Relics

Chapter 10: Lies

by Silver

Author's Note: Merry Christmas to all.

I fear the holiday schedule has my proofreader preoccupied, so I'm trusting in everyone's yuletide cheer to forgive spelling errors. I wanted to have this up before Christmas day.

Thanks to all for reviews up until this point. I always enjoy the feedback.

Now let's check in with No-Name…

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"And after all, what is a lie? 'T is but the truth in masquerade."

-George Gordon Byron, Don Juan. Canto xi. Stanza 37

The room was spinning.

It had to be spinning. That was the only explanation for the weird feeling in his head. It didn't matter if he couldn't see.

As he tried to clear the fog from his mind, he went over everything leading up to his blackout. The Globally 3. The artificial gravity. Celica's scream. His fall. Darkness.

Funny, if the Globally 3 was generating its own gravity, why did he feel as though he were hanging upside down? There was also a tightness around his body, on his chest and arms and legs. He tried to move, but that just brought on a fresh wave of dizziness. Whatever food he still had was threatening to forces its way out of his mouth.

"Celica?" He called into the darkness. "Stoltz?"

"Uhhh…" A masculine, gravely voice came from somewhere nearby. Up and to the right, maybe. "Like I said, we're in trouble."

"Really? I hadn't noticed. Celica! Are you there?"

"Here." Celica sounded sick. "I think we're hanging from the ceiling." That would explain why all the blood was in his head.

"So how do we get down?"

"Down?" Stoltz scoffed. "We can't even see the floor. For all we know, we could be hanging over a very long plummet."

No-Name sighed, "I might prefer that to hanging up here forever."

"Mmmrrrrgghh."

Silence.

"Stoltz?"

"Yes?"

"Was that your stomach?"

"No."

"Ggrrr."

"Celica?"

"Not me."

"Great. Anybody got a light?"

A blue flash sparked into existence. Having awoken to pure darkness, the light brought nothing but pain. No-Name tried to hold up his hand, but it wouldn't move. "OW! Celica! Point that somewhere else."

"It wasn't me!" Celica was just as startled. "I lost all my equipment in the fall."

No-Name didn't bother to ask Stoltz. He was dizzy and sick and more than a little scared. He forced himself to look at the light and his eyes to adjust to the shine. He vaguely remembered something about "the light at the end of the tunnel."

He could see now. The light shone with incredible power, illuminating Stoltz, Celica, and a sea of cables arrayed around them. The ceiling was completely obscured by the tubes that seemed to dance the line between organic and mechanical. All three humans hovered over a perilous drop. The floor lay far below, as if he were viewing a canyon floor by air. Vertigo seized his mind, but a tightening around his waist pulled him back from the edge of panic. The cables or vines or tendrils or whatever they were had a firm grip on everyone. They coiled around their arms, legs, chests, and waists, leaving nothing to chance and denying gravity the opportunity to turn any of the captives into a bloody stain on the ground.

No-Name tried to shift, to wiggle and arm free, but the cables around his arm tightened and held him firm. He tried less violent movements, subtly slipping his arms out of the loops. They relaxed when he stopped moving, but tightened again if he tried to slip away. There was a consciousness to their actions, a guiding force.

"Urrr…"

The sound was coming from the wall, not too far off. He scanned the room and saw that they lay in a circular room with featureless surfaces. No lines, no seams. He didn't see any doors. There was, however, a statue just below the sea of cables. It was tall and very old. The statue rendered the image of a large reptile, a duplicate of the strange creatures from his vision. In fact, it looked like the creature that accompanied the grandfather. Why would someone carve an image of that being? The statue looked as if it had grown out of the wall. Its arms and legs melted into curving room without any sign of welding or carvings. Cracks and chips clawed across the statue's surface. How strange… it was the only hint of weathering in the otherwise flawless room.

Then the statue looked at him. Its head swiveled upwards and peered at him through cracked, tired blue eyes. The mini-Zoid possessed a gaze similar to that of the Snipe Masters. Its mouth opened. "Rrrrrr…" Its growl was almost… pensive.

"What is that?" He asked.

"An Organoid." Celica almost whispered. "A real, living Organoid."

"Incredible." said Stoltz. "I've only seen remains in museums. But why is it integrated with the ship's hull?"

"Integrated? What do you-WHOA!" The cables enwrapped around his body began to quiver and slip, and for a moment he thought he'd fall away, plummeting to his end. One of the cables loosed itself and retracted into the swarm, but another looped down and took hold, pulling him towards the statue.

"HEY!" Another cable took hold, replacing a hold on his left leg. A duplicate cable repeated the process on his right leg. On and on it went, one cable retracted and another took its place, gradually guiding him across the room, towards the living statue. "Wait! Wait!" He didn't like this at all. He hadn't signed up for anything like this. He was just some lost soul in the middle of nowhere. Now he was about to be gobbled up or absorbed or suffer some other fate at the hands of a half-dead… thing!

He looked over his shoulder at Celica and Stoltz. They hadn't been carried along, but now they struggled against their binds.

"STOP!" Celica shouted at the creature on the wall. "What are you doing?"
The living statue didn't reply. Instead it bowed its head and regarded its own chest. A seam appeared amongst the metal plates and they began to pull back like a gigantic metal flower… or a flytrap. Another light, this one pure white, shone within the creature's body. He was being pulled towards that light. The light at the end…

"No, no!" He struggled against his bonds. "I don't want to-" Want to what? He had absolutely no idea what would happen if he entered that cavity. Maybe it was a way out; or maybe it would fuse his body to the ship, make him a statue in the room's interior. Either way, he wasn't willing to find out. He thrashed and struggled, but the cables compensated for his resistance and continued to sling him along. "Stop it!"

He was at the lip of the creature, able to stare directly into its glass-like eyes. It looked at him so intently. It was terrifying. Its face was so alien, so not-human yet not-Zoid either. Nonononono. His mind went blank with absolute terror.

"Leo!" Celica's scream gave him something to focus on as he entered the white light and the "Organoid's" chest began to close around him. Who the hell was Leo?

And then there was only white.

Pure white, shinning and overpowering. He suddenly found himself lying on his belly, though he might as well have been suspended as he was back in the other room. Or was it the outside? Was this a room? The flawless pale landscape robbed him of any sense of perspective. He could be in a room no bigger than a broom closet or he could be standing in the middle of a desert, miles wide.

"Hello?" He called out. His voice didn't echo. "HELLO?" Still no reverb. Where am I? He despaired.

"Welcome." A voice from behind. No-Name spun around.

The old man from his vision, the grandfather, stood before him. No, stood wasn't the right term. This man had no feet. The lower part of his robe faded away into nothing, blending with the white realm. Sections of his chest and shoulders also faded away, as if he'd been worn away by the void.

"Are… are you a ghost?"

The old man smiled. "A memory, held for far too long. Like all memories, I have begun to fade. Thankfully, you have come before I was completely forgotten." The man hovered to the side as if pacing. "My dear partner has given much to hold my memory intact. He has even forgotten his name, all for the sake of clinging to my own task."

"Task? What do you mean?"

The older man regarded him. "You are the twin soul to the Newborn. His other half. This is as the Mother Eve decreed. Your arrival means that the Newborn's awakening is near, as is a time of great and terrible heresy."

No-Name shook his head. "Slow down, you're losing me. Who are you?"

"I told you, I am a memory. Please don't lead this discussion in circles; we haven't the time."

"Time? Time for what? I don't know how long you've been here, but I've spent the last few months in the middle of nowhere and until a minute ago, I was stranded in a half-buried ship. Believe me, I have nothing but time!"

The man shook his head. "You only think you have the luxury of time. The Newborn will awaken soon and join his power with yours. But as you are now, you are too weak to accept that power. Your heart will falter and lead everyone to their doom. You must grow stronger. Believe me, time is not on your side."

"What newborn? You're saying a lot, but it doesn't mean anything."

"The meaning will emerge as your heart grows stronger. For now, use this sanctuary we have prepared. Strengthen your mind, heart, and soul for the coming task. The Mother Eve has chosen you to combat the heresy that threatens all lives, and it is my partner's task to give you a retreat in order to prepare."

Something flashed into existence behind him and the cables emerged from a gap in the void. They lashed onto his arms and legs and began pulling him away. "W-wait!"

"I cannot." The old man was fading now. Disappearing completely. "I am sorry, but my memory's task is completed. The burden now falls to you. Rest, heal, and rediscover yourself. The future of many rests with you."

Now No-Name was back in the circular room, watching the Organoid's chest cavity close once again as the cables moved him back the other way. He thought he'd end up hanging next to Celica and Stoltz again, but he passed them as the cables hurried him towards the opposite end of the room. He didn't have time to answer their surprised and worried questions for as he looked over his shoulder he saw a gap appear in the wall. It widened until it was large enough to fit several people. The hole resided on the upper part of the wall, but emerged onto a smooth floor. This strange room was obviously a two-story construct. The hallway beyond the aperture looked like the normal ship interior. No cables, no more living statues. Uh oh. "Wait a minute!"

With a heave-ho motion, the cables swung him back and forth and tossed him out the portal. He landed on his belly, sliding slightly on the metal that smelled as if it'd been recently polished. He'd not had a chance to push himself upright before a heavy weight landed on his back and pinned him back onto the ground. It was Stoltz, and Celica came tumbling after. "Get off!" He managed to force his way back to his feet and turned back to the strange room. The gap in the wall was closing, or was it healing? He leapt for the portal, mind reeling with questions, but the path closed off and he almost collided with the solid, seamless wall. His hands pressed against the plates, feeling no weakness or bend in the structure. Looking at it, one would never guess there was a larger amphitheater just on the other side.

"Hey!" He pounded on the wall. "Let me in! I still have questions!" He hit the wall again and again until he felt warm blood dripping on his knuckles; and even then he did not stop. The pain didn't matter, the blood didn't matter. This ship was keeping secrets from him, secrets about his past, about him! He wouldn't be tossed around like a doll while some higher power played with him. He'd had enough!

"Stop!" Celica seized his arm and held back his next blow. "We can't get back in. Just let it go, for now."

Stoltz stepped beside them and placed his hand on No-Name's shoulder. His movements were awkward, wobbly. His grip seemed more focused on balance than comfort. "Let's find a place to sit down and talk. We have a lot to discuss."

They walked down the hallway and tested the first door they saw. It was unlocked. Like the hallway, the room was in priceless condition. The single cot on the far wall had been turned down, as if guests were expected. A closet was built into the wall just above the bed. The shower stall in the corner lacked any grime or sign of use, just like the adjacent sink and toilet. A desk lay barren on the opposing side of the room with a computer monitor built into the surface.

The trio removed their oxygen helmets and sniffed the air. Unlike the higher levels, their new abode/prison carried much cleaner air. "It seems the oxygen filters are in better shape down here." Celica sat down on the bed, luxuriating for a moment in its soft embrace.

Stoltz pulled out the chair by the desk and sat down. "You assume we're in the belly of the ship?"

"We fell down, didn't we?"

"But this ship generates its own gravity. We felt like we were falling down, but perhaps we're above our previous position." Stoltz eyed the computer as if he wanted to test it out, but instead shrugged and turned to face his companions.

No-Name, being the last one through the door, saw that the only place to sit and keep eye-level with the others was the toilet. He chose to stand.

Celica started with the most pressing question. "What happened when the Organoid pulled you in?"

"Organoid? Is that what you call that thing?" No-Name jerked his head back down the hallway.

Celica nodded. "Organoids were the companions to the Zoidian race. They bridged the gap between the human-like Zoidians and the giant Zoids. Our knowledge of them is limited, but there are records stating that Organoids can also host memories of their partners."

"Memories…" That guy had called himself a memory. "How do you store a memory?"

Stoltz chimed in. "Biologically speaking, a memory isn't all that different from an electric pulse inside a computer. With proper knowledge of the chemical and electrical mysteries of a person's brain, it wouldn't be that hard to duplicate someone's thoughts and memories. But we're off topic. What happened?"

"A lot, but it's hard to describe. It all happened so fast."

"Fast?" Stoltz actually sounded surprised for a change. "You were in that Organoid for over an hour."

No-Name looked at Celica and she nodded with some hesitation. "It felt like an eternity, but Stoltz and I both agree that you were in there for at least an hour, probably longer. We thought you'd suffocated in that thing."

An hour…

That conversation with the memory man couldn't have lasted more than five or six minutes. What did that mean? He looked from Celica to Stoltz and back again, hoping for some kind of explanation or insight. Everything seemed to be blurring together. Too much, too fast. How was he to make sense of anything when the whole damn world wouldn't wait for him to catch up? All he could do was look at his two companions, one to the other, and exchange grave and confused looks. Then he looked at Stephen Stoltz again.

"Stoltz… your skin is peeling."

Stoltz frowned and got up to look at the mirror above the sink. He smiled as he teased the peeling bit of flesh at the edge of his jaw. "With all that's been happening, I lost track of the time. Guess there's no point now." His fingers reached under the peeling, and No-Name gagged.

"What are you-"

Rrriiippp!

Stoltz peeled off his face, and No-Name nearly passed out on the spot. He expected to see a quivering mass of bloody muscles and two bulging, unconcealed eyes staring at him as if to say "you're next."

But there was another face lying beneath. Stoltz's first face had been severe, serious. A smile belonged on his visage like a snowflake had any business being in the desert. No-Name had wondered how Stoltz's face didn't crack and break from all the stress built into it. This new Stoltz wasn't much of an improvement. He was built from the same straight lines and hard-set features, but a smile wasn't completely foreign to this new face. In fact, he was grinning whimsically as if he expected a camera crew to jump out of nowhere and shout "Surprise!"

The man held out his hand. "I suppose I should reintroduce myself: Stigma Stoller, at your service."

When No-Name didn't take his hand, Celica sighed, "You could have given a little warning, Stoller. I think you nearly gave Leo a heart attack."

She wasn't surprised. Why wasn't Celica as shocked as he? And now she was calling him "Leo." But he was a guy without a name. Why was she calling him by a name unless she knew who he was? Had she had time to check? She hadn't mentioned asking anyone for information. Everything seemed to spin and twist. Names, faces, locations, it seemed as though the entire world was sharing some kind of inside joke, and he was the butt of that joke. "How… how long have you known about all this?"

The woman rising from her seat was not the Celica Lucraft he knew. She didn't peel off her face or declare a new name, but looking at her he suddenly realized that he didn't know this woman any better than he knew the impostor who still stood with his hand extended. Celica motioned for Stoltz—no, Stoller—to back off. "I'm sorry, but I haven't been very honest with you up until now. I've known who you are since I found you in the desert. That much of my story is true and I did take you to the excavation site for treatment. It really was the closest source for aid." She leaned against the wall, as if standing had suddenly become much harder. "But I lied about who I am and what I know about you. For starters, I am Celica Lucraft, a lieutenant in the ZBC who specializes in infiltration and espionage. I'd been assigned to spy on the excavation site because certain members of the ZBC council have doubts about the current Chairman's intentions. This site factors heavily into his plans."

"The Chairman…"

"Sen Vaez." The name struck something in… Leo's… mind. There was recognition, but it was formless, vague. He knew he had a relationship with the man who owned that name, but he didn't remember. Celica continued, "You didn't have a lice infection when I shaved your head. I did that to help conceal your identity. A short time ago, you were simply known as Leo, a recently-hired mechanic for the Blitz Team. One night, an unidentified Zoid attacked your team, killed two members, and destroyed your base. You were missing and presumed dead, and I was incredibly surprised to find you alive, if not in the best health. I pretended not to know you to keep you safe."

"Safe?" He didn't bother to control his voice. "Safe? You lied to me, kept me in the dark, and watched me agonize over my own name just because you were paranoid?"
"It's more than you think. Your face has been broadcast all over Zi as a martyr. As isolated as we are out here, I knew someone in the camp would recognize and report you. Someone tried to kill you, Leo. If they knew you were out here, they'd come back to finish the job."

"Who's 'they?'"

"I should tackle this question." Stoller stepped beside Celica. "I was on my way to see you just before the attack on your team. I'm a representative from the Kingdom of Arcadia, and I was going to try to recruit you into our Guardian Force." Stoller shrugged as if that was supposed to explain something. "I thought you were dead as well, until I discovered some evidence. You'll want to pay attention to this too, Celica. I discovered that photos of your Zoid's wreckage had been doctored to encourage the belief that you were dead. This led me to believe that you were actually alive and I managed to find you through a few connections and sheer luck."

"My Zoid?" He suddenly felt very cold.

"A Command Wolf." said Celica. "You called it Fang. It was destroyed when you used a kamikaze attack called 'Ragnarock Fang' on the attacking Zoid."

His legs gave out. A freezing chill robbed him of any feeling, and all he could do was slump onto his knees, holding himself while trying to generate some kind of warmth. It wouldn't come.

Celica knelt down and tried to hold him, but he pulled away. He found some warmth in anger. She said, "I didn't know Stoller was coming, but I was able to deduce his identity because my commander called and warned me to be on the lookout. I saw through Stoller's disguise because of that information, and we agreed to work together for a while."

He looked at the two collaborators. "When exactly was I supposed to be let in on this little secret?" He wanted to be angry. It took his mind off the chill.

"When you needed to know." Stoller said with that damn ironic smile. "Which might have been never. Celica was right to hide your identity, Leo. There aren't many people who can tamper with a ZBC investigation and go unnoticed. I can count the number of people with that power on one hand, and the top suspect would be Sen Vaez. I agree with Celica's commanders. Sen Vaez is more of a threat than the world believes."

Was he supposed to thank them for this? The headaches, the worry, the loneliness; was he supposed to hug them and bless them for keeping him in the dark? Who were these people? They certainly weren't the friends he'd been with when he entered this nightmare. One man hid behind a false face while the woman hid behind a lie and spoke to him of trust. All they wanted was to keep him in play as a commodity in some stupid cloak-and-dagger fantasy. The man who should call himself Leo balled up his fists and seriously considered decking Lt. Lucraft and Arcadian Representative Stoller; but instead he turned and stepped out. The door pulled aside, afraid to impede his exit.

"Leo, wait!" Celica called and stepped out after him, but that just made him break out into a run and he left her behind. At first he was sprinting back to the wall where the Organoid hid, but then he passed the innocent-looking wall, another lie that seemed to take pleasure in being so close to him. He just ran and ran and ran until his legs trembled and his lungs cried out in defiance, and then ran farther until he felt his heart would give out from the stress of his body and the weight of all the lies. Then he stopped and slumped against a wall, and pounded it with his fist over and over. "Damn it. Damn it. DAMN IT!" Punch, punch, punch.

His energy melted away with each blow and after what felt like the hundredth blow, he slumped to the floor and began to weep. This wasn't fair. He'd been denied his memories, denied his peace, his freedom, and now he'd been denied any trust. He didn't need to be trapped in a derelict ship. He was already alone.

"I didn't ask for this." He said to no one in particular, but he received an answer.

"No one asks for misfortune. That's what makes it so cruel." Stoller was only a few feet away, looking down without sympathy. "I have a favor to ask: stop disappointing me."

No-Name (still not ready to think of himself as Leo) stood up slowly. "Up yours."

That cocky, self-satisfied smile came back. "Celica wanted to chase after you, but I made her stay. I knew we'd find you like this: sobbing like a child. Plus, I didn't want Celica to see what's going to happen. I can read you so easily." Stoller spread his arms wide, inviting. "You're completely under the sway of your emotions, and you want to throw a punch at me. Well, come on then. I can guarantee you won't land a single blow."

Bastard. Smug, arrogant, lying bastard. "You don't know anything about me!"

"Guess that goes for both of us."

There wasn't any conscious decision. No-Name suddenly found himself mid-stride, his fist cocked back and aimed at Stoller's arrogant head. Even as his body moved forward, his mind was a blank red void, as empty as the realm within the Organoid. He didn't think about Stoller's goading, or Celica's face, or even his own situation. His world was one pure force of rage.

Stoller didn't move, didn't even twitch, until No-Name's fist was a breath away from impact. Then the man moved like a mirage in the desert air, teleporting to just beside the attack. His foot casually poked outward and tripped No-Name's advance, and his arms reached up to take hold of the extended arm. No-Name's weight shifted as he fell across Stoller's shoulder, then Stoller flung him over, landing him flat on his back with a loud clang ringing off the metal. "Street fighter, right?" Stoller smiled. "You learned to fight by trial and error. It shows in how clumsy you are."

No-Name sprung back on his feat and cried out, throwing several more punches. Stoller side-stepped every swing. "You're wasting too much movement, leaving all sorts of openings. That kind of half-assed combat might work against a local thug, but you'd be dead several times over in a serious fight."

"Shut up!" Another punch. This time Stoller didn't move, his arms snapped upward, clamping onto No-Name's arm like a vice and spinning him around before pinning him to the nearest wall.

"And you're letting your anger control you. What will you do now?" Stoller leaned in and pressed No-Name's arm to his back. "If you move, I'll break your arm; and you can't attack me from this angle." He twisted No-Name's arm, eliciting a cry. "When I came searching for you, I thought I'd find someone who could fight to protect other people; someone I could mold into a guardian. Instead, I find some frightened little child who's too afraid to face his own memories. Admit it, you don't want to remember who you were because that would mean facing all that you've lost!"

Damn it, damn it, damn it! No-Name pounded the wall with his free arm, content to at least hit something. He wouldn't let it end like this. He was not going to submit to some lying bastard who prattled on as if he actually knew something. No-Name cried out with pure rage and pushed back with all his strength. He expected to feel his bones snapping and muscles tearing apart while Stoller delivered another boring lecture, but instead Stoller released his hold. No-Name was so surprised that he momentarily forgot to act.

"Not bad." Stoller grabbed No-Name's shoulder and spun him around before delivering a right hook to the chin. "You were willing to sacrifice an arm in order to continue the fight." Now he landed a blow to the stomach. "At least you're not afraid of pain.

His words were melting into a blurry void, and the room was losing focus. No-Name staggered back and raised his hands, which now felt like bits of cloth hanging limp off his shoulders. Stoller moved again, blurring into a stream of action and leaving ghosts in his wake. No-Name was still reacting to his first step when Stoller wrapped his arm around No-Name's head. "Maybe you are salvageable."

The last thing No-Name saw was Stoller's knee rising to meet him.

X X X X X X X X

The old man and his granddaughter were back again, only this time they stood somewhere new. Gone was the sprawling city of light. Now they were inside a medium-sized room with curving sides and arrays of equipment surrounding them. Computer screens, panels with a myriad of buttons and switches, and a strange green capsule on the opposite end of the room. It was large enough to house a man and, judging from its polished shine, was newly made. A towering door awaited just beyond the capsule, but seemed inaccessible thanks to the wires and tubes flowing out of the equipment.

"I hate this place." The girl hugged herself tight and rubbed her arms. Strange, he could feel a chill himself, even though the sensation felt distant, ghostly. "I feel sick. We should call all this off."

"No." The old man said. "This is important." The man regarded the huge door. "We cannot turn away from this because of our fear."

"But this is too cruel!" The girl looked like she'd cry. "How can we seal all these lives away without a second thought?"

"Second thought? I've thought on this over a hundred times and I can say that this is the only way. The Mother has decreed and we must carry out her decision."

"Just because She says so?" Now the girl was crying. Rivers flowed from her eyes and she was yelling at her grandfather.

"Yes!" He shouted back. "Because Zoid Eve says so."

"But that's not fair! How can she know for sure?"

The old man sighed and regained his composure. "That's the dilemma, isn't it? Zoid Eve says that She has sensed the need for these souls, and so we perform these tasks. But did She decree this because it is destined, or is this destined because She decreed it?"

The girl shook her head. "I-I don't understand…"

The grandfather embraced the girl and led her to a nearby bench. "Sit with me. This is not easy to understand, no matter how long you've lived. I cannot fully comprehend the forces at work here either. Tell me, how much do you know about human mythology?"

The girl shook her head. "Not much. They… don't like talking with me."

"Or do you not prefer to talk to them?"

The girl was silent for a while. "Both." she finally answered. The grandfather chuckled, and the girl relaxed in her correct answer.

"I'm sure there'll be time for conversation as we rebuild. But for now, let me tell you the story of Pandora's box. Pandora was a beautiful woman, crafted by the gods themselves and given as a bride to Epimetheus, brother of Prometheus, who first crafted mankind and stole fire from the gods as a gift for his creations. Prometheus had left Epimetheus with a box and specific instructions: 'never open it.' Shortly thereafter, Prometheus was imprisoned for his theft and suffered agonizing torture. Epimetheus wed Pandora in part because he hoped to ease his brother's suffering and eventually negotiate his release. But Pandora's purpose was not that of a peace offering. The gods made her insatiably curious, and when she found the sealed box, she couldn't resist the urge to open it."

The old man regarded the door, then his offspring. "The box contained all the vices and cruelties of the human persona, and they ran rampant across the world, tormenting humans to no end. This was the revenge of the gods upon Prometheus and his creations."

The young girl folded her arms. "So a woman is responsible for all the trouble in the world? Typical." She huffed.

The grandfather smiled, "Remind me to tell you about a woman named Eve and an apple sometime. But the world did not die from Pandora's mistake. had foreseen this event and sealed hope within the box as well. Pandora managed to reseal the box before hope escaped, and that hope maintained mankind through its ordeals."

"Do humans actually believe all that?"

"They used to. Then their beliefs changed and they now consider the tale of Pandora's box to be nothing more than a story. Yet there is wisdom in this story: the consequences of audacity, the peril of uncontrolled curiosity, the need for foresight; all are applicable to our current situation." He stood up and approached the door. He held up his hand to touch it, but drew back at the last moment as a man would draw away from a flame. He shuddered slightly and turned around. "Human and Zoidian ambition gave birth to a heresy that threatens all life, and so we have sealed it away. This is our Pandora's box. The lives that have been lost and the threat of more death is the price we've paid for our curiosity.'

The girl nodded hesitantly. "But we're also sealing hope away too."

"Yes. The means to combat this heresy." The old man turned towards him, look him almost in the eye. "You are our hope for the future. Zoid Eve says that one day, a fool will open this door and unleash heresy upon the world. So we plan for that day by leaving a countermeasure. It is cruel; it is not fair; but it is necessary."

"Uurrghhhh." That weird sound again. His field of vision moved closer to the old man, who smiled.

"Yes, it is very rude of us to talk as if you're not here. Are you ready?"

"Rah."

The old man nodded. "I understand." He leaned in closer and whispered. "I will not live to see you awaken, but I thank you for this sacrifice and for protecting my offspring. My partner shall watch over you to the best of his ability. Rest well, and I wish you luck."

The world darkened again.

X X X X X X X X

For a long time, No-Name hovered in the darkness, then slowly ascended to a world of gray. Farther up, there were voices. Behind him he could hear the ­Thump-thump that nearly deafened him in the desert that night. He was content to wait between both worlds, not having to confront either. There was comfort in the gray realm, isolation. He didn't want to deal with either world. Not yet, anyway.

Yet after a while he became uncomfortable with the emptiness. Being alone made him unhappy, yet he knew somehow that he'd been alone for far longer than this short stay in the gray. Which way to go? He decided to go towards the voices, if only because he had just come from the darkness. He began to be immersed in the light, and the voices became more distinctive.

"Damn it, Stoller! You said you were going to talk to him!"

"He wasn't in the mood for words."

"So you drag him back half-dead?"

"You exaggerate." Funny, given the pain in his stomach and head, he actually felt as if he'd been close to death.

"I was crazy to trust you with this. Stay away from Leo, you hear me? Our deal's off."

"You actually think you're in control of this group now? Leo's rejected you as well, so you're hardly in a position to dictate terms. Besides, this situation may work to both our advantage. I don't have to worry about concealing my identity anymore, and you don't have to hide him from the rest of the world. No one can find him down here."

That didn't sound reassuring. He felt his body coming to full awareness, which mean the pain increased as well. He could tell without looking that his eye was bruised, and his lip bled. His stomach hurt terribly, but his memory was far more painful. His mind restarted by going over all the events leading to his blackout.

Damn Stoller.

"Ughh…" He had meant to say "Hey."

Celica and Stoller were standing slightly away from his bed. They were back in the cabin room. Celica turned to look at him and her eyebrows went up, then she whirled at Stoller and motioned for him to leave. Stoller grinned and exited, though he didn't give any indication of being sorry or promise to stay away. He didn't even look at No-Name.

Celica turned and knelt beside the bed. "Leo."

"That's…" he found his voice. "That's not a name I recognize."

"It's your name."

"I'm not that guy anymore."

Celica sighed and said nothing for a moment. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you the whole truth. I'm not used to being perfectly honest with people." She waited for a reply, for forgiveness. He didn't say anything and she continued. "Leo, I've built my life around lying to people. Whenever someone starts abusing their power, I show up, look guilty and innocent men in the eye, and lie without even blinking. It's the only way I can do my work and survive. It hurts to lie to good people and pretend to be someone else, but I don't do it out of cruelty. I was honestly trying to protect you from danger. I'm sorry I've betrayed your trust, but if I had to do it all over again I'd make the same choices without hesitating."

Neither of them said anything. No-Name or Leo or whatever name he should use now—didn't know what to say. They were trapped. They should have been afraid, banding together and trying to find a way out. Yet it turned out he didn't even know the people he once trusted. He felt as though Celica was speaking the truth, and he sensed that Stoller's contempt was genuine. Had he really fallen so terribly? Was this the price of trying to regain his former life?

"I don't know what to do now." He said with total honesty.

"Let's start small." Celica offered a hand and he hesitantly accepted it. She helped him up and led him to the sink, where he could look at himself in the mirror.

He looked terrible. He did indeed have a black eye and a split lip, as well as several smaller bruises on his cheeks. Combine with the scar across his face, the fuzz that used to be his hair, and weary look in his eyes, he could argue that this was the most pathetic face in existence.

"Don't pay attention to all that." Celica read his mind. "I want you to look at that face in the mirror and tell it: 'Your name is Leo.'"

He looked at the face, burdened and worn, then back at Celica. She nodded encouragement and motioned for him to look back at the mirror.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "Your name is Leo."

The face in the mirror didn't seem to care.

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Author's Note: Okay, maybe not the happiest way to end a story, but at least Leo's got his name back.

Reviews are always appreciated. Have a wonderful Christmas, everyone. I hope you find a Zoid or two under the tree.