Chapter 7: Winning Beyond The Eyes

"Terina, you can come in." Ostler called from his door. Terina tiredly lifted her head to look up at him. She frowned when she noticed the stress and tiredness in his eyes. It was obvious that he had been working hard.

"Is he alright?" She asked while walking to the door. He let her into the medical room. Beeps and hums quickly filled her ears.

"From what I can tell, no." The answer came to her through faint lips. Instead of judging him, she remained silent. "I've done as much study as I could." They rounded the beds until they were on either side of Irik. His face remained emotionless. "I'm not sure what to do."

"What?" Terina blurted out.

"I'm sorry, but this is a battle he'll have to fight on his own. I can give him medications to help, but his chances are looking slim." He raised both brows casually.

"How can you say that with such calm?" Once again anger was filling her voice.

"There's little I can do but to continue the study of this infection. I'm not even sure how he got it or how it spreads. All I can do is continue to give him medication that should fight it. You don't really think I'll just be able to pop out a cure for a brand new disease, do you?" His reply came, but it wasn't the answer Terina desired. While she was building frustration, he leaned back in his seat and studied a paper. Not single spec of worry tapped his face.

"Doctor, I got the call, how is he?" Artisen asked as he charged through the door. His breath was quick, making it apparent that he had run.

"Not good. I can't find a way to battle this infection. He'll have to fight it on his own."

"Will he be able to do that?"

"I'm not sure." The doctor lifted his head at him.

"Thank you Dr. Ostler. Continue to do study."

"I was planning on it." The doctor smiled gingerly and then turned back to his work. Terina wasn't feeling the same calm. Her face was turning red with despise. Words were about to explode from her mouth, but it all stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to see Artisen. On his face was a convincing smile. It told her that they had to leave.

They both walked out of the room, leaving Ostler to tend to Irik. This time instead of stopping, they walked down the hall.

"You really aren't that great at hiding things, you know that?" Artisen sighed as he slipped his hands into his pockets. Terina walked along silently. "Give Ostler a break. Can't you tell that he has been working hard with Irik?" The carefree nature in his voice was still firm.

"I know, I'm just worried," came her timid reply. Artisen nodded slowly at her.

"Trust me Klera, I can tell. Otherwise I wouldn't be too kind at the moment. With Irik as sick as he is, I'm left in charge. Even though I don't like it," he quickly threw in the last sentence.

Terina frowned, "what?"

"Nothing, just remember that you're not the only one worried. Even I can tell that Ostler is stressed. He may not be showing it, but I'm sure he's feeling a heavy burden. Don't add to that burden, Terina. You are the Pilot and second chief engineer. Now that Irik is down, you are also chief engineer. I want to you to keep Irik a secret from the rest of the crew, that's your first command. Kess doesn't need more to worry about. As well as that, Dominic and Anemone will be leaving in the next few days." They both stopped at door. Terina blinked as she attempted to recall where they were. Her attention had been too much on Artisen when he spoke. "Terina," his eyes closed and he shook his head, "I can tell you're really worried about Irik, but this isn't the time. Eureka is missing, U.F. is increasing attacks, and we'll have to restock on supplies soon. Don't make a mistake." He turned his eyes to her. They were reflecting an emotion of seriousness. "I don't like to be too serious about things, and then again, sometimes I do. But now it is absolutely needed of me," he laughed, "If you need a reason, be strong for Irik." Her eyes bloomed into a wide look of surprise at him.

"What do you mean by that?" She stammered the question. Artisen smiled at her and turned back to the door.

"You see, that's what I mean. You're really too obvious, you know that?" Chuckling, he opened the door and entered. It closed behind before Terina could argue.

"What did he mean by that?" Terina muttered grudgingly. "I don't feel that way." She attempted to convince herself, since they was none to answer her. "He doesn't even consider…" Before continuing on she shook her head. Work was to be done, so she turned down the hall and started walking.

---

"This is a nice little city." Eureka commented as they motored through. She and Eoin passed through an arched doorway. It led them into the city before them. Buildings only lined one single road that passed through. For the most part, it left the place plain. None of the buildings were very detailed in design. Instead, they looked more like a rushed project for a simple home.

Eureka continued to study the buildings as they slowly motored through. Each building dully resembled the exact same design as the other. Few actually had windows or doors. Certain ones stretched a small porch. It was all very simple, nothing extreme. Her eyes fell on one building with a large window. Inside it displayed silverware and other meal assortments.

"I guess," Eoin replied, not sharing the same opinion. He turned his head to her. For what seemed like a long time, she was actually smiling. His eyes remained on her for a while until she looked back at him.

"Should we stop for supplies?" Eureka's sweet voice asked. He jerked his head back and forth, trying to hide the fact that he had been staring at her.

"No, I think we could make it to the next city. We could-," another voice abruptly cut through his talking.

"Good day visitors!" A loud and almost obnoxious man called to them. They turned their head away from each other and faced forward. Standing in front of them was a strange looking person. He wore a sturdy black suit, and a smile rested on his lips that made Eureka feel slightly uncomfortable. Something about the man was bothering her.

"Can we help you?" Eoin asked with a tight frown. Apparently he was getting the same vibe. The man laughed at the question.

"Actually, you can!" He whipped out a gun and pointed it at the both of them.

"What in the?!" Eoin was too surprised to speak clearly. When he started to open his mouth again, the man raised his gun.

"Shut it, just listen. I don't think you understand how large this problem is growing. Do you remember a man named Cill?" The name caused both Eoin and Eureka to look at each other. "I'll take that as a yes. Well, just so you know," he inclined his head mischievously, like he was in control of the entire situation, which when Eureka thought about it, might not be too far off from the truth, "he sent me to kill you both. I just so happen to be his second in command. Even though I don't travel with him, but we maintain contact. He told me about you two. It was quite a surprise when you just wound up on my grounds." For a brief second, Eureka studied the man. He was tall, most likely in his twenties. Curling back behind his head was dark brown hair. His eyes were a bright piercing blue. There was something else in his look that Eureka noticed. It had to do with his face, the way he looked at them. Somewhere in there she noticed a sense of command. This man knew what he was doing.

She broke away her gaze to search for hidden men. Shadows encased the windows too thickly to be sure. The situation was starting to look worse and worse.

"I owe you a name, mine is Heln." The smile turned into a smirk.

"Now Eoin!" Eureka whispered under her breath. He twisted his head in confusion, but it was too late. The bike she was riding sped forward. She had geared the motor to full speed. Raising her leg, she stabbed it into the man's chest. A force that powerful sent him spiraling through the air and crashing back down into the ground. But when Eureka had kicked him, she felt as if she had kicked a solid column of metal. It left her leg was thick with pain.

"Are you alright?" Eoin yelled as he drove up next to her. "That was a quick move."

"I'm fine," she yelled back to him. The pain in her leg was starting to build, making it hard to drive.

"Or not, we got a problem!" Eureka looked back to see three men chasing them with motorcycles as well. She quickly turned her head forward again.

"Let's take a turn here!" She pointed her finger at a small opening in the forest. It was coming fast, which meant she needed and answer faster.

"We don't know where that even leads?"

"I know, but we don't have a choice." As it approached them, she turned to the left. Trees were whipping by as she did so. The force of the turn sent a trickle of shrill in her body. It happened so fast that she was afraid she might be thrown off her bike. To her joy, she was still on. But when she looked forward, she was revealed to a trail of mayhem. Branches were hanging low from the trees. Bushes and rocks scattered about the path, threatening every decision that could be made. In desperation she twisted and turned to avoid them. There was only a split second for her to look back to see Eoin was following. A wave of relief flowed over her body to see that he was

"Eureka, look out!" His voice came alarmingly to her. She rushed to look forward, but it was already too late. The path took a sharp turn. With every possible bit of strength she could summon, she attempted to curve, but her destiny was already set. The rushing force sent her flying off her bike. She flew through the air and slammed against the rocky road. Pain violently spiked across her right leg. A scream fled from her lips as she tumbled and slammed against a tree.

Eoin watched in horror as it all happen. The bike toppled over and flung into the air. It barely slammed in front of Eureka, missing her by deathly lengths. He wasn't even sure if she was alive.

"Eureka!" He yelled while shutting off his bike. Adrenaline was charging his body. Rushing to help her, he shut off the motor and hopped off. When he reached her, it was increasingly obvious how bad the damage was. There was no way to tell if she was still alive.

---

Terina sat inside the lounge, by herself. There was little else she could do. No one chased them. Nothing needed fixing. Everything was settled. The only thing she could do was sit down and study some papers.

She lifted her head to see pure daylight shinning through the window. Days were becoming increasingly longer than she had suspected. Looking at the light only reminded her. No matter how she tried to let that absorb into her thoughts, the images kept flooding back. There slept Irik, on his medical bed, weak. She couldn't understand why the image wouldn't shake from her mind. It was thick and left a cold feeling in her chest.

"Terina?" A male voice called. She tore her head away from the papers and looked up. Standing right in front of her was a man she thought she hadn't seen for ages.

"Reck?" Her same question like voice answered back.

"What?" The man stood at average height, barely taller than her. His hair was a sleek red. Sitting bellow that were his multi-colored eyes. The left one was a solid blue, while the other was a dark purple. It stood out with the rest of his form.

"Where have you been?"

"Oh, of course." He laughed while pulling up the long sleeves of his white shirt. The edge of his tall collar only nudged slightly. "I've been having a lot of inspiration lately. You know." He smiled cheerily. Terina could only shake her head as she looked him up and down. Everything about him was the same except for the new blue jeans.

"Really, what have you done? Since you are our media development manager?"

"Not much. I've just been taking pictures and sending them to Stoner. Lately he's asked about Eureka's singing. He wants to know if she'll ever do another set. That really was a brilliant idea. I still can't get over the fact that she can sing. Or that I'm even on this ship." He sat down across from her.

"I know, what about that last song that was recorded?"

"That last one was beautiful, her best yet. Problem is, it's only one out of three new ones I have. I can't release a new track with only three songs. Why did she stop singing?" He sighed without hiding his disappointment.

"I guess she's just changed." Reck looked over at Terina. He frowned and took a closer curious look.

"I never really suspected you to say something like that."

"I know," she muttered back, letting herself get absorbed in her work again.

"Really?" Slipping his hand in his pocket, he popped out a pencil and notebook. Immediately after, he began writing. This didn't easily escape Terina's eye.

"Taking down more notes?" She asked while writing.

"I guess if I said no, then I would be lying."

"What could give you inspiration here?" Her hand stopped and she looked at him, a quizzical look in her eyes. Meanwhile, Reck started to write himself.

"I guess it truly depends on how you see inspiration, no?"

"Well… yeah."

"Then maybe I can't answer your question. At least not until I see through your eyes." Terina was left in utter confusion. She despised it when Reck spoke the way he did.

"Why don't you just give me a simple answer?" This time she gave him a look dull enough that not even paper could be cut by its tip.

"You." His simple reply came. Terina's head fell, defeated. "Don't worry, I'm done. What was it we were talking about before? I believe it was Eureka's singing, right?" Reck asked and stared at her. She continued to work without responding. After blinking out of confusion, he opened his mouth, "Terina?"

"Would you stop calling me that?" She demanded through irritation. Reck was left in a land of obliviousness.

"Call you what? You're name? Cause I can do that, if you want. I'll start calling you, you." He snippily replied back to her. She shook her head and dropped her pencil.

"No, just call me Rina. For the past five years no one has ever called me that." Her tone suddenly became tired. She rested her face in her hands. Reck tilted his land, feeling like he was being pushed deeper and deeper into the land of confusion.

"I'm sorry Ter-, I mean, Rina. But it's not like you've ever asked us to call you that." He admitted for her. Terina nodded her head.

"I know, I figured you guys would catch it on your own. Maybe I'm just not…" A paused followed her unfinished words.

"What?" Persisted Reck.

"Reck, can you please just leave me alone?" The request jolted a surprise look on his face. Terina couldn't tell whether it was pain or just plain surprise, probably both. Slowly he nodded and stood up from his chair.

"Sorry for bothering you, Rina." He turned around and left. Rina almost felt like jumping up and stopping him, but he already passed through the door. Once again she was left alone. In all her papers scattered about the table, she could only keep her mind on one thing.

"Why am I like this?" She begged herself for an answer. All the scattered papers on the table reminded her of her own thinking. It was all jumbled; she wasn't even sure what to do. Now all she had was the empty air to keep her company. And it was her own fault, she sadly knew.

---

"Eureka!" Once again Eoin yelled. He stopped and knelt down next to her. The damage was sure as she turned her over. Her right leg was soaked in a deep red blood. Holes and strips dashed across her clothing, exposing more wounds underneath. When he turned his eyes to her face, it felt like the very pain she was feeling drained into his own body. Her brows were tightly cringed together. She weakly raised a hand to grip her butchered leg, but Eoin shot out his hand to stop her.

"E…Eoin." She whispered in a voice too weak to even fight against the silence.

"We got to get moving, I know." He reached to hands under her and lifted her up. Doing so caused her to shake slightly. Pain was reaching itself all around her body. She actually turned in his arms and wrapped her own arms around him. Although the action helped him carry her, he was still surprised.

Before anymore time could be wasted, he dashed through the forest. Trees warbled by in short blurs. There was too much green to completely tell where they were going. In his arms bounced Eureka. She wrapped his arms tighter around him, as if trying to muffle the pain in her body. He attempted to adjust his arms, hoping to give more comfort. But speed was just fighting against them both.

Under his arm he could feel the blood beginning to soak his clothing. Her legs were slick and sticky, while the rest of her body just felt frail. It made him want to hold her closer, but he resisted. Doing so might cause even more damage.

Finally after running and running, they stopped. Eoin adjusted her in his arms and set her down on the ground. This gave him time to fully examine the damage. Across her sides striped several gashes. Two more cuts traveled along her right arm. Then he shifted his eyes towards her legs. To his relief, only one was severely damaged. The other was in perfect shape. His eyes turned to her face, which was also in good condition. There was only a soft bruise on her left cheek.

"Eureka, how are you feeling?" The question was rather dumb when he thought about it, but it already to late. And to him, it seemed like the right question to ask.

Eureka gently lifted her eyelids open. It was obvious to see how much pain she was feeling.

"I'm… alright." She whispered.

"No, you're not alright!" Through aggravation he almost yelled back. "I need you to stand still while I do this. I also want you to take these two pills. One is a pain reliever, while the other should help fight infections." He reached into his back pack and pulled out two small spheres. Plopping them into Eureka's mouth, she swallowed.

Work then started on mending her leg. He rolled up her long sleeves and washed off the blood with water bottles. Carefully he poured alcohol on the wounds, which caused her to flinch in pain. When he was satisfied, he bandaged the wound. The same process was used for her legs. She cringed then, feeling as if some one were stabbing burning needles into her tender skin. But for her, this pain was nothing to what she had felt before. Physical pain was only a single snow flake compared to the hurricane that emotional pain was. She knew this all too well after her true love's death.

"No, just pour the alcohol and bandage it." Eureka weakly insisted as Eoin reached for her waste. He paused and frowned at her.

"I need to thoroughly clean those wounds, Eureka." He continued, but she tightly gripped his arms.

"No, just do what I ask."

"Why?" She shifted her back against the tree, knowing the answer remained there. She didn't wish to reveal one of her prized secrets that she hid on her back.

"Please, Eoin, just do it." Eoin hesitated for a long period of time. He wasn't sure whether or not to follow her request. Only after a few more moments of nothing, he nodded. Eureka sighed in relief and actually smiled. The emotion on her face utterly confused him, but he followed anyway. He poured the alcohol and wrapped the cloth around her waste, clothing and all.

"I don't know if that will stop the bleeding there, but your arm and leg should be fine."

"Then let's go." She started to stand up. Eoin immediately stood up to sustain her imbalance.

"No, we'll have to stay here for a while. You're way too weak for this." He urged her to sit back down, but she resisted.

"Look at where we came from." Weakly she pointed her finger. He followed the direction to see a trail of blood along the dead leaves.

"But you can't make it on your own." Eureka looked off to the side, thinking. She turned back and stared directly into his eyes. A sense of determination was thick enough in her face to touch.

"Than help me." She held out her arm to him. He looked down at it, then nodded. He moved forward and placed himself as her crutch.

"Where should we go?" Eoin asked her. The forest was crowded with trees. As Eureka carefully studied the options, she realized there was little choice.

"I'm not sure where we are. Do you know?" Her question only received a shake of the head. Voices were starting to drift in from the distance. They were coming.

"Let's just run, will you be alright?" Eureka nodded her head at him. To make sure for himself, he gave her a once over. The blood on her bandage bloomed like a flower as it spread. He realized it might already need replacing.

Lifting his head, he examined her face. Her eyes were closed out fatigue. Gently falling around it was her thick silky hair. It reminded him some how of a pouring ocean. He then turned his head and shook the thought.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I'm fine. Let's go."

They started to move forward. Roots poked and jammed their feet. Eureka was constantly finding support through Eoin. The terrain was too difficult to handle for her battered leg. Eventually Eoing gave up and stopped.

"Eureka, we're going too slow. It won't take them long to catch up with us. So, I think it would be a lot faster if you just let me," he paused and looked away hesitantly, "carry you." Eureka blinked as her eyes turned wide. She felt herself looking away unsurely.

"I…" She started roughly. The idea seemed a little strange to her, but Eoin had a good point. So at last she bent her legs and nodded at him. Speaking an answer felt a little too difficult at the moment, having sheer surprise pile down any words.

Eoin turned around and spread his arms out. Eureka put her legs around his waste, allowing him to hold them in between in arms. She then fastened her arms around his neck.

"Ready?" He asked her. She nodded. "Just hold on. You sure this won't hurt your leg?" Once again, she nodded.

At last, Eoin burst forward into long sprints. Eureka's eyes remained wide as she bounced up and down. Green sped by like a shifting river at their sides. For a second she could feel the leaves fluttering against her skin. Eoin was incredibly fast, she couldn't help but notice.

"Are you alright?" Eureka could tell how tired he was through his gasping voice.

"I'm fine." She calmly replied. They continued to run past the trees. Eureka studied the sky above them. Cracks in the leaves barely shined light from the sun. They revealed to her that sunset was approaching.

"I'll run a little longer." His voice cracked. She held him a little tighter, hoping to stabilize and make it easier for him to carry her. But at the same time, she had never felt this close to him before.

---

"Terina!" Ostler's voice sounded throughout the command room. Terina twisted around in her seat to see him standing on the balcony.

"What is it?" She noticed a small but gernous smile on his face.

"I have a solution, follow me." With that he turned around and left. It finally occurred to her that it might have been good news.

She caught up to him and they walked down the hall in complete silence. Several times Terina felt the urge to burst out a question, but she remained silent.

"Now that I have my breath." His voice came as smooth at it had ever been. He was the kind of man that was touched with a voice of wisdom. Terina couldn't stop from noticing this every time he talked. "I was doing study on the bacteria, and couldn't find any safe ways of removing it… until I thought of another idea. How much do you know of the Inverse Drive?"

"Almost everything. Irik let me look over his designs. The device is a genius machine, but why?" She had to know.

"Trapar has very odd effects on the brain, possibly dangerous. Take for example the hundreds of S.U. pilots that have died. After a while the brain starts to completely depend on the device, or so I've studied." He smiled and continued walking.

"Wait, are you saying that the Inverse Drive actually destroys the brain? I knew it caused damage, but I didn't know that it shut it down to the point where it didn't operate with out the Inverse Drive."

"Oh, it exceeds even beyond that, my dear. The Inverse Drive literally causes the brain to become completely useless, to the point where the inverse drive has no more effect, though they have made sufficient improvements from the past. I left the U.F. before I had the chance to truly confirm it. This is where I get my idea." Terina suddenly pulled all her attention to him. What ever was about to come from his lips couldn't be missed. "I've done other studies on the effects of manipulated trapar." Stopping, he faced Terina. "I've learned that the device is capable of destroying certain kinds of organic material. Don't assume it kills brain cells, skin, or other such things. It could if used inappropriately. But if you were to amplify the signals at certain points and concentrate it. You could avoid major damage, even minor damage, while completely removing let's say… something like a bacteria?" The emotion didn't change on his face at all, but Terina fully picked up on what he was saying. A smile uplifted itself on her lips as excitement stared to boil throughout her body.

"What do you need?"

"I've already altered a Compac testing console. All I need now is an Inverse Drive. Would to be so kind as you provide me with one?" Terina instantly turned around and shot off, without another word. Ostler stood and watched her go. The smile on his face twisted just barely wider.

Door after door she passed. Her only hope now was to find the one thing that could help Irik. One caught her eye and her tremendous speed almost sent her toppling over as she stopped. But instead she used the force to rip the door open.

She quickly dashed into the room that belonged to Irik. First her eyes scanned the shelves, hoping that Irik might have left an inverse drive among his many gadgets. To her luck, there was one. She could tell by the dim sphere that latched to the top. Without wasting another minute, she snatched it. At last her hopes were looking up. It might be possible to turn the mood of the whole ship around.

Ostler was patiently waiting his in office as Terina burst through the door. He looked up with little surprise on his face. As far as Terina could tell, he had been expecting her no sooner.

The silent but knowing doctor stood up and took the device from her hands. With no attempt to communicate, he placed the device inside a large white machine. It now stuck out of a long crane like appendage. He moved to the back of the machine where a small console paneled out. Few screens were on the panel, but she assumed enough.

Everything as far as Terina could tell seemed to be settled. The doctor moved the device forward until it was just over Irik's head. When he clicked a few buttons, the Inverse Drive began to glow a deep purple.

"Alright Terina, I'm about to begin. I hope you would understand if I asked you to leave, please. When the operation is done, I'll call you back." He smiled and shifted his eyes to the door. It was an obvious motion for her to leave. Having little choice, she did so. The door shut behind her with soft swooping sound. It echoed inside her thoughts over and over. Her mind was at a lost. All the excitement had gotten to her, and now all she could do was stand and look at the floor. She couldn't even remember what she was doing before Ostler had called. The only she could think of was one word. That word was hope.

---

The ground felt like it was pushing up against him, rather then he pushing against the ground. Eoin was still slowly walking through the forest. Sunset was already gone, with only the twilight to give him site. Resting on his aching back was Eureka. Or at least he thought it was aching. After running and walking for three hours, he could no longer tell. The pain had eventually gone numb. Which was both a relief and a strain.

Gently he turned and leaned back to set eureka against a tree. Once done, he turned to his own tree to rest against.

"Eureka?" He called in a dry rough voice. No response came. Getting up, he walked over. It seemed to dark to tell, so he placed his head in front of her mouth. A wave relief washed over his body as he sighed. Her mouth was quietly inhaling and exhaling air. For reasons he could not understand, it brought him a great comfort. She was still alive.

He bent his head down and gave her one last once over. Dark red spot speckled the bandage on her right arm, while her sides were almost completely soaked. His eyes then stopped at her right leg. It was purely drenched in damp blood. He placed his hand on the battered limb.

"Still damp? No good. That means it hasn't fully clotted. Dang it," he grunted as he searched for solutions. His body felt oddly light, but his mind and eyes were lulling heavily, almost making it impossible to think. Only adding to all the pain was the dryness in his throat. He felt like a single drop of water could crackle its hard surface.

But that was slowly being ignored. Fatigue and aches couldn't be anything compared to what Eureka was feeling. After seeing the tremendous speed that sent her flying off the bike, he could get it out of his head. She looked like a rag doll slamming against the ground, red marks appearing all around her body. Even though she made no complaint, something must have been broken. There was no way she should have survived that crash. Yet, here before his eyes, he witnessed a live being.

"I have to replace this bandage. Stop infections from happening." His voice was loosing strength. He wondered how much longer he could keep himself awake. Slipping his hand into his backpack, he pulled out a few items. Among these items were two water bottles, alcohol, and bandages.

He reached down and began to peel off the bandage that wrapped around her leg. It made a small sticky sound as it pulled away. The sound would have probably sent his skin crawling, but he was too tired to experiences anything. So he opened a water bottle and poured it over the wound. Following after that were a few doses of alcohol on the skin. Before long he had already wrapped the leg in a clean new bandage.

"Now all I need to do is fix her sides. But how am I?" He squinted and looked down at her bloodied stomach. There was little else to find but see how much she had been damaged. When he started to reach for her sides, he noticed something else. "No," muttered his aching throat. The place that had held his bandages was left empty. "No more bandages… and we only have one last water bottle. I can't let it go to waste, but," Hesitantly he picked it up and unscrewed the cap. His hands were shaking from fatigue as he lifted the tip. When it touched his lips, he stopped and lowered it back down again.

"I can't do that… She needs it more. But… If I don't get any water either." He looked between Eureka and the bottle. Finally he lifted it and took only a few sips. Then very carefully he lifted it to her lips.

"What?" Her voice came through dryly.

"Take some water, you'll need it." She nodded and sipped as the water ran down her tongue and into her throat. Shortly after, she started coughing. Eoin quickly pulled the bottle away.

"Too much," she weakly whispered. He nodded and capped the bottle. Only half the water was left. Every last drop had just become as precious as gold.

"We're almost out of water," his voice sounded in the silent forest. Lifting his head to Eureka, he could already see she was asleep. "It's best if I get sleep too." He stood up and walked over to the tree. Bark rubbed against his back as he leaned down against it. The pain was futile, with no effect at all. Everything in that day had left his entire body feeling numb. He only hoped that with tomorrow new hopes would arise.

One last time his eyes drifted open to see Eureka. Her eyes were closed, and there resting in her face was a sense of peace. She looked calmer then he had ever seen her before. His eyes then moved to her hair. It lifted and fell in short curves as the wind past. The moon reflected against its teal tint brightly. He couldn't help but feel reminded of something.

"Coral… Why that?" He muttered as his eyes drifted closed. "Why do you make me feel this way?"

---

Beeping was the first thing he heard. Irik's eyes slowly opened to the rest of the room.

"Where am I?" He mouthed more than he voiced. To his side he saw a fairly large device. Planted from its crane like extension was an inverse drive.

"Interesting, isn't it?" An elderly man's voice sounded from his other side. He blinked his tired eyes and sat up. "Slow down, you'll be alright." The man kindly urged. Irik turned in his bed, and to his relief, he found Ostler sitting next to him.

"What happened, why am I here?" A thick pulsing pain stung inside his head. He lifted his hand and touched it, but there was nothing to feel but skin.

"Looks like you've picked up a new kind of disease, Irik. I'm impressed, I've never seen one like it before."

"A new disease?" The way Ostler had worded it, he felt like he should be proud. But the pulsing in his head told him otherwise. He sighed while dropping his hand to his lap.

"Yes, it apparently affects the brain. Odd though, from what I can tell, it didn't do any damage. Or at least that is mostly true." He gave Irik a once over. "You are here that is."

"That's safe to assume." Irik nodded while looking over his current condition. "How long have I been here?"

"Quite a long time. Your condition was pretty severe before I used the machine. Clever little device I made."

"You made this?" Irik pointed his thumb at the machine holding the Inverse Drive.

"Yes, it just allows me to manipulate the trapar around your head. Being that there is a mind within the vicinity does help. The head is the only way I can use the device." Slipping across his face was a kind but strange smile. Irik knew it was just the natural Ostler.

"I think I understand what you are saying. Since the Inverse Drive manipulates the connection between the brain and the drive, you were able to slightly manipulate the signal using a compact tuner?"

"Yes, the trapar around your brain was set on a higher frequency. I was able to set it just high enough to kill off the bacteria, but low enough to avoid damage."

"What about cells?" Irik frowned, suddenly feeling a jolt of worry shoot through his body. He gripped his head and closed his eyes, considering equations, ideas, memories, anything that should still be there. In the meantime, Ostler was just sitting and staring at Irik with an amused look.

"Yes Irik, it's true, you have lost over hundreds of brain cells. Forgive me, I did the best I could." Irik almost jumped out of his bed at Ostler words.

"What, no, you can't mean that I?" His lips were quivering silently. Ostler shook his head and leaned back in his seat.

"I was just joking, Irik. The effect of the trapar had absolutely no damage to the cells. I carefully studied the machine before I used it. Or at least you better hope I did." Ostler turned back in his seat to his computer.

"Thanks Ostler, I guess I owe you one." Irik said in a tone that didn't sound as grateful as it did disgruntled.

"Of course Irik," his remark came right back. Seeing that he had nothing else to say, Irik fell back into his bed. The sound of beeps and loading computers was a comfort to his ears. Computers were his place of relaxation. It was a place in the world that he had control and known.

"Oh, by the way Irik. You've been out for several days now. Nothing to be worried about," Ostler kindly commented. Irik nodded and decided to rest, but then a thought hit him and his eyes turned wide.

"Wait, what have you found on Eureka?" He asked faster then the mouth should be able to produce. His question received a sigh from Ostler. The man turned in his seat, faced Irik, and shared a smile of kind pity. It was one of the few looks he hated from doctors. Already his question was answered before words were even spoken.

"Nothing." The answer was as suspected as Irik had thought. He nodded and closed his eyes.

"Thank you, Ostler, I do owe you a great deal. If I ever do find I way, I will repay you." Irik said in complete seriousness. Ostler only replied with a nod.

"It's is my job, Irik. As long as I am paid aboard this ship, then I have no problem. Besides, it's been fun thus far." He stopped and quickly shared a smile before returning to his work.

Irik lied on the bed and let his mind be consumed in thought. The past few days were without memory, that much he knew. But one thing seemed clear now. There were things he still needed to do. The Night Iris was still thriving and could make a difference. He knew now that he needed to remove thoughts of the past. Then again, he felt that things would have been much easier with Eureka. Somehow she had burst from the thoughts of Renton, and stand to reinstate the Gekko-Go after Holland had disbanded it seven years before. He couldn't believe that just the day before, Eureka was still sulking in despair. What if, he started to wonder, if Eureka had never forgotten about Renton? It would have explained a lot of things about her. With Kess she acted completely different then when at work. She wouldn't act like the same person for a full day, which bothered him. But there was nothing he could do.

"I think it's a time to change." Irik said aloud all of the sudden. Ostler raised his head and turned to him curiously.

"What do you mean?" He asked, intrigue frowning at his eyes.

"It's true that the Night Iris is not the same without Eureka. But she isn't here, and we have to accept that. Isn't that right, Ostler?" Irik faced him with a look that held serious determination. An expression of surprise immediately took Ostlers face. After a moment of silence, the other man smiled and nodded.

"Didn't really believe people changed in their sleep." The elder man chuckled and pulled of his glasses off. His laughs caused Irik to frown in confusion. Too many times before had Irik seen Ostler crack a joke, smile, or grin, but never laugh. This was the first time he had ever heard the man's laugh. It was almost refreshing.

"You… laughed?" Irik almost coughed in utter surprise.

"Yes, is it really that surprising? I maybe a doctor, Irik, but there are things that I cannot heal. I wouldn't really say it's here," he lifted his finger at Irik's head, "But rather here," his finger pointed back down to his chest. At first Irik was confused. From the mind to the chest, it made no sense to him.

The confusion was easily picked up from Ostler.

"Irik, you're too technical." The man folded his arms while shaking his head.

"What do you mean?"

"You've had a change in yourself. That's a heeling effect that I have little affect over. It's under your own control Irik, and you've proven me wrong."

"Wait… what do you mean?" He questioned again.

"I've been proven wrong, simple as that, Irik. You'll be ready to move in the next two days. Today I would prefer you have no visitors. Do you not mind?" Ostler leaned back in his seat while waiting for an answer. Irik was still frowning at him, searching for some sort of answer in Ostler face, although he himself knew that that was almost impossible. Ostler was the kind of man who could hide his true intent like another man could a star among the stars, leaving others at a lost while the star was sought

"Do I mind if I have no visitors?" Slowly his answer came. Ostler nodded, amused. "No, I'm fine. Still, what do you mean?" Once again the elder man shook his head and turned to his work. Irik sighed and rolled his eyes. He then leaned back down in his bed. "I'll figure it out. You've never considered that I'm not as technical as you might think. I'm very capable of finding the answers where ever they may be. Even if they don't fall under my logical thinking." He calmly but defiantly announced to Ostler. The man didn't even turn in his seat, just continued working. A sigh emitted from Irik's lips, almost giving up.A change of mind, he thought while patting his head. Then he padded his chest and wondered what Ostler meant, a change of what?

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Q.A.A.N.:

Hmmm, can't say I'm not a little sad. So few reviews? Nonetheless, I'm also extremely happy. Thanks to those who did review, those who even thought of reviewing! Cause I think I heard some where that it's the thought that counts. But if that were the case, then there would be a lot of mass murders in the world. Accused of only thinking… Seriously though, thanks guys for reading. I hope my writing has been approving, because I think it has. I'm pretty confident that it has, I mean, just compare it to the first chapter of E7: Corrupted Hopes.

Anyway, I've allowed anonymous reviews. Thank you to the person who told me that it was off, that would be SworldOfLightBladeOfDarkness. I kind of thought it was automatically allowed. I think that will make it a lot easier for people to review. So thanks again, I owe you one.

Last but not least. The email was kasterrevised yahoo . com. Go ahead and have fun with that, Artisen. Sorry that it glitched last chapter.

Well, I hope my stories are improving. I'm trying the best that I am able… Then again, I could probably try a little harder. But hey, thanks for reviewing.