Apologies again for the ridiculously long delay! This part gave me a lot of trouble. -__-;
And as always, thank you all for your continued support! Looking back at all your lovely comments really helps boost my enthusiasm when I need it. : ) If not for that, I seriously doubt this story could have come this far. Enjoy!
Chapter 11- Destiny (Part 2)
Simon's dreams were often full of explosions. Having seen them enough when he was awake, perhaps it was only natural that they would follow him into his sleep. At times they were even useful, shaking him awake just as the Anti-Spirals were about to launch another attack, as if his dreams foretold reality.
In comparison, the quieter dreams were torture. Full of what-ifs and what-had-beens, all the thoughts he'd refused to address consciously expressed themselves in his subconscious.
Tonight was no different. He found himself jolted out of sleep, reeling wide-eyed from a nightmare that felt horrifyingly real.
"Simon?"
Like a shining ray of reality, Nia was looking down at him, face full of worry.
He sat up. Things were just the same as they were when he'd gone to sleep, the three of them lying on top of a blanket they had spread out over a pile of foliage. Boota was still fast asleep next to him, while Nia sat on his other side. Blue moonlight cast the beach in an unearthly glow.
"Are you okay?" Nia asked.
Simon felt absolutely terrible. Physically and emotionally. But he couldn't tell her that, so he kept his mouth shut.
When he didn't answer, she asked again. "Did you have a bad dream?"
"...Yeah."
"What was it abou—"
"Don't ask me!" he snapped, shivering.
She muttered a quiet apology.
Damn. Now look what he did. He didn't want her seeing him like this...
Once he calmed down a little, he tried to make it up to her by speaking in a gentler tone.
"You've been awake all this time?"
"Yes."
Of course. He looked her over. Her feet appeared to be wet. Was she just down by the water? At least she wasn't just sitting here the whole time....
She was watching him now, waiting for him to go back to sleep.
He sighed. Like hell was he going to sleep again. He would only be returning to more nightmares.
"Mind if I stay up with you?" he asked.
She blinked. "Why?"
"I have a headache."
"Take one of those pain pills."
"We only have so many."
"You need your rest."
"I can keep you company."
"No. When will you sleep if not now?"
"It's okay. I'll collapse eventually."
He'd said it half-jokingly, but her mouth formed a disapproving line. It didn't look like he was going to win this one.
"What about you then?" he asked. "You don't sleep. You don't even eat or drink."
He must have been stupid not to notice until today. He'd somehow assumed in the back of his mind that she got those sorts of things done when she was out of his sight. It hadn't occurred to him that she never did them at all.
"I need neither nourishment nor rest. My life is sustained by the Anti-Spiral hive mind."
And there she was sounding like the Messenger again.
It's not that he didn't already understand she wasn't human (she'd reminded him often enough), but on some level, as he got to know her, he had let himself forget. Yet the inescapable truth was that no matter how human she became on the inside, her body was still the same. She was like the flame at the end of an endless candle; perennial if left alone, but extinguishable with a single breath of air.
He shuddered, recalling how that Messenger was killed, and how that visual had seeped into his dream.
"But just because you don't need to doesn't mean you can't, right? You still get tired. I've seen you."
"I don't mind staying awake," she said. Then, a little more shamefaced, "Does it...bother you?"
"No. But it would be nice to see you relax."
She blinked.
"Come on," he said. "I'm the one who needs rest? You have three years of sleep to catch up on."
"But..." she stammered. "You're in pain. I can't relax."
"Having you sit around worrying isn't going to make me feel any better."
She still didn't seem ready to give, so he proposed a compromise. "We can sleep together." He assumed that she wouldn't take that as anything other than innocent.
At last she accepted, albeit reluctantly.
He gently pushed her to the ground beside him, then laid down himself. She fidgeted a little, and seemed abnormally shy, glancing at him every so often.
"You need to close your eyes, remember?"
"I will close mine if you close yours," she said.
"Fair enough."
It took quite a while, with a lot more shifting of positions; as if she had forgotten how to sleep. But finally, he sensed that she was still. He cracked open his eye. She was lying on her side facing him, hands folded beneath her head. Her breathing had slowed. She looked positively serene.
He sat up again. "See, that wasn't so difficult," he said quietly, brushing his fingers over her soft hair.
That was all well and good, but now he couldn't sleep himself. The myriad of noises— from the waves, the jungle, Boota's snoring— all drilled into his head individually, making the pounding even worse. "Sorry Nia, I can't sleep even if I wanted to."
He found Kamina's sword where he'd left it, within arm's reach. Picking it up, he pulled back the sheath to look at his reflection on the gleaming blade. But he couldn't stand looking for very long.
Sliding it closed again, he set it down at his feet and sighed. They had come a long way from that little underground village, hadn't they? And for what?
After a moment, he spoke softly.
"It sure was easy, wasn't it, Bro? I just got out of this mess, and right when I'm wondering what the hell am I going to do...the first planet we come to and I'm already given a chance to go back. It's like I really was meant to come here..."
"What the hell."
In the morning, they returned to the waterfall to find that the Kumpus had set up a base camp. Several other vehicles had arrived in the clearing, and there were more Kumpus milling about. Trees had been cut down to widen the clearing, and tendrils of black smoke rose up to the sky from pipes on the vehicles. With the beeping of machines and general commotion added to the jungle noises, the tranquility that had been present the previous day was no more.
Almost the minute that their presence was noticed, Kopoko stood in front of them again.
"Ah! You have come so early! Good, good! Have you had a nice sleep? Would you like something to eat?"
Before they could give an answer, they were quickly ushered to sit down and a tray of food was set before them. Simon decided not to complain and began tucking in with Boota. After a while, Nia picked up one of the food morsels as well and nibbled on it.
Meanwhile, Kopoko worked on pressing buttons on his hand-held device. Finally, he looked up. "I have created a schedule!"
Simon paused in eating. "For what?"
"In the days to come, we would like to show you all of our preparations for battle, so you may see that we are well supplied and inspect anything you are not familiar with. I am sure you will need to know these things in order to lead us."
"He hasn't accepted yet," Boota reminded.
"No matter," said Kopoko cheerily. "We have nothing to hide from the Great Destroyer."
In other words, they were going to lay all their cards on the table. Simon had to admit, their honesty was refreshing at least.
He shared a glance with Nia and Boota. "It's not like we have anything else to do."
"But are you feeling well enough for it?" Boota asked.
"Sure," he lied. It would be difficult to relax here now anyway. Damn, he needed a painkiller...
Once they finished eating, they stood up to get ready to go, but Kopoko raised a hand.
"Ah, I am afraid the Anti-Spiral Messenger must stay behind."
Simon blinked. "What?"
"I tried, but I could not get clearance for her to come along."
He frowned. "Then try harder."
"We have only come this far by extreme secrecy in regards to the Anti-Spirals," Kopoko explained cautiously.
"I told you she can be trusted. She won't leak anything to them."
"I am sorry, but it could not be permitted, even on your word. These are secrets that not even our citizens are allowed the slightest knowledge of."
"Why should we trust you if you won't trust us?"
"That is not the issue, I promise you. The higher officials merely wish to be cautious. They did not anticipate her presence."
"Well she's not going away, so they better get used to it."
Simon knew he was being unreasonable, but hell, he wasn't about to just leave Nia alone with these people after he'd seen what they could do.
He sat back down. "Fine. Then I'm staying too."
Kopoko made a choked sound of dismay, and began furiously tapping on his hand-held device again.
Boota and Nia sat down as well. "I don't mind not going, really," Nia said.
Simon shrugged. "I don't either. It's up to them."
"At least this proves that they aren't eager to succumb to your every whim," Boota mused.
Looking increasingly harried, Kopoko spent the next couple of hours shouting into his device. By early afternoon, they were still at a stalemate, and it was beginning to look like they weren't going anywhere after all. That is, until another vehicle arrived on the scene, which Kopoko met with great relief. The doors opened, and another Kumpu in a white uniform came out, greeting Kopoko.
The three of them stood up and walked over. "What's going on?" Simon asked, wondering if they had finally given in to his demands.
Kopoko grinned. "We have come up with a solution."
And with that, two gray-uniformed Kumpus stepped out of the vehicle with a smaller, older Kumpu in tattered clothes between them.
A small gasp left Nia's lips. Simultaneously, as the older Kumpu saw them, it gave a startled shout, and began rushing in Nia's direction.
Instinctively, Simon stepped in front of her, and the Kumpu froze at his feet, trembling and wide-eyed. Yet barely a moment later, Simon felt a hand on his arm, and he was pushed aside. By Nia.
"N-Nia?"
She stared down at the Kumpu, her eyes brimming with tears. Then she suddenly fell to her knees, wrapping the old Kumpu in her arms. The Kumpu wailed and returned the embrace.
After exchanging a bewildered glance with Boota, Simon turned on Kopoko. "Okay, what's going on? Who is this?!"
"She was the mother of our Anti-Spiral Messenger," Kopoko explained. He looked delighted. "It seems they are getting along quite well."
Nia was now petting the old Kumpu's back, tearfully murmuring something in an alien language.
Simon stared. What did this mean? Was he missing something??
"Uh, Nia?" He shook her shoulder, trying to get her attention. "Nia?"
Finally, she looked up at him. For a second, there was a look in her eyes that was as if she didn't recognize him. But it passed, and the Nia he knew was facing him again.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"I'm...yes," she said distractedly. "I'm fine."
"What just happened?"
"I'm sorry, I'm still trying to understand..." She shook her head then turned her attention back to the old woman sobbing in her arms. "I...I would like to talk with her for a while."
"Talk with her? But how..."
Jumping to take advantage, Kopoko quickly began tugging on Simon's arm. "Do you see! She wishes to stay behind! Let us give them some privacy and be on our way!"
"Wha— wait a minute!" Simon exclaimed. He looked at Nia again. "Are you sure about this?"
She gave him a nod. "I'll be all right."
Unnerved, Simon continued staring at her in confusion as Kopoko tugged on his arm. Before he knew it, he had been dragged into an awaiting vehicle.
Despite Kopoko's repeated assurances that Nia would be safe, Simon could not sit still the whole time they were in the vehicle. Amid his demands for an explanation and Kopoko's attempts to placate him, Boota looked out the window, keeping track of the scenery.
The vehicle wound through the jungle along the stream, heading towards a distant mountain, and after about twenty minutes, approached the mouth of a cave. As they went in, the view outside the window turned pitch black.
Simon blinked, putting an abrupt stop to the arguing. "Are we going underground?"
"Yes! We only allow our civilian population on the surface. Everything else, we have hidden underground."
'Everything else' turned out to be just about every advanced piece of technology they had, both new and old. The cave branched off into an extensive system of tunnels. Incandescent lights lined the cavern walls, and soon they met traffic, similar vehicles speeding busily along every which way.
"So this is how they get around without being detected," Simon mumbled, joining Boota in looking out the window. "Smart."
Kopoko looked delighted by the remark, but it was the only compliment that he would receive that day. Even as they stepped off at their destination, an underground manufacturing plant, it was clear that whatever interest Simon might have had in the tour had already dissipated. He seemed distracted, and grew angrier as the day went by, impatient to leave. Only once did he actually ask a question, and it was in no way related to what they were seeing.
It was as they were overlooking a giant cavern filled with bipedal mecha, rows upon rows of them as far as the eye could see. It was an impressive sight, but from the look on his face, Simon's mind was elsewhere.
Kopoko was just in the middle of telling them of the mechs' historical participation in the great wars of the past, when suddenly Simon interrupted him.
"How did you know that would happen?"
Kopoko stared blankly for a moment, caught off guard.
Simon elaborated. "That she would react that way."
"Ah." Kopoko nodded to himself, understanding now. "I did not know. But it was well worth a try." He grinned. "And again, fate has proven to be on our side!"
Simon's eye narrowed. "Hmph." Fuming, he stormed away.
"Ah! I did not mean to upset you, Great Destroyer!"
As Kopoko hurried after him, Boota followed at a slower pace, watching Kopoko's back. Despite their innocuous demeanor, it was becoming increasingly clear that these people were to be contended with after all.
After that, Simon refused to see any more. They had been there for only a few hours, but with the tour cut regrettably short, Kopoko arranged for a vehicle to come pick them up.
"No worry! We will have plenty of time tomorrow!" Kopoko said assuredly, but Simon's bad mood persisted, forcing Boota to suffer an earful of griping on the ride back.
"I can't believe I let them pull something like that. I should have seen it coming. I shouldn't have let my guard down."
"Mm." Boota answered with noncommittal noises, keeping an eye on the Kumpus sitting near the front of the vehicle.
"What the hell even happened anyway? It was like she was a different person. How am I supposed to believe that she'll be all right after seeing her like that? You know?"
"Mm."
"If she just wanted to be alone, that would have been fine. But what was all the hugging and crying about?" He fidgeted in his seat. "Did you see the way she pushed me aside? Like I was just some...obstacle."
He fell silent for a moment after that, looking at his feet.
"...I was just trying to protect her," he said finally.
Boota sighed. Clearly, Simon had been hurt by that more than he wanted to admit.
When they finally returned to the clearing, Simon found Nia sitting alone by the waterfall, trailing her feet in the water. Upon seeing her safe and normal, the anger and damaged pride melted away to be replaced by relief and worry. He quickly went to her side.
She didn't seem to notice his presence at first, looking down at the pool with a thoughtful expression.
He cleared his throat.
"Oh..." She finally looked up, not quite smiling, but from the look on her face she seemed glad to see him.
"Where'd the old lady go?"
"They took her home. How was your day?"
"It sucked." He sat down beside her.
An awkward silence passed between them for a moment.
Nia clasped her hands in her lap. "I'm sorry for what happened earlier. I wasn't quite myself."
He raised an eyebrow. "Then who were you?"
She opened her mouth to answer, but couldn't, and looked down at the water again. At that moment, she looked so sad that he couldn't help but feel awful for being angry earlier. Just what had she been going through all day?
Finally she spoke again. "The old woman...she is the only surviving member of his— Manuku's— family."
"Manuku? The Anti-Spiral Messenger?"
Nia nodded. "All the others, even his own wife and children, were killed in the attacks. She's been grieving alone for the past few days, while the rest of her people celebrated in the streets. It's so sad..."
"You understood her?"
"A little." She breathed in a shaky breath, then words began to spill from her mouth. "I knew her, Simon. From the moment I first saw her. Though very faint, Manuku's memories are still inside of me, left over from the hive mind." She put a hand to her chest. "He's dead, but...a part of him lives on in me..."
Simon let out a breath that he wasn't aware he had been holding. So that was it. That explained everything.
Nia turned to look at him imploringly.
"Is it strange, I wonder...to love someone you've never met before?"
He stared. As far as he could recall, this was only the second time that he'd heard her mention the word 'love.' What had she said the first time...?
"But 'love' is a concept that pertains to evolution. You love only by instinct. I have no need for such a thing other than to know that it is a threat to the universe."
She continued speaking quietly.
"I tried to tell her what I could recall of Manuku's last regrets as he became a Messenger. To be honest, I'm not sure whether it helped relieve any of her pain, or made it worse. I hope I was able to comfort her, even just a little."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"But now...I can't help but imagine how the old man must have felt when I became a Messenger. And I know that I...I can never talk to him again..." The tears began to run down her cheeks.
Simon wished that he knew what to say. He wished that he could understand what she was going through. Instead, all he could offer was his shoulder for her to cry on.
The next morning, Simon rose from a fitful half-sleep to find Nia already wide awake, enjoying the view of the sunrise.
He stirred, groaning a little, which caught her attention.
"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.
He was getting tired of being asked that all the time. "No better, no worse. How about you?"
At his question, her expression softened with a hint of melancholy. "Well...there's nothing I can do about it anymore." She gave a little shrug. "I feel oddly refreshed now actually, after all that crying."
"...Right."
Then her eyes lit up with an idea. "I know!"
"Hrk!" Simon's heart jolted as Nia suddenly leaned over him to shake Boota awake, balancing one hand on his thigh as she did so.
"Buu-wha?" Boota mumbled drowsily.
"Let's all watch the sunrise together! It's beautiful."
Both men blinked at her, Boota still half-asleep and Simon's heart still pounding.
Nia answered them with a cheery smile and returned her gaze to the sunrise.
Silently, they followed suit. It truly was beautiful, now that they stopped to look at it, with the sky dyed orange-pink and sun tracing a line of gold over the waves. But gradually Simon found himself watching Nia instead, marveling at how easily she was able to put all that behind her.
No, maybe she hadn't. She was still sad, but chose to hide it behind a smile. To keep him from worrying? Or was she simply trying to look forward rather than back? Whatever the reason, it reminded him of Bro in a way.
An hour later, they trekked back to the Kumpus' camp. Simon considered not going at all, but quickly realized that they would only come looking for him again anyway.
The day started much the same. As they were served food, and Nia helped him change his bandages, Kopoko fiddled with his hand-held device, no doubt making more plans for the day.
Simon looked up to find himself suddenly face-to-face with a Kumpu.
Its whiskers were soft and wispy. Though the Kumpu stood straight, and Simon was sitting down, it only came about nose to nose with him; much smaller than the others. It must have been one of their children.
Blinking at him with large, beady eyes, mouth hanging slightly open, it had an expression of awe on its face. But rather than being worshipful like the other Kumpus, this one seemed mostly full of wonder at seeing an alien race up close for the first time.
After about a minute of the Kumpu not saying anything, Simon called over to Kopoko. "Hey, who's the kid?"
Kopoko quickly hurried over and admonished the child for its bad manners, then turned back to them, proudly placing his hands on its shoulders.
"This is my son, Nopo. I have brought him here today in hope that he will learn much from meeting you. I have begun teaching him your language, and though he is a fast learner, I think he will benefit greatly with more experience speaking it."
Kopoko urged Nopo to say something.
Shuffling his feet, Nopo licked his lips and began. "Great Destroyer, it is a v...very good honor to meet you." He bowed. "My name is Nopo Naku. My best wish is to be a re...renowned Royal Interpreter as my father and my ancestors. I am most happiness to be born this generation, to see your...your..."
Stricken with nerves, Nopo trailed off. Kopoko nudged him to go on, but Nopo's mouth clamped shut, and would not open until finally, Nia piped in with what sounded like words of encouragement.
Simon stared at her. It felt strange to hear her speak that alien language when just two days ago, she understood it as little as he did. But Nopo took her words to heart and tried again.
She helped him stumble through the rest of the speech, suggesting words and phrases whenever he got stuck. By the time he was done, the two of them seemed to have hit it off, speaking cordially in a jumble of two languages.
Simon could only understand half of what they were saying, which really wasn't enough to understand anything. As he sat there futilely trying to follow the conversation, they formed a friendship with almost dizzying speed right before his eyes.
Soon Nopo grabbed Nia's hand and led her to a nearby flowering plant, pointing to it and explaining something to her animatedly. Nia nodded and listened with interest.
Looking on, Kopoko seemed pleased. By now it was obvious that he had only used his son as another thinly-veiled attempt to keep Nia out of the way again.
Simon sighed. Well, at least this time the method wasn't so traumatic. And Nia did look like she was enjoying herself. He wasn't about to deny her that after what happened yesterday.
He stood up and called over to her. "Nia, will you be all right here?"
Nia looked a little surprised, but nodded.
He turned to Kopoko, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
"Well? Are we going or not?"
Now Kopoko looked very pleased.
"So where are you taking us now?"
It seemed Kopoko wanted to avoid a repeat of yesterday, because this time, as soon as they entered the underground tunnels, the vehicle made a U-turn and began taking them in a different direction.
"I think you will find this much more interesting than what I have shown you so far," Kopoko grinned.
"Really." Truth be told, Simon could hardly recall what they were shown yesterday anyway.
"Yes. It is our battleship!"
Simon and Boota exchanged a glance. Boota looked skeptical, but Simon sat up a little straighter. After all, considering their situation, and that this would be the only battleship around for possibly several light-years, maybe it would be worth a look after all.
Minutes passed, and then suddenly they were no longer underground, but underwater. Through the window they could see that they were traveling through a brightly lit glass tube along the ocean floor. Behind them, the cave that they had just exited shrank into the distance.
In the murky depths of the water outside the tube lurked dark shapes— sea creatures, large and small. But as they continued on for an hour, two hours, less organic-looking shapes began to appear. Though each passed by in an instant, the more that appeared, the easier it became to identify what they were. Buildings. Ancient and submerged, but unmistakable. They were traveling through an underwater city.
All the while, Kopoko showed them holographic projections of the Kumpus' records of the war against the Anti-Spirals. A thousand years ago, the Kumpus were an advanced race; they had colonized many of the other planets in their solar system, and with those resources, had created a whole fleet of battleships.
As the war continued, their number of battleships dwindled, until finally their greatest ally— Lord Genome of the planet Earth— turned against them, destroying all they had left. Or so he thought. One of the battleships managed to escape, warping from the battlefield just in time, and made it back to their planet. Then, the surviving warriors were left with a dilemma.
"We had to find a place to hide it," Kopoko explained. "We could not let this last ship be destroyed, else we would never be able to rise to the stars again. There was very little time before the Anti-Spirals would realize what we were doing, so we had no choice but to..."
Before he could finish, the vehicle jerked to a stop. "Ah! We are here already!"
"Wait, here?" Simon asked. From what he could see out the window, they appeared to still be underwater.
"We will be able to see it from here!"
The door of the vehicle opened, and Kopoko led them out. The glass tube still went on as far as they could see, but right in front of where the vehicle had stopped was an elevator connected to another glass tube, this time stretching vertically.
As the elevator took them up to the surface, sunlight gradually illuminated the water again, and far below, they could see miles and miles of the sunken skyscrapers in every direction.
"What are those buildings?" Boota asked.
Kopoko shook his head sadly. "Once it was a mighty city. We had many such cities before the Anti-Spirals came to our world. Now, we have only few. A great shame."
At last, the glass tube breached the surface and the elevator came to a stop. They stepped out onto a platform several feet above the ocean. It seemed to be a viewing platform, but to view what, they could not guess. All they could see around them was ocean and a large landmass up ahead.
"I thought you were taking us to your battleship?"
"Yes! We can see it now."
Simon squinted. "Is it because I have only one eye that I can't see anything?"
"No, I can't see it either," Boota said.
Unperturbed, Kopoko gestured toward the distant landmass. "That is our battleship."
Simon sighed. "All right, why don't you save us some time and just take us to it? And besides that, if it's small enough to hide on a continent... Look, our flagship was as big as a moon. Each Anti-Spiral ship is at least twice as big. Size isn't everything, but if you want to stand a chance out there, you're going to have to do better."
"That is our battleship," Kopoko repeated. "The entire continent."
They stared at him, not understanding at first, but as the meaning of his words sunk in, they looked at the landmass again.
Suddenly it all made sense. The underwater cities. A battleship that needed to be hidden. A continent that replaced an ocean.
"That will do," Simon said quietly.
That night at the beach, Boota filled in the details of what they had seen to Nia.
"They basically wiped out half of their own population just for the sake of hiding a battleship. And apparently, the common citizens don't even know what really happened. The government tells them it was all the Anti-Spirals' doing."
Simon stared silently at the campfire. He had hardly said a word since coming back.
Nia looked saddened by the news, but not surprised. "I see," she said quietly. "The Anti-Spirals had suspected as much. The sudden decrease in Spiral life forms on the planet was..." She trailed off, shaking her head as if she'd changed her mind.
"I suppose that means this sort of thing wasn't uncommon?" Boota sighed.
"When the Anti-Spirals began stationing the Spiral Life-Form Annihilation Systems, many races were forced to impose a limit on their own population. My father was certainly not the first."
"Adai Village was just the latest in a trend, huh?" Simon muttered.
"Adai...?" Nia said questioningly.
"You don't want to hear it."
Boota frowned. "They keep saying there was no choice. But there must have been some other way. I'm not convinced that they didn't enjoy doing it, just for the sake of seeing destruction."
There was an uncomfortable pause.
"Maybe," Simon said, lying back. "Either way, I'm not in the position to judge."
"You never willingly sacrificed over half of your entire race," Boota quickly backtracked.
"That's true. I should thank Rossiu for relieving me of having to make that decision." He sneered. "Oh wait, I can't."
Clearly, he had gone into one of his deeply cynical moods.
"What they did really isn't so different from what we did just three years ago. When you get right down to it, we're all Spiral beings. We're all capable of the same things. We're all murderers."
"You're right. We are all the same," Nia said quietly. "I've done horrible things too."
Now it was Simon's turn to backtrack. "That's different. You didn't mean to do it."
"I meant to hurt those people when we were escaping."
They fell silent again.
"I think..." Nia began, "I'm beginning to understand the nature of Spiral Power better now. It's true that it drives people to destroy. But that's not all that it does."
She looked at Simon. "You have as much capacity for kindness as you do for violence. I've seen it. It's the same with the Kumpus. Manuku's mother did not enjoy seeing her family die. Nopo too. He is taught to celebrate destruction, and yet he loves this planet. He loves to learn. He is so young, and there is still so much that he yearns to do. I don't think he even fully understands what the adults around him are planning to accomplish."
Simon listened silently, his expression unchanging.
Nia sighed. "These people may be dangerous. But that does not make them evil."
With nothing left to say, they turned in for the night.
Yet Boota still had much to say, and waited for his chance. When he sensed that Simon had gone to sleep, he sat up. He only had to touch Nia's arm to wake her. She blinked at him in surprise, and he motioned her to follow him a few feet away from the campsite. There, he spoke to her in a loud whisper.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Huh?"
"Why are you defending these people?"
It took a couple seconds for her to realize what he was referring to. "I'm only telling the truth."
"I don't care if it's true or not, you shouldn't be saying it."
She furrowed her eyebrows. "I don't understand. Are you asking me to lie?"
"I'm telling you to watch what you say. It's so obvious now. They must have realized you have influence over him. It's only natural that they would try to use you to get Simon on their side."
"I'm not being used," Nia protested. "Those thoughts are my own."
"You don't understand," he said, shaking his head. "You know this place isn't good for him. I thought you had an agenda. Didn't you want to stop him from starting the Spiral Nemesis?"
Her eyes narrowed. "I do. I want to stop him. But it's not because of any agenda. It's because I care. The Spiral Nemesis would be the end of everything— everything. I understand what that means now."
"Good. Then be aware that right now, you're being counter-productive. We're in enough trouble as it is without one of us falling for a sympathy ploy."
Nia tried to protest again, but in that instant, Boota felt a chill down his back. As if they were being watched. He quickly spun around.
"What are you two doing?"
Simon was sitting up now, staring at them.
Boota let out his breath. "We were just talking."
"I can see that."
Nia turned away and went to lie next to Simon, looking quietly miffed.
"It's nothing," Boota assured. "You should get back to sleep."
Simon gave him a dubious look, but said nothing more.
Boota came back over, but as he did so, looked at the trees. Somehow, that uneasy feeling still hadn't left him.
And now he knew. He couldn't look to Nia for help anymore. He should have known that any woman crazy enough to love Simon now wasn't going to be reliable in this type of situation.
But it would take more than old women and children to win him over.
Nopo was back the next morning, and picked up right where he left off with Nia the previous day, telling her stories. They were both becoming more adept with each others' languages, and now Nia was asking questions herself, pointing at the various plants and animals in the area.
Simon watched them as Kopoko prepared for another trip. Somehow, he was starting to actually miss Nia, though he knew that was silly. She was right there in front of him.
Kopoko gave him a nudge. "Are you ready to go, Great Destroyer?"
Simon shrugged. He turned to leave, but then a sound stopped him in his tracks.
It was laughter, melodic and sweet.
Nia's laughter.
Simon felt an ache in his chest. As much as he loved the sound of it, it sounded so foreign to him too.
Had he ever heard her laugh before? No, he could swear this was the first time...
Glancing back, he saw what had caused her to laugh. It was Nopo, making a silly face.
Before he could register what he was doing, he had strode over, grabbed Nia by the shoulders, and turned her to face him.
The humor left her face, replaced by a look of surprise. He regretted it at once.
Realizing that he was manhandling her, he let go.
She peered into his face, waiting for him to say something.
He hadn't even thought of anything to say. Crap.
"Don't...get too comfortable, okay?" he stumbled.
"I won't." She gave him a small, bemused smile.
Feeling like an utter fool, he walked away. The shame only grew as he realized that, for a brief moment, he had been jealous of a child.
This time, the vehicle did not go underground at all, instead slicing a path through the jungle until they came to the side of a mountain. From there, they headed out on foot to some stone ruins. Covered in overgrowth and barely recognizable as buildings, the crumbling architecture looked ancient, and as Kopoko explained, they were older than even the underwater cities, dating back over two thousand years ago.
Kopoko pointed them to some old scriptures carved into a rock wall. This was apparently where the myth of the "Great Destroyer" had first originated.
From the blank expression on his face as he looked up at the scriptures, Simon had something on his mind again. Boota noticed that he had been sighing a lot since this morning.
"You don't have to be so resigned," he whispered to him.
Simon cast him a look of mild annoyance. "Who said I was resigned? I'm just tired."
Kopoko overheard. "Oh, you are tired? Perhaps you would like to return to camp?"
Strangely, Simon seemed less than enthused at that prospect. "Yeah, whatever."
As they trekked back to the vehicle, Boota's attention was divided. On one hand, Simon's attitude was beginning to worry him. On the other, he still couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. Even as he fell behind, he continued glancing back, animal instinct raising the fur on the back of his neck.
Finally, Boota came to a stop. Standing perfectly still, he closed his eyes and focused his senses on the jungle around him. Kopoko's voice echoed up ahead, still blabbering on about the scriptures, accompanied by his and Simon's footsteps through the undergrowth. All around, there were noises from the various jungle creatures, and steady dripping of water from the treetops, left over from the afternoon rain.
And in the air, just to the right of his head...
Boota's eyes snapped open, just in time to see a small gray fly zipping away. With two wide steps, he turned and snatched it out of the air.
He could hear it making a buzzing sound now as it struggled inside his fist. He allowed himself an assured smirk. Now he had proof.
But as he turned back to the path, Boota felt a searing heat against his palm, and heard a pop.
With a yelp, he opened his fist. The fly was gone, leaving behind only cinders and singed fur.
It had self-destructed.
His suspicions were confirmed now, without a doubt.
He quickly caught up with Simon and pulled him aside.
"What is it?" Simon asked.
"I've had this odd feeling for a while," Boota whispered, "and now I know why. We're being watched."
Moments later, the two of them strode up to Kopoko.
"Hey, Kopoko!"
"Yes, Great Destroyer?"
Simon crossed his arms. "So I hear you've been spying on us."
"Pardon?" Kopoko looked confused.
"You know what we're talking about," Boota growled. "The little robotic flies. You've had them trained on us the whole time since we came to this planet, haven't you?"
"Flies? I am sorry, but..."
"Don't bother playing dumb. You tried to cover it up, but it's too late." Boota held out his hand. "I know what you're up to."
Kopoko blinked at Boota's hand and abruptly began to laugh.
"What's so funny?"
"Ah, do you mean the piki flies!"
Kopoko reached out to a nearby branch and plucked something from it. They saw that it was a small gray fly. Clutching the fly by its wings, he showed it to them.
"Is that what you saw?" Simon asked.
"Y...yes," Boota admitted. What were they trying to pull?
Suddenly, the fly's body began to smolder, and with a pop, it exploded. Kopoko's fingers were now covered in cinders.
"The piki flies are very sacred to us," Kopoko explained. "They make such a lovely explosion when they die. Their breeding season is almost at an end now. In the coming days, as they finish laying their eggs, I am sure you will see more of them burning out, causing small forest fires."
While Boota stared in disbelief, Simon let out an ironic chuckle.
"Figures that evolution would produce an exploding fly. Why am I not surprised?"
"But..." Boota stammered, staring at the cinders on his hand. "I could have sworn...the one that I saw looked more...metallic..."
When he glanced up again, he saw that both Simon and Kopoko were looking at him with their eyebrows raised.
Oh no. Ohhh no. No way was he going to be thought of as crazy, not by them of all people!
"...Never mind."
For the rest of the day, Kopoko regaled them with tales of how their greatest leaders and poets had all been inspired by piki flies. It took all of Boota's self-control not to grind his teeth into dust.
Boota was roused in the middle of the night by a low muttering. Fearing it was the Kumpus, he started awake, but quickly saw that they were not the cause of the muttering.
It was Simon.
Boota blinked. "What are you doing awake?" He had made sure that Simon was asleep before settling down himself...
Simon fell silent. Then, without a word or even a glance his way, he rolled over and went back to sleep.
Something wasn't right. Usually he would have to needle him into going back to sleep, but this time Simon did not protest, or even need to be told. He gave in too easily.
Suspicious, Boota continued watching over him for another hour.
Kopoko met them the next day with an announcement.
"Our king will be arriving here tomorrow! He has been much eager to see you, yet as you do not wish to come to the city, he has decided to come to you instead."
To prepare for the king's arrival, the Kumpus were busy making the clearing even wider, cutting down more trees and clearing more paths in the surrounding forest. They hung lanterns from tree branches, creating bright paths even beneath the jungle canopy. And while the atmosphere had become more festive, the area was now nearly unrecognizable from just a few days ago.
The three of them sat watching this on the sidelines, Simon and Boota both sighing in annoyance. Another safe haven ruined.
Nia seemed especially disappointed. Simon half-expected her to start going on about the destruction caused by Spiral Power, but instead she merely expressed her sadness that a certain rare flower Nopo found yesterday had now been dug up and thrown away. "It was so beautiful...I wish I could have shown it to you too, Simon."
Maybe he shouldn't have expected it at all. Especially not after what she said a couple of days ago. But she was changing so fast now that he could barely keep up.
She was rediscovering herself, bit by bit. He saw a new side of her every day. How he'd longed to know more of her before, when every new expression and glimmer of personality had been a rare find. Yet as glad as he was to see her becoming a more complete person, he couldn't deny that now, it was also starting to scare him. Now, when he had so little to offer.
Nopo joined them minutes later. They quickly began building a plan to spend the day rescuing other such rare plants before they were cleared away. This time Nia did try several times to include Simon in the conversation, but he hung back, not contributing anything. When she suggested that he stay with them for the day, perhaps help by digging new patches of earth for the plants to take root, he only said bluntly, "I don't dig holes anymore."
And before he could see the look of disappointment on her face, he went off with Boota in tow to get ready to leave.
Their next destination was an underground laboratory, where they could only look through windows at the work being done within. It all looked highly complicated, with test tubes, sterilized environments, and pods that looked suspiciously like what the Helix King had used to create his Beastmen.
Kopoko explained what was going on. "Many years ago, one of our great kings, in despair to think that he would never see the Spiral Nemesis in his generation, ordered for the creation of this facility. Since then, we have been conducting countless genetic experiments."
At that, Simon's gaze sharpened. His attention was finally piqued.
"We had hoped we would be able to pinpoint a gene that corresponds with strong Spiral Power. But, ah...all these years, and we still have yet to succeed in breeding a Spiral Knight of the same caliber as Lord Genome."
Kopoko shook his head. "We were wrong to doubt the scriptures. The Great Destroyer could not be created." He looked up at Simon with a grin. "You had to come to us."
Afterwards, Simon proceeded to ask questions about the facility, trying to get an idea of how close their level of knowledge and technology came to that of the Lord Genome Head. By the end of the tour, he seemed to be in deep thought over what they had seen. Kopoko was overjoyed, but Boota's worry only increased. He could guess what was on Simon's mind now.
When they returned to the base camp, Nia was nowhere to be seen. They found out from the Kumpus that she and Nopo went off on their own over an hour ago and hadn't returned.
Simon cursed. Kopoko tried assuring him that Nia would be safe with Nopo, but Boota sensed it was more that Simon felt regretful. After all, he did treat her rudely this morning (or rather, he'd treated her like he did anyone else).
Boota made a suggestion. "Perhaps we should look for her?" It was becoming increasingly difficult to find time away from these people, even if they weren't being spied on. Hopefully this way they could be alone for a while.
"An excellent idea! I will come along!" Kopoko said.
"What?" Boota glared.
Kopoko smiled, pointing at the map on his handheld device. "I could not allow you to become lost yourselves!"
Boota could swear that smile looked extra smug.
They set off along one of the many cleared paths. As Simon and Boota called Nia's name, Kopoko walked ahead, using his device to lead them to possible areas where Nopo could have taken her.
After an hour, Simon stopped calling and let out a deep sigh. "Dammit, she could find me if she wanted to."
"Perhaps she just lost track of time."
"Yeah, I bet she's having the time of her life," Simon muttered.
They proceeded in silence for a while. The area was becoming quite dark now, with only the lanterns lighting their way. Boota kept an eye on Kopoko's back ahead, waiting for an opportunity.
Finally, when he guessed they were out of ears' reach, he spoke up again. "Simon."
"Mm?"
"You're not actually considering their offer, are you?"
Simon did not answer right away. He looked up at the dark treetops and sighed. "What if I am?"
It was as he'd feared. "I would hope you'd reconsider. You've seen what these people are like."
"Yeah, so?"
"We agreed on this. We're only staying for a few days, until you're feeling better."
"And guess what? I still feel like shit."
Boota knew he should have expected that, as well as the fact that it wasn't likely to change anytime soon. He'd hoped that Simon's dislike of the people or protectiveness over Nia would win out in the end...
"Well...what does your gut tell you?"
"It tells me to accept."
Boota winced. That wasn't good. "Maybe...this time it's wrong."
Simon came to a stop, turning to look at him. "What's with you? You never objected to anything before."
"They're just going to use you!" Boota stammered. "It doesn't matter what you think, you'll just be their weapon!"
"And how's that any different from before?"
A recent image sprang into Boota's mind. Simon, covered in blood, being dragged lifelessly down the hall.
"That's exactly why I worry."
With a shrug, Simon continued on. "So what if they do use me? I can use them. Think about it. They have the weapons to fight. They even have the resources to find out how to save Nia. When will we ever get another opportunity like this?"
"But..."
"I'm at a standstill right now." He paused, considering this, then began walking again. "This is all I can think of to move forward again."
Boota's voice rose to a shout. "They don't care about you! They don't even think of you as a person! They only want to appease you, like you're some god, so you'll do their bidding!"
Simon shouted back. "Well if you have any other bright ideas, I'd love to hear them!" His voice carried a hint of desperation.
And before Boota could say anything more, he stormed off.
Watching his friend recede into the distance, Boota sighed.
In hindsight, it really was his own fault that they had come here. After all, he was the one who suggested that they run away. Simon was forced to leave everything behind, just as he was starting to work on something he finally thought worthwhile. The temptation to retrieve that must be nigh irresistible.
They were out of ideas. Out of options. And as much as he hated to admit it, Simon was right. This was their best chance.
Striding ahead, Simon passed by Kopoko and kept moving on. Immediately, Kopoko hurried to keep up, jogging by his side.
"Oh dear, did you have an argument?" It wouldn't have been difficult for Kopoko to have overheard, at least the part where they were shouting.
"Shut up," Simon mumbled. He was in no mood to talk.
"It must be very difficult to argue with a friend. I promise you, my people will never object to any decision you ever make for us."
"I said shut up." Simon increased his speed.
Trailing behind now despite his efforts, Kopoko called after him. "We would never betray you! No matter how many of your friends leave you behind, our loyalty will never waver!"
That made him snap.
Simon grabbed Kopoko by his collar and slammed him against the trunk of a tree. "SHUT. UP."
Kopoko squeaked in surprise. "Not that I am suggesting any of your remaining friends will ever betray you, Great Destroyer! But if they do, rest assured that my people will—"
"What the hell makes you think you know anything?!" Simon snarled. "You don't know any of us!" His head was starting to ache again.
"I-indeed, we have only been acquainted for a short time, but my people have known of you for a very long—"
He'd had enough. Simon dropped Kopoko and stormed off again.
Trees and lanterns rushed by in a blur, never-ending. For the moment, he didn't care if he was getting lost, or if he was any closer to finding Nia. He was already lost in his own thoughts.
It was stupid. Ridiculous. Boota wouldn't betray him, ever. Even when they disagreed, it was only out of good intentions. Boota had been by his side forever. Why would he ever...
...Boota never had his own life, did he?
As soon as that realization hit, Simon wondered why he'd never thought of it before. He had always assumed that his friend's devotion was something akin to what he'd felt for his Bro. And so, he never questioned it. But what if he was wrong about that?
Even after evolving past being a mere pigmole, Boota still remained by his side. Simon never asked if there was anything else he'd like to do. He took him for granted.
He recalled Boota's expression when they fought. Couldn't there have been some resentment in there? Had he been merely too blind to see it?
He shook his head.
And Nia...no, Nia certainly wouldn't. Not after coming this far.
...Not after coming this far. Was that all?
How long had they known each other now? A little over a month? Half of which she'd spent as a slave. He was only just getting to know her. Hell, she was only just getting to know herself.
What if, as she continued to recover herself, she realized...that she didn't really like him after all? He was the first human she had gotten to know besides her father. She had little else to compare him to.
Come to think of it, how ridiculous was it for him to actually feel disappointed that she didn't use the word 'love' for him? After only this long? Who was he kidding? He couldn't even make her laugh.
And what if she did realize that she didn't like him? He held her fate in his hands. She couldn't leave even if she wanted to. She was trapped. What if he screwed up again? It would all be his fault. Oh god, what did he drag her into?
Suddenly, all the doubts that had been building inside for the past few days began to spill over.
He had been happy, once. Traveling the surface with his Bro, Yoko, and the Gurren Brigade, he'd been happy. Even with the Gunmen attacks. Of course, that didn't last too long.
Since then, the Gurren Brigade had cut him off. Yoko cut him off. Humanity cut him off. And now all he had were two people. Two people were enough. But it was still a very small number.
He thought back to that first day on this planet. The brief hours of peace and rest.
He knew it wouldn't last. It couldn't last. If they didn't resent him now, surely they would someday. It was only a matter of time. Only a matter of time...
"Simon!"
Her voice was like a slap to the face.
He stopped. He glanced back, and saw that he had just passed by her on the path. Nia was looking at him wide-eyed, carrying a sleeping Nopo on her back.
"You came looking for me?"
"I..."
He couldn't think straight. Of all the times she caught him off guard, this was by far the worst.
Her expression relaxed into a smile. She looked happy.
Shifting Nopo's weight onto her right arm, she reached for his hand with her left. He panicked for a second, fearing she would feel him tremble. Then his mind went on autopilot.
He snatched her hand and roughly pulled her to his side. "What the hell were you thinking?! Do you know how late it is?"
Her face bore a look of hurt surprise. "We lost track of time and..."
"I don't care!"
He dragged her along, ignoring her protests, knowing he was only making things worse, and hating himself all the while. But then, why prolong the inevitable?
He couldn't sleep that night either.
Not sleeping led to thinking. Thinking led to conjuring up bad memories. He couldn't escape them either awake or asleep.
Staring up at the blue moon, Simon laughed softly to himself. The more that he thought, the more that he remembered, he couldn't help but feel that suddenly all of his previous triumphs were called into question.
Everything he'd done was instinct. Instinct, but he'd pulled through because of willpower. That's what he used to think. But wasn't willpower just another facet of Spiral Power? Did he ever have control over his life in the first place? Had acquiring power only made him more...powerless?
He'd posed the same question to himself before. But there was nothing to assure him now. Choice? What was choice when there was no choice?
What if everything that had happened up to now was just to lead him here? Was that why he had met Nia? Was that her purpose? And if so...had she lived out her usefulness? How long would it be before he lost her too? What ironic twist of fate would it be this time?
It never ended. She could be dead tomorrow and he wouldn't be surprised.
He glanced at her. She'd started out sleeping facing away from him, still angry at the way he'd treated her. But now she'd rolled onto her back.
...Maybe he should just kill her now and get it over with. Spare them both the pain.
He watched her chest heave up and down for a while as she breathed. Soon, he came to a decision.
He put his hands over her throat, not applying pressure yet, and stared into her face. Her pale, beautiful face, half covered in his shadow. Nia continued sleeping peacefully, not suspecting a thing.
This face. This expression. It would be the last that he saw of her alive. A far better end than he could envision for her otherwise.
A thought crossed his mind. If he killed her like this, would she leave behind a corpse? Or would she just...disappear? He didn't know which he preferred.
Stop being a coward. Finish it.
He began to tighten his grip, but then hesitated.
The only reason she was asleep now was because of him. Though she was angry, though she didn't need to sleep, she still did anyway. Because of him.
His breath hitched. Dammit. Goddammit. He couldn't do it. Not like this.
And he was kidding himself if he thought he could do it while she was awake.
He let go of her throat. "I'm sorry, Nia," he whispered. "I'm sorry. I can't do it."
He laid down beside her, staring up at the sky.
Pathetic.
Then, along with the ringing in his ears, he thought he heard the faint sound of laughter coming from above.
To add insult to injury, now even the stars were laughing at him.
"Shut up," he said wearily. "Or I'll put out every one of you."
But they kept laughing.
As promised, the king arrived the next morning, along with all the fanfare expected of one. The number of Kumpus in the area had nearly tripled. There were musicians playing music, and tarps, banners and all manner of irritating pleasantries hung from the treetops.
The king himself, announced by Kopoko as "King Takuka Pono Ponpom the Third," was a burly, serious-looking fellow, his whiskers stretching down his torso and tied with a ribbon at the end. He sat in the middle of the clearing atop a grand throne carved out of a tree the previous day.
At once, the king began with a long welcoming speech to the Great Destroyer, translated by Kopoko on the spot.
But to Boota's relief, Simon would have none of it, cutting in during the middle. "I'd rather just skip all that and get to business."
There was an excited murmur among the crowd of Kumpus.
"B-business?" Kopoko said eagerly. "Have you decided then?"
"Yeah." Simon looked straight into the king's eyes. "So. You want me to lead your people?"
Kopoko translated. The king nodded, looking straight back.
Simon smirked a very half-hearted smirk. "All right. Then I accept."
Before Kopoko could even start translating, a roar went up from the crowd. They had expected this. There was no doubt in their minds.
And as Boota and Nia shared a troubled glance, as the only ones on the entire planet who would object, they knew that they had lost.