AN: It seems like in my infinite amount of boredom on my summer vacation I have literally nothing better to do than write and clean my house. The house is clean so I found myself writing another chapter again. I had quite a bit of fun with this chapter although it is on the long side again (much like the last one). I'm probably going to slow down my updates when school starts again as my workload will be a lot heavier this year (yay double major...). Thanks to those of you who have kept reading through to this chapter, and please let me know what you think! I have a lot of ideas for this story and I've finally decided on what Reverie's permanent job will be. I think I have my pairing made up in my head, but as with all things in my brain that could be thrown out the proverbial window at the last minute.

Thanks Stormy for letting my know what you think! For those of you who are checking this out, you should check out her profile and stories...I'm anxiously awaiting her new chapter in "Ordinary World".

Completely by coincidence I was listening to "Talking to myself" by Eminem for this chapter, although the song itself doesn't have much outside of the chorus that really involves talking to oneself. Kind of disappointing.

Excuse the language, blame it on everyone's favorite pottymouth.

Naishu

Skin Deep

"It's not somebody who has seen the light, it's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah."

Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen

Bang!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bang! Bang!

Reverie set down her energy pistol and hit the teal button to her left, sending the wobbly gel target shooting forward on its stand. After her fifth consecutive day training on the bridge she'd gone straight to the infirmary and been knocked out for the night. Eight hours later she'd woken completely rested and ready to do something productive. After breakfast and a shower, she decided that brushing the dust off her shooting abilities would be a good choice.

The target stopped in front of her and she steadied the cohesive gel figure. "Dammit."

Her firing pattern was all over the place. All six shots were accounted for but they had strayed from her intended target in some places by as much as three inches. For a civilian it would be remarkable. For someone who might be the difference between the Ptolemaios being destroyed or not…it was pathetic at best. She sighed and hit the reset button on the base of the gel target and watched as the holes filled themselves in and smoothed out as though they'd never been there. She sent the target back and pulled the power core from the pistol, setting it in its recharge block and clicking the pistol back into its protective cover to her right. She'd take a break and come back. Her arms were trembling, a sign that she wasn't going to get any better without giving them some rest.

She pulled her safety headgear off and dropped it in the bin for cleaning. She'd always found it interesting that people continued to use protective eyewear one-hundred years after energy-pulse weapons were approved for major military use. There was no threat to the eyes, but somehow it still made people feel safer to wear the tinted visors. Perhaps it was ceremony that made them continue. Regardless, it didn't bother her.

She exited the small on-board range and walked the twenty-odd feet to her room. It was convenient really and the proximity to the range would probably make it one of her more visited places. She entered the code for her door.

"Reverie Traum."

She almost jumped at the unexpected voice and sighed in frustration when she saw the one person she couldn't hear coming. "Tieria. Can I help you with something?" She looked at the purple-haired meister expectantly. Tieria hadn't gotten any nicer, but she didn't see the point in tiptoeing around him. Besides, she'd come to somewhat enjoy not being able to hear his thoughts…even if the idea did raise a lot of questions.

"As a previous tactical forecaster I need you to analyze the enclosed data." He said, holding out a data drive.

She took the white stick and raised an eyebrow. "I'm not capable of executing plans anymore."

"I'm aware. The interference of the GN drives and the thoughts of dying soldiers remove your attention from the necessary completion of tactical plans."

"Then why bring this to me?" She was suddenly annoyed by the silence that sat behind his gaze. He had a motive that she wasn't seeing and she wanted to know what it was.

"I don't need you to execute the plan, I simply need you to design it based on the data. Someone else will be given the task of commanding the operation."

"Anything else?" she asked. She had no intention of drafting the plan until she found out what he was up to.

"That's all." With that he turned and left, his footsteps barely making a sound.

She hoped hers would be as silent as she followed him.

She opened the door to her room and let it slide closed again, using the automated noise of the barrier to cover her as she slipped her boots off and turned the corner. She barely caught the purple uniform as he turned farther down the hall. She followed.

She'd trailed people and slipped away from people time after time in the last three years and although she'd become quite skilled at it she was at a disadvantage here. She couldn't hear him think. Regardless of whether he knew he was being followed or not he didn't give her any indication of the former. They weaved this way and that until they arrived at a residence room at the far side of the ship. She listened as he knocked and as the door opened.

"Sumeragi Lee Noriega."

He was speaking to the forecaster. –Not again. I can't forecast again…I wish he'd just leave me be.-

"Tieria. What do you want?" she said, not having the harsh tone that normally accompanied those words.

"I want you to forecast for the situation enclosed in this file." He replied. Reverie wondered if it was the same file that he'd given her.

"I can't do that Tieria. I'm not-!

"It's not for a specific mission. I gave the same file to the forecaster that was brought aboard the ship two weeks ago. I can't measure her abilities unless I can compare them to yours."

"So you'd like to replace me." Sumeragi said defensively. Her posture changed and she looked up at the stoic meister. –it's for the better anyways.-

"We don't have a choice if you're intent on not returning. If you're planning on coming back to Celestial Being by all means say so now. Otherwise, complete the forecast."

So that was it. He wanted to test her forecasting abilities. If she wasn't supposed to be back in her room resting she would have laughed. There was no way that she could replace the forecaster for Celestial Being. She'd re-watched the footage of their armed interventions numerous times…she had no hope of competing with the woman.

Wait.

Tieria would know this. He would know that she'd only been an assistant forecaster…he'd know that she hadn't completed her training and that she couldn't possibly outmaneuver the seasoned tactician.

So what did he really want?

She watched as the door closed and he left. She didn't bother to follow him this time, she'd gotten enough information to think about while she looked at the details of the file. She turned and padded her way down the long hall, retracing her steps until she found her door and her unattended boots.

"Do you always run around barefoot?"

The voice caught her as she bent to put the first boot on. She recognized its playfulness and confirmed her suspicions when she looked over her shoulder. Lyle. "I had socks on. That's not barefoot." She pointed out.

"True, but it's also not a pair of boots." He said, watching her pull her second boot on, or more accurately, watched her bend. She grinned as she realized that he wasn't babysitting his thoughts. At least he wasn't saying what was on his mind. "Are you just here to check me out or were you here for an actual reason?" she asked, standing and straightening her jacket.

-That can't be a reason?- "I was heading to the briefing room. Apparently there's been some information found on one of the Meisters. I'm not really sure what's going on, but apparently we're needed there."

"We?"

"All hands on Ptolemy."

She looked at her door wistfully, then sighed. She really wanted to dive into the data that Tieria had given her…she was hoping to figure out what he wanted. "Well, I can't really argue then can I?"

As it turned out Reverie didn't have much time to review the data that she'd been given. After the meeting of the crew all hands had been assigned to battle stations. Reverie wasn't sure who exactly this 'Allelujah' was, but from the feelings and thoughts of those on board she could tell that he was important to them. Important or not, she was going to be stuck on the bridge for quite a while. They'd just started the clock on a 300-second Blitzkrieg attack and her adrenaline was running high.

Despite the situation, Tieria's motives were still on her mind and she had started to realize what he was up to. When the crew meeting had taken place the crew had almost cornered Sumeragi. The air had been tense, not dissimilar from the numerous interventions that her parents had held for her. They wanted Sumeragi to return to her position, but her guilt over the deaths of several people was binding her to the bottle that she refused to let go of. Neil, Christina, Lichty, Emilio. Those were the names that weighed holes in her conscience and they were the memories that were stopping her from returning.

Where did this leave Tieria's motives? He wanted Reverie's plan to be bait. He was expecting her to submit a sub-par tactical plan that would make Sumeragi realize that she was the only one who was fit for the job. It made sense really, but Reverie wasn't sure how she should respond. Should she submit a thorough plan, or should she give one that was intentionally bad?

Either way, she didn't have time to analyze further as Ptolemy started its nosedive into the atmosphere. She ran through the targeting system's procedure for the third time as the deep blue of the water loomed below them, growing closer and closer by the second. The ship's speed was incredible and as they reached the crashing surface of the sea she felt her heart shoot into her throat.

The impact of hitting the water sent them all into their consoles and against their seats even though they'd been expecting it. The targeting system screamed at her and she overrode the automated sensors, taking over them manually. Underwater she'd have to account for the currents and fluctuations on her own.

"Reverie, calibrate fluctuations to .13 and input a depth of 118 metres" Lasse instructed.

"Got it." She entered the targeting instruction and adjusted the depth of the weapons system. Luckily they'd gone over a number of simulations and she knew exactly what he was referencing. As it turned out the tiresome drills were worth it.

"Gundams have reached the facility, GN Shield at maximum output." Feldt said, updating the crew.

The shield was definitely at its maximum. Reverie's ears had been filled with the melodic sound of the GN drives from the second they'd started their descent. Somehow the sound kept her calm, not letting her feel the anxiety that should have accompanied her first mission in years. 100 seconds ticked by much faster than expected.

"They've found Allelujah! Launching Arios!"

A new instrument was added to the ship's melody as the fourth Gundam was launched. Reverie muttered a prayer of thanks that the pseudo-drives of the enemy machines were far enough away that they were barely a hum.

There was nothing for Reverie to do at the moment, no enemies approaching close enough to be hit by the ship, and there was no need to help the Gundams. The screen to her left that displayed the ongoing battle showed that the advanced mobile-suits were dominating the confrontation. She watched from the corner of her eye as the green trails of light flitted between explosions. There had been nothing to do until Lasse gave new orders.

"Hold the enemy line back with GN Missiles!" he barked, re-submerging the ship and turning it to port enough to launch the weapons.

"Launching GN missiles from cannons A through E." Reverie replied, entering the command.

"They've got thirty seconds left" Feldt said. There was an underlying current of worry in her voice. "Gundams are leaving the premises, breaking through remaining defence lines."

There was tension in the air for the next fifteen seconds as they waited for the Gundams to return. No one spoke as they ran through their jobs, each holding a knot of apprehension in their minds.

"Gundams have cleared the boundaries, returning to Ptolemy!"

The bridge seemed to give a sigh of relief and everyone relaxed while still staying fixated on their screens. Reverie laughed, turning a few heads.

"What is it?" Feldt asked, unsure.

Reverie exhaled. "Nothing. Just lost in my head." She said. In truth, it was because everyone was thinking the same thing and they were reacting at the same time. They really were a team.

After a debrief on the bridge and completing her incident reports, Reverie found herself wandering the halls of the ship again. She knew that she should have been analyzing the data that Tieria had given her, but she couldn't look at it until she'd decided on his motives. She wanted to get into his head badly. She should have been elated that there was one person in the world whose thoughts were hidden from her, but given his personality she was undeniably frustrated.

-They really did a number on him…-

-I don't think I've ever seen him so…thin.-

Reverie stopped and looked around, not quite sure where the thoughts were coming from. She closed her eyes and tried to pick up on an image of the room they were in. It was to the left.

-…stuck here again with these whiny little peacemongers…-

That thought caught her off guard. She didn't recognize the voice at all…it must have been the Meister they'd rescued. She found the room where a group of people were gathered and she poked her head in the door.

"Reverie" Lyle waved. Crap. She'd wanted to see what was going on before entering, but she had no choice. Although, she couldn't say she was completely disappointed that she was the reason for a friendly response from the teal-eyed Meister.

-Finally, I'm not the only odd one out.-

The fact that neither of them had been a part of Celestial Being for more than a few weeks had somehow become a point to bond over. 'Newbloods should stick together' he'd said. She agreed.

She stepped in the room and looked around. Tieria stood on the far side, displaying an uncharacteristically happy face. Sumeragi stood next to him, looking relieved, and Lyle sat closest to the door. A man that Reverie hadn't seen before sat in the center of the bench that sprawled through the room.

His deep hunter-green hair was still damp, she assumed from a shower, and the back of his black shirt had absorbed the drops that escaped down his well-defined neck. If he looked worse for wear, Reverie had no idea. He was built like a panther or Doberman, strong bones covered with equally strong muscle that moved beneath tanned skin. He turned to look at her and she noticed that his eyes were mismatched, one gold and one silver, set in a beautiful face. Somehow it added to his appearance instead of detracting from it.

"You really do hire based on looks around here, don't you?" She stated more than asked, eliciting a blush from the rescued Meister and a chuckle from Sumeragi.

-Just like a bitch in heat.-

Now that caught her off guard. "Excuse me?" she said, leering at the new man. The gentle expression on his face starkly contrasted with the thought she'd just heard. He looked at her wide-eyed and almost innocently.

-What the fuck? Did she just hear me?-

"I didn't say anything." The man said almost apologetically. He was very good at playing completely dumb it seemed.

"Allelujah, meet Reverie Traum. She is our newest addition to the team." Tieria explained cooly. "She's a telepath." He said.

-Ohh this just became SO much more fun.- the man thought. –Hey girly, come here.-

"Why?" she asked. The others looked at her skeptically, Allelujah watched her curiously through his mismatched eyes. –I want to scare Allelujah.-

"But you are Allelujah…" she said, tilting her head in confusion "…aren't you?". Allelujah was lost in thought for a moment, then his eyes went wide with shock.

"that isn't possible…" he said, his hand unconsciously raising and stroking his golden right eye.

-haha! He's getting it! Place your hand over his left eye and tell him Hallelujah says hello…-

Reverie stepped towards the confused and shocked Meister and let her hand hover over the silver eye. Why was she listening to the thought-voice? She didn't know, but it clearly knew something she didn't. She placed her hand over his eye and slipped her other hand around his, pulling it away from the golden eye that he'd been touching. The contact made him tense then relax. "There's someone else inside your head." She said, ignoring the other voice's instructions.

-Dammit! Say 'Hallelujah'!-

The Meister beat her to it. "Hallelujah."

She nodded. "That's who he says he is."

"But he's dead."

"He begs to differ." Begging was the wrong word. He was hurling obscenities at her for not listening to him. She watched Allelujah's shock fade and his eyes narrow in what appeared to be hurt. His body tensed and his larger hand gripped hers almost painfully. "Are you alright?" she asked, her free hand sliding from his eye to his shoulder. She examined the dark circles under his eyes. Maybe this wasn't the best time to bring up an enraged alter-ego.

-Of course he isn't. He buried me in his moralistic crap about paying for his sins in that damned prison!-

He nodded and relaxed. "Yeah. I'm sorry." He said as he let go of her hand. "I just haven't heard from Hallelujah in a long time." He sighed, then looked up, a bit alarmed. "Wait, he didn't say anything rude did he?" Allelujah's eyes were brimming with apology this time, and a little bit of worry. For lack of a better word, he was adorable.

"Nothing I can't handle." She smiled and stepped back from the exhausted Meister. It seemed that everyone on this ship was a unique type of crazy, her included.

"Am I missing something?" Lyle's voice made them both look over at him. –Like a second personality, perhaps?- he directed the thought to Reverie who nodded in confirmation. He was much quicker than the rest of the crew gave him credit for.

It was Sumeragi's turn to sigh. "Nothing that's important at the moment. Let's leave Allelujah alone for a bit, I'm sure he could use the rest."

"It's alright ." he said, waving away her concern.

"No, I insist. Your room is the same number as it was on the last ship, go get some rest. We'll talk tomorrow."

He seemed to know better than to argue with her and he stood. "Alright. Reverie, Lockon…, it was nice to meet you both." He said, his voice lingering on the second name. He'd known Lyle's brother as well it would seem. They all waited for him to leave and the room seemed to take on a different tone altogether.

"Reverie Traum, have you completed the data analysis yet?" Tieria asked in a slightly accusatory tone. She was starting to get used to it and his princess-like demeanor was starting to become almost endearing.

"Not yet. I was stuck on the bridge for most of the last two days."

"And you didn't find time to do it in-between?"

"No, I didn't. I'll start on it in the morning."

"Yes, you will." Almost endearing. A small part of her wanted to backhand the tone out of his voice but she knew it would do no good. She nodded in agreement and ducked out of the room before she could be chastised any further. She made her way to her room to ready her things for the night.

"Reverie?"

She looked down the hall to her left, surprised to see Allelujah leaning against the wall. He must have been waiting for her. She stopped. "Yes?" The word seemed offensive and she didn't know why.

"I know that Hallelujah can't be the most pleasant person to listen to….well, I know for a fact that he isn't, but is he….alright?" he asked, seemingly embarrassed.

-Tell that snivelling little brat that I'm just fucking peachy.-

She smiled, her eyebrow raising at the alternate personality. She nodded. "If by fine you mean full of colourful vocabulary and violent suggestions, then yes." She stepped towards him, not wanting to make him strain his apparently hoarse throat.

He smiled apologetically, the gentle expression seeming right at home on his handsome face. "But he's alive?"

-Alive and bored out of my fucking mind!-

She nodded again. "He seems upset that you can't hear him, but he's fine."

"Oh…." He said, seeming to realize how infuriated Hallelujah must be. "Thank-you."

"It's alright. If I'd spent my life with someone else in my head I'd be worried about them too."

-Like hell you would, you lying little…-

"Do you worry about everyone?" he asked. The question caught her off-guard. He seemed to notice. "I mean, you've been living with everyone else inside your head. Do you worry about them all?"

It was an interesting question. She thought about it for a moment. "When I need to, yes. Only those close to me though…you can't really worry about the whole world. It's too much for one person."

"That's a funny thing for someone in Celestial Being to say." He pointed out.

That rewarded him with a laugh. "It is, isn't it? I guess I had to learn to choose my battles. Everyone in the world has a story that will break your heart, but only some of them need help dealing with it."

-That is the most ridiculous sappy shit I've ever heard in my life.-

"It seems Hallelujah thinks I'm an idiot. I guess he's proof that I'm right though." She said thoughtfully, staring down Allelujah's golden eye.

"What do you mean?" He tilted his head and a chunk of his bangs fell over the eye in question.

"Well, you must have a story. You have an enraged alter-ego and pilot a Gundam to end war…it takes a certain kind of person to be in your shoes."

-If you keep feeding him this sappy crap I swear to god I'll-

"One sec." she said to Allelujah before stepping forward and placing her hand over his silver eye. "You listen here you unpleasant little snot, I'm not speaking to you, I'm speaking to Allelujah. Back off or I'll never relay a message for you again, got it?"

-Be careful who you call a 'little snot'. You should be a lot more careful around me doll.-

"Be careful who you call 'doll'. Not a single message." she warned, wagging a finger in front of the eye. She wasn't sure if covering the silver eye really made a difference, but at least it would let Allelujah know who she was talking to. When Hallelujah's voice went silent she assumed she'd gotten her point across.

"He's being difficult, isn't he? I'm sorry. He really knows how to be a pain." That comment earned the gentle Meister a string of profanity from his other half.

"It's alright. On the other hand you're very sweet, so it balances I'd imagine."

his tanned cheeks tinted with red. "Thank-you". He really was a bashful ten-year-old in a grown man's body.

Beep beep beep!

They both looked at her wrist, the source of the offensive beeping. "Sorry, guess I have to go." She checked the medic alert timer that had been fitted snugly around her left wrist. She had exactly five minutes to get to the medical unit for her scheduled sedation.

"Alright." He replied, blush fading. "Thank-you for letting me know about Halle."

"You're welcome. Now get some sleep…you look like you could use it." The dark circles under his eyes were a clear indication that he was ready to crash.

He nodded and headed down the corridor as she split off and made her way to her room. Each night she arrived at the infirmary at exactly 21:45h and received her single shot of sedatives. It took approximately fifteen minutes for them to take effect which was normally just enough time for her to get back to her room and fall into a comfortable sleep. Of course, this meant that she had to get herself ready for bed before she was injected.

Once her teeth and hair were brushed and she'd laid out her clothing for the next day she left for the infirmary. It was considerably far from her room which accounted for her having to have everything ready before she went. She could hear people here and there as they got ready for bed. It was strange, but she was starting to recognize a number of voices on the ship. She could hear Mileina praying for the safety of those on the ship, Setsuna's image-thoughts of what had happened that day, and tonight she heard the addition of Hallelujah who was cursing his horrible luck at being back aboard the 'ship of hypocrites' as he called it.

She found it interesting, listening to the gentle Meister's other personality. Allelujah's body language and demeanor clearly showed that he wasn't really aware of any violent bones that he may have possessed. His alter-ego on the other hand was full of colourful vocabulary, cynical views, and disturbing factoids. She wished she could choose which one she was hearing, but that didn't seem to be a likely possibility. Maybe she'd have to get to know the day-to-day Allelujah through normal means. Conversation.

The idea made her cringe.

She'd come to rely on her curse and part of her couldn't imagine life without it anymore. That thought made her cringe again. She finally reached the infirmary and felt relieved. She could use some well-needed sleep…it was getting hard to block out the thoughts and it had only been sixteen hours.

"I was getting worried for a minute." Shia, the current medic said.

"Really? I didn't see a search party on the way here…" Reverie replied, mock-tapping a finger to her chin thoughtfully.

He chuckled and patted the tall stool in front of him. "Come on, let's knock you out before that tongue of yours gets you in trouble."

"You should have knocked me out a while ago then." She said as she slid her left arm out of her uniform jacket.

"I believe it." He muttered as he swabbed her arm and loaded the sedative gun. He was a middle aged man who at 5'10 stood just barely three inches taller than her. His hair was strewn with bits of grey and lines tugged at the corners of his eyes, but that didn't stop the youthful joy that sat in them. At all times he looked like he was hiding a gigantic secret. "Here comes the dream drug." He said, pressing the silver instrument to her arm. She held back her knee-jerk reaction to flinch when the cold metal teeth 'bit' her skin. "You'd think they'd have found a better way to deliver this drug by now…" he muttered. "…ten years on the market and it still takes ten pins to give a proper dose." -12mg, you'd think they'd come up with a spray or patch or something…-

"It's not that bad." She said. It really wasn't, it was just uncomfortable.

"It might not feel too bad, but it's marking up your pretty skin." He said.

She shrugged. "There are worse things that could mark skin." She replied. "Bullet holes, shrapnel, burns"

-Such an optimist….- "True. Still, it's a pity. I'm working on a little something that just might work to replace this though." He said, gesturing with the gun in his hand.

"Oh? What is it?"

"It's a secret." His eyes shone with his usual glare, only this time he really was keeping something hidden. She didn't bother to pick his brain, she knew it was useless. He would just start throwing random medical terms around in his head if he started to think about it, as he frequently did with pretty much any topic.

"Well then, until next time." She said, tapping on her watch.

"You never call or write unless you need something. I know, I know." He grinned.

"I'll see you tomorrow Shia."

"Sweet dreams."

Ten minutes later, she was hoping for exactly that. Of course, she had a sneaking suspicion that she wasn't dreaming her own dreams, but that she was picking up on the dreams of those around her. She saw places she didn't know, felt love, hatred, and indifference towards people she'd never met before, and was witness to things that seemed to be memories. She could never tell whose though…by the time she woke up she could barely remember them. Just pictures and feelings that didn't make sense once her eyes had opened. Regardless of if they were stolen or not she was grateful for them. As she finally lay back on her bed, hair pinned up and the silky-softness of her night robe wrapped around her she felt the familiar feeling of slipping away. Every night as she drifted away she marvelled at the feeling that she was sinking deep into her mattress. Deep into an undisturbed, unequalled sleep.

So...I couldn't resist. I found it too convenient that Hallelujah disappeared only to reappear when he was needed. We'll see how long she can get away with teasing him, as we all know he probably won't take any more teasing very well.