Sorry it took so long guys,... It was really difficult to flesh it out, ya' know...
Chapter 25
Garbage Airlock
It was dimly dark when Berwald regained consciousness he blinked to clear his vision and took in his surroundings in what little light there was. From what he gathered he was in a room filled with towers of trash, hatches opening periodically to drop more trash on to the piles. He felt a small weight on his stomach, he looked down to see Hanatamago, covered in dirt whimpering.
"Hanata-!"
Berwald sat up only to feel a sharp pain stab at him from the base of his skull, he wrapped his hand over it, massaging the sore spot. He groaned, what the hell happened? He looked back down at the dog when he felt a tugging at his sleeve.
"Where's Tino, girl?"
Hanatamago whimpered and pulled Berwald's sleeve, as Berwald stared at the dog, scenes from a couple hours ago flashed pasted his vision. The plant, Voir, the sudden change in Voir's behavior the message, the mutiny, Tino, the showdown, Tino shot... Tino. Berwald dug himself out of the trash, climbing down the small pile, Hanatamago on his heels as he ran to find Tino.
"TINO!" Berwald called, trying to block the images of a broken Fin, "TINO! ANSWER ME, TINO!"
He paused, his heart filled with dread as he heard an automated voice speak in the dead silence.
'Caution. Activating airlock disposal.'
"TINO!" Berwald cried, running, Hanatamago following close behind, "TINO!"
'Activating airlock disposal.'
"TINO!" Berwald could hear desperation in his own voice, as looked for any sound or sign of the Fin, "TINO! PLEASE ANSWER ME!"
"Berwald?"
Berwald swung around and found himself staring directly into a beam of bright light. Shielding his eyes, he peered into the darkness and spotted a young man with a feminine figure, short light blonde hair that had a hair that floated independently from his head, supporting the same Nordic cross in his hair like a barrette and dull, blank blue eyes. He wore a belted, navy-blue sailor top with a lighter blue collar, tie, cuffs and matching pants and a sailor hat. Berwald sighed in relief it was a just friend of his, Lukas Bondevik. Maybe he can help.
"Lukas, please I need help." Berwald almost begged, grabbing the Norwegian man's shoulders, "It's urgent!"
Even though his face didn't show it, Lukas felt taken back. He had never, while growing up with Berwald, seen him look this scared and desperate. Berwald was more stoic and quiet, like him, never speaking unless he was spoken to. He took a deep breath.
"What happened Berwald?" He asked calmly, "What has you all bothered?"
"I'm looking for Tino, a-a-a uh, person I met on Earth," Berwald hurriedly began, "Turns out he followed me back here and-and, Voir! Voir... he, oh gudar, he- Tino-!"
"Berwald," Lukas muttered, placing a gloved finger to Berwald's lips, silencing him, "Calm down. Take a deep breath, and tell me what this is all about."
He did as he was told, Berwald took a deep breath and launched his story. He told Lukas everything, how he met Tino on Earth, how Tino followed him aboard the Axiom, the theft of a plant, their journey to and from the Health hospital, the discovery of both the plant and signs of treason, Voir's secert message and his treason, the shooting of Tino, knocking Berwald out and staging mutiny. He told everything, except the part of their dance and the kiss they shared, that was best left secret. Berwald watched signs in Lukas' expressions looking for a change.
Even though his expression didn't change, his eyes did widen a little at the end of Berwald's tale, he lowered his flashlight and regarded the Swede with a serious look.
"I knew there was a reason I hated that prick, Voir," Lukas said after a while, "If Tino's as badly injured as you say, we have to find him and quick!"
They began to search high and low for Tino, calling for him, waiting for an answer and pressing forward. It wasn't till Berwald called for him again did Tino finally answer.
"TINO!"
"Ber... Berwald..."
Over the sounds of loud crushing, thumping, cursing and thunks, Berwald heard a faint and weak reply. He could feel tears of joy rolling down his cheeks as he ran to the source of the voice, Lukas and Hanatamago hot on his trail as the automated voice rung out in the silence once more.
'Caution. Activating airlock disposal.'
Berwald halted on the sight of 16 cubes of compressed trash in 2 by 4 rows began to enter a though a large door on a large moving platform, he began to search for the source of Tino's voice. Lukas halted not far behind him.
"TINO! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
"Ber-Berwald... I... I'm here..." came a weak reply.
Berwald turned to the compressed trash cubes and felt his heart drop into his shoes. There in the front bottom-right cube was Tino, his hand was raised weakly waving to grab his attention. He was struggling to stay conscious.
"TINO!" Berwarld cried, "LUKAS, LOOK AFTER HANATAMAGO!"
"NO! BERWALD!" Lukas yelled after him, keeping a good hold on the dog, "IT'S TOO DANGEROUS! LET ME GET THE DUMBASS TO SHUT THE AIRLOCK DOWN!"
"NO TIME!"
With that, Berwald ran toward the airlock to the cubes, he ran like he never ran before. He reached Tino as Lukas turned to Hanatamago.
"We need to find that dumb bastard." Lukas told the dog as he ran down a slope toward a nearby tower, "Come on, pup."
Berwald reached Tino as the trash reached the end of the line and stood positioned in front of another door. Berwald grasped Tino's hand, gently squeezing it as he quickly and carefully dug the small Fin out of his imprisonment, without further injuring him. Tino let out a soft gasp as he left something brush the bullet wound on the right side of his stomach, he tried to hold back his pained tears.
"It's okay, Tino, it's going to be okay" Berwald smiled, his heart breaking at the sight of Tino's pained face, "I'm right here, I'm gonna get you out of this, I promise."
"O... Okay..."
Behind them, a hatch opened dropping Ludwig into the pile of trash below. He fell hitting various items on his way down while he spit German curses into the air until he landed into a pile of trash that cushioned and stop his fall. He sat up, trying to find that damned brat that kept sullying the ship with his infernal foreign contaminated footprints, he didn't have to look very far as his blue eyes spotted the source of his problem just right in front of him, in the airlock along with Berwald.
Ignoring the dangers of the airlock, Ludwig charged toward them, his swifter held behind him, he could see the doors closing and he added a little more power behind his running as he dashed down the floor. He had to get to that brat and clean him and for good.
Berwald worked quickly as he can, knowing that he was running out of time, if he and Tino didn't get out before the doors closed, they would be expelled into space left to their own devices. He turned to Tino and gave him gentle smile.
"Tino, I'm not going to lie to you, this going to hurt," Berwald told him, getting a good grip around Tino's waist, Tino wrapped his arms around Berwald as strong as he could, "But I have to do this. Please forgive me."
Tino nodded and tighten his grip around Berwald's neck, bracing himself for the inevitable pain. With one powerful tug, Tino was pulled free from his filthy prison, without further damaging his wounds, he was surprised that at all didn't hurt him. He weakly smiled at Berwald as he was lifted into his strong arms, he smiled back before turning and dashing to the closing doors.
Ludwig leap over various discarded objects as he ran down the yellow and black striped floor to the closing doors, he could see Berwald running at him with the Fin in his arms, as he drew closer, he suddenly found that the doors closed precisely on the German's hips, growling in annoyance as well as embarrassment, he turned to see Berwald still coming at him.
The door in the back opened, releasing the trash cubes into the vacuum of space. Berwald added more power to his legs as he ran and avoid stray garbage flying in his direction as he reached out a hand and took the German's offered one. He was lifted off his feet, as he kept a good hold on both Ludwig and Tino.
Lukas returned to the airlock with Hanatamago and another man, Mathias Kohler, who had short wild blond hair and wide-drooping blue eyes. He wore a red long sleeved button-up shirt that had its sleeves rolled up past his elbows and was tucked into black pants. He wore a knee-high black boots with matching gloves and tie. Lukas turned to him.
"SHUT IT OFF, YOU DUMBASS!" Lukas ordered, pushing the Danish man to emergency switch, "BERWALD AND TWO OTHERS ARE IN THERE!"
Mathias did as he was told, and pulled a large red switch down, forcing the doors behind Berwald to close. Upon the doors closing, Berwald found himself flat on the ground, gravity playing it rules as he still held Tino close to his body and a good grasp on Ludwig's hand. The German looked rather shaken.
"Thank you." Berwald said, smiling.
"Oh, n-no p-pr-problem." Ludwig replied, smiling shakily, "Mein Gott."
Mathias lead Ludwig and Berwald to the office where Berwald set upon the bed provided. Lukas sat by Tino, gently peeling the cloth off Tino's wounds to examine them better, as Mathias turned on all the lights to provide the Norwegian man a better view. Berwald felt anger grip him as he saw the wounds, the ankle was the worst by far compared to the stomach wound, he could see the shattered bone, tendons and muscles in that rounded hole, he wasn't sure if that would heal properly, if Tino was ever going to walk properly.
"This doesn't look good..." Lukas said after a while, pulling Tino's shirt down, "The leg wound wouldn't have been a problem, but apparently Voir's not taking chances. The only chance he has left is if we can get him to a doctor, someone who has experience with this sorta thing. Roderich is not that up to date unfortunately..."
"Wait..." Mathias interjected, looking completely confused, "What does this Voir bastard have to do with the kid's condition?"
"Voir is a traitor," Berwald explained his face darkened, "He did this to complete a directive given to him from a man long since deceased."
"Why?" Mathias asked, "Fill me in, buddy..."
Berwald explained the confrontation he had with Voir as Ludwig handed Lukas his uniform jacket. Lukas pressed it gently into Tino'd stomach wound as Berwald told them about the top secret mission that was left to the co-captains, the mutiny and the words exchanged between Voir and Gilbert. He paused watching his audiences carefully.
"Wait... He said he had to follow his 'programming'," Lukas said after a while, "Why would he say that when he's human?"
" 'Programming' is for robots and other computer stuff, right?" Mathias asked, scratching his head, "So, wouldn't that make him-"
"A robot?" Lukas interjected.
"Yeah!" Mathias said as Berwald nodded.
"No."
All eyes fell on Ludwig, who sat in his chair and looked guilty and solemn. He looked to Berwald and spoke to him.
"He's an android made by both my and Gilbert's ancestors' 650 years ago." He explained, not breaking his eye contact with Berwald, "Granted, Voir was once human and elected co-captain in the year 2146, he was the best co-captain the Axiom ever had. In 2155, Voir joined a ground mission to the Earth that ended tragically for him as he was crushed to death by a collapsed building on the lands that was once 'Britain'."
He paused and stared at Berwald looking for any changes in his expression. Finding none, he pressed on with his story.
"At the time anything was possible, my ancestors were given the task to rebuild Voir. They had managed to reconstruct him perfectly, there was not much left in him that would be considered remotely human. They gave him everything, AI programming chip, shut off switch, mechanical organs that functioned like flesh organs and other functions that would convince the public he was human, as the public were left in the dark about his death."
"He was put back into the world on a field test to make sure he behaved and acted like he did when he was alive, which he did as at first he didn't believe he was killed and rebuilt as an android, which proved a theory on the human consciousness remaining in the brain even after having it reconstructed to meet the needs of an AI chip. He passed and ever since then he was been serving as co-captain to the next captain, without any questions asked." He lowered his eyes to the floor, "It's possible that after all these years that the AI chip has finally dominated the remaining human consciousness, proving another theory that my Great-great-great grandfather had about android reconstruction."
The silence was thick as Ludwig hung his head in shame, unsure how this was going to play out. After a while a weak voice spoke up resulting in everyone, even Ludwig to look at Tino, who just smiled.
"I forgive you."
"Wha-"
"I forgive you." Tino repeated, "It's okay that you didn't tell anyone your family secret. I'm sure there was a reason behind it. That's how families often work."
Ludwig smiled and took Tino's outstretched hand into his own.
"I'm Tino Väinämöinen, by the way."
"I know... I'm Ludwig Beilschmidt, Gilbert's little brother." Ludwig answered, "Thank you."
"I'm Mathias Kohler." The Dane smiled taking Tino's hand into a handshake.
"And I'm Lukas Bondevik."
"Nice to meet you all." Tino smiled, a small trail of blood dripping from his lip, that Lukas wiped away, "Berwald, you need to finish your directive."
"Hmm?"
"Your directive..." Tino repeated, pulling the plant out of his backpack that sat next to Hanatamago on the table, he held it out to Berwald, "You need to finish it."
Berwald gently took it from Tino and looked at it as the rest of the room watched him. He studied it for a moment, before throwing it over his shoulder, bent down and gently stroked the Fin's face while cradling the small hand into his own.
"No..." Berwald answered, smiling as he place a gentle kiss to Tino's forehead, while the other three men blushed at the cute scene, "You're my directive now, Tino."
Tino shook his head as he got up. Holding Ludwig's jacket to his stomach as he limped to the plant much to everyone's shock and protest. He picked it up and held it out to Berwald, who stared at it, unsure as to what Tino was trying to say.
"We need to go back to Earth, Berwald," Tino said simply, "There's someone there who can help me, Berwald..."
Berwald held the plant in his hands as he contemplated Tino's words. It clicked, to the confusion of everyone else.
"Owen..." Berwald breathed as looked at Tino.
"Mr. Lane..." Tino smiled, as he fell to his knees, clutching the jacket closer to his body.
"THAT'S IT! OWEN!" Berwald cried, in excitement, he turned to everyone else, "There is a way to save him. I now know what needs to be done."
He placed the plant in Tino's hands as he placed Hanatamago in the backpack and swung it onto his shoulders, he swiftly pulled Tino into his arms carrying him bridal style. He turned to the other three men, a smile on his face.
"Gentlemen, are you interested in causing a mutiny?..."
"I'm in!" Mathias cried, pulling out a giant battle-axe, "I'll take on anyone who stands in the way!"
"You can count on me." Lukas replied, a small smile tugging at his lips.
"I'll join you." Ludwig smiled, cocking his hand gun, "Ready when you are."
Berwald smiled before turning to the door. He pulled out his plasma gun and blasted the door out of his way as he ran down the corridor before him. Mathias, Lukas and Ludwig right behind him.
Goddesses, this took all day :1 Thank goddesses, I can begin ch. 26
Translations;
[Swedish]
Oh Gudar = Oh Gods