Summary: Annie unknowingly leads the Outlaw Star into a trap, and only Melfina has the power to save them all. But her dangerous encounter with the mystery man results in some very unexpected choices on both sides.
"A man is only as moral as the choices he makes from day to day."
-- Unknown
Dark Prophet
Chapter 3: Choices
Jim leaned over Melfina, staring into her eyes. "Well, I don't think anything was damaged, Professor Kahn. Gene said she just screamed and passed out."
On the screen, Gwen Kahn gulped as Suzuka's wooden sword pressed more firmly into his neck. "Yes, well, then only the reactivation code should be required."
"And that would be?" Gene asked, glaring at him.
"Uh…well…" Kahn gasped as Suzuka whispered something in his ear. Though the sensor's from Kahn's side of the connection didn't pick up what she was saying, it was obvious from the way the color drained from his face what she might have said. "Ah! I'll tell them, I'll tell them!" He swallowed noisily and whispered, "This is the code. 'I would like a bowl of muskrat stew.' That's it, I swear!"
Jim shrugged. "Sounds crazy, but I don't think he'd lie at this point."
Gene nodded. "Go ahead and try it, Jim."
"Aisha, what's muskrat stew?" Annie whispered.
"No idea, kid," Aisha replied, patting the girl's head. "I'm still trying to picture a muskrat myself."
Melfina suddenly opened her eyes and sat up, nearly knocking Jim out of his chair.
Gene grabbed her hand. "Melfina, are you okay?"
"I…I think so," she whispered, blinking slowly. "What…happened?"
"It would seem that someone activated your automatic shutdown procedure by remote, my dear," Kahn replied as Suzuka removed her sword.
"Who would do that?" Jim asked.
"Well, if you remember, there are only two kinds of people that might possess a remote."
"Pirates and the space forces," Gene muttered. "My money's on the pirates."
"Mine, too," Jim agreed. "But at least Mel's okay now."
"Unlikely," Gwen Kahn disagreed. "The pirates deactivated her for a reason. My guess is that they're planning to take her and the XGP away from you, Gene."
Gene smirked. "Let them try. Nobody's taking Melfina anywhere she doesn't want to go. Including you, Kahn."
"Yes, I see your…ah…point," he murmured as Suzuka's sword made another appearance.
* * * * *
"Nova. Was the test successful?"
"Yes, sir. The remote works perfectly. Melfina's systems were shut down for approximately five hours, fifteen minutes, and forty-five seconds."
The man sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Then, logically, the remote to the XGP works, too."
"I would assume so, sir. But are you certain you don't want to test it?"
"No. I've wasted enough time already. It's time to end this. Contact Hazanko one more time, Nova. After that, we take the Outlaw Star."
"Understood, sir."
The man closed his eyes. "Annie…forgive me."
* * * * *
"Lord Hazanko?"
"What is it, Hanmushi?"
"It's him. The XGP is within range. He's about to proceed."
Hazanko smiled. "Excellent. Soon Melfina and the XGP will be mine, and then nothing will stop me from accessing the Galactic Leyline."
"Are you certain he can be trusted, Lord?" Jukei asked.
Hazanko suddenly became silent. "Let us hope so," he whispered, "for HIS sake…"
* * * * *
"Jim? Can I ask you something?"
Jim looked up to see a little girl peering down at him. At first, he wondered how she'd gotten on the ship in the first place. Then, however, he remembered that she was Aisha's "pet" human. "What is it, Annie?" he asked, stopping his repair job on the control panel.
"I was wondering…do you think people go to heaven when they die?"
Jim blinked. "Well…I guess some of them do. I never really thought about it."
"Do you think that's where my Mommy went when she died?" Annie asked.
"I'm sure she did, Annie." Jim stared at her a moment longer. "Listen, Annie, if you don't feel like you want to be here, we could always drop you off at-"
"No, I like it here," Annie interrupted.
Jim froze. "You…do?" He considered that. "WHY?"
"Aisha said she'd take care of me, and she's got nice, soft fur that tickles."
"Oh. Okay." Jim smiled a bit. "Well, I guess that means we'll have to add you to the crew."
"What could I do to help?"
"Hmm. Maybe you could help Melfina in the kitchen. I know there's some low cabinets you could get into easily. I'm sure she'd appreciate the help."
Annie beamed. "Okay!" She quickly ran off.
Jim chuckled. "Cute kid. Strange, but cute."
The words were barely out of his mouth when entire ship suddenly veered to the right, tossing Jim over his chair and slamming him into the wall.
After his head cleared, Jim could see alarm lights flashing. "Gilliam, what's happening?!" he shouted.
"Someone is accessing my primary systems, Jim. All security programs have been bypassed, and they're tapping into my mainframe. I'm afraid there's nothing I can do."
* * * * *
The man stared at the screen, watching as everything aboard the Outlaw Star literally shut down. "Fire the anchors, Nova, and make sure the airlock is prepped. This could get messy."
"Airlock is fully functional, sir," the raven on his shoulder replied. "Anchors now locked. Ship aligned…docking complete. We may proceed."
"Good." The man quickly ran to airlock.
"Sir, might I suggest taking at least one weapon?" the raven asked.
"I am a weapon, Nova. Open the damn hatch and let's get this over with."
"Yes, sir."
* * * * *
Gene hated being in situations he couldn't control. It usually meant someone was trying to kill him, and they had a pretty good idea of what they were doing. His lucky streak was always put to the test, and even if he did survive, he'd probably pick up a few more scars in the process. Normally, that wouldn't be too big a problem.
But normally, he wasn't crouched behind the kitchen stove, trying to convince Melfina that everything would be fine. In short, things weren't going too well.
"Just relax, Mel," he said, gently squeezing her hand. "I'll protect you no matter what."
It was at that point that the door flew open.
Gene instantly leaped to his feet, and promptly got a face full of dirty blonde hair. By the time he realized someone had just thrown Jim at him, the knife was already flying past his left ear. Fortunately, Jim had been thrown so hard that they both hit the floor, falling behind the stove again.
Melfina's eyes widened in terror as she noticed the red stains on Jim's shirt.
Gene pressed a gloved finger to her lips and pushed Jim into her arms before standing again. Seeing no one, he pulled the knife from the wall and got kicked in the gut.
The man was a few inches shorter than Gene. His dark hair covered a good portion of his face, but he seemed to have no trouble at all with seeing. He wore a few pieces of armor that looked as if they might shatter under a direct blow from a fist.
"You're either very brave or very crazy," Gene muttered, drawing a bead on the man's head.
"No. Just…lucky." The man charged, moving faster than anything Gene had ever seen (and he'd seen a lot), and knocking the gun out of his hand.
Gene countered with the knife, but all he managed to do was slice open the man's cheek.
The man paused, wiping the blood away. "That one was free, Starwind. You won't get another."
"What makes you so sure?"
The man didn't reply with words. He simply raised his hand and fired.
That shouldn't have been possible, considering there wasn't a weapon in his hand at the time. But when Gene opened his eyes, he was on the floor with a hole in his arm, and there WAS a weapon in the man's hand.
"I'm not going to kill you. At least, not yet. Just tell me where you've hidden Melfina and the rest of your crew might live."
"I'll die first," Gene spat.
"No, you won't. You'll tell me where she is…whether you want to or not." He fired three times.
Gene grunted, but he felt nothing. Still, they'd sounded like three real shots, and that was the important thing.
"GENE!" Melfina shrieked, throwing herself over him.
The man smiled. "They were blanks, you know. But thank you. This makes everything so much…easier…"
Melfina was staring up at him with pure hatred in her eyes. But then a light of recognition appeared, and she gasped. "You…it's…really you," she whispered.
He blinked and took two steps back. Then two more. And then he ran, trying to ignore the pounding in his head.
* * * * *
"She's beautiful, Professor Kahn. What do you call her?" the boy asked.
"Call her?" Gwen Kahn thought for a moment. "Oh, yes. Bio-Android #25973."
The boy frowned. "That's terrible. I mean, what's her name?"
"Name? Why should she need a name? Preposterous, simply preposterous, my boy."
"But everyone has a name, Professor. Even I have one."
"No, you don't. I made you, and you don't have a name. You can call yourself Michael all you want, but it's still not your name, #28604. Now, stop bothering me and go back to your unit. I've got work to do." With that, Kahn walked away, muttering to himself as he always did.
"You need a name," the boy whispered. "I'll give you one, don't worry." He carefully pressed his hand against the containment unit. "I'll call you Melfina. How's that? Melfina and Michael, a matched set. You like that name, don't you?"
There was no reply.
"Don't worry, you'll grow into it. Here, I'll input it so you remember when Kahn wakes you up." The boy scrambled over to the main console and began to type. His fingers flew rapidly across the keys, as if they were an extension of himself. "There! All done, Melfina. Now you know your name."
The unconscious bio-android's eyelids fluttered as the information was fed directly into her brain.
"It's done. Now you have a name, my sister," the boy whispered, smiling. "And I gave it to you. You won't forget it, either. You won't forget me. You'll see."
* * * * *
Melfina blinked a few times, then stood up, pressing a hand to her chest. She slowly mouthed the word, and then said it. "Michael?"
"That's his name?" Gene groaned, sitting up.
"Yes," Melfina said, helping him stand.
"Well, as soon as I reload, I'll-"
"No, Gene. You stay here and look after Jim." Melfina stepped away from him and typed a command into the door panel. "I'll do this alone." She quickly walked out of the kitchen, and the door slid shut behind her, locking.
"Melfina!" Gene shouted, pounding on the door. "Get back here right now! That man is dangerous!"
Melfina closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Gene. But I can't let you hurt Michael. He's confused, and…I can help him. I hope."
* * * * *
"Sir, is anything the matter?" the raven asked.
"Not now, Nova," the man muttered, trying to catch his breath. "I need…to think for a moment."
"That is not wise. The Ctarl-Ctarl you encountered will be waking up soon, and I doubt she'll be pleased when she recalls what you did to her."
"I don't care what's wise. That…that girl, she…"
"The bio-android Melfina, sir?"
"Yes! She…she knew me. How could she know me?"
"I fear the answer lies in the shared files I am still currently decoding, sir. Hazanko's restrictions are very complex."
"Then that begs the question…why wouldn't he want me to know that Melfina knows me?"
"Possibly because it would mean that you know her, sir."
"But I don't remember anything before training with Shimi and Hitorega."
"Then you must have met Melfina before the training, sir. Most likely around the time you programmed me, according to my records."
"But…I was just a boy when I trained, Nova."
"Then you were even less when you programmed me, sir. Which suggests, as I've told you before, that you are more than human."
"I'm starting to wonder if I was ever human to begin with," the man whispered, staring at his hands. "And if I was…what am I now?"
"Bio-Android # 28604," a voice replied. "My brother."
The man whipped his right hand up, his fingers tightening on a gun that suddenly appeared there. He looked up the barrel to see Melfina staring back at him.
"Hello, Michael," she said quietly. "It's been so long since I've seen you."
The man noticed that his arm was shuddering, and silently commanded it to stop. "Mel…fina," he whispered, trying to figure out why she seemed so familiar. More importantly, why he was finding it harder and harder to keep the gun trained on her by the second.
Melfina slowly reached up and pushed the gun aside. "You don't really want to hurt me, do you, Michael? You gave me my name. Don't you remember?"
He backed away, trying to put some distance between them. "Nova," he panted, his voice rising in desperation, "advise."
The raven was strangely silent on his shoulder.
"Nova, advise," he repeated, trying to aim the gun again.
There was no reply.
"I said advise, damn you!" he shouted.
Melfina only stared at him sadly.
"I'm afraid you won't like what I have to say, sir," Nova finally answered.
"Just say it!" the man spat.
"Very well," Nova replied. "Put the gun down and listen to her."
He blinked. "WHAT?!"
"Put the gun down and listen to her, sir. She is not a threat to us."
The man didn't do either. Instead, he started thinking. He'd programmed Nova to assist and obey him in all situations, with the number one priority of keeping him alive. Nova would never tell him do anything life-threatening without mentioning that it might be fatal.
After a few minutes, he finally lowered the gun, but it didn't leave his hand. "What do you want from me?" he asked.
"I don't want anything from you, Michael." Melfina slowly came closer, then placed her hand on his cheek. "I just want to be sure you're okay."
"Stop. Don't…do that."
"Oh, Michael. What have they done to you? Don't you know me?" Melfina kneeled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I promise I'll help you in any way I can. I won't let anyone hurt you."
"Sir, I have the files," Nova said suddenly. "What she says is true. She is your sister, and you did name her."
The man blinked in disbelief. It wasn't possible…and yet it was. "Report, Nova."
"Sir?"
"Explain to me—to us—how I came to work for Hazanko."
"Processing…one moment, sir…found. Preparing shared file…done."
* * * * *
The space station shook as it was rocked by explosions. Among all the chaos, there was a man, a boy, and a girl.
"Those bloodthirsty pirates! They'll destroy all my work at this rate!" Gwen Kahn turned to the boy at his side. "You, there! # 28604! Help me gather the essential materials!"
"No."
Gwen Kahn froze. "What…? What did you say?"
"I have to stay with her. I have to stay and protect Melfina."
"Melfina will be fine, boy. This case is made out of pure, reinforced litanium. Nothing could penetrate it. Now, take her to the XGP and wait for me if you're not going to help!"
"Actually, I thought I might take that off your hands."
Kahn turned to see a woman a few feet away, pointing a gun at him. "Who are you?"
"Name's not important. Just step away from the kids, Professor. I'm taking them on a little joyride."
"Impossible! You can't! The boy still has to be updated and then-"
The gun fired. "I never did like technobabble. Move."
Kahn moved.
The woman pushed him aside anyway. "Grab the case and let's move, kid. Unless you want pirates breathing down your neck."
The boy thought for a moment, then grabbed the case and followed the woman to the XGP.
As soon as the door opened, something slammed into the boy from above.
The woman spun around and fired at five agile shapes that moved through the darkness with uncanny speed. She cursed under her breath. "Kei Pirate Ninjas. Kid, get in the ship now!"
The boy rose, only to be grabbed by something with sharp, piercing claws. With all his strength, he threw the case at the woman. "Protect Melfina!" he shouted.
The woman caught the case, and raised her gun to fire, then thought better of it and ran into the ship, closing the door behind her.
Something heavy crashed into the boy's skull, and the last thing he heard was the XGP taking off…
* * * * *
"Where is the XGP?" the pirate asked again, wiping blood on his pants.
The boy spat to empty his mouth. "I wouldn't tell you if I knew."
"You will talk, or you will die." The pirate readied himself for another blow.
"Sir! Another pirate ship is overtaking us!" someone on the intercom shouted.
"Friend or foe?" the pirate asked, turning away for a moment.
"Unknown, sir! Ship identifies itself as the Geomancer."
"The Geomancer?! GET US OUT OF HERE! FIRE ALL THRUSTERS IMMEDIATELY! DO IT NOW!"
There was a horrible groan of metal upon metal, and then the door was ripped from its hinges as a tornado roared in, sucking in the pirate instantly. There was barely time for him to scream as the room was drenched in blood and bits of bone.
The tornado stopped spinning, revealing a strange, thin man with several spikes protruding from his back.
The boy blinked in surprise. "Who…or what…are you?"
The man spoke, but it wasn't in reply. "I have the boy, Lord Hazanko." Then he came closer.
The boy was vaguely aware of a strange noise before he blacked out.
* * * * *
"I'm certain you can guess the rest, sir."
The man sighed heavily. "I know now what I must do. Nova, are you still in complete control of the XGP?"
"Yes, sir."
"Activate Security Code 1925784."
"Michael, what are you doing?" Melfina asked.
"Something I should've done a long time ago, Melfina. I'm going back to face Hazanko."
"Alone?" she asked, fear creeping into her voice.
"No," he replied. "Not alone."
Melfina's eyes widened, and she collapsed into his arms.
"The crew is now unconscious, sir. Should I remove the gas?"
"No, leave it. Just in case." He carefully picked up Melfina and carried her to the airlock. "One more thing, Nova."
"Sir?"
"Reactivate the XGP in an hour. Plant a tracer on something moving fast enough to lead them on for a while. I don't want them interrupting too soon. For now, just get us back to the ship."
"Understood, sir."
* * * * *
Aisha was the first one to awaken. Her sensitive nose picked up faint traces of gas, along with another scent that was somewhat familiar. Then she remembered. The stranger who had somehow snuck up behind her, even with her hearing. He was good…too good.
Relying on her nose alone, Aisha picked up Gene's scent and found he and Jim locked in the kitchen. It was a bit harder to locate Annie, who had somehow ended up in the cargo hold. Jim was the only one seriously wounded, and even those would heal in a few days.
"Okay, we know he knocked everyone out and took Mel," Jim said.
"No, Gilliam knocked everyone out with that gas," Aisha corrected. "Why didn't you tell us you could do that?!"
"You didn't ask, Aisha," Gilliam replied. "And at the time, I had no control over the Outlaw Star. I wasn't the one who activated the gas."
"So you're saying that guy shut you down somehow?" Gene asked.
"Yes, Gene. And he was obviously familiar with my systems if he could use a security code. But I do have some good news. I've been able to trace a signal that is rapidly speeding away from us. However…"
"However what?" Jim asked.
"I wasn't able to sense the intruder's ship before. Technically, I shouldn't be able to sense it now."
"Unless he wants us to find him," Gene said quietly. "It's a trap."
"So we're not gonna fall for it, right?" Jim asked.
"We have to rescue Melfina," Gene disagreed. "So, yeah, we're going."
Jim sighed. "I knew you were gonna say that."
* * * * *
"Sir?"
"What is it, Nova?"
"A question, if I may."
"Of course."
"Hazanko ordered you to capture the XGP and Melfina, correct?"
"Correct."
"Well, it seems to me you had the perfect opportunity to do both."
"Hmm. Continue, Nova."
"So, why would you only take Melfina? I could've easily towed the XGP's weight, or activated its thrusters."
"Hazanko needs Melfina and the XGP, Nova. While having one is useless, it will pacify him for a while. And all I need is some time. Bringing Melfina to him will give me more time."
"Time for what, sir?"
"You'll see. How long until we arrive?"
"About three hours, sir."
"Excellent. Proceed."
* * * * *
"Aisha?"
Aisha didn't open her eyes, but her ears twitched slightly. "What is it, kid?"
"I…I had a nightmare…"
Aisha finally opened her eyes and peered over the edge of her bed.
It was Annie, of course. She was wearing some pajamas that didn't fit (mostly because it was one of Jim's T-shirts and a pair of shorts) and hugging a teddy bear. At any other time, she would've been adorable. But Aisha's internal clock told her it was about two in the morning.
With a sigh, Aisha rolled over to the center of the bed. "C'mon."
Annie climbed into the bed and curled up next to her.
"So. Wanna talk about it?" Aisha asked, draping an arm over the girl.
"I dreamed the mean man came back to hurt me. But the sad man came to save me."
"That was a nightmare?"
"No. But then a really bad man came and took the sad man away, and I was all alone and scared and stuff." She paused. "But…then you came and got me."
"Doesn't sound too bad to me."
"Aisha?"
"Hmm?"
"Is Melfina gonna be okay?"
"Try not to think about that, kid." Aisha pulled Annie closer and flipped her long, white braid in the girl's face. "Hang onto that if you get scared, okay?"
Annie nodded and gave the braid a light squeeze. It made her feel better, for some reason. She closed her eyes and snuggled into Aisha's warm fur. Within seconds, she fell into a peaceful sleep, a slight smile on her face.
* * * * *
"Do you think he'll succeed, Hitorega?"
"I don't know, Hamnyo. He has the ability to, but…I just don't know."
Hamnyo stared into the deep, darkness of space, wondering. "What if he does?"
"I suppose we'll have to wait and see."
"And…if he doesn't?"
"I…don't know," Hitorega admitted after a long moment.
"I miss Shimi," she said suddenly.
"So do I, little one. But he failed Hazanko."
"I guess." She hesitated, then slipped her tiny hand into his larger one.
Hitorega's fingers slowly closed over her own. "Have faith, little one. That is all we can do for now."
Hamnyo closed her eyes and waited patiently. Please hurry back…Michael.>
* * * * *
Continued in Chapter 4: Revenge
Michael returns to the Anten Seven, but will he really hand Melfine
over to Hazanko, and what is his mysterious plan? Gene & Co.
finally catch up to Michael, but so does a certain ex-Anten assassin.
And when all is said and done, which side will Melfina choose?
