Author notes: for those who are following, there will be a little delay with the next chapters. I'm just trying to confirm a plot point from AO so I don't make a mistake.


Chapter 8:

Holland brushed past the Gekko crew, and stopped in his tracks.

"You coming or not?"

I ran up to his side, and we made our way down the corridor.

"Holland…" I murmured, knowing I was going to sound stupid "Where are Ken-Goh and those guys?"

The vacant, spotless rooms unnerved me. It wasn't just Eureka's kids who were missing from the picture.

Holland's shoulder twitched.

"The Gekko is slowly disbanding"

"They're what?" I gasped. Holland turned. The look in his eyes was patronizing.

"Did you really think they'd stick around forever?"

"N-no, b-b-but…"

"We can't afford it anymore, Renton." Holland interrupted "When the baby arrives, Talho and I won't have the time or resources required to maintain this lifestyle. To be honest, I'm surprised the crew isn't smaller. There's nothing beyond social interaction motivating them to stay. I guess it shows how close we are. Gekko's original purpose has been fulfilled. Now, we move on"

Moving on is scary, I wanted to say. From the moment I finished of elementary school, my interests had revolved around Gekkostate, and Holland himself. They strengthened my hobbies and inspired me to do better. Now it was gone I had to continue walking on my own two feet, like I had for the past 3 months.

Despite this knowledge, remorse pooled my insides. I guess I thought Holland would provide me with answers, like he had unknowingly in my childhood. Now it only left me with a heavy weight in my stomach.

"I'm sorry, Renton" Holland said, a lot more compassionately than anything he'd said so far "It's just the natural order of things. We've got so much of our lives to lead; it would be foolish to confine it to one location"

"Yeah, I know" I said, coming to terms with the sadness "You're absolutely right"

The most I'd seen of Holland and Talho's room were glimpses through cracks in the door, so it was strange to see it in full. It had a nice bed and desk. A cot, towels and baby clothes were stacked in a corner. The most confusing addition was a coffee machine.

"Sit" Holland said.

You would have laughed, Sis, but I was seriously wondering when Holland started to make coffee for himself. I sat down on the bed.

"Don't kick me if It tastes like dirt" Holland said, as he put hot water on to boil "I've been told I'll need coffee for when the baby comes"

"Why would you feed a baby coffee?" I asked. Holland stamped his feet, and I could tell he had just resisted insulting me.

"I'm preparing myself for the upcoming storm of endless sleep deprivation" then he said quietly "idiot"

There it was, familiar Holland. Somehow, I found this funny.

"You've been thinking about this, haven't you?"

"Duh!" Holland said. He ground coffee beans like he wanted to beat it to a pulp "I can't afford to screw up. If I screw up, my girl will be a screw up. I don't want two of me running around"

I laughed "That would be unfortunate"

Holland growled, and he poured hot water in a mug and began to froth milk.

"You've become a real smart ass, you know that?" Holland said, a little calmer now "I don't remember you being like this"

"Neither do I" I said "It just happened automatically. I think I know a little bit more about me now"

"The break did you good, then?" he said. I nodded.

"Yeah"

Holland poured milk into the mug, and brought it over to me.

"Drink up, kiddo" he said. I grinned.

"Drink up, old man"

Holland grinned sneakily back, and he hit me on the arm.

"Did something bad happen to Eureka?" he asked "You didn't do anything stupid?"

I screwed up my face. This time my sense of humour vanished "Come on, Holland. I'm not THAT stupid"

Holland laughed "Yeah you are. Seriously though, what happened?"

I took a sip of coffee. I had grown accustomed to its bitter taste at the Cooper household, and it was nostalgic for that reason. I fixed my gaze on its hovering steam.

"I guess you could say I asked her to marry me"

"WHAT?" Holland asked, and jumped a few inches away from me "Are you insane?!"

"No!" I yelled, and I glared at him "I'm just doing what's right for me"

"Whatever, kid" Holland's eyes narrowed to slits, and he pouted "Did she say yes?"

I grinned sheepishly "Maybe"

"ARG!"

Holland racked his brains, messing up his hair. I laughed.

"Calm down, old man. I don't see how this affects you at all"

Holland took a deep breath.

"You're right" he locked his hands together and stared at the ceiling "Why'd you do it?"

"Why?" I gulped down more coffee. This is the part that would sound the most reckless of all. "Eureka wants babies"

"Oh, for God's sake" Holland's face fell into his hands "not Eureka"

"You seem upset" I noted. Holland groaned.

"I'm so dense. I should have seen this coming. First comes love, and then comes marriage…"

"Then comes the baby in the golden carriage" I finished. We both stared at each other, and pointed.

"You know that rhyme!?" we yelled. Holland stuttered.

"Diane quoted it from an old children's book"

"She used to read me that storybook!"

We finished our little bout of excitement and calmed down.

"Is that your inspiration?" Holland asked "A storybook?"

"NO!" I yelled "I just think its best we wait until we're more grown up. That's why I've spread it out so much. Not because of my sister. That's gross"

"When's the wedding?" Holland asked. I shrugged.

"I dunno"

Holland chuckled "You know you're supposed to know, right?"

"N-n-no"

"I didn't see an engagement ring on her finger, either"

"I haven't bought her one yet" I yelled. Holland laughed.

"You really are spreading this out. Well, be sure to invite me when you do. Otherwise I really will hate you forever"

He looked at me seriously, and then smiled.

"Whatever you felt the need to hug me for" he began, tossing his hair back in a smug way "I'm sure Mischa will tell me later"

"Jerk" I muttered.

Holland walked out, as casually as he had walked in. He sent me a peace sign, and he didn't hear when I said.

"Thanks for coffee"


As I walked out, Mischa waved a hand from down the corridor.

"Come here, Renton"

My heart rocketed at light speed. I spun around, and thought of a hundred things at once.

"A-Are you sure?" I asked. Mischa nodded.

"Of course, dear"

I gulped, my heart playing a drum solo. All the previous experiences in that room, I had been eager to know what lay in its shadows. Now, I dreaded it. The mechanics of putting one foot in front of the other felt slower than normal, and my senses to vision, sound and touch had temporarily strengthened. I hoped good news was afoot.

Mischa noticed how worried I was.

"Eureka's in perfect condition" she said, happily "In fact, she's more evolved then us humans. The Scubs certainly knew what they were doing when they made her"

My eyes widened, and my spirits lifted. What on earth was she talking about?

I turned back to Holland, but he had left already.

Hopefully he won't spread the word to everyone in the Gekko,

My stomach flipped as I realized there had never been exceptions in the Gekko when it came to gossip. It's what they thrived on to survive instead of food. I sighed, and my heartbeat felt like it flat lined, as I approached the curtain. Eureka was lying on a table, with ultrasound gel on her stomach. For some reason, this made me want to kiss her, for she was beautiful no matter what was happening with her body. She could be horribly deformed and it wouldn't matter to me. Her eyes lit up with sparkles.

"Renton, I'm so happy" she grinned "It's not going to be a problem at all!"

"What do you mean?" I asked, and I quickly turned to Mischa for reassurance.

"I've taken a few different scans of Eureka to make sure" she explained, and she brought up a few detailed pictures on the screen. I tried not to get embarrassed as I looked at the insides of Eureka. Mischa, being a woman of science, didn't shed any signs of surprise. She pointed.

"In a normal human, girls are born with a certain number of eggs, which gradually get ticked off month by month as by the process you should know well"

She looked at me sternly, to make sure I wasn't dense, and I nodded, the humiliation overwhelming me.

"In Eureka, it appears to be quite different"

She pointed at another picture to demonstrate her point.

"Eureka does not have an obvious reservoir of ovum. As you can see, what would be fallopian tubes in a human, she has none of. Instead, it appears her body has, for the lack of a better word, sprouted an egg; and a readied thickened uterus lining from scratch, perhaps, to ensure optimal quality of her offspring"

"Amazing" I said, "so does that explain why she doesn't umm…"

Mischa knew what I was going to say "Yes, Eureka doesn't have a monthly cycle because her body is a lot more intelligent than ours. It's almost like it has created a nest at the precise time it needs to. The Scubs are obviously intelligent enough to detect such changes in her life, possibly from the new patterns of her endocrine system"

"Um… does that mean her body is able to tell I'm here… if that makes sense?"

"In simple terms, yes" Mischa looked over the scans again "No doubt it's an incredible design, I would have to study Eureka more to narrow down details, but one could assume this garden is not likely to fall apart until a seed is planted, and crumbles away by natural order of things. These cells look like they are more than a month old, and by our standards they should have imploded by now."

I looked at the ground, as I felt hot and awkward.

"So um, Mischa… what does this mean for Eureka?"

"It means you probably don't need to time an inception date, and you probably won't need to go through a lot of the hardship us humans do"

"I didn't think it was difficult to have children in the first place, Mischa?"

Mischa chuckled, but she didn't make a comment.

"I'll say this, Renton. Having children isn't easy for everyone. In fact, plenty stay disappointed and broken inside for many years… myself included"

I didn't know what to say to her, Sis. I had never even considered Mischa had a life outside of the Gekko. Now I realize how stupid of a thought that is.

"I'm sorry, Mischa" Eureka said, and Mischa turned to her "I can't imagine how sad I would be if you'd said I couldn't have children"

Mischa looked up at the ceiling in wonder "Yes, it is often hard to describe. Quite earth shattering, really… it seems like you won't have a problem, but just to be sure, I would like to double check with Eureka before your wedding night"

She turned to me "Have you decided on a date yet?"

I blushed furiously "N-no"

Mischa smiled "Not to worry. When you have, let me know"

Sis, I don't think anyone on the Gekko would miss out on knowing.

"I wish you the best of luck" she bowed, and I rushed out. Part of me wanted to run away, but part of me was hopeful, even excited. Maybe this won't be so complicated after all.


When I reached the main deck, the Gekko crew rounded on me, and questions flew from every direction.

"What're you thinking?"

"Did you drink too much in Naugsami?"

"That's so romantic, Renton!" Came Gidget

"I hope you're doing the right thing" Hilda piped in. Talho took in a deep breath.

"SHUT THE HELL UP" she screamed. Everyone turned. She looked livid.

"For God's sake, guys, it's not your life and it's not your choice" she took a deep breath "Would it make any difference if he was a few years older, or would you still treat him like an idiot?"

I almost burst out crying due to the sheer relief of Talho's words. For once, someone had responded positively, apart from Gidget. She didn't count.

The crew muttered their apologies and walked away, bickering amongst themselves. I took a deep breath, and ran up to Talho.

"Thank you for defending me, Talho" I said. She laughed.

"Don't worry. I feel like I've been a mother for years. I'm gonna have no problem with this one"

She rubbed her belly, happily. I smiled.

"Is it weird to have a baby in there?" I asked. Talho laughed.

"Sorta. But I'm used to it now. Honestly, I want it to get the hell out already. My back really hurts"

"I'm sorry, Talho" I said. She cackled.

"From what I hear, you'll get to see all the perks one day, eh?"

She winked at me. I grinned.

"I find it amazing"

"So you should" Talho said bluntly "We aren't built this way for nothing, ya know?"

She lay back, pressed autopilot, and closed her eyes, resting. I sat beside her.

"Long day?" I asked. She shook her head.

"Nah. I feel like this all the time now. It's like the day decided to cut itself in half. I want to sleep as soon as I've had lunch"

"That's awful"

"It's alright. Holland lets me sleep as much as I want. He's sweet like that. Eureka's a lucky girl"

"Thanks"

Talho took a deep breath "You're gonna be…"

She sighed.

"Don't push yourself" I said. She opened her eyes, and an air of confusion poured over her features.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Talho's expression changed from blissful to cautious in half a second.

"That's not good" she mumbled. I hesitated.

"What isn't?"

Talho wasn't listening. She pushed herself out of her chair, and felt the seat beneath her.

"Not now" she groaned.

Amazed, I watched Talho heave herself up and waddle down the stairs to the main deck, keeping a tight grip on the handrails. I ran beside her, to offer balance.

"I'm fine, Renton" she insisted. I didn't leave her.

"You deserve rest" I said "What did you get up for?"

"You silly kid, my water just broke"

"Your…" I tried to put two and two together, and my insides plummeted. Next, a new type of terror washed over me. It was like a brand new emotion I had never experienced before. It was mingled with excitement, happiness and dread at the same time.

"But we haven't even had a baby shower yet!" I protested. Talho lost her nerve.

"Renton, it's not up to a Doctor what happens" she shouted. I felt a lump in my throat, as I saw the look in her eyes "It's not like a date on a calendar, you've got to be on guard. It's like an LFO that can crash land at any second"

I gritted my teeth. I felt dumber than ever. I ran in front.

"Everyone! Move out of the way!" I commanded, and the Gekko crew stared at me. "Talho needs to go to bed"

"Damn right I do" Talho muttered "But I bet I won't get sleep"

I'm preparing myself for the upcoming storm of endless sleep deprivation… idiot.

I understood now what Holland meant, at least part of it. Maybe I was a silly kid in a ship full of adults, but there was no reason why I couldn't help out. Everyone goes through this sometime, right?

Holland rushed out.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" he yelled. His facial features were twitching, and he looked mental.

"Holland, calm down" Talho said "The contractions don't hurt that much yet. Just relax and keep me company, okay?"

Is 'go to bed' codename for upcoming baby or something? I wondered, Talho and Holland must have their own ways of communicating.

Holland took a deep breath and nodded.

"I can do that, even if I'm useless at everything else"

The bickering Gekko crew behind me went silent. Holland yelled over my head.

"You know the drill" he said, with that familiar determined look in his eye "Leave us the hell alone!"

They nodded, and most of them dispersed. Moondoggie ran up to the control panel with Gidget, to take hold of their trajectory. Hilda remained.

"You don't need anything?" Hilda asked. Holland shook his head.

"Thanks, Hilda. We'll let you know when we need you"

She nodded and walked away. I was impressed with the amount of thought that had gone into this. Perhaps Mischa was right, and it required a lot more steps than I thought. I reached Holland.

"Get Eureka and Mischa to bring the required equipment to our bedroom" he said "Don't make me yell at you"

I nodded, too worried to give a comeback. I rushed through the corridor, as Talho finished plodding off to her room, and reached the place where Mischa and Eureka were. They had been talking amongst themselves the whole time.

"Um, Talho's water broke" I said blankly. Mischa understood immediately. She stood up and reached for some equipment. Eureka blushed, as she understood too. The book must have explained. Mischa turned to me.

"Help me carry these things, please"

We walked back to Talho's room, as quietly as we could, even though the equipment rattled and beeped. When we entered, Talho was sitting on the bed, eating a protein bar. Towels were set up underneath. She was breathing normally, and she smiled.

"Thanks guys" she said. I felt kind of amused to see Holland making coffee again. I put the things down, and reached Holland.

"Does it still taste horrible?" I asked. He nodded.

"Worse than ever"

Holland looked around and stared at Talho.

"Do you want them here?"

Talho shrugged "I like company. They're nice company"

Holland grumbled "If you're sure"

He sat on the counter, while Eureka and Mischa set up some contraptions and hooked them to the wall. I was wondering why they couldn't just do the birthing process in the medical room, but perhaps this was more comforting to Talho. I know that room always made me feel nervous, even when something life threatening wasn't happening. Talho cringed.

"Does it hurt much, Talho?" Eureka asked. Talho smiled.

"It's alright… it will get a lot worse eventually"

"Let us know when your contractions get closer together" Mischa said. Talho nodded.

"I feel like the baby was waiting for us to arrive' Eureka explained "Don't you agree, Renton?"

I jumped; startled people were paying attention to me at all.

"I suppose, but the whole thing confuses me"

Talho sighed, and she breathed deeply.

"Tell me about your time away, you two"

It was the perfect conversation starter, and it went for a very long time. By the time it was over, it was 12pm, and I wanted desperately to sleep. I saw Talho's moments of cringing slowly start to increase in frequency. Talho brushed a hand through my hair.

"Go to bed, sweetie" she said, tired herself "This process will take too long to bother with"

"I feel bad" I said "I should keep you company"

"That's Holland's job" Talho said with a wry smile "I'll call if need be"

She winked, and I knew by her attitude she was able to handle it. I turned to Eureka.

"Do you want to join me?"

Eureka looked sadly back.

"I'm sorry, Renton, but I'm going to stay. I want to be here with Talho"

"Okay" I bowed, and left.

It was strange falling asleep in my old Gekko room again. It was how I had started out, with no company or friends. Talho had been a bit eccentric and strange back then, but now she had grown into a very nurturing lady, soon to be a mum. I felt mystified, but also in awe of her. It was like a giant disconnect had appeared between us, a wall I couldn't climb over, but I wanted so desperately to know what was in her world. She seemed adult enough to explain, instead of putting me down.

Unsettled, I closed my eyes and the world around me vanished.


I was surprised to hear the chirping of birds, rustling of leaves, and generally, a peaceful silence when I awoke. Orientating myself, I realized it was 8:30 am. Was it morning already?

I rubbed my eyes, and made my way back to Talho's bedoom. I knocked. No one answered.

Has something gone wrong? I wondered.

Cautiously, I creaked open the door.

"Uh, how's it going?" I asked.

I was surprised to see the room was mostly empty. Talho, Holland and Eureka weren't in the room. Instead, Mischa sipped tea, looking solemn.

"Talho's doing fine. She's just gone for a quick walk outside with Holland. Eureka's making breakfast"

Mischa laughed at my confused expression.

"While in the active stage of labour, it's helpful to keep moving and offer distractions"

I groaned "You mean it hasn't even started yet?"

Mischa shook her head "I'd have some breakfast now, if you can"

Sis, I had no idea of what was with babies, but I went to do just that. On the way, I stopped by the main deck. Gidget was sitting at the main control station, eating yoghurt. I noticed the Gekko wasn't moving. Trees and flowers were visible out the main window.

"Morning Renton!" she said, cheerfully. I sat down.

"Where are we?"

Gidget smiled "No clue. It's about 10 minutes from a big city though. Moondoggie landed us last night"

"It's very pretty out there" I noted. Gidget nodded.

"It sure is. I'm kind of scared to go out though. I don't want to get in the way"

I nodded, understanding her position. It was good to know the awkward disconnect wasn't an experience isolated to me.

"Holland told me about the Gekko splitting up" I said, sadly "What are you going to do?"

Gidget shrugged.

"Moondoggie and I were thinking of leaving the Gekko in the next city. There's no point staying here with a baby on board. We can't live off sleeping pills forever"

She had a point. I didn't know lots about babies but I knew they could cry a lot. Eureka's kids cried a lot and they weren't even newborns.

Gidget took a bite of yoghurt "Where are you and Eureka going to go?"

"I don't know" I frowned "I liked it in Nagusami, but there wasn't anywhere to live. I want to go back to Bellforest eventually, but I'd like to travel while I can and learn more about the world"

"I know what you mean" Gidget nodded "We should live life the way we want, and not worry about anyone else"

I thought back to Florence and his living situation, and a new dilemma dawned on me.

"How are Talho and Holland going to afford a baby if they're still looking for stable jobs?"

Gidget looked uncomfortable, and she whispered in my ear.

"They can't right now"

"WHAT?" I gasped.

"Don't yell!" Gidget pouted, exasperated "All of us have saved up and made our gifts for the Baby Shower as extravagant as possible, so we've helped as much as we can"

It was reassuring to know I wasn't the only one who had forked out a lot of money for a present.

"It really is a Gekkostate baby" I affirmed. Gidget grinned.

"Yeah! Isn't it cool?"

I smiled, in a serene and peaceful sort of way. It would be interesting to see how everyone else could cope with a little one on the ship. I thought Talho and Holland would juggle what they could, and Hilda, Eureka, Mischa, and maybe even some of the other boys would pitch in when other things needed to be done.

I hoped we could figure out what we were doing soon.

When I reached the kitchen, Eureka was eating toast. She waved.

"Hi Renton" she said, swallowing hard. "Here, I made some for you"

I had forgotten what slightly old Gekko toast tasted like, with orange marmalade. It was breakfast on a budget.

"How were things with Talho?" I asked. Eureka sat down beside me.

"Really nice. We talked amongst ourselves and played card games. Talho had to pause a few times, but it was still fun. She fell asleep when she got too exhausted to sit up"

"I didn't realize the process took such a long time"

Eureka shrugged "I don't know what to expect. I'm interested to see what happens next"

She pondered deeply for a moment. Her expression changed from pensive, to sad. She hugged me. I was overwhelmed with her warmth.

"Renton, after this"

She lowered her voice so even I could barely hear her.

"Come talk to Nirvash with me, okay?"

I recognized the urgency in her voice, and I nodded.

"Sure"