guess it will have to wait until I turn…twenty."

"What?" Lisa exclaimed.

"I'll tell you later." Marcus told his fiancé. "Hey Eureka wait up!"

Running after the girl, turning just in time to see as she, reaching her hand up began to open the door to the room that the Master Instructor never cleared. Unsure if he should tell her to stop, Marcus literally froze as Eureka turned the knob, the sound of the latch clicking open resounding louder in his head than any gunshot or explosion ever had.

"Wait." He quietly said as he slowly walked over to her, placing his hand on top of hers.

"Eureka, you're not supposed to go in there." Lisa, standing just outside his bedroom door started to tell her.

Seeing the look in the eyes of the one she wanted to make smile, his brown eyes beginning to soften, the girl; afraid she had done something bad began starting to apologize, but as he looked down into her lavender eyes, she saw something there that made her stop.

"It's ok; this is something I couldn't have…done…" Looking over at Lisa he continued quietly talking. "…done by myself…but now…"

"Marcus." Eureka softly said as his voice started to falter.

Walking over Lisa put her hand on top of his. "Oh honey. It's ok, isn't it Eureka?"

Not sure how to answer her, but seeing the look in both of their eyes…

…Love…

…the girl replied.

"Yes."

"Ok. Well then…" Taking a deep breath Marcus, his hand on top of Eureka's, Lisa's hand on top of his, together the three of them…slowly opened the door.

His eyes looking at how everything was still in it's place, just as she had left it all those years ago and smiling as he looked down into the lavender eyes of the girl as she took in every little detail of the small room, the Master Instructor; the memories of the past finally gone now, now that he had found love again, told her.

"…Eureka, this is…was my daughters' room."


Hearing as the front door shut from where the two of them were sitting on the front lawn, Marcus and Eureka looked up seeing Lisa walking over carrying a tray with two glasses of freshly made ice tea and a glass of apple juice.

"I didn't hear you working, so I thought you might have stopped to take a break." Noticing as Marcus eyed the glass of juice, Lisa said. "No caffeine."

Taking the glass of juice off the tray and handing it to the girl, Marcus; remembering that Lisa had mentioned how Eureka couldn't handle caffeinated drinks, asked her.

"What's up with the no caffeine thing?"

Cutting her eyes at him as she took the glass of apple juice Eureka replied.

"I am not supposed to talk about it."

Laughing Marcus looked over at Lisa. "That bad was it?"

"So what were you two talking about?" Lisa asked, blatantly ignoring his question.

Wow! I guess it really was that bad…Marcus thought trying to imagine what kind of effects it could possibly have on her as he started to answer his fiancé, but Eureka surprised him by speaking first.

"Marcus was telling me about Irina."

"Really…" Lisa said as she looked over at Marcus. "…And, what did he tell you of her?"


"You have got to be kidding me."

"What was that ma'am?"

Following up on the lead concerning the report made about a white van called into the Township security force the morning of the day of the explosion and after requisitioning the local phone companies call records, Talho had traced the origin of the call back to an address located in one of the housing communities located just down the road from the base.

Standing in the office of the phone company looking at the name listed…Mr. Green…her eyebrow raising at the name, Talho quickly dismissed it as just a coincidence…that is until she saw who was sitting in the front yard.

Closing her eyes and rubbing her forehead as she recalled all the many pages she had read on the man sitting in the front yard containing nothing, Talho replied.

"Nothing MA1, just pull over here."

Having already seen her rip into one of the clerks at the phone company's office, the man insisting that the requisition form was not filled out properly, Talho; her hazel eyes enraged, irritated at the man, proceeded to tell him that unless he did as she told him and give them the phone records she would cram that form so far up his fat, lazy ass, he would need a dentist to tell him what was written on it, the MA1; noticing the look of frustration on her face and not wanting to set off the young 2nd Lieutenant simply said.

"Yes ma'am."


"Well…" Eureka began. "…Irina had her mother's eyes, and she had a pet…" She paused looking at Marcus.

"Cat." He told her as he noticed a GOV…Government Owned Vehicle…pull to a stop a few yards away from his drive.

The girl continued. "Cat, and that she liked…pete…sa…and something called…movies?"

"I like movies too." Lisa said.

"Also Irina liked to collect stuffed animals." Eureka finished saying as Marcus slowly stood.

"She certainly has quite a few in her room, doesn't she?" Lisa asked as she looked up noticing the Master Instructor slowly starting to "Switch Gears".

Remembering the stuffed…Pig, Marcus had called the pink plushy toy…that he had given to her to sleep with as he tucked her into Irina's bed the night before, the girl nodded her head. "Yes, she does."

"What is it, love?" Lisa asked still looking up at Marcus as she heard a car door slamming shut.

"You two stay here." He told them as he saw a sharply dressed female Information Officer getting out on the other side of the car.

Noticing the small pink tattoo on her face and seeing a bit of herself as she looked into those hazel colored eyes as the 2nd Lieutenant stood up and looked over at the Master Instructor, Lisa asked her fiancé.

"Should I handle this?"

Thinking about it for a moment as Talho shut the door to the GOV, Marcus looked down into the blue eyes of his future wife, seeing the same thing in her eyes as the young I.B. Officer.

"No Lisa, I got this and besides…" Smiling, he told her as he started to walk over to where Talho and an old MA1 friend of his stood waiting patiently for him.

"…I don't think that the Town could handle another bomb going off right now."

"You are so funny sometimes." Lisa dryly told him as he walked off.

Turning Marcus winked. "That is what I get paid the big bucks for my love."


"I thought that I recognized that black hat from somewhere." MA1 Wintermote said as he stepped forward extending his hand towards "Major Black".

Great, just great, I haven't even started and already here we go with the good ole boy routine…Talho thought as Marcus firmly shook the MA1's hand.

"What's up with the sling?" Wintermote asked.

Shrugging his one good shoulder Marcus replied. "To much wild sex I guess."

I think I am going to puke…Talho continued thinking.

Looking over his shoulder at the black haired beauty sitting next to a teenage girl, Wintermote asked. "Isn't that Raven?"

"None other." Marcus replied then quickly turning towards the I.B. Officer asked. "What can I do for you this fine Federation afternoon Lieutenant?"

"Oh I am sorry. Lieutenant Talho Yuki. Major Jonathan Marcus." Wintermote gleefully said as he introduced the two.

"Lieutenant…" Marcus remarked, recalling the Nihon word Yuki translated as. "…Snow?"

"So what are we going to call you today?" Talho shot back. "Commander, Ensign, Green, Grey…wait how about…" Looking at his hat she said. "…Black?"

Narrowing his eyes the Master Instructor slowly replied. "Been reading lately, Lieutenant?"

"Yeah, funny you should mention that, I was wondering if you might have noticed any 'Homo Erectus' wandering around these parts?"

Standing there silently watching as the two verbally grappled, MA1 Wintermote quietly excused himself and walked back over getting into the car, wondering if maybe he should call for some backup.

Glancing at her tattoo Marcus told her. "You know modern cosmetic surgery can do wonders nowadays."

Her hazel eyes going wide, Talho opened her mouth ready to throw a few choice words his way when all of a sudden the black haired female stepped between the two of them and extending her hand introduced herself to the young female officer.

"Forgive my…fiancé. Lisa Hayase. And you are?"

Grasping the hand, noticing the firm grip, Talho asked...

…Just to be sure.

"Doctor…Hayase?"

"Guilty as charged. Now what can we do for you today, Lieutenant?"

"Yuki…Talho Yuki."

As the two women shook hands; the Master Instructor looked over at where Eureka sat quietly drinking her apple juice as a part of his mind noticed the white lettering on the front of the t-shirt the Diva had picked out for the girl…

"I have a couple of questions if you don't mind Doctor?" Talho asked.

"Sure, go ahead, ask." His fiancé replied.

…Trust No One.


The Dress

"Well now, that was certainly…interesting." Marcus commented to his fiancé as the GOV drove down the street.

Having answered her questions concerning the van and after taking a few notes, satisfied with what they told her, 2nd Lieutenant Talho Yuki; shaking the hand of Dr. Hayase discreetly handed her a business card with a hastily scribbled note on the back asking the researcher if it was ok for her to call and talk concerning another matter she was currently looking into on the side as she politely smiled at the Master Instructor…his eyes noticing that there was some hidden meaning behind the smile but unable to put his finger on it…before turning and walking over to where MA1 Wintermote waited in the GOV.

"What's up with you and her anyway?" Lisa asked, hiding the note until she could read it privately later, subtly placing the card into her back pocket of the faded denim jeans similar to the ones Eureka was wearing. "If I hadn't stepped between the two of you when I did, I think you would have had quite an opponent to deal with."

Grinning as he looked down at her, unaware of the message handed to her by the I.B. Officer, the Master Instructor asked. "You really think so?"

"Judging by the look in her eyes…" The former gunship pilot began, recalling the glint in the eyes of the young female officer as she remembered how in her younger days never hesitating to quickly go right to guns with men more then twice her size, putting her arm around the man she loved Lisa continued saying.

"…it would have been; how is it you say…" She paused. "…entertaining…to say the least."

Kissing her on top of her head, the two of them turning over to where Eureka sat still drinking her juice, Lisa's arm still around him as they began walking over as he yelled out to the girl. "That stuff isn't going to hang itself! So let's finish it off, there's still a party over at Edward's tonight if I recall!"

Standing up, brushing off the grass from the seat of her pants, the girl; always eager to have him smile at her, replied.

"Ryoukai Marcus!"

"Good answer!" He shouted out to her.

I made him smile…


"Edward?"

Hearing his wife calling out to him from where he was busy stringing up paper lanterns Edward tuned and looking down from the top of the ladder noticed a look of concern on her face.

Smiling his famous toothy grin he asked. "What is it, my sweetheart?"

"Do you still think this is…a good idea?" Glancing down at the ground for a second then looking back up at him she continued. "The dust from the explosion hasn't even settled yet."

Nodding his head in quiet contemplation, Edward replied. "Actually honey, this is the perfect time."

"Oh?"

His eyes smiling back into the eyes of his wife of thirteen years the Assistant Instructor told her. "If we cower in fear every time something like this happens, then we give those…" He paused. "…idiots power over us."

Smiling back up at her husband, Edward's wife remarked. "That is very insightful honey."

"Hey Edward, what's up?" One of his neighbors, a young Fleet Lieutenant, yelled out seeing him standing perched on the ladder.

Turning towards the sound of the voice, Edward shouted back. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Hanging paper lanterns." The Lieutenant replied as his wife came out to stand by his side.

Thinking about it for a moment, Edwards's wife; shrugging her shoulders as she warmly smiled back up at her love of thirteen years said.

"The more the merrier." Turning she yelled over at the wife of the Lieutenant. "That's right, we're having a party!"


"You really didn't have to come over." Marcus told his Chief Tech.

Sitting in the dining room the Master Instructor and the Diva patiently waited as Dr. Hayase helped the girl to put on the item contained in the black garment bag.

"Are you kidding? Really…Marcus…." Taylor remarked as he gently pushed himself away from the table. "…and miss this! I am telling you she is going to blow everyone away!"

As the big man stood up and walked around the table, Marcus dryly told him. "I don't know why you're making such a big deal about this, it's only going to be just us and Edward's family."

Dressed in a pair of black leather pants, half height black boots and an off white silk shirt, turning and lowering his huge wrap around shades, his face aghast the Diva replied.

"Pour que no!"

While Marcus tried to keep from laughing at his antics Taylor, sounding hurt by his remark, continued. "It is still a party and her first…and that…that is a big deal!"

"Ahem." Lisa said as the girl slowly walked out into the hallway.

His mouth agape, suddenly recalling the vision he had of the Angel as she had gently wiped the tears away from his face as he cried out holding the lifeless body of his daughter, Marcus slowly stood as the Diva turned around, the big man quietly uttering.

"That's…Fierce."

Wearing what could only be described as a silver "metallic shift" dress, v-necked, a high waist with a small bow resting just above a full skirt with an inverted pleat running down the front, the hem stopping just above her knee, the blousy banded sleeves adding a bit of charm and simple elegance to the garment, Eureka silently stood, just outside the door of Irina's room.

Walking over and standing next to the two men, Lisa put her arm around Marcus and looking over she said to Taylor.

"You were right…this is the perfect outfit for her."

Smiling as he looked at the girl, the dress shimmering as rays of ambient light reflected off the material, the Diva replied.

"Like I said…it's fate."

Her big lavender eyes staring up into the face of the Master Instructor, wanting to have him smile at her, to be happy as she stood there wearing the dress the Diva had seen and bought her on a whim, seeing the look of…recognition…on his face, Eureka; the girl born from the Scab Coral, quietly asked…

"Do I look…bad?"

Tears slowly starting to run out of the corners of his eyes, seeing in the face of the girl the one who had been sent from up above to comfort him in his time of heart ache, Marcus walked over and kneeling down, looking up into her big lavender, unearthly eyes, smiling as he put his right hand on her cheek…

Marcus smiled at me...

…leaning in close to her…

"No Eureka…it's just that…" He suddenly paused.

Overcome with emotion…

"…You look like…"

The girl reminding him so much of the thing he had loved the most…

"…An Angel."

…Marcus gently kissed Eureka, right in the middle of her forehead.

Not understanding the meaning behind the kiss, but the feelings she felt as they welled up inside her from his unexpected gesture strangely comforting to her in a way she couldn't explain, the girl quietly told him.

"Thank you."


The Party

By the time that the four of them got ready to leave the Master Instructors house, word of a party being held over at Edward's had rapidly spread to all the other houses in the surrounding neighborhood on base so by the time that Lisa pulled through the front gate, the party had already begun in earnest.

"Didn't you say that it was only going to be just us and Edward's family?" Lisa asked Marcus, the researcher noticing that as they pulled onto the street the Assistant Instructors house was located on it was packed with parked vehicles.

"That is what I thought too." Taylor remarked, sitting next to Eureka in the backseat.

"Well…" Marcus began. "…Knowing Edward and all the people he knows, I am not surprised." Looking back at the Diva and the girl, smiling at how nice that they all looked and turning to look at his fiancé dressed to kill in a stunning "little black dress", the Master Instructor; wearing his customary khaki colored pants albeit with a nice button front black short-sleeved shirt that the Diva had thought to bring, added. "And besides…"

"Yes my hubby-to-be." Lisa, glancing over at her fiancé playfully asked, hearing the carefree tone in his voice.

Smiling back at her, noticing how her blue eyes sparkled whenever he looked her way, Marcus continued. "Everyone loves a party."

"Amen to that!" The Diva yelped. "Ok you two I need you to watch me now so I don't get too wasted. I have to work tomorrow."

"Wasted?" Eureka, her head cocked to the side as she looked up at the big man asked.

Turning back around, looking Taylor directly in the eye, the Master Instructor answered her. "It means to get falling down drunk."

"Falling down…drunk…I don't understand." Eureka asked again, looking between the two men as she furrowed her brows together.

"Trust me Eureka…" Marcus began as he glanced down at the girl. "…You don't want to know." Then looking back over at the Diva he told him. "Remember what happened last time you got 'wasted'."

"Oh…And what happened last time you got wasted?" Lisa slyly asked as she looked up into the rearview mirror at the Diva who uncharacteristically became very uncomfortable.

"Uh…Well…" Taylor began as he glanced between Eureka and Marcus, unsure how he should answer.

"Don't embarrass yourself in front of Eureka." The Master Instructor warned him.

Thinking quickly, the Diva finally responded. "Well, you know Lisa how you go on about Eureka and caffeine."

"Ah...sokka…I think I understand." Lisa quietly said getting the hint. "Eureka."

"Yes Lisa."

"Sweetie, it's something Taylor doesn't want to talk about, ok."

Looking back up at the Diva, the girl quietly said to him. "I am sorry. It must have been very traumatic for you too."

Staring back down into her lavender eyes Taylor replied. "Girlfriend, you have no idea."

Leaning over, whispering into Lisa ear so Eureka couldn't hear, Marcus told her. "Let's just say it has to do with the lack of clothes and jumping into swimming pools, among other things."

Laughing out loud, Lisa replied as she parked the car. "I see why he doesn't want to talk about it."

As the sound of the latest techno beat blared from the direction of his friend's house, the Master Instructor walked around and opening the door for the girl, extending his hand asked her. "Shall we?"

"Edward is not going to catch on fire again, is he?" Eureka innocently asked as she took his offered hand and carefully stepped out of the car so as not to get her dress dirty.

"Ah! Is that sarcasm I hear?" Marcus asked her.

"Sar…cas…yum?" The girl responded somewhat confused.

"Never mind Eureka, ok." He told her.

"When did Edward catch himself on fire?" Lisa jokingly asked as Marcus opened the door for her as well.

Smiling down at the girl the Master Instructor told his fiancé as he held the car door open for her. "I'll tell you later." Then winking at his future wife he added. "When we are alone, if you know what I mean."

"Oh, I like the sound of that." Lisa purred as she stood up out of the car putting her hand around his waist.

"Calm down before I have to throw cold water on the two of you." Taylor jokingly said as he walked around the car.

Sounding somewhat alarmed the girl asked the Diva. "Why would you have to throw water on Lisa and Marcus?" Looking between the two lovers then back up at Taylor she added. "I don't think that they are on fire, are they?"

"I think he was just kidding sweetie." Marcus told her then looking over at the big muscle bound Chief Tech he said. "You were just kidding…Right Taylor."

Seeing the glint in the Master Instructors eye warning him not to go on Taylor replied as he turned and started walking down the block towards Edward's house. "It's ok Eureka. They aren't on fire."

"I see." Eureka remarked as she started to walk along next to the big man, a serious expression on her face. "But I still don't understand why you would have to throw water on them if they aren't on fire."

Leaning down and putting his arm around her the Diva squealed. "You are just so cute sometimes!"


"Great party." Chief Roberts yelled out over the sound of music as he walked up to Edward slapping him on the back. "God only knows that we could use a little time to relax and unwind."

"That's what I am here for." Edward shouted back just as Marcus walked through the front door.

"Jonathan, it's so nice to see you." Edward's wife told him as she greeted him warmly with a big hug.

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't have missed this for the world." Marcus said to her as Eureka walked around to stand next to him. "Eureka, this is Edward's wife, Paulette. Paulette let me introduce you to Eureka."

Leaning down so that she could be heard over the sound of the beat of the music, Paulette said. "Edward has told me so much about you, nice to finally meet you Eureka."

"It is nice to meet you too." Eureka replied.

"Paulette!" Taylor yelled as he walked over and wrapping his arms around her gave her a huge hug.

"Hey!" Edward shouted out. "Get your hands off my wife!"

"Oh, well excuse me." The Diva remarked. Letting go of Paulette he quickly walked over and putting both of his huge hands on either side of Edwards head, leaned down kissing his friend on top of the head. "Here you go. Feel better now."

"Oh baby yeah!" Edward replied.

"You guys are stupid." Marcus said as he started laughing at the two men.

"Now now, honey. Don't get jealous." Lisa told him as she walked over to stand by Paulette. "Who are all these people? I thought that it was going to be just us?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Paulette replied as she looked over at her husband who winked mischievously back at her. "That is what I thought too, I guess word got around, but that is ok. You know the more the merrier."

"That is what I am talking about!" The Master Instructor uncharacteristically yelled out surprising everyone. Seeing the look on everyone's face he said. "What! I am not totally devoid of emotion. Come on, let's party! Where's the bar?"

"Right this way…if you would kind sir." Edward said as he gestured towards the patio doors.

"Wow! What has gotten into him?" Paulette asked Lisa as Marcus, Taylor, Roberts and Edward took off towards the backyard leaving Eureka alone with the two women.

"Well…" Lisa began as she held her left hand out. "…I think it might have something to do with this."

"Is that what I think it is?" Paulette asked as she reached down and lifted Lisa's hand up to get a closer look at the ring on her finger.

Her cheeks turning red, Lisa enthusiastically replied. "Yes! He asked me two days ago! Can you believe it?"

"I am so happy for you two!" Paulette said as she hugged Lisa. "Have you set a date yet?"

"No not yet, with the terrorist attack and all."

"That's ok. You'll have plenty of time to decide later." Looking down, noticing that Eureka just stood there quietly observing, Paulette asked her. "I'm sorry Eureka, would you like go and meet my daughter?"

Seeing the look of uncertainly in the eye's of the girl, Lisa leaned down. "It's ok sweetie. Go ahead."

Looking back up into Paulette's eye's Eureka responded. "Ok."

Smiling, Paulette said to the girl. "Oh good, she can't wait to meet you."


"So how is the shoulder?" Roberts asked as Marcus reached down into a cooler full of ice pulling out a can of one of the dark beers Edward had thought to buy for his friend.

Smiling at the Chief, Marcus replied as he popped the top on the black can, the white foamy head spilling down the side. "Sore."

"That is what you get from swinging from the rafters." MA1 Wintermote said as he walked up from where he was quietly standing.

"Yeah I wish." The Master Instructor remarked as he turned to greet him. "Glad to see you here."

"Hey!" Edward said. "You snuck in on me. What have you been up to?"

"Well…" Wintermote began. "…Lately I've been working for I.B..."

"Actually he's been chauffeuring around a certain young Information Officer." Marcus answered for Wintermote. Smiling at the burly MA1 he asked. "So how is Lieutenant Snow?"

"Snow?" Taylor, a puzzled look on his face asked.

"What is up with the two of you?" Smiling back Wintermote asked. "I thought that she was going to have a coronary after she got done talking with you."

"Who are we talking about?" Edward asked, curious.

Looking up at his two friends the Master Instructor replied. "Oh, there is this new female Information Officer, Talho Yuki." Looking over at the Diva he told him. "I believe that you have already met her. Tall, dark hair; has a tattoo on her face."

"Oh I remember." Taylor said remembering the young hot-headed woman from the barracks.

"Anyway Yuki translates as 'snow' in one of the old languages." Marcus explained. "She has been checking me out. Made a few inquiries from what I gather."

"Oh really, and how could you tell?" Edward, smiling that big toothy grin sarcastically asked.

"Yeah…" Wintermote began, shaking his head. "…She kept mumbling something about you being a…" He paused. "…A homo erectus or something."

"Read your file I see." Taylor remarked.

"Well she was pretty hot about it!" Wintermote said as he started laughing.

"I can only imagine." Marcus said remembering the look in those hazel colored eyes. "Quite a temper I bet."

"You have no idea…" Suppressing a shudder Wintermote started to say. "…I thought that she was going to kill some poor guy over at the phone company."

"Best keep your eye on that one." Edward told Marcus.

Taking a sip of the dark colored beer, the Master Instructor said to the men. "Oh, I defiantly plan on it." Both of them…Marcus thought.

Smiling his trademark grin Edward asked. "Alright…Let's get this party fired up! You guys ready for a round of bullfrogs?"

"Oh! ME, ME!" The Diva excitedly said.

"What's a bullfrog?" Wintermote asked.

Putting his arm around the stocky MA1, Chief Roberts said. "It's only the most alcoholic concoction ever formulated by human hands."

"And…" The Diva cheerfully began. "…it's quite tasty too."

Bringing his good hand up to his forehead, Marcus said to his Chief Tech. "Now Taylor, remember that 'concoction' as Roberts so eloquently put it, is what got you into trouble last time. You were there too Edward."

"I was?" Edward replied with a questionable expression on his face. "I don't really recall."

"See…" Marcus began saying with a mock look of disgust on his face. "…this is exactly what I mean." Seeing that the men were going to mix the potent drinks regardless of what he said, Marcus continued. "Well, try not to embarrass yourselves...at least not too much, there are children present, and we all have to work tomorrow." Nodding his head he politely excused himself. "Gentlemen if you will excuse me I think I am going to go find my fiancé."

As Marcus walked off going back into the house, Edward, Roberts and Wintermote glanced between each other.

"Did he just say fiancé?" Edward, a look of surprise on his face asked.

"Yep…You heard it right…Marcus is officially engaged to Lisa." Taylor told the men. "Now enough about that darling, that's old news; bring on the bullfrogs!"


"Hello, Eureka!" A tall teenage girl said as she held out her hand. "My name is Janise."

"Hello, Janise." Eureka dryly replied as she shook her hand in the same manner as the Master Instructor had hers the first day.

"My daddy told me you have been training with Marcus." Janice noticed as she mimicked the gesture, grasping Eureka's right wrist.

"Well, I guess I will let you two get acquainted." Paulette quietly said as she walked out of her daughter's room leaving the young girls alone.

"Yes that is correct." The girl replied, her tone unemotional.

"You sound just like a robot." Janise playfully remarked as she let go of Eureka's hand. Walking over and plopping on her bed she continued. "Daddy says that you are a little…different."

"Different?" Eureka asked cocking her head to the side. "I am sorry…I am afraid I don't understand." The girl said walking over and carefully sitting down on the bed next to Edward's daughter.

"That's ok. Let's be friends." Janise said. "That's a pretty dress."

"Thank you." Eureka responded.

"You're funny." Janise said as she started laughing at how Eureka dryly remarked. Seeing that the girl just sat there blankly staring at her she asked. "Don't you know how to laugh?"

"Laugh…" The girl quietly said as she looked down at her feet. "…know how to laugh."

"Gee…I guess you really are different." Janise began to say.

"Hey you two..." Marcus, standing in the doorway to the bedroom said to the two girls. "…Mind if an old man joins you."

"Marcus!" Janise shouted out. Running over she gave the Master Instructor a big hug.

"My, aren't you getting tall." Marcus said as he hugged her back. "So what are you girls talking about? I bet it was about boys." He joked.

"No!" Janise told him as she quickly ran back over jumping on the bed next to Eureka. "Boys are stupid."

"Marcus." Eureka said.

"Yes."

Her lavender eyes piercing as she stared up into his, the girl asked. "Am I…Different?"

"Let me see." Marcus began as he walked over and sat down between the two. Reaching up and pinching Janise's nose, holding the tip of his thumb between his index and middle finger, pretending to have captured the tip of her nose he said. "Well, you both seem to have a nose."

As Eureka gasped at the child's trick, her lavender eyes going wide, Janise leaned over behind the Master Instructor and pointing at her face said. "I still have my nose." Hitting Marcus on the shoulder she told him. "I'm not a little kid anymore."

"And it's obvious that you both have a mouth." Then lightly hitting Janise back he continued saying. "Of course, some of us have bigger mouths than others." Leaning down looking Eureka directly in the eye, their nose's almost touching, then turning and staring into Janise's brown ones and sticking his tongue out at her, the Assistant Instructor's daughter returning the gesture. "Two eyes each, a tongue too." Leaning over with a big smile on his face he asked Eureka. "You have a tongue, don't you?"

"Stick out your tongue Eureka. Like this."

Intently watching as Janise stuck her tongue out again, the girl; slightly leaning her head to the side, stuck out her tongue too.

"Ok. Looks like you two look the same to me." Marcus replied. "So I don't see anything different."

"See Eureka, I guess we aren't different after all." Janise excitingly said.

"But you said that I was." The girl told her.

Afraid that she had hurt Eureka's feelings Janise replied. "I'm sorry Eureka. We are still friends, right?"

"Friends?" The girl quietly said. Glancing up at Marcus she asked him. "Like what you and Edward are."

"Yes, friends." The Master Instructor repeated. Putting his arm around the girl he told her. "You can never have enough good friends Eureka."

"There you are!" Lisa said as she poked her head around the doorway of Janise's room. "I was wondering where you disappeared off to."

"You know I don't care much for crowds." Marcus replied with a smirk.

"What happened to the party animal?" She teased as she walked over. "How are you doing Janise? You've grown quite tall since last time I saw you."

"Thanks. Your dress is very pretty."

"Why thank you Janise." Lisa replied striking a pose. Looking at Marcus she asked. "So are you going to hide in here all night, or are you going to give your fiancé a dance?"

Standing up he glanced down at the girl. "Well Eureka, if you would join me and Lisa I would be honored to share a dance with my two favorite girls."

Carefully standing up, and straightening the wrinkles out of the dress, Eureka, looking up into the eyes of the Master Instructor and his future wife, her mouth a straight line, voice just as emotionless as always, replied. "Share a…Dance?"


"Wow! You weren't kidding." Wintermote remarked, a big smile on his face, his cheeks red from having quickly downed the potent drink.

"Very tasty, isn't it?" The Diva asked. "Here, have some more."

"If you insist." Sitting his glass down in front of Taylor, Wintermote asked Edward, who was mixing up some more of the drink, a question. "So, why do they call it a bullfrog?"

"You know…" Edward began. "…I don't really know." He said with a laugh just as Marcus…Lisa on his left in her short black dress, Eureka on his right in the silver, shimmery dress Taylor bought for her…walked back out the patio door to where people were dancing in the backyard. "Hey Marcus!"

"Yes Edward?" The Master Instructor yelled back.

His big dark brown eyes starting to get glassy, Edward repeated the question Wintermote had asked. "Why do they call this drink a bullfrog?"

Thinking about it for a second, Marcus, laughing at how his friend was already starting to feel the effects of the drink, replied. "Probably after you drink enough of them, you croak like a frog."

"What's a…frog?" Eureka asked.

"Ribbbit." Taylor yelped, almost spilling his drink.

Narrowing his eyes, the Master Instructor reminded his two friends. "Taylor, Edward, don't get too wasted, we have allot to cover tomorrow with Eureka.

"Party pooper." Edward jokingly blurted out.

"Eureka." Lisa said.

"Yes Lisa."

"When we get back to Marcus house, I think I saw a frog among Irina's stuffed animals."

"Oh, ok." The girl replied just as the sound of an old, slow song began to play.

"Could I have this dance?" Marcus said as he shouldered up next to Lisa, putting his good arm around her narrow waist.

As people began to partner up, Lisa replied. "Why, most certainly kind sir."

Leaving the girl, the Master Instructor and his fiancé walked out among the other couples. Pulling her close they slowly began to sway in time to the ancient ballad.

"Watch your hand there, Eureka is watching." Lisa teased as she felt his hand start to drift down her waist.

Pulling back, looking her in the eye Marcus innocently replied. "Hey, my arm is tired."

"I'm sure it is." She told him as she reached back and lifted his hand back up around her waist, then kissing him on the mouth she said. "Later…ok."

Leaning back down Marcus whispered in her ear. "Ryoukai."

Watching from where she was standing, Eureka quietly observed the two as they moved, their bodies as one as the old song played. Love…the girl thought.

As they turned, Marcus caught sight of Eureka. "Look at her." He said to Lisa. "I wonder what she is thinking."

"I would say by the way she is watching…" The researcher began. "…that she is defiantly studying how we are behaving."

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised." Thinking for a moment he continued. "You should've been in the training hall."

"Do tell."

"She is like a sponge. Never seen anything like it, kind of reminds me of myself." The Master Instructor paused, searching for the right words. "You know the way that she learns…almost like she is writing it down on the tablet of her heart, or mind." Turning in time to the music, he continued. "When I was giving a little demo, I don't think that I have ever seen such a...intense look on anyone I have ever trained before. And when I asked her what she saw…" He suddenly started laughing.

Holding him close; her body slightly trembling as he laughed, Lisa asked. "What did she see?"

"Ask Holland." Marcus began, stifling his laughter just as the music began to fade. "I am sure he remembers."

Her blue eyes narrowing, Lisa responded, a curious tone to her voice. "I'll be sure to ask." Glancing around the backyard she suddenly asked. "Speaking of Holland, I wonder where he is."

"I think Edward saw him briefly after the explosion, but I don't think that he told him about it. I think that he had the watch tonight anyway." Hearing as the sound of another slow song started to play he asked Lisa. "If you will excuse me, I think there is a certain young girl that might be interested in sharing this dance."

Seeing that Eureka was still intently staring at the two of them, Lisa leaned over and told Marcus. "Well I guess that I could go check on Taylor and make sure that he isn't over-indulging himself."

"Check on Edward too." Marcus thought to add. "Once he gets going sometime he forgets. Although I don't think I would worry about him too much."

"Oh?" Lisa asked as she turned to go and find the two.

"Tell you about it later my love." The Master Instructor told his black haired fiancé as he walked over to where the girl stood. Leaning down, extending his good forearm towards Eureka, and using his finest, most chivalrous tone he asked her. "Care to dance, my lady?"

As the sounds of guitar strings from the old song floated through the air in the backyard of the Assistant Instructor, the girl looking between his forearm and his brown eyes quietly asked. "To…dance?"

Smiling back down at her, Marcus replied. "Just take my hand and…follow my lead."

Taking his hand, Eureka; flipping through the pages of her mind, recalling the last time she had heard him say those three words, reached up and put her small hand in his. "Follow your lead." She said as she walked out in the middle of the backyard.

"Ok, like this." Marcus, holding her at arm's length began to explain how to dance. "Nothing fancy, just…Eureka, look at my face, not at your feet."

Looking back up, the girl replied. "Sorry. I was trying to not step on you."

Smiling down at her, his eyes shining, remembering the first time that he had tried to teach Irina, his daughter stepping all over his shoes, the Master Instructor said. "No, that's ok. I don't care if you step all over my feet. I just don't want you to accidentally trip."

Marcus is…happy. "Trip?"

"Never mind…now just move your feet along with mine." Seeing that she had a look of uncertainty in her big lavender eyes, he told her. "Trust me."

Someone I can…Trust. "Ok Marcus."

While the world quietly went on around them in time with the strumming of the strings on the ancient instruments, the singer singing a mournful tune…I think the name of this song is Inko, Marcus thought…the girl and the Master Instructor, danced.

Watching from where she had found Taylor and Edward…the Diva almost on the brink of being "wasted" from downing too many bullfrogs…along with Paulette, her arm around Edward, the four of them silently watched as Marcus and Eureka; looking for all the world like a father and daughter as the two slowly pirouetted out in the middle of the yard. As Marcus began laughing from where Eureka had stepped on him, the girl frowning, not wanting to disappoint him, Lisa asked Edward. "When was the last time you saw Marcus…this happy."

As people began to stop and watch, wives commenting to their husbands on how cute the "father" looked as he patiently taught his "daughter" how to dance, Edward; shaking his head side to side in an effort to stay off the effects of the drink, replied just as the last cord was struck, the sound of the song fading away into the night sky. "Not since…" He looked into his friends eyes. "…Not since he found out he was going to be a father."

"There, now that wasn't that bad was it?" Marcus asked the girl, noticing something in her usually expressionless face.

"No…Not at all." Eureka replied, the emotion she had started to feel fading away into the night along with the song.

Nodding his head in agreement, the Master Instructor told her. "Dancing is good. Helps you find you center." Smiling, he continued. "Especially when you find yourself in the middle of a group of people actively trying to…" Marcus paused.

"Trying to what?" The girl asked, curious, seeing the serious look on his face all of a sudden.

Cutting his brown eyes, looking…scanning around the room as people started to gather up there stuff, preparing to leave as the hour was getting late…the Master Instructor, his face emotionless…Just like mine Eureka suddenly thought…ominously said. "Trying to kill you."

"I don't think that that is going to happen here." Edward said as he staggered up to the two. "And I would say by the looks of everybody that the party is over."

"Well my friend, from the looks on everyone's face, I would say that this was just what we all needed." Marcus told his friend, putting his arm around him as people to began to file out. "Now, how many bullfrogs did you and Taylor kill?"

Smiling at Marcus and Eureka, Edward replied. "You know…I don't really know."

A mischievous look on his face, the Master Instructor said. "Well, I guess we'll find out tomorrow."

"Oh?" The girl asked as the Diva sauntered over, clearly 'wasted'.

"I'll be fine." The Assistant Instructor began. "I've drank more and was still able to out PT you."

"PT?" Eureka asked.

"Humpff…" Taylor remarked as he put his huge arms around Marcus and Edward. "…I will be busy working on the TypeALPHA, so you guys and gals have fun."

"Actually darling..." Lisa said as she walked up, standing behind Eureka. Glancing over at her fiancé, who still had the grin on his face she continued. "…I think that it would be a good thing for you to PT a little bit."

"What!" The Diva squealed. "I am a rock!" Leaning down face to face with Eureka, her nose crinkling at the smell of his breath, and flexing his huge forearms he told her. "Feel these guns!"

Laughing at his Chief Techs antics, Marcus jokingly said to the big man as he reached over and patted him on the stomach. "I don't think Lisa was referring to your 'guns'."

As the Diva starting making excuses for his "spare tire" Lisa had called it as Paulette walked over and starting grabbing Taylor's "love handles", the girl writing, putting the new words down in the blank pages of her mind…I wonder what 'PT' means and what is a 'love handle' she thought…as the Master Instructor and his Assistant starting laughing and singing a song, Eureka; who as always, her head cocked curiously to the side…

"PT…good for me…" Marcus and Edward started belting out, pointing at Taylor. "…sucks for you…"

…Just stared.


Hint of Jealously

"How much farther do we have to go Chief?"

"Not much longer sir."

It had been a long couple of days for Major Lennon and the S.T.A.T. Mobile Unit under his command and the young officer and his men were anxiously awaiting a chance to be able to bed down and get some much deserved rest. Less than twenty-four hours after the terrorist attack, mobilized by order of the Sage Council under a special edict, Lennon's unit found themselves packing up from their headquarters located just outside Capitol City bound for the large base located near the stricken town. At the head of the column of large multi-wheeled transports, flatbed trailers laden down with the units small KLF detachment, along with various support units all necessary for the mission that this particular unit was assigned to accomplish, riding along in the Command and Control vehicle Lennon silently wondered how the Master Instructor would react upon his arrival on the installation. Eight years younger than Marcus, a full head taller but thinner in build then the Master Instructor, once teammates, the two of them part of the very first Special Tactics Assault Team's formed back in a time before Adrock's discoveries, before KLF's and LFO's, before Compac Drives powered everything from cars and motorcycles to the more mundane things found in normal life, running his hands through his close cropped blonde hair, putting them behind his head, Lennon leaned back into the seat closing his grey eyes.

"Very well Chief, let me know when we get close to the main gate."

"Looks like we both missed a great party Commander."

Holland leaned over from where he was sitting inside the cockpit of the Nine-Zero-Nine, his hand on his chin, the LFO in wave rider mode standing just inside the main entrance to the U.F. Base providing a "cover man" for the sentries standing post at the gate. Due to the terrorist attack on the town, the Base C.O. had ordered the tenant commands, the S.O.F. detachment included, to supplement the base security posture by placing LFO's and KLF's on station at different locations on the huge installation. As it was Holland's turn to stand CDO, or Command Duty Officer, he quickly volunteered to stand the overwatch at the main gate as opposed to a boring night sitting in the office next to the S.O.F.'s quarterdeck listening to a portable transmitter/receiver, since the Terminus had a better communications suite. Suppressing a yawn he leaned over and hitting a button on the Terminus HOTAS brought up a screen on the HUD; zooming down at the source of the voice, MA3 Benoit's smiling face shining back up at him as he began speaking to her over a private channel.

"Yeah, from the looks of the amount of traffic coming from that direction…" He turned the upper torso of the Terminus in the direction of the on-base housing units. "I would say that you're probably right." Bringing the torso back to zero, he placed his hand back on his chin. "I wonder what Eureka is doing?" He asked, more to himself then to the green eyed female MA.

A thoughtful expression on her face, pressing the button on her portable transmitter/receiver Benoit replied. "Eureka? I have been hearing that name quite a bit lately." Pausing for a second she continued. "I imagine that she is having a good time sir."

"Oh." Holland replied. "And you know this because…"

"Well sir, earlier I saw Major Marcus come through with Chief Taylor and one of the female researchers from Tresor, and he had mentioned to the other sentries that he would be escorting the young girl. I believe that he had said that her name was Eureka."

Leaning back into the seat of the Terminus, Holland dryly remarked. "At least one of us is having fun."

"Pardon my candidness, but that wouldn't be a hint of jealously I hear sir?"

Smiling back down at the young MA, Holland replied. "Is it that obvious MA3?"

Not taking her eyes off the other two MA's as they continued to check the I.D.'s of oncoming vehicles Benoit answered. "I don't know what your relationship is with Eureka, but it seems to me that as long as the Major is looking after her." She paused, saluting an officer as he drove his car through the gate. "You don't have anything to worry about sir."

Remembering how his brother had given him "Charge" over the girl, recalling how Dewey had told him to watch over Eureka, how the girl had looked seeing the Master Instructor as he had lay bleeding on the tarmac, that same frightened look in her lavender eyes as she; frightened and scared hiding in a corner in his brothers office under a blanket reached out for his hand…HIS hand…slightly surprised at the sudden possessive feeling for the teal haired girl, Holland, noticing the lights of an approaching military convoy off in the distance replied. "I guess not MA3."

Hearing the edge in the young commander's voice, remembering the last time she had inadvertently said something she wasn't supposed to, Benoit simply replied just as the lead vehicle of the convoy rolled to a stop in front of the two sentries. "Roger that sir."

Walking up to stand behind the two young Master at Arms…Jeez they sure are turning them out younger these days she thought…as they asked for the drivers I.D., the most junior of the two turning, a confused look on his face as he asked. "MA3, uh could you look at this please."

Smiling back at the fresh faced young man, Benoit replied. "Sure, what's up?"

"Well the passenger says that he is carrying weapons and is asking to see the CDO."

Seeing the long line of military vehicles as they stretched out behind the lead vehicle, still with a smile on her face, Benoit took the I.D.'s quickly checking them. Stepping around to the passenger's side of the vehicle and snapping to, smartly saluted as the window slowly rolled down. "Good evening Major. MA3 Benoit, base security. I understand from my young MA there that you are carrying weapons sir."

Returning the salute, the Major replied. "Roger that MA3." Gesturing behind him he continued. "As you can see I will have a lot of weapons to declare tonight I'm afraid."

"Roger that. Long haul sir?"

His grey eyes flashing, the Major smiled back up at her. "You've no idea MA3. By chance could you contact the CDO, my men are tired and are looking forward to a good night's rest."

Cutting her green eyes to her left and motioning with her left hand up and behind her to the lone LFO she replied. "You're in luck sir; the CDO is actually standing overwatch behind us." Switching the channel back over to the main operational channel on the portable transmitter/receiver she began speaking. "Delta…four-two…"

Having already zoomed in from where he was talking with the female MA, Holland replied over the transmitter/receiver. "Go ahead four-two."

"Sir, your presence is requested."

"Roger that, wait one." Pivoting the Nine-Zero-Nine around, checking to make sure that there was enough room, Holland switched into "Land Mode" and opening the canopy quickly dismounted the LFO. Straightening out his uniform he walked over to stand next to Benoit. "Good evening. Lieutenant Commander Holland Novak, Special Operations Forces, acting CDO, and you are?" Holland asked.

Opening the door to the Command and Control Vehicle, a slightly surprised look on his face, extending his hand the grey eyed Major asked. "Novak?"

Grasping the Major's hand in the manner taught by the Master Instructor and shrugging his shoulders, Holland replied. "My older brother's younger sibling I'm afraid…Major?"

"Ah, I am sorry Commander." Grinning ear to ear he replied as he gripped Holland's hand and wrist in the same manner. "Major Kenneth Lennon, Commanding officer Twenty-first Mobile Unit, Special Tactics Assault Team Five."

Glancing down at his wrist, then back up into Lennon's grey eyes, a look of disbelief beginning to form across his face, Holland asked. "Did you say…Team Five?"

Noticing the look on the young Commanders face, still grinning ear to ear, Lennon replied. "That's right. Team Five."

As Holland quietly stood there slightly dumbfounded by the Major's answer, Benoit curiously spoke up. "Team Five? Wasn't that…" She began.

Looking directly in her green eyes, the female MA noticing the mischievous glint in the grey eye's of the S.T.A.T. Team leader as he winked at her, Lennon; cutting her off asked Holland. "So how is Marcus doing?"

"Well…uh…Good."

Slowly shaking his head, anxious to see his former teammate, the former Commanding Officer of S.T.A.T Team Five, Lennon replied. "Excellent…"

To be continued…